Timeless Tuesday #262: It's a WASH!

Happy, Happy Tuesday! Aaannnnd, we're back...with another Timeless Tuesday Challenge!

Deborah is our hostess this week, and she has challenged us to get out those rolls of Washi tape and actually use them! I don't know about you, but I rarely use Washi tape. They are in a drawer, so I often forget I have them, but even when I do remember, I have a hard time figuring out where to use them. So, this was a real challenge for me. But, I persevered, and before I knew it, I was a Happy Camper!!! ;)

This card is not my usual style. I love fun, bright colors, but I don't use them in large doses in my cards very often. But, I recently got some Gelatos and wanted to give them a try, and since they are all bright colors, that's what I went with. :) I used the MFT Wednesday Stamp Club Sketch #166 for my layout. The bright bg paper is my first attempt with Gelatos. I just scribbled a few colors from the MFT Color Palette Challenge #3 (had to use pink and blue to make the purple color since there isn't a purple in the Gelato set I have) onto a piece of textured watercolor paper then used a paint brush and water to blend them. After it dried, I mixed some gesso and water and did a little dripping and dropping with a water dropper. For the image, I first used the S'More Fun Silhouette Cut File to cut out the camper and that cute little banner, stamped the images with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, then colored them with Copics. All those gold areas on the camper are meant to look like rust, but I'm not sure it comes across that way. ;) The vellum circle behind the image was dry embossed with a blueprint embossing folder, and the sentiment was heat embossed with black ep. The kraft strip in the center of the card has a piece of Washi tape on it. 

I almost didn't even show the inside of this card, it's so plain. But, I thought I'd show an easy way to spruce up the inside with hardly any effort at all. The strips of color on the top and bottom of the white die cut are simply from the die cut negative that was left over after cutting the bg for the front of the card. All I had to do was distress the edges with Distress Ink to match the front of the card, then glue them onto the white panel and trip the excess. Barely any waste at all, and it took all of 2 minutes to finish the inside.

So, now that it's your turn, I hope you'll play along! I can't wait to see how everyone takes on this challenge! I'm hoping to get inspired on new ways to use Washi tape!!! For the challenge, you don't have to use Flourishes stamps, but if you do, you get two ballots toward the weekly prize! You can find all the details for the challenge here.

Also, take a moment to be inspired by all our designers' blogs, and be sure to leave some love for them, too! :)

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea...that's me!
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Katie Sims

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
MFT Color Palette Challenge #3
MFT Wednesday Stamp Club #166 (MFTWSC166)
613 Avenue Create Challenge #62: Anything Goes
Simon Says Monday Challenge: D is for Distress

~Hugs,

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Timeless Tuesday #261: MASKuerade!

Hello, and welcome back to another Timeless Tuesday (on Wednesday this week) Challenge! 

This week, the super-talented Allison is hosting a MASKuerade! And here's how you play along...

I went with the stencil option for my card...

I used the Viva la Verve February 2014 Week 3 sketch, turned sideways (see, I told you...another turned sketch!) for the layout, and the crackle design on the background was made with a stencil and molding paste that I colored with Distress Reinkers. I used Flourishes Calla Lilies stamp set for the image and sentiment, stamping both with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. The image is colored with Copic markers. I ran the flourish die cuts through a Xyron, then coated them in white glitter.

On the inside, I punched a Footlights border and added a strip of dp diagonally across it. On the personalization panel, the lily image is stamped in Angel Pink Memento Ink.

I hope you'll join us for the MASKuerade this week! And, remember, you don't have to use Flourishes stamps, but if you do, you get two ballots toward the weekly prize! You can find all the details for the challenge here.

Be sure to take a moment to be inspired by the rest of the team, and leave some blog love for them, too! :)

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea...that's me!
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Katie Sims

On a personal note...Sympathy cards are always hard to make, but this particular sympathy card was made with an unbelievably heavy heart. My dear friend, Linda, had recently been diagnosed with cancer, and I knew I was going to eventually need a card for her family. I thought I was being proactive by making the card early, as I knew it would have been difficult, emotionally, for me to make it after she was gone, but the day after I finished the card, Linda suddenly passed away. I can't believe she is gone, but I am so grateful to have had her in my life. She was an amazingly strong, caring woman, and she had a wicked sense of humor that could make you laugh, even, or maybe especially, on days when all you wanted to do was cry. She was one of a kind, and I will miss her.

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week! And, to all of you, my blog friends, a great BIG virtual HUG!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve February 2014 Week 3 Sketch Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: Anything Goes With Pearls
Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Perfectly Peach
613 Avenue Create Challenge #61: Anything Goes
Paper Issues: Tip-Toe Through the Tu-lips

~Hugs,

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Timeless Tuesday #260: < = >!

Hello, all you Flourishes Fans! Did you hear the news? There is a serious buyer for Flourishes!!! Yay! I SO hope it goes through...don't you? :D Well, while we are waiting to find out, let's play! :)


I'm your hostess for this week's Timeless Tuesday Challenge, and I wanted to give everyone a super easy challenge to work with.

So, here it is...< = >! Or, in non-math terms, Less = More! What does that mean, you ask? Well, simply create a card with a stamped image, but NO coloring! It doesn't have to be a CAS card, but if you really want to embrace the < = > theory, go for it!

For my project, I decided to make a boxed set of cards using some of my favorite Flourishes floral images. And, nothing shows off an image like white on kraft! 

I used Flourishes Classic Kraft cardstock, stamped the images with white pigment ink, then heat embossed large floral images from the Gerber Daisies, Sweet Peas, and Picking Wildflowers stamp sets. In the lower right corner, I stamped sentiments with Versamark ink, then heat embossed them in blue, pink, and yellow embossing powders. The sentiments came from the Sweet Peas, Picking Wildflowers, and Butterflies & Blossoms stamp sets. After cutting the upper right corner at an angle, I sponged Walnut Stain Distress Ink over the sentiments, up the right side of the card, and in the upper left corner. 

On the inside, I used coordinating, but smaller, floral images, stamped in Versamark ink, but I didn't emboss them. The Picking Wildflowers set doesn't have a smaller image, but the Garden Picks set had a wildflower image that worked great with it.

To finish off my set, I made a box, using my envelope punch board. Jennifer McGuire has a great tutorial on how to do this. Before assembling it, I heat embossed the Sweet Pea image on the flap and on the back side. Then, tied it up with a polka dot ribbon.

Here's a look at the back of the box. Notice the slits that are cut for the ribbon to go through. This is so that when the box is untied, the ribbon won't fall off. 

Now, it's confession time! Remember I said I wanted this to be an easy challenge? HA! It was anything but that for me. Look at all my attempts to heat emboss the images:

Can you see what went wrong??? I had a major embossing powder fail! Before I figured out that it was the embossing powder, and not the cardstock, ink, or even operator error, I tried several brands of kraft cs, and a couple of dark colored cardstocks, too. I also tried stamping with Versamark ink, and with white pigment ink. No matter what I did, THIS is what I got...

Have you ever seen anything like this??? I'm not exactly sure what happened, but I think my embossing powder was absorbing dye from the cardstock because there was nothing in the powder before it was heated. I tested it on white cardstock, and it turned out beautifully. So, to make this project, after working on it unsuccessfully for hours, I finally went out and bought more embossing powder. Problem solved! ;~) But my < = > challenge sure was a lot more difficult for me than I had planned. Fortunately, though, I loved the finished set. So, aside from the ep fail, I have to say...Less=More=Easy Peasy! And, I like that equation!

I hope you are inspired, and will play along with us this week! I can't wait to see what you make! And, remember, you don't have to use Flourishes stamps, but if you do, you get two ballots toward the weekly prize! You can find all the details for the challenge here.

Be sure to visit the rest of the team to see how they've turned "Less" into fabulous "More!"

• Cheryl Lea...that's me!
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Katie Sims

Thanks for stopping by, and have a crafty week!

~Hugs,

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Timeless Tuesday #259: Polka Dots

Flourishes's Gambler's Sale is up to 50% off--STOREWIDE! Better hurry, as things are flying off the shelves! But, for now, let's talk Timeless Tuesday!

This week, Jenny is our hostess, and she has given us a fun, but simple challenge.  Just use polka dots! See...Easy Peasy!

I had so much fun making this card! I did some stamping with two different Flourishes stamp sets, some heat embossing, paper piecing, distressing, and sewing, and used six different dp's, including, of course, a cute polka dot pattern, and came up with a sweet card to surprise a friend whom I enjoy coffee with after we drop the kids off at school. Well, sometimes it's just coffee, but often it includes breakfast, maybe a trip to the mall, occasionally even lunch, before the "morning" is over. ;) She's a great friend, that's for sure, and I love spending time with her! The Viva la Verve February 2014 Week 1 sketch, turned on it's side, was perfect for this card, as I thought the two circle layers looked like coasters. I used the So Distressed stamp set (still in stock, so hurry, if you want it!) to add coffee rings and a few splotches to them in Gathered Twigs Distress Ink. For the cups, I first cut them on my Silhouette, using Flourishes Grab a Cup Silhouette Cut File, and stamped the image (unfortunately, already out of stock) in Rich Cocoa Memento Ink. Then I stamped the cup images onto 2 different dps in Rich Cocoa ink, fussy cut the pieces and glued them to the white stamped base. The cute little coffee cup "logo" on the cups is part of the stamp set. I just colored it with Copic markers. It's hard to see in the photo, but I used CollAll 3-D glue to raise just the outer edges of the cups to give them a little bit of dimension. I stamped the coffee beans, also in the Grab a Cup set, multiple times on the newsprint dp, and heat embossed the "COFFEE" text in brown ep, adding the ellipsis with a Versamark pen.

On the inside, I stamped the sentiment with Rich Cocoa ink, adding the dots with a Sharpie marker, then punched zig zag strips from four of the dp's to jazz it up a bit. I sponged Vintage Photo ink around the edge of the panel, and over the exposed white edge to the left of the zig zag strips.

So let's all get DOTTY! ;D  You don't have to use Flourishes stamps, but if you do, you get two ballots toward the weekly prize! You can find all the details for the challenge here.

Want to see how DOTTY the rest of the team is? Well, just check them out here:

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea...that's me!
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Katie Sims

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve February 2014 Week 1 Sketch Challenge
Verve February Diva Dare: Perk Up
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: Get Krafty
MFT Stamps Color Palette Challenge 2
Freshly Brewed Challenge February 2014: Choose Your Challenge (Photo Inspiration)
613 Avenue Create: Anything Goes w/Optional Twist--National RAK Day (a friend)
Corrosive Challenge #193: In Stitches

~Hugs,

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Timeless Tuesday #258: "Wood" You Be Mine...

Time for more Timeless Tuesday goodness!









This week, my sweet friend, Katie, has a really fun challenge for us. She is challenging us to...

I used the Gerber Daisy set for my images, colored them with Copics and cut them with the coordinating Silhouette Cut File. The wings of the butterflies are lifted with CollAll 3D glue. The sentiment, stamped in Teal Zeal Memento Ink, is from the Chrysanthemum stamp set. I was going for a metallic look on the two ornate die cuts on either side of the image, but I'm not sure how well that comes across here. The wood texture on my card is on the panel behind the image. I've got another pic below.

The pic on the left shows the layers and dimension of the images, and the one on the right is the wood textured panel and "metal" embellies that I made using UTEE, before I put the image over it.

It's funny that I made a get well card for this week, since I've been feeling puny, myself! Thanks to everyone for the get well wishes from last week. I'm doing much better! :) The Get Well sentiment in this card is from the Sentimental Favorites stamp set.

Now then, "wood" you please join us in this week's Timeless Tuesday Challenge? I sure hope so. And, remember, you don't have to use Flourishes stamps, but if you do, you get two ballots toward the weekly prize! You can find all the details for the challenge here. And, be sure to check out Flourishes' Gamblers Sale...it's up to 40% OFF--STOREWIDE!

Stop by the rest of the DT's blogs for inspiration and leave them a little blog love while you are there. ;)

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea...that's me!
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Katie Sims

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
613 Avenue Create Challenge #58: Anything Goes
Verve Floral Fantasy February Diva Inspirations Hop
MFT Stamps Color Palette Challenge 2
Simon Says Monday Challenge: We Love Stamps

~Hugs,

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Timeless Tuesday #257: Feel the Love

It's time for another Timeless Tuesday Challenge, but before I get to that, I have a couple other things to mention. First of all, be sure to check out Flourishes' Gamblers Sale. Everything is 30% off! If you love Flourishes stamps, now is the time to buy! Secondly, on a sad note, Jan Marie, the owner of Flourishes, is stepping down from Flourishes. I won't go into details, as you can read her letter here, but this is definitely a sad day for the stamping world. :(




Today's Timeless Tuesday Challenge is hosted by the fabulously talented Deborah, and with Valentine's Day just around the corner, she is challenging us to "Feel the Love," by creating a card that incorporates love and the color red.

I don't think any flower says love better than a red rose, so I used the Roses Are Red stamp set for my card.

I first cut it using the Roses Are Red Silhouette Cut File, then stamped it in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored it using Copic markers. The "love you!" sentiment, which is part of a stamp from the Wild Roses stamp set, was heat embossed with red glitter embossing powder, and I used several stamps from the So Distressed stamp set to distress the dp. 

The Valentine's Day text is from the Roses Are Red stamp set, the leaves stamped in the corner are from the Wild Roses stamp set, and after coloring the itty bitty heart apostrophe with a red Copic, I used a tan Copic to scribble over the text.

Feeling the love yet? I hope so! Come play along! You don't have to use Flourishes stamps, but if you do, you get two ballots toward the weekly prize! You can find all the details for the challenge here.

Oh, and while you are feeling the love, be sure to leave some blog love for the DT. Their creations are going to leave you speechless! :)

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea...that's me!
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Katie Sims

Thanks for stopping by, and have a "Love"-ly week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve January 2014 Week 3 Sketch Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Love Notes
613 Avenue Create Challenge #57: Anything Goes
Challenges 4 Everybody #38: Anything Goes
The Stamping Chef Challenge #14: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

 

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Timeless Tuesday #256: Pantone Color 2014-"Radiant Orchid"

... Hello fellow Flourishes fans! It's Tuesday and we're here with another fantastic Timeless Tuesday Challenge for you! Have you checked out the latest and greatest Gambler's Sale this week? You don't want to miss this... it's 20% off everything in the store. Things go fast, so shop now to ensure you get all those stamps on your "must have" list! Click here for more details and your shopping code.




This week Allison is our hostess and she is challenging you to create using the newest Pantone Color of the year... Radiant Orchid... but any shade of purple will do! According to the Pantone View, "Since 2000, the Pantone Color Institute™ has been designating a Color of the Year to express in color what is taking place in the global zeitgeist. A color that will resonate around the world, the PANTONE Color of the Year is a reflection of what people are looking for, what they feel they need that color can help to answer. Not necessarily the hot fashion color of the moment, but a color crossing all areas of design which is an expression of a mood, an attitude, on the part of the consumers." Have fun using purple in your creations this week!

Personally, I don't usually pay much attention to the Pantone Color of the Year. Actually, I didn't care for the colors they chose over the past two years, at all. But, this year is different. Wow! Radiant Orchid is a gorgeous color! I even like the name. :)  So...create a card using this year's Pantone Color of the Year? Noooo problem!

I stamped the iris image, from the new Flowers for Jan stamp set, on Flourishes Classic White Cardstock, using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, then colored it with Copics, using Prismacolor pencils to do some shading. After die cutting the image with a Nobel [sic] Rectangles Spellbinders die, I masked it, then colored it with my Copic Air Brush while still in the die. The tilted yellow layer was cut and embossed with the same die set.

I kept the inside subdued and simple. After that eye-popping card front (and yes, it is that vivid IRL, too!), I thought your eyes might need a breather. :)

This week, we have asked the Design Team to join us in celebrating the color purple. Take a moment and leave some lavender love on each one of our designers this week!

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea - You are here!
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Julie Koerber
• Katie Sims
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

Okay, now it's your turn! I hope you'll play along! I can't wait to see how everyone takes on this challenge!

You don't have to use Flourishes stamps, but if you do, you get two ballots toward the weekly prize! You can find all the details for the challenge here.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful, PURPLE week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenge:
613 Avenue Create Challenge #56: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

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