Royal Welcome

A quick share today of a sweet fairy from Penny Black celebrating the arrival of a baby girl.  This was inspired by the arrival of the princess Charlotte and the Mojo Monday Sketch #400. 

I love these little fairies and had fun coloring her with my STAEDTLER Karat Aquarell watercolor pencils.  I decided to frame her out on the inside of my card. 

I flipped the sketch and left a little room for my sentiment.  I cut a partial circle to show her off and then used the Simon Says Stamp Stencil to add the circles on the front sponged with fossilized amber and vintage photo.

The sketch:

Have a happy Thursday!

Suzz 

Happy Heart Day!

Time for another Valentine's day card. I decided to get my mojo on with the Mojo Monday Sketch #330.  This is the last week in the month so the Mojo Monday sketch offers up two different ways to use the sketch. this is a long and skinny sketch and you can make it in two different sizes. I chose the 6" x 3.5" size for my card.  To make it even easier for me I decided to use the colors in the Color Throwdown Challenge #277. . 

 I started with the cute dog Simon and his girlfriend from Simon Says Stamp - Simon in Love.

 I followed the sketch and rotated it.  I used Authentique paper for the bottom and added a touch of pink vellum with rounded corners.  The twine is May Arts.  I added a few hearts cut using Spellbinders Nested Hearts.   The image is colored with STAEDTLER Karat Aquarell watercolor pencil.

Sketch & Color Palette: 

Have a lovely day!

Suzz

Happy Birthday

I have had so much happy mail this past week. I received two ATC swaps, new stamps, and am waiting for an order of more art supplies.  One of mail packages was from Darkroom Door with some of the stamps from the new release. I love the sketch from Mojo Monday this week and decided to ink up some of those new stamps to create a birthday tag.

I had created the background on the tag previously using orange paint and embossing paste.  I inked up the Darkroom Door Eclectic Stamp -  Butterfly  with Ranger Distress inks - Spiced Marmalade and Barn Door and stamped it on tissue paper. I clear embossed it to give it a sheen and some texture.  I realized the colors worked beautifully with the tag and decided to mix them together.  The sentiment is from the new Essentials 12 Collection - Simple Sayings.

I know this will make a great birthday card so I am going to add a back to the tag and turn it into a tag card. I am always looking for birthday cards to give to my girls when they go to a friend's for a birthday party.

I actually had finished the tag matching the sketch more accurately with more layers of lace going higher up:

What do you think?  I took pictures and then decided to pull off the few layers and go with only two on the bottom.

The Mojo Monday Sketch:

I might have to play with this sketch again as I love it!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Suzz

Celebration

Mojo Monday is having a celebration. This week is their 300th post!  Julee always has inspiring sketches and I love to use the Mojo Monday sketches to help my design skills. I used the Mojo Monday sketch to help kick-start one of my many birthday cards needed for this month.

 My nephew loves wildlife and nature. I had Mr. Owl sitting on my desk and thought he might be okay for a masculine card.  I stamped him up on a glimmer misted glossy cardstock. The La Blanche stamps with the fine details work best with a Versafine ink on a glossy cardstock. I ended up actually heat setting the ink to get it to dry.  La Blanche also has some beautiful cardstock which works wonderfully with their stamps and distress inks.  I just can't keep my cardstock straight and it was easier to identify my glossy cardstock. :)

I glimmer misted coordinating pieces of regular cardstock in the background and ran them through the embossing folder. They received a sponging of colors and a tiny bit of stamping of script over the surface.  I stamped the Happy Birthday using black ink on a coordinating piece of scrap cardstock.

When I finished the design I realized my Owl needed a party hat.  Mr. Owl declined a party hat but said he was willing to wear a crown.  I obliged with a crown stamped on the same misted glossy cardstock.

Here is the wonderful sketch:

Hope your day is wonderful!

Suzz

Happy Anniversary

Good Morning!  I had this lovely new stamp from Verses Rubber Stamps called May your Love which I wanted to ink up and create an Anniversary card.  The Mojo Monday Sketch #295 used a diamond shape which was something new for me.  I decided to try out my new stamp using the sketch.  I like the effect it is a little Art Deco with the diamonds which I accented with a touch of black gems.

This was so clean and simple because I used some beautiful My Minds Eye paper and the sketch which made putting the card together quickly.  Now I have an anniversary card for when I need one! 

Have a lovely day!

Suzz

Golf Anyone?

I have a few family members who like to play a round or two of golf.  I picked up a set of clear stamps from a show I was at from a company called Raisin Boat.  I really liked the sentiments with their different sets. They had a great selection for men, boys, and tweens.

I used the set along with the Mojo Monday Sketch #259 to create a birthday card for my dad:

My dad and I have been known to go out and play a round of golf now and then.  He has such patience with me when I am hitting the golf ball into the rough!   I think he will enjoy this card and the humor in it. 

The papers are from the Oxford Collection.  The stamps are Raisin Boat - Fore the Golfer.  

The sketch: 

Have a beautiful day! 

Suzz

Happy Memorial Day!

Today we think of all of our fallen heroes and celebrate their memories. I hope you all are having a lovely day off in the U.S. I have been busy doing a lot of nothing this weekend.  Just lazing around and taking kids to and from places. 

I created a new card this morning for a few challenges: Mojo Monday Sketch #239, City Crafter Challenge - A Rose is a Rose and Our Daily Bread Designs - ODBDSLC110 - Color Challenge.

The flower is a Christmas Rose from ODBD, The background stamp is ODBD - Wood,  The rest is just a touch of flourishes, flowers and seam binding.

The lovely layout is from the Mojo Monday sketch. 

Hope your day is wonderful!  We are not planning too much other than swimming and a little cooking.

Suzz

Road Trip

Welcome to the May Artistic Outpost Blog Hop!   Today the Artistic Outpost Design Team  is sharing projects featuring either Huck Finn or Route 66.

I decided to use the Route 66 plate for my project: 

I used a piece of a map from an atlas including the route 66 on it... I tried to match the map by stamping the background using a gray ink on the white background and adding a touch of blue dye ink sponged around the edges.

The layout is from the Mojo Monday Sketch #241 and also playing along in Simon Says Stamp and Show Anything Goes.

To see all the other fabulous projects from the design team:

 Gerrie Johnnic

Lisa Somerville 

Suzanne Czosek 

Anita Houston 

Linda Coughlin 

Tracy Evans 

Yvonne Garner

Thanks for stopping by! 

Suzz

Spring

A clean and simple card for the Mojo Monday Sketch #232.

 

The wreath is Memory Box - Dogwood Wreath. Stamped in Black archival ink and colored with watercolor pencils and waterbrush.  The sentiment is Memory Box - Spring Sings.  The butterflies and border Tessatina are from Memory Box Dies. 

The sketch: 

Have a fabulous Friday!

Suzz

Music with all my Soul

The Mojo Monday Sketch #229 and City Crafter Challenge to use neutrals inspired my card today:

I started with the sketch and modified it a bit to add the ribbon across the length.  The sentiment and bird are from the Our Daily Bread Designs - You will find Refuge.  The papers were in my scrap pile So I don't remember whose they are?  But it was a lovely music sheet paper.  The doily was a beautiful find at my local antique mall.  Love browsing through looking for little accent pieces. (The buttons are from there as well)

A little stamping, distressing, sponging and done. :) 

Happy Thursday to you!

Suzz

Masculine Birthday Card

 I combined the lovely sketch from Mojo Monday #228, the monochromatic +1 color challenge from the Fashionable Stamping Challenge and Anything Goes at Simon Says Stamp and show to create a masculine birthday card.

 I started with the shapes/layout from the sketch and started pulling out stamps to create backgrounds on my shapes. I mixed in the Hero Arts stamps to create the backgrounds.  The main sentiment is from Verses Rubber Stamps - Happy Happy Happy.

The monochromatic is supposed to be blue but it is more gray and my plus one was the pop of orange.

Have a lovely Thursday!

Suzz

A day full of Joy

This card started from the City Crafter Challenge to use an envelope on your card.  I used a little vellum envelope that worked well with the Mojo Monday sketch.  

Recipe:

1. Cut paper and punch edge with border punch. Attach to white cardstock. Trim with lace and twine. 
2. Cut vellum and score to create envelope. stamp Brocade Background using Stazon ink. 
3. Punch circle in front of envelope.  Add trim and ribbon with flowers. 
4. Stamp flowers along top edge using gray ink. Sponge gray along bottom. 
5. Die Cut tag. Trim to fit in envelope. 
6. Stamp scene on tag using grey ink. Punch hole and add ribbons. 
7. Stamp sentiment on top left using grey ink. 

Products: Our Daily Bread - Brocade Background, Our Daily Bread Easter Blessings, Our Daily Bread - Bird Border and Corners, Websters Pages, EK Success Border Punch, StazOn - Mustard, Stone Gray.

Thanks for stopping by!

Suzz

Mojo Monday #225 - Live in the Sunshine

When I saw the Mojo Monday sketch I loved the design and thought it would be a fun sketch.  After that I fell down a rabbit hole. I have been struggling with this card for a few days and decided to give up today and share it.  Of course I have created a few other cards in that time period but nothing is coming easily right now. :) I am not even sure I like what I ended up with but wanted to be done and move onto something else. So here is my 3 day card which should have taken 10 minutes!  :O I am also entering this in the Simon Says Challenge for anything goes.

I started with (well actually finished with) some lovely Authentique paper and cut them into banner shapes. I then sponged the edges using brown dye ink.  

I stamped the Artistic Outpost images (Home, The Outpost) using brown ink onto the banners on the bottom and the center.  I used the sentiment to stamp along the edges of the top banners. The tops were finished with twine and buttons. 

Here is the sketch that started me down my rabbit hole. 

Well I hope your creativity is flowing better than mine is right now! 

Suzz

A Touch of Pink

A combination of three challenges today: City Crafter a Cut Above, Mojo Monday #221 and ColourQ #117 to create my card.  I have a nasty cold and it is slowing me down this week.

I used some of my favorite Memory Box stamps to create this and pink as my pop of color for the ColourQ challenge.  (Birch Branch Print - G1720, Flower Bundle - E1321, Alpha Background E996, Happy Birthday Candle - C1373)

The background was created by stamping the alphabet multiple times using black ink and not re-inking to allow variations in the hues of the letters.  I added a layer of white acrylic paint to soften the background.  The edges were sponged with black dye ink. 

A layer of tree branches and flowers were added over the background using black ink.  

A simple card for me. :) 

The color palette:

 The sketch:

Have a wonderful day!

Suzz

Music of Life

The City Crafter Challenge this week is Winter White and I paired that up with the Mojo Monday #220 Sketch.

I love all white cards... They are always beautiful.  Of course I started with an all white card which ended up with a little shading of gray.

Recipe:
1. Stamp background using Memento London fog and one of my favorite Verses Rubber stamps which is the poem by Elizabeth Barret Browning - How do I love thee - QQ0809-G.  The stamp actually is the full poem in a little script and makes the perfect background.
2. Stamp Verses Rubber Stamps Life is the Music on white cardstock using Versafine Smokey Gray.
3. Stamp over sentiment using Cornish Heritage Farms Music background with Memento London Fog.
4. Stamp Music over tissue paper using Versafine Smokey Gray. Die Cut flowers and assemble. Dab glue over flowers and sprinkle with Stampendous Ultra-Fine glitter.
5. Punch Butterflies from leftover music background. Add glitter and gems.
6. Emboss white cardstock with embossing folder. Sponge with gray dye ink.
7. Distress all edges with distressing tool and sponge on gray dye ink.

The sketch:

Have a wonderful day!

Suzz

Joy

I combined the Mojo Monday Sketch #216, the Moxie Fab World Championing Awards & City Crafter Blog Challenge for Think Pink to create this holiday card.

 I started with the lovely sketch and knew I wanted to use the Memory Box Rosette die to create my medallions.  The papers are all memory box and the Joy and music background are Memory Box stamps.

A simple card that took forever with lots of mistakes. (Hate when you spend so much time fiddling with things that don't even make it on the card!)

The background is embossed using the embossing folder. Pink and White acrylic paint were smeared over the surface.  Then brown dye ink was sponged around the edges and the music sheet stamped over the embossing.

The medallions were die cut with the same die but I trimmed off some of the straight edge to make two smaller medallions.

Hope your week is off to a good start!

Suzz

Mojo Monday

The Mojo Monday sketch #214 this week has a fun banner in the center and was the inspiration for my next project.

I wanted a flower to put in the corner and started by creating a stamped, layered and glittered acetate poinsettia.

I loved the effect of the poinsettia.  The poinsettia (Memory Box - Poinsettia) is stamped on acetate four times using StaZon ink.  I flipped the acetate over and applied cranberry alcohol inks to the back side. Then cut out two full poinsettias and two of the top layers of the poinsettia. Layered, crumpled and applied the Stampendous Halo Silver glitter to the edges.

I then created the background using a mix of the Memory Box Snowfall and Valise papers. 

I wasnt' sure about my flower with the card so I tried out a bundle of holly and pine-cones instead and added a little bird.

 So which do you think?  Holly or poinsettia? 

Here is the lovely sketch:

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful Thursday!

Suzz

Memories & Hopes

I was digging through my scraps pile again and pulled out a few pieces to up-cycle into a new card using the Mojo Monday sketch #209. The Wee Memories challenge this week is to use your favorites and this card has quite a few of my favorites.... I love using butterflies, sentiments, distressing both with the tool and the sponge or paint...

The butterfly chipboard was on another project and was torn up and another color. I gave it a new coat of glimmer mist and sanded and painted on a little white paint. I created a coordinating panel in the background with a few other butterflies.  The center panel was another scrap form awhile ago and the stamps are from Elusive Images.  The Verse is from Verses Rubber Stamps - Bright Hopes Anniversary - MA0332-F.  The embossed panel was in the scrap pile as well. Pulled it out and sponged a little grey ink over the surface.

The rest was distressing, layering and sponging either paint or dye ink. :)

A little shabby chic card being sent off for an anniversary coming up next week.

Here is the wonderful sketch:

Hope your week is off to a good start....

Suzz

Garbage Retrieval & Some Halloween Fun

I have a class coming up for Halloween cards at my LSS.  I needed one more card for my class. I saw the lovely challenge over at City Crafter Challenge to use a dress or dress form and the wonderful sketch from Mojo Monday and it made the card come together quickly.

The papers are all from the new Authentique Halloween papers.  The stamps are from Artistic Outpost Vintage Halloween and Haunted Halloween.  I embossed using a black glitter from Zing on the little witch and the bats.  She is colored with watercolor marker and the background behind the bats using the same watercolor marker with water.

Quick and fun card!

Now onto my garbage retrieval... Last fall I was visiting a good friend for a stamping visit.  I happened to see this wonderful tag in her garbage.  The tag already had some wonderful elements using distress inks, masking and Halloween images. I pulled it out of the garbage and asked her about it.  It was a project she had given up on. I asked if I could have it because I loved how it looked.  While I decided to finish off the tag today.  

 

I think it turned out beautiful!  All I added was the Halloween, spider, a little glitter and the ribbons.  I think she will be surprised by her finished tag. :) 

That's it for today.. Hope you have a wonderful day! 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Suzz

CR84FN35 Part II & Mojo Monday #202

Revisiting  CR84FN35 and the Mojo Monday #202 Sketch to create a new card with the sketch and colors.

I made a mistake last week and shared both cards for the color challenge so I am re-sharing the one that was supposed to be for the CR84FN challenge but I also made a new card using the Mojo Sketch.

My new card:

I used all new Memory Box stamps and Ranger Dusty Concord Distress Ink for my touches of purple. The bird squeaked in my touch of green and the sparkly silver embossing powder is my gray.

and my CR84FN card from last week

The beautiful CR84FN35 colors are courtesy of Creative Mint: 

For all the details on the challenge this week go to the CR84FN blog. 

The fabulous CR84FN Design Team:

Deborah Frings * Sue Lelli  * Andrea Matthews *  Stephanie Kraft * Suzanne Czosek (me)  *  Heather Jensen * Mona Pendleton  * Lisa Somerville 


Thanks for stopping by! 

Suzz