Where Creativity Meets C9:: Spring

As I type this post, there is a foot of newly fallen snow on the ground, we are experiencing Winter in Spring here in Wisconsin! Bring on the true Spring! The April Where Creativity Meets C9 Challenge #20 is posted and we would like for you to be inspired by Spring! There's so many awesome products from Concord & 9th that will work for this Challenge and we can't wait to see how you were inspired, as this challenge is dedicated to the innovative stamp company and their products!

I started my card with a plain old white cardstock base, and let the stamps and ink do the work for me. I used the Flourish, along with Catherine Pooler Inks, to create an springtime scene of a tree branch with berries and blossoms. I added a few splatters Hello Lovely, to represent the sky and finished the card with a sentiment from Many Mandalas.

The challenge is sponsored by the fabulous Concord & 9th and one lucky random entry will receive a $25 gift certificate for a Concord & 9th shopping spree. The favorite entry will be asked to guest design for a future challenge! The challenge runs until April 29th, so there is plenty of time to pull out your favorite Concord & 9th stamps and die and create Plus, new Concord & 9th products were released TODAY and they are fantastic! 

You can find Where Creativity Meets C9 Challenge on Facebook here, and their Instagram here!

Catherine Pooler:: Eat, Sleep Create Mixed Media Class at StampNation

Yes, you are at my blog. Yes, that is a mixed media card! Thanks to the fantastic Eat, Sleep, Create Mixed Media Class available now at StampNation, I'm learning a ton of new, fun mixed media techniques!

I don't normally dabble Bible Journaling, ATC's or Mixed Media projects in general, so I took my project base and made it into a card. For this card, I started with a thick white card stock base (affiliate links used), covered it with Mod Podge and added a few, bright swatches of Catherine Pooler Party Collection Inks. I then added water, more inks, more Mod Podge, used the Split Chevron Stencil with white Pigment Ink, stamped in silver, and splattered silver paint and added some washi tape. I just kept layering and adding, and it seemed to turn out ok!

After the panel thoroughly dried, I ran it through my plates of my die-cutting machine to flatten it out. I adhered the panel to a white card base, affixed some cool stripes from the Black Tie Gala Patterned Paper Pack and a double die-cut sentiment from the Thanks Die.

To learn more about this fantastic class with really, really great instructors, please click here! If I can do this, learn from it, and create something that I feel proud to give away, you can too!

Tropical Thanks

It's a bit odd to create a tropical themed card when there is a foot of snow outside, but at least I got to think of warmer weather while creating it! I wanted to feature these fun dies, Tropical Foliage, from Hello Bluebird, and took inspiration on the colors from the Butterfly Reflections April Mood Board.

I started with a white card base that was stamped with Brushstroke Stripes from Studio Katia with Stone Blue Catherine Pooler Ink. I then watercolored, with Catherine Pooler Inks, a piece of watercolor paper and die cut some pretty leaves and fronds from Hello Bluebird's stand alone die, Tropical Foliage. These were arranged onto the striped card front. I finished the card with a few irridescent sequins and a text block sentiment that uses Right At Home's Tiny Sentiments.

A Stack of Jungle Animals

I have a serious addiction to stamping critters. A serious one. Probably because they are just so cute stacked! I've gotten a lot of inquires on how I do this, so I took a few work in progress photos to show you. I chose to work with my most recent stamp purchase for this quick tutorial.

I always start by laying out the un-inked photopolymer images directly onto a work surface. This time I am working with the absolutely adorable Hello Bluebird Jungle Littles critters. You want to start with an animal that is short and stout, or has a good amount of area for another critter to rest on. Then you build up from there.

I then mask and stamp, starting with the stamp on the top! After I stamped all of these guys, I chose to fussy cut around the images and color them with Copics.

Since the balloon string and lion tail where too small to fussy cut around, I stamped the images directly onto the card base instead. I adhered my fussy cut animals onto a blue card base, added some die cut grass and finished with a coordinating sentiment, also from Jungle Littles.

A Three Card Share

Happy Easter! 

I have three cards to share today, and had very much fun getting inky for Nicole from Right At Home's challenges for National Craft Month. First up features a no-line colored koala from Hello Bluebird's Jungle Littles, and the balloon from Silly Birds, as well as a background stripes stamp from Simon Says Stamp for the Use a Background Stamp. I started with a grout card base, stamped the stripes with versamark ink, and attached my cute koala that I had colored with Prismacolors. The sentiment was white heat embossed onto black paper and adhered, to finish off the card.

This next card is for the Use a Spectrum of Colors Challenge. For this one, I stamped a few of the left facing birds from Silly Birds onto a white cardstock panel that had been die cut with Catherine Poolers Tags, Etc. set. I copic colored the birds and balloons, and added some Wink of Stella to the hat and balloon for some added interest. I adhered the panel to a blue cardstock base, and finished the card with some grey string tied in a knot.

Lastly, I have a one layer card for the Spring Florals Challenge. I stamped an arragment of florals and greens from Catherine Pooler's Grateful Heart Stamp Set, and using the backs of the stamps, I stamped some fresh, spring colors on top of the images. This is my new favorite way to add bold spots of colors, and it is so quick and easy. The trick is to have either mirror image stamps, or one stamp that has been symmetrically designed for this to work. I finished the card with a sentiment from Right at Home's Script Greetings.

I've had a lot of fun playing along with these challenges, I've learned some new techniques and got to practice old ones. 

Toucans

I'm back today with another challenge card that Nicole from Right At Home is hosting for National Craft Month. This time I chose to copy her technique of using masks to create a watercolor background for the Try a New Watercolor Technique. I have never done this before, and I do think I am hooked now! It offers just the right amount of messiness for my liking. I used my newest stamps, from Hello Bluebird, called Silly Birds, and the die set called Tropical Foliage. Instead of using masking paper, I just cut the Tropical Foliage from white cardstock, used removable adhesive to attach them to watercolor paper, and then painted around the edges, dis some splattering with the watercolor paint, and then removed the leaves. I then stamped the bird and branch separately, die cut them, and affixed them to the card. The sentiment from  Silly Birds was white heat embossed onto black card stock, and then I finished the card by adding a custom Nuvo Drop eye to the toucan and a few black Nuvo Drop embellishments.

Spring Poinsettias

The sweet Nicole from Right at Home has a series of challenges that she put up for National Craft Month. I'm a little bit late, but wanted to try to participate in some, as they really put my thinking cap on and have the chance to have some fun!

I started with the challenge to Use a Holiday Item for a Spring Card, so I pulled out the Christmas Foliage Stamp Set, stamped some flowers onto watercolor paper, and used Catherine Pooler Inks to color and create a background. I then used Script Greetings to create the large sentiment and small sentiment strip.

I'm hoping I'll have my other cards ready before the deadline...

BRI:: Cutie Pie Critters

I'm a guest over at the Butterfly Reflections Ink Blog today with these cutie-pie critters! Please stop by to see what kind of card it is and say hi!

Where Creativity Meets C9:: Butterfly and Boards

I have a card up on the Where Creativity Meets C9 Challenge Blog for Challenge #19: Sketch.
Please stop by there to see the full card!

The current challenge ends on in a few days, on March 29th, I hope you have a chance to play along! Check out Where Creativity Meets C9 on Facebook and Instagram!

Color Challenge at Stamp Nation!

There is a super fun Color Challenge over at StampNation, it features the Pantone Color of the Year. If you like purple, this one is for you! Please check out my card over there fore inspiration, featuring some fun Catherine Pooler products!