Sweater Weather - Madeira Hello

The current Tuesday Trigger "Sweater Weather"- a sweater from Anthropologie 

(one of my favourite stores...)

This card uses the colours, the buttons and the subtle pattern found in the sweater. The sweater is also quite symmetrical looking - 4 buttons, 2 pockets, lines on the collar...

 

I stamped the madeira pattern in versamark, but it didn't stand out as much as I liked once I tried putting the buttons on, so I used some pastels in brown (popping pastels technique) to make the pattern a bit darker. I saved one of the curly labels for the sentiment.  I use this layout a lot - I love symmetry! Hope you like it too...

Stamps:  A muse (madeira, hello)
Ink:  palette hybrid burnt umber, versamark
Paper:  SU (kraft, summer sun, chocolate chip)
Accessories:  SU pastels, SEI buttons, SU linen thread, SU curly label punch, corner chomper

A sympathy card...

This is the type of card that no one ever wants to make...this week's CAS challenge on SCS is to make one. I got a recent shipment of Copic's new XpressIt blending cardstock and cut into it for this card. It coloured well although I notice some tiny white/light spots (?fibres?) in the paper that did not take the grey ink. Hmmm...will have to play a bit more. It does add some interest and texture to the dove! I added some silver glitter on the dove using my silver spica pen. The image was matted in black, then mellow moss and popped up. I added the sentiment and 3 pearls for a simple design. Hope you like it!

Supplies:

Paper:  GinaK pure luxury white, SU basic black & mellow moss, Copic Xpress It blending cardstock
Ink:  Memento black
Stamps:  A muse (peace & cheer set, in my thoughts)
Accessories:  copics, pop dots, black pearls (kaiserkraft)

Gingham Greetings

I stayed up late to stalk CAS90 on Splitcoast because next week's evenings are all so busy my head is spinning already! How fun that this week's challenge is to use gingham and checks on a card. I am a huge fan of A muse's gingham paper, in fact I have just ordered my second multipack - I have been using, not hoarding it!!

For the card, I stamped the bird image directly onto the gingham paper. This paper handled colouring with copics fairly well, even with reds. I think it's kind of neat how you can see the gingham pattern (and it doesn't really even look blue) a bit through the colours. I stamped the sentiment on blue gingham as well. Both images were matted in black, although the sentiment got a thicker mat.

One of the reasons I did this was to help the sentiment stand out as it's relatively small. The three pearls under the sentiment also help with this. The second reason is to draw the eye to the bottom right of the card. Once your eye is there, the circlular shape of the sentiment makes you look around the whole card again. (Actually, I pretty much winged the design and figured all of this out after the fact!!)

Hope you like it...go grab your gingham and checks and make a card for the challenge!

Supplies:

Ink:  palette hybrid noir
Paper:  A muse (latte, gingham), SU (basic black)
Stamps:  A muse (peace & cheer set)
Accessories:  copics, black pearls (kaisercraft), pop dots, SU 1" and 1 1/4" circle punches

Fall Leaves Part Two...

I am badly behind on my CAS challenges. I made this card for CAS88 "Crinkle". It also works for "Fall Favorites", the latest A muse Lounge Challenge. For the crinkle part, you have a die cut red oak leaf that crinkles underfoot in the forest made extra crinkley by running it through the cuttlebug for some texture. Easy & a great use for scraps of pretty dp! I cut out the other leaves from this die using other scraps in bright autumn colours - they will make a pretty card set once I can get them stuck on a card base!

Hope your fall is happy so far!

Supplies:

Paper: Basic Grey (offbeat), GinaK pure luxury white)
Ink: palette hybrid burnt umber
Stamps: A muse (big thanks)
Accessories: Sizzix Die (Leaves #2), A muse (cranberry pearls)

Fall Leaves...

This card is for the latest A muse Lounge Challenge, "Fall Favorites". Fall is the best time of year as far as I'm concerned...we have had gorgeous weather so far and the leaves have been stunning. For this card, I used the Maple Leaf solid stamp from A muse with three different Ranger Distress Inks, spritzed the stamp with water and stamped onto watercolour paper. I cut out the leaves and popped them up for dimension on a neutral background. The strip of chocolate chip behind them helps draw the eye and grounds the leaves nicely. My sewing machine was feeling neglected, so I stitched a border around my card. I need a sympathy card for the wife of an older gentleman I met in London while in university...this will be fitting for her. Thanks for stopping by - hope you can squeak in a card for the challenge before the month is up!

Supplies:

Paper: SU (kraft, chocolate chip), watercolour paper
Ink: Ranger distress ink (peeled paint, fired brick , tea dye), palette hybrid burnt umber
Stamps: A muse (maple leaf solid, in my thoughts)
Accessories: sewing machine, pop dots

Clean and Simple Sketch Time...

Whew...October has been just as busy as September...where has the month gone? I finally got to make a card for the Clean and Simple Challenge on Splitcoast. This week, we are using kstamper's card as a sketch to go by. I just love all the white space in her design! I felt like colouring with my copics tonight...that took the most time. Once that was done, I added the pierced border, a few baubles and the sentiment (on half of SU's curly label punch).

By the way, if you want a good deal on Copics, check out this new (Canadian) website - www.onecrazystamper.com - Copic Sketch markers are $4.95 each!!


Supplies

Stamps: A muse (carolers, falala)
Ink: Palette hybrid noir
Paper: GinaK Pure luxury white
Accessories: Copics, MM paper piercer, Bella Baubles, SU curly label punch