Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Quick card - using what I have...

I have not bought much lately (stamping supplies or stamps).  There has been a lot of talk on Splitcoaststampers about using what you have - a great concept really, considering I could open a small store with my supplies!!

Here is a card made with some of my "older" stash:



 Image was stamped in distress ink, spritzed with water, stamped onto watercolour paper and matted with black.  I stamped the sentiment then adhered the main image to the card base with pop dots.  The birds were  "coloured" with liquid pearls.

Fast and Easy...

Magical and Happy...

Hope your day is one of those!!

Supplies:

Stamps:  happy forest, magical day (Stamping Bella)
Ink:  black soot (Ranger distress)
Paper:  ivory pure luxury (GinaK), basic black (SU), aquarello cold pressed watercolour paper (Fabriano)
Accessories:  pop dots, ruby red liquid pearls (Ranger)

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Blue Gingham & Sparkles

Today's card is a card just for fun...no challenge associated with it at all!  These cards are rare...

I have been drooling over the way JulieHRR uses bling and this card is definitely inspired by her talent with bling placement!



I rounded the corners on my card base and the main image for a softer look.  I punched the left edge of the main image then stamped the wild rose image and the sentiment.  I added some accents to the rose with glitter pens (red and hot pink).  I used tea dye inks to add some distressing and definition to all of the edges on the card and main image.  I adhered the main image with dimensionals.  Bling was added next as per Julie's card.  The scalloped edge at the bottom was an afterthought...the card was missing something and this edge helps to ground the main image as well as adds that magical third red element.

Hope your day has something "just for fun" in it too!


Supplies:
Stamps:  Wild Rose (A muse Studio), Have a beautiful day (A muse artstamps)
Ink:  noir black (Palette hybrid), warm red, maroon (Colorbox Qs), tea dye (PTI)
Paper:  blue gingham, currant (A muse Studio), Pure Luxury Ivory (GinaK)
Accessories:  scallop punch, notebook punch (SU), glitter pens (atyou spica), twinkle stickers (A muse studio), pop dots (ANM), corner chomper (WeRMemory Keepers)

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Tuesday Trigger: A Citrus Celebration

This should get you into spring mode!  These colours are bright! 



The image is this week's Tuesday Trigger in the Moxie Fab World.  I don't know if I want to see this image again!!  The card has taken me since Friday night to complete!  I got the card base, the ribbon and the border all sorted out right away, but the focal image...let's just say, there are a FEW bits and pieces in the garbage and a whole bunch more scraps in my collection!! Eventually, here is what emerged (with more layers than my usual):


What I realized after all the hours spent on this card is that I am more comfortable with lots of white space...too much brightness was hard to figure out. 

BUT, I made a layered card with hardly any white on it, AND I like how it turned out. 

Thanks, Cath, for another great challenge (literally)!


Supplies:

Stamps:  everyday button bits (PTI)
Paper:  lime, lemon whip (A muse studio), ivory pure luxury (GinaK), orange (DCWV mat stack)
Ink:  noir black (Palette hybrid), lime pastel (Colorbox Qs)
Accessories: striped ribbon (May Arts), 1" circle punch, decorative label punch, scallop edge punch (SU), corner chomper (WeR Memory keepers), black pearl (Kaisercraft), spots & dots embossing folder (Provocraft), YR16 marker (Copic ), pop dots (ANM)

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Magazine Monday... on Thursday!

I am trying out new things these days. 

Looking for new challenges, I found a colour inspiration challenge on Paper Crafts Connection.  Pretty, huh?


Using pink and purple? Yet another new thing for me!!  I had to scrounge pretty hard to find some purple in my stash! 



I seem to be using up random bits and pieces lately...the black shimmery label was in my pile of scraps.  I embossed the purple paper with dots and sanded it to reveal the white core.  I coloured the flower with copics, added some glitter in the middle and then a good amount of black peals (why hoard them??).  I stamped a tiny sentiment repeatedly along a strip of white and then added the punched border - the straight edge was too harsh and did not go with the flowery-purply look...  More complicated than my usual style, but hey...new things, right?!

Hope you try something new too...

Supplies:

Stamps: marvelous marigolds (A muse studio)
Ink:  noir black (Palette hybrid), tuxedo black (Memento)
Paper:  pink & purple (DCWV mat stack), onyx shimmer couture (A muse studio), pure luxury white (GinaK)
Accessories:  swiss dots embossing folder (Provocraft), kunzite glitter (Martha Stewart), black pearls (Kaisercraft), copics (BV17, V15, V12), dotted scallop punch (SU), black brads (SEI), styled labels die (Tim Holtz Alterations), pop dots (ANM)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Cityscapes are on the rise - Moxie Fab Challenge...

I love big cities...the hustle and bustle...taking the subway...walking around at night and not being the only ones on the street...the shopping (can't forget that!)...Plans are in the works for a second annual get-away-from-it-all trip to New York City!  I could totally live there if I had a few million to buy a place ;-)

So when I came across the Cityscapes Are On the Rise challenge on Moxie Fab World, I had to make a card!



Not much stamping on this one...only the sentiment.  I used a bunch of scraps - the herringbone background, the swiss-dotted clouds and the strip of green.  I used my cricut to cut out a blue cityscape silhouette.  I got some Tim Holtz sentiments in a trade this past year and cut one up a bit to fit on the card.  Love using bits and pieces that are laying around.  You have no idea how many times I have pulled out those clouds and tried them on a card...finally, they are glued down on one!!

Hope you are living the life you have imagined...

Supplies:

Paper:  lemon whip, sage, winter sky (white side), ocean & sugar shimmer couture (A muse studio), white (PTI)
Stamps:  Creative Muse (Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous)
Ink:  noir black (Palette hybrid)
Accesories:  herringbone & swiss dots embossing folders (Provocraft), cityscape die cut (Going Places Cricut cartridge), cloud trio die (Die-manics by MFT), pop dots (All Night Media)

Monday, March 21, 2011

Yikes, a sketch challenge!

I don't like sketch challenges...but I did one...the Clean and Simple challenge posted on Splitcoaststampers today is based on lisa lara's Congratulations Clothesline card.  Here is my version, flipped upside down:


I saw my first robin while hiking in the forest behind my house yesterday!  Spring has arrived...can't wait for the sun to shine and dry up all the mud!  I am so excited to make a warm weather card for this challenge.  I submitted to the last Paper Crafts call (no luck this time) and was making Halloween cards!!

The hummingbird and flower are all stamped in one layer...used a bit of rock and roll on the bird & flower for depth.  All the edges are distessed with tea dye ink.  I decided to embellish with bella baubles (say that 10 times fast!) because everything on the card was so flat - they add some needed dimension. 

Hope you are enjoying the sights, smells and sounds of spring...


Supplies:

Paper:  yellow gingham, madeira, red shimmer couture (A muse studio), vintage cream (PTI)
Stamps: birds of a feather (PTI)
Ink: tea dye distress ink (Ranger), always artichoke, ruby red, regal rose, pumpkin pie (SU)
Accessories: pomegranate bella baubles (Stamping Bella), circle nestibilities (Spellbinders), small oval punch (SU)

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Tuesday Trigger: Oh so Lovely

Where has the time gone...middle of March already!  I certainly haven't been finding time to make cards lately - that has got to change!  There is too much inspiration out there not to make something!  This post's inspiration comes right from the motherlode of inspiration - Moxie Fab World's Tuesday Trigger - it's "Oh So Lovely" this week!


I love two things about this photo - the colours and the distressed look of the paint on the chair.  You can see both of those elements in my card...



All of the edges are distressed with tea dye ink and then roughened up.  I stamped the birdhouse and branch directly on the patterned paper and "hung" the birdhouse by a line of piercing.  The twine bow helps anchor the end of the branch at the edge of the paper.  The white in the twine was a bit stark so I coloured it with a copic to age it...love doing that!  To adhere to the rule of threes, I added the black label for the sentiment.  Adding the label helps the eye travel around the card - to the branch, down to the birdhouse and back to the label.

Hoping you find some inspiration around you...


Supplies:
Stamps:  Home Tweet Home (Technique Tuesday)
Paper:  robin's egg, pink shimmer couture, orange gingham, pretty little paper (A muse)
Ink:   noir black (Palette hybrid), tea dye (PTI)
Accessories:  scallop punch (SU), pink sorbet twine (The Twinery), E31 (Copic), paper piercer (Making Memories), label (Dymo)