In my Beautiful Balloon...a Moxie Fab Challenge

Hot air balloons are beautiful...they are everywhere in the crafting world these days, and now that spring is here, I expect we will see some in the horizon from our back deck.  I am afraid of heights, and would likely never go up in one, but I love to watch them from the ground!!  I am also loving all the great creations that are being made for the latest Moxie Fab World Challenge "In my Beautiful Balloon".  Here is my entry:

Here is how the card came together...I hand-drew my balloon and cut it out of kraft cardstock.  I then cut out the stripes in different colours.  Once they were adhered to the balloon base, I stitched the seams for dimension.  All of the edges are sponged with distress ink which gives additional dimension.  I had to do all of that twice because my sewing machine ate my first balloon and completely wrecked it.  ACK!!!  The basket is made from half of the decorative label punch topped with a large scalloped border.  The sentiment fit perfectly on the basket - YAY!  The balloon is accented by kraft clouds and baker's twine ropes.

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Supplies:

Paper:  kraft (SU), vintage cream (PTI), cherry, grass, orange & bermuda shimmer couture, eucalyptus (A muse studio)

Stamps:  everyday button bits, polka dot basics (PTI)

Ink:  versamark, burnt umber (palette hybrid), walnut stain distress (Ranger)

Accessories:  cappucino baker's twine (the Twinery), pop dots (ANM), corner chomper (WeRMemoryKeepers), decorative label punch (SU), cloud trio & jumbo scallop dies (MFT)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)