Go Ahead - Make a Splash!

Can you believe that it's May 1st already? And it's finally beginning to feel like spring where I live -thank goodness! Today's design team project was made using the "embossing resist technique" for the Mix It Up Challenge Blog. 

I took my embossing fluid ink pad directly to the paper through the stencil that I had taped down over my white A2 card base...after gently pulling the stencil up, I immediately sprinkled the clear embossing powder over top and then heat set it.

Over top of the clear embossing, I blended 3 different Distress Ink Colors then buffed off the clear so that the resist really popped! I colored the digital mermaid stamp using Sharpie and Bic alcohol based markers and cut it out using my Scan N Cut. Then I added the pale blue twine behind the image, splashed on some Sparkle Silk and used foam tape to pop her up. The wave strip is dry embossed and sanded, so this card has a nice variety of textures to it.

Until next time~

Glad Tidings

Today's card is the last of the cards I'll be sharing that I sent out for the 2017 holidays and this one went to my USPS mail carrier. I will be entering it @ Stamping Sensations for "Winter Trees and Flowers", @ The Paper Girl's Challenge for "Glitter", @ Merry Monday Christmas Challenge for "Embossing" and @ Tuesday Throwdown for "Silver and/or Gold".

It's hard to see in the pics, but there is a neat stitched texture on the circle behind the tree...you can catch a hint of it here in this closeup. The tree was heat embossed in gold glitter embossing powder and fussy cut out.

The trees were stamped on the burgundy patterned paper using the same color ink I used to stamp the sentiments and tiny gold star sequins were added for accent. The gold splatter on the kraft cardstock was made using FSJ gold Silk.

Until next time~

Welcome 2018 - Happy New Year!!!

Today's card was made using digital stamps for the January masking challenge at the MIUCB.

The masking technique I used simply involved covering over the area the sentiment was printed in with 2 mini Post-It notes to protect the area while I splattered on the FSJ Silk in 4 glittering and metallic colors to mimic confetti.

The outside digi sentiment is FREE from Create With TLC . The little girl I bought from The Greeting Farm and colored with Chameleon pencils. 

The inside sentiment is a retired stamp from The Angel Company.

Blessings to you in 2018 and may you have a healthy and safe new year~

CELEBRATE with Greetings of the Season!

Well, it's here...the one year anniversary of this little blog that documents my creative journey!

Today I want to share with you the second Christmas card that the group at my local library will be making next week. We'll be using a large background stamp, diecuts and some gold splatter to complete this simple design.

I will also be entering this @ Naughty or Nice Challenges for "Season's Greetings", @ 613 Avenue Create for "Christmas/Winter" and @ Come and Get It for "Christmas Challenge".

Inside, we'll step it up a notch while heat embossing the tree with gold glitter powder...All the stamps are long ago retired and from my stash of crafty goodness- as are the papers...I love making a dent in my supplies!

 Today, I'd like to leave you with a word of thanks...thank you for reading along with me, for subscribing and following...for leaving me words of encouragement...you make this journey worth sharing!!!

Until next time~

You Hold the "Kiwi" to my Heart!

Today's one layer card was inspired by the sketch at Stick It Down and will also be entered @ Cards and More for "One Layer Cards", @ Watercooler Wednesday for "Masculine -Anything Goes" and @ Simon Says Stamp for "Add a Sentiment".

You may recognize this Fun Stamper's Journey stamp set from the "Lime Your's" card I showcased in this post here, back in June...it sure is a fun one and I love how there are so many cute sayings to go along with the stamp images! The scribble stamp set is recently retired from Close To My Heart.

This card is A2 sized and made exclusively from ultrasmooth white cardstock. The green ink is a chalk ink pad from TAC and I heat embossed the sentiment in silver powder.

After stamping the kiwi 3 times in black Memento ink I colored them using just 2 shades of Citrus Green Spectrum Noir markers, highlighted them with clear Wink of Stella and fussy cut them out.

I splattered the front using FSJ Silver Silk and popped the kiwis up with mini foam dots for some dimension.

The final touch was using a punch to round the corners on the right side of the card and adhering the clear and green sequins to add to the simple whimsy-like feeling of the card.

Inside I used an old sentiment that I am not sure even of it's origin and an antique key stamp that was from The Angel Company. I stamped the key in grey ink, traced the outside of it with a silver gel pen and colored over the entire image with silver Wink of Stella...I just love the shimmery definition it added. I am a long time collector of antique keys and love them- in all shapes and sizes!

This card was meant to go in my hubby's overnight bag for his business trip this week and then Lyme brain-fog took over and I totally forgot...oh well, there's always next week, lol. Until next time~

Beach Meditations

Today's card is a tribute to the peace I find at the beach, was inspired by the sketch @ Try Stampin' On Tuesday  and will be entered @ Dies R Us for "Summertime Fun", @ Country View for "Blues and Greens", @ Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge for "Splatter It", and @ Creative Moments for "Anything Goes/Summerfun".

First off, this is an A2 size card and the blue bubble background paper came from my stash of things I made probably about 10 years ago and it was a super fun technique! To get an idea of what is involved, you can check out the process in the following video on You Tube. I don't remember for sure if I used dye re-inkers or food coloring though -but I for sure did not do mine with acrylic paint, so there are several variations. Let me know if you decide to give it a try! I did splatter some clear FSJ Sparkle Silk over the bubble background before I adhered it to the front of a white card base.

I used my old wave trimmer from Creative Memories to create the swell in the kraft cardstock for the sand and then stamped it in tan ink using the splatter stamp set from CTMH and splashed it with FSJ Gold Silk . I also die cut 3 seaweed sprigs from a mossy green cardstock before I  blended 2 colors of distress inks over them to add definition and help to make them look more realistic and dimensional.

I stamped and heat embossed the 2 large retired seashells from TAC in Silver Pearl powder on 100# Bristol cardstock and then watercolored them with 4 different neutral distress ink colors. After giving them some time to dry, I then fussy cut them out.

The "believe" die cut sentiment was cut twice -once from white shimmer paper and once from a gray metallic paper so that I could layer them and get a "shadow". I then accented the letter "i" with a tiny pearl glued on.

I used foam tape to attach the sand to the bottom of the card front so that I could tuck the seaweed and the sand dollar behind it. Before adding the shells with mini foam dots, I rolled a bit of fine jute into a loose circle and attached that to the back of the sand dollar.

On the inside, I stamped the sentiment and smaller seashells using the same distress inks as I used to watercolor the larger shells on the front and glued an extra piece of the splattered sand at the very bottom.

I love the way this card turned out so much that I may not be able to give it away, lol! Until next time~

So Glad There's You!

Today's card was inspired by sketch #222 @ Atlantic Hearts and will also be entered @ the Sisterhood of Crafters for "Boys to Men", @ Sasayaki Glitter for "Your Favorite Color" (because my favorite color is green) and @ Just Us Girls for their "Wild Card Week: Something Old/Something New" (because the patterned paper from my stash is at least 5 years old and the Doily stamp/diecut set is a new one that I just bought from Fun Stamper's Journey early in the summer). 

For starters, this card is an A7 size - seems like I really find myself making alot of 5 x 7 size cards lately! I stamped the doilies in brown ink randomly on the textured DCWV green patterned paper and then adhered it to a layer of kraft cardstock before adding it to the front of a subtle white and green marble patterned card base.

I stamped and heat embossed 2 of the smaller doilies with metallic copper powder on to white cardstock and then diecut them out for using as the focal accents on the card front in place of the circles that were used in the sketch.

The sentiment strip was cut from the same green marbled cardstock as the card base and I chose coordinating buttons (tied with white scrapper's floss), staples and sequins to embellish the card front with.

Before adding all the 3D embellisments, I splattered the card front with Bronze Silk (to me it looks like copper though, not bronze) from FSJ for a bit of the grunge/shabby chic look.

Using liquid glue, I carefully added all the sequins...mini glue dots were used for the buttons and foam dots for the diecut doilies. The sentiment  is retired from TAC and stamped in brown ink. There is also a large swath of free-handed clear Wink of Stella brushed underneath the sentiment that looks very striking in person but is barely perceptible on camera, sigh.

Inside I off-stamped the doily several times to get a lighter ink impression so that the sentiment would show up on top of it. Here you can really see that subtle green marble pattern on the card base -it really is gorgeous in person and will be tucked into my hubby's over-night bag on one of his upcoming business trips.

That's it for me this weekend -until next time~