Betta Half - AHSC #314

Hello and welcome to this week's card sketch using the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge. 

This was a fun card to make because I just got this stamp set from Hero Arts and was really looking forward to using it for the first time! It's a multi layered stamp set that requires no coloring of the Betta fish body because the ink colors you choose do all the work for you. I have kept Betta fish as pets for quite a few years now and their natural beauty never ceases to capture my interest. 

The subtle bubble background paper was something that I made well over 10 years ago and had saved in my stash, so I was very happy to find the perfect way to put it to good use. You can't tell from the pictures, but I did color in the seaweed with a clear sparkle brush pen for some subtle shimmer.

EDIT UPDATE: Ok, so I knew when I finished this card 2 weeks ago that something felt "off" about it...I just felt like it needed a little something more! I looked through all my border stickers and couldn't find what I was looking for, so I took the blog pictures anyway and moved on to a different project. THEN, when I sat down to edit these photos and write this blog post, it hit me...skinny silver glitter washi tape... THAT is exactly what this card needs, lol. So I added it and guess what? I think I was right - It really draws the eye to the fish as the focal point and it's perfect now! What do you think??? Did you like it better with or without the last minute addition of the washi tape?

Until next time~

Jingle All the Way

Welcome to another new month and another Christmas Challenge @ Happy Little Stampers!

Since the optional theme was Reindeer, I chose this cute digital stamp from Craftin' Desert Divas and used this sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches. (The card is a 5 x 7 size.)

Both the front and inside sentiments are from a Paper Pumpkin kit from Stampin' Up.

The coloring was done with my Chameleon colored pencils.

That's all from me today...until next time, happy crafting!

You Got Mail

Today's design team card was made using the sketch from Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge and a digi image from Craftin' Desert Divas for their February Release Event.

The image was colored using my Chameleon colored pencils and cut with a circle punch. The red vellum was trimmed with scalloped edge scissors for the layer behind the focal point.

Inside I used 2 more circle punches and a digi sentiment.

The pink glitter washi tape I cut in half using my paper trimmer and adhered to each side. The wrapped thread is just a white and silver crochet thread.

That's it for me today -until next time~

Pretty Princess Planner Pages

 Today's post with Itsy Bitsy features the Princess and Dragon clear stamp set, Water Color Floral Ballet paper pack and Irregular Dot Stencil in a pretty planner spread.

After gathering my supplies, I started out by using the Irregular Dot stencil with Picked Raspberry Distress Ink to blend the design along the sides, top and bottom of each page in the planner spread.

 I used a fine line black pen to add the headers for my daily "to do" lists.

 I cut the 1. 5" x 2.5" rectangles from 3 of the patterns in the Water Color Ballet paper pack and glued them on in an alternating block pattern.

 I stamped the images using Black Chalk Ink onto white sticker paper and colored them up using Colored Pencils then used my Scan N Cut machine to cut them out. 

I also used polka dotted washi tape in two sizes to accent the page.

Using the "magical" sentiment stamp from the stamp set, I repeatedly stamped it using the Raspberry Distress Ink and then accented it by gluing on several tiny pink sequins from the Pixum Shaker Sprinkles pack.

That's it for me today, but boy did it feel good to take a break from snowy winter designs in my planner for a week, lol! Until next time, happy crafting with Itsy Bitsy~

Chilly Time Planner Spread

Today's design team post for the Craftin' Desert Divas January Mood Board found me using my favorite Christmas present for the very first time...that's right, my awesome hubby surprised me with a Brother Scan N Cut 250 machine on Christmas Eve and I have been in crafty heaven ever since!!!

Craftin' Desert Divas January 2018 Mood Board Challenge

Using the Scan N Cut to make my own stickers for my planner spreads is wonderful and such a time saver! I printed them on sticker paper, then scanned and cut all the penguins from the Chilly Time digi stamp set using the 1mm border setting and colored them up using my Chameleon colored pencils.

I was even able to play around with the cutting settings so that it cut only my image and not the sticker backer paper -making them super easy to pull off -just like a traditional sticker that you would buy in the store -WOWSERS!!! How awesome is that?!

The washi tape is metallic silver, so it did cause a bit of an issue with reflection when I tried to take the pictures. The ink blending was done with sage green dye ink to mimic the feel of the cool winter tones from the CDD Mood Board.

For the functional task stickers that came from the CDD Planner Basic Bundle digi stamp set, I colored them with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and then directly cut them right on the line so that they would fit in the planner boxes perfectly. And that is the beauty of digital stamping -having exactly what you need in exactly the right size -ALL the time!!!

The patterned paper I used on this spread is old and from my stash -I think it may have come from Stampin' Up at one time, but I can't be sure? I punched those perfectly sized planner rectangles using the medium/classic box punch from the Happy Planner.

I think this is one of my favorite layouts so far and with digi stamps and my new machine it was a cinch to pull together! That's it for me this week...until next time~

Celebrating a Warm and Cozy Kind of Love

Today's card is my design team creation for the new sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge. I will also be entering it @ Cupcake Inspirations for "Winter Theme", @ Dare 2B Artsy for "Winter Wonderland" and @ heARTful Stamping for "AG+a stamp". 

The sketch this time was a challenge for me, as I couldn't decide how I wanted to approach it at first. But once I had decided on using the snowflake washi tape, everything just fell into place from there on out. The "amazing" was die cut from silver glitter paper and the "love" stamped in black ink.

Inside, I stamped and colored a long ago retired Stampin' Up! Penguin pair using Spectrum Noir markers.

I also used my Xyron sticker maker to add the adhesive to the back of the sentiment diecut to make applying it super easy!

Be sure to check out all the fabulous card entries and design team samples @ Atlantic Hearts and consider joining along in the fun with us this week! Until next time~