Sunshine Shaker

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

I've had this design in my head for a little while now and it's just been itching to get out. So when these two challenges came around (and at the same time!) I was very excited.

I can't wait to share this with you, so let's just dive right in!

This card is a great collaboration of companies that I love! The stamped chameleon image is from MFT's Polynesian Paradise coloured with Copics and then fussy cut out.

The sun and clouds were die cut using Lawn Fawn's Spring Showers dies. The branch and little flowers are die cut using Spell Binder's Cherry Blossoms dies.

The sequins are from Doodle Bug and the paper is from my stash!

To add colour to the background and the sun I used Distress inks Mustard Seed, Salty Ocean, Tumbled Glass, Gathered Twigs and Spun Sugar.

I created the shaker part using the We R Memory Keepers Fuse Tool and an old 12x12 scrapbook sleeve.

I think that about covers the buffet of products used in this card, it was really great to just sit down and play around.

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own.

This card is for:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge:

Photo Inspiration

and

Time Out Challenge:

#61 Inspired by Words

"Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine"

Anthony J. D'Angelo

Floral Thoughts Mini Series 6 | ft. Wplus9 "Beautiful Bouquet Dahlia"

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

Like most stamp sets in my collection, I first saw this one on Pinterest and fell in love. The moment I saw it, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. So into the shopping cart it went.

I wanted to create a warm and happy card and chose my palette accordingly. Interestingly, and it didn't even occur to me until right now, there is no glitter on this card. The embossed greeting is shiny, but other than that there is zero shimmer.

Mind. Blown. Right?

To begin, heat embossed the image in white onto 140lb coldpress watercolour paper. 

I then used my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers to colour it in. These pens are pretty much my go-to for colouring right now, and my absolute first choice when it comes to watercolouring. I cannot get enough.

Typically when I am creating a piece that will make it to the blog (because some don't) and moreso when it will be entered into a challenge, I write all the supplies and colours down so I can reference them during post. I have been led to believe that the paper for this post was stolen by a certain sweet-faced 4 year old that I caught in my craft space. Basically that translates to me not having a list of colours for you. 

The blue halo around the image was created by wetting the area with clean water and dropping in Tumbled Glass Distress ink.

The greeting from Clearly Besotted's "Sunshine and Smiles" set is heat embossed with gold. 

I then mounted the panel on a standard A2 sized card base.

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own.

This card is for:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge:

Anything Goes

and 

Time Out Challenge #60

Clean and Simple | ft. Clearly Besotted - Miniature Florals Collection II

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are having a great day.

Today was one of those days where not only the idea but the execution of this card came in a snap. I just got a nice sized haul of Clearly Besotted floral stamps and was itching to use them.

When it comes to floral images, this is the company to go with -- in my opinion. They have nice thin lines so whether you are stamping in black or embossing the lines of the image don't overpower the project.

I also find the flowers to be quite realistic, and with only a little Googling it is easy to find samples of the flowers in order to colour it as it would be in life.

To begin, I stamped the image using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink on Copic friendly paper. I also created a mask with a sticky note and cut it out.

I masked off the image and sponged Milled Lavender Distress Ink using a damask stencil, darker at the top and fading as it moves down the panel.

Once that was dry, I removed the mask and coloured the image using copic markers. I used my glitter pen to colour in the centres of the flowers, but the glitter doesn't really show up on camera. (Sad face).

I then mounted the panel on a slightly larger piece of lilac cardstock and then on to a standard A2 sized card base.

I opted to not include a greeting this time, as it looked out of place and threw off the balance of the card.

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own.

This card is for:

Time Out Challenge:

CAS with the Optional Twist of Purple

Delicate Spring Birthday

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are all having a great day.

I didn't really realize until I was editing and uploading the picture for this card that I have some crazy sunlight coming into my art room in the mornings. You can really see the shadows on the left of the sequins and the raised greeting. I had no idea!

Anyway... I needed (yet another) birthday card but didn't really have a plan. So the plan I went with involved using the stuff that was already on my desk because I was too lazy to put it away the night before. The only thing I had to get out was the rectangle die, because I never leave dies out. Mostly.

To create this card, I began by stamping the middle flower on Copic friendly paper, masking it off and stamping the one above and below it. Then masking those off and stamping the top and the bottom flower.

I then die cut the panel using my largest stitched rectangle die and die cutting the greeting several times to layer it up.

I coloured the flowers in with Copic markers using a very gentle hand, and coloured the top layer of my greeting using my darkest Copic colour.

I adhered the greeting down using Tombow Mono Multi glue, and the sequins down with Ranger Multi Medium Matte to make sure they weren't going anywhere.

I hope you like today's card and are inspired to create something of your own.

This card is for:

Time Out Challenge #51

Easter and/or Spring with the Optional Technique Twist of Masking

Valentine's Day 2016 Series - Card 12

Hi everyone, thank you for stopping by. I hope you are all having a great day.

This card was so much fun to make, and quite a deviation from what I normally do (stamp, stamp, stamp....).

To create this card, I used the large stitched cloud boarder from Lawn Fawn to make a mask. I then used Tattered Rose distress ink to sponge upward to shade. I started from the top and worked my way down toward the bottom of the panel.

The hearts are cut from regular cardstock and then sponged with Victorian Velvet and edged with Worn Lipstick distress inks.

I had considered raising the hearts on foam tape, but I couldn't find my foam tape, and I'm kinda glad for it, because I ended up liking it better without the dimension. The different sizes of hearts gives the illusion of dimension and that worked well enough for me.

The matte is just the actual card base sponged with Worn Lipstick distress ink to match the edges of the heats.

I hope you all liked this card and are inspired to create something of your own.

I'd like to enter this card to the following challenges:

1. Fusion Challenge: Paper Hearts

I used both the inspiration photo of paper hearts and the sketch for this card.

2. Time Out Challenge: Love is the Flower you've got to let Grow

I thought the size differences in the hearts was a nice parallel to the growth as well as representing the love.

Delicate Birthday in Purples

Hi everyone, thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you are all having a great day.

Today's card was made by request for my Mother-in-law, who has been a wonderful source of encouragement in my card making journey. Her support and that of my friends and family is something that I can't express enough gratitude for.

For the flower, I took a couple colours of distress markers and coloured directly on the stamp, then I stamped it down, shifted the image and stamped it again. I sponged the background using a very light hand with antique linen. The greeting was gold embossed and die cut then raised up with foam tape. I added 1/4" satin ribbon and 6mm orchid sequins as accents. The matte is a deep purple to complement the other shades within the card.

This card is for the Time Out Challenge #47. I only recently stumbled across this challenge while looking at some of the beautiful cards posted in an MFT challenge. The artists behind these cards are so incredibly talented and I feel so honoured to have my cards featured next to theirs.

Thank you again for stopping by, I hope you all have a wonderfully crafty day.