Celebrating St Patrick's Day with an MFT card sketch

I liked the simplicity of card sketch #167 at My Favorite Things blog this week, so I used it to make several St Patrick's Day Cards (which hopefully are arriving in mailboxes today).

I'm trying to use up the many card bases I have from Club Scrap's Greetings to Go kits, so I looked through for anything green and found these tall cards. My shamrock embossing folder isn't long enough to cover the whole front, so my tip of the day here is to use 2 smaller pieces and then mask the separation with another strip (the diagonal in this case). I made a variety of sizes, but all matching the sketch.
The word Lucky was cut on my Silhouette several times (5 for each card) and then inked with distress ink in a rainbow of colors, then glued together in a staggered pattern, then covered with clear wink of stella glitter pen (completely inspired by Jen Mcguire's post here). I printed the sentiment "to have you as a friend" to adhere the lucky word to, and added different embellishments to each (some have twine, some have washi tape, etc).

Thanks for looking and may the luck of the Irish be with you today and everyday!

MFT Sketch & ColourQ challenges

Since it's utterly ridiculous how long it's been since I blogged, I'm not even going to try to defend myself. So much has happened in my life since I posted anything, so perhaps I will update with all that later :)

I needed a few thank you cards, and I have been itching to use my new bold statements stamps from MFT (thanks sissy!) So, I figured I might as well play along with their sketch for this week, #158. In addition, I've followed the suggested color palette from ColourQ #223.

      

I really wasn't loving the burgundy and poppy together, so I stopped forcing myself to use em both and just went with the poppy color. Paper is from random Club Scrap kits & Coredinations (which is sanded). Stamp is MFT Bold Statements. Flowers are cut with MFT's Die-namics :upsy daisy. Modern wallpaper embossing folder by cuttlebug.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to blog more often than every 6 months :)

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge

I decided to make several of the same card to simplify things a bit. Inspired by sketch #302 at Mojo Monday and a card I saw on Pinterest, I churned out 4 cards very similar to this one. Card base, purple panel & butterfly are all Club Scrap paper. swirl stamp is from a set called Henna by Tia Bennett. Sentiment is Rubber Stampede. Ink is Club Scrap's Amethyst. I added little pearls on the butterfly and swirl with Viva Decor Pearl Pen in Ice White.

Pals Paper Arts sketch challenge

Another Thank You card for my birthday gifts and another outside of my comfort zone! This one follows the sketch provided at Paper Pals Arts...#164 which I took a little creative license with by rotating a quarter turn and changing the placement of the focal image.

Quite a variety of papers & techniques on this. I rummaged through my Club Scrap paper scraps for the 4 strips, then I added washi tape to one, dry embossed 2 (Darice brick wall & honeycomb folders), then inked and added embossing powder to the teal one for shine, just inked the purple, on the pink one, I stamped the hearts w/versamark ink and applied pefect pearls for more shine. The sentiment & heart are from a Hero Arts set called Glow Girl. On the sentiment, I stamped and embossed on plain white cardstock, then embossed with clear powder, then added teal pearl watercolor over top. The partial flower behind it was inked with picked raspberry distress ink and coated with clear embossing powder. Card base is Club Scrap and the panel is a single sheet I bought by Teri Martin called Moments Wash. There is a lot going on on this card and I found it very difficult to accurately capture in a photograph. There is a lot of shine that just isn't coming across in the picture.

My sister Jennifer is likely to see this post before this card finds its way to her mailbox, so I'll send my thankful wishes here across the internet too. 

ColourQ Challenge Thank You

Since I received so many wonderful gifts from all my crafty friends for my birthday, I spent some time yesterday working on proper Thank You's. This one uses a stamp & embossing folder set from Stampin Up  called Wildflower Meadow along with white embossing powder & Tim Holtz yummy distress inks (Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers & Salty Ocean) on plain white cardstock. Sentiment from Rubber Stampede. Lime green card base is from Club Scrap's Culinary kit. 

Since she'll see this post before she receives the actual card...Thank You Nancy for the Stampin Up set!

I used the color palette from ColourQ Challenge # 198

Friday Mash-Up #73

I was thinking about a couple techniques and the Friday Mash-Up challenge while in the shower (i do some of my best thinking there) and I had an inspiration to combine a few ideas. So, my thought was to sort of combine Triple Stamping technique with  The TJ Embossed puzzle technique I did last week and make a Thank You card for The Friday Mashup Challenge #73. Here is the result:

Paper: Club Scrap: Blue panel-Gimme A Ring, White panels-Lotus Pond
Embossing Folder: Sizzix Tropical Paisley
Inks: Hero Arts: Pool & brown, Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink
Sentiment: Unknown
Punch: Butterfly
Other: perfect pearl spray

Squirrely Challenge - Embossed Puzzle

Not much time to write, but Miss Nancy at Squirrely Art tasked us squirrel girls with trying out the TJ technique called Embossed puzzle...and here is what i came up with.

Embossing Folder: Darice
Distress Inks: Peacock Feathers, Picked Raspberry, Mowed Lawn, Squeezed Lemonade & Black Soot
Paper is Club Scrap
Button from stash.

Have a good night!

Creative Chemistry 101 Day 2 & 3

Day 3: Today is the first chance I've had to play. I made a 2 versions of 2 of the techniques shared. Didn't like the middle one enough to do it again and I didn't really have the proper stuff.

• Alcohol Ink Agates Technique
• Archival Resist Technique
• Stamping with Reflections Technique

Club scrap stamps used on left 2 and middle. Not sure who is the designer/manufacturer of the ones on the right.

Day 2:

• Blended Spritz & Flick Technique
• Brushless Watercolor Technique
• Wrinkle-Free Distress Technique

Squirrely Challenge - Chalked Embossed & a few other Challenges met!

Here is another card for Nancy's Squirrely challenge using a technique junkies idea called chalked embossed. I made several different backgrounds at once and this is one that still needed a card for a home. I've added pink and brown as well as paper piercing (using the Stampin Up tool that Nancy gave me) to qualify for the Friday Mashup challenge as well. Since I used a butterfly embossing folder, I'm also linking to the Flutterby Challenge.

I've used all Club Scrap paper from the Dream In Color kit (my least favorite of all time) and I'm still not sure i like the color combo of red, pink and brown with the yellow I already had on the background, but i'm going with it!

Submitting for:

Flutterby Challenge # 186 (open)

Friday Mashup #42 (red, pink & brown, & piercing)

You can also see some of the other squirrel girls take on the chalked embossed technique:

Jen

Julie

and of course, our fearless Squirrel Girl leader, Nancy

Squirrely Challenge - Chalked Embossed

The lead squirrel (my good friend Nancy) took a break from hosting the squirrely challenges, but we are back on track now with this "chalked embossed" technique from a recent technique junkies newsletter.

All paper is Club Scrap (Freedom & Culinary kits).

Christmas Card Challenge blog - One layer card

Just a simple one layer card (which is harder than it sounds) for the 1st challenge of 2012 over at Christmas Card Challenge blog.

I used a template to create the unembossed area and ran it thru my snowflake cuttlebug folder. I outlined the area left un-embossed with an old Marvy marker from my stash. Stamp image is inkadinkadoo i think. the maroon card base is from Club Scrap kit called Culinary.

Christmas Card inspired by T!m!

I’m still trying to figure out how I am going to play along with Tim’s 12 Tags of Christmas. I don’t like to do tags (they serve no purpose and I have trouble with art that has no purpose, lol), so I’m working on creative solutions to apply the techniques.

Here is a card that came out of one of my attempts at Day 1 (using the embossing folder/heat embossing technique). It uses browns from Club Scrap kits Autumn Splendor and All That Jazz. Also, the starry starry night sizzix embossing folder and perfect pearls powder in perfect gold over Club Scrap stars stamps from Sparkle (I think) and Christmas 2006 unmounted set (too bad you can’t really see the shine in the photo). The words and nativity are Silhouette cuts that I inked with Brushed Corduroy DI and then sprayed w/perfect pearl water mixture in same gold powder.

I don’t do many religious cards, but I do have some recipients on my list that might appreciate something like this. Thanks for looking!

Hello

Just a random card I made to meet a challenge at The Color Throwdown blog

As almost always, I've used Club Scrap Paper. 3 kits, Comics red & black, yellow bookplate is from Poetry and the cream card base is from Hearth & Home (i think?). The yellow butterflies were just white cardstock (cut with my silhouette) inked with mustard Seed DI and sprayed with Pearl Glimmer Mist. I've also been wanting to try this embossing technique for a while and i really like the results.

2 challenges 1 card

In between more laundry and homework, I've been working on some Christmas Cards using the Club scrap kit called Comics. This kit isn't a favorite of mine i'm sorry to say, but they can't all be, right? I'm just totally turned off by the graphics, but they make funky Christmas cards, so I'm keeping my promise to myself of completing at least some Christmas cards before December 2011! This particular one also follows the sketch at Clean & Simple stamping blog (a new discovery for me that I love). I'm really not into 8 layers with dimensional adhesives all over the place. Makes for a very mailing unfriendly card and is just a bit fussy for my simpler tastes, so this blog suits me fine!

Club Scrap - use components from 3 2010-11 Club Scrap Kits

FTL 133 from Clean & Simple blog

Club Scrap's ALCM Card Deck

ALCM™ is an acronym for Assembly Line Card-making. Club Scrap has put together 52 versatile card layout ideas for you to have available at your fingertips. The deck comes complete with 52 cards and a storage tin; each card features a unique formula, gather list, cutting instructions and skill level guide.

The wonderfully cool thing aboutALCM™ (& ALSB™ - Assembly Line Scrap-booking) is how efficiently it uses the paper. The cutting instructions are a breeze to follow and you usually don't even have a scrap of unused paper left. They give you the "bones" of the card and it's up to you to alter or embellish as you like.

The Thank You cards below utilize the 5 of diamonds. This particular card calls for 2-12x12 pieces of coordinating paper and it yields 4 cards with only the teeny tiniest scraps left behind.

Club Scrap Products Used:

Blue paper is from Varsity collection

Print is from the Asian Artisan Kit

Thank You stamp comes from the Gimme A Ring Unmounted stamps

Other Products:

Stylized Flower Embossing folder from ProvoCraft (Cuttlebug)

Faded Jeans and Tea Die Distress Ink from Ranger

Pearfect Pearl in Forever Blue and the Perfect Medium bullet pen

Flower is Studio G stamp I think.

*************************************************************************************

These 4 cards were created using the 5 of Hearts which also instructs you to use 2-12x12 pieces of paper to make 4 cards.

Club Scrap Products Used:

Print is from the Be Wonderful Kit (available only through Crafters, like myself!)

I'm ashamed to say that the plain blue is CS, but I can't identify which kit...so sorry.

The white fiber & shark/dolphin stamp is from the Castaway kit

Other Products:

Faded Jeans and Distress Ink from Ranger

Martha Stewart Arch Lattice punch

Thanks, Bird & Swirl are Inkadinkadoo (I think).

Happy Birthday is Autumn Leaves stamp set.

Chipboard flower unknown. Rounded Posie flower was cut on my Silhouette.

White Pen from Inkssentials

Now, I know you want one of these decks, so send me an email and maybe I can get you a deal!

T!m's 12 Tags of Christmas - Day 6

In case you can't tell, i'm using up any white Club Scrap paper that I have. For this I've used the back of Key to My heart ( i hate doing that, but a girl must do, what a girl must do). Inked it up with dusty concord, chipped sapphire & vintage photo distress inks. Not sure where the purple satin ribbon came from...could be Club Scrap as well, but I know the gemstone brads are from the Solstice collection. I colored one of the clear gems purple with my bic marker. All elements cut on my Silhouette from designs made within the software. Stamp is Inkadinkadoo (Artistic Holiday)

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge Week 10

Hello all...I hope you are having a good week! I was finally inspired for Linda's Compendium of Curiosities Challenge tonight looking at my photos from Stampaway 2010. One of the booths had some Wizard of Oz themed cards and I instantly thought, what needs stickles more than a pair of ruby red slippers??? So, here's the card I made. The paper is all from Club Scrap (Black is from Cruisin Kit, Red is from Ornamental Kit, Yellow is from Common Threads Kit and the tiny Silver is from Culinary). I ran the yellow thru Tim's brick embossing folder and sprayed with Pearl Glimmer Mist. The ruby red slippers were manipulated a bit in PSE and then printed out and then covered with rock candy distress stickles. The wand is made from a narrow strip of grungeboard that's been inked with Black soot. The phrase is from a stamp set called "You Go Girl" made by The Paper Company Studio and was snagged recently on a visit to Big Lots. Thanks for looking.....Thank goodness tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!!