Sunday, April 26, 2015

You Make My Tail Wag





It's a Clean and Simple Sunday with this little hound dog, and he's headed to the Sketch Challenge at My Favourite Things.


Where else would you want to go on a Sunday?

I do love designing CAS cards, I really do.  They're honestly my absolute favourite cards to make, and this one was no exception.

First of all, the little hound reminds me of my "heart dog", Trap.  Trap was a retired greyhound that we adopted from Florida.  He was three when we got him (he was a terrible racer and retired early), and then we had to let him go 5 years later as he was suffering from cancer.

I miss that guy to this day.

Anyway.

I'm off on another sketch challenge, and I think I've followed the sketch more closely than I usually do.






There weren't a lot of materials used for this one, making the term "simple" more apropos!

And simple is good these days!  It's AprilMayJune at school, (teachers will completely understand my lack of spaces there) and things are CRRAAAAZY as they are every year at this time.  Add in there that I teach grades 7 and 8 - which means that the grade eights will be having their graduation and us wonderful teachers do all the work and planning for that, the year end 3-day trip is coming up, which I'm planning, and we're trying to cram everything in before we run out of time.  There' a million other things going on in the school as well, and...  well...  it's just a ridiculous time of year.

Its was really nice to sit down and have some ME time in my craft room!

So, the video is below!  Give it a watch to see how the card came together!



See you next time!
Beth


Stuff I used...




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Sunday, April 19, 2015

Love is in the Air with Mama Elephant


Hi again!  

I've got a really fun card for the Mama Elephant Challenge!  Again, I started with absolutely no plan. All I had was the stamp set sitting in front of me, and I just started working from there.  

I really think this is my favourite way of creating these days.  Just sit down and see what happens.

I used the Carnival Cupcakes set and Copics to create my "balloons".  The sky background is Peacock Feathers Ranger distress Ink.  I drew some cloud shapes on post-it notes, cut them out and used them as masks while I blended the ink over the card.  It's really easy to do, and you can create whatever image you like, anyway you like.

My only regret on this card was using the linen twine to hold the balloons.  I think next time I do something similar, I'll choose something different.

So as this is just a quick "drive by" post, I'll be off!

I've got some watercolours to play with!

See you next time!
Beth

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Maisy and Madeline have a Stampingbella Challenge




It's Sunday again, and I keep wondering how that happens!  I swear it was Sunday 2 days ago...


Regardless, I have a card all ready for this week's Stampingbella challenge.  It's a sketch challenge and Maisy and Madeline are coming out to play!  This stamp is just danged cute!  And so fun to colour as well.




As usual, I didn't completely follow the sketch (I'm such a rebel...).  A little creative liberty is allowed, right?

I remember having this argument with a prof I had in a photography class.  Apparently he didn't like my work, and I argued that just because he didn't like it, didn't mean that it wasn't good.  He, I guess, thought he was the definitive voice on photography.  

Uh huh.

Anyway, I'll be back with another challenge card, and then I'm off to play with my new watercolours!!

See ya!
Beth


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Saturday, April 18, 2015

We Are Purr-Fect Friends


Hello and bonjour!

I've got another card today and some exciting news!  Well, it's exciting news for me, anyway.

News #1:

A few weeks ago (back in March) I told you that my husband had ordered a set of Kuretake Gansei Tambi watercolours for my birthday.  He ordered them right from Japan, and they finally arrived!


Can't wait to get busy and start practicing with them!

News #2:

A little while ago I entered a card in a Simon Says Stamp Challenge, and it was a featured card!  WooHoo!!!  It's so exciting to have your hard work recognized and featured!  The post for that card, can be found HERE if you're interested in checking it out!

News #3:

When I started my YouTube Channel, my first goal was to get to 50 subscribers and I've surpassed that.  There's so many crazy talented card makers out there, I felt that getting to 50 would be fairly difficult.  I know that I'm constantly finding new artists to watch, so to have 50 people interested in watching what I do is amazing!

So,

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!


Ok.  Onward!


This card was designed for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and the challenge is to create a background and use products from My Favourite Things.  So that's what I did!





For the background I used the Plaid Background Builder from MFT, and three dye inks from Stampin' Up!; So Saffron and Daffodil Delight - both beautiful shades of yellow, and Smoky Slate, a pretty mid-tone shade of grey.

By laying down different inks in a vertical pattern, I created a striped background perfect for my little cats to sit on.  The background certainly isn't perfectly straight or evenly spaced, but who wants it to be!  When things are a little off, it just screams hand-made, and more importantly, made with love.



The cats are stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black dye ink which is a Copic-safe ink and won't bleed or smudge with Copics.  The colouring for this card was very simple - nothing fancy and no shading. Just simple colouring.  The cats were die cut using the coordinating die set, and I stamped, coloured and fussy-cut two little bows for them to wear in their... hair?  Fur?

I also used a white Gellyroll pen to give the bows a little pizzazz and to give the cats some whisker and tummy dots.  (just because I thought it would be fun!)


I also wanted to add a banner of sorts for the sentiment, so I chose to heat emboss in white on velum, and I hid the glue marks under the velum with enamel dots in a matching yellow colour.  The yellow is actually almost spot on!



For the inside, because you know I can't just leave it alone, I used the same cat and Smoky Slate.  I stamped off once so that the images would be lighter and fainter.



Well, that's it for this one.  I hope you'll check out the video below!

See you next time!
Beth




Stuff I used...




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Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Unforgettable Petunia and the Stampingbella Challenge


Happy Tuesday, fellow crafty people!

I think I'm developing an addiction to challenges...

It's true!  But I love the "challenge" of coming up with new cards and having to work within a set of parameters, although those parameters are sometimes pretty loose.

So, I inked up the lovely Petunia and set to work last night to come up with something for the Birthday Wishes for the Bellarific Friday Challenge.  I'm adding this one to those submitted by the other sistahs.

Petunia has stolen my heart in so many different stamps.  She's just so adorable and loveable.  She's in a little world all her own and doesn't care who knows it!

Petunia and her little friends are all Copic this week, with a patterned paper from Momenta, and wrapped up with a hot pink bow.  Simple!


There's one thing I love about these stamps.  They all work extremely well in a clean and simple card, and let's face it: clean and simple is definitely my thang.  

So with that I'll leave you with a clean and simple post as well. 

Until next time!
Beth


Stuff I used...


Ranger Craft Sheet
Fiskars SureCut Paper Trimmer
Martha Stewart Score Board
Scotch Brand ATG Tape Gun - Simon Says Stamp

Copics:


Bg13, 15, 49
B000, B00
RV21, 25, 29
Y35, 38
YR00, 000, 02, 04
E000, 21, 31, 33, 35, 37, 51, 


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Monday, April 13, 2015

Just for You - A birthday Card for MFT Challenge





Hello!

It's time for another challenge with My Favourite Things, and it's a sketch challenge.
These are the ones I have the most difficulty with, but I'm getting better!

On a side note, the weather has been beautiful, and the cat is beyond annoyed that no one in the house will let him out in the backyard.  He's sitting at the door staring mournfully at the dog sleeping the day away in the warm sunshine.  I'm sure the little guy is going to have a breakdown soon.

I know what he's up to though...  Our yard is filled with birds of every colour and variety, and yesterday we were treated to the peck-peck-pecking of our resident blue jay and the Star Trek calls of the cardinal who seems to come back to our yard every summer.  

It's ok, my feathered friends.  I've got your back.

So, back to the card.



This is the sketch for this week.  I think I came pretty close even without the star.

I started again with no plan.  I just dug in and got started.  I don't really recommend this approach, unless you've got some time to waste!  Fortunately, I did!

I started off with cutting a stitched circle and stamping it with Versamark on a Swiss Dots background stamp from MFT, and heat embossing it with Ranger Liquid Platinum embossing powder.

I used the Overflowing Joy stamp set from MFT and set about colouring with Copics.  I stamped a few extra times so I'd have extra prezzies (and who doesn't like extra prezzies!), and altered the colouring of them just a little to add a tad of variety.


I used a white Gellyroll pen to add some texture with dots to the wrapping and her lovely little smock.  (Who says SMOCK anymore!  I'm showing my age here...)  I also added some clear Wink of Stella to the same areas.

It seems I just can't leave the Wink of Stella alone these days...

Last but not least, I created a banner from Audrey Blue (Simon Says Stamp) card stock, used on of the sentiments from the same stamp set, and heat embossed it in white.

Everything was mounted on a white card base, topped with Audrey Blue card stock so everything came together nicely.  I popped up the girl and one of the present stacks on dimensionals for a little oomph.  

For the inside, I used another sentiment from the set, and stamped it in Stazon Ink.  I used an old Stampin' Up! stamp from the Delight in Life set for the for the little explosion of colour in Simon Says Stamp Maliblue.





And there it is!


I'm just tickled pink with the finished card!

See you next time!
Beth

Supplies



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Sunday, April 12, 2015

Full Throttle Fun & Challenges


Hello!

I've been having a lot of fun lately, and I'm not done yet!  I've got another entry for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge where the theme is the letter "A".



This time I'm featuring Art Impression's Full Throttle Spinner, although I chose not to make a spinner card.

And speaking of Art Impressions, this one is one is being submitted for their challenge as well!

Isn't she awesome?!?!?

For this card I used Copics, and coloured the entire card.  The image itself was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black, as it's Copic safe, and the sentiment was stamped in Staz On, because I love the dark, crisp image it gives you.



I also gave her some legitimate goggles by putting Glossy Accents on her lenses.  I love these little touches that really give cards a truly finished look.

I wanted to texturize the background a little, so I used the Mini Tiny Circle 6x6 Stencil from The Crafter's Workshop and some Soft Sky dye ink from Stampin' Up! to give it a little oomph.  An ink daubers from Stampin' Up! was the perfect tool to achieve this.


I brought that same design element into the inside to carry it through, and to break up the white space, while not interfering with the space needed for writing a message.



I love colouring, so this was a really fun card for me.  Sitting down with my Copics or whatever colouring tools I'm using is my idea of a nice evening!  Maybe I need a life...

See you next time!!
Beth

Copics

V12, 15, 17
R35, 37, 59
YR00, 000
E02
E31, 33, 35, 37
W1, 3, 5
YG61, 63, 67
N0
C1, 3, 5, 7
Y000
100
0

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Clean & Simple, Birthday Butterflies with The Alley Way Stamps and Ellen Hutson




Ok.  Let me start off by saying...

I LOVE THIS!

(And by the way, hi!)

This is definitely one of those times when I'm pleased as punch with the end results!  It's bright and colourful, clean and simple (my favourite), and just downright cheerful!

A few weeks ago I was perusing a few of my favourite websites (which are obviously websites selling all things crafty...) and I came across a stamp set from The Alley Way Stamps called Fly By and I had to have it.  That doesn't happen very often...  Usually I'm able to control myself, but not this time.  This time I saw it, had to have it, and ordered it.  

While I was waiting for it to arrive, an idea started to come together, and this is almost exactly what I had envisioned.  Fortunately, I have the perfect challenge to submit it to as well.

The Simon Says Challenge Blog theme for this week is the letter "A", so what better way to get in there, but by using Alley Way Stamps!



Also!!

Darlene Devries, over at Live Love Cards, is hosting her second challenge.  Rainbows is the theme, and although there's no rainbow here, the colours of the rainbow are.  So I hope that it's acceptable, Darlene!

Alright.  Enough chit chat.  Let's get down to business.

I used the Bokeh Dots set from Ellen Hutson Essentials along with Simon Says Stamp dye inks to create the background.  Next I stamped one of the butterflies from Fly By in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured them in with Copics.


I fussy cut them out, and popped them up on dimensionals from Stampin' Up!.  



Next I created a tag using Audrey Blue card stock from Simon Says Stamp, and cut it down so that it fits between the two stitched sides of my card panel.  

(Oops... I'm pretty sure in the video I said "Maliblue card stock")

 The card panel was cut using the largest of the Stitched Rectangles from Simon Says Stamp.  I used the "happy" and the "birthday" from The Alley Way Stamps Yappy set and heat embossed it in white.

I used linen thread from Stampin' Up! to add some detail ( I LOVE this stuff!).

To wrap everything up, I used my white Gellyroll pen to put some dots on the wings of the butterflies, and coated their wings in clear Wink of Stella for some shimmer.  I also used the metallic blue Gellyroll to give the background a few dots as well.





For the inside, I used the same butterfly stamp in Maliblue ink, and finished it with one of the dotted butterfly trails, but made sure to leave ample white space for writing a note.


Check out the video below for an action packed card making session!




See you next time!
Beth


Supplies



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Layered Thank You Card + Stampin' Up!





Happy Sunday, everyone!

It's pretty early in the day over here, but already the sun is shining and the sky is blue.  We had a pretty grey, wet, and windy week so this weather is more than welcome!  It's feeling more like spring everyday!

This card makes me feel like spring.  This was one of those times when I didn't have a plan in mind; things came together one step at a time, and took a long time to develop because I spent time trying one thing, then another, and another, until I was happy.

For me, these are likely the most enjoyable cards.  You know how sometimes you just get engrossed in something and time passes without notice?  Well, this was one of them, and it all began with my new Honeycomb embossing folder from Stampin' Up!.

My new favourite thing is this linen thread.  I love it!  It's organic, natural, and just beautiful.  I used Tombow Mono glue to secure it along the edge of the embossed paper and secured it to the back with my ATG gun.  I just love the way it looks, and it really gives that edge a finished look.



Another thing I really enjoy making is my own patterned paper, and it's so easy!  For this I created a tone on tone paper using Pear Pizzazz paper and ink for the bottom layer.

Having a lot of layers on your card creates interest, depth, and dimension, and doesn't necessarily have to create bulk or height.  This card has oodles of dimension because there are quite a few layers, but no dimensionals.  The layers are arranged so that they overlap each other which creates it's own dimension.  The twine bow gives more dimension to the card.



For the inside, I used the same stamps I used for the outside, and used the same colours to keep the continuity of the card, and arranged them in a simple pattern that kept the centre clear for the sentiment and hand written note.  

I've started using Staz On black ink for my sentiments because I just love how black it is, and I find it gives a really nice, crisp impression as well (and I love the smell!).

This card is easy to duplicate with any colour or embossing folder.  The choices are endless, so go have some fun!


See you next time!
Beth



Supplies



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Monday, April 6, 2015

Birthday Confetti - Paper Smooches Challenge




Hi Everyone!  
(Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge bound!)



Such FUN today, inside and out!

I've been bouncing around ideas for something bright and fun, and this was what I came up with.
A little on the labor intensive side, but the finished card was well worth the effort.

With so many birthdays coming up as well as spring weather peaking it's head around the corner more often these days, I wanted to shed the darker colours of winter almost as much as I want to put my sweaters away!  So, I got all the brightest colours out to play.



For the outside of this card, I used the Bokeh Dots set from Ellen Hutson Essentials, and paired them up with the "Happy" and Birthday" from Paper Smooches Birthday Buddies.  

Each dot was stamped with various colours of Memento LUXE pigment ink (and one from ColorBox), and then heat embossed with Simon Says Stamp clear embossing powder.  Pigment ink is sticker and dries slowly on the surface of the card stock instead of permeating the paper.  So, it gives you ample time to work some magic with it.  I really wanted this card to have some shine, so heat embossing was the perfect solution.

For the inside, I chose to use very similar dye ink colours from Simon Says Stamp.


Because the Bokeh Dots set has so many sizes of circles to choose from, I was able to create a "patter" that isn't really a pattern at all!  I just love the little tiny dots, and they were the perfect thing to fill in white areas without overdoing it with the bigger circles.


The card was finished off with some bright green ribbon to set off the colours.
(You can see the shine of the heat embossing in the photo below.)



This was truly a really fun card to bring to life!  I hope you like it!

See below for a list of colours used, and I'll see you next time!

Beth


Memento Luxe

Morocco
Nautical Blue
Dandelion
Rose Bud
Pear Tart
Pistachio
Gray Flannel

ColorBox

Robin's Egg (this is the light blue colour)

Simon Says Stamp

Cobblestone
Goldenlocks
Maliblue
Caribbean Blue
Coral Reef
Beanstalk Green

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Saturday, April 4, 2015

Home Sweet Home - Ellen Hutson Mix It Up Challenge



Happy Saturday!


I ran into the same problem as usual, I've still only got two Lawn Fawn sets and I've also only got one Ellen Hutson Essentials set too!  Since the challenge is to bring the two products together, this was quite a challenge, but I'm pretty happy with the results.

This was a really fun card to do, and not like most of the cards I do.  It was a challenge to come up with something I liked, but then again, it IS supposed to be a challenge!

All of the images were coloured with Copics.  No fancy colouring or shading this time, as the images are pretty small.

I used Lawn Fawn's Flirty Frames and the Home Sweet Home set, along with the Bokeh Dots set from Ellen Hutson Essentials for the background.  I used Simon Says Stamp dye ink, Memento Tuxedo Black, and Simon Says Stamp Green Apple card stock.  I love these colours together!





That's it for now!

See you next time!
Beth

Finished Card Size: 4-1/4" x 5-1/2"
Ellen Hutson Essentials Bokeh Dots
Lawn Fawn Flirty Frames, Home Sweet Home
Simon Says Stamp Ink:
Maliblue
Goldenlocks
Beanstalk Green
Memento Tuxedo Black Ink
Copics



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