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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Friday, April 3, 2015

Birthday Butterfly





Hi everyone!

It's Good Friday and a good day for a card!

This is another card being entered into a card challenge.  This time it's Simon Says Stamp and the challenge is to use pastel colours.

For this card I used the last stamp set I received this year from the Stampin' Up! Sale-a-Bration catalogue.  As soon as I saw it, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  Sometimes that happens, and sometimes it doesn't, but this time it did.  I love it!

There are a lot of birthdays coming up in this neck of the woods so a birthday card was definitely in order.

I used 2 colours from my Prismacolours (light aqua and cream), Gamsol, Versamark ink and heat embossing to create this one.  Check out the video below to see how it was done.

Unfortunately, A bunch of the video disappeared, so the last part of the card will have to happen in your head!  I have no idea where it went or how I managed to lose it.



One of my favourite parts of this card was using my butterfly punch from Stampin' Up!.  I don't know why, but I just love using the punches.  They're easy and quick to use, and you get to bypass the fussy cutting altogether.  (Sometimes I love cutting things out, but sometimes you just want to get on with it!)

Another thing I can tell you is that taking good photographs of white cards is such a pain in the tookus!  Especially on a day like today when one minute the sun is shining and the next it's grey and cloudy.  The sun was shining bright when I started the video, and about half way through the sun was almost gone, so the lighting in the video is all over the place.

Anyway, I love the way the card turned out.  It's another light and feminine card, with pretty colours and soft edges.  The Basic Jewels from Stampin' Up! finish the card off perfectly although unfortunately they look dark in the pictures.


I used Nature's Perfection and Petite Pairs stamp sets from Stampin' Up! both for the images and the sentiment inside and out.




Well, I'm off to see what else I come up with!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!

Beth






Finished Card Size: 4-1/4" x 5-1/2"

Some of What I Used...


Neenah Solar White 110 lb Card Stock
Neenah Solar White 80 lb Card Stock
Soft Sky ink by Stampin' Up!
Veramark Ink
Nature's Perfection Stamp Set from Stampin' Up!
Petite Pairs Stamp Set from Stampin' Up!
Basic Jewels from Stampin' Up!
Scotch 3M Tape
Ranger Craft Sheet
Fiskars SureCut Paper Trimmer
Martha Stewart Score Board
Scotch Brand ATG Tape Gun - Simon Says Stamp

Find me on...

My Stamping' Up!® Website
YouTube
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