Pinkfresh and Hero Arts

Here's my ink blended card for the October Pinkfresh Monthly Challenge.  I used CN9 Peacock, Fig and Sweet Pea inks for my circular blended background. 

PFS Folk Snowflake was stamped in black, but I decided to go for a sparkly snowflake instead.  I stamped again in Versamark and embossed with WOW White Twinkle powder.  The sparkle is just beautiful in person and I like the bit of black showing through.  You can check it out in my IG video.

Love the mixed font sentiments in the set.  I picked this one because it works for any winter occasion.

I love wreaths and the Stay Crafty with A Blog Named Hero challenge gave me a good reason to finally use the old Autumn Wreath set.  I bronze embossed and die cut the wreath.  Then I smooshed with Distress Oxides peeled paint, fossilized amber, crackling campfire and fired brick.  Probably should have done another layer of the colors--next time!  I sprayed Distress Spritz and Distess Mica Stain for some shimmer.

Every Fall I pull out my old Kaleidacolor Autumn Leaves ink pad and brayer the ink for a background.  I added brown splatters which show in my IG video.  

The Greetery diecut bow (from my friend, Rosemary) was embossed with the copper powder, as was the sentiment from another old HA set, Find Joy.  Hero Arts translucent enamel dots are some of my favorite embellishments and I used a green one in the center of the bow.  

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Time Out Challenge #275

We have a fun theme for Time Out Challenge #275:  Baking/Sweet Treats.  Our great sponsor, Lawn Fawn, is giving the winner a $25 store credit.  

I have very few products that would work, but one I really like is PTI's 2018 Your Beautiful Birthday stamp set.  The images make for a kind of funky, artsy cake.  You can get lots of different looks using the layers however you want and with any colors.  

I decided to go with more of an elegant take this time by using a monochromatic color palette and spraying Heidi Swapp white Color Shine over the stamped oval.  The CN9 inks are Aqua Sky, Tidepool and Evergreen.  I used the same inks for the colored strips in the background which were die cut with PFS Color Block Stripes cover plate.  The cake plate, candles and sentiment from PTI Scripted were stamped in Versafine Clair Morning Mist.  I used PTI Orange Zest and Harvest Gold for the flame and glow.  It's amazing those tiny stamps haven't gotten lost!  The larger Altenew oval was die cut from PTI Weathervane cardstock.  I remembered that stars are often used for birthday cards, so I embossed Tim Holtz Tiny Stars folder for the background.  

You can find all the challenge details on the blog, along with lots of inspiration from our GD and my teammates.  I'm entering DCD and WAW.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Altenew and Pinkfresh

There's another lovely color combo for this month's Altenew Inspiration Challenge.  

I haven't used Altenew Wild Rose die set for awhile and I thought it would be a good way to use the colors.  

I used white cardstock for all the die cutting and these Altenew inks:  Rose Quartz, Purple Wine, Maple Yellow, Firefly, Grass Field, Shadow Creek and Jet Black.  The white splatters are gouache.  Love Altenew's Deck Plank 3D embossing folder.  I tried it in 3 different colors and decided on white with a black mat.  

The sentiment is from Altenew DD: Modern Dahlia Bunch.  The flower centers have black enamel dot centers and I used white and pink sequins for embellishment.  I'm also entering WAW and DCD.

Next is another entry for the Pinkfresh Studio WCMD Challenge.  I love the look of PFS Modern Layered Florals which I stamped in CN9 Sorbet, Grapefruit, Artichoke and Parsley.  

I used a marker for some details--always scary for me!  But, it made a huge difference, so glad I did it.  The sentiment is from PFS Perfect Sentiments.  I used gold cardstock to mat the floral panel and as a shadow for the sentiment.  Love PFS Ombre Glitter dots--beautiful sparkle, but not distracting.  

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Time Out Challenge #274

Time Out Challenge #274 is a great photo challenge which you can also think of as a theme challenge.  Our blog owner, Nonni, took this picture during a visit to New York City.  Our generous sponsor is Newton's Nook.

You can use any of the words or objects in the photo.  There's lots of inspiration from our GD and my teammates on the blog, along with details about our challenge.

I used just the word "coffee" as inspiration to open my Stamp Simply A Cup of Java die set.  Nonni's card for our last challenge actually gave me the idea to use the coffee cup negative for a shaker--so fun! 

I used a couple sheets of beautiful printed paper I picked up in a close out.  They're more for spring or summer, but I wanted to use some of the beautiful shaker filler given to me by my dear friend, Rosemary.  And besides, it's Spring in the southern hemisphere!  I used PTI Sweet Blush cardstock for the handle and covered it with Nuvo Glaze.  The steam was stacked a couple high and covered with a shimmer pen.  The Mama Elephant sentiment die was cut twice from white cardstock.  I inked the top one with Olive Twist and used the other one as a slight shadow which made it stand out much more from the floral paper.  PTI Olive Twist cardstock was used for the mat.  I don't make many shakers, but this was pretty easy and I love the result.  It's a great way to use printed papers, especially ones that are from the same collection so I know they go together.  

I'm entering SSS Monday Snippets Playground (all scraps except the paper showing through the shaker), DCD and WAW.

Edited to add: SSS WCMD Challenge.

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Happy WCMD!

I started a card yesterday and finished it up today.  Hope you had some crafting time.  I'm not big on Halloween, but I do like to send a few cards.  Couldn't resist Poppystamps Witches Shoe die for $1, but took me awhile to decide how to use it.  Here's what I came up with.  

The background was made by ink blending Distress Oxides crackling campfire, abandoned coral and spiced marmalade.  I brushed the edges with Distress Ink black soot which made a huge difference!  I splattered black ink and sprayed with Distress Spritz spiced marmalade.  Oh my goodness--so gorgeous in person!  Even the video I posted in IG doesn't do it justice.

I used Altenew purple glitter cardstock for the shoe and Memory Box Parker Lowercase Alphabet.  The old MFT pumpkins were colored with the ink left in my brushes and I used a purple Copic for the stems.  The shoe trim and Poppystamps cats (a freebie) were die cut from Memory Box black glossy cardstock.  I'm entering Poppystamps October challenge, Color Hues, DCD, WAW and SSS WCMD.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Exchange Card and Hero Arts Christmas

For my September CCC card, I took apart THIS CARD from several years ago.  I loved the focal point, but not the card.  Here's the new version that isn't quite so CAS and has more interest.

I stamped PTI Simple Stems and Vogue Vase in Brilliance Starlite Black.   The vase was die cut, brushed with a shimmer pen and covered in Nuvo Glaze.  It almost looks like ceramic.  The CCC is celebrating 15 years--a big accomplishment!  Why not join us?

I posted a second card for the current Stay Crafty with Stay Crafty with A Blog Named Hero challenge on IG, but I prefer to enter from my blog.  Plus, I know some of you don't go on IG.  Anyway, if you're an oldie like me, you may have or remember Hero Arts 2011 Merriest Christmas Wishes stamp set.  This time I used it to make cards for hubby's cousins, which are always all alike.    

I had the stamp in my MISTI so I could stamp repeatedly until the Versafine Clair Blue Belle covered completely.  I did the same thing for the sentiment, stamping in Versafine Satin Red.  The cardinal was colored with Jane Davenport Thriller Jacket brush pen and Distress marker antique linen.  I used a white Posca pen over the snow dots--easy to do and didn't take very long.  A true one layer card that won't need extra postage.  

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Pinkfresh, Altenew and Poppystamps

Not sure how it got to be nearly the end of September!  I have 3 different cards to show you today.  First up is my entry for the Pinkfresh September Challenge: Leaves and Wreaths.  I have many wreath stamps/dies and PFS Dainty Wreath is definitely one of my favorites.  Not sure I ever stamped it in Fall colors, but I'm sure I will again.  

With the stamp in my MISTI, I randomly inked and stamped repeatedly with 4 or 5 orangy ink cubes, one at a time, until the entire wreath was inked.  I also used a green cube which made for an almost brown shade.  Really love how this turned out!  I used both the outer and inner dies which let me attach one end of the vellum sentiment flag under the left edge of the wreath.

The gold watercolor splattered white panel was in my stash.  I just rounded the corners and inked the edges in brown.  Finished off with small brown gems.  I'm also entering SSS Monday, DCD and WAW.

Next is my entry for the September Altenew Inspiration Challenge.  Couldn't miss this one with two beautiful shades of pink plus green!  Altenew's Sweet Bouquet is one of my latest purchases and a favorite, for sure! 

This time I stamped in Versafine Clair Morning Mist and used Altenew Rose Quartz, Puffy Heart, Firefly and Grass Field with the stencils.  I liked Michelle Short's idea of using a dark background to make the flowers pop, so I embossed a Smoky Shadow panel with Altenew Flower Bed 3D folder. 

The mat is Weathervane and I used Smoky Shadow to stamp the sentiment.  Hero Arts Transluscent enamel dots make beautiful dew drops, I think.  I'm also entering Just Us Girls and We Love Stamping.

My last card is for the September Poppystamps challenge.  I've hardly used the 2017 Sloping Hillside die, but really like it.

The light blue speckled paper has been in my stash forever and I love it for the background.  The trees were attached with rolled up glue dots for just a bit of dimension.  I intended to keep the trees white, but just couldn't resist adding WOW Ice Pop Sparkles--so beautiful in person!  

Dark Indigo cardstock was used for the mat and the W&W sentiment was white embossed. 

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.