Altenew and Poppystamps

So....who's a dictator?!  The nightmare of my country's leadership continues.  I try to concentrate on other things to push away my feelings of anger and hopelessness.  Things that would usually be a bother are now welcome distractions, like finally getting the printer to work and putting together documents to file taxes.  Always welcome is making cards!  

Here's what I came up with for the Altenew February Inspiration Challenge.  

I decided to use my neglected Dreamy Daylillies embossing folder and matching stencils.  I used PTI Vintage Cream cardstock with Altenew's Aqualicious and Sand Dunes inks.  The splatters were done with Teal Cave and Rocky Shore.  I added just a bit of Champagne Stickles on the flower stamens.  The gold embossed sentiment from Sweet Bouquet was added over a nest of gold thread.  Lately I've really liked the look of multiple mats.  Here I added a gold metallic one and one blended with Rocky Shore.  This will probably have an Easter sentiment inside.  I'm also entering WAW.

The February Poppystamps Challenge theme is Something Sweet.  Valentines were included in things that would meet the requirement, so that's what I made.  I sent quite a few this year and plan to do the same next year. 

Poppystamps Heart Pattern Plate was die cut from a panel of PTI Smoky Shadow.  I found a scrap of PTI Lovely Lady that I used for Poppystamps Capri Heart, the sentiment mat and a thin vertical strip.  Can't beat pink and gray/charcoal in my book!  Really love HA Translucent Enamel Dots.  Tiny pink ones were perfect for the centers of the hearts.  

The old MFT sentiment was stamped in Versafine Clair Morning Mist.  Again I used multiple mats--this time for the sentiment.  Took me quite awhile to figure out exactly how I wanted the elements, but love the final result.  I'm also entering the 500th challenge at The Snippets Playground.  Now that's an accomplishment!  

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

Here's my Winter card for Altenew's Crafting with the Seasons Contest.  I'd been wanting to use Classic Pine Stencils A & B and this was the perfect opportunity.  This set is one of the easiest I've used and I really love the look.  

I used Altenew blending brushes with Shadow Creek, Espresso and Mocha inks.  White gouache was splattered for a bit of snow.  I inked the edges of an A2 card front with Mocha and attached the slightly smaller stenciled panel.  I've sure gotten my money out of the Essential Sentiment Strips Die Set.  I brushed the letters with Mocha and put them back into place in the white diecut.  I'm also entering SSS Monday.

Next is my entry for the February Pinkfresh Studio Challenge.  The challenge now includes the option of anything goes.  I just received PFS Lacy Floral Border die set from a friend and couldn't wait to use it.  

I die cut the solid background and the outline from white cardstock scraps.  After I glued down one outline diecut, I colored the flowers and leaves with Spectrum Noir Tri-Blend pens.  Of course, some ink got on the outline.  Not a problem since I added a couple more outline layers on top.  I decided against filling all the areas with glaze, but I did use a shimmer pen on the flowers.  The sentiment is from Perfect Sentiments and the embossing folder is by Anna Griffin for Cuttlebug.  

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

Birthday Cards

I made two very different cards using the same color combo of purple and teal.  First up is my entry for Uniko's 13th BD Celebration.  Since the new Posies layering stencils are currently my favorite product, I had to use them.  My first card using the stencils is in my IG post.  

The CN9 inks are Grape Soda, Oceanside and Aqua Sky.  The details on the petals were done with Heidi Swapp white Art Print Ink.  It's actually the consistency of a paste and has a gorgeous shimmer.  I used kraft and brown inks for the centers.  The sentiment is from Uniko's Floral Vines.  Have to tell you, this was my second panel.  After I completely finished the first one, I managed to get ink splotches near the top--too much to cover.  So, I just made a second panel.  But, I couldn't bear to throw out the first one.  I was able to cut it into a square that looked good.  The sentiment is from MFT.

Next is a card made with SSS Heart of Flowers.  

I used MFT In & Out Stitched Rounded Squares to cut the panel which I sprayed with Fortune Teller Distress Mica Stain and Peacock Feathers Distress Spritz.  The shimmer and shine is really beautiful in person.  

I die cut Altenew Essential Sentiment Strips from the same purple and teal cardstocks I used for mats.  Luckily, I found some gems in my stash that matched.  I'm entering Time Out (Layers, Stitch, Heart), JUGS and SSS Monday.

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

Valentine and Thank You

If only I could wake up from the nightmare of our country's leadership.  Grateful I can focus on making cards to take my mind off it.  Here's the card I made with the 2 solid hearts that came from diecutting Alex Syberia hearts for my last Valentine. 

So glad I thought to dry emboss them with SSS Lush Vines folder.  I didn't have room to die cut SSS Love again from my watercolored panel, so I made one more little piece with Lindy's Magicals Umbrella Drink Pink and Cheerio Cherry.  The hearts in back and the sentiment shadow were covered in Heidi Swapp white Art Print Ink.  It is so beautiful in person.  Check out my IG video which also shows the shimmer of the splattered Magicals.  I used Gina K Master Layouts 2 for the stitched rectangle and the black mat.  I'm entering Color Hues, Inkspirational and SSS Wednesday. 

I've always loved silhouette images and I have quite a few in my stamp collection.  Thanks to a generous gift certificate through WAW, I now have Unity's Serene Silhouettes.  I needed a thank you card and here's what I made.

I blended CN9 Clover and Harbor through The Greetery's Color Spot Stencils.  Then I stamped the tree in Versafine Clair Acorn.  Looked through my thank you sentiments and decided this one by Altenew looked the best.  It was also stamped in the Acorn ink.  I cut a thin mat from brown cardstock and splattered ink from a dark brown Zig.  I added a cardstock layer for just a bit of dimension and it's already in the mail.  I'm entering We Love Stamping.

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

Friendship and a Valentine

It's Case a DT Week at JUGS.  Great variety to choose from, but Lisa's card caught my eye.  When I started making cards (in the dark ages!) there were no dies or embossing folders.  One popular design was to use the same stamp for the background and the focal point.  I like that look, but had forgotten about it.  An image from PTI Butterfly Hope was clear embossed on a stitched rectangle (GKD Master Layouts 2) and then I used the emboss resist technique with Distress Oxide pumice stone.  I colored the card front edges in the same ink.  

Lisa's background is gray and I think of pumice stone as a warm gray.  It's one of my favorite neutrals which I should use more often.  The same butterfly was stamped 3 times in DO kitsch flamingo.  I watered down the ink and brushed over the butterflies to make them a light pink.  Then I sprayed them with Heidi Swapp white Color Shine--so beautiful in person.  Check out my IG video if you want to see it.  I stamped a sentiment from the set in Versafine Clair Nocturne and die cut it with a stitched flag from Master Layouts 2.  It was too long, so I used partial diecutting to get the right size.  I inked the edges of the flag to match.  Absolutely love Hero Arts Transluscent Enamel Dots which I added to the butterfly bodies.  Sending this to a friend who could use some happy mail.  I'm also entering Time Out Challenges Pick Two using Stitch and Layer. 

Next is my entry for Color Hues and Inkspirational.  They're doing a collaboration with both challenges calling for Pink and Red.  I'm all in for this color combo, especially since I'm making Valentines right now.  

I started by spreading Heidi Swapp white Art Screen Ink through the Uniko hearts stencil.  When the hearts were dry, I did a watercolor wash over the entire panel using Lindy's Magicals Umbrella Drink Pink and Cheerio Cherry.  It's so shimmery and pretty in person and you can see it in my IG video.  You might see a bit of gold, but it's just part of one of the Magicals.  Then I used the same Magicals mixed with water to paint alternating stripes of pink and red on a watercolor panel.  After drying it with my heat gun, I used it to die cut Alex Syberia Funky Hearts.  I also die cut white hearts which I colored with Copic R29 so I could attach the watercolored hearts on top slightly skewed.  SSS Love word die was cut from the striped watercolor panel and covered with glaze.  I die cut the shadow from white cardstock and colored it with R29.  Not sure it will be hubby's favorite card, but I really like how it turned out.😊  I'm also entering SSS Wed.

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