Memory Box, Altenew and Stamps Happen

I just could not make my first idea for the Memory Box August Animal Themed Cards Challenge work.  Luckily, I realized birds are in the animal kingdom!  That let me use the wonderful Backyard Wren die. 

First I ink blended Distress Oxides bundled sage, lucky clover, speckled egg and broken china.  Then I smooshed over the blended areas with lucky clover and broken china to add more texture.  Love the look.  Instead of a tree branch, I decided to put my bird in a bush using MB Tall Frilly Leaf Stems brushed with several green metallic sprays.  Many of my old spray bottles clogged, so I just pour some out and use a paintbrush.  You can see the sparkle in my IG post.  I brushed the bird diecuts with DO vintage photo, fossilized amber and antique linen.  The oval frame was made with Elizabeth Craft dies and I inked it with DO antique linen and a touch of vintage photo--purposely not making it a solid color.  Poppystamps Scribble Hello was stacked and inked with the vintage photo.  Not sure about embellishments, so left them off for now.  I'm also entering Tic Tac Toe 276 using Any Color/Free/Sentiment.  

My next card is for the August Altenew Inspiration Challenge.  I had fun using some of their older products along with a new one. 

The Fresh Flowers diecuts were ink blended with Puffy Heart, Rose Quartz, Citrus Burst, Maple Yellow, Forest Glades and Frayed Leaf Altenew inks.  Watercolor Stripes Cover Die was cut from vellum and attached to a soft yellow textured cardstock panel.  The sentiment letters from Essential Sentiment Strips were ink blended to match and inlaid into the vellum base which was matted with the same yellow cardstock.  I finished off with tiny yellow gems.  I'm also entering JUGS.

I finally made a card with this beautiful woodblock stamp called Rose Parade.  It's by Stamps Happen and I bought it over 20 years ago at a stamp convention.  

The image was embossed in SSS Rose Gold powder before I watercolored with Distress Oxides kitsch flamingo, picked raspberry and pumice stone.  I failed to leave enough lighter areas, so I added a bit of white metallic watercolor.  That helped, I think.  You can see the shimmer and shine in my IG post.  I added a very soft watercolor wash around the image using kitsch flamingo and finished off with pink sequins.  I entered the last Woodblock Wednesday challenge and I'm entering Color Hues Pink and Gray.

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

Memory Box and Poppystamps

I'm having so much fun making Easter cards this year.  For the Memory Box March challenge, I used MB Textured Distressed Grid Stencil, Magnolia Blossom and Wayfarer Leaves dies and Poppystamps Proper Happy Easter.  

I spread light molding paste through the stencil and lightly sprayed with Weathered Wood Distress Spritz.  You can see the shimmer in my IG post.  I colored the blossoms, leaves and sentiment shadow with Altenew Caribbean Sky and Persian Blue and PTI Weathervane.  I splattered white gouache and added light and medium blue gems.  So happy with how this card turned out.  I'm also entering WAW.

Next is another Easter card I'm entering in the Poppystamps March challenge.  I die cut Poppystamps Easter Bunny Egg from white cardstock and PTI New Leaf dotted paper.  

The bunny was lightly colored with Memento Desert Sand marker with a bit of pink in the ears and dark yellow on the nose.  I backed behind the eyes with MB glossy black cardstock and added Stickles to the flowers.  For the background, I blended Distress Oxide speckled egg in the center of the MFT rectangle.

Poppystamps Double Diamond Lattice Plate diecut was glued to a PTI New Leaf panel.  The very old TPC Studio sentiment was stamped in Versafine Clair Nocturne and die cut with an Altenew oval.  I'm also entering SSS Mon, SSS Wed and Die Cut Divas.

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Color Hues, Altenew, Memory Box

I took my Concord & 9th Turnabout stamp sets to the recent craft retreat.  Finally stamped Deck the Halls using borrowed Catherine Pooler ink pads:  one blue & one green.  I double stamped one turn with the blue & one turn with the green.  The other 2 turns were single stamped, so I got 4 shades with 2 ink pads.  

After I got home I added the PFS Blanket Stitch Rectangle frame stacked 2 high.  The HoneyBee sentiment from the Rejoice stamp set was stamped in Brilliance Starlite Black & stacked 2 high.  The poinsettia from an old Spellbinders card kit was die cut from Memory Box silver glitter cardstock & then colored lightly with a Copic very close to the color of the blue ink pad.  

White glitter dots in my stash were just right to finish it off.  I'm entering Color Hues challenge.  

I'm so lucky to have lots of generous cardmaking friends.  Recently I was gifted the Altenew Metallic Watercolor set & oh boy are the colors gorgeous!  Decided to use them to enter the Altenew June Inspiration Challenge.  I also used a couple liquid watercolors trying to get close to the photo colors.  I gold embossed the floral outline image & sentiment from Handpicked Bouquet on a watercolor panel. 

I let some color go outside the lines & I added splatters.  It's amazing how the colors change in the light.  The close up really is the same card! 

Always fun to see the difference mats make.  I tried a couple different looks, but really thought the gold on top of the black was best.  Finished with a few gold sequins & this one has already been mailed.

I was still thinking about those Altenew Metallic Watercolors, so I used them to color Memory Box Small Double Peony diecuts that were included free in a recent Poppystamps order.  

Since I used heavier watercolor paper scraps, the individual petals stayed mostly in place. That's a trick I learned from Dave Brethauer. I used the same gold to watercolor the shadow layer of the Hello Friend Posh Script diecut. The peony outlines & top sentiment layer were die cut from scraps of heavy weight white cardstock. The background was made with the 2014 Texture Distressed Grid stencil, which I love, & light molding paste.

Hard to see, but I also added fine white glitter while the paste was wet.  Just love the bit of sparkle which is completely non-shedding.  The panel is backed with 2 cardstock layers & the blooms are attached with glue & foam tape.  Finished off with Fairy Jewels that go perfectly with the gold watercolor.  I used a scrap of cardstock to make a stencil with the die so I could decorate the flap with Delicata Golden Glitz.  I'm entering Memory Box Metallic Mania Challenge, SSS Monday (Stenciled Background) The Snippets Playground & WAW.

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

Poppystamps, Memory Box & a Christmas Card

So why can't weathermen be wrong when you want them to be?!  This time they were right--record breaking heat!  Thankfully, we've been able to keep our house comfortable in spite of it.  The good thing is we will soon be back to the usual summer temps & now they'll seem cool--haha!

My card for Poppystamps June challenge was inspired by Tracey McNeely & Lin Brandyberry.  I used Birch Tree Grace dies Layer A, B & C--just the wreath part.  The flower is Poppystamps Stitched Bloom Trio die cut from a white scrap.  

I inked the largest & smallest with Brilliance Rocket Red & Mediterranean Blue.  Then I covered all of them in Versamark & embossed with Hero Arts Sparkle ep.  

The sentiment from Poppystamps Friends and Flowers was stamped in the same inks.  I embossed dots of the ep on the card front, but doesn't show in the pictures.  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday & The Snippets Playground.

Next is my card for the June Memory Box challenge.  I don't know why it doesn't show, but the watercolor panel has a wash of Distress Ink tumbled glass behind the butterflies.  

I used the technique of smooshing the ink on a piece of acetate, spritzing with water & touching it to the paper--pretty in person.  Memory Box Moonlight Butterfly was die cut from 3 shades of blue cardstock & Kaleidoscope Butterfly was die cut from vellum.  The bodies were die cut from a white scrap & are covered in Star Dust Stickles.  

The layers are only attached in the centers & the butterflies are attached to the panel only at the centers.  The sentiment from Poppystamps Grateful Heart was stamped in Delicata Sapphire Blue & the panel die cut with AJVD pierced rectangle was attached to a white card.  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday.

Finally is my entry for Rudolph Days.  I used a GK Snowflake stencil, Poppystamps tag die & Winnie & Walter word die.  I white heat embossed the snowflake on a kraft panel & then die cut the tag & popped it up back in place.

Can't tell from the picture, but the word is covered in Nuvo Glaze, so it's beautifully shiny.  The little bows are PPP.

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

Memory Box and Poppystamps

It's been a difficult start to 2019.  Three family members are dealing with serious medical problems and my favorite co-worker at the end of my career was tragically killed in an auto accident.  Reminders once again not to take anything for granted.
I haven't done as much crafting as usual, but I did finally get a couple cards made.  First is my entry for the Memory Box Love is in the Air Challenge.  I've had the MB Grand Heart die for over 5 years & later got the Bingham Heart die that goes with it.

The solid heart was cut from a scrap of light blue textured cardstock & the outline was cut from a white scrap colored with a blue shimmer pen.  The sentiment from Poppystamps Grateful Heart was stamped in Delicata Sapphire Blue.  I really like blue & gray together, so dry embossed a gray panel for the background.  Shimmer Pico Embellisher dots finish it off.  I'm also entering The Snippets Playground.

Next is my entry for Poppystamps Starry Night Challenge.  I added several blue & gray inks plus a blue shimmer pen to a panel of watercolor paper using smooshing, sponging & direct to paper.  It was supposed to be the background for another card, but I didn't like it.  Then I remembered the PS challenge & thought I could make it work as a night sky.

I used 2 PS dies I'd never opened: Swaying Birch & Scribble Hello.  The tree is quite tall, but I just cut the top of it from silver glitter paper.  The hello die was cut from the silver glitter & dark blue cardstock.  I used the silver for a shadow & stacked the blue word 5 high so it is easy to read even being dark like the background.  Finished off with white gel pen stars.  I'm also entering SSS Work it Wednesday.

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