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.

Time Out Challenge #273

I think you're going to love Time Out Challenge #273 where we are inspired by these words:  "As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colors enough to paint the beautiful things I see."  Vincent Van Gogh

We're generously sponsored by Poppystamps who are giving a $20 store credit to the winner picked by the DT.

Autumn is probably my favorite season with cooler temperatures, changing colors and football!  You can be inspired by the whole quote or any of the words.  I tried a new technique after watching Lydia Fiedler's video.  

Basically, you attach foil to cardstock, emboss with a 3D folder, cover with gesso, add alcohol inks and cover the raised edges with gold.  Lydia brayered on gold paint, but I swiped with a gold ink pad.  I did find it tricky to not end up with the alcohol inks all mixed together, but this panel turned out like I wanted.  

I made it into a card using a sentiment and leaves from SSS Thankful for You.  Hope to see you in the gallery.  I'm entering SSS Wednesday and Double D.

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

Sizzix and Memory Box

I entered the IG challenge #12daysofsizzix Day 6: Gift Box using Sizzix Tim Holtz die sets: Funky Wreaths and Seasonal Sketch along with the words from Sizzix Scrapbook.com For You die set.  

I covered a small box with holly tissue paper from my stash.  The wreath was inked with Brilliance Coffee Bean and then attached to a vellum circle.  The solid poinsettias were covered with red Glimmer mists.  One diecut was watercolor paper and the other was red cardstock.  That made one poinsettia darker, which I actually like.  I added the die cut words to the center of the wreath and tied it on with green twine I've had for years.  You can see the shimmer in my IG post.

I'm entering SSS Monday.

Next is my entry for the Memory Box September challenge using Memory Box Layered Narrow Pines and Birch Press Warm Wishes Vintage Sentiment.  I'm always drawn to trees--maybe because I live in the Pacific Northwest.  I do have quite a few stamps and dies, but couldn't resist adding this layered die set to my stash last year.  

I die cut the base trees from watercolor paper covered with 2 green shimmer mists.  The top layers were cut from white cardstock and then embossed with Wow White Twinkle Powder.  You can see the shimmer and sparkle in my IG post.  The smooshed background was made with a piece of acetate and watered down Distress Oxides speckled egg and prize ribbon.  I die cut the sentiment words from the same panel as the trees and finished off with beautiful Taylored Expressions gems.  

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 #272

Time Out Challenge #272 is a fun one as we challenge you to be snarky!  Our wonderful sponsor is Funky Fossil.

I wanted to make a birthday card and knew I could print my own sentiment, as I don't have snarky products.  Here's what I came up with.

The candles from Hero Arts May card kit were lined up kinda wonky in my MISTI and repeatedly stamped in Versafine Clair Nocturne.  Then I messily watercolored with Distress Oxides candied apple, spiced marmalade, fossilized amber, lucky clover and prize ribbon.  I used a Quickie Glue Pen and gold foil for the flames.  I tied on white crochet thread and attached the panel to a black mat.  I found a fun font and printed out the sentiment to go above and below my raised panel of candles.  The embellishments are a yellow Hero Arts Translucent Enamel Dot and 2 black Gina K hearts.  All the details and lots of inspiration from our guest designer and my teammates can be found on the blog.

I'm entering SSS Monday and Stay Crafty with A Blog Named Hero.

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 Thanksgiving

My August CCC card went to Tina in Slovenia and I used the friendship theme along with the suggested colors.

Many of you know I love wreaths, so this was really fun for me to make.  The stamps are Altenew Botanical Wreath Builder except for the tiny dots which are from Uniko.  I silver embossed the flower details and used CN9 Grapefruit and Pink Lemonade for the solid flowers.  

The leafy images are stamped in CN9 Sprout.  I silver embossed the sentiment from Altenew Sweet Bouquet and added an extra die cut for dimension.  I used a thin silver mat and put silver Stickles in the flower centers.  I'm going to have lots of fun with this stamp set.

I was unsuccessful trying something new with alcohol inks, so decided to use them on a piece of vellum.  It's easy and no mess.  

The colors are Lettuce, Stream, Ginger and Cranberry.  It just so happens that I have all of those (and a LOT more) of the Adirondack dye ink pads.  Maybe I'll use them next!  Anyway, while there were still sticky spots, I added some gold foil from a scrap on my table.  The leaves were cut with the small die from SSS Etched Laurel Leaves.  

I made a card from PTI Fine Linen and stamped MFT Geometric Grid in Fine Linen ink for a tone on tone background.  There are also gold splatters which show up in the video in my IG post.  The sentiment from SSS Full of Thanks was stamped on an Altenew oval diecut in Versafine Clair Acorn.  I'm entering SSS Flickr.

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

Christmas and Birthday

I missed posting my card for last month's Woodblock Wednesday, so had it ready to go for the August challenge.  DeNami was one of the first companies I discovered when I started stamping.  I still have and love many of them, including this one from 1999.  

I stamped in Versafine Clair Green Oasis and PTI Pure Poppy.  Birch Press Handwritten Merry Christmas and Outline was die cut from vellum and cardstock I inked with Pure Poppy.  You can see the green and red Stickles in my IG post.  I love how beautiful elements let you create a simple card that is pretty and festive, but flat for mailing.  

Finally finished my card for the August Stay Crafty with Hero challenge.  I was the lucky winner of May's card kit which has a beautiful cake image.  I've been telling myself to use my Zigs, so gold embossed with HA powder on Bristol paper.  

The images are are pretty small, so not as intimidating for me to color.  I learned from Amy Tsuruta that Zig makes a blender brush.  Oh boy does it work great!  The cake plate was colored with Spellbinders gold pen, although here it looks brown.  I used a gold gel pen to cover the white edges after diecutting.  The kraft mat and card front were splattered with gold watercolor.  

The Gina Marie rectangle diecut was in the bag where I store the ones waiting to be used.  Usually I forget to check it!😊 I found just the sentiment I wanted in the 2011 HA set called Congrats and it stamped perfectly with one try.  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday and Allsorts challenge to include a sentiment, hosted by my friend Brenda.

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 #271

Uniko is sponsoring Time Out Challenge #271 with a $25 store credit for the winner.  Our theme is Friendship/Encouragement/Support.  

I probably make more friendship cards than any other type, as I love sending cards to friends around the world.  One of my favorite Uniko stamp sets is Beautiful Blooms III.  I'm not very good at layering sets, but the modern design of this one is pretty forgiving.  

Long ago I loved to enter Play Date Cafe challenges, especially when it was Color Splash.  That meant you had to use black and white with just a splash of another color--sometimes specified and sometimes up to you.  I used Versafine Clair Nocturne, Brilliance Starlite Black and Altenew Velvet.  Just love the classic look!

The square dies are MFT In & Out Stitched Rounded Squares and the sentiment is from Altenew Floral Acanthus.  If you enlarge the picture, you might be able to see that I used a shimmer pen for the little heart.  There's lots of inspiration in the post at Time Out Challenges from our Guest Designer and my teammates, along with all the details. 

I'm also entering SSS Wednesday. 

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