Stay Curious

Hi everyone.  Another adorable image from Anita Jeram (Colorado Craft Company).  This image reminded me of Jessie, so I HAD to buy it! :)  I can just see her with her head stuck in a pot, trying to find something yummy to snack on. :)

I kept this very CAS so that the image was the star.  Watercoloured with distress inks, I finished the design by softly sponging clouds in the sky using a stencil.

Close-up ...

Because this is the first outing for the stamp, I'm adding this card to the NBUS Challenge #37 (never-before-used-schtuff).  I have a LOT of NBUS, so try to join in the challenge at least once a month.  At this rate, it will take me about 20 years to get through my current NBUS pile. :)

And, I'm sending this card over to CAS on Friday Challenge #228 - Stencil.

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Stamps:  Stay Curious (Colorado Craft Company)

Paper:   White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.); Mixed Media paper (Strathmore 140 lb.)
Ink:   Black (Memento); Distress Inks:  Mowed Lawn, Rustic Wilderness, Brushed Corduroy, Gathered Twigs, Rusty Hinge, Tumbled Glass (Tim Holtz)
Accessories:   Clear embossing powder (Ranger), heat tool, paint brushes, sponge, Rolling Clouds stencil (MFT)

Challenges:
NBUS Challenge #37

CAS on Friday #228 - Stencil

Hello There Birthday

Hi everyone.  Here's a birthday card I made last month for another of my sweet friend (lots of friends have birthdays in December!).  :)  I met Cindy at work in 1994 and we have remained in touch.  We always have so much fun when we get together; she is hilarious! :)  

This is a CAS (clean and simple) winter birthday card and the sentiment on the inside says "Have a Beary good birthday". :)

I've seen this polar bear stamp set around for a while and thought it was so adorable; finally bought it (Polar Pals - My Favorite Things).  I started by masking the snow at the bottom of my panel and than sponging lightly above with Salvaged Patina (one of my favourite colours of inks) distress ink.  I added more of the same ink to the sky.  The polar bear was stamped in black ink and clear heat embossed.  I hadn't thought my design through before starting, so had the blue sponged snow right across my bear.  I took a small paint brush with the tiniest bit of bleach and applied until it disappeared.  I stamped the sentiment in black and heat embossed in clear and then splattered diluted white acrylic paint for falling snow.

Close-up ...

I should have photographed the inside, because I had the sentiment, plus the same bear, just partial of him off the left side so you could see his face and waving hand ... it turned out really cute!

Another NBUS stamp set used for this card, so heading over to join the NBUS #34 Challenge.  I hope they aren't sick of seeing me there! :)  

Thanks for stopping by!

If you would like to subscribe by email,

please fill out the subscription form in the upper right sidebar.

It is also important to add sw1subscribers@gmail.com to your contact list

so Google recognizes the address and delivers the updates.

Stamps:  Polar Pals (My Favorite Things)

Paper:   White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.); Mixed Media paper (Strathmore 140 lb.)
Ink:   Black (Memento); Distress Inks:  Salvaged Patina, Candied Apple, Aged Mahogany (Tim Holtz)
Accessories:   Clear embossing powder (Ranger); post-it notes for masking, sponge brush, diluted white acrylic paint, splatter brush, paint brushes

Challenges:

NBUS Challenge #34

CAS Christmas September Challenge

Hi everyone.  Today is the start of the September CAS Christmas challenge, hosted by Colleen (One Smile Lifts a Spirit).  Colleen would like us to include plaid on our cards!  So fun!

I started by die-cutting the two reindeer from a red and brown plaid patterned paper, Modascrap (Sudtirol).  I bought these adorable reindeer dies (My Favorite Things - now retired) after seeing Bonnie using them.  Bonnie is very good at enabling me to spend money! :)

I used another piece of patterned paper from the same pad for the background.  It looks so good with the red plaid.  Tore a piece of white card stock to create a snow hill and stamped the sentiment (Christmas Sentiments - Penny Black) in Candied Apple distress ink.

Fun and simple card to make!

Close-up ...

We are so happy to have Melanie (Cards by Melanie) as our Guest Designer this month.  Please check out the challenge blog to see the fabulous plaid CAS Christmas cards from the rest of our Designers, and from our wonderful Guest Designer, Melanie!

Product Links

Modascrap Patterned Paper (Sudtirol) - via Simon Says Stamp

Reindeer Dies (My Favorite Things)

Christmas Sentiments (Penny Black)

Stamps:  Christmas Sentiments (Penny Black)

Paper:   Modascrap Patterned Paper (Sudtirol); Baked Brown Sugar card stock (Stampin' Up!); White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.)
Ink:   Candied Apple Distress Ink
Accessories:   Reindeer dies, Patterned Paper

Challenges:
CAS Christmas September Challenge - Plaid

Twofer #40 Challenge

Hi everyone.  I am getting in just under the wire with the latest Twofer Challenge #40.  I have a lot of bird stamps, dies, and stencils, but I had to ink up my latest bird stamp purchases, Stay Chirpy (Polkadoddles) to use on both cards.

This is such a fun stamp set.  I saw my dear friend, Leslie (Running with Scissors) showcase it on her blog HERE.  I had to get on-line right away and buy it. :)  Then it sat until today.

For my first card, I used some stencils for the background; Rolling Clouds (My Favorite Things), and Slimline Grassy Hillside (Lawn Fawn).  I used my soft blending brushes along with distress inks (Broken China, Mowed Lawn, Rustic Wilderness).

Stamped my Birdhouse and bird in black ink and heat embossed in clear.  Stamped another bird on a separate piece of mixed media paper and fussy cut before watercolouring with Zig markers.  The birdhouse was also watercoloured with Zigs.  Crystal Glaze was added to the birds eyes and hearts.  A simple sentiment (comes with the stamp set) was stamped to finish.

For my second card I watercoloured the background by wetting my mixed media paper and brushing on blobs of ink in colours of the rainbow.  I added more water and blended the colours a bit.  Stamped the two birds twice; once on the card front and second on a separate piece of mixed media paper.  I heat embossed and fussy-cut the birds before adding just small touched of colour with my Zigs.  I glued the birds over top of the stamped images and drew in the legs with a thick black marker.

The sentiment (Up, Up & Away Sentiments - PaperTrey Ink) is stamped in black and clear heat embossed to match the images.  This set was a gift from a sweet friend.  Thanks friend!

There is still another day left before the challenges closes, so if you have time, come play along!

Product Links

Rolling Clouds Stencil (MFT)

Slimline Grassy Hillside Stencil (Lawn Fawn)

Stay Chirpy (Polkadoodles)

Up, Up & Away Sentiments (PaperTrey Ink)

Card #1:  hey tweetie

Stamps:  Stay Chirpy (Polkadoodles)

Paper:   White card base (Neenah 110 lb.), Mixed Media paper (Strathmore 140 lb.)
Ink:   Distress Inks: Broken China, Mowed Lawn, Rustic Wilderness (Tim Holtz); Black (Memento); Zigs
Accessories: Rolling Cloud stencil (MFT), Slimline Grassy Hillside stencil (Lawn Fawn), blending brushes, clear embossing powder, heat tool, paint brushes (#2 & #4 Round), Crystal Glaze

Card #2: Rainbows & Sunshine

Stamps:  Stay Chirpy (Polkadoodles); Up, Up, & Away Sentiments (PaperTrey Ink)

Paper:   White card base (Neenah 110 lb.), Mixed Media paper (Strathmore 140 lb.)
Ink:   Distress Inks: Candied Apple, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, Salty Ocean, Wilted Violet (Tim Holtz); Black (Memento); Zigs
Accessories:   water mister, paint brush (#6 Round), thick black marker

Challenges:

Twofer Challenge #40 - Birds

Penny Black - Bear-y Wishful

Hi everyone.  Sharing a fun card using one of the new Daydream releases.  This uses a stamp called Bear-y Wishes (30-804) (it also has a matching die, Bear-y Wishful cut out 51-700).

I created a background using the Rolling Clouds Stencil from MFT, blending brush, and Peacock Feathers distress ink.

I created grassy hills in the background using torn paper as my templates.  Stamped the bear over top in black and then stamped again onto mixed media paper and watercoloured.  Cut out the bear and adhered it over top of my stamped image.  This just gives it a little more depth.  I added the middle-sized frame from the new Sewing Stackers frame set (51-651) ... love this sweet embossed design!

Close-up ...

I'm sending this card over to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge for March - Anything Goes ...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Product Links

Bear-y Wishful (30-804) - Penny Black

Bear-y Wishful cut out (51-700) - Penny Black

Rolling Clouds Stencil - My Favorite Things

Sewing Stackers (51-651)

Trust Me Builder (30-710) - Penny Black

Stamps:  Bear-y Wishful; Trust Me Builder (both Penny Black)

Paper:   Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.); White card base (Neenah 110 lb.); Black card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:   Black Ink (Memento); Distress Inks:  Peacock Feathers, Mowed Lawn, Twisted Citron, Brushed Corduroy, Gathered Twigs, Worn Lipstick (Tim Holtz)
Accessories:   Rolling Clouds stencil (My Favorite Things), blending brushes, Clear embossing powder (Ranger), heat tool, Green marker, White Posca pen, Sewing Stackers frame die (Penny Black)

Challenges:
PBSC March - Anything Goes

Twofer #35 Challenge

Hi everyone.  Today I'm sharing two balloon cards for the Twofer #35 Challenge.  This is my first time making slimline cards and I had fun with more room to play on the card, but photographing them is difficult.

Remember to create ...

Today I'm using a balloon stencil (Big Balloon Stencil - My Favorite Things).  I created my happy birthday card by sponging six balloons in the colours of the rainbow, overlapping them slightly.  The die-cut Happy Birthday is from Memory Box.

Close-up ...

For my Baby card, I used just one balloon.  Started by sponging a plaid background (Plaid Layering Stencil - Tim Holtz).  I sponged my one balloon first with picked rasberry ink (which was used for the plaid background as well, and then shaded with Seedless Preserves.  These colours work well together - who knew??!! :)  The sentiment is also from AliExpress.

Close-up ...

Since this is the first time inking up the plaid stencil, I'm sending this card over to the NBUS Challenge #23.

I hope you'll come join in this very fun challenge!

Card #1 - Happy Birthday Balloons

Stamps:  Scripty Words (AliExpress)

Paper:   White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.)
Ink:   Distress Inks:  Candied Apple, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, Broken China, Wilted Violet (Tim Holtz)
Accessories:   Big Balloon Stencil (My Favorite Things); blending brushes, black fine marker, Happy Birthday die (Memory Box)

Card #2 - New Baby

Stamps:  Scripty Words (AliExpress)

Paper:   White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.)
Ink:   Distress Inks:  Picked Raspberry, Seedless Preserves (Tim Holtz); Black (Memento)
Accessories:  Plaid stencil (Tim Holtz); blending brushes, Big Balloon stencil (My Favorite Things), black fine marker

Challenges:

Twofer Challenge #35 - Balloons

NBUS Challenge #23

A day making Christmas cards

Hi everyone.  Sharing three cards that I made a while back while having a day of play in my studio. :)

I do love to make Christmas cards and I made some that were fairly quick and easy.  For the above card, I die-cut the snowflakes (sensational snowflake collage die - Simon Says Stamp) and then trimmed off the excess to create framed snowflakes.  I backed it with a panel of smooshed inks that was in my stash.  I coated the frame and snowflakes with crystal glaze to add some shine.  The sentiment is from a fun stamp set from Lawn Fawn called Merry Messages.

Close-up ...

Next up is another pretty Christmas die and background from my stash ...

I started with a panel of stencil monoprint (Snowflake Stencil - Paper Artsy) done with blue and purple inks) that I had in my stash.  I die-cut the trees (In the Winter die - Penny Black) from white card stock and sprayed with shimmer spray.  I wanted more sparkle to sprinkled glitter over top while still wet.  The glitter didn't stick all over the die-cut, so I coated it with crystal glaze to seal.  The sentiment (Christmas sentiments - Penny Black) was stamped in matching ink.

Close-up ...

Changing it up completely with a masculine Christmas card for my last make of the day.. 

This is a very easy and quick card to make.  I had this wonderful patterned paper (ho ho ho Christmas - Polkadoddles) and used a piece of the beautiful plaid just big enough to fit my silhouette stenciled reindeer (Christmas Reindeer stencil - STAMPlorations), done in black ink.  I popped up the panel over top of a red card base and stamped the sentiment (Snow globe sentiments retired - My Favorite Things) to finish.

Close-up ...

Card #1: Sending Joy

Stamps:  Merry Messages (Lawn Fawn)
Paper:   White card base (Neenah 110 lb.); Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.)
Ink:   Distress inks:  Peacock Feathers, Cracked Pistachio, Broken China (TimHoltz)
Accessories:     Sensational Snowflake die (Simon Says Stamp); Crystal Glaze (Nuvo)

Card #2: Peace, Love and Joy
Stamps:  Christmas sentiments (Penny Black)
Paper:   White card base (Neenah 110 lb.); Mixed Media paper (Strathmore 140 lb.)
Ink:   Distress inks:  Broken China, Wilted Violet (Tim Holtz)
Accessories:   Snowflake stencil (Paper Artsy), In the Winter die (Penny Black), Shimmer spray, Glitter (SU!), Crystal Glaze (Nuvo)

Card #3: Christmas Reindeer

Stamps:  Snow globe sentiments (My Favorite Things)
Paper:   Real Red (Stampin' Up!); ho ho ho Christmas (Polkadoodles)
Ink:   Black (Memento)
Accessories:   Christmas Reindeer stencil (STAMPlorations)

Pencil Colouring on Kraft

Hi everyone.  Three friends of mine are playing along with the Monday videos from Gina K, learning new techniques.  I have been loving the cards I'm seeing from them, so I joined them Monday night and watched as Gina showed how to use coloured pencils on kraft without having to use any blending liquid.  Here is a link to her video Coloring on Kraft Card Stock with Colored Pencils.  Fast forward through the first part where the audio is not good until you get to the actual colouring.  Gina fixes the audio part way through the video.

I only have crumb cake and baked brown sugar card stock from SU!  I don't like the lightness of the crumb cake, so I used the darker colour.  This is darker than kraft, but I'm happy how it turned out.

I stamped my image in black ink.  Used three colours for the petals (magenta, pink, white), three for the leaves (olive, lime, white) and dark green for the stems.

It took me MUCH longer to actually decide on the design than it did to colour the image. :)  In the end I placed a plain piece of brown sugar card stock through the aperture of the white card front with stitched square cut-out.  The card front has been dry embossed with leafy branches, but couldn't capture them in the photo.  The peonies are popped up through the window so they hang outside the edge of the frame.  Sentiment is stamped in black.

Close-up ...

I don't have a good pencil sharpener (more shopping!).  So I ended up colouring over the lines in the center of the petals and leaves.  I had left my image in the Misti, so once I was finished colouring, I restamped the black and heat embossed in clear.  It really made a big difference.

I rarely have time to play along with Just Us Girls, so happy I can this week for their "Frame It!" challenge!

* * * * *

We were lucky to have my mom stay with us last weekend.

She had a good time and got in lots of cuddle time with Jessie.

Jessie loves my mom ... here she is licking (kissing) mom's ear.  It tickled!

Thanks for shopping by!

Stamps:  Perfect Peonies (Clearly Besotted); Essential Sentiments (Maker's Movement)
Paper:  White card Stock (Neenah 110 lb.); Baked Brown Sugar (SU!)
Ink:  Black (Memento); Prisma coloured pencils
Accessories & Tools:  sharpener, Clear embossing powder, heat tool; In & Out Stitched Squares die (My Favorite Things); Leafy Branch embossing folder (Cuttlebug)

Challenges:
Just Us Girls - #540 - Frame It!

QCAS Card

Hi everyone.  Today's card is a QCAS (as per Darnell), which means it's a quick, clean and simple card.

I used a NBUS (never-before-used-schtuff) die (Tall Sketch Daisies), which are watercoloured with distress inks.  I placed the daisies in the opening of a stitched rectangular aperture and stamped a sentiment in bright green ink undernearth.  Very quick card!

Since my die is NBUS, I'm adding this to the NBUS #15 gallery ...

Close-up ...

You'll have to excuse the photographs ... I had a heck of a time. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Products
Tall Sketch Daisie die (Poppy Stamps)
Rectangle Peek-a-boo Window die (My Favorite Things)

Stamps:  Nouveau Flowers - sentiment (Clearly Besotted - retired)
Paper:  White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.)
Ink:  Distress Inks:  Twisted Cirton, Mowed Lawn, Ripe Persimmon, Picked Raspberry (Tim Holtz)
Accessories & Tools:  Tall Sketch Daisies die (Poppy Stamps), Peek-a-boo Window die (MFT), paint brush

Challenges:
NBUS 15

CAS Stencil May Challenge

Hi everyone.  Today is the start of the last CAS Stencil challenge as things are changing with CAS Challenges.  Starting next month, CAS Mix Up is changing it's challenges to include mixed media along with stencil and watercolour.  More details will be in June's CAS Mix Up post.  We hope you'll come play along!

This month's challenge is hosted by Hilary (fiddling about).  She would like us to try ...

We are also happy to have Greta (GG Creations) as our Guest Designer.  Welcome Greta!

This technique is out of my comfort zone, but it's something I'm keen to learn.  I had lots of fun making my stenciled panel, but I definitely need lots of practice. :)

I started with a stencil monoprint from my stash, done with Lindy's magical powders and a Mini Tiny Circles stencil from TCW (one of my most used stencils!).  Placed a second stencil overtop and sponged with gold ink.  Mounted my panel behind a card front die-cut with a stitched square (gift from my sweet friend, Bonnie).  Added a white die-cut flower and gold stamped sentiment to finish.

Close-up ...

I hope you'll come join us for this fun challenge.

Stamps:  Many Everyday Messages (Hero Arts)
Paper:  Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.); White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.)
Ink:  Magical powders (Lindy's); Delicata Gold (Tsukineko)
Accessories & Tools: water mister Mini Tiny Circles stencil (TCW), Wander & Find stencil (Carta Bella), In & Out Stitched Squares die (MFT), Flower Flourish die (Penny Black)

Challenges:
CAS Stencil - Layered Stenciling