JOY #5

Hi everyone.  I'm back with my fifth card using the Immense JOY die from Penny Black.

Today's card was so much fun to make.  I LOVE stenciling, so I used the Festive Layering stencil (Tim Holtz) to create my background.  I CASED this card, using the same stencil, same technique (stencil bleed), and similar colours of ink.  Then I added the JOY die-cuts over top, Gumball Green (SU!) for the background and white for the word.  I wanted the background to show more, so I trimmed the top panel so that a bit of the design peeks out at the top and bottom. :)

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I'm sending this card to the Peace on Earth Challenge #59.

Edited to add:  Sending this card over to Just Us Girls #717 - Color Week.  Thanks Ina!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps:  n/a

Paper:   White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.); Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.); Gumball Green card stock (SU!)
Ink:   Distress Inks (Mowed Lawn, Rustic Wilderness), Gathered Twigs, Ground Espresso, Chipped Sapphire (Tim Holtz)
Accessories:  Immense JOY die (Penny Black),  detail sponge brushes

Challenges:

Peace on Earth Challenge #59

Just Us Girls #717 - Color Week

Poinsettias and Holly

Hi everyone.  I had two leftover stenciled poinsettia pieces in my stash, so used them on the above card.  The stenciling and sponging was all done I just added silver outlining to the images using a metallic pen.  Finished the card by adding a strip of silver metallic card stock to make a clean finish between the stencilled panel and my card base, and a silver heat embossed sentiment.  Always great when I can use up leftover pieces! :)  

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This view shows how shiny the silver outlining is on the stencilled panel. :)  For some reason, the sentiment doesn't look good but it does IRL.

I'm sending this card to a couple of challenges:

Merry Little Christmas Challenge #36 - Anything Christmas Goes

Rudolph Days

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My sister is one of the people evacuated from her home due to wildfires.  She came down to the lower mainland last week with her hubby and two dogs.  They came by for a visit so I took a few photos to share.  Also happy to report the evacuation order was lifted a couple of days ago and they headed home today.

Tucker

Big size difference :)

Jessie loves her Auntie DeeDee

Challenges:

Merry Little Christmas Challenge #36 - Anything Christmas Goes

Rudolph Days

Twofer #37 Challenge

 

Hi everyone.  I had fun playing with this month's Twofer challenge.  I LOVE this beautiful, leafy stencil (gifted from a sweet friend) that I used on both cards.

Please remember to follow the prompt below as well as above ...

I'm liking this technique that I saw on a youtube video by Nina Marie a couple of weeks ago.  This time I tried with with a sweet row of cacti (Happy Together - Penny Black), stamped in black and clear heat embossing, then watercoloured with the two colours of Distress Inks I wanted to use for the top stenciling (Peacock Feathers, Mowed Lawn, along with Rusty Hinge for the pots).

Added a light sponging and then a layer of sponging through a leaves stencil (Lovely Leaves - Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi) at the top and then finished with a sentiment (Special Sentiments - Penny Black), stamped in black and clear heat embossed to match the image).  I really like how the card turned out! :)  Now I need to look through my stencils and images to find some more pairings. :)

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For my second card using the leaf stencil, I started with a coloured background.  This is one of my last pieces of Certainly Celery (SU!) that retired many years ago. :)

I sponged the leafy sprig around the outside edges of the card front, using two shades of green for depth (Mowed Lawn, Rustic Wilderness).  I then added just a few more sponged sprigs, done this time with Versamark and then heat embossed in clear.  The sentiment (Smiles - Penny Black) was stamped in Rustic Wilderness and clear embossed as well.

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I hope you'll come play along at Twofer ... it's such a fun challenge!  It's open until April 24th ... don't miss out! :)

Products:

Lovely Leaves Stencil (Studio 490 - Wendy Vecchi)

Happy Together (Penny Black)

Special Sentiments (Penny Black)

Smiles (Penny Black)

Card #1 - Birthday Leaves

Stamps:  Happy Together, Special Sentiments (both from Penny Black)

Paper:   White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.)
Ink:   Black (Memento); Distress Oxides:  Mowed Lawn, Peacock Feathers, Rusty Hinge (Tim Holtz)
Accessories: Clear embossing powder (Ranger); heat tool, waterbrush, Lovely Leaves Stencil (Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi), blending brushes

Card #2: Best Friends

Stamps:  Smiles (Penny Black)

Paper:   Certainly Celery DSP (SU!); White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.)
Ink:   Distress Inks:  Mowed Lawn, Rustic Wilderness (Tim Holtz); Versamark
Accessories:  Sponges, Lovely Leaves Stencil (Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi), Clear embossing powder (Ranger), heat tool

Challenges:

Twofer Challenge #37 - Leaves

March Christmas Challenges

Hi everyone.  Today I'm sharing another card using a recent technique I learned, which I call sponge bleeding.  I used small blender brushes through the Poinsettia stencil (Tim Holtz).  Once finished, I removed the stencil and used the same colour to add a light haze over each element.  It gives a blurry, dreamy effect and also fills in most of the white space. I added a black sentiment border using Christmas sentiments (Penny Black), heat embossed in my NBUS silver pearl embossing powder.  Love it!

Simple and easy techique that gives great results.

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I'm sending this card over to three different Christmas challenges for March.  Playing along helps me to build my Christmas card stash so I'm not pressured in the fall.  Works for me!

Rudolph Days March Challenge

Merry Little Christmas Challenge #32

Christmas Craft Creations Challenge - March - Christmas Flowers

Product Links

Poinsettia Stencil (Tim Holtz)

Christmas Sentiments (Penny Black)

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Jessie sharing ice cream cone with Violeta

This picture was taken yesterday in our back yard.

Jessie and Vi rarely share anything, but neither was going to miss

out on the delicious ice cream cone. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps:  Christmas Sentiments (Penny Black)

Paper:   Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.); White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.); Black card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:   Disress Inks:  Worn Lipstick, Picked Raspberry, Peeled Paint (Tim Holtz); Versamark
Accessories:   Poinsettia Layering Stencil (Tim Holtz); Oval nestability (Spellbinders), blending brushes, Silver Pearl embossing powder (Ranger), heat tool

Challenges:

Rudolph Days March Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes

Merry Little Christmas Challenge #32 - Anything Christmas Goes

Christmas Craft Creations Challenge - March - Christmas Flowers

February's Zoom Fun!

Hi everyone.  Yesterday was the monthly Zoom call with my Crafty Friends. :)  We tried out a few more sponging techniques that everyone seemed to enjoy.  These are just two of the card samples I made for the call.

Starting with a technique from a recent Kristina Werner video.  Not sure what she calls this, but I would say it's like a sponging bleed through a stencil.  I have enjoyed trying bleeds from watercolouring, and this is similar in look.

Used a beautiful stencil (Festive from Tim Holtz), along with my blender brushes to add different colours of distress ink over the stencil (Peeled Paint, Mowed Lawn, Forrest Green, Rustic Wilderness, Gathered Twigs, Chipped Sapphire).  With using the really small brushes to get into tight spaces, I didn't have to do any masking - bonus!

Removed stencil and then used the blender brushes to add a very soft "haze" over each of the stenciled images in the same colour ink.  This blending fills in most of the white space and softens the overall look.  LOVE IT!

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Added a few extra details such as white paint pen to add snow to the pinecones, holly, and leaves, crystal glaze to the berries; stamped the sentiment (Big Scripty Greetings Holiday - Simon Says Stamp) in Chipped Sapphire ink, heat embossing in clear.  I thought it didn't stand out enough, so used the small tip of the crystal glaze to draw over the sentiment.  To finish, I splattered "falling snow" using diluted white acrylic paint.

Entering this card into February's Merry Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes.

Here's the second card I made ... can you tell I'm still happy to be making Christmas cards??!! :)

I'm really happy with how this turned out as well.  Used a stencil from Kaisercraft (Poinsettia), and the same technique as above.  Used a silver metallic pen to add dots to the centers of the poinsettias, and pencils to add veins to the poinsettias and holly.  Just adding little details makes a big difference.  I die-cut "noel" (from Memory Box - retired) from black card stock four times and layered them together with glue.  I covered the stack with Versamark and heat embossed with UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel) three times to get this beautiful, glossy finish.

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Thanks for stopping by to take a look.  I hope to post more sample cards soon, as well as the cards I made yesterday.

Stamps:  Big Scripty Greetings Holiday (Simon Says Stamp)

Paper:   Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.); Night of Navy card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:   Distress Inks:  Peeled Paint, Mowed Lawn, Forrest Green, Rustic Wilderness, Gathered Twigs, Chipped Sapphire (Tim Holtz)
Accessories:   Festive stencil (Tim Holtz); blending brushes, Posca white acrylic paint pen, Crystal Glaze (Nuvo), clear embossing powder, heat tool

Stamps:  None

Paper:   Mixed Media (Strathmore 140 lb.); Black card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:   Distress Inks:  Candied Apple, Fired Brick, Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters (Tim Holtz); Versamark
Accessories: Poinsettia stencil (Kaisercraft); blending brushes, silver metallic pen (Pilot), watercolour pencils (Derwent), Noel die (Memory Box), UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel), heat tool  

Challenges:

Merry Little Christmas - February Anything Christmas Goes