SEE THROUGH ELEMENT CARD

This month our A Blog Named Hero Challenge is to include a "see through element".  Obviously, one of the ways is a shaker card, but I wanted to create something a little different.  Jennifer McGuire has a fun card that is "see through" and also a pop-up and I went with that design.  I also found this video which has quite a few ideas for more "see through" cards and if you google "Jennifer McGuire+see through cards" you'll find more ideas.  On my blog is another kind of see through which I made years ago.

I stamped my blossoms on watercolor paper in versamark and heat embossed in gold.  Then I loosely watercolored the flowers and leaves - quick and easy with watercolor markers - lay down the pure color and soften with clear water - I did do several layers of color.  Then I die cut with the matching die.  I assembled my card per Jennifer's instructions but altered the size of the window to fit my blooms and also had to fiddle around with the dimensions of the pop-up strip inside.

Be sure to enter our "see through element" challenge this month for a chance to win a gift certificate from Hero Arts.

Thanks for dropping by.

TIC TAC TOE CHALLENGE 088

 Here's a bit of inspiration for you today as part of the latest Tic Tac Toe Challenge.  I went across the center with autumn, any color (copper) and a thankful sentiment.

I used some patterned paper mounted on a copper mat for my background which I added to a kraft slimline card.  Die cut the leaves from the same copper paper.  Added them and the little tag and done. 

Am sure you'll find some inspiration from the fun board created by Felicita - create your card add it here.

Thanks for visiting today.

LETTERPRESS FLORAL FANTASY

Earlier this week, Jennifer McGuire did a post on a letterpress technique using layering dies.  It looked so fun and easy that I had to give it a go!  It was a little more labor intensive than I thought it would be, but am pleased with my result.  I made three cards and can always make more now that I have the template made.

I used Altenew's Floral Fantasy dies to make the letterpress elements.  Used watercolor paper (my cheapo stuff worked fine) and various pink and green inks.  Found some pink cs for a matte and added it to a pale gray card base.  A few sequins and a sentiment finished it.

I am entering this at Seize the Birthday (texture) - difficult to see in the photo, but this technique really adds wonderful texture to a card.

Thanks for dropping by.

SPOOKY HALLOWEEN

I love making Halloween cards and have two slimline cards for the new ModSquad Challenge (spooky Halloween).  I am also entering my top card at "Stay Crafty with Hero Arts" - create a holiday slimline card.  I'm presuming Halloween counts.

On my top card I used a haunted house die from Hero Arts mounted on some patterned paper.  Did some ink blending with black soot DO around the base of the house and the moon, added the bats and the ghost peeking out of the door and done.  My second card uses the SSS and Kitchen Sink Stamptember collaboration stamps.  I just used the pumpkin and leaves from the set.  Masked off the pumpkin and leaves to do the ink blending and also around the moon.  Spattered with a few water droplets for added interest.  The cat and bats are die cuts - looking at it now that bat looks big enough to eat the cat!!  I CASED my own card for this card.

Thanks for stopping by today.

PUMPKIN BOUQUET

I finally received my Jack O' Lantern pumpkin dies from Hero Arts yesterday and have had the idea for my card in my head since I ordered them.

I had the watercolored leaves done and waiting to be arranged in my pumpkin vase.  Made my background by stenciling the leaf stencil by Pretty Pink Posh onto a kraft card base with DO ink.  Die cut my pumpkin, added a little brown ink around the edges and popped it up with some foam tape.  Arranged my leaves, added a little sentiment and done.

I am entering my card Color Throwdown (orange, kraft and black),  at CAS Mix-Up (tone on tone stenciled background) and at ModSquad Challenge Blog (pumpkin).

Thanks for stopping by.

TONE ON TONE STENCILING

The October challenge at CAS Mix-UP is to do tone on tone stenciling - a technique I have never done.  So today I gave it a whirl and made two cards.

I used the same technique on both cards - stenciling first with a light color (champagne metallic), shifting the stencil and stenciling over with a darker color (DI brushed corduroy).  On the top card I used Pretty Pink Posh's autumn leaves and on the bottom I used Artplorations autumn falling.  I felt the bottom card needed a little something extra, so used an old Hero Arts maple leaf and stamped over the tone on tone in a dark gray ink.  I added some simple berry die cuts on the top card for a little added interest.  A little sentiment finished both cards.

I am also entering my first card in the NBUS challenge as I've never used the autumn leaves stencil.

Thanks for stopping by today.

GOING BATTY

I am so pleased to let you know that I am now one of the design team members at the Tic Tac Toe Challenge.  I discovered this fun challenge last February and have really enjoyed playing along just about every week since then.

This week the board was designed by LeAnne and I went diagonally from bottom left to upper right - die cut, circle and stitching.

I first created my background on a piece of navy cs by using a cloud stencil and blending DI blueprint sketch.  Then used a wonky rectangle stitch die to cut it out.  Die cut my circle and added the sentiment which was stamped in black and clear embossed.  After making the shaker part I added this to a gray/blue card base, attached the bats and done.

Am sure you'll find three elements on this week's board that will inspire you - so be sure to enter your creation here.

Thanks for stopping by today.

AUTUMN BOUQUET

Wanted something a bit different than the usual oranges, yellows, rust, etc. for my card today using the new and lovely Autumn Bouquet die set from Hero Arts.

I die cut all the flowers from white cs and then used copic and Altenew alcohol markers to color everything - it really went very quickly because I just put my darkest color down first and then blended out with a lighter shade not really being very detailed about it.  For my background I smooshed weathered wood DI on my craft mat, spritzed with water and smooshed my paper until I was happy with the result.  Did my flower arrangement and put it together with a little twine bow onto a pale gray card base.

A new challenge begins tomorrow on A Blog Named Hero with two great gift certificates from Hero Arts to be won - so be sure to check it out.

Thanks for visiting today.

GOLD FALL LEAVES

Created two cards this afternoon for two challenges and also because my sympathy card stash was running very low - sad to say, but you never know when one of them is needed.  Both cards are going to entered at the Color Hues Challenge (cream and gold) and one will be entered at a new challenge begun just this month by Gail and Jo - Let's Squash It - (embossing folder plus geometric and metallic).

I used a stencil and "mother of pearl" embossing paste for the background on the top card, die cutting the piece with a stitched die and adding the gold gingko leaf.  Put it all together on a cream background along with a little sentiment and a few sequins.

For my second card, I embossed a piece of cream cs with a hexagon folder.  Matted this with gold and used foam to mount onto my white card base.  Added my gold maple leaf and the little sentiment and done!

Thanks for visiting today.

FESTIVE FRIDAY CHALLENGE

My card today is for the Festive Friday Challenge - I've had quite a few cats as pets - but no more - still love them though.

I used my new SSS Stamptember Kitchen Sink stamps on a slimline card and love how this little Halloween scene turned out.  The elements from the challenge are a cat, sparkle (Spectrum Noir glitter pen on the bats), embossing (black heat embossed the sentiment) and a circle (moon).  I used DO inks to blend the sky and ground.  To create the moon, I die cut a circle on a piece of cs and used it as a stencil.  Also made some masks to do the stamping and blending around the pumpkin and the moon.

Thanks for stopping by today.
 

TIC TAC TOE CHALLENGE

So pleased to be guest designing today for the Tic Tac Toe Challenge085.  It's a really great autumn board with many ways to create a card.  My choice from the board is down the left side - pumpkins, orange and fall. 

I have always found downloading images, resizing and whatever else is involved rather daunting, but when I saw Alex Syberia's new Autumn Bouquet release, I had to give it a try.  My printer won't take anything heavier that 80# cardstock, so that's what I went with using my copic markers to do all the coloring.  My slimline card is 3.5x8.5.  Added my little sentiment, a few sequins and done.  I really would like to color this image with watercolor - maybe will pop over to Kinko's and see if they can help me out.  Anyone have any other ideas??

Be sure to have a go at this inspiring board and enter your fall cards here. 

Thanks for stopping by today.

 

SEPTEMBER CARD CHAIN CHALLENGE

This month my card is going to Lucille in Colorado.  I used the sketch and colors for my card.

After the flower and leaves were embossed with rose gold powder, I watercolored them with DO inks - crackling campfire, wild honey and shabby shutters.  The inks left on my work surface were spritzed with water and the background piece was smooshed into them.  Spattered a bit of gold paint on it before adding the flower and leaves.  Finished it off with a few gold sequins.

Thanks for stopping by today.