ALL ABOUT LAYERING

Have been taking the Altenew class "All About Layering 3" all this past week and finally managed to get a couple of cards for homework accomplished!  This is a great class and Lydia not only has a video on layering the actual stamps, but also then creating a card.

I stamped and die cut the Peony Blossom stamps and then put them on a background of the Leaf Frame die.  Added the little sentiment and done.  Basically I used the same card design as Lydia did for her card 'cause I liked it so much.

For my next card, I used my very first Altenew stamp set - Painted Flowers.  Love, love this stamp set but I have always had difficulty layering it.  I know it isn't supposed to be perfect so decided to use it again and practice.  Lydia used a very large single letter die cut with flowers around it for her card.  I used some skinnier letters and arranged my flowers around them to make a card I could use for Valentine's day.

All for today friends - thanks for stopping by.

PINK BOKEH

The January challenge at CAS Mix-Up is to use the bokeh technique - check out the above link for more info and ideas for using this fun technique.

I have had the Concord & 9th notecards (on sale now at a fantastic price) in my stash for awhile and used one of them for my base by watercoloring over the embossed dots.  I next made myself an acetate stencil using Hero Arts circle dies and used it to sponge bokeh dots over the background with HA unicorn white pigment ink.  Mounted this on a white card base, stamped the little "with" sentiment and added the die cut "sympathy", a few sequins and done.  Besides bokeh there is watercolouring, stamping and die cutting on my card.

I am also entering my card at a2z Scrapbooking challenge for "anything goes".

Thanks for visiting today and love to read your kind comments.

FUSION BUTTERFLY

The Fusion Challenge features butterflies this time and I haven't done a butterfly card in ages!

When I took out my PTI Life is Beautiful stamps there was a butterfly already die cut that I had smooshed in some bright pink watercolors.  So I took my copics and added some shading in the colors from the challenge photo.  I created the background on soft gray cardstock by stamping various butterflies in clear embossing powder and put it on the same color card base.  Added a silver thread nest behind my butterfly and done!

I like the way the watercolored part of my butterfly is sort of spattered and gives some added texture.

Thanks for stopping by - love to read your kind comments.

MESSY SNOWFLAKE BLIZZARD

Awhile back Dawn from WPlus9 had a video using snowflakes and heat embossing - and I thought it was such a cool look.  So did a CASE of her card.

I stamped a variety of HA snowflake stamps with Versafine ink on navy cardstock and heat embossed them with HA silver embossing powder.  Then I sprinkled more embossing powder around and heat embossed starting on the back so the powder didn't blow all over the place!!  Trimmed my panel down to 4x5.25 and added to a soft gray card base.  Added the silver sentiment and some blue sequins and done.  Trying to capture all the shine in the photo was difficult, but you get the idea I'm sure.

As a side note - if you are in the market for an embossing gun, this one from Hero Arts is worth every penny - I have had mine for over twenty years and it still works like a charm!!

A new challenge starts tomorrow at A Blog Named Hero so be sure to check it out. 

Thanks for stopping by.

STENCILING + SPONGING

CAS Stencil is a new challenge that just began this January and had a go at it with these cards.

I used Altenew's Sketchy Floral stamp and the coordinating Floral Drape stencil for both cards.  The stamp and stencil are very large and I was able to get two cards out of the piece.  After stamping on white cardstock, I used the stencil and sponged in the color with a small dauber.  I added the gray shadow on the first card with a small flat brush.  The card base on both cards is a soft gray.

I am entering my card in CAS Stencil (sponging) and The Flower Challenge (pink and gray). 

 

Thanks for visiting today and your kind comments make my day!

SNOWFLAKES

One of my goals for this year is to enter more challenges and today I have a card that fits into several.

My card is also quite appropriate for today here in Lincoln as we had our first snowstorm of 2019 with about 6" of snow.  Good reason to stay inside and make cards!!

I used emboss resist in silver on watercolor paper for my snowflakes and then dropped shades of blue watercolors onto wet paper.  I die cut the piece with a stitched frame with the outer part popped up with some foam tape on a gray card base.  

I am entering my card in Addicted to CAS (snowflake), CAS Christmas (blue and silver), CAS Watercolour (winter) and CASology  (frozen).

Thanks for stopping by and always love to read your kind comments.

MASCULINE BIRTHDAY CARD

Needed a guy birthday card and this deer and the birch trees fit the bill pretty well.

Quite fast and easy and really liked the idea of all the "whiteness".  Although this isn't a Christmas card with a different sentiment it could easily be one.  I probably should have just left the sentiment off and then photographed it for the challenges but...oh well.

Dotty Jo has started a new Christmas challenge and the current theme is "Rudolph and Friends" and Happy Little Stampers Christmas challenge is "Anything Goes with an optional twist of Reindeer" - so this will be an entry for both.

Thanks for stopping and always enjoy your kind comments.

2018 FAVES

In 2014 when I began my blog adventure, my first post was my favorite cards from 2013.  So today I am writing my 554th post with my 2018 faves.  Link on the captions to go to the original posts. 

Happy Birthday

Butterfly

Bicycle

Wonderful Day

Blue Sakura

Happy Everything

Blue Iris

Lovely

Joy

Red Bird

The bicycle card was a winner on Inspired by All the Little Things challenge and the blue iris was for my Casology guest designer spot.

As always, thanks for visiting today and all the other days of the year - have a wonderful 2019.

SNOWFLAKES

The theme this month at A Blog Named Hero is "winter" and what could be more wintery that lots of snowflakes!  Especially here in Nebraska!!!

I made my own background with individual stamps, but this one would be much easier as it's a wonderful snowflake background stamp.  My background was stamped in Versamark and clear embossed.  Then I die cut the large snowflake (sorry it's discontinued) and made my card into a shaker using some iridescent sequins.  There is silver foil paper behind the die cut so the whole card is quite shiny.  I didn't add a sentiment as I thought it would distract from the design.

Be sure to enter a winter card in our challenge this month - there's a prize for two winners - $50 and $25 prizes are up for grabs!

I am entering my card in the A2Z December challenge - Winter Wonderland.

Thanks for visiting today and keep warm!

HOLLY DAYS

One more Christmas card and I hope I'm done!  Also needed a card for my A Blog Named Hero post today.

 

 

I used an older Hero Arts holly set for my card, but this one would also work well.  I stamped the holly with black ink and colored with alcohol markers - fussy cut it.  Then used the same stamp to make a background using Versamark ink and clear heat embossing.  The sentiment was done the same way so it's all a shiny background.  Cut down the panel to 5x3.75", backed with fun foam and added to a soft grey base.  Adhered the holly and a few red enamel dots for berries and done!

A new challenge begins tomorrow at A Blog Named Hero - be sure to check it out!!

I am entering my card in the Happy Little Stampers December CAS challenge - emboss.

Thanks for stopping by today and happy holly days!

ORIGAMI POCKETS

Do you have a stash of patterned paper?  Here is an idea for using some of it.  I like to give a little gift to some of my friends and this is it for this year!

I used 6x6" squares of double sided Christmas papers and folded them into these little origami pockets, stamped the sentiment and tucked a chocolate in the pocket - done!  Once you get the hang of the fold it's super easy to make a bunch in no time flat!  Here's how to do it!   I used my MISTI for stamping the sentiment.  

I am entering this in Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - "Wrap It Up".

Thanks for stopping by and hope you might like to make some of these for your friends.

NOVEMBER CARD CHAIN CHALLENGE

One of the themes from which to choose at the Card Chain Challenge for November was deer - so made another scene with my woodland trees embossing folder.

I am sending my card to Hilary in England - also included some snowflakes with my card as she told me it seldom snows where she lives.  My card is also very glitterry as I spritzed it with some shimmer spray.  Hope she likes it!

Thanks for stopping by today and hope your day is wonderful.