CARING THOUGHTS

It's always a good thing to have a few encouragement, sympathy type cards on hand- and that's part of the TicTacToe Challenge#110 for this week. Ashwini has created a great board for us this week - I chose across the middle - embossing, floral and encouragement.

I embossed the 3D floral background on heavy white cs and then lightly brushed a bit of color over it with a blending brush.  Placed this on a pale gray card base, added the die cut leaves, the sentiment and done.

Put on your creation hat and make a card for our challenge this week - would love to see you win and be our guest designer.

Thanks for visiting and love to read your kind comments.

A COUPLE OF CHALLENGES

Made a couple of cards for challenges that will end soon - I miss so many 'cause I don't pay attention to ending dates.

Two Old Bats is an "anything goes" Halloween challenge altho there is always an inspiration photo.

I blended a  nightime background on a piece of tan cardstock - masked off a circle for the moon and then just left it as the moon color except for a few gray streaks for clouds.  Added the die cut trees and finished it off with some sparkle bats.

My next card is for the birthday slimline challenge at MFT and also RetroRubber Challenge where the theme is pastels.

I used my MFT floral fantasy stamps and dies and arranged them over the lattice background.  Put some glossy accents in the flower centers for a little pizazz.

My last card is for CAS Mix-Up where the theme was to use paper piecing on a card.

I first die cut the outline from black cs and adhered to the card base.  Then I went thru my pp stash and found this really pretty piece that had a watercolor look to it and all in shades of pink.  Die cut that and then pieced all the pink into the spaces.  Did the same for the green leaf.  Found a snip of yellow for the stamen.  Added some clear dewdrops on the petals and the heat embossed sentiment and done.  The "mix-up" elements on my card are paper piecing, die cutting and heat embossing.

That's it for today - thanks for stopping by.

ANNIVERARY WISHES

"Anniversary" is the theme for this month's A Blog Named Hero Challenge.  I used my new Hero Arts Butterfly Garden background stamp as the starter for my inspiration card for you today.

I first stamped embossed the background in gold onto a white card base.  Then used 1" wide Post-It tape to mask a rectangle in the center and blended shades of coral/pink.  Using the rectangle dies, I cut two frames for my blended section.  Added the sentiment, a few gold sequins and done!

Create a special anniversary card for someone in your life and then enter it in our A Blog Named Hero Challenge this month.  You'll be eligible for one of two prize gift certificates.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

ALCOHOL INKED FLOWER

Watched a video about making flowers with alcohol ink and it looked so easy.  So had a little play around trying to do this - not so easy - at least not for me - maybe more practice.  Anyway, finally had one that looked somewhat like a flower that I liked!

Don't remember the exact colors I used for the petals, but the center was "tranquil" pearl alcohol ink.  Added the little dots for the center with a white gel pen.  Am entering this at The Flower Challenge (pastels) and The Paper Players (CAS birthday).

 Thanks for visiting today.

WINTER SLED

52 Christmas Card Throwdown wants a sled (sledge) on our cards this week.  Christmas Kickstart Challenge theme is "You Sleigh Me" so will enter my card there also.  I don't own any sled/sleigh stamps or dies, but have made tags in the past using a tag die, woodgrain paper and hand cutting the runners.

 

I made a mini slimline card (3.5x6) with kraft cs and added layers - the top layer embossed with a snow fall ef.  Designed my sled with the woodgrain paper on a kraft tag. I used some walnut DI to give the wood some definition.  Die cut the holly leaves and added to the twiggy wreath.  The sentiment was clear embossed - red Nuvo drops and a twine bow finished my card.

Thanks for stopping by - always enjoy reading your kind comments.

 

 

APRIL TWOFER CHALLENGE

I used my long neglected Leaf Canopy set for my cards in the latest Twofer Challenge.  Actually made three cards, but one was way too busy for my CAS soul - but will post it here anyway.

I first stamped a bunch of the two sizes of leaves with DO inks and heat embossed with clear for a shiny look.  Made the "busy" card first by arranging leaves to cover the whole front.  Added the large sentiment and few clear sequins - there's shimmer on the sentiment too.  Next I made the white bouquet with only the die cut leaves.  The sentiment says "Happy Birthday" embossed in silver - hard to photograph.  Still had a pile of the colored leaves and made the third card.

 Thanks for stopping by today.

 

DAY 5 & 6 HOMEWORK

I think this is first one of these online classes that I've actually finished all the homework by the end of the class.

DAY 5

 

Lydia made a raised background for her layered flower and I did the same but with different dies.  The flower and leaf layers were colored with alcohol markers - I used a die cut background which I layered up using really thin strips of foam tape.  

DAY 6

 

Again, didn't have the same dies as Lydia used, but followed her techniques to make an aperture card.  Die cut the flowers and leaves and watercolored very loosely.

I am entering my second card at Die Cut Divas where the theme is a window/aperture card. 

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

 

ALTENEW ACADEMY HOMEWORK

Altenew Academy has another free layering dies class taught by Lydia Evans.  Have been keeping up every day with the homework - so have four days worth today!

DAY 1

The see-through element on the lower portion makes this card really unique - a little putzy to make but I like the outcome.  This card used the Hibiscus die set.

DAY 2

This is a  gate fold card using vellum - I found using a lighter weight vellum worked the best - I used the Wild Rose 3D dies.

DAY 3
 

This card uses ink blending on the separate layers which was a quick and easy way to achieve the colors.  I added some veins on the leaves for a little added interest.  The front of the card is cut at slant and the flowers overlap the edge.  Lydia used patterned paper on the back, but that was too busy for me so I embossed a background and shaded a bit.  Floral Fantasy dies used on this card.

DAY 4

The shaker element and patterned paper makes this card special. Peony Dream is the die set used.

I am entering my first two cards at the Color Hues challenge since I used pink and green on those cards.  Also will enter my first and last cards at Die Cut Divas as their theme is aperture or window and my cards have apertures or is see thru like a window.

All About Layering 6 is a free 6 day class - lots of tips and tricks from Lydia.  Thanks for stopping by and always love to read your kind comments.

 

THE FLOWER CHALLENGE

The current theme at The Flower Challenge is "pretty pastels" and their sponsor is Varada Designs.  I chose one of their free digitals for my card.

 

I used an alcohol inked piece for the background for my flower which I downloaded and colored with copic markers.  After fussy cutting the flower and mounting it on the background, I popped it all up with fun foam on the card base.  Added a few clear sequins and done.  I chose not to add a sentiment at this time - will add when I want to send to someone special.

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

 

 

 

THINKING OF YOU

Time for a new TicTacToe Challenge and Felicita has a fun new board with great starting points for you.  I went down the right side of her board with embellishment, coloring and stencil.

 

Wasn't sure where I wanted to go with the stencil idea so started flipping through my stash and found this layering stencil that I don't think I've ever used.  After stenciling the florals in two colors of ink, I added a bit more depth with colored pencils.  I spattered the piece and then die cut with a stitched rectangle.  Matted it on black and then onto my card base.  Added the sentiment and some clear sequins and done!  This was really fast and easy card to make - think I might "need" more layering stencils!!!

The colors at the Color Hues Challenge are pink and green - so will enter my card there too.

Thanks for visiting today.

 

EASTER BLESSINGS

 Awhile back, Yana shared an Easter card that I loved - so I CASEd it pretty closely.  I didn't have any of the products she used, but made my card a mini slimline in similar colors and basically followed her design.

 

After stamping the floral, I lightly colored it with light pink and light green copic markers and fussy cut.  I used a stencil with white pigment ink for the background on each corner of the kraft part.  After die cutting the cross, I backed it with champagne metallic cs and stamped the little sentiment.  Then put it all together on a white card base, added the flowers in the corners, trimmed and done.

Thanks for visiting today and hope you all have a joyous Easter.

 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

It's a special anniversary theme this month at A Blog Named Hero!  We're celebrating out 9th anniversary and to kick things off there is a two day IG blog hop with a $50 gc from Hero  Arts.  To carry out the "anniversary" theme I have a slimline card for your inspiration.

I colored the lovely Togetherness blooms with copics and die cut with the matching die.  On my slimline card, I added a black border cut with the new slimline dies.  The sentiment was die cut four times and layered up for dimension and the "happy" was stamped and embossed.  Put it all together and done. 

Be sure to hop over to my IG post (bjkne0519) for the blog hop on April 1 and 2 - and also enter your card on ABNH for a chance to win one of two gift certificates from Hero Arts.

Thanks for stopping by.