Christmas Deer

Greetings all! Welcome to my post for a few fun challenges:

I started with this darling die set from Sizzix called Christmas Deer (NBUS). It is a 10 piece set designed by Jen Long. I just loved these deer and made 3 sets for fun. This is the image from the package:

The colors for CTD#682 are orange, turquoise, green and kraft. I turned the sketch from FMS#525 sideways and added some gold washi tape on a piece of ink blended stencil background.

Here are all three cards made with the color and sketch in mind. I broke out my washi tape and used it on all 3 cards.

This one has a stamped background from my stash and washi tape from Wendy Vecchi Washi Tape Assortment #1:

This one has a mixed media background with embossing paste through a stencil:

I used the grey star washi tape on this card from the Sizzix Making Essential Assortment which as of this port is on sale for $2.00! I love these colors and plan to use the pink for some Easter Bunny Die Cuts. Just lay lines of the washi tape across a piece of cardstock and die cut. Works perfectly!

The sentiments come from 2 sets in my stash: Avery Elle Alpine Christmas and Memory Box Loving Deer. I recently sorted by stamps and dies by holiday/theme. It really is helping in creating cards.

Thank you for joining me today and thanks to the challenges for the inspiration!

*Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

Party Like it's 1999

I am excited to be a Guest Designer for Paper Dragonfly Creative Challenges and what a fun challenge this one is:

Mardi Gras is a bit out of my comfort zone since I've never sent a Mardi Gras card. Actually I had to Google Mardi Gras and look at all the images and colors for inspiration.  When I saw the Tim Holtz's Sizzix Masquerade set, it was very on trend with Mardi Gras... and on sale... I couldn't resist and decided to do an art journal page!

I have been making 8" X 8" art journal pages for about a year. I enjoy making them, most of the time they are messy and I seem to add glitter a lot, but it is something just for me and I have a blast doing it. My art background is years of Decorative Painting and, for the most part, that is very rigid, following a set pattern. With mixed media art journaling there is no right or wrong, you don't have to be worried about neatness and being straight, it is just pure fun. I encourage anyone who hasn't tried it to give it a go.

I began with Vicki Boutin's Mixed Media Foundation Paper and cut it down to the 8' X 8" size.  For today's journal I used Ranger's Multi Matte medium to adhere Tim Holtz's Idea-ology Tissue Wrap (discontinued) to give subtle writing/pictures in the background. On top of that I painted Dylusions' Crushed Grape and Cut Grass paint in a random pattern. 

Then, for me, this is the fun part. Using stencils, I covered small areas of the page with Altenew's White Embossing Paste and Vicki Boutin's Medium Glaze Gold. Sprinkled it all with glitter! Must be nuts for I am finding it everywhere! Not perfect, but again, that's OK. The stencils I used were:

• A Colorful Life Designs:
•     1. Suits Me
•     2. Beaded Curtain
•     3. Perspective Checkerboard

• Scrapbook.com:
•     Tim Holtz's Layering Stencil Flourish THS032 

I cut out 4 masks - 2 each of the larger one out of heavy white card stock and stenciled the Glaze Gold over part of them. I loved the way they looked.

When I had looked at the Googled Images I often saw just parts of patterns over an item of clothing. That inspired the masks - although I wanted to keep part as white as possible as a good contrast to the background.

The rest was just playing with the layout. I knew my phrase for the page was going to be from Prince's song, "1999". I remember that Y2K scare and all we had to do at work, but... let's get back to the page.

I cut the letters and numbers from Sizzix's Alphanumeric 80 pc. Bold Die set. Can't even tell you how many times I've used this set. Some basics you just can't do without. Also printed some of the words on our label maker for a variation.  Lastly I added all the little masks here and there. Can you spot my dragonfly wearing her mask?

Finally I cut the left edge with the Happy Planner Punch so the page could be added to my journal with the Happy Planner Discs. The discs come in different sizes to fit your planner.

Thank you for sticking to the end with all my ramblings! Seriously come join us at the Paper Dragonfly Creative Challenges...it might just inspire a whole new avenue of creativity!

*Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

Movies and Popcorn

Hi my friends! It's a new month and time for a new Paper Funday Challenge. The sponsor I choose to work with is Newton's Nooks Designs. Aren't they just the cutest images?

I started with this cute cute stamp and die set called Movie Night:

I've mentioned before that I make cards for my daughter's shop In Wake Forest, NC. She has a line of North Carolina popcorn and seasonings which she sells and I thought a few cards in that theme would go perfectly! So I made 2:

I stamped the images and colored them with alcohol markers...I have various types and just use them interchangeably. I die cut the images with the coordinating die using my Big Shot machine.

The background is a stencil from A Colorful Life Designs called Perspective Checkerboard. I ink blended Distress Oxide Weathered Wood for a light grey background using my Scrapbook.com foam blending tools. As always, using the Wendy Vecchi Make Art-Stay-tion when working with stencils makes it so easy and very seldom do I need Pixie Spray.

The sentiment is white heat embossed on Lawn Fawn Black Licorice card stock. To get a perfect white embossed image: always first use a good powder tool. Next, for me, I find stamping with Scrapbook.com's White Pigment Ink, a couple of times (instead of Versamark ink) keeps the white "whiter". The pigment ink stays wet for about 30 seconds, so quickly sprinkle on Taylored Expression's Detail White Embossing Powder . Heat set with your favorite heat gun. This combo makes for a perfectly embossed sentiment - white on black.

The edges are die cut with Avery Elle's Wonky Stitched Dies...one of my go to dies! I am not a fan of cutting my card panels even with all the cutter alignment markings. I just never seem to get them perfectly done, so I almost always use a die. 

I thank you for visiting my blog today and if you are a maker, enter into the Paper Funday Challenges with one of your creations. We love to see your work!

*Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

Guest Designer Four Season Challenge

Hi friends and welcome to the Spring Challenge for Four Seasons Challenge and I am honored to be the guest designer!

When I think of Spring, I think of Easter and decided to go with my most comfortable medium, watercoloring. I started with a digital stamp from Whimsy Stamps called a Cup Full of Happiness:

Isn't this image just so cute? I resized 2 images and printed it through my Brother Laser Printer using Ranger Tim Holtz Watercolor Paper. I almost always color more than 1. Why? My first image is my practice image for colors and also gets my "hand" warmed up. When I color the second one, I am usually more comfortable with the colors and style. 99% of the time I use both images for cards in some manner:

I used my favorite watercolor pan palettes (usually of a mix of the 2): The Stamp Market 24 Pan Color Crush Palette and Altenew Watercolor 24 Pan Set:

I always use my Silver Brushes - Black Velvet usually the size 8 and sometimes the 6. The 8 holds more water and although larger it is actually easier for watercoloring. Also, I always try to leave white: if you notice the carrots those white areas are "sparkles" - I very seldom go back with a white gelly roll pen, but leave the white in the design while coloring.

The cups were fun! Once the watercoloring was dry I masked off all around the cups just with post it notes. Then I used this wonderful stencil from A Colorful Life Designs called Bunny Garden Stencil to ink blend parts of the design with some Ranger Distress Ink:

I used Ranger's Detail Blending Tools to get into the small areas:

The sentiments come from 2 different sets. I thought about the sentiments for a long time...what sentiment fits a bunny staring at a cupful of carrots? I was happy with the 2 I finally choose. The first, a simple "love you" come from this Hero Arts/Gina K collaboration stamp set called Friendship Blooms. I love this font and have used both the floral and sentiments many times:

The second sentiment came from Spellbinder's Sunday Drive All-Occasion Clear Stamp Set from Liberty Collection (longest name ever!):

I want to thank the folks at the Four Season Challenge for inviting me to be the guest designer and I hope you enjoyed my cards! Come play along with the challenge...they are always fun!  

*Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

Flowers for a Get Well card

Hi friends - just a quick post today to play along with a few challenge which I always enjoy! I started with the Color Throwdown #681: celery green, sage green, pale pink and plum:

I am using a retired die set from Sizzix which I haven't used before: Free Style Florals by Sophie Guilar.

So that is my NBUS:

Lastly, Anything Goes with Cupcake Inspiration Challenge #538:

Some products I used for this card:

Pink and Main Garden Gate Embossing Folder:  Love this - since I received it in the Dragonfly Monthly Subscription Box, I have used it on almost every card. It makes an incredible deep embossed design and can be used front or back. I love it white on white, but in this card I used an ink blended background.

Distress Inks: Shabby Shutter, Bundles Sage, Tattered Rose

Altenew Inks: Ultraviolet, Deep Iris, Pink Diamond and Grapevine

The Grey Muse: Blooming Cup (retired)

Ranger Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Paper

Scrapbook.com: Foam Blending Tools

Spellbinders: Fashion Gold Embellishments

Can you see that amazing embossing folder?!! 

Well that's it, die cut watercolor paper, ink blend and create a layout. I think it make a great get well card. Thanks for joining me today!

*Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.