-I love Art
Impressions stamps - they make me smile! The mouse has a front and back
that can be used for a spinner card. I stamped my images on white cs with
Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black ink and embossed with clear embossing
powder. I colored my images with Spectrum Noir markers then fussy cut. I
used coral as my background with a strip of aqua, and bright green cs. I
put the mouse on the corner of the front of the card and the inside front.
I used a white cs base. ~Gracie
Colleen found inspiration to create this cute card-
My card is slightly
different than the sketch, but that's the beauty of sketches. They are a
starting place, and you can vary it up to give your card its own unique
look! I created this card using supplies and stamps from the Gina K
Designs "Sending Love" card kit. I created an A2-sized base with a piece
of patterned paper on top and a 2" strip going across the bottom third of
the card. I love using paper that is made to match like this, and there
are some great ideas out there on how to use your patterned paper stash!
Next, using MFT's wonky dies, I die cut orange and white solid color paper in
the same size. I stamped the birdies and bird house in black Memento ink
onto the white die cut and colored it. This is a small stamp, so I didn't
get too detailed with my coloring, I kept it clean and simple, matching the
colors with the background. I adhered the birdies to the orange die cut,
slightly off center and to the right of it. I adhered both pieces onto
the base cardstock using Fun Foam for some dimension. And that's it!
As Colleen says the beauty of sketches is that they give you a starting point, but then you can improvise in new and cool ways.
This card was so much
fun to make! Using an emboss resist technique (which I love to do), I
stamped the "Bare Tree Duo" from Technique Junkies with clear
Versamark ink and heat embossed it in white. Next I sponged over the
trees with Distress ink in various fall shades of color. The embossed
image will "resist" the colors and stay white. I wiped the
excess ink off of the trees with a dry cloth so the white popped against the
color. What a cool look you get with this technique! Starting with
an A2-sized brown cardbase, I cut the next layer down to 4 x 5.25 and then the
final layer (the trees) to 3.75 x 4.75. I cut the trees into thirds, centered
them on the 4 x 5.25 card layer, and used liquid glue to adhere them (you may
have to tweak down the size a little to have enough space between them).
Liquid glue gives you a little wiggle room to place your object exactly where
you want it before it dries. Its great when you want exact placement of
an item. To finish up, I wrapped a blue ribbon around it and added a
"Love" sentiment. I adhered the finished product onto the card
base using fun foam. There you have it!
This is how Gracie used the colors -
I used 2 stencils to make the background . The 1st is a
Prima stencil and I used Tim Holt Distress Inks (dried marigold, peacock
feathers, tea dye, and fried brick) to add subtle color. The 2nd
stencil is from Clear Scraps. I sponged it with US baked brown sugar. The
deer is a Silhouette file. The sentiment is from Tim Holtz and is
stamped using Memento Rich Cocoa and clear embossing powder. I mounted the
front onto the same brown cs I used to cut the deer then put it on a cream cs
base. ~Gracie
I love how both designers used trees in their cards, they are perfect with the colors. - Denise
It is Mistletoe Monday and anything goes (as long as it is Christmas)
Denise experimented with two techniques-
I purchased a couple of stamp sets from Unity Stamps and couldn't wait to try them out. The first uses a truck from a set called Old Traditions . I stamped using Memento ink in Tuxedo. I then used my Spectrum Noir alcohol markers to color the image and the area behind it. I used several shades to help make it dimensional looking. I then put Glossy Accents on the snow flakes and immediately covered them with Spark White Glitter by American Crafts. It has linger strands in it and makes it look more like flakes. The sentiment is from Unity Stamps and is called Love Bug Christmas. I tore the paper around both the picture and the sentiment and inked around the edges with the black ink. I mounted both using foam dots on plaid paper by The Paper Studio that came from a stack called 12 Days of Christmas. I then mounted that on a Kraft card base.
This time I stamped the image using Versafine black ink and colored it using a water coloring technique. I put various colors of Tim Holtz Distress inks on my craft mat and then used wet paint brushes to pick up the color and paint the image. After it was dry, I put Liquid Pears in white where there were snow flakes. The image is from a Unity Stamp set called Love Bug Christmas and the sentiment is from Old Traditions. If you notice, I swapped the sentiments from the two sets for these cards, mainly because I thought each fit better on the space I had. I die cut the image with an Oval stitched die on my Cuttlebug and cut a larger one out of the hounds-tooth pattern paper. I then mounted that on foam dots on top of the darker paper Both came from an Echo Park pack called Hello Winter. After doing these similar images, but with different techniques, I think I like the control I have with the Spectrum Noir markers a little better, but I think they both turned out pretty cute.- Denise Sayers
Let's see what Gracie did -
Today's challenge was
to make any Christmas card. I cheated. Hanging head in shame...
Someone gifted me a card -making club monthly kit (Annie's) and I
used last month's kit to make the card. I added a few heat set
rhinestones. Done! ~Gracie .
If using a kit makes it go together more quickly, then I say go for it
and it is also a great way to get ideas for other cards. - Denise
Since this is a 5th week for us, we will be having a variety of designers during this week.
We start every Sunday with a Clean & Simple challenge. Today the request was to do something with a graphic design - no flowers or frills.
Gracie sent this card -
Today's challenge was a
graphic design without flowers or frills. I started out with black cs
base and cut off the front corner of the base. I put a white panel on the
inside so it would show through and stamped my sentiment with
Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black ink and embossed with clear
embossing powder . The sentiment is from the Sizzle Birds and
Phrases set. I added a gold triangle and gold strip then added a bit of
ribbon. A few black enamel dots and done! ~ Gracie.
Colleen used her message in a graphic way with this card -
I decided to create a simple blue and black card
with an Ampersand die and stamp set from Catherine Pooler Designs. I die
cut the Ampersand on black paper and centered the positive piece on the blue
cardstock from Gina K. Designs. Then I added the "hugs" and
"kisses" sentiment on either side of the Ampersand. I love the
variation in size between the huge Ampersand and the itty bitty sentiments!
They compliment each other. I embossed the black card base with a design
from We R Memorykeepers to add subtle depth to the background and then adhered
the blue piece to it. I finished the card with Spectrum sparkle glitter
on the Ampersand and the black background for some shimmer and shine I made this quick card -
This card was made for my great-niece who started kindergarten and recently started wearing glasses. All the stamps are a set from Fawn Lawn called Clear to See. Using something like a Misti makes it easier to line the glasses up each time you stamp them. I stamped them on white card stock and mounted that on black cardstock placed on a white card base. A quick and easy card to do. - Denise
A graphic design can be a great way to make a statement, so try it.
Here is a little different inspiration for today -
Angie went this direction with the sun and the trees-
This card was a little
difficult for me. I used the Fun Stampers Journey Fun Rays Die. I then added
shade to the rays using Banana Cream ink as well as a Spectrum Noir Clear
Sparkle marker. The stamp is Fun Stampers Journey Stay Wild. I stamped the
image on white cardstock and cut it with the Journey Circle dies. I then used
Spectrum Noir coloring pencils and gamsol to color some of the image.
Sue choose to use the road and sun here-
Using Post-It
tape, I masked off the above the green grass area and each side of the road
separately to add peeled paint distress ink with an ink blending tool. I was
hoping for a random look with darker and lighter areas. I then moved the
Post-It tape along the edges of the green grass and applied black soot distress
ink with an ink blending tool for the road. Then I moved the Post-It tape from
above the green grass to onto of the green grass and then added another mask,
cut out from half of a 2.5” circle. I added spiced marmalade distress ink with
an ink blending tool around the half circle and then beyond that I used faded
jeans distress ink for the night sky. Once I removed the half circle mask, I
added mustard seed distress ink to the “sun”. I felt that the card still needed
something, so I added the foliage using the top of one of the stamps from Penny
Black’s Sprig stamp set. The sentiment is from SU’s Rev Up the Fun stamp set..
I have really enjoyed the cards this week and think that Sue and Angie did a wonderful job with all of the challenges. - Denise
Come along while our designers C.A.S.E. this card:
Angie's take on this card:
I really like how this
card turned out. For this one I used Spellbinder’s Celebration’s Pierced Heart
Dies to cut the heart from Spectrum Noir watercolor paper. I then used
different colors from the Spectrum Noir Aqua markers and blended them with
water. The images are Fun Stampers Journey Full Bloom set. Also the patterned
paper is Fun Stampers Journey Spring Parade. I then used pop up dots under the
heart to give the card some dimension.
Sue was inspired to create this card -
For the
background of my card, I started with a piece of kraft paper and used SU’s
Woodgrain stamp and SU’s Early Espresso ink. I rotated the woodgrain from the
orientation of the original card. The heart was die cut using Memory Box’s
Cherub Hearts from watercolour paper. The sentiments were stamped with
Versafine Black Onyx ink with Simon Says STAMP Big You and Thanks stamp sets. I
positioned the “thanks” stamp so that the “s” did not get inked (basically, the
“s” was hanging over the edge of the ink pad. Once the ink was dry, I added
distress inks (picked raspberry, spiced marmalade and faded jeans) with a water
brush. I found some scrap papers – one solid and one printed to mimic the strips
on the original card. I added sequins, in place of the hearts on the original
card. I finished by masking the card with black.
These ladies did a great job on variations of the original card. Tomorrow we wrap up their week. - Denise
Today on Technique Thursday we are continuing with word clustering. Here is a video on one word clustering technique:
This colorful rendition is from Sue -
This was my first
attempt at creating a word cluster on my card. I used 100 lb cardstock because
I knew that I would be watercolouring. In retrospect, I probably should have
made the word cluster a bit denser. However, I was concerned about overlapping
words. I stamped all the words from CAS-ual Fridays’ All About You stamp set
from Catherine Pooler’s Stamp of Approval – Beautiful World collection with
Versamark ink and then added the white embossing powder. It was a bit
challenging to determine where I had previously stamped as the Versamark ink is
not very visible. If I had been a bit more patient, I could have stamped each
word/phrase and then added the embossing powder to make subsequent word
placement a bit more obvious. I’m just not that patient – LOL! I then used my
heat tool to set the embossing powder. I put some distress ink (twisted citron,
mustard seed, spiced marmalade, picked raspberry) on my Teflon sheet and then
picked up the colour with my water brush and applied it to the panel. I matted
the panel with a piece of cardstock to add even more colour.
Angie follows with her card -
I really enjoyed this technique. It was so much fun
to select different sentiments and the various colors to stamp them with. For
this card I used the sentiments in the Happy Sentiments and My Everything stamp
sets by Fun Stampers Journey. I used several colors to stamp the images and
embellished the card with a bit of patterned paper and colored twine.
I love how both Sue & Angie used such bright colors in their cards, but in different ways. Tune in tomorrow for two more great cards. - Denise
As we have mentioned before, a card sketch can provide a great jumping off point to make a card. Here is today's sketch -
Sue came up with this fun card -
To start, I
stamped the small flowers from Simon Says STAMP Look for the Miracles stamp
set with Versafine Black Onyx ink. I added color with daubers and distress
inks (mustard seed, spiced marmalade and peacock feathers. I fussy-cut the
flowers. The sentiment is from Simon Says
STAMP Thanks stamp set. I used a couple of scraps, one plain and one
printed to make banners to complete the card.
And now Angie -
This card is so simple
but so pretty, in my opinion. I embossed the front of my card with Fun Stampers
Journey Petal Wall embossing folder. I then sprinkled some Bubble Gum silk to
give a little flair. The flowers are from Flower Party Stamp and the sentiment
is from the Ampersand Notes set by Fun Stampers Journey. I stamped each flower
onto Spectrum Noir watercolor paper and colored each with Spectrum Noir Aqua
Markers. While they were still damp, I rolled the petals in the direction I
wanted them to go. Once the flowers were dry, I adhered them to the front of
the card using pop-up dots. As a final touch, I used Bubble Gum Journey Sequins
for the center of each flower.
I love how even though both Sue & Angie stayed very close to the sketch, the cards have a different feel because of the colors and details used by the different designers. Even though you start with a sketch, it is very easy to make it your own as they have shown us.- Denise
The colors for today's color challenge are so soothing.
Angie was inspired to make this card -
This is by far my
favorite card! I really love how this one turned out. The flower image as well
as the sentiment is from the Lovely Day ATS by Fun Stampers Journey. I stamped
it onto white cardstock and colored the image using Spectrum Noir coloring
pencils, paper stumps and Gamsol. I then embellished the center of each flower
with Journey glaze and Journey sparkle dust. Once the Journey Glaze was dry, I
attached the bow to the front of the card and mounted it to the card base.
Using the same color inspiration, Sue crafted this-
I started by
making a 2.5” circle mask with a repositionable label which I applied to the
card front. I added distress inks – seedless preserves and faded jeans with ink
blending tools. I added the grass and the dragonfly from Technique Tuesday’s
Wildflowers stamp set. The sentiment is from Simon Says STAMP Lots of Thanks
stamp set. I felt that it needed a bit more of something, so I matted the card
front with black.
I hope both of these beautiful cards inspire you to create something from the same color palette. - Denise
It's Mistletoe Monday and the challenge is Anything Goes.
Sue created this elegant card -
I created this
card with three of Catherine Pooler’s Stamp of Approval Holiday Magic box’s
stamp sets. To make the background, I used The Ton’s Holiday Flourish with Hero
Arts Shadow Ink Field Greens and Pale Tomato.
For the center panel, I used Winnie and Walter’s Holiday Trimmings stamp
set with Hero Arts Shadow Ink Pale Tomato for the red strips. The sentiment is
from CAS-ual Fridays’ Snowy Sayings stamp set. I added three pearls to balance
the off-set sentiment.
And the card by Angie -
I really love
Christmas. It is by far my favorite time of the year. I tried to keep this card
simple. The image is from the Merry and Bright ATS from Fun Stampers Journey, I
stamped it onto a piece of white cardstock using River Rock ink. I then
embellished the image using the Journey Sequins-Blue Skies, which were glued on
with glue dots. The patterned paper is from the Winter Fresh Prints mini pad.
Also, I embossed the front of the card with the Beach Towel Embossing Folder by
Fun Stampers Journey.
Sometimes when you are wide open to create anything, it is actually harder, but both designers came up with great cards. I can't wait to see what they did tomorrow. - Denise
We have two new designers to welcome this week. Making a clean and simple masculine card was today's challenge.
We start with Angie -
This card was really
hard for me. I hardly ever, if ever, make masculine cards. Talk about coming
out of your comfort zone! For this one I used the Script background stamp and
cocoa powder ink by Fun Stampers Journey and stamped the image oatmeal
cardstock. The ties are from the Dad Code ATS by Fun Stampers Journey. I
stamped three images onto white cardstock and colored them with Spectrum Noir
coloring pencils, paper stumps, and Gamsol. I embellished each tie with a small
clear rhinestone.
Next is Sue:
What is more
masculine than a motorcycle – LOL! So
perhaps, this card isn’t true CAS, but it’s not far from CAS. I started with
kraft cardstock, CTMH’s Fast & Furious stamp set and SU’s Early Espresso
ink to create the background, using first and second generation stamping
(meaning I stamped twice before re-inking). The flame is from CTMH’s Born to
Ride stamp set which I inked with both Hero Arts Shadow Ink Butter Bar and
Orange Soda before stamping. The motorcycle and the sentiment and “smoke” are
from SU’s Rev up the Fun stamp set.
What a great way for both Angie and Sue to start. I love to give cards to men and they really appreciate that you took the time to make one for them. Either of these cards would brighten any male's day. So think about the men in your life and make them a card. - Denise
How is this for inspiration? I would say perfect for the beach weather we have been having.
This turned into this card -
– Once again I
was playing with my alcohol inks. I
started with a piece of coated paper that was 4.25 by 5.5. On a felt applicator, I put drops of Indigo,
Mermaid and Botanicals and then added some plain alcohol. Instead of pouncing it, I applied the color
by making rows in a wavy motion. I did
this a couple of times until I thought it looked kind of like wavy tropical
water. I then trimmed the piece for a
center panel. On the shells, I used
Honeycomb and sunshine yellow in a pouncing manner. I then used Sunset orange. On part of the paper, I just sort of dropped
it on making the circles and on part, I used a Qtip dipped in a solution of the
orange and plain alcohol and sort of did squiggles through the yellow with the
orange. After I had some different
patterns, I cut the shells out on my Explore.
I made a cut pattern by scanning my shell stamps into a file and
importing them into Design Space. There
are some great tutorials on YouTube to show you how to do this and it allows me
to cut those on my Explore and not have to fussy cut my stamp shapes. After they were cut, I placed them on my
home-made Misti and positioned the stamps on the die cuts. I used Staz-on to stamp the images on the
three shells. I don’t have the name of
the stamp set for those shells, since I have had them awhile now. The sentiment is from Inkadinkado and is called
Down by the Seaside. I masked off part of the stamp so that I only
stamped the sentiment instead of the whole image from the stamp. – Denise
Sayers
As I look back at this week, I realize that I was really leaning toward alcohol inks, but think they all are really different from each other, so don't be afraid to try it. I also want to welcome Colleen and we will see even more from her in a couple of weeks. - Denise
If the wind is right you can sail away and find tranquility...
Sailing by Christopher Cross
Now that video should really set the mood for our trip across the water! Sail away with us to view nautical creations of all kinds by our lovely line up of crafters. Today's hop should be smooth sailing! If the sails were set correctly you should have arrived from Connie ~ www.conniecancrop.blogspot.com. Should you veer off course the first stop on your hop is Alicia and she can get you back in the right direction.
We'd like to say a HUGE THANKS to our sponsor today.
Theresa is giving away a $20 Stampin' Up Gift Certificate to one lucky winner AND
take 10% off any order placed through her (not available on website) by August 30th.
Email her at scrapsbygracie AT gmail.com with your order.
All you have to do to win this fabulous prize is comment on each of the blogs.
That's it! It really is easy.
Of course, we would love it if you became a follower too.
Comment buttons can be found at the bottom of the post (on most of the blogs).
Now on with the hop!
First we have Kimberly with this card
Since I am from New England, Nautical Cards are one of my
favorites! I stamped the Anchor image
(Tim Holtz Mariner Blueprint Stamp Set) on watercolor paper with Versamark Ink
and embossed with white embossing powder.
I sprinkled Ultramarine Blue and Fuchsia Colorburst onto the paper and
sprayed with a lot of water! Wait about
a minute for the colors to mix, then cover with a paper towel. Air dry.
Trim the watercolor card to 4" x 5 1/4". Ink edges with Gathered Twigs Distress
Ink. The sentiment is a Tim Holtz Chit
Chat Sticker. Add enamel dots. trim
kraft cardstock to 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" and adhere to a A2 card base. Add emamel dots and call it done. - Kimberly
Now for Gracie -
On every cruise I have been on I have seen at
least one lighthouse. This stamp makes me want to sail away and I am in
August! The stamp is "Lighthouse Collage" from Our Daily Bread.
I stamped it on white cardstock with Stazon ink and water colored the image. I
tore the edges and inked them with Tim Holtz Tea Dye Distress Ink then mounted
it on blue cs. I tied some ivory ribbon on and mounted it on a lighter
blue cs base. ~ Gracie
Let's see what Tantalaya did -
This one I used Sweet 'n Sassy stamp set "The Sea". I
stamped the sail boat image and the colored it in using the real brush markers
from Zig. After coloring it in and adding the sentiment on the bottom left I
added some of the Sparkling clear mix from Pretty Pink Posh. - Tantalaya
Angie gives us this fun card -
This card was inspired
by my best friend who loves to sail a Sunfish. I chose this adorable sailboat
as my focal image, which I colored using Spectrum Noir Coloring Pencils and
Gamsol. The Stamp Set is Fun Stamper’s Journey Anchor Me and the patterned
paper is from their Nautical Adventures paper pack. I used as bit of twine as
an accent on the sentiment.- Angie
This is from Sue
For my card, I
started with a piece of kraft cardstock, Unity Stamps’ Nautical Treasures stamp
set and SU’s Early Espresso stamp set. I stamped the two compass-like images in
a random fashion. I die cut the anchor using Memory Box’s Majestic Anchor die
from silver shimmer cardstock. The banner was cut using Simon Says STAMP Small
Folded Banners. The sentiment is from Clearly Besotted’s A Little Sentimental
stamp set, where I used Versamark ink and silver embossing powder and then heat
set it. - Sue
My card inspired by the sea -
– I was just
playing with different alcohol inks and was using a technique where you put
drops of color on a craft mat along with alcohol blending solution and drag your paper through it. I decided this
looked very stormy, so I added an sail boat and sentiment form Unity Stamps
called Set Sail. I trimmed the paper
down and set it at an angle on top of a green mat set at a different
angle. The alcohol colors I used were
Indigo, Denim and Lettuce. – Denise Sayers Finally a fun card that I have done a couple of times-
I have done variations of this cards a couple of times over the past few years when I forgot a birthday. The ship is cut from the Cricut cartridge called Wall Decor and More. The background was embossed with a chevron embossing folder. It is a little naughty, but my adult friends love the pun. - Denise
This was a fun card I did for my granddaughter. I used papers from an EchoPark
pack called Summer Bliss. The letters
were part of the pack too, so it went together very quickly. I tied some
baker’s twine around the center panel and popped it up on foam and it was done
lickety-split. I find that I have been using foam to elevate layers of my cards
more and I like the dimension it gives. I used the layout from the original
card and the twine idea, but changed the flowers to be different summer
elements and the sentiment to be her name. – Denise Sayers
We are doing the same technique all month on Thursdays. It is word clustering and here is a link to see one way to do this type of card - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaJY_jxkJgk
Colleen made this wonderful card utilizing some great stamps -
This is a fun, fun technique that uses your sentiment and small stamps
to create cool backgrounds! Selecting stamps from Catherine Pooler's
"Beautiful World" collection (and finding inspiration on the
Stampnation website's tutorial on sentiment backgrounds), I stamped them strategically(in
Stampin Up's Tip Top Taupe) on a piece of white 4.0 x 5.25 cardstock, creating
mini sentences such as "So happy for you" and "You make me
smile". Basically I created a rectangle of word sentiments, going
this way and that way, that flows nicely because of the strategic placing of
the words. This may take some advance planning, especially with word
sentiments. I chose one mini sentence as a focal point by stamping it in
a different color ink (Stampin Up's Blackberry Bliss) so that it pops out, and
matched that ink color with the background cardstock (Blackberry Bliss) to give
the card balance. I LOVE those two colors from Stampin Up, but any two
colors that blend nicely together will do. Lastly, I adhered the stamped
piece to the colored background and placed both onto a white A2 card
base. Stampnation does a wonderful job explaining the many ways to use
this technique. - Colleen
And here is my take on the technique -
Word Clustering wasn’t something I had done before, but
since I have so many stamps, it was a fun way to use a lot of them. I made a graduation card and used various
sentiments from the following stamp sets – Fiskars Sentimentals and In Search
of Adventure, TPC Graduation, Just Rite Class Sentiments, and Close to my Heart
Timely Tidings. At least I think those
were all of them. I had so many sets out
to get just a word or two, I might have missed some, lol. I cut out the name of the graduate using my
Explore. I laid the letters on the green
background that I had taped to my homemade Misti. I played around with the position of the
various stamps to get a good fill on the area around the name. When I closed the lid, all of the stamps
stick to it and I could remove the letters to do the actual stamping and since
it took a couple of inkings to get good coverage on all of the stamps, I love
that I can use my homemade stamp positioner.
I made it from directions I found on Pinterest. I gilded the letters of the name and a line
around the center of the card using Golden Glitz Metal Flakes. I then attached
the letters to the middle of the words and popped the panel up on foam. – Denise Sayers
Card sketches are great especially if you are kind of in a slump and need some quick inspiration. Here is the sketch for today's challenge -
This is how I used the sketch -
I turned this sketch on its side and used some paper that
looked like wood as the strip to mimic a fence.
I replaced the triangles with three sets of berries. The berries and leaves came from Heartfelt
Stamps collection called Farmers Market.
The sets called Berries & Peaches and Jars & Vines. I stamped them with Memento Black and then
colored them with my Spectrum Noir markers.
I used CR6, BP7, DG2 and DG3, then used the coordinating dies to cut the
shapes out. I used Memento SkyBlue to color the background. I popped the wood-look paper up on foam so
that I could bring the leaves from behind them and did a little shaping of the
leaves and berries to give them a more dimensional look. It was a fun card to
do. – Denise Sayers
I really loved these colors and I had just purchased an 8 x
8 pad from Graphic 45 called Safari. I
just loved the prints from this collection and it matched these colors, so I
made a shutter card for a friend’s birthday.
I fussy cut the parrot to pop on the front, but all of the rest were
just straight cuts from the various papers.
I printed the sentiment on my computer to add to the back and it was
done. – Denise Sayers
