Birthday Tuesday #5-2017

Theresa brings us not one, but two birthday cards today.  These have awesome backgrounds that use a shaving cream technique.

These cards were made with a technique using shaving cream and various coloring elements.  The swirly card used Stampin' Up ink refills and the dotted card used Ranger alcohol inks.  The sentiments were stamped using a set called Shenanigans and she used Delicate Black Shimmer with Wow Clear Gloss embossing powder.

I made a magic window card-

These cards are fun to make.  I made so many last year that I made a template on Design Space for my Explore, so all the cutting is done without even having to think of it.  You stamp on an inside card and on a clear sheet.  Using a stamp positioning tool such as a Misti or Stamp-a-ma-jig is a must to get the images on both in the same place.  I used Stazon on ink for use on the clear acrylic and a dye ink for the inside and around the opening.  I then used Spectrum Noir for coloring the image.  It appears to fill in the color as you slide the panel out.  The images and sentiments all came for the my stamp set for the week - Aged to Perfection by Fiskars. - Denise

Masculine Monday #5-2017

Men really appreciate getting cards and Theresa made a bright and bold card that could be used for either sex.

This bright and cheerful card was made with Stamps: Catherine Pooler Designs Spot On, Winnie & Walter Ring in the Celebration, Neat & Tangled Bright Baubles

Ink: Catherine Pooler Designs Grass Skirt and Something Borrowed  

My masculine card this week -

I stamped the wine bottle and glass with a black dye ink and then colored them with Spectrum Noir markers.  I cut around them with a nesting die and cut the next size up in blue.  I stamped the sentiment on a strip of paper and rounded the edges to go better with the image die.  I then cut a slightly bigger strip in blue to go around it.  I distressed the edges of all the cuts and the base card with Distress Ink.  The matting paper and strip are from a 6 x 6 pad by Authentique called Durable.  I might have mentioned before that I have a slight obsession with the 6 x 6 pads.  They are so great for cards and I love how everything coordinates. - Denise

Clean and Simple Sunday #5-2017

This is the 5th Sunday in January, so it is a bonus week.  This week Theresa has a whole week of great cards starting with this striking card.

These were the materials used in making this card - Stamps: Impression Obsession Roses, Ink/Embossing: Versa Mark & Brutus Monroe Gilded, Markers: Zig Clean Color Real Brush

I keep the extra January challenge of using one stamp set for the week going.

I am using the Fiskars set called Aged to Perfection.  I stamped the sentiment with Versamark and heat embossed using gold embossing powder on a dark wine cardstock.  I cut the image on my Explore using gold vinyl.  It is from the cartridge called Summer in Paris. It took a few minutes to weed it, but I think it adds an elegant touch.  I distressed the card base using Distress Ink in Brushed Corduroy. It was a pretty quick card to make. - Denise

Here is the stamp set I will be using all week :

Inspiration Saturday #4-2017

This is our inspiration today -

Using one stamp set for the whole weeks can make the picture inspirations even more challenging, but Sue did a great job.

For my card, I was inspired by pretty blue small flowers in the foreground. I stamped the sentiment with Hero Arts Charcoal shadow ink. Using my MISTI, I stamped the flowers using Hero Arts Field Greens and Cornflower Shadow Inks. The MISTI makes it possible to stamp one colour and then the other colour without the stamps moving. How did I ever live without my MISTI? I matted the panel with blue. For a bit of added interest, I ran the white with my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder. I strip of darker green grounds the card. - Sue

I had an even greater challenge.

DetailInside

I decided that the snow-capped mountain looked like frosting on a cupcake (a stretch, I know) so I went with that.  The Cricut cartridge I have been using most of the week also has this card in it.  I sized it to be able to put the stamped sentiment from my set on the front.  I cut it once using yellow card stock and then used the slice tool to cut the front from the back so that I could cut an inside in brown.  I used a product called a snow pen by Marvy.  It is a puff paint that you use a heat gun on to puff it up after it dries. It took quite a bit to cover this large space, so next time I might see if there is something that is more economical, but it does look like icing (or snow like the mountain). The inside sentiment is from another birthday set that I use a lot of. I drew the lines on the front using a ruler to make them straight and colored the stem of the cherry with the same pen. - Denise

C.A.S.E A Card Friday #4-2017

We are going to C.A.S.E. this card -

Sue had a wonderful stamp to use for her card -

I started by masking off a 1.5” row. I stamped parts of the flourishes and then I heat embossed with white embossing powder the flourishes (I did remove the masking paper before heat embossing). I carefully re-applied the masking paper and then added colour using distress inks (cracked pistachio, broken china and faded jeans) with ink blending tools. I removed the masks and stamped one final flourish and the sentiment with Hero Arts Charcoal Shadow Ink. The card was matted with a piece of gray cardstock.- Sue

Now for my card -

My stamp set (CTMH Artiste Collection - Birthdays) really didn't have anything like the card to C.A.S.E., so I decided to use the balloons.  On my first try, I used white and gold embossing powder, but they really didn't look very good because of the dots on the balloons, so I decided to skip the embossing and just use inks.  I masked off a 2 inch space and blended on Salty Ocean Distress Ink.  I then stamped balloons with Archival Ink in Chrome Yellow and a la mode in red.  I stamped the strings in black and used a balloon mask to keep the strings from covering the balloons and where I was going to put another one. I then removed the masks and stamped two more red balloons over the lines along with their strings.  I didn't have a sentiment from this set that would fit, so I used one from another set. - Denise

Technique Thursday #4-2017

Today's technique is called back stamping.  You use the back of the stamp as a background for the front of the stamp.  A tutorial on this method can be found here.

Sue put this to good use on her card.

Here is a closeup of the detail

For this challenge, I stamped the three sizes of flowers with Hero Arts Shadow Inks – Ultra Pink, Tide Pool and Passion Flower. I then turned the stamps over (to stamp with the reverse side of each stamp) with Hero Arts Shadow Inks – Bubble Gum, Sea Glass and Orchid, trying to line-up so that the stamping enveloped the original stamp impression. The sentiment was stamped with Hero Arts Charcoal Shadow Ink. The entire card panel was matted with purple cardstock.- Sue

I went with another birthday card -

There was a birthday candle that I thought might make a good stamp for this technique.  I stamped with the back of it across the bottom and top of a card using Momento Dandelion.  I then used a Chromatix Pen in Apricot to apply ink to the front of the stamp and stamped on top of the yellow images.  I used some paper I had from The Paper Studio to use as a colorful strip in the middle and stamped the sentiment stamp with Versafine black ink.  It mad for a bright and cheerful card. - Denise

Card Sketch Wednesday #4-2017

The card sketch today -

Sue put together some great colors in her use of the sketch.

I used a piece of bristol paper as I was planning on doing a bit of watercolour. I heat embossed with black embossing powder the large and mid-sized outline flowers and the sentiment. Using pink and yellow Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers, I added colour around the centres of the flowers. I used a waterbrush to pull the colour out towards the ended of the petals. I matted the panel with black. I found some complementary printed paper to comply with the sketch. Three black enamel dots complete the card. - Sue

Now my interpretation of the sketch-

I had a cupcake and sentiment as part of my stamp set, so I based the card around that.  The cupcake and heart paper came from a stack by The Paper Studio called I Love Baking.  I found solid paper to match and distressed the edges with a light Distress Ink.  Instead of using black, I used a brown Archival ink to match the brown in the patterned paper. - Denise

Birthday Tuesday #4-2017

Birthdays happen to sneak up on me, so it is always a good idea to have some on hand.

Sue has a bright and cheerful card for us.

I started by stamping the mid-sized flower using my MISTI. Each flower is two-toned to add a bit of added interest. The inks used are Hero Arts Shadow Inks – Bubble Gum, Passion Flower, Orchid, Cornflower and Tide Pool. The flowers were then fussy cut. The flourishes were stamped with Hero Arts Lime Green Shadow Ink. The sentiment was stamped with Hero Arts Charcoal Shadow Ink. To add a bit of dimension, one flower was popped up with dimensionals. To add a bit of sparkle, rhinestones were used as the flower centres. The card panel was matted with purple cardstock to complete the card.- Sue

Now Denise has another birthday card -

Since my stamp set is all about birthdays, this was a fairly easy one to do.  I used my Cricut Explore to cut out the banner for my stamp and the letters for the name.  I love to personalize my cards for people and putting their name on them does just that.  I used paper from a 6 x 6 pad by Authentique called Adventure for the background, the mat, the banner and the letters.  If you put a product called Stick-it on the back of your paper before cutting it, you automatically have stickers.  I really have so many of those 6 x 6 pads and they are great for card making. - Denise

Masculine Monday #4-2017

Sue made a wonderful masculine card this Monday -

To create a masculine card with my chosen stamp set, I worked with blues (which I feel are masculine shades). I started by heat embossing with white embossing powder the flourishes. I then, masked off a 2” panel where I applied with ink blending tools, distress inks (broken china, faded jeans and chipped sapphire). I added the sentiment and matted the card panel on blue.- Sue

My masculine card -

My stamp set has a stamp that looks like a pocket so I decided that I would do a shirt card.  I used paper from an Echo Park collection called Jack & Jill - Boy Collection.  I cut the shape for the pocket on my Explore since the stamp set from CTMH coordinates with a Cricut cartridge called Artiste. I cut it on blue card stock and then stamped it with white pigment ink to look like denim.  (I tried it with the plaid paper and dark ink, but you couldn't read it well.) The rest of the shirt is just triangles for the color and a strip for the front.  Buttons and a red marker for the stitching help make it look more realistic. - Denise

Here is my stamp set for the week - CTMH Artiste Collection- Birthday

Clean and Simple Sunday #4-2017

Week 4 of our challenge to use the same stamp set all week.

This week Sue is up for the challenge and begins with this clean & simple card -

One of my favorite things to do when working with kraft cardstock, is to start by stamping with white pigment ink and then stamping with colour, slightly offset over the white. It almost seems a bit blurry. The effect is intentional! For the colours, I used Hero Arts EmeraId Green and Raspberry Jam Shadow Inks and Simon Says STAMP Blue Violet - Sue 

For my week, I chose to work with Clearly Besotted’s Flowers & Flourishes stamp set. I have to add that it was difficult to choose one stamp set that would work with the entire week’s challenge. 

This is a wonderful set Sue chose and gives you a lot of options.

My clean and simple card for the day-

I did a very quick birthday card.  I started by running a white piece of cardstock through my Cuttlebug using the Cuttlebug Birthday embossing folder. I then used my Explore to cut 4 balloons.  The stamp set I am using this week is called Artiste Collection by Close to my Heart (CTMH).  The wonderful thing about this collection is that there is a Cricut cartridge that coordinates with it, so cutting the balloons is very quick and easy.  I stamped them with four different colors that would match some baker's twine that I had on hand.  I taped the matching twine to the back of each balloon.  I popped a couple of the balloons up with foam tape.  After they were attached, I pulled the strings together and tied them in a knot. After trimming the base to 4 inches wide, I mounted it on a red card base. It was a very quick card to do and is so bright and cheerful.  - Denise

Inspiration Saturday #3-2017

Inspiration posts are fun because of what people take from the picture can be so different. 

 Let's see what Gracie did with this inspiration-

OK - this was hard.  The card wasn't hard; the photo inspiration with the stamp set challenge was hard!  After thinking for a while   I just went with the colors.  I used my Inkadinkadoo Delicate Branches stamp set and the sentiment is a Sizzix Jen Long.  They are stamped with Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder,  I masked off the panel and sponged in a sun using Tim Holtz Mustard Seed distress ink.  I then sponged Seedless Preserves, Ripe Persimmon, Mowed Lawn, and Fired Brick.  I spritzed  the panel with water then followed with a second spritz to tone the colors down.  The panel is mounted on a dark orange then a yellow base.  You will have fun using the same stamp set!!! ~ Gracie  !

Now my inspired design -

I decided that I would use one stamp to try and replicate the feel of all those overlapping colors.  I choose the shell and stamped it in various Distress Ink colors in a random pattern over a white cardstock that was bigger than what I knew would be needed.  That way when I trimmed it down, it would go off the sheet in a pleasing way.  I could have just stamped off the sheet, but I find it works better for me this way.  I did try to mist the design with water afterwards to get the ink to react, but it just softened the colors a little and didn't really splotch up.  I think my mist was too fine.  I did finally use the last stamp in the set I have had for the week (Stampin' Up - By the Tide) to do a background for the sentiment.  I lightly distressed the paper and then stamped with the same color for a tone on tone look.  - Denise

I hope everyone has had fun this week seeing what can be done with one stamp set.  I know it certainly can make you think outside the box.

C.A.S.E A Card Friday #3-2017

Let's C.A.S.E. this card -

Gracie made a great card  -

Oh my, this stamp set this week went perfect with today's challenge!  I started with white card stock and stamped branches from Inkadinkado Delicate Branches set and the sentiment from Sizzle Jen Long using Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  I tore the branches image on a diagonal and sponged the image and torn edge with Tim Holtz Antique Linen.  I mounted the image on a panel of printed card stock and used a strip of card stock left over from earlier in the week as contrast.  I used gray card stock as a base.  The sentiment is mounted on black card stock.  I think this is my favorite card this week~ Gracie  

And my take on the card -

Instead of a scene from the meadow, I made a scene from underwater.  I made a mask for the shell so that when I stamped the sea fan over the shell, it wouldn't stamp on it and would look like the shell was n front of the fan.  I stamped the seahorses in two colors to vary them a little.  The background is embossed with a Spellbinders embossing folder called M-Bossabilities Sea Beauty.  It is a reversible folder and either side would have worked well with the stamp set. A light distressing with Brushed Corduroy on everything and it was done.  I decided not to add a sentiment until I use the card.. - Denise

Technique Thursday #3-2017

Emboss Resist is the technique for today.  A quick tutorial can be found here.

Gracie uses this technique a lot and here is another beauty from her.

Well, this challenge was pretty easy as I have been doing the technique most of the week!  Emboss resist is very easy and you can make some very pretty cards.  You need to make sure you have a quality stamped and embossed image.  I used my stamp set of the week (Inkadinkadoo Delicate Branches) and the sentiment is a Sizzix Jen Long stamp. They are stamped with Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I sponged Tim Holtz Distress Inks Milled Lavender, Tattered Rose, and Antique Linen.  I masked off a round area to look like a moon; I wanted the sky to look like dusk.  I added some lavender baker's twine. The card base is a light coral. ~ Gracie  

This turned out to be my favorite card of the week.  I stamped the sea fern several times on white cardstock with Versamark.  I then embossed it with fine black embossing powder. I applied different colors of Distress ink with a blending tool.  The colors I used were Salty Ocean, Mermaid Lagoon and Brushed Corduroy.  I played around with them until I was satisfied and the sprinkled some drops of water over it to react.  I took a different piece of cardstock and stamped the lobster, then embossed it and colored it with watercolor pencils.  I applied water with a brush to soften and blend the color. I then distressed the cardstock with the same method as the background, but used more of the Brushed Corduroy and less blue.  The sentiment was stamped on next and comes from Stampendous' Birthday Assortment. - Dense

Card Sketch Wednesday #3-2017

Today's sketch is fairly simple.

Let's see what Gracie did with it -

I love card sketches.  They give you a jumping off point and as I age gracefully it helps lol! I started by stamping birds and branches from my Inkadinkadoo Delicate Branches on white card stock with Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I cut my images into squares then mounted them on card stick (brown and sage).  I found some printed card stock in my scrap box and die cut some willow branches.  I used some paper from a Basic Gray pad as a panel and used a strip of dark green for contrast.  I also used brown card stock for a card base. ~ Gracie  

I didn't stray too much from the sketch-

I used paper from a 6 x 6 pad called Anchored by Authentique.  I stamped three of the stamps on one of the papers that has faint images of maps on them which made a nice background  for the subtle look of the stamps.  The "thanks" on the bottom corner shows a little better in real life and came from a set by CTMH called Timely Tidings. - Denise

Birthday Tuesday #3-2017

Birthday cards are always a good thing to have ready. 

Gracie continues with a card that could combine with her others to be a wonderful set -

Have a pattern going here.  Not only same stamp set but using Tim Holtz Distress Inks.  They just go so well with this set (Inkadinkadoo Delicate Branches and Sizzix Jen Long Sentiments).  I stamped the image and sentiment with Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black ink and heat embossed with clear embossing    powder.  I sponged Evergreen Bough, Spun Sugar, and Dusty Concord ink.  I spritzed with water and after drying I mounted my panel on light blue card stock with a strip of dark plum from my scrap box and made a card base of lavender.  I added some purple pearls for embellishment. ~ Gracie  

I continue with the seaside theme -

The bulk of this card comes from a Graphic 45 8 x 8 pad called By the Sea.  I love their paper, but tend to horde it.  I tend to do more clean & simple cards, so I have a hard time combining all those beautiful images into the same sort of creations I see others do with Graphic 45 papers.  I fussy cut most of the mages and pooped a few of the shells and the sentiment card up on foam.  I stamped the lobster from my stamp set I am using this week.  I decided not to color it in.  I did stamp the Happy Birthday under the sentiment that was already on the card to make it look like it was meant to be there.  I used a little Distress Ink around the edges of the base card in Aged Mahogany and Fossilized Amber to create the color I wanted.- Denise

Masculine Monday #3-2017

Making a masculine card is sometimes a challenge.  When you are using the same stamp set all week, it makes it even more so.

Sometimes it is all about choosing the right colors, as Gracie shows us with this great card -

Masculine cards are always a challenge for me!  I started with white card stock and stamped Inkadinkadoo Delicate Branches   (my stamp set for the weekly challenge) and the sentiment using a CTMH stamp using Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder..  I inked my panel with Tim Holt Distress Inks Forest Moss, Rusty Hinge, and a Frayed Burlap.  I spritzed  with water and set aside to dry.  I mounted the panel on gold card stock then used a dark yellow for a card base.  I added some black enamel dots. I think my husband would like this! ~ Gracie

My card works for either male or female -

A while ago I did a lot of playing with alcohol inks and saved all the panels for future use.  The ones with these colors reminded me of being underwater, so I pulled out one to use for this card.  The image stamps all from a set by Stampin' Up called By the Tide.  I used Stazon Ink to stamp on top of these alcohol ink.  You have to be sure the panel is dry and stamp only enough to get the image since they can smear fairly easily.  I cut a mask for the fish so that I wouldn't be stamping the sea fan over him.  The sentiment came from Stampendous and is called Birthday Assortment.  Since the set I am using doesn't have any sentiments, I will be using other stamps or the computer to do those.  The oval die I used has holes that it punches around the edge too.  I decided I didn't like that look with the panel so I glued some multi-color twine around it to cover those. - Denise

Here is the stamp set I am using by Stampin' Up. It is retired now-

I hope you are getting inspired to use your stamp sets in different ways.

Clean and Simple Sunday #3-2017

We start week 3 of the designers using the same stamp set (of their choosing) for all the cards of the week.

Gracie starts the week with this beautifully simple card.

Today's challenge includes two - anything goes and to use the same stamp set all week!  Time for my thinking  cap and it actually  made a set of cards that would make a lovely gift!  I started with white card stock and stamped Inkadinkadoo  Delicate Branches stamps along with a Sizzle Jen Long Sentiment stamp using Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black ink and heat embossed.  I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks Victorian Velvet, Broken China, and Scattered Straw and blended over the stamps.  I tied a bit of lavender ribbon.  I mounted the panel on pale yellow card stick and made a card past of pale pink. You don't always have to use water with distress inks. ~ Gracie  

Gracie choose the Inkadinkado stamp set called Delicate Branches shown here for her stamp set to use all week -

Denise is still keeping up with the challenge all month and starts this week with a quick card -

I choose a Stampin' Up set called By the Tide for my choice this week.  I stamped a fish from the set three times on the background paper using a red pigment ink by a la mode.  A stamp positioning tool (either a Misti or Stamp-a-ma-jig) make it a lot easier to line the images up and space them correctly.  I printed the sentiment out on my computer and trimmed it to the size I wanted.  The paper is from a 6 x 6 paper pack called Anchored by Authentique.  This paper goes so well with the stamp set, that you will be seeing it a lot this week.  It was mounted on a red card base and it was done.- Denise

If you like our cards or ideas, please leave a comment, we love them all.