Two Snuggly Snow Friends

Happy Monday!  We finally had a cold snap where I live, so I was inspired to make another snowman card.  This time I have two snowy friends wrapped in a hug.  I think this is such a sweet image!  It is a large one and I think it's perfect for a one-layer card.  This card is my submission for this week's "Let it Snow" challenge at ABC Challenges (you can see the challenge HERE).  One-layer cards are fantastic for mailing (no bulk! no extra postage!) and they can be completed quickly (if you're not constantly getting interrupted by kids or a husband...). 

Here's my card:

I started with Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb. card stock.  This is a heavyweight card stock that holds up well to multiple layers and also to watercoloring.  I stamped my image in Memento Tuxedo Black, then grabbed my favorite watercoloring crayons.  I prefer to dip my brush in water and then pick up the color from my crayons rather than coloring directly on the paper.  This method allows me to control the amount of color I put down, layer the colors, and also use different sized brushes so I don't get stray marks outside the lines (hopefully).

To add depth, I inked up the white space around the image and the card edges with Memento New Sprout using the "direct to paper" method.  I used a dew drop pad because it works really well for getting the ink into small spaces.  Rather than put a sentiment on the front, I can add a sentiment inside for a holiday or leave it blank to make a nice note card.  Since I colored this one in red and green, I will add a Christmas sentiment inside before mailing it.  I could easily use other colors and create a winter-themed friendship, birthday or love card.  This stamp is quite versatile!

This is a large cling-mount stamp, and since I recently purchased a Fiskars Stamp Press I thought I would give it a try on this card.  I have to say that I love the press!  It allows me to line up my stamp exactly where I want it on the page and helps me put down an even layer of ink with a large stamp.  It also works well for using several small stamps at once to make a scene.  I hadn't bought one sooner because I kept thinking it was unnecessary, but after reading several reviews and watching videos online I decided to give it a try (thank you, 50% off coupon at Michaels).  This tool was definitely worth the money! 

It's beginning to look (and feel) a lot like Christmas around my neck of the woods!  I hope you, too, are enjoying the blessings of this Advent season amid the hustle and bustle of holiday planning.

Thanks for stopping by!

Products Used:

 

Paper: Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb. (Neenah)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Memento New Sprout (Tsukineko)

Stamp: Jumbo Snowfall Pair (Stampendous)

Tools and Accessories: Watercolor Crayons (Staedtler); Stamp Press (Fiskars); watercolor brushes and water

Sympathy in Blue

Wow, it's Tuesday already!  Time seems to be flying by, although my son thinks time is really dragging (he's getting quite impatient for Halloween!).  For those of you affected by Hurricane Sandy, my thoughts and prayers continue to be with you.  Stay safe, friends!

When I discovered this week's challenge at Sunny Challenges & Creations, I was inspired to make a sympathy card.  I always find it hard to get motivated to make sympathy cards, but sadly, they are always needed and my supply has run quite low lately.  For this challenge, we were to make a sympathy card using this sketch:

I also incorporated the current Splitcoast Stampers Ways to Use It Challenge, which required us to use embossing on a card.  Here is my card:

 

I embossed a panel of Night of Navy card stock with a Texturz Plate in my Big Shot.  I inked the lower section of the panel with layers of Memento Tuxedo Black and Faded Jeans Distress inks, which created a subtly different shade for the lower half of the card.  I applied the ink one layer at a time, stopping between each layer to remove the excess ink by rubbing with a soft cloth (be sure to use an old cloth if you try this, as the ink will stain it).  Once I had the shade I wanted, I set it aside for a moment to dry.  I inked my sentiment stamp with layers of Night of Navy Classic and Faded Jeans Distress inks, then stamped it on a die cut label of white card stock.  I wrapped a piece of white grosgrain ribbon around the large panel, adhered the tag over the ribbon, and attached the entire panel to a white card base. 

 

While I will usually stamp "With Sympathy" or a similar sentiment on the front of the card and save the message stamp for the inside, I decided to do the reverse for this card.  I think the quote works well on the front for this one. 

 

Thanks for visiting!

 

Products Used:

 

Stamp: Close As A Memory (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Whisper White and Night of Navy card stock (Stampin' Up!)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Faded Jeans Distress Ink (Tim Holtz); Night of Navy Classic Ink (Stampin' Up!)

Tools: Big Shot (Sizzix); Texturz Plate (Stampin' Up!); Nestabilities Labels Eighteen (Spellbinders)

Accessories: White 1/4" Grosgain Ribbon (Stampin' Up!)

 

 

 

 

 

Once Upon A Time

No matter how many color combinations I explore, I often gravitate back to a couple.  One combo I use often is black, white and red.  I just love this color combination!  So here it is again, this time on a card for a challenge at a brand-new blog, 'ABC' Challenges 

Since this is their first challenge, they required us to use something new on our cards, whether it be something we actually purchased new or something that we just haven't used before.  Since I'm working on love-themed cards for Operation Write Home, I thought this would be the perfect time to try out a new die I purchased.  I bought it (along with several others) at a scrapbooking sale where crafters sell off supplies they are no longer using.  I came home with several dies this year, which was really exciting!  (I love getting a good deal almost as much as I love making cards!)  So the heart die cut on this card is my "new" for this challenge.  This ribbon might be a "new" also, because I don't recall ever using it before.  It was in my stash and who knows how long it's been there?!

Here's my card:

I really love this sentiment and the set that it comes from.  The stamp is definitely not new to me, as it's one of the stamps I used for my wedding.  This one always brings a smile to my face when I use it.

I started by stamping my background in craft ink on white card stock, then heat embossing it with clear embossing powder.  I wrapped my ribbon around the white panel, die cut my heart, stamped my sentiment and added some rhinestones to the heart.  I adhered the heart to the panel with dimensionals, then adhered the panel to a black card base.  I think this card would be appropriate as a general "I love you" card or as Valentine's Day card.

Here's a tip about dimensionals: For this card I used Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!) to adhere the heart to the panel.  I love these dimensionals because they are only 1/16" thick.  I have purchased several other brands and many of those are 1/8" thick, which I feel is often too thick.  If you buy 1/16" thick dimensionals, you can always stack them to make them thicker if you want a different effect.  Stampin' Up! is not the only company who offers dimensionals in 1/16" thickness, so if you're shopping for another brand, just check the labels carefully.  You can also find tape that offers a dimensional effect, but again, check the thickness.  It's not such a big deal in cards that I'm hand-delivering, but when they go through the mail, that little bit of extra thickness is not always desireable. 

My craft room table is a bit of a disaster this week, so I'm planning to do some reorganizing before I do any more stamping.  I hope to have another card to post for you in the next couple of days.

Thanks for stopping by!

Products Used:

Background Stamp: Tres Chic (Stampin' Up!)

Background Ink: Craft Black (Stampin' Up!)

Sentiment Stamp: Fairy-Tale Wedding (Stampin' Up!)

Sentiment Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)

Die: Hearts, Tipsy (Sizzix)

Tools: Big Shot (Sizzix); Mrs. O'Leary's Clear Embossing Powder; rhinestones;
ribbon; Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!)

 

 

My First Midweek Throwdown Entry!

I completed my very first challenge for Operation Write Home!  I am so excited!!  I have started making cards to donate and decided using challenges will help me accomplish my goal faster.  I chose to do the Midweek Color Throwdown over on their blog, Stars and Stamps.  The challenge this week was to make a card using black and white with a "pop" of either red or green.  I was surprised at how difficult I found this challenge, considering that one of my favorite color combinations is black, white and red.  In fact, I've blogged about a couple of cards using these colors recently (HERE and HERE).  I'm going to blame my creative frustration on the fact that my baby is teething so I'm not sleeping much! 

I decided to make a "general" card, as our deployed servicemen and servicewomen can always use "any occasion" cards.  This stamp is from a set that really frustrates me because the font is intentionally messy. Whenever I use it I find myself trying to correct the ink mistakes, only to realize they are not mistakes, they're part of the design.  Being a bit of a perfectionist, this drives me batty! 

Here's my card:

See how it looks like my stamp skipped a bit or I wiggled it too much?  I promise that's how the stamp is designed!  I stamped the sentiment on white card stock, then die cut it using Nestabilities in my Big Shot.  I cut red and black card stocks with the same Nestabilities set, then layered the pieces.  I embossed the white card stock in my Big Shot, adhered the stamped piece to it, and tied some baker's twine around it.  I adhered the white panel to the black card base.  This is a quick Clean and Simple card, which seems to be my style this month.  This stamp set comes with four different sentiments, so I could easily make several different cards with this CAS layout. 

That's all for today!  We have a busy weekend ahead of us, but I hope to get some stamping time in to finish another project that's waiting on my desk. 

I hope you have a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping by!

 

Products Used:

 

Stamp: That's Nice (Stampin' Up!)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: Various sources

Tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels One; Divine Swirls Embossing Folder; twine

 

Trick or Treat: It's Pumpkin Time!

In the past I haven't put a lot of energy into Halloween.  I usually jump right into making winter and Christmas cards at this time of year.  But my little boy has become enthralled with pumpkins and costumes and trick-or-treating, so this year I'm making more of an effort to enjoy the fun of Halloween.  I picked up a few Halloween stamps from the dollar bin at Michael's (and they were 40% off, so this frugalista was pretty excited!).  I figured that if they didn't stamp well, I'd only wasted 60 cents on each of them, but I have actually been surprised by how well they stamp.  The small pumpkin and the sentiment on this card are from my dollar-bin shopping spree, so you can see for yourself how well they stamp.

This card was created for the very first challenge offered by a brand-new blog, CAS(E) This Sketch.  Here is the sketch for this week's challenge:

 

Isn't that a fun sketch?  So many possibilities with this one!  CAS(E) this Sketch posts challenges for the Clean and Simple style. Click CAS(E) This Sketch to join in the fun!

 

Here is my card for the challenge:

 

 

This card is a very clean and simple (CAS), one-layer card.  The images and sentiment are stamped directly on the white card base.  A one-layer card can be a great option if your base paper weight isn't heavy enough to hold a lot of layers and embellishments, although that's not the only reason to make a one-layer card.  I find one layer cards to be quite challenging because it's very difficult to hide mistakes!

 

I stamped the sentiment first, then added the pumpkins.  Since the font on the sentiment gives a slight curve to the words, I followed that pattern and stamped my pumpkins in a slightly curved line, too.  (Sure, we'll go with that.  Sounds a lot better than admitting I couldn't stamp them in a straight line if my life depended on it!)  I colored the pumpkins with watercolor crayons.  The trick with the crayons is to pick up the color from the crayon with your slighty wet brush and move the color from the brush to your paper, rather than coloring with the crayons directly on the paper.  The more water you use, the lighter the color will be, so for these brighter colors I used very little water on my brush..  I think the crayons provide more intense color than watercolor pencils, and I really like using them.

 

If CAS isn't your usual style, I'd encourage you to give it a try.  I definitely find it challenging (especially the part about leaving a lot of open space...that goes against the grain for me), but it's also really nice to complete a card and feel satisfied with it after just one or two layers.  Sketches are really helpful in trying out a new style, so I recommend using a sketch to get comfortable with the CAS concept.

 

I'm working on a card for another challenge that uses a technique I've never tried before, and I hope to have that card ready to show you tomorrow.  Thanks for visiting today! 

 

Products Used:

 

Paper: Whisper White card stock (Stampin' Up!)

Stamps: Small pumpkin (Stampin' Up!), large pumpkin and sentiment (Craft Smart at Michael's)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories: Watercolor Crayons (Staedtler)

Technique:Watercoloring

Anniversary Card for My Husband

Recently my husband and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary.  He's the kind of guy who thoughtfully remembers the little details that I often forget, so I tried very hard to create a card with details that were reminiscent of our wedding.  Our wedding colors were black and white, and my bridesmaids and I carried red roses to add a splash of color.  I recreated those colors on this card.  The sentiment is from a set I used to stamp the napkins for our wedding.  I tried to keep the embellishments to a minimum, as I didn't want to "girly" this card up too much for my husband!  Here's the card I made for him:

I stamped the background stamp in craft ink on white card stock, then heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I attached a piece of red ribbon (repurposed from a package I received recently...I always save those ribbons!) to the embossed panel.  I used my Big Shot and a Sizzix die to cut rectangles of black and white card stock, stamped my sentiment and adhered the stamped piece to a larger black rectangle.  I added black brads to the corners and adhered that piece to the embossed card stock using dimensionals.  I then attached the whole panel to a card base made of black card stock and added a white liner to the inside of the card.

My husband and I have been blessed with beautiful children, a strong support system of family and friends, and a Savior who has carried us through the ups and downs of life.  There's a whole lot of love in our house, and life around here is always exciting.  If that's not worth taking the time to make a special card, I don't know what is!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Products used:
Background Stamp: Soft Swirls (Stampin' Up!)

Sentiment Stamp: Love Matters (Stampin' Up!)

Ink: Basic Black Craft ink (Stampin' Up!), Memento Tuxedo Black

Embossing Powder: Clear (Mrs. O'Leary's)

Embellishments: Black brads, red ribbon

The Snowman's Second Life

Today's card was created for "What Are the Odds?", this week's Ways to Use It Challenge at Splitcoast Stampers.  The requirement for this card was to use an odd number of some element on the card.  I used three snowflakes for my "odd".  Here's my card:

I have a box of unfinished projects in my craft room, and every once in awhile I will unearth a piece of a project and give it a second life.  For this card, I dug into the box and found this adorable snowman image.  I had stamped it, colored it with watercolor pencils, added some Stickles and layered it on red and black card stock, and then for some reason I never finished whatever project I had intended it for.  It's nice to repurpose your own work sometimes, so I decided to use this piece to make a new card.

I cut a larger piece of the same textured red card stock and adhered it to a black card base.  Using a black gem, white fiber and dimensionals, I attached the image to the card by hanging it from the gem.  I die cut three snowflakes and added them to the card.  I stamped the sentiment on white card stock and layered it on black card stock, then adhered that piece to the card base.  I finished by adding more Stickles to the snowman and snowflakes.  It's hard to see in the picture, but those Stickles really add some snowy sparkle to the card.

This card has reminded me that winter will be here soon, which means I really need to get cracking on my Christmas shopping!  That sounds like the perfect excuse to go shopping this weekend, doesn't it?

Thanks for stopping by! 

 

Products used on this card:

Snowman Image: Snow Angels (Stampin' Up!)

Sentiment: Close to My Heart

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Snowflakes: ProvoCraft

Other: Watercolor pencils, black gem, white fiber, Stickles



Black Lace/White Tag Card

Today's card is for this week's Sketch Challenge and the Ways to Use It Challenge at Splitcoast Stampers.  The Sketch Challenge was a tough one for me, because I knew at least one of the layers needed to be a patterned paper.  Patterned paper and I have a love/hate relationship: I love to buy it but I hate figuring out how to use it!  As a personal challenge, I am trying to use more patterned paper in my cards.  I followed the sketch pretty closely.  If you want to see the sketch and play along with us, you can go HERE to get all the details!

For the Ways to Use It Challenge, we were to use a tag on a card.  If you want to see more about that challenge, just click HERE.

This card is a bit outside of my usual style, but I loved using these colors and this patterned paper.  I think the lace on this paper is so vivid!  This week was my grandmother's birthday (she passed away last year) and this card is very much her style.  So in honor of my Grammy, I made a card that reminds me of her:

On this card I incorporated some mulberry paper (the torn black paper behind the tag).  I love the texture mulberry paper provides.  Here's a hint, though: When you're tearing black mulberry paper at 2:00 in the morning, there's a darned good chance some of the little scrap pieces are going to look like hairy spiders on your craft table when you see them out of the corner of your sleepy eyes!  Don't ask me how I know this...

I adhered a strip of Black Floral Lace patterned paper (Recollections) to a piece of red cardstock.  I used the Dainty Lace Border Die-Namics die (My Favorite Things) on my Big Shot to die cut the white border.  I attached the border to the back of the long red piece and adhered both pieces to the black card base.  I embossed a piece of red card stock using the Square Lattice embossing folder from Stampin' Up! and attached that piece to the card base.  I tore a piece of black mulberry paper and adhered it to the patterned paper.   I stamped the sentiment in Memento Black using a Gina K stamp on a white tag, then attached the tag to the card with a small silver brad.  I also used a small amount of Tombow Mono Multi adhesive to secure the tag. 

You could easily change the sentiment on this card to fit any situation.  I chose "smile" so I could use this as an encouragement card, but the sentiment is general enough to be used for almost any occasion.

Thanks for stopping by!