gelli plate print easter cards

Well if only making stuff with 'em was as easy as producing 'em ...

I had a test drive of my NBUS Gelli plate yesterday and boy oh boy is it addicting. It's like the magic of heat embossing and watercoloring rolled into one! You seriously never know what you are going to get each time you pull a print. (Of course, spatial thinkers out there can probably plan their layers and colors ahead of time and know what they're gonna get. Moi? Not yet.) I decided to keep my colors pretty much to one color family to avoid "mud" and have some fun. This happened. In less than an hour ;)

Today I grabbed the three prints indicated above and made these. I had used printer paper to pull prints so just adhered that to the front of cardbases. Then the big question. What now?

The print I had fallen in love with was number 1, which I turned into the two cards in the middle row. And then they became these cards. Here's #1.

Stamped with a Tim Holtz Easter Blueprint, planning to place the MFT bow up top to cover an empty spot. Didn't like the offcenteredness so I stamped an Impression Obsession sentiment vertically to balance it out. And to cover the excessive blackness at the base of the bunny I snipped some grass out of tissue paper and stitched it along the bottom. A challenge, this one. Unlike the next one, #2.

Isn't this fun? I had pulled out extra die cuts that were laying around from recent projects, like this one, and something made me think of covering one of the eggs on this print with a die cut egg. And that led to the idea of keeping the stamping light and whimsical and voila! Thanks to Paper Smooches Spring Fling.

On to print number 3. Lovely blue/green-ness. Also a cool print made by taking CS leftover after die cutting lots of w&w leaves and using it as a stencil on the Gelli plate (like the eggs above).

Meet #3. Lotsa lovely white space.

Stamped the egg from Tim Holtz Easter Blueprint, masked it and sponged a bit of Broken China around it to set it off a bit from the busy background.

Here's #4.

This half of the print had to become an Easter card too. See those faint egg outlines. Another of the magical moments provided by the Gelli plate. (After pulling the colorful egg print and its "ghost", I laid down some blue and green paint and made this print, getting the remnants of the colorful print too. Clear as mud?)

The little bunny? He was sent to me by Bev B., so I perched him on a die cut square topped with a die cut leaf for interest. Stamped my sentiment on both and lined them up. Two more leftovers put to good use ;)

Last card  #5 was a cinch.

I like how the giant image nestles nicely into the circles on the print. From Joy Crafts Spring.

Whew. Hope I've inspired you. This all came about cuz I was inspired by Darnell's NBUS challenge which is ending today. Thanks for the push, girlfriend.

Card #1 is going to:

Time Out - #51 Easter/Spring

Stempelkueche - #39 Stitched

SSS Wednesday Challenge - A bit of Green

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge

Card #2 is going to:

Penny Black and More - Feature a Creature

SSS Monday Challenge - Make your own Background

Addicted to Stamps and More - #184 Clean and Simple

Artistic Stamper - Springtime

Card #3 is going to:

Time Out - #51 Easter/Spring I've even used the option of masking on this card!

SSS Wednesday Challenge - A bit of Green

Double D - Feeling Green

Card #4 is going to:

Challenge up your Life - Die Cutting

Mixed Media Mojo - Springtime

Anything but Cute - Crazy for Colour

SSS Monday Challenge - Make your own Background

And card #5 is going to:

Penny Black and More - Feature a Creature

SSS Monday Challenge - Make your own Background

Artistic Stamper - Springtime

simply create too 58 (Easter/bunnies)

Yep, it's time for challenge #58 at Simply Create Too and although it seems like Carnival just ended, it's time to start thinking Easter and bunnies.

Here's what I did.

Pulled out the few Easter stamp sets I have and created a vertical focal point with heat embossed and watercolored images. Added texture with a stacked die cut, a multi-layered crepe paper bunny with a pom pom tail and some stitching. Still LOTSA white space.

Assuming Spring should have sprung in your neck of the woods by now, let those fun spring colors and images inspire you and simply create, too!

Supplies for be happy:

Paper:  CS Bringmann, PP American Crafts and Kaisercraft, crepe paper

Stamps: TPC Studio, Impression Obsession

Ink : Clearsnap

Tools: word die SSS, bunny die PTI

Other: watercolor pencils, sewing machine, pom pom

parade of rejects: baby girl (ATCAS)

OK, this was a card that I bravely submitted for a call for watercolors.  DD had actually stamped the images (inking up the stamps just as they were on the acetate and stamping them) and then used some watercolors to color in the BG.  I decided to just add the sentiment and attach it to a pink cardbase.  Oh, and a bit of glitter never hurts, right?

I'm not surprised that it was not published.  But it was fun to see it morph from what it was into a card that just welcomed the newest addition to our family on my Dad's side!  Welcome, Kennedy.

Joining in on the glitter party over at Addicted to CAS!

Thanks for looking.  I've a fun one to share tomorrow.

Supplies it's a girl:

Paper: cardbase Buttinette

Stamps: Basic Grey, bird CHF, sentiment TPC Studio

Ink:  Clearsnap

Tools: decorative edge scissors

Other: watercolors, glitter glue

giving gallery idol a go! . three (PC)

Here's my last birthday card for the open auditions at Paper Crafts Gallery Idol 2013 challenge. Have you joined the fun yet?  As another wise man once said  "Ever tried.  Ever failed.  No matter. Try Again.  Fail again.  Fail better."  Lookin' kinda regal and elegant from the little photo, eh? When I showed DD this one, she wrinkled her nose.  Well, keeping with the theme "Birthday Cards for Teens and Kids" please meet "for a 16-year-old-kitschy-but-true":

What was I thinking when I bought that shaggy neon pink fabric?  Pillow.  Nuff said.  It will never meet my sewing machine.  But my Big Shot, yep!

Have a good one.

Supplies dreams take flight

Paper: CS Bringmann, vellum The Paper Company

Stamps: Hero Arts, sentiment PTI

Ink: Versamark, Versafine

Tools: heart die Sizzix, butterfly die Hero Arts/Sizzix

Other: white embossing powder Stampendous, washi Masking Tape, gold wire, shishkabob stick, glue dots

Pattern Play Day 1

Been kinda crazy here - DH off skiing, horse that DD rides sick, multiple birthdays and publication call deadlines.  Yep, been bit by that bug...  I figure it's not such a bad deal to spend lotsa time making cards for calls cuz when they don't make it I can use them for challenges ;)

Back to today's business.  I was a lucky winner of a spot in the current Pattern Play class (thanks Jen R.)  Monday was Day 1 and of course the message is "use more patterned paper."  I've got lots.  I use it sparsely.  So, wetting my feet here, I used a wallpaper sample to mimic grass instead of coloring or stamping it like I usually would!  Hooray for me ;)

I stamped the eggs and then went over them with a wet paintbrush, trying to achieve the beloved watercolor look.  Well, it works for the PTI gals, but not for me and Jenny Bowlin dye inks.  Hmmm.  So I grabbed some watercolors and helped.

Thanks for visiting.  Tomorrow is the last day to take part in my bloggiversary giveaway if you haven't and would like to...

Happy day folks.

Supplies happy easter:

Paper:pearl white Bringmann, wallpaper scrap

Stamps: Studio g, bunny and sentiment The Paper Studio

Ink :Distress Ink, Jenny Bowlin, Versacolor

Tools: die MFT

a splash of lime (PDCC and Moxie Fab)

Black and white with a splash of lime.  How refreshing!  It's still summery here in Germany - should be all week they say.

This card is my response to the challenge at the Play Date Cafe.

Love the dots on those feathers and I even found this gift stamp that has teensy dots on the ribbon.  Happy! Stamped the gift in TPC Lime Green and the sentiment in Versafine black.  Heat embossed the sentiment with clear powder and added black bling to the exclamation point.  Rounded the upper left corner to balance out the asymmetry (Moxie Fab Design Week - Asymmetry - I'm trying!).  Mounted on charcoal CS base.   Barring the fact that my gift and sentiment are floating around ungrounded in white space, it's CAS and I like it.  Can't be perfect every time... ;)

Happy Tuesday friends.

Supplies Happy Birthday:

Paper: CS Neenah, American Crafts
Stamps:  TPC

Ink: TPC, Versafine

Tools: corner rounder EKS

Other:  embossing powder , bling

katherine or audrey? (Moxie Fab)

This photo haunted me for days.

It's the Tuesday Trigger:  Autumn Awaits over at Moxie Fab World.  But I didn't really get autumn.  I was overwhelmed by the amazingly cool billowing scarf.  (As well as, I couldn't pull that fashion look off if I tried.)  Which reminded me of the gals in France.  They pull off "the look", even in sweats.  Not that they'd wear sweats, of course.

So I stepped back from it and thought about what I "got" from the photo.  It came down to the combo of colors (I don't think I own any pieces of clothing in any of those three colors), the red lipstick and the oh-so-fashionable-I-wouldn't-be-caught-dead-in sunglasses.  Which made me realize that the pic reminded  me of Audrey.  Or was it more like Katherine?

Enough digression.  Here's what I came up with.

Red, yellow, orange, teal and shiny (heat embossed) black.  And French.  And CAS, cuz that's what I'm TRYING to be all about, remember?

Trickiest thing about this was simplifying the zillion ideas darting around in my head.  Second trickiest, masking off the other candles with cello tape to ink up just one candle - and that, four times!

Which brings me to the first card I made, using a clear stamp (martini) and Distress Inks.  Wasn't happy with the way the martinis looked.  Didn't really work, unless you want a "dotty" look.  I didn't.  Perhaps that's why it's called Distress Ink...  And why Tim only works with rubber stamps...

I have had success with some clear stamps and DI.  But it's hit or miss.  Which just goes to show you can never have enough inks - true?  Just curious - how many do you have?  And what's your fave for clear stamps?

Did you see the wealth of information at Paper Crafts and Moxie Fab last week?  A great refresher course on card design.  I'm linking my card up to the Asymmetry Challenge at Moxie Fab.  I think the tail of the "J" on "joyeux" does its part to balance out the asymmetic placement of the candles.  We'll see if Cath agrees ;)

Supplies joyeux anniversaire:

Paper: CS Neenah, American Crafts
Stamps:   TPC, sentiment Artemio

Ink: Versamagic, Versafine

Tools: 

Other:  embossing powder

have another wine... label

Made an anniversary card for my neighbor's parents who are celebrating 50 years. Always so happy when that happens. 50 years, I mean. My folks are already at 62. WOW! Anyhoo,

All I knew was I wanted to use a wine label.  Found this card, loved the quartrefoil and woodgrain and went from there.  I stamped "Happy 50" inside with the 50 gold embossed.

Young Crafters Unite challenges you to use layers.  I've got eight.

1. cardbase

2. PP

3. mat

4. wine label

5. embossing

6. shimmery gold strip

7. medallion

8. heart

And because I originally thought about using a folklorica die cut on the lower half, I had some leftover pieces so I put two more cards together.

Used another gold embossed wine label here, with a strip of merlot underneath it and a strip of shimmery gold for the sentiment.  Fun thing about the die cuts (I used to think "Who needs dies?  I can cut everything out by hand."  Ha.) if you cut the same image from different colors, you can mix and match.  Thus the touches of red in the black image came from the image I die cut from red.  This card uses the red negative.  So efficient, eh?

Thanks for visiting!  Chances are I'm sipping on a glass of riesling as you read this...

Supplies 50th:

Paper:cardbase Buttinette, PP Ursus, CS Coredinations

Stamps: Clear and Simple Stamps

Ink: Versamark

Tools: die Sizzix, heart punch Make Me, butterfly punch Martha Stewart

Other: embossing powder

 

Supplies Happy Anniversary:

Paper:cardbase Buttinette, PP Ursus, CS Coredinations

Stamps: Clear and Simple Stamps, sentiment Hero Arts

Ink: Versamark, Versafine

Tools: die Marianne Creatables, corner rounder EKS

Other:

 

Supplies  happy birthday!:

Paper:cardbase Buttinette, PP Ursus, CS DCWV

Stamps: TPC Studio

Ink:  Versafine

Tools: die Marianne Creatables, circle punch EKS

Other: bling, twine

wine label is also designer paper, isnt it?

Quick post here to join the CASual Friday's challenge for a masculine card using designer paper.
Well, I used a wine label.  It's designed, by someone.  And it's paper.


And it's from our friend Rudolph's winery.  If you ever find yourself in Nierstein in the Rhine River Valley, check out his "Zwitscherstubb" eatery.  

(source: weinstrub.de)

Good food, good wine and great people.  One of those places your always walk out of having made new friends.  Anyho, Rudolph's having a Geburtstag.  A "round one" as they say.  Here's the card I made him.

Since they've finished bottling the 2011, Rudolph gave me some leftover labels.  I knew I had to incorporate one into his card, but how?  DH's T-sirt gave me an idea.  (Another great place to visit on the other side of the pond.   Of course, I'm prejudiced!)   My layout. Sorta.

Began by attaching the label to card base.  Stamped over it with musical notes (Rudolph's one of those guitar-playing barkeeper types).  Smeared some ink around on the card (mistake turned marbling ;)  Used two different sentiment stamps to frame the label and heat embossed "60" in gold to match the gold strip of the label which you can see better in the little photo up top.  Cut a strip of burgundy CS and dry embossed it.  Attached it at the bottom to round out the design.

Hope he likes it.  I'm guessing he may not even notice the label at first - but his wife will ;)

One more photo to share with you.  Was out on my bike and saw these:

Had to go get the camera and snap a few shots.  Weeds they are.  And they only last a day.  But what a blast of happy color they share with us.  Wanted to share them with you.  Especially with Lisa Johnson of Poppy Paperie.  Heard she's having a rough time at present and wanted to wish her well and say thanks for all the inspiration.

Supplies Happ Birthday:

Paper: CS American Crafts

Stamps: BG Prima,   60 We R Memory Keepers, sentiments TPC Studio

Ink:black Versafine ,brown chalk Versamagic

Tools: embossing folder Sizzix

Other: embossing powder Knorr

Bob Evans down on the farm

If you're not from the Midwest you're probably wondering about the post title.  If you're from the Midwest you've probably got the jingle going through your head now :)

Saw the down home colors over at The Play Date Cafe challenge #127 and knew I wanted to ink up my new Waltzingmouse stamps.  I finally own a rooster stamp, kikiriki.  (That's what roosters say in German!)  Check out the other gorgeous stamps in this set.

Stamped two roosters, masked them and stamped the chicken wire BG.  Stamped and fussy cut two more roosters.  Distress inked the edges and attached two roosters with foam dots.  Gave 'em some Stickles chicken feed a la Kelly S.

For the banner I glued button die cuts to the little banner shape die cuts.  What a fun way to hang them on the "laundry line" - have you ever seen a farm without laundry drying on the line? - by threading the twine through the button holes!  Finished with letter stickers on the banner and stamped the inside.

Have yourself some down-on-the-farm goodness today.

Supplies Hey:
Paper:  card Buttinette, PP KI Memories, recycled kraft
Stamps:  WMS, sentiment TPC
Ink:  Versamagic, Cat's Eye, Distress
Tools:  banner die Spellbinders, button die Marianne Creatables
Other: letter stickers KI Memories, twine, felt Sew Sweet, Stickles Ranger

a very bunny day (tags)

How old were you when your parents stopped hiding an Easter basket for you?  I'm not gonna admit how old I was.  DS and DD still expect the same from me.  Happy to appease :)

The new colors from the Play Date Cafe are gorgeous.  The damask patterns in the old window and the pearlescent buttons caught my eye.


So this is what I came up with for DS' Easter basket.

Die cut chipboard and PP.  Stamped sentiment on printed PP.  Stitched PP to chipboard.  Printed image and added a bit of color with colored pencils, then punched.  Die cut PP to make flower.  Layered flowers, using bone folder to curl some petals.  Added button and twine and attached to tag.  Attached image with foam dots.  Made tag hanger using recycled raffia.

Changed out the color scheme and made this one for DD.  Kinda made me feel like Michelle Wooderson.  Kinda.

Ain't got too many of those "light and dainty" genes in me.  But the images and papers from a site I just discovered   (Pink Petticoat)  certainly made me want to try.  It's all digital, which is new to me.  I've got the wrong printer and paper but I gave it a go nonetheless.  And I'm excited about the result.  Maybe these products will help me channel my Michelle (and Melissa and Betsy).  Ha!

Thanks for viewing.  Have a joyful Easter.

Supplies a very bunny day:

Paper: chipboard stash, PP  Pink Petticoat
Stamps: digi Pink Petticoat, sentiment TPC Studio

Ink: pigment Cat's Eye, Tea Dye Distress Ink

Tools: oval die Spellbinders, flower die Sizzix, circle punch EKS

Other: colored pencils, button Sew Sweet, embroidery floss, sewing machine, raffia, foam dots