string art stitching (Virginia's View)

Remember doing string art in school?  My folks still have my light-blue-dark-blue-parabolas-on-black-velvet hanging in their basement! How about string art on cards?

Fancied up an image from Sew Lovely from The Craft's Meow with some embroidery floss stitched in string art style.  Should have posted this a week ago for Cinco de Mayo, eh?

Joining the fun at Virginia's View #3 where it's all about stitching.  Join in.

Supplies for sew lovely:

Paper:  CS Bringmann

Stamps:  The Craft's Meow

Ink : Versafine

Tools: paper piercer, needle, embroidery floss

Other: bling

over the edge again (SSS)

I liked the result of the patriotic stars card and this one with he-man bling so much, I made a couple more.  I think the design works well for a kid's birthday...

Does it look kinda Superman-y?  That's the theme of the gift BFF's little one is getting for his bday and this card is for him.  Or how about for a graduation card, using the graduate's school colors...

TIP:  Only use your mask to ink two or three stars.  If you use it for more the ink will seep through the Post-it note leaving fuzzy edges.  Look closely at the birthday card and you'll see what I mean.  Oops.  Now you know why the he-man bling made an appearance ;)

I'm joining the Anything Goes fun at Simon Says Stamp this week.  Don't they have the greatest line of stamps and dies?

Have a nice weekend.

Supplies :

Paper: Bringmann

Stamps: Birthday sentiment Clear and Simple Stamps, Congrats The Craft's Meow

Ink: Distress Ink, Versafine

Tools:star and square die Sizzix, scissors

Other: Post-It, makeup sponge, sequins

two-fer trigger (Moxie Fab, SSS)

Inspired by the colors and embroidery of the Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab I grabbed my medallion stamp.  It's kinda got the circles-but-square look like the pattern in the material.  But how to get the texture of the embroidery? Which even kinda shimmers?

 How about with more stamping, some heat embossing and even some metallic gelato dots?

Colored the image with markers, misted with water and stamped.  Then misted again and stamped again.

Then I saw my PTI Lovely Layers set still laying there from my monogram card and decided to add more interest and layers with some of the circle images from it (the green and the white embossed).  And then I had the brilliant idea to put some little blooms into those circles.  Ha  (insert nod in Darnell's direction - she's recently reorganized her clear stamps by category) .  You know you probably have many little blooms, they come as fillers with lots of stamp sets, but WHICH ONES?  Took me 10 minutes, but now I can tell you that Hero Arts All Occasion Messages has some great little fillers.  The stitched bloom in the green circles is from a Crafty Secrets sewing set.  The cluster of three teensy berries is PTI Harvest Berries and the teensiest flower ever - embossed on the purple flourishes -  is in the PTI Love Lives Here.  Whoddathunkit?

I've been inking just the outside edge of focal panels lately, barely noticeable but I think it adds a kick.  Just wanted to point out that I did it on the first card, using up the "gelato smush" I had created to stamp the dot clusters.  I just watered it down even more (it was on my plastic painter's palette) and let the edges of the watercolor paper soak some up!  Actually did it to the envelope edges too.  Less waste ya know ;)

Also playing at:

Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes

Happy new week and thanks for looking.

Supplies :

Paper: Cardbase Craft UK, watercolor paper

Stamps: medallion Rubbernecker, PTI Lovely Layers, Harvest Berries and Love Lives Here, Crafty Secrets, sentiment Mia's Stempelküche and The Crafts Meow

Ink : Versafine 

Tools:  Mini Mister, heat tool, corner rounder EKS

Other: waterbased markers, purple metallic gelato Plot, white embossing powder, bling

love potion no. 42 (CASology, KIS, SSS)

Always late to the party... OK, now I need a belated anniversary card.  Oh, I have one!

Happy belated 42nd to Darnell and the Mister.  You want to see the beautiful bride, check out this photo.  You want to see the stud she married, check out this photo.  (Uh, did you notice, there's actually a super cool card in that post too?) You want to get a dose of the beauty that is Darnell and laugh so hard you burn "tons of" calories, read this post.  Nuff said.

Here's my card for the still-happy-couple.  Hoping the love potion keeps right on flowing...

First, the card.  Inspired by this - but too late for the challenge.   It didn't turn out like it was in my head.  Hate when that happens.  Guess I was dreaming I had Jocelyn O.'s digi stamping skills and all I really had was this free clip art and MS Word.  And then the issue of grounding - Let the bottles float in the air?  Create the illusion of a table?  Mask the bottles or not since they are see-thru?  Or just add an embossed strip and call it a day?  Ugh.  But my buddies, the alcohol inks on acetate, didn't let me down!

Joining the fun at:
CASology - Week 28 where the cue is "Drink"
Keep it Simple - #6 Dry Embossing
Simon Says Stamp - where the challenge is to Paper Piece.  I acetate-pieced.  Hope that counts.

Now for the non-card stuff.  You know MArdythSKerade, queen of stark-and-square CAS?  She rigged up a fun surprise for Darnell and the rest of us too actually.  Share an anniversary card and your own wedding photo.  So here's mine.  Come September it'll be 20 years...

Note of thanks:  Won the Got your Number stamp set from The Craft's Meow and used it for the inside message.  Thanks Lisa.

Uber belated note of thanks to Clear and Simple stamps:  Won some at Moxie Fab and pulled them out to ground this card (as well as create those wafting hearts) which will be for DH.  No, he doesn't look here.  Least I don't think so!

Glad you looked.

Supplies for No. 42:

Paper: Cardbase Papermania, acetate scraps

Stamps: clip art Clker, other Clear and Simple, inside sentiment TCM

Ink : alcohol inks

Tools: PC, embossing folder Craft Concepts

Other: 

my mia bella (Moxie Fab, Retro, SSSS)

Have to give you the rundown on this card's birth.  Cath of Moxie Fab fame took us on a photo tour of CHA Winter 2013.   Thanks, Cath.   "Cool.  Cool.  Sweet.  Nay.  Cool... WHOA." - that was me scrolling down Day 1's Tour as I got to the third photo from the end.  The Mia Bella collection from SEI.  Go ahead and check out my link, have a gander at the drippy-inky-bokeh-ish PP in the upper right corner of Cath's photo. I'll wait...

It was love at first sight.  So my brain starts toying around with ideas... how can I create that same effect? (There I go again, trying to do a job that teams of people at these companies get paid to do!)  This is all I could come up with.

Some masking.  Distress inking.  Splotching and splattering of DI reinkers, Maya Mists and watered down white and gold acrylic paint.  And a jumbo sentiment.  I likey :)  And boy was it a blast to make.  You may recall my quest for the perfect splatter... I'm still questing.

I'm hooking up to the Moxie Fab - 75 Challenges #49 Make your own background paper cuz it's Cath's fault that I did this ;)

You may have recognized the Retro Sketch:

Because this card shows the true me - my-artsy-fartsy-give-me-a-good-technique-to-try-CAS soul, I'm playing at Simon Says Stamp and Show - What are you known for?.

Thanks for visiting.

Supplies for happy belated:

Paper: CS Neenah

Stamps: sentiment The Craft's Meow

Ink : Distress ink, Maya Mist, Versacolor

Tools: eyedropper, paint brush

Other: masking tape, acrylic paint, water

vellum {heart} stitching (SCS+)

Two more cards for HYCCT - I can see the finish line now...

The first is a shaped card for HYCCT#1210.  What shape would I pick?  A heart of course.  Which reminded me of the Valentine candies.  Which reminded me of the word "hugs".  Which led to this.

Die cut the card shape, letting the very top of the heart die hang over the edge of the folded CS to preserve the fold.  Die cut the vellum heart and letters in one pass.  Masked and inked the colored stripes.  What better way to attach the vellum than with stitching.  And I opted to do two passes - one with purple twine, one with green for a bit of variety.  A touch of bling and voila.  A "clearly" handmade card.

Also linking this up to:
Simon Says Stamp - Get in Shape
Moxie Fab World - Stitching and Sewing
The Creative Paper Trade - Week 4

Second card is for HYCCT#1208, cleverly called "HYCCT".  Use something that starts with an "H", "Y", etc.  Stumped me for awhile.

Took the Skipping Stones Design sketch and went from there.

H = heat embossing, Hero Arts flower stamp
Y = yellow (original, eh?)
C = cardboard
C = cyan blue for the flower
T = tag, TCM sentiment

Whew.  Three more HYCCT cards to go if my tally is right.  "Five Words" , "Ruff" and "Lick this Thing."  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies for #1:

Paper: cardbase Papermania,  vellum

Stamps: none - wow

Ink : Adirondack

Tools: heart die Sizzix, alpha die PTI, needle

Other: baker's twine, bling

Supplies for #2:

Paper: cardbase Papermania,  PP K&Co

Stamps: flower Hero Arts, sentiment TCM

Ink : Versamark, Versacolor, Adirondack for swipe

Tools: die MFT, circle punch, sewing machine

Other: lace scrap

vital hope is in the air (SCS, SSS)

What can you see in the air?  Well, butterflies of course.  That was my take on the HYCCT #1220 titled "Hope is in the Air."  I find the butterfly a joyful creature.  Definitely hope-inspiring when you think they start out as ugly worms!

This was such fun to make.  Dylusions spray inks on and a butterfly cut from recycled tissue paper.  A stitched strip of crepe paper.  A vertical sentiment repeated.  Voila.

And not meaning to bore you, but another challenge is called "Vital Signs" (HYCCT#1218) which is kinda tricky.  Blood pressure?  Weight?  OK, how about heart rate.  Enter my fave stamp of late and my fave CAS design.

Used some autumn colors this time for the "Autumn Leaves" challenge at Simon Says Stamp.  And added a stamen punched from foil CS for a little extra something.  And cuz my spacing of the hearts was a little off this time ;) Also a sentiment in gray this time around.

Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies Happy Birthday:

Paper: cardbase Papermania

Stamps: sentiment The Craft's Meow

Ink :Dylusions spray inks, Versacolor

Tools: die Memory Box, sewing machine

Other: tissue paper, crepe paper

Supplies you are special to me:

Paper: cardbase Papermania

Stamps: heart Fancy Pants, sentimentPTI

Ink : Adirondack, Versacolor

Tools: punch ?

Other:

more celebration (PDCC, TCM)

Quick post for my second card for Play Date Cafe's anniversary celebration and also for this month's sketch challenge at The Craft's Meow.  Turned to my beloved "Beautiful Spring" stamp set from TCM and this sketch:

Also used the hb sentiment (love how the open font matches the sketch style of the rose) from "Retro Foundations" and "Typically Teen" for that swash of paint.  Here she is.

Stamped the flutterby with off-stamped orange, pink, red and violet and fussy cut it.  Same procedure on the swash which I then layered with vellum and a border die cut from leftover distress inked CS from this card.

Appreciate your visit.

Supplies Happy Birthday:

Paper: cardbase Buttinette, CS Neenah

Stamps: The Craft's meow

Ink: Distress Inks, violet Adirondack, navy Versamagic

Tools: dies MFT

Other: vellum

masculine card helps law of averages (Retro)

OK, so I complained about the many detours I took on this card.  But when I got the idea to make another one using this Retro Sketches sketch and a 6x6 PP pad, the average time per card got knocked back down into the realm of acceptable!

So here's another entry for this sketch and this one is so CAS and so masculine.  I'm a happy camper.

My choice of PP as well as the random lettering was inspired by the Paper Nudge over at The Creative Paper Trade.  Another new blog with great challenges and beautiful products to win.

Happy weekend everyone.

Supplies Happy Birthday:

Paper: card base Buttinette, PP Basic Grey

Stamps: alpha Fancy Pants, sentiment The Craft's Meow

Ink: Versacolor, Versafine

Tools: punch EKS

Other: letter stickers Making Memories

take care (Lawnscaping, SSS)

Cute little TCM set + Lawnscaping Sketch Challenge = Get well card.

I took liberties with the sketch in order to get more colorful doctor bags onto my card.  Used nice bright dye inks.  Opted to stamp "Nurse" in red (cuz in my mind's eye the cross on her hat HAD to be red).  Teensy sentiment for "Nurse" to perch on.

Also perching this over at Simon Says Stamp in the Anything Goes Challenge.  I'll probably be entry #1000...

Thanks for visiting.

Supplies Take care:

Paper: card base Buttinette

Stamps: The Craft's Meow

Ink: Distress Ink, Jenny Bowlin, Versafine

Tools:  dies:  MFT

Other:   dimensional adhesive

sending hugs (TCM, homemade chipboard)

Three of the million DIY chipboard pieces I made over the weekend.  How appropriate that The Craft's Meow sketch challenge is perfect for using some.

Created a small square card using some BoBunny PP and my chipboard pieces.

Attached PP to card base.  Attached PP strip across middle.  Layered tags, stamped sentiment and attached. (May I add, the sentiments from this TCM set are perfect when you need something teensy, tiny.)  Added strip of lace at bottom and twine at the top of the tag and voila.

Also parking this over at Simon Says Stamp's Anything Goes Challenge.  Gotta love that theme, eh?

Happy Monday.

Supplies Sending hugs:

Paper: card base Buttinette, PP BoBunny, recycled chipboard

Stamps:  sentiment The Craft's Meow, gingham & ledger & typewriter font CHF

Ink: Distress Ink, Versafine

Tools:  dies:  butterfly PTI, sm tag Memory Box , lg tag Amuse

Other:   lace, twine, acrylic paint

a focal point for jen (Moxie Fab)

There is a new challenge out there that requires you make a card in 10 minutes.  This card would DEFINITELY NOT qualify.  We're talking three days of pondering, shifting elements, looking at the inspiration photo again...

Did you recognize it?  It's for the Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab World.  Coupled with the Focal Point challenge also at Moxie Fab.   And the desire to create a card in support of Jen Scull who is battling breast cancer.   Ellen Hutson is sponsoring a blog hop to cheer Jen up.  Add to that my quest for CAS, and this is my result.

Anyhoo, "softness", brown polka dots, fabric, hexagons and the embroidery floss bow.  That's what hit me.  That teensy strawberry caught my attention too.

Worst problem was translating that into tiny elements that make a gentle focal point and also leave lots of white space.  Tough to do when you've a stash that could fill a small room.  Could?  It does!  Ya know the luxury problem of  "too many choices"...

Stamped a masked circle with Picnic Patterns to carry the fabric feel.  Created faux stitching with a colored pencil.  Die cut a hexagon from fabric and stitched the edges.  Die cut the butterfly from polka dot PP (this was the first element I KNEW I wanted to incorporate!) and backed the heart hole with felt.  Die cut chipboard and stamped it with CHF gingham stamp with Distress Ink and anchored the 'shroom with twine to it.  Die cut the "j" and stamped it with Picnic Patterns too and bedded it on a cute snip of lace.  Placed the setiment to draw the eye when it circles the elements and ends up down at the 'shroom.  Figured the twine pointed "the way" to it.  Thanks for visiting.

And huge hugs over the airwaves to Jen :)

Supplies Sending heartfelt wishes:

Paper: card base Buttinette, PP Fancy Pants, recycled chipboard

Stamps:  Waltzingmouse, CHF, sentiment The Craft's Meow

Ink: Amuse, Versamagic, Distress Ink

Tools:  circle die for mask MFT, hexagon Sizzix, other PTI, sewing machine

Other:  fabric, lace, twine, felt, colored pencil, sticker

to PTI or not to PTI... (TCM, Moxie Fab)

These little guys have pulled at my heartstrings since the day I first saw them.

I remember the first time I googled to see who/what Papertrey is.  And where I could get the products in Germany.  Yeah, well, that idea died quickly when I found out about the shipping rates.  I'm cheap, remember?

I've seen the good and bad press the company gets.  It's hard to believe a company can be so customer-unfriendly when it has such a huge following.  Product or principle?  Hmmm.  I went with my capitalistic heart and placed an order this summer.  Lugged those dies back in my suitcase with me (and they weren't alone!).

Now that I own them I went on a chipboard making rage ala Melissa Phillips.  Time to put some product to use.

Two cards today, one for TCM and one for Moxie Fab.

Masked off the edges of card base.  Stamped butterfly randomly.  Heat embossed sentiment onto die-cut-painted-dry-embossed-stamped-and-inked-used-to-be-a-cereal-box tag.  Added a strip of washi and adhered tag and sweetie butterfly.

One design note here:  Notice the turquoise sentiment.  It came about as I pondered how to ink a sentiment clearly onto the dry embossed surface.  I decided to use Versamark (to be able to squish it into the "valleys").  When deciding which color to use (I was thinking red or brownish) I remembered one of the "aha moment" tips I'd seen.  Use the unexpected.  Don't know if you agree, but I think it gives the card a little extra somethin'.

BTW, I followed this month's sketch over at The Craft's Meow.

And because I'm producing another package of cards as a bday present for a friend, here's another one.

I'm not at all sure about the Movement/Flow technique.  Hard to analyze your own card but I think my eye keeps circling here, ending up at the little red heart each time, without wandering aimlessly or completely leaving the card!  Even when my eye drops down off the bottom of the tag, those few text lines catch it and the gold sentiment pulls it back up and then there comes that sweet little heart again.  I'm entering the challenge over at Moxie Fab.  Thanks for your visit.

Supplies je pense:

Paper: card base Buttinette, cereal box
Stamps:   butterfly Martha Stewart, text CHF,  sentiment Artemio

Ink: Memento, Distress Ink

Tools: dies PTI, embossing plate Sizzix

Other:  acrylic paint, embossing powder Zing, washi tape

Supplies dankeschon:

Paper: card base Buttinette, cereal box
Stamps:   text CHF,  sentiment InkyStamp

Ink: Distress Ink, Versamark

Tools:dies PTI,  embossing plate Sizzix

Other:  acrylic paint, embossing powder, seam binding, twine

more roses

A quick post for another pocket card.  Quite the rage of interactive cards out there lately, but this is about as interactive as I get!

Saw this idea over at Papertrey's Make it Monday a couple weeks ago.  Used kraft CS and Jenny Bowlin inks.  Used a folded over sticker as a tab and stitched it too.  This is going out to a friend's daughter who's in a lot of pain and they haven't found out why.

Supplies Sending Heartfelt Wishes:

Paper:kraft Papermania, CS American Crafts

Stamps: The Crafts Meow

Ink: Jenny Bowlin, Adirondack

Tools: corner rounder EKS, sewing machine

Other: sticker KI memories

a rose is a rose adios (TCM)

The grand finale!  Here is the last of my rose cards.  As well as the packaging for this card set.  Tomorrow is the bday brunch!  Fittingly, for card #10 I used the sketch from The Craft's Meow.  After all, "the rose" is from them.



You may have to look hard to find it, but I really did use the sketch.

Thought I was going to use PP for the rose, but couldn't resist "coloring" one last time.  I shoulda used PP :( 
I wanted a pale yellow rose.  Started with Squeezed Lemon Distress.  It's not pale.  So I added some shimmering watercolors.  Again.  Looks really splotchy, eh?  Oh well, the shimmer IRL kinda makes up for that.

Cut a "label" die from PP.  Stamped the card base (note the "Gracias" peeking out above the label) and "Thanks" sentiment and distressed them with Tea Dye Distress.  Stitched the label on.  Added the rose and then the sentiment with dimensional adhesive and glued a bow of scrunched seam binding at the bottom of the label.

This is the finished product.

Happy weekend to ya.

SuppliesThanks

Paper: cardbase Buttinette, PP DCWV

Stamps: The Crafts Meow, BG CHF,  sentiment Hero Arts

Ink: Versamagic, Distress Ink Ranger

Tools: die Spellbinders, sewing machine

Other: seam binding

 

a rose is two roses (CASual Friday)

I'm almost done with this rose business.  Promise.  Especially I just saw that Virginia L. has a rainbow challenge going on!

But this card was totally inspired by the polka dot challenge over at CASual Fridays.



Don't ask me twice to play with polka dots.

Stamping, masking, more stamping.  New Jenny Bowlin inks BTW.  Love the Cough Syrup - color and properties.  Attached a strip of PDPP (polka dot patterned paper!) and attached my label containing the sentiment with washi tape.  A la "Big Boy" for those of you with midwestern roots...

Thanks for visiting.

Supplies alles liebe:

Paper: cardbase Buttinette, PP Pink Petticoat
Stamps: The Crafts Meow, sentiment Inkystamp

Ink:Jenny Bowlin, gray Versafine

Tools: die Spellbinders, corner rounder EKS

Other: washi tape Rayher

 

 

a rose is an eden 85 (watercolor)

Lest you fear I've completely lost it, another friend just called and invited us to her bday brunch next weekend.  Guess what she's getting as a gift?!?!?  This rose (#8 I believe) was made with two challenges in mind.  The sketch #14 at Retro Sketches, although I took me some liberties!  And the flower challenge #10 at Young Crafters Unite.





This poor rose.  Watercolored to near death - aqua pencils, watercolors, sparkling watercolors.  But it took that long for me to get the effect I was hoping for.

Created the strip down the side by inking the leaf stamp with Versamark and stamping.  Decided upon the French sentiment stamp and had to place the flower more centrally than in the sketch.

Meet Eden Rose 85.  She was kind enough to "pose" for this card.

I just love this time of year in my yard.  The English roses delight on a daily basis as they go from bud to bloom.  Thanks for coming by.

Supplies joyeux anniversaire:

Paper: cardbase Buttinette, CS Neenah, kraft Papermania

Stamps: The Craft's Meow, sentiment Artemio

Ink: Versamark, Memento, Versafine

Tools: waterbrush

Other: watercolors and watercolor pencils