32 to go (WW, Make the Day Special, Lawnscaping, CASE, Time Out)

I so loved the color combo from the Winnie and Walter Playdate #2 that I've four more invitations for you today. (Then I'm moving on, I promise.)

You saw my Distress-Ink-to-acrylic-block-misted-and-squished-to-paper technique BG yesterday. Well I made another while I was at it, just using the pink tones. That's what you see above. I used the sketch from the current challenge #3 at Make the Day Special. Because I embossed the words from W&W onto the vellum banner I'm hooking up to the current Lawnscaping challenge - Embossing too. And I'm going over to A Sprinke of Imagination one more time, too (peony, fuschia and lime)!

I only wanted the words for my sentiment above so I partially die cut them with my Dieversions die from a third panel I had created, the remainder of which you see in the next card.

Angled the panel,  heat embossed the cascading confetti stars in silver and die cut the sentiment from silver CS. Opted for a green base for this one. 

This BG I created by swiping Adirondack ink pads across normal CS then spritzing with water. The result is more vibrant but also watercolor-y. I die cut the sentiment from the center of the panel and heat embossed some of the twinkle confetti in gold on the cardbase before adhering the negative. I also heat embossed "birthday" and "anniversary" across the bottom cuz we are celebrating both events at our "161" party. I'm joining CASE Study with this one where Pamela H.'s amazing card is up this week (negative die cutting, birthday sentiment at the bottom).

So where did the positive die cut go from that last card? Funny you should ask...

Now doesn't that look like a party invitation? Totally inspired by Vanessa M.'s card in the W&W gallery, I changed it up a little and love the result.  I'm playing at Time Out challenge #7 where the theme is "summer" and this definitely says summer party in my opinion. Some of my DT teamies run Time Out and I've been meaning to join in!

Whew, that's it for today. TTFN. But I've still got 32 to go...

36 to go (WW, Lawnscaping, NBUS)

Have you seen this inspiration photo for the Playdate over at Winnie and Walter? Gorgeous, don't you think? Speaking of Winnie and Walter, isn't it incredible how they designed a stamp that is instantly recognizable all over blogland.  Know which stamp I'm referring to? The Big and Bold series.  Those sentiments - I used them here - are wonderful.

But, today it's not about those sentiments ;) It's about my invitations for our "161" party, 'member? So I pulled out those colors of ink, the Big Bang Confetti stamp set for its maiden voyage and my Party Time Dieversions die and went to town creating. Seriously.

Found my inspiration in the W&W gallery. Here are my first two invites for this challenge.

Some ink-to-acrylic-block-misted-and-squished-to-paper technique for the BG. Some heat embossed twinkles. Some sequins. And the die cut.

And this one is a pocket. I 'm planning to PC generate the who/what/when/where info for the inside of the invites, but on this design I can fold it up and stick it in the pocket. Isn't this fun?

I'm playing at Lawnscaping Challenge - Embossing

and have you seen this? Ms. NBUS herself, Darnell K,  has a 500 followers celebratory challenge going on right now to break out the NBUS and U it! (Should you have no clue what I'm talking about... click on the link. You'll be very happy you did ;)))

I'll be back at ya tomorrow with more invites using W&W and these scrumptious colors. Thanks for looking.

Supplies for #1:

Paper:  CS Bringmann

Stamps: Winnie and Walter

Ink : Distress, Versamark

Tools: die Dieversions

Other: sequins

Supplies for #2:

Paper:  CS Neenah, PP Lawn Fawn, vellum

Stamps: Winnie and Walter

Ink : Distress, Versamark

Tools: die Dieversions, wonky border die MFT

Other: sewing machine

STAMPlorations june challenge "stamps and borders" (PCC)

That's right, it's a new month and time for another themed challenge at STAMPlorations.  "Stamps and Borders". Does it stump you?  It sure stumped me.

But as I was perusing my stamps the name of one set caught my attention. VIGNETTE: Art Deco Border Builders. Duh!

Now what exactly is a border? Did I even create a border here? But I used a stamp called border so I'm callin' it good ;)))

Stamped the pattern on my cardbase. Overstamped a random few with white ink. Made a stencil using a label die (so I'm joining the fun over at Paper Crafting Challenges #11 again) and piled on the modelling paste. Before it was too dry, but not too wet (yep, I had to resmooth it a couple times before I got it right) I stamped the stamp into the paste for that wonderful texture. It took forever to dry but then a few tissue paper scalloped circles under a square piece of CS for my sentiment and voila!

Why don't you put your thinking cap on and give "Stamps and Borders" a try. Remember, there are good prizes.  If you win the monthly challenge, you receive a stamp set of your choice.  If you win and you used STAMPlorations stamps, you win two sets of your choice. Pretty cool, eh?

And on a side note, Shery R. is starting a new challenge soon called The Mixed Media Card Challenge.  It's about Mixed Media (duh!) and CAS. She's got a DT call going on right now. Check it out.

Happy weekend, all.

Supplies for thank you so much:

Paper:  CS Bringmann

Stamps: STAMPlorations 

Ink : Aladine, white pigment Hero Arts,  Versamark

Tools: die Spellbinders

Other: modelling paste

simply create too 63 (celebrate your country)

Did you see all the great ideas for Father's Day cards in the last challenge over at Simply Create Too? This time we've a fun one for you. Make a card using your country's flag's colors! How's that for different?

I chose the colors of the German flag, thinking there would be enough red, white and blue beauties showing up. This is what the flag looks like - they're all over the place at the moment in anticipation of the upcoming World Cup soccer tournament!

And here's my card.

Channeling my inner Aga, I used the Papertrey Circle Scribbles to make some poppies - they're all over the fields and paths here right now. Stamped them with spritzed ink using the reverse of the stamp - once in bright red and once in darker red - and then turned the stamp over and stamped it normally in black.  Hand drew the stems and added a sentiment and enamel dots. Easy peasy as they say!

Join us for this fun "color" challenge.  

Thanks for visiting.

Supplies for cheers tag:

Paper:  CS Bringmann

Stamps: Papertrey

Ink : Distress, Adirondack, Memento

Tools: 

Other: enamel dots MME

mixed media happy birthday (PCC)

There's another new kid in town (card challenge that is) and it's kinda exotic. Mixed Media CAS. Sound good? It's called The Mixed Media Card Challenge.

"Do you enjoy playing with a variety of mediums and techniques in your cards? Do you often find yourself creating cards that area a little more than CAS?" These are the words of Shery R. (of STAMPlorations fame) to explain her reasons for starting this new challenge.

I love to experiment with techniques and the result is usually more than CAS! I look forward to playing along and am even hooking up to the DT call. As have several other amazingly talented card artists. Looks like there's a market for this type of challenge ;) Well, here's my card.

Oh man, has Blogger made this photo look awful. Can you say frustration? Tangent.

So this card was born as a byproduct of a card which appears in the July issue of Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking where I stencilled colored modelling paste onto acetate. Of course there was paste left over. Of course I couldn't throw it away. So I stencilled it onto a page in a notebook I keep handy. And a BG was born. (And since I stencilled, I'm hooking up at Paper Crafting Challenges #11.

The "U" was die cut from a plaid stamping experiment. The other sentiments were die cut from papers used to soak up excess spray ink from other projects. And the "2" from a PP circle that was living in my scrap pile.

More Mixed Media CAS creations from the past? Here (with tissue paper and modelling paste and glitter) and here (with fabric and modelling paste and watercolors) or here (with washi and modelling paste and wire ribbon and embossing).

Oh and actually, here is the plaid stamping experiment - just realized I've never shared it. Made it for a hashtag submission call.

Appreciate your visit.  Have a great rest of the week.

Supplies for happy birthday 2 u:

Paper:  CS Bringmann, watercolor paper, gingham PP Pink Petticoat

Stamps: PTI 

Ink : Hero Arts

Tools: happy die SSS, birthday die PTI, 2 die Memory Box, U die Lifestyle Crafts

Other:  spray inks, modelling paste

Supplies for back in the saddle:

Paper:  CS Bringmann

Stamps: PTI 

Ink : Hero Arts

Tools: die PTI

Other:  ribbon, PC

2 down, 38 to go (Colour Q)

I'm going to take you on a journey with me. I may have mentioned awhile back that we are having a big shindig in September to celebrate "161 years" (all our birthdays plus anniversary plus Ellie's 1st).

So... time to get my butt in gear and make some invitations.  As in, 40. As in, sheesh, 40.

So... I've decided that there's no reason all invitations have to look alike :) I'm going to use various challenges to inspire me to try different designs. And you get to watch :)

I've taken the colors from Colour Q #244 for these two.

I prefer the first, DD the second.  And you? Thanks for coming by.

Supplies for party time:

Paper:  CS Bringmann, Amuse

Stamps: PTI 

Ink : Hero Arts

Tools: die Dieversions

Other:  

STAMPlorations sketch #13

Another sketch coming at you from STAMPlorations.

Presenting the sketch...

And meet "Ms. Camera Shy" (this card was incredibly difficult to photograph)...

... also known as DD's card for her 16th.  Which is, brace yourselves, the legal drinking age in Germany for beer and wine. And since we recently painted a wall in her room light pink and bought some great wall art that has cocktails/recipes on it, I figured these old stickers would finally find their purpose in life.

BTW, DD is not a lush. (That would be DS ;)))

If you look closely you'll see that I used one of the VIGNETTE: Grunge Floral Strips and stamped it in pastel pigment inks down the right side, before adhering my heat-embossed-onto-vellum sentiment (from VIGNETTE: Chevron and Arrows).

Remember, it's a new month.  If you join all three of the STAMPlorations challenges this month you have the chance to win this fabby prize (in addition to the prizes for the individual challenges). Why don't you join us?

Check out what our guest designer, Monika created, as well as my teamies.  Show us what you've come up with. Sketch Challenge #13 ends on June 13 -easy to remember, eh?

Supplies for happy 16th:

Paper:  CS Bringmann, vellum

Stamps: STAMPlorations, "16" We R Memory 

Ink : various pigments, Versamark

Tools: 

Other: embossing powders, gems SSS