spotlight - stencils and glitter

I'm so excited! I've got my first official Spotlight post up on the STAMPlorations blog today. Wanna see how I created this card? Check it out here.

So I'm taking my glittery texture over to the June challenge at Craft Stamper, Take it, Make it where it's all about Texture.

STAMPlorations inspiration #21

Time for another dose of inspiration over at STAMPlorations. Well let me tell you, I am often inspired by cards I see in blogland, but seldom do I run to my craft room to basically recreate something I've seen. Today's card changed that.

I am showcasing the sentiment set, Fond Expressions, with its wonderful combination of handwritten froufrouness and clean san serif type. And a flower.

This glittered die cut technique is what I absolutely had to try after I had seen Gayatri's card for the current RIC challenge. In a nutshell... cut solid Winnie and Walter bloom from sticky paper (I ran scrap through my Xyron), outline from black. Adhere outline to solid, mix red, blue, gold and silver glitter and pour it on. Burnish with finger and voila! Chose a couple PPs from my stash to frame the bloom.

Um, and, I actually own J. Crew. That sure can't be said for most of the eye candy at RIC! Have a good one.

If you wanna CASE this card, join us over at the Inspiration CASE Playground.

And... Virginia L. recently posed the question "How do you solve a problem like Maria?". Well, I know the answer? You take her to the "hills (which) are alive with the sound of music" :) And a beautiful short weekend at Lake Constance was had by all. (I'm not into selfies, but I thought this fit the bill).

guesting at Virginia's View

I'm guest designing over at Virginia's View #15 where it's all about "Ombre/Monochromatic" this month. You must check out the beautiful gallery entries. I've got two cards over there for you, ombre die cutting and dip-dyeing , but I 've one more for you too.

I recently made a graduation card for a grad whose school color was purple. This one is for a college grad whose gown also appeared to be purple! Whoddathunkit? Purple! Reminds me of when DS started with "bambini" soccer. Their uniforms were purple! And I was on the sidelines yelling "Go lila, go" (Lila being the word for purple.) Lotsa moms in town still come up to me chanting that ;) But I digress.

So. Take your grad's school color. Or the bride's color scheme. Or your Mom's favorite color.

Find yourself a large sentiment stamp (mine is STAMPlorations). And color it using your kids' old school markers in various shades of your chosen color. Give it a light spritz of water before stamping and Ta da! Ombre. You're keeping your card design simple, but adding interest with the various hues of your chosen color.

To go with the purple I chose Liquid Platinum embossing powder for my secondary sentiment and the tassel of the MFT mortarboard. Which I die cut from glitter CS cuz the grad is a gal ;)

Isn't the bit of sparkle a nice contrast to the sketched sentiment? So how about giving "Ombre/Monochromatic" a go and hooking up at Virginia's View?

Still want more ideas. How about ombre stamping? How about ombre watercoloring? How about a set of ombre tags? Or ombre inking through a stencil?

Have a good one, folks!

coffee and watercolor challenge on sunday which is friday

The stars have aligned in the world of challenges for me today! May I present my card for:

Amy T.'s Coffee Lovers' Summer Hop

Pretty Pink Posh's Watercolor Hop

The Challenge #37

and CAS on Sunday  Tic Tac Toe (I've used birthday-female-off the edge, the inside reads "Happy Birthday").

Got the coffee goin' on thanks to STAMPlorations (love that sentiment!). Got the watercolor thanks to Peacock Feathers and Shaded Lilac Distress Inks and my paintbrush. Got the sketch covered thanks to the splats of blue and lilac and the "coffee stains" (from STAMPlorations Holiday Artsy) in Versacolor Cement above and below the coffee cup.

Amy T. and Paulina have done an awesome job putting together these two hops. Can't wait to see all the cards. Thanks, ladies! Happy hopping!

simply create too 87

Ready for Father's Day? Over at Simply Create Too we are challenging you to make a Masculine project. Sounds like perfect timing to me!

I have a retirement card for you however... completely PC-generated cuz I had this idea and it seemed the only way to make it happen.

Whaddya think?

I'm joining For the Guys over at AAA Cards #40

the Make it Masculine challenge at SSS Wednesday and a new-to-me challenge, Perfectly Rustics, where it's all about Letters or Symbols. I think my card fits the bill.

CASEplorations June

If you're looking for my mixed media project today, click here.

Cannot believe it's June already! My garden is in full bloom and it's wedding time of year. Which makes me wonder if you saw the amazing wedding card we are spotlighting at CASEplorations this month? Remember this beauty from Virginia Lu of Yes, Virginia?

This is one of my favorite cards this year. You can't go wrong with vellum and gold embossing. But Virgnia's color choices are also spot on - check out those touches of red popping from both corners. And those PPs add such a playful touch to an otherwise elegant card. I love me some gold twine. And then check out those little vellum circles - just because.  IMHO, it doesn't get any more perfect than this. And you don't mess with perfection.

So how the heck to CASE it?

Well, vellum and heat embossing were certain. Coloring on the reverse too. But then I took a detour. Feminine became masculine. Gold became silver. Flowers became Mod Shapes. Kraft became cardboard.

I'm diggin' that shine of the silver embossing powder... And the wrapped silver metallic thread.

I masked the center strip of my vellum panel with washi and stamped the shapes. Heat embossed. Colored on the reverse with Distress Ink markers. Adhered to panel of white glossy CS. Wrapped thread. Adhered to gray card base (that too is a fantastic design element to Virginia's card, I think). Reached for my scraps and found the cardboard and zebra PP. Reached for my tub of die cut letters and came up with this HB2U jumble and called it a day.

I'm joining the Anything Goes potluck at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge. And the Anything Goes party at Seize the Birthday.

And the Anything Goes #146 at Addicted to Stamps and More!

Remember, if you feel moved to CASE my card (I'd be thrilled) or any of the DT Inspiration Projects coming up during June, you can hook up your creations in the Inspiration CASE Playground. It's open until July 5th. Join us, won't you? There are prizes to be won ;)

Mixed Media Card Challenge #12

So what do you notice in my sneak? How about magazine pages, old book pages, colored (black) embossing paste through a stencil, a bit of netting from a container of peaches and a purty rose from STAMPlorations Blossom Overture!

Cuz this month over at The Mixed Media Card Challenge it's about "Collages" (with the optional element of a "Frame"). Oh yeah, I have one of those on my card too. Wanna see?

Stamped some random text on my cardbase. Mod Podged the magazine pages and a strip of old book  to the cardbase and let dry. Heat embossed the sentiment and frame. Stamped, colored and heat embossed the rose before fussy cutting it. Colored some embossing paste with black acrylic paint before applying it through an eternity circles stencil (thanks, Loll). Then I cut four pieces of the netting, stitched them together in the middle and heated them carefully with my heat gun to get them to crinkle a bit before adhering them and the rose with Multi Matte Medium.

TECHNIQUE? heat embossing, stencilling, coloring with markers
TEXTURE? embossing, netting
DIMENSION? netting and rose

Join us with a mixed media card, won't you? Be inspired by those collages you made back in your school days. Or google "collage" and be amazed.  Check out the cards the DT has created, such beauties. The challenge is open until the 25th of the month. Would love to see you there!

I'm joining the Anything Goes fun at Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday challenge. And the Anything Goes party over at Seize the Birthday.