use those scraps

I was cleaning up my paper scraps mess from last week's cardmaking sessions and decided to actually make cards with some of the scraps rather than put the scraps back into my scrap storage. Makes sense, right? How come I never do it?

I took a look at the Distress Ink mop up scraps which were red and realized I needed an anniversary card ... soooo, why not die cut lots of little hearts? This card was born.

Amuse Studio Heart die

Hero Arts All Occasion Messages stamp

Heidi Swap spray ink

The next scrap was from this card way back when. It was pulled out of scrap storage for my pop up box card bouquet making but didn't get used cuz of the blue. So was it to go back to scrap storage? Again? Nope. The negative of the bloom got backed with a portion of it and I even managed to get the sentiment out of skinny little areas of the scrap! That, folks, makes me happy!

Pinkfresh Studio Floral Square Frames die

Penny Black Many Thanks die

The leftover little hearts from the first card had to go somewhere ... four of something isn't the easiest to design with. So I added a sentiment as the fifth element and voila! A birthday card.

Amuse Studio Heart die

Inkystamp Geburtstagsgruesse stamp

I'm joining these challenges:

Use Your Stuff - Out with the Old (YEP! All three cards!)

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - AG with option of  "Something New" (card #2)

The Cat's Pajamas - January

 

STAMPlorations inspiration #304

Welcome to another Tuesday inspiration posts from the STAMPlorations inspiration team girls. 

Remember this tissue box? Rescued from the trash to inspire my cards this month...

Here's my next idea to add color to B/W stamping...

Blossom Sprays #2 stamp

 Broken Glass stencil

Thanks Word die

clear embossing paste

Stamp Market inks

Know how sometime a card's gotta happen quick? Well, this one doesn't ;)

But it's so cool! Add color a different way this time. Stamp the floral images. Apply clear embossing paste through a geometric stencil. Let dry (thus, not quick). Add ink over the dried paste which creates the geometric pattern of color. End up with cool shine over the still-white areas surrounded by a geometric pattern of ombre color. Fun, eh?

You could win yourself a $15 prize code to the store by leaving a comment on this month's inspiration posts! Check out today's post over at STAMPlorations. And if I ever inspire you to order something from the store, I'd really appreciate it if you used my STAMPGIRLMARIA discount code for an additional 20% off your order - at no extra cost to you, just with perks for me ;)

Thanks mucho for visiting today. Have a happy day!

I'm visiting Simon Says Stamp Wednesday where it's about Make Your Own Background and We Love Chocolate Baroque where it's about For Ladies and Girls.

 

having the right stencil - part 2

Have you ever picked up an item and thrown it in your shopping cart without knowing when or how you were going to use it? Silly me, you're a crafter, of course you have! Well meet another stencil I picked up at my local dollar store a while back.

Mr. Bear. Had to go cool and wintry with him.

Action Deutschland stencil

Distress inks

Poppystamps You Melt my Heart stamp

SUPER easy. But having "the right" stencil helps too I guess.

Inspiration came from two places. I watched Channin P. ink up some layering stencils in a video and it got me thinking how I could incorporate gradient inking on normal stencils. Then I saw the Perfectly CAS challenge - use 1/3 of the card + stencil - and off I went.

I'm joining these challenges:

Poppystamps - Monochromatic (the sentiment is from Poppystamps)

Addicted to CAS - Snow (hope a snow bear is OK)

Perfectly CAS - Stencil

having the right stencil helps

Have you ever picked up an item and thrown it in your shopping cart without knowing when or how you were going to use it? Silly me, you're a crafter, of course you have! Well I picked up a pack of geometric animal stencils at my local dollar store a while back.

Meet Mrs Bunny.

Action Deutschland stencil

Stamp Market inks

Papertrey Ink Easter stamp

gold embossing powder

SUPER easy. But having "the right" stencil helps too I guess.

Inspiration came from two places. I watched Channin P. ink up some layering stencils in a video and it got me thinking how I could incorporate gradient inking on normal stencils. Then I saw the Perfectly CAS challenge - use 1/3 of the card + stencil - and off I went.

I'm joining in at Perfectly CAS - Stencil

playing with pinkfresh floral square frames

Hello. I'm joining the January challenge again, which is basically 2020 in review! There is a link in the post to a larger version of this photo if you want to see what strikes your fancy.

Nathalie's creation for the challenge post totally blew me away. Go check it out - hers is the first project in the post! She was inspired by the June Die Cuts and Cut Files challenge. So I guess I was too. Mostly I loved her color choices, keeping plenty of white too. And the cool stenciled texture in the BG. Hers is a LO. 

Mine is a card. Here's my first one.

Pinkfresh Folk Elements die (just $5 right now)

Pinkfresh Adore Alpha die

STAMPlorations X Marks Spot stencil

Distress Oxides, embossing paste

Well my intention was to have the white X pattern all over the card front to tone down the swipes of ink. What I got was embossing paste that picked up the color of the inks. Anyone know - was this cuz the ink wasn't totally dry or is that just a property of the oxides?

I went with it anyhoo. Die cut the little folk elements to match the ink swipes. Added the sentiment using those wonderful alphas. Voila.

But I was still intrigued. Wanted white X pattern all over the card front. So I created this slimline and stenciled white paint and got what I wanted!

See the white pattern all over the cardbase in this close-up?

Pinkfresh Floral Square Frame die

Pinkfresh Adore Alpha die

STAMPlorations X Marks Spot stencil

SSS You die

Distress Oxides, PP, sequins, acrylic paint

Otherwise pretty easy. Die cuts from ink-swiped CS. Little PP flags. Sequins. I pretended I was a scrapbooker and brought out all the embellies ;)

This card was not without an oopsie either though. Did you notice it???

I'm playing at:

Make my Monday - Hello (1st card)

Happy Little Stampers - AG with Dies (1st card)

Die Cut Divas - Frame It (2nd card with those floral square frames)

Bastel Traum - #97 Love (2nd card)

Country View Challenges - Squares (2nd card)

 

STAMPlorations inspiration #303

Welcome to another Tuesday inspiration posts from the STAMPlorations inspiration team girls. 

Remember this tissue box? Rescued from the trash to inspire my cards this month...

Here's my next idea to add color to B/W stamping...

 Blossom Sprays #2 stamp

 Bloom Silhouettes stencil

Stamp Market inks

Know how sometimes it's gotta happen quick? Like, the card needs to be in the mail yesterday? No coloring possible. Here's another easy idea, though I admit it takes a little bit longer than my two previous ideas. 

Add color by inking through a stencil. I chose a wispy floral stencil and my pink, yellow, chartreuse colors again. Stamp over the dried cardbase with a floral flourish. Add a stacked white die cut sentiment

You could win yourself a $15 prize code to the store by leaving a comment on this month's inspiration posts! Check out today's post over at STAMPlorations. And if I ever inspire you to order something from the store, I'd really appreciate it if you used my STAMPGIRLMARIA discount code for an additional 20% off your order - at no extra cost to you, just with perks for me ;)

Thanks mucho for visiting today. Have a happy day!

I'm joining the Feminine - For Ladies or Girls challenge at Chocolate Baroque. Also Anything Goes at Creative Friday. And at Perfectly CAS - Stencil (though I may technically be wrong since I've not completely followed the 1/3 rule).

playing with pinkfresh dainty blossoms

Hello there peeps! Needing a birthday and sympathy card, I pulled out the Dainty Blossoms from Pinkfresh. I'm joining the January challenge which is basically 2020 in review! There is a link in the post to a larger version of this photo if you want to see what strikes your fancy.

What struck mine? Well lots. But a few things remained in my head as I headed to my craft room. Rainbows and die cuts. June and September. Nathalie's creation for the challenge post totally blew me away too. I'm working on two cards inspired by it. I'll share those later.

I love the stylized illustrations in some of the Pinkfresh stamp sets. Dainty. So I combined some B/W stamping with pastel rainbow die cuts for my cards.

Birthday...

Pinkfresh Dainty Blooms die

Pinkfresh Aviary stamp

distress inks, gold CS

Sympathy...

Pinkfresh Dainty Blooms die

Pinkfresh Aviary stamp

Pinkfresh Up in the Clouds PP

Die cut the blossoms from leftover DI scraps (#1) and PP (#2). Stamped the images. Adhered the die cuts. Stamped the sentiment. Easy peasy CAS squeezy.

Hope you and yours are staying healthy and happy. I'm ready for the gray days in Germany to skidaddle. But I'm lucky to be able to spend lots of time in my craft room. Thanks for visiting.

SSS Wednesday Challenge - Layer it Up
Time Out - You (one thing about me... I mop up all my leftovers and then save those scraps. At least sometimes I use them too!)