Faux Letterpress

Hello Again! Here is my second card for the Clean & Simple 3 One layer Cards lessons on Faux Effects.

I have one more card to make for the Faux Effects lessons.   Lessons run through March 21st, and the class and galleries close on March 28th.

Thanks for stopping by!

Get Ready...

for me to share my homework with you. I am addicted to these Online Card Classes, and have signed up for the latest offering Clean & Simple 3 one layer cards. There is still time to register and play along. The best thing about these classes is the fact that you have lifetime access to the materials. You can download the videos and pdf sheets if you wish., or simply log back in and view everything online. I keep binders with my class projects attached to each class day's lessons printed.

 

I will likely have several posts every few days, with a single post for each card.  Our first lessons day 1 and day 2 cover faux effects.  My first card has many "layers" but, since they are inlaid to one another the card remains flat, but is full of interest. 

I don't really have word dies that lend themselves well to this method.  I really had to sit and think and picture how to accomplish what I wanted to create. I probably made it harder on myself than I needed to, but it was fun, and I succeeded in creating the card that was in my head.

Since I chose a darker card base, I had to line it in white for easier message writing inside and that liner piece was perfect to hold all the bits and pieces in place to make this a perfectly flat card. The Hearts and Large Label piece are from Spellbinders.  The Always die and sentiment are from Simon Says Stamp. The color spritzes are from Heidi Swap and Luminart. Embossing powder in white from Hero Arts, along with their white Unicorn pigment ink. Card size is 4x4 inches.

Thanks for stopping by, off to make dinner...then it is back to the craft table.

Neutrals plus at least 3 colors

On Saturday, I had a marathon card-making day.  

Four cards, in one day for me is a lot when they are each different and I have to THINK.  

I did however take time out to play in another scramble at the Hero Arts Flickr group. Heather Maria gave us the option of making a card, atc, bookmark, art piece that met the requirements of being mostly Neutral but having AT LEAST 3 or more colors added.  

I had to sit and think for a while, and clean up my work space from the previous card I'd made and left while hubs and I went for a walk an hour before the scramble.

I decided neutral would be kraft, with some clear embossing of the wonderful Leafy Vine stamp from Hero Arts.  Then for my color, what better than a butterfly...but no ordinary butterfly...a very brightly colored one. After coloring the butterfly with copics, I heat embossed it with clear powder 3 times. It really made the colors pop and shine. I did get a bit of glare while photographing (sorry).

I think I got this posted with 10 minutes to spare from the 90 of the challenge. Whew!  I couldn't bear to make my butterfly compete with a sentiment, so it's going to be a note card.  Thanks for stopping by!

Brown, Green and White Part 2

I have another 3 cards for the Card Concept Challenge.  I have tried to make a card for each concept.  

I have to admit it was tough. The colors are not among my favorite colors, but if I could create 6 cards of differing styles - wow growth in my card making abilities.  There is still time to play...link closes on 3-17-14.

Shabby Chic

Elegant

Freestyle Collage

 Thanks so much for stopping by!

Brown, Green and White

I have three cards I am submitting to the current challenge over at the Card Concept.

 I tried 3 different styles.

Graphic

Clean and Simple

Clean and Layered

Thanks for stopping by.

Watercolors

I was excited to see that Virginia Lu has started a new challenge blog, called Virginia's View Challenge. She is providing an inspiration photo and a required element for each challenge. 

I haven't done much watercoloring, but it seems the perfect time of year for it. Spring about to bloom (I hope) and those soft beautiful colors will start popping.  

If I were still in California, I would be seeing lots of flowers starting to show their colors.  Here in southern Maryland I am seeing lots of snow.  However, it was just reported that the Cherry Blossoms should be at peak April 8-12.  So spring is just around the corner!

Here is my first card, I stamped the Delicate Blossoms (Hero Arts) in black Stazon, then colored lightly with  a wet water brush lightly stroked across the color points of Derwent pencils in red and green. I applied heat to dry it, because I am a bit impatient. The blue background was added by using Distress Inks in  Tumbled glass and Salty Ocean to the moistened paper. Then I spritzed the whole thing with water.  I blotted with paper towels and dried it again.  I mounted it with foam tape, and resisted urges to add some sparkle to it. Card base is Bazzill. Sentiment stamp is Hero Arts.

My second card is my favorite of the two.  I took Distress Markers and scribbled on my craft sheet. Lightly spritzed them, so I only had small water beading on the sheet.  I laid my Distress Water Color paper on top of the wet colors and let it sit there  a  few seconds.  I did not try moving the paper around. I picked it straight up and decided I wanted it to blend a bit more, so it got spritzed again. This time the colors ran a bit,but I liked it.  Dried again with the heat gun.  I wanted to see if clear embossing over the water colors would darken like it does on cardstock. I clear embossed the Hero Arts Numbers background onto the sheet.  It actually appeared to lighten the colors.  I had taped off a strip near the bottom to white emboss my sentiment as well. I trimmed my panel, added a touch of pink ribbon from Stampin Up, and mounted it with foam tape on to a Neenah Aspen White 110 lb card base.  This one was so hard to photograph, I finally found an angle that shows the clear embossing.  Thanks for making it through this wordy post!

Pearly Girly

Hi, here to share a card made as a thank you for some sweet die cuts and a stamp included in a recent card swap.  You'll be seeing more of both!

I colored the image with Copics, and placed it on some Spellbinder ovals. The patterned paper behind is Stampin Up, other papers from Bazzill and Neenah, and the sentiment is Hero Arts.  I also used some Wink of stella in yellow, violet, and green to give a bit of shine to parts of the image.

The string of pearls surrounding the image is from Recollections.  I am entering this in Simon's Wednesday challenge - Anything goes with pearls.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Muse 56

I was so happy to see Lisa Haines as our  Guest Muse for Challenge 56 this week, so I had to play along. Congratulations Lisa!

I was inspired by the polka dots, the three hearts, and the blocked off sentiment area. 

I started my card by embossing Swiss dots (cuttlebug) on the upper 2/3rds of navy cardstock in a frame pattern with an un-embossed center circle. Below that I added 4 score lines to subtly separate my sentiment area.  

I then cut 3 memory box Sophia Bloom's, (but only used 2 of the three flowers on the stem) from a scrap of Jilly bean soup cardstock.  I wanted my element of 3 to go sideways not upwards.

I tried layering the flowers, but couldn't get it right. So, I grabbed some Jolee flower bling in 3 shades of pink and placed the sticker flowers on top of the die cut shapes.  I love flowers wrapped in a bow.  I die cut a glittery Perfect Bow (Simon Says Stamp die) using it to anchor the flowers.

With all that glitter going on, my sentiment needed a punch too, so that was also die cut from the Simon Says Hello small die and stacked several layers thick.  I ran a black marker around the edges to stop the white paper edges from showing.

The weather forecast is for 6-10 inches of snow Monday, I am glad I got my groceries in on Saturday. I love the idea of crafting with a nice hot cup of tea watching the snow fall outside...somehow I get caught up in the snow falling. It is still magical to me. My Dad just shudders when I tell him of the forecast, he's happy to be in southern California. 

Thanks for stopping by, Happy Crafting!

Edited to add, I am also entering this in the Die Cut Diva's March challenge - Embossing.

February Card Chain Challenge

I enjoy the card exchanges at Deborah Nolan's Society of Stampaholics. Each month Deborah provides us with several options for our exchange card. A color combo, a sketch, 2-3 themes, and a specific item to incorporate. 

This month I managed to combine the colors, sketch, one of three themes, and a wood veneer item.

My card went to Ohio this month. If you are interested in playing along, visit Deborah's blog at this link to sign up. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Materials: Papers- Neenah, DCVW, Bazzill; Stamp-Hero Arts; Ribbon-Jo-Ann's; Ink-Versamark; Embossing Powder- Hero Arts; Pearls- Recollections; Wood Veneer-Studio Calico

Hello Spring Tag at Retro 103

Keeping up with my resolution to play in more challenges, tonight I have a tag for Retro Sketches #103.  

 

I actually used a bit of pink dotted washi tape and I don't want to through it away. Yea! (I am so washi impaired.)

I had a few bits sitting in my little bowl on my table and pulled them together for this tag. Some white flowers from Recollections, a Martha Stewart Doily, some pink washi tape from Target. Then I gathered some die cut leaves from Betty, and some Hero Arts gems from Barb. 

I embossed the tag first because there might have been a bit too much whiteness for my liking. I like the texture on the tag. The sentiment is from Simon Says stamp.

Thanks for stopping by.