A little distressing

Today I am playing with distress ink pads and a distressing tool.  I started with some cold pressed 140lb water color paper, using the more textured side.  I took 6 distress ink pads in rainbow order and swiped them on the dry water color paper. Once I had all my colors down, I spritzed with water and then dried it with a heat tool. I was very careful not to let the colors run into a muddy pool at the edge of the paper.

Once dried, I cut the strips and distressed them on 3 sides, the right left and the section that would ultimately point towards my sentiment.  My sentiment is the Simon Says Stamp small hello cut and stacked several times using bristol paper and glitter paper from DCWV. 

I really wanted my colors to pop, so I chose SU's night of navy as my card base. I placed my die cut sentiment first then the panels starting nearest to the sentiment. A few clear sequins were placed on the color panels to finish the card.

The design comes from this week's Muse #107 Challenge, and our Muse Vicki Dutcher, 

 

I thought this might also do well for the current Addicted to CAS Challenge #58 - Distress.

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Thinking of You

I haven't sent a card to my Dad in a few weeks.  I like sending him cat cards. He has two adorable skamps Digger and Jack.  And those cats dote on my Dad.  When I visit, I am definitely the interloper and the cats will accept cat treats from me, and enjoy play time...but their cuddles are reserved for my Dad.

Newton's Nook has some adorable cat stamps, I have a couple of sets.  They also have a challenge going right now - Inky Paws - Just One Layer Card.  I had to think of my design on this one. 

I drew a flag banner onto my kraft card base with a white gel pen.  I stamped the cuddled napping cats, masked them off and then added paw prints in Simon Says Ink white pigment ink to the banner area. I used colored pencils from Artist's Loft to color the kitties, smoothed it with some gamsol and highlighted the ears and noses with pink wink of stella.  I added the sentiment from another Newton's Nook set Basket of Wishes.

Both the challenge icon and the link above will take you to this challenge post at Newton's Nook.


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Easter Wishes

I have a couple of posts today, for two challenges.  First up CASology Week 136 - Basket.

There is absolutely no basket anywhere in sight on this card...but if you look closely you can see the wonderful basket weave embossing on the card panel.  I don't know the name of the folder or the brand-the sheet was part of a blog candy win; and I have been saving it for the perfect card.  I think this is it.

My sentiment comes from A Muse Studios, and the jelly beans are cut from DCWV glitter paper with a Paper Smooches die. The vellum and the card base are both from Stampin Up.

You can reach the casology challenge page by clicking the link in the first paragraph, or the cue card above.

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Red and green glitter markers all on one layer

I ran across another Christmas Card challenge that is new to me, the 53Christmas Card Throwdown.

This will be entered to Merry Monday Christmas Challenge-Red and Green, One Layer Christmas Card Challenge-Glitter, and 52 (Christmas) Card Throwdown-Markers. 

My card is stamped with WPlus9's Festive Greetings. I extended the light strand to fit across the card front.  I colored in the bulbs and bulb bases with Wink of Stella Glitter markers in Red, Green and the bases in Black.  I added some glossy accents on top of the bulbs to really make them shine.

                                                               Close up of the bulbs

You can find these challenges by clicking the links above or the challenge badges below.

       

Happy Birthday

It is Tuesday, and I have my challenge sheets all lined up for some marathon card-making this week.

First up is a masculine birthday card, it never hurts to have a few extra of these around.  I used the Sketch from Cas(e) this sketch, and will also be entering this at seize the Birthday with a Masculine Topping.

I die cut the PTI Happy sentiment from Very Vanilla and a scrap of patterned papers.  I then took a light blue card base and adhered the various pieces.  I didn't want the card to be too plain so I added a piece of twill (manly ribbon) to the card front for an added textural element.

    

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Many Thanks

A second post today with another down to the wire challenge entry. This card is for CASology - Mini and the colors were inspired by Color Throwdown 331.

My main image was colored using Memento Markers on a Denami Designs Rosebud Trio stamp. I decided to color in the design to get the four colors for the CTD challenge. The greeting is from Hero Arts -Petite Messages.

I have a hard time with Clean and Simple ...that white space just freaks me out...but this one works for me.

ETA:  an honorable mention for this card...what??? a CAS card...wow so thrilled. Thanks Tracey!

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Its Green

I am getting this card in under the wire for Muse #106. I used the muse card as a sketch.  I line the vertical row of hearts, it looks like those hearts might be on the inside of the card, but tough for me to tell.  I went with a more straight forward version.

Here is the Muse Card by Shona Chambers


I am not making a lot of St. Patrick's Day cards as I have in years passed, but I am going to make a few.

I used a Stamps for Life set that I have had for ages. It has a few sayings and several sizes and styles of shamrocks.  The ink was from Simon Says Stamp in green leaf, and some Onyx Black from Versafine.  The cardstock is from Stampin up.

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Get Well and Merry Christmas

I have two cards today.  I have a list of 14 challenges, and more than half of them are weekly challenges.  Somehow it takes me until the week is more than half over before starting on the challenges.

First up is the card for Merry Monday #147- Stars, and SOS#190- Out of the Jar, and Simon Says Monday Challenge -No Rules.  This shaker card incorporates stars in both the embossed panel, the shaker elements, and the embossed and inked background.  The shaker bits and the embossing powder came from jars, small ones, but still jars.

I stamped, clear embossed and inked the background panel first, then die cut a window to create the frame out of one side of the inked panel. The clear pane was glued to the frame. A double layer of foam tape was laid on the base, the area filled with shaker bits-sequins, beads, gems. Two thirds of the card base was dry embossed, and the sentiment was heat embossed on Vellum. The completed shaker window was added to the card base last.
Supplies:
Stamp - Stampendous and Hero Arts, Embossing Powder - Recollections, Hero Arts;  Shaker Bits - Pretty Pink Posh, Martha Stewart; Cardstock and Vellum - Stampin Up; Inks- Versamark,  Distress Inks -Chipped Sapphire, Faded Jeans, Black Soot; Embossing Folder- Sizzix Stars and Swirls set; Micro Beads-Recollections

My second card is for the Card Concept #29 - Get well Soon, and the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes. This card is very simple, I started with a Navy card base, embossed the sentiment and then added a bow and ribbon strip towards the top.  I grabbed a new to me tag die and cut a tag. Using multiple pigment inks I stamped paint splotches on the tag.  After the ink dried the tag was hooked onto the bow.
Supplies:
Inks-Mama Elephant in Mojito, Coral Burst, Buttercup, Pacific Blue, Versamark; Embossing Powder-Hero Arts; Ribbon - Recollections; Sentiment-Lawn Fawn Get Well Soon, Hero Arts Brush Strokes; Cardstock - Simon Says Stamp.

You can get to any of the challenge pages by clicking the links above, or the icons below. Thanks so much for stopping by!


   

  

February CCC Card

My February Card Chain Challenge card goes to Betty.  The March sign up is going on until March 7th and you can sign up here.  I opted to go with the theme of St. Patrick's Day.

I inked up three Paper Smooches die cut shamrocks with Brilliance Galaxy Gold then heat embossed them with clear embossing powder. The bit of notebook paper was cut using a PTI die.  My card base is Very Vanilla from Stampin Up embossed with St Pats Day background embossing folder by Darice.  I looped a long piece of gold thread (manufacturer unknown) and placed it under my shamrocks and my vellum greeting piece. The greeting is from Stampin Up Teeny Tiny Wishes.

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Unexpected

I received a Valentine from my blogging friend Greta, and she so generously included a stamp set that was a duplicate of one she had.  Its a schmoozy set, and hubs will be the recipient of quite a few cards from this set on my next trip out to California - Thanks Greta for the new stamps.

I thanked Greta but also wanted to send a card...isn't that what we card-makers do?

I was trying to channel Shari Carroll and her wonderful collage style.

I love these browns, tans and coral pinks together.  My card base is from A Muse Studios and I cut three tags usind Pretty Pink Poshes stitched duo tag - onc from patterned paper I won from Michele, one from kraft, and one from vellum embossed with one of the Lifestyle crafts Wishing set.  The die cuts Sending and Thanks are from Simon Says Stamp and were cut from some orangy on orange polka dot scraps.  I used a mocha shade of embroidery thread to tie the tage together and added a thing bit of coral colored chevron ribbon I picked up in California last fall - I am not sure who the manufacturer is (boo).

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