Betta Half - AHSC #314

Hello and welcome to this week's card sketch using the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge. 

This was a fun card to make because I just got this stamp set from Hero Arts and was really looking forward to using it for the first time! It's a multi layered stamp set that requires no coloring of the Betta fish body because the ink colors you choose do all the work for you. I have kept Betta fish as pets for quite a few years now and their natural beauty never ceases to capture my interest. 

The subtle bubble background paper was something that I made well over 10 years ago and had saved in my stash, so I was very happy to find the perfect way to put it to good use. You can't tell from the pictures, but I did color in the seaweed with a clear sparkle brush pen for some subtle shimmer.

EDIT UPDATE: Ok, so I knew when I finished this card 2 weeks ago that something felt "off" about it...I just felt like it needed a little something more! I looked through all my border stickers and couldn't find what I was looking for, so I took the blog pictures anyway and moved on to a different project. THEN, when I sat down to edit these photos and write this blog post, it hit me...skinny silver glitter washi tape... THAT is exactly what this card needs, lol. So I added it and guess what? I think I was right - It really draws the eye to the fish as the focal point and it's perfect now! What do you think??? Did you like it better with or without the last minute addition of the washi tape?

Until next time~

AHSC #306 - Pink Peony Birthday

Welcoming March and the coming of spring using soft, pretty colors and lovely peonies this week! Designed using sketch #306 from the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge , I made this card for my Grandma's upcoming birthday... 

My card differs slightly from the sketch in where I placed my bow, but that's only because I had to hide a mistake I made while embossing (at the last minute) in the bottom right corner of the card, lol.

I kept it simple on the inside but loved being able to showcase the shade differences in Close To My Heart's (CTMH) colored cardstock...man, this cardstock is brilliant! One side is the darker shade and the other side is the lighter shade...it's like having 2 pieces of co-ordinating cardstock in one and I am loving using it! It's quickly becoming my "go-to" cardstock!

Fine Detailed gold embossing powder is the key to capturing all the gorgeous details in these peony stamps (also from CTMH). A little bit of sparkle pen traced over the charcoal grey sentiment and just 3 mini gold pearls completed the look.

Come join in the fun with us over at Atlantic Hearts and until next time~

Celebrate Love

Today's design team post uses the sketch from Atlantic Hearts and will also be entered @ Just Add Ink for "Just Add Something New", @ Alphabet Challenge for "V for Vellum", @ heARTful Stamping for "Anything Goes + a Stamp" and @ 613 Avenue Create for "Anything Goes/ Something New".

This card is a 5 x 7 size and the dry embossing was done using a reversible embossing folder from Spellbinders.

The something new that I used for this card is the "Amazing You" stamp set that I just got FREE from Stampin' Up during their Sale-A-Bration sale going on now until the end of March...for every $50 you spend you get something for free! ( Click on the sale brochure to the right on my blog for more info!) The flower and the sentiment on the card front both come from this awesome stamp set. The flowers I colored with my Spectrum Noir markers and fussy cut out to layer on the card front.

The gold glitter enamel dots are self adhesive, came from CTMH and made the perfect accent for the card front.

The inside sentiment comes from an Anniversary sentiments set from MSE, but the half circle blue burst is from the free set from Stampin Up that I mentioned above.

You may recognize that the green leaves dieut frame is from the December Paper Pumpkin kit...I used it in this card here last week too, but it looks completely different! The sentiment was stamped on Vellum in black pigment ink and then heat embossed using holographic powder, so it shimmers and changes color when moved around in the light -very pretty in person!!!

Until next time~

A Clean & Simple Anniversary Card for Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge

Today's design team project was a quick and easy one using the sketch from Atlantic Hearts and it will also be entered @ Less is More for "Let It Shine", and @ Addicted to Stamps for "Monochrome".

This project used a lot of things I've had in my stash for a good long time! The Diecut flowers were from a Close to My Heart scrapping kit, the patterned paper from the Current catalog, the flower trio punch from Stampin' Up and the silver glitter paper was left over from the snowflake project I shared in this post previously.

The card base was made from an A2 sized white, horizontal, top folding piece of heavy weight cardstock. I cut the tan patterned papers according to the sketch and adhered them flat to the card front. Using 2 nesting oval dies from Spellbinders, I cut the silver layering oval and the white oval for the sentiment.

I punched the same style flowers from the silver glitter paper and layered them to the cream and tan CTMH die cut flower elements. I then stamped and heat embossed the Best Wishes (retired from TAC) on the white oval using Versamark ink and Platinum embossing powder.

After assembling and layering the flower dies with the punched flowers, I accented them with left over gold leaf stickers from a past Paper Pumpkin kit. I also added a tiny clear rhinestone sticker to the center of each flower for some additional glitz.

I think the clean lines and simplicity of this card give it a subtle elegance just perfect for celebrating my sister-in-law and her husband's marriage that has successfully lasted many years!

Inside I stamped the sentiment from a My Sentiments Exactly Anniversary stamp set in gray ink and accented it by gluing on 2 more of the punched silver glitter flowers.

That's it for me today, until next time~

Metallic and Masculine Missing You

Today's card is my creative contribution to this week's sketch for the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge and will also be entered @ 613 Avenue Create for "Anything Goes -Masculine"

Hopefully I won't confuse you with this picture, but I wanted to show a way that I use up some of my scrap paper...the card base is made using a light gray A2 top folding card, but the silver layer was done using a piece of cardstock that I had previously cut two christmas ornaments out of for another card. Once the layers are glued together, you will never even know those holes are there!

  

The two main stamp sets that I used are retired from Close To My Heart. I stamped and embossed the ribbon stripe three times in shades of silver metallic on a darker shade of gray cardstock to mimic the sketch after I treated the cardstock with an anti-static tool.

The blossoms were heat embossed in silver on the same lighter gray as the card base and cut out with the co-ordintating die set.

I used a large punch to cut out a vellum circle to help ground the blossoms before I adhered them to the card front -the smaller one was popped up with foam tape, as was the LOVE square in the bottom right corner.

It still looked like it was missing something, so I added a large clear sequin with a small rhinestone in the center to complete the visual triangle with the center of the blossoms.

Inside, I stamped and embossed the "Missing You" sentiment in silver. That's it for me today -come play along with us at Atlantic Hearts!

Until next time~

A Squirrelly Thanksgiving

Today's card was made as my design team contribution for this week's sketch challenge from the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge Blog using stamps from Close To My Heart (front) and TAC (inside).

Pretty sure the patterned paper also came from CTMH from a few years back, but I am not 100% sure on that! Card base is a top folding vertical layout on a cream flecked cardstock.

Utilizing the Stamp Perfect positioner tool made the stamping go so much faster because I was able to stamp more than one item at a time and perfectly position everything just the way I wanted it using black Memento ink.

Using a small selection of Spectrum Noir alcohol markers, I colored the images and accented them with gel pens and a white colored pencil to capture some of the details. I then sponged dark brown ink around the edges for a nice, soft look.

Using the sketch as my guide, I adhered the layers with my ATG gun and finished off with the gold ribbon and some autumn colored sequins.

The last step was tucking the cream skeleton leave up under the layers and securing it with a mini glue dot at it's base so that you can't see it.

The inside was kept sweet and simple using a paper scrap and a sentiment stamp.

That's it for me today and now that we are back from vacation and getting back into the groove of things, I will be heading back down to my stamp room...right after I tackle that mountain of dirty laundry that we brought back with us, lol. Until next time~