It's all just card stock and embossing!

Hi!  I'm sharing a very simple card that I created a couple of weeks ago.  Yup, just now finding the time to post it.  :(

It's such a simple and easy card to make, but I sure like how it turned out!

The card base and the sentiment panel are both Blackberry Bliss card stock from Stampin' Up!
For the panel, I heat embossed the sentiment using SU gold embossing powder.  Once that was cool, I swiped my Versamark pad along the edges of the panel then poured EP over that, too.  A little heat and my card was nearly done.  Of course I used foam tape to adhere the panel.  Because, well...I love dimension.  :)

That's it!

Wishing you all the joy!

Hi again!  It's my 3rd (and final) post for today.  Like I said in my previous posts, I like the current sketch so much that I made three cards for Freshly Made Sketches #198.
Take a look!

So versatile, right?  I had loads of ideas, but not enough time to use them all.  Such a dilemma.  :)

Here's my final entry for the challenge.

This background has a lot going on, so I kept my layers simpler than on my first 2 cards.  I couldn't resist added a glossy little heart though.  :)

Thank you for taking the time to stop by!

Supplies ~
card stock: naturals ivory (SU)
ink: onyx black (Versafine)
stamps: happiest of holidays (PTI)
patterned paper: festive collection 6 x 6 pad (Authentique)
other: notebook page die (PTI), glossy accents (Ranger), small heart punch (SU)

Sending warm wishes!

I'm back with a second post, playing along with the current sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.

Freshly Made Sketches #198

Here's what I created!

Unlike my previous card, I think this one could to anyone.  Well...with that shiny little heart, maybe it will be more suitable for a female.  We'll see!
I loved working with these nice bright reds.  So much, that I really added on the layers for this card.  Why not?
I did some layered stamping again, then punched out a little red heart and coated it with glossy accents.  Finished!

Thanks for stopping by,

Supplies ~
card stock: natural ivory, riding hood red (SU)
ink: crumb cake (SU), onyx black (Versafine)
stamps: happiest of holidays, wreath for all seasons (PTI)
patterned papers: santa's list 6 x 6 pad (Teresa Collins)
other: notebook page die (PTI), small heart punch (SU), glossy accents (Ranger)

Wishing you cozy

Oh my, it's been a long time since my last post.  Hmmm. I think I said the same thing last time, didn't I?  I've been creating Christmas cards, but just haven't had the time to photograph, edit and post them here.

I created 3 cards this afternoon.  All of them using the great sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches.
Freshly Made Sketches #198

Here is the first of my 3 cards for this challenge.

I wanted this card to be appropriate for a guy, so I went with that great reindeer patterned paper for my background.  A few more patterns and some layered stamping onto a notebook page die cut finished this card.  It really came together quickly.  So quickly, that I made 2 more cards using the same sketch!

So, 2 additional post will follow!

Thanks for taking a look,

Supplies ~
card stock: naturals ivory (SU)
ink: vintage sepia, onyx black (Versafine)
stamps: happiest of holidays, wreath for all seasons (PTI)
patterned papers: lost & found Christmas 6 x 6 special edition (My Minds Eye)
die: notebook page (PTI)

Peace!

Hi!  I'm finally playing along in a card challenge...it's been so long!  The sketch at CAS(E) this sketch! was just what I was looking for.  I was in the mood to do a little collage style stamping and this sketch was perfect for that.  I have several more ideas.  We'll just see if I have the time to put them into use this weekend. :)

Here's the challenge:

CAS(E) this sketch! - CTS #133 by Gayatri Murali

My card:

I wanted to use some non-traditional colors for this Christmas card, so I chose a dark blue and a dark green along with a very traditional gold.  This was a very simple and easy card to make, but one that I'm really pleased with.  Over the stamping, I added the die cut word 'peace".  I glued together 2 die cuts to give it some dimension.

Well, that's one more card to add to my (very slowly) growing Christmas stash.  :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Supply list ~
card stock: white (Recollections), brushed gold (SU)
ink: midnight muse, mossy meadow (SU), delicata golden glitz (Tsukineko)
stamps: christmas blessings, in the meadow, snowflake medley (PTI)
die: wonderful words holiday (PTI)

Hey strangers!

Actually, I guess I'm the stranger.  It's been a long time since I posted!
I finally found some time this weekend to make two cards.  It felt SO good to spend some quality time at the craft table.  :)

Anyway...I'm playing along with the Retro Sketches rs#146.  Here's the sketch!

Here's my card!

It certainly is bright, isn't it?  Well, that's the look I was going for.  Bright, festive and fun.  That patterned paper from Stampin' Up! caught my eye as I was going through my Christmas stash, so I pulled all of my colors from that.
The "polaroid" frame was die cut 3 times and glued together to make a nice thick piece.  I set a single layer of green card stock into the frame, then popped up the kraft banner and the stamped panel.
That's about it!
Thanks for taking a look today.  Hopefully, I'll have some extra time for crafting over this holiday break from work.  So you MIGHT see a few more posts coming up.  :)

Supplies:
card stock: white (Recollections), gumball green (SU), kraft (PTI)
dsp: trim the tree stack (SU)
ink: delicata golden glitz (Tsukineko), gumball green, crumb cake, cherry cobbler (SU)
dies: fabulous frames, double ended banner (PTI)
other: gold wink of stella (Kuretake)

I'm Guest Designing at CAS(E) this sketch!!!

Hi all!  This week I'm Guest Designing at CAS(E) this sketch - CTS #102.  I was SO excited when I saw the email from Chrissy, with the invitation to design along with the amazingly talented DT for a week.   Eeeek!

Ok.  On to the sketch.  This one was created by Gayatri Murali (so talented!).

Here's my interpretation of the sketch.

I stamped all of my images onto a single layer of watercolor paper, misting each stamp with water before stamping onto the paper.

After it dried I used two dies (taped together) to cut out a rectangular frame.  I cut two more frames to glue under it, which adds some dimension to the card.   Before I stamped the sentiment, I added some ink spatters.  Then...I decided that those snowflakes needed some Wink of Stella.  So, I added a touch of clear shimmer to each one.  Finished!

I hope you'll click over to the CAS(E) this sketch! blog to see what the Design Team has created AND to play along.

Thank you Chrissy, for the chance to Guest Design this week!

Supply list ~
card stock: 140 lb cold press watercolor paper (Strathmore)
ink: black soot, dusty concord, peeled paint, peacock feathers (distress inks by Ranger)
stamps: snowflake medley, in the meadow (PTI)
dies: large deckled rectangles (Spellbinders)
other: mini mister (Ranger), clear wink of stella (Kuretake), water, brush

City Crafters Challenge - I'm Guest Designer!

I'm so excited to be Guest Designing this week at City Crafters Challenge - week 237!  What an honor.  Thanks Kirsty!

The challenge this week is Christmas CAS - make a one-layer, clean and simple holiday card.
Here is the beautiful inspiration photo that Kirsty has provided.

 Love this photo.  Don't you?  I had a few ideas that might work.  But it took a day or so until I came up with something I really liked.  You know.  One of those "aha" ideas!

Here's what I created.

I used a light green card stock for my card so that I would have a richer background than a white or cream card stock could provide.  I didn't want a sharp contrast between my stamped pine needles and the background.

This stamp set is one that I bought recently and I've used it so many times already.  Love it!  I stamped the pine needles using 5 different shades of green and it turned out just as I had imagined.  So that the sentiment wouldn't get lost in that busy background, I heat embossed it with Early Espresso embossing powder.

Thanks so much for stopping in to take a look.  You can follow the link HERE or at the top of my post, to check the inspiration from the Design Team at the CCC blog and to play along.

Again, thank you Kirsty for the opportunity to Guest Design this week!

Supply list ~
card stock: pistachio pudding (Stampin' Up!)
ink: pear pizzazz, mellow moss, old olive, always artichoke, soft suede, baked brown sugar (SU), Versamark
stamps: ornamental pine (SU), wet paint holiday (PTI)
other: early espresso embossing powder (SU), heat tool

A Bokeh Christmas card!

Hi!  I'm playing along in 2 challenges with today's card.  I had an idea to use gold ink with the bokeh technique and these two challenges were just what I needed, to get this card going.

CAS(E) this sketch #99 - This sketch was created by my friend Michelle (we served on the Dynamic Duos DT together!)

Virginia's View Challenge #9 - All Things Metallic

Here's my take on the two challenges.

Ohhhhh.   I love Delicata Golden Glitz ink.  A. Lot.

So, I had a lot of fun with this card.  I used the back side of two button stamps for my bokeh effect.  I stamped off once before stamping these circles with Sahara Sand and crumb cake inks, then with the gold ink.  Before popping that panel onto my card base, I swiped gold ink onto the edge of the card.

That gave me exactly the look I had hoped for.  So much fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supply list ~
card stock: white (Recollections)
ink: sahara sand, crumb cake (SU), delicata golden glitz (Tseukineko)
stamps: Christmas blessings, button boutique (PTI)

Walking in a Winter Wonderland - CAS(E) this Sketch #97

Hey, I'm back with one more quick post tonight!  This time I'm playing along with CAS(E) this Sketch #97.  Here's the sketch provided by Sam Simpson.

Here's what I created.

I've been using my distress inks more and more lately.  I love creating scenes and these inks blend so well...perfect for the look I wanted to create.

I die cut the birch trees from a die by Taylored Expressions, then masked off the two sides to create a narrow scene down the center of the card.  Three shades of ink were sponged over the die cut negative spaces to create the sky.  After removing the birch tree die cut piece and masking...there was my sky!  It's always fun to lift away a piece of masking, to see how the inked areas turned out.

To finish the card, I stamped a sentiment in black ink then stamped 3 little Cardinals on the tree branches.   Done!

Thanks for taking a look!

Supply list ~
card stock: white (Recollections)
ink: stormy sky, broken china, faded jeans, fired brick (Ranger distress inks), onyx black (Versafine)
stamps: in the meadow (PTI)
other: birch tree cutting plate (Taylored Expressions)

Happy Holidays at Festive Friday #43

I'm playing along with Festive Friday Challenge #43 today.  I love the photo inspiration provided in this photo.  Soooo pretty!

I was inspired by the mix of patterns in the gift wrapping.  Here's what I came up with.

I pulled all of these patterns from a 6 x 6 pad by Teresa Collins.  I scattered the die cut pieces across the card panel, then sewed them in place with some red thread.  I tied the ends in tiny bows...kinda fun. :)
After stamping the sentiment, I thought the card still needed something.  So, I pulled some clear gemstones from my (neglected) stash and placed one on each banner.  Then, just for good measure, added one to dot the i in Holidays.

That's it!

Supply list ~
card stock: white (Recollections)
stamps: think big favorites #8 (PTI)
ink: onyx black (Versafine)
patterned paper: santa's list 6 x 6 pad (Teresa Collins)
other: iridescent clear gems (The Paper Studio), red thread, sewing machine

Reindeer Christmas Card

Hi!  Just sharing a card (actually I made 4 duplicates) that I made yesterday.  No card challenges.  It was such a fun card to make, that I wanted to show you AND provide a link to Jennifer McGuire's blog, where I learned this technique. I CASE'd her card, actually.  For you non-stampers that means Copy And Share Everything.

Here is Jennifer's card, below.  And HERE is the link to her blog post, which includes a video.

I don't often make "cute" Christmas cards, but her card was just adorable.   So...I created this.

Yeah..I changed very little from Jennifer's card.  My stamped image is from a retired Stampin' Up! set that I still love. It's called Merry & Bright.  I colored this little deer using the technique that I learned in the video and (like Jennifer) covered him with some clear Wink of Stella.  Too cute!

Thanks for taking a look!

Supply list ~
card stock: 140# watercolor paper (Artist's Loft), kraft (PTI), crisp cantaloupe (SU)
ink: tuxedo black (Momento), crisp cantaloupe...for his tiny ears, baked brown sugar (SU)
stamps: merry & bright (SU), christmas blessings (PTI)
dies: stitched mats squares (Lil' Inkers Designs)
other: clear wink of stella, brushes, water