Color Throwdown 619

I love this Color Throwdown palette!  I would have preferred  the icy shade of  aqua, but my cardstock stash is limited in some colors. One last sheet of this Bazzill shade will have to do.  The snowflakes are Penny Black dies and the Joy is from Frantic Stamper.  Silver cord is used as an additional accent. 

 

Alcohol Inks for Color Throwdown

I really like the color palette of this Color Throwdown.  I was pretty certain I could use alcohol inks, but I found a piece of Yupo that was already inked in the colors.  I die cut the circle, stacked it on additional white die cuts and popped it all on foam tape.  "Friend" from Gina K Designs was cut in metallic gold cardstock and the piece was added to a dry-embossed layer on the card front. 

Metallic Hearts after V-Day

I seriously considered NOT using hearts, but I found myself just wanting to make the card and the heart dies were out because of Valentine's Day.  So, I made hearts for Challenge #357 of CAS Colours & Sketches.  The hearts were cut from Tim Holtz's new "metallic confections" cardstock and dry-embossed. The background layers are pieces of patterned paper from the 6x6 pad "Watercolors" of Craft Consortium.  If I had a "happy anniversary" stamp, it would work perfectly, too!

Freshly Made Sketch -- First Christmas Card

Freshly Made Sketch 409 provided the template for my first Christmas card.  The die cut poinsettia was colored with watercolor pens, layered with white and popped on a foam dot.  I decided on an otherwise all-white background for the red poinsettia and the black sentiment.  Both white pieces were dry embossed to provide some interest. 

Freshly Made Leaf

I'm rushing to make the deadline!  This Freshly Made Sketch  led me to a fall leaf cut from a Bigz die from Tim Holtz. It's called Tattered Leaves.  I used a variety of powders and water to create the background color before the die cutting.  The central piece was dry-embossed with another Tim Holtz embossing folder, and I found the sentiment on a sheet of clear stamps. I added a little copper accent with the copper thread. (Edit: this card is different from the card at the link because I decided it needed a "frame" around the central layer.)

Three Little Inchies

                                

A few years ago, I played with inchies frequently.  I even had a few sheets of inchie stamps, but those are long gone.  For the CAS Mix Up in September, Inchies are the thing!  

I tried some new metallic watercolor paints on cardstock and then stamped a background image and heat embossed it.  Using my old Stampin' Up punch, I created the inches and layered them on black cardstock.  The front layer of my card was dry-embossed with one of the (more than 100) embossing folders in my craft room; I stacked the inchies and then applied a one-word diecut as the sentiment.  

Inchies+dry embossing+stamping+heat embossing+diecut+punch

Sunday Stamps Sketch

This is one of those cards that tested me, in spite of the simple sketch provided by Sunday Stamps.  I thought I had a good idea, but it flopped.  Then another flopped.  I settled on a great flower stamp from Stampotique, which I watercolored and then fussy cut.  I adhered the flower to the dry-embossed card front and then added the "imagine" die cut from Penny Black. 

Double D Pink and White

Our theme:  "Pink and White"

(anything using these two colors)

The mood board for the current Double D Challenge contains images of four pretty retro images in pink and white...unfortunately, I don't have one stamp that even resembles any of them!  Pink and white make a beautiful combination, and it's a light-hearted color combo to work with while my world is surrounded (almost buried)in snow!

I chose the Hero Arts clear image, embossed it in white and colored it with SU! markers. Then I fussy-cut it out and applied it to a dry-embossed layer that had already been stamped with a Wordsworth sentiment. 

CAS Mix Up with an Embossing Folder

I watched the videos and tried at least three techniques for the November CAS Mix Up.   My fingers were stained blue and green...because I made a card with those colors but didn't like it.  Only the embossed watercoloring was okay.  On to the next:  a small scrap of watercolor paper was inked with Distress Oxides and water and then embossed.  From that, I die cut the feathers and worked from that point in choosing card colors.  The stitched rectangle die became a frame for the inked and dry-embossed piece of cardstock.  Matte adhesive dots finish it off.  Embossing folder +stamping+watercolor+die cuts.  

Flower...Sparkle --- too late!

Because I got mixed up on the date, I missed the deadline for The Flower Challenge this month.  However, I'm posting anyway.  This card was stamped and embossed with black sparkle EP; the color was applied with Ken Oliver's Liquid Metals... Shimmer Spritz....and silver thread.   Sorry I missed the deadline!

Tag It on Less is More

This is at least the third version of this card!  I've changed the color, the embossing, some gold embellishment...and finally decided I was going to stop.  The tag was the one constant: it's cut from a piece of Brusho colored cardstock.  And I really wanted to use that butterfly.  The card began as a green one with some gold rubbed on the embossing.  Didn't work.  That piece was also cut with a fancy rectangle die.  Now I've settled on this autumn-toned card with dry embossing texture behind the tag for Less is More #382

Freshly Made for Halloween

Not a Halloween fan, and I rarely send a Halloween card, but the Freshly Made Sketch of the week seemed perfect for the season.

 

I have a few "Halloweeny" embossing folders and stamps...the spider web worked well as the background for the circular images.  Some adhesive dots and a simple sentiment finished the card. 

Mix Up with Metal

The CAS Mix Up Challenge involved metal this month...which allows for all sorts of faux metal techniques.  I chose some copper cardstock, which I dry-embossed for some texture.  Then I cut the maple leaves with a PoppyStamps die. The stamp is an old one from Penny Black.   The card is actually already in the mail to a couple who includes us in their dinner invitations to our daughter-in-law when our son is traveling and we are providing support for our toddler granddaughter.  

"Metal" cardstock+stamping+die cutting+dry embossing. 

Tuesday Card

Another week plus a few days since my last post.  I've gone through an emotional few days:  the purge in my craft room has been underway.  The first task was to empty some plastic containers that turned out to have hundreds of photos that didn't make it to my sons' life albums or an album I started years ago.  That means some of the photos were older than 30 years!  After that, I started on shelves containing craft supplies that were just collecting dust.  Old stamps were included (there is NO ONE in my area who stamps!), as were some altered art supplies.  Finally, I got to one card:  Chelsea's Tuesday card.  I didn't start until Wednesday, which was the Fourth of July, so it wasn't mailed until Thursday.  I'm still not in the card-making mode, unfortunately.

The Prima flower was the inspiration for this card; once I decided to use it, I searched for complementary papers. The embossing folder of dotted concentric circles led to the pink dotted circle of designer paper.  That little leaf diecut fell out of paper I was handling.  Hopefully, I will soon be back "in the mood" for crafting, but it's rodeo time here, so my photography takes precedence for a week. 

Tuesday Card

I was going to deliver this personally on Tuesday, because Chelsea and I were having lunch together.  However, I left it in the car in the parking lot across the street.  So it goes in the mail on Wednesday.  

I'm not terribly fond of this design...the stripes just don't do it for me.  However, it's a completed card, so I'm sending it.   Penny Black image and SU! sentiment.  After I applied the stripes to the card front, I dry embossed everything.  The image was colored with watercolor markers (the color is really more of a cantaloupe shade than the orange).  

Freshly Made Sketches

How to create the "shape" of the Freshly Made Sketch 329?  I chose the Blended Bloom from Stampin' Up, which I colored with SU! markers; I've had the stamp for a couple of years but it had never seen ink.  The sentiment is an old one from Hero Arts.  (Does anyone else have difficulty finding long one-line sentiments? I do, which means banner sentiments are always difficult for me.) 

A Musical Card for Thank You

My sister called me this evening to ask if I had a "music-themed" card in my considerably large collection.  She subbed for the music teacher today and he wanted to thank the volunteer pianist who accompanied his choir at an adjudication today.  I said that I would make one; this is the result.  (Inside, I added an old SU! quote from John Lennon; it seemed appropriate for the occasion.)   I have several music-themed embossing folders, so I had a choice.  The music is actually cut from an old music book that I use in my crafting now and then.

Less is More with Dry Embossing

It sounded easy when I read this Less is More challenge title, but I admit that I tried at least 3 embossing folders before going back to the one I use the most : Swiss Dots.  The stamp is from Hero Arts with a sentiment from Verve.  The petals of the stamped flower were colored with markers and then covered in Glossy Accents. 

Freshly Made Sketch by Amy

For Freshly Made Sketches 325,this Stampendous flower is one of my oldest stamps and also one of my favorite florals.  The sentiment is from Precious Remembrance. 

Glitter, Glitter!

I've never been one for using glitter, but this was fun to complete the CAS Mix Up challenge for November.  I must admit that I actually made two cards, but realized that the first one didn't have any stamping...which is pretty basic!  Fortunately, I had made another glitter piece, so the second card went quickly. 

My choice of glitter technique involved packing tape.  It works beautifully with die cuts. 

I purchased SU's "Merry Little Christmas" DSP pack, and have been thinking of ways to use it.  I am certain that I was inspired by a creation sometime; that's why I ordered the paper.  Of course, I can't find it now. The intricate "Winterland Tree" is by Memory Box; the glitter is a chartreuse by Art Accentz.  The dry embossing adds some interest to the white space, and the tiny "joy" stamp (source unknown) works well.   (I'm also posting the first no-stamping card.  I now have 2 Christmas cards completed!)