a2z Scrapbooking Post

Hi! It's my turn to be up at https://a2zscrapbookingblog.com/. I have a shape card which fits with this month's challenge

You've got to be quick to join in - the month is almost over. Just remember to use a Hero Arts product as your focal image. 

Here's my card

I'm really enjoying Hero Arts Color Layering stamps and my MISTI - it really makes it look like I'm really artistic when in fact, I just need to align the various layers. It's really easy. I used Hero Arts CM130 Color Layering Hydrangea and Hero Arts Libby's Purple Garden cube inks. I fussy cut the flower and leaves. I cut a 3.25" circle card with a circle die. I adhered the flower slightly overlapping the edge of the circle. The purple banner was stamped with the sentiment from the same stamp set. The card will still fit in an A2 envelope.

If you're looking for Hero Arts products, consider a2z Scrapbooking Etsy store. When your cart reaches $25, use my code Sue15 for 15% off your purchase.

Thanks for visiting
sue

STAMPlorations 4th Birthday Blog Hop

A big HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY to STAMPlorations. It's time to celebrate, complete with prizes!

I have two cards for the blog hop. 

I started with a small piece of 96 lb bristol. I added distress inks with a water brush with overlapping vertical strips of color, in rainbow order. I used distress inks - mowed lawn, mustard seed, spiced marmalade, picked raspberry, wilted violet and salty ocean. I used STAMPlorations Kudos Word Stamp & Die set to die cut the sentiment. I chose to place the sentiment on a strip of white cardstock. I hand-drew a border with some sparkly gel pens around the white strip. I picked some blue cardstock as my card base. The card was completed with some sequins for sparkle.

I stayed with the overlapping vertical strips of colour, in rainbow order theme. Again, I used 96 lb bristol and colours using distress inks applied with a water brush. This time, 
though, I kept the panel as my background and added the sentiment using STAMPlorations Happy Birthday stamp set with VersaFine Onyx Black ink. I finished the card with a few sequins for some sparkle. 

What's a party without prizes ...

Prizes:

• Three (3) randomly drawn winners from all comments left on the STAMP blog and participating designers blog will each receive a $25 gift certificate to the store
• One (1) randomly drawn winner from comments left on our Facebook page will win a grab bag consisting of new products worth up to $30
• One (1) randomly drawn winner from comments left on our Instagram page will win a grab bag consisting of new products worth up to $30
• Two (2) randomly drawn winners from the Wishlist Link Up will each win the products in their wish list (up to $50 MSRP)

Other info:

• All products in the store on our birthday week and until July 7 will be 15% off. With my 20% discount code SCRAPGIRLSUE, customers can get up to 35% off on all products, including the new release.
• Heartfelt Rose 3x5 stamp set will be included for free with every order of at least $25 (after discounts & GCs are applied and before shipping)

Thanks for visiting and I'd like to thank Sheri at STAMPlorations for the opportunity to be a Guest Designer at STAMPlorations CAS.

sue

Muse: Christmas Visions #81

So ... yesterday was June 25th - 6 months to Christmas. It's never too soon to think Christmas - right? I thought that I'd join the fun at Muse: Christmas Visions

Here's the Muse card by Chriss Blagrave



I was inspired by:

• the circular design
• the colours
• the "Peace on Earth" sentiment

Here's my card

I didn't have a "house" stamp that I could useS so I searched through my Christmas stamp sets and found this stocking from Sunny Studio's Christmas Icons stamp set that I thought would work. I added colour with a water brush and distress inks (worn lipstick, cracked pistacchio, faded jeans and mustard seed). The sentiment is from Simon Says STAMP Peace on Earth stamp set. 

Thanks for visiting
sue

Simon Says STAMP Wednesday Challenge

Love having the opportunity to craft with a friend - especially when it's for an extra long weekend. I made a card for the current challenge at Simon Says STAMP Wednesday Challenge

This week the challenge is

Use Patterned Paper 

You might like to use paper from a pack but you can also choose to make your own patterned backgrounds. Whatever you choose to use we will be looking forward to seeing what you create!

This week we are showcasing Doodlebug Products. You don’t have to use them for the challenge but if you have them we would love to see them used.

I'm not sure why I don't stamp in printed paper more often. I am hesitant but am pleasantly surprised how "cool" the effect is. My card this week features a flower, from Simon Says STAMP's Look for the Miracles stamp set, stamped with VersaFine Onyx Black ink on a piece of Doodlebug's paper from Hello Sunshine 6x6 pack. I fussy cut the flower and popped it up with dimensionals. The sentiment is from Hero Arts Spring Hello by Lia. 

Here's my card

Thanks for visiting
sue

Tic Tac Toe Challenge TTTC003

Just back from an extra long weekend crafting with a friend. It's so nice to craft with a friend. I made a card for the current challenge at Tic Tac Toe Challege TTTC003

For my card, my tic tac toe is with the left column - blue, one layer, yellow

i lightly marked off a 3" x 2 1/4" rectangle. I used Hero Arts Spring Hello by Lia stamp set and Hero Arts Shadow Ink Butter Bar and Stampin' Up's Brocade Blue ink. I stamped the flowers in a random manner. Once complete, I drew the frame lines with a thin black marker. The sentiment is from Simon Says STAMP Lots of Thanks stamp set.

Thanks for visiting
sue

Muse Card Challenge - #221 - Goodbye Jenni

The current challenge at Muse Card Club is this beautiful card by Jenni Murray

Sadly, she's moving on to other opportunities and I wish here the very best in whatever she's going to be doing. Looking forward to seeing her beautiful work in "blogland". 

Here's my card

I'm visiting a friend for the weekend, so only had a few stamp sets at my disposal. Happily, I was able to create something that was inspired by Jenni's card.

I was inspired by the 

• central sentiment on teal/turquoise
• thank you theme
• square card
• colour scheme
• general layout (although I moved the heart)

I used Papertrey Ink's Keep it SImple: Thank You stamp set, Simon Says STAMP Lot of Thanks stamp set, Simon Says STAMP Thanks stamp set, Clearly Besotted's Flowers and Flourishes stamp set and Hero Arts Color Layering Sea Turtle stamp set with Hero Arts inks (Soft Cantaloupe, Butter Bar, Pale Tomato, Greeh Hills, Tide Pool).

edited to add: I used my MISTI to create the card. Pretty sure, I would not have attempted this style of card, without it!

Thanks for visiting and thank you Jenni for all the inspiration here at Muse.

sue

Simply Irresistible with Heather Telford and the Foiled Fox

Something on Facebook caught my eye - a challenge hosted by both Heather Telford and the Foiled Fox - titled Simply Irresistible. With a name like that, who wouldn't be intrigued. 

The challenge is to use the Emboss Resist technique with distress oxides.  

I checked out Heather's blog and tried to re-create her card, with my own twist. 

Here's my card

I used Altenew's Adore You stamp set, Versamark ink and WOW!'s Rose Gold embossing powder which was heat set. (Aside, if you haven't tried WOW!'s Rose Gold embossing powder, you need to - the colour is incredible!) Using ink blending tools, I applied distress oxides (wilted violet and worn lipstick - trying to focus the worn lipstick around the flowers). Like Heather, I added Wink of Stella over the flower petals for some added sparkle. 

Here's a close-up. 

I matted the panel on gold cardstock to emphasize the rose gold embossing.

Thanks for visiting
sue

CAS(E) this Sketch #226

When I saw the current challenge at CAS(E) this Sketch, 




I just knew what to do. I flipped the sketch. Here's my card.

I decided to try out my distress oxides - spiced marmalade, worn lipstick and vintage photo. I smooshed them on a teflon sheet and spritzed some water. I placed the 96 lb bristol panel in the puddles of colour and moved the panel around. I used my heat tool to heat set the ink. I also spritzed water for some droplets. I kept placing the panel in the puddles of colour until I was happy with the result. I was so happy to use my new stamp set - Sneak a Peek from Taylored Expressions. I had such a difficult time trying to chose an image. I settled on the kitty and added colour with Copics. I decided to mat the watercolour panel with black for a bit of pop. I added glossy accents to the kitty's eyes. The sentiment was diecut from gold cardstock with MFT Die-namics Happy Hellos. I added a few sequins to complete the card. 

Thanks for visiting
sue

Guest Designer at CASology - Week 254

Someone pinch me. I can't really believe that my card here was selected "Winner for the Week 250" and included an opportunity to be a Guest Designer at CASology. 

Here's this week's Cue Card

Here's my card

I started with Your Next Stamp's Home Sweet Home stamp set, stamped with VersaFine Onyx Black ink. I cut out a 3.5" circle from masking paper. I adhered it, slightly offset to the right. I also punched a 7/8" circle from masking paper and placed it "partially" behind the house to mimic the sun. I added distress inks to look like a sunset - mustard seed, spiced marmalade, picked raspberry and faded jeans. I wasn't sure what sentiment to add - settled on this gratitude sentiment, from Simon Says STAMP Lots of Thanks stamp set. 

Thanks so much to the gang at CASology for this opportunity.

Thanks for visiting

sue

Tic Tac Toe Challenge - TTTC002

Who doesn't love a game of tic tac toe? OK, maybe not a game, but a challenge with flexibility at Tic Tac Toe Challenge

Here's my card

I chose the centre column - embossing, gray and diecut. I started with a piece of gray cardstock and Cuttlebug's Chicken Wire embossing folder. The die cuts were made with scraps of pink cardstock and MFT DIe-Namics Flower and Leaf Trio. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Keep it Simple Thank You stamp set. 

Thanks for visiting
sue

STAMPlorations CAS Mid-June Post

Reminding you of the current challenge at STAMPlorations CAS

I've created another card for this challenge.

 

I used STAMPlorations Birds of Paradise stamp set, stamped the bird with Archival ink. With a water brush and distress inks (faded jeans, dusty concord and hickory smoke), I coloured in the bird. For the background, I "diluted" distress inks (tumbled glass and hickory smoke) to mimic the sky and the ground. The sentiment is from STAMPlorations Fond Expressions 2 stamp set.

Thaks for visiting

sue

AAA Cards: CAS Game #91

Happy 3rd Birthday to AAA Cards. This week, there's a birthday bash there and "a birthday-themed challenge".

Here's my card

I've had the Paper Smooches' Birthday Buddies stamp set for some time and haven't really played with it. I stamped the worm on a piece of watercolour paper and added colour with distress inks and a water brush. I matted the watercolour panel with a piece of kraft cardstock and popped it up with dimensionals. The sentiment is from the same stamp set.

Thanks for visiting
sue

The Paper Players: PP 347

So much fun this past weekend at Stamp & Scrapbook Expo in Puyallup. Took a few classes, learned a few things, did a bit of shopping (OK, maybe more than a bit - LOL!) and participated in two crops so was able to make some cards!

The current challenge at The Paper Players is



Here's my card

I started with Simon Says STAMP's One with Nature stamp set, stamped with Archival Ink on watercolour paper. I added colour with a water brush and distress inks (mustard seed, spiced marmalade and picked raspberry). I cut the panel down and matted it with black cardstock. The sentiment is from Paper Smooches' Salutations stamp set.

Thanks for visiting
sue

CAS on Sunday: Challenge #109

There's an interesting challenge at CAS on Sunday.

Use a Repetition Image


Here's my card

I chose to repeat the main sentiment by stamping the "happy" from Your Next Stamp's Happy Everything stamp set three times, without re-inking, moving left and slightly up, each time. I stamped the "birthday" on a scrap piece of red cardstock. I popped it up with dimensionals. I added sequins for a bit of sparkle and shine. 

Thanks for visiting
sue

Simon Says STAMP Wednesday Challenge

Had a great craft-y weekend and was able to create some new cards. The current challenge at Simon Says STAMP Wednesday Challenge is

This week the challenge is

Anything Goes 

This is the perfect challenge to let your creativity run loose and make whatever takes your fancy! We will be looking forward to seeing what you decide to create!

This week we are showcasing Technique Tuesday Products. You don’t have to use them for the challenge but if you have them we would love to see them used.

Here's my card

I started by punching a 2" circle from a piece of masking paper, which I positioned on my card front. With ink daubers, I added colour with distress inks (mustard seed, spiced marmalade, picked raspberry and faded jeans). I picked up one of my favorite stamp sets, Technique Tuesday's Wildflowers and stamped the grass a few times and the cute little dragonflies. The sentiment is from Simon Says STAMP Lot of Thanks stamp set. I matted the card front on black to help focus the eye to the centre of the card.

Thanks for visiting
sue

Muse Challenge #218 - Happy Birthday Ardyth

The current challenge at Muse is from Ardyth:


Choose your 'Muse' from any card that I've made and play along.
You can choose from my Instagram Feed or my blog MASKerade or my Splitcoaststampers account (hint, I've been on IG for about a year, my blog goes back 5 years and my SCS feed goes back more than 10 - if you go way back, you'll find definitely find something to make you smile, laugh, even!)


Well, it sounds easy enough right? There are hundreds, well maybe thousands of cards on her blog. I went to Pinterest and pinned oh maybe thirty different cards, I was inspired by and I wasn't even close to being done. I had to draw the line somewhere! Ardyth - I really love your work.

Here's her card (tag) posted here

I was inspired by

• Christmas tag
• colors
• dove
• sparkled thin line

Here's my tag

I inked up the front panel of bristol card with distress inks (tumbled glass, salty ocean and faded jeans). I carefully spritzed with water (carefully - because the first time I tried, I guess I added too much water and the tag, basically turned white!) to add some splotches. I trimmed the panel to 2" and used Stampin' Up's Ornate Tag topper punch to make the tag. I also cut a plain white tag. For the dove, I used Penny Black's Peaceful Wishes die. I added some Wink of Stella for a bit of shimmer. I found a scrap of silver sparkle paper, cut a thin strip and adhered towards the bottom of the tag. I found some silver ribbon to adhere the two tags together. 

Thanks Ardyth for all the inspiration you provide us with.

Thanks for visiting

sue

STAMPlorations CAS June Challenge

Can't believe that it's already June. What happened to May? As a child, I remember how long it seemed to take for it to be my birthday or Christmas. Now as an adult, I'm sure that someone has made time go faster - or is it that we just have so much to do and not enough time to do it?

June means it's time for a new challenge at STAMPlorations CAS

Here's my card

For my card, I used ARTplorations Ethnic Organic One and distress inks (faded jeans, hickory smoke and ground espresso), applied with ink blending tools. I trimmed the panel down and matted it with dark gray to leave a nice border of "white space". The sentiment is from STAMPlorations Fond Espressions 2.

We'd love for you to link up your creations at STAMPlorations CAS. 

Thanks for visiting
sue

House of Cards - Blog Hop

WOW - it's crazy that it's already June. That means, that it's time for a blog hop at House of Cards. Here is the photo inspiration:

Here's my card

I was inspired by the nautical theme. i used this Sea Creatures Digital Stamp Set from MHK Designs, one of the sponsors of our blog hop. I love being by the ocean - I feel so at peace listening to the waves roll in. So, I chose this sentiment to be a focus of the card. I also, couldn't resist a cute seahorse (wait, can seahorses be cute?). For the background, I thought I'd try something a bit different. I inked up the background with distress inks (tumbled glass and salty ocean) and ink blending tools. Then, with a scrap piece of cardstock, I diecut, using my WPlus9 Wave Border Designer die. I experimented using the "wavy" edge of the diecut, an ink blending tool and faded jeans distress ink on a piece of scrap paper. I found that if I placed the diecut upside down and then inked, the resulting image looked most like waves. I repeated this several times, randomly over the panel. I matted the card with a piece of blue cardstock and added a few sequins to complete the card. 

We'd love to see your creations and how you were inspired by our photo. Note our earlier than usual deadline - June 15th at noon CST.

There are prizes - prizes are hidden in random stops along the blog hop. To increase your chance of winning, please leave us a comment at each stop and also, link up your card for an added chance of winning.

We have great sponsors - check them out:

MHKDesigns

Prize: Any three products of your choice!

All Dressed Up

Prize: 2 Images

Prize: $10 to use in store

Prize $10 Gift Certificate to use in store

The House of Cards design team all used products from our sponsors. You should have arrived from Shirley.  The next stop is Susan.  If you'd like to check out the entire blog hop, the first stop is 

House of Cards Challenge Blog

Thanks for visiting

sue