Addicted to Stamps and More! Challenge #383

How are y'all doing? So far we've been told that it's OK to go for a walk, as long as you maintain a 2 m (6 foot) social distance between you and others. I enjoy walking - the fresh air just helps to clear my head. I think it might actually be good for you too - well, better than sitting on the couch, eating chocolates and chips! Hoping that you and your families are safe!

We have a new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More! This week's challenge is

I, for one, was happy to see this week's theme. I chose a Christmas card because I certainly hope that this COVID 19 stuff will be over by then. Here's my card

I decided to start with some red velvet paper. It reminded me of a Christmas dress I had as a child. I die cut the word "joy" using Hero Arts Joy Stamp and Cut. I decided to use some light kraft cardstock for the background. I stamped the remainder of the sentiment using the same stamp set and Hero Arts Green Hills ink. I also added a couple of holly leaves, using the dot above the j as a holly berry. I adhered this to a natural card base to complete the card. 

Hoping that you have time to craft and hoping that you'll join us! Why not start your Christmas cards now.

Thanks for stopping by

sue

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Happy Little Stampers ~ Watercolour Challenge April 2020

Well, Happy April Fools' Day! Seems like a prank gone really bad with all this COVID 19 stuff. I guess no one is going to say "April Fools" at a COVID 19 press conference, eh?

Hope you and your family is surviving this pandemic. For me, I have more time to craft, which is a good thing.

We have a new challenge at Happy Little Stampers ~ Watercolour Challenge.This month our challenge is

Here's my card

After a trip to France last summer, I became a fan of Van Gogh's art. I'm not sure if it was because he had such a difficult life or if I never really paused long enough to appreciate his art. However, I'm a fan. Perhaps, when I saw the "stars" prompt, I thought of his Starry Night painting. I looked through my stamp sets for something with stars and came across Lawn Fawn's Starry Backdrops. I used it with Versamark ink and clear embossing powder, which was heat set on a piece of 96 lb bristol. With a water brush, I added distress inks (chipped sapphire, seedless preserves, black soot). I moved the colours around with some water and the water brush until I got my own starry night. I trimmed the panel to 5.5" x 2.25" and adhered it to an A2 card. I stamped the sentiment, from the same stamp set with Versafine Onyx Black ink.

We'd love for you to join us.

Thanks for stopping by

sue

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Addicted to CAS - Challenge # 181

It's time for a new challenge at Addicted to CAS

Isn't this a great code word? Texture could mean ribbon, baker's twine, embossing folder. However, my ideas had to keep to a Clean and Simple card. Here's my card

Now, perhaps, I didn't leave enough white space for the clean and simple purists. In my defense, at least there is some white space! For this card, I started with DCWV cardstock because their cardstock has a white core. I used Darice's Bamboo embossing folder and then using sandpaper, I sanded down some of the high areas, exposing the white core. For the cute panda, I used Your Next Stamps' Jungle Critters stamp set. I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and added colour to the bamboo with Copics E21, YG63. I fussy cut the panda. The sentiment from the same stamp set was stamped on a scrap of olive green cardstock. The panda is popped up with dimensionals.

We'd love to see how you interpret "texture" onto your card.

Thanks for stopping by

sue

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Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge # 361

How are you all doing? Surviving? I find I need to get outside, at least for an hour a day to go for a walk - by myself (practicing social distancing)! It feels good to be out in nature.

It's time for a new challenge at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge

Here's my card

I feel like the sentiment is a good one for out battle against Covid19, except that our pools are all closed! Maybe it's the feeling about not giving up that is important. If we all do our part .... hopefully, one day, our lives will be back to "normal". 

For my card, I used the fun fish from The Alley Way's Sea Mates and Castaways stamp sets which I stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured with Copic markers Y06, Y38, E41, E93, B12, V12, R32, R35, YR16. I fussy cut the fish out. I have a really cool stencil for waves but think I could find it - no sir-ree! So, I made the "ocean" with distress inks (peacock feathers, salty ocean, mermaid lagoon) applied with an ink blending tool. The sentiment is from Simon Say STAMP's Best Fishes stamp set. I found some dark blue patterned paper for the horizontal stripes.

We'd love to see how you're inspired by this week's sketch.

Thanks for stopping by

sue

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STAMPlorations Stencil Sunday ~ March 22, 2020

How are you all doing? As an introvert, social distancing is pretty easy for me. Although, I don't have kids to look after nor parents to worry about. Life certainly is different!

Have you been enjoying the Stencil Sunday posts at STAMPlorations? This is my last post for STAMPlorations Stencil Sunday, for now.

Here's my first card

I started with STAMPlorations ARTplorations Evolution stencil. Isn't it a great stencil - I love how "organic" the shapes and curves are. I inked up an A2 panel with distress ink (mustard seed, spiced marmalade, picked raspberry, salty ocean, twisted citron) using an ink blending tool and my Wendy Vecchi Make Art STAY-tion. 

Once the panel was completed, I wasn't sure what to do for a sentiment. I decided to use the same distress inks and ink up a scrap of white cardstock approximately 3" x 3". I then die cut the sentiment using STAMPlorations CUTplorations Make A Wish Phrase die. I felt that the die cut "got lost" on the beautiful background. I die cut two more "Make A Wish" from black cardstock and slightly offset them, creating a shadow effect of the original "Make a Wish". The shadow helped to set the sentiment apart from the background. 

Here's my second card

I started this card by inking STAMPlorations ARTplorations Fall Floral Trio stencil with distress inks (mustard seed, spiced marmalade, picked raspberry) on an A2 white card panel. I fussy cut one of the blooms and adhered it to a dark pick card base. I was a bit puzzled with what to do for the sentiment. I decided to use STAMPlorations ARTplorations Crisscrossed stencil and mustard seed distress ink on a scrap of yellow cardstock. I die cut the sentiment from this inked up yellow scrap using STAMPlorations CUTplorations Thinkg of You Phrase die.

I felt that the stenciling prior to die cutting made the sentiment just a bit more interesting. 

STAMPlorations is offering a $15 gift code to a randomly selected person who comments on the STAMPlorations blog or one of the March Stencil Sunday designers' (I'm one!) blog.

Thanks for stopping by

sue

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Addicted to Stamps and More! Challenge #381

It's time for a new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More!

This week, I totally knew what I was going to do. I stepped outside my "clean and simple" box and tried something different. A while back, a friend was getting rid of some music books. I asked if I could have a couple because I wondered if I could use the music as a background for some cards. What do you think?

I cut a piece of music slightly larger than A2 size and carefully tore all four edges. I then "antiqued" the paper using distress inks (tea dye and antique linen) applied with an ink blending tool. I adhered the music sheet to an A2 natural card base. I stamped the sentiment on a scrap strip of natural cardstock using the stamp from CASual Fridays Love Notes stamp set. For a pop of colour, I stamped the eighth note from the same stamp set with Hero Arts Pale Tomato ink and then fussy cut it (because I don't know where I put the die!).

What will you create - anything goes!

Thanks for stopping by

sue

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STAMPlorations CAS ~ March challenge - reminder post

It's mid-month so it's time for a reminder post. A reminder of our current challenge at STAMPlorations CAS

Here's my card

For this card, I started with the background. With a water brush, I added some distress ink (salty ocean, tumbled glass) onto the center of an A2 piece of 96 lb bristol. I added some flicked distress ink (faded jeans, salty ocean) by scribbling ink using distress markers onto an acrylic block, spritzing with water and then flicking the ink off the acrylic block with a paint brush. For the dragonfly, I inked up a scrap piece of white cardstock with distress ink (salty ocean, faded jeans, tumbled glass) applied with an ink blending tool. I then die cut the solid part of the dragonfly from this inked scrap and the outline from a scrap of silver cardstock using STAMPlorations CUTplorations Dragonfly Layering Dies. For the sentiment, I used a STAMPlorations clear sticker from the New Day pack.

We'd love for you to join us. There is still time.

Thanks for stopping by
sue

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Perfectly CAS ~ March Challenge

It's time for a new challenge at Perfectly CAS. Our challenge is

Here's my card

I started with scraps of 96 lb bristol and using my Artist's Loft (inexpensive) watercolor paints, I painted "blobs" of colour, blending a couple of colours per "blob". I then used Simons Says STAMP's Diamond Parade die to die cut the diamond shapes from the "blobs" of colour and also the outline from dark gray cardstock. I assembled everything and adhered it to an A2 light gray card panel. The sentiment is stamped using Hero Arts Soft Granite ink and Lawn Fawn's Starry Backdrops stamp set. 

We'd love for you to join us. Don't forget, we're only looking for designs that cover 1/3 or less of the card front.

Thanks for stopping by

sue

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Addicted to CAS ~ Challenge # 180

It was my turn to choose the code word at Addicted to CAS. This is what I chose ...

When I chose the word, I felt that there were so many ways that "circle" could be used to make a card - maybe a circle card, using a circle mask, die cut circles, stamped circles. This is what I created

I decided on a card with bokeh. Bokeh is "the way the lens (camera) renders out-of-focus points of light". I made this one-layer card and masked off an 1.25" horizontal area with post-it tape and added colour with distress inks (cracked pistachio, faded jeans, dusty concord) with an ink blending tool. I then used circle punches (0.75", 1", 1.25") to punch out circles from 3" x 3" post-it notes to use as masks. I added Color Box Frost White pigment ink with an ink dauber to mimic bokeh. 

For the sentiment, I used Paper Smooches' Salutation stamp set.

How will you be inspired by our code word "circle"?

Thanks for stopping by

sue

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Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #359

It's a new week and time for a new sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge. Here it is

Here's my card

I started by picking out a striped piece of patterned paper and I trimmed it to an A2 card size. Instead of two hearts, I chose a two bloom die cut using Memory Box's Gloriosa Vine. The sentiment stamped onto a scrap piece of cardstock, is from Ink Blot Shop's Botanical Borders stamp set. I popped the sentiment strip up with dimensionals. To complete the card, I trimmed the patterned paper slightly and adhered it to a natural A2 card base.

How will you be inspired by this week's sketch?

Thanks for stopping by

sue

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STAMPlorations Stencil Sunday ~ March 8, 2020

Welcome! It's time for my first post for STAMPlorations Stencil Sunday for the month of March. 

Here's my first card

I started with STAMPlorations ARTplorations  Dots 'N Beans stencil and distress inks (cracked pistachio, faded jeans, dusty concord), applied with an ink blending tool. To keep the diagonal lines of colour separate, I used some scrap paper as a mask.

For the sentiment, I used STAMPlorations Imagine stamp set and Hero Arts inks (passion flower and tide pool). I matted the main panel and sentiment panel with blue cardstock. I popped the sentiment panel up with dimensionals to complete the card.

Here's my second card for today

For this card, I started by inking up a white A2 panel with distress inks (salty ocean, faded jeans, chipped sapphire) applied with an ink blending tool. In retrospect, I probably should have started with blue cardstock and added the blue distress inks to it. I then grabbed my STAMPlorations ARTplorations Stars Align stencil and spritzed water onto it. I spritzed a few times and then applied the wet surface to the inked panel. Then, I patted the stencil down to ensure good coverage. I waited a minute or two, to let the water "lift" the ink and then gently removed the stencil. I dabbed up the extra water with some paper towel. I didn't "like" the first attempt, so I re-spritzed the stencil and repeated the process and second time. I was much happier this time. Here's a close-up.

Since I used regular cardstock, I was careful not to spritz too much water onto the stencil. Perhaps, starting with 96 lb bristol or watercolour paper would be a good alternative.

For the sentiment, I chose a clear sticker from STAMPlorations Shine Bright collection of clear stickers, adhered to a scrap of blue cardstock, trimmed to a fishtail banner and popped up with dimensionals.

STAMPlorations is offering a $15 gift code to a randomly selected person who comments on the STAMPlorations blog or one of the March Stencil Sunday designers' (I'm one!) blog.

Thanks for stopping by
sue

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Addicted to Stamps and More! Challenge #379

It's time for a new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More!. This week's challenge is

Here's my card

For this one layer card, I stamped the image from the Ink Blot Shop's Botanical Border stamp set with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto an A2 white card base. I added colour with Copic markers Y06, Y15, Y17, Y38, G07, G85, YG 06, YG06, YG63, YG67. I chose "citrus-y" colours. The sentiment is from the same stamp set. 

Thanks for stopping by

sue

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STAMPlorations CAS ~ March Challenge

Welcome back! We took a short break to help us catch our breath after a busy holiday season. We have a new CAS challenge for you 

Here's my card

I started by inking up one side of a 2.75" acrylic circle block with distress markers (chipped sapphire, faded jeans, salty ocean, broken china, tumbled glass). I lightly spritzed the acrylic block and applied it to an A2 panel of 96 lb bristol. I repeated the process a few times, to get "good" coverage. When dry, I stamped the birds from STAMPlorations Trendy Birds 2 stamp set. The sentiment is from the same stamp set. There you have it, a clean and simple card with a bit of light blue.

Thanks for stopping by
sue

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