Embossed Tree

In keeping with my promise to post more cards, here is a really quick one I came up with the other day.  As usual, it isn't exactly what I visualized, but I think I like this better than my original thought anyway.  I love it when that happens.

Very simple, but simply elegant!

My original vision had an embossed frame all the way around the tree panel.  Once I trimmed the panel down, the tree was no longer in the center.  So I just embossed one edge and echoed it on the card base.  I rather enjoy the asymmetry of it!

I used a ruler and my Versamark pen to ink the edges for embossing.  That way, you can make the stripe as wide or narrow as you would like.

If you look closely, you can notice tiny little bubble holes left in the embossing powder.  I won't be sending this card to anyone because of them, but I have never had that happen before.  I know EP can bubble if you overheat it, but mine barely got melted before it was bubbling up.  I have had this EP forever, so maybe it is just past its prime.  Have you ever had embossing powder go bad?  Do tell.

More cards to come as soon as I get them made - I've been busy playing with my new sewing machine!

K

Catching Up on Challenges

I really missed participating in some of the challenges out there, so I got caught up with some of them today.

My first card is for this week's CAS107 challenge to create your own background.  I sponged mine, and used a stamp out of my new stamp basket.  Woohoo!

I tried spritzing the background with water to get a watercolor effect, but it didn't work and just ended up warping my card.  It isn't bad now that it has completely dried.  Maybe I needed more ink to get the effect I was after.  ??

I off-set the sentiment to the left to balance the image placement on the right.

Supplies:
Stamps - Hero Arts Leaf  Cluster and sentiment
Paper - GKD PL white
Ink - various Memento dew drops for sponging and the image
Accessories - Nestabilities circle (to make mask for sponging), sponge, SAMJ

Next is a card for the Less is More week 3 theme challenge where the theme is spring.  Spring makes me think of planting pots of flowers, so that's what I made on my card.

Last year, I bought all new planters for our patio, and they were all blue.  I love how the blue makes the flowers seem so much brighter, so I colored my flower pot blue.

Supplies:
Stamps - Blooming with Love
Paper - GKD PL white
Ink - Memento tuxedo black
Accessories - Copic markers, Star Dust Stickles for flower centers

And my last challenge card for now, this time for OLW42 hosted by Jennifer Styles.  The theme is music.

Another (lame) attempt at a collage card, but I guess it's ok.  My practice scraps were much worse!  I off-
stamped the gray once so it wasn't so dark.

Supplies:
Stamps - Extreme Elements, Extreme Guitar, Hampton Art sentiment
Paper - GKD PL white
Ink - Memento Rhubarb Stalk, Paris Dusk, London Fog

I'm glad there are so many challenges to choose from.  They help keep my mojo flowing!

K

Back to Stamping!

Yea!  I was finally able to break the seal into my craft cave and stamp a few things.  Our basement is finished as far as the construction, now I just need to paint and lay the flooring.  I still haven't decided on what color I am going to paint the walls, and since I threw my back out reaching around a corner to turn a light off (of all things!), it may be a few days before I paint anyway.  Any excuse I can use to be able to stamp is good enough for me!

I have never really been a huge fan of negative image stamps, but seeing some samples of them recently got my creativity flowing.  And I just had to use my Archiver's 30% off coupon for something!

This image was embossed on black cardstock, then colored with chalks.  (Something I haven't used in forever.)  Once the image was colored and cut out, I very gently went over the embossing with my heat tool again to remove any traces of chalk.  Just be careful not to burn the embossing.  Don't ask me how I know, I'll tell you anyway - I had to do it all over again.

*sigh*

Lesson learned.

Supplies:
Stamps - Hero Arts Poppy Background
Paper - Basic Black, Regal Rose, Rose Red
Ink - Versamark
Accessories - clear EP, heat tool, chalks, cotton swabs, ribbon, cobochons, dimensionals

This image was embossed with white on white cardstock and colored with Copics.  It was easy to remove any stray ink with my Copic blender pen.  I was amazed at what a difference this little step made.

Supplies:
Stamps - Hero Arts Large Blossom
Paper - Rose Red, Regal Rose, GKD PL white
Ink - Versamark
Accessories - white EP, heat tool, Copic markers, ribbon, half pearls, dimensionals


Then I decided to play.  The following images haven't been made into cards yet, but I can color them or leave them like they are, use them as the main image, or as a background.

I brayered the ink on white cardstock and stamped with Memento black.  I think this would look even better if it were embossed.

Pink embossing powder on black and white cardstocks.

Yellow embossing powder on black and white cardstocks.

Purple embossing powder on white cardstock.

I have strayed into a different style of stamp, and I really like all the possibilities there are with these images.  I like it even more that I went out of my creative comfort zone and liked the results.

What have you done lately that was out of your comfort zone?

K

Just Sitting Here

I made this card a while back, and forgot that I hadn't posted it.

Instead of paper piecing the chair, I stamped it onto colored cardstock, then colored right over it with brown and green markers.  I still had to cut the whole chair out, but that seemed easier than cutting out all those little pieces.  This is a great alternative to paper piecing if the other colors you are using will look ok on the colored cardstock.

I sponged brown ink around the edges of the card, but can't remember what flavor it was.  Oops!

Supplies:
Stamps - Hero Arts Wish You Were Here
Paper - Baja Breeze, GKD PL ivory
Ink - Wild Wasabi,  Memento rich cocoa, ? brown for distressing
Accessories - Copic markers, green rhinestones, sponge

Hope you have a great weekend!

K

Less is More Challenge

This is my second post for today.  Please scroll down for my first post.

When I was posting my OLW card to Jennifer's blog, I came across her post about a new CAS challenge blog, Less is More.  I love challenges, so thought I'd check it out.  Chrissie and Mandi will post a new CAS challenge every Saturday.  Sounds like fun to me!

Their first challenge is to use black, white, and pink on a CAS card.  I have made a few cards with the set I used for this challenge, but haven't posted them yet.  I am working on different looks using the same stamp, so I came up with yet another look, and used that for my card today.  I will post all of the cards I came up with in the near future.

I just got the typewriter alphabet stamps on sale at Hobby Lobby yesterday, and they worked perfect on this card.  I omitted the "hello" on the sentiment stamp so I could stamp it below the typewriter with my new stamps.  The ellipsis was made with a marker.  I cut a slit in the typewriter so I could slip the white paper into it.  The top of the paper is popped up on dimensionals.

Supplies:
Stamps - Hero Arts My Type, EK Success Antique Typewriter Upper and Lower Alphabet sets
Paper - Pretty in Pink, GKD PL white
Ink - Memento tuxedo black
Accessories - craft knife, dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!

Now I must really get going on the basement.  Hubby is giving me looks because I still haven't packed anything today.

But I have to eat lunch first!

K

OLW 3 Things

Susan's challenge this week was to use an image, a border stamp, and bling on your one layer card.  And you could not use a sentiment. 

One of my new Hero Arts sets was begging to be inked, and since I need to clear out my new basket to make room for more new stamps, it got its wish.  I love to sew (except on cards - haven't mastered that one yet), and I loved this set.  I know it will see lots of ink.

I'm not sure why I chose these bright colors.  Maybe because it was gray and snowing outside.  I stamped the border stamps twice to frame the image, then added bling in the form of nail heads.  Quick and easy.  That's my kind of card!

Supplies:
Stamps - Hero Arts Sew Artsy
Paper - GKD PL white
Ink - Memento
Accessories - nail heads

K

A Productive Day

Don't stop me now, I'm on a roll!  I had a very productive day in my craft cave today.  Ideas were pouring out of me, and the best part was I was able to execute them.  Not execute as in mortally wound, but execute as in carry out.

Just thought I'd clarify.  You know how (non)productive I've been lately.

Today's cards came from a Hero Arts set I bought on clearance a couple weeks ago.  It has been sitting in my new stamp basket waiting for inspiration to strike.  And strike it did.

The stapler is embossed which makes it look really cool IRL.  Not sure if I like the staples all lined up like they are.  Maybe random stapling would have looked better??  The black panel is up on dimensionals.

For this one, I hand wrote the hello with a pencil, then stamped the pencil so the lead was lined up with the end of the "o".  I masked the pencil and stamped the paper, roughly lining the lines up with the angle of the sentiment.  I used Baja Breeze ink stamped off once for the paper, Memento London Fog for Just a Note, and colored the pencil with Copics.  I really like this one!

The envelope was stamped onto a mailing envelope and cut out.  I actually stamped it twice and pieced just the flaps to add a little dimension that you can't really tell is there unless you touch it.  Then I sewed SU's linen thread around the closure thingy.  What is that called, anyway?  I used Clear Dollar Stamps Military Sentiments, and popped up the envelope with dimensionals.

This is the card that started it all, and I really love how it turned out.  The paper is stamped with Soft Sky, cut out, and punched with a 1/8" punch.  I made a tiny slit at the top to put the push pin through, and popped up the pin on a tiny piece of a dimensional.  The paper is adhered only at the top edge, and I curled the corners to make it look like it was really hanging by a pin.  I applied Glossy Accents to the push pin after everything was assembled.  The kraft card base makes it look like the note is on a cork board.

One thing I love about this set is that you can hand write whatever you want for a note or a sentiment on the paper image.  I think that makes it look more personalized, and the options are infinite.

A couple tips:
*Baja Breeze stamped off once looks just like Soft Sky
.
*If you are using a dimensional on a colored card base for a very small layer, color the edges of the dimensional with the same color marker as the card base, and you won't be able to see the white dimensional under the layer!

Now I can store this set with my other "used" sets.  Woohoo!

Hope you're having a great day!

K