Happy Bday

This week's sketch at Card Patterns (#149) called for a circle card.  I had to make a birthday card for my sister-in-law, and a circle card just seemed kind of small (based on the nesties I own), so I used the sketch and put it on a square card (like one of the DT did).

My SIL enjoys gardening, so I did a gardening theme. The wide variety of different stylized flowers on this card really strikes me as sort of funny, but I think the common colors make them all work together OK.

The stamp is from a very old SU set, and it's fun to give it new life occasionally.  Image is colored with pencils, and Colorbox Ice Blue ink is sponged around the edges.  The panel is sewn onto the card. The Nestie circles feature Cosmo Cricket paper, flower embellies are from a yard sale bargain box, and the super wide ribbon is from Offray. 

Poof, it's spring

It's completely a coincidence that the last post was a  winter scene and this one is a spring scene. Well, maybe it's wishful thinking. Once Christmas is over, I'm ready for spring.

This card was designed for the current Card Positioning System sketch (CPS251) -- it's been fun to see how different stampers have created the half-circles on either side of the main image panel.  I used dimensional paint to make my little dotted flourish.

The card is pretty self-explanatory, so here are the details:
Stamps -- Posh Impressions and Purple Onion Designs
Ink -- Colorbox Chestnut Roan
Accessories -- border punch, Flower Soft  (Sweet Pea is the color) and Tulip Beads in a Bottle (metallic gold).

Cleaner technique

      That's cleaner as in "I used a cleaning product" on it, not that it has less dirt than the average technique.
      The card began its life several weeks ago, when I tried to do a Virtual Stamp Night challenge to use the salted background technique (apply reinker to glossy cardstock, spritz with water and sprinkle on salt). I wasn't pleased with the results, so I washed off the salt and spritzed the inked background with spray Lysol cleaner, which creates a wonderful splatter background. I've only tried a few cleaners on this technique, but I don't think any particular brand is needed. It's probably some basic ingredient in spray cleaners that works its magic this way. If you have some other brand, try it and let us know if it works!
      The resulting design on the paper reminded me of a snowy night, hence this card.  I stamped the tree, then used a white gel pen to add the accumulated snow in the branch joints.  The sentiment features a TJ tecnhique called spirelli -- I found embroidery floss that matched the purple paper and used two strands to get what looked like the perfect weight for that technique.

      The layout here is the sketch that is current challenge at Victorine Originals (VO25).

The details: Trees by Posh Impressions; Sentiment by Hobby Lobby. White gel pen, embroidery floss, Oval and scalloped oval nesties.

What's Christmas Without Glitter?

     I'm not much of a glitter girl, but one of the VSN challenges this weekend was to do a panel covered in glitter. I decided to make my panel angels in a glittery sky.
     The card is based on the current Card Positioning System sketch (CPS248), which called for three stacked elements, so I just stacked the angels (unknown maker).  They are colored with pencils.  I used a thin two-sided adhesive film for Thermoweb to cover the panel, then added a light blue glitter. That panel is matted on navy paper, and the sentiment (from Serendipity) is in Night of Navy ink. Clean and Simple, it's as easy as that.
      I'm also entering this to the current Victorine Originals Challenge (VO23) to make a Christmas card.

Winter fun

     I got this cute penguin stamp during Impression-Obsession's annual Thanksgiving sale, and I'm so happy to have an excuse to use him. Cute images like this are "almost" enough to convince me that winter is fun (but I live in the South, where ice is serious and can shut the town down for days, so it's not "completely" enough to convince me).
     I also love this sketch from Card Patterns (sketch 145).  It went together so quickly I was amazed, and I really like that element I used blue vellum on -- it really gives the card an extra bit of pizzazz.  This card is also for the current challenge at There's Magic in the Air -- "winter fun with bling" (bling in this case being glitter).
     Image is stamped in Memento black and colored with pencils and OMS.  It's matted on a scalloped circle.  White layer has a punched edge and is also embossed with the Swiss Dot folder.  Blue vellum was punched with same edge punch.  Ribbon is actually sewn in place -- I sewed the button on the card with embroidery floss.
      What sort of winter fun do you enjoy?

Reindeer Games

     I was super surpised to see my name listed as winner of last week's Card Positioning System Challenge (yay for random selection).  A big thanks to CPS and Stamping Bella, the sponsor for last week. 
     On to this week's challenge at CPS (CPS 247).  I'm loving all these sketches that allow me to use up the little scraps of Christmas dp I have stashed in a folder.  This one is pretty self explanatory.  The reindeer is in glittery gold embossing powder because, like everyone else, I dig out the metallic EP for Christmas cards.  That gold cording is a recurring theme in my holiday cards, as well, it seems.
      Reindeer is from A Muse stamps.  It is cut out and matted on metallic gold circle, embossed with the nestie.  The little tickets are from Paper Cupcakes Christmas tickets set -- the bottom one shows Santa wih his sleigh and reindeer -- and are tied onto the cording with a small bit of cording (I punched tiny holes in the tickets first).  The scrap of striped paper has been corner-puched to add a little interest up there.
     Ultimately, it's really a CAS card, but I think it's quite festive.

Silver and Gold...

     I just can't believe it's only a little over two weeks until Christmas. I haven't bought a single gift. In fact, I have no idea what to buy. And the tree is up but not completely decorated yet. I really need to get moving on this.
     I was inspired to make a Christmas-themed card, at least. This is based on the current sketch at Card Patterns (#144). I'm quite pleased with how this came out and how the dark shades of red and green work with the metallic elements.  I used up my last scrap of that "merry Christmas" paper for this and it was the basis for the color choices.
     The Christmas tree (Impression-Obsession) is silver-embossed on dark green and has an "out of the box" cut with the star on top. It's matted on a metallic silver scalloped oval. I wrapped gold metallic cording around the printed paper and tied it with a silver bow in a thicker cording. (The silver and gold trim  make this eligible for the current Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge, RRR 37; silver and gold ribbon/trim.) And everything is on a maroon base.