Embossed flowers

This is a quick and easy card I made using the current Feeling Sketchy sketch #72.

The flowers (Stampin Up) are black embossed, with  gel dots at the centers. A bow of dotted ribbon is set where the two flowers cross. The flower panel is mounted on a piece of printed vellum cut with scalloped edges. The sentiment (Hero Arts) is popped up for a little dimension,  and I used a matching red dot to tie it in with the flower panel.

I'm entering this in these challenges:

Feeling Sketch #72
Challenges 4 Everybody #32, Anything Goes
Word Art Wednesday #102, Anything Goes

Blue Santa

This card went through a tremendous amount of changes from idea to completion. I changed sketches, backgrounds and sentiments. But I'm pretty happy with it.  I like doing Father Christmas in something beyond the typical red. Why not blue, it's my favorite color.


The details:
Santa (an old Hobby Lobby stamp) is colored in pencils, and Creamy Caramel is sponged around the edges of the oval.
Both blue and brown layers are embossed with a music score folder. I sanded the blue embossed piece of Coredinations paper to better reveal the design.
The awesome crocheted lace is a yard sale find.
Believe stamp is stamped in Night of Navy, sponged with caramel ink and layered on an offset bit of blue paper.  There is also caramel ink sponged around the edges.

The sketch for this is the 365 Card's weekly sketch (day 293, if you are keeping up. Gosh, less than 70 days left this year). 
This card is also for these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge -- Christmas
CRAFT Challenge 229 -- Christmas
Word Art Wednesday 102-- Anything Goes

Nautical story

This card might be a little more abstract than is typical for me, and it has kind of a long story.  It started on Saturday when I got this really large (about 4 by 5 inch) stamp of a nautilus shell at a craft consignment sale.  I think it's from StampZia, a company that's probably no longer around. (At least I haven't seen Zia at the stamp shows in a few years).

I was trying this stamp with a technique I'd seen in the latest Technique Junkies Newsletter called reverse background.  The stamp turned out not to be good for the technique -- you need something busier -- but I really liked how it looked embossed in white with a color wash over it. So I was really happy to see Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge is to create something with a nautical theme. Yippee, an excuse to use my new stamp.

I used Sketch Saturday #280 for the layout.

The large stamp is white embossed on white paper.  I mixed some Creamy Caramel ink with a little water and applied with a watercolor brush.  I then white embossed some smaller shell stamps (Impression

Obsession and Sunday International) and cut them out.  Some are applied with pop dots, so the card has some good dimension on it.

Not my typical card, but it's good to change things up every once in a while, right?

I'm also entering in Word Art Wednesday  #102, anything goes.

Double yard sale inspired

We're having a yard sale this weekend, clearing out an accumulation of items we don't use anymore. And yes, that includes some craft supplies (not many, but there are some things I know I'll never use).  While going through a box of craft items, I came across a flocked flower embellishment that I got at a yard or consignment sale awhile ago.  There were several in the package, actually, but the orangish-brown one with the polka-dot center really attracted my eye. I knew right away I had to design a card around it.

I decided a giraffe would work with the coloring of the flower, and that led to this card.  The giraffe is an old Rubber Stampede image, stamped in Chestnut Roan ink and colored with pencils.  I pierced in opposite corners, and matted the image on coordinating card stock. The other papers are from the scrap file. The sketch is Feeling Sketchy #71, along with their bonus option to do a monochromatic card.

I'm entering the card in these challenges:

Feeling Sketchy #71, sketch and monochromatic
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, Going Dotty (dots on flower and pierced dots)
CRAFT Challenge #227, animals
Papertake Challenge, Anything Goes
Word Art Wednesday, Anything Goes
Loves Rubberstamps Challenge #72, Anything Goes

Quickie Card

This little masking and sponging technique was featured in the Technique Junkies Newsletter about a year ago. It's such an easy way to work color into a clean and simple card.

Colors used were SU Creamy Caramel, Summer Sun and Cameo Coral.  The images were stamped in Memento Black.

Images are from Impression-Obsession.  Sentiment from Mark's Finest Papers.

I'm entering the card in these challenges:
CASology #64, Harvest
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, Say it With Stamps
Papertake Challenge, Anything Goes
Loves Rubber #72, Antything Goes
Word Art Wednesday #100, Anything Goes

More fun with flocking

I bought some flocking several years ago but never pulled it out of my stash until a few days ago. I love how it feels, and I had to use it again.  I think it looks great in the center of a sunflower, so this image is perfect for flocking.  I used double-sided tape to hold it this time; the first time I used dimensional glue, which held well but doesn't look as good.

The current CRAFT challenge is to be inspired by a book.  This image reminds me of the scene in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban where the kids are hiding in the Hagrid's pumpkin patch. (Actually it looks more like the movie version of that scene, because there were crows all over the place in the film version.)

Image: Mark's Finest Paper
Paper: DCWV
Accessories: Colored pencils and flocking

Sketch:  Papertake Challenge #83

I'm entering this in card in these challenges:

Papertake Challenge #83: Sketch
CRAFT #226: inspired by a book
Simply Create Too #47: Autumn
Word Art Wednesday #99: Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Celebrating fall

Back with another fall card, just because I love fall.  For the center image on this card, I colored the stamp with a variety of fall-colored markers, right on the stamp, lightly spritzed and stamped it on watercolor paper. If you apply a fair amount of water, you get a really soft, watercolored look. I barely got this stamp wet, and since the lines are so fine anyway, I got just a slight mingling of the colors and a slight broadening of the outline. 

The sketch is Freshly Made Sketch #105.

The image stamp is by Stampcraft. Sentiment is from Mark's Finest Paper, stamped in either Creamy Caramel or Sepia (had both on my desk, and I'm not sure which one I used). The paper is Paprika from The Paper Company. It sounds kind of silly, but it's by far my favorite shade of orange.

I'm entering the card in these challenges:

Freshly Made Sketches, sketch #105
Loves Rubberstamps Challenges #71, Fall colors
CASology #63, Autumn
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenges, Anything Goes
Word Art Wednesday #99, Anything goes