Birthday Wishes by Donna Sledzik

Good Morning everyone!  Today I have a bright and colorful card for you.  One thing about sheltering in place is it gives you a chance to work with art supplies you haven't had a chance to.  I've had these Zig Clean Color Brush Markers for awhile and haven't used them much.  This was a perfect time to pull them out and play.

I used waterproof black ink and stamped my flowers on a piece of watercolor paper.  I did use a heat tool to set the ink so that it wouldn't bleed when I added the marker.  I really loved how the color went on and blended.  Once I was done with the painting, I die cut the flowers.

Next I prepared a background to adhere my flowers to.  I used a stencil, and sponged Peeled Paint Distress Oxide ink over the stencil.  I sponged the left side of my card with a little more color, spritzed it with plain water and then spattered the background with black ink. Once this was dry, I glued my flowers to the background.  

On a strip of black cardstock I stamped and white heat embossed the words "Happy Birthday" and used foam tape to adhere it to my card front.

I glued my card front to a black cardstock mat and used foam tape to adhere it to a white card base.

To finish the card I added some Black Nuvo drops.  It was so much fun coloring these flowers!

Thanks for stopping by today!

 

 

Supplies

 

WP101 Watercolor Paper

CL5258-D Wild Rose Stem clear stamp and die set

CL5256 Cherry Blossom Wreath clear stamp and die set

88616 Fractal Diamond Stencil

Yellow Copic Sunflowers by Laura Fulcher

Greetings friends.  So many of us are at home right now, and I think it is important to find creative outlets to keep our sanity, and it is just as important to stay connected with friends and family.

Last week, a friend of mine suggested a yellow card challenge since the color is so happy and we could all use a little more joy in our lives.  For my card, I decided to use the new Memory Box sunflower wreath stamp. 

I didn't want the coloring to all be the same shade of yellow, so I used a variety of yellow markers as well as a few yellow/green Copic markers.  I wanted my leaves to be green, but I tried to make them as yellow as possible.

Here is a picture of the base layer of Copic markers:

These are the Copic markers I chose:

Lighter yellow flowers- Y04, Y08

Darker yellow flowers- Y15, Y17

Leaves- YG00, YG03

Center of the flowers- Y32, Y28, Y04

I then decided the flowers needed a bit more yellow detail, so I added some yellow Prismacolor pencil to the top of the Copic marker:

I added some yellow pencil to the outside of the petals as well as touches of white color pencil here and there for highlights.

To finish the card, I added more pale yellow Copic markers around the wreath (Y0000, Y00) to give it a bit more of a glow and then added some Squeezed Lemonade Distress Ink around the edges of the card.

Stay safe everyone.  Try to add some creativity to your days and be sure to stay connected with people that mean the most to you.

 

 

Supplies

 

CL5253 Sunflower Wreath clear stamp set

CL5254 Big and Little Spring clear stamp set

Sunflower Greetings by Laura Fulcher

Greetings friends.  Have you tried the Memory Box 3-D embossing folders yet?  They really give you a lot of detail and the image is deeply etched on the paper.  Here is a close up of the embossing folder details without ink:

And with ink.....

To run a 3-D folder through a Big Shot, you are going to open the base plate to Tab 1 and then run the folder through with one of the clear plates on top (instead of the usually two).  Important!  For a crisp image, spritz you paper lightly with water before running the folder through the machine.

To make my colorful sunflower, I ran white cardstock through my Big Shot with my sunflower embossing folder.  Next, I airbrushed the flower with Copic markers using my airbrush machine.  You could also use water-based markers with a hand-pumped airbrush pump or sponge color on top with an sponge blender and ink.  I recommend Distress Ink or Distress Oxide ink.  It is important to use a VERY light hand when applying the ink with a sponge.  Take the time to gradually blend the ink up to be the color you want.

To finish the card, I added my sentiment as well as some glitter paper for extra pizazz and some pretty Spring patterned paper.

I have to admit, when I ran the paper through the machine with my white cardstock, I really liked the image as-is.  I kept telling myself that I couldn't just emboss some paper and then stick it onto a card, but the thing is, I really like the look of the plain floral card.  It is a 5 minute card.  Emboss, glue, done.  I made a greeting card, but it would make a great quick thank you card or thinking of you card.  I couldn't resist adding a bit more of the glitter paper though.  I am addicted to the stuff:

I wish you all health during these trying times.  Be safe everyone.

 

 

Supplies

 

EF1008 Magnificent Sunflower

CL5253 Sunflower Wreath clear stamp set

CL5256 Cherry Blossom Wreath clear stamp and die set

PP1006 Springtime Bouquet 6x6 pack

GP1003 Twinkling Jewel Glitter Pad

Shadow Stencilling by Trina Pham

Happy weekend everyone.  I’m popping in quickly today with an all-occasion masculine card.  I used the Leafy Rows stencil from the 2020 Spring collection and the shadow stencilling technique for my card.

Using a mini blending tool, white pigment ink was applied to the leafy stencil over a piece of Kraft cardstock.  Because it is a pigment ink, I pounced on the ink rather than blending in circles to avoid having the ink seep underneath.  Used a heat tool to dry it.

Next, placed the stencil back over the images, then shifted it slightly up and to the left before inking it with Walnut Stain distress oxide ink.. and voila!

For some shine and still keep it masculine, the B-E-S-T Vintage Varsity letters were die cut from black foil paper while the Wishes Jotted Script sentiment was die cut from gold foil paper.  They were mounted onto a vellum circle.

The gold got a bit lost against the Kraft, so a dark brown shadow was added behind to help it stand out better.

And that’s it from me.  Thank you for visiting.  Stay home and craft on. 

 

Supplies

 

88615 Leafy Rows Stencil

94122 Wishes Jotted Script

94341 Vintage Varsity Alphabet

30087 Circle Basics Set

Using Old Favorites In New Ways by Vicki Finger

Hello everyone!  Vicki here with you today.  I have a new project using some of my "old" favorites from Memory Box and a stamp set from Poppy Stamps as well.  I love being able to use supplies in my "collection" to pull a completely different style of card together.  

You might remember this card from last fall that I created using the Grateful Autumn Stamp Set from Memory Box.  I used Metallic Watercolors on Stonehenge Black Watercolor Paper from Legion (who also makes Yupo Paper).  

Just because it has Autumn in the name doesn't mean it can't be used for any of the other seasons that have leaves on the trees.  Lots of folks north of Texas live in states where it is still snowing this week and they don't even have the first little buds of leaves out on their trees.  Here in North Texas, Our Redbuds are just budding out this week and in a week or so, we'll have lots of small green leaves popping out everywhere.  The Bradford Pears have also begun blooming.  In Texas, we have Live Oak Trees, and they stay green year-round.  There are many such trees in Texas and I remember being fascinated by them when we first moved to Texas in the late 1990's.  Being a midwestern girl, the only kind of evergreen trees I had ever seen were the Cedar and Evergreen varieties that remind you of Christmas Trees.  There is a huge, ancient, Live Oak Tree on the grounds of the Alamo.  Its limbs have grown so heavy that many are now supported by giant cables and many are literally laying on the ground, but still growing.  

Today I wanted to use this same stamp set to create a pretty Wet-On-Wet Watercolor Background with a lot of visual interest.   Using the large image from the set, I heat embossed it onto a 5 x 7 panel of Watercolor Paper.  Next, I wet the entire panel using a #10 Escoda Versatil Paint Brush. These brushes are hand made in Barcelona Spain and have a Triple Crimp Ferrule and they don't shed!

Next, I added Diopside Genuine in a pretty concentrated mix of paint and water.  I sort of dabbed at the area of the leaves but didn't stay within the lines.  I let that dry and then repeated the process with Ultramarine Turquoise, making sure to extend the paint and water to the entire panel, letting it move freely as I turned the paper.  When it was not quite dry, I went in with a watery layer of Iridescent Gold Watercolor on the top and turning the paper, again let it move around the entire panel of watercolor paper.  As this dries, the gold settles into the texture of the paper making it very visible.  

I die cut the panel with a Rectangle Basics Die and then used the leftover piece to heat emboss my sentiment onto. The sentiment is from Poppy Stamps Butterfly Greetings Stamp Set and I love this font!  Using a smaller Rectangle Basics Die I die cut the sentiment out and then used the next size up to cut a mat from Gold Foiled Cardstock. I popped the sentiment up on some foam tape.  I also had an already cut piece of cardstock sitting there that I had previously cut for another project and then didn't use, so it was perfect for this.  

I die cut the Drifting Side Butterfly from the center of that panel, which is a very economical way to use your gold cardstock and although I don't often do it that way, I should!  I don't sit and plan out a card from beginning to end with what I'm going to do.  I'm definitely a "fly by the seat of your pants" cardmaker.  I get an idea of what stamp set I want to use and what technique, but that's as far as the planning goes until I actually sit down to put the card together.  So usually, I'm too far into the process when I think about using the gold foiled cardstock that way. 

I love all the shimmer and shine on this card and that perfect final touch was the sequins and gems I added.  These particular sequins are iridescent teal and they matched so well.  I've had them for years and I don't know where they came from.  I will be really sad when I run out as they are so pretty.  Then as I often do, I added a little gem in the center of the sequin which really makes everything sparkle and shine.  

I did play around with adding colored cardstock or shimmer cardstock for the butterfly's body behind the gold frame, but I didn't care for any of the colors I tried over just using the gold outline, which allowed the watercolor to be seen through the wings. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing my project today and that you might be inspired to see what you can do with a stamp set you may already have.  I have an extended post over on my blog today as I go into some detail about my watercolor palettes that I've made recently.  I'll hope you'll pop over there if your interested in that sort of thing. 

 

 

Supplies

 

99900 Drifting Side Butterfly craft die

30086 Rectangle Basics Set

CL5243 Grateful Autumn clear stamp set

CL481 Butterfly Greetings clear stamp set

Welcome Spring with the Oval Fold Frame, Picket Tall Curve Border and Sunset Blush Wide Washi Tape by Jean Okimoto

Sunset Blush Wide Washi Tape adds instant springtime when you need a quick card.    Diecut Poppystamps' Oval Fold Frame and emboss it with Picket Tall Curve Border to add some quick texture.  Hello, Jean Okimoto here with an easy spring design for you.  I love it when my tools and supplies do all of the work for me!

Cut and score pale pink cardstock twice with the Poppystamps Oval Fold Frame.  Fold the narrow tab back. Crease both frame sections on the other scored line.  

Pressure-emboss the folded panels with the Poppystamps Picket Tall Curver Border.  Attach the embossed pieces to a pale pink cardstock rectangle cut with the 4-¼" x 5-½" Rectangle Basics die.  

Attach Sunset Blush Wide Washi Tape to pale pink cardstock and diecut it using the oval from the Oval Fold Frame set.

Stamp the greeting - from the Big and Little Spring Clear Stamps Set - on a scrap of the pale pink cardstock with Summertime VersaFine Clair.  Quickly heat-emboss it with detail clear powder - VersaFine Clair is a fast-drying ink.  

Looking for a bit of sparkle?  Diecut the bright green glitter cardstock from the Twinkling Jewel Glitter Pad with the Picket Tall Curve Border.  Tiny sparkly green squares!

Need some Easter cards?  Just add some felt bunny diecuts and a new greeting instead - and you're done!  This could be a Mother's Day card too.

The pandemic forced us to cancel the March 28th SPRING THINGS class at Impress - but I'm hoping to sell class kits for the 5 Spring/Easter cards and a treat wrapper.  

Thanks for visiting - be careful, stay safe and make some  spring cards...

 

 

 

 

Supplies

 

2359 Oval Fold Frame

2363 Picket Tall Curve Border

30086 Rectangle Basics Set

WT502 Sunset Blush Wide Washi Tape

GP1003 Twinkling Jewel Glitter Pad

CL5254 Big and Little Spring clear stamp set

Watercolor Birthday Rose by Michelle Bala

                               

          Hello there! Michelle here, trying my hand with some watercoloring. I cheated a bit and used distress inks and water to paint this beautiful stamp. First I embossed the Birthday Rose stamp with super fine gold embossing powder onto Memory Box's Watercolor Paper. I colored the floral with distress ink shades peeled paint, seedless preserves, mustard seed, and fired brick. Set aside to dry.

   

                                     I applied a light waterwash of mustard seed ink to the background, using the same watercolor paper. Allow to dry, than adhere to the card base. Die cut the floral bouquet and adhere that over the watercolor base with foam adhesive. I added some white and gold splattered paint. 

                                         

 I embossed the sentiment, from the same stamp set, with the same embossing powder. For a finishing touch I added a few gems.

Thanks for stopping by today!!! 

 

Supplies

 

CL5251-D Birthday Rose Corner clear stamp and die set

WP101 Watercolor Paper

Front Flap Birthday by Trina Pham

Hello everyone.  I need birthday cards and wanted to get some colouring therapy in, so today I have a cheery floral birthday card made with the beautiful Birthday Rose Corner stamp set from the Spring collection.

Jennifer McGuire recently shared some Front Flap cards, and her balloon card inspired mine.  I streamlined the process by starting with a top folding card base created from no bleed through alcohol friendly cardstock.  The image was stamped with alcohol friendly black ink and coloured in with Copic markers and Polychromos pencils.

It was then die cut out with the matching die.

The background is a single A2 size Bristol panel.  Blended light gray dye ink through a Bold Stripes stencil from Birch Press and stamped the sentiment from Poppy Stamps Birthday Blowout with Archival black ink.  

Because the alcohol friendly cardstock I used does not bleed through, it saved me from having to die cut a white piece to cover up the back.
 

 To finish, clear shimmer was added to the roses. 

As you can see, the only part of the card that opens is that small corner piece.  Thank you for spending time with me.  Stay home and craft on!

Supplies

 

CL5251-D Birthday Rose Corner clear stamp and die set

 

42029 Bold Stripes Stencil

CL470 Birthday Blowout clear stamp set

Happy Easter Card with Little Bunny Trio in a Springtime Bouquet Papers Pocket by Anne Thompson

My friend Donna showed me a neat paper folding technique to create a pocket of sorts and I made one to highlight the die cut bunnies for this card.  

I began by choosing double-sided papers from the SPRINGTIME BOUQUET PP1006 6X6 pad.  I used two pieces, a striped one and a floral that coordinated.  I cut the striped paper 4X5.25 and taped that to a white notecard and set it aside.  With the floral piece of paper I cut a 4" square and a 2" square.  I set the 2" square aside.

I took the 4" square and folded it in half, keeping the floral side on the outside, opened it up and folded it in half again to make the four quarters.   

I placed the square flat  with the inside yellow print facing up and folded each of the floral points in to the center.  Then I folded each point back to the outside edge.

I used Scor-Tape to attach this pocket to the front of the notecard.  (I put it down on an angle but you could line it up square for a different look.)

I added the 2" square of the floral paper in the center opening of the pocket.

I die cut the LITTLE BUNNY TRIO 94455 from a scrap of pink glitter paper from the DELICATE PASTEL GLITTER PAD GP1001.  I used foam dots behind the two larger bunnies and a mini Glue Dot behind the smaller one as I added them inside the pocket.

I chose the "Happy Easter" sentiment from the Poppystamps SPRINGTIME FUN CL491 set and stamped it with VersaFine Onyx Black ink in the lower righthand corner of the card directly on the striped paper.

Another look at the finished card...

And because you know I usually make at least two, here's another.

For this card I used two pieces of the same paper from the COTTAGE MEADOW PP1003 6X6 pad--leafy corner on one side and leaves on the other.  I assembled this card in the same manner as the first, but added "Happy Easter" from the Memory Box/Open Studio BIG AND LITTLE SPRING CL5254 clear stamp set.  I think I like this one best because of the papers I chose and my paper folding was a little more precise.

I love these little pockets.  I'm going to try them with squares in other sizes and with other die cuts in the centers.  You could also use dimensional stickers (like butterflies) in the pockets.  They fold pretty flat for mailing but pop up a bit once out of the envelope.  Fun!

Happy Crafting!

 

 

Rustic Tree Collage, Cottage Meadow 6x6 Pack and the Whittle Giraffe by Jean Okimoto

Diecut a Rustic Tree Collage background from a Cottage Meadow 6x6 print for the Poppystamps Whittle Giraffe. These great new floral prints make it easier than ever to create quick cards that look very detailed...but they're not!  Hello, Jean Okimoto here with a little Whittle card designed to make you smile.

Cut the Cottage Meadow orange floral print with the largest Wrapped Stitch Rectangle.  Cut the rectangle with the Rustic Tree Collage - save the big center section.

Cut three Whittle Giraffes from yellow cardstock and attach a scrap of black cardstock behind one of them for his nostrils. Add the other two for dimension.  Color it with a Memento Peanut Brittle marker.  

Stamp the greetings - from the Poppystamps Whittle Love Clear Stamps Set - with Shady Lane VersaFine Clair on the light pink dotted print from the Springtime Bouquet Stripes and Dots set.  Quickly emboss the greetings with detail clear powder.  

Attach the outside greeting with foam dots.  Attach the inside greeting with doublestick tape to keep the card from getting too bulky.

Add Sour Apple Sparkle Glitter Glue to the center of the flowers.

 

Thanks for visiting!

Supplies

 

94452 Rustic Tree Collage

30094 Wrapped Stitch Rectangles

PP1003 Cottage Meadow 6x6 pack

PP1007 Springtime Bouquet Stripes and Dots

CL488

2304 Whittle Giraffe

40121 Sour Apple Sparkle glitter glue