Double D Challenge -- Designer Paper

 

Hello friends!  The Double D challenge that begins today is right up my alley in that Diane is asking to see our designer paper.  You all know about The Vast Hoard in my cabinet, right?  Well, let's get started!  First, the inspiration board:

And a prize for a random winner.  The team votes on creative favorites.  Not an easy task considering all the fabulous entries we have to choose from.

The designer paper I selected from The Vast Hoard is Whimsy Stamps gorgeous Floral Impressions.  I don't know if it's still available.  Mine was a gift maybe 2 or 3 years ago.  I have used it before, but today it's really showing off.  I've made three cards, each 4 1/2" x 6" with large die cut sentiments and coordinating cardstocks.  The sentiments are Simon Says Stamp Thinking of You, and Impression Obsession With Sympathy.

Each card is fully lined in white.  They are part of a gift set for a friend whose primary mode of correspondence is newsy letters, preferably written inside a pretty card.  It's just something she loves to do, and I love to make them.

I made two additional cards with this paper, different prints, equally gorgeous, but sorry I didn't spare the time to photograph them.  The days whoosh by too fast, don't they?  These are representing just fine, I think.

My friend recently sent me one of her newsy letters in which she mentioned she needed more cards.  I'll be happy to oblige.

Head over to Double D to see the team's inspiring cards, and then maybe you'll take a stroll through your designer paper and make something to share.

ETA:  Per invitation I'm adding my card to the Word Power Challenge -- Always about focusing on the sentiment

Have a happy day!

Finally Forever Fern

Hello on a Monday!  I hope you're all well.  Even though my posts have been scant, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.  Our home improvement projects are taking up most of my time, but we're currently on somewhat of a break before everything is turned upside down for the floors.  I'm stamping while I can, and trying to get other things done, as well.  Please bear with me, friends!

I finally sat down to play with my Stampin' Up Forever Fern set.  By the time I bought it I'm sure everyone had had enough of looking at it, but that was a long time ago... it's been in my NBUS basket for quite a while.  It really is the most lovely stamp set and I'm glad I took a turn.  I started out with the Split Four Technique, but after the initial stamping I added more here and there.  I needed to enhance my stash of sympathy cards, so each card has a beautiful old SU sentiment on the front with a nice sympathy message inside.

I'm still using my original SU inks, which are listed in the recipe at the end.  To attain a more saturated ink color I re-stamped two or three times using my old Stamp-A-Ma-Jig for assistance.  The cardstock bases are in matching colors.  All bases were embossed with the SU Subtle embossing folder for texture.

Just a couple of extra pictures...  The gold cord on the card below helps to disguise a stem that was floating in mid-air.  The sentiment on this card may appear black in the picture, but is, in fact, Handsome Hunter.  These old colors still serve a purpose.  I have all the reinkers, too, so I'll be using them until the pads wear out.  In almost 20 years I've had only one pad wear out, and that's because I was abusing it by rubbing it on background stamps.

The next card is the result of dropping a stamp in the middle of the white space, sheesh.  I almost discarded the whole piece, but decided to cover it up instead.  It seemed a bit too busy at first, but it's growing on me.  I quite like it, actually.

So there you have it.  We need to talk about how the current Feedburner email subscription service is going away.  I'm too preoccupied to wrap my head around the issue right now, but I still recommend Feedly for following blogs.  See options in my sidebar.  If there's something I can fix about the emails, I will certainly do that.  July 1st is the deadline.

Lastly, I'm popping my cards over to Darnell's NBUS Challenge #26 (never before used schtuff).  She gets a lot of entries!

Thanks for visiting with me today.  Hugs all around!

Stamps:  SU Forever Fern, SU All Year Cheer (2002)  Paper:  SU Whisper White, Brocade Blue, So Saffron, Soft Sage  Ink:  SU Brocade Blue, So Saffron, Soft Sage, Creamy Caramel, More Mustard, Handsome Hunter  Other:  Gold Cord, SU Subtle embossing folder for card bases, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Twofer Trees

Hello on a Thursday!  Today's play is for the Twofer Card Challenge.  The prompt is "trees" and I have no shortage of tree stamps and dies.  The hard part was choosing which to use.  Ultimately I went with a very old wood block stamp from All Night Media called Tall Pines.

The sympathy card will go into a batch I'm making for a friend.  I stenciled a cloudy sky in Pale Plum and the hillside in Going Gray.  There's a moon nestled in the clouds, but I'm not sure how obvious it is.  After all the ink was applied I smooshed the whole panel with Versamark ink and embossed with ultra-thick embossing powder.

The Christmas card shows the trees stamped just once on black cardstock and embossed in white.  The Memory Box Pine Forest Frame was cut in gold and situated over top.  I brought the sentiment in from the side and dry embossed a border along the bottom of the card.

Two different occasions, two completely different card designs, both using the same tree stamp.  Now I've filled a card need and I used a beloved old stamp from my stash.

Twofer Card Challenge #31 -- Trees

Thanks for taking the time to visit.  I hope you have a beautiful day!

Sympathy Card --  Stamps:  All Night Media Tall Pines, Just Right Sympathy Nested Sentiments  Paper:  SU Whisper White, other black  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Pale Plum, Going Gray, Versamark  Other:  Ranger Queen's Gold embossing powder, gold brads, Heffy Doodle Cloudy Skies stencil, Spellbinders Scored and Pierced Rectangles, Spellbinders Double Ended Tags, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Christmas Card --  Stamps:  SU Many Merry Messages (retired)  Paper:  SU Whisper White, other black, gold mirror  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark  Other:  Cuttlebug Snowflakes embossing folder, white embossing powder, Memory Box Pine Forest Frame

Ranunculus Under Vellum

Hello, friends!  It's been a week or so since I did much of anything in my room and that's only because other projects around home needed attention.  When I think about all the stamps and dies waiting for me...

  😢

Then I saw this post by my friend, Maria.  Seriously, you have to see how many colored or partially colored images she has in her pile.  I have two very small drawers of UFOs (unfinished objects), but only 3 colored images I've been on the fence about.  Well, I was inspired to make some very CAS cards, one of which I'm sharing today.

The UFO is the colored image already die cut with vellum glued over top.  The Thinking of You die cut was also in the drawer.  You know how it is... an idea I was playing with that I wasn't sure I liked enough to turn it into a card.  If only the vellum hadn't been cardstock weight.  Turns out I like it just fine and it's already in the mail.

So now I'm linking to the challenge:

Shopping Our Stash #422 -- UFOs (unfinished objects)

Card details are listed below.  Thank you for visiting.  Have a happy day!

Stamps:  Power Poppy Ranunculus digi set  Paper:  X-Press It for image, wood grain textured cardstock for base, cardstock weight vellum, black  Ink:  Printer  Coloring:  Prismacolor pencils  Dies:  Spellbinders Thinking of You Woodland Scene  Other:  Rhinestones, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

A Rose for Sympathy

While I was taking a little blog break Marcella at Power Poppy came along and gave us a new digital stamp... and when I say "gave" I mean it's FREE to everyone!  It's called Rose -- a simple name for an image of classic elegance.

Marcella created this digital rose in collaboration with Alyce Keegan of Kit and Clowder for one of Alyce's free coloring classes.  This is a big deal for anyone who wants to learn more about coloring.  I checked it out and I'm a little bit stunned by her generosity.  What an opportunity!

For today's rose I used SU Watercolor Wonder crayons (retired), coral over yellow.

I bring these watercolor crayons out to play every now and then.  They're a bit waxy so the colors spread differently than regular paints.  Also, I don't get a lot of saturation.  Nevertheless, I still have them after all these years, and they look so pretty all lined up in their tins.

Needing to replenish my sympathy cards, I chose Power Poppy's Soothing Sympathy clear set for my sentiment.

I'll see you again on Friday.  Wishing you a happy day!

Double D Challenge: Focus on the Sentiment

Welcome back for another Double D Challenge, friends.  We're making the sentiment the star of the show this time.  Darlene has prepared the following inspiration board for us:

FOCUS ON THE SENTIMENT

Your card doesn't have to be black and white, but wouldn't that be easy?  I think it would look pretty great, too.  As it happens, I had the parts already prepared for two of these cards, so I simply put them together.  I used a digital sentiment from the recently out-of-business Sparkle 'n Sprinkle.

Now... there's one thing I have to point out and ask you about:  I added the heart, which I think is a pretty part of the design, but after I saw the photograph I couldn't help but think it looks like a heart with leafy antlers.  Does it look weird to you?  Am I over-thinking this?  I could probably fix it somehow, but I can't decide if it needs to be fixed.

Next photo is the inside of the card with a coordinating digital sentiment.

Be sure and stop over to Double D to see some very nice team samples.  Maybe I'll see you in the gallery.  Hope so!  Have a beautiful day!

Twofer Card Challenge #19: Nautical

It's Twofer Challenge Time again and we're going NAUTICAL!  That's our prompt this time around -- now through the 24th.  Darnell will explain everything about her ideas for this prompt on the Twofer Blog, and the awesome team samples will give you something to think about, as well.

I went with an iconic image of the ocean shore -- the lighthouse.  My stamp in common is a PSX dated 1999.  Holy cow, 20 years!  I purge my stamp collection regularly, but this one has survived because it's the only lighthouse I have.  I've made a birthday card and a sympathy card.

The birthday card is stamped in Memento London Fog, colored with Copics on Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar white, and designed with Mintay Marina papers.  It has a bright and cheerful look with a few different things going on in the layout.  The sentiments are from a couple of different Power Poppy sets.

The sympathy card is stamped in Ranger Archival (Wendy Vecchi) Shadow Grey ink and watercolored on 140 lb Fabriano Artistico Extra White watercolor paper.  This paper is definitely whiter than most WC papers, but not an extreme white.  Behind it is SU's Whisper White.  The difference between these two whites is negligible enough for it to work without much contrast.  Most importantly is that the Fabriano is excellent quality paper.

For the sympathy card I made a simple design with very soft coloring.  I used Tombow markers which can give me either a very vibrant look or this dilute, faded look.  The image panel is cut with Spellbinders Scored and Pierced Rectangles, and an Amy Design Fishing Net gives texture to the background.

That's it for my Twofer contribution.  Glad I had something I could color for this prompt.  It's an old stamp, but the image is ageless.

Hop over to the Twofer Challenge Blog and see what the team and our Guest Designer, Natalie, are sharing.  Great stuff there!  Read Darnell's explanation of the prompt and the rules, and then see what you can come up with.  We'd love to have you join us in the gallery.  Have a wonderful day!

Sunset Sway

One must have sunshine, freedom, and a Power Poppy Sunset Sway digi stamp colored with Copics on watercolor paper.

One sentence pretty much sums it up, but I'll also tell you that I'd planned to watercolor these flowers, hence the printing on watercolor paper, but then decided I'd printed it too small to really enjoy the process.  This is a 5" card.

I did partial framing with a fine tipped black pen with the sentiment bumped out to give this very clean and simple card a little something extra.

I just had to stop in the middle of everything and color some flowers.  Have a beautiful day!

Love & Light

Hello, and happy February, the month of love.  That should be every month, shouldn't it?  I've made a card that will send love, but it's not a Valentine.  It's part of the card order I've been working on almost exclusively.  Actually, I finished up the last of 20 cards over the weekend and then I did a happy dance.

This card started with the background.  You can smoosh, splash, splatter or swipe just about anything on a background and it will look good when die cut.  I made a mint green watercolor wash and then plopped Ken Oliver Liquid Metal - Yellow Gold - onto a few areas.  Swiped it around with an inexpensive synthetic paint brush, and it didn't look so great.  Not to worry.  The die cut makes it appear as though I'd planned it that way all along.

The stamps are Power Poppy's Peony Muse, embossed in light gold and watercolored with Twinkling H2Os.  I added gold die cut grassy elements and an abundance of sequins.  The sequins down there by the stem are a cover up.  The grass die cuts and the sequins near the sentiment were added as filler because I felt the placement of the sentiment was somewhat awkward.  Some cards are just full of cover ups and fix 'er ups, aren't they?

Have you tried any of the Ken Oliver Liquid Metals?  I've had this little bottle for ??? years and have never used it till now.  I was very impressed with how pretty this Yellow Gold is.

Well, that's it till next time.  I have enough cards photographed to keep me busy on the blog for a while... as soon as I write them up.  See you again soon!

Stamps:  Power Poppy Peony Muse  Paper:  Neenah Classic White, Arches 140 lb hot pressed watercolor, gold mirror card stock  Ink:  Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black, mint green (remember SU Mint Melody?)  Coloring:  Watercolor background for die cut, Twinkling H2Os watercolor for flowers  Accessories:  Sequins, Ken Oliver Yellow Gold Liquid Metal, Stamp 'n Stuff Sahara Pearls embossing powder (old)  Dies:  Poppystamps Thicket Frame, Impression Obsession Grass Border

Pretty Bird

Hi there!  I'm back with a bird today.  In fact, I made two cards with this not-yet-used stamp, purchased in December 2016.  That's a crazy lot of time for such a pretty thing to be left sitting, isn't it?  I was surprised at how much time had passed, but I looked it up to be certain.  Sure enough, just over two years.

It's an Impression Obsession stamp simply called "Bird".  I've often said I'm intimidated by the thought of coloring realistic birds, but once I decided to do this very simply with just a blush of color and nothing complex in the background it came together very quickly and easily.  I used Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits for the coloring, and stamped retired SU Itty Bitty Backgrounds splatter around it.

I nested some Spellbinders dies for a designer paper frame and then set the bird panel right into it with nothing popped up.  The sentiment is from my bag o' sentiments which were stamped, but not used for whatever project at the time.  I have no idea what the sentiment belongs to, but it's a pretty font.  Stamped more Itty Bitty on the sentiment circle.

Since the coloring was quick and the card very simple, I took the time to make some special flowers for it.  Die cut, colored with pencils.  Got them good and wet, wadded up tightly, then carefully smoothed out, but not too smooth.  Dried them with the heat tool, then added a glue dot and Prills to the centers.  They're very stiff so they hold their shape, but not too lumpy for easy mailing.  Makes me think I need more flower dies...  NOT.  I have plenty of everything to last me a while.

Ingredients are listed below.  Have a happy day!

Stamps:  Impression Obsession Bird, SU Itty Bitty Backgrounds, unknown sentiment  Paper:  Neenah Classic White, My Mind's Eye A Beautiful Life designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Old Olive  Coloring:  Prismacolor Pencils and Gamsol odorless mineral spirits  Accessories:  Prills, Linen thread, circle punch  Dies:  Spellbinders Scored and Pierced Rectangles, Elizabeth Craft Bunch of Flowers 4

Simple Thinking of You

Hello on a Monday, friends!  I hope this day finds you well and happy, staying comfortably warm or cool, depending upon what part of the world you're in.  It's a little bit of everything here, and I'm a little bit all over the place getting things done.  I took time out today to photograph some of what I've been working on.  I need to get a card order filled, so progress must be made.

These cards are clean and simple, both in design and in the time it took to make them.  I always hope my friend won't mind a few quick cards in her order to go along with the more artsy, time consuming cards.  She never complains.  I actually like them a lot.

I looked back to a card I made years ago.  Saved the picture in my sketch book because it just works for me.  A little texture, a little color, an additional design element for interest.  Can you believe I used eyelets?  I know!  I always liked eyelets because they gave me hardware with virtually no lumps or bumps, and then they became old school.  But, really, do they look so awful?  I'm thinking I should use them more.  I have a drawer full and, believe me, a drawer full of eyelets is a lot of eyelets.

The ribbon is a plus, as well.  How many colors of this 1/4" gingham ribbon do I have?  I lost count, but these cards represent four of them, with matching eyelets.  Silver eyelets on the first card because I didn't have a matching blue.

Just look at all this old stuff!  Old SU colors, old eyelets, old stamps, old Swiss Dot embossing folder.  The flower stamp is a Great Impressions wood block stamp with no name or date on it, but it was one of my earliest stamps.  I've used it many times as it's so cute and easy to color.  It doesn't look old, does it?   The sentiment is an early JustRite, cut with a JustRite custom die.  It feels good to use some of the things I've been saving all these years.  My heart does love the oldies.

Tell me, what old school stuff is still in your stash?  Do we need to start a trend?  You know everything old is new again.  Have a happy day!

Flowerful Friday: Red Roses for Sympathy

Welcome back!  Today's Flowerful Friday is another sympathy card.  Still working on that order and making prettier cards when I have the chance.  This is an 1893 illustration from The New Guide to Rose Culture.  I promised myself I'd color more of the digis I saved from Digital Two For Tuesday, so they'll be sprinkled in here and there.  Remember, everything at DTFT is a freebie.  You can find these roses here.

This image does have a vintage look, but I lightened it up with white and pretty aqua.  You can see it's printed in sort of a teal-green.  I like that.  However, it was absolutely not my idea.  It was my printer's idea.  It does the strangest things when it needs a nozzle cleaning, and it needs a nozzle cleaning every time I use it.  Well, I forgot... and imagine my surprise when it printed this color.

I printed on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White and used Copics for coloring.  Retired Just Rite sympathy sentiment in die cut rectangle.  Die-namics Stitched Rectangle Frames.

I'll pop in with something cheerful on Monday.  Staying focused...  Have a happy day!

Whatever Wednesday: A Suitably Masculine Sympathy Card

Midweek greetings!  I've been working on a card order -- mostly sympathy, get well, and thinking of you.  Although my friend says she doesn't mind extra postage, I try to keep her cards mailable with one postage stamp.  However, they do have to look crafty, which is why she comes to me in the first place.  In an effort to make some quick progress I started out simple, creating four cards with this design:

As stated in my title, it's suitably masculine.  She cards everyone so I can't forget the guys.  Ordinarily I shy away from black for sympathy cards, but in this case it was the best effect for the silhouette die.

Spellbinders Bird Call die, layered and matted on some old Prima designer paper.  A very old Just Rite sympathy sentiment set which remains an all-time favorite.  The leaf sprig is Die-namics Wild Greenery.

The next photo is the same design, different card.  Maybe you'll notice the slight color variation.  A little more pink in this one.  The first card has a textured white base while this card uses Neenah 110 lb white.  The black silhouette is layered on white with a little showing at the top edges for highlight.

Inside they all look like this:

Really and truly simple but there's something about it I like.  If it helps anyone with a quick idea for a masculine sympathy card, then it was worth the effort to post it.

I'll see you again on Flowerful Friday.  Till then... have a happy day!