CAS Mix Up Reminder -- Stencil Monoprint

It's reminder time at CAS Mix Up for Loll's stencil monoprint challenge.  This technique is the coolest thing!  There's no right or wrong with the outcome.  It's going to look watercolory and artsy pretty much no matter what you do.  There are video links on the challenge blog.  Quick to watch and quick to accomplish!

 

For today's card I used a stencil with a rather intricate pattern in it so I wasn't sure how this would turn out, but I actually like it quite a lot.  I made this as an anniversary card for a friend, but it would work for a wedding or Valentine, too.

The stencil is a Funky Fossil heart which was gifted by a lovely friend.  Hoping to keep it CAS enough I added just a border and a word.  All inks are Distress Oxide on watercolor paper -- Milled Lavender, Abandoned Coral, Seedless Preserves.  For the die cut border and word I pressed them into the ink pads, light to dark, then spritzed with water.  The distress oxide inks give an interesting look.

Come see us at CAS Mix Up for all the amazing team samples.  We'd love to see what you come up with, too.  Have a beautiful day!

Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb hot press watercolor, semi-gloss leather texture white  Ink:  Distress Oxide Milled Lavender, Abandoned Coral, Seedless Preserves  Other:  Funky Fossil Heart Stencil, Tutti Stitched Nesting Hearts, Poppystamps Heart Sprinkle Sash, Frantic Stamper Sending Love/hugs

Winter Wedding and Bridal Shower Cards

Here's a project I was committed to that I'm happy to have finished.  It's just two cards, but it took me all of one afternoon to make them, and that was after I'd already planned out the design of the wedding card.  My hat is off to all the folks who make fabulous cards using die cuts only.  It doesn't come easily to me.

I promised a friend I'd make cards for a wedding and bridal shower scheduled for December.  Since it's a winter wedding I thought I'd use cool colors, somewhat wintry, but with flowers, so I created a nosegay with blue and silver and lots of white.

The leaves are cut from silver glitter paper.  I added glitter to the roses and scattered pearls throughout.  The netting around the edges is multiple organza flowers folded in half and glued in place.  The "love" is layered a few times for dimension.

I seldom make cards that don't fit in an envelope, but this card will be hand delivered and at 5 1/2" it fits in one of the square clear boxes I have on hand.

Dies used on the wedding card are as follows:

• Cheery Lynn French Pastry Doily
• Die-namites Leafy Flourish
• Memory Box Chloe Stem
• Frantic Stamper Sending Love/Hugs

Next is the bridal shower card which was much quicker.  It's A2 size.

I've had these Prima flowers forever.  They come complete with snow and glitter.  I added the pearls and tucked in the die cut umbrellas.  Stamped a sentiment from Penny Black's "To You" set.  The embossed layer is done with a Cuttlebug Heritage Collection embossing folder.

Dies for the bridal shower card:

• Memory Box Petite Umbrella
• Die-namites Leafy Flourish (with a few branches snipped off)

I still have a couple of baby cards to make this month.  Life doesn't stop just because we're getting close to Christmas!  Have a happy day and I'll see you again soon!

Double D Challenge -- Weddings

Time for another Double D challenge already?  Why, yes it is, and this time Team Darlene is asking for Wedding-themed cards.  Seems June is all about Weddings and Father's Day when it comes to card making.  I don't have any weddings in the offing, but you never know...  I'll be ready with the card I'm sharing today.

Have a look at our pretty, pretty mood board:

I was completely enchanted by the pink roses and baby's breath the bridesmaids are holding, but there's a lot to be inspired by in the mood board.

I made paper roses with pearl centers.  Didn't have any baby's breath so I used white die cuts instead.  Now, you know I don't ordinarily use chunky flowers on my cards, but a wedding card is special.  I thought if I made them more like wild roses they'd be a little less chunky and, in fact, I made an over-sized envelope from heavy weight paper and the card fits very nicely inside.  The roses are already crinkly, so you can hardly mess them up.

I used an old Spellbinders Blossom Nestabilities die set -- three sizes for each rose.  These are circle dies with a lightly scalloped edge.  Cut from heavy paper -- not as heavy as card stock -- then doused thoroughly with water and wadded up tightly.  Put the layers together after they dried.  Two of the flowers were dried with a heat tool, but one was left wet and wadded overnight (ran out of time).  The overnight flower came out the best, I think.

The lower half of the card was embossed with a large Anna Griffin embossing folder, then swiped over with a white craft pad (pigment ink... the kind you can emboss).  Brings out the pattern beautifully.  Top half was cut in a curve and stamped with a retired SU Fine Lace background.  "Love" is a Power Poppy stamp.

Finished up the inside similarly.  The sentiment is from a Power Poppy digital set -- not a wedding sentiment, necessarily, but I think it works.  It would also be a cute sentiment for a baby card, don't you think?  Just stretching the resources.

I'll sum up the ingredients in the recipe further down, but first I want to remind you to visit Double D for more challenge info and to have a look at how the team was inspired.  You'll see quite a variety of pretty things there!  I'll be back when stamping happens.  Have a beautiful day!

Stamps:  Power Poppy My English Rose clear stamp set (love), Power Poppy Tulips digi set (inside senti)  Paper:  Neenah Classic white, pink paper for roses, SU Pink Pirouette smooth and textured  Ink:  SU Pink Pirouette, Going Gray, Craft White (all SU inks), printer for inside digi sentiment, RV00 Copic to color inside leaf and highlight sentiment  Accessories:  Pearls, silk ribbon, silver cord, Cuttlebug Anna Griffin Wildflower Gate embossing folder  Dies:  Spellbinders Blossom Nestabilities and A2 Curved Borders One, Memory Box Chloe Stem, Poppystamps Sylvan Sprig, Dee's Distinctively Sm Pair of Leaves (inside)