Always Playing With Paper-The Challenge #50 Card: A Christmas Color Challenge and Virginia's View Challenge #20

I hope your day is going well. Cannot believe it is already Thursday here. This week has FLOWN by! 

My first day back to work went well. Lots of hugs and happy smiles from all my colleagues. I got a lot of "hey, where were you?" from my students but I know they missed me!

Today I am sharing a card I created for "Always Playing with Paper: The Challenge #50." It was to use a color scheme of red, kraft, silver and white to create a card. At first, I was scratching my head. Then I had an epiphany. Here is what I created:

I apologize for the left part of the photo. The red ornament was reflecting off the silver and I was too lazy to go back and photograph it!! 

First I die cut the background using a PTI die from silver and white card stock. I then mounted using the positive and negatives from the colors onto a white card base.

Next I used some red thread and made some nests and adhered it to the card using glue dots. I layered a stamped, embossed and die cut vellum poinsettia over the thread. I adhered a sentiment strip over the poinsettia.

I then covered the middle of the poinsettia with Diamond Stickles, added Pretty Pink Posh sequins over that and then covered the sequins with glossy accents. 

I am in LOVE with this card. I had never used this stamp before and I am going to make a few more of these cards because I am so in love with it!! However, I think I am going to try to make some that are more monochromatic. 

Again, I am entering this into "The Challenge #50," as well as Virginia's View Challenge #20 that is all about texture. I think the thread, the layered embossed flowers and the sequin treatment can be counted for that. 

I thank you for stopping by today!! Have a wonderful Thursday!!

Supplies:

Dies-PaperTrey Ink

Paper-PaperTrey Ink, Die Cuts with a View

Stamps-Paper Trey Ink

Other-Thread, Pretty Pink Posh Sequins, Glossy Accents, PaperTrey Poppy Red Ink, Diamond Stickles, Glue Dots

Holiday Style Class: Day 1

Hello!! Just a quick post to show the two cards I created for my homework for the Holiday Style Class. It is only the first day and I am loving it!!

I used Laurie's techniques to create two cards. One is a holiday card and one is a non holiday card.

I used Festive Berries Distress Ink to do the shading at the bottom. Instead of just the holly, I added a few more sprigs to jazz the card up a bit. I added clear Wink of Stella onto the large sprig of berries and glossy accents to the holly berries.

On my second card, I did non holiday theme.

I blended Mustard Seed Distress ink and then stamped some sunflowers inside the blending. I then wrapped some jute along the edge and added a tag.

I die cut the sentiment out of brown card stock and added a gold enamel dot for the i. I love this technique and will be using it again for some simple cards.

I thank you for looking!! Have a great day!

October SJ Card Kit Blog Post-"Claudia's Stash"

Okay, I am a day late and a dollar short for this post. I SHOULD have posted this on October 31st when the SJ Card Kit Club blog post went live but with Halloween and then me having book club the next day, I just never got around to it. Shame since I created SIX cards out of the kit that Claudia sent using things from her stash. Please go browse if you have time because many of the people made some terrific cards.

As you can see from the photo above, Claudia sent us stuff to create both fall cards and Halloween cards. I chose to make three of each, though I could have created many more. It was definitely out of my comfort zone because there were NO stamps to color and all die cuts to use. However, it forced me to look at things in a new way and I LOVED it.

For this card, I chose to cut up a bunch of pieces of the patterned papers into strips as my starting off point. The only element that DID NOT come from the kit on this card are the ink that I used to distress the card and the sequins.

I LOVE how this card came out. When I saw the little wagon wheel, I knew I wanted to do a grouping with a pumpkin. I added the sequins as a finishing touch.

This was the simplest card I created. I rarely do simple these days but I LOVE how it came out. I even already sent this card out too!!

My last three were Halloween cards. Claudia sent the cutest ghosts and I just had to use them. I apologize because I know Halloween is over but I wanted to post them anyway.

One of the things I noticed right off the bat is I only own ONE Halloween stamp set. Claudia did not send any sentiments so what is a girl to do? I created one using stickers!! I added yellow Stickles to the eyes and mouth of the ghost for a bit more oomph.

For this card, I used the ribbon, patterned paper and ghost that were in the kit. I die cut the polka paper into a banner and tied the ribbon around it. I then added a foam panel to make it POP off the card. The sentiment is from the only stamp set I own that is a Halloween set. Instead of yellow Stickles, I added some Diamond colored Stickles to the ghost eyes.

My last card is simple. I die cut the polka paper and the black and white block to house the ghost. I added some vellum behind the ghost to give the eyes and mouth a "smokey" look. The sentiment I stamped and embossed.

I thank you for stopping by and viewing all my creations. This "kit club" had been so fun for me and I LOVE all the fun things I created with it.

Have a fabulous day!!

A Kindness Card using Simon Says Stamps

Happy Monday!! It is a beautiful day in Connecticut and one of my last days of freedom. I attempted to make my Christmas card at Shutterfly today with photos I took of a reluctant Charlotte yesterday and I think we are going to have to do them over. She is so self conscious and does not like having ME take a photo. I know all this is part of being a teen but she is so photogenic and it was never a problem in the past. Her silly selfies-she has no issue with, though, and I think it is so interesting.

On another note, I am going to share a a card I created on Saturday. It is with Simon Says Stamp! "Dexter and Simon" set. I LOVE pigs and I could not wait to ink this stamp set up when I bought it. I colored it in and then never did anything with it. (I do that a lot!!) This weekend I dug out my colored panel and finally completed a card.

I think he is so cute!! I colored Dexter in with Copics and then did some little "dots" with them around to make it a little more interesting. I then die cut the panel into a square using and MFT die.

I mounted the image on white card stock embossed with a heart embossing folder, glued part of the sentiment (also from Simon Says Stamp!) and then stamped the rest of it using black ink. I used clear Wink of Stella on the gray parts of Dexter and on the peanut butter jar but it is difficult to tell in this photo.

I will be sending this with a little something something to a friend this week. I bought a bunch of little things at the store today and I am so excited to send them out.

I thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful night!

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Freshly Made Sketches #211 Card for a #sharehandmadekindness card

Hello everyone!! It is a dreary Saturday today-the perfect day to stay inside!!

I was quite busy in the craft room yesterday. I made SEVEN cards-which is a total record for me. I am a SLOOOOWWW card maker and sometimes it takes me a couple hours to create one! I think the secret was that over the last few weeks while lying around I have done quite a bit of coloring. I left these bits and pieces all over my desk and now I am using them in some cards. I think I should do this more often because I am so much more productive.

Anyway, today I am sharing a card I created using Freshly Made Sketches #211. I have to admit that it is NOT my favorite card that I have made in a while BUT I had fun putting it all together. That is what counts in this craft, right?

I created this card around the flower. I had these pieces stamped on my desk and it was either throw them away or make a card. I am going to send this to a friend filled with a little surprise this week. Who doesn't like a surprise?

This card is also for Jennifer McGuire's "Share Handmade Kindness" initiative that she has on her blog. I will be doing a lot of cards/card sets in the future toward this. My goal for the next year is to send random acts of kindness to friend, whether it be a friend I know in person or from online. I know plenty of people in need in my real life right now and a card is a wonderful pick me up. I know I LOVE getting a note in the mail saying someone is thinking of me.

Anyway, here is the inspiration sketch:

The pink and purple circle I created by blending Picked Raspberry, Spun Sugar and Wild Violet Distress Ink. I am in LOVE with this new purple ink!!

I added a piece of purple Washi tape under the sentiment strip and decided that my accents would be gold.

I used this new product from Tonic called "Nuvo Crystal Drops" in Carnation Pink for the large dot in the middle of the flower. It actually resembles and feels like an enamel dot when it dries. I have a few other colors and ordered a few more so I will be playing around with it in the future.

That is all for today. I will be showing some other cards on the blog that I made at a later date. I cannot post them all at once as I hardly ever am this productive!!

Thank you for stopping by today. Enjoy the rest of the day!!

InLinkz.com