Melanie Made Me Do It. . . . (ISCC13)

Yes, it is true. I wasn't planning on participating in ISC's ISCC13. The challenge was to make 2-4 ATCs using a resist technique. My first ever ATC was for ISC's What Size is Your Art challenge. I did it and it was a challenge, but I'm just not an ATC kinda gal. This is where Melanie from Smartie-Artie comes in. She pushed (challenged) me to do it. *sigh* We've both been answering the call of ISC challenges and admiring each others work. I guess I just needed a little encouragement. Well, here are the results.

I'll start with this one. I did this one today, and it isn't my favorite. Perhaps it is the colors I chose. I do however LOVE this technique, Shimmering Resist. I did it the first time here. I did it another time for a 1-on-1 swap and haven't shown that card yet. This is a technique from the Aug/Sep TJ newsletter. What you can't see very well are the two butterflies under the sentiment. I used Pixie Pink to stamp them but the stamp wasn't very juicy and they faded a bit especially after the shimmer was applied. This purple is Marvelous Magenta that I pulled out from my DS's stash (where I put my unwanted c/s.) This shade seemed to work well with the butterflies since they have Groovy Guava shimmering over them. ;D

Stamps: Marvels of Nature, Artsy Victorian, Friendship (all ISC); Ink: CRAFT White & Pixie Pink, Basic Gray; Paper: Marvelous Magenta, Whisper White; Accessories: CB Vintage Dies, Shimmery Spray.

This next ATC is actually my favorite. Can you tell I had recently visited Michelle's blog? No brayer, but I did sponge all the ATC. The colors were also inspired by Michelle as I would probably never use Sage Shadow without prompting.

I guess this technique is just a plain o' Embossing Resist. I stamped the tree from Marvels of Nature using craft ink and clear embossed it. Then I masked all but the bottom and sponged Handsome Hunter for the grass. I reversed the mask then punched a circle (1 1/4") to act as a mask for the sun and sponged Bashful Blue everywhere. I then used Ballet Blue around the edges, then Brilliant Blue around the edges "careful to not cover all the Ballet Blue" (Did I sound like Michelle? Hehe!) I removed the sun mask and used the reverse mask (post it note with the circle punched out) to sponge on So Saffron and some smudges of More Mustard (you really can't see the MM.) I left it at that last night. (I had already ruined a couple other ATC's trying to figure the best way to get the sentiment over the tree and background.) This moring I had the ephifany I needed! I stamped the sentiment using Staz-On onto acetate and attatched the acetate to the ATC using these mini brads.


Stamps: Marvels of Nature (ISC); Ink: Bashful Blue, Ballet Blue, Brilliant Blue, Handsome Hunter, So Saffron, More Mustard, Black Staz-On, CRAFT: Sage Shadow & Creamy Carmel (tree trunk); Paper: Sage Shadow, Whisper White; Accessories: acetate, post it notes, 1/16" hole punch, mini brads, clear detail embossing powder.

Thank you Betsy from ISC for the blog challenges and thank you Melanie for the push!

Purple Dreams

Lorie issued a challenge to use this sketch from CPS (Card Positioning System) for some "Glory from Lorie". Here is the card I came up with. I know I've been using a lot of purple lately, but it is my favorite color. :)

I took a picture instead of scanning because it takes so long to dry and I wanted to upload this tonight. I'm not 100% satisfied with this but I think it will do to give to a non-stamping friend. :)

Stamps: Dreams du Jour & Fresh Cuts (SU); Ink: Elegant Eggplant CRAFT, Black Onyx (VersaFine); Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Lovely Lilac, Whisper White; Accessories: Coluzzle, Scallop Circle Nestabilities; CB Argyle Folder.

Heart to Heart Thanks

I'm pretty sure everyone that is into paper craft blogs as seen Cammie's blog candy. Wow! Truly an amazing blog candy at that, $1,000 worth of crafting goodies! I think what Cammie is doing to honor her grandmother is such an incredible testament to her love for her grandmother.

Ever have one of those cards where you think you are all finished but when you see the card on your screen to upload somewhere you notice just how it isn't quite finished? Well, that was this card for me. Just to show you, here is the first scan.


That long layer is just polished stone technique. I hadn't done it in so long that I thought I'd use it here. Also, this is MJ's Techno Stamper's Sketch #36 for this week. What a great sketch! I just bought that CB folder at Hobby Lobby a week ago and was dying to use it. So as you can see, it is just okay. Nothing jumps out at you about this card.

First I added another layer of Not Quite Navy under the main layer, that helped a good bit. But that Polished layer still needed something. So I started looking through my silhouette stamps and came upon this one from ISC's Nature's Silhouette I. Because of the glossy cardstock I didn't get a perfect image (some of the silver showed through and I didn't like it that way) I used my Copic black marker and colored it in. Without further adu:


Stamps: Nature's Silhouette (ISC) So Many Sayings (SU); Ink: Black Staz-On, Basic Black Marker (sentiment), Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, Encoure Silver Refills; Paper: Not Quite Navy, Soft Sky, Glossy; Accessories: Large Oval Punch (SU), Birds & Swirls CB Folder.

ISCC12 Sketch Challenge

ISC is back to their challenges and this week's is a sketch challenge. I just love my new Artsy Victorian stamp set. The images are so large!

I used my black Copic to color the edges of these pearl brads, but they took awhile to dry and I'm afraid that as careful as I was I still ended up with a couple of smudges (on the white areas of course!) I used my white gel pen to try to cover them up but fear I only made them worse. I think it scanned blurry because of the thickness of the brads.

Those are pearl dew drop knock-offs next to the sentiment. I used my tag punch (SU) to cut the sides on the sentiment layer. Sorry, I don't remember whose blog I saw that on. I like how it is almost like an arrow pointing to the sentiment.

Stamps: Artsy Victorian, Flair of Summer (sentiment) both from ISC; Ink: Wild Wasabi, Lovely Lilac, Onyx Black (VersaFine); Paper: Wild Wasabi, Baic Black, Shimmery White; Accessories: pearl dew drops, Petite Pearls (Bazzill)

Beerafella

I was inspired by Jen Del Muro's blog to use one of my bellas for her card sketch.

Just a bit of personal info, my DH loves beer. Not just any beer mind you, microbrew type. I have been to more brew pubs around the world then I would ever have dreamed! The down side? I don't like beer. That being said I had to get this guy for my DH. I also got the sentiment, "they followed me home. . . " Yes, originally I thought that the sentiment went with my Stampingbella; but that sentiment goes so well with this guy too. I didn't scan the inside, but you would just see the sentiment stamped in black on the inside. Hubby has worked every day for the past three weeks (yes, you read that right, that's 21 days in a row.) Thanks to Gustuv and Ike, DH has been working to provide military support to the areas affected by those two hurricanes. Today is the last day of 24 hour operations, so tomorrow he goes back to work as normal. Nope, no day off to compensate just go back to work as normal. That's okay, he'd just get underfoot as I get Troy off to school. ;)

Okay, enough of my blathering!


I used the same designer paper that I used on my cowboy cards posted earlier. The stripes and the green are opposite sides of the same paper. Does the weathered wood give you the feel of standing on our back deck??? :) I thought the buttons a fitting masculine accessory. I even took the time to thread some linen thread through them to help give a polished look. I used my Copic markers (except for his hair since I don't own a dark brown.) I'm still working on my shading. I did get to use my colorless blender to fix a couple of spots I colored outside the lines, (as per Marianne's awesome guidance.)

Oh, and I thought I'd add; I got a nice smile from DH (after I explained that it was the beer that followed him home) rather than the deer in the headlights look. Perhaps he'll thank me properly later on! ;D

Stamps: Beerafella, Weathered (SU); Ink: Onxy Black (VersaFine), Chocolate Chip; Paper: Chocolate Chip, Outlaw dp (SU), Really Rust, Very Vanilla; Accessories: Copic markers, neutral buttons (SU), linen thread, corner punch (SU).

Cowboy Howdy!

Wow, two posts in one day! Something must be wrong with me! ;)

I have a nephew's birthday coming up soon and my DS has a birthday party to go to this week-end. So I need two little boy birthday cards. I have been wanting to use my Lizzie Anne Designs blog candy I won awhile back from Rose Ann. This cute little cowboy and this sentiment are just perfect for those boy cards that I struggle with!

It has been quite awhile since I have participated in one of MJ's TechnoStamper's sketch challenge, but here is my submission for #34.

There really isn't much mystery here. The designer paper is some old SU! Outlaw paper. I used my SU markers to color in the little guy. I used my SU distresser on the edges and sponged with Creamy Caramel. The strip under the sentiment is a "faux" ribbon, so in other words it is just a strip of Chocolate Chip cardstock cut about the width of SU grosgrain ribbon. I was afraid that real ribbon wouldn't look boyish enough. *eyeroll* The scallop rectangle is one of my Marvy punches that is soooo hard to punch I litterally have to step on it.

So overall it was pretty simple, but I like it. I need to work abit on my coloring. It has been sooo long since I've really colored anything. I did try to ground him a little and there is some shading on his hat . . . . .

Stamps: Cowboy, Howdy (both Lizzie Anne Designs); Ink: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel; Paper: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Outlaw DP; Accessories: SU Markers, rectagle scallop punch (Marvy), distresser (SU).

Purple Tapestry

I have a friend that agreed to be our OSC president. She is such a wonderful person to take on this huge task. She choose a purple butterfly for our symbol this year. I found a purple butterfly at the Garden Depot over the week-end and have been meaning to make a card to attach the butterfly to and give it to her.

I also wanted to take my tapestry stamp for a test drive. What a gorgeous stamp! It is huge! I had to trim some off the sides to fit on this card. I stamped it on vellum then attached the (mostly) trimmed vellum to the black layer. I used my paper piercer, foam sheet and my WONDERFUL Tim Holtz ruler to punch the holes for the brads. After I had the vellum attached I trimmed off the edges so it was layered perfectly.

It is difficult to read the sentiment. It is a stamp from SU! that reads, "It is extraordinary how extraordinary the ordinary person is. ~George Will" I thought it was appropriate for my extraordinary friend. For the sentiment I used purple Perfect Pearls. I used anti-static powder on the black layer and it left a little bit of residual that the scanner picked up on.

The black brads are Spare Parts by the Paper Studio and the "purple" brads are SU! silver Vintage brads that I colored with my V17 COPIC marker. I just love using those Copic markers to color my brads! BTW, I added those purple brads to help hold down the bottom portion of the vellum since it was curling up along the bottom edge. I liked it better before I added them, but I don't have any adhesive that I thought would stay invisible to hold the bottom down. I probably should have added some in the bottom corners, but I just didn't. I don't think she'll mind. :)

Stamps: Artsy Victorian (ISC), Quotes to Live By (SU!); Ink: Purple Twilight (Pigment, Ranger); Paper: Lavender Lace, Basic Black, vellum paper; Accessories: Perfect Pearls, brads, Tim Holtz ruler; anti-static powder, paper snips (SU!)