Christmas Threefer

While making a card for my friend Leslie's Crooked Stamper Sketch Challenge, I managed to incorporate two other challenges as well! And even get a Christmas card done: 

I turned Leslie's sketch 90°counterclockwise. I used a couple of post-it notes as a mask to sponge the sky, and then the same to lightly sponge a couple of drifts in the snow. The snowman is embossed and coloured with distress inks and markers. There are black Enamel Accents on his buttons and red Liquid Pearls on the holly berries. I curled the sentiment just a bit on the acrylic block before stamping and embossing it. A fairly simple card, but I think it's kind of cute! 
And although it wasn't my intention going in, I realized as I was making this that all my supplies are well over a year old (seriously, I even reused the post-it mask from earlier years of Christmas cards!) so this qualifies for the current Shopping Our Stash/Jingle Belles bonus challenge. And with all Paper Smooches stamps, this qualifies for this week's Anything Goes challenge. (Wait! If I'm entering a combined challenge, is this really a four-fer? Whatever. :D)

      

Supplies: white & American Crafts textured blue cardstock, Paper Smooches Swanky Snowdudes stamps, Versafine onyx black & broken china, mowed lawn & festive berries distress inks, Zing clear embossing powder, distress markers, black enamel accents, ruby red Liquid Pearls, pop-dot tape

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Meow*

I've got a card (at the last minute) for Tuesday Morning Sketches!

A friend of mine, who happens to own one orange and and one black cat, is celebrating her birthday next week. I knew I wanted to use this cat-in-a-box image, so paper-pieced it and die cut around it in a circle. Hmm, now what to do? Luckily I remembered that TMS had a more-or-less ideal sketch currently.

I know I should have used more than one paper for the panels, and I know that the white gaps just look like part of the stripes, but hey, I like it this way. And the asterisk? That's so I can translate that particular meow into Happy Birthday on the inside! 

Supplies: white cardstock, My Mind's Eye The Sweetest Thing & Echo Park Dots and Stripes patterned Papers, Simon Says Stamp Furry Cat and Box & Lawn Fawn freebie stamps, Versamark & Versafine onyx black ink, Zing clear & Ranger black embossing powders, Spellbinders circle dies, Studio Calico cat veneer, pop-dot tape 

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{steam}PUNK at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers!

How about some Saturday steampunk? Edna, with the help of our badge designer par excellence, Lee, is outfitted and ready to go clubbing as we introduce our latest challenge, P is for Punk: STEAMPUNK! 

Designing a steampunk-themed card once a year or so is just about right for me... while I love the style, it doesn't always fit well with my design abilities, to say the least. Oh wait, that's why we call them challenges. Here is what I came up with:

I had bought a sheet of steampunk-themed paper earlier this year (on clearance of course) knowing this challenge would eventually show up. I probably have enough odds and ends of ideas I tried to go with it for another three cards. ;) None of my stamped backgrounds worked as well as some of the paper itself. The bird is stamped in green distress ink then dusted with orange Perfect Pearls, resulting in a distressed-looking metallic shimmer. The watches and clock faces are fussy cut from other patterned paper. The background and sentiment panels are sponged around the edges — of course I adhered the background to the card base before remembering I was going to do that. (What can I say? Distressing and I don't get together very often.) I had to use some scrap paper as I worked around the edges. 
A different angle to show the dimension of the patterned paper panel: 

My sisters in snark have more great inspiration for you! Hope you'll get into {steam}PUNK mode and join us! 

Supplies: Cougar cream cardstock, Graphic45 Steampunk Debutante & A Vintage Gentleman patterned papers, Unity Moxie & (?) stamps, Versamark, Versafine onyx black & iced spruce & antique linen distress inks, Zing clear & Stampendous aged gold embossing powders, mandarin Perfect Pearls, pop-dot tape

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Moonlight and CASology

The current challenge at CASology is MOON. 

It was time to try sponging a night sky. And while my fingers might not have been left clean ;) and while my card might not be über CAS (clean and simple), there really is just the one focal point and few elements. That's my defence to the design team, at least. 

I used a dollar store cosmetic sponge to apply distress inks to my cardstock until I liked the result. I mixed a little glitter into some embossing paste before adding it through a stencil to my dried panel. I brushed some Perfect Pearls mist on the moon before die-cutting the sentiment. I love how the skyline turned out! It was a happy accident. I don't have my own skyline die, and none of the ones I'd cut at Emily's house were the right colour. This one is actually kraft cardstock sprayed with two grey mists, giving it a cool, post-industrial grime look. Or something. Other than drying time, this really was easy to make and I hope sneaks into the clean and simple category. ;) 

Supplies: Bazzill marshmallow cardstock, Strathmore mixed media paper, mermaid lagoon, faded jeans & chipped sapphire distress inks, Mr Huey's pinstripe & Tattered Angels graphite mists, homemade confetti Perfect Pearls mist, Spellbinders circle, Paper Smooches birthday words & ? skyline dies, Simon Says Stamp Falling Stars stencil, Dreamweavers glossy white embossing paste, Martha Stewart glitter, pop-dot tape

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Excuse Me!

Edna has done it again. 

Yep. The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers have come to the letter F, and F IS FOR FART has been chosen. Haven't you been thinking you need to make more fart-related cards? Now is your chance. Here is mine: 

Since our last challenge didn't allow sentiments on the front, it seemed the perfect excuse to let this sentiment take centre stage. A few little, um, clouds as embellishments were all that the card needed, I thought. It does make me laugh!
Make sure you check out the fun creations of my sisters in snark, as well as this week's guest designer, Michelle! 

Supplies: Stampin' Up smoky slate cardstock, unknown patterned paper, Riley & Co. Funnybones sentiment, Versafine onyx black ink, Zing clear embossing powder, My Favorite Things layered label die, unknown cloud dies

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Tying One On at Naughty or Nice!

Ribbon! We're tying ribbon onto our cards at Naughty or Nice Challenges this month! 

Turns out I don't use ribbon a lot anymore. Which does nothing to explain the vast quantities I seem to possess. I even checked a couple of my boards on Pinterest: barely a ribbon-adorned card appeared. Instead, I reviewed my supplies, found some fun ribbon perfect for Halloween, and went from there. 

This fun stamp set was on the Stampin' Up clearance page late last year and needed to come and live at my house. The fashionable shoes are embossed in holographic embossing powder for spooky shimmer and shine. It did seem to make them harder to photograph, though. They are more vibrant in person. The trio of orange sequins are just as shiny as they look, however. 
Ribbon can be nice, or maybe ribbon can be naughty! I hope you will join us — you have until September 25th to tie one on with us! 

Supplies: white & Stampin' Up basic black cardstock, Stampin' Up Tee-Hee-Hee stamps, Versafine onyx black & Memories purple ink, clear & holographic embossing powder, May Arts ribbon, Darice orange sequins, pop-dot tape

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