You Rock(et)!

Welcome to Saturday, and to the new Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers challenge, O is for Outer Space! 

Doesn't the challenge badge alone make you want to participate? Although it was very tempting to get out my Doctor Who stamps (I know, geek alert) yet again for a challenge like this, I went a little more generically traditional this time. 

I started by stamping and embossing the rocket in silver and the fireworks and stars in sparkle embossing powders. Then I sponged a night sky over them in various blue and purple distress inks, then splattered a little perfect pearls mist for background stars. While that dried, I stamped and embossed a few more rockets so I could colour, fussy-cut and layer them for the look I wanted. The main body of the rocket is also coated in some iridescent medium for sparkly shine. A close-up:

After embossing the sentiment in silver, I coloured it to match the rocket flames before adding it to the card along with the skyline silhouettes. I think this sentiment would be so much better if it said "You Rock(et)", but perhaps that's just me. 
With all the shimmer and sparkle going on, I'm going to add this to the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge, Add Some Shimmer. 
Be sure to check out the many different galaxies my sisters in snark have visited this week, as well as our newest Queen of Snark and guest designer, Sharon! And then I hope you will strap on your jetpack and join us! 

Supplies: white & Bazzill textured shimmer black cardstock, Hero Arts Rocket Thank You stamps, Versamark & milled lavender, dusty concord, mermaid lagoon, faded jeans & chipped sapphire distress inks, silver & Hero Arts sparkle embossing powders, Zig watercolour markers, MFT skyline border die, homemade white confetti Perfect Pearls mist, Winsor & Newton iridescent medium

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Delightful Die Cutting

I'm up to day four of My Favorite Things Camp Create activities, Delightful Die Cutting! 

While you don't have to use partial die cutting the way craft counsellor Stephanie did, I decided I was up for the challenge. Here's what I made:

I thought this image was perfect for the partial die-cutting technique. For once, I picked my patterned paper and my markers at the same time, rather than looking for a match after the fact. (I have four shades of Spectrum Noir markers, greys, reds, teals, and purples, so my choices are less than infinite. :D) That I found sequins that were a perfect match was total luck. I realize the purpose of bags of mixed shaker sequins is not to go through and pick out a few of one colour, but hey, whatever works. Since this is a birthday card, I'm also going to link this up at Seize the Birthday. 
And now the dilemma — the final day of Camp Create calls for making a shaker card. I don't like making shaker cards, but I don't really want to stay in my cabin with a fake tummy ache for the last day of camp. We'll see... 

Supplies: white card stock, Studio Calico patterned paper, MFT I Knead You & Cat-itude stamps and dies, Spectrum Noir markers, Little Things from Lucy's Cards sequins, pop-dot tape 

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Wonderful Watercolour Craft Day

I'm back for the third day of arts and crafts activities at My Favorite Things' Camp Create! Day Three's craft is Wonderful Watercolour, and I was inspired both by Francine's beautiful card and instructional video, and by my friend Violet posting a photo of a gorgeous hibiscus on Instagram. Here's what I ended up with: 

This hibiscus stamp is a solid image, so i set myself the challenge of using it for no-line colouring, rather than the more usual outline stamp. I stamped the flower in pale pink, but used distress inks and markers to make the colour much more vivid, with a touch of yellow on the edges much as Francine did. I added some deeper colour to the centre to add more depth. I stamped the smaller stamen of the set by inking it in both pink and yellow. (There's a larger stamen that I just can't bring myself to use; I'll let you hypothesize why). I added a wash of green around the flower, then splattered both pink and green. The sentiment is embossed with sparkle embossing powder, my new favourite thing. (So to speak.) I managed to find a piece of patterned paper that matched the pinks and greens perfectly! Justifies keeping so much of it, obviously. :D 

This card is also going into the current Addicted to CAS challenge: Aloha. 

Supplies: white cardstock, Strathmore watercolour paper, Basic Grey Oliver patterned paper, MFT Tropical Sensations stamps, Memento Luxe tuxedo black & picked raspberry & lucky clover distress inks, Hero Arts sparkle embossing powder, distress markers

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MFT Camp Create — Day 2

I have another card for this week's Camp Create at My Favorite Things! Day 2's craft is Sensational Sliders, and once again my friend Steph has a helpful video about creating a slider card. 

I did not make a slider card. :( Although they are now on my wish list, I don't have the cool dies Steph used to make her card, and my brain didn't really feel like working out a DIY version today. Luckily, any interactive card counts towards today's craft badge, so I went for a wobble card! 

I love this MFT cat! Particularly since our cat Duncan often sleeps like this, flat on his back. As usual, I've used Duncan colours for my kitty, too. I hope the Polaroid background doesn't look too much like water... my original idea was that this colour would match the glitter element I would add to the card, to bring in Monday's glitter craft, as well. Didn't happen. Obviously, the personalized sentiment had to be made on computer. I think this will be a fun thank you card next time Duncan needs a cat-sitter! 

Here is some Boomerang wobble action! 

This is one of those card ideas that came into my brain almost fully-formed... I think I may have had Shopping Our Stash's current "Let Me Take a Selfie" challenge in the back of my mind. I'm also adding this to Simon Say's Stamp's Wednesday challenge, "Animal Magic". (A wobbly, belly-up kitty is magic, right?) 

I'm a little behind in the camp activities, but I generally am a rather reluctant camper. ;) If only the arts and crafts activities had been this much fun! 

Supplies: white cardstock, watercolour paper, Basic Grey Plumeria patterned paper, MFT I Knead You stamps & dies, MFT black licorice & blueprint sketch distress inks, Spectrum Noir markers, Lil' Inkers instant camera die, MFT Blueprints 24 dies, jewellery wire (for DIY wobble), Studio Calico sequins, silver Stickles, pop-dot tape

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I Love Mew

With minutes to spare, I have a card for the (barely) current My Favorite Things Sketch challenge that also incorporates yesterday's MFT Camp Create craft, using glitter! 

My friend Stephanie shared an awesome video for yesterday's glitter craft. While my use of glitter is not nearly as exciting, I did use her method to add a glittery silver strip to my card. Here it is: 

Other than moving the sketch to the right to incorporate my glitter strip, I stayed reasonably true to the sketch. I heat-embossed the kitty and sentiment with sparkle embossing powder to add some glittery goodness to the main panel, and also added a little shimmer to his ears, nose and collar. I popped the main panel up with fun foam for a little extra dimension and interest.

And now I'd better get this posted before it's too late! 

Supplies: white & purple cardstock, American Crafts Amy Tangerine Sketchbook patterned paper, MFT I Knead you stamps, Memento Luxe grey flannel ink, Hero Arts sparkle embossing powder, Spectrum Noir markers, MFT stitched square & Blueprints 24 dies, Wow ash superfine glitter, Wink of Stella clear glitter pen, fun foam, pop dot tape

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Vroom!

Happy Saturday! Motorcycle Mama Edna is pleased to introduce the latest challenge at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers, V IS FOR VROOM! We are looking for cards or other projects featuring motorized vehicles with wheels. I went with the trusty automobile for my card:

Lots of fun stuff went into this card. I started by ink-smooshing the background panel in greens and browns. I used aged gold embossing powder on the clocks stamp for that vintage-y look. The car panel is stamped and then layered with a couple of images from a Graphic 45 paper pad. (As soon as I get any Graphic 45 stuff out, I seem to fall through a strange portal where my cards become much more layered and grungy than is normal for me.) 
It's not a Father's Day card, but it is a guy card, so I'm linking up to this week's Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge. 
My sisters have come up with all kinds of vehicular snark for your enjoyment, and so has our latest guest designer and current Queen of Snark, Jane! I hope you'll check out all their amazing work, and then hop on your motorized tricycle and join us! 

Supplies: Stampin' Up very vanilla & naturals ivory cardstock, Strathmore watercolour paper, Graphic 45 A Proper Gentleman patterned paper, Unity Consider Yourself Vintage & Hero Arts Time to Stamp stamps, Versamark & Stampin' Up bravo burgundy inks, Wow clear matte & Stampendous aged gold frontage embossing powders, pop dot tape

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This Is...

Last month, I played along in the Essentials by Ellen Mix It Up challenge with this card... and I won! It's an amazing prize, a $50 gift certificate to the Ellen Hutson store. Now I don't want to seem greedy, but when I had just the right ingredients to play along in the current challenge, how could I resist? This time, we are to combine Technique Tuesday products with Essentials by Ellen stamps and dies. Here's what I made: 

Have to admit, I kind of like this a lot, and I don't often say that about my own creations. :) I combined the adorable bear and his heart from Julie Ebersole's All Inside with dies from Technique Tuesday. The bear is coloured with markers. I channeled my talented friend Steph when I sponged the tag in blue and green. Then I sponged another piece of cardstock that I used to die cut the sentiment. I inset the letters into the white panel. The bear's ears and nose have a little bit of shine from Wink of Stella, while there are several coats on the heart. 

I really hope I'm not the only one that thinks this says "this is love". :D 

Supplies: white cardstock, Essentials by Ellen All Inside stamps & dies, Versafine onyx black, Altenew ruby red & salty ocean & twisted citron distress inks, Technique Tuesday This tag dies, MFT blueprints 24 stitched rectangle die, Wink of Stella clear glitter pen

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CASology MUSEing

Hope you are enjoying your early June weekend! While there has been a lot of gardening/yard work in my life lately, I took a break this afternoon and made a card... it had been so long! I wanted to be sure I still knew how. ;) There were two challenges I wanted to play in, as well. This is CASology's 200th challenge! And while I don't manage to play along as often as I'd like, I did manage to snag a month-long guest post in honour of their 100th post, so it seemed only right to play along with this milestone. And I've been absent from Muse for a while, too, so decided to combine the two challenges. 

This week's guest Muse is Leigh Penner. Her card is so fun! This week's CASology cue word is CAS (clean and simple). From Leigh's card, I focused on the central image with large sentiment, the frame (although mine turned into a mat), the little olive and the mostly neutral colours with bright red. From those, I got to this...

Leigh's central image made me think of using a journaling card or something similar. I have lots of different panels, just rarely think to use them. I found a pack of cat-related pieces that I've had forever, but never used. This cat seemed to have just the right expression and fit perfectly into the quote. He's coloured with Spectrum Noir markers, and his collar coated with Wink of Stella sparkle. His ears and nose got just one coat of Stella sparkle. Here, squint and pretend you can see it! 

The silver glitter paper heart takes the place of the olive on Leigh's card. I would have liked to have cut a frame for the quote panel, but at 4"x4", my frame die cuts just weren't big enough. (This also meant my woodgrain texture plate was too small to use on the card base, so I couldn't take that from Leigh's card.) Instead I matted it on some textured shimmery black cardstock. 
I think this card will be a perfect thank you card next time we need someone to cat-sit! 

Supplies: white, American Crafts silver glitter & Recollections black textured cardstock, MFT Cat-itude stamps & dies, MFT black licorice ink, Spectrum Noir markers, Simple Stories Snap! Cat Insta Squares and Pieces, (?) heart die cut, Wink of Stella clear glitter brush marker, pop-dot tape

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Time to Man Up

Happy June! A new month makes it easier to face a Wednesday... doesn't it?

Being the first of the month, Naughty or Nice Challenges is pleased to introduce its latest challenge: MAN UP! 

As you've likely guessed, we want you to go to the more masculine end of the crafting spectrum, with a card or other project suitable for the guy in your life, or perhaps just some random guy. ;) Although we don't camp, I made this with the man in my life in mind: 

What I like best about it? The tent is on an ACTION WOBBLE! If this tent's rockin', don't bother knockin'!!! Come to think of it, knocking on canvas is kind of useless anyway... where was I? I used my friend Tracey's Warm and Fuzzy Friends stamp set from MFT for the tent, campfire and sentiment. I coloured the campfire while at her house, too, using her Zig markers and Steph's clear sparkle pen to make the fire really glow. Back at home, I coloured the tent, cut and sponged the tag, die cut the sentiment and found the perfect (to me, at least) patterned paper for the background. 
And now, for my first ever Boomerang video, highlighting some campground action!

Be sure to check out the range of nice to naughty creations over on the main blog! Granted, they lean more to naughty than nice. ;) You have until June 25th to join us! 

Supplies: white cardstock, Pebbles Lakeside paper pad, MFT Warm & Fuzzy Friends stamps & dies, ground espresso & antique linen distress inks, Technique Tuesday This Tag die, MFT blueprints 24 dies, Zig clean colour markers, Spectrum Noir clear sparkle pen, Prismacolor pencils, pop-dot tape, homemade action wobble

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