Seize the Rainbow Birthday!

It's a Seize the Birthday Thursday! And while we are always an "anything goes" birthday card challenge, we have a fun optional theme for you starting today... rainbow! 🌈

I decided to make two cards inspired by the theme: 

The black card was my first idea...

Rather than cut the letters from coloured cardstock, I cut them from regular white and coloured them with various colours of distress ink before setting them into the black panel. This was a quick and easy card, but I think it looks quite dramatic! 

When I cut the letters out of the black cardstock, I thought it would be fun to use them for a second card. And keeping the rainbow *topping* in mind...

This time I used the same inks to sponge a rainbow across some white cardstock. I couldn't resist spraying it with some sparkly mist as well as splatting some white perfect pearls mist on it. It's a bit like a rainbow galaxy card! :D I was able to use the same white strip I cut the letters for the first card as the sentiment strip, backing it with some silver glitter paper to tie in with the sparkly background. Really, the only thing missing is a unicorn. ;) 
Rainbow or not, I hope you'll come and join us for this new challenge! Be sure to check out all the different rainbow interpretations from the rest of the design team as well as that of our current surprise party guest, Trina! 

Supplies: (black) Neenah white & Stampin' Up basic black cardstock, barn door, carved pumpkin, squeezed lemonade, mowed lawn, blueprint sketch, shaded lilac & wilted violet distress inks, Little B blockout & Winnie & Walter Katharine cutaway dies, fun foam; (rainbow) Neenah white, Bienfang bristol, Stampin' Up basic black & American Crafts silver glitter cardstock, barn door, carved pumpkin, squeezed lemonade, mowed lawn, blueprint sketch, shaded lilac & wilted violet distress inks, Little B Blockout & MFT diagonal stitched rectangle dies, Imagine Crafts sparkle shimmer mist, Homemade white confetti Perfect Pearls mist, fun foam

A is for Apple

Happy weekend! Here in my neck of the woods, a new school year is just around the corner, and so the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers' newest challenge, A is for Apple, could not be more timely! No snark this time out for me, just a seasonal card:  

I stamped my apple three times, once on my patterned paper background, and twice on watercolour paper. I used distress inks to watercolour the entire image, as well as an extra leaf and the apple label. I distressed the edges of the patterned paper with some antique linen distress ink, and added a bit of random stamping in barn door - the same ink I used to colour the apple. The patterned paper actually a few red flecks in it, giving me the idea. 

Be sure to visit the Snarky blog to admire all the creations of the SIstahs, as well as that of our current Queen, Lisa! Come and join us for a chance to be crowned our next snarky monarch! 

Supplies: white cardstock, Canson watercolour paper, Graphic 45 The Three Rs patterned paper, Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Schoolhouse Blueprints & Hero Arts Envelope Pattern Background stamps, MFT extreme black & barn door, evergreen bough, twisted citron, stained walnut & antique linen distress inks, Echo Park We Are Family alphabet stickers

It's Santa Time!

My turn to to be your muse at Muse: ChristmasVisions! It's August now: if you plan to send your own handcrafted Christmas cards, it really is time to get started! Last time I had the privilege to be the muse, it was June, and I gave lots of tips for making Christmas cards when it's far away from jingle bells time. But now that it's August, I'm going for full-on Christmas spirit! 

Okay, so this may be a little on the snarky side, but it's good to ease into the whole Christmas spirit thing. I _did_ use traditional colours and a classic Santa image. :D I do love this Technique Tuesday stamp set... it speaks my language. ;) 
I hope you can find something here to inspire your own Christmas card - think how happy you'll be with yourself when December rolls around and you've got a stockpile of cards ready to be mailed! 

Supplies: white cardstock, parchment paper, Craft Smith textured green card base, Technique Tuesday Dear Santa stamps, Versafine onyx black & Memento new sprout ink, Ranger clear embossing powder, Copic markers, Winnie & Walter Katharine cutaway rectangular die, Gelly Roll red glitter gel pen, foam tape

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Anything Goes at Seize the Birthday!

It's Anything Goes time at Seize the Birthday! If it's a birthday card, come and link up with us. 

Since it's an Anything Goes challenge, I thought it was time to bring out my snarky birthday side...

Bwahaha! I loved this sheet of journaling-style images so much... I paid full price for it! If you know me, you'll know that's quite rare. :D I found some coordinating Stampin' Up patterned paper, and my card came together very quickly. I could have added some embellishments, but I didn't want to take away from that main image. 

It never hurts to have a few extra birthday cards on hand, so why not come and play along with us? For more inspiration, be sure to check what the rest of the design team made (their cards are all so sweet and pretty! :P) including our current surprise party guest, Trina! 

Supplies: white cardstock, Authentique Party & Stampin' Up (?) patterned paper, MFT diagonal stitched die, foam tape

Forever in Blue Jeans

Happy Saturday! I don't know about you, but I think Edna is looking great today in her Canadian tuxedo! The wearing of blue jeans seems pretty universal, so the latest Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers challenge is D is for Denim! Here's my take:

I played on denim two ways, with a mat of denim patterned paper, and more of an acid-washed look for the main panel, using faded jeans (of course) distress oxide ink for some ink smooshing. I used this particular Hipster as I thought I could make her hat look a bit like a denim bucket hat, again using faded jeans distress ink (but not the oxide this time.) Her shirt even has a bit of a chambray colour to it, I think, which to me is not so far off denim. But that's just me. :P Apart from the hat and shirt, she is coloured with Zig markers. 

Whether you take it figuratively or literally, come and play along in our denim challenge! For tons more inspiration, be sure to check out the creations of all the snarky sisters on the challenge blog. 

Supplies: white cardstock, Canson watercolour paper, Simple Stories Summer Fresh patterned paper, Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz Hipsters, MFT Catitude & Technique Tuesday Sassy Birthday stamps, MFT extreme black, faded jeans distress & faded jeans distress oxide inks, Zig markers, Wink of Stella black glitter marker, foam tape

Just Add Water

Here were are at the first Thursday of August already, and that means it's time for a new Seize the Birthday challenge! For your consideration this time, we are offering the optional prompt of WATER. 

Perhaps a nautical theme, perhaps a watercoloured card... it's up to you, and if you prefer dry land, we love looking at all birthday cards! For mine, I incorporated the theme a few ways: 

For this card, I made a watery background with watercolour powders as well as watercolouring my sea turtle with Zig markers. For the background, I used mostly blue, but added a bit of green in the upper left to help tie in my little sea turtle. The sentiments are from a different stamp set that happens to have more of a terrestrial turtle as part of it. 

I'm entering this in the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Make Your Own Background. 

Be sure to check out the water-inspired creations of the rest of the Seize the Birthday design team, and that of our surprise party guest, Trina — and then I hope you will come and join us! 

Supplies: white & Hero Arts grass layering cardstock, Canson watercolour paper, Paper Smooches Courteous Cuties & Party Posse stamps, Versamark onyx black ink, Ranger clear embossing powder, Zig markers, Magenta Nuance cerulean blue & spring green watercolour powders, MFT wonky stitched rectangle die, foam tape