Happy Little Stampers: Watercolour

It may still be May here where I'm sitting, but June has begun over in the other hemisphere, and that means it's time for a new Happy Little Stampers Watercolour Challenge! This will be my last as part of the watercolour design team - a huge thank you for Kylie for letting me be a part of this team, and for being so gracious when I asked to step down to reduce my beginning-of-the-month commitments. 

For this final design team card, I went back and looked at my first card as a member of the team and used the same set!

I stamped and embossed several of the sweet pea images from this Studio Katia set on watercolour paper and coloured them with my Zig markers. Since the watercolour paper I used isn't a true white, I die cut a background panel from cream cardstock and spattered it with the same purple and green I used to colour the stems. I also added a few black spatters with glimmer mist. After arranging the sweet pea stems the way I liked them, I picked them up with some Press n Seal, added liquid adhesive, and added them back to the panel. The sentiment is stamped in green and embossed. As a final touch, I added a trio of pearls. 

As always, there are beautiful cards to admire from all the design team members! You have the month of June to join us, so I hope you'll be inspired. 

Supplies: Neenah natural white & Hero Arts iris cardstock, Canson watercolour paper, Studio Katia You're So Sweet stamps & dies, Versamark, Versafine onyx black & Stampin' Up garden green ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Zig watercolour markers, Tattered Angels graphite glimmer mist, Winnie & Walter Katharine cutaway rectangular frame die, Studio Katia vintage shimmer pearls

Going Monochromatic at Scrap n Stamp!

I'm on the Scrap n Stamp blog today with this monochromatic underwater scene - I hope you'll pop over and take a look! 

The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Gets Krafty

It's time for a new Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Challenge: K is for Kraft-y! I don't use kraft cardstock a lot, but it does have its place in my card making. Here's my kraft-y version: 

I also don't use people on my cards very often (I tend to prefer critters :D), but when I do, I often reach for this Unity stamp.  She's coloured with a mix of Copic markers and paper piecing - a great opportunity to add some kraft and red patterned paper to the mix. For the background, I used Versamark to add a subtle rose pattern to the kraft panel. I used the same patterned paper for the base of the card. 

We are so krafty on the Snarky blog! Pop over to see my sisters' creations, and our current Queen and guest designer, Samantha! Get your kraft on and join us! 

Supplies: Neenah white, desert storm & Stampin' Up basic black cardstock, Crate Paper Fourteen patterned paper, Unity Queen of the Universe & MFT Roses All Over stamps, Taylored Expressions Snarky Sentiment Strips stamp & die, Versamark & MFT extreme black ink, Wow white embossing powder, Copic markers, MFT diagonal stitched rectangle die

Inkspirational: Photo

Happy Saturday! It's time for a new Inkspirational challenge, and we have a beautiful photo inspiration for you! It turned out to be a tricky one for me - no hot air balloons, no mountains... but here's what I came up with:

A helium balloon works too, I hope! :D Originally I wanted to make the balloon the colours of the water, but couldn't make it work, so I did my best to replicate the rainbow of the hot air balloon in the pic. I blended the colours through the largest balloon stencil I had. I wasn't thrilled with how the colours blended, so I did the obvious and added glitter! :D Masking off the balloon, I added the cloudy sky to the background. 

Visit the Ink blog to see the beautiful interpretations of the photo from my talented teammates! And then I hop you will join us. 

Supplies: Neenah white cardstock, Clearly Besotted Sweet Little Sentiment stamp, Versamark onyx black, tumbled glass, candied apple, carved pumpkin, squeezed lemonade, twisted citron & blueprint sketch ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Studio Katia birthday balloons duo & MFT cloud stencils, MFT wonky stitched rectangle & blueprints 29 dies, Nuvo moonstone glimmer paste, black Sharpie pen

Seize the Birthday: Wheels

It's a Seize the Birthday Thursday! We have a brand new topping for you - WHEELS. It's funny, I was expecting to see lots of car cards from my teammates, but by and large, we seem to be a two-wheeled group. 🚲 Here's mine: 

Yes, I had a few vintage car stamps I could have used, but I went all the way back to the days of the penny farthing. :D I used a mask so I could sponge my square, then added the bicycle over top. Added the sentiment, and wow, I actually made a one-layer card! Both stamps I used are well over a year old, so I'm adding this to the Anything Goes Retro Rubber challenge. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is also Anything Goes. And of course I'm going to link up to AAA Birthday's 2nd Birthday challenge! (You know, it's the "other" birthday card challenge. ;) ) 

There are bicycles and other wheels galore on the Seize the Birthday blog, from my teammates and our current surprise party guest, Lynda! Remember, we love to see all birthday cards in her link-up, so come and join us! 

Supplies: Neenah white cardstock, Maya Road Cycle-gy & Hero Arts Irreverent Birthday stamps, Memento Paris dusk & blueprint sketch distress ink, ARTplorations Squares Flexi-Template

Addicted to Stamps and More: Make Your Mark

It's already time for a new Addicted to Stamps and More challenge! We're onto "Make Your Mark", and for this card, I chose to make my make with watercolour powders: 
 

I am also working my way through a few more of my bought-it-haven't-used-it supplies, and so I'm using this Dahlia stamp and die set for the first time. To start, I die cut the flower - it's a turnabout die! So my alignment for all the turns wasn't scientifically precise, but definitely close enough for a first attempt. Cutting the flower first let me see where I wanted to have my colours on the watercolour panel - after looking at a few dahlia photos, I decided on yellow for the centre and red around that. Of course, with the powders, I get lots of fun variations in colour, too. While the panel dried, I picked my sentiment and stamped and embossed the two parts. Then it was a simple matter of putting it together and adding a little bling! 

Since it's my first card with this set, I'm adding the card to Darnell's May NBUS challenge. 

Whether you decide to make your mark with your favourite medium, or experiment with a new one, I hope you'll make a card and join us! 

Supplies: Neenah white & scrap fuchsia cardstock, Canson watercolour paper, Concord & 9th Dahlia Turnabout stamps & die, Versafine onyx black ink, Hero Arts clear sparkle embossing powder, bright yellow & red Magenta Nuance watercolour powders, Hero Arts gems

Foiling at Scrap n Stamp!

I'm on the Scrap n Stamp blog today with a foiled card perfect for the start of a long weekend! :D Hope you'll drop over and take a look. 

Color Hues: Purple and Teal

Here we are in the second half of May already, and time for a new Color Hues challenge! It was my turn to pick the colour duo, and I chose PURPLE and TEAL. Backstory... when it came time to pick my pair of hues, I picked these since it's a favourite pairing of mine for non-traditional Christmas card colours. But when I sat down to make my card, I wasn't feeling the Christmas thing! So here's my alternate:

I stamped these pretty flowers on watercolour paper and embossed them with a white pearl embossing powder, for a softer look than just white would be. I coloured them with Zig markers and a generous amount of water to let the colours flow within the embossed *compartments*. While they were drying, I found a cardstock to more or less match the flower centres and splattered some diluted acrylic paint. I splattered some on the flowers, too, but with the pale tone of the purples, it doesn't really show. I stamped the sentiment and gave both it and the teal panel purple mats. 

Beautiful cards from my teammates and our current guest designer, Janet! I hope the colours will inspire you to join us! 

Supplies: Neenah white, Stampin' Up Bermuda Bay (maybe) & (?) purple cardstock, WPlus9 Modern Peonies stamps & dies, Savvy Stamps sentiment die, Versamark & Stampin' Up lavender lace ink, Hero Arts white satin pearl embossing powder,Z ig markers, white acrylic paint

The Sisters are Animals

Hooray for the weekend, and for a new Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers challenge! I think Edna has been binge-watching Tiger King, and so our newest challenge is A is for ANIMAL. I like to defy expectations, so I made a DOG card: 

Dogs don't seem to invite a lot of snark, but I thought this sentiment was perfect for a slightly dorky-looking dog. I don't often use browns and beiges, so I took the opportunity to use a couple of neutral-coloured patterned papers for his background.   

In case you're worried, I made a cat card too - so much easier to be snarky with a cat!

As you can tell, I am having a LOT of fun using my new snarky strip sentiments from Taylored Expressions! I paired this one with a cat face from Catherine Pooler, and again some patterned paper. 

Lots of animals being snarky on the Snarky blog, from my sisters and our current Queen and guest designer Rachel! 

Supplies: (dork) Neenah white cardstock, Basic Grey Hey You patterned paper, Katzelkraft Les Chiens stamp, Taylored Expressions Simple Strips - Snarky stamp & die, Versafine onyx black & Memento tuxedo black ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Copic markers, Winnie & Walter Katharine Cutaways rectangular frame die; (stupid people) Neenah white, Papertrey Ink soft stone & Recollections black cardstock, Crate Paper DIY Shop patterned paper, Catherine Pooler Peeking Pets & Taylored Expressions Simple Strips - Snarky stamps & dies, Versamark & Memento tuxedo black ink, Wow white embossing powder, Pinkfresh Studio slimline stitched die

Inkspirational: Triangle

Hey, it's time for a new Inkspirational challenge! We have a word challenge for you, and that word is TRIANGLE. Here's what I came up with: 

Many tiny triangles! This was one of those cards that had no set plan at the start, it just evolved as I worked on it. I knew I had some die cuts from a triangular cover plate that I had never done anything with, and so used one as a stencil. After adding a random rainbow in distress inks, I covered them with sparkly paste and left them to dry. In the meantime, a look through some patterned paper led me to even tinier rainbow triangles. For the sentiment, I die cut the thanks, pressed it into a Versamark pad, and embossed with sparkle embossing powder. Two more die cuts gave the sentiment a little extra oomph. 

Lots of triangular inspiration from my Ink teammates will show you how versatile this word prompt can be! I hope you will decide to join us. 

Supplies: Neenah white & scrap green cardstock, Echo Park Here & Now & Metropolitan Dots & Stripes patterned paper, Neat & Tangled Tiny Triangles, Taylored Expressions Thanks & MFT double-stitched rectangle dies, Versamark, picked raspberry, carved pumpkin, squeezed lemonade, twisted citron, lucky limeade, blueprint sketch, shaded lilac & wilted violet distress ink,  Wow clear sparkle embossing powder, Nuvo moonstone glimmer paste

Seize the Birthday: Make It a Bouquet!

Welcome to a new Seize the Birthday Thursday! Our newest optional *topping* will likely turn out to be a popular one: Make it a Bouquet! 💐 I turn to flowers less often than some cardmakers, so it was good to have that little push to make a floral card.

My friend Chris recently made this card, which inspired me to grab the same stamp set. I stamped the flowers twice by rotating the panel in my Misti - at the time, thinking I was leaving the right space between the two for a sentiment banner across the middle of the card. I need to get serious about refilling some of my Copic markers, but I did the best I could and kept blending to a minimum. As I thought about a sentiment, I realized I had the perfect "swoop" between the flowers for this curved sentiment! I rounded the corners of my panel, added it to a yellow card base, and threw on a little bling. 

Beautiful bouquets from my StB teammates and our current surprise party guest, Lynda! Whether you choose the bouquet option or not, I hope you will make a birthday card and join us! 

Supplies: Neenah white & American Crafts textured yellow cardstock, Paper Smooches Blossoming Buds & Best Buds stamps, Versafine onyx black ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Copic markers, My Creative Memories corner-rounding punch, Hero Arts clear gems

Addicted to Stamps and More: Die Cuts and Stencils

It's time for a new Addicted to Stamps and More challenge, and we are on to Die Cuts and Stencils! I have lately been using some of my pretty patterned paper making eclipse cards. Here's one: 

For me, eclipse cards such as this one are a perfect way to use some of my 12" x 12" patterned paper, since the designs are sometimes too large to incorporate into a standard A2 card in other ways - for me, at least. This large SMILE die is also ideal for incorporating into an eclipse design. I added a secondary sentiment below as well as a few gems in the same blue shade. 

I'm adding this floral card to Wednesday's Simon Says Stamp challenge, Feminine. 

My teammates at ATSM have used dies, stencils - and sometimes both! - in beautiful designs, so be sure to visit for lots of card inspiration. Hope you will join us! 

Supplies: Neenah white cardstock, Stampin' Up Beyond the Garden patterned paper, Clearly Besotted Many Mini Messages stamp, Versamark & Memento Paris dusk ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, MFT Smile & Sugar Pea Designs card front element builder dies, Studio Katia September Crystals

Scrap n Stamp: Bling and Blossoms Blog Hop!

Happy first Friday in May! The beginning of the month means it's time for a Scrap n Stamp Blog Hop! Appropriately for May, our theme is 💠BLING💠 and 🌸BLOSSOMS🌸. 

I went in search of some blossoms that hadn't seen ink before, and came up with Concord & 9th's Filled In Florals. My first card: 

For the blossoms and leaves, I used the rock n roll technique - for the flowers, I inked them in Memento Dandelion, then used a dauber to add Cantaloupe around the edges. The flower centres are also stamped in cantaloupe. The leaves are inked in New Sprout, with some Bamboo Leaves sponged along the centre vein. The sentiment is embossed with Wow gold embossing powder. I added a couple of scored lines to two edges of my card panel for a little extra interest, and finally for bling, added a few Gina K. dew drops. 

Then I thought, I bet these stamps would work well with some distress inks and faux watercolouring! So I had to try it: 

As you can see, I kept the same colour palette. After inking each stamp, I spritzed it with water before stamping it onto smooth bristol paper. Since the images are less precise, I didn't even worry about masking! 

By then I was on a roll, so I decided to use the remaining blossom stamp in the set: 

This was the easiest card of the three! I randomly stamped the flower using Memento Paris Dusk ink, then die cut my panel with a rectangular stitched frame. I initially stamped the sentiment in the same blue ink, but it didn't seem to have enough impact, so back to the gold! (As an aside, I love the look of this cut-out sentiment, and need more. Suggestions welcome!) For the flower centres, I used some gold Nuvo Drops, applying them with a toothpick to keep them imprecise. A few gold sequins were the final touch. 

Thanks for hanging in to the end! Remember to comment at each stop on the hop for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Scrap n Stamp! Here is the entire hop list: 

Tara

Deborah

Chala

Kia

Susan

Nancy

Lindsey --> you are here!

Jessica --> your next stop

In case you needed further inspiration to do a little weekend shopping... Scrap n Stamp has a special sale this weekend! Save 20% on your order with the discount code Pamper. (Valid 05/07/2021- 05/10/2021. While supplies last. Not valid with any other coupons, sales or promotions. Not applicable on previous purchases.)

Have a great weekend and enjoy the hop! 

Happy Little Stampers: Stencils

It's time for the next challenge with Happy Little Stampers: Stencils! I really intended to make a pretty spring card. Somehow I ended up with a snarky cat card instead... 

I started with this fun mosaic stencil - the first three rows are rather standard before the pattern breaks up into a more abstract design. I blended those first three rows in fired brick distress ink, then the upper rows in a mix of colours. The finished panel vaguely reminds me of some of the subway stations in Toronto! Resulting in the sentiment I chose. :D As for my snarky cat, I decided to leave him uncoloured, apart from his very tired eyes. And look! He's wearing bunny slippers! 

I think you will find my HLS stencil teammates managed their goals of making pretty cards! Mine provides the contrast, I suppose. :D Pop over to be inspired! 

Supplies: Neenah white & Recollections black cardstock, Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz Snarky Cat stamps, MFT extreme black & fired brick, twisted citron, carved pumpkin & squeezed lemonade distress inks, Copic marker, Carabelle Studio Mosaïque stencil, MFT blueprints 29 banner die, Gelly Roll white gel pen

ABC Christmas: J and K

It's the first Wednesday in May, and that means it's time for a new ABC Christmas Challenge! We are almost halfway through the year, and so in the alphabet, we are up to J and K. First up - J for JEWELS: 

This layering set by Hero Arts is still my favourite wreath stamp, and so out it came again. I used just one colour of green ink, but varied it by using second-generation stamping for the first two layers. I added a sentiment from the same set, and some scoring on the sides of the panel before adhering it to a panel of patterned paper on a card base. Three colours of jewels add decoration to the wreath. 

Next up is K for KIDS: 

I decided on a card with a kid/girl, and a card that would be suitable for a kid. (Of course, you know if I had baby goat stamps, I would have used them.) To begin, I blended a cardstock panel with distress inks, and both sprayed and splattered it with shimmer mist. While that dried, I stamped, embossed, coloured and cut out my girl riding a polar bear. I die cut a sparkly hill for her to ride on, and added an embossed sentiment to the ink-blended panel. Some additional sparkle is added to her outfit with Stickles. 

I highly recommend working on your holiday cards early to relieve some stress come holiday time! For more inspiration, check out the terrific cards made by the rest of the ABC design team, and then join us! 

Supplies: (warmest wishes) Neenah white cardstock, Stampin' Up patterned paper, Hero Arts Colour Layering Wreath stamps, Stampin' Up garden green & Colorbox cranberry ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Multicrafts jewels; (beary happy Christmas) Neenah white cardstock, American Crafts glitter paper, Penny Black Arctic Antics stamps, Versafine onyx black, Colorbox cranberry & mermaid lagoon, faded jeans & chipped sapphire ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Copic markers, Tsukineko clear sparkle shimmer spray, MFT blueprints 24 stitched rectangle & Sugar Pea Designs card front element builder dies, frosted lace Stickles, foam tape