Quirky Falling Leaves

Another in my recent spate of making sympathy cards so I might have a few on hand if there was the unfortunate need for one. This time, I went seasonal:

I've been admiring some cards recently that use watercolour crayons on stamps, and was inspired to try the technique again... even though I'd not liked any of my previous attempts. I do like how it turned out this time, however. I was able to stamp the leaf twice before cleaning it off to add the colours a little differently. The sentiment is from what I think is the first clear stamp set I ever bought. And the embossing powder I used just happens to be the second gold powder I ever bought -- with age it has mellowed to a not-too-shiny golden brown, which very occasionally is just what I need. (My very first gold embossing powder finally got so very old that it was too ugly to use. :D) 
I am entering this in three challenges with similar themes. Quirky Crafts Challenges has a quirky falling leaves (leaves or autumn colours) challenge, while Simon Say's Stamp's Monday challenge (yes, I'm entering a challenge on the very day it's posted!) has a falling in love with autumn inspiration challenge. And for old times' sake, I will link up with my former team at Crafty Creations Challenges, where this week they are looking for projects that use orange. 

Supplies: Stampin' Up soft suede textured cardstock, Strathmore multimedia paper, vellum, GCS Artstamps The Leaf & Inkadinkado Garden Flower stamps, Versamark ink, (really old) gold embossing powder, watercolour crayons

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Merry Monday Sunday

With an hour or two to spare, I'm playing along for the first time with a Merry Monday Christmas challenge! I took the opportunity of yesterday being World Card Making Day to organize myself just a little bit (nothing too drastic) and decide on some challenges I wanted to enter. This week at Merry Monday they are looking for polka dots and/or stripes. I managed both:

I started with the falling snow stencil, mixing some glitter into my embossing paste for a little extra shine. When it was dry, I sponged on some blue distress ink for the sky. Then, worried that my snow was too random to qualify as polka-dotted, I decided to use my sweatered reindeer. I love using the speech bubble sentiments with either him or his snowflake-sweater-clad counterpart! The speech bubble is embossed in red glitter embossing powder, which my camera refused to capture in all its glory. The sweater dots are stickled and his nose and hooves glossed up with some black Enamel Accents. I matted the little scene onto some striped paper just to be completist. ;)  
And with the clock ticking, I shall get this entered! I'm also adding this to the Anything Goes category in Hero Arts' current Holiday challenge, and to Simon Says Stamp's Monday challenge... what better finishing touch than a sparkly red sentiment? 

Supplies: white card stock, Strathmore multimedia paper, Echo Park patterned paper, Hero Arts Christmas Reindeer & Holiday Conversation stamps, tumbled glass distress & Memento Luxe espresso truffle & love letter inks, clear & red sparkle embossing powders, distress markers, Simon Says Stamp falling snow stencil, Dreamweavers translucent embossing paste, American Crafts microfine glitter, Studio G red glitter glue, black Enamel Accents, pop-dot tape

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An Iconic Post

Saturday and The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers are at it again! We are already up to our 18th challenge -- time flies when you're being snarky -- and it should be a fun one:

I is for ICONIC! As always, Edna knows just the perfect way to usher in the challenge. We are looking for an iconic PERSON, PLACE or THING. I had lots of ideas (Eiffel Tower, Mickey Mouse, Winnie-the-Pooh...), but ended up going with one of my favourite sets...

For the non-geeks in the audience, this is the timey-wimey Tardis, in which Doctor Who, companion by his side, travels through time and space. So although my card showcases an iconic thing, it does also manage to hint at a person (the Doctor) and a place (the universe!) at the same time. I almost used another sentiment, "You never forget your first doctor", but somehow this one seems to have slightly snarkier implications if you bend your mind the right way. ;) The space background was made by pressing distress ink pads onto a piece of butcher paper (my low-rent version of a non-stick craft mat), spritzing with water, and pressing my paper into the inky result. Once that was dry, I sprayed with shimmery mist and waited some more. Finally I mixed a bunch of glitter into some embossing paste to stencil the subtle stars. This closeup shows them a bit better: 

All the drying time gave me a chance to stamp my Tardis, also in distress ink. Then, using a technique I picked up on the Stretch Your Stamps class, I pulled the ink in from the stamped outline to shade the image. (I thought if it had worked for flowers, it should work for this.) 
Need more ideas? Check out the great inspiration from my sisters as well as our latest Queen of Snark and guest designer, Lynn! I hope you'll join us with your own iconic creation! 
By the way... HAPPY WORLD CARD MAKING DAY!!! What a great excuse to make some cards. :D 

Supplies: white & black card stock, Strathmore multimedia paper, Viva Las VegaStamps Plate 925 stamps, faded jeans & chipped sapphire distress & Memento tuxedo black inks, Dreamweavers translucent embossing paste, Stampin' Up Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Simon Says Stamp Falling Stars stencil, pop-dot tape

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Thinking of You in Blue

I needed a sympathy card this week, and decided to make a few while I was in the *mood*, so to speak. This is one of them:

I started by making a mask with some scrap paper and a square punch. I used it to make the background with distress inks before stamping and embossing the Donna Downey flowers. The sentiment is also embossed. The fancy border is the edge of a Spellbinders borderabilities die that I've otherwise never used, but I like how it looks here. 
I'm joining in on today's Unity Friends with Flair blog hop. I'm also back tomorrow with the newest Snarky Stampers challenge... hope you'll come back! :) 

Supplies: white & navy card stock, Strathmore multimedia paper, Stampin' Up Beyond the Garden patterned paper, Unity Insightful Meadows & Tulips and Daisies stamps, stormy sky, tumbled glass, milled lavender & chipped sapphire distress inks, Zing clear embossing powder, Spellbinders Borderabilities tulips border die, 1¼" square punch

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It's a Snarky Rubber Dance Hop!

The Snarky Sisters have found our people!
There is a one woman company, Rubber Dance Art Stamps, in far off Norway that speaks our language. I don't mean English. I mean SNARK! She makes a whole rubber plate of snark! This divine product of snarkitude must be shared, and we have accepted that challenge.

The plate is called "Sarcasm Superpowers" and it is obviously perfect for our Sisterhood. We want to share this awesomeness with you, so we our hosting our first blog hop, The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers First Annual Spectacular September Snark Off Blog Hop! 

Here are the hop rules.
Leave a comment on each blog, beginning with my snarky sister Lee, and ending with Rubber Dance's very own Bibi.
You have until September 28th at 11:55pm to complete the hop.
Here is the entire hop list for you to enjoy:

Lee
Chris
Lindsey (You. are. here.)

Jessi

Michelle

Lynne

Karen

Donna

Helen
Kathy
Gabriele
Majo J

Bibi
(If any of the above links aren't working, you will also find the hop list back at the mother ship, the Snarky Sisters blog.) 

We will use some sort of free computer tool to pick a random winner and announce it on Wednesday, Oct 1. After all, what's a blog hop without a prize? And we have a plate of "Sarcasm Superpowers" for one lucky commenter. 

And finally, a card...
So many excellent sentiments -- which to use? I decided on the perfect one to use as a snarky birthday card for a somewhat stressed-out person:

When I mentioned this sentiment to my always-practical husb, he remarked that people don't really use lemons with tequila, they use limes. And that is how my inside sentiment was born...

Thanks to Google, I was also able to watermark a Patron logo in the background. Seemed only appropriate. 
Enjoy this early, snarky start to your weekend! Have fun on the hop and good luck! 

Supplies: white & American Crafts textured green cardstock, Echo Park Dots and Stripes patterned paper, Rubber Dance Art Stamps Sarcasm Superpowers stamps, Paper Smooches Free Spirits & Recipe for Success stamps, Versafine onyx black, Memento dandelion & Hero Arts neon green inks, Zing clear embossing powder, pop-dot tape

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Jingle Bells

It's Saturday! Time for a new Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers challenge... and Edna echoes exactly how I feel about this week's theme: 

Yes, distressing makes me distressed. It's good to be challenged once in a while, though, right? And so while I could have opted for the easy way out and merely sponged the edges of a card stock panel, I did try to distress a bit more than that.

If you look closely, yes, I did distress the edges of both the Jingle Bells panel and the ticket image. I don't own a fancy distressing tool, of course, so a scissors blade did the work instead. I did also sponge the edges of both those panels, as well, with DISTRESS ink, of course. :D With Jingles Bells as my main stamp, it only made sense to use papers from a pad called "Sleigh Ride". 
There is lots of distressing inspiration to be found on the Snarky blog today, both from my sisters in snark and from our latest guest designer, Sandra. And then we would love to see you join us! 
P.S. Realized I could add this to Darnell's fun NBUS challenge, since my Jingle Bells music stamp got inky for the first time! I am pretty sure it's the first time I have used this paper pad, as well. 

Supplies: Stampin' Up very vanilla & Recollections green metallic card stock, Crate Paper Sleigh Ride patterned papers, Viva Las VegasStamps Jingle Bells & Unity Ticket to Christmas stamps, Versafine onyx black & evergreen bough distress inks, Zing clear embossing powder, hole punch, pop-dot tape

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