Another Deadline Challenge

If my blog posts this past weekend are any indication, then I am definitely on a bit of a roll, challenge-wise... and I like working close to a deadline. ;) Twas ever thus, I must confess. I'm back with a card for the soon to be closing Muse challenge, where Jenni Murray is the current Muse with this beautiful card: 

I took inspiration from the poppies, the colours, the offset sentiment and the layout. And although Jenni hoped her card wasn't too reminiscent of a sympathy card, that was the route I went... 

Unlike Jenni's stamp, the stems on my poppies are solid, so I didn't want to ink mine in black and have solid black stems. Instead, I used distress markers to colour it before stamping it onto mixed media paper. Then I used a paintbrush to draw colour from the outlines to shade the flowers. Like Jenni, I added a pale wash of green to ground the stamp... to add blue would have been too difficult since the stems would have wanted to bleed into the blue — the green I could handle. ;) My sentiment was a little too long to stamp directly onto the panel as Jenni did, so it's on a simple banner. (I need to find one or two more classy sympathy sentiments...) 
Off to find more almost-ending card challenges! :D

Supplies: Bazzill marshmallow & Stampin' Up old olive cardstock, Unity Wishing You Joy& Hero Arts With Deepest Sympathy stamps, My Favorite Things licorice black ink, distress markers, Creative Memories corner-rounding punch 

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Carol Musing, Take II

I'm back with another challenge card for Muse ChristmasVisions and Merry Monday. (I need to type quickly, the current challenge ends soon!) Last night, when I posted this card, I mentioned the utter lack of success I'd had using a Christmas tree stencil. Well, I couldn't let myself be defeated! With yet another attempt, I have a card I can live with, and even like: 

This very clean and (allegedly) simple card still fought me every step of the way. My stencilling is imperfect, but I decided the patterned paper hides the little embossing paste slips. If you squint, you might see the score lines down the left side to balance the rest of the panel. I grabbed a textured card base from my stash — luckily I looked inside before I adhered the panels, as it was already pre-smudged! Then of course I managed a smudge on my newly-cut card base when I put a sentiment inside. Now there are two little snowflakes in addition to the sentiment. 
From Maria's card, I was inspired by her stencil use, Christmas tree, and pops of gold. And I hope my outside sentiment makes my carol inspiration clear. I'm also adding this to the current Anything Goes Simon Says Stamp challenge. 
Off to link up! Enjoy the remainder of the weekend. 

           

Supplies: American Crafts textured white cardstock, gold pearl paper, Basic Grey Aspen Frost patterned paper, Technique Tuesday Jingle All the Way stamp, Versamark ink, Wow white embossing powder, Simon Says Stamp Four Trees stencil, Dreamweavers glossy white embossing paste

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O Christmas Tree Muse

What can I say? I like making Christmas cards, even in April. And since there was a skiffle of snow on our deck and on neighbours' roofs this morning, it doesn't even seem all that out of season. 
I've got a card for two challenges: Muse ChristmasVisions and Merry Monday. Merry Monday is looking for a card inspired by a Christmas carol, while at MCV, Maria Fischer is the week's muse. 

      

My carol inspiration is O Christmas Tree; from Maria's card, I was inspired by the graphic tree image, the small sentiment across the bottom of the card and the polka dots. Here's my take: 

Maria used a stencil... I have a small tree stencil that also has circles, but a day of failures convinced me to try something else. I thought this tree stamp had a similar feel with its snowflakes standing in for circles. I started by sponging some distress ink in the centre of the white panel then added a few sparkly spatters. The tree is embossed in white. I stamped the sentiment three times before trimming the panel and layering it on the green polka dot paper. A gold star sequin finishes the card.  

Supplies: white cardstock, Echo Park Holly Jolly Christmas patterned paper, Prima Merry Christmas Tree & Technique Tuesday Jingle All the Way stamps, Versamark & mowed lawn distress inks, Wow white embossing powder, homemade Perfect Pearls mist, Studio Calico gold star sequin

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Just Joking!

The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers missed landing our newest challenge on April Fools by just one day, but we don't care! Our newest challenge...

J is for JOKE! Look at Edna rolling her eyes... it takes some work to get her laughing out loud. Here's my attempt: 

This is funny to me as my exes are all in my distant past. (We're talking high school and university, people.) And I'm either on good terms with them or we have totally lost track of each other. As far as I know...

My little puppy is stamped and embossed in grey, with grey Spectrum Noir colouring and a red collar (coated in Stickles) to coordinate with the sentiment. Of course his nose and eye have a layer of Glossy Accents to give them a healthy shine. The chew toy bones are stamped in two different shades of grey. 
(Full disclosure: the American spelling of NEIGHBOUR annoys me a bit, but not nearly as much as non-u versions of colour or favourite.) 
I'm adding this to Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Anything Goes challenge, and Paper Smooches April challenge. 
Come and join in the fun this challenge and tickle our funny bones! Be sure to check out the creations of my sisters in snark, as well as our latest guest designer, Irit! AND!!! We are looking for a guest designer or two for a six month gig hanging out with the snarkiest stampers ever! Click HERE for all the details. 

Supplies: white & Stampin' Up smokey slate cardstock, Paper Smooches Woofers & Tweeters stamps & Woofers die, Riley & Co. sentiment stamp, Memento Luxe grey flannel & Memento grey flannel, London fog & rhubarb stalk inks, Zing clear embossing powder, Spectrum Noir markers, Glossy Accents, clear rock candy distress Stickles, pop-dot tape

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It's April 1st!!!

Even though the start of this fourth month means that it's April Fools Day, it's no joke that there's a new challenge starting at Naughty or Nice Challenges today! 

Ah, rainbows. Sounds like the perfect prompt for a nice card, doesn't it? At first I thought, hmm, should I do balloons? A rainbow in a rain-washed sky? And then I gave my head a shake and went with the obvious choice... wine glasses! 

I really did cut a mask for the wine glass so that I could cascade them down the left side of my card. I found some hangover-inducing patterned paper to cover the card base before popping the main panel up with a layer of fun foam for extra stability. Easy and fun! 
I'm adding this card to Wednesday's Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp. 
What can you do with rainbows? Come and play with us at Naughty or Nice Challenges! 
Supplies: Papertrey ink white cardstock, Amy Tangerine Sketchbook patterned paper, Paper Smooches Free Spirits & Hampton Arts LOL Wine stamps, Versafine onyx black & Memento lady bug, tangelo, dandelion, bamboo leaves, teal zeal, lilac posies & grape jelly inks, fun foam

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Me, Prickly?

I'm playing along for the first time with the challenge Inspired by All the Little Things.  Here is the current inspiration photo: 

For this challenge, Tracey is hosting, and featuring guest designer Stephanie. Now it just so happens I was at a crafting get-together recently, where I used Steph's stamps and dies with Tracey's watercolour markers to make all of these: 

What better time to start putting them to use? My finished card: 

I chose the cactus that picked up some of the colours in the inspiration photo and made a clean and simple card. Of course, with that sentiment, I have no idea when I'll ever use it. ;) 

Supplies: white, Stampin' Up naturals ivory & DCWV All Chalked Up cardstock, Strathmore mixed media paper, My Favorite Things (MFT) Sweet Succulents stamps & dies, MFT black licorice ink, Zig clean colour real brush pens, MFT Blueprints 24 & Wonky Windows dies, pop-dot tape

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