You're a fungi

I've got one last challenge card to post for August. Whew! It's been years since I've done so many blog posts in one month! This card is my second one for the August challenge at Stay Crafty with a Blog Named Hero. The theme is "It's Hip to Be Square," and each project needs to include a square(s) in some way. For this card, I went with a clean and simple masculine design.

Supplies:
Stamps: You're a Fungi (Hero Arts)
Paper: Stone woodgrain card stock (Hero Arts); Mossy Meadow, Soft Suede card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Versamark (Tsukineko)
Accessories: White embossing powder (Hero Arts), Neutrals Candy Dots (Stampin' Up!), 1-1/4" square punch (Stampin' Up!), foam tape (3M)

I wanted to use a neutral color palette, so for the card base I chose a piece of gray woodgrain card stock from an old My Monthly Hero kit. I could have cut the piece in half to make two card fronts, but I decided to score and fold it and use the whole piece for the card base. (Since this is a simple card, I like the extra detail of the woodgrain texture, and it's nice to feel it on the back of the card, too. Makes it seem a little more special.)

I love all the images and punny sentiments in the You're a Fungi stamp set, so I started by figuring out which of the mushrooms would fit in a 1-1/4" square and stamping them on a deep green card stock with Versamark ink. For some of the bitty mushrooms I was able to just fit two of them in one square. I embossed the images with white embossing powder and punched them out. (My embossing is not great. I know all the tips and tricks, but I often still struggle with it, which is one of the reasons I don't do it often. Luckily the rustic feel of this card means the imperfect embossing isn't too big a deal.)

I wanted to include the "you're a fungi!" sentiment, but it was too long to fit in one of the squares. I fixed that by stamping the sentiment in two steps. First I inked up just the "you're a" with Versamark and then stamped it on brown card stock. I cleaned off the stamp and then inked and stamped "fungi!" just below the first part of the sentiment. Then I embossed it and punched it out. Problem solved! And I love how it stands out on the different color of card stock.

I arranged the six squares in the center of the card base and attached them with foam tape. (The gap between the squares is about 1/4".) To finish the card I added three gray enamel dots in the upper left corner. I really like how they add just a little more interest, but since they're the same color as the background, they don't distract from the stamped images.

I'd forgotten how fun it is to do challenges -- maybe I'll try to keep it up and enter again next month. Thanks for stopping by!

Autumn bouquet

The last two cards I have to share this month are both for the August challenge at Stay Crafty with a Blog Named Hero, but I'm going to post them separately. The theme for the challenge is "It's Hip to Be Square," and projects need to include a square or squares in some way. I've been into fall-themed crafting the past couple of weeks, so for this first challenge card I created a bouquet with an autumn feel.

Supplies:
Stamps: You're So Lovely (Hero Arts)
Paper: Plum card stock (Hero Arts), Basic White card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Lime Green, Moss, Lemon Drop, Raspberry Jam, Grape Juice, Tangerine, Cup O' Joe (Hero Arts); gold Glimmer Metallic ink (Hero Arts)
Accessories: You're So Lovely dies (Hero Arts), Nested Squares Cross-Stitch dies (Rubbernecker Stamps), gold confetti (Pretty Pink Posh), hemp twine (May Arts Ribbon), foam tape (3M)

I started out by stamping and die cutting all of the flowers and leaves (I cut several of each piece so I could make a few cards at the same time) and the white square with the stitched border. I stamped the sentiment on the square and arranged the flowers and leaves around it, letting some of the pieces go past the edges of the square. I used foam tape to pop up the two flowers and add a little dimension.

For the background panel, I used a 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" piece of Plum card stock and splattered it with gold Glimmer Metallic ink. When using the metallic ink, I put a little bit on a clear block (most any nonporous surface would work; clear blocks are just handy while stamping) and add a drop or two of water. I mix it up with a small paintbrush and then use the brush to make the splatter. I may have overdone the splatter a little bit on this card, but I love the sparkle! I also wanted to tie in the metallic ink to the flowery focal panel, so I painted just a little bit onto the brown berries, the purple sprig, and the orange leaf.

Once the gold ink was dry, I used foam tape to attach the focal panel to the card base, leaving a border of about 5/8" on either side and 3/4" on the top. I added some gold confetti pieces around the focal panel and in the center of each flower. I adhered the whole card front to a white card base and finished off the card by wrapping a piece of help twine twice around the front of the card and tying it in a knot.

I love how this card turned out, and since I added a birthday sentiment inside, I've got another birthday card for my stash! Stay tuned for my second "square" card in my next post.

Thanks for stopping by!

Autumn wreath

The second card in my series of challenge entries is for Art Impressions' Dynamic Duo challenge, where the requirement was to create something using at least two stamp or die sets. I used four watercolor sets to create a pretty autumn wreath.

Supplies:
Stamps: 4701 - Clay Pot, 4052 - Flower Set, 4868 - Watercolor Flower Set 2, 4607 - Flowering Mailbox (Art Impressions)
Paper: Watercolor paper (Strathmore); Soft Suede, Crumb Cake card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Soft Suede, Old Olive, Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze (Stampin' Up!); Metallic Accents paint (Art Philosophy)
Accessories: Hello die (Lawn Fawn), Brushed Metallic Adhesive Backed Dots (Stampin' Up!), hemp twine (May Arts Ribbon), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter)

I haven't done any watercolor stamping in quite awhile, and I've gotten a little rusty. When I sat down to work on this card, I originally tried to create a whole little scene. That turned out to be too overwhelming (and too much pressure since I was trying to work quickly), so I switched gears and decided to try a stamped wreath instead.

I started by using a pencil to lightly trace a circle on a piece of watercolor paper. I inked the branch image with brown ink and stamped it three times, overlapping each branch with the one before, before re-inking the stamp. This helps create depth and color variation. I repeated the process until I had worked my way all around the circle. Using a barely damp paint brush, I lightly tapped/dabbed the branches so the color spread a little and created a watercolor look.

I gave the branches a little time to dry and then moved on to the rust-colored flowers. (Or leaves. It is an autumn wreath, so they could be leaves, too.) I inked up the image and then stamped two or three times in a little cluster, re-inked the stamp and stamped another cluster, repeating until I was happy with the color distribution. Again, I used a slightly damp brush to dab at the images and spread the color. I let it dry a bit, then repeated with the green leaves and finished with the yellow flowers.

For a little sparkle I splattered the panel with some gold paint and added three gold enamel dots. I glued a twine bow on the wreath and added a die-cut sentiment at the bottom of the card. I layered the panel on a mat of Soft Suede card stock and then adhered it to a Crumb Cake card base.

I really love the way this card turned out (even though I still wish my watercolor stamping was a little better) and I may have to try some other seasonal wreaths.

Thanks for stopping by!

Thanksgiving sunflowers

Over the last week I decided to make cards for three different August challenges. (So that means I'll have several blog posts coming up!) The card I'm sharing in this post is my entry for the August 2022 Monthly Mix Challenge on the Gina K Designs blog, and the theme is "Adding Texture."

Supplies:
Stamps: Zenflowers (Gina K Designs)
Paper: Basic White, Crumb Cake, Night of Navy card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), colored pencils (Prismacolor)
Accessories: Art Deco and Harvest Flourish stencils (Gina K Designs), Zenflowers dies (Gina K Designs), Bee Pollen Dew Drops (Honey Bee Stamps), Connect Glue (Gina K Designs), foam tape (3M), Gamsol (Gamblin), paper blending stumps (Jack Richeson)

I bought the Zenflowers stamp set a couple of years ago when it was part of a monthly kit from Gina K Designs, but I hadn't used it yet. (I'm not sure how I manage that, but it happens more than I'd like.) So this challenge seemed like the perfect reason to get it out! I stamped, colored, and die cut two of the sunflower images as well as a few leaves. I used colored pencils and did some blending with Gamsol to add some depth to the images.

For the texture on my card, I used two stencils from Gina K Designs, but I used them with an embossing mat and my Big Shot machine to emboss the patterns instead of ink blending or using paste. I used the Harvest Flourish stencil to emboss the front of a Crumb Cake card base and the Art Deco stencil to emboss a wide strip of Night of Navy card stock. I glued the navy card stock to the card front (slightly to the left of the center) and then added the flowers (with foam tape) and leaves (with liquid glue).

I wanted to add a sentiment to the card, and "Happy Thanksgiving" was just about the perfect size. I stamped it on a strip of white card stock, trimmed the ends of the strip, and adhered it below the images, tucking it under one of the leaves and the bottom of the smaller flower. I finished off the card with three yellow droplets. 

Thanks for stopping by!

August Christmas cards: Simple winter scene

When I sat down to make my August Christmas cards, I had a rough idea of what I wanted to do. I made one card with that plan and decided that wasn't it. The card turned out okay (I added it to my Christmas card stash), but it just wasn't what I had pictured, and the process took me longer than I thought it would. So instead I went a completely different direction and ended up with a group of very clean and simple note cards featuring a little winter scene.

I used the Snow Front stamp set (Stampin' Up!) for the images and the Tiny Words Christmas set (Simon Says Stamp) for the little sentiment on the bottom. I think these watercolor-style scene-building sets are so fun, but I often have trouble putting the images together in a way I like. So for these cards I did an online search to get some ideas, and the card that most inspired me was made by Shelly Godby. I kept the placement of the mountains and trees but switched up the other elements a little -- and I especially loved the little red cardinal perched on the sentiment.

Once I decide on a layout, cards like this are very quick to stamp -- I simply choose one image (I started with the mountains) and stamp that on every card. Then I clean off that stamp and move to the next image. You could use a stamp positioner for the stamping if you want to, but I just used clear blocks because it was faster, and it didn't really matter if the placement was exactly the same on every card. With the stamping done, I simply added three sequins to each card for a subtle sparkle. (Well, they're not exactly sequins because they don't have a hole, but I'm not sure what the correct term is. Confetti? Anyway, actual sequins, or any other embellishment, would work just as well.)

I made ten of these cards, so I think that brings my total for the year up to 68 Christmas cards. Woohoo! I'll have to make a list of card recipients to be sure, but I shouldn't need too many more than that. So maybe I'll just do one more small batch in September and then be done. Of course, that's when a lot of the stamp companies start coming out with their new holiday products. Oh, well. If I end up buying any holiday goodies and not using them, they can be first up when I start the process over again in January!

Thanks for stopping by!