March Christmas card: Holly jolly penguin

I put off making my March Christmas cards until just about the last possible minute, so I have the simplest of clean and simple card designs this month.

Supplies:
Stamps: Holly Jolly Critters (Unity Stamp Company)
Paper: Crumb Cakse card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Soft Suede (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Jute twine (May Arts Ribbon), Ice White Pearl Pen (Viva Decor), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

Even though it's a simple card design, I do still think it's cute. And this would be a great card for a new stamper to create (one stamp set, one ink pad, one color of card stock) or if you needed a design to mass produce.

There's not really much here for me to explain. I stamped the wreath, penguin, and sentiment on Crumb Cake card stock using Soft Suede ink and then rounded the two bottom corners of the card. I added just a little bit of texture by gluing a simple twine bow at the bottom of the wreath and adding pearly white droplets over some of the berries on the wreath. I thought about using red for the berries, but I decided to stick with the neutral color pallet.

I did manage to put together a few other cards today. They were also simple cards -- just trying to use up some scraps of patterned paper -- but something is better than nothing.

Thanks for stopping by and stay well!

Missing my mojo

I have been struggling with creativity lately. Even with all of the new restrictions and recommendations, I still have to go to work for my shifts (I work in a store deemed an essential business), so not only do I not have any extra time at home, but I'm dealing with the general public all day long. Don't get me wrong -- I know that many people are currently out of work altogether, so I am thankful to still have an income, insurance, and some job security. But I wasn't crazy about my job before this pandemic, so all of this just adds extra stress. Now when I am home, I really just want to be lazy on the couch. I have projects to do, and part of me wants to do them; I just can't find the energy or desire to be crafty.

But I do have quite a few cards that I haven't shared yet, so I will try to work on getting those posted. Today I have three get-well cards to share. I don't typically send many get-well cards, but I think as I get older I will need them more often. (Thankfully, none of these were related to COVID-19; I'm hoping I won't need any cards for that.)

Supplies:
Stamps: Hi There Bear (Concord & 9th)
Paper: Whisper White, Berry Burst, Soft Suede, textured Bermuda Bay card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Crushed Curry, Berry Burst, Bermuda Bay (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Hi There Bear dies (Concord & 9th), Go Green sequins (Craft Medley), Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

This card was for a friend who had pneumonia last month. She really likes jewel-tone colors, so I used Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry and Berry Burst (although the berry ended up looking more maroon). The striped background, bear and sentiment are stamped directly on the white panel. (The background stamp has an empty space for the bear, so I didn't have to mask anything). The top of the umbrella was stamped and die cut, and the handle was die cut from Soft Suede card stock. I added a tiny die-cut heart and a few teal sequins for a little embellishment.

Supplies:
Stamps: I want You to Know (Unity Stamp Company)
Paper: Basic Gray card stock (Stampin' Up!), Whimsical specialty paper pad (Pink Paislee)
Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black (Tsukineko), Crushed Curry (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Clear embossing powder (Stampamania), polka dot washi tape (Handmade Modern), metallic baker's twine and sequin combo pack (Stampin' Up!), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

This card was for a friend who was recovering from surgery. I love that little birdie sitting on the typewriter! The yellow paper is actually from a pack of patterned paper, although instead of having a pattern, this sheet is just yellow ombre. It's hard to see in the picture, but it's lighter at the top and gets darker at the bottom.

I started by stamping and embossing the typewriter near the bottom of the yellow paper. But then I decided that the background was too plain, so I stamped a small background stamp several times using Crushed Curry ink. I also colored the little bird in Crushed Curry. Then I went back and stamped and embossed the two sentiments above the typewriter. I love the shine of the embossing powder!

I attached the panel to a Basic Gray card Base and added a small piece of washi tape to the top right and bottom left corners of the focal panel. Three Crushed Curry sequins are the perfect finishing touch.

Supplies:
Stamps: Butterflies and Sunbeams (Unity Stamp Company), Tiny Words (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper: Marina Mist, Tangelo Twist, Whisper White card stock; Golden Honey Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP) (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); colored pencils - PC918, PC922, PC903, PC901, blender pencil (Prismacolor)
Accessories: Skyscape Mini Coverplate dies (Catherine Pooler), jute twine (May Arts Ribbon), clear droplets (Pretty Pink Posh), Mini Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

This card was actually for someone I didn't know. I had seen a post on Instagram from a woman who was looking for people to send cards to her grandmother while she was in a care facility recovering from an injury. I thought these butterflies were the perfect image.

The butterflies and heart are actually all one stamp, so I stamped the image twice on white card stock. On one of the images I colored the heart and gave the butterflies just a quick layer of orange. (I knew they would be covered up, but I didn't want them to be plain white underneath.) Then I die cut that piece with a rounded rectangle die. On the second image I colored the butterflies in more detail. I cut them out by hand and used Dimensionals to attach them over the first image.

I found a tiny sentiment for the upper right corner of the panel, but I had to modify it a bit. On the stamps, the words are all on one line, but that didn't fit in the space I had. So I carefully applied ink to just one word at a time and then stamped them separately. The spacing isn't perfect, but overall it looks pretty good.

I adhered the panel onto a piece of orange card stock die cut with a scalloped rectangle die (both dies are from the same set). I wrapped a piece of twine around the panel and tied it off in a bow.

For the card base I used a piece of Marina Mist card stock with a layer of black-and-white striped DSP. I adhered the panel over the DSP and added three clear droplets.

Thanks for stopping by today! I'm hoping I get back some card-making mojo next weekend. I have "forced" myself to play with my watercolor paints the last couple of days just so I could create something. But I really need to restock some of my cards. Stay safe and be well!

A bright spot

With all the craziness and uncertainty caused by the current virus crisis, I think everyone is pretty stressed and maybe even a little scared. So I thought I'd create a little (tiny, itty bitty) bright spot by sharing a few cards with colorful flowers.

Supplies:
Stamps: Fresh Florals (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Toffee, Guava card stock (Taylored Expressions); Whisper White, thick Whisper White card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Guava, Pineapple, Plum Punch, Lime Zest, Sugar Cube (Taylored Expressions)
Accessories: Fresh Florals dies (Taylored Expressions), Stitched Frames Stacklets dies (Taylored Expressions), Scattered Floral Stencil (Taylored Expressions), Opaque Bright White Super Fine embossing powder (WOW!), blender brush (Picket Fence Studios), sparkling clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute), foam tape (3M)

To make these spring-y cards, I started by stamping the various flower and leaf images in a few different colors on white card stock and cutting them out with the coordinating dies. I set the flowers aside and focused on the card bases.

I had enough flowers for two cards, so for the first card I used a plain white card base and added a stitched frame cut from Guava card stock. I wanted to try something different for the second card, so using a stencil and blender brush, I added a white floral pattern to a Toffee card base and then added a stitched Toffee frame.

Using glue and foam tape, I created a large cluster of flowers and leaves in a lower corner on each card. I added a smaller cluster of flowers in the opposite upper corner of each card. To create the small pairs of leaves for those clusters I just stamped, die cut and then trimmed apart one of the leafy branches.

I finished off each card by stamping the "Hello friend" sentiment inside the frame. I embossed the sentiment on the Toffee card to help it stand out against the patterned background.

Supplies:
Stamps: Beautiful Bouquet (Stampin' Up!)
Paper: Whisper White, thick Whisper White, Basic Black card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Party COllection inks (Catherine Pooler); Intens-ified Black, Nest (Hero Arts)
Accessories: Bouquet Bunch dies (Stampin' Up!), Iridescent Sequin Assortment (Stampin' Up!), art Glitter Glue (Art Institute), foam tape (3M)

With the reds and oranges, this card definitely has a summery feel to me. As with the cards above, I stamped the flowers on white card stock and then cut them out with the coordinating dies. I stamped the bunch of stems on the left side of a white card base and then used glue and foam tape to adhere the flowers.

You know what's funny? After I made this card, I realized that I should have stamped the tulips in a different color, because when I look at them, all I see are lobster claws. And now that's probably what you'll see, too. You're welcome. :)

I stamped the sentiment in black to the right of the bouquet and then added a couple of little flowers next to it. I adhered a thin strip of black card stock along the bottom edge of the card front, and to finish the card, I scattered a few iridescent sequins around the bouquet.

Thanks for stopping by today. Stay well!

Watercolor English cottage

I had fun last week making a cute critter card for the Art Impressions Home Sweet Home challenge, so I decided to make one more before the challenge ends tomorrow. But for this card I decided to take a different approach and pull out some of my watercolor stamps to create a pretty red English cottage.

Supplies:
Stamps: WC Series 6 Set 1 - 3497, Foliage set - 4051, WC Mini Flower set - 5009 (Art Impressions)
Paper: Watercolor paper (Strathmore), Basic Black card stock (Stampin' Up!), Wlcome Home paper pad (Carta Bella)
Ink: Markers - 88 terra cotta, 40 brownish grey, 45 sepia, 13 ochre, 86 African violet, 60 salvia blue (Marvy Le Plume II), 158 dark olive (Tombow)
Accessories: Stitched Frame Stacklets dies (Taylored Expressions), sparkling clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen (Kuretake), #4 round paintbrush (Connoisseur), foam tape (3M), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

I think this is the first time I've used my watercolor stamps to make a picture with a building, at least on my own. Usually I stick to the flowers and plants in containers. So before I started I watched a YouTube video with Bonnie Krebs first to get a few tips; her videos and projects are always amazing.

Overall I'm happy with how this image turned out. I really like the cottage roof and the tree. And I added a little clear Wink of Stella glitter on the windows so they look like they're sparkling in the sunlight, although you can't really see that detail in the photo.

I kept the rest of the card fairly simple. I layered a piece of herringbone patterned paper on a plain card base for the background. I die cut a stitched black frame for the painted image and used foam tape to attach the panel to the card base. Then I added a few small sequins for a little sparkle.

My home sweet home doesn't look anything like this little cottage, but I'd sure love to spend some time here! Thanks for stopping by!

Lovable Legends with alcohol ink 'smooshing'

Last month the gnome valentines I made were featured on the scrapbookpal.com blog. I received a $20 gift card to their store, and two of the items I ordered were the Lovable Legends stamp and die sets from Lawn Fawn. When I sat down to play with the stamps, instead of coloring the images, I decided to try a "smooshing" technique with alcohol ink.

Supplies:
Stamps: Lovable Legends (Lawn Fawn)
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black, VersaMark, Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); alcohol inks: Wild Plum, Eggplant, Meadow, Oregano, Espresso (Ranger); alcohol markers: W2, E18, E53, YG09 (Copic Sketch)
Accessories: Lovable Legends dies (Lawn Fawn), Opaque Bright White Super Fine embossing powder (Wow!), gold star embellishments (unknown), 3" x 5" gel printing plate (GelPress), powder tool (EK Success), foam tape (3M), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)
Other: Alcohol-based hand sanitizer gel

Aren't they cute? The punny sentiments crack me up, too. My favorite image is the kraken, so I had to make a couple of cards with him as the focal point.

Supplies:
Stamps: Lovable Legends (Lawn Fawn)
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Pool Party card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black, Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Pool Party (Stampin' Up!); alcohol inks: Wild Plum, Eggplant (Ranger); alcohol markers: W2, E18 (Copic Sketch)
Accessories: Lovable Legends dies (Lawn Fawn), Large Stitched Rectangles Stackables dies (Lawn Fawn), Seaside embossing folder (Stampin' Up!), 2-1/2" circle punch (Stampin' Up!), black and white twine (Stampin' Up!), clear droplets (Pretty Pink Posh), 3" x 5" gel printing plate (GelPress), foam tape (3M), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)
Other: Alcohol-based hand sanitizer gel

To color the images I used a technique I'm calling Alcohol Ink Smooshing. You'll need alcohol-based hand sanitizer gel (which may be hard to find with the current virus scare), a gel printing plate, and alcohol inks. If you don't have a gel printing plate, a large acrylic stamping block would work, too. Here are the steps I used:

1. Put one or two squirts of hand sanitizer on the gel printing plate or large acrylic block.
2. Add a few drops of alcohol ink. I like to use two or three colors.
3. Use your finger in a dabbing motion to mix and spread the hand sanitizer and ink. The gel won't be completely flat; it should have little peaks.
4. Lay a piece of white card stock on the gel plate or block and rub the back to transfer the ink (i.s., "smoosh" the gel).
5. Lift up the card stock and set it aside to dry.
6. Stamp and die cut your images as usual.

I love the variation in color you get by mixing the inks with the gel. For my cards I used two colors for each of the creatures: Wild Plum and Eggplant for the kraken, Meadow and Oregano for the Lochness monster, and Oregano and Espresso for the bigfoot. I wanted the bigfoot's skin (face, hands and feet) to be lighter, so I stamped that image on a scrap of white card stock, colored those parts with an E53 Copic marker, then cut them out and glued them over the colorful image.

To finish the cards, I kept the backgrounds simple -- with plain card stock, tone-on-tone stamping, or embossing -- so the lovable, colorful legends held center stage.

Thanks for stopping by!

Home Sweet Home challenge

One thing I always wish I had more time for is entering card-making challenges. I think challenges are a fun way to get new ideas, try new techniques, or just focus my creativity when I'm not sure what to make next. So I was excited when I saw that the theme for the current Art Impressions challenge was Home Sweet Home -- I had the perfect idea.

Supplies:
Stamps: Woodland Tree Cubbies 5100 (Art Impressions)
Paper: Soft Sky, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), colored pencils and blender pencil (Prismacolor)
Accessories: Partly Cloudy dies (Honey Bee Stamps), Grassy Border die (Lawn Fawn), foam tape (3M), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

Aren't all those critters the cutest? I love how they can peek out all the different doors and windows. I received this stamp set as a prize for participating in a previous Art Impressions challenge, so it seemed only fitting that the first time I use it is for a new challenge.

I will admit, though, that having all these different images to color and die cut was a little intimidating. So to make this first card a little easier, I used the stamp set packaging as inspiration for a lot of my color and placement choices.

I used colored pencils and a blender pencil to do my coloring. I feel like I have a little more control with pencils than alcohol markers, especially for these little images. (Not that I am a coloring expert by any stretch of the imagination.) I think all the critters turned out okay, but my favorite is probably the chipmunks.

Once I had all the animals and pieces of the tree house colored colored and cut out, I adhered everything together with liquid glue and set it aside to dry. For the card base, I used light blue card stock and added a layer of die-cut grass along the bottom edge. I cut out a few fluffy white clouds and added them to the sky and then stamped the sentiment below one of the clouds. I wanted to add some dimension to the card, so I used foam tape -- lots of tiny pieces! -- to attach the tree and critters to the card base.

Do you have any favorite challenge sites or blogs? If you do, let me know in the comments. I'd love to check them out. Thanks for stopping by!