FROM THE SCRAP DRAWER--Birthday Blossoms

This top-fold card was made using scraps that were still on my table from previous projects which actually never made it to the Scrap Drawer.  The yellow and white panels were glued together in case I needed an extra during the Tuesday beginners class.  The green strip was also a left over which I cut in half and glued to the card front as though it went all the way across.

The flowers*  were stamped on a larger scrap of white cs, fussy cut and mounted to the panel with dimensionals.  The greeting was stamped on a scrap of yellow, punched out and mounted below the image with dimensionals.

The final touch was the addition of 3 tiny self-stick blossoms and some yellow Stickles to the center of the rose.


*SU "So Very Grateful"

THREE OF A KIND--Sorta...

Usually, I do three of the same image.  These three are from the same SU set*, so I figured that was close enough.

The poppy was stamped with black ink and colored with Distress markers:  Fired Brick for the bloom and Frayed Burlap for the bud.  I added the red line on the side with just a ruler and the same marker used on the poppy.  The Bible verse and twine were added before mounting the panel to the card front with SU dimensionals.  The final touch was the Wink of Stella (pen) on the blossom.

The bird was stamped in Smokey Gray and colored with 2 shades of blue markers, one of which I used to highlight the verse.  The border was hand drawn with markers.  The twine was added before mounting the panel to the card front with dimensionals.

The berry branches were stamped with Smokey Gray and colored with markers.  I decided to make them blueberries, enhancing them with Wink of Stella and Glossy Accents.  Then I added a double line on the side and a few sequins above the verse.

Aside from being from the same set, these three cards also feature hand-drawn accents, Bible verses suitable for Pastor cards and a CAS* design.  Please click on the photo for a closer look.

*CAS--Clean and Simple
SU set is, appropriately, "Simply Sketched"

AUTHENTIC DOGWOOD STAMP

This stamp by Hero Arts is the only one I've seen (so far, anyway) that has Dogwood blooms with four petals instead of five.  There is a "Legend of the Dogwood" which is appropriate for Easter, but it requires an authentic 4-petal Dogwood blossom.

The leaves on this stamp are very dark, but I wanted the blossoms to be much lighter.  So I first stamped the image in Versafine Olympia Green and stamped a second image in Smokey Gray stamped off once.  I then colored both as shown with colored pencils.

Next, I cut the white cs close to the image on the sides, sponged the edges with Smokey Gray and glued it to the green dsp which I had already glued to the card front.  Then I added the lighter blossoms over the image with dimensionals.

The greeting, from the SU "Painted Petals" set, was stamped in the Olympia Green and mounted on the card with dimensionals.  The final touch of Diamond Stickles was applied to the centers of the blossoms.

This card is going to a Silver Stamper who is 88 and makes the most amazing cards!

BIRTHDAY TULIPS

This card was made using a set from My Favorite Things.
After stamping the tulips and greeting, mounting on a matching panel of pearlized purple cs, and adding it to the bottom left of the card front, the REAL fun began!

It was a challenge to add just enough sparkle with sequins, dots and gems without overpowering the simple image.  This took longer than all the previous steps, but I'm finally happy with how it turned out.

Enjoy!

FEMININE BIRTHDAY CARD

This was stamped three times across a top fold card using the floral stamp in the "So Very Grateful"  SU set.

After coloring in the images with markers, I glued on tiny flower embellishments I picked up at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago.  Then I added the sentiment which is from an old SU set of wooden stamps, "Wonderful Words."  Since it will be a birthday card, I handwrote the word "you" underneath the "e" in "Celebrate," following the curve of the stamp.

To pull all the purple colors together, I used deckle-edged scissors along the bottom and added a 3/4" strip of purple pearlized cs on the inside and another narrow strip along the top of the card as a finishing touch.

The colors are a little bright; but after the winter we just had, I think it will be a welcome change!

MASCULINE CARD?

You don't usually expect to see pink blossoms on a masculine birthday card, but this is one exception.  It went to a friend of ours who lives just outside of Washington, D.C.  Since his birthday was at the height of the cherry blossom season,...well, you get the idea.

Inside reads, "with a cherry on top."  I also added, "Hope you get to enjoy the cherry blossoms!"

I think it got a laugh.

FLOWERS THAT FLY

Couldn't resist CASEing Jill Foster's design HERE.

Using the  SU! Papillon Popourri and coordinating punches, I came up with this arrangement on a standard sized card.

The dashes on the left are from a Sale-a-Bration pad of vellum which I cut to 3/4" and taped to the cardfront with Vellum tape.  For the panel, which is popped up with dimensionals, I first white embossed the floral stamp from SU! Pocket Silhouettes, sponged over it with Broken China Distress ink, and added the jute.

The message (Technique Junkies) is stamped with Versafine Smokey Gray which matches the gray on the vellum strip.  The butterflies are colored with glitter pens and attached with glue dots.  The dots were added due to a tiny smudge that needed to be "camouflaged." 

Thanks to Jill Foster for a beautiful design!

AMAZED CAT

This cat's eyes caught my eye in the Technique Junkies booth at the Stamp Show, and I couldn't resist.  I found the greeting in a birthday set at the Sweet n Sassy booth, and they make the perfect pair!

A very simple card to make. I started with Versafine Smokey Gray ink; colored the eyes, nose and mouth; added the saying and sponged the edges with gray.  After mounting it over the plaid dsp on an ivory card front, adding just one glittered brad and rounding the upper right corner, the card was done.

Easy!

ANOTHER NEW STAMP

Since I use a lot of butterflies on my cards, when I saw this stamp at the Stamp Show, I knew it would get a lot of use.

The two small punched butterflies were sitting on my table from a previous project, so I had just what I needed to make use of my new stamp.  This is also the first time I've used this sheet from the Painted Blooms dsp from the SU! Sale-a-bration catalog.

I'm really happy with the way this folio card came together!

HIDDEN LETTER BIRTHDAY

I'm enjoying this newly-learned technique from Online Card Class!

TIP:  To add another word close to a raised image, place it on the bottom of an acrylic handle with the letters upside down.  Then stamp from the top of the raised image, which would no longer be in the way.  Of course, it would have been much easier to stamp it before adding the raised letters, but I forgot.

A PRE-SUMMER'S CAT NAP

This stamp by Impression Obsession reminded me of our tuxedo cat who loves to snooze in "her" chair on the front deck.  Today was the first day warm enough to sit a spell after a long, bleak winter!

I'm looking forward to doing the same thing in another few weeks...

HAPPY EASTER!

HE IS RISEN, isn't He?

"If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.  But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."
(I Corinthians 15:19-20)

THREE OF A KIND--Floral

Margot's Flower is the title for this stamp from Technique Junkies.  I saw this at the Allentown Stamp Show and didn't even hesitate.  Today I decided to try coloring it three different ways.

First, I stamped it on a piece of watercolor paper and painted it with an aqua  painter and Distress Inks:  Fired Brick, Peeled Paint and Wild Honey.  For the center of the flower, I used Wild Honey and my Wink of Stella brush.  The black was done with India Ink Black.  I used a pale purple colored pencil to outline the image on the bottom and right sides.


For the second flower, I used colored pencils on Ivory cs.  I like to use 3 colors at a time, the lightest first.  Then I add the darkest and use the medium tones for burnishing.  The center was colored black, then I added some tiny black gems.

TIP:  I purchase alphabet sets of pearls, rhinestones, red and black gems to separate and use on cards.

The purple card was done with markers, which I find the most difficult to use on large images because they aren't as blendable as the other media.  After I took this photo, I added more purple to the outer areas of the petals, leaving more white (and contrast) toward the center.  The center was done with a lime green Spica pen.

It was quite a challenge to come up with three different ways to color this image, but I like how they turned out.  My favorite is the first one (watercolor).  What's yours?