Where Is Spring???

The only place where there's some Spring around here is on this card!

Using soft colors and airy flowers, I stamped while it was getting ready to snow again today. As I post this, the snow has begun to fall.

For the background, I created a very subtle chevron design and mounted the flower on it with dimensionals. The colors are muted to reflect the softness of Spring, which will get here someday...

LESS IS MORE--Sketch

I knew I'd find a use for that brown Flower Soft someday!

The sketch for this challenge can be found HERE.




NOTE: I've added a new feature to my blog so you can get email updates whenever a new post is added!

CIC24--Sketch

Using the "Clearly Inspired Challenge" sketch, here is yet another daffodil card (see previous post.)








This challenge can be found on the Clear Dollar Stamps website HERE at the March 18th post.

Three of a Kind--Daffodils

This was a bit of a challenge to come up with three ways to use such a delicate stamp without overpowering it. All three were stamped with India Ink Black and colored with SU markers.

The first one was stamped twice on white so that the two main blossoms could be cut out and popped up with dimensionals over the full image. After mounting on green cs at an angle, I placed it on the sun dsp and stamped "Happy Easter" in the lower right corner. A tiny bit of orange Stickles was added to the rim of the daffodil trumpets.

The second card was first stamped with Versamark on Crumb Cake, then stamped again with black ink on a neutral piece and colored with yellow, orange and green SU markers. I trimmed it down to a narrow rectangle and mounted it with dimensionals toward the left side of the card, leaving room for the oval greeting.

For the last card, the image was stamped on another piece of neutral cardstock and colored with a SU yellow marker, then white lines were added to the petals with a Pen-touch white fine-point marker. (I've just about given up on using white roller ball pens--they dry out too fast.) I used an oval cutting set from Creative Memories to cut the image and underlying dsp, then mounted both on a green card. After adding some sparkle to the blossoms with a gold Spica pen, a gold metallic cord was the final touch.

LESS IS MORE--Masculine

This card started out with the Hero Arts woodgrain background stamp over which I stamped the tool box. The tools were colored with SU markers and Spica glitter pens. The top edge of the paper was torn, a red cardstock piece was added and torn, the greeting was stamped and the brads "screwed on." *wink*

The link for this challenge is HERE.

ONE LAYER WEDNESDAY--Eggs

I hope you can see the glitter from the Stickles on these Easter eggs--they really make the card! (Click for a closer view.)

The colorful strip was made by masking off the top and bottom white space and sponging Easter colors in the area. I then removed the masks and stamped the eggs and the greeting. After applying the Stickles, the card was done.

This was soooo easy! Check out the other OLW entries HERE.

...and on the Third Day of Spring...

...another view from the tower!
Plant boxes, tomato cages
and deer fencing ready to go.
Meanwhile, it's good stamping weather.

FIRST DAY OF SPRING????

A Winter Wonderland this morning!

SIMPLE SATURDAY #21

SPRING FLING 2011!

Click HERE for photos and descriptions of the Spring Fling at my house today. The theme was ladybugs, and a good time was had by all!

LESS IS MORE--Off the Edge

I've been living on the edge for so long myself, I wasn't sure I could do this! *wink* (The link for Less Is More is HERE.)

The Hero Arts flower and stem were first stamped with Versamark on SU Crumb Cake cs, then colored with chalks. The greeting was stamped in black, and the card was done--soooo easy!

Here's a Photoshop tip: When I went to photograph the card, it kept flipping up the wrong way to get a clear shot. So I turned it upside down, took the photo, then flipped the image 180 degrees when I cropped it...much easier that way!

THREE OF A KIND--Crocus

All three pre-stamped images were in my file folder from ages ago, and I recently re-discovered them.

The first one is a gate card accented with yellow Stickles in the crocus centers, a silver cord bow and some purple gems. The blooms were colored with a purple marker, and the edges of the scalloped square were sponged with purple ink.

The orange card was first clipped with a postage scissor and double mounted. The blossoms were done with SU "elegant eggplant" markers for the stripes, and finished with purple chalk over them. I used orange chalk for the centers. A rick-rack die cut the bottom of the orange gingham, and the piece that was cut off is placed above the white ribbon. Purple Hero Arts gems provide the accents.

Finally, the last card was done with yellow markers and yellow Stickles for the centers. The green dsp and yellow cardstock were accented with a Martha Stewart lace punch. Green and yellow embroidery floss provide the final touch.

Enjoy! (Double click for a closer look.)

LESS IS MORE--Pastel Colors

This week's challenge was to use pastel colors, perhaps in anticipation of Spring. Since I was in the mood for doing some watercoloring, I stamped this image and gave it an April look.

The stamp is "Forest Cottage Scene" from Stampendous, and today is the first time I've inked it up since it arrived last Fall. It appealed to me because it could be used for any season of the year, but somehow I never got around to using it until now.

For this Spring look, I used yellowish greens, particularly for the emerging buds on the trees. The grass could easily become snow for a winter scene, and the leaves would look vibrant with Autumn colors.


Although I prefer the full image of the card on the right, the card on the left is more in keeping with the "Less Is More" concept of leaving lots of "white" space.
The partial image was mounted on dark brown cardstock and popped up with dimensionals. Either will probably serve as a note card.

HERE is the link for this challenge.

Less Is More Challenge--3 Squares

Flower Stamps by Inkadinkado
Flower centers are Black Diamond Stickles
Stamens are colored in with gold Spica Pen

Click HERE for link.
(Please scroll down for second post today.)

THREE OF A KIND--Forest Friends

Thanks to a couple of comments recently, I've decided to start a new category of posts showing how the same stamp can be used in three different ways. Actually, I already started with the last post of "Poppies in the Sun." It was a real challenge to come up with three ways to use this stamp today!

All images were stamped in Black India Ink. For the bottom one, I stamped on white cs and colored it with chalks. After distressing the edges and taping it to black cs, I attached it to the cardfront with dimensionals. The "friends" tag was done using the SU Tiny Tags set and the coordinating punch.

The right top one was stamped on blue cs. The animals and some of the tree trunks were colored in with a black marker, then the image was mounted on white cs and attached with dimensionals to a light blue textured card.

Last, after using colored pencils to color the image, the third card was made to look like a window. The "curtain" was made with a strip of Basic Grey paper and a Martha Stewart punch, then crumpled and attached with sticky strip to the green cs "valance." Another scrap of green cs was used for the "window sill" and attached with dimensionals.

The stamp is from "In the Forest" by Mark's Finest Papers.

THREE OF A KIND--Poppies in the Sun

It never ceases to amaze me how many different looks you can get with the same stamp!

The first one I did was the all-red one, which was also the easiest. After inking up the stamp with Versamark, I stamped it on Cherry Cobbler cs and clear embossed it. After adding a bit of yellow chalk and some black Stickles in the centers, I mounted it on yellow and black cs. The single strand of yellow embroidery floss and three black pearls were all I needed to embellish.

Next, I inked up the stamp in Olive Pastel chalk ink and stamped it directly on the Very Vanilla card. Although they look pink, the poppies were colored with red chalk. The poppy seeds were colored with a black marker. The black twine and greeting are just enough to finish it off.

Last, and most colorful, is the rainbow pad effect. Yellow and black markers for the centers and a matching double bow were all I needed to keep from overdoing it.

For the photo, I positioned the cards to catch the sunlight (a rare presence in the tower lately!) highlighting the elements that make each card unique.

Overstamping Challenge

At first, the name of this challenge (ODBD HERE)threw me a little. Could there be such a thing as overstamping???? ...as in, stamping too much? I think not!

However, the theme was about stamping over another image, which I enjoy doing anytime. It's a nice way to provide a background for any sentiment. For this card, I used the rose image from the Hero Arts set, "Two Birds" and mounted it over a Basic Grey print. I used a charcoal solid from the same set which I placed on a diagonal, added some paper piercing on the corners, and attached a floral "gem" in the upper left. I finished it off with a bow of charcoal and red embroidery floss strands.

I also created this card for the Speedy the Cat challenge on Mark's Finest Papers HERE featuring paper piercing and the use of black, white and one other color. I "sneaked" in a bit of red, but otherwise it is mostly black, white and tan.

Fancy Folds #2

In preparation for the next Mothers Class, I found a way to get two accordion fold cards from one sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock.

The short piece (on front) measures 3" high on the left, and the tall piece (back) measures 5 1/2" high on the right, for a total of 8 1/2", which is the width of a cardstock sheet. By cutting diagonally across from 3" on one side to 5 1/2" on the other, you will have two pieces exactly the same size and shape.

Next, from the thicker side, score at 4" and 8" for the folds. The Scor-Pal makes it easy, but you can use whatever works for you.

For the designer paper, the same measurements apply, giving you two pieces the same size and shape as your cardstock pieces. Simply cut and trim the pieces to fit each panel, leaving the desired amount of border.

The middle panel on the back (not shown here) will show when the card is folded, so you will need to decide how or if you want to decorate it. On this card, I had enough dsp to cut a matching piece. On the Fancy Folds Card posted earlier (scroll down to take a look) I used a coordinating piece of striped dsp.

Now that you have some measurements and simplified instructions, I hope you'll give it a try!

Simple Saturday #20

1 Down and 99 To Go!--OLW

Thanks to Susan's One Layer Wednesday challenge this week HERE, I'm now one card ahead for next Christmas!

This one was super easy. I first stamped the wreath base using the SU set "Sketch It" and a light green ink. The five "poinsettia" blossoms are from another SU set "Growing Green," which I just acquired last week. After stamping them in warm red ink, I used a dark red marker to color them in. I added white lines radiating from the center and used a tiny pearl for each. The pine needles were stamped in dark green using a Rubber Stamp Tapestry peg stamp. The greeting is from the SU set "Sincere Salutations", one of the few Christmas greetings available to me without having to uproot the Christmas storage drawer.

After rounding off the top right corner, the card was done!