Butterflies, Butterflies, Butterflies

Today's Technique Lovers Challenge over on Splitcoaststampers is a favorite of mine -- Triple Stamping.  I pulled out one of my butterfly stamps for this one.  I usually use a slightly smaller image for this particular technique, but I saw a card using this Stampin' Up butterfly the other day and decided to use it here.

After stamping the butterfly over the three layers of white cardstock with Versafine Onxy Black ink, I clear embossed it and then colored it with three different Copic markers (Y06, YR09, YR27).  I added the shadow behind the butterfly using three other markers (E50, E51, E53).  Then I put the orange mat behind the two top layers and attached the whole panel to the card base, popping up the sentiment with a foam pop dot.

I also made a card for the Clean and Simple Challenge on Splitcoaststampers today.  That challenge was all about New Year's Resolutions.  I'm not a big resolutions maker/keeper, but I am going to try to do one thing -- when I put a card into My Favorites album on SCS, I should CASE it quickly.  I had seen this beautiful card made by Harriet Skelly on Saturday and popped it into My Favorites right away.    I even bought the same embossing folder she used later that day at Joann.  Here's my version of Harriet's card:

I recently bought a set of four Spellbinders butterflies call Les Papillions Two, called that because it actually makes just two butterflies because two of the dies are shadows which you place behind the more intricate one.  The larger butterfly on my card was made with that set.  The middle one actually was a bit harder to make.  I cut the orange one out first.  When I cut the black "shadow" one, I had to be careful when I took the cardstock out of the die because I didn't want to lose the little pieces.  Then I just put some Scotch tape behind the butterfly to keep the small pieces in place.  The top smallest butterfly was made with a punch.

Card #1
Stamps:  Stampin' Up Swallowtail, Hero Arts Little Happy Birthday
Ink:  Versamark Onyx Black
Paper:  MFP Stamp Shop Bright Orange, Snow Storm Smooth
Accessories:  Copic markers, Circle punches, Foam pop dots

Card #2
Paper:  Georgia Pacific White, MFP Stamp Shop Bright Orange, Recollections Orange/White polka dots
Accessories:  Spellbinders Les Papillions Two dies, Cheery Lynn Exotic Butterfly die, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, Darice Butterfly Swirl embossing folder, Pearls

White-on-White

White-on-white cards always catch my eye because they're so elegant.  Today's Technique Challenge on Splitcoaststampers was to make an all-white card, and the Clean and Simple Challenge was to make the sentiment the focal point.  I combined these two challenges to make this card:

While it's not very elegant, it is definitely white-on-white.  After embossing the bottom panel and popping it onto the card base, I punched out three balloons, added some fishing line for strings, and attached them to the card with big pop dots.  I tied the strings together, glued them down with a glue dot, and popped on a little white bow.  The birthday sentiment is from a set of Sizzix dies.  I cut out the words and popped them on with very small foam dots.  Pretty simple!  No stamping required!

Paper:  MFP Stamp Shop Snow Storm Smooth
Accessories:  Sizzix dies, MS punch, Fishing line, Ribbon, Darice embossing folder

MFP Blog Hop Day 3 and CCEE1337 (Fun Folds)- What a Scream

Sept. Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

 Featured Sept 10 - Koi Fish

Featured Sept 11 - Primitive Farm 

Featured Sept 12  -What a Scream

Featured Sept 13 - Tailgate Party

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the blogs listed below (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All four winners will be announced on Sept. 14, 2013, on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!)  The deadline for commenting is 10 PM EST on Friday, Sept. 13,  2013.

 The special stamp set we have for you this month is:

"Holiday Tag"

 The mini stamp set we have for you this month is:

"Nature's Brushstrokes"
                                                      

Today is Technique Challenge day on my Blog.  I love making Halloween cards, and today's set has lots of fun Halloween images.   My first card, which is also for the CCEE Stampers challenge to use Fun Folds, was made using a technique I found on one of the Technique Junkies Newsletter CDs.  It's called an Inside Out Card.

And here's where the "inside out" part comes in.

If you'd like to play along with the CCEE Stampers, check out our blog and make a fun fold card of your own.

I also made an Inside Out Card using the extra set for this month, which is called Holiday Tag.  It contains images for Christmas (Santa, Candy Cane, and Gingerbread Man), as well as a tag on which they will fit and several appropriate sentiments.  I used the cute gingerbread man on my card along with some coordinating patterned paper I've had for several years.  (Gotta use up that old stuff to make room for new stuff!)

Here's the inside.  The "Merry Christmas" is actually from another MFP, aHC set called You Are an Angel.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.  Be sure to check out what the rest of the team has created using today's set.  Here's the Design Team:

Patty, Lois (that's me), Jane, Debbie. Pam, Pat, Thrfity Stamper, Marilynn, Karen, Bonnie, Kathy, Angela,
Cathy, Toni, Sue, Janine, An'Jenic, Kate, Shirley, Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co.

Stampin'B & Technique Challenges

I work for an association management company, which manages twelve not-for profit associations. One of our services is putting on their annual meetings, which obviously requires a meeting planner. One of the women in the office was just notified that she passed the test and received her Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) designation. I made a congratulations card for her, using the Bargello Design technique, this week's Technique Challenge on SCS. This card also qualifies for the Stampin'B challenge to use a flower on your card.

Following the direction Joan Ervin gave for the Bargello Design, I used papers from g*c*d studios' Melody Ross paper pad for the strips. I made the flower using several punches, then sponged around the edges and put together with a brad. The sentiment is part of an all-sentiment set from Mark's Finest Papers set called Flourishes and Frame.

This is another card I made using that same technique, using papers from DCWV's The Crafty Stack and images from Mark's Finest Papers' set called Sew What?

Thanks for stopping by today.

A New Technique

This is a quick post. I tried yesterday's Technique Challenge on SCS -- Plaid Silhouettes. Joan Ervin gave very good directions to create this look.



The plaid was created by inking up the solid image with Memento Lulu Lavender and then dabbing over it with both Tim Holtz Distressed Tumbled Glass and Chipped Sapphire. It creates a very interesting look, don't you think? The bird image is from a soon-to-be-released set from Mark's Finest Papers called Tweet Blessings. Look for it next week.

Stamps - Mark's Finest Papers Tweet Blessings
Paper - MFP Snow Storm Smooth, Basic Grey Sugar Rush DP
Ink - Memento Lulu Lavender; Tim Holtz Distressed Tumbled Glass and Chipped Sapphire
Accessories - Primas, Brads, Spellbinders Labels Seven, Sponge dauber

Technique Challenge - Faux Nesties

We all love our nesties, don't we? I'm no exception. I've got a pretty good assortment of them in my collection. But today's Technique Challenge on Splitcoaststampers was to create a card using something other than nesties to arrive at the same look. I chose a Fiskars squeeze punch for the corners of my main panel layers.

I stamped the bunny rabbit from the Spring and Easter 2010 set from Mark's Finest Papers: Speedy the Cat Collection onto the Snow Storm Smooth, and then layered it with spring colors -- Frosty Mint Sparkle, Lemon Slice, and Pink Freeze Sparkle. I had to tape a small piece of the mint cs behind the cut-out portion of the corner punch so that only the green would show through. The way the punch was situated left a small section of yellow showing, and I didn't want that. I colored the image with Copic and Prismacolor markers and then used some sparkly flock from Sparkle and Sprinkle to add some texture to the Easter bunny. The DP is from Basic Grey's Porcelain paper pad, matted with more of the Pink Freeze Sparkle.

I added a little bit of ribbon and the cute little rabbit charm -- and I was finished. What I like about the Technique Challenge is that it gives you the opportunity to try something new. And today, it actually had you doing something old -- back before Nesties became such a big part of the stamping world.

All materials (except flock) available at Mark's Finest Papers.


Stamps - Mark's Finest Papers: Speedy the Cat Collection - Spring and Easter 2010
Paper - Mark's Finest Papers Snow Storm Smooth, Frosty Mint Sparkle, Lemon Freeze; Basic Grey Porcelain DP
Ink - Palette Noir Black
Accessories - Fiskars corner punch, Copic and Prismacolor markers, Sprinkle & Sparkle glitter flock, Ribbon, Charm

Stand Up Cards

Today's Technique Lovers Challenge was a Stand-Up card. It was a new fold to me, and I really enjoyed making these cards.

I used Flourishes new set Life, Love and Lemons on my first card. I added a couple of lemon slices down in the corner with some lemon drops. Actually the lemon slices were an after-thought. I had smudged some green ink on the card and needed to hide it. As I've heard my SU upline say, "There is no such thing as a mistake in stamping, just an opportunity to get creative." I put Crystal Effects on the lemon drops to make them stand out a bit.

* Stamps - Live, Love and Lemons by Flourishes
* Paper - Certainly Celery, Wild Wasabi, GP White, DCWV Citrus DP
* Ink - Palette Noir Black
* Accessories - Prismacolor and Copic markers, Crystal Effects

I had so much fun with my first Stand Up card that I had to do another one. This sweet little fairy is part of Rita Marie and Company's set called Make a Wish. She is colored with Prismacolor and Copic markers and then cut with a Labels Four Nestabilities die. The DP, also from Rita Marie and Company, is from the Cynthia Signature Series. Both stamps and DP can be found at http://www.creativescrapboutique.com/

* Stamps - Make a Wish by Rita Marie and Company

* Paper - Bashful Blue, Not Quite Navy, GP White, Cynthia Signature Series DP from Rita Marie and Company

* Ink - Palette Noir Black, Pretty in Pink

* Accessories - Prismacolor and Copic markers, Labels Four Nestabilities, Sakura Stardust gel pen, Sponge dauber

Hinge Card

I had never tried a Hinge Card until I saw the Technique Lover's Challenge this morning. I watched Wendy Weixler's video tutorial then plunged right in.

The image is the small group of flowers in Flourishes' new Nastutiums set. I colored it with Copic markers and then added the photo corner punches, layered SU and EK Success. The River Rock hinged piece is stamped in Versamark with another image from the Nasturtiums set. While the punched out flowers are definitely not nasturtiums, I colored them the same as the printed image and backed them with some nasturtium leaves cut from the large image.

The inside is stamped with the sentiment from the same set.

* Stamps - Nasturtiums by Flourishes

* Paper - Very Vanilla, Mellow Moss, River Rock, Groovy Guava DSP

* Ink - Palette Noir Black, Mellow Moss, Versamark

* Accessories - Nestabilities square scallop, Copic markers, Martha Stewart border punch, Stampin' Up and EK Success photo corner punches, Marvy daisy punches, Brad, Ribbon

Tri-Shutter Card

Today's Technique Lovers Challenge on Splitcoaststampers was to make a tri-shutter card, a new technique to me. I used two different blue designer papers and some gold stickers on my card. The daisy is made with several layers of punched daisies (Not Quite Navy, Bashful Blue, and Gold), using three different sizes of Marvy Punches. It's hard to see, but I sponged the edges of the Bashful Blue layer on the daisy with Bashful Blue ink. I added a couple of gold butterflies, punched with my Martha Stewart butterfly punch.