Joyful Moose

Hi there!  I'm still working on Christmas cards.  It's a time consuming process and delightful, though I won't be sorry when I'm done with them for this year.  I need to simplify, but I have all these new toys yet to use, sigh.  Today I'm playing along in Jo's Christmas Kickstart Challenge:

I wanted to make something fun for the "Just Add Antlers" prompt, and use something from my NBUS basket in the process.  In this case it's the Tim Holtz Forest Shadows set (trees and stars), which made a good background for my previously enjoyed TH Merry Moose.

It's mostly retired Stampin' Up sandable cardstock.  Love that stuff and have a tendency to hoard it, tsk, but it's so fun!  The trees are plain cardstock, SU Basic Gray in the front, black in the back.  I wanted to make the very dark Basic Gray more interesting so I swiped the Basic Gray ink pad directly over the trees, bottom to top.  The darker patches are the ink.  I was pleasantly surprised at the result.

Patches of snow were added with sparkly flocking.  There is Stickles sparkle on the stars and on the moose accessories.  The "joy" is plain cardstock and also TH Sizzix.  I'm gradually adding to my Tim Holtz collection when it's on sale.

Many thanks to Christmas Kickstart for heading me in this direction.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I mustn't forget Darnell's NBUS Challenge #80, either.  She's a cheerleader in our efforts to reduce our piles of never before used schtuff.  As mentioned, my NBUS today is the Forest Shadows die.

I appreciate all of you for stopping by to visit.  It's nice to take a moment now and then.  Be well and stay crafty!

Stamps:  Only inside sentiment  Paper:  Various retired Stampin' Up sandable cardstock, black, other various scraps  Ink:  SU Basic Gray, Copics to color moos accessories  Dies:  Tim Holtz Sizzix Merry Moose, Forest Shadows, Holiday Words Script  Other:  Diamond Stickles, Sparkly Fluff (flocking)

Penny Black Saturday Challenge: Anything Goes or On the Water

Oh, happy day, I'm honored to be this month's guest designer at the Penny Black Saturday Challenge!

 

The theme is always "anything goes", with this month's option being "on the water".  I had to think about that one, but then I remembered the skateboarding kitty from the Happy Times set... so I cut off the wheels and made him a surfer kitty.  Too much fun!

I also used Penny Black Super Day for the sentiment, and the Background Basics stencil set for help with the background.  I first placed a circle positive mask and brushed on the sky, then placed the negative of that same circle and filled in the sun.

The waves and white splash are courtesy of Memory box.  A few gems were added to enhance the idea of splashes or bubbles, and I coated his cool shades with Diamond Glaze.

This is going to be my Rich's birthday card in October.  He was a southern California surfer dude way back when.  Then he moved to Oregon and became a fishing dude.  He's still that guy at heart, but these days it's only from his armchair.

You know there are some awesome samples on the PBSC blog, so treat yourself to a look-see.  Hope you can play along!  Have a super day!

Stamps:  Penny Black Happy Times and Super Day  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 110 lb  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Cool Caribbean, Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie  Coloring:  Copics and ink blending  Other:  Memory Box Waves 3D embossing folder, MB Big Splash Border, Penny Black Background Basics stencil set, rhinestones, JudiKins Diamond Glaze

Seize the Birthday -- Stenciling

Hello, friends!  I'm back with my final post as Special Guest Designer for Seize the Birthday.  It's been a fun time creating for the themes.  A challenge so often makes you reach for things you may not have thought of otherwise, and that has been the case for me.  Today the theme is "Stenciling".

If stenciling is not your thing, don't let that stop you.  Alternatively it's always "anything goes as long as it's a birthday card".  We'd love to have you play along!

Nestled into my basket of not-yet-used Penny Black stamps (yes, they have their own full basket) was this lovable guy from a mini-set called Birthday Bundles.  You can't not love that face!  I colored him with Copics and made a wide frame using rectangle dies.

The frame is where the stenciling comes in.  It's a Simon Says Stamp star stencil, but I've somehow lost the name of it.  The stencil is half stars/half dots so I had to move it around to get full coverage.  I added die cut stars and sparkled all the die cut and stamped stars with Diamond Stickles.

This looks like a boy card so I'll add it to my masculine category and pass it along to a friend.

Hop over to Seize the Birthday and say "hello" to the team and enjoy their fabulous line up of birthday cards while you're there.  I am so appreciative of the opportunity to design along with them for the last four challenges.

Thank you for visiting.  Wishing you a happy day!

Stamps:  Penny Black Birthday Bundles  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb, SU Elegant Eggplant  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black  Coloring:  Copics  Other:  Stickles Diamond glitter glue, Spellbinders Fluted Classic Rectangles dies (only used the plain ones for frame), MFT Die-namics Star Stax, miscellaneous rectangle die for sentiment, SSS Star Stencil (name unknown)

Relaxing with Penny Black Saturday Challenge

Hello friends, and welcome!  In this merry month of May I have the privilege of being the guest designer for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.  That's way fun for me because Penny Black stamps are my favorites!

As always the challenge is "anything goes", but the optional theme this month is "Pastels".  I did not go with the optional theme this time around.

I worry that some of my favorite PB critter characters will fade into the background as the newest releases seem to favor a different style, so I bought a few sets, including this guy:

I colored on watercolor paper with Tombow markers and have him relaxing on the beach after his birthday party.  The designer paper overhead suggests the waterline, and he's gathered a starfish and shell to take home as souvenirs.

He'll be sent to a guy friend who loves the beach.  I've stamped a Penny Black sentiment inside with more of that water lapping at the lower edge.

Many thanks to the PBSC crew for having me this month!  Do stop by the challenge blog to see the team samples.  They're always fun and inspiring.

Have a beautiful day!

Stamps:  Penny Black Relax and Birthday Love  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb hot pressed watercolor, scrap designer paper  Ink:  Palette Noir  Coloring:  Tombow markers and a little bit of blender  Other:  Impression Obsession Mini-Shell Set

Campin' Out

 

I couldn't help myself.  When I saw the board for the Four Seasons August challenge I knew I had to pull out some of the Cottage Cutz dies I bought during the Christmas in July sale at The Scrapping Cottage.  I'm pretty sure you'll see which corner of the board inspired me.

Campin out Bear on Log, and Campin Out Mountains and Trees.  They're older dies but new to me and I had the best time playing with them and remembering camping in the mountains.  Maybe I'll get back to camping next summer.

As always I used additional dies from here and there to support the scene.  Lots of ink blending for color.  Speckles courtesy of retired SU Itty Bitty Backgrounds.  I don't know how or why they're just the thing to finish a card, but that's the way it works for me.

What a way to start the day -- sitting on a log with a mug of coffee, watching the sun come up over the mountains.

I have multiple photos which I hope you don't mind.  Personally, I think "the more the merrier".  In this case I kept trying to capture the Wink of Stella shimmer on the lake and the sentiment.

I'll be sending this card to a guy friend for his birthday and I think he'll love it.

There's more information in the recipe below my signature.

Linking up:

The Four Seasons Challenge August -- Anything goes summer, with an inspiration board provided if desired.
NBUS Challenge #53 -- Of course, I have to link up here with my never before used Cottage Cutz Campin Out dies.

Thank you all for stopping by.  Have a nice day!

Stamps:  SU Itty Bitty Backgrounds  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White, dark brown card base  Ink:  Various Stampin' Up  Coloring:  Inks blended with brushes and sponges, occasional Copic for small spots, white acrylic paint for eye glints, Wink of Stella for shimmer on lake and sentiment  Dies:  Cottage Cutz Campin' Out Bear on Log, Campin Out Mountains & Trees, and Fall Vine, Impression Obsession Have a Nice Day and Tree Landscape Layers (trees removed), Spellbinders A2 Curved Borders One  Other:  2 mm red pearl for 'i' dot.

Magnus and the Harvest Moon

Hi!  I have another Lavinia card today.  Still experimenting with inks and the few stamps I have.  For this card I wanted a non-snowy scene and a giant harvest moon.  It could be a sun, I suppose, but I keep seeing it as a moon.  The nice thing about the Lavinia genre is that you can feel free to stretch the imagination.  And, ohhhhh, the colors!  I could just keep on and on with these.

I've listed all the inks and stamps below.  I added a border with a fine tip black marker, plus a Memory Box grass corner die cut.  The sentiment/quote is from Power Poppy.  I should have cut some smooth masks for the landscape as these torn paper masks were intended for snow, but I do still like the look of it.

One interesting note is that I used a lightweight semi-gloss white cardboard for the image panel.  It's the backing piece from a 12x12 pack of Stampin' Up designer paper.  Is it still packaged the same?  I saved all the cardboard backs that came in the collections I purchased.  Just thought I'd try it.  The ink went on very smoothly and the richness of the color kind of blows me away.  I'll try different paper next time.  I'm eager to play with my Lavinia stamps again.

I'll be sharing my card in Darnell's NBUS Challenge #46 as this is the first time I've used Magnus.  Rich tells me Magnus is an Irish Red Deer.  After Googling I would have to concur.

I hope you're all enjoying the new year.  I make no resolutions but there are a few absolute necessities on my agenda as well as all the usual good intentions.  Take care till we meet again!

Stamps:  Lavinia Magnus LAV638, Small Fairy Fir Tree LAV489, Spanish Moss Foliage LAV505, Power Poppy Pure Prairie Spirit sentiment  Paper:  Semi-gloss lightweight white cardboard, Cougar vanilla for card base  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Up Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, Perfect Plum, Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive, Always Artichoke  Other:  Fine tip black marker for border, Memory Box Tall Grassy Stems Right Corner

Best Friends

Hi!  I'm going to start the week with a cute little card I made for my Rich's birthday.  Ever since we've had Wally and LuLu (13 yrs) he gets dog cards most of the time.  The cards reflect the cheerful nature of the dogs as well as the happiness they've given us all these years.  We haven't gone smile-free since the day Wally came home with us, and the smiles doubled two years later with LuLu.

Continuing with my mission to use more of my patterned paper I made a simple patch of squares for the canine cavorting.  The dog in the foreground is doing his happy dance just like Wally.  In back is LuLu who has always been more interested in butterflies than tennis balls.  She loves to chase balls, but catching them is not her thing.

The dogs and sentiment are Penny Black (two different sets, listed below).  I colored with Tombow markers and homemade blender.  Just fun.

I'm keeping it relatively quick today.  You know how it goes -- swamped one week, time on your hands the next week.    Maybe this week will be better for free time.  Have a great day!

Stamps:  Penny Black Man's Best Friend and Carefree Wishes  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb hot pressed watercolor, Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 80 lb, scraps red, green, designer paper  Ink:  Palette Noir  Coloring:   Tombow markers and homemade blender  Other:  Darice Paw Prints embossing folder, enamel dots, MFT Die-namics Wonky stitched squares (for larger square mats, foam mounting tape

For The World's Best Dog Dad

Hello!  Father's Day fast approaches, but I'm ready now.  I made The World's Best Dog Dad a card from Wally and LuLu.  All these old materials still serve their purpose:  A Great Impressions wood block sentiment stamp and a Rubbernecker dog which slightly resembles Wally.  The colorful designer paper has been around for a while.  It also provided some of the sentiments.

I put LuLu on the inside.  Not an exact match, but the die gives a suggestion of her girly sweetness.  I know Rich will be touched.  He'll also like the Rib Eye steak dinner that goes with it.

That's all folks!  Stay well and stay cool.  I hope to see you again soon!

Tool Time

Hi, friends!  I'm late for the date, but still wanted to share the Father's Day card I made for Rich.  Ordinarily I make him a card that's essentially from Wally and LuLu, but he's been working so hard trying to get our south deck built (despite other distractions) that this is the first thing that came to mind.  I've used the Tutti Designs Tool Frame die (current) with a favorite old Nailed It stamp set from Our Craft Lounge (out of business).

The frame is layered for dimension, and the top layer has two coats of silver embossing.  I glued the Tool Frame to a narrow black frame then popped it up on the card front after I stamped the sentiment.  Stamps are colored with Copics, cut out and positioned inside the frame.

The inside has a Hero Arts sentiment with more stamping and wood grain paper.

It's not flowers or cute critters or anything brand new, but it was a fun card to make.  I love working with frames.

Take good care of yourselves and we'll get together again soon!

Stamps:  Our Craft Lounge 'You Nailed It' (out of business), Hero Arts Father's Day sentiment  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 80 & 110 lb, black, Ms Sparkle & Co wood grain designer paper with extra lines drawn with marker to make narrower boards  Ink:  Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black, dark gray Tombow marker  Coloring:  Copics  Other:  Silver embossing powder, Spellbinders square dies to make black frame, Tutti Designs Tool Frame, Scotch brand foam mounting tape to pop up frame

Woodsy Christmas

Hi there!  It's Thanksgiving week here in the US and I'm hurrying to write this so I can run off to do some grocery shopping.  We're keeping it small and simple with only our son for company, but a special meal and desserts are a must, don't you think?

At the same time, I'm still working on Christmas cards.  I wasn't able to be in my room at all for a couple of days, so I was trying for something relatively simple to make up for lost time.  I used some new to me dies and came up with a rustic, woodsy card, which is my favorite look for Christmas.

My favorite Christmas paper does a lot of the work.  The stag is two layers of white and one of red, giving it nice dimension on the wooden disk.  I let the white show for highlights and better contrast against the disk.  The disk was cut in ivory and sponged with inks.  Added gold gems for dress up.  I'll list everything in the recipe at the end.

I made four of these, which didn't take long at all once I decided what I wanted to do.  There are miles to go yet before I call my Christmas cards done.  How about you?

The wooden disk and stag dies are fresh out of the package, so today I'm remembering to join the fun at Darnell's NBUS Challenge #20.  Thanks, Darnell!

I love when you all come to visit, so thank you for that.  I never forget to be grateful for my blessings.  Have a beautiful week!

Stamps:  Retired SU Glad Tidings  Paper:  SU Cherry Cobbler, Naturals Ivory, Neenah white card base (under DP), Studio Light Woodland Winter  Ink:  SU Real Red, Close to Cocoa, Adirondack Sandal  Other:  Cottage Cutz Stag w/Poinsettias, Impression Obsession Wooden Disk, Honey Bee Autumn Afternoon Gem Stickers

New From Power Poppy -- Forest Fellas

Are you ready for five more new Power Poppy stamp sets?  Today we introduce Collection Two of the Quiet Christmas release, starting with Forest Fellas.

Love, love, love this set of woodsy critters all dressed up for winter!  Marcella has made them big enough for impact, yet small enough for us to enjoy designing a card around them.  They're available as digital downloads, too, but today I'm representing the physical stamp set so you can see the actual size on an A2 card. 

This is the most laid back bear I've ever seen... one paw in his pocket, the other wrapped around a warm mug of coffee/cocoa/tea/cider/toddy -- whatever suits your fancy.  Maybe it's tea laced with honey?  Because he's such an easy going fella I chose to use the "stay cool" sentiment with him.  It doesn't even have to be a Christmas card.  I'll use this set all winter and then some.  By the way, I love that he's wearing a watch, too.  It's just so much fun!

My cool guy is colored with Copics and hanging out on plaid and wood grain.  I added a little sparkle around him, but otherwise it's a simple image panel.   On future cards I'll use some of the accent stamps to create more of a scene.

If you haven't been there yet, be sure to visit the Power Poppy Blog to see Marcella's post and more uber-cute samples.  Lots more to come.  Stay cool!