simply create too 91

Well it's everybody's favorite, Anything Goes time again over at Simply Create Too! Can you figure out what my card's all about?

I've pulled this one out of the archives - it was made for a submission call requiring the use of text talk. Can you translate?

Used PP from Fancy Pants. The texture plate and alphabet stamp (stamped once in blue and once in dark gray) are from Sizzix. Hand cut the speech bubble shape and used a chipboard exclamation point.

BTW, translated...  "In my opinion, you da man. I love you. End of message" :)
TTFN. CU at SCT # 91!

change it up - yellow ribbon

Welcome to installment #3 of "change it up". Showing you how cards can be morphed (can you say that?). Meet specimen #3.

Can you guess what the submission call category was for this card? Think Tony Orlando. Dating myself, eh? Needless to say I wanted the focus to be on the yellow ribbon tied around the old oak tree, so I kept the rest of the card very simple.

Now, I guess I could have sent this to OWH, but when a submission call for Using Texture Mediums came along, I chopped it down and made this.

Now I wish I could see a photo of what it looked like chopped into the wonky rectangle shape and un-watercolored. I'm thinking that might have looked better given the humongous heart I put on the card! If I recall correctly the heart was to hide the boo boo left behind when I removed the yellow ribbon.

Anyhoo, although it's tiny and sweet and personal now, I think the sky looks kinda ominous. Oh well, live and learn.

Hope you're enjoying blue sky and sunshine wherever you are today. (Hope I am too ;) Thanks for visiting.

Supplies for just for you:

Paper:  CS Bringmann, Amuse

Stamps: PTI

Ink : Distress Ink, Memento

Tools: tree die PTI, heart die Amuse, wonky rectangle die Spellbinders

Other: embossing paste

change it up - king of the grill

Welcome back to "change it up" where I am sharing some reworking of cards to try to make them better. Here is specimen #2.

Started out as an entry for a submission call for PCS Cards for Him. For the outdoorsy kinda guy.

Thought I was being quite clever using the utensils from the Jane's Doodles stamp set It's a Guy Thing to create the grass for the grill to stand on and then the blue sky with the sentiment. The banner sentiment sticker up top, so-so. The touch of striped PP under it definitely helped. But not accepted for publication.  I later did this with the card...

morphing it into a Father's Day card. Added Glossy Accents to the grill (definite improvement) and a sentiment made from alpha stickers. More stripes down the left edge along with a strip of green to tie in with the "grass". But not a show-stopper.

I still like the first one better, I think. How about you?

BTW, I've scheduled these posts in advance. As you are reading this, I am probably hanging around outside Comerica Park where DS is at the Eminem concert with a cousin. And I can't wait to see what I will have learned from that experience!

Supplies for king of the grill:

Paper:  CS Bringmann, PP Simple Stories

Stamps: Jane's Doodles

Ink : Jenny Bowlin, Versafine

Tools: 

Other: alpha stickers Bo Bunny, Glossy Accents

simply create too 68

It's "Monochromatic Madness" time over at Simply Create Too and I've got a monochromatic card to share with you. No "change up" here, but it's of the variety reject too ;)

I think this is a great design for a masculine or teen birthday card. And it's pretty easy to create too. Use a line stamp (or a strip of craft foam like I did) and ink or watercolors (like I did) and stamp the stripes. Put down a piece of double sided tape and add glitter to it for some punch. Add a large sentiment - mine is from Clear and Simple Little Critters Too - to match the tone of your card and voila!

Make it feminine with pretty soft colors (pinks and peaches) and an elegant font sentiment. Or bold with neon yellow, one strip of black and a big bold sentiment.

I'm joining the Simon Says Stamp Work it Wednesday gang with this "blue" card.

Join us over at Simply Create Too with your monochromatic beauty!

Supplies for happy birthday:

Paper:  CS Bringmann

Stamps: sentiment Clear and Simple

Ink : Versafine, watercolors

Tools: 

Other: craft foam, Score Tape, glitter

change it up - lure the best

Howdy. Some extra special vacation programming coming your way. Last year I treated you to a parade of rejects. This year I'm going to show you how I changed up some so-so cards to turn them into something publication-worthy. Didn't work, but such is life ;)

Here's the first one. Made this for a submission call for the categories ombre and watercolor.

One of the best-designed stamp sets out there, if you ask me. Fish More from WPlus9. It pretty much works on its own, but I gave it an ombre-stamped-with-watercolors-on-a-strip-of-craft-foam ocean to work with. And a silver heat embossed edge. Na ja. Missing something.

So I gave it a watercolored sunshine (which looks more like Jupiter) to fill up the empty sky and make it a happier card. And sent it to Dad.

Hope you enjoyed.

Supplies for lure the best:

Paper:  CS Bringmann, navy PP Basic Grey

Stamps: WPlus9

Ink : Jenny Bowlin, watercolors

Tools: die WPlus9

Other: 

so what does it say?

So do we finally know what the fox says? Who cares, right?

You may remember I used a leftover tidbit on this card which I told you was from a fox card that wasn't selected for publication. Well here it is for you.

I had decided that the square-ish speech bubble worked better here, so the round one was left lying on my desk and caught my eye for that "vintage" card.

For this card I used digi PPs from Melstampz and a fox image from meinlilapark. Notice I fussy cut the fox leaving some white behind him to mimic snow drifts. PC generated the lunch sentiment. Toughest part was aligning the die cut alphas!

Hope you enjoyed.

Supplies for what do you say:

Paper:  CS Bringmann, digi PP melstampz, fox meinlilapark

Stamps: 

Ink : 

Tools: dies PTI

Other: 

simply create too 65 (christmas in july)

 

It's Challenge #65 over at Simply Create Too and it's "Christmas in July". Actually not a bad time to start on your Christmas cards if you make them yourself!

I've got a non-card project for you. I'm calling it "The family tree garland". It's a pun. It's the family tree. And it's a garland. Here's what I mean...

I used a PP pack, die cut stars, scored them and turned them into "barn stars". Added a B/W photo backed with a circle of burlap and then strung them on some baker's twine through eyelets.

The cool factor here is that this could be the start of a great tradition.  In my garland, the first star is DS at Christmas 1996, then 1997, then DD Christmas 1998, then DS Christmas 1998 and so on. Add a star for each child in the family, each year, and you've got a great way to document the kids' growth and also a great home decor project for yourself or the grandparents.

Check out what the DT created (we're welcoming a few new creative ladies to the DT - yay!) and join us with your Christmas project. Then go have a cocktail by the pool ;)

Supplies for garland:

Paper:  PP me and my big ideas

Stamps: 

Ink : 

Tools: star die Sizzis, circle die MFT

Other: eyelets, baker's twine, photos

shake your bowtie (CFC)

Here's a quick one for the current challenge at CASual Fridays.

Here's the catch. A guy card, but no kraft allowed and must include ribbon. Tricky, eh? I happened to have this shaker guy card just laying around (tee hee hee... made it for a recent "bow" submission call) and I thought it would look even better with a strip of black satin ribbon added between the black card and the white sentiment strip. Agree?

Don't you get a "tuxedo" vibe from it? I kinda like it. Check out the gallery. There are plenty of ideas for how to get ribbon onto a guy card!

Supplies for shake your bowtie:

Paper:  CS Bringmann, glitter CS The Paper Studio, recycled acetate

Stamps: 

Ink :

Tools: die MFT, diamond die Lifestyle Crafts

Other: sequins, ribbon

mixed media happy birthday (PCC)

There's another new kid in town (card challenge that is) and it's kinda exotic. Mixed Media CAS. Sound good? It's called The Mixed Media Card Challenge.

"Do you enjoy playing with a variety of mediums and techniques in your cards? Do you often find yourself creating cards that area a little more than CAS?" These are the words of Shery R. (of STAMPlorations fame) to explain her reasons for starting this new challenge.

I love to experiment with techniques and the result is usually more than CAS! I look forward to playing along and am even hooking up to the DT call. As have several other amazingly talented card artists. Looks like there's a market for this type of challenge ;) Well, here's my card.

Oh man, has Blogger made this photo look awful. Can you say frustration? Tangent.

So this card was born as a byproduct of a card which appears in the July issue of Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking where I stencilled colored modelling paste onto acetate. Of course there was paste left over. Of course I couldn't throw it away. So I stencilled it onto a page in a notebook I keep handy. And a BG was born. (And since I stencilled, I'm hooking up at Paper Crafting Challenges #11.

The "U" was die cut from a plaid stamping experiment. The other sentiments were die cut from papers used to soak up excess spray ink from other projects. And the "2" from a PP circle that was living in my scrap pile.

More Mixed Media CAS creations from the past? Here (with tissue paper and modelling paste and glitter) and here (with fabric and modelling paste and watercolors) or here (with washi and modelling paste and wire ribbon and embossing).

Oh and actually, here is the plaid stamping experiment - just realized I've never shared it. Made it for a hashtag submission call.

Appreciate your visit.  Have a great rest of the week.

Supplies for happy birthday 2 u:

Paper:  CS Bringmann, watercolor paper, gingham PP Pink Petticoat

Stamps: PTI 

Ink : Hero Arts

Tools: happy die SSS, birthday die PTI, 2 die Memory Box, U die Lifestyle Crafts

Other:  spray inks, modelling paste

Supplies for back in the saddle:

Paper:  CS Bringmann

Stamps: PTI 

Ink : Hero Arts

Tools: die PTI

Other:  ribbon, PC

STAMPlorations sketch #12

Sharing a card with you for the latest sketch challenge over at STAMPlorations which was actually a submission call reject which just happens to fit the bill for sketch #12.  Love it when that happens ;)

Presenting the sketch...

And my shimmery, glimmery card...

The submission call category was Art Deco.  I used some other stamps for the peacock feathers and glam BG (stamped with Perfect Medium and then covered with Perfect Pearls like here), but the font of the sentiments in VIGNETTE: Art Deco Border Builders is the perfect font for Art Deco style creations, don't you agree?

I heat embossed the sentiment in gold onto some tiny black die cuts and attached them as well as one cut from turquoise shimmer CS with a brad and some twirly metallic thread wisps. Kinda see the sketch if you mirror image it?

Check out what our guest designer, Debbie created, as well as the STAMPlorations DT.  Show us what you've come up with.  As always, there are prizes up for grabs!  Sketch Challenge #12 ends on May 30.

Appreciate your visit.

Supplies for hello you

Paper:  CS Bringmann, shimmer CS DCWV

Stamps: BG Impression Obsession, feather Kelly Purkey, sentiment STAMPlorations

Ink : Perfect Medium, Versamark

Tools: paintbrush, Christmas tree die SSS

Other: Perfect Pearls, brad Basic Grey, thread

string art stitching (Virginia's View)

Remember doing string art in school?  My folks still have my light-blue-dark-blue-parabolas-on-black-velvet hanging in their basement! How about string art on cards?

Fancied up an image from Sew Lovely from The Craft's Meow with some embroidery floss stitched in string art style.  Should have posted this a week ago for Cinco de Mayo, eh?

Joining the fun at Virginia's View #3 where it's all about stitching.  Join in.

Supplies for sew lovely:

Paper:  CS Bringmann

Stamps:  The Craft's Meow

Ink : Versafine

Tools: paper piercer, needle, embroidery floss

Other: bling

STAMPlorations sketch #10 (Time Out, DD)

It's time for a new sketch challenge at STAMPlorations. This is kind of a fun one.  Stumped me at first.

Used a stencil and acrylic paint to create a brick wall which I trimmed into two panels.

Before adhering the panels I stamped some splatters and splotches from Holiday Artsy and a sentiment from VIGNETTE: Chevron and Arrows, heat embossing the word "Great".  Something about the pink and gold with all that black makes me smile.

Will you join us for Sketch Challenge #10?  Hope to see you over at STAMPlorations.

I'm joining the fun at a new-to-me challenge, Time Out (what a great name for a cardmakers' playground), where the #3 theme is Birthday, although I have not made this with the masculine "twist".

And I'm going over to Dynamic Duos #99 where the colors are black, razzleberry and a touch of gold.  I think my pink is too pink, but oh well.

Hope your Easter was joyful.  Have a great week.

Supplies for have a great day:

Paper:  CS Bringmann

Stamps: STAMPlorations

Ink : Aladine, Delicata Gold

Tools: stencil Dutch Doobadoo

Other: acrylic paint

tiptoe through the tulips

Dating myself here... anyone else remember Tiny Tim?

Well awhile back I submitted this card for a call asking for cards inspired by a song.  This one didn't get picked up but my Mom loved it! Said it's like the ones she chooses at Hallmark.  Now that thrilled me ;))

Wanted to go minimalistic.  A PC-generated sentiment. A stamp I love - American Arts Tulips in black on lotsa white.  I made a circle mask and using the negative splattered some red and yellow Pshiitt spray ink from Kesi Art around the tulips. Voila!

Thanks for looking.

simply create too 55 (st. patrick or green )

Happy Love Day.  But forget the red and pink. It's time for a new challenge over at Simply Create Too.  This time Challenge #55 is about St. Patrick's Day/Use Green.  I've not a lot of use for St. Patty's cards so I went green. And yes, I like Kermit.

My background is a piece of tracing paper that I used to sop up excess spray ink when I was having some fun with stencils.  I have a large piece of backing from contact paper that I keep on the bottom of the cardboard box I use when spraying.  It catches the excess but because it's plastic-y it doesn't absorb and I can sop the ink up with scrap paper.  This time I misted the ink with water first to dilute it, then soaked it up.  Amazing results - although you never know for sure what you will get with this technique.

After adhering it to a blue cardbase, I applied clear modelling paste through the Crafters Workshop Rain stencil and added a tiny bit of gold glitter to it before it dried.  Subtle, but effective.  Computer generated a sentiment to fit the mood of the card.

I'm joining the talented ladies at CASology this week where the cue is BOLD.  Yep.

Feeling green?  Simply create too!

Supplies for brighter days:

Paper:  cardbase Bringmann, tracing paper

Stamps: PC-generated sentiment

Ink : Dylusions spray inks in turquoise and green

Tools: stencil Crafters Workshop

Other: modelling paste, gold glitter

my moon and stars (Moxie Fab, ATCAS)

Stars are trendy, have you noticed? (Duh. Cristina K. called that one months ago.) Structure paste too, have you tried it yet?  I'm (finally) using some I got at Aldi several years ago when I thought I was going to venture into acrylic painting.  Thought.

Well I'm gleaning inspiration from the cardmakers who are taking the Online Cards Stenciled class and providing tons of great ideas.  Here's my version.

Not seeing the stencil?  Well, I made my own.  Just die cut one larger and two smaller stars from a piece of cereal box and moved the die-cut negative around to add the structure paste to random spots.  TIP:  Be careful where you lay the "stencil" down so that you don't smear wet paste ;)

Also made the moon stencil by die cutting a larger circle and die cutting a portion of a smaller circle from it.  Added that portion back into the larger circle negative to get my stencil for the crescent shape.  Capice?  Hard to tell but those are gold polka dot washi strips peeking out from behind the image.  So hard to get a decent photo when the sun won't come out.  I like this Studio Calico rub-on -  a bit different from the "to the moon and back" that's out there these days.

Playing here:
Moxie Fab World (yay for Teri) - Trendy Star Power
Addicted to CAS - #30 New (I used new gold polka dot washi and rub-ons)

Thanks for looking!

Supplies for you are my moon and stars:

Paper:  lilac CS Bringmann, recycled cereal box

Stamps: none

Ink : blue and lilac Distress inks, Delicata gold (around moon)

Tools: circles MFT, star SSS

Other: pearl and gold structure pastes, washi tape

third rock (SSS, Paper Smooches)

So there was a submission call for cards based on songs.  A theme right up my alley.  Had a blast making - oh about five - cards.  Here's one that was not published but I totally dig it.

If the name Joe Diffie means anything to you then you probably "get" this card.  I had a great time making it, although my earth is a bit wonky ;)) Had to do some research first too to see what the other "rocks" looked like between here and there ;))

Here's the refrain:

Cause and effect, chain of events

All of the chaos makes perfect sense

When you're spinning round, things come undone

Welcome to Earth, third rock from the sun.

Where am I going with this card?
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Let's have a laugh (hope ya did!)
Paper Smooches Sparks - Designer Drafts

Thanks for visiting.  Hope your week's a good one so far... not too much chaos.

Supplies for 3rd rock:

Paper:  creme CS Bringmann, PP American Crafts

Stamps: sun Avery Elle, stars Technique Tuesday, sentiment Paper Smooches

Ink : Adirondack, Distress, Versafine

Tools: circles MFT, rectangle Lil Inker

Other: crochet thread

non-flower flower (PC)

Have you seen the challenges over at Paper Crafts Connection pertaining to the current special issue?

One of them is to create a flower using non-flower stamps.  Well I don't know if this is exactly what they're looking for (maybe that's why it belongs to the species: reject for this exact challenge in the submission call for this issue).  But I think it's mega cool!

Using DD's highlighters I colored a piece of Neenah CS.  Then I stamped a zillion butterflies from Hero Arts Antique Flowers and Butterflies.  Then I die cut a zillion butterflies!  Created my bloom.  Curved a sentiment to make a stem (cool too, no?) One leaf later the card was done.

Hard to photograph, neon is.  But really, oh so cool!

Thanks for visiting.

bunches of love (Moxie Fab, TAWS)

What do you get when you take packaging from camembert (ya know, really thin balsa wood), some Distress Ink and a die?  Well bunches of love, of course...

After applying DI to the strips of wood (I disassembled the top and bottom of the container and used the strips.  Saved the circles for another day.) I used my Heart Delight die from Memory Box and made lots of hearts.  Some twine and a tag and a sentiment and voila.

Joining the challenges at:

Moxie Fab World - Handmade Cards - Metal, Wood and Cork
TAWS - #38 Mix it Up

Appreciate your visit.

Supplies bunches of love:

Paper: cardbase Bringmann

Stamps:  sentiment TAWS

Ink: Distress, Aladine

Tools: hearts die Memory Box, tag die Sizzix

Other: recycled camembert packaging and twine

merry in august (Moxie Fab, KIS)

If you're still contemplating submitting cards for publication calls, here's another reason to just do it.  When challenges roll around as the various holidays actually approach, you've got a stash of non-published cards to choose from. Practical, eh?

May I introduce you to today's card which came about in one of  "those moments" - the PP lays on top of another piece of PP and I think "hey, that's cool."  And thus a card is born.

Very understated.  Except for the big swash of gold paint that is.  Used StazOn to be sure the sentiment would stamp on the paint.  And added a little touch of gold paint to the top of the bow too.  Is it clearly a Christmas card to you?

Stay tuned for the card I was working on when the idea for this card was born.

Joining in at:
Moxie Fab World - Holiday Cards & More - Card Challenge
Keep it Simple #21 - Christmas in August Challenge

Appreciate your visit.  And check out the current submission call at Paper Crafts.  There are some fun categories to try out.

Supplies for merry:

Paper: cardbase Papermania, PP Basic Grey

Stamps: sentiment Waltzingmouse

Ink : StazOn 

Tools: bow die Memory Box, square die Sizzix

Other: acrylic paint, dimensional adhesive

christmas in august (Moxie Fab, SSS)

Christmas in August?

Well, I'm putting this out there for the uber-cool Trendy Triangles Challenge over at Moxie Fab World. Lucky me, Simon Says Stamp is searching for Triangles this week too.

You may recognize the hand-drawn triangle grid from this card and post.  Just used what was left to create a Christmas tree, cuz hey, it doesn't get any triangular-er than a Christmas tree, right?

Just put some color into the triangles using a triangle cut from craft foam, some ink and some gold paint.  Cuz what's a Christmas card without gold, right?  BTW, for those who were following the parade, this is a reject too...

On another note I gotta get something off my chest.  My original triangles card that I linked to above... that was made with lotsa TLC for my "blog crush" who I:
1) blogged about
2) sent readers to
3) alerted in comments on her blog and via email about my blog post
4) even sent the dang card off to in the mail
and I never heard a peep from her.  Guess she needs to hire a secretary.  I'm not crushin' anymore.

On another nother note.  We are getting a puppy in three weeks.  Nuff said.

Supplies for Merry Christmas:

Paper: CS  Neenah, PP Basic Grey

Stamps: homemade triange from craft foamI, sentiment Hero Arts

Ink : Hero Arts, Aladine

Tools: star embossing tool

Other:  washi, gold paint