TTTC103 Guest Designer- Rejoice in the Lord Always

Hi Friends!

Woohoo- I am so thrilled to be the Guest Designer for the Tic-Tac-Toe #103 Challenge!

One of the “perks” of winning their challenge is that you are eligible to be a Guest Designer in the future- what an honor!

If you are not familiar with the Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge , every Thursday, they provide a new challenge board with elements that you can choose either in a row (or rows) or diagonally when designing your card. 

For this card, I decided to pull out a few of my older stamps and paired them with retired designer paper, miscellaneous washi tape and a few other supplies.  I included the items from the left row down (Splatter, Flowers, Green) along with the top row across (Splatter, Washi, Heat Embossing) into the design.

I am also linking to the Splitcoaststampers SC324 Sketch Challenge (from 2012), the Simon Says Wednesday “Beautiful Blooms” Challenge and the Word Art Wednesday #481-#482 “Anything Goes” Challenge.

To create this card:

Emboss a piece of green designer paper with a brocade embossing folder, distress the raised portions of the embossing with a sanding block, trim to approx. 4” x 5 ¼” and distress the edges.  Mount onto a 4 ¼” x 5 ½” piece of black cardstock and adhere to a white card base.

De-static a piece of white cardstock with an embossing powder tool, ink the floral stamp from Pretty Peonies (SugarPea Designs) with Versafine™ Onyx Black ink, stamp onto the prepared panel, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.

Once the embossing has cooled, watercolor the image with water-based markers and a water brush. 

Watercolor the background and add splatter with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink.

Die cut the image with a stitched rectangle die, mount onto black cardstock and trim close to the edge.

Add the strips of washi tape to the upper corner and mount the image onto the card front with dimensional foam (or chipboard).

De-static a piece of vellum, stamp the sentiment with Versafine™ Onyx Black ink, stamp onto the prepared panel, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.

Once the embossing has cooled, trim close to the sentiment, tear the edge and mount onto the card front.

Add a strip of washi tape to the corner and finish off the card with Nuvo™ Morning Dew drops.

Stamp Sets: Pretty Peonies (SugarPea Designs), Scripture Medley (retired Verve Stamps), Timeless Textures (retired Stampin’ Up!)

Inks/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, retired Stampin’ Write Markers- Pink Pirouette, Primrose Petals, Rose Red, Lucky Limeade, Gumball Green; Tim Holtz™ Tumbled Glass Distress Ink, Nuvo™ Morning Dew Crystal Drops

Cardstock/Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Vellum; retired Garden Green Designer Series Paper (Stampin’ Up!)

Accessories/Tools: Gemini, Jr., Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder (retired Stampin’ Up!), MFT Stitched Rectangle STAX A2 Set 1, AquaPainter™, Embossing Powder Tool, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Misc and G45 Washi Tape, Distressing Tool, Sanding Block

Thanks again for taking the time to visit- I hope you can join us at the Tic-Tac-Toe #103Challenge! 

I Will Never Leave You Nor Forsake You

Hi Friends!

I hope all of you as healthy as possible with social distancing.  Hopefully, soon we can get back to a new “normal” , but until then, I have been stamping more than ever.  

Unfortunately, I am finding it difficult to set aside the time to post to my blog :-)  I have over fifty different card designs to post and am still working on inking up images that have been neglected and/or never inked before.  Plus, while I have the neglected stamps out, I am making several different card designs with each set.

Today I am sharing a card using the Pretty Peonies stamp set (SugarPea Designs) along with a verse sentiment from Fear Not (Stamp Simply).  I find this verse to be such comfort, especially during this time in our lives. 

This is the first time I have had a chance to ink up the Pretty Peonies image (I have had this set in my stash for almost a year) and for this card, I used the SC281 Sketch Challenge from Splitcoaststampers for the layout.  This sketch was from 2010 and I am so thankful that the SCS challenges do not expire :-)

In addition to using the neglected floral stamp, I was able to incorporate several patterns of the retired Domestic Goddess designer paper from my stash.  While it will most likely take the rest of my life to use up all of my supplies, I am having fun creating and even with just a little bit of paper, etc. on the cards, I am making some progress, lol!

In addition to the sketch challenge, I am playing along with the Simon Says Wednesday “Flower Power” Challenge, the Word Art Wednesday#436-#437 “Anything Goes” Challenge and the Tic-Tac-Toe #061 Challenge.  I was able to use almost every square on the tic-tac-toe board (except “pink”) and that is if faux stitching is allowed for “stitching”. 

If faux stitching does not qualify as "stitching", this card uses the following rows for the Tic-Tac-Toe #061 Challenge- top row across (Markers- Blooms- Ribbon/Twine), the middle row down (Blooms- Designer Paper- Layers) and the far right row down (Ribbon/Twine- Rectangles- Red).

This card was a bit time consuming due to all of the layers but very easy to create:

Stamp the images and sentiment with archival black ink onto white cardstock and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.

Watercolor the floral image with water-based markers (drying the layers in between and being careful not to "scrub" the paper).  

Once you are satisfied with the watercolor, use a clear glitter pen on the petals for a bit of shimmer.  

Stencil the background behind the floral with distress oxide ink and die cut the image with a stitched rectangle die.

The background layer was dry embossed with a retired embossing folder (love using my stash!) and all of the rectangle/oval layers were mounted onto black cardstock before adhering to the card base.

A bit of silver cord (twine) was looped behind the oval sentiment to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets: Pretty Peonies (SugarPea Designs), Fear Not (Stamp Simply)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Stampin’ Write Markers- Bermuda Bay, Poppy Parade; Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide, Spectrum Noir™ Glitter Pen

Cardstock/Paper:  Whisper White, Basic Black, Coastal Cabana, retired Stampin’ Up! Domestic Goddess Designer Series Paper

Accessories: Gemini, Jr.™, My Favorite Things Dies- Stitched Oval STAX, Stitched Rectangle Set A1 STAX, retired Square Lattice Embossing Folder, AquaPainter™, Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Memory Box Heartwood Stencil, Stencil Brush, retired Silver Cording

I have been very busy creating cards and will try to post more frequently, but I must be very slow at the posting stage (it takes me at least several hours to create a blog post with the photographing, etc.) :-)

I have not monetized my blog since I prefer to keep my art as a hobby and not a business.  I love the friendships I have found with those of you who share the same passion and hope that my cards and blog posts inspire you to create. 

I have tried to simplify the steps in my blog posts, but I know some of you are new at cardmaking, so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments.

Thanks again for taking the time to visit- your visits are so encouraging to me!  I am planning on posting a few more cards throughout this week (The Card Concept's new challenge will start on Wednesday) and I hope you will have a chance to stop by again soon!  Hugs, sweet friends!

TCC126 Time to Celebrate

Hi Friends! 

Happy 2020 and welcome back to The Card Concept #126 {Time to Celebrate} Challenge!

I absolutely love this gorgeous inspiration photo- all of the black, gold, glitter and pearls!  The entire photo inspired me to create a Mixed Media Classy & Elegant easel card for our Anniversary this month- I know, but men can like ribbon and pearls :-).  

I pulled out some of my retired papers and stamps along with a sentiment from a current stamp set, God Verses 2 from Divinity Designs, LLC (formerly Our Daily Bread Designs).  

The clock image was from the retired Stampin’ Up! Sense of Time stamp set and the paper was from the retired SU! Mocha Morning Designer Series.  I still have quite a bit of this paper left in my stash and love the detail of the flocked pages as well as the elegant golds and browns.  

The clock image was initially heat embossed with pewter embossing powder onto white cardstock and once cooled, Nuvo Indian Gold Embellishment Mousse along with distress ink were added to give shine and dimension.  

The same technique was used for the sentiment (but with gold embossing powder versus pewter). 

The retired Script background stamp was used with distress ink to add additional interest to the background of the clock.

I am also linking this card to the Sparkles Monthly #123 “Add Glitter and Sparkle” Challenge along with the SugarPea Designs January “Meant to Be Sent” Challenge* and the Word Art Wednesday #420- #421 “Anything Goes” Challenge.

*As I mentioned, this card will be my Anniversary card for my hubby and will be hand-delivered to him versus mailed (but it will be “sent”).  

Stamp Sets:  Sense of Time, Script background (both retired Stampin’ Up!), God Verses 2 (Divinity Designs LLC)

Ink/Mediums: Versamark™,  Tim Holtz™ Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink, Nuvo™ Indian Gold Embellishment Mousse

Cardstock/Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, retired Mocha Morning Specialty DSP (all Stampin’ Up!)

Tools/Accessories: Big Shot™, Tim Holtz™ Sizzix™ Alterations Clock EF, Embossing Buddy®, Pewter and Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Pearls, 1" Black Satin Ribbon, Gold Trim. MFT Dies- Stitched Circle STAX, Stitched A2 Rectangle Set 1; Sizzix™ Circle Dies

Thanks again for taking the time to visit!  I hope I have inspired you to create your own card based on our {Time to Celebrate}  photo and link up to our gallery at The Card Concept- we would love to see your interpretation!! The challenge is open until Monday, January 20^th at noon EST. 

Welcome Little Miss Croghan Blog Hop

Hi Friends!

Today is a special day- Lesley and Corey Croghan are expecting their first child, a baby girl and we are having a "Welcome Little Miss Croghan" blog hop in her honor!! Lesley is not only a wonderful person, wife, friend and card designer, but she is also the creator of many card challenge blog sites !! She truly is an inspiration to all of us! 

I have known Lesley for several years now and started off Guest Designing on The Paper Players, become a regular designer on the Dynamic Duos DT and am currently designing on The Card Concept DT.  She is very supportive and encouraging- such a joy to know and I am so thrilled to be able to be part of the “Little Miss Croghan” Blog Hop!  Congratulations Lesley and Corey!!

Since I love to participate in online challenges, I incorporated the Splitcoaststampers'CC594 Color Challenge along with the SC633 Sketch Challenge and the Simon Says Wednesday "Use More than One Die or Punch" Challenge into my "Welcome Baby" card for Lesley.  

If you have any questions on how to create this card, please let me know.  We are hoping that you will take a moment to hop along with all of us and you can see the rest of the cards in the blog hop here.

  

Stamp Sets: Welcome Baby (SugarPea Designs)

Ink/Mediums: Watermelon Wonder, Pear Pizzazz, Peekaboo Peach

Paper: Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Peekaboo Peach, Watermelon Wonder

Accessories/Tools: Big Shot™, Quilt and Polka Dot Embossing Folders, MFT Stitched Rectangles and Circle STAX Dies, MFT Horizontal Strip Dies,  MFT Blueprints Dies, Pierced Star Die (retired Whimsy Stamps), Rhinestones

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by- hugs and I hope you have a great week!