SC684 Be Encouraged

Hi Friends!

Happy Valentine's Day!! I hope all of you are having a wonderful day celebrating with the ones you love :-)

This card was designed for the SC684 Sketch at Splitcoaststampers.  I love Diane’s sweet sketch and decided to create a masculine card using several sets from Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps- Scene Silhouettes: Woodland,  Scene Silhouettes: Trees  and Be Encouraged.  

While this may not seem to be a typical Valentine card to most of you, my hubby and I love to go to Shenandoah National Park and the highlight of our trip is when we have a chance to see a black bear :-)  From a distance, mind you, but we love watching the bears.  

We also feel so close to our Lord and Savior when we travel along Skyline Drive.  The majesty of the mountains and vistas reminds us that "Our Help Comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth".  I know he will love this Valentine card :-)

As I mentioned in my previous posts, Sweet ‘n  Sassy Stamps  has a really cute set for their February Stamp of the Month- Hoppy Easter!  This set is free with any $60 order (not including shipping and after any other discounts) plus you also earn free shipping and handling on any order over $75 (after discounts). 

As you know, I enjoy participating in online challenges so I am also linking up to the WordArt Wednesday #320-#321 “Anything Goes” Challenge.

If you have not had a chance to visit the above challenge sites or the SNSS Blog/FB Page yet, I encourage you to do so- gorgeous inspiration from all!

To create this card:

1).  Stamp the tree image from Scene Silhouettes:Trees with archival black ink onto a piece of designer paper, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.  Use a distressing tool to distress the edges before mounting onto a piece of black cardstock and adding to the white card base.

2). De-static a piece of white cardstock, stamp the bear image from Scene Silhouettes: Woodland  with archival black ink, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.  Once the embossing has cooled, die cut with a square stitched die and mount onto a piece of black cardstock (also die cut with a square stitched die).  Use a stencil brush to apply antique linen distress ink over the entire image.

3). Ink the sentiment from Be Encouraged with archival black ink onto a piece of white cardstock, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool. Once the embossing has cooled, trim and create the fishtail banner ends by hand, mount onto black cardstock and add to the layered bear image.

4). Loop a bit of hemp twine onto the card front (I used hot glue to adhere behind where the focal image would be located). 

5). Finish off the card by mounting the focal image with dimensional foam.

 

Stamp Sets:  Scene Silhouettes: Woodland,  Scene Silhouettes:Trees, Be Encouraged (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)

Ink/Mediums:Versafine™ Onyx Black, Tim Holtz® Antique Linen Distress Ink

Paper/Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, retired designer paper (all paper Stampin’ Up!)

Accessories/Tools:  Big Shot™, MFT Stitched Squares STAX Dies, Distressing Tool, Clarity® Stencil Brush, Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Polished Hemp Twine

Thanks again for taking the time to visit- hugs and I hope you will have a chance to join us at the Splitcoaststampers SC684 Sketch Challenge this week!

Through The Trees

Hi Sweet Friends!

I am sharing another card that I had a chance to create this past week using the Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps January release stamp set, Through the Trees along with a few previously released stamp sets,  Scene Silhouettes:Woodland and Peaceful Peonies.

I also incorporated the following challenges into the design:

Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge #029 (Middle Row Down: Die Cut-Tree-Create A Scene, Top Row Across: Stamping- Die Cut- White)

Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2 "Favourite Sketch of 2017" Challenge (Sketch #115 )

SimonSays Wednesday “Something New” Challenge

If you have not had a chance to visit the above challenge sites or the SNSS Blog/FB Page yet, I encourage you to do so- gorgeous inspiration from all!

To create this card:

1). Using a scoring tool, score four lines on a piece of white cardstock for each of the horizontal portions of the sketch (I hope you can see the scoring in the photo:-)), trim and mount onto a piece of black cardstock, trim and mount onto a white card base.

 

2). Ink the tree image from Through the Trees with archival black ink, stamp onto a piece of white cardstock, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.  Once the embossing powder has cooled, carefully fussy-cut the image.  Die cut a piece of white cardstock with a stitched oval die and a piece of black cardstock with a regular oval die (the same size as the stitched die).  Mount the black stitched oval behind the white oval die and adhere the fussy-cut tree image to the front.  Mount the entire oval element to the card front using dimensional foam.

 

3). Ink the deer image from Scene Silhouettes:Woodland with archival black ink, stamp onto white cardstock, apply black embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.  Once the embossing powder has cooled, fussy-cut the deer image.  Mount the deer to the card front using dimensional foam.

4). Ink the sentiment from Peaceful Peonies using Versamark ink, stamp onto a scrap piece of black cardstock, apply white embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.  Hand-trim the sentiment and mount to the card front with dimensional foam to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets: Through the Trees, Scene Silhouettes:Woodland, Peaceful Peonies (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Versamark™

Paper/Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black

Accessories/Tools: Big Shot™, MFT Stitched Oval STAX Dies, retired Circle Framelits™ (Stampin’ Up!), Embossing Buddy®, Clear, White and Black Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Scoring Tool

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by- hugs and I hope you have a fabulous week, sweet friends!

Through the Trees

Hi Sweet Friends!

I hope all of you are having a great week so far! It has been extremely cold here on the East Coast so I had a chance to stamp several cards using the brand new Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps January release stamp sets!

I shared a card earlier with the new Scene Silhouettes: Wetlands stamp set (see the post here) and don’t forget, this is the stamp of the month that you can receive free with any $60 Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps order!!

This card uses the brand new Through the Trees stamp set along with the December release sets- Scene Silhouettes:Woodland and Thoughtful Words.

I am linking this card to the CASOLOGY #281 “Encouragement” Challenge , the As You Like It 01/04 “Anything Goes” Challenge and the Little Red Wagon #425 "Winter Wonderland" Challenge.

If you have not had a chance to visit the above challenge sites or the SNSS Blog/FB Page yet, I encourage you to do so- terrific inspiration from all!

The main panel of this card is one layer (the bear is the only dimension) and was very easy to create:

1). Create a mask for the snow banks and mask a piece of white cardstock.

2). Ink the bare tree image from Through the Trees with archival black ink, stamp onto the masked panel, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.  Stamp the tree image again onto a piece of scrap paper and fussy-cut for a mask, place over the embossed image, re-ink the stamp and stamp again for another row of trees.  Repeat the embossing and stamp the final set of trees on the far right side of the panel. 

 

3). Once the embossing has thoroughly cooled, watercolor the sky portion using watercolor pencils and distress inks (see colors in the recipe below). Watercolor the trees with hickory smoke and black soot distress inks.

4). Use a black pen to draw the snow line, add shimmer to the snow banks and trees.

5). Stamp the sentiment from Thoughtful Words onto the lower part of the panel and emboss with clear embossing powder. Trim the panel, mount onto black cardstock and adhere to the white card base.

6). Stamp the bear image from Scene Silhouettes:Woodland with archival black ink onto white cardstock, apply black embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.  Once cooled, fussy-cut the bear image and mount onto the card front with dimensional foam to finish off the card.

 

Stamp Sets: Through the Trees, Scene Silhouettes:Woodland, Thoughtful Words (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Stampin’ Up! Bermuda Bay Watercolor Pencil, Tim Holtz® Distress Inks- Peacock Feathers, Hickory Smoke, Black Soot; Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen

 

Paper/Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black

Accessories/Tools: Embossing Buddy®, Clear and Black Embossing Powder, Heat Tool

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by- hugs and I hope you have a blessed weekend, sweet friends!

SC676 Woodland Birthday

Hi Friends!

It’s Wednesday and time for the weekly sketch at Splitcoaststampers! Carey designed our SC676 sketch this week and I decided to create a simple Mixed Media "quilt" card using the new Scene Silhouettes:Woodland and Thoughtful Words Clear Stamp Sets (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps).

I absolutely love the Scene Silhouettes:Woodland stamp set and you can receive it free with a $60 order in the month of December from Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps!

I was also inspired by the Time Out #98 Inspiration Challenge (I was inspired by the color of the wood along with the green and the deer) as well as the HappyLittle Stampers December Mixed Media “Anything Goes” Challenge and the WordArt Wednesday #312-#313 “Anything Goes” Challenge.

If you have not had a chance to visit the SC676 Splitcoaststampers’ Sketch gallery or the other challenge sites yet, I hope you will do so- gorgeous inspiration from all!

To create this card:

1). Die cut a 3 ¾” square piece of kraft cardstock with a square die. De-static the cardstock with an embossing powder tool, stamp the deer image from Scene Silhouettes:Woodland with Versamark™ Ink, apply white embossing powder and heat set with the heat tool.

2). Die cut two quilts using a log cabin quilt die- one from white cardstock and the other from green.  Cut out the center of the white cardstock frame and use the stitched panels from the green to create the frame around the deer image.

3). Using a stencil brush with distress ink, stencil the flourish pattern over the entire deer and quilt frame.  Use a clear glitter pen to add shimmer to the kraft cardstock around the deer image.

4). Using the same stencil with the same color ink, stencil the entire pattern onto another piece of white cardstock, die cut with a stitched rectangle die and mount onto green cardstock.  Mount the entire panel onto the white card base.

5). De-static the lower part of the frame with an embossing powder tool, stamp the sentiment from Thoughtful Words with Versamark™ ink, apply white embossing poweder and heat set with the heat tool.

6). Mount the deer focal image panel onto the card front with dimensional foam and add the copper sequins to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets: Scene Silhouettes:Woodland, Thoughtful Words (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)

Ink/Mediums: Versamark™, Tim Holtz® Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink, Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen

Paper: Whisper White, Garden Green (Stampin’ Up!)

Accessories/Tools: Big Shot™, My Favorite Things A2 Rectangle Stitched STAX Set 1, Square Framelits (retired Stampin’ Up!), Our Daily Bread Designs Log Cabin Quilt Die, Embossing Buddy®, White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Clarity™ Stencil Brush, Memory Box™ Heartwood Stencil, Copper Sequins (Craft Medley)

Thanks again for stopping by to visit! If you have time, we would love to have you join us at Splitcoaststampers for this week’s sketch challenge!  Hugs and I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas week, sweet friends!