By The Sea

Hi Friends! 

I hope you are having a fabulous weekend so far!  In honor of National Lighthouse Day and the flash sales at Artistic Outpost and Our Daily Bread Designs, I wanted to create one more Mixed Media lighthouse card.

This card uses the Beyond the Sea and Grunge Elements stamp sets by the Artistic Outpost from Our Daily Bread Designs - both of these sets complement each other so well!

I have incorporated a few of my favorite online challenges into the design- the Pals Paper Arts PPA312 Sketch Challenge (I flipped the sketch over), the Paper Players PP307 “You Light Up My Life” Challenge, the Splitcoaststampers’ (SCS) Dare To Get Dirty DTGD16justwritedesigns Challenge and the SCS F4A332 “Beach” Challenge (from July 1).

If you have not had a chance to visit the above challenge galleries or the Artistic Outpost blog yet, I encourage you to do so- wonderful inspiration from all!

To create this card:

Ink the lighthouse along with girl on the beach, seashells, starfish and sentiment from Beyond the Sea with black archival ink and stamp onto white cardstock (stamp all of the images by themselves on separate pieces of white cardstock).

Die cut the girl on the beach image with the ODBD Double Stitched Circle Dies, create a mask for the girl image, mask the girl and stamp the lighthouse image over the girl.

Watercolor the lighthouse as well as the girl/lighthouse and seashells/starfish images with neutral distress inks, use a calligraphy marker to add the vintage watercolor (see the Splitcoaststampers tutorial here for the vintage watercolor technique) and a few white highlights to the starfish with a white paint pen.

Water color the lower portion of the main background panel with the neutral distress ink , add a bit of distressing with the large splatter stamp from Grunge Elements and use a clear glitter pen to add a bit of shimmer to the sand.

Fussy-cut the starfish and seashell images, shape a bit with your fingers and use a clear glitter pen to add sparkle (hard to see this in the photo).

Hand tear the edges of the sentiment and distress with your fingers, mount onto a piece of tan cardstock, distress the edges with your finger, use the grid image along with the large splatter image from Grunge Elements to add a bit of texture and add the antique brass spiral clip.

Die-cut the main lighthouse image panel with the ODBD Double Stitched Rectangle Dies (using the largest rectangle), mount onto a piece of tan cardstock, trim and mount on a piece of dark brown cardstock (it is hard to see in the photo but I distressed the dark brown cardstock with a crazing medium).

Adhere the layered background panel onto the white card base, add the burlap ribbon stands to the card front (I used hot glue to adhere the strands), mount the die cut circle with the girl (lining up the lighthouse image to the background) and the seashells with dimensional foam.

To finish off the card, add the sentiment with dimensional foam.

Again, I hope I have inspired you with this card to take some time to relax this weekend!  I think this young lady has the right idea- to explore along the beach and check out the nearby lighthouse and don't you think she looks very determined :-)  I told my hubby that her boyfriend did not want to join her so she was giving him the "look"- lol!

Thanks again for stopping by- hugs and have a blessed week, my friends!

Artistic Outpost Beyond the Sea Unmounted Rubber Stamps

Artistic Outpost Grunge Elements

Double Stitched Circles Dies

Double Stitched Rectangles Dies

Psalm 130:5- In His Word I Put My Trust :-)

Hi Stampers! 

Happy Mother’s Day!!   I hope all of the Mothers are having a wonderful day being pampered by their families :-)

I had a chance to stamp yesterday and wanted to share a card that I created using the Our Daily BreadDesigns ODBDSLC237 Color Challenge along with the Mojo396 Sketch Challenge ( I  decided to flip the sketch on it's side- love the versatility of sketches :-))

If you have not had a chance to do so, I hope you will find the time to visit the above sites- they have wonderful Design Team samples as well as fabulous inspiration from their galleries!

To create this card:

Ink the sea image with Stāz-On® Jet Black Ink and stamp onto Whisper White cardstock.

Color the image with an AquaPainter™ and the ink from Hello Honey, Calyspso Coral, Marina Mist and Sahara Sand Classic Ink Pads.  

Use Stampin’ Write markers in the same colors to add more definition and color, spritzing with a bit of water along the way to soften the marker edges (be careful not to get the paper too wet since it will start to “pill”).

Use the Night of Navy Stampin’ Write marker to darken the waves and apply Titanium White Acrylic Paint to whiten the wave caps.

Use the Big Shot™ with the My Favorite Things® Stitched Rectangle Die to cut out the image and mount onto a piece of Marina Mist cardstock.

Use the Big Shot™ with the Woodgrain Textured Impressions™ Embossing Folder to emboss a piece of Sahara Sand cardstock and the Fancy Fan Textured Impressions™ Embossing Folder to emboss the triangular piece of Cajun Craze cardstock.

Adhere the Cajun Craze embossed triangular piece to the Sahara Sand woodgrain background, trim and mount onto a piece  of Marina Mist cardstock, trim and mount onto a piece of Cajun Craze cardstock, trim and mount onto the Whisper White card base.

Add the two flags to the corner with the retired Antique Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware clip- the banners were created using the Banner Punch along with retired Cajun Craze and Marina Mist Designer Series Paper(DSP) mounted onto the corresponding cardstock.

Mount the focal image to the card front using Stampin’ Dimensionals®.

Stamp the sentiment using with Stāz-On® Jet Black Ink onto Whisper White cardstock and cut out with the Big Shot™ and the Chalk Talk Framelits™. 

Use a Sponge Dauber with Sahara Sand Classic Ink to sponge around the edges.

Add the retired Hemp Twine loops to the bottom corner of the focal image and mount the sentiment using Stampin’ Dimensionals® to finish off the card.

Stamps:  The Sea, Scripture Collection 9 (both Our Daily Bread Designs)

Ink: Stāz-On® Jet Black Ink, Hello Honey, Calypso Coral, Marina Mist, Sahara Sand Classic  Ink, Stampin’  Write Markers- Night of Navy; Titanium White Acrylic  Paint

Paper: Whisper White, Cajun Craze, Marina Mist, Sahara Sand; retired Cajun Craze and Marina Mist DSP

Accessories: Big Shot™, Woodgrain and Fancy FanTextured Impressions™ Embossing Folders, MFT Stitched Rectangle Die,  Banner Punch, retired Hemp Twine, retired Antique Pewter Hodgepodge  Hardware Clip, AquaPainter™

Thanks again for visiting…hugs and God Bless!!

By The Seashore - A CAS Watercolor for Two Challenges :-)

Hi Stampers! 

I had a chance to relax and stamp into the wee hours this morning and decided to create a Clean and Simple (CAS) card with a watercolor technique for the Nance's  PP241 CAS Watercolor Challenge using this week's "summery"  CQC288 ColourQ Challenge Palette. 

Again, if you have not visited the above sites, I hope you will do so- great inspiration from all!

To create this card:

Ink the main starfish and conch shell image from the soon to be retired, By The Seashore with Stāz-On® Jet Black Ink and stamp onto a piece of Naturals White cardstock.  Stamp another image of each onto a piece of scrap paper or a sticky note, cut out and use these images as masks. 

Mask the two stamped images and stamp the sand dollars along with the additional starfish using Stāz-On® Jet Black Ink.

Wet the paper and use a paintbrush or AquaPainter™ to apply Bermuda Bay and retired Kiwi Kiss Classic Ink to the background along with Crumb Cake Classic Ink to the shells and lower portion of the panel.  

Spritz with additional water and apply more ink as needed.

Dry the panel thoroughly with a Heat Tool and use the Crumb Cake Stampin’ Write Marker to add shadows and more definition to the shells, spritzing as needed to blend the ink.

Spritz the background lightly and stamp the large splatter stamp from Gorgeous Grunge using Bermuda Bay Classic Ink, clean the stamp and stamp the splatter again with Crumb Cake Classic Ink at the bottom.

Dry the panel again thoroughly with the Heat Tool and stamp the sentiment from Trust God using Stāz-On® Jet Black Ink.

Use a Faber-Castell® Black Pitt Pen marker to fill in any gaps in the images and add a few highlights to the shells with the Faber-Castell® White Pitt Pen marker.

Trim the panel and mount onto a piece of Basic Black cardstock, trim again and mount onto the Whisper White card base to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets: By The Seashore, Trust God, Gorgeous Grunge

Ink: Stāz-On® Jet Black, Bermuda Bay, Crumb Cake, retired Kiwi Kiss, Faber-Castell® Black and White Pitt Pen Markers

Paper/Cardstock:  Naturals White, Whisper White, Basic Black

Accessories: AquaPainter™, Water Spritzer Bottle

Thanks again for visiting- I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!!

Late Summer Sunset on the Shore- A Sketch and Color Challenge

Hi Stampers! 

I wanted to create a card using the CCMC266 Colors at Create with Connie and Mary along with the FabFri25Sketch Challenge and a final farewell to summer card for our Virtual Swap at The Card Gallery on Facebook. 

Again, I hope you will have the time to stop by and visit each site- so much inspiration!!

To create this card:

Use the 1” Circle Punch to punch out a circle from a sticky note or other piece of paper to use as a mask for the sun (also place a piece straight across to create the horizon) and place onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock.

Using a Sponge Dauber, apply Crushed Curry Classic Ink in the circle to create the sun, remove the mask and cover the recently sponged sun with the circle to protect the Crushed Curry and sponge a bit of Crushed Curry along with Tangerine Tango over the sky area.

Remove the masks and apply the same colors for the water area (remember horizontal motions across the paper).  Soften the ink using the AquaPainter™ with water being careful not to use too much water. 

Add the island/inlet areas using additional masks and Chocolate Chip Classic Ink (adding a few shadows in the water as well). 

Stamp the script image from Notable Notions using Tangerine Tango Classic Ink over the sky area and add a few birds with the Stampin’ Write Chocolate Chip marker.

Add the birds from Wetlands using Chocolate Chip Ink as well as the grasses along the side.  Darken the birds using the Stampin’ Write Chocolate Chip marker and add a few white highlights on the water and grasses with the Chalk Marker- trim and layer onto a piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock.

Using Chocolate Chip Classic Ink, stamp the Notable Notions script and the Wetlands shore birds onto a piece of Tangerine Tango cardstock.   Use the Big Shot™ with the Woodgrain Textured Impressions™ Embossing Folder to emboss the panel, trim and adhere to a piece of Whisper White and again onto the Chocolate Chip card base.

Adhere the sentiment (Teeny Tiny Wishes and the Word Window Punch) under the focal image and mount onto the card front using Stampin’ Dimensionals®. 

Add the starfish from By The Seashore using Stampin’ Dimensionals® to finish off the card – FYI- this is an image that I had previously printed using My Digital Studio and re-sized a bit smaller than the original stamp- used an AquaPainter™ with Crushed Curry and Tangerine Tango Classic Ink along with Chocolate Chip and Chalk Marker highlights. 

Stamp Sets: Wetlands, By The Seashore, Notable Notions, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Crushed Curry, Tangerine Tango, Chocolate Chip

Paper/Cardstock:  Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Big Shot™, Woodgrain Textured Impressions™ Embossing Folder, Sponge Daubers, Punches- 1” Circle and Word Window

Thanks again for stopping!!  I hope you have a fabulous Labor Day weekend!!

Sunset by the Seashore- Thinking of You

Hi Stampers! 

I wanted to create a card using the bright summery colors from this week’s Pals Paper Arts PPA166 ColorChallenge and decided to use the Freshly Made Sketch FMS97 Sketch (flipped the sketch over :-)).  

 If you have not had a chance to do so, I would highly recommend checking out both sites- the Design Teams are fabulous and all of the other entries are wonderful as well!!

 

The colors reminded me of a beautiful sunset at the beach, so I decided to use a masking/watercolor technique to create this little scene...wish I could be there :-)

To create this card:

Use the 1 3/8” Circle Punch to punch out a circle from a sticky note or other piece of paper to use as a mask for the sun (also place a mask to create the waterline on the horizon). 

Using a Sponge Dauber, apply Daffodil Delight Classic Ink in the circle to create the sun, remove the mask and cover the recently sponged sun to sponge additional Daffodil Delight and Strawberry Slush over the sky area (keeping the horizontal mask in place at this time).

Remove the sun mask, sponge some of the Strawberry Slush over the sun to create the cloud effect and use another Sponge Dauber with Smoky Slate Classic Ink to create the clouds in the upper sky area and around the edges. 

Remove the horizontal mask, mask the area that you just sponged and create the water with Daffodil Delight, Strawberry Slush and Smoky Slate and near the shoreline, just the Daffodil Delight and Smoky Slate.  Add a bit of water using the AquaPainter™ and smooth out the ink on the water.

Once dry, re-mask the horizontal line and create the jagged masks for the distant shoreline- sponge Basic Gray for the darker shadow.   Stamp the script from Notable Notions using Smoky Slate over the sky area. 

Stamp the birds from the Wetlands set, fill in the birds and shoreline images using the Basic Gray Stampin’ Write Marker (if desired, add a few birds by hand near the sun).

Use the Color Spritzer Tool with the Basic Gray Stampin’ Write Marker to add a bit of interest to the sand area at the bottom (mask the water when doing this step).   Trim the panel and adhere to a piece of Basic Gray cardstock.

Stamp the Notable Notions script using Basic Gray over a piece of Strawberry Slush cardstock and adhere to a piece of Basic Gray cardstock.  Mount the focal image and add the sentiment banner layers along with the Antique Brad to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets: Wetlands, Notable Notions

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Strawberry Slush, Smoky Slate, Basic Gray, Stampin’ Write Marker- Basic Gray

Paper/Cardstock:  Whisper White, Basic Gray, Strawberry Slush, Eastern Elegance Designer Series Paper

Accessories: Sponge Daubers, Color Spritzer Tool, AquaPainter™, 1” Square Punch (for banner points), Antique Brad

Thanks again for visiting!! I really had a great time creating this scene :-)

 If you have the chance to stop by again, I will be posting more of the Dare To Get Dirty cards this weekend- have a great day!!

Dare To Get Dirty- Card #1

Hi Again Stampers! 

Here is my first card created for one of the Splitcoaststampers Dare To Get Dirty Challenge  :-)   Are you a Fan Club Member ofSplitcoaststampers yet?  If so, come join in on the fun and if not, it is not too late to join (did I mention in addition to the forum discussions and fun creating the cards,  that the Member Companies will have prizes??))  

And no, I do not get commission for you to join or any compensation :-)   I know that I visit the Splitcoaststampers site daily- I do not know of a better bargain for seven cents a day ($25.00 a year) than being a Fan Club Member!! :-)

Since this card was created for the Fan Club Dare To Get Dirty Gallery, I am not allowed to share any of the details of the specific challenge but I can share the techniques and products used….

Create the mask for the moon and sand using sticky notes, hold the masks over the Whisper White cardstock as you apply the ink for the sky using the AquaPainter™, remove the mask and re-mask the sky portion to color in the ocean, remove the masks, re-mask and color in the sand. 

Once dried, stamp the Wetlands bird image using Early Espresso Classic Ink and cut the image out with the Big Shot™ along with the Ovals Collection Framelits™.   Mount a frame of Early Espresso cardstock using the same size oval and cut in half vertically (adhere behind the focal image allowing just part of the frame to show). 

Add the Woodgrain background (sponge with Soft Suede and Baked Brown Sugar) and add texture with the Color Spritzer Tool and an Early Espresso Stampin' Write marker.

Create the seashell by stamping with Early Espresso Classic Ink, watercoloring with Soft Suede and fussy cutting each shell.  

Add the White Gel Pen accents to the shells and the waves, adhere the seashells along the edge of the focal frame, add the sentiment along with the Hemp Twine accents to finish off the card. 

Stamp Sets: Wetlands, By The Seashore

Ink: Early Espresso, Crisp Cantaloupe, Strawberry Slush, Island Indigo, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake

Paper/Cardstock:  Whisper White, Early Espresso, Soho Subway DSP

Accessories: Big Shot™, Woograin Textured Impressions™ Embossing Folder, Oval Framelits™, Color Spritzer Tool, Sponge Daubers, Hemp Twine (retired), White Gel Pen

Thanks again for visiting- I hope you will have time to join in on the fun!!  Have a great Saturday!!

Thinking of You- A Day at the Beach

Hi Stampers!!

I wanted to use the new stamp set, Wetlands to create a card using the CCMC256 Create withConnie and Mary Color Challenge along with Freshly Made Sketches FMS90Challenge (if you have a chance, take the time to visit each site and check out their great designs)!!

This card was fairly quick to create:

Using the 1 ¼” Circle Punch, punch out a mask from scrap paper and position the circle portion onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock (for the moon/sun).   Use the AquaPainter™ to pick up some ink from the Summer Starfruit Classic Ink pad and loosely apply to the sky portion, add a bit of Island Indigo for the ocean and just a hint of Early Espresso (very diluted) for the sand area.

Blot the wet ink dry with a paper towel and allow to scene to dry completely before stamping the sentiment and bird image using Early Espresso Classic Ink. Use the Early Espresso Stampin’ Write marker to add a few flying birds by hand and also add a bit of spritzing with the retired Color Spritzer Tool to give the illusion of the beach.

Adhere the entire panel onto Early Espresso cardstock and add the photo corners using the retired Photo Corner Punch, along with the Vintage Trinket Brad in the corner.

Create the background Designer Series Paper (DSP) panel by adhering a piece of the Subway Soho Designer Series Paper (I used the NY Map image) onto a piece of Early Espresso cardstock, mount onto a layer of Island Indigo cardstock and then again onto another Early Espresso cardstock layer before adding to your card base.

Create the vertical panel of using Early Espresso cardstock with a strip of the Summer Starfruit and Island Indigo DSP from the Soho Subway DSP pack- I love these designs in this DSP- great for masculine or feminine cards!!

Ink the starfish and sand dollar image from By The Seashore with Early Espresso and stamp onto Whisper White cardstock.  Carefully cut out and sponge Summer Starfruit and Island Indigo Classic Ink onto each image.

Adhere the focal image along with the starfish with the sand dollar images using Stampin’ Dimensionals® to finish of this quick, easy card!

Stamp Sets:  Wetlands, By The Seashore

Ink: Early Espresso, Island Indigo, Summer Starfruit, Stampin’ Write Marker- Early Espresso

Paper: Whisper White, Early Espresso, Island Indigo, Soho Subway Designer Series Paper

Accessories:  AquaPainter™, Color Spritzer Tool (retired),  1 ¼” Circle Punch (for mask), retired Photo Corner Punch, Vintage Trinket Brad, Sponge Daubers

Thanks again for stopping by – I will be posting more cards later today and hope you visit again soon!!