The Curtain Call- December 15 {Pines}

Hi Friends!

Woohoo! Today I am the Guest Designer for the12/15 Curtain Call “Pines” Inspiration Challenge!   I am so honored to have won their recent Acorn Challenge and part of winning, you are invited to Guest Design.  

Also, this is the final challenge at The Curtain Challenge- I hope you will be able to join in on the fun!

I decided to create a Clean and Simple (CAS) Mixed Media Christmas card- I love Christmas and did not have a chance to create a card this season with the retired Ornamental Pine stamp set (Stampin’ Up!).  

The Ornamental Pines stamp set is one of my favorite sets and I paired it with the retired Greetings of the Season stamp set (also SU!).

I am also participating with the CAS Mix-Up “Stamping+ 2 Other Choices” December Challenge and the Simon Says Monday “Christmas/Winter Holiday" Challenge and the Simon Says Wednesday "Stitch It” Challenge.

 If you have not had a chance to check out the Curtain Call or other challenge sites yet, I hope you will take the time to do so- gorgeous inspiration from the Design Teams as well as their galleries!

To create this card:

1). Ink the Ornamental Pine image using distress inks- Walnut Stain for the branch, Peeled Paint and Forest Moss for the pine needles, spritz lightly with water before stamping onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock.  Repeat the process for the pine needles on the corner and sprinkle a bit of water over the image. 

2). Once the stamped image has dried, die cut with the MFT Jumbo Stitched Fishtail STAX Dies.  Add additional pine needles using the edge of a bone folder using Peeled Paint Distress Ink along with a few branches using watercolor pencils.

3). De-static the die cut focal image with an embossing powder tool, stamp the sentiment from the Greetings of the Season stamp set with archival black ink (I had this ink on my desk, you could use Versamark™), apply gold embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.

3). Die cut a piece of Whisper White cardstock using the largest die from the MFT Stitched A2 Rectangle STAX Set 1 Dies, mount onto a white card base.

4). Die cut a piece of designer paper with the MFT Horizontal Strip Dies, cut the die in half before mounting onto the card base.

5). Add the looped gold cord to the card front before mounting the die cut focal image panel with dimensional foam.

6). Finish off the card by adding “snow” with an extra fine white paint pen, a few clear sequins (with a hint of pink) and a few drops of white gloss Nuvo™ Crystal Drops.

Stamp Sets: Ornamental Pine, Greetings of the Season (both retired Stampin’ Up!)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Tim Holtz® Distress Ink- Walnut Stain, Peeled Paint, Forest Moss; Dark Green Watercolor Pencils, Sharpie® Extra Fine White Paint Pen, Nuvo™ White Gloss Crystal Drops

Cardstock/Paper: Whisper White, This and That Epic Day DSP (retired SU!)

Accessories: Big Shot™, MFT Dies- Jumbo Stitched Fishtail STAX, Stitched A2 Rectangle STAX Set 1, Horizontal Strip Dies; Gold Cord, Clear Sequins

Thanks again for visiting- I hope all of you have a very blessed week and Merry Christmas!

Sending Thanksgiving Wishes

Hi Friends!

It’s time for a new SC666 sketch at Splitcoaststampers and since it is a repeating number, we are going back 600 sketches to repeat sketch #SC66. 

This is a simple sketch that can be used in so many ways.  I decided to pull out the retired Stampin’ Up! sets, French Foliage and Seasonal Sentiments to create the main panel for my card and incorporate the Deep Ocean #165 Colors of Autumn Challenge, the Double “D” “Fright Night” Challenge (I was inspired by the colors- black, orange and yellows) as well as the Splitcoaststampers’ Falliday Fest #FF17TexasGrammy “Get Your Mask On”Challenge.

If you have not had a chance to visit the challenge sites yet, I hope you will do so- great inspiration from all!

To create this card:

1). Ink the sentiment from Seasonal Sentiments with Versafine™ Black Onyx Ink, stamp onto Whisper White cardstock, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with the heat tool.  Once the embossing has cooled, create a mask using sticky note paper, mask the sentiment and repeat the above steps with the individual leaves from French Foliage.

2). Once all of the embossing is finished and has cooled, tap Distress Ink Pads onto a silicone craft mat (I used Fossilized Amber, Carved Pumpkin and Ripe Persimmon), spritz lightly with water and lay the embossed panel into the ink.  Lift up and repeat until you are satisfied with the coverage.

3). Once the panel has dried, use a sponge dauber to apply Rusty Hinge Distress Ink over the edges and around some of the leaves and stamp the script image from French Foliage with Ripe Persimmon ink (masking the leaves and sentiment in some of the areas as you stamp).  Add a bit of texture with the splatter stamp from French Foliage using Rusty Hinge Distress Ink as well as the cancelled postage stamp.

4). Gently wipe off the excess ink from the embossing, lightly spritz water onto the panel to create a few water drops and once the panel has dried, trim and mount onto a piece of Basic Black cardstock.  Add the Polished Hemp Twine at the top of the panel along with the bow and button.

5). Trim a piece of Whisper White cardstock, mount onto a piece of Basic Black cardstock and adhere to the white card base.

 

6). Split a White Tea Lace Paper Doily in half, add to the back of the main image panel before mounting onto the card front with dimensional foam.

7). Finish off the card by adding a few Nuvo™ Orange Marmalade Jewel Drops.

Stamp Sets: French Foliage, Seasonal Sentiments (retired Stampin’ Up!)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Basic; Tim Holtz® Distress Ink- Fossilized Amber, Carved Pumpkin, Ripe Persimmon, Rusty Hinge; Nuvo™ Jewel Drops- Orange Marmalade

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Extra Thick Whisper White

Accessories/Tools: Sponge Dauber, Embossing Buddy®, Clear EP, Heat Tool, Polished Hemp Twine, retired Really Rust button

Thanks again for taking the time to visit- we hope you can join us at Splitcoaststampers for this week’s sketch challenge (we would love to see your artwork in our gallery)!  Hugs and I hope all of you have a fantastic week, sweet friends!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Hi Again Stampers!

I created this CAS (Clean and Simple) card using this week’s ColourQ Challenge CQC59
(http://colourq.blogspot.com/) and the sketch challenge SSC178 from Stamping 411 with the Operators (http://www.stamping411.blogspot.com/).  Don’t forget to visit their blogs and check out all of the wonderful samples created by their Design Teams as well as all of the beautiful entries. 

I thought of fall again with these gorgeous rich colors and since the Holiday Mini is coming to an end soon, I wanted to make another card with the French Foliage set.

I decided to use the emboss resist technique for the background on the focal image and dry emboss as the final step.

First stamp the medium leaf stamp using Versamark ink on a prepared piece of Whisper White (de-static with the Embossing Buddy to prepare before stamping).  Heat emboss with Clear EP and once it has cooled, use a Sponge Dauber and sponge More Mustard over the leaves and onto the white cardstock.  Gently wipe off the ink from the embossed images. 

With the small leaf image, repeat the same steps above and sponge Old Olive over the leaves and again over some of the white areas and over the More Mustard (leaving some of the More Mustard showing).

With the large leaf, repeat the same steps and sponge Pumpkin Pie over the leaves and other areas. 

Using a sponge dauber, sponge Rich Razzlebery over the images and center areas allowing some of the More Mustard, Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie to remain.  Gently wipe off the ink from the embossed images.

Using the Big Shot with the Square Lattice EF, emboss the image and another piece of Whisper White. Layer the focal image onto Whisper White, trim and layer again onto Old Olive.

Attach the 5/8” Rich Razzleberry Satin Ribbon over the embossed Whisper White layer, layer this entire piece onto Old Olive and again onto Rich Razzleberry.  Attach the focal image with Dimensionals or Glue Dots.

Color the sentiment with SU! Markers in Old Olive and Rich Razzleberry, stamp onto Whisper White, trim and layer onto Old Olive.

Stamp Sets:  French Foliage, Seasonal Sentiments

Cardstock:  Whisper White, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry

Ink: More Mustard, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry, Versamark     

Accessories: Big Shot, Square Lattice EF, Embossing Buddy, Clear EP, Heat Gun, Sponge Daubers, 5/8” Rich Razzleberry Satin Ribbon

With the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaching, our thoughts turn to those things in life that we are thankful for and you are definitely one of the items on my list!  Although we may not have had the chance meet in person yet, I feel that I know many of you already and am so thankful for your encouragement and inspiration!

I pray that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and give all of your loved ones a hug and let them know how thankful you are for them!

Thanks again for visiting- have a blessed week!