He Will Sustain You

Hi Friends!                                      

        

I hope all of you are having a great week so far!  We are still receiving quite a bit of rain in our area and I am praying for all of those who have been affected by flooding and hurricanes.  I know that we have received over 300% of our average rainfall so far this year and additional local flooding is anticipated this weekend.

I wanted to take a break from housework, etc. and create a quick card,  I decided to use an image from a retired Stampin’ Up! set (isn’t it amazing what you can find when you decide to organize- lol!) and paired it with a current image from Stamp Simply for a simple one layer card.

I will be linking this card to the Less Is More #380 “One Layer Floral” Challenge along with the Simon Wednesday “Anything Goes” Challenge.

If you have not had a chance to visit the above challenge galleries yet, I encourage you to do so- gorgeous ideas and projects by all!

To create this card:

1). De-static a piece of white cardstock (FYI- I used a piece I had in my stash that I had obtained free from my previous job at a printing company- it has a bit of a matte gloss finish and is quite heavy).  Ink the floral image from the retired Stampin’ Up! Sunflower Serenade stamp set with Versafine™ Onyx Black ink, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.  

2). Once the embossing has cooled, use a water brush and watercolor the image with  Tim Holtz® Distress Inks and Stampin’ Write Markers (see colors listed below).  Use a soft gray marker to add a few shadows.

3). De-static the lower right hand area for the sentiment, ink the verse image from Fear Not (Stamp Simply) with Versafine™ Onyx Black ink, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.

The card is finished- quick and easy and no additional postage required :-)  

Stamp Sets: Sunflower Serenade (retired Stampin’ Up!), Fear Not (Stamp Simply)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Tim  Holtz® Distress Ink- Tumbled Glass, TH Distress Markers- Mowed Lawn, Squeezed Lemonade, Stampin’ Write Markers- Pear Pizzazz, Hello Honey, Early Espresso, Smoky Slate

Paper: White Heavy Duty Cardstock (not sure of manufacturer- from my stash)

Accessories: AquaPainter™, Embossing Buddy™, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool

I love the fonts used in the Stamp Simply Fear Not set, don't you?  Such a versatile stamp set with verses that can comfort during times of stress, loss and illness.  I received this set as a gift from a very precious friend and absolutely love it!

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

The Card Concept #97- Colorful Basics

Hi Friends!

Welcome back to The Card Concept Challenge!!  We had the summer off and are so excited to be back. 

We are starting off our new challenge season with this fun photo for our #97 {Colorful Basics} Challenge! Our blog challenge creator, Lesley always seems to find the most inspirational photos.  This scene has so many things that could inspire you.- the stripes, the colors, the dresser , the chair, the curtains in the reflection, the award trophies ...and if you pop over to The Card Concept blog post, just wait until you see how our talented Design Team was inspired!! 

This scene is so crisp and clean (not like my house- lol!)  so I decided to create a Clean and Simple (CAS) Mixed Media card.  I was inspired by the rainbow colored stripes as well as the white/light background.   

Since I love participating in online challenges, I will also be linking this card to the Retro Rubber #94 “Anything Goes” Challenge (both stamp sets used for this card are several years old) and the Simon Says Monday “Stamp It On” Challenge.

Just a reminder that The Card Concept is a bi-weekly challenge that has an inspiration photo along with a suggestion of design styles that you can choose from to create your card- Clean and Simple, Clean and Graphic, Clean and Layered, Shabby Chic, Freestyle Collage, Classy and Elegant and Mixed Media (or you can combine several styles for your own style).

If you have not had a chance to visit us at The Card Concept or visit the other challenge sites yet, I hope you will find time to do so- gorgeous inspiration from all!

To create this card:

1). Using ink from Zig® Clean Color FB Markers, color the markers directly onto the Watercolor Wash (retired Stampin’ Up!) background stamp, spritz with water and press a piece of watercolor paper onto the stamp.  FYI- I lay the background stamp face up, color (or ink, in this case color), spritz with water and press the paper onto the stamp.  This seems to work best for me when dealing with background stamps.  You can stamp a second piece of watercolor paper for another card as well :-)

2). Spritz the background panel with additional water (if needed) to allow the colors to blend a bit and use a water brush (if needed).  Dry the panel thoroughly with a heat tool.  

***Note- if the paper starts to curl too much, lightly spritz a bit of water on the back of the watercolor panel and it should straighten out. ***

3). Once the panel is dry, de-static the panel with an embossing powder tool, ink the main image from Postage Due (retired Stampin’ Up!) with archival black ink, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.

4). Die cut a panel of white cardstock with the MFT Stitched A2 Set 2 Rectangle Die (use the largest die), mount onto a piece of black cardstock, trim close to the edge and mount onto a white card base.

5). Die cut the watercolor/embossed Postage Due panel with a smaller MFT Stitched A2 Set 2 Rectangle Die, mount onto black cardstock, trim and mount onto the card front with dimensional foam.

Wow, that was quick and easy! A refreshing change from my Shabby Chic Mixed Media cards that can take a few hours- lol!

Stamp Sets: Postage Due, Watercolor Wash background  (both retired Stampin’ Up!)

Ink/Mediums: Versamark™, Zig® Clean Color FB Brushes- Red, Yellow, Orange, Light Green and Light Blue

Cardstock/Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black (Stampin’ Up!); Watercolor (Canson)

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot™, MFT Stitched A2 Rectangle Set 2 Dies;  Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, AquaPainter™

Thanks again for taking the time to drop by! I hope I have inspired you to create your own card based on our {Colorful Basics } photo and link up to our gallery at TheCard Concept- we would love to see your interpretation!!

Created to Create

Hi Friends!

I hope all of you enjoyed the final day of August- where has the summer gone?  It sure seems to fly by faster with each passing year- at least for me :-) My mom used to say that time flies faster as you get older, now I know she was right....

Today I am sharing a  quick and simple Mixed Media card designed with the Created to Create digital stamp from Power Poppy by Marcella Hawley.  I wanted to participate with the Power Poppy August Power & Spark “Home Sweet Home”Challenge (getting this link at the last moment :-)). 

I love this image by Marcella and it reminds me that God created us in His image and He is the Ultimate Creator!!  Just look around at His Imagination with all of the created things in the universe- the universe itself, trees, plants, birds, animals, clouds, people- you name it and He created it!!  It is so amazing and I love to just look out at His creation ,don't you?

The challenge was to create a card that was inspired by your home- a color combination, sytle, etc. so I was inspired by my craft room (which is where I tend to spend most of my time).  I love to watercolor and have not had a chance recently to create a painting but do watercolor quite a bit on my cards. 

I am also linking this card to the Simon Says Wednesday “Anything Goes”Challenge and the Addicted to Stamps and More #307 "Make Your Mark" Challenge.

If you have not had a chance to visit the above challenge galleries yet, I encourage you to do so- fabulous ideas and projects by all!

To create this card:

1). Using a Word Processing or Photo Editing program (I am still using the retired My Digital Studio™ from Stampin’ Up!), import the Power Poppy “Created to Create” digital image and re-size to fit the front of a 4 ¼” x 5 ½” card front.  Print out onto Whisper White cardstock and watercolor with watercolor pencils and markers (see supplies used below in the card recipe).

2). Add a bit of splatter with the small splatter stamp from Timeless Textures (SU!) using Rich Razzleberry ink and a few white highlights to the center of the daffodil with an Extra Fine White Sharpie® Paint Pen.

3). Die cut the panel with MFT Stitched Rectangle A2 STAX Set 2 Die, mount onto a piece of Sahara Sand cardstock, trim and mount onto a piece of Garden Green cardstock trim and mount onto the white card base.

4). Finish off the card by adding shimmer to the flowers with a clear glitter pen.

Stamp Sets: Created to Create (digital stamp- Power Poppy), Timeless Textures (Stampin’ Up!)

Ink: Printer Ink- Black; Rich Razzleberry, Derwent® Watercolor Pencils and Water Soluble Graphite Pencil (for shadows), Stampin' Write Markers- Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry; Sharpie® Extra Fine White Paint Pen, Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen

Paper: Whisper White, Sahara Sand, Garden Green, Extra Thick Whisper White

Accessories: Printer, My Digital Studio™, AquaPainter™

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

Floral Greetings- Sending Prayers

Hi Friends!

 I apologize for not posting any cards in over a month (although this was my first real "break" since I started my blog in August 2010 :-)).  I have been creating and will be sharing several cards in the next week or so.  

We have been so busy this past late spring/summer with doctors appointments, hubby's bladder cancer treatments and re-organization of my craft room!  

I wanted to share that we received some great news recently and are praising the Lord!  He answered our prayers and my hubby, Dave's bladder cancer biopsy showed that, at this present time, there are no remaining cancer cells!  

Dave will have to receive another cysto procedure in a few months to make sure that the bladder cancer chemo treatments remain successful, but for now, he is not undergoing any chemo or other treatments- yea!!  Also, we will know more about his WM status (non-Hodgkins lymphoma) in September.

In between all of the craziness, as I mentioned, I have been doing a massive re-organization of my craft room.  It still needs a lot of work- for me, this is a never ending process!  I had fun exploring and finding some "unloved" items- Dave mentioned that it must be like Christmas, finding things that I had forgotten about- lol!  He was right :-)

This card was designed using the Floral Greetings stamp set from Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps and a few of those “found” items from my re-organization project :-) 

I also used the Splitcoaststampers SC686 Sketch Challenge and the SCS CC676 Color Challenge (opt. dessert- scallops, included with the lace :-)) and will be participating in the Dragonfly Journeys #124 Flower Power Challenge and the Word Art Wednesday #346-#347“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). De-static a piece of white cardstock with an embossing powder tool, stamp the large floral image twice from Floral Greetings with archival black ink onto the panel, apply clear embossing and heat set with a heat tool.  Once the embossing has cooled, watercolor the flowers and leaves (see the colors used below) using water-based markers and fussy-cut.

2). Die cut a piece of white cardstock with a stitched oval die and a piece of designer paper (not sure of the manufacturer) with a stitched rectangle die.

3). Add a piece of white crochet lace horizontally to the die cut designer paper.  Add a piece of retired 5/8” Rich Razzleberry Satin Ribbon over the top edge of the lace and two pieces of ¼” Rich Razzleberry Grosgrain Ribbon for the vertical panels of the sketch.

4). Mount the layered ribbon/lace panel to the white card base.  Add the oval die cut with dimensional foam and layer the flowers over the die cut.

5). De-static a piece of black cardstock with an embossing powder tool, stamp the sentiment from Floral Greetings with Versamark™ ink, apply white embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.  Trim the panel and mount onto the card front with dimensional foam.

6). To finish off the card, add  a few pearls to the corners and use a clear glitter pen to add shimmer to the flowers.

Stamp Sets: Floral Greetings (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Versamark™, Stampin’ Write Markers- Rich Razzleberry, Sweet Sugarplum, Garden Green; Zig® Clean Color Markers- Green;  Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen

Cardstock/Designer Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, misc. designer paper- not sure of manufacturer

Accessories/Tools: Big Shot™, MFT Dies- Stitched A2 Rectangle Set 1, Stitched Oval; Embossing Buddy®, Clear and White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, 5/8” Rich Razzleberry Satin Ribbon, ¼” Rich Razzleberry Grosgrain Ribbon, White Crochet Lace

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by- I hope you all of you are having a fabulous summer and will visit again soon!

Birds & Blooms

Hi Friends!

I am sharing a card today created with the new Birds & Blooms Clear Stamp Set along with the March Stamp of the Month, Texture Tiles I Clear Stamp Set from Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps March release!

 

The main panel for this card is just one layer- the images were stamped and heat embossed before using markers and ink to watercolor the panel. 

I love all of the different sentiments as well as floral and bird images in the new Birds & Blooms Clear Stamp Set as well as the beautiful texture in the Texture Tiles I Clear Stamp Set – both are perfect for all types of cards, home décor, Bible Art Journaling and more!

 

Please stop by Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps to check out all the details on the Pre-Order Release of the new stamp sets here.  For every $75 purchase (not including discounts or shipping), you will receive the Texture Tiles I Clear Stamp Set free for the month of March plusfree shipping and handling (in the US) so this is a great deal!!

 As you know, I also enjoy participating with online challenges, so I  am linking this card to the Simon Says Wednesday “Anything Goes” Challenge and the Simon Says Monday "In My Garden" Challenge.

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

To create this card:

1). De-static a piece of white cardstock with an embossing powder tool, ink the bird image from Birds & Blooms Clear Stamp Set with Versafine™ Onyx Black, stamp onto the panel, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.  Repeat these steps with the floral branch image as well as the sentiment.

2). Once the embossing has cooled, watercolor the images with water-based markers and ink, re-applying color as needed.  Deepen some of the shadows and background with watercolor pencils and stamp the script tile from Texture Tiles I Clear Stamp Set onto the background using distress ink.  Once you are satisfied, die cut the panel with a stitched rectangle die.

 

3). Mount the panel onto a piece of coral cardstock (also die cut with a stitched rectangle die), mount again onto a piece of blue cardstock and onto the white card base.

4). Finish off the card by adding white highlights to the flowers and the bird’s eye with a Sharpie® Extra Fine White Paint Pen and shimmer to the bird’s feathers with a clear glitter pen.

Stamp Sets:  Birds & Blooms , Texture Tiles I  (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black,; Stampin’ Write Markers- Marina Mist, Pacific Point, Calypso Coral, Cajun Craze, Flirty Flamingo, Melon Mambo, Wild Wasabi; Tim Holtz® Salty Ocean Distress Ink, Stampin’ Up! Watercolor Pencils- Basic Black, Pacific Point; Sharpie® Extra Fine White Paint Pen, Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen

Paper/Cardstock: Whisper White, Flirty Flamingo, Pacific Point

Acessories/Tools: Big Shot™, MFT Stitched Rectangle A2 STAX Set 1 & 2, Embossing Buddy®,  White and Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool

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

SUO194 Petal Palette Thanks

Hi Friends!   

It’s time for the #194 “CASE a Catalog Project" Challenge at SU-Only Challenges!  As a designer, I normally do not CASE  (Copy and Share with Everyone) although there is nothing wrong with CASEing.  In fact, it is encouraged so we are basing our challenge on this very theme :-)

I decided to create a card using the new Petal Palette stamp set and coordinating dies from the 2018 Occasions Mini Catalog along with the Painted Harvest stamp set (carried over from the 2017 Holiday Mini). 

I used the Petal Palette samples on page 22 (from the 2018 Occasions Mini Catalog) for my inspiration- the floral colors from the cards on the bottom left and center, the background from the card on the far right and the black and white for the sentiment and bird from the card in the far top left.

I am also participating with the Simon Says Work It Wednesday “January 2018- Anything Goes”  Challenge and the Tic-Tac-Toe #034Challenge (center row across Die Cut-Emboss-Floral). 

If you have not had a chance to stop by the SU-Only Challengesite to check out the rest of the Design Team’s samples or the other challenge sites yet, I encourage you to do so- terrific inspiration from all!

To create this card:

1). De-static a piece of Whisper White cardstock with an Embossing Buddy®, ink the sentiment from Painted Harvest with Versamark™ ink, stamp onto the prepared panel, apply Stampin’ Emboss® Clear Embossing Powder and heat with the Heat Tool.  Once the embossing has cooled, die cut with the Stitched Shapes Framelits™ (also die cutting a circle from Basic Black cardstock with the same size stitched circle die).  Mount the sentiment onto the black circle with a bit of the black showing on the right hand side.

2). De-static another piece of Whisper White cardstock with an Embossing Buddy®, ink the chickadee image and two flower images  from the Petal Palette stamp set with Stampin’ Archival™ Basic Black ink, stamp onto the prepared panel, apply Stampin’ Emboss® Clear Embossing Powder and heat with the Heat Tool.  Once the embossing has cooled, watercolor the flowers with Stampin’ Write Markers- Blushing Bride, Melon Mambo and Sweet Sugarplum for the petals and Pear Pizzazz with Wild Wasabi for the leaves.  Use an AquaPainter™ to blend the colors and once you are satisfied with the coloring, die cut the large floral image and bird with the coordinating Petals & More Thinlit™ Dies.  Fussy-cut the floral stem.

3). Ink the leaf stem image from Petal Palette with Old Olive ink and stamp repeatedly onto a piece of Soft Sky cardstock.  Repeat the process with Stampin’ Archival™ Basic Black ink and heat set with the heat tool.  Trim the panel and mount onto a piece of Basic Black cardstock.  Trim again and mount onto the Extra Thick Whisper White card base.

4). Attach a piece of Vellum over the card front (adhering in the center where the glue will be hidden by the horizontal strip and very carefully at the corners (I used Tombow Multi-Mono Glue).

5). Trim a piece of Soft Sky cardstock to 5 ¼” x 1 ½”, stamp the dotted image from Petal Palette with Soft Sky ink over the panel and mount onto a piece of Basic Black cardstock. 

6). Die cut two of the border pieces from Whisper White cardstock with the Petals & More Thinlits™ , adhere the borders together on the end and mount behind the layered strip (trimming off the ends).  Mount the entire layered strip to the card front (covering up the adhesive).

7). Mount the layered sentiment with Stampin’ Dimensionals® onto the card front and add the flowers along with the bird image (using Stampin’ Dimensionals® as needed for the edges).

8). Apply shimmer to all of the flower petals with Clear Wink of Stella® and add a few Pearls to the upper left hand corner and sentiment circle to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets:  Petal Palette, Painted Harvest

Ink/Mediums: Stampin’ Archival™ Basic Black, Old Olive, Soft Sky; Stampin’ Write Markers- Blushing Bride, Powder Pink, Sweet Sugarplum, Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive; Clear Wink of Stella®

Paper: Whisper White, Extra Thick Whisper White, Basic Blackm Soft Sky, Vellum

Accessories/Tools: Big Shot™, Petals and More Thinlits™, Stitched Layering Framelits™, Embossing Buddy®, Stampin’ Emboss® Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, AquaPainter™, Pearls

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by and I hope that you will create your own Stampin’ Up! Only project and join us for our “CASE a Catalog Project” challenge!  

SUO193 Love You

Hi Friends!

It’s time for the #193 “Hearts A Plenty” Challenge at SU-Only Challenges!  I decided to use a resist technique with the Bloomin’ Love stamp set and the new Brilliant Red Brusho® Crystal Colour Watercolor Ink Crystals.

I am also incorporating the Tic-Tac-Toe #032 Challenge (bottom row across Sparkle-Love and Free) along with the Dragonfly Journeys #110 “The Power of Red” Challenge and the Simon Says Monday "Resist It" Challenge into the design. 

If you have not had a chance to stop by the SU-Only Challengesite to check out the rest of the Design Team’s samples or the other challenge sites yet, I encourage you to do so- wonderful inspiration from all!

To create this card:

1). De-static a piece of Whisper White cardstock with an Embossing Buddy®, ink the floral heart image from Bloomin’ Love with Versamark™ ink, stamp onto the prepared panel, apply Stampin’ Emboss® White Embossing Powder and heat with the Heat Tool.  Repeat the steps for two additional heart images.

2). Once the embossing has cooled, sprinkle a bit of the Brilliant Red Brusho® Crystal Colour onto the panel, lightly spritz with water and continue to add color as needed.  Dry carefully with the Heat Tool.

3). Ink the “XOXO” , “Be Mine” and small open heart images from Bloomin’ Love along with the small splatter stamp image from Timeless Textures with Stampin’ Archival Basic Black Ink, stamp onto the panel and heat set with the Heat Tool.

4). Trim the panel and mount onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock before mounting onto a piece of Basic Black cardstock.  Adhere the entire panel to an Extra Thick Whisper White card base.

5). Heat emboss the sentiment onto a piece of Basic Black cardstock using Stampin’ Emboss® White Embossing Powder, trim and mount onto the card front with Stampin’ Dimensionals®.

6). Apply shimmer to all of the hearts with Clear Wink of Stella® and add a few Pearls to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets:  Bloomin’ Love

Ink/Mediums: Versamark™, Clear Wink of Stella®, Brilliant Red Brusho® Crystal Colour

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

Accessories/Tools: Embossing Buddy®, Stampin’ Emboss® White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Pearls

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by and I hope that you will create your own Stampin’ Up! Only project and join us for our “Hearts A Plenty” challenge!