Die Cut Birthday, Die Cut Bird

My youngest sister (I'm the oldest of four) is turning 60 in a couple of months!  Hard to believe.  So when I saw the Shopping our Stash "By the Numbers" challenge and the Inkspirational Challenge "Celebrate", I was inspired to get her card made.  It's also being linked up at Cut It Up (anything goes with die cuts) and Sisterhood of Crafters "Flowers".

Using the old SU Elements of Style floral stamps, I stamped some in white and heat embossed them, then watercoloured them just in shades of blue, colouring the background as well. Then stamped some in black and watercoloured just the flowers and leaves. Using a hexagon die, I cut out sections of each.

I watercoloured a scrap of watercolour paper just with shades of blue and die cut the sentiment and the numbers.

I ran a scrap of plain watercolour paper through a floral embossing folder and die cut a hexagon out of it.

I cut a focal panel very slightly smaller than the card base and cut one hexagon out of, then glued it to the card base. I arranged the floral and embossed hexagons on it and glued the "60th" into the cut out hexagon and the Happy Birthday on the top. I added a few green and blue gemstones.

Sticking with the theme of die cuts from one of the challenges for my first card, I've made this card for 52 Christmas Card Throwdown "Use Die Cuts".  It's also for Time Out Challenges "Your Favourite Winged Thing" - birds are definitely my favourite!  And Try It On Tuesday "Things with Wings".

I die cut the bird twice out of watercolour paper and glued it together for more substance, then painted it with my watercolour paints.  I added it to a dry embossed panel, and topped it with a die cut gold frame and a die cut sentiment banner.
 


           

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - SU Elements of Style
Ink - off white cs, watercolour paper
Paper - off white cs, watercolour paper
Size - A2
Accessories - white embossing powder, watercolour paints, floral embossing folder, hexagon die, Happy Birthday die, number dies, blue and green gemstones

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Rosie's Roadshow sentiment
Ink - Ranger Red Geranium
Paper - gold and white cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - unknown bird die, watercolour paints, Darice stars embossing folder, Spellbinders square dies, stitched banner die

Primary Red, CAS Sympathy

Shopping our Stash wants red as the primary colour on a card.

I stamped the cat image, die cut the Merry Christmas frame out of red cs and layered it over the image, then trimmed the panel to leave a border outside of the red frame, and then bordered all of that with more red.

Simply Clean and Simple have "Flower" as their theme.  I made a sympathy card to have on hand.

I die cut a circle out of scrap paper for a mask, laid it over my card base, stamped the flowers in purple and then sponged over the whole circle. I die cut the flower three times and glued them together, then very lightly sponged it with lavender. 

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Technique Junkies
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - red and cream cs
Size - A2
Accessories - SSS Holiday Frame

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU Elements of Style, Great Impressions sentiment
Ink - Distress Dusty Concord and Milled Lavender
Paper - white linen cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Alexandra Renke flower die, Spellbinders circle die

A Splattered Birthday and a Flowered Heart

A birthday card for a friend who loves pink and for Seize the Birthday "Splatter" , Time Out "Birthday", and Colorful Options "Pink":

After stamping and watercolouring the image, I stamped the splatters, postmark, script etc. with a very pale ink. Added a heat embossed sentiment on a black cs strip.

Another Valentine before the month is over.   It's got flowers on it for The Flower Challenge "Add a Heart".

I put the flower stamp (a SU one but I can't remember what set it came from and it's the only one of that set I still have) in my MISTI and coloured it with Tombow markers and stamped and repeated till I was happy with the image. I die cut it with a heart die, die cut a larger heart die out of glitter cs that seemed to blend well with both the red and purple in the image, and added a purple sentiment.

   

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - SU Elements of Style and Gorgeous Grunge, Tim Holtz postmark, SU sentiment,
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne, Adirondack Lake Mist, ColorBox white
Paper - watercolour paper, off white cs, scrap of black cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, white embossing powder

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU Fresh Vintage flowers, Impression Obsession sentiment
Ink - Distress Seedless Preserves
Paper - off white cs, glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - heart dies, Tombow markers

To Travel or to Stay Home in My Garden?

I'm a very conflicted person when it comes to travelling - I do love seeing new parts of the world or revisiting favourite parts, but I also really love spending my time at home, especially in the summer in my garden.

Shopping Our Stash wants to see a "Vacation Destination".  One of my favourite vacations ever was a trip to the Netherlands.  I really loved that country and would happily go back there (I'd especially love to go in the spring when all the bulbs are blooming).  I combined Shopping Our Stash with Color Hues "Teal and Orange".

I had a piece of mixed media cs that I'd drizzled masking fluid on. I sponged it in the Dutch colours of blue and orange, then stamped and heat embossed the windmill, lines from Gorgeous Grunge, and sentiment. Next, using Texture Paste, I glued down some torn dictionary pages with definitions of "windmill" and "Dutch". For a final touch I splattered some Archival Jet Black ink on the card.

A bit outside of my comfort zone, but fun to make!   And it will be perfect for a Dutch-Canadian friend whose birthday I missed!

My twofer is a tribute to my garden where my yellow roses are having a second flush of bloom.  It's for Beautiful Blossoms "Anything Goes Flowers" and The Flower Challenge "Add Spots or Stripes" (I went with spots).

I was inspired by something I saw on Pinterest to make this card. I love the watercoloured flowers with all the random stamping around it rather than the paint splattering I often do.

After stamping and watercolouring the image, I stamped the splatters, postmark, script etc. with a very pale ink. Added a heat embossed sentiment on a black cs strip, trimmed the panel with a square die, and popped it up on fun foam. 

   

  

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Deep Red windmill, unknown sentiment, SU Gorgeous Grunge
Ink - Distress Salty Ocean and Spiced Marmalade, Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Archival Jet Black
Paper - white cs, mixed media cs, pages from dictionary
Size - A2
Accessories - clear embossing powder, masking fluid, Ranger Transparent Matte Texture Paste

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU Elements of Style and Gorgeous Grunge, Tim Holtz postmark, SU sentiment, unknown script stamp
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne, Adirondack Lake Mist, ColorBox white
Paper - watercolour paper, off white cs, scrap of black cs
Size - 5.5" square
Accessories - watercolour paints, white embossing powder, Spellbinders square die, fun foam

More Valentines

I've been loving making Valentines this year!  Here are three more.

For Double D "Shades of Pink":

I had a scrap of background that was made by smooshing with pink Oxide inks. I die cut the Cupid (or is it just a fairy?  I guess Cupid has to have an arrow) and hearts from it. I used a scrap of pink grosgrain ribbon to create something for the fairy / Cupid to sit on, glued the leg and hand down, and popped up the wing and head with foam tape. The whole panel is popped up on fun foam.

And for Casology "Affection":

I put the flower stems stamp in my MISTI and inked it up with Tombow markers, stamping onto white cs, and reinking and restamping until I was happy with the results. I die cut it with the Memory Box heart die that has stitching on the outside part of the die, but not on the actual heart. I used the same die on linen cs, leaving the heart in place, and then layering my stamped heart on top. I added a dark red die cut sentiment and popped the panel up on fun foam.

And finally for The Flower Challenge "Occasions" - my occasion is Valentine's Day.

 I stamped the flower from SU Elements of Style set and coloured it with coloured pencils.  I die cut the stitched heart frame out of the top layer and set it over the flowers on fun foam for dimension.

Challenges:

Double D "Shades of Pink"

 

Casology "Affection"

The Flower Challenge "Occasions"

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - SU sentiment
Ink - Memento Rosebud, pink Oxide inks
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - pink grosgrain ribbon, small hearts die, Cupid / fairy die, foam tape, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Penny Black Grateful Whisper
Paper - dark red, white, and white linen cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - Tombow markers, Tim Holtz love die, Memory Box Double Stitch Heart die, fun foam

Supplies for card 3:
Stamps - SU Elements of Style, Impression Obsession sentiment
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Memory Box Double Stitch heart die, coloured pencils, fun foam

One Birthday Card and One Christmas Card

I've got two cards for you today.  First up a birthday one for Just Us Girls who want script on the card:

I haven't used my old SU Elements of Style stamp for far too long. I stamped and heat embossed it and the sentiment, and then added text stamping and sponging around it.  I popped the panel up on fun foam and added pearls to the flower centres.

In hindsight, I wish I'd kept the sponging a bit lighter but was going for a vintage look.

Next on to a Christmas card for Jingle Belles and Paper Players who both want Stars and / or Stripes, and Addicted to CAS where they want Christmas:

 

 

A simple card, stamped and watercoloured. The stars are done with a shimmery dark gold watercolour paint (but the photo doesn't pick up the shimmer). It matches the dark gold of the card base. The sentiment is stamped and heat embossed in clear embossing powder - but I think my copper ink pad has dried out as I didn't get the depth of colour I wanted.

 

Just Us Girls

 

 

 

Jingle Belles - "Stars and / or Stripes"

 

The Paper Players

 

  

 

Addicted to CAS

 

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - SU Elements of Style, Penny Black script stamp, Chocolate Baroque sentiment
Ink - ColorBox Plum Berry, Distress Antique Linen
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - clear embossing powder, fun foam, stick-on pearls

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Penny Black hedgehogs, Paper Smooches sentiment
Ink - Ranger Archival Jet Black, ColorBox Copper
Paper - dark gold shimmer cs, watercolour paper
Size - A2
Accessories - clear embossing powder

A Square Card

Just Us Girls wants a square card with at least one other square shape.

I love square cards and make quite a lot of them so was happy to see this challenge.

I made it for a friend who loves blue as much as I do.

I simply stamped the flowers and sentiment, die cut with a stitched square, and popped up on fun foam.

Then in my ongoing quest to figure out how to place sequins, I tried a method someone suggested where you just randomly scatter them, remove some, and then glue the rest where they landed.  What do you think?  Well placed?  Too many?

Thanks for coming by today.  I hope everyone is doing okay.

Supplies:
Stamps - SU Elements of Style
Ink - Memento Paris Dusk
Paper - white and natural cs
Size - 5.5" square
Accessories - Lil Inkers stitched square die, clear sequins, fun foam