A Birthday Card and a Sympathy Card

Amazingly for me, I don't have a Christmas card today.  But I will have one tomorrow!!

For a friend who is an avid bird watcher.  I will be seeing her on her birthday so I could make something I can hand deliver.  It's for two challenges - Can You Handle the Pressure "Trees / Leaves" and The Sisterhood of Crafters "Birthdays".

I dry embossed the background and had a perfect vertical sentiment that would just fit in a section of the panel that had no embossing on it.  I added a die cut leafy wreath, a die cut bird that I smooshed in various Distress inks, and a piece of moss I found in my garden that was perfectly nest-shaped.

Shopping our Stash wants Sympathy cards - a good challenge to get me to make one for my stash as, at my age, sadly I seem to have need of sympathy cards fairly often.

I masked off a rectangle on my focal panel and sponged from three corners first with the lighter ink, then the darker. I stamped the leaves and text with second generation grey ink, and then stamped the sentiment with full strength grey ink. On top of it all, I stamped the cream leaves with white pigment ink and then heat embossed with cream embossing powder. It's popped up on fun foam on a dry embossed background.

  

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Rosie's Roadshow vertical sentiment
Ink - various green, yellow, orange Distress inks
Paper - white and grey-green cs
Size - A2
Accessories - moss from my garden, leafy wreath die, bird die, leafy branches embossing folder

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU Very Versailles, unknown sentiment
Ink - various aqua / turquoise Distress inks, Archival Watering Can, ColorBox white
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - textured embossing folder, cream embossing powder, fun foam

Colour Challenges

I don't know how you feel about colour challenges but I do very few of them - I really have to like the colours to be inspired to do them.  The new 52 Christmas Card Throwdown is a colour challenge - red, kraft, and white.  That's a combination I really happen to like so I made this card for it.

Kraft card base, die cut kraft tree (cut twice and glued together for more dimension), a white focal panel cut with a stitched rectangle die, and then lovely bits of red for the stamped sentiment and the die cut cardinals.

Then I needed a masculine birthday card and thought the Seize the Birthday challenge of green and one other colour (I chose black to keep it masculine) would work.  And I was on a roll with birds so dug out another bird die.

I smooshed a background with various green Distress inks, then stamped a bit of cross-hatched texture and the sentiment on it.  I die cut the branch and bird out of black cs, glued it on the green panel and popped it up on fun foam for more dimension.

  

I'm curious - if you leave a comment, let me know if you like colour challenges or not.

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Hero Arts sentiment
Ink - SU Real Red
Paper - kraft, red, and white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Impression Obsession tree and cardinals, Lil Inker stitched rectangle die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - A Muse sentiment, unknown cross-hatching stamp
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, various green Distress inks
Paper - white and black cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Memory Box bird die, Sizzix branch die

A Dragonfly and a Bird in a Hat

Colorful Options wants lovely shades of blue, mauve, and green.  I decided they worked well for a dragonfly.

It's stamped in archival ink, watercoloured with Twinkling H2Os, trimmed with a stitched rectangle die, bordered in pale gold glitter cs, and popped up with fun foam on cream cs.

For the Triple B Birds, Blooms, and / or Butterflies challenge, I was inspired by the winter bird in the right hand image of their mood board and the shade of blue in the left hand image.  And Stencil Fun's theme is Birds.

I stamped and watercoloured the image. Then stencilled the bubbles around it, stamped a few bits of a snowflake along the edges, and sponged a bit of colour around the edges to darken them.

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Unity Stamp Co. Be the Best set
Ink - Archival Jet Black
Paper - hot press watercolour paper, pale gold glitter cs, cream cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Twinkling H2Os, Lil Inker stitched rectangle, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - PaperArtsy bird and sentiment, Penny Black branch, TH snowflake stamp
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne, Distress Speckled Egg
Paper - watercolour paper, green and off-white cs
Size - 5.75" square
Accessories - TH Bubble stencil, watercolour paints, Spellbinders square die

Music for Guys and a Simple Pet Sympathy Card

I've been away for a few days so no crafting or blogging.  Here's a Twofer to make up for it.

Cardz 4 Guyz wants to see "Music" so I did a notecard with a bird against a musical background:

The image is stamped and heat embossed, then trimmed and layered on green and red cardstock, popped up on fun foam on a square card base, and added red stick-on dots to the berries on the leaves.   

The second card is for The Sisterhood of Crafters "Keep It Simple".

A very simple card - stamped the sentiment and pawprint in navy on the card base, die cut a heart out of navy cs, and layered it over the base.  I like to have a few dog sympathy cards on hand as well as people sympathy cards.

  

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Magenta
Ink - ColorBox gold
Paper - cream cs, red and green cs
Size - 4.25" square
Accessories - gold embossing powder, Spellbinders square dies, red Stampendous dot stickers, fun foam

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Technique Junkies sentiment, SU paw print
Ink - Memento
Paper - white and navy cs
Size - 6x4.25"
Accessories - Memory Box heart die

Off the Edge Sympathy

The Group of Seven Cardmakers are highlighting a Design Element this month - "Off the Edge".  Here's my card:

I masked a circle on the right side of my focal panel with part of the circle going off the edge, and sponged light blue ink through a wood grain stencil. I added a stamped sentiment and a die cut branch, again with the branch going off the edge. I stamped the sentiment so that part of it goes off the edge of the stencilled circle.

I had a scrap of sponged cs that had some faint text stamping on it so I die cut the bird from that and sponged some red on his breast. The panel is popped up on fun foam.

For more ideas of how to use "off the edge" as a design element, head over to the Group of Seven Cardmakers!  Feel free to add a card of your own to the link if you like.

Supplies:
Stamps - Wordsworth sentiment
Ink - Distress Broken China, Archival Potting Soil, red and brown inks for bird
Paper - white and brown cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Memory Box Grove Branch die, Memory Box Nestled Bird die, TH woodgrain stencil, fun foam

A Bird with an Embossed Background

I've been very busy with a friend visiting me and trying to catch up on my gardening after being away.  But I must try and keep up with my Christmas cards so here's one:

 

The collage stamp is stamped and coloured with coloured pencils, then die cut with an oval die and layered on the dry embossed background.

Challenges:

The Sisterhood of Crafters - "Birds"

Can You Handle the Pressure - "Dry Embossing with a Twist of Birds"

Sweet Stampin' - "Things with Wings"

NBUS - I've never used the collage stamp before

Supplies:
Stamps - Viva Decor bird collage
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - coloured pencils, script embossing folder, Spellbinders oval die

G is for Gold

Sneaking under the wire for the ABC Christmas Challenge "G for Gold" with this card:

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I was at a friend's house and she had a product called "gold watercolour ground" - it's meant to be used like gesso as a basis for painting on top of, but I just painted it on a piece of mixed media cs and decided it was gorgeous as is.

I die cut it into a panel with a stitched rectangle die and then die cut a partial circle out of it with a stitched circle die.

I also die cut a branch and a sentiment out of copper shimmer cs, and a bird out of three layers of mixed media cs. I put glue on the top bird and patted gilding flakes all over it and then burnished off the excess.

To keep the metallic theme, I used a cream shimmer cs for the card base.

ABC Christmas Challenge "G for Gold"

 

Supplies:
Paper - mixed media cs, bronze and cream shimme
Size - A2
Accessories - gold, watercolour ground, gilding flakes, TH bird die, Sizzix branch die, Lil Inkers stitched rectangle and circle dies, "be merry" die

Two Cards with Birds - One a Valentine, One a Notecard

Tic Tac Toe challenge has lots of options for Valentine cards - I chose the left vertical column (see below) of heart, red, stitching.  A friend always asks me to make several Valentine cards each year, and one of them always has to have a bird on it.  Here's this year's one:

I stamped the bird and then die cut it with a stitched heart die.  I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment in white on red cs and die cut it with a banner die with tiny heart cutouts at each end.  I had some red glitter hearts left from a previous project so glued a few of them on the card.

My second bird card is for the AAA Card Challenge "Teal and Gold".

I used turquoise and teal alcohol inks on yupo and rubbed some gold foil on the sections that remained a bit sticky. Then die cut my birds from the yupo and some scrap cs, and glued them together for more dimension.

I made a background of stencilled branches with white embossing paste, die cut a frame, and mounted it all on the card base.

Challenges:

Tic Tac Toe

 

AAA Cards Challenge

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Impression Obsession sentiment, Carabelle bird
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne, ColorBox white
Paper - white and red cs, red glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - white embossing powder, banner die with hearts, Frantic Stamper Inc. stitched heart die, tiny hearts die

Supplies for card 2:
Ink - two tones of turquoise and teal alcohol inks
Paper - white cs, yupo
Size - A2
Accessories - gold foil, TCW branch stencil, embossing paste, Impression Obsession frame die

A Notecard for National Letter Writing Day

Slipping in under the wire for a challenge at Festive Friday to celebrate National Letter Writing Day.

I've got three of the required elements for the challenge - script, postmark, and embossing folder.

I pulled out a bit of blue background (created by sprinkling Brushos on mixed media cs and spritzing with water) from my unused backgrounds box and stamped and heat embossed the postcard collage image. Trimmed it and bordered it with black. I used a postcard collage embossing folder on the card base. 

Supplies:
Stamps - bird / postcard collage stamp
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - white, black, and mixed media cs
Size - A2
Accessories - clear embossing powder, Sizzix embossing folder, blue brushos

Resisting Snowflakes and a Bleached Bird

52 Christmas Card Throwdown wants a card using the Emboss Resist Technique.  I used a snowflake stencil to create my resist:

I pressed my Versamark pad through the snowflake stencil and then heat embossed the snowflakes with clear ep.  I then sponged various blue Distress inks over the panel and when finished, wiped off the snowflakes with a damp cloth.

I cut it with a tag die thinking I'd enter it in Cardz 4 Guyz "Tag" challenge but just missed the deadline.  Because I wanted to be sure it looked masculine, I added a metal token (attaching it with a brad) and a dark silver die cut sentiment.  The tag is added to an embossed background panel.

I'm also cutting it fine to enter The Paper Players "Birds" challenge but at least I'm in time for this one.  Here's my card:

I created the green Brusho background by sprinkling the Brusho powders on watercolour paper and then spritzing with water. When dry, I stamped the image and heat set it. Then I used bleach and a paint brush to lift the green colour from the bird.

I stamped the sentiment that came with the image across the bottom and a Happy Retirement sentiment up at the top.

I added gold gel pen to all the tiny berries in the image and bordered with a matching gold cs. I found a blue grey cs that matched the colour of the bird (the bleach never seems to take enough colour out to go right back to white) and used it for the card base. The panel is popped up on fun foam.

52 Christmas Card Throwdown

The Paper Players

Supplies for card 1:
Ink - Distress Broken China, Stormy Skies, Faded Jeans; Versamark
Paper - white cs, dark silver cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Paper Roses snowflake stencil, clear embossing powder, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Tim Holtz token, Dee's Distinctively "Merry" die, stitched tag die, dark silver brad

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Carabelle "Dream Wings", SU "Happy Retirement"
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, gold shimmer cs, pale blue grey cs
Size - A2
Accessories - two shades of green Brushos, gold gel pen, bleach, fun foam

One for Christmas, One for Easter

Another twofer from me.  First up, one for Christmas for the 52 Christmas Card Challenge "Blue, White, and Silver":

Out of silver shimmer cs, I die cut the branches and the bird.  I then sponged blue inks on the bird.  I stamped the sentiment in blue ink and heat embossed with sparkly embossing powder, then die cut it with a label die.  I assembled it all on a panel die cut with a stitched rectangle, popping up the bird on foam tape.  The panel is mounted on fun foam on the card base.

Then I moved on to making an Easter card for the Double D "anything Easter" challenge.

I followed an Eileen Godwin video for the background (sorry, I can't find the video again).  I masked the circle and stencilled around it.  Then changed over and masked over the stencilling so that I could sponge a bit of blue and purple inside the circle.  Then with no masking in place, I stamped the berry wreath around the circle, coloured in the berries and added a sentiment.  I die cut the little bunny three times and glued them together and sat him on the berry wreath.

52 Christmas Card Throwdown
 

Double D Challenge "Easter" 

 

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - SU sentiment
Ink - Distress Chipped Sapphire
Paper - silver and white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - TH greenery dies, Memory Box bird die, clear sparkling embossing powder, Spellbinders label die, Lil Inkers stitched rectangle die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU sentiment
Ink - various Distress inks, Ranger Archival Jet Black
Paper - white cs
Size - 4.75" square card
Accessories - Lavinia stencil, blue marker, Charlie & Paulchen rabbit die

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all my fellow cardmakers!  So it's only appropriate that I post Valentine cards today.  I've got two variations on using my new Memory Box stitched heart dies to create heart shaped cut outs.

My friend who always buys several Valentine cards from me always wants one from me with a bird on it for her son-in-law who loves birds so this is this year's version.  Perfect to enter in the Cardz 4 Guyz "Love" challenge.

I sprayed a scrap of white cs with Antique Linen Distress spray and stamped the bird on it.

I inked up a script stamp in red and wiped off random sections and stamped on another piece of white cs.  I added the sentiment in black, die cut it with a square die, and die cut a heart out of the centre, just big enough to show most of the bird.  Layered the pieces on a white card base.

And then something more feminine with pink as my extra colour in the AAA Card Challenge "Black, White, and One Color".

I did a crafty zoom get together with friends and we tried Floating Alcohol Inks (see this video for instructions).  I dropped a couple of shades of pink AIs in a pan of water and dragged my white cs through it.  Once dry I stamped the script stamp on it in black.

I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment in black on another piece of white cs, cut it down with a rectangle die cut, cut out the heart, and layered it over the text-stamped piece.  I popped it up on fun foam for some dimension.

Challenges:

Cardz 4 Guyz "Love"

AAA Card Challenge "Black, White, and One Color"

Hoping you all have some kind of Valentine's Day treats, preferably chocolate if you're like me!

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Impression Obsession sentiment, Darkroom Door robin, Wendy Vecchi script stamp
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - white cs
Size - 5" square
Accessories - Distress Antique Linen spray, Memory Box Double Stitch Happy Heart Cut Out die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Impress Cards and Crafts sentiment stamp, SU script stamp
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Memory Box Double Stitch Happy Heart Cut Out die, Spellbinders layering rectangle die, clear embossing powder, pink alcohol inks, fun foam