A Couple of Masculine Cards

I really struggle with masculine cards so follow two challenges that focus on them so that I can get ideas. 

First up The Male Room where the current challenge is "Sentiment in Focus".

 

I made a pet sympathy card that uses the sentiment as the focal point.

I stamped it and heat embossed it in black, then die cut with a label die. I left the cs in the die and sponged the exposed part. That left a nice white border around the edge. I added a black background die cut label - so I've got three sets of curved borders around my sentiment.  Added it all to a paw print dp background.


And then there is Cards 4 Guyz where the current challenge is "Vintage".  I used a vintage ship image.

I made a "wrinkle free distress" background in blues and greens, and stamped the ship on it. I popped it up on fun foam and bordered with blue and green. I used a Tim Holtz rub-on for the sentiment.

I'll be back with something more feminine next time! 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Wordsworth sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black, Distress Antique Linen
Paper - white and black cs, unknown dp
Size - A2
Accessories - Spellbinders label dies, clear embossing powder

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Tim Holtz ship
Ink - Archival Jet Black, various green and blue Distress inks
Paper - ivory, green, and blue cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Tim Holtz rub-on sentiment, fun foam

Blue Butterflies

I love the new CAS Watercolour challenge!  Those of you who know me know that my all-time forever favourite colour is blue.  And that is this month's challenge!

I went with blue butterflies:

And I went back to an older watercolour technique - Wrinkle Free Distress.  Because it's an old technique, I often forget to use it, but it is so effective and such a great way to create backgrounds.

I swiped a few shades of blue Distress inks on my craft mat, spritzed with water until I got droplets of colour, and then pressed and tapped white cs into it.  I dried it with a heat tool.

I die cut the butterflies, layered them over the blue panel, and added it to my card base.  I stamped my sentiment on the butterfly layer but got it crooked so redid it on a scrap of cs, heat embossed it and die cut it with an oval die.

Wrinkle Free Distress is a Tim Holtz technique from at least ten years ago.  If you can't decide what to do for this month's CAS Watercolour challenge, why not revisit it?  Or head over to the CWC blog and get some inspiration from the rest of the Design Team and June's wonderful Guest Designer, TaeEun (rainbow in November).

You have until June 24th to link up your card.  It must be clean and simple, must use a watercolour technique, and must follow the theme.

Supplies:

Stamps - A Muse sentiment

Ink - ColorBox True Blue; Distress Faded Jeans, Broken China, and Tumbled Glass

Paper - white cs

Size - A2

Accessories - Memory Box reverse butterfly die, Spellbinders oval die, clear embossing powder

Merry Reindeer

This week's Merry Monday challenge is "Use a Reindeer" and the November theme for SCS's Christmas Card Challenge is "Santa, Sleighs, or Reindeer".

I made a background piece on watercolour paper using two shades of green Distress ink, then spritzed it with shimmer spritz.  When dry I stamped a few holly sprigs, added red stickles for berries, stamped a vertical sentiment, and sponged the edges with brown ink.

I used a textured cream shimmer cardstock for the base and die cut the reindeer out of bronze shimmer cardstock.

Thanks for dropping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: Rosie's Roadshow sentiment, Memory Box holly

Paper: textured cream shimmer cs, bronze shimmer cs, watercolour paper

Paper Size: A2

Ink: Distress Brushed Corduroy, Evergreen Bough, and Mowed Lawn

Accessories: Tim Holtz reindeer die, red stickles

Happy Little Stampers Blog Hop

Welcome to my blog! 

Happy Little Stampers are celebrating the second release of their stamps with a blog hop!

Comment on the HLS blog, and then continue on to each Designer. You must comment on all the blogs in the hop to be eligible for prizes.

I love my new Happy Little Stampers stamp set "Thinking of You" so used it for this card:

It's got a great small text stamp that I really like for doing mixed media, layered images over inky backgrounds, etc.  I made a Wrinkle Free Distress background, but instead of spritzing with water, I spritzed with a homemade shimmer spray.  It's hard to photograph the shimmer but it's there in real life!  Here's a close-up of the text stamp over my background.  It's subtle as I didn't want it to jump out at you.  And take a look at the lovely swirly font on the "with love" stamp that comes with the set.  It goes perfectly with my flourish embossing folder border.

 

The ribbon attaching the sentiment is white in real life - not sure why my photo picks it up as yellow!

The flourish embossing folder also works really well with the two little flourish stamps included in the stamp set - also great for adding interest to backgrounds as you can see at the top right and a bit down on the left hand side in this close-up:

 I finished off by adding a simple white die cut flower.  The card is for my Mum who is currently in hospital with heart and lung issues - she loves flowers and she loves blues and mauves.

I hope I have inspired you today with my card. The designers and I have had so much fun playing with these stamps! Next you need to hop on over to "LesLee's" blog. 

Happy Little Stampers 

Kylie Purtell

Loll Thompson

Joyce Mehrberg

Gloria Lee

Tanja Kabel

Susan Bridgman - you are here!

LesLee

Gail Townsend

Carol Steedman

Melissa Lane

Linda Walmsley

Birgit Norton

Kim Heggins

Valentyna

Sue T.

Bonnie Klass

Toni

Chrissie

Anita

Carol Dunham

Ingrid Blackburn

Supplies:
Stamps - Happy Little Stampers
Paper - white cs
Size - A2
Ink - Distress Salty Ocean, Faded Jeans, Dusty Concord, Seedless Preserves; and Memento London Fog
Accessories - white sheer ribbon, foam tape, Memory Box Prim Poppy die, Spellbinders ribbon label, Cuttlebug flourish embossing folder border, homemade shimmer spray

Last of the Summer Flowers

 

I still have some California poppies blooming in my garden so when I saw today's SCS Technique Lovers' Challenge "Floral Frenzy" - a last curtain call for the flowers of summer, I went with poppies. And I went with autumn colours to be seasonal.

I made a Wrinkle Free Distress background on some watercolour paper and added some faint text stamp. I stamped the poppies on top, let the ink dry, and then coloured them with Distress inks. I made a real mess of painting a couple of the flowers in the centre area so restamped, coloured, and fussy cut two flowers and one bud. After I layered them on top, they looked odd so decided to highlight them by adding the square frame over that area. I'm not sure how I feel about the finished card, but it needs to go in the mail to my sister or I'll miss her birthday!

Supplies:

Stamps: SU Pleasant Poppies, Gina K sentiment

Paper: PTI Vintage Cream cs, watercolour paper

Paper Size: A2

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black; Distress Old Paper, Brushed Corduroy, Bundled Sage, Antique Linen, Fired Brick, Barn Door, and Festive Berries

Accessories: Lil Inkers stitched squares dies, foam tape

Techniques: Wrinkle Free Distress