Grunge and Gratitude

Hello Blog Friends!
For this week’s challenge at Less is More, we have been given a sketch. I bought the PTI Rustic Wreath Stamp and Die set a while back, but haven’t had a chance to ink it up until now...so, here is my card:

I stamped and die cut the wreath on white cardstock, and colored it in green to use as a background. Then, I stamped and die cut it on vellum. I followed the sketch closely, and added some twine to finish it off.

My next card is for the current challenge at Addicted to CAS and our Code Word is 'Grunge’. Well, that’s a bit of a stretch for me, but a few months ago, I won this Hero Arts stamp from Barb Engler’s challenge in our Hero Arts Flickr Group (Thanks, Barb!), and I knew it would be perfect for this card. So, I inked it up with 4 different distress inks for my background, and used a sentiment from the new Be Happy Today stamp set...Here's my card:

I embossed the sentiment with Zing Glitter Embossing Powder to give the card some sparkle and pop against the background, and added some silver sequin stars, and I was all set! I think this is a great card to send with my care packages to my step-granddaughter, who is finishing her first year of college.

So, that’s it for me today...I hope everyone is having a fun and crafty week ~ Thanks so much for stopping by!
 
Barb

Supplies:
 

With Gratitude:
Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Rustic Wreath; Clearly Besotted Stamps - Say it in Style (sentiment)
Ink: Versamark; Studio Calico - Clean Slate
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White, Vellum
Patterned Paper: Papertrey Ink - Soft Stone
Dies: Papertrey Ink - Rustic Wreath; Lifestyle Crafts - Banners & Arrows; Memory Box - Butterflies
Embossing Powder: Hero Arts - White
Markers: Copic
Resin Flower: Kaiser Craft
Hemp Cord: Lawn Fawn - Silver Sparkle

No Dream Is Ever Too Big:
Stamps: Hero Arts - Paint Print, Be Happy Today
Ink: Versamark; Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Salty Ocean, Peacock Feathers
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Stamper’s Select White, True Black; Simon Says Stamp - Surf Blue
Embossing Powder: Zing - Glitter Black
Sequins: Kelly Purkey - Silver Stars

Hello, Mama Elephant

Hello Blog Friends!
I just received a few more goodies from Mama Elephant, and couldn’t wait to play with this really fun 'Hello’ die...Love the scripty font!

So, I pulled out my Inktense pencils to create a rainbow water colored background, and used the negative of the die. I haven’t inked up this little dragon from the Just hatched set, so I colored him with Copics and added some Wink of Stella clear marker to the green sections, added a few enamel dots and that was it! Since the Mama Elephant Photo Inspiration Challenge is still going strong, I would like to add this card to my 'collection of submissions' ~ LOL!!!

I hope everyone is having a fun and crafty weekend ~ Thanks so much for stopping by!
 
Barb



Supplies
Stamps: Mama Elephant - Just Hatched
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Stamper’s Select White
Dies: Mama Elephant - Just Hatched; Hello
Pencils: Inktense Watersoluble Ink Pencils
Enamel Dots: My Minds Eye

Congratulations

Hi everyone ~  A really brief post today...This week’s theme at The Card Concept is to use an umbrella on our card and for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge we are being asked to Keep it Clean and Simple. For the CASology Challenge our Cue Card this week is 'Garden', so I am entering my card in all 3 challenges:

 

I just received some new Lawn Fawn goodies, and couldn’t wait to ink up this set. I stamped and die cut the flowers and Hero Arts umbrella, popped everything up on my Mama Elephant scalloped panel and added a greeting. The umbrella handle was stamped and embossed on vellum and die cut. Here is a close up:

I think this card is considered clean and layered, since the elements are popped up, yet there is a significant amount of white space.

Well, that’s it for me today...Thank you so much for stopping by...I appreciate your sweet comments very much!

Supplies:
Stamps: Lawn Fawn - Penelope’s Blossoms; Hero Arts (for Archiver’s) - Umbrella
Ink: Hero Arts - Butter Bar, Green Hills, Pale Tomato, Passion Flower; Versafine - Onyx Black; Versamark
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Stamper’s Select White, Vellum
Patterned Paper: Amy Tangerine - Sketchbook
Dies: Lawn Fawn - Penelope’s Blossoms; Hero Arts (for Archiver’s) - Umbrella; Mama Elephant - Femme Frames
Embossing Powder: Hero Arts - White

Hello, Sweet Pea

Hi everyone ~ This week’s Cue Card for the challenge at CASology  is 'Garden’, so I was thrilled to finally ink up my Clearly Besotted stamp set called Garden Fresh. Also, the Team at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge are asking us to keep it Clean & Simple, so here is my card:  

So, I stamped and die cut the pea pod, stamped the greeting, and added a few soft green pearls. For an added design detail, I used my curved edge die from SSS, and placed a panel with my Hero Arts tiny flags stamp with soft stone ink on soft stone cardstock.

Now, if you’re in the mood to get ‘Goose Bumps’, here is one of the best videos I’ve ever seen! This priest completely surprised the bride and groom, as well as the congregation...so far, there are more than 32 million hits on You Tube!



Apparently, this video was removed, so if you would like to see it on You Tube, here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-voADFn0aow

Well, that’s it for me today...Thank you so much for stopping by...I appreciate your visit, and of course your sweet comments very much!

Supplies:

Stamps: Clearly Besotted Stamps - Garden Fresh; Hero Arts - Tiny Flags Background

Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; Hero Arts - Green Hills; Papertrey Ink - Soft Stone

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White, Papertrey Ink - Soft Stone

Dies: Clearly Besotted Stamps - Garden Fresh; Simon Says Stamp - Curved Edge

Pearl Gems: Hero Arts - Pool Mixed Accents

Just For Fun

Hi there blog friends ~
Every once in a while, I like to color with my Copic markers, and after receiving a Gift Card from Whimsy Stamps on their recent blog hop, I picked up this sweet image called 'Mary', designed by Sylvia Zet.

 

Suffice it to say that this style is way off the beaten path for me, but it's fun to step outside of your comfort zone sometimes! I outlined the image with B0000 and colored her in with several YR markers. The little lamb was colored in with C1 and C0 (gray), and I gave them both pink cheeks with R20. The orange flower is from an old package by Prima, and the roses are from Kaiser Craft. The die cut grass is from MFT and the butterflies are Memory Box. Lastly, I used my Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Pen on the butterflies, flowers and Mary's pocket.

It so happens that the challenge for this week at Addicted to Stamps and More is to 'Make Your Mark', and since I used my Copic markers for this image, I would like to submit my card. 

Well, that's it for me today...I hope everyone had a great weekend and a wonderful Easter celebration with family and friends! Thanks so much for stopping by ~

Barb 

Let's Rock n' Roll Again

Hi everyone ~ This week’s card for the Muse Challenge was created by Therese Calvird, and I was determined to play along, since I haven’t done so in a few weeks. 
Here is Therese' card:

And, here is my card:

 
I stayed close to Therese’ card design, but wanted more dimension on my stenciled panel. So, I used white embossing paste tinted with 3 different shades of distress ink, so it would create an ombre effect, just as Therese did. I used the Rock n’ Roll technique for the feather with Mama Elephant Blush and Eggplant pigment inks, then inked the dots on the coordinating stamp with my glue pad and added clear glitter for some sparkle. I stamped the sentiment with gray ink on to a dimensional banner from SSS.

*****

My next card is for this week’s challenge at CASology.The cue card this week is ‘Note’, so I went through my stash and found a combination of stamps and a notebook die.

For this card, I die cut the notebook die 3 times to add dimension, and used gray ink for the sentiment. The heart was die cut with silver foil cardstock to add a little shine, and I popped up the flower and leaves with foam dots. Lastly, I placed this panel on to the embossed card base.

*****

 My last card is for is for this week’s challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More - our theme is Anything Goes.

I stamped the Water Blooms flowers with Mama Elephant Pigment inks, and masked the flowers before adding the stems and leaves. I stamped the sentiment in gray, and put a generous coat of Wink of Stella clear glitter on the flower centers to add some sparkle.

Well, that’s it for me today...If you celebrate, I wish you a very Happy Easter! Thank you so much for stopping by...I appreciate your sweet comments very much!

Supplies:

You Make My Heart Soar
Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Feather Finery
Ink: Mama Elephant - Blush, Eggplant; Versafine - Smokey Gray; Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Peacock Feathers
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Stamper’s Select White, True Black; MFT - Berrylicious
Dies: Papertrey Ink - Feather Finery; Simon Says Stamp - Tilted Banners
Stencil: Simon Says Stamp - Falling Stars
Embossing Paste: Wendy Vecchi - White
Glitter: Tim Holtz - Clear Rock Candy
Misc: The Essential Glue Pad

Just a Note
Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Just Smile, Birds & Blooms, Wonderful Words ‘Hello’
Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; Versamark; Hero Arts - Mint Julep, Passion Flower
Embossing Powder: American Crafts ‘Zing’ - Gold
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Stamper’s Select White; Avery Elle - Orchid
Impression Plate: Papertrey Ink - Picnic Plaid
Dies: Papertrey Ink - Just Smile; Lil’ Inkers - Notebook Die; Mama Elephant - Confetti (heart) 

Love You
Stamps: Mama Elephant - Water Blooms, Just Hatched (sentiment)
Ink: Mama Elephant - Blush, Eggplant, Winter, Sunshine; Hero Arts - Green Hills; Versafine - Smokey Gray
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Stamper’s Select White
Glitter: Wink of Stella - Clear

Mama Elephant Challenge

 Hi everyone ~ For the month of April, the theme for the Mama Elephant Challenge is a photo inspiration, and the prize is a spot on the ME Challenge Team for a 6 month term! I’ve never tried out for a DT spot before, but I decided to give it a try (gotta be in it to win it, right?). So, I created several cards and a tag, and instead of listing all of my products at the end of this post, I have added a brief description below each photo. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave me a note, and I'll get right back to you. All of the products I used can be found in the Mama Elephant Online Store. 

I created a total of eight cards...here is my first card:

For this card, I used the stamps and dies from the ‘Sunny Skies’ set, and used the Rock n’ Roll technique on the balloon (the left side is aqua, and the right side is one shade darker). I also die cut the ‘Landscape Trio’dies in vellum and the ‘Confetti’ dies with foiled cardstock. 

For this card I masked and stamped the mums from the ‘Lovely Mums' set, also using the Rock n’ Roll technique after die cutting the front panel and card base with ‘Femme Frames’. I stamped the sentiment in brown to acknowledge the dropper in the small bottle and cork in the large one. 

 

For this card, I stamped the cityscape from the ‘Central Park’ set twice - once in light gray, and again in black. I stamped the sentiment, added the clouds from my ‘Landscape Trio’ set in vellum, a few stars from the ‘Confetti’ dies, and the cute little yellow taxi...after all, the taxi cabs in NYC are yellow! 

On this 5x5 card, I stamped the cloud background in Soft Pool ink from ‘Sunny Skies’, then created a focal point with the sun rays, the bunny from ‘Up and Away’, vellum clouds from ‘Landscape Trio’ die set and vellum stars from the 'Confetti dies'. I stamped the sentiment on the ‘Bold Banner’ die cut. I also added Wink of Stella Clear glitter pen to the stars, rays and the bunny’s tummy. Lastly, I used Liquid Applique for his tail.

I love the little chick in the ‘Just Hatched’ stamp and die set, so I created this tag for an Easter gift. I die cut 2 ‘Embellished Tags’ and the polka dot eggs. I stamped the chick and colored him in with Copic markers; I also stamped 2 pieces of the cracked egg and added Wink of Stella clear glitter for sparkle and then stamped my sentiment. Twine is called Caribbean Stripe from the Twinery. 

I really love this ‘Water Blooms’ stamp set, so with the inspiration photo in mind, I created this card using the color palette. I found an old bottle of Diamond Glaze in the bottom of my adhesive drawer, so I added a drop of it to the center of each flower as a nod to all the clear sparkle in the photo. I stamped the sentiment in Versafine Onyx Black ink and popped the panel onto a white card base with pop dots...and that was it!

 

Who could resist these adorable Love Birds from the ‘Love Quotes’ Stamp and Die set? Not me! The first thing I did was to create a small pattern with my Diagonal Stripe stencil from SSS inked with Peacock Feathers and Picked Raspberry. Then, I stamped and die cut the love birds (colored with Copics) and embossed the cute speech bubble. The sentiment and frame were heat  embossed with Hero Arts white EP, and the ‘Dainty Bow’ was die cut with Aqua Mist felt from PTI. I popped up a glitter heart from the Confetti dies.
***Since I used a stencil on this card, I would also like to enter it in this month’s challenge at Virginia’s View . 

So, if you’re still with me...Thank you for being a true friend! This is my last card combining ‘So Breezy’ and ‘Party Kit’. I die cut the front panel with ‘Femme Frames’, colored in the sentiment with Copic markers and added Wink of Stella clear glitter pen to the balloons for some shimmer.

 

Well, that’s it for me today...Thank you so much for stopping by...I appreciate your patience and of course your sweet comments very much!

A Touch of Turquoise

Hi everyone ~ I have 2 cards to share with you today...

The theme for this week’s challenge at Less is More  is a ‘Touch of Turquoise’. I'm a huge fan of this color, especially with pastel pink, so I pulled out my new Whimsy Stamp dress die (which I won on their recent release blog hop) and created this card:  
 

I die cut the dress in turquoise cardstock, and replaced the hearts and circles in pink and the design detail with glitter cardstock. I love the elegant swirl on this sentiment, so I added that and mounted everything on my Femme Frames.

My next card is for 2 challenges: The Cue Card at CASology this week is 'Wet’, and the theme this month at  Virginia’s View Challenge is 'Stencil'. So, I created a stencil with my raindrops border die on a piece of transparent cardstock and used pearlescent embossing paste on the front panel of this card. I paired it with stamped and die cut boots and added a sentiment:

Here is a close of the shimmer on the raindrops from the pearlescent embossing paste:

Well, that’s it for me today...Thank you so much for stopping by, and for your sweet comments! I appreciate it very much!

 

Supplies:

Celebrate
Stamps: Hero Arts - Perfect Day
Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Stamper’s Select White, Sweet Blush; MFT - Blu Raspberry; Stampin’ Up - Glitter Cardstock
Dies: Whimsy Stamps - Wedding Dress Tag Die; Mama Elephant - Femme Frames


Feel Better Soon

Stamps: Paper Smooches - Healthy Vibes; Clearly Besotted Stamps - Garden Fresh
Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; Memento Luxe - Love Letter
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Stamper’s Select White; Bazzill - Icy Mint
Dies: Clearly Besotted Stamps - Garden Fresh; Memory Box - Little Rain

Have a Great Day

Hi Everyone, 
Just a quick post tonight...My sweet blog friend Virginia Lu has another challenge for us this month - Virginia's View Challenge #2 and her theme is to use a Stencil on our card or project. So, here's my card:

  
My inspiration for this card is the photo on the bottom right. I used my new to me SSS Leaves Stencil, blending Mowed Lawn distress ink on the leaves, and to add a little dimension to the card, I popped up a few flowers. I added the Hero Arts sentiment on an angle and trimmed the card along the bottom and side before adding gems and sequins. I also placed a piece of vellum behind the panel, and a gold strip of foiled cardstock beneath it. 

So, that's it for me...Thank you so much for stopping by, and for your sweet comments! 

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts - Messages with Flourish
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Mowed Lawn; Hero Arts - Pale Tomato; Versafine - Onyx Black
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Stamper's Select White, Berry Sorbet, Vellum; DCWV - Foiled Cardstock (Silver)
Stencil: Simon Says Stamp - Leaves
Gems: Stash
Sequins: Kelly Purkey - Silver 

New Goodies

Hi everyone ~ I'm signed up for the 'True Scrap' class which runs all day tomorrow, so I wanted to get this posted and get my craft room cleaned up :) Is anyone else taking this class?

A sweet friend of mine recently gifted me this brand new MFT Lily die (swoon), so I was thrilled to find out that this week’s challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More is to create a Clean and Simple card (now that I added all those splatters, I sure hope this card is considered CAS). 
  

Also, I recently bought Heidi Swapp Color Shine in coral, so I decided to use this color for my inspiration, and create a monochromatic card. I started by embossing the Mega Mat Stack to create a frame, then die cut the lily twice in white cardstock, colored everything with Copics and spritzed with Mr. Huey’s Color Mist (also new). I tapped off some of the coral color shine onto the card for a splattered effect, arranged everything, popped up the flowers and stamped the sentiment and embossed it with another new goodie - Pumice Stone embossing powder, which by the way is sparkly! I added my new Mama Elephant sequin die cuts (also embossed with Pumice Stone), and my card was finished! 

The embossed ‘Mega Mat Stack’ is difficult to see, so here’s a close-up:

 

Thank you so much for stopping by...I appreciate your sweet comments very much! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Supplies:
Stamps: Avery Elle - Sentimental Swirls (sentiment)
Ink: Versamark
Cardstock: Ellen Hutson - Letterpress Cardstock
Dies: MFT - Lily Die-namics; Mama Elephant - Sequins; PTI - Mega Mat Stack 3 

Embossing Powder: Tim Holtz Distress Powder - Pumice Stone
Markers: Copics - YR02, R22, YG07, YG09
Misc: Heidi Swapp Color Shine - Coral; Mister Huey’s Color Mist - Shine

Hello!

Hi everyone ~ I have 2 cards to share again today.
It’s Lucky Dip Week at Less is More  and the theme is Round and Round. So, I decided to use one of the techniques I learned from Debby Hughes at Online Card Class (CAS3) ~ Inlaid Die Cuts.   

What I love about this technique is that even with all the dimension, it’s essentially one layer. I die cut my Femme Frames, added a few sequins and used my Wink of Stella clear glitter pen on the sentiment, and that was it! I'm not sure if it's my screen or my poor photo editing skills, but the Berry Sorbet card base looks a little 'orange' on my screen...sigh!

Challenge #35 at Addicted to CAS is in full swing, and the code word for this week is ‘Wheels’. And, at the Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge, the theme is 'Anything Goes', so I am submitting this card for both challenges.

For this card, I used my ‘new to me’ stamp and die set from Paper Smooches for the motorcycle and sentiment, and deliberately popped the bike up on an angle to make it look as though it's going into a turn in the road. I stamped both with Versamark, then embossed with  with the color Powder, a pale blue which actually looks white on screen. Then, I die cut the landscape trio die, used my white gel pen to draw in the road, and added the star.

Thank you so much for stopping by...I appreciate your sweet comments very much! I hope everyone is having a great week!

Supplies

 Hello:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Berry Sorbet, Aqua Mist, Tropical Teal; Bazzill - Marshmallow
Dies: Paper Smooches - Quote Tag (hello); Spellbinders - Circles; Mama Elephant - Femme Frames
Sequins: Pretty Pink Posh - White
 

Toot-Toot, Beep-Beep:
Stamps: Paper Smooches - Spiffy Scooters
Ink: Versamark
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - True Black
Dies: Paper Smooches - Spiffy Scooters
Embossing Powder: Zing - Powder
Marker: Signo Uniball - White
Gems: Delish Beads - Star
Misc: Glossy Accents for bike lights