Time Out #162 - Free

Hi friends!  It's time for a new challenge from Time Out.  This time we challenge you to be FREE.

We are sponsored by Visible Image for this challenge.  Check them out!

 

My card is very simple for this challenge (simple meaning no sparkle or sequins!) because I'm making 100 of these for a local assisted living facility.  (Thank goodness for the MISTI!  It saved me!).  I thought it fit with this challenge because when I think of butterflies, I think how free they are coming from their cocoons and flying beautifully.  I used the new Brilliant Butterflies from MFT and Catherine Pooler inks.  Like I said above, the MISTI was a huge time saver because there are 4 layers to making this card.  First I stamped the top part of the butterflies in a lighter shade, then the bottom part in a darker shade.  The lacy wings were then stamped in Versafine Claire ink.  Lastly, I stamped the bodies and the sentiment in the same black ink.  While I did this step, I also stamped the back of the card with my signature stamp.  I used the original size MISTI so the card fit in there flat and I was able to add my signature stamp.  I didn't take a picture of the inside, but there was another stamped message in there, again using the MISTI.  This is also a one-layer card.

You can see more from the Time Out design team and our guest for this challenge, Joanna, on the Time Out blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

Recipe

Stamps:  Brilliant Butterflies (MFT), Strictly Sentiments (WPlus9)

Paper:  Recollections white

Ink:  Versafine Claire, tiara, sauna, sweet sixteen, pixie dust, bellini, coral cabana

Accessories:  MISTI 



Time Out #161 - Theme Challenge

Hello!  This week over at Time Out, the challenge is a theme challenge.  The theme is the arts.  It can be interpreted many ways.

 

My interpretation of the arts is the art I have loved for many years...the art of card making.  I started by inking up and coloring this cute selfie image.  I paired it with the polaroid frame and sentiment which says it all.  The background was simply created with a circle stencil and some distress oxide ink.  I added crystals to the background and glossy accents to the noses.

 

Our sponsor for this challenge is Birch Press Design.

 

You can see more from the Time Out design team on the Time Out blog.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Recipe

Stamps:  Selfie Square (MFT), Stamped Just for You (Hero Arts)

Paper:  Recollections white, X-Press It, black

Ink:  Amalgam black, Versafine onyx black, tumbled glass distress oxide, copic markers

Accessories:  Stitched rectangle die (MFT), polaroid shaker frame die (MFT), jumbo polka dot stencil (MFT), glossy accents, crystals, craft foam 



Halloween Cutie

Hi friends!  I go to a stamp class every month at my stamp store taught by Stephanie Klauck of My Favortie Things.  This was one of the cards we made in class.  This design is all Stephanie's...I just put it all together!  The pieces were all die cut by her, but I colored them with copic markers.  The background was sponged with wilted violet distress ink using a cloud stencil.  It was so fast and easy to create this card because those images are so fast to color.  I added shimmer to everything and sequins to the background.

 

Happy Halloween!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Recipe

Stamps:  Spooktacular Friends (MFT)

Paper:  Neenah, black, orange

Ink:  MFT black, wilted violet, Versamark

Accessories:  Spooktacular Friends dies (MFT), tucked in turf die (MFT), sequins, shimmer, craft foam

 



Just Us Girls #505 - Trend Week

Hi all!  This week is Trend Week over at Just Us Girls.  Angie chose stacking die cuts.  I love this trend and use it a lot!

 

I felt like coloring today, so I pulled out this cute MFT set and colored the bird, basket, and leaves.  The leaves in the basket were stacked three times for some dimension.  The background was created using the grassy edges and cloud stencils.  The hello die was stacked as well.  I die cut it from Lawn Fawn's Fall Fling pattern paper.  I stamped the sentiment under it, added shimmer to the leaves and bird and added the crystals.  I'm not really a scene making kind of card maker, but I enjoyed making this card!

 

You can see more from our JUGs design team and our September guest on the JUGs blog.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Recipe

Stamps:  Piles of Fun (MFT)

Paper:  Recollections white, X-Press It blending card, Fall Fling (Lawn Fawn)

Ink:  Memento tuxedo black, icing on the cake (C. Pooler), tumbled glass, mowed lawn, peeled paint distress oxides, copic makers

Accessories:  Stitched rectangle die (MFT), Piles of Fun dies (MFT), Little Hello die (MFT), grassy edges and cloud stencils (MFT), spectrum noir shimmer, crystals, craft foam 



Just Us Girls #489 - Photo Week

Hi friends!  It's Photo Week at Just Us Girls, and Vicki chose this cool rainbow design.  So on trend right now!

 

I made this card a few weeks ago at a class that Stephanie Klauck from MFT taught.  It fit right in with the rainbow theme of the inspiration photo.  The strips were die cut in various rainbow colors as was the word hello.  The image is just so cute!  I colored it with various gray copics to make it look like a black and white photo.  I just love how fun this card is!  This is all Stephanie's design.

 

You can see more from our JUGs design team and our May guest on the JUGs blog.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Recipe

Stamps:  Picture Perfect (MFT)

Paper:  MFT

Ink:  copics

Accessories:  Polaroid shaker die (MFT), #Captions die (MFT), dimensionals



Mom's 90th Birthday!

My mom's 90th birthday is today...the first day of Spring!  We are having a little party on Friday with family and friends to celebrate.  But today, she is getting a birthday cake to share with her friends at her nursing home and this card.

 

This was my third attempt at making this card!  I first stamped it on watercolor paper and tried watercoloring.  Major fail and it ended in the trash!  Then I tried Zigs on Bristol smooth cardstock.  That worked until I tried to mask the flower and sponge some Distress ink around it.  There was some splotching and dark patches that appeared from where, I do not know!  I tried to cut it out to save it, but failed again!  So I tried again with the Zigs and used another blue marker to watercolor around it.  That worked, finally!  I added it to a scalloped mat and then added the die cut numbers and sentiment.  The panel was sprayed with shimmer and I added some star dust stickles to the center of the yellow flower and some crystals.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Recipe

Stamps:  Fresh Cut Flower background (MFT). Birthday Greetings (GinaK)

Paper:  Bristol smooth white, recollections white, melon mambo

Ink:  Amalgam (GinaK), Versafine onyx black, zig markers

Accessories:  Stitched rectangle (MFT), Outside In Stitched rectangle (Lawn Fawn), By the Numbers border die (PTI), crystals, shimmer spritz, star dust stickles, craft foam 



Just Us Girls #447 - Anything Goes!

Hi friends!  It's the 5th Saturday of the month which means that it's Wild Card week over at Just Us Girls.  That means that the hostess, this week Vicki, gets to choose any challenge she wants.  Vicki has chosen "Anything Goes" and has offered a challenge to all of you.  If we have 75 or more participants, Vicki is giving away a prize to a lucky participant.  All you have to do is enter and post our graphic on your blog to be in the running for the prize!

 My LSS is fortunate to have Stephanie Klauck from My Favorite Things teach a class every month.  I've been to two so far, but now that I'm retired I can go to all of them.  This time, we made two cards and a pop-up card.  Since this week is anything goes, I can post these for the challenge!  All of these mostly used the stamps and dies from the last MFT release.

This was the first one we made...a pop-up.  MFT doesn't have a die for this box, so Stephanie designed this just from cutting the paper and scoring it herself.  I sponged the waves with distress inks and spattered it with water.  All of the fish, crabs, greenery, and palm tree were colored with copic markers.  These are so fun to make!

On this one, we sponged a panel with various blue distress inks and spattered with water.  Then it was die cut with the stitched collage frame.  The frame was die cut from white paper I think 4 times and stacked together.  Then the blue frame was adhered and the squares inset.  Everything else was colored with copic markers and added to the squares.

 

I was so excited when I found out that we were going to do this next technique that I was itching to try out.  In fact, I had on my list of things to purchase at the store the Distress Micro Glaze to do this technique!  I've seen Tim Holtz, Jennifer McGuire, and Amy Rysavy do this technique and it's really cool.  You start with Alcohol Ink cardstock (or glossy cardstock) and smoosh the distress oxide inks on a craft mat and spritz with water.  Then you smoosh your cardstock into the inks and dry it thoroughly.  (This technique will only work with the oxide inks.)  I did this about 4-5 times to get many layers of color, picking up the remaining dots of color left on the craft mat.  When you finish, there is a chalky finish on the cardstock from the oxide inks and it looks dull.  But then you take an ink blending tool with a sponge attached and apply a very small amount of the Distress Micro Glaze on it and sponge it over the piece.  It just comes to life before your eyes and brings all the layers of color forward!  It is just so cool!  You can see Jennifer's tutorial here.

 

All of these fish, crabs, and greenery took forever to color!  I had to do most of them when I got home.  These classes with Stephanie are so fun and I can't wait for the next one in July!

 

You can see more from the JUGs design team and our June guest, Hannelie Bester on the JUGs blog.    This is her last week with us and we were so happy to have her join us.  Her style is just unmatched and so clever.  Thanks for joining us this month!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Recipe

Stamps:  Gill Friends, Just Beclaws, Beach Buds (MFT)

Paper:  Alcohol Ink cardstock, smooth white, Ranger watercolor, berrylicious, Birthday Blowout paper pad

Ink:  Extreme black, black licorice, peacock feathers, mermaid lagoon, broken china, gathered twigs distress inks; peacock feathers, salty ocean, mermaid lagoon distress oxide inks

Accessories:  Just Beclaws, Beach Buds, Gill Friends, Ocean Waves, Stitched Snow Drifts, Beach Scene Builder, Stitched Collage Frame, Essential Fishtail Sentiment Strips, Stitched Tag-Corner Rectangle STAX, Hearts in a Row-Horizontal die-namics; Distress Micro Glaze

 





Time Out #112 - Warm

Hey everyone!  The challenge over at Time Out "Warm".   

 

The weather here in Buffalo, NY has been warm (finally!).  We really never had a spring and I didn't think that the warmth would ever arrive.  But it's here and my card is full of warmth and sunshine.

 

I just received this sun shaker die from MFT which was perfect for this challenge.  I first sponged some tumbled glass ink through a swiss dots stencil.  Then die cut the sun from that piece and stamped the sentiment before I adhered the circle shaker pouch to the panel.  I added the sequins then closed it up with the yellow panel.  The main panel and yellow panel were die cut with stitched rectangle dies.  I added some sequins and shimmer to finish it off.  This came together so quickly!  Love these shaker pouches MFT has come out with.  They really make shaker cards a breeze!

 

You can see more from the Time Out design team and our guest for this challenge, Marieke, on the Time Out blog. 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Recipe



Stamps:  Full of Sunshine (MFT)
Paper:  Recollections white, daffodil delight
Ink:  Versafine onyx black, tumbled glass
Accessories:  Sunshine shaker die (MFT), circle shaker pouch (MFT), stitched rectangle dies (MFT), swiss dots stencil (MFT), sequins, shimmer



Just Us Girls #420 - Color Week

Hi friends!  It's color week at Just Us Girls and Angie chose a fun combo!

 

When I saw the new MFT release, I knew I wanted to get this deer die set and the chained link set.  When I finally got around to ordering it, they were sold out everywhere.  So sad!  But my LSS, Buffalo Stamps and Stuff, came through.  I got the last one of each!  Love that store! 

 

Anyway, I thought it would be perfect to use for this challenge.  I started by die cutting a stitched rectangle from Bristol paper and sponged Peacock Feathers oxide ink on it.  Then I doe cut two stitched snow drifts from the same paper.  I die cut the deer from brown cardstock and the antlers from some shiny gold paper as well as the sentiment.  For the first time, I used the Copic opaque white paint to spatter some to look like snow falling.  I added the gold hearts to the antlers and black enamel accents for the eyes. Love those antlers!

 

You can see more from the design team and our guest on the JUGs blog.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Recipe

Paper:  Bristol white, recollections white, gold shine (MFT)

Ink:  Peacock feathers distress oxide, copic opaque white

Accessories:  Deer Love, Stitched Snow Drifts, Blueprints 13 dies (MFT); Winter Words die (Reverse Confetti); black enamel accents



Just Us Girls #416 - Color Week

It's Color Week at Just Us Girls!  Vicki chose some colors that will work for Halloween or even a pretty card.

 

I pulled out this Monster Love stamp set because I just love these little guys!  I also wanted to send it to a little boy that is battling a rare form of cancer for seven months.  I saw a post on Taylored Expressions Facebook page about him, and all he wants are Halloween cards.  So I thought this would be a cute card to send to him.  I made the plaid pieces with a plaid builder set and the challenge colors.  The monsters were die cut then stamped.  I added shimmer to them and glossy accents to their eyes.  The background looked a little too white, so I spattered some black acrylic paint on it.   

 

If you would like to send a Halloween card to this little boy, here is the address:

 

Brock Chadwick

11 McKenney Drive

Biddeford, ME 04005

 

You can see more from the JUGs design team and our October guest on the JUGs blog.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Recipe

Stamps:  Monster Love, Plaid BG Builder (MFT)

Paper:  Recollections white, black

Ink:  Versafine onyx black, flirty fuchsia, lime rickey

Accessories:  Monster Love dies (MFT), pinking edge die (MFT), glossy accents, Spectrum Noir shimmer, black acrylic paint





Just Us Girls #377 - Color Week

Hi friends!  It's Color Week at Just Us Girls and Chris has chosen a really great combo! 

 

I thought it would make a nice Valentine card for my hubby.  He hates pink, but I think the navy and gray set it off nicely.  I got this new die from MFT at my LSS last weekend.  Cool die!  There's one to make the vertical stitches in the cardstock and another to die cut the hearts.  I die cut them from the three challenge colors and arranged them on the white stitched panel.  Then I just layered the onto the three colors of cardstock.  The sentiment on the banner was embossed in white embossing powder.  The base panel was impressed with an Essentials by Ellen die.  There's Spectrum Noir shimmer on each heart.

 

You can see more from the JUGs design team and our January guest on the JUGs blog.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Recipe

Stamps:  Verve (retired)

Paper:  Recollections white, night of navy, pretty in pink, basic gray

Ink:  Versamark

Accessories:  Stitches cover plate (Essentials by Ellen), Stitched Heart Grid (MFT), Folded Banner (SSS), white ep, corner rounder, fun foam, Spectrum Noir shimmer



Just Us Girls #375 - Word Week

Hi all!  The Just Us Girls challenge is back into high gear after our short holiday hiatus.  This week is our word week and Ina appropriately chose the word NEW. 

 

I made this card the day before New Year's Eve.  I was thinking about the celebration in Times Square in NYC, so I pulled out this NYC skyline die that I just had to have.  I die cut it from black cardstock then went to work creating the night sky.  I googled night skies to use as a guide.  I started with a light blue ink, then picked up a darker blue.  I then used a purple and some black ink to darken the sky.  I left a lighter spot where the Statue of Liberty would be.  Then I stamped and embossed the fireworks and the sentiment.  I spritzed it with shimmer spritz.  You can sort of see it on the black cardstock.  I'm crushing on this card! 

 

You can see more from the JUGs design team and our January guest on the JUGs blog.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Recipe

Stamps:  USA (Waltzing Mouse stamps), Bring on the Merry (Reverse Confetti)

Paper:  Recollections white, black

Ink:  Versamark, tumbled glass, salty ocean, dusty concord, black soot

Accessories:  NY skyline die (MFT), white embossing powder, shimmer spritz, fun foam



Birthday Bear Hugs



Hi everyone!  My great-niece Ava had a birthday on Thursday and her party is today.  She's only seven, so I wanted something cute and girly.  I love this bear set, it's so cute!  I colored everything with copic markers.  The pink rectangle was created by putting masking tape around the perimeter of the panel and sponging pink ink on it.  I added white dots on the cake as well as yellow stickles on the flames of the candles.  I sprayed the panel with Shimmer Spritz.  Love that stuff!  I'm using it on everything!  I stamped the sentiment on a banner.  The pattern paper was a perfect match for the colors I chose.

 

I hope everyone has a great New Year's Eve!  Have fun!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Recipe

Stamps:  Beary Special Birthday (MFT)

Paper:  Recollections white, Perfectly Plaid dp (Lawn Fawn)

Ink:  Versafine onyx black, Memento tuxedo black, copic markers, picked raspberry

Accessories:  Beary Special Birthday dies (MFT), Banner Trio die (WP9), shimmer spritz, yellow stickles, dimensional tape

Thank You cards!

Hi friends!

 

I had to make a few thank you cards for gifts I received this Christmas.  I saw this post on the Taylored Expressions blog and thought these cards were so colorful and beautiful.  However, I wanted something with snowflakes.  So I searched my stencils and cover plates and found one of each I could use.  Here's the first card I made.

 I used a very intricate stencil on this card.  I had to pounce the ink onto the cardstock for fear of breaking the delicate parts of the stencil. I wanted to use white snowflakes, but they sort of got lost on the panel.  So I used colored cardstock to match some of the inks.

Here's the next card.  I thought I was going to lose my mind on this one!  I die cut this cover plate with masking paper.  OMGosh trying to get all those little pieces out was tedious to say the least!  I had pieces stuck to my fingers, clothes, the floor...all over everything!  And the mask could only be used once, so there is only one of these!  I used the same colors, however I didn't have to pounce the ink over the mask.  I could sponge it on.  The colors are a bit more intense.  There is shimmer spritz on the snowflakes too.

 

These took much longer than I anticipated because of the intricacies of the stencil and die, but I enjoyed the time making them.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Recipe

Stamps:  Hand lettered thanks, Fanciful feathers (WP9)

Paper:  Recollections white, calypso coral. crushed curry, bermuda bay

Ink:  Salty ocean, cracked pistachio, fossilized amber, abandoned coral, Versafine onyx black

Accessories:  Let it snowflake dies (MFT), Snowflake fusion cover up (MFT), Winter snowflake stencil (Memory Box), shimmer spritz, masking paper, corner rounder



Just Us Girls #374 - Color Week

Hi everyone!  I'm the hostess for this week's Color Week Challenge over at Just Us Girls.  I saw these colors on a colleague's dress and thought it was very interesting. 

 

I've been wanting to use these mittens from My Favorite Things.  I don't see them on there site, so I'm assuming they are discontinued.  Funny that they are discontinued and this is the first time I'm using them!  My motto:  Too many stamps/dies, not enough time!

 

Anyway, I die cut them from white cardstock and stamped them in the navy and orchid inks.  I love them!  They are so cute, and I can see stamping them in a bunch of different colors, can't you?  The background was stamped using the Sweater Stitch background stamp.  I added some gold hearts to the mittens that the gold "string" is attached to.  Added the sentiment and I was done.  (I wish the card came together as easy as it was to write this up!)

 

You can see more from the JUGs design team and our guest, Teresa, on the JUGs blog.  This is Teresa's last week with us.  We loved her creations!

 

As a note, the JUGs blog is taking a much needed break for the holidays.  We will be back with new challenges on Saturday, January 7, 2017.

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Recipe

Stamps:  Cozy Mittens and Sweater Stitch BG (MFT), Quilted: Winter (PTI)

Paper:  Recollection white, night of navy

Ink:  Lavender lace (SU), Desert night (Altenew), Delicata gold

Accessories:  Audrey Cutaways (Winnie & Walter), Banner Trio (WP9), gold metal hearts, fun foam



Just Us Girls #365 - Color Week

Hello friends!  It's Color Week over at Just Us Girls and we have a beautiful fall palette of colors!

 

I was trying to think of a way to incorporate all these fabulous colors together, and I thought of plaid.  That's always a fun pattern for fall.  I added more gold to the card by embossing the leaves with gold embossing powder.  I added the sentiment on a banner backed with rust, then I popped up a section of the plaid piece onto fun foam.  I of course added some more gold with sequins. 

 

You can see more from the JUGs design team and our October guest on the JUGs blog.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Recipe

Stamps:  Plaid BG Builder and Geometric Greenery (MFT)

Paper:  Recollections white, really rust

Ink:  Really rust, old olive, Delicata gold, Versamark

Accessories:  Banner Trio (WP9), gold embossing powder, sequins, fun foam



Just Us Girls #361 - Color Week

Hi everyone!  Just Us Girls has a great color combination for the Color Week challenge.

 

I wanted to do something cute with these colors.  I love these little monsters!  I stamped them with yellow and red inks and added their faces with black ink.  Then I die cut the windows and set them inside. The sentiment was die cut four times and stacked.  I put some shimmer on it and glossy accents.  Sequins finished it off. 

 

You can see more inspiration from the JUGs DT and our guest on the JUGs blog.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Recipe

Stamps:  Monster Love

Paper:  Recollections white, Bitty Dot Basics

Ink:  Versafine onyx black, dandelion (Memento Luxe), real red

Accessories:  Monster Love dies (MFT), stitched triple peek-a-boo window (MFT), wet paint die (PTI), sequins, glossy accents, Spectrum Noir crystal clear shimmer