Artistic Outpost is celebrating their 2nd Birthday!

They are offering you, a chance to get a present from them by participating in their challenge. The challenge is pretty simple, just use this sketch and create a Fall or Birthday Themed card using Artistic Outpost images.

Here is the Birthday card that I created with some of my favorite Artistic Outpost stamps. The card is for Artistic Outpost, wishing them another great year!!

The stamp sets used for this card are The Outpost, Bluebird, Keeper and Adventure.

You'll have until October 23rd to leave your link on the Artistic Outpost Blog, using Mr. Linky.

One winner will be chosen on October 31st, through the Random Number Generator, be sure to check back to see if you've won. The prize is a $25 gift certificate to the Artistic Outpost Store. We can't wait to see your version of this sketch/theme using our images. Please use a direct link to your card so the readers can easily find it. Only those cards that use Artistic Outpost images following the sketch/theme will be eligible for the random drawing. We reserve the right to remove links to any cards not following this challenge.

For added information check out the Artistic Outpost Designers Blogs:

Lisa Somerville

Gerrie Johnnic

Debby Boltman

Lynn Stevens

Sharon Briss

Toni Tessler

Robin Willis

Judy Hayes

Thanks for stopping by, See you tomorrow.

Cathy

Digital Two for Tuesday Challenge using Bluebird stamps from Artistic Outpost

Digital Two for Tuesday Vintage challenge gives us 2 images to use and this week we were give the large next in the middle of the card. I thought it would be perfect to combine with the Bluebird stamp plate from Artistic Outpost.

The background paper was created by stamping the script stamp overstamped in Momento London Fog ink which was then overstamped with the birds on the wire stamp randomly stamped all over the background paper.

The left Spellbinder Label 3 label was stamped with the birds on sheet music stamp and the label on the right was stamped with the Bluebird carries the Sky on his back stamp. All were sponged with Tim Holtz vintage photo and broken china distress ink.

The main image is the digital nest that was offered for the Digital Two for Tuesday Vintage challenge this week. I stamped two of the birds from the birds on the wire stamp on the edge of the nest. The single birds are the small birds in flight from the same stamp. The silhouette birds on the wire were stammped as if the birds in flight were going to land on the wire as well.

This was so much fun. I added the Thinking of You sentiment from the Artistic Outpost Bluebird stamp set and all that was left to add were 3 prima flowers oversponged with broken china to coordinate and a dew drop flower center.

It's always fun to mix and match stamp sets for a really cool collage.

Hope you liked my creation tonight.

Thanks for stopping by and see you tomorrow!

Cathy

Summer Harmony--Artistic Outpost

I love mixing the different stamps from my Artistic Outpost sets, the sets compliment more than one set making each set more versatile.

I grabbed out my copic airbrush system to create this card. I airbrushed all the images with copic markers and my copic airbrush system. I used brown and blue with just a touch of green in the grassy hills on the house image.

I really love the effect that my Tim Holtz swirl mask gives. I sponged the color on tan card stock and then ran the pages through my cuttlebug with the manuscript writing folder.

I used my sewing machine to stitch around all the images and adhere the layers together. I can sew in a straight line but wanted the more casual look of the swirly stitching.

The images that I added to the page are images that remind me of summer. The beach house from Keeper, The birds from Blue Bird, and Harmony is one of the sentiments from Serenity.
It was 99 degrees in Omaha today so definitely summer here.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cathy

Vintage Bluebird--Artistic Outpost

Good Morning,


It is a rainy day here in Omaha and these blue birds made me think of spring so I decided to post this card I created. I used the Bluebird stamp plate from Artistic Outpost. This was one of the first two stamp plates that I ordered from Artistic Outpost and is still one of my favorites.

Now that I have my stamp stuff all easily accessible I have used my cuttlebug a lot more including this music page embossing folder which is one of my favorites. I inked the negative side of the folder with SU chocolate chip before I placed my card front in so that the background would have a sponged look but the embossed part would be white. If you do this I recommend that you not use permanent inks and that you clean the folder immediately or you may get an unwanted color the next time you use the folder :(

I sponged the edges and some of the embossed notes with Tim Holtz faded denim and Vintage Photo distress ink.

My husband got a 40% off coupon for Hobby Lobby and he generously gave it to me. I bought a spellbinders die set that had the key, a pocket watch front, buttons, and heart with keyhole. I cut them out in my cuttlebug, embossed them using the tan embossing pad, and sponged with Vintage Photo. I added a key brad to the key die and a keyhole brad to the heart keyhole. The button is a metal button that was in my Grandpa's button collection.

I thought it needed a little something in the lower left corner so I added a paper Artful flower Collection Prima flower. I added a blue center flower and blue brad.

Thanks for stopping to take a look.

Have a great day!

Cathy

Serenity Simple Collage

I decided to create a peaceful and Serene simple collage card tonight. I wanted to use the birds, from the Bluebird plate, on the telephone wire which I airbrushed with my copic airbrush system. I also airbrushed the main Serenity image just so that it had some color but not much detail. I know that is different for me, but it is actually one of my favorite techniques.
I wanted to use the large Serenity sentiment that is included in the plate but I just couldn't fit it on the page with the other two images, so I cut each line into strips and mounted them at different angles.
I distressed the edges of the two colored images and the light kraft cs for texture and added 3 prima flowers with button centers.
I really like the basic simplicity of it, but yet it really doesn't look that simple.

I am off to clean up my stamp room and go to bed.
See you later, Thanks for stopping by.

Cathy

I can't believe I haven't posted since Wed, Sorry!

Where does the time go? There has been so much going on with work and getting my projects done for the December 15th release at Artistic Outpost.

Here is a card that I made the other night that I haven't had time to post yet:

I have always liked the look of a black and white photo that has been retouched with red highlights. This is the look that I wanted to create with this image. I colored the image with grey copic markers and made large shadows around the little girl. It could be a boy but for today it is a girl. I thought that I could just color the flowers on the vines on the right hand side of the image with my copic markers.

What was I thinking!?! It looked like I shot her, sorry, but that was the first thought that came to my mind when I looked at the red flowers.

I didn't want to discard the image so plan B came into effect. I colored some tiny prima flowers with my copic markers and then colored tiny half pearls with red copic marker as well for the center. Those little boogers are really hard to place in the middle of a flower.

I wanted to maintain the black and white with red accents when making the actual card. I mounted the main image on black cardstock and also mounted the bluebird script that is included in the stamp set. I angled the phrase behind the main image.

I wanted the main piece of cardstock to be red but it was too stark to just leave it plain. I stamped the bluebird script stamp all over the red with Tim Holtz red distress ink and then sponged the edge with the same ink.

I finished the card with a piece of black and white checked ribbon and wallah, another super easy card made with Artistic Outpost stamps.

I just wanted to let everyone know that Artistic Outpost is having a sale right now on a really neat set that was included in their last release. It is called Snowy Woods and it is on sale for 19.99 right now. Here is a picture of the images in the set, they are awesome and check out the Snowy Woods Gallery for some wonderful samples.

I was very excited today to get my free set of stamps that I won doing Melanie Muenchinger's GinaK release challenge last week. I thought that I should receive the My Cuppa Jo stamp set today as it should have been mailed Tuesday. The mail person came and I checked the mail, no stamps. Oh well, I knew they would be here Monday then. Pretty soon I heard the mail truck again. I looked out the window and she stopped at my mailbox, so I took my happy little hiney back out to see what she left and, you guessed it, my Cuppa Jo stamps.

They are all cut out and I am going to play with them tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great rest of the week-end. See you tomorrow!

Cathy

I'm Loving these Artistic Outpost Stamps!!!

I have never really considered myself much of a card maker but these stamps make it really easy for me. Maybe I have been doing it long enough now I have figured out what is working for me so I am happier with the results. Here are two cards that I created tonight:

This is the Blue Bird stamp plate from Artistic Outpost which I received on Monday. I colored the image with copic markers and highlighted with my Copic airbrush system. I wanted an elegant card so I made a frame using a decorative corner punch. I airbrushed the scallops to accentuate the brown in the image. I mounted the image behind the scalloped frame, mounted the frame on craft cardstock and mounted all on brown cardstock that I had airbrushed brown to match the scalloped highlights. I tied a 1 inch brown grosgrain ribbon at the bottom and added a brown dew drop in each top corner.

The second card I made tonight was also from the Blue Bird set but I went for a more antiqued look on this card:

I colored the image with copic markers and left a little border around the image when I cut it out. I distressed the edges of the image and mounted it on black cardstock. I wanted to use the bottom piece of cardstock which is from the Outlaw designer paper from Stampin Up and I wanted to pick up the darker grey in the paper. I didn't have any grey cardstock that color so guess what, yep, I used my copic airbrush with my darkest grey marker for the color I wanted. I had stamped the words stamp from the Blue Bird set all over the grey cardstock before I airbrushed it. I distressed the grey panel before I mounted it onto black cardstock.

I thought thin twine would look more vintage for this image than any ribbon that I had. That meant a trip to Michaels because of course I didn't have any twine. I wrapped the twine around the main image. I decided that I really should add a sentiment so I stamped the Thinking of You, from the Blue Bird set as well, on white cardstock, airbrushed it to match the other images and mounted it on black cardstock. I punched a hole on each end of the sentiment tag with my tiny hole punch and threaded my twine behind the sentiment and tied it around the card.

I stamped the birds sitting on the wire angled across my final background paper in Basic Grey Stampin Up ink. The Artistic Outpost stamp plates really come with so many different stamps in each set that you can create a main image and different backgrounds all from one set.

Like I said I am loving these images to color and make cards with. I hope you are enjoying looking at them as much as I am creating them.

That's all I have for tonight but you can count on something new tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by.

Goodnight

Cathy