Non Traditional Christmas in August

In a private facebook group of cardmakers, the challenge was to make something with pink and purple.  I knew I had two of Tim Holtz's crazy birds colored with pink.  I did not know it would lead me down the road to a Christmas card.  It was not going to be a Christmas card but once I stamped the branch on the card front to ground the bird, it became and Christmas card.  Probably because it is a stamp from a very old Hero Arts set.

This is a square card approximately 4.25 inches.  The base is mixed media paper.  I scribbled a purple gelato on the front and used a baby wipe to blend it.  I placed a stencil over the top and rubbed out some of the color because I thought it was too dark.  You can see the faint circle in the background.  This did not lighten it enough for me so I watered down some gesso and swiped it across the front.  I finally got a soft lavender for my color.  (I know it looks darker in the picture - let's say I am not a good photographer.)  The bird was stamped on gessoed dictionary pages and colored with distress paints.  It was fussy cut.  I adhered the bird to the card front with glue and he was floating so the branch was added.  Now he is grounded.  I clear embossed both the sentiment and the branch.  I splattered watered down gesso across the front of the card.  White string was colored and tied around the top of the card.  The front is mounted with foam tape.  I even finished the inside of the card so it is ready to be mailed.

I am entering this card in two different challenges.

The Paper Players challenge is Hip To be Square.  The card is square.

The other challenge is Merry Monday Christmas where the challenge is to use pastels.

Thanks for stopping by.  I did enjoy the journey my crazy pink bird took me on yesterday thanks to Cora's color challenge.  Come back tomorrow to see my snarky, texty card.

Summertime

What says summer better than the colors of Yellow and Green.  Yellow represents the sunshine and Green represents the grass (that keeps growing and needing to be mowed) and birds - birds who wake up singing at the crack of dawn.  They are so happy.

I combined several challenges for this card.

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - Summer

Simon Says Stamp  Monday Challenge - Summer

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - We're Going Dotty  

The background was made with a yellow gelato and Green Grass distress ink.  I scribbled the gelato on my sheet and added water.  I dipped the watercolor paper in it.  The distress ink was done the same way.  You needed to let them dry between dippings.  I believe I came back and redipped the yellow so it was a little brighter.  The cute little birdie was stamped on gessoed book pages and colored with distress paints.  He was cut out and glued to the panel.  Googly eyes were added with glossy accents.  The ribbon was dyed with the distress inks also.  The dots are embossing paste - the dots add just a little contrast to the green/yellow back ground.  Everything was matted with dark grey cardstock.  

I hope you are enjoying your summer.  Thanks for stopping by.  

Hero Arts Thank You

I have been wanting to try the smooshed ink background.  I have not gotten to wonderful of results but I decided to use them anyway.  I used a Hero Arts stamp set on this card.  It is a two step stamp.  I added the die cut in the corner with a new Tim Holtz die.

I was trying to case a card a friend made.  Hers was so much better.

Oldie Moldie Monday

I have a great 6 x 6 pad from Authentique with beautiful fall colors in it.  I have had this paper for awhile.  I did not look for the year on it.  I cut the leaves with my Silhouette and also the thankful phrase.

I used some old background stamps to add texture to my leaves.  I believe one is from Penny Black and the other from Hero Arts.  I always have a supply of doilies in my doily drawer.  I used some tea to stain them a brownish tint.  The embellishments have been hanging out in my box for quite awhile also.  A little inking around the edges of the leaves and the sentiment plus I used the Tim Holtz distresser on the edges of the layers.

Thankful - so many things to be thankful for - family is one of the biggest ones, health and our friends.

Enjoy your Monday.  Spending the day with a friend.  We are going to shop till we drop today.

CAS and Grunge

The challenge on Addicted to CAS is Grunge.  I think that is a hard one to carry off but I am going to give it a try.

When I think of GRUNGE I think masculine.  Some of the sample cards on the Addicted to CAS site aredefinately not masculine.  Maybe I will have to try a feminine version.  I could not go single layer.  Single layer cards scare me - really scare me.

Since I think masculine, I dug out my favorite truck stamp.  It is an old stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms.  I do not believe the new owners have brought back this image.  They really should.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts.  I distressed the edges of the image, mat and sentiment with my Tim Holtz distresser.  I did some embossing on the upper corner of my card and then I got out a mask and used some distress paint to add the green and blue color to the card front.

I hope I achieved CAS and also GRUNGE.  I am going to go make another card like this since I cut a 12 x 12 sheet of card stock and can make one more card.  Both these cards will go in my next Operation Write Home box.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hero Arts, Creative Corner, Tim Holtz Technique

Yee gads - photo editing gone wrong - must work on my skills - the card is really more the colors of the 2nd picture.

On Creative Corner this week - the challenge - is to use your favorite Tim Holtz technique - well how can you pick a favorite - but I chose to use this one - I wanted a soft colored card to send to a friend's Mom who just had surgery.  I used the paint resist technique.  I painted (inked) up my background stamp (Hero Arts) with Adirondack paint dabber (pearl metallic) and stamped on white paper.  Let dry.  I then rubbed Distress Ink (broken china) over the card.  I also just stamped the butterfly on a separate piece of paper and colored with distress ink.  I cut out the butterfly.

A little matting, the addition of a wonderful SRM Sticker and some colored tape (wonderfully given to me by a friend) and a little bling complete the card.

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Eat Cake Graphics and Stamp Techniques

A very simple card tonight.  The card was made with with this stamp from Eat Cake Graphics -
7005-I Coneflowers.  I always have coneflowers in my flower garden in the summer.  They are usually pink though - can you can see a card I made using this same stamp - colored with copics at this link.

A few months ago I took an online class from Jennifer McGuire and it was such great fun - I got to get all inky.  One of the things we learned to do was to stamp on canvas - I embossed with white embossing powder on the cream colored canvas.  I then colored the image with Tim Holtz distress inks and Pearl Ex spray mist.  You can pick up a little of the shine.  The card is very simple - I just wanted to highlight the stamped image on the canvas.

This canvas was sticky back canvas that comes in the ATC size.  You can also use regular canvas you buy in the fabric store - very inexpensive - lots of fun in a small piece of fabric - most canvas is 60 inches wide. 

Well I am taking another online class - this one is one using your die cuts and Silhouette Cameo - lots of fun - I haven't done much. 

Everyone have a wonderful evening.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Oh my - how did it get to be October already. I guess it is time to go on leaf watch and hope my oak trees drop their leaves soon so I can get them raked - of course - that is a neighborhood fun time - all the kids come over and rake so they can play in the piles - they also love to use the leaf blower. I do enjoy that time with the kiddos.

The card I am sharing today is based off the sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You - thank you for encouraging me to use the die cuts I bought (Tim Holtz alterations). I love how the card turned out - I think I may make some more for holiday cards. It was actually very easy. The pleating of the ribbon took the longest - I just handstitched it together and I love that little row of stitches on top. The tutorial on the Operation Write Home card blog was hand stitching so will put my card over there also.

Everyone have a wonderful day - we have a cold front coming in for the week end so I think it will be time to do some baking and make a pot of soup or chili. I did buy a new soup cookbook - I just need to get it back from a co worker. I have leeks in the refrig I need to use and the neighbors need to get their annual offering of apple cake.

Card Details:

Size: 4.25 x 5.5

Patterned Paper: Basic Grey

Kraft cardstock: Hobby Lobby

Stamp: Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous

Ink: Colorbox Chalk Ink - Chestnut Roan

Ribbon and button from my supplies

Twine: May Arts

Die Cut: Tim Holtz Alterations by Sizzix