Anything Goes With Paper Smooches

Can you believe it is Wednesday and I am posting a card to the Paper Smooches Sparks weekly challenge?

The challenge this week is Anything Goes.  Those are good challenges. This week I needed to make a card for a bridal shower.  I always struggle with cards for bridal showers - what do you use.  I guess anything goes.

I have been taking the Online Card Class - Stretching Your Stamps.  The first two classes are on using your background stamps.  You ask - what does that have to do with this card.  Well - I did s background and used a rainbow background.  I liked the background so well I decided just to make rainbow watercolor background for my card.  I had this die cut sitting around so I thought why not use that for part of the front of my card.  I then used the dies that coordinate with Denim and Daisies to cut all my flowers.  I had colored watercolor paper in the same colors as my rainbow background.  I thought the sentiment was very appropriate to the background and for a bridal shower card.  

I need to find some heavier vellum.  I guess I will put that on my card making shopping list.  If you wish to shop for your own stamps from Paper Smooches pop over to their store.  

Well time to get ready for bed.  

Keep It Simple Sticker Card

I have found a new challenge blog and have played along a couple times.  It is called Keep It Simple.  I struggle doing simple cards.  I love to do lots and lots and LOTS of stuff on a card.  The post office loves me - I think personally card makers will keep the post office in business with the extra money we spend on postage to mail our cards.

The current challenge at Keep It Simple is to use stickers.  I have two favorite sticker companies.  SRM Stickers have the best sentiment stickers and they also have some small images (the daisy on this card is from SRM Stickers along with the sentiment).  Penny Black also has wonder image stickers which help you make a great card very easily.  The card at this link uses a Penny Black sticker image and a SRM sentiment.

As I said I struggle with CAS cards.  I have thousands of sheets of white card stock which are recycled from commencement programs.  It cuts down on my cost so much.  The card base and the dry embossed card front are recycled card stock.  I used my Silhouette to cut out the flower shape in the center of my front.  After it was cut out I dry embossed the front.  I did cut 3 flowers out of regular white card stock with no texture on it.  They are layered together to add just a little dimension to the flower.  I colored the top layer with Copics.  I then glued it in opening.  I had used all the big sentiments on a Thank You sticker sheet from SRM Stickers and have all these daisies left over so wanted to find a way to use them.  I thought I needed a pop of color so added the pinkish red mat and also put my daisy sticker on top of it.  The sentiment and daisy are pop dotted for some extra dimension.  I added a pearl in the center of the daisy.  Thank you card done.  I kept it simple or at least simple for me.

Everyone enjoy your Sunday.  I must go to the grocery store and clean my card making area since I am taking the Stretch Your Stamps Online class.  Looking forward to it.  I never thought you could take an online card class - well - I prefer to take an online class from this group than to go to a in person class.  Fantastic value for your money.

Watercolor Background Card

Here is another card I made for my watercolor class.  I made the background with distress inks and water on watercolor paper.  I saturated the paper with water and light wash of ink.  You then put a stencil over the top and the water is supposed to pool in the holes.  I sorta did not think it had enough color so put more watered down distress ink in the holes of the stencil.  I really like the muted soft background I achieved.  You will have to come back and see some other cards using the same technique and stencil - how different they turned out.  Unfortunately I have no idea who made the stencil - no name on it.

The stamp set is from Unity Stamps.  There were butterflies in the stamp set and if you look you can see some muted stamped ones in the background.  I punched out two butterflies.  One I colored with the distress ink and glued down - shhh - don't tell anyone - there is a bird underneath that butterfly.  The other one is punched from the cardstock of the card base.  I have seen all these cards made with the image off center so I wanted to try that.  I added a few pearls to the card.

Watercolor Class

I am taking the watercolor class from "online card classes".  Having lots of fun.  I haven't gotten past the first two days of class in creating - we learned how to do different backgrounds.  I have been having so much fun I may never do any other cards.

This card is made by putting ink on an acrylic block and then stamping it on watercolor paper.  I used distress inks for this card.  I did this a couple nights ago - hmmmmm - how did I do that?  I must have wet something down - maybe the paper.  This is a very small card - it only measures 2.5 inches by almost 4 inches.  I decided to put my sentiment at an angle.  something a little different.

Come back tomorrow to see another technique.