Hello Sunshine - March 2014 Card Kit

I was so, so excited to get the March Card kit from Simon Says Stamp! I received it yesterday, and I had to make a card with it straight away! Not only is the stamp set a gorgeous and happy-themed with sunshine, rainbows and color, but it includes papers from Lawn Fawn's Hello Sunshine paper pack. That paper is on my must-have list. The kit also comes with a rainbow stencil, sequins and a spool of single cord twine.

Now onto the card...

As soon as I saw the stamp set, I knew I wanted to play around with colors and shapes. The kit comes with several pieces of cardstock. I made the base from Bazzill's Candy Hearts and used Lawn Fawn stitched journaling card die on a piece of Bazzill's Taffy cardstock to create the gray panel. For some visual interest, I made a peek window on the left side using the arrow/chevron die from the same set.

For stamping the happy sun stamp, I used Mama Elephant's Orangeade ink (rays) and Memento Luxe Dandelion (face). For the sentiment, I used Memento Luxe Bahama Blue ink. It turned out to be a great match to the blue paper from Lawn Fawn.

Supplies:
- Simon Says Stamp March 2014 Card Kit
- Stamp: Lawn Fawn Tons of Love (heart)
- Ink: Mama Elephant Orangeade, Memento Luxe Dandelion, Memento Luxe Bahama Blue, Memento Luxe Rose Bud (heart)
- Dies: Lawn Fawn Stitched Journaling Card, Sizzix Circles Die set
- Adhesive: Ranger Glossy Accents (sequins), Best Creation Foam Squares

Spring Hello

We were snowed in today, with intermittent power and very unreliable internet. So, I decided to get creative and make a card that's bright and spring-like.

I stamped the adorable Josie & Jilly's Chat and colored them with Copics. That's right! I got a fabulous set of Copics from my amazing husband for my birthday. My birthday is still 12 days away, but I couldn't resist trying out coloring. I'm not a pro (by far!) and I've still got to figure out which color combinations work the best. But it's a lot of fun to color and mess around.

One of the things I was bummed about is that my go-to black ink smears terribly with copics (Ranger Archival ink in Jet Black just does not get along well with copics). I have an almost dried-out Memento ink pad that I've managed to get an ok with, but I have to order another ink pad and some re-inker.

Supplies:
Base: Bazzill Java Orange Peel Paper
Stamp: C.C. Designs Josie and Jilly's Chat, JilliBean Soup Word Bubbles (sentiment)
Ink: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, Memento Luxe Rose Bud (sentiment)
Patterned Paper: Pink Paisley Watercolor 6x6 pad
Copics
Buttons

Space Hello

A lot of my family and friends live a few thousand miles away, and it often feels like they're living on a whole 'nother planet. That single random thought was an inspiration for this card.

I pulled out a couple of Paper Smooches stamps: Space Cadets and Bitty Bungallows.  The sentiment is from Chit Chat. The most fun part of creating this card was, of course, the coloring. I used my watercolor pencils and added a few highlights with a white gel pen.

I'm entering this in the Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge: Anything goes.

Supplies:
Base - Bazzill Marshmallow
Paper - We-R-Memory Keepers Notable (planets), Studio Calico Thataway 6x6 (background)
Stamps - Paper Smooches Space Cadet, Paper Smooches Bitty Bungalows, Paper Smooches Chit Chat (sentiment)
Ink - Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Watercolor pencils
Water brush

You stole my ♥

The Love Bandit set is the star of this card. I really love how the raccoon turned out, and I'm extremely pleased with my coloring. I wanted him to command attention, so the rest of the card was kept pretty simple. A couple of patterned papers, a small heart and the sentiment from the stamp set make this card just lovely.

This time, I challenged myself to make something a little off-center. I've noticed that quite a few cards are now doing off-center layers, and I find it to be a really interesting look. So, here's my take on asymmetrical!

Supplies:
Base - Bazzill Cinnamon Stick
Patterned Paper - Doodlebug Sweetheart 6x6, Bo Bunny Head Over Heels 6x6
Stamp - Love Bandit by Some Odd Girl
Ink - Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Watercolor Pencils
Water Brush

Happy Love Day

Happy Valentine's day, everyone!

I'm addicted to this stamp set by Lawn Fawn. The elephants are just so adorable, and I love how easily they can interact with each other. The sentiment is also something I say all the time, so it feels very personal and meaningful.

I'm also trying something a little new with pictures - a little bit more natural and better lighting and a background. I think it helps the card pop more than just having a sea of stark white. I'm going to keep experimenting and figure out a good way to take pictures. My camera is not a fancy one, so maybe a few other tips will help the cards pop up a little better.

Since it's got a lovely craft color on there, I'm entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge. :)

Supplies:
Base - Bazzill Cotton Candy Heavyweight Cardstock
Pattern paper - Doodlebug Sweetheart 6x6
Stamps - Lawn Fawn Tons of Love, Lawn Fawn Science of Love
Dies - Simon Says Stamp Folded Banner Craft Die, Sizzix Scalloped Circles Die, Paper Smooches Borders I die, Lawn Fawn Stitched Journaling Card Die, Lawn Fawn Love You Tons coordinating die, Lawn Fawn Science of Love coordinating Die
Ink - Colorbox Fluid Chalk in Chestnut Roan, Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black and Viridian
Watercolor Pencils
Aqua Brush
White Gel Pen
Best Creation Foam Squares

Let's Play!

Paper Smooches is having a 3rd anniversary celebration, and I wanted to join in.

The challenge is to create something fun and cute. And my thoughts immediately went to the Chubby Chums and how it would be fun to stack them on top of each other. Add in some fun colors and patterns, and we've got a card!

It's a pretty simple card, but I think that really helps keep the focus on the adorable animals.

Supplies:
Base: Bazzill Moody Blues
Paper: Project Life: Seafoam Edition, American Crafts Amy Tangerine Yes Please
Stamp: Paper Smooches Chubby Chums
Ink: Ranger Archival Ink in Jet black and Cobalt
Watercolor paper
Watercolor pencils
Embellishment: Kaisercraft Pearls in red-orange

Steampunk Birthday

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a whole bunch of Some Odd Girl stamps. I was so excited to use them, especially since one of the stamps was Steampunk Kaylee and I have been pretty much obsessed with anything Steampunk for a while now.

All the stamps got here in record time (and that includes the fact a bunch of mail was delayed due to the cold), and I was ready to sit down and create something awesome... Except, I just could not decide what I wanted to make.

After much agonizing, I went with something that's a mix of modern and vintage.

It took a very long time to color this image. Things like metal and texture are really hard to do with watercolor pencils! And there are a ton of small details on the image that needed close attention. I think next time I work with this stamp, I will use other ways to color it.

My favorite part of this card is something that's very barely visible in the picture (though it's more obvious on the card itself). I had used white watercolor paper for Kaylee, and it was just a bit too bright and new. But I'd already glued it to the card! I couldn't take it off to distress the edges. So, I did the next best thing and got a little creative.

I balled up a paper towel and pressed it into some Vintage distress ink. Then, I dabbed it onto the edges of the watercolor paper. It created a very cool spotty texture that gave a slightly worn and aged look - like maybe it had been handled by mechanics.

Supplies:
Stamps: Some Odd Girl - Steampunk Kaylee (girl, sentiment, gears), 7 Gypsies Beautiful Abundance (balloon)
Ink: Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk ink in Chestnut Roan
Paper: Ki Memories Vintage Charm
Base: Bazzill Peanut Fudge

Hogs & Kisses

When I first saw this stamp by C.C. Designs, I just had to get it right away. It is so adorable! And I'm really glad I grabbed it, because it does not look like it's available anymore online (or at least, I can't seem to find a good link for it).

This was actually a fairly quick card to create. It didn't take a couple of hours (like my cards sometimes do), and I think it looks really fun. I may use this as a base for a set of teeny 3x3 cards I'm giving away as a gift to a friend.

Supplies:
Stamp: C.C. Designs Hogs & Kisses
Ink: Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Watercolor Pencils
Die: Lawn Fawn Hearts Lawn Cuts Dies
Paper: Simple Stories I {heart} Summer (clouds)
Card Base: Bazzill Heavy Cardstock in Jellybean

SSS- February Card Kit card #2

I pulled out the February Card Kit again today and made another card. I wanted to do something a little different and use a base other than Kraft.

This was a challenging card and I'm still not sure whether I like it or not. There are parts of it that turned out pretty good (stamping, butterflies), but I'm still wondering whether it's a bit too busy. Is there too much going on?

I'll set it aside for now and see if it will grow on me.

Supplies:
Simon Says Stamp February 2014 Floral Fun
Dies: SSS Chrissy Butterfly and Leanna Butterfly
Ink: Ranger Archival Ink in Rose Madder, Hero Arts Tide Pool Shadow Ink, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Chestnut Roan

Joy!

I'm sure most of you are following Kristina Werner on her blog or YouTube, so you know she's doing a major give-away for hitting 75,000 subscribers (wow!). There's so many awesome goodies that are being given away, and entering is super simple.

Kristina also just posted her Mail Call video for January, and my Valentine card is in there! Yay! My card is at 1:55. It is so surreal to see it in a video and I almost feel starstruck. But it's also very exciting!

I have 2 kiddos that are following in my creative footsteps (aka making their own cards whenever I pull out crafting supplies), and they love watching card-making videos. They got to see my card in a video, and they're so, so, so bouncing with joy.

What a great way to start the week. :)

We Have Chemistry

It's time for another Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge!

This time, the theme is free-for-all, which encompasses anything and everything a person can think to create. Sounds a bit intimidating when you think of it that way, so I took it as an opportunity to break in some of my new and unused products. I've also realized that Valentine's Day is precariously close and I've yet to make cards for my loved ones. Eep! I will be doing a Valentine card-spree this week, I think.

And here is my creation!

I started by getting out the new Doodlebug 6x6 paper pad: Sweetheart. I just got this pad last week, and the very first thing I noticed is that it's bright. Very, very, neon-pink-and-red-red-red kind of bright. I'd only seen the cover image online, and it seemed quite a bit more pastel-colored. So, I was rather surprised at how bright it turned out to be. However, there are still a few very fun patterns - like the craft with teeny hearts one you see in the card. And if you're looking for some bright and bold Valentine colors, this paper pad is for you.

Once I decided on that paper, the idea of science/math popped into my head, and I knew just what stamp set to use. Great Chemistry seemed absolutely perfect - it's funny, quirky and sure to bring a smile.

Coloring and fussy-cutting the images took a very long time, but I like the results. I even love the scientist's lit-up flaming hair (though that one was more of a happy accident). The sentiment fit perfectly into the smallest Sizzix Fancy Labels diecut. A bit of stitched lines and a scribbled shadow under the scientist, and the card is done!

Supplies:
Base - Bazzill Cotton Candy Heavyweight Card stock
Patterned paper - Doodlebug Sweetheart 6x6
Die - Sizzix Fancy Labels by Stephanie Barnard 
Stamps - Paper Smooches Great Chemistry, Paper Smooches Word Salad (hearts)
Ink - Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black and Vermillion (sentiment)
Watercolor Pencils
White Gel Pen

Warm Wishes

One of my friends came down with a really nasty bout of flu, and I wanted to make a get-well card to cheer her up. But after reaching into my stamp bin, I realized I don't have any get-well sets. I did, however, recently buy Mama Elephant's Cup of Wishes stamp set and I've just been itching to use it.

The stamp set comes with several small stamps that can be used to create patterns and shapes to really make the cup stand out. I chose something relatively simple (scallop edge and a dot), but there are many possible ways do dress up the cup.

The card itself is relatively simple, but it was a challenge to make it look right. I don't know if it's just the stamp itself, or if I've been stamping it wrong, but it took several tries to get the "Warm" part of the image to stamp correctly. I used both a general acrylic block and my Fiskars stamping press, but the ar in Warm just would not stamp. It finally stamped on the 3rd try, though it did not stamp as cleanly as I wanted it to. All that extra pressure made some edges look fuzzy.

The rest of the card went pretty smoothly. I like how the colors on the cup turned out. I used 2 different watercolor pencils to create some dimension, and I think it turned out nice. I may have to pick up a larger set of pencils just to have more color variety.

Supplies:
Base - Bazzill Peanut Fudge
Blue layer paper - Neenah Creative Collection - colonial blue
Pattern paper - Little Yellow Bicycle
Stamp - Mama Elephant: Cup of Wishes
Ink - Ranger Archival Ink in cobalt (warm) and coffee (cup)
White paper - Bazzill Marshmallow
Watercolor Pencils
Die - Lawn Fawn Stitched Journaling Card
Rhinestone - KaiserScrapbook Rhinestones
Foam Squares - Best Creation