Petal Fairy

I didn't get a chance to get as crafty as I was meaning to this weekend. There were two birthday parties and some chores I've been neglecting *cough*laundry*cough*. By the time I finished everything and was ready to get crafty, it was already Sunday night. I still made a little time to color in this beautiful digi from Some Odd Girl, so I finished a simple card with her.

Petal Fairy is a brand new digi, and if you're a part of the Odd girls Facebook group, you can grab the link to buy her early (before she's listed in the store front).

I started by printing out Petal Fairy and coloring her in with my Copics. I didn't do anything special this time around, just colored for the fun of it. I went with bright colors, and added a couple of highlights with a white gel pen. After she was completely colored in, I carefully cut around her and set her aside to make the rest of the card.

I made a top-folding A2 card base out of mint cardstock.

I really liked the polka and flower patterned paper from My Mind's Eye Just Sayin' paper pad. I cut it into a 3 x 3 1/2" panel. I matted it with a piece of pink cardstock that matched some of the flowers. I adhered the fairy onto the panel with my standard adhesive, making sure she was over the flowers. Unfortunately, some of her butterfly wing was sticking out and I had to trim it (it wouldn't fit in an envelope otherwise). I adhered the panel to the card front using foam tape.

Lastly, I decided to add a few embellishments. I kept them simple by adding a few pink enamel dots and drawing a border with a white gel pen.

Supplies:
Some Odd Girl Petal Fairy digital stamp
Copic X-Press It blending cardstock
Copics (E00, E11, E13, R20, R22, 0, B02, B05, Y11, Y38, BV29, E35, E37, E47, E29, YR23, YG25, YG67, YG99, YG41, YG45, BV01, BV04, BG32, BG49, R11, RV42, RV55)
Sakura Gellyroll White Gel Pen
Simon Says Stamp Heavyweight 100#lbs cardstock in Mint
My Mind's Eye Just Sayin' 6x6 patterned paper
Stampin' Up Cardstock in Strawberry Slush
Tombow Craft Dot Adhesive Runner (pink)
3M Double-Sided Foam Tape
Freckled Fawn Pinks enamel dots

Santa (challenge)

Simon Says Stamp Flickr group is holding another challenge! Since I had a bit of free time this morning, I decided to make a card for it.

This time, the challenge is tic-tac-toe, using this image:

The way you play is by drawing a straight line through 3 of the fields, and making a card with it. I decided to go with a vertical line through the first column, which is: Die Cut, Twine/Ribbon and Polka Dots.

I've been itching to use the Winter Friends stamp set, which was a creative collaboration between Simon Says Stamp and Clearly Besotted. It's got a whole bunch of completely adorable and iconic images. I decided to go with the Santa image.

I created my card base out of kraft cardstock, changing the dimension slightly to make it a 4 by 5 1/2" card.

I stamped the Santa onto some white cardstock, and colored him in with my Copics. I kept the coloring very simple, adding just a few subtle shadows for depth. Once he was colored in, I decided to cut him out in a tag-like shape. The decorative label from Simon Says Stamp's Frames Dies was a perfect fit (don't you just love when that happens?!).

I recently got a set of Kaisercraft Peppermint Swirl journaling cards, and I was itching to use them. So, I grabbed a lovely mint with white polka dots card, and a black card that featured some Christmas-themed words. I cut the words card into a banner shape using a banner die from MFT's Blueprints 13.

The card felt a little plain, so I cut a strip of Docraft Noel vellum and adhered it at the bottom of the card. The vellum had lovely gold poinsettias and brought a little shine to the card. I tied a piece of Hemp Cord twine around the vellum, and added a big red button. I secured the button with a couple of glue dots.

I adhered the word banner to the polka dot panel with my standard adhesive, then adhered it to the card with foam tape. Lastly, I adhered the Santa tag with foam tape, and the card was done!

Supplies:
Simon Says Stamp with Clearly Besotted, Winter Friends stamp set
My Favorite Things Hybrid Ink in Black Licorice
Neenah Desert Storm Environmental cardstock 100#lbs
Neenah Solar White cardstock 80lbs
Copics (E21, E13, R20, C2, C4, C6, C8, B000, R05, R46, R89, Y13)
Simon Says Stamps Frames dies (This is the Life release)
My Favorite Things Blueprints 13 dies
Kaisercraft Peppermint Swirl 3x4 journaling cards
DoCrafts Noel Vellum 6x6
Hemptique Natural single hemp cord twine
My Favorite Things Buttons in Wild Cherry
Tombow Craft Dot Adhesive Runner
3M Double-Sided Foam Tape

Balloon Hello!

I hit a very busy patch at work, which kept me away from doing anything else for a few days. But the work week is now done, and I have time to be crafty again! And good timing, too, as I've got to make a card for a girl's birthday party that's happening tonight (I know, I know, I'm cutting it really close!).

Today's card features a fantastic digi from Meljen Designs called Hot Air Balloon. Melissa is still having a half-off sale on all the digis, so be sure to grab the ones that catch your eye. :)

I started by printing out the image onto some Copic X-Press it cardstock, and trimmed it down to fit a card front. I rounded the corners with my corner chomper, then got to coloring. I didn't do anything fancy with the coloring, just focusing on adding some fun color. After the coloring was all done, I went around the edges of the panel with a blending tool, using Peacock Feathers distress ink.

Since the stamped image was so lovely and bright, I decided to keep the rest of the card simple. I created a standard A2 base out of gray cardstock, then glued a strip of striped patterned paper. I adhered the strip straight to the cardstock, then adhered the balloon panel with foam tape. It seemed like it needed a little more detail, so I added a few dash lines at the bottom of the card.

I also wanted to add a small sentiment, so I grabbed Butterflies stamp set from Simon Says Stamp. I inked up the round hello with pigment ink and stamped it onto some white cardstock. Once it was dry, I carefully cut around it. I added a small white dot border with my gel pen, and adhered it to the card with foam tape.

Supplies:
Meljen Designs Hot Air Balloon digital stamp
Simon Says Stamp Butterflies stamp set
Memento Luxe Bahama Blue pigment ink
My Favorite Things Heavyweight cardstock in Grout Gray
Ranger Distress Inkpad in Peacock Feathers
Ranger mini blending tool
We-R-Memory-Keepers Cropadile Corner Chomper
Imaginisce Perfect Travel 6x6 patterned paper
Tombow Craft Dot Adhesive Runner (pink)
3M Double-Sided Foam Tape
Copics (E33, E17, E29, E50, E53, YG13, YG17, YG67, B000, B00, B02, C2, 0)
Sakura Gellyroll White Gel Pen
Black pen

Stop in for a Spell

I'm slowly getting over the flu, and what better way to distract myself than with a card? This card is another cute witch card, this time using an A La Mode stamp set called Bewitching.

I started by stamping the witch onto some Copic marker paper and coloring her in with my Copics. I kept the coloring pretty simple. After the image was colored in, I cut around it with my scissors, leaving a small white border. Since the green tendrils of smoke from the cauldron were delicate, I didn't cut around them entirely. But I didn't like the larger white space, so I dotted a few green bubbles with a Copic marker, and outlined them in black pen. This both filled in the empty space and added a bit more whimsy.

I grabbed my Bigshot and did some die-cutting. I cut a background from a dark purple cardstock using the stitched rectangle from MFT's Blueprints 13. I also grabbed a couple of fun papers from Doodlebug's Ghouls & Goodies 6x6. I die-cut a sentiment panel with the small banner from Blueprints 13, then cut the green polka dot paper with a larger banner I cut the orange star panel with a rounded rectangle from Blueprints 5.

I prepared the center panel by adhering the sentiment banner in the bottom left corner, then adhering the witch next to it. I positioned the banner to be just behind the witch's leg, so it didn't look out of place.

For the card base, I cut and scored a piece of Kraft cardstock into a standard A2 card (4 1/4 by 5 1/2"). I adhered the purple panel straight onto the card with my standard dot adhesive. I layered the green banner near the middle of the card, then added the center panel with foam tape.

I decided to add some lovely flowers from Prima Flowers' Herb Green Forever pack. Lastly, I also added a couple of white enamel dots by the green flower.

Supplies:
A La Mode Bewitching stamp set
Copic Mini Marker pad 70lbs
Doodlebug Ghouls & Goodies 6x6 paper pad
Avery Elle Heavyweight Cardstock in Sugar Plum
Neenah Desert Storm Environmental Cardstock #100lbs
Neenah Solar White #110lbs Cardstock
My Favorite Things Blueprints 13 dies
My Favorite Things Blueprints 5 dies
Tombow Craft Dot Adhesive (pink)
3M Double-Sided Foam Tape
Prima Flowers Herb Green Forever paper flowers
My Mind's Eye Essentials White enamel dots
Copics (C2, C4, C6, C8, YG06, YG17, E00, E13, R20, 0, BV14, BV17, BV25, BV29, YR15, YR68, E07, R59)

Mini Bright

This morning, I woke up with the flu, which is pretty awful. Aside from feeling generally achy, miserable and tired, my head feels like it's a bit stuffed with cotton and it's hard to focus and think. So, my post today is very brief and probably not very witty.

Luckily, before I got sick, I had made a couple of mini cards (3x3") that can go in a lunchbox or backpack. So I have something to post. The mini cards are meant to just brighten someone's day - and a light-bulb seems like a really appropriate image there.

The lightbulb is a cute little digital stamp from Meljen Designs - Little Light Bulb. Melissa currently has an awesome sale going on, where everything in store is 50% off. Just add it to the card, and you'll see the discount. And there's also a section with a few free stamps. Pretty cool. :D

After printing out the lightbulb, I trimmed around it and rounded the edges with my corner rounder. I colored the image with Copics, keeping it very simple.

For the card base, I cut and scored a piece of 6x3" cardstock in half, creating a 3 by 3" card. I glued a bit of patterned paper to the side and adhered the light-bulb panel with foam tape.

And that's it. I'm going to go lay down and rest now.

Supplies:
Meljen Designs Little Light Bulb digital stamp
Copic X-Press it Blending cardstock
Copics (C2, C4, C6, Y11, Y35, Y38, R11, R20, R32, 0)
White Gel Pen
Bazzill 6x6 cardstock sampler (pink)
Some Odd Girl Sunshine Sorbet 6x6 paper pad
Tombow Dot Adhesive Runner (pink)
3M Double-Sided Foam Tape
We-R-Memory Keepers Cropadile Corner Chomper

Winne & Walter: Fall Birthday

Looking through my slowly growing stash of cards, I noticed that I'm once again very low on masculine cards - whether it be birthday or other occasion. So, I decided to remedy this by creating a few fun cards.

For this card, I used a wonderful new set by Winnie & Walter called A Tree for All Seasons. This is a larger set (6x8"), and it's filled with lots of sentiments and details you can use for the autumn season, or all year round. It also features a lovely silhouette tree trunk that I thought would look perfect on a masculine card.

I started by grabbing my BigShot and using Mama Elephant's Femme Frames dies to cut a scalloped rectangle out Fancy Pants Happy-Go-Lucky patterned paper and a stitched rectangle out of white cardstock.

The white looked too stark and contrasted against the patterned paper, so I grabbed two distress inks: Tea Dye and Vintage Photo, and used them around the edges of the paper. I mainly focused on the edges, not going too far into the middle of the panel.

I then stamped the tree trunk in brown ink. I wanted a subtle effect for the leaves, so I used second generation stamping to add yellow, orange and brown leaves using a leaf bunch stamp. Second generation stamping is where you ink up your stamp, stamp it once on a piece of scrap paper and then stamp it a second time onto your card. It gives a much more faded and subtle effect, which is perfect for the times you want a lighter and less defined color.

I made the colors more dark and intense near the middle of the trunk and left the outside lighter.

I stamped the sentiment underneath in the same brown ink as the trunk. I created the card base out of a piece of grout gray cardstock, by cutting and scoring it into a standard top-folding A2 card (4 1/4 by 5 1/2").  I adhered the patterned paper to the base with my standard dot adhesive, then adhered the center panel with foam squares.

The card needed a little something extra, so I added 3 enamel dots near the sentiment.

Supplies:
Winnie & Walter A Tree for All Seasons stamp set
Stampin' Up Classic Inkpads in: Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie and Hello Honey
Ranger Distress Inkpads in Tea Dye and Vintage Photo
Fancy Pants Happy-Go-Lucky 6x6 patterned paper
Mama Elephant Femme Frames dies
MFT Heavyweight Cardstock in Grout Gray
Stampin' Up Dimensionals foam squares
Prima Everyday Vintage enamel dots

Peony Birthday

Since I posted a card I did not like earlier, I wanted to also post a card that I really do like. It is a one-layer birthday card that's bright, cheerful and lovely.

This card features a new set from WPlus9 called Pretty Peonies. This set is a builder set, which means it has several different pieces to the stamp- flat color, shadows/highlights and an outline. You can pick and choose how you layer different pieces and create some really beautiful effects.

I stated by creating the card base by cutting and scoring a piece of Kraft cardstock into a standard top-folding A2 card (4 1/4 by 5 1/2"). While I had my trimmer out, I also cut a panel out of white cardstock measuring 4 by 5 1/4".

I wanted to go with a sketchy kind of look, so I chose to use the flat color and outline stamps only. I started by stamping 3 large peonies in Avery Elle's Aquamarine ink. I then stamped the outline with Sapphire ink.

I switched to the two smaller peonies and stamped the flat color in Cherry, and the outline in Vino. And, lastly, the leaves were stamped in Lemon Grass and Celery. As a last touch, I added some centers to the peonies with Fizz ink.

For the sentiment, I used another newer WPlus9 stamp set - Strictly Sentiments 5. I stamped it in Truffle ink.

Since the panel was so beautifully bold and colorful, I decided to keep it embellishment-free. I simply adhered the front panel to the card front with foam tape.

Supplies:
WPlus9 Pretty Peonies stamp set
WPlus9 Strictly Sentiments 5 stamps set
Avery Elle Pigment Ink in Aquamarine, Sapphire, Cherry, Vino, Lemon Grass, Celery, Fizz and Truffle
Neenah Desert Storm Environmental Cardstock 100#lbs
Neenah Solar White Cardstock #110lbs
3M Double-Sided Foam Tape

Unhappy Little Bunny

Let me start out by saying that I'm really unhappy with this card. So unhappy, in fact, that I almost dropped this card straight into the trash without a second thought. But not all cards can be winners, and I think it's important to sometimes share the misses as well as the winners. We're not always perfect at crafting. And so, despite my reticence, I'm sharing this card.

For this card, I decided to use one of the Gorjuss stamps - I Love You Little Rabbit. It's a sweet little stamp and it features an adorable bunny. I wanted to go with sweet coloring again, so I chose warm colors.

I also tried out a new product I bought just recently - Yasumoto Pearlescent Watercolors. I thought it might be fun to have some shimmery watercolor that catches the light, while at the same time giving that wonderful watercolor look. The good news is that the colors really do cast a subtle shimmer. It's not as sparkly as Wink of Stella, but it does shine if you tilt the card a bit. So, for the price, it's worth it. The colors in it are also pretty nice, including a wonderful warm brown I used on the bunny.

However, you have to be pretty careful not to go outside of the lines, because the shimmer will show and the mistakes will be very obvious.

And that's where my dislike for the card comes. I did the coloring on this card at night, and everything seemed ok. But I guess my light was off because when I looked at the front of the card in the morning, I noticed all sorts of yucky color bleeding. I seemed to have colored outside the lines quite a bit, including on the girl's face.

So, count me as one UN-happy camper. I was so unhappy with the coloring mistakes that I didn't even bother adding the embellishments I was planning on.

I'll have to try coloring this stamp set again and do a better job of coloring.

Lesson learned, though! No more watercolor at night. :D

Warm and Cozy

Some Odd Girl just had their fantastic September release, which includes a whole bunch of new goodies. I grabbed the bundle as soon as it went on sale, and I'm extremely happy and impressed with it. Of course, I had to make a fun card featuring the lovely Sweater Kaylee clear stamp.

I stated by stamping Kaylee onto some Copic marker paper and coloring her in with my Copics. I decided it would be fun to choose colors I would wear myself, so I went with browns, creams and blues. After she was colored in, I added a highlight to her eyes with my white gel pen, and carefully fussy-cut around here, leaving a small white border.

For the background, I knew I wanted to use the new Sunshine Sorbet paper, but it took me a while to settle on which paper to use. Sunshine Sorbet has a lot of really great patterns and colors. Once I finally settled on a rainbow chevron and a pink, I grabbed my BigShot and a few fun new dies I just bought.

I die-cut rainbow chevron using the stitched rectangle from My Favorite Things' Blueprints 15 dies. I then switched to MFT's Pinking Edge Circles STAX dies and cut a brown cardstock circle from the largest die and the pink paper circle from the second largest. I also used MFT's Blueprints 5 to cut out a banner for my sentiment.

I stamped the sentiment in Avery Elle's Truffle pigment ink and set it aside to dry while I worked on the rest of the card.

I created a standard A2 card (4 1/4 by 5 1/2") out of Primitive White cardstock. I adhered the chevron panel straight to the cardstock, using dot adhesive. I adhered toe two circles together, then added them to the card with foam tape. I adhered Kaylee with foam squares, then added the sentiment tucked slightly behind her leg.

As a last touch, I added a small and a large Hexie Dots wood veneers. I added a couple of pearls to the veneer centers and scattered 3 more pearls around them.

Supplies:
Some Odd Girl Sweater Kaylee clear stamp
Some Odd Girl Sunshine Sorbet 6x6 patterned paper
My Favorite Things Hybrid Ink in Black Licorice
Avery Elle Truffle Pigment Ink
My Favorite Things Pinking Edge Circles STAX
My Favorite Things Blueprints 5 dies
My Favorite Things Blueprints 15 dies
My Favorite Things Heavyweight cardstock in Primitive White
Tombow Dot Adhesive (pink)
3M Double-Sided Foam Tape
Some Odd Girl Hexie Dots wood veneer
Melissa Frances Brown Pearls
Sakura Gellyroll White Gel Pen
Copics: Skin (E00, E11, E13, E15, R20), Hair (E33, E57, E59, E79), Eyes/Scarf/Decoration (B32, B34, B37), Leggings (E42, E84, E44), Fur (B00, W2), Sweater/Boots (E35, E37, E29, E53, W2, W4)

Have a Magical Day!

Today's card features a digital stamp by Wendy Burns from her alldressedupstamps Etsy shop: Magical Day. It is a super adorable stamp, and I just love this character style. Wendy Burns also has a few of her fun characters in clear stamp sets over at My Favorite Things, so check them out.

I started by printing the stamp onto some Copic X-Press It blending cardstock. I trimmed down the image and rounded all 4 corners with my Corner Chomper., on the 1/2" setting. I then colored in the girl and the cat, creating a dotty purple border around them.

I wanted to keep the rest of the card simple. I created the card base by cutting and scoring a sheet of Kraft cardstock into a top-folding A2 card (4 1/4 by 5 1/2"). I grabbed a piece of grey heart paper from Lawn Fawn's Let's Polka 6x6 paper pad and cut it to measure 4 by 5 1/4". I adhered the stamped panel to the patterned paper with foam tape.

The bottom of the card felt a little bare, so I tied a piece of white ribbon around it. Then I adhered the whole panel to the card front with my standard adhesive.

Supplies:
alldressedupstamps Magical Day digital stamp
Copic X-Press It Blending Cardstock
We-R-Memory-Keepers Cropadile Corner Chomper
Neenah Desert Storm Environmental Cardstock 100#lbs
Lawn Fawn Let's Polka Petite paper pad 6x6
3M Double-sided Foam Tape
Tombow Dot Adhesive runner (pink)
Copics: Skin (E00, E11, E13, E15, R20, 0), Stars (Y11, Y35), Pumpkin (YR15, YR68, R05, BV25, BV29), Hat (C4, C6, C8, 100), Bow (B32, B34, B37), Outfit (B00, B02, B32, B34, B37, RV11, RV42, R85), Hair (E33, E57, E59, E79), Cat (W2, W4, RV11, RV42, R85), Background (V01, V12, V04, 0)

Lawn Fawn - Happy Tooth

Lawn Fawn's Monster Mash is an absolutely adorable stamp set featuring a bunch of cute monsters. One of them is a flying monster, which I see featured in oodles of cards. But the first thing that always pops into my head is how he looks like a flying tooth. And, of course, once an idea like that gets into my brain, there's no stopping it! So, I made a happy tooth card - the kind of card you'd give to a little one who just lost their first tooth. Maybe it could even be from the Toothfairy herself!

I started by cutting a piece of 4 1/4" by 5 1/2" white cardstock in half. This creates a panel that's perfectly sized for Lawn Fawn's Wild Rose notecard, and that's what I'm using as my card base.

I stamped the flying monster, masking of his face with a piece of tape. I also stamped a third "leg" to look more like a tooth root. Then I grabbed the cute crown from Critters Ever After stamp set and stamped it just above each tooth. Lastly, I took the cute smiling face from Milk and Cookies stamp set and added it to each tooth.

I quickly colored the teeth and the crowns in with Copics, without doing any blending or fancy techniques. After I was done coloring, I noticed that the panel looked a little too plain. So, I grabbed a couple of hearts from Monster Mash and Milk and Cookies. I stamped them all over the panel, both in first and second generation stamping.

For the sentiment, I chose "let's celebrate!" from Plus One. It seemed like a great sentiment to go along with the card. I adhered the panel to the notecard with foam tape.

As a last touch, I scattered a few sequins around the panel.

Supplies:
Lawn Fawn Monster Mash stamp set
Lawn Fawn Critters Ever After stamp set
Lawn Fawn Milk and Cookies stamp set
Lawn Fawn Plus One stamp set
Lawn Fawn Wild Rose notecard
MFT Hybrid Ink in Black Licorice
Stampin' Up Classic Inkpad in Blushing Bride and Pool Party
Neenah Solar White cardstock in 80#lbs
Copics (E50, B000, Y11, Y35, RV11, V12)
3M Double-Sided Foam Tape
Assorted Sequins

Simon Says Stamp: Flickr Challenge #1

I recently joined the Simon Says Stamp group on Flickr, and saw that they've got a challenge running. It's a color challenge, and the mix of colors inspired me to try and make a card with some of the stamp sets I've bought recently.

The Flickr challenge was to use 3 of the colors in the image above. I thought the colors were really wonderful and fitting the autumn theme, so I grabbed the brand new Autumn Blessings stamp set and several inkpads.

I started by cutting and scoring a piece of Kraft cardstock into a top-folding A2 card (4 1/4 by 5 1/2"). While I had my trimmer out, I also cut a piece of Olive cardstock to measure 4 by 5 1/4", and a piece of white cardstock to measure 3 3/4 by 5".

Although I love the hunter green in the inspiration piece, I didn't have an inkpad that was in that color. So, I went with a medium green instead, and stamped the leafy wreath from the stamp set. I then switched to the warm gray color and stamped the pine-cones twice. I stamped the berries in orange, then switched to yellow for the two flowers. I stamped the sentiment in black ink under the wreath.

Since one of the inks was a pigment ink, I set the panel aside to dry while I made myself some tea. Once the panel was completely dry, I adhered it to the olive panel using my standard dot adhesive. I then adhered the front to the card base, using foam tape.

As a last touch, I added a few tiny enamel dots to the wreath.

Supplies:
Simon Says Stamp Autumn Blessings (collaboration with Clearly Besotted) stamp set
My Favorite Things Hybrid Ink in Black Licorice
Avery Elle pigment in in Fog
Stampin' Up Classic Inkpad in Mossy Meadow, Daffodil Delight and Pumpkin Pie
Neenah Desert Storm Environmental Cardstock in 100#lbs
Neenah Solar White cardstock in 80#lbs
Simon Says Stamp Heavyweight cardstock in Olive
Tombow Dot Adhesive Runner (pink)
3M Double-Sided Foam Tape
Studio Calico Yellow & Orange Essentials Enamel Dots

TGF- Super Secret Stamp Club Card #3

Just a few days ago, I received the third stamp in the Super Secret Stamp Club (see my first two cards here). It's called Day Out and it's super sweet. The outfit has no sleeves, so it could work for late summer. And the boots make it perfect for fall - which is exactly the direction I wanted to go in while coloring.

I started by inking up the stamp and stamping it onto some Copic marker paper. I colored her in with my Copics. I chose more muted colors, with a touch of pink and orange. I also experimented with a new color combination for the hair, and it turned out pretty nice. I added some subtle polka-dots to the hat with the colorless 0 blender.

After she was colored in, I carefully cut around her with a pair of sharp scissors and set her aside to work on the background. Since I wanted the image to be the star of the show, I kept the background very simple.

I chose a couple of pieces of paper from Little Yellow Bicycle's Feels Like Home 6x6 patterned paper. I really liked the paper that had a branch and leaves in the upper right corner. It was perfect for building a scene, and the background color was a taupe neutral that fit in perfectly with the outfit. I made sure to add a shadow with the W4 Copic marker so it didn't look like the girl was floating.

I adhered the patterned paper to a standard top-folding A2 card, then added the girl using foam squares. And that's all there was to it!

I'm looking forward to seeing what the next 3 sets will be. It's getting into the holiday season, so maybe they'll be Christmas-related. That would certainly be fun.

Supplies:
The Greeting Farm Day Out stamp (Secret Stamp Club, September 2014)
MFT Hybrid Ink in Black Licorice
Copic Mini Marker Pad 70lbs
Neenah Solar White 110#lbs
Little Yellow Bicycle Feels Like Home 6x6 patterned paper
Tombow Dot Adhesive Runner (pink)
Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares
Sakura Gellyroll White Gel pen
Copics: Skin (E00, E11, E13, E15, R20, 0, BV13), Hat (E81,E84, E44, E47), Dress (YG95, YG97), Tunic/Star (RV34, R85, RV66), Scarf (YR15, YR68, R59), Hair (YR21, YR23, E25, E29), Shadow (W4)

Picture Thanks

This is the third and final card in my Stamp and Paper Trio challenge. Stamp Trio challenge is where I take one single stamp set and use it to make 3 very different cards. To see the previous cards, click here for card 1 and here for card 2.

As the previous two cards, this card uses WPlus9's Fanciful Feathers stamp set as well as My Mind's Eye Mint Julep 6x6 patterned paper.

I started by cutting a panel of mint polka dot patterned paper with a rectangle in MFT's Blueprints 1 die. I also die-cut the same rectangle out of white cardstock. I positioned the smaller rectangle inside the cardstock and ran it through my BigShot again. This left me with a thin white frame.

I created a standard top-folding A2 (4 1/4 by 5 1/2") card base from white cardstock. I adhered the patterned paper to the card front with my standard adhesive, making sure it's straight. I then adhered the frame using foam tape.

I stamped the Thank You sentiment underneath in coral ink, then added a piece of thin silver washi tape underneath.

I stamped the feather from Fanciful Feathers twice, using a coral/dark pink and green/dark green. I carefully cut around them with my scissors, leaving a small white border. I adhered the two feathers to each other, then added them to the card with foam tape.

And voila!

I hope you enjoyed the three elegant cards in this challenge. If it inspires you to try your own Stamp Trio or Paper Trio challenge, let me know! I'd love to check it out. :)

Supplies:
WPlus9 Fanciful Feathers stamp
MFT Blueprints 1 dies
Stampin' Up Classic Inkpad in Crisp Cantaloupe, Strawberry Slush, Pear Pizzazz and Old Olive
Neenah Solar White 110#lbs cardstock
Tombow Dot Adhesive (pink)
3M Double-Sided Foam Tape
Thin silver Washi tape

Lawn Fawn - Winter Wishes

For today's card, I'm using some more of the fantastic goodies from Lawn Fawn's brand new release. Like my previous card, I'm going for a sweet and cozy look. So, my card base will be a Walnut notecard.

Since I had a leftover half of marker paper from the previous half, I used that as the center panel on this card, too. I started by stamping the adorable moose and bunny from Critters in the Arctic stamp set. I also stamped the hat from the same set onto a separate piece of paper.

Then I grabbed the adorable bird from Snow Day stamp set and stamped her standing on the moose's head. I also stamped the adorable scarf from the same sent onto that separate piece of paper.

I colored in the moose, bunny, bird and the accessories with Copics. I went for warmer-toned browns on the moose, pink on the bird and yellow and grays for the bunny. I also colored the scarf and the hat I'd stamped on the separate paper. After those two accessories were colored in, I carefully cut them out and adhered them straight onto the panel with Tombow Mono-Multi liquid glue. This is a great glue to use for paper piecing because it lets you move the piece around slightly before it dries permanently, so you can make sure the placement is just perfect.

For the background, I used Copics again. I kept the sky dark blue, and hand-drew a few snowbanks. I also made sure to put a shadow under the moose and bunny so it didn't look like they were floating. I then added some snowflakes to the sky, using a combination of colorless blender and white gel pen.

Once everything was set, I adhered the panel to the card using foam squares. To make things a bit more interesting, I adhered the panel at an angle.

Lastly, I added one of the fun pieces of Snow Day flair to the top right corner. This serves as both the sentiment and embellishment.

Supplies:
Lawn Fawn Critters in the Arctic stamp set
Lawn Fawn Snow Day stamp set
MFT Hybrid Ink in Black Licorice
Lawn Fawn Walnut Notecard
Copic Mini Marker Pad 70lbs
Tombow Mono Multi Liquid glue
Lawn Fawn Snow Day Flair
Sakura Gellyroll White Gel Pen
Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares
Copics: Moose (E42, E44, R43, E33, E37, E29, BV25, BV29, 0), Bunny (C2, C4, R20, Y02, Y35), Bird (RV11, RV34, RV66), Hat and Scarf (R05, R46, R89, B00, BG01, BG07), Background (B45, B41, B00, 0)

Elegant Grateful

This is the second entry in my Stamp Trio Challenge (first card is here). Stamp trio challenge is to use one single stamp set to make 3 different cards. As an added bonus, my friend Kylie and I are also hitting Paper Trio challenge this time -- where we have to use a single paper pack for the 3 cards, as well.

Like last time, my stamp set of choice is WPlus9's Fanciful Feathers stamp set and my paper of choice is My Mind's Eye Mint Julep 6x6.

With the first card, I used the patterned paper as the dominant element on the card, and the elegant sentiment and feathers were a decoration. I covered the entire card front with a piece of patterned paper and its thick, bold stripes created a very graphic look.

For the second card, I wanted to keep the same elegance, but make my use of patterned paper different - this time as an accent piece instead of the main element. This is a great way to incorporate patterned paper into clean-and-simple cards and stretch out your stamps a bit. You can give the same sentiment a different feel simply by switching out the patterned paper.

As with the first card, I created a top-folding A2 card base (4 1/4 by 5 1/2"). While I had my trimmer out, I also cut a piece of gray cardstock, a white panel and a strip of the beautiful flowered pattern paper.

I kept this card super simple. After adhering the patterned paper to the gray cardstock, I trimmed the white panel down into 2 pieces to create a peek window. I adhered it to the gray base with foam tape, then wrapped some slate ribbon just above the patterned window.

I stamped the sentiment onto the leftover piece of white cardstock and cut it down to size, leaving one end angled. I added it on top of the ribbon, using foam tape. Lastly, I adhered the entire panel to the card base with my standard adhesive.

Supplies:
WPlus9 Fanciful Feathers stamp
MFT Hybrid Ink in Steel Blue
MFT Heavyweight Cardstock in Steel Blue
Neenah Solar White 110#lbs cardstock
Tombow Dot Adhesive (pink)
3M Double-Sided Foam Tape
Slate satin ribbon

Feather Thanks

As I've mentioned in my last post, I'm doing another Stamp Trio challenge, but this time with an added twist - a paper trio challenge as well! Stamp Trio challenge is where I take one stamp set and use it to make 3 different cards. Sometimes the differences are in technique, other times in theme. As an extra challenge, I'll be using just one paper pad, too.

This time, my stamp set of choice is WPlus9's Fanciful Feathers stamp set. I originally bought this stamp set quite a while ago because I liked the feathers. But I have not had a chance to take it out and play with it until now. Besides the feathers, the stamp set also includes a couple of very elegant sentiments - which inspired me to keep all 3 of the challenge cards simple and elegant.

My paper of choice is My Mind's Eye Mint Julep 6x6. I chose this set because it had a large variety of papers - some with flowers or hearts that are feminine, others with bold prints that could be used for masculine or gender-neutral cards.

I started the card by picking out a bold black and white striped paper. I trimmed it to 4 by 5 1/4". While I had my trimmer out, I also cut and scored my top-folding A2 card base out of white cardstock. I adhered the striped paper straight to the card front with my standard adhesive.

 Since Fanciful Feathers is a builder set, it includes 2 versions of the stamp. One is the base color, and the other is the outline. I stamped the base layer twice - once in a light brown, and the other in light green. I then stamped the outline layer over it, using a darker brown and a darker green. This step was a bit tricky, and it took me a couple of tries to have the two stamps line up exactly how I wanted it. Next time, I'll use my stamp-a-ma-jig stamp positioner to help me with the stamp placement.

Although Fanciful Feathers has a matching die set, I chose to fussy-cut the two feathers with a pair of sharp scissors. I set them aside while I worked on the sentiment panel. I stamped the "Thank you" in dark brown ink, then stamped "Friend" underneath it in dark green onto a piece of white cardstock. I cut down the panel to size, and adhered it to the card with foam tape.

I layered the two feathers together and adhered them at the bottom of the panel. I used dot adhesive where the feathers touched the sentiment panel and foam tape where they touched the patterned paper.

As a last touch, I added 3 shimmery gold Doodlebug enamel dots.

Supplies:
WPlus9 Fanciful Feathers stamp set
Neenah Solar White cardstock in 110lbs
Stampin' Up Classic Inkpad in Baked Brown Sugar, Soft Suede, Pear Pizzaz and Old Olive
My Mind's Eye Jubilee Collection Mint Julep 6x6 patterned paper
Tombow Dot Adhesive Runner (pink)
3M Double-Sided Foam Tape
Doodlebug Gold Sprinkles enamel dots

Autumn Flower Mouse

It's Saturday, and that means it's digi day! Also, while I've got your attention... My friend Kylie and I will be doing a fun mini-challenge this week. It's the Stamp Trio challenge, but with a twist! We'll be using one stamp set, but also just one patterned paper pad for 3 very different cards. It'll be interesting to see how different all the cards will look. I'm already hard at work on my 3 cards, and it's been very fun. Now, onto the card...

This week, I'm working with a digital stamp from Meljen Designs called Autumn Flower Mouse. You may remember this mouse from a watercolor card I made a few weeks ago, and I'm happy to report that you can find him in many digital stamps over on Meljen's site. Another thing I want to note is that there's currently a 50% off sale going on all throughout September. It's a really good time to grab a few of those must-have stamps! :)

I started by printing out the mouse onto some Copic X-Press it cardstock. I cut it down to size and colored in using my Copics. I went with richer, fall-like colors this time around, and created a dotty background. I then rounded the corners of the panel with the 1/2".

For my card base, I trimmed and scored a piece of Primitive Cream cardstock into a standard A2 card (4 1/4 by 5 1/2"). While I had my printer out, I also cut a piece of Olive cardstock to measure 4 by 5 1/4", and another piece to be just slightly larger than the stamped panel. For patterned paper, I used American Crafts' Autumn Crisp 6x6 paper, that I cut to 3 3/4 by 5".

I matted the patterned paper onto the olive cardstock and adhered it to the card base. I used foam tape to adhere the stamp panel to the olive cardstock, and rounded the corners. I adhered the panel to the card front at an angle, for a bit of added interest.

Lastly, I grabbed a yellow button. I tied some twine into a little bow and adhered it to the card with a glue dot.

Supplies:
Meljen Designs Autumn Flower Mouse digital stamp
Copic X-Press It Blending cardstock
My Favorite Things Heavyweight cardstock in Primitive Cream
Simon Says Stamp Heavyweight cardstock in Olive
American Crafts Autumn Crisp 6x6 patterned paper
Copics (R20, R22, E53, E35, E37, E29, E57, E59, E79, E07, R59, R89, BV29, Y21, Y35, Y38, Yr23, YG95, YG97, G99, YR68, R29, G43, YR21, YG63, W3, W4, W6)
Tombow Dot Adhesive runner (pink)
3M Double-sided Foam Tape
We-R-Memory Keepers Corner Chomper.

TGF- Secret Stamp Club

A few months ago, I signed up for The Greeting Farm's Super Secret Stamp club. I liked the idea of getting a mystery stamp set each month, and since the stamps are all unreleased, I knew I wouldn't be getting any duplicates.

I'm posting about it now because I've signed up for the next club (which runs October - December), and I thought some of you might be interested in it as well. Today is the last day to sign up, so plan accordingly.

The first stamp I received was completely adorable boy stamp, and something I always need more of.

Please excuse the messy coloring on a couple parts of the forehead, I had a drip issue with my marker as I was coloring it. But, it turned out alright in the end. As you can see, it's a super sweet stamp that's perfect for celebration, parties and birthdays. I paired this image with some yellow polka dot and striped paper I found in my scraps stash. I also used a button and some gold enamel dots to dress up the card.

The second stamp I received was Cheeky Sweet stamp set. I don't own any of the stamps in the cheeky line, but I do like their cute style.

The cheeky stamps are a bit like a cute mini version of a pin-up image, which I absolutely adore. So, receiving this stamp was a very pleasant surprise - though probably not for my poor wallet, which will be paying for more cheeky stamps I'm planning to get soon.
I paired this card with some red cardstock and ombré paper from Lily Bee Design We Are Family 6x6 patterned paper. I added some black satin ribbon, a wood veneer heart (which I colored in black) and some enamel dots.

I have not yet received the 3rd stamp - I should be getting it very soon, however. I'll be sure to post an image of my card then. :)

Witchy Mae

It was around this time last year that I got into card-making, and it was shortly thereafter that I quickly learned my first lesson - the hard way. Making cards takes time, and it probably takes twice (if not 3 times) as much as you think it will. This is why Christmas stamps start releasing in September and why you start seeing holiday cards popping up on blogs so early. Card makers need lots of time to get everything ready!

Halloween is a little ways away still. It's probably too early to start buying Halloween candy and start setting up the decorations. But it's definitely not too early to plan out some cards. And this year, I want to be prepared! So, I'll be sharing a few Halloween cards with you over the next few weeks.

This card is using the lovely Witchy Mae digi from Some Odd girl.I just love her hat, and her striped tights.

I started by printing out Mae onto some Copic X-Press it cardstock, and then colored her in with my Copics. I chose to go with dark gray/black and red combination. After the coloring was done, I outlined the image in light green. I carefully cut around the image with scissors and set it it aside as I got the rest of the card ready.

I cut and scored a piece of Limeade cardstock in half for a standard top-folding A2 card (4 1/4 by 5 1/2"). While I had my trimmer out, I also cut a piece of black cardstock to measure 4 by 5 1/4", and some Halloween patterned paper to measure 3 3/4 by 5".

I layered the patterned paper and matted it onto the black cardstock. I then added some orange Fizz ribbon for an extra punch of color. I adhered the panel to the card base with my standard adhesive, then added Mae with foam squares.

As a last touch, I scattered a bunch of black and purple sequins around the card.

Supplies:
Some Odd Girl Witchy Mae digital stamp
My Favorite Things Heavyweight cardstock in Limeade
Avery Elle Heavyweight cardstock in New Moon
Me And My Big Ideas Halloween 6x6 patterned paper
Avery Elle Fizz Grosgrain Ribbon
Pretty Pink Posh sequins in Onyx Black (6mm) and Amethyst (4mm)
Ranger Studio Multi-Medium Matte glue
Tombow Dot Adhesive Runner (pink)
Scrapbook Adhesives Thin 3D Foam squares
Copics: Skin (E00, E11, E13, E15, R20, R32, 0), Eyes (YG25, G29, 100), Hair (BV11, BV13, BV17, BV29), Outfit (C4, C6, C8, 100, R29, R46, R89, B00, B41), Cat/Broom (E53, E33, E15, R85, Y32, Y38, E23, E57, E59, E79), Background (G12)
Sakura Gellyroll White gel pen

Santa's Treat

Yesterday, I received my order from Lawn Fawn's fabulous new release, and I just had to play with it straight away! The release features both fall and winter holiday themes, but I decided to go with a cute Christmas card first.

Normally, I would start by preparing my card base, but for this card, I'm using the brand new Walnut Notecard. Lawn Fawn's notecards are 4-bar in size (3 1/2 by 4 7/8"), which is smaller than the standard A2 card.

For the front panel, I took one of my Copic Mini Marker sheets and cut it in half - so my front panel measures 2 3/4 by 4 1/4". This means I can get 2 cards out of one sheet, which is just perfect!

I started by stamping the strings and ornaments from Joy To The Woods set at the top of the panel using hybrid black ink. I then grabbed the Milk and Cookies set to stamp a treat for Santa. Since I wanted this image to look very cozy, I stamped the cookies and milk close to the ornaments and left the bottom of the panel blank. I made sure to use masking on the milk and the two cookies so they looked perfectly stacked.

I colored the image in with my Copics, choosing bright and happy colors. I also scribbled in a simple purple background. To add a bit more texture, I used my colorless blender to add some light dots all over the background. I also used a white gel pen to add a couple of highlights on the ornaments.

I then stamped the sweet Santa message from an older Lawn Fawn set: Cozy Christmas onto a piece of cardstock and cut it out. I colored in the back side of the note in dark grey, and I adhered it to the card with Tombow liquid glue.

Lastly, I decided to use some pretty patterned paper from the Snow Day Petite 6x6 at the bottom of the card. I then adhered the panel to the Walnut notecard with foam squares.

I didn't want a big sentiment, but it felt like the card still needed a little something. So, I adhered the red Merry flair from Snow Day flair. And voila! Cute and cozy card is ready. :)

Supplies:
Lawn Fawn Milk and Cookies stamp set
Lawn Fawn Joy To the Woods stamp set
Lawn Fawn Cozy Christmas stamp set
Copic Mini Marker Pad 70lbs
Lawn Fawn Walnut Notecard
Lawn Fawn Snow Day Petite 6x6 paper pad
Lawn Fawn Snow Day Flair
My Favorite Things Hybrid Ink in Black Licorice
Copics: Cookies (E53, E33, E27, E17), Milk (B00, E50), Plate (R05, R46, C2, C4), Straw (YG23, YG63), Ornaments (RV11, RV34, RV66, Y21, Y38, YR04, YG41, YG45, G29, R05, R46, R89, G14, B00, B02, B05), Background (BV01, BV11, BV17, 0)
Uniball Signo Broad White Gel pen
Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares
Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue

Paper Smooches - Welcome Autumn

This week's Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is Anything Goes, so I took that as an opportunity to make a fun autumn card. I've been meaning to use the fun Paper Smooches Autumn Groves stamp set for ages now, but I kept getting distracted. With this card, I'm also trying out a new coloring medium - colored pencils.

I started by cutting a piece of white cardstock to measure 3 3/4 by 5 1/4". I used chocolate brown ink to stamp the scarecrow, pumpkin, two apples and the leaves, along with stitched trails. I then used my new Prismacolor pencils to color in the image. I only got a small set of pencils, so I used a combination of colors to add depth to the image. I tried not to blend the colors in completely, leaving a bit of pencil texture.

After everything was colored in, I masked off the images and grabbed a paintbrush and a couple of distress markers. Using Vintage Photo and Spiced Marmalade, I created a bunch of splatter dots on the right side of the card. Once the splatter was dry, I stamped the Welcome Autumn sentiment from Autumn Groves in brown ink.

For embellishments, I turned to my Pretty Pink Posh stash. I started by tying some brown ruffle ribbon around the top of the panel. I love this ribbon, and I've been coveting it since I got it, but I think it fits perfectly with the card. I used a simple knot and trimmed the ends.

Then I added some sequins! I used Pretty Pink Posh's Tangerine (in 6mm), Marigold (in 6mm) and Mossy Green (in 4mm) along with Ranger Studio Multi-Matte glue.

I found some fun plaid paper in Webster's Pages Happy Camper paper pad. I used Mama Elephant's Femme Frames to cut a scalloped panel out. For the card base, I cut a sheet of brick red cardstock in half, and scored it for a standard A2 card. I adhered the patterned paper at the bottom, then adhered the main panel. 

Supplies:
Paper Smooches Autumn Groves stamp set
My Favorite Things Hybrid Ink in Chocolate Brown
Prismacolor Pencils
Neenah Solar White 80lbs cardstock
My Favorite Things Heavyweight cardstock in Brick Red
Webster's Pages Happy Camper 6x6 patterned paper
Mama Elephant Femme Frames dies
Distress Markers in Vintage Photo and Spiced Marmalade
Pretty Pink Posh brown ruffle ribbon
Pretty Pink Posh sequins in Tangerine (6mm), Marigold (6mm) and Mossy Green (6mm)
Ranger Studio Multi-Matte glue
Tombow Dot Runner Adhesive (pink)