FMS 27 & CQ 129: A little late

I had intended to get this card posted along with the Freshly Made Sketches challenge this week, as well as the Colour Q challenge, but I missed the deadlines for both. Oh well, they were both such great challenges that I didn't want to give up doing them even though I knew I couldn't make the deadline.

I mean, look at this colour combo and this sketch!

This is what I came up with...

Stamps: Tea House (background), Teeny Tiny Verses 

Ink: Rich Razzleberry

Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Pool Party, Tempting Turquiose, Wisteria Wonder cardstock

Tools: Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslits die, Punch Pack, dimensionals

Extras: Rhinestone

I think this was the first die I ever bought, and then it went missing before I ever got to use it. It reappeared like a year later in a box that we were moving stuff with! I thought this sketch would be a great way to use it and flip the colours around.

I punched the centre of the hearts out with the large heart punch and layered them with a full scalloped heart so the edges would show up. I'm sorry the pictures below seem yellowish but you can see the details anyways.

One of the things that made me really happy was that I got to use my big background stamp. I just love that stamp! Here is the design. I just found out it's available in MDS download version too! I might just need that for my digital scrapbooking.

 

I just looooove those colours! So pretty together that you must go check out some of the cards that were actually submitted on time this week! I just love them. Oh what a good feeling it is to play with colours you love, and I love blues/purples.

I swear creating is the best kind of therapy, try it!

I'm a Rock Star!

Haha! Well, only "sort of."  What I really mean is that I Rocked the Friday Mashup Challenge last week!

with this card, using the Mother of Pearl technique...

Well, that certainly made my day! Since it was the Friday Mashup Challenge's 50th posting, the design team celebrated by awarding prizes to those who entered. What fun! It certainly got my creative juices flowing.

Hope you can feel spring coming your way today!

FM 50 & SUO 41: Mother of Pearl Blossoms

I was intruiged by The Friday Mashup's challenge this week, because it involved the Mother of Pearl technique and I have never done it before. It sounds daunting but it's not. It's a pretty neat technique because it shimmers/shines depending upon how you hold it under the light. Plus, I was in the mood for something spring, and thrilled to see that SUO's challenge this week was to make a project celebrating spring!

Under bright direct light...

Yet it's barely noticeable under softer diffused lighting...

Stamps: Easter Blossoms

Ink: Crumb Cake, Pirouette Pink

Paper: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Pink Pirouette cardstock, and First Edition dsp

Tools: Framed Tulips Textured Embossing folder, Beautiful Wings Embossilits, white coloured pencil, scrunched up piece of plastic film

Extras: Mini Vintage tags, 1/2" Chantilly Lace Crochet trim, Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbbon, Frost Shimmer paint

I layered the Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon underneath the lace trim for a subtle pink effect. I dug out my mini vintage tags, they seemed to have gotten more vintage all on their own. Yes, I have had them for awhile, and I do use them sparingly...so that extra vintage bit of rust on my tag is for real.

My greeting on the inside... 

Here's the card in another light, where the "pearlescent" part is more subtle, yet still shows up. I coloured over my blossoms with a white coloured pencil because I wanted them to be white with a hint of pink, and so they would pop a bit against the white. 

As far as I can tell, the technique really only involves sponging some crumpled plastic film into some paint. I poured a tiny bit of Frost Shimmer onto a paper plate and then crumpled up the film and sponged it in the paint. Then I'd sponge it off a bit before putting it on the card. 

I thought this technique would look nice on a mostly white or vanilla card. As I mentioned before, I don't do the "ethereal" look easily but I really put my mind to it, and with the help of this technique in the back of my mind, I think I managed to make it work. 

Happy First Day of Spring! Yaaaaaay!

CFC44: Whale boy blue

I needed a card for a very special girlfriend who just had a little baby boy. It's a pretty exciting deal! I am so happy for her, she's wanted a baby ever since i've known her, so it's really awesome.

I find baby cards a little hard to make because I always want to try and make them very soft and pastel like, except i'm a colour person so it's hard. Anyways, I gave into colour and this is what I came up with.

I used the CASusal Fridays challenge this week to design my card, I chose my pattern, my image, and added a sentiment...voila!

Stamps: Animal Stories (retired), Swirls and Curls Verses (retired) &/or Teeny Tiny Verses
Ink: Brocade Blue, Pumpkin Pie
Paper: Brocade Blue, Brilliant Blue, Whisper White cardstock, and Pawsitively Prints DSP
Tools: Tasteful Trim die, Boho Blossoms punch, Big Shot
Extras: Pumpkin Pie corduroy button (retired), Pumpkin Pie ric rac ribbon (retired)


I made a couple versions, this is the baby one and the one at the top I made a little more generic with a curly hello. 

Take a peek at the inside...(and a side view of my little corduroy sun!)

Okay, here's a full on view of the little whales on the inside.

I think the little whale is the only one in this set that I haven't yet used; it makes me so happy I found a place for him!

The Irish Glamette

Just a quick note to share a little piece of excitement in my day. My Irish card was picked as one of the Glamettes in The Friday Mashup's challenge this week. These challenges are so much fun! I'm truly addicted now!

Click the badge above to check out the winner/Rock Star and see all the other cute cards people came up with. It's so neat to see what everyone comes up with from the same idea.

Hope you're having a good weekend!

AI50.ca - Social Media Action Centre

I'd like to share with you something near and dear to my heart. I'm a big supporter of Amnesty International and lately they have come out with an absolute genius idea that allows people to speak out against the issues they believe in. You are given a CHOICE of which issues to participate in according to your beliefs.

In an age where our most common means of communication is via the internet, some brilliant minds figured out how to harness the power of providing people with their own personal choice regarding which issues they would like to support, then bringing this support together to fight social injustice, all in a matter of a few clicks.

Using the internet for good is a pretty awesome thing. This is something that makes my heart happy and I just wanted to share it.





AI50.ca - Social Media Action Centre: Check out Amnesty International's Social Media Action Centre. It's a new kind of digital activism for social justice!

Thank you for indulging me with this little piece of my heart today. I'll be back asap with more cards to share.

Have a happy day enjoying the freedom to expression that we all deserve to have.

FM 48 & SFF030212: Rainbows and Clover

I cannot let St. Patrick's Day pass by without making my Irish Grandmother a well-deserved card. 

Stamps: Simply Soft (hostess), So Happy for You (retired), Teeny Tiney Greetings, Afterthoughts (retired)

Ink: Garden Green, Daffodil Delight

Paper: Summer Sun (retired), Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Concord Grape, Brilliant Blue (retired), Garden Green, Whisper White, Brushed Gold, Hugs (retired scalloped rectangles)

Tools: Perfect Setting die (retired), 3 heart punch, mini glue dots, dimensionals

Extras: Garden Greeen big button, rhinestones

I chose to incorporate use the Sketch Frenzy Friday challenge as the basis for my card.

The upper left corner element of the sketch worked nicely for my rainbow. In order to get the same exact curve on each of my rainbow pieces I used the slight curve at the bottom of the cupcake holder in the Perfect Setting die.

My clover is 4 chipboard hearts that come together and sit on one of the retired Hugs (scalloped rectangle). The stem of my clover is from the current Simply Soft hostess set. Apparently, a 3 leaved clover is called a shamrock, and the four leaved is well...a four-leaf clover, or, so my half Irish stampin' partner tells me.

I also submitted my card to The Friday Mashup challenge. Part of their design challenge was to create a St. Patrick's Day card. The other part of their challenge was to use at least 2 punches. Well, I used a die for my rainbow, and a heart punch for the inside of my button...not sure if that counts.

I have finally gotten myself some Sharpies so that I can colour my rhinestones any colour I like. I've been wanting to do this for some time, and it was a perfect chance for this card.  

My greeting on the inside...

My dear grandma is 92 and she is showered with St. Patrick's Day cards from people all over the place. It's an impressive sight to see, all the people who remember she's Irish, even if they haven't seen her for a very long time.

Hope your day is filled with rainbows and good luck even if it isn't St. Patty's Day yet!

RS#1: Joyful Trees

I'm  so lucky to have fallen upon Retro Sketches challenges from their very beginning! They just started up recently and I really like what they have going on over there. Their sketch this week was a great one, check it out:

Such a cool layout, I had to give it a try! Here is what I came up with. I was in the mood to do something Christmas, probably because I had told myself I'd be making at least one Christmas card a week, but that doesn't seem feasible, so a Christmas one is long overdue.

Although this is an MDS card, I have plans to turn it into a hybrid by adding dazzling diamonds glitter to the word "JOY" and to add a little bow above the Cherry Cobbler panel. Then maybe a little of the Cherry Cobbler dazzling details to the little circle spots in my trees! Yay Glitter!

If you're wondering what colour those trees are, the first to the left is Certainly Celery, then Pool Party, then Sage Shadow. Interesting how that Sage Shadow looks almost grey against the other colours.

I'm sure you're beginning to wonder if I'm ever going to present another non-digital card again. Well, I promise my next post will be!

SSC 245: Retro Easter

Well, I had hoped to get my card done in time to submit it to the ColourQ challenge this week, which is using this funky colour combo.

But I left the house in a mad rush this morning and never got around to posting my card. How retro is that table setting? I really think we had something similar to this in our kitchen growing up. I distinctly remember the dishwasher being that sort of green. 

Regardless, I tried to put that out of my mind. I was in the Easter mood, so here is the card I made with this colour combo.

I did manage, however, to use the sketch from this week's Stampin 411 challenge. Yay! At least I managed to get it in somewhere.

I had fun making those easter eggs, I copied them into the inside of the card too. Not your usual Easter colours but I think it kinda works.

Have a Happy Wednesday!