#90 What’s Your Favorite Movie?

My all time favorite has to be Forrest Gump.  Run Forrest!! 

This stamp set was part of a group of sets that I won this past summer.  If I wasn’t doing this challenge for myself, I doubt if this one ever would have seen ink.  But I love it, love how it turned out.

The most fun part was making the pop corn.  Do you REMEMBER that acrylic stuff that puffs up when you heat it?  Well, I had a very old tube of it that would even come out of the tube.  I cut the tube open and used a toothpick to add some teeny dabs and then There; BOOM! We have pop corn as soon as the heat gun was applied to it. It’s so cool!! I might have to search out some more of that stuff.

I popped the image panel up on dimensionals.  I ran the red panel through the Big shot with an embossing folder.  Simple and LOVE the way it looked.

SUPPLIES:

IMAGE: Mark’s Finest Papers~Now Showing-Endless Creations –Stitches

EMBOSSING FOLDER: Stampin Up-Sizzix

Technorati Tags: Use it Up goal,MFP-Movies,Nancy Waldron,Pop Corn,Masculine

stamp #120 brings us to SPRING (I wish)

Thought process:  Use some of that coral colored cardstock that I have a whole lot of, saw a video with flowers in a jar and my poor jar sits unused so much of the time and I had this thin black frame from cutting out a BIG rectangle and I thought it would make a perfect faux mat. those three thoughts created this card

Now, I’m gonna go and get all analytical on ya.   Why does this work?  It wasn’t my favorite card causing oohs and ahhs when I plopped that big ol’ oval on there.   hmmmm….So I sponged the blue on half the card, that brings the eye towards the right which is a natural reaction for us here in the U.S.  Then just the slightest hint of Victorian Pink on the left to bring the eye up to the flowers and to the right.  More natural instinct.  Still looked like a big white oval,  break it up by adding the coral with white stitching ribbon.   Using the rule of threes I made three and then off centered the oval to bring the ribbons onto the base.  I like that so it must be pleasing.    The white on the ribbon ties in with the white oval.  Now the sentiment.  It looked rather “stamped” when I tried to add it straight across.  Love those cling stamps that allow you to curve them to follow the curve of the oval.  That works to keep things all going in the same direction.  More smoothness for the eyeballs.  Now, it looks okay but not grounded.  I added that teeny little banner flag and the black brad ties in with the sentiment.  It creates the rectangle with the top of the flowers and the ribbons and all the “rules” have been followed to create a delicate pleasing to the eye card.   (the little viva pearls just seemed the right thing to do)  actually, it too follows the rule of three’s and creates the triangle with the flowers and ribbons.  So there ya have it, eyeball therapy 101!  Thanks for stopping.  I do hope some of my little tips will help someone along the way.  Google rule of threes in card making and you will be surprised at all a person can learn.

I did the marker to stamp technique on the flowers and then colored the jar ever so softly with Copics.

SUPPLIES:

Images: Gina K Designs- Spring Time Silhouette Kit~Judith Stamp E-50 jar

Sentiment: Mark’s Finest Papers

Dies: MFT Oval Stax, Blue Prints 1

Embossing Folder:  Paper Studios

Ribbon: Stampin Up

Miscellaneous: Brad unknown, Viva Pearl Pen in Salmon, Tiny Attacher-Tim Holtz

Inks:  SU and Copics

Technorati Tags: Use it up goal,GKD,Flowers,Judith,Spring,Thinking of You

Stamp # 119 is CASEING Gina K

For my non-stamping friends.  CASE in stamping land means Copy and Steal Everything.  It’s very legal,  however, There are some unofficial rules to this.  Three things should be changed and credit is ALWAYS given to the original designer.  Got it covered!  ~~

so i saw Gina's card on youtube but couldn't find it on the files at her site.  It was on the video of making insides for the card and it inspired me.  I used a different die, different image, spaced my greeting closer to image and added pearls.  For Cat's Challenge to doodle, i doodle around the white square the butterfly sits on.  I don't know which set this butterfly comes from b/c i won it in a grab bag.  I used my stamp a ma jig to make the sentiment from Springtime Silhouettes vertical instead of stacked.  This is entered into Stamp TV’s Mix it Up Monday Challenge.

Will give you a peek at the inside.  I have always wanted to play with doing a bit more to the insides of cards but it always looked busy to me, when I tried it,  and I didn’t like it.  I love the video Gina showed.  (A very elegant friend of mine lost her mother unexpectedly and I know she will appreciate the detail of this card. )  It’s a funny thing.  When I CASE a card, it takes me longer to make it than it does for me to start completely with my own idea, does this happen to any one else out there?  Even when I try to make more of what I already made it takes longer.  shaking my head in wonderment.

SUPPLIES: 

Image and Sentiment: Gina K Designs

Dies: Spellbinders-rectangle layers, Fleur d lis fancy sqare, sqaure layers, MFT~ double scallop

Pearls: Recollections @ Michaels

Ribbon: From Cut Card Stock (so glad I won that ribbon, it’s gorgeous)

GKD Stamp 118

I am in love with my Gina K Design stamps.   Every image has life.  Going simple for this one, it is a birthday card for Gina.   Jump on over to StampTV and “give” a card to Gina with your favorite GKD stamp and you will be entered into a $50 drawing.  This is one of my go to back grounds cuttlebug folders for elegance.  (uhm< I think my English teacher would be red lining that sentence).  ~ Doing a bit of paper piecing with scraps of course.  I cut the shoulder flower out and popped it up.   There’s one of those little hearts from Simon’s die; showing up again.  And now it’s time to take myself off to the kitchen and make some enchiladas.  yummmo!

SUPPLIES:

Image and sentiment: GKD Celebrate in Style

Embossing folder: Cuttlebug-Large Fleur d Lis

Dies: Spellbinders Circle, Petite Scallop Circle, MFT Blueprints 3 ribbon, Simon Says Mini Hearts

Sweet N Sassy #117

Still playing with Cocoa Mouse and friends.  This is the Valentine for the other twin.  Using MFT Sketch #162 I created a popped up Mousie pair.

While I am still trying to figure out how to use multiple patterns of paper and make it look good and not just thrown together, I broke the rule of “no more than three” for this one.  Because my back grounds are subtle and tie in with the dots on the papers it worked.  I also have one medium sized white banner with lots of open space in the design and it is covered up by the circle.  So four different design papers it is! 

 

SUPPLIES: 

Image & Sentiment: Sweet N Sassy – Cocoa Mouse Valentine

Stencils used for Backgrounds: MFT-  Graduated Dots and Swiss Dots-

Dies: MFT – Fishtail Stax  & Spellbinders Circle

Copics for coloring

Technorati Tags: Use It Up Goal,Mouse,Sweet N Sassy,MFTWSC162

Sweet N Sassy Stamp #116

Sweet N Sassy is another company whose images I love.  They are so cute and lively looking and their serene ones just speak peace.  This is one company that does a lot with sentiments too and I appreciate them.  I am entering this into their February Release Challenge SPRING.  Using Cocoa Mouse cut out and layered over  the stamped image.  I used glue pen and pearlized embossing powder to give the heart a bit of a lift from looking to flat stamped on the Kraft.  A piece of an embellished border for springs ties it into their SPRING theme.   Also entering into the Mod Squad challenge to use hearts and glitter.  My glitter strip and glittered hearts fits their theme; and because it’s Lee throwing down the challenge I had to go with PINK hearts and strip, dontchaknow?  ( this valentine will go to a little girl in our Sunday Meeting, got to get one made for her twin brother too)  they always so politely tell me thank you the next time they see me.  I like to reward politeness.     And a super bonus challenge entry into Simon Says Wednesday for using one of their Simon Exclusive dies Mini Hearts.  This, is my most used die in my stash.  I use those little hearts on lots and lots of cards. 

SUPPLIES:

Image: Sweet N Sassy –Cocoa Mouse Valentine

Sentiment: Gina K Designs

Dies: Simon Says Mini Hearts

Border: K & Company by Tim Coffey

Ranger pearlized embossing Powder

Colored with Copics

88 & 89 Prickley Pear

I do adore Prickley Pear Stamps and dies.  Their images fit the little oval frame perfectly.  I stamped the frame and added the frame image.  The umbrella looks paper pieced but it is colored with SU Summer Sun and then I used white gel pen for the dots. I stamped the little duck trio on a scrap of GKD paper and really fussy cut them leaving just a teeny bit to keep them hooked together. I colored their little beaks and feet with SU marker. The negative die cut strip on the left is the same paper the ducks are cut out of.  It too was a scrap.  I used a ruler to draw a couple of offset lines and then my Tim Holtz ruler and paper piercing tool to give a very fine faux stitching to the piece.

I had this wonderful curved stentiment stamp that I have never used.  I stamped it and then lined it up with the snow drift dies from MFT to make my own banner for it.  Used those wonderful stamps on a stick dots in contrasting colors on it to give a bit more movement and texture.  The A-ha was adding the enamel dots that perfectly match the Summer Sun color of the umbrella.

SUPPLIES:

IMAGE: Prickley Pear-Spring Set

EMBOSSING FOLDER:  Cuttlebug

DIES: Prickley Pear~ Small Oval

EMBELLISHMENTS: My Minds Eye Enamel Dots Boy Crazy

Stamped in Night of Navy and sponged in same.

Technorati Tags: Use it up goal,Prickley Pear,Nancy Waldron,free,Spring,ducks

Having Fun with Prickley Pear

Okay, so this post doesn’t count towards my countdown of stamps.  This was made while visiting my friend and sister (well, she seems like a sister to me) Angie Bode from http://stampingbowd.blogspot.com/  We had such a fun time together, shopping, stamping, chatting, sharing.  We have been cyber friends for over two years and it just seemed perfect timing to go and visit her after surprising my mom for her birthday.

It was pretty amazing to step into someone else’s craft room and just pick up and be able to start creating.  We are more alike than we know, she and I.  So here we are both working on Prickley Pear designs and they both turned out differently and yet so fun to put them together.  This was my first time using distress markers from Tim Holtz.  Interesting experience.  I think they work really well on watercolor paper but regular markers seem to give a better blend on regular card stock.  I would like to play with them some more though.

Here’s a picture of the finished product and if you stop on over to Angie’s blog you can see her finished product too.  We both agree, Prickley Pear does a great job with their images and dies. Here is a snippet of the card she created using a similar image from Prickley Pear.  

The scallop oval die is Prickley Pear and the other flower die and flourish are from MFT.

Stamps 107/108/109

Seems I never outgrow the need for sympathy cards.  This soft beauty was created with some stamps I won last spring.  I won seven sets at once and haven’t used them all yet.  I have used parts of this set but there are a lot of images with this set and it’s all good.  I started out by cutting the frame with a die cut and using a Hero Art’s shadow stamp for the ducks.  I then inked up the cat tails stamp with two different inks.  Took a scrap and stamped the tops of the cat tails and cut out three of them and outlined them with old olive marker.  Added the sentiment which is from the same set.  I then outlined quite heavily on the frame. It still looked a little too white for me so I grabbed some gelatos and scribbled on my craft mat and spread them out with a water color brush.  I like the softness it added.  Then a spritz of some gold stickles mixed with a bit of water and I painted that on the sky part for a bit of a glittery look.  I used a piece of olive green card stock and cut the frame out and then rounded the corners on opposite corners to just soften the look a bit.  Added some pearl pen in black and there is a gorgeous card.

SUPPLIES:

IMAGES: Marks Finest Papers Marsh Silhouettes

Sentiment: Same as above stamps

Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug Fancy Frame

Dies: MFT Textile Frame

Inks: Hero Arts Shadow Ink Soft Stone and SU Old Olive and More Mustard

Gelatos: Pink Green & Blue

Embellishments: Viva Pearl Pen in Black

#86 & 87

Eeeps!! Isn’t this image from High Hopes just so CUTE??? I paper pieced his body with a very subtle green plaid scrap I had, except for his face.  Colored his face and highlights with Copics and he’s ready to step off the card and wish you a WILD birthday. 

The Background is a very old Stampin Up Bamboo stamp that see’s it’s fair share of ink.  I stylused this guy and popped him with dimensionals.  He looks really puffy in real life.  The black oval looked a little stark and I added the Viva pearl drops pen in copper to give it a rough bumpy look that could still be used for a masculine card.  I used the Zig Zag stitch stamp to draw the eye into the card.  Added the twine from Michaels (it’s jewelery making string and does it ever tie nicely) Placement is interesting.  I tried that bow on the left, in the middle and nope, it has to be here, on the right, forming the triangle with the image and the sentiment. Yep, that looks just right.

SUPPLIES:  IMAGE: High Hopes Rhino~ SU ~Bamboo Background Stamp~Technique Tuesday~Hanging by a Thread-Sentiment from Door County Rubber Stamps

DIE: Spellbinders small oval

CARDSTOCK: Base~ Kraft from MFT~Layer: Kraft from MFP

Viva Pearl Pen: Copper

COLORING MEDIUM: Copics

Technorati Tags: Use it up goal,High Hopes,Animal,Rhino,Masculine

sometimes it has to be REALLY simple #115

Several years ago when I was into hands on scrap booking I won a TON of stickers in an e-bay auction.  I probably need to sell them on e-bay since I only digi scrap now.  Any-hoo, I still have many many many stickers.  Every once in a while I grab some and make a simple card.  One of Gilbert’s co-workers recently had a sweet baby girl.  She will appreciate the simplicity of this card.  The baby pins and banner are quick stamps to use.  The sentiment conveys the perfect message. 

SUPPLIES:

Image:  Gina K Designs

Stickers: Kangaroo & Joey

Sentiment: Simon Says - All Occasion

Dies: Sizzix

simple beauty #113/114

Loving the Gina K Designs stamps again.  I only have a few but I always love the way they stamp and the simplicity of her designs. This went together easily, sometimes that just happens.  Using Olive Green again, guess that must be my color of the year.    I first cut the oval die and then stamped and colored the wheel image.  Next I stamped the tall grass and whisked it with copic green and cut it out.  After arranging it on the other oval I felt it needed a little trim to be more oval also.  Mounted the first oval on some Steel Gray matting.  I was first going to put the entire sentiment on the clouds when I saw that die cut “you” sitting there.  Inspiration strikes!!  I love how this turned out as if part of the cloud itself.  Then I saw the grass already cut and waiting to be used. It was the perfect finishing touch.  Most of the time I have no idea what is going to develop when I stamp an image.  It just ….develops! 

SUPPLIES:

Images: Gina K Designs Farm Life

Sentiment: Gina K Designs Where the Heart Is

Dies:  My Favorite Things - Clouds, Grass, Ovals, Thank You

Coloring Medium: Copics

I “heart” U

  Using stamps 110/111/112 to create my first Valentine card of the season.  Entering this into Simon Says Monday Challenge.  These hearts were gifted to me a long time ago and I didn’t keep the packaging so no idea who the designer was.  I stuck three of them onto my stamp press and then inked them up with markers and pressed them three times across the the card.  I had this wonderful piece of designer paper left over from a previous project and thought it made a nice border.  It needed a bit of darker color to it so the eggplant cardstock scrap made a nice scallop border.  Adding a couple of strips of gold glitzy ribbon sparked it up to Be My Valentine card.    I am also entering this into a new challenge blog for me, Pixies Crafty Workshop, to use snippets or scraps on your project.  Right up my alley.  Mrs Frugal Stamper that I am.   

SUPPLIES:

Images: Unknown

Dies:  MFT Single Scallop

Gold Ribbon from Hobby Lobby

Heidi Swapp Designer Paper

Inks:  SU markers in Perfectly Plum –Old Olive- Apricot Appeal

Let’s warm UP with stamp #106

Got home from GA.  It wasn’t really warm down there either.  They had a cold spell and it was rainy and cloudy most of my week away from the frozen tundra.  Back home it’s sunny these days but colder than an ice box.  Minus ten when I looked this morning.  Weather report says bitter cold for today, arctic cold for tomorrow and then back up to bitter cold on Monday.  It’s actually starting to be funny so I think my brain cells are now frozen.

I made this for my sis-in-love.  She is a dear, the one I went to Canada with.  She likes to be warm too.  Her bday is so close to Valentines day I thought the heart was a nice touch for her.  Also the paper pieced scarf and then a touch of “wool” for the bow.

I made that heart with a stencil I  cut from the MFT blueprint die several weeks ago and just couldn’t find a way to put anything together with it.  Glad I didn’t cuz it was perfect for this card. I used a translucent glaze to fill the stencil heart cut I made.

I am entering this in the Simon Says Wednesday Have a Heart challenge.

Supplies:

Image: The Cat’s Pajamas (isn’t he cauuutteee?)

Dies: Parts of Blue Prints 4 and 6

other items unknown.  Colored with copics.

oh, by the way, I did notice that little smudge off to the right of the card a I took an adhesive eraser to it and cleaned it right up.  It looks all white and nice now.    (little tricks of the trade)

Stamp #71 Bird Cage and Paper Piercing

Elegance!  It’s simplicity in my books.  I’m not really a frou frou stamper with all kind of added flowers and pop off the card stuff.  Others can pull it off but for me, simple is better.  Like this.  One card two ways.  I started with just a one layer card stamped in Champagne Metallic.  Added the “pole” and sentiment and gold ribbon.  I like it.  Can I make it more elegant?  Yes.  Emboss the bird cage, and sentiment, add a shiny brad and make it a two layer card with dimension by popping up the top layer.  ~~That piercing stencil has been in the drawer longer than I can remember and never been used.  Gasp?  Why not, it’s beautiful.  TIP:  after piercing from the underside, rub a sanding block over the popped holes to really make them nice.

SUPPLIES:

IMAGE: Gina K Designs~Springtime Silhouette and sentiment

INKS; Encore Metallic Champagne

STENCIL: American Crafts Pierced Ivy

RIBBON: Michaels ~Holiday

83 & 84 Sew Easy

Well, it really wasn’t.  This one was a bit time consuming but sew fun to do.  I faux stitched all the flowers for the first step, then did the rest.  It looks simple but it was a long process doing all the steps. 

SUPPLIES:  MFT~ Sew Nifty

INKS: Memento & SU Marker

DP~ The Paper Studio~Pocket Full of Posies

RIBBON~My Minds Eye~ Confetti

SEQUINS: Tree House

Technorati Tags: Use it up Goal,Sewing,Nancy Waldron,MFT

Stampscapes 72 & 73

I have an order for eight sympathy cards.  StampScapes just lend themselves to peaceful scenes.  So a bit like the other but with different stamps a more definite sentiment front and center.

I stamped the water stamp three different times with different amounts of pressure and off the paper on both sides.  Then the clouds in blue three times across and off the paper.  Just a touch of blue.  The twine seemed a nice finishing touch the bow just added to it.  Don’t worry about that blob on the bow, it’s just crystal effects to keep the bow from coming un-done but I see when I uploaded the picture it wasn’t quite dry yet.  It dries clear and you can’t even see it.

IMAGES: Stampscapes~Waterside Bluff-Cloud-Rowboat

INKS: Spectrum~Desert Heat-SU Bliss Blue-Staz-On

Twine: Michaels which tied very nicely no need for expensive twine.

Technorati Tags: Use It Up Goal,StampScapes,Sympathy

Just a Sentiment

This started out from that little square of red down in the corner.  Yep, I just can’t seem to throw scraps away.  It was cut perfectly for a little framed piece of art.  I ran the solid side through the Cuttlebug folder and then added a piece of black with white smeared on it for a little chalkboard effect.  I ran a sanding block over the paper to make the little hearts pop.  Then I ran a piece of Kraft through the Big Shot with the same folder and cut a banner out of another scrap.  A piece of scrap for the die cut Hi  and voila` the scraps become a card.

Sentiment is Hero Arts Clear Stamps

Die cut is from MFT Happy Hellos.  Provo Craft embossing folder.  Viva Pearl pen in black.  Love, from Me! 

Technorati Tags: Made from Scraps,No Image Stamps

Stamp #70 is a stitching stamp

Doesn’t it look real?  That zig-zag stitch?  That’s one thing I don’t do. Stitch on cards for real.  Any stitching you see on my cards will be Faux Stitching.  A long time ago I bought these Technique Tuesday stitches and truth be told I have never really used them.  They were too short and then I found this, recently.  http://www.simonsaysstamp.com/servlet/the-10291/Fiskars-STAMPING-PRESS-Stamp/Detail  Oh yeah, that makes “stitching” really easy.  Line it up with the grids and press away. 

Using Amuse back ground paper and MFT Blueprints 4 this card came together nicely.  All the die cut pieces are from that set.  I used a plastic banner stencil on the scalloped piece of Coredinations to give a little fun to the strip.  Then ran the vanilla cardstock through with a tiny dots stencil. Lots of interest going on in this card that makes me love it.

SUPPLIES:

STAMP: Technique Tuesday ~Hanging by a thread

STENCILS: MFT~Swiss Dots- The Crafters Workshop~Mini Circus Banners

DIES: MFT ~Blueprints 4  & 6 – Provo Craft ~Hello Friend

EMBELLISHMENTS: Trendy Tape and Viva Pearl Pen in Black, Baker’s Twine unknown

Amuse paper, Coredinations Cardstock

and the last card before leaving for Alabama #105

Entering this card into the MFT Wednesday Challenge 161 I had to make this so quickly as I was leaving for Alabama but I wanted to get in on that sketch challenge.  I put this together in about thirty minutes  That’s what I love about sketch challenges half the work is done for you.   I first started with the striped piece cutting it with an MFT die and running it through the big shot with a cuttlebug folder.  I cut the light blue piece with a Flag and cut the top piece off and scored it and then reattached it for some interest.  I added very subtle sponging to the image layer and stamped with blue stazon and since the image made a tiny mark when I stamped it I covered it with a teeny little star and that seemed just perfect.

Technorati Tags: Use It Up Goal,Sympathy,Trees,MFTWSC161