Monday, May 29, 2017

Distress Oxide Ink Labels

Updated August 2, 2018.  Here is a link for labels for the most recent release of Distress Oxides plus the remaining to be released later this year.  HERE

Being organized is being in my happy place!!  I'm a very visual person and like being able to see the colors, so I created a PDF for the labels.  Here is the link for you to print some out:   HERE

I printed these on 80# Neenah Solar White, then backed with some Scor-Tape adhesive, cut apart, and inked them up before adhering to each ink pad.


Hope these help put you in your happy place!!  :)

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Wishful Wildflower Birthday Card

I made this shaker card for a friend's birthday using The Ton's Wishful Wildflower stamps and dies.  This is one of those stamps that, for me, was love at first sight & I had to have it!

I've already posted this card on Instagram, but I like to have a few more details for my reference for when I want to recreate elements of certain cards.  Also, I'm entering this into a fun challenge The Ton has for this month--their Tic Tac Toe Challenge!  We are to choose 3 consecutive elements for our project.  I chose the diagonal starting with shaker card, then embossing and watercolor.

Get the details HERE
I first watercolored a background on watercolor paper using Distress Inks with a bit of yellow gold from Gansai Tambi Starry Colors.  Using Bristol Smooth card stock, I stamped and heat embossed the florals.  Then I colored with a few of my Zig Clean Color markers.


Here are a few more photos showing the beautiful shimmer and shine!





This stamp set is so pretty and I can't wait to try some more ideas I have!  Thank you so much for looking, and especially for taking a moment to comment!  :)

Supplies:
The Ton stamps/dies: Wishful Wildflowers; Pretty Mail; Dearest Peony for sentiment
The Ton Guava Sparkle Couture Mix
Distress Inks:  Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick
Gansai Tambi Starry Colors, yellow gold
Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers, light carmine, red, light green, pale green 
Shaker frame:  My Favorite Things Pierced Rectangle Frames








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Wednesday, May 17, 2017

OCC Simmer & Shine, Embossing Powder

Totally love Julie Ebersole's 2-step glitter overlay technique in this lesson of Online Card Classes!

I've had Judikin's Sticky Stuff embossing powder for a long time and never really understood how to use it until Julie showed us how!!  Instead of using a solid stamp, I used a  honeycomb stencil from from Honey Bee Stamps.  You can tell by looking at my history of card making that I don't usually go for the cute critters.  I like them all, but just not my style...usually!  When I saw this newest release from Honey Bee, I just loved them!!  These bees are totally adorable!!

I can just imagine a special someone getting this card and opening the little beehive door and seeing this so cute bee face staring back!


Such great sparkle!!!!  Added in some shine with Glossy Accents on the bee's black stripes too.


Thanks so much for taking a look!

Supplies:
Honey Bee Stamps:  Build-A-Bee, Bee-You-tiful Sentiments, Free-Bee
Honey Bee dies:  Honey Cuts, Build-A-Bee, Free-Bee die
Honey Bee stencil
Distress Inks:  Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed, Wild Honey
Art Glitter Crystal ultrafine transparent
Glossy Accents
Spectrum Noir alcohol markers
Spectrum Noir clear sparkle pen



Tuesday, May 16, 2017

OCC Sparkle & Shine--Paste and Mousse

All about using pastes and mousse for this lesson of Online Card Classes.  I was inspired by Kristina Werner and her techniques to cover card stock with glitter paste and then die cut it.

I don't have glitter paste so I created my own by combining texture paste with some transparent crystal glitter.  I tinted my texture paste with some Squeezed Lemonade & Mustard Seed Distress Inks.   It turned out very sparkly!

I was hoping that the texture of the embossing paste I left would remain after die cutting, but it didn't.  Still very pretty!


A photo at an angle to capture the sparkle is a must!


Since I was using My Favorite Things products, I decided to make this card work for the MFT Color Challenge 69.

The info is HERE


Seriously love Online Card Classes!!  The best!  Thank you for taking a look!

Supplies:
MFT dies: Shaker Flower, Chevron Fringe
MFT stamps: Celebrate You
MFT paper: Roses All Over Pastels
Other supplies:  Wink of Stella clear, Queen & Co. clear sparkles, Pretty Pink Posh sequins

Monday, May 15, 2017

OCC Sparkle & Shine, Shimmer, Pearl, and Flakes

This lesson for the Online Card Classes Sparkle & Shine was about using pigment powders, gilding flakes and other shiny pretties!

I was totally inspired by Debby Hughes' beautiful cards using background stamps, Versamark ink, & pigment powders.  My background stamp is an oldy, but good one, from Hero Arts called Branch Background.

My twist on this was to use a subtle patterned paper instead of a solid color.  I only have two colors of Perfect Pearls so I used the one called Perfect Gold (perfectly named I think!:)  For the sentiment I used some Concord & 9th stamps and dies--Happy Words stamps and Happy Card frame dies.  For the Happy, I put a Scor-Tape sheet onto card stock and die cut it with the adhesive side up.  I brushed the Perfect Pearls onto it for a shiny Happy!  Stamped the words "birthday to you" with Versamark and then brushed on more Perfect Pearls.

I used Altenew's Spring Daisy stamped with Versamark on some Bazzill 40# vellum.  Heat embossed with Recollection's Clear Gold sparkle embossing powder.

Here's another angle to try to capture some of the beautiful shine and sparkle!


Every single one of the Online Card Classes I've taken are loaded with ideas and techniques.  I really love the inspiration!  If you haven't taken one, you should!

Thanks so much for taking a look!  Double thanks for your comments!  :)






Monday, May 8, 2017

OCC Sparkle & Shine, Glitter!

I'm taking the Online Card Class--Sparkle & Shine and today was all about glitter!!

When I first saw the Courage Stamp & Die Set from Ellen Hutson and that they were donating $25 of the purchase price to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, I had to have it.  Plus, it's a really pretty set that can be used for encouragement in many situations.

So I glittered up the pink ribbon (I should've taken photos of the process!) and stamped a few flowers around it.

Here's one that shows the sparkle!


I really love sparkle and glitter, so this class is right up my alley!  Thank you for taking a look!

Supplies:
Inks: Simon Says Stamp Twirling Tutu, Hero Arts Bubblegum, HA Lia Griffith ink--not named; SSS Green Leaf
Glitter:  Art Glitter Baby's Breath, Recollections Raspberry
Ellen Hutson Courage stamps/dies

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Pink Floral Happy Birthday

I do love flowers, and this card definitely shows it!! Haha!

The background (that is nearly covered in flowers) is another I made in Altenew Academy's Celebration: Stencil Techniques.  I've used one of my most favorite floral stamp sets, Altenew's Beautiful Day.


I'm entering this into two challenges:

Altenew's May Inspiration Challenge--the info is HERE.
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, A Hint of Pink, info HERE.

Thank you very much for taking a look!!

Supplies:
Altenew Beautiful Day stamps/dies
Inks for large flower: Spun Sugar Distress Ink, Brilliance Pearlescent Coral, Memento Rose Bud
Spectrum Noir markers for small florals
Essentials by Ellen Lovely for the sentiment




Friday, May 5, 2017

Stencil Technique Cards

Altenew Academy's Celebration: Stencil Techniques has some great ideas for using stencils in different ways.  Most of it was techniques I already know, but I enjoyed being reminded and inspired by Laurel Beard and her awesome cards!

These cards aren't representative of all of the techniques shared.  I kind of got carried away with the embossing paste stenciling!  LOL!  I think it's so fun to mix ink with embossing paste to color it and then use stencils to create beautiful backgrounds!

This first card is from lesson 1.   We were to use a card cover die and then use the die cut as a stencil. Of course, after you've stenciled through the die cut, your stencil is beautifully colored and can be used for a card, which is shown on the second card.
Different from my usual style, but I like it!  

This made a very quick and easy card!

Here's when I went crazy with the embossing paste!  LOL!  I managed to get two cards made from the many backgrounds I made.

Embossing paste mixed with SSS Fog ink

Embossing paste mixed with SSS Apricot ink
These last two I will be entering into the Flickr LOVE!--Handmade Cards, ATCs & Other Crafts May challenge "Bring on the Flowers".  Info is HERE.

This was a very enjoyable class and now I have several more backgrounds all ready to be made into cards!  Thanks so much for looking!  If you leave a comment, a big thank you to you!!!

Supplies:
Altenew stamps/dies:  Shadow Play, Beautiful Day, Remember This, Halftone Thanks, Label Love, Shutter Cover Die
Altenew Stencil: Sketched Lines Stencil
Other stencil:  Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous THMS026
Inks:  Simon Says Stamp, Distress Inks
Other: Pretty Pink Posh sequins, clear droplets, Nuvo drops