Quite the opposite
Posted: April 11, 2009 Filed under: Birds in Vines 4 Comments
Finally, a card finished and a chance to post again! I’m sorry for the silence here, but life has been busy this week with both expected and unexpected events. My last post was titled “Simple indeed” and was just that, simple. This card, as my title suggests, was not so simple. I made a couple of attempts before creating this background, wanting both red and gold vines. Birds in Vines is my second Flourishes set, which has been sitting waiting for an opportunity to come out and play!
I started by brayering the background in Real Red and added some Elegant Eggplant brayering on the edges. I then stamped the vine in versamark and real red and embossed in clear. As the gold vine was to be the main image I stamped that in versamark over the top and then embossed in Gold e.p. I then deepened the background colour with some sponging in both red and eggplant. The gold bird is embossed and a bit of vine stamped over in eggplant on the sponged background. The card base is brushed gold and the matting real red. I was aiming for an oriental fabric feel to the card so I fiddled around with my thin red ribbon until I came up with the final arrangement, made up of two pieces crossed and a third folded, and looped through itself to make the tassel piece.
Thanks for dropping in, I hope the gap will not be so long before I next post, but we are entering a busy performance season for my girls so stamping time may be hard to come by.
Have a Happy Easter
Supplies:
Stamps: Birds in Vines (Flourishes)
Inks: Elegant Eggplant, Real Red, versamark
Cardstock: Brushed Gold, Real Red, Whisper White
Also: Clear e.p.,Gold e.p., Thin red satin ribbon, brayer
Simple indeed
Posted: April 4, 2009 Filed under: Best Yet, CAS, Itty Bitty Buds 8 Comments
I came across two very appealing blogs this week, featuring Clean and Simple, totally classy cards: Simplicity by Late Blossom and New England Stamper. I didn’t have much time last night to stamp, but it had been a week since I’d even touched my stamps so they were calling to me. CAS was the way to go. I used the very clever ribbon technique described by Susan on this post and the stamps from the Itty Bitty Buds hostess set.
Supplies:
Stamps: Itty Bitty Buds, Best Yet
Inks: Elegant Eggplant, Glorious Green
Cardstock: Elegant Eggplant, Glorious Green, Whisper White, Confetti White
Also: Stampin’ dimensionals, Green grosgrain ribbon
Silver on silver wedding
Posted: April 3, 2009 Filed under: Baroque Motifs, Ever After 2 Comments
At Christmas time I used the silver on silver embossing technique to make a card very similar to this one, just using a tree instead of a heart. I love the look of silver on silver so made a wedding card for a friend to use. There really isn’t much to the card. I stamped the Baroque Motifs flourish and the Ever After heart in versamark and then embossed with silver e.p. I attached a piece of pirouette pink cardstock inside the card and stamped the sentiment from Ever After in the centre in silver. The picture isn’t the best, I’m sorry, I find it hard to photograph the silver well.
Thanks for dropping in. I hope to have something new to share soon. I have not done any creating in a week and I am itching to stamp again. I have eight scrapbook layouts on my craft table which need to be stuck together. They are the final pages in a scrapbook chronicling the 2007-2008 season of Stellae Boreales , the violin ensemble my girls belong to. I need to finish that scrapbook and get started on this year’s before the current season is over!
Supplies:
Stamps: Ever After, Baroque Motifs
Inks: Versamark
Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Brushed Silver
Also: Light pink grosgrain ribbon, silver cord, silver e.p.
Think Summer
Posted: March 29, 2009 Filed under: Branch Out, Designer Paper 5 Comments
As I mentioned in my last post Julie Koerber and Laura Fredrickson are celebrating milestones on their blogs. Yesterday I posted my CASE of one of Laura’s cards, today Julie has been my inspiration, I chose her card ‘Think Spring’ and made my own Think Summer card. The colours and image in Julie’s card are beautiful and the colouring very delicate. My tree is a different style altogether, using the cute little bird and bird house that come with the ‘Branch Out’ tree. I masked a hill shape and sponged my sky in Bashful Blue then used the reverse mask to sponge a hill in Certainly Celery. The rest is self explanatory with colour details belov.
Congratulations Julie and Laura, thank you for all the inspiration.
Supplies:
Stamps: Branch Out
Inks: Ballet Blue, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, More Mustard, Garden Green
Cardstock: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Delicate Dots d.p.
Also: Celery twill ribbon, Hodgepodge Hardware Antique Brass buckle
Amethyst thoughts
Posted: March 28, 2009 Filed under: Thoughts and Prayers 4 Comments
If you frequent the talented Julie Koerber’s blog you would know that she and her equally talented friend Laura are celebrating milestones on their blogs. Even before I read about the celebrations and blog candy I knew I wanted to CASE this card on Laura’s blog. Everything about her card appealed to me.
The paper on my card has been sitting in my stash for several years. It is from Close to my Heart but co-ordinates beautifully with SU Almost Amethyst. To make the centre panel I inked the floral stamp with Almost Amethyst and then coloured the stems and flower centres over the top with Always Artichoke and Elegant Eggplant markers. Behind the centre panel I have attached a piece of narrow amethyst satin ribbon and then a bow of blue organza ribbon.
Now I’m off to choose a card to CASE on Julie’s wonderful blog.
Supplies:
Stamps: Thoughts and Prayers
Inks: Almost Amethyst, Always Artichoke amd Elegant Eggplant Markers
Cardstock: Whisper White, Almost Amethyst, Always Artichoke, Victorian B & T Lilac Mist (CTMH)
Also: Amethyst satin ribbon, Blue Organza ribbon
A little help from my friend
Posted: March 24, 2009 Filed under: Designer Paper, Thoughts and Prayers, Uncategorized 5 Comments
While stamping one night last week my inspiration left me and I fiddled around with designer paper for a while without getting anywhere. The answer to my problem was of course, to scan through Sharon’s archives at No Time to Stamp. There are loads of simple but impressive cards over there. This is the one I chose to CASE
Isn’t this such a cool card and so straight forward to make. I used my 1¼” punch and my 1 3/8″ punch to make the button and the cropodile for the holes. I tied the ribbon through, popped the buttons up on a few Stampin’ dimensionals and that’s it. Thank you Sharon for your never ending supply of inspiration.
Supplies:
Stamps: Thoughts and Prayers
Inks:Riding Hood Red, Certainly Celery
Cardstock: Whisper white, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Delicate dots d.p., Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Bella Rose d.p.
Also: circle punches, cropodile, olive grosgrain ribbon, celery twill ribbon
Add a ribbon tab
Posted: March 21, 2009 Filed under: Pocket Silhouettes, Thoughts and Prayers 7 Comments
Over at No Time to Stamp this week Sharon’s Stamp Simply challenge is to use a ribbon tab. Rather that a knot or a bow, which is the way I usually add ribbon, I had to add a folded tab of ribbon instead. Although the colours on this photo are not quite true I love the way the camera picked up the sheen on my navy satin ribbon tab.
I started this card with five strips of Very vanilla cardstock, just left overs out of the scrap drawer. I used the brayer to roll Mellow Moss onto a couple of pieces, Always Artichoke onto another, Not quite Navy on a fourth and then a combination of those colours on the fifth. I then used the same colours to stamp the leafy stamp from Pocket Silhouettes onto the strips. When I had finished them I stuck them on a piece of Night of Navy cardstock with the spaces in between. At this stage the piece was quite big and I decided that some stitching would add to the design so I threaded up my machine with a co-ordinating thread and began to sew around the outside of the rectangle. My machine did not like it at all. I cut off the edges I had sewn and did some more trials, on a scrap of cardstock this time, but no luck. I decided to check whether the machine was working with fabric, which it was but not with cardstock, so I gave the stitching idea.
My central image of a tree was stamped with versamark and Night of Navy then embossed with clear before I sponged Mellow Moss and Not quite Navy diagonally across the piece and then added the sentiment. After cutting the unsuccessful sewing off my background piece it was the right width but not longer the right height so I added a strip at the bottom sponged with Mellow Moss and Not quite Navy again and stamped with the tree leaves. I’d still like to master sewing on my cards but not at the risk of damaging my sewing machine, so I’ll be doing a little research. If you have any tips let me know.
Supplies:
Stamps: Thoughts and Prayers, Pocket Silhouettes
Inks: Versamark, Mellow Moss, Not quite Navy, Always Artichoke,Night of Navy
Cardstock: Very Vanilla,Night of Navy
Also: Clear e.p. Navy satin ribbon
Poppy Patch
Posted: March 19, 2009 Filed under: Poppy Patch, Thoughts and Prayers 4 Comments
I love these poppies!
This is my first stamp set from Flourishes, a birthday gift from my daughter. I haven’t quite worked out an efficient way to clean the clear stamps so if you have any hints for me please leave a comment. I realized when I was colouring these poppies that I haven’t used outline stamps in a long while, so I haven’t used my watercolour pencils in a while either. You would know, if you visit here regularly that I have been stamping a lot of silhouettes. Well, that might change, with these poppies and the new Sweet Peas from Flourishes also, when I get hold of them!
I began by stamping the poppies in Basic Black and colouring with watercolour pencils and a blender pen. I then sponged a Bashful Blue background around the poppies. I stamped one poppy and cut it out ready to overlap some of the others and decided to let it overlap a little of the oval where I stamped the sentiment. I chose gingham ribbon because poppies seem to be carefree and casual flowers to me. Not like the formal roses who might demand satin or velvet ribbon, the poppies are happy with gingham! There is a challenge on the Flourishes blog this week to use ribbon on your card, so this is my entry, not a very adventurous use or ribbon, I know but ribbon all the same.
Supplies:
Stamps: Poppy Patch (Flourishes), Thoughts and Prayers
Inks: Basic Black, Bashful Blue,
Cardstock: Whisper white, Bashful Blue, Always Artichoke
Also: Red gingham ribbon, Creative memories oval cutters, Faber-Castell Watercolour pencils, blender pen
Branch Out – Summer
Posted: March 18, 2009 Filed under: Branch Out, Pocket Silhouettes 3 Comments
I am making a set of cards for a friend, which I will first show at a workshop, using the designer paper from the Sale-a-bration catalog. This blue paper is so bright and pretty, like a summer sky, that I decided to make it the background for this summertime scene. I didn’t emboss this time just started with a chocolate chip tree, added lots of celery leaves, a swing and a few butterflies.
To make the little friend to friend tab I stamped the sentiment and then punched it out with one side of a square punch (and the matte with a larger sqaure punch), which was much easier than trying to cut it evenly with my big cutter.
This is such a cute stamp set, but I need to play around a bit so I can come up with some different layouts and ways of using the tree.
Supplies:
Stamps: Branch Out, Pocket Silhouettes
Inks: Ballet Blue, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Basic Black
Cardstock: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Delicate Dots d.p.
Blossom tree
Posted: March 17, 2009 Filed under: Branch Out 7 Comments
Here is my first effort with the Branch Out set. Although our trees are nowhere near looking like this and our grass is just beginning to appear from under the ice and snow, I hold out hope that I will see blossoms blowing off trees in the not too distant future.
The first thing I did was stamp the tree in Close to Cocoa Craft ink, then embossed with clear e.p. To make the blossoms I used versamark and Pretty in Pink so I could emboss them in clear also. I then ripped a piece of paper to make the hill shape and kept both pieces so I could mask the hill area while I sponged the sky with Bahsful Blue and Ballet Blue, then vice versa for the grass, which is sponged in Garden Green.
Thanks for dropping by, I hope you are enjoying some spring where you are.
Supplies:
Stamps: Branch Out
Inks: Bashful Blue, Ballet Blue, Garden Green, Close to Cocoa Craft, Pretty in Pink, Versamark
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pirouette Pink, Garden Green
Also: clear e.p.
Heather Telford 