All That We Behold

Today I combined one of my favorite Artistic Outpost images  from the Outpost stamp set with a sentiment from a totally different Artistic Outpost stamp set, Flower Market. There is something very peaceful in the combination of this image with this sentiment to me. I love the way the framing of the image and sentiment with the combination of Cheery Lynn dies pulls your eye toward the image.
I am entering this card in these challenges. The Artistic Outpost Referral Challenge has the theme anything goes (using an AO stamp). Cheery Lynn Designs wants us to frame it. (Cheery Lynn dies used are Japanese Garden Lace oval, Dutch Doily Rectangle frame, and Felicity Tiny doily). The Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge and Word Art Wednesday challenge are both  anything goes challenges.

All Packed and Ready to Go

Have packed suitcase, will travel. The top image shows the suitcase closed, with lots of travel stickers on it. When you open the suitcase, the clothes are all packed and ready to go. There's a bit of a story to my card. I started with kraft cardstock and cut out the suitcase using the Tim Holtz die. I made a second cut to cut out the trim. The travel stickers are pieces of scraps which I stamped using Stampsmith stamps. Of course the suitcase had to have lining inside. Once the suitcase was assembled, I started packing. For the clothing, I used the Stampsmith vintage paper doll set. I stamped the clothing pieces and parts of the two dolls on designer paper. I cut out the clothing pieces from the stamped images and highlighted parts with distress marker.

My card is being entered into several challenges. At Stampsmith the challenge is world traveller. Mark's Finest Paper Simple Salutations challenge is girl things. Frilly & Funkie has the challenge theme, my steamer trunk. Inspiration Journal's challenge is summer vacation. (While I actually spent my summer babysitting for grandchildren, a trip to Paris, or anywhere, would have been a wonderful adventure.)

Notion Box in Steampunk

What do you get when you combine two metallic atc sized cards with two small match boxes and then add the flavor of steampunk. You get a great little metallic steampunk notions box with drawers.
To make this box, I started with two Ranger metallic atc blanks and two small  matchboxes. I then dry embossed the atc blanks using the riveted sheet embossing folder (Sizzix). A little black soot alcohol ink was added around the edges for distress and contrast. The corset is die cut using a Cheery Lynn die. Pearls were added as fasteners for the corset. The handsome guy is Mercius from the SB Collection. The stamp image is from Graphic 45. The matchboxes were painted with antique bronze distress paint -- both the outsides and inserts, inside and out. I attached a brad to the front of each insert to serve as drawer pulls. The two painted match boxes are glued together along one side. I added tissue tape along the outer sides of the boxes to give a nice finish. The two atc cards are glued to the top and bottom of the match boxes. The completed box with its two drawers makes a great little notions box and is easy and fun to make.
I am entering my box into several challenges. Ink on my Fingers Sunday challenge had the theme, Titanium, and we were to use metal. Three Muses wants a steampunk theme. MFP Friends of Speedy is challenging us to use metal as is Simply Steampunk. SanDee and Amelie's Steampunk August challenge is matchbox steampunk.

Grin & Bear It

Hopefully my card today will bring a smile to your face. I decided to have a little fun in my studio, so I brought out my Getting Grizzly set of stamps from Rogue Redhead Designs. My card meets the challenges at Marks Finest Papers Inspiration Thursday which is looks like a lodge. The background and images say rustic, just as you might expect in a lodge in the woods. I am also entering my card in V's Sweet Challenge which is something twine and in MFP Simple Salutations challenge which is wild animals. Well, even cute bears are wild animals.

Love Blooms

For my challenges card today, I decided to make a long, skinny card -- one that fits in a #10 envelope. I started with a kraft base card. The white background panel was first stamped with the vines (SweetStamps).  Then I dry embossed the panel with a wicker basket design (Cuttlebug). Since the card was longer than my folder, I had to hold my breath and force myself to cut a slit in the folder. Tim Holtz does this all the time, so I guess it's okay. lol The doilies were cut from my large and tiny felicity dies (Cheery Lynn). The butterflies and ovals are also cut from Cheery Lynn dies. My focal image (SweetStamps) was stamped using the marker watercolor technique. The sentiment is from Club Scrap.

I am entering this card into several challenges. The colors on my card were influenced by the color challenge at Kraft Journal. Cheery Lynn challenged us to use doilies. Both SweetStamps and Word Art Wednesday have an anything goes challenge. Stampin' for the Weekend is challenging wants to see butterflies.

Back to School Time

This week Blogger's Challenge is back to school, as is the Wednesday challenge at Simon Says Stamp and Gecko Galz. I used the challenge sketch from Mojo Monday as the basis of my card layout. My main image is from Gecko Galz. The sentiment and alphabet stamps are from Club Scrap. Tuesday Throwdown challenged us to use our scraps. Except for the card base and the focal image, all of the paper used on this card was cut from partially used papers and other scrap paper.

Carnival Clown

For this card I got to use a stamp I borrowed from my sister, a long time ago. I just love this clown, an old stamp from Stampers Anonymous. I guess I should give him back sometime, but in the meantime I'm taking good care of him. I stamped the clown in archival crimson and  highlighted the image with wild honey distress ink. The background panel was double dry embossed -- first with dots (wild honey) and then with the post card folder (faded jeans), both Tim Holtz folders. The pennant was cut using the Tim Holtz on the edge pennant die, inked with wild honey, and then highlighted with Rangers Rock Candy dry glitter.
I am entering this card into several challenges. Simon Says Stamp Monday has the theme of carnival. I thought that the clown and the glittery pennant went well with that challenge. Take a Word wants to see warm colours. Artistic Stamper has a challenge of post card, travel, holidays. And, Creative Belli is challenging us to use glitter.

12 Tags of 2013 -- August

For those of you who know me well, don't panic. It's not the end of the month already. No, I actually finished my August tag from Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2013 very early. First of all, I love the stamps Tim used and I have to admit, I was still on a high from being a winner for the July tag. Although I do have the car stamps Tim featured, I went with the train tag -- my grandson loves trains. So, this one's for you Joshua!
I am also entering my tag into the Artistic Stamper challenge which is postcards, travel, holidays. In addition, this tag fits the theme at Tag Tuesday which is travel.

Lighthearted

I love to challenge myself by combining challenges. This card represents how I spent my afternoon trying to complete these three challenges.. At Cornish Heritage Farms, the challenge was a sketch challenge. The monthly challenge at Great Impressions is to make a square card. The SweetStamps monthly challenge is to use the dryer sheet technique.

I started with designer paper from My Mind's Eye to make the border. I added a sweet little stamp from SweetStamps to enhance the border. The clown fish image is a Cornish Heritage Farms stamp. The second fish is from Great Impressions. The bubbles bling has been in my stash for a long time. The slightly hazy look to the image is from the dryer sheet technique.

Simple Things

This week the challenge at Our Daily Bread Designs is fluttering or flying. The challenge at Fashionable Stamping is script, books, pages, print.
To make my card I started with  a page from an old German dictionary. I used the peeled paint (with vaseline) technique for the background. I had a few questions on how to do this technique, so I'll give a quick explanation. I adhered the dictionary page to a piece of plain cardstock using gel medium. I added a layer of gel medium over the top to seal the paper. After the gel medium dried, I added swipes of vaseline with my finger. Immediately I painted over the whole sheet with acrylic paint to which I had added a spray of water. After the paint dried I used a paper towel to wipe off the paint from the vaseline areas and to wipe off the remaining vaseline. The result is a grungy, distressed background.
The image and sentiment stamps are from Our Daily Bread Designs. The image label matched and was die cut using a Spellbinders die. The humming bird with flourish was cut using a Cheery Lynn die.

From Matchboxes to Art

What do you get when you take two small matchbooks, some pretty paper and diecuts, and add a little bling? You get a lovely little gift box with drawers. This week the challenge at Bloggers Challenge is to alter something.

To make this box, I started with two small match boxes and glued them together along one side. To make the top and bottom, I cut chipboard pieces the size of atc cards. (2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches) I applied gesso to both sides of both pieces for strength and to the striking area on the outer sides of the glued boxes. Using paint and design paper I covered the top and bottom cardstock and the sides of the boxes as well as the front, back, and inside of the drawers. Brads were added as drawer pulls. For the top of the box, I decorated it as I would an atc. The heart is die cut using the plain heart from Spellbinders and the ornate heart from Cheery Lynn. The silhouette heads are cut using a Tim Holtz die. I cut them several times from black cardstock and glued the cuts together for dimension. I inked the edges, added some bling and some paper roses to finish off the box.

I am also entering my box into the Take a Word Challenge which is pink.

You Are My Sunshine

This week there are several challenges relating to the sun and summertime. Summer brings to mind bright sunshine. I just added a fantasy balloon flight and the sea to conjure up a picture of summer fun. My sunny background was made using a texture fade from Tim Holtz on a yellow cardstock panel. The balloon, ocean waves, and sentiment oval/frame were die cut using Cheery Lynn dies. The sentiment was stamped using a Club Scrap stamp.
I am entering this card into these challenges: Cheery Lynn Designs -- hot time in the summer, Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge -- Ode to Sunshine, City Crafter --summer time, and Creative Belli -- summer.