Trick or Treat

Tomorrow (Friday) is Halloween. I thought I'd share one more Halloween card. I started with a great piece of designer paper. I pulled out several sets of Halloween stamps from Artistic Outpost. I couldn't let the holiday go by without using the dapper skeleton all dressed up in his formal finest. I wanted to mask him, but he is quite skinny and difficult to cut out. Then I remembered that I had a jar of Masking Friskit. It was the perfect answer to mask my bony friend. I used a white gel pen to highlight his bones. The haunted mansion is another of my favorite stamps, along with the colony of bats. (Yes, that's what a group of bats is called.) Halloween was stamped in orange. The 'Trick or Treat" sentiment block is a part of  a larger stamp. I stamped it and then heat embossed it and cut out the part I wanted. Halloween Kisses--my treat to you!
Since this is the week and month of Halloween, there are a number of challenges met by my Halloween card: Tuesday Throwdown -- dressed up-costume; Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge -- treats; Sweet Stamps -- Spooky; 3 Muses -- Take Fright; Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge -- anything goes; Marks Finest Papers Simple Salutations -- Boo to You; Inspiration Emporium -- In Disguise; Art With Heart -- Tricks or Treats; Artistic Outpost -- anything goes with Artistic Outpost stamps.

Golden Autumn Days

My card today is based on the Mojo Monday challenge sketch layout.  My image and sentiment are brand new stamps (to me) from Serendipity stamps. I was really happy to be able to use them. I stamped my image on watercolor paper. I used the distress marker watercolor technique to watercolor the pheasants. The top layering panel was perfect for the sentiment. My background was made by layering leaves which were die cut  (Tim Holtz/Sizix) from an old book page onto a cardstock panel. The leaves were edged with distress ink. I think that the leaves, colors, and image make a wonderful autumn card.
I am also entering my card into these challenges: Ink on my Fingers Sunday Challenge -- add leaves; City Crafter -- leaves; Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge -- use watercoloring; Word Art Wednesday -- anything goes; Fashionable Stamping -- anything goes; Frilly and Funkie --autumn colors; Great Impressions -- autumnal elegance; Serendipity Stamps -- fall.

Summertime

simon

This card is a definite celebration of summer. I had a chance to use a  lot of my little Cheery Lynn dies and lots of bright colors. I started with a bright summer sky blue card base. I then stamped it with the music Behind the Scenes from Rogue Redhead Designs. The lattice was then added. I added the fringe for grass, flowers and the insects -- dragonfly, butterfly, bee, and ladybug. All of the dies are from Cheery Lynn Designs. The sentiment is a Club Scrap stamp.
I am entering my card into these challenges: Cheery Lynn Designs --hot time in the summer; City Crafter -- animal magic; Simon Says Wednesday challenge -- anything goes; Word Art Wednesday -- anything goes; Marks Finest Papers Speedy Fox and Friends -- music.

Magic Inside Us

This week the Bloggers Challenge is stencil it. I used Tim Holtz's stars stencil and a touch of bleach to stencil the panels on my card which is based on the Mojo  Monday tall and skinny sketch challenge.
The base card is kraft. The focal sentiment is from Artistic Outpost. Since Kraft Journal challenged us to show inside and out, I am also sharing the inside of my card. All of the stamps are also from Artistic Outpost. The Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge is happy birthday.
I am also entering my card into these challenges: Ink on my Fingers Sunday Challenge -- brown; Take a Word -- stars; Simon Says Monday challenge -- anything goes; Marks Finest Paper Friends of Speedy -- up in the sky; and Word Art Wednesday --anything goes.

Spring

Today's Spring card features a butterfly and tulips. The background panel was stamped using the marker to stamp technique. The butterfly was stamped with embossing ink, covered with glue powder and heated, and then distress glitter was added. Both the tulips and the butterfly are SweetStamps images. The sentiment (Hero Arts) was stamped and then die cut.
This card is being entered into these challenges: SweetStamps -- anything goes; Simon Says Wednesday challenge -- glitter it; Word Art Wednesdays -- anything goes; and Mark's Finest Papers Color challenge -- spring colors.

Silence of the Heart

One doesn't have to be totally shabby to be vintage Tim Holtz chic. Tim's techniques are universal. Today, I chose to make a tag. My background is done using distress paint marbling. One thing that always amazes me about Tim's techniques is that you really can't make bad color choices. I literally reached into my box of distress paints and pulled out several different, unrelated colors. I love the results. It reminds me of pictures I've seen of the Northern Lights. The challenge at Our Daily Bread Designs is  metal or sweets. (Happy Anniversary ODBD!) I chose to use metal. The die cut rose (Sizzix) and the sentiment frame (Spellbinders) are both cut from a sheet of copper. The rose is colored using distress glitter.
I am entering my tag into these other challenges: Simon Says Wednesday challenge -- tag it; Stampin' for the Weekend -- sparkle and shine (metal and glitter and bling); and A Vintage Journey Challenge -- anything Tim Holtz.

Love Defined

It's been so long that I've forgotten how cool embossing paste is to use. My card background was made with almond colored embossing paste and a stencil.  My focal image was created using the trellis die, miniature rose die, and ivy corner flourish (all from Cheery Lynn Designs).The stamped sentiment and hearts are from the Tim Holtz collection. the result is a texture filled card.
My card is being entered into these challenges: Cheery Lynn Designs -- die cut flowers; Ink on My Fingers Sunday challenge --heart; Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge -- paste; Tuesday Throwdown -- anything goes; Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge -- anything goes with pearls; Word Art Wednesday -- anything goes; Fashionable Stamping -- anything goes; and Frilly & Funkie -- stencils and texture.