All Things Bright and Beautiful

Today's Bloggers Challenge is animals. What represents animals better than Noah's Ark? This adorable image and the accompanying sentiment are both stamps from Our Daily Bread Designs. The layout design is the sketch challenge from Mojo Monday. The image was colored using distress markers. Kraft cardstock was used for the base card.
 My card is also being entered into these challenges: Mojo Monday --  sketch; Kraft Journal -- color challenge; Our Daily Bread Designs -- all ODBD stamps; Word Art Wednesday -- anything goes; and V's Sweet Ideas -- kid's theme.

Create the World You Want to See

The challenge at Simply Steampunk this month is to create your own background. I decided to create a couple of ATCs. I created the backgrounds using the paint marbling technique. I made both of the backgrounds using the same paints, yet they both came out differently. You never know what you'll get when you use the distress paints in this way. I used the Romance Annie and Romance Emma images. These were colored using distress markers and then cut out. I adhered each image to a card and added the sentiment blocks.

Machines and Nature

Today my card is a little steam-y...steampunk that is. I found a quote from Antoine de Saint- Exupery which I thought was appropriate to use here. "The machine does not isolate man from the great problems of nature, but plunges him more deeply into them. My card started with a panel of Steampunk word design paper from Graphic 45. I then cut a panel of transparent packing, colored it with alcohol inks, and dry embossed it. I attached the two panels by using brads in the corners.  The die cut leaves and bicycle were cut from Cheery Lynn dies. The hat was off stamped over the typed quote.
This card is being entered into these challenges. SanDee & Amelie's Steampunk challenge -- transparency; Three Muses -- age of steam; Mark's Finest Papers Friends of Speedy challenge -- 3 or more brads; and Simon Says Monday Challenge -- transparent .

12 Tags of 2014 -- March

Today's project was to work on  the March tag for the Tim Holtz 12 tags of 2014 challenge. This was a fun challenge. Today's technique is smudge stamping. It's interesting how the effect of the stamped off tag is so different from the direct stamped tag. Both effects are really great. I used different stamps than Tim did. My bird and nest stamps haven't arrived yet. I got a chance to use the stamps from a couple of the science sets I got last year. I love these stamps and they really worked for this technique. April is just around the corner; Can't wait to see what's next.

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.

Dreaming

When I saw this weeks inspiration photo for the Speedy Fox & Friends challenge, I immediately thought of shimmer sheets. These are plastic like sheets which look holographic and are gorgeously colored. The background of my card is a piece of shimmer sheetz which I dry embossed. (IRL the background shimmers and shines and  has beautiful purple and blue colors.) Frilly and Funkie challenged us to use neglected dies. The oval dies I used were some of the first dies(Spellbinders) I ever bought. Since they were purchased, I have acquired so many different dies and kind of forgot about these. I brought them out and dusted them off and here they are. This card is also being entered in Ink on My Fingers Sunday Challenge where Hels has the theme dream. All of the stamps used are from Rogue Redhead Designs.

Spring is Here

Today is the first full day of spring and for one day we are scheduled to actually have spring temperatures in Chicago. Today's Bloggers Challenge -- celebrates the coming of spring by wanting us to think spring.
My card starts with a spring green background on which I stenciled alphabet letters for interest. I then added the French Lattice Cheery Lynn die cut. the flower packet, stamped flowers, and sentiment are all stamps from Artistic Outpost. The die cut butterfly and flower are from Cheery Lynn.
My card is also being entered into these challenges:Cheery Lynn Designs -- think spring; Classy Cards 'n Such --flutterbys (Classy Cards 'n Such is a great place to order Cheery Lynn Design dies); City Crafter -- spring in the garden; Three Muses -- spring; Marks Finest Papers Simple Salutations -- things with wings; Artistic Outpost monthly referral challenge -- anything goes with Artistic Outpost stamps; and The Artistic Stamper --letters, words, numbers (background alphabet letters, sentiment and seed packet words, and 15 cents).

Secret to Staying Young

Saturday is my dearest friend Don's birthday. I wanted to create a fun, masculine card for him. Here's wishing Don a happy and wonderful birthday and many, many more!

I based my layout on the Mojo Monday sketch challenge. The background is a gold strip panel with a stamped kraft panel. The focal gentleman, sentiment, and background stamping are all Artistic Outpost Stamps.

I am entering this card into these challenges: Mojo Monday --sketch; Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge -- touch of gold; and Artistic Outpost monthly referral challenge -- anything goes with Artistic Outpost stamps.

Nothing but Happiness

Here's another St. Patrick's Day greeting, this time in a tag format. I layered a green panel over a kraft tag. I kept the tag CAS because I wanted the sentiment to be the focus. The sentiment stamps and the image are all from Club Scrap. I added a little bling to represent celebration.
My tag is being entered into these challenges: The Kraft Journal -- tag; Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge -- lucky; Word Art Wednesday -- anything goes; Stampin' for the Weekend -- anything goes; Take a Word -- green.

Luck

Happy St. Patrick's Day and the luck of the Irish to you. 

My card's background panel was a very simple combination of a Dylusions stencil and Pan Pastels. Notice how the colors go -- red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet -- the colors of the rainbow. The center sentiment (Tim Holtz) panel is covered with lucky shamrocks (Kitchen Sink Stamps).  A rainbow and a little good luck will always bring a smile to my face.
My card is being entered into these challenges: Ink on My Fingers Sunday challenge -- happy; City Crafters -- rainbow; SweetStamps -- lucky; and Addicted to CAS --luck.

Birthday Greetings

I am a day late for the Bloggers challenge. I was taking a little R&R for a couple of days. My friend (and college roommate from way, way back) invited me to visit with her in her new home. It was a grown-up sleepover. We had so much fun visiting an art gallery and boutique shopping. Of course, there was good food and maybe even a little wine.
I'm back home and ready to share my latest card. I'm dedicating this card to my two friends, Lisa and Gerrie, who are celebrating their birthdays this weekend. This weeks Bloggers Challenge is  "They say it's your birthday."
I based my layout on the Marks Finest Papers Sketch With a Twist challenge, the twist is to use green. I did turn the sketch on its side.
To make my card, I started with the background panel. I used a bubbles stencil and sprayed it with several colors of Dylusions sprays. Then I embossed the panel with the candles. I highlighted the candles with iced spruce distress ink. The candle is Tim Holtz's cupcake minus the candle (too tall for the card). I substituted a strawberry (Kitchen Sink Stamps) on the top. The cupcake wrapper is paperpieced. The frosting is covered with sprinkles --well, glass glitter and distress rock candy glitter.
Lisa and Gerrie, I hope your birthday is as wonderful as you are!

Creative Chemistry 102 -- Day 4

Faux Patina and Tinted Tinsel

Ombré and Monoprint

Faded Layers

Today I decided to enjoy myself and work on the tags for day 4 of Creative Chemistry 102. I've got one more set of tags for day 5. I wish I could have done the class along with everyone else, but it was important to get my health back. So here I am late with my classwork, but much healthier.

Masquerade

My card today has the flair of Mardi Gras. The card base is gold metallic.The background is a favorite of mine. I used a piece of Shimmer Sheetz which is a kind of plastic. The colors are holographic and very shimmery. I die cut the oval from the panel and then dry embossed it with the fleur de lis pattern. The stamps are all from Rogue Redhead Designs, Carnival Dreams. The image was colored using watercolor pencils on watercolor paper. The layout is based on the Rogue Stampers sketch featured on the Rogue Stampers Facebook page.
I am entering my card in these challenges: Flourishes Timeless Tuesday -- MASKerade and Inspiration Journal -- bright 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.

Live in the Moment

Live in the moment is such good advice. The cool sun dial (Serendipity) makes a  great image for the moment. Framing my image is a doily from Cheery Lynn.
 I am entering my card into these challenges: Cheery Lynn Designs -- doilies; Simon Says Monday Challenge -- Tick Tock; Marks Finest Papers Simple Salutations -- About Time.

Springtime

 I am really in the mood to see spring flowers. This week the Bloggers Challenge is fab florals. Along with my flowers, I had to add some butterflies. Yes, spring can't come soon enough for me. For my background I used some wonderful kraft colored textured paper.  The butterfly border (Tim Holtz) is die cut from similar white textured paper and tinted using distress inks. The focal floral image is from SweetStamps. These were colored using the spray mist coloring technique from Technique Junkies (Try That Technique challenge). The sprays I used are from Radiant Rains. It's been quite a while since I pulled them out to play with. The sentiment is from Club Scrap.
My card is also being entered into these challenges: SweetStamps Designs -- spring flowers and Word Art Wednesday -- anything goes.

Change

My card today follows the Mojo Monday challenge sketch. The background is a page from an old book which I added picket fence distress stain and then stamped over the page with butterfly stamps (Club Scrap). The side panel is a piece of Graphics 45 design paper. The center frame was cut from a scrap of design paper. The sentiment is from Club Scrap. The die cut butterflies are from Cheery Lynn.
I am also entering my card into the Ink on My Fingers Sunday Challenge which is bright colors.

Tranquility

For my card today, I pulled out a product that I haven't used in ages. I created my image background with alcohol inks. My stamp is an oldie, but favorite from Club Scrap. The card design is based on the sketch from Mark's Finest Papers Oriental Sketch Challenge.
My card is also being entered in these challenges: Flourishes Timeless Tuesday -- use a stamped image but no coloring; and Kraft Journal --birds.

Love is Merely a Madness

When I saw that the challenge at Simply Steampunk was tragic or broken love, I knew that I had to use Skeleton Key Samantha as my image. Locking your love in a cell and running away with the skeleton key is certainly a sign of broken love -- at least for the guy in the cell. I thought that the Shakespeare quote went quite well with the scene.

Magic Happens

No more snowflakes please; I want to see some spring flowers! To make my card I used a piece of newspaper as my background panel. I then added swipes of gesso. Over the dried gesso I added antique paper distress stain. My floral stamp (Serendipity Stamps) is a form of watercolor using direct to stamp watercolor crayons. The sentiment is also from Serendipity.
My card is being entered into these challenges: Serendipity Stamps challenge -- sheet music or news print ; and Great Impressions -- spring celebration.