First Christmas Card of the Season

I bought a Verve Notebook stamp and Die, and I really like that little thing...so I laid it out on the desk and played around with some paper that had the colors of Christmas...I pulled out a stamp set from PTI Peaceful Poinsettia...I used the smaller of the poinsettia stamps and did a little background along with the smaller leaf...I don't know, is it a bit to busy, you think??  There is a nice little red bling in the center of the flower...

Make It Monday #34: Thick Chipboard Accents

This is the second card I made for the MIM #34 - Thick Chipboard Accents...making your own!  What a brilliant idea Erin from the design team had...so glad she shared this technique!  This time I pulled out Peace Be Still...I love that stamp set...I love the sentiments (words, really) and I love the Dove (or Holy Spirit!!)...I used the new sentiment from the Stylish Sentiments-Holiday and I used the scor-pal for the lines above and below the sentiment....that's it...thanks so much for looking.

Make It Monday #34: Thick Chipboard Accents

The challenge this week, was to make your own "chipboard" embellishment...so using a cereal box, or any other thinner cardboard and cutting it out 3-4 times and applying glue to each layer, you are in essence making your own chipboard.  The final cut is made with white card stock and then stamped and colored with copics...I pulled out the bus from the "Boys Basic:  Truckin' It"...Kind of a fun little card...I added that cute little dog from the Tiny Valentines Treat  and the tree from Falling Leaves....it reminded me of my grandchildren who live right next door...they catch the bus and the dog is sitting there watching them leave...he does not leave the property but gives a farewell bark to them...Thanks for taking a look!

Sorry for the poor quality of lighting...wow, we are having 80 degree days here in Oregon...and it is almost October 1!  We are loving it!!  The dog just has a 'shadow', he is not made into a chipboard (I hand cut him!!), but the bus has 5 layers!

September 2011 Blog Hop

This is the image for the PTI September Blog Hop...it has repetitive colors, straight lines, different directions of lines...anything goes...it was whatever inspires you...so, for me, it was the 'Lines'...So I immediately thought of the Background Basics:  Retro...it has lines!  So I cut some squares of glossy paper, inked up the lined stamp with versamark, embossed with clear powder, then when it was dry I rubbed different color ink over the square and buffed off any extra ink...then I laid it out on a card and used the sentiment from Think Big #3...

Make It Monday #33: Frosted Images - another card

I was inspired by this card, by Susan...
http://stampyblock.blogspot.com/2011/09/make-it-monday-33-frosted-images.html
I don't know her, but her card was posted just before my "jungle scene" card...and I really liked the simplicity along with that sentiment...so I thought...Hmmmm I like wheat and wheat fields...so I brought out my "With Sympathy" stamp set from PTI...I stamped the stems of the wheat with Hero Hues Latte Chalk Ink, then I re- stamped with fresh snow; the wheat flowers were stamped with summer sunrise ink and then re-stamped with fresh snow....I punched out a half circle on each side and wrapped a twine around it twice...just tied it off with a bow...no button or frills for this card...

Make It Monday #33: Frosted Images

The last day to enter PTI's Make It Monday (MIM)...my thought was to have a "jungle scene"...but in the dusky (or I suppose it could be 'dusty') daylight hours...so I stamped all the images and then reinked with vintage cream and applied that ink to all the stamped images...I even did the sun and stamped the circle a little beyond several times to give it the "haze" look.  Not sure if I accomplished the "Frosted Images", but I certainly think it appears like you are looking through a very hazy environment.

Color Blend Stamping with Distress Ink

Something a little different for me...definitely outside my comfort zone, however, I loved making my own background paper.  I covered the paper with peeled paint distress ink, then using Picket Fence Distress Stain, I inked up the large Fabric Design stamp, misted it a couple of times with the Pearlized Water and then pressed the paper onto the stamp...rubbed it for a few seconds and then heatset it.  In real life it has a shine to it...then using two .25 inch strips of watercolor paper, I inked two strips with Vintage photo Distress Ink and adhered them to the green stamped background.  I die cut the sides of the card using the medium scallop die from PTI...I wasn't in the mood for "rolled" felt flowers...and I really like to make sure most of my cards can go through the mail without a lot of extra expense...now this will cost a little more, but those flowers are so soft and flatten out real nice, I don't think they will be an issue...then I added some bling.  Unfortunately I did NOT get this card made in time for the Inspiration Showcase Class...but it is a card that Jennifer McGuire demonstrated...and I nearly have my canvas finished...I have one more circle to add...and I just don't have the products to make it...so I may leave it blank, or eventually I may pick up what I need to finish that circle...

There will be a HOLIDAY CARD BOOT CAMP in November...online, a lot of designers...check it out at onlinecardclasses.com.  The cost was a little more than this one, but it sounds like there are a lot of videos and a lot more cards...might be worth it for more Christmas inspiration!!

Just another Embossed card with background Distress Inks

The Online Card Class is over...wow, what a whirlwind, but I would do it again....I learned so much and had fun trying different techniques.  I know I have made a similar card...one that I posted quite a while ago, I used copics...a card cased by Nichole Heady on the Countdown Days for "It's a Jungle Out There"...this was stamped on watercolor paper and spritzed with Perfect Pearls to get the paper a bit wet.  I spread an assortment of distress inks on my craft sheet, sprayed with perfect pearls and used a paint brush for the background.  I heat embossed the sentiment...