Stenciled Card Class Day Two

I thought I had trouble with Day One of the Stencil class I'm taking, but Day Two just had me in knots. (Note: It's me, not the class, it is GREAT !!) I was determined to do a project but I just had empty space in my head. I finally decided to sort of CASE Laura Bassen's card from the class video she did with a dog stencil and watercolours. I loved her video, in it she says " You gotta just let it go, honey". Working with paint and stencils, trying to achieve perfection could make a person a little NUTS! So I took a deep breath, and let it go!

I used Impression Obsession's CAC Canvas stamp (CC073) with a very pale blue pigment ink. I cut a dog using template plastic and my old Slice machine to make a stencil. I used black Twinkling H2O to stencil in the dog and its mirror image. Because of the CAC Canvas b'ground, you get a fabric effect with things stamped, or in this case, painted over it. I hand cut a heart, stamped the sentiment from IO All Occasion II (CL307), painted it with Twinks, and covered it with Glossy Accents. My Glossy Accents are old and have gotten thick (kind of like me :)), and cracked as it dried. I added some twine to finish it off. Although this is a very simple card, I think the old fella will like this one!
I am entering this in the IO challenge : http://mitrafriant.typepad.com/impression_obsession_news/2014/01/new-io-challenge-i-heart-you.html

Stencil Class Day Three

After all my growling about my first card for the Online Stencil class, I enjoyed making this card for the third day. True, it doesn't have a ton of layers, but I really like it a lot. The homework was to use embossing paste or something to give texture. Well, I already know that I just love Molding Paste so I was looking forward to this. I learned that you can add glitter to the pastes, so with my addiction to shine, that was the technique I just had to try!

I used a MFT Rose stencil with Molding Paste. I mixed the amount of paste I thought I'd need for a nice thick layer, with TH re-inkers. I just use wax paper for this so I don't have to clean it :)
I sprinkled glitter over it while it was wet. I also used another new to me, Simon Says Stamp die and stamp set. I cut the "you" out about four times so I could layer it up. The "are loved"is from the matching stamp set. I raised it on foam tape, but I didn't really like it until I added a little piece of black Doodlebug paper frills under it. That helped it stand out better. This card was FUN to make !

Stencil Class Day 1

I'm taking the Online Card Class on Stencils. I like to try new things, even if they cause me to be very aggravated. Day One made me crazy. The samples were fabulous, but I was trying to do a CAS card. I don't know why I even try ! There is nothing that makes me crazier than a CAS card, not even my epic battles with some of my Spellbinders and my cutting machines. (I swear they growl when they see each other!) I wouldn't call my homework for day one a success, but I'm going to post it anyway even though I would never send it to anyone. What I do like about it, is the AWESOME Simon Says Stamp "Hello" die. It's my first time using it and it and it has popped way up on my favourites list. (My die cutting machines like it too !)

I used a Prima mask, some TH Distress Inks, MME Washi tape, and the SSS die. What you can't see is the Shimmer spray that covers the whole front. You didn't think I could actually do something without shine, did you? The front panel is mounted on foam tape which really makes the die stand out. I'd love some constructive criticism as to how I could have made this better. I need all the help I can get! (That last statement refers to CAS cards, not my mental health!)

A Bottle of Poppies

This will be my second entry for JustRite's challenge #112, to use red, peach and green/blue. I didn't start off with the intention of making another card for the challenge, I just had an idea to use the bottle from the JR Baking Antique Tags, as a flower vase and I wanted it to be a greenish blue. I then started going through my stamps looking for some flowers. I thought the poppies from the JR Botanical Medallions and Banners would work, so I used Faber Castell Big Brush markers to colour the stamps and Faber-Castell Water Colour pencils to colour them in. I, and it seems like everyone else doing this challenge, was strangely enchanted by the unusual colour combo. Peach is not on my favourite colour list and would never put it with red, but all the cards entered are beautiful. So since I had the red and blue, I dug out some peachy coloured paper and here's my card!

This doesn't much look like my idea of a JustRite card. In fact, I think it will look a bit strange next to the other entries, but I am very pleased with it and plan to send it to someone very special recovering from cancer surgery.
As usual, you probably can't see that the layered flowers are all covered with Wink Of Stella in clear, and that I applied black Stickles to the poppy centres (carefully with a brush, to keep it out of the very centre and not too thick).
 I used Spellbinders A2 Curved Borders One along the edge. I used Copic marker YR00 to colour the tag, as I don't have the exact marker for the peach colour given, which was YR01, and did match the red on the tag to the given colour, R29.

Seriously, go see Sheri's sample card and all the entries for this challenge, you just may want to try this unusual colour combo yourself!
http://justritestampers.typepad.com/justrite-inspiration/2014/01/justrite-friday-challenge-112-color-inspiration.html

Sweet on You !

I swore to myself that I would use the really cute JR "The Scoop Vintage Labels Four", in JustRite's first challenge of the year and luckily Sherri posted a really pretty colour challenge. A sympathy card challenge would have been very difficult, there are some things ice-cream can't fix.
The colours to be used are Lipstick Red, Peach Puff and Blue Green. Here's the inspiration for the challenge.

I started my card by stamping the "Soda Fountain" image three times and used the required colours to colour it. I cut out different parts from the second and third stampings to layer on the first, and used Glossy Accents on the cherry and the strawberry sauce. I layered that on DP cut with a Becca Feecan die, then on a SB Labels Twenty-Eight. I used the corner accent from my brand new SB Lace Hearts die set. I <3 this set !!

This was my first time using this stamp set, but with all the ice-cream fans in my family I think I'll be using it a lot!
Update : Yay !! This card was choosen as one of the JR Challenge #112 Winners.
The JustRite challenge is found here :
http://justritestampers.typepad.com/justrite-inspiration/2014/01/justrite-friday-challenge-112-color-inspiration.html

A Blue Romance

My new blog header with all the gorgeous snow just represents a memory now. It looks and feels more like Spring than Winter with a few patches of old snow lurking in the shadows, green grass and mud. Lots and lots of mud ! A more appropriate header photo, would be of my kitchen floor covered in brown paw prints, but I'm saving that for the real Spring.

I have all kinds of wonderful new things to play with, thanks to the lovely IO sale and my second win at SSS, but I'm feeling miserable and not very creative. I rarely get sick (other than migraines), but when I do I like to go all out ! Whatever I have, has settled itself happily in my chest and has stolen my voice. It's a good thing I spent all that time teaching my dog to come to a whistle. I just wish I had trained my DH to do the same. I wonder how "DH" ever came about. I know that if I ever called my partner of almost thirty years, "Darling Husband", he'd go looking for the pod. Oh Heck, if I ever called him "Darling Husband", I'd go looking for my pod ! Oops! I digress.

I thought I'd make a simple Valentine card for the aforementioned DH. I really like the Small Quatrefoil C-A-C (CC-125) I just got from IO. I used the scoreboard to impress a line 1/4" in all around the card. I masked that off with painter's tape, and stamped the CAC with TH Broken China ink. I stamped another piece of white card with Versamark and heat embossed it with white. I coloured that with TH Broken China Distress Stain. I found some bits and pieces of glittered chipboard and a bit of my favourite ribbon. The card was supposed to end there! I have no idea how those flowers got on it, I had vowed to control my impulse to add more stuff, so I couldn't have done it! Now it's too girly for the old fella. Aaahh ! Old Fella, OF! That's so much better than DH in my opinion, especially as it could also stand for old fart. If you have a DH, don't even try to deny that you don't think that's appropriate!
I am entering this in the Impression Obsession challenge "Blue" : http://mitrafriant.typepad.com/impression_obsession_news/2014/01/new-impression-obsession-challenge-blue.html

Blue without You

It turns out that both Impression Obsession and Simon Says Stamp are hosting a "Blue" challenge. I just got my SSS order and in was the lovely IO Floral Lace Heart die, so it seemed appropriate to use it for this challenge.

I used heavy watercolour paper and embossed the die into it. I covered that area with gesso so it would resist the Dylusions Ink sprays. I mixed a tiny bit of ink, water and Perfect Pearls to paint over the gessoed area. I die cut the floral heart and painted on Dylusions inks and Perfect Pearls in white and blue, and glued it on top. I wanted one of those effects that doesn't show up well in photos ! :D
I printed the sentiment I wanted on the computer using a typewriter font. The base card stock is silver and I used a silver ribbon to tie around the card.
Here's a close up of the shiny part!

You can find the IO challenge here:
http://mitrafriant.typepad.com/impression_obsession_news/2014/01/new-impression-obsession-challenge-blue.html
The Simon Says Stamp Monday challende is found here:
http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/challenge-blues/