Square Cards - IO challenge

A quick card for the IO challenge to make a square card. I used Impression Obsessions C-A-C Woodgrain  and IO's Sunflower Barn (H1157). This card measures 4 3/4" square.

Beautiful Stamped Background?

So I have another card for Impression Obsession's Beautiful Stamped Background challenge, and I'm not so sure that 'beautiful' is the right word for it. I'm thinking 'interesting' might be more appropriate!

I was looking through my IO Cover A card stamps and although I have some that are certainly more beautiful, the Splatter stamp (CAC059) kept drawing my attention. Looking at it, I thought it might be fun to stamp it using water. So I took a piece of watercolor paper and with a TH applicator, I applied two colours of Distress Ink, Stormy Sky and Bundled Sage. I then sprayed my background stamp with water and lay the paper on top and used a brayer to press it onto the stamp. I then quickly heat dried it so it didn't run. I then took my two inks and applied them to the stamp and pressed the paper down again. I LOVE the way it turned out! It has a lot of depth to it and kind of makes me think of granite.
I decided not to cover it very much, so I just used the Garden Umbel stencil from Memory Box with Molding Paste and a sentiment from the IO All Occasion II stamp set ( CL307).
I cut my card base to be narrower on the front so I could add a MS border punched piece to one side which shows the striped paper I lined the inside with.

I just discovered that Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday challenge is to 'Make Your Own Background'. Here's the link: http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/simon-says-make-your-own-background/
AND Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge is " Rock the Techniques". I laughed when I saw that, since I thought my water stamping looked like granite rock.
http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/?p=1893

Autumn Wreath

So I've been sick for about a month now, and haven't felt like doing much of anything. I did manage to do a complete re-install of Windows in my laptop. Talk about a pain in the behind ! At least now, I can finally leave comments again on all my favorite blogs. YAY!! I did manage to cut a supply of little diecuts from my scraps. Tedious to the nth degree, but good to have a stockpile.

 I cut a bunch of Fall coloured leaves from two dies from two different Impression Obsession sets, DIE022-U and DIE023-X. I glued them to the Impression Obsession Bare Wreath (yeah, I know I use it a lot), and glued that to a background made using IO's Woodgrain C-A-C (CC034). I stamped the woodgrain with Versamark on Kraft card stock and embossed it with clear powder, then I applied TH Vintage Photo Distress ink with a blending tool. It's amazing how much it looks like wood panelling! I added a jute cord and mounted the front on a red card base. This is a very simple card that actually took ages to do because of all the little leaves, which is why I like to cut these things ahead of time!

I'm entering this in Impression Obsessions 'Beautiful Stamped Backgrounds' challenge and also in Hiding in my Craftroom's Think Fall challenge

Watercoloured Chipmunk

I haven't been inspired to make cards lately, but I came across a new to me challenge blog called Hiding in my Craftroom. Their challenge is to "Think Fall". Seeing that reminded me of a sweet stamp a very dear friend gave to me that I have been meaning to use. Although I don't believe my friend shares my love of chipmunks and red squirrels, she knew that this stamp was perfect for me. So tonight I inked it up with TH Walnut Stain distress ink and painted it with a water-brush and distress inks. The stamp is a Giordano studio stamp. I've never seen this brand before and I wonder if all their stamps are this cute?

I cut the panel out with Spellbinders Labels 35 and edged it with a Krylon Copper pen. The background is stamped with Justrite's Autumn Swirls and heat embossed with copper embossing powder. the ribbon is from Webster's Pages. The copper embossed b'ground is beautiful IRL. That was another stamp I was eager to try and I LOVE it! Both these stamps are so perfect for Fall.

Here's the Hiding In My Craftroom Challenge : http://www.hidinginmycraftroom.com/2014/09/himcr-164-think-fall.html
Thanks for looking !

Watercolor and Ink

I saw a card somewhere that had stamping with white ink over a watercolored background. I didn't really stop to examine it in detail, it didn't interest me at the time. I took another stab at cleaning my desk, and found a watercolored background that I hadn't done anything with, and a butterfly stencil that had never gotten out of its package. That card I saw popped into my head, and I decided to try the technique with the butterfly stencil. I wish I had taken note of the card and blog I had seen it on, as maybe it would have turned out better if I knew what I was doing! I know the original didn't have butterflies, and I think it had sequins, but I think sequins always look like crap when I try to use them, so I cut vellum butterflies from an IO die (DIE046-A). I randomly scattered them around and put some Stardust Stickles on them for bodies. The sentiment is from the IO All Occasion II set (CL307), which I heat embossed with Liquid Platinum embossing powder.

After I go and try to wash the hot pepper out of my eye again, I'll see if I can find the original card, although it seems to me that it was based on someone else's card. If anyone knows where this idea came from, please let me know so I can credit them.
I think it's a good sentiment for a friend, so I'm entering it in the Impression Obsession challenge: The Gift of Friendship
http://mitrafriant.typepad.com/impression_obsession_news/2014/08/impression-obsession-challenge-.html