Pompoms & Poppies

I have a crafting friend's birthday this week and I needed to get her card finished by mid-week. October is one busy month for me with all the birthdays I could and should make cards for, but just never have enough time!

I bought a package of one centimeter sized pompom balls to add to what was going to be a gumball Halloween costume for one of my granddaughters, and I thought I'd use some to add as a card embellishment. I remember Stampin' Up sold some a few years ago, and though I looked, I couldn't find any card ideas other than to use them as balloon bouquet. I decided to try adding them as a horizontal trim and then flattening them somewhat, but even though I left the card under a heavy weight for over 24 hours they didn't flatten much. Next, I tried trimming the balls on their tops along the row and then added a little liquid glue to be sure they didn't unravel. I decided to stay with this idea though it wasn't exactly the look I was seeking, but I was fairly happy with it when it was completely finished. Take a peek below at the finished card: 

Ingredients: Stampin' Up-- Cardstock: Highland Heather, Basic Black, Granny Apple Green. 2019-20 6x6 Brights Designer Patterns: Gorgeous Grape Script. Patterned dsp: New Horizons 6x6 pad (2019 Occasions). SU Dies: Poppy Moments (flowers/leaves), Painted Labels (circle). Amazon: 1cm PomPoms. 1/8" scrap ribbon: Gorgeous Grape. Chatterbox verse: birthday verse inside. Size: 4-3/4 x 6 inches.

Let It Snow! (Card #1--Simpler Version/ Card #2--Fussier Version)

For my next card, I really wanted to stick to Christmas cards to build up my 2022 Christmas stash. I started with the Featured Stamper challenge when  I started researching possible Splitcoaststampers challenges to enter that I had not yet participated in. I found a card with snowflakes that got my mojo going, as I've collected many snowflake dies over the years. I had one particular Stampin' Up die set, Snowfall Thinlits, that had all sizes and shapes of snowflakes, including a snowflake swirl. Since I had another challenge I wanted to do that I thought would lend itself well to snowflakes, I decided to give it a whirl and see what I came up with.
 
I continued my search for other possible Splitcoaststampers challenges, both new and old, that might fit my into my snowflake theme. I ended up with 12 challenges that would fit my card if I adjusted the design a bit here and there to meet them.  I got to creating and actually ended up with two cards with similar design layouts. One is a simpler less fussy card using a snowfall embossing folder and snowflakes dies (Card #1), and the other is a bit more fussy using a snowflake embossing folder as well as the snowflake dies (Card #2). I am really happy with the results, but which one do you like the best? I think I'm partial to the simpler version (Card #1). Take a peek below at both finished snowflake cards:

Card #1 - Simpler Version

Ingredients: Stampin' Up-- Cardstock: Night of Navy, Basic White, Vellum (translucent), Basic White (inside); Glimmer papers: White (Myths & Magic 6x6 Glimmer pad--2018 Occasions), Dazzling Diamonds, Silver. Ink: Gorgeous Grape, Balmy Blue.  White Glimmer layer: lightly brushed w/Misty Moonlight ink. Dies: SU: Snowfall Thinlits (2018 November promo); Memorybox: "Let It Snow" (2021 catalog). SU EF: Softly Falling. Copic Markers: snowflake coloring (light/ dark blues). Chatterbox verse (inside). Size: 4-3/4" x 6."

Card #2 - Fussier Version

Ingredients: Stampin' Up-- Cardstock: Night of Navy, Basic White, Vellum (translucent), Basic White (inside); Glimmer papers: White (Myths & Magic 6x6 Glimmer pad--2018 Occasions), Dazzling Diamonds, Silver. Ink: Gorgeous Grape, Balmy Blue (ink brushing). Dies: SU: Snowfall Thinlits (2018 November promo); Memorybox: "Let It Snow" (2021 catalog). Darice EF: Snowflake. Copic Markers: snowflake coloring (light/ dark blues). Chatterbox verse (inside). Size: 4-3/4" x 6."

Wonderful Blessings of Friendship & Happiness (Joy of Sharing Kit Alt. #3)

This is my third alternative card for the Joy of Sharing kit. I have used papers and die-cut from the kit plus a front panel in SU's Real Red, though the base is still using the kit's Mossy Meadow 5" x 7" card fold. I also snipped a strip from one of the Mossy Meadow's base folds to create base the double flag strip, which I added behind the sentiment panel and popped up both pieces for more depth. I think the red card front is really quite attractive and adds a bit of a different look. To finish it off, I will be adding some design bits to the inside, plus a Chatterbox verse before sending it off for Christmas come December.

According to my usual methods for Splitcoaststamper challenges, I have reviewed my accumulative challenge list to see what past or current challenges my card design might fit, and tweaked it as necessary, before beginning.  I found ?? challenges to enter and they are listed below:

Ingredients: Stampin' Up products-- Cardstock: Mossy Meadow, Real Red; Joy of Sharing kit pieces (2020-21 AC/retired). Other-- Jolee's All That Bling: Golden Circle Wedding Bling. Colorbox Cat Eyes: Chestnut Road (ink distressing). Chatterbox inside verse. Size: 5" x 7".

A Spooktacular Birthday! ("Spooky Treats" Sept. 2022 Paper Pumpkin Alternative)

Believe it or not, this card started with the thought that I needed to make a birthday card for my son-in-law, which falls in mid-October. I began by perusing my Splitcoaststamper challenge list to see which challenges might spark ideas for my card design. I happened on a spider card in the Featured Stamper challenge that gave me the idea to do something about Halloween for his card as he loves really getting into Halloween and finding spooky places to visit to celebrate this holiday. This got me started with all kinds of other ideas about using the new September Paper Pumpkin Spooky Treats kit and making an alternative design card, etc. All ideas gathered from selected challenges eventually jelled into this Halloween card for his birthday: 

                              

Ingredients: Stampin' Up: Cardstock--Basic Black, Pacific Point, Crushed Curry, Whisper White scraps. September 2022 Paper Pumpkin (plaid, spider, ghost, stars). Punch: 2" Circle. Embossing Folder--Square Lattice. Other: Core'dinations Core Couture--Black Tie glitter paper. Dies--Spellbinders Petite Scallop. Ink--ColorBox Cat Eye-Charcoal (edge distressing). Punch--EK Medium--Victorian Corner; Copic Markers--Spider re-color. Chatterbox sentiment & verse (computer-generated/ Font-Phantom Fingers). Size--Slimline = 3.75 x  8.75-inches.       

PAPER PUMPKIN SEPT. 2022 - SPOOKY TREATS - ALTERNATIVE DESIGN

This kit is all about Halloween treat boxes, but I decided my alternative would be a card instead. I used the plaid intended as a treat box and trimmed it for the slimline card front. To the plaid, I added a Pacific Point cardbase and a Black Glitter cs mat layer. I replicated a larger version of the white w/black scalloped edge sentiment circle, included in the kit, with a Black Glitter scalloped die-cut overlayed with a 2" white punched circle to host the kit's spider, web, and ghost die-cuts on my card. After adhering my three scalloped circles to the plaid card front, I embedded them by embossing the entire plaid card front plaid and circles with a retired Square Lattice EF. I adhered the spider, web, and ghost onto card front circles. I adhere the Black Glitter mat layer to the Pacific Point cardbase, and added my plaid card front on top. I printed my sentiment "We've Arrived!" onto Crushed Curry cardstock and fussy cut each words into a rickety, weathered, and distressed sign. Voila...there is my alternative design for the new Paper Pumpkin...definitely not a treat box!

Glowing Lights At Christmas!

I recently went on a five-day crafting retreat with my group of 10 to 12 crafty lady friends. There were only nine of us attending this time, which is the smallest number we've ever been in the last seven years we've been going and sometimes twice a year, due to different health issues from colds to surgery recovery for two of our friends. We really missed the four ladies who planned to attend, but were unable to as time drew closer to departure.  The bulk of us are cardmakers, but we have one lady who was making fabric bags, zippered pouches, and starting a quilt and another was making a paper-crafting Halloween mini album for a niece.

I was making a Christmas card for Splitcoaststamper (SCS) challenges, plus four alternative Christmas kit cards.  SCS challenges can be the current week's challenge and/or a make-up challenge from several months old to several years old as challenges can be entered at any time you want. I started a personal goal for challenge completions of all the different challenge categories available since 2017 by making a WORD table list of all these different SCS challenges. Eventually, I am trying to catch up by participating in all them up to the most current week of challenges. Most challenges on Splitcoaststampers have a new challenge each week. There is no limit to the number of different challenges that a person can enter with one card, though you may not enter the same challenge category with the same card more than once.  For instance, if I enter the Color Challenge, I can enter only one week's Color challenge, but I may enter the Ways to Use It Challenges, the Sketch Challenges, the Teapot Challenge, etc. as long as I only enter one week's challenge date for each.  

Each week, I check out all challenges left that I have not yet entered from my list and try to adjust my card design so as many will fit as is allowed. I am usually able to enter 10 to 15 challenges each week. It will be the higher number if it is a Christmas card as that opens up at least two additional challenge categories involving the Christmas theme. Check out my Christmas card finished this week below. I was able to fit 15 challenges, because of the two Christmas card challenges available.

Ingredients: Stampin' Up products: Cardstock--Evening Evergreen, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White. Papers--Distressed Gold, Glow Lights dsp (strip). Stamps--Brightest Glow (sentiment). Dies--Twinkling Lights (tree), Decorated Pine (stars). Basic Rhinestones. Other: MFT--Photo Corner Die-namics. Copic Marker (gem coloring). Chatterbox verse (inside). Size--4-3/4" x 6".

The Wonders & Blessings of Christmas! (Joy of Sharing Kit Alternatives #1 & #2)

I purchased this Joy of Sharing Christmas kit back in December 2020, plus a refill kit several months later, but I never got around to doing anything with it. My Mom sent me a Christmas card last year made from this kit...a bit of an alternative design...and it was so pretty. It gave me incentive to get the kit out and take it with me on my 5-day craft retreat in early September.

The kit + refill included (16) 5"x7" pre-folded Mossy Meadow cardbases with the front and back both green. I decided to cut them in half and mount them to white cardbases, now making it possible to have 32 cardbases with green fronts...way too many probably! I finished four different cards at my retreat using the kit pieces. Because the foil rectangular pinecone die-cut frame, the die-cut poinsettias and the die-cut pinecones were pretty much all the same, each card, though different, didn't really look that different; therefore, after working with the kit almost all of one day, I got a bit tired of it and moved on to other things.

 
For the first two cards made, I used a different sentiment stamp than the one provided in the kit, because I wanted my sentiment to have a vertical placement (the kit stamp was horizontal). This stamp was from the 2020 Dove of Hope stamp set. I also decided I would ink distress ALL edges of cardstock and die-cut pieces to give my card a more vintage and aged look.

Card #1...
My first card has a vertical orientation, and I used two of the green cardbases provided. I adhered one full 5"x7" Mossy Meadow panel to a white cardbase totally covering the white and making it now appear as a green base. I cut another Mossy Meadow panel to a smaller mat layer and popped it up off the green base leaving a small border showing around the bottom layer. I then adhered the gold metallic framing to this top layer. Next, I cut and added a red petite dotted dsp panel to host the stamped sentiment label.  I added layers of poinsettia die-cuts to the top right and lower left of the gold metallic frame, leaving the frame pinecones exposed on the other corners. I dressed up the center of the poinsettia with gold metallic gems.  Take a peek at my Alternative Card #1 using a different sentiment than provided by the kit...Dove of Hope stamp set:

Card #2...
My second card has a horizontal orientation. I used one green 5"x7" panel to form my cardbase as in Card #1. I cut an Early Espresso brown mat layer for this card instead of green as in the first card. I used the red double fishtail flag strip placed horizontally under my vertically stamped sentiment label. I added poinsettia die-cuts on the top left and bottom right, leaving the gold metallic pinecone of the frame showing on the opposite corners. Once again, I added gold metallic gems to the centers of the poinsettia. Take a peek at my Alternative Card #2 using the same sentiment as Card #1 from another stamp set...Dove of Hope:

Ingredients: Stampin' Up products-- Cardstock: Card #1/#2--Mossy Meadow, Real Red; Card #2--Early Espresso. Joy of Sharing Card kit pieces (2020-21 AC). Stamps: Dove of Hope (2020 Aug-Dec Mini). Other (Card #1/ #2)--Jolee's All That Bling: Golden Circle Wedding Bling. Colorbox Cat Eyes: Chestnut Road (ink distressing). Chatterbox inside verse. Size: 5" x 7".  Card #1 only: Patterned Paper: October Afternoon/ Holiday Style PP743 dsp (tiny red dots).

Floating Poppy Birthday!

One thing I really need to set my mind to is building up my birthday card stash. It seems I am always missing sending a birthday or two throughout the year because I run short of time to create one. Birthdays just sneak up on me and catch me short-hand more often than not. For the next several months, not only do I need to focus on my Christmas card stash, but also get started replenishing my meager birthday card stash. 

I started browsing through my Splitcoaststamper "challenge catch-up" list to see what challenges I have yet to do since 2017, and believe me, I still have plenty to complete! I was hoping to get my creative mojo juiced and stoked. I got lots of color ideas, techniques, and design ideas from my search with a total about 20 or so challenges that I could use to influence the design outcome of this birthday card for either one of my fall birthdays or for my birthday stash. After deciding on my card design, theme, and colors, I used 14 challenges that I can claim that inspired me. My card also uses the Floating Elements technique. Take a peak below at my finished card:

Ingredients: Stampin' Up products-- Cardstock: Basic Black, Starry Night, Sweet Sorbet, Tahitian Tide, and Orchid Oasis. Window Sheets. Dies: Poppy Moments. Gems: Polished Dots. Other-- Happy Birthday Shadow die. Copic Markers (gem coloring). Chatterbox verse. Size: 4-3/4" x 6".

Candy Cane Wishes for Christmas!

 I still have very few Christmas cards ready for Christmas giving this year. It is starting to weigh heavily on me that I'm so far behind; therefore, my next card must be a Christmas card for my stash! I just received my Sweet Candy Cane stamps/dies and the Christmas Banner stamps/ dies that I ordered from the current Stampin' Up mini catalog so I'm eager to try them out. 

The Sweetest Christmas dsp in that same catalog has a lot of wonderful patterns and strips. I decided on a criss-cross background effect by using a striped diagonal paper pattern overlaid with the diagonal panel die-cut. I used all three colors in the striped paper on my card front stamping and die-cuts: Real Red, Garden Green, and Pool Party, plus I added a bit of aqua glitter paper to add some sparkle and bling! 

As most candy canes come in individually wrapped, clear cellophane wrappers, I decided to cover my Real Red, ink-stamped canes with Scotch clear packing tape to resemble these cellophane wrappers. This is an idea we used in a class card designed by Dar Peterson that I borrowed. I am pretty happy with the way my card looked upon completion...take a peak below at the finished card:

Ingredients: Stampin' Up-- Cardstock: Basic White, Garden Green, Pool Party. DSP: Sweetest Christmas. Stamps/Dies (J-D 2022 Mini): Sweet Candy Canes/ Candy Cane dies; Christmas Banner dies (pine boughs). Ink: Real Red. Punch: 1-1/4" Circle. Ribbon: 3/8" Pool Party Sheer. Gems: Elegant Faceted Gems. Other-- Paper: DCWV 6"x6" Glitter Pastels Mat Stack. Spellbinders Dies: Splendid Circles. Scotch 2" Clear Packing Tape.

Baby & Winnie Are Roommates!

I had a baby shower to attend to welcome the upcoming birth of a dear friend's great granddaughter! The baby room is decorated with a Winnie the Pooh theme, so I wanted to use that as my card theme.  I've always loved the Winnie the Pooh quote "Sometimes the littlest things take up the most room in your heart!" I really wanted to use it in some way with my card.  I search online for some free images and downloads, and I came up with this doodled image of this quote and decided to use it as the card front focal point.

I printed the image and quote, colored it with Copic markers and sponge-colored the background with Pool Party ink. I found a Spellbinders die to frame the quote & image, some pretty variegated sheer ribbon and rich golden dot paper.  Putting it all together, I came up with a cute and quick card!

Last, I composed an inside verse, printed it, distressed the edges, punched decorative corners and added some sparkly gems to this corner punch area that I color-shaded using Copic markers.  Check it out below both inside and out:

Ingredients: SU Cardstock: Whisper White, Garden Green. Recollections Cardstock: Light Yellow, Patterned Paper: MFT--Dots & Stripes Sorbet 6x6 Paper Pack. Spellbinders Dies: Fleur de Lis Rectangles. SU punch: Curvy Corner Trio. Image/Verse: Free Winnie the Pooh Doodling. Ribbon Scrap: Offray 1/2" Two-Tone Sheer. SU Gems: Glitter Enamel Dots (Copic colored). Chatterbox Verse. Size: 4-3/4" x 6." 

A Just Right Day!

My daughter-in-law's birthday falls in mid-August two days after my Mom's birthday. I went to a card class back in March or April and several of those cards remained unfinished because I wanted to change them a bit rather than follow the original design exactly. As Ginger loves flowers, and I think she would love to have a greenhouse added to her backyard, I decided one particular unfinished card lent itself well to Ginger, as well as several challenges I wanted to enter.

First, I add a few more flowers and extra foliage inside my greenhouse, plus one more blossom outside as I like the look of an odd number of blooms rather than just two, which is an even number. I finished the greenhouse and attached it to the planned white stitched rectangle panel.

The original cardbase design used the same Just Jade cardstock color under the Just Jade embossed brick layer. I wanted to add larger underlying layers and more color. I decided on a Pale Papaya cardbase to match the sentiment die-cut and to use this new cardbase in a picture frame look with an added white mat, and then the Just Jade Brick & Mortar 3D embossed layer. 

I trimmed brick embossed layer about an 1/8" smaller all the way around. I decided to add Clear heat embossing over the 3D bricks to give them a bit of sheen and bring out the texture. I added a little sponged Pale Papaya ink to a recycled scalloped doily for the edging that peeks out just below the greenhouse white stitched panel.  I shaped the doily into a double fan look.  

Next, I offset this same white mat panel quite a bit more to the right than in the original card design to accommodate for the sentiment overlap, which was placed in this location with a specific challenge requirement in mind. I really like my changes and additions to the larger card size, the new Pale Papaya cardbase, the white mat layer, the Clear heat embossing over the 3D brick dry embossing, the extra blooms, and the fan-like doily as I think they all added and enhanced the original card design, which was presented by Luci Kirschbaum!  Take a peak below at my newly-made finished card inside and out:

Ingredients: Stampin' Up: Cardstock--Pale Papaya, Whisper White, Just Jade, Soft Succulent, Vellum. Stamps/Dies--Garden Greenhouse/ Greenhouse Dies. Dies--Stitched Rectangles, Message Dies. Ink: Just Jade, Pale Papaya, Versamark. EF--Brick & Mortar 3D. Elegant Faceted Gems. Other: WOW Clear Matt Embossing Powder. Rectangle doily from stash. Chatterbox verse. Size-4-3/4" x 6".

Happy Day!

 I have quite a number of birthdays in August between family and friends.  I'm feeling behind already, so I got my thinking cap on and decided to get serious!  With some help from Splitcoaststamper challenges, I came up with a vintage design that I'm really pleased with! It will be for one of my husband's sisters, who moved to Florida in this last year to be closer to her oldest daughter. I'd better get it finished and off in the mail as she lives about as far from Washington state as she could be...kitty-corner across the U.S.!

I found this wonderful vintage paper in my paper stash from Michael's Craft Stores, "Recollections Signature Vintage Country Paper Stack. It got my vintage mojo going full speed ahead, which made me really excited to get started!  Vintage is one of my favorite card styles, yet I haven't made many cards in this style during the past several years.

I used five patterns from the paper pack that I cut into varying widths and distressed inked the edges before horizontally layering them one after the other, on  a pre-sized cardstock guide.  I also used one of the patterned tags provided in the paper stack as my sentiment rectangle centerpiece. I stamped my birthday sentiment onto it using my Misti stamp positioner, and I adhered the finished tag onto a black lattice frame for added interest.  I fussy cut several identical flowers from several of the tags and layered and distressed their edges to provide additional depth, finishing off with a sparkly gem. My last addition was to add a black-striped sheer ribbon horizontally with a two-loop side bow.  Take a look at my finished card. I'm pretty pleased with its outcome.

Ingredients: SU Cardstocks--Basic Black, Gold Foil. Patterned paper--Recollections Signature Stack--Vintage Country (12x12). SU Stamps--Itty Bitty Birthdays. Spellbinders dies--Lattice Rectangles. Ink--Memento Tuxedo Black. Colorbox--Chestnut Roan ink distressing. Offray--3/8" sheer black stripe ribbon. Jolee's Boutique--Black Circle Bling Gems. Chatterbox verse. Size--4-3/4" x 6."

Birthday Love!

My Mom's 97th birthday is right around the corner, and I needed to get a card finished and off in the mail very soon. I got busy checking out Splitcoaststamper challenges to see what I might come up with.  I usually start with the Sketch Challenge, the  Inspiration Challenge, or the Featured Stamper Challenge and move on to others from there.  I play a little Challenge Catch-up game with myself, trying to incorporate as many challenges as possible in my card from the design, to the theme, or the color scheme. This week I found 12 challenges I could enter for this card!

From the Inspiration Challenge, I decided on a monochromatic card mostly in blue shades from light to dark. I'm using a ribbon bow, an idea from the Featured Stamper Challenge. Other challenges influenced my card design as well.

I remembered the Boho Indigo Card Kit that came out in the Stampin' Up 2020-21 Annual Catalog that I purchased and that I had never gotten around to using it to make any cards.  I really can't tell you why that is, because the 6x6 paper pad is full of gorgeous double-sided patterns in many shades of blue, including white. It also includes some ivory-white pre-embossed papers as well. I certainly planned to use it now for Mom's card, plus I added some Metallic Shimmer White, Balmy Blue, and Night of Navy cardstock layers, in addition to some Dotted Swiss vellum. Take a peek below at the finished card inside and out:

Ingredients: Papers: Cardstock--SU-Night of Navy, Balmy Blue, Basic White (inside);  Bubbley White Metallic Shimmer (Amazon); Paper Pizzaz Vellum Dots; SU Boho Indigo 6x6 dsp. Stamps: SU-Boho Indigo Kit stamps. Dies: MFT-Stitched Circle STAX; Spellbinders-Pinking Circles LG. Punch: Martha Stewart--Trio of Butterflies, SU Pearls, Ribbon-3/8" Navy w/White Stitch (stash). White Sequins-Pink Posh (Copic colored navy). Wink of Stella-Clear (butterflies). Chatterbox verse (inside). Size--4-3/4" x 6."

Mitering with a Twisted Oval Christmas!

I seem to be on a short hiatus from cardmaking of late! I've been really busy with other activities at home, away from home, and with family.  As usual, I have lots of cardmaking events that have pasted me by!

One thing that has been passing me by quite regularly is getting started on my Christmas stash this year.  I have been worrying about it, and since we've seen "Christmas in July" come and go, I actually got the yen to make a card very late in July!   I had a lot of incentive from Splitcoaststampers' challenges as well, and I will be posting it there as well.

I received some new free paper through the Stampin' Up Sale-A-Bration event going on in July and August, called Silver and Gold Specialty dsp (white glossy with gold or silver foiling), and somehow it got me interested in getting at least one Christmas card in July finished.  Take a peak below at my finished card, though I have not completed the inside verse or design, which I usually post.  I'm actually realizing that Christmas cards do not usually get a peak at the inside verse, because I'm not usually mailing them at the time that I make them!

Ingredients: Papers--White Metallic Shimmer cs (Amazon), Recollections-Gold Foil, SU-Silver & Gold Specialty dsp (Jul-Aug 2022 SAB). Dies--Spellbinders-Elegant Twist Etched Ovals, Ovals-Large; SU-Into the Woods (tree/ 2018 Holiday--2019-20 AC); Reverse Confetti Cuts-Winter Words (Oct.2015). Studio 112-Metallic Gems. Wink of Stella-Gold (3 of 4 peace layers colorized). Chatterbox verse-inside. 4-3/4 x 6 inches.

Hugs for Kandie!

An SCS Alpha friend recently lost her husband, and we are sending her well wishes and thoughts via the Splitcoaststampers' (SCS) Teapot Challenge, 7/5/22..."In A Word!"  Each of us is challenged to choose a WORD theme for our cards that represents what we want to say to Kandie.  Mine is "Hugs" and goes along with my inside verse of sending along thoughts, prayers and hugs to let her know I care.

My card is made with a stencil and blender brush inking. I made the stencil from the lacy flower die, Artistic Dies, by Stampin' Up, deliberately using white cardstock so that the leftover stencil would finish with lots of inks and could be converted into another card, which can be seen here: [URL=https://chatterboxcreations-1.blogspot.com/2022/06/my-daughter-grows-beautiful-flowers.html][COLOR=#6A5ACD]Hugs to Kandie![/COLOR][/URL]

The idea for my design came from a card class (by Luci Kirschbaum) that taught this clever die-cut stencil and two-card idea! I've cased the original cards with changes to both to make them more me. I love larger than A2 cards, more color mat layers, added embellishments, and often a sentiment change as well. For these cards, my tweaking involves all of those listed changes above. Take a peek below at my finished card and its inside verse:

Ingredients: Stampin' Up: Cardstock--Basic White, Polished Pink, Starry Night, Parakeet Party. Glimmer--2022-245 In-Color 6x6 Ombre Glimmer (butterflies), White Glimmer (Hugs). Dies--Artistic Die (Artistically Inked), Butterfly Wings (Butterfly Brilliance). Inks--Orchid Oasis, Polished Pink, Parakeet Party. Banners Pick-A-Punch. Ribbon--1/8" Metallic Woven-Orchid Oasis. Basic Pearls. Other: Dies--Cottage Cutz Expressions (Hugs). Copic markers (pearl coloring).  EK Punch--Victorian Medium (inside corners). Chatterbox verse. Size: 4-3/4 x 6 inches.

Father's Day at the Beach!

Being raised in the Pacific Northwest near the ocean, spending at day at the beach, means the ocean is definitely the scenery.  I thought I'd give my youngest son a day off to enjoy some ocean scenery; after all, he was the only one of the four children who never lived in Hawaii where ocean beaches were very much a part of everyday life!

I used the Stampin' Up Waves of Inspiration stamps and the coordinating Waves Dies with Balmy Blue, Pacific Point, and Night of Navy inks.  I brushed and ink-blended the white cardstock top panel with Balmy Blue giving it a filtered blue sky look (a light blue sky with wispy white clouds blended into the blue).   

My wave was next, which I built with the Balmy Blue, Pacific Point, and Night of Navy inks.  I stamped my colors in layers using these three inks one on top the other...over-stamping...but stamped-off with the two darker colors.  I kept adding over-stamping until I got the look I wanted. I used my Misti to aid me in this process. My last stamping was done by applying Night of Navy on the lower portion of the waves only by using a Stamp Write marker inked onto the bottom of the stamp surface.  After it was completely dry, I ink blended with Balmy Blue until I was satisfied with this lighter color mixed into my waves. 

Then, I had an accident...while trying to stamp my seagulls where I wanted them (before popping on the clouds), my stamp block got ink on its edge, which transferred to my card front next to two of my seagulls!  Whoa as me...not the first time I've had this problem with tiny stamped objects!  So not to lose all my carefully ink waves, which I thought turned out rather spectacular, I fussy-cut the wave off and after preparing a new card front with my Balmy Blue brushed ink blending, I glued my waves to the bottom of my new card front.

I decided not to re-stamp my seagulls, as I just didn't want to chance the same problem, so I practice a little of drawing my own seagulls with a fine mechanical pencil and then flicking over with Copic markers in T5, T4, T2.  It worked so well, and I could make them larger or smaller as desired! I found adding them with Copic markers works best for me! I die cut the clouds and cloud edges, which give the clouds more texture and dimension; I popped the clouds off the card surface; and overlapped two the smaller clouds and popped them off each other.

I originally started this card thinking to make a birthday card for my stash, as I never have enough birthday cards. I pulled out my Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set (retired) and stamped with Night of Navy ink onto Balmy Blue cs and die-cut it with the narrow die that I knew would work well for sentiments.  I attached Linen Twine through the open ends to the sentiment strip and added it to the middle of the card.  Taking a look, I realized it would be a great masculine card, and I still needed another Father's Day card for our delayed family Father's Day get together, which would be taking place next week-end.  I didn't want to re-do the die-cut with the twine, so I carefully made a new sentiment on the computer that I could carefully cut and paste over the happy birthday stamping.  It worked perfect...take a look below:

(NOTE: When I say spatulated off, I used an OLD Cricut spatula, which is irreplaceable and works wonders when for this purpose because of its narrow, thin blade,  Unfortunately, Cricut re-designed their spatula over 10 years ago so these old ones are almost impossible to come by!!)

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up:  Night of Navy, Balmy Blue, Basic White cardstocks. Stamp/ Dies--Waves of Inspiration/ Wave Dies; Teeny Tiny Sentiments (retired). Inks--Night of Navy, Pacific Blue, Balmy Blue, *Basic Gray (seagulls). Linen Twine.  Other: Copic markers--T5, T4, T2 (*Handmade seagulls, rather than stamped). Fussy-cutting. Chatterbox sentiment/ verse. Size--4-3/4" x 6."