Reaching Classic "Old" Age!

My brother's birthday is in early May and yet another card was needed, especially as this is a milestone birthday well into retirement!  I'm so far behind in cardmaking with the hand recovery that I'll never catch up, it seems! 

I had an unfinished card hidden away in my To Do Stash that I came across when looking for a previous unfinished card.  The initial basic design layout was by Liz Thayer on this one as well.  All the pieces were there to finish, except just a notation of the stamp set used.  I particularly liked the Acetate Foil gold patterned paper and gold foil included in the kit with the navy blue.  I used all the paper pieces provided, but I also decided to add a black cardstock layer as the cardbase and as another image mat layer. 

To start, I masked the image paper with the car outline, and watercolored the background around it with the idea of sky and landscape color tones and dried it with my heat tool.  I then stamped the image and sentiment from the Stampin' Up Guy Greetings stamp set with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, using my MISTI to line up the stamp images on my small piece of watercoloring.  Next, I colored the vintage car with my Copic markers.  Finally, I assembled all the paper layers and popped the acetate pattern off the gold foil.  I added some Glitter Enamel Dots, and voila, I was finished! 

As my brother has restored vintage and classic vehicles for many years, I am pretty sure he will like this card...even more so if it were a Chevy.  Take a peek below inside and out.

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Basic Black, Night of Navy, Gold Foil, Shimmer White.  Patterned Paper--Fabulous Foil Designer Acetate (retired 2018).  Stamps:  Guy Greetings (retired 2018).  Glitter Enamel Dots (retired 2018).  Other:  Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.  Copic Markers.  Artist Loft Watercolor Pan Set (Michaels).  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".

A Roller Coaster Birthday!

My son-in-law has a mid-October birthday.  Since my daughter and her husband will be taking a mini-vacation to southern California to visit the theme parks in all their Halloween glory as his birthday gift, I wanted to use a Halloween theme park with scary rides as the subject of his card.  I found the perfect roller coaster die made by Simon Says.

With the help of peeking at some Splitcoasterstamper challenges, I decided on a late evening sunset sky with the roller coaster and other card elements in a subtle black glimmer paper in silhouette fashion.  I watercolored my sunset sky with Stampin' Up inks starting at the bottom in this order:  Daffodil Yellow, Tangerine Tango, Rose Red, Wisteria Wonder, Marina Mist, and Night of Navy, and then reapplied different colors where I thought certain colors were needed.  I applied the inks with water-wetted brush and misted over with water spritzing.  I moved the colors around with a paint brush until I was happy with the color combination.  I blew it dry with my heat tool (back and front).  I lightly spritzed my homemade White Pearlized Mist (made from water and Folk Art Metallic White Pearl acrylic paint) to give it a sheen and starry look.  I sponged a separate small piece of watercolor paper with yellow, orange and a bit of rose-red and finished by pearl spritzing to make my 3/4" punched circle for my moon.  I ink distressed its edges lightly with Crumb Cake ink.

I am super pleased with my results!  I think it is the perfect card for Josh. . .the family, theme park enthusiast!  Take a peek below at my finished outside and inside coordinating designs with my Chatterbox verse.

Ingredients:  Watercolor paper.  Stampin' Up cardstock:  Basic Black, Hello Honey.  Gold Glimmer?, Black Glimmer?  Stampin' Up Inks:  Daffodil Yellow, Tangerine Tango, Rose Red, Wisteria Wonder, Marine Mist, Night of Navy.  Homemade White Pearlized Spritz (water/ Folk Art Metallic White Pearl Acrylic paint).  Dies:  Simon Says--Rockin' Roller Coaster; Impression Obsession--DIE096-D/ Grass; Memory Box--Stitched Halloween Circle Frame (just bats).  EK Punches:  Hole punch (people heads); 3/4" Circle; Victorian Corners (inside).  Background: Watercolor Sky.  Chatterbox verse.  Size:  4-3/4" x 6".

An Anniversary Twosome Sail With the Breeze!

I'M SMILING AGAIN!  

THIS CARD IS NAMED A

SPLITCOASTSTAMPERS FAVORITE OF THE

WEEK ENDING - AUGUST 6, 2017!!

We are celebrating our youngest's eleventh anniversary this year!  WOW! is it difficult to realize it has been that many years since this lovely couple married.  But, these two also celebrated the birth of their first child just a few months ago, so now it is easier to recognize that they've been married a few more years than five or so!  I wanted to make them a special card celebrating their first anniversary with Miss Callie Page in attendance as well.  Take a peek below at the finished card front and inside with my composed verse via the computer: 

THE BACK STORY!

I recently purchased this whimsical die-cut from Spellbinder, named Dandylion, which depicts the dandelion's seed head after flowering.  I thought I'd use it as an anniversary card with the two little seedlings sailing off in the breeze as a couple to begin their own family.  I dare say my imagination is a bit whimsical today!

My background is made with Stampin' Up re-inkers in Tempting Turquoise, Wild Wasabi, Daffodil Delights, and a touch of Lemon-Lime Twist, and the Danylion die-cut is made using black glitter paper.  I made the sentiment using my computer and printing directly onto my finished watercolor background.  I decided to add a perky little sheer ribbon and bow, and pop the watercolor front and its black mat up off the Tempting Turquoise cardbase.  I'm pretty happy with my watercolored background since I have not used this technique much, and I'm not totally comfortable with it yet.

Splitcoaststamper's is also hosting their annual Dare to Get Dirty Challenges for their members who are SCS Fan Clubbers.  Since we are not supposed to mentioned what the basis of the challenge is, I will just say this one is for the very first challenge initiated by *Understanding  Blue (*the hostess' SCS nickname).  There is a color challenge going on as well, which requires the use of the three colors I chose for my card, so it will be entered that challenge as well.

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products: Cardstock--Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black, Watercolor paper; Inks--Tempting Turquoise, Wild Wasabi, Daffodil Delight, Lemon-Lime Twist.  Darice core'dinations Glitter Silk-black.  Die: Spellbinders Dandylion.  Ribbon: Stash-3/8" Offray.  Computer sentiment.  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".  Inside: EK Medium Scallop Photo Corner punch; SU: Daffodil Delight cs; Computer verse.  Technique: Watercolor...Let It Run.

Lights, Action, Shine...A Son-in-Law's Birthday Celebration!

I'M GLEEFUL!  THIS CARD IS NAMED A

SPLITCOASTSTAMPERS FAVORITE OF THE

WEEK ENDING - JULY 9, 2017!!

My oldest daughter's husband is have a milestone birthday this month...the pressure is on!  I wanted to make something really different, and I had just the thing.  I recently bought a darling Lantern die from SugarPeas, and I have been dying to use it.  Since Don and Michele like to camp a lot, I thought the lantern would be perfect for Don.

In addition, I wanted to try and meet some of the challenge requirements on Splitcoaststampers.  As it turns out, I will be able to meet three different challenges with the card I designed for Don.  It will meet the July 6th - Ways To Use It: utilizing stars in your card, the Alphabet Round 7 Challenge: Letter L...some type of light, and the Gallery Monthly Theme for April 2017: #1 - Background Check requiring focusing on the card's background by using a background technique, special paper, etc.

For my background, I decided to make a watercolor background with a night sky and lantern light.  This will be only the third time that I've actually watercolored a background, but this time it will have a totally different style as it is not at all random.  I wanted a light burst of yellows and oranges to represent the lantern light and a night sky with stars.  

I watercolored all over with Crushed Curry ink and then darkened the yellow in the area where the lantern light would be shining using upward brush strokes.  My next color for the lantern light was an streaked application of Strawberry Slush in upward brush strokes as well.  My next step was to make my galaxy-type night sky around the lantern light.  Once again, I used flicked brush strokes, but smaller, toward my lantern light.  The colors and the order I applied them over the yellow base was: Old Olive, Island Indigo, and lots of Night of Navy to finish.  I added stars to the night sky by using a paint brush and flicking it with finger snaps to sprinkle my stars in random sizes, but all very small, using White Pearl Metallic Folk Art acrylic paint watered down.  

I must say it was a challenge.  I had to do a trial run and then re-make my final piece to get my lantern light in exactly the right area without the night sky bleeding to far into it.  All in all, I'm happy I challenged myself, and I'm pretty pleased with my result.  I think Don will be pleased as well.  Take a peek below at my finished card inside and out!

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up supplies:  Papers--Basic Black cs, Gold Foil, Watercolor paper;  Stamps--Balloon Adventures (verse); High Tide ("Shine" masked); Inks--Crushed Curry, Strawberry Slush, Old Olive, Island Indigo, Night of Navy; AquaPainter.  Other supplies:  Stamps-MFT/ At the Movies; Die-Sugar Pea/ Lantern; Wink of Stella-Clear (lantern light + sentiment words). Folk Art-White Pearl Metallic Acrylic paint.  Techniques:  Watercolor background; Paint Flicking (stars); Stamped Verse.  Size:  4-3/4" x 6".