Upcycled card

Let's do it backwards, shall we?  First the card, then the explanation.

The brown cardstock has a linen texture, so when I stamped it with a silhouette stamp, the texture completely changed the look!  I thought it was such a cool effect, I didn't want to do anything else to it, but it did need a little sentiment, so I stamped it on a strip of patterned vellum, and wrapped it around the brown like a piece of ribbon (which makes it easy to adhere without any glue showing).  The sentiment is embossed with copper ink, and for such a simple card, it looks very luxurious!

A part of the story of this card is the base.  Michael's periodically sells notecards in their dollar bins, and if they don't sell, they get marked down even further.  I got a pack of 8 with envelopes for only a quarter, and they look like this:

It is just too easy to cover that tiny image and use it as card base!The vellum and brown cardstock were scraps, too, so... less than a nickel?  Stamps are from a•muse studio.

Challenges:

• Phindy's Place - clean and simple
• Craft Us Crazy - Favorite stamp company (really, a•muse studio stamps are so versatile!)
• Dutch Dare - for a special lady
• Pixie Dust Studio - embossing
• Fab n Funky - no DP

April Showers

I couple of years ago, I bought the Clip-it-up system, and towards the end of making my bits and pieces usable, I sorted all my small scraps into color groups, put them in gallon storage bags, and clipped them up.  This would have been great, except my uncut paper is closer to my desk than the Clip-it-up, so I don't reach for those scraps as often as I should.  Today, I committed to that bag, and pulled out a bunch of blue bits to make this card.  It was fun seeing how the different papers tear.

  The image is from Totally Stampalicious, heat embossed and colored with copics.  The ribbons and buttons are also from my woefully underused stash.  I really need to shop less and stamp more!  This card is for Use It Tuesdays, and the following challenges:

• Fashionable Stamping - embossing
• Let's Ink It Up - distressing
• Scrapper's Delights - April Showers
• Stamptacular Sundays - loads of layers
• Pattie's Creations - photo inspiration

Sunflower birthday

I was intrigued by this sunflower stamp by a•muse studio, even though it isn't really the right season for it.  Today was a little chilly outside, but this card dragged me headlong into the sultry days of late summer.

 I used some things in this card that I hadn't touched in a while, like the decorative edge scissors that I used to cut the brown layer, and the brown picot edge ribbon.  The sketch is from Blessings Ink , and I'm entering the card in the following challenges:

• Just Some Lines - flowers as focal point
• Aud Sentiments - summer colors
• Tando Creative - yellow and green
• Through the Craftroom Door - technique (heat emboss resist)
• Inky Impressions - birthday

Thank EWE!

I was thrilled to death when I won 4 new stamp sets from Totally Stampalicious (in case you wonder why I play in so many challenges, it is because I occasionally win!)  Of course, I had to start inking them right away!  Their challenge this week is to use paper piecing, so I did.

The sheep is embossed and cut from the same paper as I used in background; I used Copic BV0000 to give it just a hint of shading (maybe too subtle, because you can't see it in the scan, can you?).  The sketch at Sunday Sketch and Stamp had an oval in the middle, but I haven't seen my oval cutter since my daughter borrowed it, so I used a Nestabilities die instead.  I also had these challenges in mind:

• Made Especially for You - 3 ribbon flowers
• Lexi's Creations - punches/dies
• Waste not Wednesdays - these purple papers are probably 8 or 9 years old
• Freshly Brewed - humor
• Paper Play - animal

Layered Marigold

Had to do another marigold - I really like the "marvelous marigolds" stamp set.

I really like how this stamp lends itself to layering.  I made this for the button challenge at Blessings Ink and these others:

• Lily Pad - flower
• Crop Stop  - bright and summery
• Divas by Design - stamp
• Craft Your Passion - monochromatic
• House of Gilli - white plus one