Paper-pieced Snowman

This is a very simple looking card, but I'm kind of proud of it because of a couple of techniques that I used that were new for me.

First off, this is a new sentiment for me.  SweetStamps has tons of vertical sentiments like this, and it is fun having your words go in a different direction for a change.  I felt very tricky getting the color to change in the middle of a word like this.  I embossed the sentiment in white on the blue, tore the white paper and embossed part of the sentiment onto it in denim blue, then lined up the words until the overlapped perfectly.  I used a much larger piece of white than I needed, and just cut off the excess.

The stamp is also new, and I tried coloring it with copics (not my favorite method, but it is okay).  As you can see, I'm not great at coloring.  However, since I was cutting out the snowman, it didn't matter too much that I couldn't stay inside the lines.  Fortunately, I am better with scissors than with markers.

I knew I needed a little something more than just the words and the snowman, so I thought holly would echo the small sprig in his hatband.  I just bought this new holly punch, and was arranging the leaves, when I noticed that the snowman's buttons were actually buttons, and also the right size for the holly!  I was even happier when I found out that the buttons fight perfectly inside a 1/4 inch punch!  So, I stamped the buttons from the snowman onto red and used those for holly berries.  Finally, I used some Diamond Glaze to give all the buttons a little dimension.

Changing it up - Ornament card

I went to a Christmas card workshop earlier this week, and although I liked all the cards offered, one bothered me - it had ornaments on it that were pink and brown.  I suppose I could do a pink and brown Christmas card, but not pink and brown ornaments - that is just too far out for my holiday tastes (although I am told that a lot of people love the sophistication of that card in those colors).  I stamped the images, and took it home to color myself.

I used Twinkling H2Os to paint these ornaments.  I just happen to have the same scallop die for the topper, and I have to admit, the white on white layering is very classy looking.  I can't take any credit for designing this card, but I wanted those people who were there and made cards with me to see what it looks like in a different color scheme.

Rose fairy ribbon doll

I have been admiring the ribbon dolls at Ten Two Studios, but never really wanted to make one just like Lisa's, and didn't have another body that I wanted to use.  However, I felt very enabled to create my own doll body after reading Collage Couture  by Julie Nutting, and I had some roses that I thought would be perfect on her outfit, so I went to work.

The Rose Surround is one of my favorite rose stamp sets, because it is designed specifically to accent other images, and it is very easy to cut out.  It was a little fidgety trying to get the pinks right - I ended up painting the roses and the dress with metallic shimmer paint.  The wings are from this butterfly, which I embossed with vintage lavender tinsel embossing powder (my friends wondered when I bought it what I was going to use it for, but this is the second time in as many months that it has been the perfect shade and texture for what I wanted to do) onto heavy vellum.  The ribbons are an assortment from my ridiculously large collection.  I did add a ribbon to the head for hanging, but because it is fairly light and flat, it hangs just as well with a glue dot:

 I will be mailing this to another lady in my altereddesigns group, as I made it for the torso mingle.  It figures that I couldn't limit myself to just a torso.

Challenges:

• Sweetstamps - roses
• A&T Emerald Fairies - magical creatures
• Really Reasonable Ribbon - shabby chic and ribbon
• Southern Girls - monochrome
• Creative Craft - ribbon

Cat with leaves three ways

The challenge at EnjoyMichaelStrongstamps this month is to make a fall-themed card with red, orange, and yellow.  I didn't really feel like making a card, but I thought it would be nice to make a cat sitting in a pile of fall leaves as an ATC.  I ended up making three of them.

For this one I stamped the cat on yellow cardstock and distressed it lightly with orange ink.  The leaves were punched out of a postcard.  The overall effect was not nearly as colorful as I would have liked.

When I stamped the second cat, I accidentally did not get the cat's back onto the paper.  A little creative cutting, and you can't even tell it was accidental.  I added a little red ink to the distressing. The leaves are a paper confetti that I had in my stash for years now - I use some every fall, but I never run out.

While I was working on the second one, I noticed that I had in my stash some rhinestone fall leaves that I must have purchased at least a year ago but never used.  I tried stamping the cat on red cardstock this time.  I do not have yellow embossing powder; I colored the white embossing with a yellow copic marker.  I then used a dark red copic marker to add contrast between the cat and the background.

So, It's the same concept and the same cat, but three very different cards.  I will be swapping these on ATC_World.

Challenges:

• Cuttin and Stampin - use your scraps
• Loves Rubber Stamps - fall colors
• Oldie but a Goodie - dies/punches
• Use It Tuesdays - 2 hoarded items
• Craft Your Passion - no coloring inside the lines

Western Accordion Card

I made this for the western challenge at the SweetStamps blog.  I have to admit that I am no cowgirl, but I love the colors and textures of the western style.  Ginham, denim, leather and silver - all those cowboy textures are so fun to mix and match!

I embossed the horse silhouette on silver paper, to make it look like a concho.  The red strip with the sentiment is actually a belly band, holding the card shut - funny thing about gluing layers together, they don't want to bend very much. The gingham paper is very old, from CTMH - I love gingham, but I rarely make something that I think it suits.  I wanted a little bandanna technique to set off all the blue and brown, but I couldn't find a milky gel pen that would work, so I reversed the technique by stamping in white and highlighting in black.  I inserted a white framed panel to write on; you can see the corner of it poking out in the back.

All stamps used are from the SweetStamps store.  I love the SweetStamps collection - they are so well suited to technique stamping!

Square Sympathy Card

I needed a quick sympathy card for my bowling league to sign - one of our bowler's father passed away.  The sunshine chair told me that it would be hand-delivered, so I used the opportunity to make a square card, since I didn't have to worry about mailing it.  However, I did have to be concerned about dimension - I have found that large bumpy embellishments on the front of the card made it hard for people to write on the front inside of the card.   The problem then was to make a dramatic card without too much dimension.

The papers I used to frame the sentiment were all scraps from my gelli plate experiments.  They all have metallic paint as part of the mix, so the pieces all have  nice shimmer (and as a result, they don't scan their true color).  The butterflies were also punched from the same group of scraps.  The sentiment is from the wild rose stamp set by amuse studio; I embossed it with iridescent EP.  I couldn't resist a tiny bit of bling in the corners.

Challenges:

• Delicious Doodles - bling
• Jelly Park Challenges - sentiment as focal point
• Creative Moments - frame
• Flutterby Wednesdays - open
• Lollipop Ladies - Smarties + punches 

Poe heart

My altereddesigns yahoogroup is going all spooky for Halloween.  The first challenge in October is to make a dark heart, and by dark I believe they mean the mood, not the shading.  Who has a darker mood than Edgar Alan Poe? (okay, H.P. Lovecraft,  but I wasn't interested in going there)

I was pleased at how easily this came together once I had the idea in my head.  I printed Poe with my computer, and all the other images came from the nevermore stamp set by amuse studio.  I distressed the edges a little with Bundled Sage distress ink - I felt it would give a more chill and putrid feeling than the usual antique linen distressing.

The second October challenge at altereddesigns is to do a Poe-themed gothic arch - I wonder if anyone would mind if I did the same general thing in a different shape?

Challenges:

• Delicious Doodles - unlucky Friday 13 
• Left of Center - dark theme/no DP
• PunkyouGirl - red and black
• Haunted Design House - Halloween

Glittery Stained Glass ATCs

This week I've been making these ATCs using one of the new SweetCuts dies.

The cuts are super thin, even thinner than Memory Box dies, but they are sharp and cut cleanly, and are designed with techniques like this one in mind.  To see how I did it, look on the Sweetstamps blog.

Challenges:

• Papercrafting Journey - flowers
• Addicted to stamps and more - coloring
• Stampotique Designer's Challenge - try a new technique
• Just inspirational - flowers
• Artistic Inspirations - anything but a card

Butterfly Rocker Card

Shana Tova (Happy New Year)!  My Rosh Hashanah cards traditionally feature apples and honey, but Rosh Hashanah is also a time to try things that are new, so I tried two new things with this card.

 First of all, this butterfly is a new stamp for me. Although I have a lot of butterfly stamps, I had to have this one for three reasons - first, the design is so ornate that not only is it fun to color, it looks great without any coloring. Second, the antennae are outlined so you can color them if you like. Third, it is really easy to cut out (especially the antennae)!  I heat embossed the butterfly on vintage silver lustre cardstock for shimmer, and colored it with Tombow markers.

The second new thing for me is the design - this is a rocker card, the first I've made.  I started with a 3 1/2 by 5 1/2 base; I drew the curve using a dinner plate, and tapered the sides on the radii.  If you look closely, you can see I used the same butterfly with pale purple ink on the background - it gives a feeling of movement.  Speaking of movement, it was hard taking this photo in my backyard, because every time the wind blew, the card started rocking!  You'll notice I stamped the envelope, too - this card fits perfectly in a normal invitation envelope.

I'd also like to point out the sentiment - I can't think of anything scarier than handwriting a sentiment on a card! Jewish sentiments are so hard to find.  Glitter pens don't often show well, so I first wrote it with marker, then colored over it with glitter pen.  I think that making this card was a great way to start the new year!

Does this post look familiar to you?  It's on the SweetStamps blog - I'm a guest designer this month!  This card fits the Butterfly challenge they are having this week!

Anyway, I can't make a card without entering it in a few challenges:

• Flutterby Wednesdays - anything with a butterfly
• The House that Stamps Built - no squares
• Rhedd and Rosie's - something for a lady
• Our Daily Bread Designs - one layer card
• Use It Tuesday - Use a supply you bought just because everyone else had it (Tombow markers - I didn't need more markers but I really do like them better than my LaPlumes)