Credit Card Swipe Background Card and Postcard!

I just had to play in my forever SCS girlfriend,  Karen's (Snippet) Splitcoaststampers TLC640 Technique Challenge that she is hosting this week!

Go to Karen's TLC640 Challenge for mini tutorial and Gorgeous Samples!

I made 2 samples...Here is my Card !

I used a piece of coated CS from my girlfriend Christine.  I used T. H. Distress Oxide Inks: Wilted Violet, Worn Lip Stick, Faded Jeans, Cracked Pistachio, Fossilized Amber and Spiced Marmalade.

First I masked my card front with masking tape to give a white frame.  I smeared ink from each pad onto my craft mat and spritzed with water.  Using an old gift card,  I swiped one color at a time...drying between layers with my heat tool.   I just kept adding layers until I was happy with the result.  

Next I used black acrylic paint and the edge of my card to draw the lines. When dry I removed my masking tape and discovered the inks had leaked under the tape,  but I liked the effect.

Then I splattered acrylic paint with a #6 paint brush leftover acrylic that I diluted a bit.   Stamped my Stampendous sentiment "Follow Your Art" using my MISTI and Memento London Fog (grey).  Then added a punched heart from my stash that was already colored and a SU rhinestone.

I mounted my card front on a SU Thick Whisper White Card Base and was done.  A fun technique.

Here is my 2nd project...a Strathmore 140# Cold Press Postcard!

A very different look with the Cold Press watercolor paper using exactly the same DOX inks as in my 1st card.  I also used black acrylic paint for my lines,  but used Archival Jet Black ink for my sentiment.  Framed with Masking tape also and added a doodled frame with my Staedler's watercolor pen.

I added the splatters and heart like the above card,  but no rhinestones,  since it will mailed as a postcard.  This postcard will go to our 8 year old grandson,  Cash who does "abstract art"!!

Thank you again Karen for always inspiring all of us with your gorgeous techniques :-)

I am adding my 1st card to Kia's (aplaceforkia) Splitcoaststampers.....CAS431 Backgrounds Challenge this week.   It was a bit of a challenge to make my card CAS,  but I think I managed.

Thanks Kia for always inspiring us with your gorgeous CAS Style.

I really had fun trying a new background challenge and I want to try again with different CS and Inks.

Hugs...

My 1st Distress Oxide Card!

I am a little late to the Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Craze.....But...so worth the wait!

I used 6 Distress Oxide Ink Colors: Fossilized Amber, Worn Lipstick, Wilted Violet, Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick and Cracked Pistachio.   I sponged one ink at a time using my T.H. Blending Tool using a different sponge for each color,  so as not to contaminate my ink pads.  After several colors I spritzed with water and dried with my heat tool.  Then added more colors and spritzed again and dried.  It is amazing how all the colors show thru the layers and never make "mud"!

I wanted bigger splatter water drops,  so put water in my palm and dropped larger drops of water onto my piece.  I loved the results.

I then cut down my piece and used the extra for a die cut for a future card.  I made my background at our recent craft retreat in BC.   I borrowed a grass stamp that Christine had just received from her China order..no name sorry.  I stamped it with Black Stazon and added just one tiny die cut dragonfly, which was from Loll's Memory Box Dragonfly Stems Left Corner Die.

I finished my card at home adding the SU "You're a Gem" sentiment and Basic Black CS trim.  I mounted my image with 3D foam tape onto a SU Very Vanilla card front that I had die cut with CUTplorations "Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Dies".

Enjoy and hope you get a chance to play with the new Distress Oxide Inks too....

I am adding to CAS Mix Up May Splattering Challenge.  I added stamping + Splattering with water + Die Cuts.  The challenge ends on May 24th...

STAMPlorations Anything Goes..using at least one STAMPlorations Product..I used my die cut frame.

CASE'ing Karen

CASE of Karen's Flower Challenge #8 Card.. 

Isn't this a Beauty!  The challenge is to CASE one of the Flower Challenge DT's cards.  Karen (Snippets) has been a SCS friend for years.  I Love her CAS style and no one uses blues more creatively than Karen :-)

The Flower Challenge

Here is my CASE of Karen's beautiful card!

I used another background from my recent craft retreat with my Vancouver, BC girlfriends.  Bonnie was unable to attend,  but sent us beautiful die cuts to use.  This was my favorite and is now on my wishlist :-)  I placed the framed flower die cut piece over an alcohol ink background that I made using Yupo paper and Tim Holtz alcohol inks (Stream, Sunset Orange and Sunshine Yellow).

I placed drops of ink onto aluminum foil and smooshed with my Yupo.  Then placed a larger than the Yupo,  piece of Glad Wrap over the smooshed Yupo and scrunched the wrap around to make cool lines and designs.

Next step is very important...let your piece dry,  which takes time.  I left mine overnight, then removed the glad wrap.  My background is more blue green,  but my camera wanted to bring out the green more than the blue. Think Karen and you will see more blues... I added a SU Candy Dot and the sentiment from Kind and Caring (ret).

What is really fun...Loll and Bonnie and I made a card for the same challenges using the same die,  but different backgrounds :-)

Loll's card
Bonnie's card

The die is the Poppystamps Die "Floral Stem Collage" and so I am adding my card to...


PSC #32 Flower Power.  You must use at least 1 die or stamp on the challenge.

Enjoy and Happy Stamping my friends.  Hugs...

Crafty Retreat Photos :-)

Sharing a few photos from our Vancouver, BC Crafty Retreat!

Susan, Christine and Nancy making Stencil Layering Tags and Loll making us laugh (she took photo).   We did a lot of that for 5 days:-)

Our 2nd and only day in the sun...notice the squints.  We were not use to seeing the sun!  A great time at Granville Island eating lunch on the dock and shopping at a craft store.

Some of our supplies...

A few of the stamps and dies that were shared...

More supplies to share for techniques.  I know we went a bit overboard on supplies,  but because we did so many different techniques we used most of our supplies.

Loll concentrating on posting one of her technique samples!

Our very last day,  packing up and getting one last photo to show off our cool "Eat, Sleep, Craft, Repeat" aprons that Loll's DDIL Nikki printed and that Loll surprised us with as a gift our very 1st day :-) 

You should have heard our squeals of laughter and seen Loll grinning from ear to ear with her adorable dimples just as cute as could be :-)

We wore our aprons for every stamping session and we sure needed them with all the messy techniques!

I will be posting more finished cards in the days ahead with a few of my favorite samples using different techniques.

Here is my Stencil Layered Tag that I was working on in 1st photo

And a Close Up

We used Tim Holtz's Layering Stencil Part 1 youtube video.  On my tag I borrowed stencils,  bird stamp, rub ons and Distress Inks from all the girls.  I demo'd this technique and brought Ranger manila tags for all of us.  I added my ribbon when I returned home.   Such a fun technique. Loll, Christine and Susan have their tags posted to their blogs.

Loll
Christine 
Susan

Enjoy seeing 4 very happy stampers even if we were tired and hoarse by the end of our 5 Fabulous days together.  Stay tuned..you will soon see more of my finished cards in the near future.  Hugs...

Adding to STAMPlorations May Mixed Media Challenge..Anything Goes using at least 1 stencil.

CAS Watercolour May Flowers Reminder

Oh My...May is zipping by with many of us spending all our spare time gardening :-)  It is already time for our CAS Watercolour May Flowers Reminder.  So many more gorgeous samples by our talented Design Team and Guest Designer.

Here is my Clean and Simple stenciled monoprint Flower :-)

I went to my stash of watercoloured backgrounds and found a small piece left over from a previous project... I die cut it using my CUTplorations "ATC Tag Builder Die".  There are several pieces to the set,  but I just used the ATC die,  which cuts a 2 1/2 " x 3 1/2" tag with a nice beveled edge.  The perfect size for a CAS designed card.  Next I stamped my STAMPlorations Dee's "Blooming Buds" flower using Versafine and heat embossing with SU black embossing powder.  The bloom, stem and leaves are all separate pieces and easy to arrange on my MISTI.

Are you curious as to how I made my watercoloured monoprint background?  I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks: Broken China and Peacock Feathers.  I sponged the inks through the T.H. Faded Dots Stencil onto Arches Mixed Media paper.  Then spritzed the leftover inks on the stencil with water and flipped over onto more mixed media paper to get the monoprint image,  which I loved.  So I got a two-fer out of this project :-)

After stamping my flower I misted my piece using a mixture of water and Tsukineko Frost White paint. I wish you could see the pretty shimmer.  Next I stamped and heat embossed my sentiment from the same set.  I love all the flower images and sentiments from this set by Dee.  Such a versatile and pretty set.

I added 3M foam tape to my main image and added SU metallic silver thread (stuck nicely to tape). Next I added my popped up image onto an angled piece of SU basic black  cardstock, which I had die cut with my Memory Box Stitched Rectangle Die.  Then popped up the 2 layers onto my card front that I had die cut with my CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Die.  Such an easy and fun flower card.

Sure hope you can join us this month for our CAS Watercolour Challenge.  You still have until May 24th to play along.  Happy Springtime Stamping...Hugs

Supplies: Listed in Description.

More Challenges:

STAMPlorations: May CAS Challenge Anything Goes + Feminine Colors

STAMPlorations Anything Goes

SSS Wednesday Challenge: Going Dotty

CAS Mix Up May Splattering Reminder

It is time already for our CAS Mix Up Splattering Reminder.  You will be so inspired by all the amazing creative Splattering cards by our very talented Design Team and Guest Designer.

Here is my card using Stamping + Splattering with Distress Inks + Die Cuts...

I started my card by playing with splattering!  I laid a large plastic bag on my corian counter to catch all the splatters.  I then added a few drops of Tim Holtz Distress Ink refills: Peeled Paint and Tumbled Glass into my palette diluting a little with water.  Next I loaded my #8 paint brush with the green ink and started splattering my Strathmore Hot Press WC paper and when dry did the same with the blue ink.  I used a wooden stirring stick in my left hand and tapped my paint brush with my right hand on the stick. I saw someone doing this, but with a wooden skewer.  Before I would tap my brush on my index finger.  Either technique works,  but it seemed I had more control with the stick.

I really liked how my background turned out,  but ended up covering up most of it. Instead using it as a framing layer to keep my card more Clean and Simple.  I die cut the layer with my Memory Box Stitched Rectangles Die Cut.  Next I die cut my vellum leaves and alcohol ink (from my stash) smooshed leaves using my Memory Box "Fresh Foliage" Die.  I attached the leaves to my Stitched Die Cut Strathmore paper using SU Fine Tip Glue Pen and weighted down the leaves with my large acrylic block.

My last step was to stamp my SU "A Dozen Thoughts" sentiment using Versafine black ink and heat setting.  Popped up using 3M foam tape.  I attached the 2 layers with foam tape to my SU Very Vanilla CS card front.  I was very pleased how my card turned out. Enjoy..

I hope you get to join us at CAS Mix Up with your Clean and Simple Splattered card. You still have until May 24th to play along.  Happy springtime stamping my friends.  Hugs..

Supplies: Listed in Description.

Eat, Sleep, Craft, Repeat...

Christine, Susan, Nancy and Loll,  Day 5 of Retreat!  We are looking a bit weary,  but still very, very Happy!  Did I mention,  we are all  hoarse too :-)

Oh my,  But we had fun at our 1st annual Stamping Retreat in Vancouver, BC at Christine's beautiful home!  We are sharing a Blog Hop featuring the fun and very messy Acrylic Ink ....

Dirty Pour Technique!

Dirty Pour Close Up

This was my 1st time to try this very artsy Abstract Fluid Painting with acrylics technique.  We should have taken a photo of our table set up.  We had heavy plastic on the table and on the floor.  Also used lots of plastic cups for our 8" x 8" canvases to rest on and more plastic cups for mixing and pouring on the liquid acrylic paints.   Here is a link to one of the youtube videos we used.  There are many videos if you want to do your own research.

I will list my supplies at the end of my post.  This is my first post with one of the many techniques we used during our 5 day retreat.  I waited until I flew home yesterday to start making cards out of my samples.  I will be sharing more projects in the near future.

Here are the links to my stamping girlfriends blogs so you can Hop on over to see their gorgeous Abstract Dirty Pour Canvases.  Enjoy....Hugs,  

Retreat Dirty Pour Blog Hop:

Loll..Stamping with Loll
Susan..Cardmaker's Garrett
Christine..It's a card days night


Supplies: Plastic to cover table and floor, plastic cups for individual acrylic paints.  Flowing medium, silicone oil, popsicle sticks for stirring and gesso ( black or white) to prime canvas.  Acrylic paints, white, orange, pink, red and  8" x 8" canvas from Dollar Store.

CAS Framed Tulips Thank You

My card is for a young couple, who love tulips.  This is my 1st card using my new STAMPlorations "Framed Tulips" stamp.  It was such a fun image to watercolour with my Clean Color Real Brush Zig Markers.  Can you believe there are 14 tulips in this stamped frame,  which also includes the text background and border !

I stamped the image using my MISTI and Archival Jet Black ink onto Strathmore Cold Press watercolor paper and then watercoloured using my Zigs layering technique.  After coloring the tulips I gave the background a light wash with my Zigs.

Finishing my card was very quick and easy since my main image was finished.  I just die cut  my main image using my Memory Box Stitched Rectangles Die.  Then Die Cut my Strathmore Cold Press 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card front using my CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Die.  Attached my main image with 3M foam tape and placed my card back in my MISTI to stamp the SU Sheltering Tree sentiment.

My last step I attached the card front to my tent fold SU Thick Whisper White card base.

That is when I colored the tulips with Wink of Stella.  A bit of glitter always adds such a pretty finishing touch.  I am adding my card to our CAS Watercolour May Challenge: Flowers.

Enjoy and do join us at CAS Watercolour.  You have until May 25th to play along :-)

More Challenges.....

CUTplorations May Photo Inspiration: 

STAMPlorations May Anything CAS plus feminine colors Challenge:

STAMPlorations Anything Goes:

SSS Monday Challenge: The Great Outdoors.

SSS Wednesday Challenge: A Hint of Pink

Supplies: They are in my description...

CAS Watercolour May Flowers

CAS Watercolour May Flowers is the perfect theme for the month of May.   Everywhere you look flowers are blooming and brightening our day :-)

I chose an Altenew stamp set..."Doodle Bloom",  a gift from my girl friend, Loll to design my CAS Watercolour card.  Thank you again my friend :-)

I placed a piece of SU Shimmery White CS in my MISTI and arranged my stamps.  I then stamped my leaves with versamark, removed the piece from MISTI and sprinkled with WOW Bright White EB powder and heat set.  Next I stamped my flowers with versamark on the same paper adding the EB powder and heat embossed.  Then began the fun watercolouring.

I used SU Sweet Sugar Plum, Blushing Bride and Soft Sky inks to watercolour my images using my aqua painter.  I kept all the colors very soft and light.  I returned my piece to my MISTI and stamped my SSS "Lots of Thanks" sentiment with Sweet Sugar Plum.  I then fussy cut my watercoloured flowers, shaped with my stylus,  attached with dimensionals and mini glue dots.  I attached my sequins with SU Fine Tip Glue Pen .

I added a thin frame of Sweet Sugar Plum CS and popped up my main image using 3M foam tape onto Soft Sky Card Base.  After my card was altogether it needed a bit more to frame my main image...that is when I used my Staedtler marker to hand draw a slightly wonky black line to focus more attention on my little flower scene.  Then I was happy with the results.

I sent my card to Loll and was happy that she really liked it.  I hope you do too :-)  If you click on the link to  CAS Watercolour Flowers you will find many more gorgeous flower cards from our very talented Design Team and Guest Designer, Mac (The Sweetest of Peas).  You have until May 24th to join in the fun.

Happy Flower Stamping my friends.  Hugs..

Supplies: Listed in Description.

CAS Mix Up May Splattering

Splattering has to be one of my all time favorite techniques for adding interest and a bit of dimension to a Clean and Simple design card.   I was thrilled to see our CAS Mix Up May Splattering Challenge!

I used Stamping + Splattering with acrylic paint + Color Burst Watercolouring and Die Cuts

I used the Rubbernecker "Tulips in Vase" stamp,  which is a challenge!  I placed my 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" piece of Arches Hot Press 140# in my MISTI securing with Creative Corners and then placed my stamp.  I painted the vase and leaves with water using a #4 paint brush then sprinkled with Pthalo Green Color Burst powder and stamped my image.  I opened my MISTI and spritzed more water on my stamp and stamped again and helped move the reconstituted powder around with my wet paint brush.  I then did the same procedure again adding water and Sepia Color Burst to my stamp to ground my stamped image.  Moving the wet ink around with my wet paint brush.  Next I stamped the flowers using Alizarin Crimson Color Burst and the same watercolouring procedure.  I used reconstituted Sepia on my craft mat to add more detail to the flowers for dimension.

It is important to let your watercoloured layers dry before adding the next Color Burst color.  I used CUTplorations Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Die to frame my card front.  Next die cut my image with my CUTplorations ATC Tag Builder Die, which gave a nice beveled edge.  I purposely partially die cut one flower to give an over the edge look.   Almost forgot my sentiment.  My MISTI and Creative Corners came to my rescue. I just placed my card front in my MISTI and secured with CC's. Then stamped my 2 STAMPlorations "Birds of Paradise" sentiments with Archival black ink.  Worked great!

Next I splattered my card front after placing my main image into the die cut area of my card front and masked with 3M masking tape.  I used green diluted acrylic paint and a #8 paint brush to make my splatters.  I only made a few splatters to just give a bit of mixed media interest,  but not distract from my watercoloured main image.  Then I popped up my main image with 3M tape for a popped up inlaid design.  I attached my card front to my SU Whisper White Thick card base.  I was very pleased with my CAS Mixed Media card.  Happy May Day my friends!

I hope you get to join the fun at CAS Mix Up Splattering.  You have until May 24th to play along. Be sure and check out the Design Team and our Guest Designer, Elaine's (Craft-E-Place) beautiful cards too.  Hugs..

 

Supplies: Listed in Description.

More Challenges...

Seize the Birthday: Anything Goes

Simon Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

STAMPlorations April CAS Challenge without twist

Time Out Challenge #82: Flowers with the optional twist of Kissing no kissing on my card