Letterpressed Butterflies

Oh the letterpress....You slop the goo called ink onto the rollers, set your image and run the paper through the old crank time after time. Tough work (especially in warm humid weather) but wow, the printed results ever spectacular. Bring back the letterpress!

The colors over at the latest Embellish Magazine Challenge are spectaular as well. I really wanted to recreate the deep, bold black that a letterpress does and was able to achieve that by painting the backside of a Nesties Die and pressing onto the paper. Coupled with the damasked green pleated patterned paper, a pearl and an intricate butterfly stamp, the richness of the black gave me a sophisticated and classy card that was my end goal. In my opinion anyway.

Supplies Used: Cardstock: Kraft (Stampin Up) DSP (unknown, it's old, from my stash) Stamps: Happy Days Clear Acrylic (Inkadinkadoo) Ink: Versamark Other: Love Sentiment Stickers (SRM Stickers) Black Acrylic (Golden), Pearl (Want to Scrap) Labels Eight Nestabilities (Spellbinders)

Painted Flower

Paint. She used to paint all the time in high school. She painted some in college. She felt rusty as she pulled out the paints in the bright colors. She timidly dipped the paint brush in the first color and let the bristles touch the paper. The creativity came back through her fingertips and she continued on with the other colors. Paint.

This card brought me back to the time when art was fun! I don't usually combine so many challenges, but the card kind of fell together with them in mind. I knew I wanted to use paint for Teri Anderson's Playing with Paint Challenge... and the colors of the paint were to be the bright and fun hues at Off the Wall Craftiness-not to mention that I loved the flowers in the corner, which brought me to... the tissue paper medium to fit with the 365 Cards Challenge... and the sentiment Mr. & Mrs. for the Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab World. The layout of the card is derived from the sketch at 2S4Y.

Supplies Used: Cardstock: White (Georgia Pacific) Taken with Teal (Stampin Up) Ink: Taken with Teal Marker (Stampin Up) Embellishments: Sticker Sentiment (SRM Stickers) Rhinestone (Oriental Trading Company) Teal Twine (May Arts from Practicing Creativity Designs) Tools: Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Flower Dies (Provo Craft), Acrylic Paint (Apple Barrel), Glossy Accents (Ranger)

Beautiful You...

They are so very brave, they are so very beautiful, all the women that come to the hospital for their treatments, hoping to get rid of the poison that is trying to eat away their body, and their souls. I can tell at first glance that they are fighters, they are striving to conquer the beast. They come in with a smile and they leave with hope. I admire the ladies for their strength, their beauty.

Please join me at CAS-tastic Wednesday Challenge - Focus On Sentiments! I'd love to check out your clean and simple creation that packs a punch with just a few words. This week's sponsor is Your Next Stamp. Check out the below design team links for some out of this world creations:
Angie
Deb
Maylee
Agata
Barbara
Bonnie Rose
Regina

Thank you all so very much for your kind words and encouragement in my previous post! I'm trying to play catch-up from a nice relaxing holiday weekend and hope to have many cards to share in the near future! Please check back in later...

Supplies Used: Cardstock: Cream (Archers' Paper Co.) Stamps: You're the Man (Practicing Creativity Designs) Ink: Creamy Brown Chalk (Colorbox) Close to Cocoa Pigment (Stampin Up), Transfer Title Rubon: Girl (My Mind's Eye) (thanks Jessica!) Other: Gems (Prima), Thread Tools: Corner Round Punch (Fiskars)

You're The Man

He changes the oil and fixes any kind of motor. He trains the dog and makes his own fishing baits. He welds and he operates. He plays ball with the boys and makes killer pancakes. Hubby-you're the man.

Keeping this card very clean, simple and graphic, I was inspired by the sketch at Card Positioning Systems. (ETA: Natalie was absolutely right, after seeing her amazing scrapbook layout here, I was very much inspired to pull out my clean woodgrain stamp and create! Love how blog hopping does that to me!) I masked and stamped the woodgrain panel, stamped and kissed the dots with the woodgrain and added the sentiment. I also tried a new-to-me technique for adhering ribbon/twine/floss. The colors are bold, the design is bold, but I'm not a bold kind of person. My husband, however, is bold so you could say the choices were made with him in mind. I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

 

 Supplies Used: Cardstock: Natural White (Stampin' Up) Stamps: Woodgrain Background (Stampin' Up) For the Love of Dots (Practicing Creativity Designs) You're the Man (Practicing Creativity Designs) Ink: Lime Pastel Chalk (Colorbox) Onyx Black (VersaFine) Other: Black Floss (DMC), Thread Tools: Corner Round Punch (Fiskars)

Check One

My mind was numb. I had just spent hours taking the test that would determine if or when I could get into the college of my choice. It was that kind of exam where you could enter with only two #2 pencils, sharpened beyond belief and by the time you were done, both of them would be worn down to the nib... It was that kind of exam were you could only fill in the little circle row after row and boy did I wish I could just make one big red check mark!

This card is...different but the same, then what I usually do. (I think I really like it!) I started with the mindset of using papers and a new ink pad that I've had for a very long time, scraps that were on my desk and a mixture of my favorite stamp sets and ones that haven't seen ink yet. I also had the layout at Get Sketchy in mind and the theme of "The Sky's the Limit" from the Wee Memories Challenge because rotated, the scallops reminded me of clouds. I honestly had fun just creating and not knowing where the final card would end up. My favorite part is the red check mark that was made with a hand cut mask and red chalk ink.

Supplies Used: Cardstock: White (Georgia Pacific) Patterned Paper: Plaid and Pink Polka Dots  from Just Chillin' (Making Memories) Green from The Boyfriend (Cosmo Cricket) Blue from The Cottage Collection (Creative Memories) Notebook Paper from Hopscotch Boy (K&C Company) Stamps: Clouds from Practicing Creativity Designs, Sentiment Panel (Inkadinkadoo) Ink: Onyx Black (VersaFine) Lipstick Red Chalk (Colorbox) Other: White Gel Pen (Signo) Black Marker (Pilot) Black Snaps (unknown)

Jelly Bracelets

The search for the birthday gift did not start off well. I have two little boys and am too old to remember what it was like to be turning 10 myself. I searched the store and finally found a fun beach towel-blue with green and white polka dots. I then noticed a girl about her age looking at some jelly bracelets...so I quickly grabbed some of those in green and blue (sheesh, I had those when I was little!). After thinking some more, I found some coordinating nail polish in green and blue too and then some headbands. Whoosh, I think I did ok--she seem pleased with the results!

After seeing Winter's post regarding a coordinating baby gift set, I was inspired to create a matching card for my gift too. I started with the blue card base cut a tad smaller than an A2 size, added the hand drawn circle element and strip of patterned paper. The sentiment is a sticker backed on white cardstock with a piece of black twill attached underneath. Easy!

Please come and join me at CAS-tastic Wednesday Challenge - Touch of Green! I'd love to see your creations with just the pop of green-make me envy you! This week's sponsor is Squigglefly! Check out the below links for some more fantastic creations:
Angie
Deb
Maylee
Agata
Barbara
Bonnie Rose
Regina

The Clothes Line

She was the master of fort making. She'd take the old quilts and drape them over the clothes line. Then she'd take a few clothes pins and pin more blankets inside the fort in just the right areas to create rooms. We'd had the perfect fortress against the neighborhood boys. She was our leader. We were invincible.
This patterned paper lent itself quite nicely for the linear design of the sketch at Everything But the Kitchen Sink. I thought that the card needed a little extra umph in the bottom corner, so I added a stitched sun, the inspiration coming from the sketch at 365 Cards. I'll be the first to admit that I struggle with the use of patterned paper in card-making and admire all of the wonderful crafters that make it look effortless.

Supplies Used: Cardstock: Marigold Morning (Stampin Up) Patterned Paper: The Boyfriend Line (Cosmo Cricket) Blue from Cottage Power Pallette (Creative Memories) Tools: Scallop Trim Border Punch (Stampin Up) Circle Punch (Creative Memories) Other: Twine, Thread, Brown Journaling Pen (Creative Memories)

Spring Ferns

Every spring ferns start to grow right next to the back side of our house. I enjoy watching them start as little sprigs sneaking up through the frost and fawning out their rays of green. Every summer my husband makes his attempts to cut them down, thinking it'll be the last time he has to see them. I secretly smile inward that the ferns are resilient-they grow back bigger, better and greener every year.

The Etsy Inspired Challenge features Made By Michelle Brusgaard. Every single piece in her shop is amazing, but I was drawn to the tone on tone, silhouette flowers of this card. I cut some watercolor paper down to size, spritzed it lightly with water before stamping the flower images. After the base was dry, I stamped the sentiment in a darker green ink, rubbed the edges of the paper with the lighter ink for definition and added some rhinestones in the center of the larger flower for interest.

Supplies Used: Watercolor Paper (Archers) Stamps: Treasure Life (Close to My Heart) Small Script (Stampin' Up) Pigment Ink: River Rock and True Thyme (Stampin' Up) Embellishments: Rhinestones (Prisma) Tools: Aqua Painter, Corner Rounder Punch (Fiskars)

Lemon Sunshine

{Wouldn't Lemon Sunshine be the perfect name for a new ink color? Or if its out there, I want some!}

Shhh... I'll let you in on a little secret... I was going for a lemon, but it ended up looking like the sun. The wedges/rays need to be wider, I reckon. Sometimes you just have to roll with it, right? Especially when you are a late night crafteress and time is limited. Gives me a new goal to work towards. Mission: Make lemons.

This colors and general summery vibe of the card were inspired by the uber awesome photo inspiration at Off the Wall Craftiness Challenge. The sketch from 2 Sketch for You- a clean and simple approach to it. To make the lemon, err, sun, I stamped a ray with yellow chalk ink and then kissed off some of that ink with the lace stamp. I also used a circle punch on the sticker sentiment to separate it from the dots around the lemon, err, sun.

Supplies Used: Cardstock: Naturals White, Barely Banana (Stampin Up) Blue (Reminisce) Stamps: You're Dandy and For the Love of Dots (Practicing Creativity Designs) Ink: French Blue, Yellow Citris and Creamy Brown Chalk (Colorbox) Embellishments: Sticker Sentiment (SRM Stickers) Gold Hemp Cord (Elements from The Beadery)

The Cottage Quilt

My sisters and I crawled under the handmade quilt, propped on chairs and covering the whole of the living room. Mom and Grandma poked the yarn threaded needle down through and we poked it back up just a centimeter away. Over and over we did this. When we finished, there was a beautiful blanket to take Up North to the Cottage.

I combined the Moxie Fab World Challenge Fun with Fabric with the Wee Memories Challenge to use pink and embellishments to create this quilt paneled card. I first stamped the fabric with ink, batted it, stitched it to cardstock and then added the sewn buttons to pucker the fabric. I also distressed the edges of the fabric (along with the cardstock) with some ink for a well worn look. I only had to call my mom once for assistance on quilting, and I finished the card with a brand new admiration for the real quilters out there.

Supplies Used: Cardstock: White (Georgia Pacific) Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink (Stampin Up) Stamps: You're Dandy (Practicing Creativity Designs) Woodgrain Silhouettes (Wplus9) Ink: Chocolate Chip Pigment (Stampin Up) Creamy Brown Chalk (Colorbox) Embellishments: Buttons (Cloud 9) Linen Thread (Stampin Up) Ribbon (May Arts) Other: White Muslin Fabric, Cotton, Thread