Snow Globe Shaker Card with Polar Bear

Happy Monday!  I LOVE creating interactive cards.  I am a guest designer right now at Cottage Cutz and when I saw the snow globe dies from the new release I knew they would make great shaker cards.

First I cut plaid paper and a piece of lightweight white card stock to 5 1/12 x 4 1/4 inches (A2 size) and used snail adhesive to glue them together.

I then used the third largest circle from the Circle Basics set to cut a circle approximately 3/4 inch from each side and the top (it's actually a little bit over 3/4 inch).  It's important to use lightweight card stock under the paper since you will be cutting through two layers.

Next I die cut the pieces from the polar bear in the Snowglobe Friends set and the base from the Snowglobe with Fawn set.  (By the time I finished with the card I decided to change the color of my snowglobe base and I cut another.)

I sponged the edges of the snow in soft sky, the bears in smoky slate and the sign in crumb cake.  I hand wrote "North" on the sign and colored in the bears' eyes and noses.

I took a piece of white card stock that was A2 size and used Distress ink to blend a blue sky on about half of the piece.

Then I placed my patterned piece with the cut-out on top so I could place all my die cut pieces and glue them down.

I took the top piece off and used a piece of acetate on the back to cover the circle.  Then I added foam tape two layers thick to the back.  I also used some anti-static powder on the inside edges of the foam tape so the sequins wouldn't stick.  You can use baby powder for this as well.

I piled a small amount of sequins to the card front.  Deciding on the amount of shaker elements is always difficult as it depends on how big your window is.  It just comes with experience, but if you do not place your foam tape closely against your window (as I have done) you will need more elements as they will fall into corners and not be seen.

I removed the backing from the foam tape, placed the top piece on the front and adhered it. Then I glued the whole thing to an A2 card base. 

My final steps were to add the snowglobe base with bow sentiment.  For the sentiment I used a 7/8 x 4 1/4 inch strip of the green card stock layered under a 3/4 x 4 1/4 inch strip of red card stock and I heat embossed the stamped sentiment in white.

I love this set of dies.  It gives you so much variety in making fun interactive cards!

Dies: Cottage Cutz Snowglobe with Fawn, Snowglobe Friends 

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Variations on a Card Theme

As I have often said, I'll make several of the same panel or color several of the same image "just in case."  For today's card I made two since both panels turned out well.

I felt like doing some coloring and had just received my new MFT order with this set.  After coloring the bear I went on Pinterest for ideas and saw something similar.  Pinterest can be a wonderful source when you just don't have the time to do a lot designing or need something quickly.  Sketch challenges can do the same - give you a quick layout.

I decided to use colors that were more "fall-ish" without being the straight reds, pumpkins and golds.

After finishing both cards I decided the bottom one needed a "friend" on the front so I added the hedgehog.  I plan to send this one to a friend who used to work with hedgehogs in the children's area of a zoo.

Stamps/dies: MFT Wild Woodland, Blueprints 20 and 15
Copic markers: Bear E21,E23,E25,E27,E04; Hedgehog E42,E43,E44,E47
Inks: Stampin' Up! So Saffron, Delightful Dijon, Pumkin Pie, Tangelo Twist, Lost Lagoon, Old Olive

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Sketched Flowers

Hi everyone!  Today's card was also made for the CAS Colours and Sketches sketch challenge this week.  It's always fun to see how different people interpret the same sketch.  And it's interesting to do the challenge several times to interpret it differently yourself.

I found myself thinking I should move the sentiment because I had already done that (see yesterday's post) but then I remembered - it's a sketch challenge and certain things shouldn't be radically altered - like where elements are placed!  But there are ways to add variety.  Here the sentiment strip goes all the way across the card.  Yesterday it was only part way.

For this card, I stamped three of the same panel.  I only needed two panels but since precision was key here I knew I'd be starting from square one if things got messed up on one of them.

The purple and blue flowers are only one color.  The lighter color is stamped off.  To do this in the MISTI I placed a sheet of computer paper over my card stock, stamped it, then removed it and stamped my card stock.  It gave me a great lighter image.

I wanted to add some interest without adding another element to the sketch.  So I die cut a stitched window in one of the panels.  (This particular die cuts "stitches" on both sides of what is being cut which finishes the negative piece nicely and makes it more useful.)  I lined up my panels one on top of the other and used foam tape to add a little dimension.  The sentiment strip is adhered to the top panel directly.

And as a bonus, since I didn't need the extra panel, I can now make a reverse card with the stitched square raised over that extra panel!

Stamps: MFT Sketched Blooms, Impression Obsession Words for Art
Inks: Stampin' Up! So Saffron, Delightful Dijon, Sweet Sugarplum, Lost Lagoon, Kiwi Kiss, Black
Dies: MFT Inside Out Rounded Squares


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Shaded Feathers

Today's card is one I made as a guest designer for the CAS Colours and Sketches blog.  The blog features either a color challenge or sketch challenge each week.  This week it is a sketch.

I wanted these feathers to be suggestive of wild duck feathers - kind of iridescent.  I used my MISTI and shaded them by stamping them several times and sponging the sides (see this post).

Then I covered them in two coats of Wink of Stella.

They really do have quite a shine to them.  I finished the card with a few sequins and the heat embossed sentiment.

Stamps and die: Stampin' Up! Four Feathers, Gorgeous Grunge, Impression Obsession Words for Art
Card stock: Stampin' Up! Crumb Cake and Soft Suede
Inks: Soft Suede, Tip Top Taupe, Mint Macaron, Lost Lagoon
Embossing powder: Ranger Silver Pearl

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Card-in-a-Box Wine Theme

Happy Monday!  Today's card was made for my husband's 60th birthday.  Since it is wine themed and it's a card-in-a-box, does that make it boxed wine?  I hope not - my husband would not like that!

He actually does know quite a bit about wine so when I found this stamp set I bought it knowing I would be able to use it at some point.  And I thought the sentiment was perfect for a big birthday.

I'm not going to give the details of putting the box together.  This was made with a box die set that makes it very easy.  I have also made these boxes by measuring them out, cutting and scoring.  It can be complicated the first time, but after making several it gets fairly straightforward.

The most fun about these cards is filling the box.  I've made them for different holidays and also just for fun.  Keep in mind that the more elements you have the more interesting they are.  But you also need to be aware of the layers and not cover up layers behind.  It's a good idea to layer larger, taller elements in the back.  Also, since the box collapses, you can have things hang off to one side (not the top) and still have everything fold in the A2 size card.  Although to keep everything in the folded card, it is usually only one side elements can hang out of.  In this card, the wine bottle and the number 60 do hang out of the top of card.  (In the future I may give more detailed instructions and ideas on filling these boxes - I just ran out of time today! Let me know if you'd like to see more on these.)

For this card, I sponged the edges of the wine bottles and made bottle labels with the vintage "1957" on them.  I also fussy cut the grapes and leaves since they did not have a die. The wine in the vellum glasses are inked on the back with Copic markers.  And I aged the wood panels using a sponge dauber and dark brown ink.  This is what makes this so enjoyable - you can let your imagination go wild with these cards!

Supplies used:
Stamps: MFT Uncorked, Taylored Expressions Wine A Little
Dies: MFT card in a box die, MFT wine bottles/glasses die set; Taylored Expressions wine bottle die
Card stock/paper: Stampin' Up! Soft Suede, Mossy Meadow, a very old burgundy of unknown name, Very Vanilla, Ols Olive, Cherry Cobbler, wood DSP, silver foil, vellum
Inks: Stampin' Up! Early Espresso, Mossy Meadow, Elegant Eggplant

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Using a MISTI to Watercolor Images Stamped in Water-based Inks

Happy Friday!  Today's card is for the color challenge this week at CAS Colours and Sketches.

The colors are:

I used two Altenew stamps - Wild Hibiscus for the main image and More than Words for the sentiment.

I wanted to watercolor the flowers and leaves but I only had water based ink in the challenge colors.  That could be a problem - trying to watercolor inside an image stamped in water based ink will cause the outline to bleed.

You can use this to your advantage.  I used my MISTI to stamp the images in the Flirty Flamingo and Lemon Lime Twist.  I left the stamps on the lid of the MISTI and removed my image.

Using a paint brush and a little water I began to color the image.  I pulled some color from the inked outlines and also used the re-inkers with water to add stronger color to the flowers and leaf.  You need to be careful and not use too much water - too much will cause the lines to bleed outside the image as well.

I returned the image to the MISTI and stamped over it in the navy.  This creates a beautiful watercolored look inside the the flowers with a crisp outline.  The MISTI makes this so easy - it may be my all time favorite tool in my craftroom.  It has changed how I create.

I did the same process for the butterfly and then die cut it using the coordinating dies.  The butterfly is popped off the base using foam dots.  After stamping the sentiment, I used washi tape and just a few sequins to add a little bit of interest.

Stamps and dies: Altenew Wild Hibiscus, More than Words
 
Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope this weekend finds you being creative!

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Easy Baby Card

It seems like there are A LOT of new babies among people I know.  (Three due this fall at work alone!) So I made several baby cards for both genders to cover my bases.  The inside says "Congratulations".

This is a card that goes together quickly once it's designed because there is minimal coloring.  I stamped the images on patterned paper and die cut them.  The only coloring is the bow on the dress and that is flat without shading.

Stamps: Lawn Fawn Little Bundle
Dies: Lawn Fawn Little Bundle, Grassy Border, MFT stitched frames

Thanks for visiting today!

Where's the Candy?!

Happy Monday!  This weekend was super busy - I have many, many card occasions (birthdays, anniversaries, new babies!) in October so I was making cards like crazy.  I was so busy I didn't have time to take pictures and post.  (And I didn't want to post cards to my blog before the recipient receives them.)  So today's card is one I did awhile back but is appropriate for the time of year.

This is probably my all-time favorite Halloween stamp set.  The frog is just too cute as is the witch. And the set comes with an adorable bat and cat.

This was done for a color challenge a few years ago on Splitcoast Stampers - use orange, purple and green.  Just perfect for Halloween.  This was also some of my early attempts a Copic coloring.

Stamps: My Favorite Things Birdie Brown Witch Way is the Candy?
Copic colors: Skin and Hair E000, E11, E31, E33,E37, E47, Broom E43, E47, YR20, YR21, YR23, YR24, Orange YR01, YR04, YR15, YR18, Green G00, G05,  YG09, Frog G09, BG0000, BG10 Purple R81 (sorry I don't have all markers used for the purple written down)

I had so much fun coloring this weekend and look forward to sharing those cards later this week.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Believe in the Miracle

Happy Friday!  I have a card today that is simple yet elegant. As I was making the card I was asking myself if it needed "something more" but when I was finished I was very happy with the result.

I have a shelf across the room from my desk where I place my cards and this one really "shines".  The card base is 10 x 5 inches, scored at the 5 inch mark to make a 5 x 5 inch card.  I used black card stock and die cut the manger scene.

I used the outside of the die cut as a pattern and masked off a rectangle slightly smaller than the die cut.  I also masked off a rough star shape underneath where the star on the die is located.  I used Broken China, Salty Ocean, Faded Jeans and Wilted Violet Distress Oxide inks and a blending tool to create a night sky.  I kept the lightest color nearest the star.  The Wilted Violet is only in the corners.

I then covered the background with paper and added some splatters of the Broken China and Salty Ocean to add some interest to the white portion of the card.

The I used silver embossing powder to heat emboss my sentiment.

I adhered the die cut on top and added a rhinestone to the center of the star and a few near the sentiment.

I hope you enjoyed this simple card today.  Although it goes together quickly, it does have an impact.  The Oxide inks seem to glow behind the silhouette die cut.

Have a great weekend!

Die - Cottage Cutz Baby Jesus with Animals

Fairy Wishes

Happy Wednesday!  Half way through the work week - YAY!  Today's card features some Lawn Fawn Fairies for the CAS Colours & Sketches challenge this week.

Here is the sketch that was posted:

This is one of those cards that is difficult to photograph but looks really pretty in person.  The fairies are colored with Copic markers except for their wings.  On the wings I used Spectrum Noir Sparkle Brush Pens.  These are similar to Wink of Stella except they come in a lot more colors and they blend together easily.  Very fun to use.  After coloring (and getting glitter on my hands, a sure sign of a good sparkle marker) I used the clear Sparkle pen to add even more glimmer.

The background was watercolored with Soft Sky ink and I die cut the clouds.  Lawn Fawn has a really nice set of stitched line dies that I used to give the fairies their "trails".
 
The sentiment is  heat embossed in a Silver Pearl embossing powder.  It is very subtle but quite lovely.  After I embossed I did some additional watercoloring so it would stand out a bit more.

The last thing I added were the sequins.

There is something very creative about coloring and designing with mythical creatures (fairies, mermaids, dragons, etc.) - you can color and design however your imagination allows.  These aren't far off the mark from actual people, but I could easily have made them purple or blue.  Really fun!

Stamps - Lawn Fawn Fairy Friends
Dies - Lawn Fawn Fairy Friends and Stitched Trails, My Favorite Things Clouds
Copic Markers - Fairies G00, G02, G05, Y11, Y12, Y15, RV00, RV52, RV55; Hair - brunette E23, E27,E47 Blonde Y21, YR25, YR55 Redhead E09, E29, E97 Skin E000, E00
Spectrum Noir Sparkle Brush Pens - Wings - Rose Quartz, Moonlight, Clear
Embossing Powder - Ranger Silver Pearl

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Making Color Decisions within a Limited Palette

Today's post features a card I made for the color challenge for October 3 on Splitcoast Stampers. Here I'm going to share an easy way to try out colors. Throughout my posts I will give insights on making various design choices; there are plenty of sites where one can learn (or watch) beautiful coloring and while I hope I inspire that as well, the design of a card is also important.

The challenge was to use only three colors - Early Espresso, Peekaboo Peach, Lemon Lime Twist - plus neutrals.  (I did cheat - I couldn't resist adding that pop of red!)  This was a unique and truly challenging combination for me.  Often my go to for difficult color combos is a floral, however, I've been meaning to color this little moose for quite some time and decided to give him a go with this palette.  I started by choosing my Copics using the corresponding paper colors for the challenge and my Copic color guide.

So what are the color decisions with a limited palette?  After all, it's right there for you so it should be easy.  But these decisions can be even more difficult because you CAN'T use another color and things can go very flat looking very fast.

To help decide, I will stamp another image to just lay out color.  Since this is actually three stamps that have been masked off, I used my MISTI to make three images from the start.  Two to color (I always color a second in the event I mess up big time) and one to quickly lay out the color I want to use.  You can see here that I just use one shade for each color and do it very quickly.  This lets me know if I like the colors where I placed them.  The mustard color on the striped pillow is what happened when I decided I did not like it striped in peach and used the green over it.

Since I did not like the front pillow mostly peach, I stamped the pillow set again and re-colored it - seen in the middle photo.  Then I cut it out (no need to be super exact) and laid it over the image.  I liked that combo much better.

Remember the second image I say I always color?  I could tell that I did not like the peach cup either, so in that one the cup is green!  It looks nice, but I decided to cheat a little on this color challenge and use red for final cup.

Stamps: My Favorite Things Merry Christmoose
Dies: My Favorite Things Single Stitched Frames and Blueprints 29; Cottage Cutz Cross-Stitched Squares
Copics: Moose - E21, E23, E25, E27; Peach - YR000,YR61, YR67; Green - YG00, YG21, YG23, YG25; Espresso - E41, E42, E44, E47, E49; Sweater - E40, E41, E81 Cup - R21, R24, R27

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Let It Snow!

Happy Friday!  Today's card is one I made as a Guest Designer for Cottage Cutz dies.  This card uses two dies from the new release.

I started with an 8 1/2 by 5 1/2 piece of white card stock that I scored and folded at the 4 1/4 inch mark.  Next I cut a panel that was slightly larger from Strathmore Mixed Media paper. I used a craft mat to wipe ink on direct from the pads, sprayed it with water and dipped the mixed media paper into it.  This method can get very messy but the backgrounds that are created are quite beautiful.  However, no two are alike so don't plan on using this method if you need a lot of the same card!

I did this several times, using a heat gun to dry between dippings.  When I was satisfied with the background, I cut the panel to 4 1/8 x 5 3/8 inches.

Next I cut three ornaments from Soft Sky cardstock and one from Whisper White cardstock.  I stacked and glued the three blue ones together and topped it with the white.  This gives interesting dimension especially to items where foam dots or tape won't work well.  Here there is a nice blue shadow to the ornament.

When that was done I cut out three snowflakes from the Soft Sky cardstock and used Wink of Stella on top of the snowflakes and ornament.  I used three coats for lots of shimmer!  I glued the snowflakes to the front of the panel.

The sentiment was heat embossed in silver on a piece of velum that was 1 1/2 inches wide and a bit larger than the width of the watercolored panel.  I wrapped velum around the panel around so I could adhere it to the back.

Finally I added a piece of silver cord to the top of the ornament and glued everything in place. in place.

Dies - Cottage Cutz Snowflake Ornament and Snowflakes Set
Ink - Distress Ink in Faded Jeans and Broken China

Tomorrow is World Card Making Day - I hope today's post encourages you to be creative and make a card tomorrow!

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