Pumpkins Everywhere

Happy Sunday!  I hope you are having a good weekend.  The card that I'm posting today has no stamping - just die cuts.  While I know many of you are stampers, I also know that there are those who prefer dies.  In fact, I have a friend who makes only die cut or punched cards.  She has a Big Shot, but only a couple of stamps!  And they're sentiment stamps  - no images.

The card was inspired by this week's Fusion challenge:

I chose to use both elements of inspiration - the sketch and the theme. I interpreted things pretty literally just changing the oval to a pie. There are times when doing challenges I interpret things in a looser way.  But I love fall colors so I just had to go with a total autumn look.

I die cut the various pieces in colored card stock and tipped the edges with ink to add dimension.  Often I will cut the pieces from white and use markers or ink to color them but this time I felt the colored card stock was best.

And of course I added sequins for some sparkle.  (I just organized my sequins so you'll be seeing more of them in upcoming cards now that I know what I have!)

Dies: Cottage Cutz Pumpkins and Vines, Pumpkin Pie & Latte,  Double Stitched Circle Set
Paper: Echo Park Celebrate Autumn

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Fur Baby Congratulations

Happy Friday!!!  Are you looking forward to the weekend?  I am!  Today I have a simple card that is perfect for those friends who have just become fur parents.  (My husband would just die if he heard me say that.  He hates when I call our dog the fur baby!)

 

This cute little guy is a new die from Cottage Cutz.  Although he can be for Christmas (he comes with reindeer antlers and a Santa hat)  I chose to make him without costume.

Very simple to make.  The dog is all die cut and the sentiment is heat embossed on a panel slightly smaller than the die cut frame.  I embossed the white panel using a paw print embossing folder.

The framed panel is popped off the embossed panel using foam tape and the whole thing is adhered to a red top folding A2 card base.  This is super simple to make, but sometimes that is just what you need!

Dies: Cottage Cutz Dakota the Husky and Stitched Wide Frames
Stamp: MFT New Best Friend

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Mermaid Dreams

I was going to post this Monday and say it was "Magical Monday" but my internet connection was so poor last night I couldn't do it.  AUGH!!!! technology...  And that's why I love my art!  It's low tech.

This card is for the color challenge at Splitcoast Stampers this week - Bermuda Bay, Cherry Cobbler and Blueberry Bushel.  This really was challenging for me and I had a tough time thinking of an image to use.  Then I came across this Laurel Burch stamp.

I have loved her artwork since the 80s and when I discovered that some of it was being released in stamps I was so excited!  If you are not familiar with her, her art is very graphic, colorful and whimsical.  Unfortunately she passed away in 2007, but has left beautiful art as her legacy.

When coloring this I tried to stay somewhat true to her style.  I used ZIG Kuretake brush markers in order to get depth of shading.  The most difficult part of the card for me was the layout.  I wanted it to be somewhat organic.  I used a swirl embossing folder on Vanilla card stock and the distressed that with sand paper and some Distress Oxide Antique Linen ink.  The mermaid panel was too pristine so instead of die cutting out the panel I ripped the edges - always a hard thing to do!

The dessert option this week is to add some shimmer or sparkle so after tearing I touched the edges with both Antique Linen and shimmer paint.  It is all mounted to a shimmery piece of card stock that my mother-in-law gave me.  I have no idea what it is, but it's pretty!  I cut the word Dream from the same card stock.

Stamp: Stampendous Laurel Burch Mermaid
Die: Penny Black
ZIG Kuretake Brush Pens: Persian Blue, Turquoise Green, Wine Red, Olive Green, Beige, Flesh Color, Dark Brown
Ink: Distress Oxide Antique Linen, Stampin' Up! Frost White Shimmer Paint
Embossing Folder: Stampin' Up!Swirls and Curls


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Christmas Wishes Turnabout Card

Happy Tuesday!  This week's challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches is both a sketch and color challenge.  The colors made me think of Christmas - maybe because I'm starting to get nervous about having all my cards made!

Here is the challenge:

I created the patterned panel by using a new stamp I just purchased call a "turnabout" stamp.  It's from Concord and 9th.  You put you paper in a stamping platform that will hold a 6 inch square.  You stamp the first color, turn the paper 90 degrees, stamp the second color, then turn and stamp until you have done this four times. The pattern fills itself in.  You can switch up colors as I did or do a monochromatic background.

I used the three challenge colors plus a grey.  (I thought about heat embossing in silver for the fourth color but decided I wanted to practice first before I went a bit crazy!)

To finish off the card I dies cut some sprigs and used silver thread to "tie" them on.

Stamps: Concord & 9th Deck the Halls Turnabout
Dies: Stampin' Up! Pretty Pines

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3-D Thursday Under the Sea Double Slider Surprise Card

Well, I couldn't make just one Double Slide Surprise card!  Especially after my husband saw the card I made for Anushka.  He shares the same birthday and of course was expecting something pretty special for his card.

My husband is a scuba diver (I am not) and loves the ocean.  I am not particularly strong at swimming.  That said, on our last trip to Maui we decided to take a snorkeling trip.  It happened to be right before Hurricane Lane was coming by the islands and the sea was pretty rough.  That, coupled with my lack of swimming ability, made for a rather tense snorkeling excursion for me.  But my husband was great - he stayed by my side and actually held my hand the whole time I was in the water.  Best snorkeling buddy ever!

So I went all out with his card using a dive theme.  The background was created with Distress Oxide inks using wave a stencil for the sandy bottom.  In order to cut all the pieces I did two rows of the background scene.

I then colored A LOT of fish pieces.  Way more than I needed but it allowed me to play with placement and now I have extras.

 

I cut the center piece and the two side pieces roughly lining up the sandy bottom.  You can see by this photo that I originally had the diver front and center but changed it to the submarine.  I wanted to keep the diver as a "surprise."

I loved making Double Slider Surprise cards!  There are so many possibilities with this format.  But I will warn you - they are not quick to make.  You need some thought and planning with them - so make them for someone special and take your time!!!

Dies: Lawn Fawn Double Slider Surprise
Stamps and Dies: All Lawn Fawn - Duh-Nuh, You Are Sublime, Fintastic Friends
Copics:

Distress Oxides: Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean, Faded Jeans, Stormy Sky, Tea Dye, Antique Linen

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