Grateful Heart

There was a new release on Thursday from Gina K. Designs. This card is for the release party challenge - Grateful Heart.  We have to use autumn colors or images and a sentiment of thanks or gratitude.

All products are from Gina K. Designs, unless otherwise stated. I started by stamping the sentiment in Dark Chocolate ink on a piece of Spectrum Noir Ultra Smooth Premium White cardstock. I stamped the flowers and leaves, also in Dark Chocolate, around the sentiment.  The stamps are from the Painted Autumn stamp set. I coloured in the flowers with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers, using OR3, GB5, GB6, and CT2. For the leaves, I used CG4 and CG2. I thought they looked a little bright and didn't have enough of a brown undertone so I went over the whole leaf with YG3.

I attached a piece of patterned paper from the Give Thanks pack. There are tiny leaves among the red and green that are blue and yellow. I used Ocean Mist ribbon to match the blue and a Honey Mustard mat to match the yellow. I adhered this to a white card base.

We are supposed to have a very humid week here, so I hope it doesn't get too hot. It already feels like 29C or 84F and it's only 9:00 in the morning. Oh well, summer goes by so fast so I guess I should enjoy it while it's here. Hope you have a great week!

Bleach it Out!

There was a new release for Gina K. Designs last week, and Gina gave us a Release Party Challenge to make a card using bleach to lighten the colour of the cardstock. 

I started with a piece of Turquoise Sea cardstock, stamped my flower image, embossed with clear embossing powder and masked it. I repeated that for the other two flowers. I went over all the flowers with a paintbrush dipped in bleach. I was surprised to find that it didn't all bleach the same way. Some spots are lighter than others. I went over them again to make sure I hadn't missed any spots with the bleach but they didn't get any lighter.

I decided to try another colour and stamped the leaves on Jelly Bean Green cardstock. When I used the bleach on it, it turned a lovely yellow colour. I fussy cut around the leaves and glued them by the flowers.

I took another piece of Jelly Bean Green, stamped and embossed the sentiment and taped it onto the blue piece. I wrapped a piece of ribbon around the front and taped it in the back. I adhered this piece to a white card base and added two rhinestones to the front.

Gina K. Designs: Turquoise Sea and Jelly Bean Green cardstock
                             Key Lime ink
                             Birthday Blessings stamp set 
Memento Tuxedo Black ink 
white cardstock, bleach, clear embossing powder, double sided tape, ribbon, rhinestones from my stash

Thumping Technique

This is a card I made for several challenges: Mod Squad Challenge - Thump, Thump Away (We have to use the thumping technique on our card. You can see a video here.); StampTV Monthly Mix Challenge - You Bet Your Sweet Acetate (We need to use acetate on our card.): Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Red, White and/or Blue; and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Red, White and/or Blue.

We have had a very hot week here, so perhaps I was thinking of cool snow when I made this card! 

I started with a piece of white cardstock, die cut a shape to use for the shaker area and embossed it with a snowflake embossing folder. I laid this piece on top of a white card base to see where I needed to stamp the sentiment and poinsettia. 

I attached a piece of acetate to the back of the embossed piece and then put strips of foam tape around the die cut shape to enclose the shaker elements. I also added foam strips around the edge to make it level. I added the shaker elements and attached the card base.

I stamped the flower and leaves for the front by stamping off first, to make a lighter colour. Then I tapped a marker over the stamp before stamping it onto a piece of white cardstock. I die cut them and taped them onto the front of the card. I added a yellow flower shape in the middle of the poinsettia.

Now I have one more Christmas card completed!

I used the following supplies:

Gina K. Designs: Merry & Bright Stamp set and coordinating dies
                            Red Hot, Wild Dandelion and Lucky Clover ink
                            White cardstock 
Sizzix Snow Burst embossing folder
Scor Tape
acetate, die, markers, foam tape, sequins, shaker elements, flower embellishment from my stash

Diamond Fold Card

There is one day left in the June Scor-pal More than One Score Challenge - Pretty in Pink. I am getting this card in under the wire! I am also entering it in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

I am not sure what this type of fold is called, but I am calling it a Diamond fold. I started with a piece of black cardstock that measured 8.5" x 5.5". With the long side on top, I scored at 2.75" and 4". With the short side on top, I scored at 2.75". With the long side on top again, I scored from the top of the 2.75" score line to the middle of the 4"score line and then from there to the bottom of the 2.75" score line. This is what it looks like:

Crease all the fold lines well and have the two diagonal folds and the fold on the right as mountain folds and the rest as valley folds. Bring the two left corners up and together and push to the right. It should form the diamond shape in front. 

I cut patterned paper to 2.5" x 4.25" and 2.5" x 2.5" and taped it to the front of the card and the diamond with Scor Tape. I also cut a small piece for the small section to the left of the diamond, but I didn't measure it.

I stamped the flower, leaves and sentiment and cut them out with dies. I matted the sentiment with a punched circle and taped it on the diamond. I attached the flower and leaves with foam squares.

I used the following products:

Gina K. Designs: ink: Lovely Lavender, Wild Lilac, Wild Dandelion, Grass Green 
                             stamp sets: Layered Daisies, Rose Peonies, and coordinating dies
Cottage Cutz Stitched Circle die
Recollections 2 inch circle punch
Scor Tape, Scor-Pal

patterned paper from Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine

Black cardstock, foam squares from my stash

Washi Tape Card

This is my last card for the StampTV Monthly Mix challenge - Gray is the New Black. We need to use gray as a main colour on our project. I am also entering it in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - Anything Goes.

I liked the combination of gray and red that I used on my last card, so I decided to use it again. I stamped the flower and leaves, coloured them in with alcohol markers, and cut them out with the matching dies.

I took a piece of cardstock, adhered washi tape to it and taped it to a piece of gray cardstock. I matted it with red and attached it to a white card base. I stamped the sentiment in black and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. I popped up the flower and leaves with some foam squares.

Supplies used:
Gina K. Designs: Rose Peonies stamp set and coordinating dies
Spectrum Noir: Ultra Smooth Premium White Cardstock
                          Alcohol markers: RB2, CR8, DR3, DG2, DG3, CT4
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
clear embossing powder, washi tape, foam squares, gray and red cardstock from my stash

Merry Christmas

This is another card I made for the StampTV Monthly Mix Challenge - Gray is the New Black.  

I saw a gray card with white embossing on Pinterest and that sparked the idea for this card. It was quick and easy.

I stamped the trees on a piece of gray cardstock with VersaMark ink and heat embossed them in white. Then I stamped the sentiment and heat embossed it in red. I smeared some white pigment ink on an acrylic block, added a bit of water and used a water brush to pick up some ink and spray it on the background to look like snow.

I adhered this to a red mat and attached it to a white card base.

Supplies used:
Gina K. Designs: Merry & Bright, Seasonal Sentiments Stamp sets
                            White base weight cardstock
VersaMark ink
ColorBox Frost White pigment ink
Kuretake water brush
White and red embossing powder, gray and red cardstock

Business Card Holder

I was looking on Pinterest the other day and saw this business card holder. I decided to make it and enter it in the Scor-Pal More than one Score challenge - Pretty in Pink. We have to make something that has more than one score line and has pink on it.

Using a piece of pink cardstock measuring 8.25" x 6", I scored at 1.5", 2.25", 5.25" and 6" on the long side, and at 1" and 5" on the short side. I folded along all of the score lines. Holding it with the long side on top, I cut along the score lines at 1.5" and 6" up to the first score line. I repeated this on the other side. I then cut off the part in between along the 1" score line. I was left with this shape:

I folded up the sides to make a U shape and then folded down the ends. Here is what it looks like from the side:

I added Scor-tape to the sides of the U and folded them in toward the middle. This forms the base of the holder. I added more Scor-tape on the ends and fastened them together. On each end, I cut off a triangle from the back to the top off the side. I added patterned paper from the Crate Paper - Oh Darling paper pad and punched a small semicircle in the front with a 2" circle punch.

This makes a holder that is 1.5" deep. The Pinterest article had measurements in metric and imperial and I think the imperial measurements are a bit off. If I made this again, I would start with a 7.5" x 5.75" piece of cardstock and score at 1.5", 2.25", 4.75" and 5.5" on the long side and at 1" and 4.75" on the short side. This would give a holder that is 1" deep.

Father's Day Card

Since Father's Day is coming up, I thought I better get a card made! I am entering this in the following challenges: StampTV Monthly Mix Challenge - Gray is the New Black and Die Cuttin' Divas - Masculine or Father's Day.

I started with a piece of gray cardstock and embossed it with an embossing folder. I die cut another piece of gray and stamped the bird images and sentiment with Sandy Beach ink. The sentiment looked a bit light so I stamped it again using Ocean Mist. I tried to slightly offset it to get a shadow effect but I think I was a little crooked. I coloured the birds with coloured pencils.

I stamped the sailboats on a piece of blue cardstock and matted the focal image and background with blue. I die cut the smaller mat out of the piece that I used for the larger mat to save cardstock.

I attached everything to a white card base with a tape runner. I was finishing the inside of the card and accidentally touched the front of the card to the Ocean Mist ink pad. I tried to erase it and it is lighter but you can still see it in the sentiment. Sigh.


Supplies used:
Gina K. Designs: By the Sea Stamp set
                            Sandy Beach, Ocean Mist ink
                            Ocean Mist cardstock
Cottage Cutz Stitched Square dies
Lifestyle Crafts GooseBumpz Zig Zag embossing folder
Laurentien coloured pencils
tape runner, white and grey cardstock from my stash

Come to the Dark Side

This week, for the Mod Squad challenge we are to Come to the Dark Side. We have to colour an image on dark cardstock. I am also entering this in the StampTV Monthly Mix challenge - Gray is the New Black. We have to use gray as a main colour on our project.

I didn't have any gray cardstock that was dark enough, so I used a piece of white cardstock and sponged Slate ink over it. I stamped the flowers with VersaMark ink and embossed them with white embossing powder. I coloured them with some soft pastels, that seem more like chalk to me, and used a paper blending stump to smooth out the colour. I added some highlights with coloured pencils.

I stamped the sentiment and heat embossed it in white. I like this sentiment as it works for many occasions.

I matted this layer with pink and adhered it to a white card base. I added a bow to finish it off.

These are the supplies I used:
Gina K. Designs: White layering weight cardstock 
                             Slate ink
                             Especially for You Stamp set
VersaMark ink
Mungo soft pastels
Laurentien coloured pencils
Mini Glue Dots
paper blending stumps, pink cardstock, white embossing powder, ribbon, sponge dauber, tape runner         from my stash

Flowers and Bling

Today I made a card for a few challenges: StampTV Monthly Mix - Rainbow Stenciling; Mod Squad challenge - Florals-Pop up and Bling; and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - Use more than one Stamp.

I started by stencilling on a piece of white cardstock with a rainbow of colours. I didn't want to lose any of the center of the design, so I cut it in half and trimmed it down so it would fit on the black piece, cut to 4 1/8" x 5 3/8", and leaving a strip of black showing in the middle.

I stamped the sentiment and heat embossed it in white. I cut out the flower shapes with the die and then stamped the flowers and stems. 

I adhered the black piece onto a white card base, attached everything else and popped the flowers up with some foam squares.

I used the following supplies:
Gina K. Designs: Ink: Red Hot, Sweet Mango, Wild Dandelion, Jelly Bean Green, Turquoise Sea,                                          Wild Lilac, Peach Bellini 
                            Birthday Blessings stamp set
                            Layered Daisies Stamp set with coordinating die
                            White layering weight cardstock
VersaMark ink
white embossing powder, black cardstock, stencil, rhinestones, foam squares from my stash