Spellbinders Stained Glass Bouquet Collection

Becca Feeken has done it again!  Just look at these ornate dies she's created for her latest collection called Stained Glass Bouquet! 

My first card uses the Tulip Trio set of dies.

supplies: black, ivory parchment, and watercolor cardstock, Tulip Trio dies, oxide inks and water, Hero Arts retired sentiment

I thought the best way to achieve a mottled stained glass look was to make my own colors using distress oxide inks.  Each of these colors started with the smooth side of watercolor card, then I sponged on various shades of the color I was going for, spritzed with water, and dried, continually adding droplets of color until I was satisfied.  I'm very pleased with the results.  I saw bleeding hearts in the corners, so I added a little more red to the pinks I had used for my tulips for them.

We've had a need for sympathy cards this spring, and I thought this would work well for that occasion. 

Next up is a set called Deco Bloom, which makes a card just a little less than 5 x 7.

supplies: slate grey, ivory, surf blue, kraft, pale green, 2 pink, and 2 yellow cardstock, Deco Bloom dies, Pink & Main Sent with Love sentiment, adhesive foam squares

This time I used a variety of colored cardstock to bring color to this design.  This die set is made of  dies for the border and the wreath, so you can use just parts of it for other designs, and the roses are separate dies that can be placed anywhere you'd like on this wreath. I chose to adhere them with adhesive foam so that they stand above the rest of the card.

I won't deny that paper-piecing these cards took a little time, but I enjoyed every minute.  These dies cut beautifully.  Thank you, Spellbinders, for sharing these with me!

Simon Says.........Christmas!

Happy Wednesday!  Welcome to another challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

Our theme this week is Christmas, and the team is playing with Creative Expressions products.

supplies: kraft, Peacock Teal, Schoolhouse Red, Lipstick Red, and black card stock, Creative Expressions Robin Redbreast Stained Glass die

This die was love at first sight - and when I got it home I decided to do some old-fashioned paper-piecing with colored cardstock.  This die covers a card nicely, and I don't think it needs a sentiment, so I just centered it on my card front.  

Now it's your turn!  We have a $50.00 gift certificate 

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!

Guesting at Virginia's View!

I am so honored that Virginia asked me to be a Guest Designer this month at her Virginia's View Challenge!  Her theme this month is All Things Embossed, and also, she's celebrating her 1-year anniversary of her challenge blog!  

I love embossing in all its forms, so I've made 3 cards today.  My first one incorporates an inlaid die into my dry embossed background.

supplies: Darice Flower Frenzy embossing folder, one of Simon's Stitched Rectangles dies, Hero Arts 3 Dotted Flowers and Hello Sunshine Daisies (sentiment), stamped in Hero Arts Bubble Gum ink, Penny Black's Painted Blooms paper pad, Doodlebug Cupcake Assortment sprinkles 

I cut a panel slightly smaller than my card base, and from that I centered and die-cut the stitched rectangle.  Then I embossed the "frame" that was left after removing the rectangle, and then, after stamping my sentiment, reinserted the stitched panel back into place before securing it all onto my card front.  The flowers and leaves were white heat embossed, fussy cut, and then attached to the front, adding some enamel dots.  

On my next one, I chose some of my favorite spring colors and brought an embossing strip into the mix.

supplies: Core'dinations sandable cardstock, Darice Simple Patterns: Checks embossing strip, Li'l Inker Spring Flower dies, white, yellow, and aqua cardstock,  Doodlebug enamel dot, Wplus9 leaf die from Folk Art Florals, green cardstock, Simon's Happy Birthday die

After trimming my Core'dinations cardstock panel, I embossed the check strip along the top edge and down the left edge.  I chose this strip because it overlapped nicely.  Then I sanded the cardstock lightly to bring out the embossed design even more.  Finishing the card was just a matter of affixing my die-cuts in a pleasing way.  

And my last card uses gold embossing powder for all of the stamping, and some vellum over the flowers.

supplies: pink shimmer cardstock base, watercolor paper panel, Technique Tuesday Two Steppin' flowers and leaves, and the sentiment is a mix of Hero Arts Luscious Patterned Flowers (sentiment) and Winnie & Walter's Big, Bold You small words, Ranger Super Fine Detail gold embossing powder,  spiced marmalade, picked raspberry, and mowed lawn distress inks, gold sequins

I stamped and heat embossed my flower and leaves in gold, masking as needed.  Then I used distress inks mixed with water to paint in the flowers.  Even though the watercoloring took the colors down a shade, I still thought they were too bright, so I embossed the flowers again on vellum with gold embossing powder, fussy-cut them out, and popped them above the main panel.  They give a kind of stained-glass effect now and I like this much better!  I sprinkled some gold sequins to finish.  

I hope these give you some ideas of your own and that you'll join us at the All Things Embossed challenge at Virginia's View this month!  As always, Virginia has a $25.00 gift certificate to Simon Says Stamp for the winner!

Simon Says..........Stencil It!

It's Wednesday and another challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge!  

Our theme this week is Stencil It.  There are so many beautiful stencils out there now, so I'll really enjoy seeing your take on the challenge this week!  The design team and guest designer Jocelyn Olson  are using stencils made by The Crafter's Workshop.

My first card uses the stencil called Mini Mod Checkerboard, but to me it looks like a basket weave, and I envisioned a white-washed basket.

So I started with an Audrey Blue card base, and used a picket fence distress marker to place the design on it, in a rough diagonal direction.  Then I ran the whole thing through my Cuttlebug and embossed the motif also onto the card front.  I just got this beautiful Memory Box Gorgeous Gardenia Outline die, and, after playing a bit with it, I decided to make it into a stained-glass look, using some pieces of previously-made polished stone pieces of cardstock.  And to finish I used my current favorite sentiment stamp set, Winnie & Walter's The Big, the Bold, and the Happy.  

I also made a second card this week, using the Mini Flower Frenzy stencil and distress inks.  I was inspired by a card by Julie Ebersole from the Stencil classes I took earlier this year at Online Card Class.

Starting with a piece of heavy cardstock, I sponged picked raspberry, squeezed lemonade, and spiced marmalade distress inks through the stencil.  That panel was then trimmed down to size and I reattached the stencil and ran it through my cuttlebug to dry emboss the pattern also.  I have been unable to capture that effect with my photo, but it really adds a lovely subtle texture which you can feel.  I liked Julie's idea of using black accents with these bright colors, so I followed suit, adding a strip of black washi tape, and a stamped and die-cut Hero Arts butterfly, (painted with picked raspberry ink watered down), along with my Paper Smooches sentiment embossed in white on black.  After assembling everything, I added some Doodlebug sprinkles for more dimension.

Now it's your turn!  There's a $50.00 gift voucher up for grabs from the fantastic Simon Says Stamp store for the random winner of our challenge!

*The Crafter's Workshop MINI MOD CHECKERBOARD 6 x 6 Template	*Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100# AUDREY BLUE AB19	*Tim Holtz Distress MARKERS PICKET FENCE Ranger White TDM33073	*Memory Box GORGEOUS GARDENIA OUTLINE Craft DIE 98691	*RESERVE Winnie & Walter THE BIG THE BOLD AND THE HAPPY Clear Stamps	*Scrapbook Adhesives 126 3D WHITE FOAM SQUARES Adhesive
*The Crafter's Workshop MINI FLOWER FRENZY 6 x 6 Template	*Tim Holtz DISTRESS INK PAD PICKED RASPBERRY Ranger SUMMER	*Tim Holtz DISTRESS INK PAD SQUEEZED LEMONADE Ranger SPRING	*Tim Holtz Distress Ink PAD SPICED MARMALADE Orange Ranger	*Doodlebug BEETLE BLACK SWISS DOT Washi Tape 12 Yards	*Hero Arts Stamps & Die Cut ANTIQUE FLOWERS & BUTTERFLIES Sizzix 657773
*Paper Smooches SUMMER GROVES Clear Stamps Kim Hughes	*Doodlebug SPRING ASSORTMENT Sprinkles	*Doodlebug HALLOWEEN Sprinkles Assortment	*VersaFine ONYX BLACK Ink Pad Pigment	*Versamark WATERMARK Rubber Stamp Emboss Chalk Resist INK PAD	*Hero Arts EMBOSS WHITE EMBOSSING POWDER
*Hero Arts EMBOSS ULTRA FINE CLEAR EMBOSSING POWDER PW111

InLinkz.com

the little things featuring "A Day for Daisies" digital stamp

Can you believe another month has gone by and it's time again for the challenge at Lily Pad Cards that uses Kathy's latest color palette?  Here it is:

The Design Team got to choose a digital stamp from a wonderful site called "A Day for Daisies".  This one is called Morning Dew Fairy.

supplies: white card stock, vellum, A Day for Daisies digital image, green cardstock and BoBunny flamingo dot for framing, Prismacolor pencils and Memento markers,  Hero Arts CL497 Find Joy, versafine onyx black ink, clear gemstones

The image was printed once on smooth white paper, and twice more on vellum, clear embossing as soon as it came out of the printer, as my printer ink never dries on vellum.  I colored the paper image using Prismacolor pencils and mineral spirits to blend, and colored the vellum image on the reverse with Memento markers highlighted with colored pencils.  Then I put the vellum image over the paper one and secured it to the back.  This gives a kind of stained glass look.  I cut just the wing out of the 2nd vellum image to give a little more dimension and added clear gemstones where the dew drops were drawn.  

Please visit Lily Pad Cards to see more of these lovely digital images brought to life by the Design Team!

Framed spring

There are several challenges going on (PTI and Penny Black) to use vellum, but I don't have the right stamps to enter there, so I have just been playing with what I have. I stamped the frame on vellum and centered the Cherry Blossom Bird inside it, clear embossing both images. Then I turned the vellum over and used my watercolor pencils to color in the details. When you turn it back over again, it gives a kind of stained-glass look. Then I trimmed the frame around the first rectangle, cutting out the fancy work.

Next I stamped the clouds background in blue on a piece of white cardstock and overstamped the frame in black, and trimmed it out the same way. This was then glued behind the vellum image, using tiny dots of glossy accents at the corners and the middle of each side, under the black stamping.

And lastly I stamped and clear embossed the frame again on a plain white card, then glued the above panel to the inside of the frame. The nest was stamped on white cardstock, watercolored, and cut out, then popped at the corner of the frame. I couldn't resist adding little pink pearl hearts over the hearts on the frame.

Here's a closer look; hopefully you can see the effect of the vellum colored on the reverse side:

supplies: white cardstock, vellum, Hero Arts S5324 Single Frame, S5215 Clouds, Stampabilities KR1061 Cherry Blossom Bird, Inkadinkado97104 (nest), Versafine onyx black ink and clear embossing powder, faded jeans distress ink (clouds), colored pencils, pink pearls