Wedding Card

One of my favourite things to do is to design congratulatory cards. They are such "feel good" creations. Lately, I have design several wedding cards. Here is one of my personal favourites that I completed for one of my friends.

The Simon Says Stamp Challenge this week is "Anything Goes". They have suggested using any of their new line of dies. Unfortunately I don't own any of them ..... yet! I used several different Memory Box Dies to create this card and I just happened to order them from Simon Says Stamp. I used 2 embossing folders to create the background and some Stampin' Up seam binding ribbon and pearls to add the finishing touches. I was particularly pleased with the colour combination. I will definitely use these colours again.

Until next time,

Dog Gone

People who know me know that I love dogs. I guess you might be able to figure that out by looking at my blog picture. As a dog lover, I adore making cards with dog images. Mo Manning has so many terrific digital stamps featuring dogs. I'm still hoping that she will draw one featuring a Siberian Husky. (I am passionate about Sibes and used to show them in my younger years!) Mo's Digital Challenge this week is "In the Doghouse". Here's my submission for this theme. It features one of Mo's digital stamps and is part of a set entitled, "Lazy Mutt". Don't you think he's adorable!

I coloured the image with Copic Markers and used a variety of Momenta papers to create the background. I added several Prima flowers and some Stampin' Up ribbon to finish up the project.

Until next time,

Hugs and Kisses

Today I made a card for a couple of different challenges. The first is the Simon Says Stamp Challenge this week which is to follow Dawny's sketch. Here is the sketch to follow:

The second challenge is for Mo's Digital Challenge which is "Hugs and Kisses" using a Mo Manning image. Here is my completed card:

I used a digital stamp from Mo's Digital Pencil entitled "Love Ya". Isn't she adorable! I coloured her with Copics and a bit of coloured pencil. I double printed the image and fussy cut the teddy bear and sweater so that I could pop it up for added dimension. I added a tiny green pearl as the button on her sweater for a tiny bit of bling. Here is a more detailed image to show you the dimensional effect:

One of the background papers I used is white embossed with Hero Arts Studio Calico background stamp called "Lattice". I inked the paper with sponge daubers and Distress Inks to create a rainbow effect and then misted the whole thing with Perfect Pearls to add some shimmer. I was very pleased with the overall effect. Hope you like it too.

Until next time,

"Sunny"

I found that the picture I took of my Cat Card in the previous post, really didn't do the card justice, so I decided to add a picture to show more of the detail.

To create the background for the card's image, I inked the background portion of the stamp with Versamark, stamped it on watercolour paper, and clear embossed it in order to create a resist. I used sponge daubers to apply Wild Honey, Bundled Sage and Broken China Ranger Distress Inks to add colour. Next, I removed the areas of clear embossing by covering it with printer paper and pressing it with a warm iron. To add a little glisten, I misted the image using a mixture of Perfect Pearl and water. (I know this is hard to see in the picture.) I then inked the cat portion of the stamp with Versamark ink, stamped it on Solar White Neenah paper, and embossed it with Black embossing powder. This gave the impression of glossy fur to the cat image. I used my Copic markers to colour the cute kitty. I chose to make it look like our cat "Sunny" - a dear little calico. I fussy cut around the cat and mounted it with dimensional tape on the background. I liked the contrast of the sharp, shiny black cat face with the soft, matte finish of the background. I decided that I wanted more of the shiny black effect behind the image, so I inked the edges of a square of paper with Versamark and embossed it with black embossing powder. I added more coloured paper to create a mat for the image and 3D mounted it on a final coloured piece of Tide Hero Arts Layering paper, and finally on white cardstock for my card base. In order to accentuate the eyes, I covered them with Glossy Accents and allowed it to dry completely. I somehow can't quite capture the final effect this gave to the finished card.

Until next time,

Stretch Your Stamps

I have been taking part in the newest "Online Card Class" called "Stretch Your Stamps". This series of classes is being presented by the fantastic Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner. These ladies are the most creative and helpful instructors and I have thoroughly enjoyed each of the series of classes in which they have been involved. Along with a group of other artistic and imaginative guest instructors, they are teaching daily classes that include 2 videos, several card ideas with accompanying pdf instruction sheets, and a bunch of links to other ideas. It's not too late to join the classes if you are interested - you can register at the link above.

Here are a couple of cards that I've made with ideas from these classes:

I will be posting more of the cards that I've created from ideas I've seen on "Stretch Your Stamps". Stay tuned!

Until next time,