Pink Redux

Monday was so busy that despite having the cards and photos completed and in queue, I couldn’t get to the composition of these posts! So I have a double-hitter today!  See my other post here.

For my next card, which also features pink prominently, I worked from Wida Miller’s inspiration this week over at CASE Study.  So excited she is the muse this month!

Here is her card:

And here is my take:

A bit more ethereal than Wida’s– but what I started from was her double frame and square orientation.  I just received my Penny Black Feather and Frames dies, and when I saw her card, I knew the double frame would be perfect.

I’ve not jumped on the feather bandwagon–though I have some feather embellishments and stamps floating around (pun intended!).  Her card inspired me to give the trend a try.

I also found myself echoing Amy’s design with her silver lining!  Love her card!

This card was so fun to put together– especially given the gorgeous papers that came in these amazing Crate Paper/Amy Tangerine discount packs at Michael’s (thanks for the tip, Amy Tsuruta!!).  My card and the backdrop papers are specifically from The Best of Maggie Holmes pack.  The tan base paper is from Crate Paper’s DIY Shop.

You can’t see it in my card, but the pink paper layer has bokah hearts all over it, a nod to Wida’s heart paper. I’ve placed the card on the paper so you get an idea of what lies beneath!

I like that the hearts are hidden like a secret beating within the body of the card.

I strategically cut the cloud paper and covered it with a layer of vellum, adhering with a little Scotch vellum tape before I stitched the top.

I also cut a specific part of the bokah paper that looked like a sun and placed that behind the frame, so it looks like the sun and it’s halo are peeking from the cloud range.

I cut the sentiment from a notecard in the beloved Lucky Charms pack and distressed it with Tattered Rose, as it was too white for the card.

I also Distress inked my feather with Worn Lipstick stain, and then spritzed with Heidi Swapp Coral mist to get the exact pink I wanted– along with a little sparkle!

Here is the inside of the card, featuring a Verve Stamp that I just love!

Now, I initially did not include the sequin on the bottom of the card.  After taking photos and stepping back from the finished product, I just felt like something was missing.  I think the addition of the sequin creates a nice line and adds subtle visual interest.  What about you?  To sequin or not to sequin?

BEFORE:

AFTER:

The bottom is finished off with some Little B washi!

I thought this card would be perfect for someone working through a difficult time.  Even in our darkest moments and most challenging days, we need to hold onto hope and move toward the light while we sit with the uncertainty.  I think it’s important to remember the difficult days as it helps us to appreciate the better ones that will most certainly follow.

I hope you are having a wonderful week– but if not, may you find the feathers you need to lift you up and the silver linings to make your cloud seem a little less grey.

Thanks for stopping by!  Head over to CASE Study and Curtain Call for some uplifting creations!

 

P.S. Almost forgot my crafty cat Leo who loves the tulle and keeps me company!

And Atticus who is CSO (Chief String Officer)

 

Candy Crush

Happy Weekend, All!

It is a gorgeous, cloudless day here on the beach, much like the afternoon when the idea for this card sprung to life!

A few week’s ago, my partner and I were walking along the water and spotted a collection of candy necklaces just hanging from a post.  How odd, and wasteful, (I still love candy necklaces!) that someone would have left five uneaten strands there!  Then my partner said, “You should make a card like that.” I started thinking about how I would execute it, but I only had time to think until today.

Candy Necklaces were invented in 1958; click the image for an article on vintage candy favorites that are still around today!

 

Now before I get to the actual card, I must relay a bit of synchronicity. I played along with Fusion last week, and Kimberly told me that I would really love this week’s challenge.  Sure enough, she was right, as it aligned perfectly with my candy necklace idea!!

So today I was able to finally fuse together that moment on the beach and the inspiration below!  I was also thinking about the colors in Taheerah’s Cure for the Monday Blues challenge photo–for which I have another card slated, but potentially won’t finish in time…additionally, her photo conveys the soft, sweet dreaminess of childhood so it connects perfectly to one of my favorite candies from youth!

So here is this week’s Fusion image:

And Taheerah’s image:

And here is my sweet card:

Before I saw the photo, I knew I wanted to stay pretty faithful to the powdery soft colors of the original candy necklace, so they just happened to align perfectly with the softness of the pastel rose garland.  I decided not to fill the whole necklace with “candy” and left a bow at the top for interest; it also echoes the bow within the garland.

I pulled the blue tablecloths in the photo into my side panel, a scrap paper from a discount pack.  Initially, I thought I would use the white linen for both the card body and front panel; but decided to go with the turquoise.  It was only when I turned the Bazzill paper over to cut it did I notice that the color of the paper is… Candy Necklace!!  Another fusion!!  I had to read it twice to believe my eyes.  This paper is so delicious in terms of weight and color, I don’t even think you can get the full impact from my photos.  It’s from Bazzill’s “Green with Envy” set of papers.

PROCESS:

Okay, so how did I execute my little “candies” and their placement?  I immediately thought of Avery Elle’s Simply Tags set when I saw the real necklaces.  The little circle die was a perfect, if not tedious, choice!  I cut 12-15 of each color.  And I only have one of those little circles…

At any rate, once I had finally finished die cutting, I got to thinking about how I would be able to adhere the necklace while giving it dimension and interest, but making sure it stayed on the card and the adhesive would not be seen!!

I used a combination of Mod-Podge and Scotch ultra-thin glue dots.  The glue dots anchored certain parts, while I was able to manipulate other areas easily using the Mod-Podge.

I wanted some of the pieces to move, so I anchored those on either end of the loose ones.  In the photo below you can see the texture of the papers I used, and the standing pieces are moveable.

The back and inside are finished off with yellow washi– I love how the striped back of the front panel peeks through just a little!

Last but not least, I needed a sentiment.  I had planned to stamp a bold black “sweet” on the front originally, then my eye wandered over to the American Crafts Valentine Phrase Stickers I had bought waaaaay back in February at Target for some valentines that never materialized.  Another moment in this process where stars aligned.  And a card was born!

To be honest, I am crushing pretty hard on this card!  What about you?

You have until the 22nd to play along with the challenge at Fusion, and only hours until Taheerah’s challenge runs out.  But don’t worry– she’ll be back with more on Monday!

Since Simon’s Challenge this week is all about sweets, I am going to send this card right over there as well!  A triple-header!

Wishing you crafty time full of flow and sweet serendipity this weekend!

I am off to catch what is left of the sun!

 

 

Blossoming Spring

Happy Vernal Equinox and welcome to a new week over at CASE Study!

Let’s spring to it and see what inspiration was gathered from our muse Joni Andaya this week!

A little background on her process is needed as it’s not readily apparent from the card.  Lovely as it is, once you see how she manipulated the stamped image, you will find her ingenuity even more divine!

  So she stamped doubly this lovely image from PTI’s Basket of Blessings, then as you can see, die cut the baskets right out, leaving a lovely border of flowers.

I have commented before how I just love it when I see people re-visioning their products, and this is no exception!

So I, likewise, was inspired to see my products in a new light, specifically the Lil’ Inker’s cover-plate Stitches and Stripes die.

While Joni cut her basket out, I wanted to not only innovate, but pull the basket back into my card.  This is the result!

My Technique:

First, I cut the die out of White Linen paper, twice; then, I ran one of the die-cuts through the Lifestyle Crafts Woven embossing folder to add more texture.

Next, I cut this embossed die-cut apart, and wove the individual pieces through the other die-cut.  I adhered ends with a little dot of glue, and then cut off the superfluous strips that hung over the edges.

I cut the circle from the center, covered it on both sides (front and back) with larger circle die frames, and then covered that with one of my most best purchases, the PTI wreath die.

In the close-up below, you can see the lovely texture of the Ellen’s Essentials White Linen paper.

The Spring Blossoms sentiment is from that wonderful Graphic 45 Sweet Sentiments set I featured in my News of Spring post.

Likely you recognize the ever-popular flowers from WPlus9’s Fresh Cut Florals set, stamped with Hero Inks and Memento dye inks.  Placement, deciding on color both took me the longest.  I can’t tell you how many dies I cut of the different flowers and leaves!  Now I have plenty for additional cards!

STAMPING TIP:
If you didn’t already know this, here’s a great technique for stamping die cuts.  Start by die cutting your small shapes first, then with your inked stamp laying flat on your table, place the die cut upside down onto the stamp.  It makes centering and inking so much easier.  No more stamping first and then die cutting for me!

Here’s a view of the back.

Another Version

I have a few more of my woven Easter basket cards in the works using different colors for the background and different scenes (Lawn Fawn Easter Bunny and some jelly beans, perhaps?!); I will be featuring them soon!

This was a trial card to practice the weaving and stamping ideas around the sentiment.  I think I prefer the one above, but this one is sweet in it’s own way!

Well, that’s it for me!  I sure hope things are blossoming in beautiful ways wherever in the world you are.

I encourage you to play along with us this and every week over at CASE Study.  Head over there now to check out what the ladies have created this week, or blog hop through their individual sites below.  You will leave with an overflowing basket of ideas for sure!

Chupa
Amy Wanford
Clare Buswell
Debby Hughes
Jeanne Jachna
Maureen Merritt
Silke Ledlow
Tasnim Ahmed

March Guest Designers: 

Sarah Gough

Through Thick & Thin

Good afternoon, everyone!

Today, I am keeping the post as clean and simple as the card!

Enjoy!

Materials: Mama Elephant alphabet dies; Papertrey Ink Grand Ampersand die (embossed) and stamp set; vellum; white cardstock; washi!

This is headed over to CASology’s current challenge:

How’s that for short and sweet?  Ahh, I think I have another idea for a card…

Merry Cat: Inlaid Die Cut

Merry Cat

Make It Monday #138: Inlaid Die-cuts

I was determined to make it to this week’s Make It Monday Challenge over at Papertrey Ink!
So I have been making quite a bit of merry in my craft room this afternoon!

Here’s the first of the inlaid die cut cards showcasing one of my favorite cat dies from Memory Box!

For this card, I used the same technique as on my Skeleton Dance card.  Using the Sizzix snowflake embossing folder, I ran it through my Big Shot and then covered it with VersaMark Dazzle Stamp and clear embossing powder, heat-set and voila!

I cut the cat die into the embossed background and my hand-cut snow drift, then found a paper for the inlaid cat that complemented the scene! Papertrey Ink gave dogs center stage this holiday, and while I love those four-legged friends, I am at heart a crazy cat lady!  You may recognize the fabulous little Santa hat from Papertrey’s set “Come All Ye Faithful Additions”.  I was so excited that he fit my curious cat! I stamped, embossed with clear powder and fussy cut.

I then stamped the “Merriment” sentiment from the same Papertrey Ink set and die cut.  Those wonderful icicles?  Well, my mom bought me a Fiskars snowflake punch last year, and after playing around with it for another project, I realized it had multiple functions!  Don’t you love it when you can use one tool so many novel ways?  So I cut and adhered the icicle strip to the flag and along the back of the card!

The inside stamp is also Papertrey Ink, and there’s that snowflake in its entirety!

Don’t you love the glossy nature of the double heat-embossed paper?  Shiny and bright for the season!

Speaking of paper: I used a variety from my stash, mostly from Impress Stamps here in Seattle.  The card is heavy stock from Gina K.

This snowflake pattern also reminds me of those wonderful 19th century tin ceilings.

I am thinking he needs a bell around his neck, and some of my white Flower Soft on the ball of his Santa hat!  What do you think?  Any suggestions where to find a tiny bell?  Maybe a bell brad would work!

Prior to this challenge, I actually made an inlay die card for World Card Making Day/Thanksgiving, which you can see here!  I also have a Seattle Skyline inlay die card I have yet to upload (but will very soon!  Trying to catch up!)  that I made for a friend who recently relocated to Utah.

Slide on over to Papertrey Ink to see what others have fashioned for the challenge!  It’s merry indeed!

Thanks for stopping by!