Outlines Challenge Card: St. Patrick's Day

This week the challenge at Outlines Rubber stamps is to make a card with a St. Patrick's Day theme.  Here is the original blog post:  http://outlineswithkathy.blogspot.com/2012/02/challenge-41-st-patricks-day.html?showComment=1330578209788#c6188998708839123980  I do not have any of the absolutely darling St. Patrick's Day stamps (hint:  I need to win so I can get some!), so I used a couple of the bleach cards instead.  I stamped the flower stamps onto white card with Pearlescent Thyme Brilliance ink.  I like the delicate shimmer this ink gives.  I layered them onto some dark green card (yes, I know it looks a little black in the picture!)  I then added a St. Patrick's Day greeting in white gel pen and embellished with ribbon and a flower.  I did stamp one of the Outlines bold border stamps and layered those stampings onto the side and bottom of the card for balance.

This cutie was made on a whim.  I cut the background from green card using the Cricut Cartridge Paper Lace 2.  I thought it needed some pizzazz so I ran it upside down through my xyron and glittered it green.  I avoided a lot of the "tackiness" of the xyron in the little circular areas by pressing the areas with a stylus before removing the piece from the release paper.  I then added the Outlines flowers stamped onto white card, popping up each layer.  As a final treat, I covered all the swirl  lines of the stamped image with green Smooch paint.  Thank you to Ann for providing the cute ribbon sentiment!

Simon Says Challenge

 I created this tag for this week's Simon Says Stamp challenge.  The theme is Paris, London, or New York.  You can see the original post here:   http://simonsaysstampandshow.blogspot.com/2012/02/simon-says-stamp-and-show-take-your.html

Actually, I had originally designed the small tag in September for Tagalicious Tuesday.  We put the #5 tag onto an A2 card featuring Webster's Pages paper.  For this challenge, I recreated the small tag and put it onto a larger tag covered with 7 Gypsies paper and then overstamped with a postcard image from Hero Arts CL535 Carte Postale.  The small tag is an older Hero Arts collage stamp featuring the Eiffel tower.  I colored ivory cardstock with Shabby Shutters, Tumbled Glass, and Forest Moss Distress Inks with the Ranger blending tool.  I then stamped the collage stamp with Ranger Archival Black and cut out the tag image.  I added a hole at the top of the tag to tie the ribbon and dangle an Eiffel tower charm.  I added Prima mini flowers to the left side of the tag and accented with gold seed beads.  I added a Graphic 45 Eiffel Tower stamp from their Curtain Call line of papers and backed the tag with black cardstock so it would show up against the background.  Finally, I added ribbon trim at the bottom which holds in place a gathered tulle border.  I made a charm for the top of the large tag using a Tim Holtz facet backed with more 7 Gypsies paper featuring Paris.  Thanks for looking!

Outlines Challenge Keep it Square

You can see the original challenge here:   http://outlineswithkathy.blogspot.com/2012/02/challenge-40-make-it-square.html

Outlines, I am ready for you this week!  This design was used for some Valentine's cards I sent last week!  Serendipitous!  I love the swirly look of this Outlines stamp H700.  I thought a nice, feminine look would make a good Valentine.  I stamped the image twice with Versamark and embossed one with magenta embossing powder and one with purple. ( I cannot give the makers of the powders because I have most of my embossing powders stored in plastic containers the size of sandwiches, for ease in applying.)  I cut out the purple image and adhered it to a 4 1/4" square card.  I then cut out just the center heart form the pink image and popped it up on top of the purple image.  I added dots of pearl with my Pearl Pens, lilac and white.  It's amazing, but the white pearls appear to actually be pink.  I think they are reflecting the pink of the embossing powder--it's magical!  I finished the card with a ribbon tied around the top.  I used Hug Snug seam binding for my ribbon because a) it is the only color I had enough of to use for about 20 cards, and b) I like the drape and feel of the seam binding.   I also wanted envelopes to match my card, and I didn't have any square envelopes the size of this card, so I made my own!  Despite owning the Martha Stewart score board for some time, I had never used it for envelopes.  Thanks to the internet, I finally got exactly what I wanted--I watched a Martha video for a how-to, and someone on Split Coast Stampers had a measurement formula for matching the card to the envelope.  Hurray!  Thanks for looking, and if you didn't get this Valentine from me, I have about 2 left I am willing to share!

Outlines Color Combo Challenge

I made this belated Valentine card for Outlines Rubber Stamp color combo challenge this week.  We were asked to use only the colors red, white, and black.  You can see the challenge post here:
http://outlineswithkathy.blogspot.com/2012/02/challenge-39-color-combo-challenge.html

I stamped E521 square with Tuxedo Black Memento ink and colored it with Prismacolor markers in various shades of red.  I had never used these markers before.  My friend Barb had hers out and I wanted to try them.  She generously loaned them to me for this project.  They are alcohol inks very much like Copic, and except for the tips they were very much like Copic.  (I usually use the sketch markers.)  These markers had a very large slant shaped tip and a tiny tip on the other end, which I used (similar to the Original Copic marker tip)   The color was vibrant and the image was easy to color.  The Be Mine smaller square was stamped in red Versafine.  I highlighted both images with red pearl pen from Viva Decor.  To finish the card I used some red grosgrain ribbon and a bit of white pompom ribbon at the edge.  Very simple with clean lines!

While I had my red, white, and black supplies out I made this card as well:

I stamped the swirly hearts (all Outline stamps) on vellum with white Colorbox pigment ink and embossed with white powder.  I cut them out, curled them a bit and stacked them up for a three dimensional look, with a red Candi embellishment in the center.    I used border stamp E686, also stamped and embossed in white, for the bottom border.  You can't really tell but I did texturize the red cardstock with the Martha Stewart Score board, just scoring every 1/4 inch.  I think I wanted a fence effect.  I topped my "fence" with Candi embellishments, adding Moonlight White Smooch to the tops of the light color ones, since I didn't have any pure white Candi's.  My friend Karen cut the white leaf out from one of her Spellbinder dies to give the image more of a "flower growing across the fence" look.  The black background is simply stamped with the same swirly heart image in Frost White Colorbox, this time unembossed.  Colorbox will dry adequately onto a matte cardstock background all on its own.  

Card Patterns Sketch 152

Here is the original sketch at Card Patterns website:

I think this is a beautiful sketch for a card, and just perfect for my new Spellbinder's oval shape.  I decided to focus on stamping for this card, using Hero Arts stamps.  The paper is Stampin' Up In Color line.  I stamped the Hero Arts flourish on the lavender and the Hero Arts ledger on the green for the background.  The central image is an older Hero Arts flower (one of my favorites!) stamped onto white card, watercolored with Distress Inks (my new choice for watercolor!) and then triple heat embossed with Ranger UTEE to make a cracked glass look.  The word "friend", which is an important word for me, is also Hero Arts.  I finished the card with a dot embossing folder for the darker purple band, a bit of grosgrain purple ribbon (those who know me know I will never run out of this!) and some purple Candi embellishments.  Thank you, Card Patterns, for a beautiful sketch I am sure I will use again and again.

Isn't this the most gorgeous table you have ever seen?  My friend Linda had a jewelry exchange party at her house this evening and this was part of the celebration.  Chocolate covered strawberries...yumm!

This was the red velvet cake my friend Jeannette made for the party.  Scrumptious!

Here is the table where we sat--you can see my plate in the foreground.   After we ate, we all took turns selecting jewelry pieces that we brought to exchange.  I warned everyone ahead of time what will happen to the jewelry I select!  I got a bracelet with some primitive wooden elephant beads, a turquoise stone flat piece I will stamp on, some crystal dangling earrings I will take apart and use in tag making and some interesting brooches I may use in some mixed media collages.  Thank you, my friends, for supplying my embellishments for future art projects and for wonderful conversation, beautiful atmosphere, and delicious treats to eat!

Wishing You a Day Sprinkled with Love!

This tag is uploaded for the February 2012 Tim Tags challenge and is also created for the February 2012 Stamp Antonio Arts Tag Swap.   I first stamped and heat embossed the center heart (Hero Arts) in pewter, then colored it in with Radiant Pearls (remember those?  I still love mine!)  and embossed those in clear.  That protected the image while I then sponged Spun Sugar and Worn Lipstick ink all over the tag.  I then used one of Tim's Valentine border embossing folders along the bottom of the tag (be careful--it takes work to get these straight!).  I then stamped various heart images (Hero Arts) with various colors of Clearsnap fluid chalk ink onto the tag, let them sit a minute, then wiped away the excess ink.  This gives a lovely muted tone to the hearts.  I then die cut the Tim cupid from some pink paper and embossed with a texture fade, adding the cupid to the top of the tag.  Further embellishment includes a glitter circlet for the tag hole, sprinkled sequin hearts, the Ideaology #14,a heart charm I cut off a junk jewelry bracelet, some Hug Snug seam binding I ruffled along the bottom of the tag, and a purple glittered heart. Wishing you a day sprinkled with love!

Outlines Sketch Challenge

Here is the original sketch:

Outlines F811 seemed perfect for this sketch. I stamped the Bee Mine Valentine Hearts with Memento Tuxedo Black twice onto white card. I base colored one and then colored the other with Copic markers, cutting out parts of the second image and popping them up on the first image. i then decorated the stamping with Glossy Accents and Fruit Punch Stickles. I used the Zutter Round it All 1/4" punch to round the edges of the stamped image and the Worldwin Racy Raspberry mat. I then die cut a circle (Quickutz) from the Racy Raspberry and used the Fiskars texture plate hearts to add some texture. I added various scrapbook papers (The Paper Studio from Hobby Lobby) and ribbon and lace (Michael's Stores and HL) to finish out the card. I sent this Valentine to a special friend--she loves hearts and Valentines. Thanks for looking!

Card Patterns Sketch 151

Over at Card patterns (http://cardpatterns.blogspot.com/) here is Sketch 151 for this week:

And here is my card for the challenge:

I liked the idea of the basic sketch, so I went with that. I have had these Autumn Leaves flourish clear stamps forever and was going to give them away because I never use them, when this sketch idea turned up. The stamps matched perfectly! You never know what you might need out of your stash! That's why you need a stash! I stamped the flourish onto a Bazzill shaped card (actually half of a 6" x 12" scallop shape) with olive Clearsnap Fluid Chalk ink. I then went over the inking with an Atyou Spica glitter pen in olive. I added the saying (Hero Arts) with Memento Tuxedo Black and then went over that with the black Atyou spica glitter pen. I mounted it to a yellow-ish green panel and then onto a green square white card. The ribbon at the top is crinkle ribbon from Creative Imaginations and I tied the charm with a bit of May Arts natural twine. The final step was to color some pearls (Hero Arts) with a green Copic marker. I had to use a really dark green to get the color to show. Even though this card is simple, I think it is perfectly elegant as a sympathy card.

Valentine Party!

I made this fun page at Stamp Antonio Art's Artist Night Out last night. Each Wednesday evening the store allows people to gather there in their art room and work on projects. I packed like I was going to a weeklong scrapbook retreat, but you never know what you might need! This is the project that I ended up with last evening. I first took a blank white 12" x 12" smooth cardstock (I like to make my own designs for the backgrounds) and planned my layout. I placed paper doilies on the white card in strategic places and then spritzed the entire background through the doilies with some red glimmermist and Pralines n Cream Smooch Spritz (one of my favorites!). If I had packed removeable adhesive, I would have used it to keep the doilies in place--they tended to flutter a little so I didn't get sharp images but instead ended up with a "hint" of doily. That was ok, because you can see all the stuff I piled on top of the background. The most interesting part of this layout are the metallic foil red hearts. I have collected Valentine decorations through the years, and I pulled these from my stash. To let you know how old these are, the package had a price tag from Winn's! Those of you not from San Antonio have to know that this store went out of business like 20 years ago! I ran the red foil hearts through a Tim Holtz Valentine texture fade to give them some interest. After putting everything together on the page, I finally added some actual doily pieces for a finished look. I really liked how this page screams "Valentine" because the event it depicts shows a dinner party my friend Jeannette and her mom Lucille gave last Valentine's for some of my closest and dearest friends Susan, Sally, and Linda. I really love these ladies! I wanted that love to leap out from my page! When I got home last night I put some finishing touches that I felt the page needed--I sanded the too glossy manufactured Valentine in the center and the foil hearts, and I added some liquid applique in hot pink to the dog's hair bow. Happy Valentine's Day, my friends!

Valentine ATC

This is a little Valentine ATC I made for our ATC swap at Stamp Antonio Arts. I had bought tons of red and purple grosgrain ribbon for the mailbox project, so I wanted to use it on other Valentine projects. The theme was "dangling" so i attached a beaded fringe. The beads made into the heart are just glued on with Diamond Glaze, not sewn. I like the frothy, layered look of this ATC. I cut the words from a discarded book I use for artwork. Each card says something different.

Follow Your Heart

For this challenge I used Outlines large layering heart stamp I696. I stamped it with black Memento ink and colored it with Copic markers. I then layered it onto an A2 size card with some purple cardstock. I used the KandiKane hotfix tool to add rose and purple gemstones around the heart. The roses embellishment is purchased, but was perfect for this card. The bottom border is Outlines stamp E686 stamped in Colorbox purple pigment ink.

You can see the challenge here: http://networkedblogs.com/tkn5m?ref=nf

Shopping Spree!

Today was the "soft" opening of the new Joann's store at Bandera and 1604 in San Antonio. I, along with many others, have really been looking forward to this store opening. First of all, it is only a couple of miles from my house in a location I visit all the time. If I ever run out of adhesive, this store will be really handy! So, did I buy adhesive today? Not on your life! Today was a fun day. I met and saw many friends and acquaintances, crafters all, and it was fabulous looking at all the newly stocked shelves, pushing a brand new shiny shopping cart, with so many helpful employees around. The picture above shows all stuff I came home with, to augment my already bountiful stash. I got colorful craft felt, buttons, and silk flowers for my flower pins, and stuff for a St. Patrick's Day party I am planning. I was inspired by the pictures of the beautiful DCWV booth at CHA to get the peacock paper pad--totally useless for stamping but great for crafting. I got pink ribbons and vellum, both of which I found I was totally out of. I found some pretty tiny silk flowers which will look fabulous on some cards I am currently creating. I got some thick black craft foam, to make some shadowbox look projects. The tiny short sequin pins are for decorating the insides of the Valentine box you saw in a previous post--it will be fabulous! I got a Spellbinder's oval die to match my Spellbinder's scallop oval. Also, I got a graduated set of heart cookie cutters so I can make my filled cut out heart sugar cookies successfully! I got the set of round birdie stickers because they fit my style and were only $1. And I have wanted to try the Tack 'n Peel for some time--I am hoping that will help the cling stamps I own that never seem to cling. The products were great, but seeing all the super people I know was the icing on the cake! The hardest part was having to get up early for the 9 a.m. opening!

An old toy re-discovered

Today my friend Alice and I played in my craft room. She brought the idea for this card that features use of a tool I had forgotten I owned! (Now, don't tell me you haven't done that!) It is the Making Memories Tag maker. First, we rounded the edges of a Hero Arts notecard and I stamped a Hero Arts lace background in Memento Rosebud ink to add a little interest to the background. The heart is cut from grungepaper and then covered with scrapbook paper (Echo Park). I then added a ribbon diagonally. I stamped the sentiment (Hero Arts) with Memento Rosebud ink on pink card and used the template from the Tagmaker set to cut the tag. I used the tool to insert the paper into the metal tag frame, pressed, and voila! I had a very cute tag to add to my card. One thing I added--the metal tag frame seemed to have a little dent in the side, so I used my Tim Holtz texture hammer to add dents all over it! This added a little character to my tag. A few colored pearl gems and my card was finished! Thanks, Alice, for a fun day and a great idea for a card!