Saturday, August 31, 2013

365 Cards Super Sketchy Sunday Day 244

 I have to be honest, when I first saw this sketch, I was dismayed. I have never had success with repeated geometric sketches. Seriously, I simply can't make them work, except this once. Finally, after 14 years of stamping, I finally made an aligned shape card I actually like! So in the end, another successful sketch from the ever so talented 365 Sketch Designer, Wendi!
 I started by embossing the daisy from Gina K Designs' Spring Mix in SU! Light Pink ep. Then I colored them with my new Distress Markers, which I am having an affair with at the moment. I'm no talented painter by any means, but I have fun with these markers, and am generally satisfied with the results.
I love watercolor because of the sweet softness and unpredictability of it. It appeals to me in a way that rigid mediums don't. I also love pink and spring green. The paper here is GKD, except for the watercolor paper, which is Canson. That adorable polka dot organdy is A Muse Studio. Isn't it the cutest?

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

So Grateful

 So, I've got two of my favorite companies here, Gina K. Designs and Crafty Secrets, way down at the bottom. On the card above I used that technique where you tap markers on an inked stamp then stamp it. That's Signs of Autumn and Thanks a Million.
 Same stamp sets here with the spotlight technique. Those pumpkins get a lot of play in my stamp room. I just love them.
 This one is from the Holiday Cheer set. This is a quick STV card.
 I added Liquid Applique with diamond glitter to strategic spots, and it is just so sweet and sparkly I can hardly stand it!
This one features a Crafty Secrets image. I love these retro images. The flower is a felt flower I made. I'm pretty sure I hate it, but it's glued on there pretty good, so there it stays!

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Super Sketchy Sunday with 365 Cards Day 237

 Here's this week's sketch from Super Sketchy Sunday over at 365 Cards! Isn't it a good one?
 I went pretty CAS with this one. I really like the layering of the same cardstock I've been seeing lately. It adds interest and texture without being fussy or busy. I thought I'd try it here with a hunter green Christmas card.
The cardstock, stamps, and ribbon are all from Gina K. Designs Holiday Cheer StampTV kit. The kit is long gone, of course, but you can still get the stamp set, which is one of my favorite Christmas sets. It's very versatile because it has elegant and traditional images like these, and cute images as well. There's something for everyone in that set.

I used my Ranger Gold Glitter ep, which is hard to work with, I must say. It takes about twice as long to heat up as regular ep, and it has a bit of a learning curve to figure out when it's done. I have not had good luck with glitter embossing powders, they always look a little messy to me. This powder does look better with larger, chunky images. What do you think? Have you had any success with glitter ep? Do you have any hints?  

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Project Life Week 14 Easter

 This was the first week I did a full two page spread. I finally had enough pictures. On weeks when I do have enough pictures, I will do two pages, but it doesn't happen very often!
 On my title card, I used an alphabet and some washi from my Cocoa Daisy kit. I added some Spellbinders eggs and other scraps from my stash, then stitched and stapled it all together.
 That red spot is our youngest searching for eggs out in the wilderness. He wound up getting into the cactus. It was some pretty rugged Easter egg hunting!!
 Uncle Billy always brings the entertainment. He's about 10. I used some CD cards and another alphabet on these two cards, plus some very old Heidi Grace paper in perfect Easter colors.
 More new CD stuff mixed with Prima flowers, which I haven't bought in five years, but are still lurking around my stamp room in mass quantities!
 Teenagers. A pack of 'em.
 Journaling card from CD. I have loved my CD kits so much! If you are looking for a PL kit, check them out!
 Sparrow.
 From left: Gollum, Sparrow, Wilson and Marmalade.
We love these kittens ever so much!

Sunday, August 18, 2013

365 Super Sketchy Sunday Day 230

 Yes, it's time for another Super Sketchy Sunday from 365 Cards! Don't forget to click on over there to see what the other Sunday designers came up with, I know you will love their cards.  I really enjoyed Wendi's fabulous sketch this week! AND, I got to play with my brand new WPlus9 goodies! Aren't they gorgeous?

I used Basic Banners and the matching die, plus the Nautical Notions die for the fabulous sailboat. This is the first card I made with my new goodies, and I can already tell that we are going to spend many happy hours together!

The ribbon is from Gina K. Designs, the card base Bazzil, the patterned paper, Elle's Studio. The ink and the sun paper are A Muse Studio, the white cardstock is SU!. I am also linking this up for WPlus9's Monday Mood Board #18.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Signs of Autumn

 This is another batch of Gina K. Designs Signs of Autumn STV cards. On this one, I added some gorgeous 7Gypsies patterned paper. I used up this whole 12 x 12 sheet playing with this kit, as it went perfectly with all the GKD cardstock and ribbon. This has been one of my very favorite STV kits, but it might be replaced with the new one, Grateful Heart! It is on it's way to my house, and could be here as early as Thursday or Friday.
 I used the cracked glass technique here. I have loved this look forever, and am always pleased with the results. These gorgeously illustrated pumpkins are perfect for this technique. To help soften the pain of waiting, I recently won a GKD blog hop, and my grab bag arrived today! I love everything in it, and it is so generous! I will be posting things I made using my prizes in the next few weeks, so you can see how awesome my grab bag was!
 Here I was trying the soot technique, but it didn't work too well for me. I couldn't get my glossy paper to turn black enough. This card also has a sentiment from Thanks a Million. If you are looking for a great thank you set, look no further. If you want to learn how to do the soot technique, go check out the videos on STV.
 You won't find me repeating this card! I find putting all those little pieces of foam tape down very tedious. I try to avoid tedious stuff when I'm stamping! I do love this GKD paper, her designer paper is always a highlight of the STV kits for me. One of the things I got in my Grab Bag was the Berries & Vines patterned paper. I have loved it for a while, but never bought it. Now I have it!
I inked up my Argyle Cuttlebug folder for this card. I love the way it looks! I got the idea for this card from an STV video, but I changed a few things up to make it my own.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Project Life Week 13: NOW

 This was the first layout where I had any special Project Life products besides my Amber Edition. I used my very first Cocoa Daisy kit here, which I think was the April kit If you haven't checked out CD, you are missing out-it's a fabulous kit club.
 On this card, I used the little camera shutter circle and I embossed one of the stamps in gold. I also used the gorgeous washi tape from the kit. I think it's still my favorite washi.
 This one is Amber Edition and snowflakes from my stash. This photo cracks me up because my husband is an incredibly intelligent man, and there's this giant brain on the front of the section he's reading. He had no idea I was taking his pic.
 I had to add a little dab of my new washi to this card.
 This one has some wood veneer and one of the cards from the CD kit.
 Just a photo-I did type on it, though. The kitten paw is just a bonus for you;)
 A final photo collage.
 Gollum. (He used to hide a lot, and was all eyes when he was a baby.) Now, he is the most social of the bunch. He even forgoes food for attention. There is never enough petting and love for him. Never.
Sparrow. Oh my word is this kitten sweet! He's so gentle, he always keeps his claws sheathed.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Blessed are those...

 Except for the card base of SU!'s Sahara Sand, this card is all Gina K. Designs Signs of Autumn Stamp TV kit. I used three different A Muse Studio inks for the wheat. a|s does have a lovely selection of brown inks! I added one of my vintage buttons to the little flower. I think vintage buttons add a wonderful touch to a card.
 Here's another version of some cards I posted the other day. You can get a lot of cards done very quickly if you use the same sketch. I did four of these in well under an hour. The frame, the flowers, and the sentiment are three different stamps, making them super versatile. I used GKD Organize It! & Picture It! for this card.
 Here's another Signs of Autumn card, using the gorgeous pumpkin trio. I used only kit supplies for this card.
 Same stamp set. Are you seeing how big and versatile it is? Here I embossed the sunflowers in copper on copper paper, then colored them with Copics.
Same stamp set, and another all GKD card. The new Stamp TV kit comes out on Thursday, and I am pretty excited about it. Gina has already shown a small peek over on her blog, I can't wait to see all the rest.

 In the meantime, I placed a large order from WPlus9's new release, and it just might show up today! I can't wait to get my hands on those gorgeous stamps and dies! I really think Dawn outdid herself this time, although I pretty much love the whole shop, so it's no surprise I think so.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Project Life Week 13: THEN

 This layout is a bunch more wedding reception pictures. This is the simplest PL layout I have done to date. I had already done twelve weeks of wedding pictures, and there just wasn't that much more to say. So, I slapped the pictures on some cardstock, inserted them into the pockets, and called it good. There really aren't any rules when it comes to PL.
 You just do exactly what works for you as you are completing that pocket in that moment. No need to worry or fret about any part of it. It's all for fun, and you won't believe how much your family will enjoy looking at your album. It makes it worth every bit of the drudgery of printing pictures. If you love printing pictures, then you really have it made!
 I don't start having fun with PL until I am walking from the printer to my studio with a stack of pictures. That's when the fun begins, and I love every second of it. If PL isn't your thing, don't worry! I'll be back tomorrow with more card pictures!


Sunday, August 11, 2013

365 Cards Super Sketchy Sunday Day 223

 Hello! Thank so much for stopping by! Today I have another fabulous sketch from Wendi to share with you. For my card, I mixed the old with the new. My old stuff is the American Crafts patterned paper, which is at least five years old. The new is my WPlus9 Fresh Picked stamp set and dies.
Here's a close-up of the cute font in this set.
                                
Best of all, the sketch!!! I can't wait to see what you do with it; I really hope you can play along! Check out what the other designers came up with on 365Cards.