Serendipity Falling Leaves Card

Just popping in to post a card for the Serendipity Leave It Bare Challenge

For my card, I chose some oldie but goodie Serendipity leaf stamps that I have in my stash.  I created the strip of color on my card by masking off the area, then used my distress inks to sponge on some deep autumn/fall colors.  I stamped the fall words (stamp unknown...was in my stash unlabeled).  

I stamped the leaves in Memento black ink, and the verse with distress inks.  A dusting of dried marigold around the edges with my Clarity brush and a trio of black crystals finish off the card. 

I am also adding my card to these challenges:

Mod Squad Challenge Blog - Falling leaves

AAA Cards Challenge - Masking

Make My Monday Challenge - No patterned paper

Cards in Envy Challenge Blog  - Goodbye summer/Hello fall

Thanks so much for visiting.  See you tomorrow!

Blessings,

lynda

Halloween Cake Card

And you thought halloween wasn't a cake eating occasion!  Well, here's the halloween cake to prove it is......

The stamp I used is from Impression-Obsession - Halloween Cake F16120.  I stamped it onto white card stock, and colored it with my polychromos colored pencils.  I fussy-cut it out, then layered it onto a piece of scrap purple card stock, and roughly cut around the cake.  I layered an A2 card with purple and green spider web background papers, added a halloween die cut happy halloween tag, some black ribbon, and some black crystals.

I made this card for the Impression-Obsession Challenge - Trick or treat.  

I am also adding my card to these challenges:

Love To Scrap - Anything goes

Mojo Monday - Sketch # 467   

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge  - Anything goes

That's my card for today.  Thanks for stopping by.  

Blessings,

lynda

 

 

Thank You Roses Card

When I first saw this rose stamp from Penny Black, I thought it was stunning....still do!  I have seen it colored in various mediums, and myriads of colors, and I have loved it every time.  So for a very special thank you card today, I thought of it immediately......

The rose image, as I mentioned, is a Penny Black slapstick cling stamp - Scented beauty # 40-428.  The other images on the background are also Penny Black - Swirls 40-282, Letter background 1999L, and the verse is from the clear Gratitude set - 30-105.

I stamped the rose using distress inks in abandoned coral, candied apple, and fired brick, with squeezed lemonade, crushed olive, forest moss for the leaves.  I used my Misti, and stamped one area at a time.  I colored a rose, for example, with abandoned coral, then misted the stamp with water, and stamped it onto watercolor paper.  Keeping the paper and stamp on the Misti, I use a watercolor brush to paint in the inside areas of the rose, then without reinking the stamp, I stamped it again, thereby bringing back the details.  I then cleaned off the stamp, and added a darker color, candied apple, and stamped again, this time using my brush to shade a little, more; finally the third stamping was with fired brick, watercolor lightly, and let dry.  I cleaned off the stamp, inked it with abandoned coral again, and stamped over the rose a final time, bring back many of the details.  I repeated this technique with the other rose, and the leaves.

For the background, I used masks over the flowers and leaves, then added salty ocean distress ink with my Clarity brushes.  Using the salty ocean and ground espresso for the background stamps, I added the final touches, along with some spatters, flicking with my watercolor brush.  

Close up of detail

The thank you was stamped with rich cocoa Memento ink.  I layered the panel with some coral card stock to match the roses, then the panel, and finally a strip of lace and some pearls.

Before I called it finished, I decided the roses did not have enough contrast for the shading, so used my polychromos colored pencils to add some deeper color to the shaded areas.  Then I used my battery operated eraser to take bring back some highlights on some of the petals.  Oh, almost forgot.... I added some dew drops on a couple of the petals and one of the leaves with Glossy Accents.

I am adding my card to these challenges:

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Nature

Penny Black at Allsorts - Add a sentiment

Addicted To Stamps Challenge - Your favorite embellishment

We are having the most glorious weather, just perfect.  It's sunny and warmish, and the evenings cool down significantly, making it great sleeping weather.  So, now out for a walk along the river before making dinner.  I hope you can take some time to enjoy your evening, whatever the weather is where you live.

Thank you for visiting.

Blessings,

lynda





 

Simon Says Stamp Card - God Knows

Sometimes you need to express what a get well card, or just plain thinking of you card just doesn't convey.  This 'God knows' verse from Simon Says Stamp (Blessed SSS101370) is exactly what I needed for this card for a friend...

 I created the background with an acrylic brayer and distress inks on white card stock.  Click HERE  for my post detailing how this is done.  I took this a step further than the original technique by spattering some droplets of water onto the background, then lifting the color in the areas where the drops were with a paper towel.  

When the background was dry, I stamped the Sketch Ranunculus (SSS101626) stamps and leaves from Simon Says Stamp, with India Ink black.  I love those little bubbly thingies included in this set, also.  I used a Copic multi liner to draw in the stems for the flowers.  

I embossed the verse in black onto a scrap of vellum, then attached it to a card stock scrap, then foam mounted this to the card.  I layered the panel onto a black card, and added a narrow strip of coral card stock along the left side, to match the card stock scrap under the vellum.

A spattering of clear opalescent sequins finishes off the card.

I am adding my card to these challenges today.....

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Powder power

AAA Cards Challenge - Masking

Addicted To Stamps Challenge - Favorite embellishment

Make My Monday Challenge - No patterned paper

Mod Squad Challenge - Splat (spatters or splat)


I appreciate your visit today.  Please let me know you were here by leaving a comment below.  I would love to hear from you!

Blessings,

lynda

 

Fall Card For A Friend

A few years ago, I taught a class at my stamp store where we used paper grocery bags to create fabulous painted backgrounds.  I came across the class notes while looking through my files the other day, and decided to grab a couple of bags and my paints and get a little messy in my craft room.  Oh, did I have fun!  This card is a result of my play time....

The background was created with a paper bag, and acrylic paints.  First, I cut the bag open, then cut off the front and back panels.  I crumpled the bag panels tightly in my hands, and then smoothed them out.  Next, I squirted fall colors of acrylic paint onto the crushed bag pieces one color at a time.  I started with one color, and squirted a small amount in one area, then brushed it in with a one inch or so paint brush, spreading that around a bit.  I applied a second color and spread that, then a third and fourth color.  

I repeated this, arranging my color areas randomly and pleasingly on the bag panels.  I let the bag show through in some areas on this particular panel, as it complimented the fall colors.  Then, to kick it up a notch, I added some gold metallic acrylic paint here and there.  

When the paint was dry (it doesn't take long at all), I cut card size panels, and attached them to A-2 card fronts.  Viola!  Instant fall backgrounds!

I made this card for a very special friend's birthday.  She loves fall, and leaves, as much as I do.  

The ginko branch die is from Poppy Stamps, and the single ginko is from Impression-Obsession.  They both have lovely texture and embossed lines, which, unfortunately do not show up in my picture.  I also used a manilla colored card stock, and it looks way more white in the photo than in real life. 

I added gold embossing to the tips of the ginko leaves by using my versamark marker along the edge, them dipping the dies into gold embossing powder and heating them.  

I gold embossed the phrase, from Penny Black's special thoughts clear stamp set, onto vellum and cut it out close to the words.  I added it to the card front.  A spattering of some gold sequins, and it was done.  

I got a message from my friend today, thanking me for the card, so since I now know she has it, I am posting it.  I did not want to post it until she had received it, as I wanted her to see it in person, before she saw it online.

It was fun revisiting an old technique, and playing with my paints and getting messy.  I love whenever I can upcycle items, and do my best to reduce, reuse, recycle whenever I can.  I want our earth to remain beautiful for our children, grandchildren, and their children and grandchildren.

I am adding my card to the AAA Cards challenge.  The theme for this week's challenge happens to be upcycling.  

Thanks so much for visiting.  If you live in an area where it is fall now, I hope you find some time to get out and enjoy the beauty of this season!  

Blessings,

lynda

Simon Says Stamp CAS Card

Just popping in quickly to post a card for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge .  The theme is clean and simple, which is definitely not my style, but a challenge is a challenge!  So, here goes......

I started with a watercolor like paper.  It's not true watercolor paper, but has a great texture, and has minimal watercolor paper like qualities.  Using mustard seed TH distress ink, I used the smoosh technique to apply some color to the card.  I let that dry thoroughly.  Well, ok....I didn't let it dry, I helped it along a bit with my heat tool.  Impatient I am. 

Next I heat embossed the verse from Simon Says Stamp Blessed clear stamp set SSS101370 with copper embossing powder.  

I stamped some leaves and bits from the Simon Says Stamp Handwritten Floral Greetings SSS101627 with various TH fall color distress inks.  I layered the panel onto some textured copper paper, then onto an A2 card made from the same stock as the panel.

A tiny sprinkling of 'diamonds'...crystals which I shaded with Sharpies....and that was that.  I walked away from the card before I was tempted to take it to the next level, thereby disqualifying it from the CAS challenge.

I am also adding my card to these challenges:

Addicted to Stamps Challenge  - Trees, branches, leaves

Make My Monday Challenge  - Autumn/fall colors

Simply Less Is More - Diamonds (crystals and background paper has diamond pattern)

Simon Says Stamp Flickr Challenge - Colors of fall

That's it for today.  I appreciate you stopping to visit.  If you are so inclined, I would love to hear your comments.  And if you would like email notifications of my blog posts, just sign up in the Follow by email area on the right.

Blessings,

lynda