Christmas in July

This challenge gave me the excuse to get out the rubber sheet I bought about 8 months ago, cut it out and mount all the stamps. I made 2 cards this afternoon. My Christmas cards have now been started. The stamps are from I Brake for Stamps and the challenge can be found at the I Brake for Challenges blog. Both cards are sponged with Distressed inks. For the first card I cut out a circle on both my card base and my top layer. I used the circle that was cut out to stamp the little town. Placed it inside my card behind the cut out circle.  The Wisemen were stamped on a scrap strip piece, partially cut out and popped up on the bottom.

 

The second card I embossed the Star, the Wisemen and the sentiment and then sponged the background.

Lets Rock and Roll

That's the challenge at GAB. I inked up my Giraffe with Memento Potters Clay. Then I rocked Memento Rich Cocoa around the edges. The background is made with the Mousse technique I showed you a few days ago.

 

Stamps are from Marks Finest Papers.

water colored poppies

This card is for the challenge at The Friends of Speedy the Cat "use 3 Hearts"  and The Stampin Bs "black, brown and ivory". I stamped my image from Marks Finest Papers on water color paper and used Distressed ink in several browns and a water brush to color it in.

Pink, Yellow & Green

That's the challenge at the Friends of Speedy the Cat. I went through my scrap box on my desk in hopes of finding something I could use and I did.Love when that happens.

 

I started out wanting to use the new Lilacs of Summer from Marks Finest Papers and then decided to use the new mini set Birthday Mini. Well that didn't work for me. Couldn't make the cupcake work with the card I had assembled. I ended up using the Happy Birthday from the mini set and the Butterfly from the Lilac set.

a new use for mousse

Who thought this up? A very cool technique. This card is for the Stampin Bs Challenge "Use Bling". I've used Stickles and a black Flourish bling. It is also for the GAB Challenge use something new. Well I've never used mousse so that is my new along with the technique. I also just bought the black Flourish. And I'm using this as my first tutorial for the SSSD yahoo group new Technique Swap. Each month I will be having a tutorial with a different technique for the SSSD ladies to try out and make swap cards.I hope everyone who reads this blog will enjoy what I will be doing.

It feels so smooth and has a real satiny look.  Now for the tutorial.

You will need a piece of glossy card stock ( photo paper will not work for this technique as you will be heating it ), 3 dye reinkers, Foam Hair Mousse, paper towel and a sealer.

Now squirt out about a quarter size of Mousse into your hand.

Smear it all around your card stock. Covering the whole piece. Your glossy card stock may roll up. That's OK just push it down. I did 2 samples and 1 rolled and 1 didn't.

Next you will squirt your reinkers all around the mousse.

Let this sit for 10 minutes. It will foam and spread. When the 10 minutes are up heat with your heat tool until all the Mousse has disappeared. Now dab with your piece of paper towel to remove any ink and to fill in empty spots.

This is what you will end up with. Let it dry. Spray it with a sealer, I used Krylon Fixatif but whatever sealer or hair spray you have will work. 

After drying cut it down to the size you want and use it for your background layer.

To color my image I used ink right from the pads and a water brush. Added a little stickles and sponged the edges of my paper.

OK ladies. I can hardly wait to see how yours turn out.

A couple of Summer challenges.

Nothing says summer like flowers.

 

This my card for the I Brake for Challenges Blog. The stamp can be found at I Brake for Stamps. I am also using this card for the challenge at Pals Paper Arts. I saw there challenge this morning and I can just see these pansies filling flower boxes on the cottage that is the inspiration this week. 

I colored the pansies with Prisma Pencils and Gamsol. I have layered a couple and have added a few extra flowers and leaves to fill in white spaces and to hang over the edges of my frame.

Don't forget the sand

Make a beach scene and include sand. No problem with that. Went outside and picked some up. That was easy. I can do this Stampin Bs challenge.  Now for the scene. I used a stamp from Flourishes, colored it with copics and filled the sand area in with... well with sand. The background is made with a Spellbinders Impressabilities. I dragged my Versa Mark across it and used a blue PearlX over the Versa Mark. Gave it just a little bit of a sheen and hilighted a few of the sea shells. I followed the Sketch at GAB and used Cuttlebug die cuts for my embellishments.

The strawberries of Summer

I decided to try a Flourishes challenge this week since I have their Strawberries set. The challenge is to use veggies or fruit. I stamped the leaves and the 2 separate strawberries with VersaMark and then rubbed Pearl white PearlX over my Cherry Cobbler background. The other images are colored with Copics.

                 The design is from the Mojo Monday sketch for this week.

Use a die cut as your background

That is the challenge for this week at the Friends of Speedy the Cat Blog. I have been making my oldest daughters wedding invitations and have quite a few negatives from the die cuts I am using on her cards. So I decided to experiment with them. I used one as a frame with a smaller version in the center. The Water Lily and the Happy Birthday are from Marks Finest Papers. I really like this as a frame so I will be using the others.

A Mojo Monday sketch

I haven't been able to fit my Mojo Monday sketch challenge in in quite awhile. Today's just went together so easily. The sentiment and butterfly are from I Brake or Stamps. The background is one I made although I don't remember what technique it is.

Red, White & Blue

That is the Challenge at Speedy the Cats Friends this week. The image is from a set called Big Boy Toys from Marks Finest Papers. I made the background with Alcohol inks Red Pepper and Sail Boat Blue. Added strips of glitter and a little Bling to finish it off.

the Water Lilies of Summer

These stamps are from Marks Finest Paper in the set Floating Along. I am using this card for the Summer Swap taking place right now at Speedy TV. The Water Lily is colored with Prisma Pencils and Gamsol. The background is sponged and I used a white gel pen to make the water ripples.

I love making Fall cards

and when the new swap at Speedy TV was make Fall Cards I went right to work. Luckily the challenge at GAB was to use black, white and what looks like a rusty red color so I was able to make matching backgrounds for the challenge as well as the swap cards. I sponged Mustard, Marmalade, Rusty Hinge and Barn Door Distressed inks over my card stock making the GAB challenge card a little more rusty. Then I spritzed them with water, let them dry and took them outside and sprayed Black and white webbing on them. Both cards are made with stamps from Marks Finest Papers. This is my GAB Challenge card.

 This is my card for the Speedy TV Fall swap. I also sponged Fall colors over my leaf image. The squirrel is colored with Prisma Pencils and Gamsol. The leaves are punches. Now I need to finish my Summer Swap cards. Hopefully I will finish them today.

A strange card for me/IBFCC4

At the beginning of the week I found the I Brake for Stamps challenge blog. There was a picture of a little girl in a red polka dot dress for inspiration. I went through my stamps and found what I wanted, planned out my card then went to check out the details on the blog to make sure I had what I needed. What I found out was I was too late. This is the second blog this week I missed the dead line for entering my card soooooooo...... back to the planning for this weeks challenge-make a birthday card. I looked through my stamps again and found this image and remembered I had a background stamp that would match. I colored it with Prisma pencils and Gamsol. The image is from I Brake for Stamps.

My problem is before I could stop myself my hands had a sponge and brown ink in them. I ended up with 4 layers of brown and the cracked ground look. LOL. Don't know where that came from. Not sure how I feel about it. I like parts of it and it will probably grow on me. Why brown?? Why not a blue or yellow?? I intend to have a long talk with my hands in the morning. The hands and the brain need to work together as a team. I don't know maybe the hands knew what they were doing. It is kind of pretty in a strange sort of way.

Over the Edge

On Split Coast Stampers this week Holly showed a technique she was trying to decide what to call it. Stamp the same design twice and cut the center out of one and line it up with the other image adding Pop Dots forming a frame.

I popped up my frame with large dots and also used the swan I cut out of the center and popped it up but with smaller dots so there are 3 layers of the image. I extended the grass and tree by hand to the edge of my die cut. The image and sentiments are from Marks Finest Papers new set Floating Along.