Love has Four Paws

Good morning! I'm so glad you stopped by and I hope you like my most recent card for Die Cut Diva's.  This month's theme is Anything New and this image, provided by our sponsor, Bugaboo Digi Stamps is brand new; at least to me!  You still have a little time to enter this month and I hope to see you there!

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Pink Card
Alcohol Ink Markers
Bugaboo Valentine Pup Set, #BUGVALPUPSET
Kat Scrappiness, Pet Sentiments dies
Darice Mini Hearts embossing folder, #1219223 {retired? Still available}
Tutti Scalloped Stitched Nesting Circles, #TUTTI-419
Altenew Enamel Dots, Red Cosmos, #ALT2591
Wink of Stella, Clear
Gelly Roll Gel Pen, Clear
Gelly Roll Gel Pen, White, #10 {I highly recommend the 3 pack}

I had printed this pup out on two different type of paper just to see if different

If you look close you can
see the sparkle on the
heart and a few around
the puppy.

paper printed better - I could see no difference.  I just grabbed the image closest to me and started to color away with my hodgepodge of alcohol ink markers; the reason I don't note the colors I've used is because I have such a mix of the markers half the time I'm not even sure which manufacturer I'm using!  The picture was colored and I added the white dots around the smaller heart {which is a different color than the large heart - I'm not sure if that is clear on your monitor}, some clear Wink of Stella around the large heart and I added some little sparkles around the dog with my clear gel pen.  

Once the image was colored I concentrated on the rest of the card.  I like the light pink background but it lacked something; the card needed more interest so I embossed the background paper with the mini hearts folder.  I trimmed that paper down and adhered it to my card base.  I then cut the dog out using the stitched scalloped circle die and cut the love out twice, using white and red card.  I inlaid the paw with the red pieces and glued that to the card.  Finally, just to add a bit more embellishing I finished off the card with three enamel dots on the lower right side; one of them blends in very well with

Another Look

the pink card so you might have to look for it.  

I am becoming more comfortable with using digital stamps and I still plan on learning how to use my alcohol markers properly.  I realized while coloring this image that alcohol ink markers use color to highlight and blend not a blender.  Might not sound like a breakthrough to you but I was happy; I felt as if I cracked one of the many secrets of using these markers.  I'd love to hear your secrets to using alcohol markers, please leave me a comment {complete with your info so I can return the blog love and visit you!} with your breakthroughs or tips and tricks, I could use all the help I can get!  As I said, there is still a bit of time to enter this Die Cut Diva's challenge, using the theme of Anything New,  but if you can't make this one there will be a brand new one tomorrow.  I hope to see you there! Fondly, Christi

I am a day late in adding my card to some challenges! I forgot I had this card scheduled :)
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - #23, M, Anything Goes w/ a Critter
Pearly Sparkles Challenge - #37, M, It's a LOVE thing
Dies R Us - #114, Use the Color Red
Color Crazy Challenge - Anything Colored Goes (week 4)
Creative Friday - #223, Love is in the Air
Cut it Up - #166, Hearts
Kat Scrappiness Challenge - Hearts

Girl With Balloons

It's the last day of the month and I am sharing this card I made for the Die Cut Divas November Challenge, thoughtfully sponsored by SheepSki Designs.  This month's theme is "anything goes" and you still have a bit of time to get your project in, but hurry!





Here is the card I created:

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Bristol Card
SheepSki Designs Birthday Balloons, #157
Spellbinder Nestabilities Curved Etched Rectangles, #S5-006
Various Alcohol Markers
Falling Star Background Die {Unbranded}
Baby Blue Card
Sakura Pigma Micron Black Marker in .005
Sakura Gelly Roll White Gel Pen in .05 
Small Purple Gem 

While this image was designed for a birthday card, I decided to make it an all occasion card as I don't have nearly enough "just because" cards.  As you may know, I am struggling to learn how to use alcohol ink markers successfully and I had printed this image out much smaller, thinking smaller would be easier to color.  Nope.  That was NOT the case.  It was much harder to color when it was smaller.  I did color it though, but I wasn't pleased with it at all, so I printed out the image on a bigger scale and found it to be much more relaxing to color.  I am actually proud of how I colored this digital stamp; I colored the entire thing which is something new for me.  I colored the background, the girl's skin, everything.  Being a good student, I looked up online how to properly color hair but, as usual, I didn't have the colors I needed.  I'm sure once I become more comfortable with using the markers, I will be able to improvise better with the colors I do have on hand.  I even attempted to color her eyes and give her that look that makes the images seem to actually be looking at you; again, I couldn't do that with the smaller image {I used a white Gelly Roll pen and I highly recommend buying the 3 pack which has the sizes .05, .08 and 10}. All in all, I think I did a pretty good job! 

Once the image was colored, I used the curved rectangle die to cut it out.  I found a piece of pale blue card and used an unbranded die I have of what looks like falling stars to cut it for the background.  I mounted the panel onto a white card base, and then the image onto that.  I noticed I went a bit outside the line around the ear, but I fixed that by giving her an earring made from a small flat-backed gem from my stash.  

I hope you like my colorful "anything goes" card for Die Cut Divas.  I'm so glad I am on this design team and I am getting much more comfortable with using digital images; considering about two years ago I wouldn't have touched them and really wasn't pleased that I couldn't use my Zig markers to color them.  I think I may have found a fix for that; I have an old spray can of fixative that fixes the image but you are still able to color it.  That's going to be my next experiment working with digis.  I hope you and yours had a marvelous holiday and thank you so much for stopping by. ~ Fondly, Christi

I am entering my Girl With Balloons card in the Following challenges:
CARDZTV - #76, Anything Goes
Colour Crazy - #48, Anything Goes
Cut it Up - #162, World Hello Day
CASology - #322, Girl
Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Penny's Paper Crafting Challenge - #408, Anything Goes

Challenge Graphics

CASology

I'm With You

Hi all! I hope you had a fantastic Halloween - I know I haven't posted as much since Halloween ended; I needed some recovery time!  Well, it's a new month and that means a new challenge at Die Cut Diva's - and this month is ANYTHING GOES!  I don't know about you, but that is my favorite challenge theme! 

The sponsor for this month's challenge is SheepSki Designs; just click the name to go to the shop on Etsy, and if you win you will get your choice of 3 digi images!  Andrea is a truly talented artist.  Now, for my creation, I'm With You:

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Alcohol Ink Markers {various manufacturers} 
Gelly Roll Stardust Pens
SheepSki Designs, Snowman Selfie, #100
Gold Card
Tutti Designs Stitched Nested Squares, #TUTTI-218
Tutti Designs Stitched Nested Rectangles, #TUTTI-217
Embossing Ink
Gold Embossing Powder 
Hero Arts Sentiment from You Are Loved, #CM171
Gold Snowflake Paper {from stash, but I think it is old, very old, Anna Griffin}
Wink of Stella in Clear

I started my card by coloring in the image with alcohol ink markers.  For those of you who use them on a regular basis, I have a question; why is it no matter what color I am using I never have the correct color to achieve the effect I want?  It's not like I want to make some crazy design.  I'd just like to highlight like I see all the "pros," but regardless if I am using blue, purple, or brown, I never seem to have the correct color to highlight.  Honestly, I think if I had every color known, I'd still be unable to color like I want to simply because I don't practice enough.  I am thinking that after the holidays, I'm going to invest some time and money and sharpen my skills.  I say that now - eh, we'll see.  

After my image was colored, I cut it and a gold frame, using the stitched nested dies.  I set the frame and image aside.  I had found the glittery gold snowflake paper in my stash, it was even cut to the size I needed, and I adhered that to my white card base.  I wanted to make the card a support card, not just a winter card, so I grabbed the You Are Loved set {and I just have to say, Hero Arts donates 100% of the proceeds of these certain "kindness" sets to various kindness charities - check them out and get more information HERE} and choose my sentiment from it.  I gold embossed the saying, cut it using the stitched rectangle die, and set it aside.  Then I mounted my Snowman Selfie on the card at an angle and placed the sentiment on the card as well.  Lastly, I decided to add some bling and I colored randomly on the hats and noses with

Another peek

the sparkly Stardust Pens.  I also used clear Wink of Stella to add a shine to the white portion of the Santa hat.  I just couldn't have that beautiful gold snowflake paper do all the sparkle work!

For readers who have been around for a while, I am still struggling with the digi images but I have come to realize that most of my angst is because I don't feel that I can color them correctly.  As you have already read, I think I have figured out a plan to remedy that.  While I am waiting to be able to devote the chunk of time and resources, I'll be watching all the free You Tube videos I can.  If you have one to recommend, please put it in a comment!  I've got to go close the windows now; it's about 34 degrees and my nose is cold. Hopefully I will see you playing at Die Cut Diva's Challenge.  Have a great day and thank you so much for stopping by!  ~Christi

I would Like to Enter my "I'm With You" card in the following challenges: 
To Be Filled out After I take a nap.  I apologize for being so late adding these challenges - my 4 am to 8 am shift is a bit hard to adjust to!  Without further ado:

Scrapy Land - #101, Anything Goes with a die company they carry
DL Art Thankful Thursday Challenge - #237
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Thanks
Papercraft Challenge - #24, Friendship
Dies R Us - #108, Stitched Dies {entry #2}
SheepSki's Designs Challenge - #20, Anything Christmas Goes

Celebrate!

This month at Die Cut Divas we are using the color "Yellow" as well as some adorable digis from Kinda Cute Digis.  

You still have a little time to join in the challenge if you wish!

What I Used to Make my Card:
Square {5 1/4" x 5 1/4"} White Card
Black, Yellow and Light Blue Cardstock
Graphic 45 Artisan Style Paper, Patterns & Solids, 8" x 8" {available online}
Border Die - Dotted Line {unknown manufacturer}
MFT/Die-Namics Wonky Stitched Circle STAX
Lawn Fawn Celebrate die, #LF1429
Big Rose Image by Kinda Cute Digi's
Alcohol Ink Marker in Yellow

The lovely Arlene sent me this image {as she did for the image I used here} and I used the wonky stitched circle die to cut it out.  I colored the image with alcohol ink markers.  That was my mistake.  I typically try to get all the supplies I need together before I put a project together {or I at least know in my head what I am going to use} and this time I colored the rose before I had anything else to go with it.  The hunt begins for the perfect background paper with me first going through all my 6" x 6" pads, 8" x 8" pads, as well as any odd sized pads.  Then I move on to my 12" x 12" papers.  Well, I overlooked the Artisan pad that I finally used and it took me DAYS to figure out what else I could find to match this rose.  I am so new at working with alcohol markers that I was afraid to try and blend any other shades of yellow in the flower {watercolor I can handle,

Another Peek

alcohol ink, not so much} because I was certain I'd ruin it and I only had this flower left.  Yes, I had other images I could have used, but give a girl a break!  Honestly, I was so invested in the rose at this point that using another image didn't even cross my mind.

Finally, I found the paper I decided to use.  I think the yellow matches nicely.  I cut the paper using a dotted line border die I have; it's literally a metal line of dots. Unfortunately I don't recall where I acquired it but it's pretty handy when you don't have a die large enough to cut what you want, as long as what you want is straight edged.  I mounted the rose onto the background paper.  Then it was time for the sentiment.  I typically stamp in black ink, but I wanted to pick up some of the other colors in the background paper so I decided to use the celebrate die.  The word was cut three times, once out of light blue card, then once each out of yellow and black card.  I layered the cuts and there have been quite a few times where my eyes played tricks on me and I thought the word was 3D.  I didn't plan on that effect but hey, I like it! 

There you have it!  My square Celebrate card.  I hope you liked my little tutorial and if you can't make the challenge at Die Cut Divas this month, be sure to check back tomorrow!  Thanks for visiting ~ Christi


I'd like to enter my Celebrate card in the following challenges:
Art Impressions - #242, Vibrant Colors
Addicted to Stamps & More - #311, Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes {entry #2}
Tuesday Throwdown Color Challenge - Use Complimentary Colors
Pause, Dream, Enjoy - M, Anything Goes
Daring Cardmakers - With a Flourish {flourishes on the word}
Creative Knockouts - #265, Anything Goes
Retarte - #128, Anything Goes

Tuesday Throwdown

There's a Cat in the Tub?

This is my first post for the Die Cut Divas Design Team and I want to thank the entire team for the wonderfully warm welcome!  If this is your first time here, or your 100th, I invite you sit, take a break, and hopefully have some fun! 

This month's challenge is sponsored by Frantic Stamper and the theme is Animals/Pets.  Should be an easy one; most of us have SOME sort of animal die and I have been thoroughly enjoying your makes thus far in the challenge.  You do want to join in {you have about two more weeks} because this is the fabulous prize you can win:

Worth $20!!

As some of you may know, I have the Fabulous Feline Five; four males and one chubby, short black girl.  Mew is my baby and I knew when I found out the theme I had the purrfect card to make.  See, Mew likes to use our tub as a gym.  Actually, closer to a skateboard ramp.  She throws herself around the tub (sometimes she does it SO hard I am positive she's hurt herself, but she loves it!), talks and purrs and generally has a great time, to the point we were actually discussing having just a shower stall put in but that idea was nixed.  After all, what would Mew do?  Anyway, here is my card:

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Watercolor Paper
Zig Clean Color Markers 
Lawn Fawn Meow You Doin' Stamp set, #LF1315
Lawn Fawn Meow You Doin' Die set, #LF1316 
Lawn Fawn Rub-a-Dub-Dub Stamp set, #LF1583
Lawn Fawn Rub-a-Dub-Dub Die set, #LF1584
Lawn Fawn Slide on Over Circles, #LF1382
KasierCraft Paper Pad, Misty Mountains, 6.5" x 6.5", #PP1040
Alcohol Markers, Spectrum Noir, BT1 & BT2
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink in Watering Can
Foam Tape, white
Darice 5mm Crystal Clear Sequins, #10043-8

I have a confession - this is my very first interactive card ever.  I recently purchased the Slide On Over Circles die set, watched the Lawn Fawn Video, and gave it a try.  I definitely would change things a bit the next time I make one of these cards but, all in all, it was a lot of fun!  

I began this card by stamping all the kitties with Jet Black ink on some watercolor paper.  Then I colored them with Zig Clean Color Markers (I just got the 90 color pack - my gift to me for my birthday!), let them completely dry, and cut them out with the matching dies.  Secondly, I stamped all the bubbles, and the bathtub with Watering Can ink (I found black to be too harsh for the outline); colored them with Spectrum Noir #BT1 and highlighted with #BT2.  Please be kind, I am still very, very new working with alcohol inks!  Once the bubbles were dry, I cut them out as well.

Another Look

Then I took the background paper and used the smallest Slide On Over Circle die and used that to make my interactive element.  I am not going to go into how I made the card since Lawn Fawn has a wonderfully easy video on how to construct this type of card and if you'd like to learn how I made it, I highly suggest going to the video.  This is the second time I've made this type of card and this one went together MUCH easier than the first; I guess practice does make perfect!

Lastly, I stamped the sentiment on white card and mounted it on some pink card, to give the illusion of a picture hanging on the bathroom wall (I am waiting for the Lawn Fawn Mini Picture Frames Die set to get here - they would have been purrfect!!) and my card was done.  

Thank you for stopping by my blog today and I'll be back on the 25th of this month with another project for this month's Die Cut Divas challenge.  In the meantime, why don't you whip up a project with an animal or pet in it and join in the fun at Die Cut Divas? I hope to see you there!  Oh, one more reminder, there are about two more weeks to enter my giveaway, check out all the details here - who knows, you might win! Thanks SO much, Christi

I am entering my There's a Cat in the Tub? Card in the following challenges:
Crafty Animals - #15 Anything Goes with an Animal
Happy Little Stampers - Anything Goes with Dies {entry 2}
2 Crafty Crazy Critters - #15, Anything Goes with a Critter 
Creative with Stamps - #27, Cute Animals
Art Impressions - #234, Odd Animals {it is odd for a cat to bathe in the tub!}
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Animal Crackers

Let it Snow . . Again

ENABLER ALERT: Did you know that Dies R Us is now stocking paper, ink and ALL kinds of goodies - you really should pop in and get all the goodies your Valentine forgot to give you.  Flowers die, candy gets eaten, but craft supplies last forever a really long time :) 

I've been using the border from Lawn Fawn that reads "Let it Snow" a lot recently.  I think this may be my third card this season, but nothing says winter to me quite like snow does.  So, get ready, 'cause here we go, a visit to a small mountain town. . .

What I Used to Make this Card:
White Card Base
Lawn Fawn Let it Snow Border, #LF992
Lawn Fawn Ready, Set, Snow Stamp Set, #LF973
Lawn Fawn Ready, Set, Snow Die Cuts, #LF974
Lawn Fawn Starry Skies Die, #LF1377
Hero Arts MMH Kit, October 2017 {sort of}
Water Color Paper
Distress Oxide Inks in Wilted Violet, Faded Jeans, Cracked Pistachio & Broken                                          China
Distress Sprayer
Wendy Vecchi Fern Green Ink
Alcohol Ink Markers
Dimensional Dots
Glitter Card in White

I've had this half of this mountain sitting on my desk since October - that was the inspiration for this card.  I had used the other half making a similar scene with the Hero Arts My Monthly Hero Kit from October; check it out here. And, of course, when I went to go find it to use it, poof, the gremlins were at play.  It literally took me two days to find it, but, as you can see, I was successful - ha ha ha craft room gremlins! I won!

Now I had my mountain, so I needed a sky.  I found this in my stash pile - luckily, I had written down the Oxide colors I used {and have you seen that Tim Holtz has released MORE colors?!!? LOVE IT; but now I need to buy another ink pad stand or two.  Heck, maybe three. . .} because I would have never remembered.  So this background was created using Oxides and the Distress Sprayer.  I attached my mountain and built from there.

I stamped my images on watercolor paper, as I wasn't sure how I was going to color them.  Since I wasn't going to blend, I knew that even alcohol markers would be fine to use if I chose. The evergreen trees were actually stamped with green ink, then die cut.  Everything else was stamped in black.   I cut them all out and I even cut a few extra houses but snipped off the first house and the last house. I wanted this to look like a neighborhood in the village.  I colored all my houses with alcohol ink markers and used dimensional dots to

Dimension!

pop out a few of the homes and the trees on the card.

I cut the sentiment out of the same white glitter card as the mountain and I thought I was done.  I left the card overnight and the next day I felt that the card needed just a bit more something.  I looked at all the teeny tiny snowflakes included with my stamp sets but none of them were small enough for the look I wanted.  That's when I got the idea to use my Starry Skies die - I mean, yes, they are obviously stars, but I bet you didn't notice until I just told you and you looked at the card again! I cut the snow-stars {works for me!} out of the white glitter card and attached them to my sky.  I didn't use all of them but I used most, and even attached some of the dots that got die cut as well.  

I'm thrilled with my little scene.  When I was first stamping, it was nearly

Another Look

impossible for me to stamp a scene; perspective is SO important to me and I just didn't have the funds to collect the really beautiful scene stamps {like Stampscapes} or enough of all the things I wanted in the same scale.  Now, all the things I need are in one kit, easily obtained.  I hope you like my little scene as well.  Have you ever used something as something else, like I've done with the snow-stars? I'd love to know; please leave me a comment, with a link to your creation if possible, so I can share the love!  Thank you so much. ~Christi

PS: Don't forget that Dies R Us is now stocking paper, ink and ALL kinds of goodies - you really should pop in and get all the goodies your Valentine forgot to give you.  Flowers die, candy gets eaten, but craft supplies last forever a really long time :) 

Don't forget to join in on all the fun at the Dies R Us Challenge Blog.  

There's  a new challenge theme offered on the 1st and 15th of each month

 and one lucky  randomly drawn winner will receive a gift voucher prize to 

the Dies R Us Store.  For your convenience, all the important Dies R Us 

links are provided below.

click below for:

STORE
CHALLENGE BLOG
FACEBOOK
INSPIRATION BLOG

FRIENDS OF DIES R US PINTEREST PAGE

I am entering my Let it Snow card in the following Challenges:
Crafty Awesomeness Challenge - M, Anything Goes
Crea Chicky's Challenge -M, Winter/Valentines
Happy Little Stampers - Dies - M, Anything Goes
Papercrafter's Linky Party - #3, Anything Goes
Not Just Cards - M, Anything Goes

Hello Shaker Card

I wanted to make something my sister could have on her desk.  We don't get to see each other that often since she works all week and I work mostly weekends.  And every time we make plans, something seems to come up - this last time it was the snow.  So I made this sweet little shaker so she'd know I was always thinking of her <3

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card
Lawn Fawn Ready, Set, Snow Stamps , #LF973
Lawn Fawn Ready, Set, Shake Dies, #LF975
Acetate {I used an overhead projector sheet}
Hello stamp was a Lawn Fawn Gift {and the first time I've used it}
Versafine Onyx Black Ink
Copic Marker
6mm White Craft Foam {Michael's}
Shaker Fill {explained below}
Washi Tape

This is the actual foam I used.

I filled the shaker with sequin hearts, some glitter, and a few black cats {I have a black cat and she adores my sister} and all of it came from my extensive stash of sequins.  I have quite a collection; aside from your average stars and cups, I have cats, chili peppers, flowers, dots, and much more.  These are all left over from when we used to actually use sequins as an integral part of our cards.  Not just one or two tastefully placed sequins, oh no - we'd plaster happy birthday sequins all over a card!

I digress.  I made this sweet shaker the same way I made the Happy Purrthday shaker.  The only difference is I made the shaker {which is the snow globe} the actual card instead of using it on the card.  I colored the bottom with a red Copic, stamped the "sending you hugs," cut the sentiment out, and attached it to the bottom.  I actually took a chance and stamped the Hello directly on the back of the card.

The inside

The Hinge

I used a piece of washi tape as a hinge - here is the inside of the card {I had already written in the card before I took these pics, so I blurred it out.  I didn't think you all needed to read the gushy sisterly stuff I wrote}. I attached the hinge to the back of the shaker, the back wall that actually holds in all the shake, and then just made another panel and hinged to that. You can sort of see what I mean by looking at the photo. Oh and I added a little red glitter heart that I had lying on my desk.

Here's another look

This set is SO versatile - you can make ornaments out of it for any season or use it like I did.  My sister just sent a text that she loves the card and people in her office want my blog address; I guess I did well! Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day! Christi

I am entering my "Hello Shaker Card" in the following challenges:
Die Cuttin' Divas - #354, Anything Goes
Unicorn Challenge Blog - M, #28, Anything Goes
Crafting with Dragonflies - #96, Anything Goes
Crafter's Castle - #1, Anything Goes
Scrapy Land - Anything Goes
As You Like It - Favorite Die & Why - this is my FAVORITE die set because I love making shaker cards and this makes it SO easy & fun! And Lawn Fawn products are just so stinkin' cute!