Your Own Magic

 While I have long admired all of the fairy cards other artists have made I didn't jump on that bandwagon until recently.  I love colorful backgrounds, pre-made and hand made, and these fairies just pop! Dies R Us now carries most of the Fairy Hugs brand of stamps, glitter and background paper and I just think everyone needs some fairies to play with!  I used nothing but Fairy Hugs stamps on this card, I hope you enjoy it!

What I Used to Make my Card:
5" x 7" white card base
Watercolor Paper {I use this}
Gina K Amalgam Ink Pad in Obsidian Ink
Fairy Hugs Tree Condo, #FHS-107
Fairy Hugs Condo Dwellers, #FHS-060
Fairy Hugs Condo Dwellers 2, #FHS-108
Fairy Hugs About You, #FHS-129
Tutti Dies Nesting Stitched Rectangles, #TUTTI-217
Oxide Inks Background - Mermaid Lagoon, Kitsch Flamingo, Squeezed Lemon & Salvaged Patina
Gansi Tambi Starry Colors, Light Gold {available all over}
Nuvo Embossing Powder - Fine Detail Black
Simon Says Stamp Embossing Ink
Trinity Stamps Fairy Rocks

I had made the Oxide ink background especially to use these stamps on so I used light ink colors and lots of spritzing.  I colored and spritzed this background probably 4 times so I could get just the right look; I wanted the background to look whimsical and colorful but not over power the stamps.  Once I was done, I splattered light gold watercolor paint onto the background.  You can see the background before I stamped on it in this picture.

Once the background was dry I proceeded to stamp my images directly onto it.  That is when I learned I should have waited to splatter the gold ink as my stamping ink refused to cover the metallic paint.  The worst part was where I was placing the tree trunk but since I know I was going to be covering it with a sentiment, I wasn't too concerned.  I'm not sure if an ink such as Staz On would have covered the gold; I didn't want to take the chance of not being able to line up the card in the exact place to try another ink. I stamped my tree with black ink and then embossing ink and

The Products I used

embossed the tree, leaving the fairies stamped only.  I stamped the sentiment on a piece of white scrap card and cut it down with a stitched rectangle die adhering to the panel in the middle of the tree.  I then trimmed down the watercolor panel and adhered it to the 5" x 7" card base. For a finishing touch I embellished the card with some fanciful clear gems.

I hope you enjoyed my card! Remember, these products as well as MUCH more are available at the Dies R Us store! Please make sure to check out all our pages; links below.  Thanks SO much!! Christi

Don't forget to come join in 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 card in the following challenges:
Cute Card Thursday, #691 - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Unicorn Challenge, #68 - Anything Goes
Cupcake Inspirations Challenge, #526 - Take Flight
Love to Craft, #60 - Anything Goes
NBUS, #29 - Anything Goes w/ New Stuff (all the stamps are new!)
DL Art August Challenge - Anything Goes

Christmas in July Blog Hop!

https://shoppingourstash.blogspot.com/2021/07/shopping-our-stash-449-christmas-in-july.html

Hello Crafty Friends and Happy Saturday! Today, The Paper Funday Challenges  and the Inspiration Station Challenges are hosting a Christmas in July Blog Hop! Please Hop along with us today for some fantastic holiday crafting inspiration and there are Prizes too!If you were directed here from Rocky's Blog  you’re in the right place. Should you get lost, please start at The Paper Funday Challenge Blog.  Here is my card, my very first light up card ever!

The house lit up

And the house normal.

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Pre-made Oxide Ink Background, splattered w/ Gansai Tambi Starry Colors, White Gold
Pear Blossom Press EZ-Light
Lawn Fawn Build a House Die Set, #LF2046
Lawn Fawn Build a House Gingerbread Add On, #LF2438
Lawn Fawn Build a House Christmas Add On, #LF2048
Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Backdrop, Landscape, #LF1502
Lawn Fawn Stitched Tree Borders, #LF1236
Lawn Fawn Toboggan Together Stamp Set, #LF976
Lawn Fawn Push Here Stamp Set, #LF1415
Glitter Card in White and Red
Various Shades of Brown
Scrap Vellum and Green Card

Now, it might seem a bit overwhelming when you look at the number of products I used; but most of them I only used a piece or two; I've explained what I've used from what set a bit further down. Once I had found the pre-made back piece, I splattered it with the White Gold watercolor paint then I set it aside to dry.  I began to figure out how I was going to assemble my card; I knew I wanted the window to light up and I knew I wanted to light that window by pressing the door {I don't know, it made sense to me to have the light go on if you pressed the door bell} so I cut a foam piece using the house die. I ended up cutting almost all of the inside of the foam piece out, similar to a shaker card, so save yourself some trouble and cut a slit in the bottom {since you won't see it anyway} and cut out most of the house part of the foam, leaving the window top shape intact and save that excess foam, you will need it later. 

The Pear Blossom EZ-Lights are a miracle product if you can't get the whole tape connection battery light concept, which I cannot.  All you need to do is insert the battery and press the little button and BOOM, you have light!  The EZ-Light comes with three little bulbs attached and plenty of wire so you can spread those lights out or cut them off if you don't want to use all three {which is great because I accidentally cut one off and I was concerned I'd set the house - both the card one and the real one - on fire}.  I meant to take a picture for you of the back of the house as it began to take shape, but honestly, it was SO ugly I just couldn't.  I glued the vellum to the foam window, then glued my house base {the brown card} over that as well as the rest of the foam base; like I said, similar to a shaker card.  I positioned the lights in the window and kept testing them so that they wouldn't look funny when they lit up and to figure the door placement.  I was worried that the recipient wouldn't press right on the button the card would not work, but that was no issue either.  I glued the lights down and the pressing mechanism down inside the foam and I had a working light!  

The rest of the card was really just the finishing touches; the sentiment came from the Toboggan Together stamp set, the wreath from the Christmas Add On, the trees were cut from the Stitched Tree Borders and I modified the Landscape version of the Hillside Backdrop to fit the portrait card.  And those left over pieces of foam were used under the steps and the chimney!  The bow on the wreath and the card behind the candy canes are Red Glitter Card, the hills and the icing is White Glitter Card.

Well, if you haven't tried a light up card yet I hope I took some of your fear away and I highly recommend the EZ-Lights.  I have tons of batteries, copper tape and all sorts of tiny lights that I hope to use someday when my brain finally recognizes how to actually complete a connection, but until then I have four more EZ-Lights to use; and who knows, I might just sell all that other stuff and stick to the EZ way out {see what I did there?} 

For this Hop, 6 prizes will be awarded to 6 randomly chosen commenters. To be eligible for a prize, you must answer this Question below: How many light up cards have I made? I have provided the answer in my blog post.

Thank you so much for reading this post, I know it was long but I wanted to share my struggle.  I sincerely hope you are enjoying the blog hop and next you will be visiting Anita, and should you get lost, you can start again at The Paper Funday Challenge .  Thanks again & until next time, Christi

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Krafty Chicks, #567 - Christmas
DL Art, #281 - Christmas in July
Through the Purple Haze, #182 - Anything Goes or Christmas in July
Little Red Wagon - Midway to Christmas
Shopping Our Stash, #499 - Christmas in July
Creative Craft Cottage Challenge, #142 - Christmas in July
Incy Wincy Designs Challenge - Christmas in July

No Hearts or Mushy Stuff for River of Creativity

Hi everyone!!

I love a dry wit; sarcasm is how my family communicates with each other, so I have many years of experience and I think I have a fairly sharp wit.  When I saw this stamp, I laughed for a long time so I knew I had to have it!  I hope you like my card which I feel is a juxtaposition of a sweet looking card with a bit of biting satire.  This is also my July card for the River of Creativity Challenge which has a theme this month of No Hearts or Mushy Stuff - I think this card fits the bill :)

 

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Blank
Pre-Made Distress Oxide Background
Kuretake Gansai Tambi Starry Colors, #904 Champagne Gold {I have the Starry Colors set, available}
Reverse Confetti Double Stitched Window Cover Panel {not available at Reverse Confetti, but is available}
Picket Fence Studios I Snorted Stamp Set, #8142
Gina K Designs Amalgam Obsidian Black Ink
5mm Sequins

Making the Front

I began by adding some splatters of champagne gold watercolor paint onto the Oxide Ink background that I had already made and put aside since it didn't match the card I was making it for; once the splatter was dry, I cut the window panel out with the cover panel die.  I matched up the cover panel with the front of the white card base and then stamped the sentiment onto the card through the window of the oxide ink panel.   I attached the panel to the card, making sure the sentiment showed through the window and lastly, a few small sequins from my stash finished the card off.  

I think this is hysterical! I have already formulated many cards using this funny stamp set; plenty of opportunities to get my snark on!  I hope you have enjoyed my card and I would love to know about your favorite snarky stamp sets; please leave your answers in the comments.  

Thank you so much for stopping by to check out my card and I hope to see your no hearts and non-mushy cards {or any type of project} in the River of Creativity Challenge! Don't forget to follow us on Blogger and we are also on Instagram {tag your projects with #riverofcreativity and/or #rocnohearts03} and you can also join us on  Twitter at River of Creativity (RiverCreativity), why not subscribe to all three?

Any and all crafts are accepted and encouraged!

Fondly, 

Christi

I am entering my "So I danced" Card in the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Fun & Quirky
Just Us Girls, #591 - Word Week, Script
NBUS, #28 - The die and the stamp are brand new :)
The Corrosive Challenge - Anything Goes
Cardz for Gals, #150 - Get Inky
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge, #604 - Anything Goes