Prison Orange ~2018 Spring/Summer Coffee Lover's Blog Hop

I am frantically making cards for the 2018 Spring/Summer Coffee Lover's Blog Hop - so far, out of the few I've made, this is one of my favorites.

What I Used to Make my Card
White Card Base
Bird Crazy Stamps & Dies {already colored & cut}
Clean Color Markers
Riley & Co. Coffee. Because Prison. . .#RWD-544
Wendy Vecchi Mini Brick Stencil, #WVSFA053
VersaFine Onyx Black
Googly Eyes
Distress Ink in Hickory Smoke

This was an easy card.  I already had my bird ready to go, complete with her googly eyes.  I colored her with Clean Color Brush Markers.  I ripped a piece of scrap paper {making sure it was big enough for me to add my sentiment} and

stenciled all around it with the Distress Ink using the Bricks stencil.

Another Look

Then I stamped my sentiment and added my bird.  I love that this card was so easy to make and at the same time makes me giggle!  You know how I love my snarky sentiments!

Thanks so much for popping by! While you're here, I'd love for you to join my giveaway, you can get all the details here.  I am finding more and more good stuff to add to my package and I promise you won't be disappointed!  Hugs!  Christi


I am entering my card in the following challenges:
2018 Spring/Summer Coffee Lover's Blog Hop
Crop Stop - M, Anything Goes
CuttleBug Mania - Butterflies and Birds
The Artistic Stamper - M, Backgrounds
Country View Challenges - M, Be Humorous, entry #2
Dies R Us - #97, Birds
Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - I is for Inky

The June Card Chain Challenge Reveal!

Every Card Chain Challenge has several prompts, including colors and sketches you can use, to get that creative spark going.  You can even look up the criteria for the entire year if you are the type that can plan that far ahead.  In addition to those themes and prompts, there is one option that we have every month; friendship.  For me it's been a lifesaver.  Like this month.  When I totally forgot to get it in gear because I was mailing my card to Jo in England! It's been crazy around here with everyone's commitments (I am sure most, if not all, of you can relate), so I fell back onto the friendship theme. Here is my card:

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Purple and Peach Cardstock
Watercolor Paper
Oxide Distress Inks in Worn Lipstick, Cracked Pistachio, Wilted Violet and Broken China
Wendy Vecchi Stamp Set, Heirloom Art, #LCS103
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Spellbinders Nestabilities Gold Labels, #4-SS-159
Distress Sprayer
Corner Punch
Pop Dots

Before I get into how I made my card, I want to share the card I received from Sabrina - she says she hasn't been active on her blog lately, but do give her some love as this card is SO cute!:

Back to my card. It was SO easy to make - once I found an Oxide ink background I liked.  I make them in bunches and don't always get to write down what colors I've used. However, this time I tried something different.  I had been making them all day and it was beginning to get tedious as even the most joyful activities can, and my color combinations were not as pleasing as they were when I began.  So, this time I laid down Worn Lipstick, Cracked Pistachio and Wilted Violet on my watercolor paper, played with it a bit and left it alone while I went and ate dinner. 

Once that was dry, I smooshed a bit of Broken China on the paper, sort of to fill in the "blanks", or, where I didn't feel the color was quite colorful enough.  

Typically, I'd been just pouncing all the Oxides together, spritzing them and using that.  Since I used three colors and then added the blue, it allowed me to be a bit more thoughtful about my color placement.  I'm pleased with the outcome and while this might not be a new concept to you, it sure is to me! I spritzed the paper, now with the four colors, lightly and dried it with my heat gun.

Another Look

I stamped my sentiment on the Oxide Ink'd paper using Ranger Jet Black, once it was all dry.  I wanted the card to be colorful, and a bit fancy, so I dug through my dies (I am amassing quite the collection!) and chose the Gold Labels #4.  I die cut the sentiment piece, and then an orange piece.  I pop dotted them on a bold purple (I had punched the corners with an old corner punch) and finally layered the purple on the white card.  I love the uplifting saying and have been a HUGE fan of Wendy's for years!  If you are interested, here is another really cool card I made using the same sentiment (and a discovery!)

I hope you are having a fabulous holiday! Thanks! Christi
PS: I made my own watermark! I have a few I made; what do you think?

I would like to enter my Friendship Card in the following challenges:
Creates & Makes - #13, Anything Goes, Create a Sentiment
Lemon Shortbread - #45, Anything Goes
TTCRD - Anything Goes
Fussy & Fancy - #190, Punches and/or Dies
Brown Sugar Challenge - #257, Anything Goes
One Crazy Stamper - M, July Challenge, Anything Goes
HLS, Watercolor Challenge - M, July, Anything Goes, optional Blue Twist
AAA Cards - #93, Words Take the Center Stage  

Challenge #15 at Twofers ~ Let's get Organic!

It is the lovely Zoe's turn to chose a challenge theme and she chose "organic" - and for those struggling how to interpret the theme (as I was), Zoe has written out some "guidelines" on the TWOFERS blog.  I went with a flowing background design, using Ken Oliver Color Bursts in Bright, something I'd just gotten and never used before.  Here is my card:

How I Made my Card:
White Card Base
Ken Oliver Color Bursts Brights
Wendy Vecchi Stamp Set Heirloom Art, #LCS103
Ranger Watercolor Paper
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Wink of Stella in Clear

Since this was my first time playing with the Color Bursts I wanted to use the best watercolor paper I have at the moment, and that's the Ranger Watercolor Paper.  I need to get some more; I typically stamp at some point using watercolor paper and I really like the smooth side of the Ranger Paper.  All I did was poof out a few grains of the Color Burst onto the paper and then I saturated it with water using my spritzer.  I used my heat gun to help it dry fast since I didn't know if the color stayed the same or got lighter as it dried.  Turns out the color did get lighter, not a huge difference, but enough.

I used one of the sentiments from the Wendy Vecchi set Heirloom Art; stamped that onto the background using the Jet Black Archival Ink.  Then I used the clear Wink of Stella to add the swoosh. Honestly, that was a HUGE surprise - I had no idea the Wink pen was going to react that way with the Color Bursts, but I think it came out so cool! The Wink pen sort of removed the color from the background - I went over the swoosh a bunch of times, so I don't know if that's why the color disapeared, or if the same thing would happen regardless of how many times you go over it.  Judging from the bottom of the swoosh, I'd have to say that going over and over the same area with the Wink pen did cause the ink to lighten much more than it would have if I had just swooshed the ink once or twice - the color at the bottom of the swoosh is heavier where the swoosh tapers off.  Regardless, I think the effect is so cool and I can't wait to see if the same thing happens with the gold and silver Wink of Stella pens.  And seriously, the picture doesn't do this card justice at all - it is very striking in person!

Now, it's your turn to get organic with us at TWOFERS.  Simply enter your project and you will have a chance to win a $20 Gift Certificate to Alleystamp (Janine generously sponsors ALL our challenges so if organic isn't your type of theme, no biggie, just enter the next challenge that opens in 2 weeks!

I would like to enter my card in the following challenges:

NBUS Challenge - NBUS #6

Crafty Creations Challenges (M) - Sentiment as Focal Point
Creative Inspirations - #246 Pretty Projects
The Artistic Stamper (M) - Springtime
One Crazy Stamper (M) - Anything Goes

Butterflies at Through the Craft Room Door with Little Claire's

** Sorry for posting this late - had a monster of a migraine earlier!

A big hello to everyone this fine Tuesday!! This week the Design Team at Through the Craft Room Door got to play with images from Little Claire.

http://www.mylcdesigns.co.uk

Here is a sneak peek of my card - you can just see the sparkles on the butterflies

I chose the Butterfly Cage and I knew exactly how I was going to use the image.  To see how I made my card, including the supply list, just hop on over to Through the Craft Room Door Challenge Page.  And don't forget to enter the "Anything Goes" (always anything goes!) challenge! Thanks ~ Christi

PS: Please join my blog candy! The more who enter, the more goodies (and I have a TON of goodies!)


I would like to enter my card in the following challenges:
Left of Centre - #116, Things with Wings
Glitter 'N Sparkle - #174 Fireworks/Sparkle (I used Sparkles)
Cards and More - #151, Anything Goes
Avenue 613 - #162, Anything Goes
A Bit More Time to Craft - #13, Anything Goes

Clean and Simple Fall Card

Fall is my favorite season - it's finally cool enough to sleep at night but warm enough you can leave the windows open, it was a beautiful 75 degree day here in my part of Colorado. And I love the colors of this time of year.  I was inspired to make this card while rummaging through my inks and I came across this Kaleidacolor ink pad that I have had since I was a Stampin' Up! demonstrator (at least 15 years ago!) - it's amazing to me that the pad is still juicy! Anyway, here is my most recent card creation:

How I Made my Card:

Brown Card Base 
Glossy Cardstock

Kaleidacolor SU! Ink Pad - Pumpkin Spice (discontinued)

Wendy Vecchi "Art Comforts", # SCS110

Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black

Brayer

I found the Kaleidacolor ink pad when I was looking for the ink pad to make this Thank You card for my hair stylist - I had forgotten I even owned this pad! Anyway, when I saw it I knew I wanted to make a fall themed card - the colors are so rich!

I love how the color pops off the glossy cardstock when using the Kaleidacolor ink pads. I thought these particular colors would look fabulous used as a background, so I loaded up my brayer and inked the glossy panel by going over and over with the brayer until I achieved the coverage I wanted.  It really only takes about 4 or 5 "brayerings" for the color to be saturated.  

I then stamped my glossy panel with the stamp from Wendy Vecchi's Art Comforts set using Jet Black Archival ink.  Trimmed the panel and adhered to my card base.  I wish I could master photographing glossy cardstock because you really can't see how beautiful these inks are; you'll just have to try the technique yourself!

I hope my little card will inspire you to create some fall projects! Today is football day and I have got to go and get ready to watch my Broncos play - GO PAYTON! Have a wonderful day! Christi

Another look at the card

I would like to enter my CAS Fall card in the following challenges: 

Less is More - #245, One Layer Autumn Cards
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Autumn is in the Air

Fashionable Stamping Challenges - #104, Changing Seasons
Penny Black & More (October) - Warm Autumn Colors
Stamping Sensations (October) - Colors of Autumn

1950's Housewife ~ Vintage/Retro Challenge #5 at Twofers!

This challenge gave me a chance to use some never before used stamps that I bought when Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers went out of business (the good news is ALL the stamps I used from RBBB are still available at StampFrancisco) and that was ages ago.  I love it when I can finally use a stamp - one I have been saving for ages for just the right challenge and TWOFERS challenge #5, Vintage/Retro certainly fit the bill! Here is my 1950's housewife, with a twist:

How I Made my Card:
White Square Card Base (5 1/4" x 5 1/4")
Vanilla Cardstock
Weekly Checklist stamp, StampFrancisco #106-1176
Time Schedule, StampFrancisco #106-1175
Hand on Head Woman, Large, StampFrancisco #106-1716
Sentiment from Stampers Anonymous, Wendy Vecchi, #G4-1857
Collage Papers, Green Cardstock, Buttons & Gem from my stash
Distress Markers in Weathered Wood, Wilted Violet, Ground Espresso & Shaded Lilac
Die from Sizzix Framelits Tree Blueprint from Tim Holtz, #659379
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Ranger Mini Blending Tool 

I knew I wanted to use both the woman and the sentiment stamp for this card, but I wasn't exactly positive how I wanted to incorporate them. I went ahead and stamped the woman, colored her with some Distress Markers and fussy cut

her out.  I am X-Acto knife challenged, so I was quite proud that I cut the little spaces where her arm crooks successfully (truthfully, most people don't allow me to be around sharp objects for a number of reasons).  I added the buttons and gem and set her aside.

Rifling through my stash I came upon some old collage papers I have had since the beginning of time and chose a few I thought would work as a background.  I then stamped the checklist and schedule stamps on vanilla cardstock and edged them with the ground espresso marker - I scribbled it on my craft sheet, spritzed some water and used the Ink Blender tool to edge the stamped images and then, after I cut and ripped my collage papers to my liking, swiped a bit of it onto the collage papers as well.  Helped them dry with my heat gun.

Once all the papers were set, I placed them onto my square card and glued

them down.  Then I set about looking for a die that would fit the sentiment as I wanted that to stand out and not get lost in the background.  The die from the tree blueprint (you will be seeing holiday cards made with this set - it's too cute not to use!) fit perfectly, so I stamped and then die cut the saying, then layered it on a small scrap of green card to further enhance it.  Lastly, I placed my woman and the sentiment on the card and I was done.  

I just love using my stash stuff! Not only does it justify me keeping all this stuff but then I don't feel so guilty when I buy more stuff. It's a win win! Thank you so much for stopping by and I encourage you to check out TWOFERS, as some rules have changed and we now have a sponsor! Yup, you could win a $20 gift certificate to Alleystamp! So get creating! Fondly, Christi

Another Look :)

I am entering my 50's Housewife Card into the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes (entry 2)
The House That Stamps Built  - Anything Goes
Creative Knockouts - Anything Goes (I did not use the optional sketch)
That's Crafty! - Girls will be Girls
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - (October) Anything Goes
Sisters of Craft - (October) Anything Goes

Roaming around with Anything But a Card #48

I'm thrilled to be back designing for Anything But a Card after a two month break!  This months theme at Anything But a Card is Out & About so I made a neighborhood.  I am on a bit of a time crunch this month so I am actually typing this in advance so I am going to be done a head of time!  Since I am in a rush, I didn't take as many photos as normal (plus, this project is fairly cut & dry), but please do enjoy a stroll around my neighborhood.

What I Used to Make my Neighborhood:
Tim Holtz Artful Dwellings Movers & Shakers, Sizzix #657218
Wendy Vecchi Art Comforts Stamp Set, #SCS110
BasicGrey Paper, Scarlet Letter & Perhaps
Die from LifestyleCrafts/Quickutz Wildflower Spring Gift Set
Thin Cardboard
Golden Acrylics in Cobalt Teal, Pyrrole Orange, Titan Buff, Quinacridone Violet, Hansa Yellow, Phthalo Blue, Pyrrole Red & Burnt Sienna
Scraps of Ribbon from Stash
Piece of Foam Board

I had planned on doing a triptych so I had cut out a bunch of the little houses using the cardboard and the die cut.  I painted the houses with the different

acrylics and let them dry, then I painted all the roofs with burnt sienna.  I decided then that I'd rather have a wall hanging than a triptych, so I found a piece of Foam Board.  

I painted all of the houses and then I decided to use a few of the smaller houses as decorations on the larger homes.  I wanted to spruce them up a bit more, so I raided my stash and found some ribbon that I thought enhanced each house and glued it the houses.  I had cut out the "trees" using one of the dies from the Lifestyle/Quickutz Wildflower Spring Gift Set (it's retired, but you can find tons of them online), I'm not sure the actual die name, but it's in that set, and I used the Basic Grey paper. I had to leave out a few of my houses as

they wouldn't all fit on the foam board, but I've kept them and I'm sure they will debut on another piece.  The final step was stamping the sentiment using Wendy Vecchi's Art Comforts stamp set on a scrap piece of card, using a bit of brown ink to edge it and gluing that to the board.  

I hope you enjoyed your stroll around my neighborhood!! Please think about subscribing to my blog and helping me meet my goal of 100 new subscribers for 2015 ~ thank you Christi!

Another look - you can see the shine and brush strokes in the acrylic paint

I would like to enter my "Out & Above" piece in the following challenges:
Love to Create - #13,  Anything Mixed Media Goes
Stamping Sensations - Use Dies and/or Punches (June Challenge)
Allsorts Challenge - #316, Use a Stamp (no digi's) ~ entry #2
That's Crafty! - Housey, Housey 

Happy Spring! Tim's 12 tags of 2015 - April

 

Here is my interpretation of Tim's Tag for April 2015.  As typical, lots of improvising (which I find SO much fun!), and I really think the little "band" on the tag is cool - I am going to make some cards using that technique.

What I Used to Make my Tag:
Wendy Vecchi Stamp it Stencil it, Marigold, WVSTST013
#8 Kraft Tag (homemade)
Distress Markers in Evergreen Bough, Riper Persimmon, Spiced Marmalade, Dried Marigold, Squeezed Lemon, Scattered Straw, Mustard Seed, Wild Honey, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Soot Frayed Burlap and Pumice Stone.
Watercolor Paper
Watercolor Brush - Detail
Distress Ink in Frayed Burlap
Sizzix Tim Holtz Alphanumeric #660056
Silhouette Machine
Piece of Light Brown cardstock
Wink of Stella, Clear
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Distress Marker Spritzer

Stamped flowers

First, as I don't have any Kraft tags, I made my own.  I folded a piece of Kraft paper in half, glued it together and trimmed it down to tag size.  I put the tag aside and concentrated on finding a good flower to use as the focal point. I have some flower stamps, but none of the ones I looked at had an open enough space in the petals - until I remembered I have some Wendy Vecchi SiSi stamps - SiSi stands for Stamp and Stencil (there are some really cute sets!).  I finally chose the Marigold stamp and stamped it 3 times on my watercolor paper, that I had cut down to size as instructed, in the Jet Black ink.  I used my ink spritzer (for the very first time! I need a bit more practice) to spritz the background of the tag in Evergreen Bough, dried it with my heat gun and let it sit aside to fully dry.

Once the tag was fully dry, I water colored my flowers; I can remember coloring

like that with watercolor pencils, back when the water brushes first came out.  I used more color on my flowers than Tim did on his.  I finished the water colored portion by edging it in Frayed Burlap.  Set that aside and began to figure out how I was going to go on to the next step.

I was hoping I had a word I could use in the Holiday Words Script die set, but, none of them really worked. I knew I was going to make my second word, Spring, out of the Alphanumeric Die Set, but I struggled with how I was going to make my first word.  As usual, when I don't have the products to make something the way I want, my Silhouette machine steps in.  I designed and cut several "happy" cuts, using different fonts, and chose the one I liked best.  Then came cutting the strip into the tag.

I am not gifted with measurement gene (or the driving directions gene), but I tried to measure the way Tim tells it on his blog - I finally just measured from each side of the tag, and then the strip part itself.  I spelled out Spring with my Alphanumeric dies, then attached them all together with temporary tape (I use regular clear temporary tape, so I can see the placement).  Held my breath, and

cut the word out.  That's one of those moments if you mess up the entire project goes in the garbage.  But I did it (whew!) and it was while testing the water colored insert that I realized I stamped too many flowers on the paper.  If I hadn't of put the little piece of light brown card there, the flower made it difficult to read. So I glued that piece in place and added some sparkle with Wink of Stella in Clear.  Thought I was done with the tag, took a bunch of pictures and realized I had forgotten the star! I found a star that I had already punched out of silver paper and attached that.  I debated hand drawing the stitches, but. . .I don't trust myself. So I took more pictures, added the little piece of ribbon and took even more pictures.  That's it! I had forgotten how much fun water coloring is and have added that set Tim used in his tag to my Need ASAP list (which grows longer and longer and longer. . . ).

Please consider helping me meet my goal of 100 new followers/subscribers in 2015. And leave me your blog info in the comments ~ I'd love to pop over to your blog and take a look! Fondly, Christi


And one last look ~

I'd like to enter my Happy Spring Tag in the following challenges:
Tim's 12 Tags Challenge - April 2015
Artistic Inspirations - #129,  Anything Goes with a twist of Spring 
Not Just Cards Challenge - #17, Always Anything Goes
Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Anything But a Card
Pixie's Crafty Workshop - Week 173
Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge - #137, Springtime Flowers
Frilly and Funkie -  Springtime Die Cuts

A Summer Garden Challenge at Craft-Room Challenges

~*~ This is my one hundredth post!! ~*~ Go ME!

For the 82nd challenge at Craft-Room Challenge, Hazel has chosen the theme of "A Summer Garden".  Once again, I had lofty plans of all the incredible art I was going to create when I realized I was running out of time once again.  Truthfully, as I write this the challenge is almost 1 1/2 weeks away, but I am having major dental surgery at the end of July and I am scrambling like mad to try to ensure all my Design Team work is done.   So by the time you read this I will be happily recuperating because I should be heavily medicated and it will be over and done with.  But I digress. . .

Confused? Read on. . .KaiserCraft on the left, DCWV on the right

 What I Used to Create my Card(s):

• 2 coordinating pieces of DCWV Linen Closet Stack
• 1 piece KaiserCraft Lady Rose Collection, Champagne 
• 1 piece Green paper, for base of KaiserCraft card
• Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink by Ranger in Fern Green
• Wendy Vecchi Blooming Art stamp set, SCS119, for sentiment
• White Cardstock for label
• Crafters Pick The Ultimate Glue 
• A2 Pop Up Card - Artisan (Silhouette or Lori Whitlock store)
• Silhouette Cameo

The final card

The base card (DCWV)

As you know by now I love making 3D things and I had found this card in the Silhouette store named "A2 Pop Up Card - Artisan", which was designed by Lori Whitlock (you can purchase the cut file through the Silhouette store or on the Lori Whitlock site).  It looked like fun and I also love using labels so this was a win win for me!  I purchased the card and opened it up in my Silhouette Studio DE to figure out how to piece the card out for cutting.  Now, I know the challenge is Summer Garden, and I truly thought I could use the paper I initially picked out, which was DCWV Linen Closet Stack (I had some 6" x 12" scraps and I was happy that I could make the card with those).  There are some awesome florals in that stack - very sparkly, glittery and pretty.  It really wasn't until I was almost done with the card that I realized the paper wasn't summery at all. While the paper is indeed sparkly, glittery and pretty, it definitely isn't summery; at least it isn't to me.  So I went and chose some KaiserCraft paper, the collection is called Lady Rose, perfect for "A Summer Garden".  So, I proceeded to make another card. 

The cover card stock, on my cutting mat (DCWV)

Well, I had taken all my pictures using the DCWV paper, so now you'll get to see two different versions of the card.  What I think is really neat about the card is that it stands on it's own and yet, when it is folded in, it still fits in an A2 envelope. I also kept the cover card stock in place as I took it off my cutting mat, in fact, I adhered each piece to the base card as I removed the it to ensure I'd have no pattern upset. I also resized the label down a bit to make the white label that I stamped and put on the front of the KaiserCraft card. Wendy Vecchi's ink matched that green base card perfectly!  See, I truly DO need all of those ink  pads!
 

View from the top of the card (KasierCraft) 

When I make the card again, I think I'll put 2 of the white labels together (fold over, like a place card) so if I want to write something "in" the card I'll have a space to do it in.  All in all I am excited about how simple it was to put these together and I immediately thought of holiday cards - how pretty would some festive Christmas or Chanukah paper would look! And with my "place card" idea the structure of the card would still be the same and I can write a little note on each card.  Or, even Halloween!! Wouldn't a bat be adorable in place of the label?!? Oh yes, the ideas are rolling in. . .

It really does fit in an A2 envelope! (A2 is card size 5 1/2" x 4 1/4")

  

And a final look - the colors aren't as bright in this picture for some reason.  They are truer in the other pictures.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope my directions weren't too confusing.  Please, feel free to contact by using the Contact Form on the side bar, or leave me a comment if you have any questions.  In fact, leave me a comment even if you don't have any questions (and leave your blog address in your comment so I can stop by your blog!) Also, please pop by Craft-Room Challenges and enter!! Fabulous new challenge every 2 weeks ~ Have a wonderful day ~ Christi

I would like to enter my card in the following challenges:
I Love to Create - #127, Anything Goes
Crafty Cardmakers and More - #120, Fancy Folds
Stamping Sensations - August Challenge, Anything Goes 
Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - L is for Layers
Sister Act Card Challenge - #68, Anything Goes

A Little Fruity Fun

I got the inspiration for making this card from doing my Tuesday list at Challenges for Days.  For those who aren’t familiar with Challenges for Days it's a blog that lists challenges you can enter and my day is Tuesday.  Volunteering at the blog has really inspired me and I work with a fabulous crew of people.  If you think you may be able to spare an hour or so (usually less) please see the blog for details on how you can help us expand and get inspired as well. 

My Fruity Fun Card

I typically do a list detailing the items I used to make a project, but this one is self-explanatory, so I am just going to talk about the card.  I had gotten the very first Sizzix that came out on the market. The old machine was SO heavy (I still have it after all these years!) and could do nothing but make die

Close Up of the Die Cuts

cuts but the idea that you could actually cut out your own shapes was SO exciting! One of the dies that came with the machine was a little one called simply “Fruits” (and they don’t make the old Sizzix machine or this die anymore; they must be at least 15 years old).  I used the “Fruit” die to cut out my apples, pears and grapes, but I used my Big Shot to do the cutting.  I also used various punches, some small circles to make cherries and plums, as well as a few different leaf punches.  Piecing together the fruit was so fun; I used nothing but scrap cardstock on this entire card since the fruit is tiny.

 

Pic of LCS103 cropped

I also used one of my very favorite Wendy Vecchi stamp sets called “Heirloom Art”, LSC103, for the sentiment.  Again, I just used a coordinating scrap of cardstock and stamped the sentiment on it using Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black, I left the inside blank so I could use the card for any number of occasions. I chose this sentiment because I felt the whimsical font Wendy used on it was perfect for this card – after all, how serious can it be with all these cute little cardstock fruits on it?  So there you have it.  A fruity fun little card to brighten someone’s day!  Thanks for stopping by and please don’t forget to subscribe to Challenges for Days for your daily dose of challenging inspiration ~ Christi

Another picture of the card.  I think this one has truer color than the top one.

**You can find the Heirloom Art stamp set online.  To see the set in its entirety, go to Stampers Anonymous, choose the first "drawer", scroll down using the side menu, go to Spring 2013 releases under Studio490/Wendy Vecchi, then to page 5.  I had to crop the image of the set significantly so it would fit.

I would like to enter my card in the following challenges:

Stuck On U Sketches - Die Cut Food/Drink
The Crafting Cafe - Feeling Fruity
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Mid Summer Challenge
The Crazy Challenge - Die Cuts and Punches
Shopping Our Stash - #161, Eat 5 a Day (fruits and/or veggies)
Oldie but a Goodie Challenge - Fruits & Veg
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Die Cuts and/or Punches
Word Art Wednesday - #142, Use Uplifting Sentiment

Thanks for stopping by & I would love to hear from you :)

My Art Part Heart

I love being on the Design Team for Anything But a Card - it has truly been one of the BEST things ever for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love making cards and such, but I find a great satisfaction when I make something that can sit on a shelf or be hung on a wall.  I remember the joy I felt when I discovered Wendy Vecchi and her Art Parts – how cool was this!?! All the hard stuff was done for me!  And her stamp line? Well, don’t go looking at it unless you have some extra cash – I love the entire line.  And I buy as much of her stuff as I can.  I’d like to think if we ever meet we’d be friends (and not in a crazy stalker way).  Anyway. . . this month's challenge at Anything But a Card is this beautiful color palette.  All I see when I look at this is serenity ~ so I pulled out my Wendy Vecchi Art Parts, my Distress Paints, some other goodies and went to town!

I love this and I look forward to seeing what all of YOU create.  But, in the meantime, here is my creation; maybe you'll get some inspiration and join us?

 

This project is made almost entirely of Art Parts (you can check out the entire line of Wendy’s Art Parts here, her stamps sets here  and you can find both at many retailers both online and in the stores).  What I used was:

1 Large Circle and Circle Frame

1 Large Heart

Sentiment Stamp from “Art Comforts” set, SCS110

Distress Paint in Fired Brick and Seedless Preserves

Wendy Vecchi Ranger Archival Ink in Red Geranium

Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black

Distress Crackle Paint in Rock Candy

Prima Micron Pen in Black (I think I used #2)

Brads with clear gem middles, 2

Wooden Flower & Leaves from craft store

Embossing Enamel,from Globecraft & Piccolo in Mossy Glen & Enchanted Aubergine

Embossing Fluid from Globecraft & Piccolo 

Previously gessoed old book page

My book page

First I gessoed the circle, the frame and the heart.  Once they were dry I used the circle to cut a piece of old book page that I had already gessoed and glued that on.  You don’t have to be perfect with this since the frame is going to cover the edges – thank goodness because my page was a wee short.  I painted the circle frame with the Seedless Preserves paint (straight from the bottle) & set it aside to dry.

I took a scrap piece of cardboard (thin cardboard, like the back of a paper pad), gessoed it and then stamped the sentiment on that.  Due to the roughness of the gesso, I used the Micron Pen to fill in where the ink didn’t quite hit the cardboard.  Then I took another scrap piece of cardboard and painted it with Fired Brick paint (again, straight from the bottle). Once that was dry, I glued the sentiment to the Fired Brick background, broke the arms off two silver brads with gems in the middle and glued them on. 

Almost all the parts

My heart

I took my heart, inked it with the Red Geranium, let it dry and spread the Rock Candy Crackle Paint on it – set it aside.  Got the flower and the leaves and embossed them.  Attached the circle frame to the circle, put the heart in the center, attached the sentiment to the center of the heart & finally glued the wooden flower & leaves to the top. 

I had actually thought this was done before I added the flower & the leaves – when I saw how well the Enchanted Aubergine Embossing Enamel complimented the Seedless Preserves Distress Paint, I had to figure out a way to add it.  Luckily, I came across the flower & leaves.  I think that the last touch completes the piece.  I hope you enjoyed my tutorial and had as much fun as I did making this! Blessings! Christi

 

I would like to enter my Art Part Heart in the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - #259, Purple Passion 

Crafting at the Weekend - #1, Anything Goes

Challenges for Everybody - #41, Anything Goes

Divas by Design - Anything But a Card 

Stamping Sensations - May, Anything Goes