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

Card Chain Challenge Reveal February 2016

For February's Card Chain Challenge, the lovely Deborah gave us tons of choices, as usual, to make our card for our recipient this month.  This month I chose St. Patrick's Day.  Being Irish, I have always loved this day and can remember more than a few times celebrating like my heritage dictates (hehehe).  I hope you enjoy my card:

Once again I was lucky enough to get Greta as my partner and this is what she sent me:

This picture does not do this beautiful card justice - the white "leaves" around the button are embossed with white, and the roses are also white embossed.  It's a very elegant card.

How I made My Card:

White Card Base
Silhouette Cut File (Shamrocks from Silhouette Store)
Numerous Green Papers
Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 17
Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous "Simple Sayings", CMS155
Distress ink in Lucky Clover
Pop Dots

Easy peasy card this month - I have a TON going on and unfortunately couldn't really dedicate too much time to the card, but I still think it's cute. I started with a white card base then cut the 2 shapes out of green card using the Spellbinders Dies.  I cut one more die cut out of scrap white card and stamped my sentiment on that part using Simple Sayings (I have to say, this set is one of the best sets I have ever bought!).  I glued the sentiment die cut onto the smaller of the 2 green die cuts, then pop dotted that onto the larger green cut out.  My Silhouette Cameo cut the shamrocks out of glitter paper, and I arranged them on the card.

That's it! It's funny, as much as I love my Cameo, I still find myself using my Big Shot machine as much as I did before I got the Cameo. Of course, one of the best features of having a Cameo is the free files and I have amassed over 2,500 files - thank goodness they are easier to store that the die cuts! But, who knows, when life calms down (sorry, that last line made me hysterical) I'll use it more.  I hope everyone is having a fabulous week & thank you SO much for stopping by! Fondly, Christi

I am entering my Good Luck card in the following challenges:
Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes
Our Crafty Corner - Anything Goes
Creative Knockouts - #130, Go Green
Southern Girls Challenge - Add a Little Sparkle

Through the Craft Room Door with Morgan's Art World

Hello everyone and welcome to another challenge at Through the Craft Room Door.  You do know that every week there is a challenge and the theme is ALWAYS "Anything Goes?" Everyone should be entering since you don't even have to make a special card or project!  

http://www.artstampsstore.com/ 

This week the Design Team got to choose from absolutely beautiful images from Morgan's Art World - if I was better at coloring I would have been in heaven - I have a love for fairies and there are some amazing fae and other mythical creatures - do take a look! Since I am not an experienced colorer, I chose to work with "Valentine 12" , a beautiful and elegant rose:

I think I did ok - I am losing my fear of working with digi's and I am starting to look forward to coloring them - but don't tell anyone.

If you'd like to see more of my card, as well as my talented teammates, just go to Through the Craft Room Door - we'd love it if you'd let us know you were there! And, you'll find the linky for the "Anything Goes" Challenge, so why not link up? Thank you so much for stopping by ~ Fondly, Christi

I would like to enter my card in the following challenges:
Cards in Envy - (ends 3/6) Tickled Pink
Suzy Bee's Blooming Challenge - #118, Anything Goes w/ a Twist of Mothering Sunday
Brown Sugar - #186, Anything Goes
Graph it - Spring Greens
Simply Create Too - #103,  Use Pink or Red

Challenge #14 ~ ANYTHING GOES at Twofers!!

For this challenge at Twofers, the lovely Jane has decided to go with ANYTHING GOES ~ you can't get a much easier challenge than that (provided you follow our rules).  I took the opportunity to use one of my very favorite stamp sets, Newton's Antics from Newton's Nook and a brand new set of 72 (!!) Derwent Inktense pencils my Valentine gave to me (I am SO blessed!).  This time I kept the cats relativily natural looking, but watch out - I can feel some colorful creations coming my way!

How I made my Card:
Red Card Base
White Card Panel
Newton's Nook Newton's Antics Stamp & Die Set
Paper Smooches Charmed Cat 2 Set
Derwent Inktense Pencils
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Wendy Vecchi Ink in Red Geranium
Glitter Paper Punched Heart
Paw Print Charm (colored silver with leafing pen)
Dove Blender Pen
Pop Dots

I began my card by stamping the cats with the Jet Black ink on watercolor paper.  I colored them in using the Inktense pencils, and die cut them out.  

Dimension

I set the kitties aside and stamped the sentiment from Paper Smooches on white card using the geranium ink (by the way, if you are looking for a real red, Wendy Vecchi's is the BEST red ink I've found; archival, water proof and has matching embossing powder). I cut the sentiment out and edged it using the geranium ink as I didn't want it to blend in with the white panel.  I attached the sentiment, and glued with glitter paper heart on the end of it, finishing it off with the cute charm of a cat paw print.

I pop dotted the pair of felines onto the panel and I was done! The kitties look like they are in deep snuggle mode and I just think they are so freakin' cute! I hope you enjoyed my little tutorial and that you will join us over at TWOFERS, you might even win a $20 gift certificate to Alleystamp! Thanks so much, Christi

PS: Don't forget to enter my blog candy since you are here :)

Another Look :)

I would like to enter my Kitties card in the following challenges:
Aud Sentiments - #149, Cute & a Sentiment
Addicted to Stamps - #181, Anything Goes
SUYP - #3, Kitty Love
Cuttlebug Mania - I {heart} You
The Cat's Pajamas - #308, Use an Animal
Crafty Catz - #312, CAS
Eureka Stamps - #180, Feathers & Fur

Hey!! There are FIVE days to enter the TWOFERS Challenge!!

I have to say I thought with Valentine’s Day (I thought the number 14 would of been fairly popular!) being right around the corner (literally) we would have gotten more entrants to our TWOFERS numbers challenge. 

 Luckily, you still have 5 more days to craft up some fabulous cards or projects where NUMBERS are the feature.  Please consider joining, we'd love to have you!

PLUS, you will be in the running to win a fabulous prize - a $20 gift certificate from Alleystamp (who already has some of the new goodies from CHA in STOCK and ready to ship!) - now, they are on a well-deserved vacation at the moment, but by the time the challenge is over they will be back and just overflowing with goodies for you to choose with your gift certificate - IF you join in the challenge!!

(and do read the rules please!)

Thank you so much ~ carry on!

Christi

And Have a Happy Valentine's Day 

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

Counting on Twofers ~ Challenge #13

I hope some of you stopped by and read my Fifth Saturday Tutorial on Fun with Chalks, but in any case, welcome to Challenge #13 at Twofers.  I got to choose the theme for this round and I chose numbers.  I wish I had a cool story to tell you about why I chose numbers, but I don't.  But, do stop by my wonderful teammates blogs, Zoe and Jane, and perhaps they had an anecdote for you.

Anyhow, this kicks off TWO FULL WEEKS that you'll have to whip up a project having to do with numbers and enter it into our challenge for a chance to win a $20 gift certificate to Alleystamp.

 Please check our few, but strictly enforced, rules here. If  no one from our challenge comments on your creation that means you didn't follow the rules and won't be considered for the prize, so be sure to read the rules! On with the show!

How I Made my Card:
Kraft Card Base
Clock Paper from Authentique,  Accomplished Collection, #ACC500
Sentiment from Quietfire Design, Happy Birthday Plain & Simple, #5899
Embossing Folder from The Paper Studio, A2 Numbers
Sanding Block
White Scrap
Black Scrap
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black

I first picked out the Authentique paper for this project. I really like the quality of their paper and the simple patterns appeal to me. I then embossed the clock paper with the numbers embossing folder and sanded it down to reveal the numbers.  After that, I realized I had embossed the numbers upside down, and it looked really funny (to me) to have the numbers facing a different way from the clocks.  So, I did it all again, being sure that all elements were in harmony.  I glued the clock/numbers panel to the card base.

Once that was all done, I stamped the Happy Birthday on white scrap and cut it down  It seemed too plain to me to just mount the Happy Birthday (which, by the way comes from a fabulous set by Quietfire - there are SEVEN Happy Birthdays, all written in a different font and or size - be sure to check it out!) on the card, so I made a flag out of a scrap of black card.  I adhered the Happy Birthday onto the flag and glued that to the card.  I think this makes a perfect birthday card for a guy.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed my little tutorial! Now, you have 2 weeks to create and enter it into Challenge #13, Numbers (ohhhh - what about the number 13??) here at Twofers! Don't forget, the prize. every challenge, is a $20 Gift Certificate to Alleystamp! Enjoy!

I would like to enter my Numbers card in the following challenges:
Creative Fingers - #102, Anything Goes
Frilly & Funky - Enjoy Your Embossing
Ruby's Rainbow - #122, Anything Goes
Cards & More - #151, Anything Goes
Simply Papercraft - #22, Anything Goes