This Little Card of Mine

Finally made a card with a layered stamping background

I have seen so many card designers make beautiful backgrounds but I hadn't tried it yet!

I used the Altenew Simple Flowers stamp set to create this background.  I grabbed three colors that I love and just started stamping?  I made sure that some of the images overlapped.  I used Simon Says Stamp, Hero Arts and Lawn Fawn ink.  They work beautifully together. I used a Lawn Fawn stitched rectangle die to put a finishing edge around the outside. 

I used a Winnie & Walter Happy die and die cut it five times using black cardstock.  I adhered them together and added some Spectrum Noir clear glitter pen on top. I used the Sassy Birthday stamp set from Technique Tuesday. The final touch was a few sequins.

When a card background is a dud!

I was playing with Distress Oxide inks on colored cardstock to go with an element I had already created. I used Peeled Paint ink on green cardstock and applied it over an Altenew stencil.  And it was HORRIBLE with the original element. So.....

I used it to make a totally different card. I used the Memory Box Tupelo Circle die and cut out three Fall looking colors. I layered them on top of each other and added a Mama Elephant Hello die that was covered with Versamark and clear heat embossed. The sentiment is from the WPlus9 That is All stamp set. Background saved!

 

One more My Mind's Eye Meow embellishment card

This won't be the last card I MAKE with these but for now it's the last one I have to show you! And what I love about these embellishments is that it's not all cats (hard to believe but some people don't like cats!  Ha!).

Pretty Pink Posh window die, My Favorite Things striped paper, a sentiment, some foam tape and a little machine stitching and -- done!

I love easy cards

Sometimes I enjoy putting a lot of time and effort into cards with more time consuming techniques or many elements on them.  But sometimes, like know when I actually NEED cards to send to people, simple and cute works for me.

I rarely use pre-made embellishments but I must admit that the My Mind's Eye Meow embellishments are really fun to play with. I die cut the stitched window from Pretty Pink Posh and then attached it to a My Favorite Things striped paper that went with the embellishment. Then I simply adhered the cat, mouse and sentiment, popping the cat up with some foam tape.  I attached the card front to a card base and this card was done!

 

Watercolor background

You have seen several card from me recently that used the Wrapped Watercolor background and this is another one. If you make a bunch at the same time you are all set with backgrounds for numerous cards.

The turtle is from a Darcie's stamp set. I stamped it with black Archival ink and colored it with Zig Clean Color markers.  I added some white dots and covered the body with Glossy Accents to give it some shine.  I matted the background in blue cardstock to match and adhered it to a white card base. I adhered the turtle and added a few Hero Arts gems to create the bubbles and some Ranger black enamel accents to the eyes.  I added the greeting and this card was done!

Making fishies!

I had fun playing with the Memory Box Fish Tale products. The fun thing about this is that you can get the set with the outlined images and color them in AND you can get the set that allows you to stamp the colors inside the fish. On this card I stamped the colors.

For the background behind the fish I did the Wrapped Watercolor Technique using Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolors. If you haven't tried this technique you really should. Jennifer McGuire shows you how to do it in the link above and it's so fun and easy and you get a different result every time.

I used a variety of Lucy's Jewels sequins in the shaker and a My Favorite Things Stitched Dome die to create the frame.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Guest designing for Technique Tuesday

I was so excited to be asked to Guest design for Technique Tuesday today on their blog.  They sent me a set from their Animal House collection called Felix the Frog.  He is so fun!

To create this card first I created the background using Shizen handmade watercolor paper and Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolors.  I stamped Felix using Versafine Black ink and clear heat embossed it.  Then I used my Zig Clean Color Markers and a water brush to color him in. I added some Glossy Accents to his eyes and white dots to his body. I thought the little Ribbit die was so cute so I cut it out from white cardstock.

I was having so much fun that I thought I'd do another card... meet Felicia!

I have seen Kathy Racoosin turn critters into girls by adding eyelashes to that is how Felicia was born! I created the frog the same way as the first card but added Nuvo Crystal drops and googly eyes. And I put her on an action wobbler! I picked some rainbow-y dye ink colors that I liked and repeatedly stamped Ribbit on a white panel.  I used the same colors to flick some color on the card front. I applied some ink to an acrylic block, sprayed a little water on it and then used a paint brush to flick the tip of the brush off the end.

 

So this all started with Concord & 9th

I had a piece of patterned paper from Concord & 9th. Have you seen the ones with the open spaces that perfectly match the stencil so you can add any color you want?  As I was sitting there pondering what to do with it I saw a package of these My Mind's Eye kitty embellishments that a  friend gave me sitting on my desk.... hmmm...

It matched perfectly! I was so excited that it all seemed to go together. I cut the grey piece using the Mama Elephant Tri Window Cover die.  And I turned it into a shaker card! Why not!  This was so fun to make.  You will see more cards using these kitty embellishments in the future!

 

Using Nuvo Embellishment mousse

This card design is based on one I saw from Laura Bassen.  I didn't have the exact supplies that she used but I like the circular element.

To create the card I die cut a circle using the Hero Arts Nesting Circle Die set. then I applied the Nuvo mousse (aquamarine color) over a Hero Arts Bold Flower pattern stencil. I wasn't as neat with the mousse as I would have liked but I went with it anyway. I love the color and shimmer you get. I die but the Happy with a Winnie & Walter happy die using silver foil paper. Then I added the birthday and some sequins.

Embossing with a stencil

I love dry embossing with a stencil. It gives you so many more uses for them.

This card has an embossed card front using a stencil. To learn more about how to do that check out Jennifer McGuire's blog here.  IT is easy to do but creates a pretty effect.  I created the heart on the card and the opening for a shaker window using the Simon Says Stamp Wonky Hearts dies.  The heart itself is ink blended on white cardstock with Twisted Citron Distress Oxide ink. 

This is a thin shaker element. I find them easier to make than the thicker ones that use foam tape. You simply sandwich sequins between two sheets of acetate, using Be Creative two sided tape to create the pocket. Jennifer McGuire shows how to do this here.  (yes, she is my creative inspiration quite often).

I used the Winnie & Walter love die to cut our and foil the word.  This was sent to jennifer and Ken for their anniversary so I thought it was fitting that it was inspired by her!