Good Fortune

Today I have a card that I made for my son's girlfriend who was laid off a month or so ago - but has already found a wonderful job as a job placement counselor at a college in West Virginia.  She is a go-getter who never lets bad things get her down and I wanted to let her know how proud I am of her.

I love these fun Fortune Cookie dies and Good Fortune sentiment stamps from Ellen Hutson and they were perfect for me to get all these messages to Sunny in one card!   I copied the college logo from her FB page that she had posted when she got the job.

I'm linking my card to:

AAA Cards CAS Game #121

Stamps:  Good Fortune - Ellen Hutson
Paper:  Rustic Cream - PTI, Origami Paper
Ink:  True Black - PTI, Ranger Distress Tea Dye Ink
Accessories:  Fortune Cookie Dies - Ellen Hutson, Pierced Feature Frames Die - PTI, foam dots,  printed logo from Valley College.

Seas the Day

Another ocean themed card - using these most wonderful dies from PTI - Reef Builder Die set and the Shape Shifter - Oval 2 Die set. 

(the reef set is presently sold out but you can click on 'notify me' and they will e-mail you when they are back in stock - that's how I got mine as it sold out within minutes on it's release day!)

I'm linking my card to:

Seize the Birthday

Toppings Water

It was also made for one of the week long Dare To Get Dirty challenges over on Splitcoaststampers last week.  The theme was under the sea and you had to use a pearl.

Global Design Project

Stamps:  Salty Air Sentiments set - PTI
Paper:  White, Blueberry Sky, Dark Indigo, Spring Rain - PTI
Ink:  Dark Indigo - PTI
Accessories:   Pearls - Kaiser Craft, Reef Builder Die Set, Shape Shifter Oval Die - PTI, 1 1/4" circle punch, Word window Punch - SU, foam dots.

Too Cool for School

I like to send my young grandnieces and nephews cards during the school year - and so I made these to be ready for when they go back in the fall!

I used this wonderful Swirly Waves Background stamp from Technique Junkies and the fun S'Whale stamps and die set from Ellen Hutson.  I used Ranger Distress Salty Ocean Ink for everything!

I'm linking my card to:

Freshly Made Sketches

My theme was inspired by this card of Featured Stamper Beth over at Splitcoaststampers

Stamps:  Swirly Waves - Technique Junkies, S'whale - Ellen Hutson
Paper:  white - PTI
Ink:  Ranger Distress Salty Ocean
Accessories:  S'whale die set - Ellen Hutson, foam dots

August CAS Mix Up - Stencil Monoprint

Wow -  It's already August - halfway through the summer - and also time for a new CAS Mix Up challenge!

Nancy is our host this month and her challenge is Stencil Monoprint!   And if you don't quite know what that is -  check out the blog where there are several links to YouTube videos showing ways to use this technique!

I checked out this video by Shelby Thomas that is posted over at the CAS Mix Up blog and created my card in a similar fashion.  I ended up with red brick with grey grout using this technique!

I used Brushos on my Intersecting Bricks stencil twice - a postive and a negative print of the stencil - and before you get confused - I've got several photos to show you the process I used to end up with this monoprint!

So, oddly enough I started out with Grey Brusho, sprinkling it over the stencil onto the watercolor card panel under the stencil. 

I spritzed with water to activate the Brusho Powder.

Then I removed stencil and you see this result below.  

 (I will use this grey panel another day)

Put this panel safely aside as you move on to make a negative print.

 (dry the panel with your heat tool after you finish your negative print)

You'll see lots of watery paint on the stencil that you just used to make the grey print.

Quickly turn it over on top of a clean panel of water color paper and press over it with a paper towel.

Remove the stencil and you will find this negative print. Dry it with your heat tool.

So here is the beginning of the panel I used on my card! 

I then laid the stencil over this panel matching up the stencil with the lines on the panel.

Now it looks like there is just a clean sheet under your stencil.

Then I shook Brilliant Red Brushos over the stencil and activated it by spritzing with water.

I dried it with my heat tool - and finally - here is the panel I used on my card!

Red brick with grey grout!

Dry it with your heat tool.

So just to confuse you more!  Now you have a stencil with red Brushos on it - that you can flip over and make another negative print!

For this one - after I dried this print - I laid the stencil back over it and sponged over it with Distress Frayed Burlap

And ended up with this panel (tan brick with red grout!) that I will use on another day.

So here's my card again 

(SORRY!  it's been such a long post I'm sure you've forgotten what I made!!??

And since I had cut my panel in half to make this a CAS design - I made a 2nd card and left off the flower die cut to make it masculine.

I hope I haven't scared you away - this is really simple - it just takes lots of words to explain! And I'm sure you'll grab all your stencils to see how each one works with this technique! 

You'll find lots of inspiration from the rest of the Design Team as well as our August Guest Designer:  Cathy (Cathy's Card Spot)  along with links to several technique videos, over at  The CAS Mix Up Blog.

You have until August 24th to link up your CAS Stencil Monoprint card - and I can't wait to see what you do!!

I'm linking my card to:
Happy Little Stampers

Simon Says Stamp
Make Your Own Background

Stamps:Sentiment Staples - PTI
Paper:  Watercolor paper - Canson, Soft Stone and White - PTI
Ink: Hero Hues Black
Accessories: Intersecting Brick Circles Stencil - Stencil Girls, Flower Die - Ali Express, Brushos - Gray and Brilliant Red, foam dots, Tombow Glue, water mister.

Just Us Girls - July Guest Designer - Photo Week

This is my last post as the July Guest Designer for Just Us Girls! 

What a wonderful time I have had creating with the Design Team this month! 

Thank you so much ladies for inviting me to play with you!

This week is Photo Week and here is the challenge!

What beautiful shades of orange with the soft green leaves, bling floral centers and text background!  So much to inspire us!

I was inspired by the flowers, the colors and the text background in the photo!  

Pretty much all of it, right?!

I got out the May Corner Adorner stamps and die from PTI.  I stamped the flowers in Summer Sunrise - then die cut two single flowers, stamped them in Orange Zest and layered them over the first stampings with foam dots. 

I die cut the card base using PTI Noted: Pinked A2 die.  I die cut the panel using one of the dies in the Noted: Scalloped A2 set.  I stamped Wendy Vecchi/Stampers Anonymous Script Background over the panel and then sponged the edges with Ranger Distress Tea Dye ink.  I layered the little bouquet over the panel with foam dots as well as the stamped sentiment strip.  Then I added orange rhinestones to the flower centers.

So please join us over at Just Us Girls showing us your creation inspired by this lovely photo!  You have until 9 pm EST August 2nd to link up your card.

Stamps:  Script Background - Wendy Vecchi/Stampers Anonymous, Corner Adorner: May - PTI
Paper:  Vintage Cream, White - PTI
Ink:  Hero Hues Black, Ranger Distress Tea Dye, Orange Zest, Classic Kraft, Simply Chartreuse, Summer Sunrise - PTI.
Accessories:  Noted: Pinked A2 die set, Noted: Scalloped A2 die set, Corner Adorner: May die set - PTI, rhinestones - Kaiser, foam dots, Blending Tool - Ranger.

July Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

Today, I'm participating in the July Papertrey Ink Blog hop!  

Here is the inspiration photo for this month.

Papertrey Ink has had several ocean/beach themed stamps and dies released the past two months and I think I bought just about all of them!   

Here is my card.  I was inspired by the colors and several of the ocean flora and fauna images!

I used the Reef Builder Die Set and Shape Shifters: Oval 2 die for my card, cutting them all out in 3 shades of blue, white and red.  The sentiments are from Sentiment Staples - Thinking of You.  

I added Sea Breeze Nuvo Jewel drops in the little ovals on the top of the blue/red plant in the bottom right corner..

I have a dear friend at church that is having some health issues that aren't quite diagnosed yet and this will card will be going to her, hopefully to bring her some comfort.

I can't wait to see how everyone interprets the inspiration photo this month -  you have 12 hours to load up your card - you'll find the link at the Papertrey Ink Blog here.

I'm also linking my card to:

Happy Little Stampers

Stamps:  Sentiment Staples - Thinking of You - PTI
Paper:  White, Dark Indigo, Pure Poppy, Enchanted Evening, Blueberry Sky, Spring Rain - PTI
Ink:  Dark Indigo - PTI
Accessories:  Reef Builder Die Set, Shape Shifter: Oval Die - PTI, Sea Breeze Nuvo Jewel Drops,  foam dots, Tombow Glue.

Happy Happy Birthday!

Today I have a birthday card to share. We always need a supply of these on hand right?!

I inked 2 panels of watercolor paper by rubbing Ranger Distress Tumbled Glass and Spun Sugar onto my craft mat, spritzing with water and then pouncing my panels into the wet color.  I did one color at a time, drying between pounces until I achieved the look I wanted.   I used one panel as my background and one to die cut the shapes out of.  

The balloon and stars are popped up on foam dots and I tied a piece of Blossom Bakers Twine onto the balloon, and stamped the sentiment in black directly onto the panel.

I'm joining in the following challenges with my birthday card:

Ellen Hutson July Pantone Color Trend cardmaking challenge 

a random pick wins a $50 gift certificate to the Ellen Hutson Store!  

I was inspired by the birthday cake with the stars and the balloons.

 Seize the Birthday

Inkspirational

 Happy Little Stampers

 Just Us Girls

 Stamps:  So Many Sentiments - Neat and Tangled
Paper:  watercolor - Canson, white, Lovely Lady - PTI
Ink:  Ranger Distress Tumbled Glass and Spun Sugar, Hero Hues Black
Accessories:  Seeing Stars Die - Neat and Tangled, balloon die - MFT, foam dots, craft mat, water mister, heat tool, Blossom Bakers Twine - The Twinery.