Rustic Christmas

Life got busy and I haven't been able to play along with the Merry Monday Christmas challenges lately -  but was so inspired by this week's rustic theme and photo - I quickly made two cards!

Birch trees are one of my favorite trees with their white/tan/brown bark that is often peeling off here and there.   And having just learned a new technique on Splitcoaststampers of swiping ink over a panel with a used gift card (see yesterdays cards here) - and having seen my stamping friend, Bonnie's wonderful card she made for this challenge here -  I knew I wanted to give a shot at re-creating the look of the birch as well!

I rubbed Ranger Distress Oxides in Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo on my craft mat, spritzed them with a little bit of water, then dipped the edge of my gift card in one ink and dragged it over a panel of white card.  I continued one color and then the other until I was happy with the look.   

I flicked some water onto the panel  to create some water spots.  Then I pushed my gift card edge into some Archival Jet Black ink and pressed the edge onto the panel randomly.  I die cut Christmas out of red card and stamped the MERRY above it.

Every background you create using this technique comes out differently - you never get the same thing twice.

I added 3 little wood veneer stars to each card.

I'm glad to be back on track in adding cards to my Christmas stash!

You'll find the Merry Monday Christmas challenge here. 

Stamps:  Christmas Cheer - PTI
Paper:  White, True Black, Pure Poppy - PTI
Ink:  True Black - PTI,  Archival Jet Black, Ranger Distress Oxides Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo
Accessories:  used gift card, glue pen, Christmas Cheer Dies - PTI, wooden stars - Studio Calico/American Crafts, water, nonstick craft mat.

God Writes the Gospel

Today I'm playing along with two challenges over at Splitcoaststampers -  Monday's Technique Lovers Challenge and Tuesdays Color Challenge.

Karen Dunbrook hosted the Technique challenge and she gave us instructions for swiping ink over a cardstock panel with an old credit/gift card.   And the colors for the Color Challenge are sugarplum, wasabi, daffodil (or something similar!)

I had enough ink spread on my craft mat to make two cards (always a plus!)

They are basically the same - with different designs on the backgrounds as you can never make the same swipe twice (!) and different die cuts.

For the backgrounds, I rubbed 3 Ranger Distress Oxide Inks onto my craft mat - Peeled Paint, Worn Lipstick and Fossilized Amber.  I spritzed them with a little water.   Then I dipped just the edge of the used gift card into one of the inks - then dragged it across the panel of white card.  I continued this process with each color, changing the direction of the swipe now and then (you can make a great plaid with this technique!) until I liked the look.  

The die cuts on this card are Leafy Branch 2 and Leafy Branch 5 from Elizabeth Craft Designs.

Here's the 2nd card with a slightly different background design and the die cuts are Dandelion Fluff also from Elizabeth Craft Designs.  The sentiment is from an older Papertrey Ink set - Out on a Limb sentiments.

I'm making cards for a group at my church that sends 'thinking of you' cards to elderly members who cannot get out to church - so I think these will be very nice for that purpose!

I'm also linking my cards to:

The Heart Desires

Stamps: Out on a Limb Sentiments - Papertrey Ink  
Paper: white, Simply Chartreuse - PTI  
Ink: True Black- PTI, Ranger Distress Oxides Peeled Paint, Worn Lipstick, Fossilized Amber
Accessories: expired gift card, Dies - Dandelion Fluff, Leafy Branch 2, Leafy Branch 5 - Elizabeth Craft Designs, foam tape, rhinestones - Kaiser Craft

An Out of this World 6th Birthday Card

My grandnephew James is turning 6 this weekend - and I always make special cards for the grands - so the pressure was on to create something fun.   I've been wanting to make a pop up box card for quite a while -  there is a great tutorial over at Splitcoaststampers that I printed out a year or so ago - and I finally got it out to try it for James' special card.

This is how it looks when you fold it flat for delivery.  Very unassuming and you'd never guess the surprise it holds inside!

and then you just push on the two sides and it opens into a box 

 (the purple base looks black in this photo for some reason?!)

and when you fold down the front and side panels you get your surprise!  

I used my brandy new Make it Market Mini  kit - Out of this World for all of the space decorations.  I used one of the patterned papers and the dies in the kit to cut out all the outer space pieces.

You start out with a 12"x12" piece of card stock, cut it and score it according to the tutorial, cut patterned papers to fit the sides inside and out and add tabbed pieces inside to adhere the pop ups to.  They also include instructions for a smaller card that will fit an A2 envelope. 

My pop up box measures 5 1/2" x 6 1/2" when folded up. (as in the first photo above) 

Here's a close up showing the dividing pieces inside the box where you attach your pop ups.  I put the planet and space ship on strips of acetate so they stand up and shake a bit when you move the box.  I adhered the lighter blue planet in the front directly to the dividing piece.

here are close ups of the side panels.  All the pieces on the panels are up on foam dots.

I used a PTI By the Numbers die for the 6. 

close up of the pop ups and the acetate strips

So, I'm glad I finally tried a Pop Up Box Card - it takes a little longer to cut, score and decorate, but isn't difficult at all to put together - and I think James will love his little outer space birthday card!

I'm linking James' birthday card to:

Seize the Birthday

 The Male Room

Muse Challenge #217

To use Kim's card as inspiration

Stamps:  Make it Market Mini Kit - Out of this World - Papertrey Ink, Happy Birthday from A Beary Good Year - The Cat's Pajamas.
Paper:  Purple cardstock from stash, black dot patterned paper from Modern Metallic paper pack - DCWV,  White, Acetate - Papertrey Ink, Space ship patterned paper From Mini Kit - PTI
Ink:  True Black - PTI, Versamark
Accessories:  dies from Make it Market Mini Kit - Out of this world and By the Numbers Die - Papertrey Ink, Word Window Punch - SU, Scortape, foam dots, white embossing powder, heat tool,  Pop Up Box Card Tutorial - Splitcoaststampers.

Papertrey Ink May Blog Hop

Today I'm participating in the May Papertrey Ink blog hop.  

This month Nicole has chosen this photo to inspire us.

 I was inspired by this sympathy card of Heather's for my technique and stamp set choice.

I inked various stamps from my much neglected  Brushed Blooms stamp set using Orange Zest, Blueberry Sky and Hibiscus Burst - then spritzed each stamp with water and stamped them on watercolor paper.  I spritzed water over each stamping I did on the watercolor paper, then dried with my heat tool before moving onto the next stamping.  I over stamped the larger blooms and the orange blooms with straight ink.   I die cut GOD out of black card and black embossed the psalm -  both from Inspired: God.  I layered the watercolor panel to a slightly larger panel of Blueberry Sky and adhered that to a Vintage Cream card base.

You have all day today to join in on this month's blog hop -  I'm off to check out the other hoppers!

Stamps:  Inspired - God, Brushed Blooms - PTI
Paper:  white, Blueberry Sky - PTI,  Arches Watercolor paper.
Ink:  Blueberry Sky, Hibiscus Burst, Orange Zest, True Black - PTI,  Versamark
Accessories: God die - Inspired-God - PTI, foam dots, black rhinestones - The Ton, black embossing powder, heat tool, water mister.

Mid Month - May CAS Mix Up Challenge Reminder!

Today I'd like to remind everyone that we're mid month through the May CAS Mix Up Challenge!  You have until May 24th to link up your card using the following instructions from this month's hostess Loll:

For this card I used stamping, splattering with watered down white acrylic paint, a die cut sentiment out of felt, black pearls and I personalized it with a name label.

First, I cut a panel out of Summer Sunrise cardstock.  I put some white acrylic paint on my craft mat, mixed it with a little bit of water, dipped an old toothbrush in the mixture and splattered it onto the panel by dragging my thumb over the brush until I had the coverage I wanted. 

I die cut the birthday out of Blueberry Sky felt using a word die from PTI.  The felt is easy to manipulate so I was able to adhere it in a curve. 

I like to personalize cards for friends - so I used my Brother Label Maker for Bob's name.

So we hope to see your 'splattering' card linked up over at the CAS Mix Up Challenge  by May 24th!  And please check out all of the 'reminder' inspiration by the Design Team over at the blog!  

Stamps:  Limited Edition Stamps - Studio Calico
Paper:  White, True Black, Summer Sunrise - PTI
Ink:  True Black - PTI
Accessories:  Wonderful Words - Birthday die - PTI, white acrylic paint, water, old toothbrush, black pearls - Kaiser Craft, blueberry sky felt - PTI, Brother Label Maker.

A Heartfelt Purse and a matching 5th Birthday Card!

This month Eileen Hull's Creative Team will be posting their creations using Eileen's Heart Felt Dies and Kunin Felt.  They will be gathered over at Eileen's blog each week.

My little grandniece, Mila, is turning 5 in August - and she just LOVES all of her little purses where she keeps ALL of her special treasures - so I knew I wanted to make Mila a little shoulder bag!  I also made her a matching personalized card

Here's how I made them:

First the shoulder bag!

I die cut the house frame with the stitch holes out of pink Kunin Felt twice from Eileen's House Pocket Stitchlits set.  I cut off the roof part of one of the cuts to use as the front of the purse.

I used a blanket stitch all the way around the edges including the single layer of the top. (You tube has lots of videos on how to do the blanket stitch - here is one.

I wanted the closing to be strong since this is going to a 5 year old (!) so I hand sewed a snap on (rather than Velcro which can also be used)

Here it is unadorned and snapped closed!

After I put it together - I decided I should have put her name somewhere on the purse - it would have been easier to do this before I put it together - but it worked out ok.    I used Eileen's Word Stitchlits which just happen to have all the letters for Mila's name within the words of the dies.  So I die cut the words on a piece of white card.

and then cut out the MILA and laid them over the back of the purse - trying to space them evenly!

Then I marked the dots with a Sharpie pen.

And used a back stitch with the embroidery thread -  it was easy to reach inside the purse since the letters were located towards the middle of the back piece.

(Oops!  I didn't quite get the A spaced properly but that's ok - it's handmade!)

I had this funky twisted pink/blue/white yarn in my stash and thought it would make the perfect shoulder strap for this little purse -  I simply glued the ends inside the purse on each side.  I may try to put a little stitch on it - but it seems to be held quite firmly with the glue.  I put the clothespins on to hold it all together tightly while the glue dried.

I used more of the Kunin felt to cut the bird from Eileen's Birds and Butterflies Thinlits.

The hearts are part of the House Pocket die set.  I glued all the pieces onto the front of the purse, added a black pearl eye to the bird and pink rhinestones to the hearts.

I added three more hearts (without rhinestones) to the back around her name.

 And now onto Mila's personalized card.

I used Eileen's Mailable Frame die (on sale while supplies last!) for my card base so the card will stand up nicely on it's own!  I left the frame cut-out piece in the front (outline just seen on right side below) and covered it with paper on the outside to hold the piece in place.  (see photo below this one)

I used 2 pieces of patterned paper from Eileen's new Heartfelt Paper Pad to cover the front and back.  It looks like one sheet here -  but this is the front and back of the Frame card so each piece starts in the middle and each faces the opposite way!  

I cut another bird, a butterfly, and a branch using Birds and Butterflies and the flower from House Pocket from the Kunin Felt to decorate the front - see how the paper matches the die cuts??!!    I stamped the Happy Birthday, added a die cut 5 stamped with 'th' and printed her name with my Brother Label Maker.  I added black pearls to the butterfly, flower and bird.   I put foam dots under the wings of the butterfly to hold them out and glued along the center of the body.

I adhered a different page from the Heartfelt Paper Pad to the inside and printed this note with my Brother Label Maker.

Mila loves to color so she will enjoy the fact she can color on her own card!

And here's the back - with more images to color!

Now I just have to wait until August to see how Mila enjoys her gifts!

Be sure to check out Eileen's blog for more inspiration from the Creative Team using these fun new dies and Kunin felt!

Stamps:  happy birthday from Studio Calico Limited Edition,  th from Karen Foster Snap Stamps - retired.
Paper:  White Little Sizzles Matboard - Sizzix, Heartfelt Paperpad - Eileen Hull/Sizzix, Simply Chartreuse - Papertrey Ink.
Ink:  Archival Jet Black
Accessories:  House Pocket Stitchlets Die, Birds and Butterflies Die, Word Stitchlits, Mailable Frame Die - Eileen Hull/Sizzix,  Kunin Felt - Pink, Aqua, black and Olive, Snap Fasteners, Black Sharpie Marker, embroidery thread and needle, Rhinestones and Black Pearls - Kaiser Craft, yard from stash,  #5 die - Papertrey Ink, Brother Label Maker, foam dots, Tombow liquid glue.