Simply Black and White

Hi friends!   I have two Black and White cards to share today that I made for challenges over on Split Coast.

My first card combines last week's CAS challenge -to use white on white - and the Technique Lover's Challenge - to use half an image or die cut.

I used half of my brandy-new Weathered Clock die by Tim Holtz on my card - layering it on the white panel with foam tape. I added the clock hands secured with a brad and also popped up on foam tape. And finally one lonely white butterfly.

My sentiment is from Butterflies are Free set by Rubbernecker

Thursday is Kent and my 15th wedding anniversary - we went to a Bed and Breakfast in CT - Old Mystic Inn,  this past weekend to celebrate - but we didn't exchange cards yet - so this will be my card for him with a special message inside!

 And here's my card for this week's CAS inspiration challenge - the inspiration was a pretty black bathing suit with white ruffles along the bodice.

 I went to look in my ribbon box for some ruffled white and came upon this cute little pom pom ribbon. I adhered it to the black cake with ScorTape. I adhered the stamped panel to a black panel embossed with Wicker Weave. Then I simply stamped CELEBRATE in the corner. This could be used for a wedding, anniversary or birthday don't you think?!  The stamps are from Eat Cake by Waltzingmouse.

I also entered these in the Stamp N Plus Challenge -  Black and White.

Time Together:

Stamps: Rubbernecker - Butterflies are Free Set #538  

Paper: white - PTI  

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black  

Accessories: glue dots, foam tape, weathered clock die - Sizzix Tim Holtz, brad - Making Memories, butterfly punch - Martha Stewart 

Celebrate:

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Eat Cake  

Paper: white, true black - PTI  

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black  

Accessories: wicker weave embossing folder - Cuttlebug/provocraft, white pom pom ribbon - American Crafts, ScorTape

June WMS Blog Party - An Inspiration!

 Today I'm participating in the Waltzingmouse Blog Hop which happens the 17th of each month. The challenge is announced on the WMS Blog on the 1st of every month so we have plenty of time to create something!   This month the challenge is an inspiration photo:

I made 3 Christmas cards because I'm also using this for my June Christmas Card Challenge over in the WMS Forum.  This month we had to use stitches -  real or faux.  I used the colors from the inspiration photo but switched them up on each card to see how they would look.

The stitches stamp, from Off Beat Backgrounds, is one of my favorite stamps, don't they look like real lines of stitching?  I white embossed them on the gray card and silver embossed them on the blue card.  I stamped them in Bahama Blue Ink on the white card.

The tree is from Asian Gardens, the ornaments are from 2011 Holiday Ornaments.  I embossed a rectangle Nestability in the center of each card then layered the stamped tree panel inside the frame popped up on foam tape.

The Merry & Bright sentiment is from Around Christmastime.  I punched it with an oval punch layering the sentiment and ornaments on foam tape and adding silver sticky pearls.  I sponged all the edges with Ranger Distress Broken China.

You have 24 hours to link your card on the WMS Blog where you will find all the details as well!  Come along and party!!

Stamps:  Waltzingmouse - Off Beat Backgrounds, Around Christmastime, Asian Gardens, 2011 Holiday Ornaments.

Paper:  White - PTI, Basic Grey & Tempting Turquoise - SU

Ink:  Archival Coffee,  Memento Tangelo & Bahama Blue, Ranger Distress Broken China.

Accessories:  Foam Tape, Rectangle Nestability, Silver pearls - Michaels, large oval punch - SU.

Ahoy Matey!

Well, friends -  I've got one more shape card for you this week -  A fun treasure chest card - another project made with the help of my Silhouette cutting machine.

This one was actually published in the just released July/August 2012 PaperCrafts Magazine - in the Summer Shaped Cards section (Page 46).  I embossed the sentiment and skull on the front, sponged the edges and drew stitches with a Micron black pen.

The Ahoy Matey is from the Half Pint Heroes set by Waltzingmouse, the skull stamp is a wooden $1 stamp from Michaels.  And inside the Happy Birthday is from Birthday Basics by PTI

Perfect for all the little pirates in our lives right?!

I just have to share these recent pics of my two Grand Nephews, Landon and James.

 This is Landon (he'll be 2 in Sept) -  I was baby sitting him recently and doing a craft with him (of course!)

 and he decided it would be fun to stick these pieces of paper on his face!!!

He wore them for about 5 minutes while he continued to color his project!!

And here is my Grand Nephew James (Landon's Cousin)  He just turned 1 - here he is at his party with his dad opening presents.

And here he is with Aunt Katie (Landon's mum) in his Cat in the Hat hat!  I'm so blessed to have these beautiful little boys in my life!

I'll be back here on Sunday with my Waltzingmouse Blog Party card (are you joining in?) -  don't forget the WMS Sketch on Saturday and there's still time to join in the Stampin' Sisterhood June challenge!

And in case you were wondering when there was going to be another Waltzingmouse Release -  it's happening on July 1st!  Just wait until you see the 3 lovely sets Claire has for us!  Sneak peeks will start on 6/28!

Stamps:  Waltzingmouse - Half Pint Heroes, Skull - Michaels,  Papertrey Ink - Birthday Basics.

Paper:  True Black - PTI, Close to Cocoa - SU, Silver - unknown

Ink:  Ranger Distress - Walnut Stain, Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark Embossing Ink

Accessories -  Black embossing powder, Silhouette Machine, hot gun, exacto knife, Micron 01 fine tip black pen.

The Shape of Things

I have a couple of shape cards to share today - I cut both with my trusty little Silhouette Machine.

Here's a spool of thread acting as a get well card!  I painted the 'thread' with wide brush strokes of white acrylic paint and embossed the top and bottom of the spool with Antique Linen distress embossing powder to give the feel of rough wood.

And here's my wish for Summer to hurry up and come to New England card! (and I think it's working!)  I cut a piece of blue card stock to fit behind the castle windows - like the color of the sea - and hung a pennant flying high in the ocean breeze!

That's it for me today - thanks so much for coming by!

Hoping you're on the mend:

Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Quilters Sampler  

Paper: Kraft, vintage cream - PTI 

Ink: Memento Tuxedo black, Versamark embossing ink  

Accessories: Foam tape, Snow Cap Acrylic Paint - Ranger, Silhouette machine, hot gun, antique linen distress embossing powder - Ranger, spool template from Silhouette shapes 

Summer Vacation Sand Castle

Stamps: Summer & vacation sentiments $1 stamp set from Michaels  

Paper: Hawaiian shores - PTI, Close to Cocoa - SU  

Ink: Archival ink - Coffee  

Accessories: Nested pennants - Spellbinders, Scor Pal, Sand Castle cut with Silhouette Machine

Goosebumps!

Here's a card I made for the Ways to Use It challenge over on Split Coast a few weeks ago - to use complementing or opposite colors on the color spectrum wheel.

I chose Blue and Orange (although I ended up with a little green where the colors blended!)

I die cut a Labels 16 Nestability from cardstock and used the outside piece as a mask. I placed the mask over my card and I stamped my bud trees with Shimmer Goosebumps Texture  Spray using the Texture Spray Resist technique Beate taught us in the Resources section of SCS.  I was so happy to see Beate's tutorial as I had bought this bottle of Goosebumps stuff but didn't really know what to do with it!!

So - I sprayed the Goosebumps on a Blending tool sponge and dabbed it on the the Bud Trees stamp (washing the stamp off immediately after stamping) and used my hot gun to dry the stamping so I could then sponge over it (still having the mask on my card).  I sponged with Ranger Distress Wild Honey and Chipped Sapphire. And the ink didn't cover where the Goosebumps inked image was (like emboss/resist) - this is really shimmery IRL but it doesn't show in my pic.  Then I just added my punched butterflies and 1 little rhinestone.

The Bud Tree stamp is from Rubbernecker

I'm really loving the orange/blue combination lately!

Thanks for coming by today!

Stamps: Rubbernecker - Bud Tree Set #505  

Paper: White - PTI  

Ink: Ranger Distress - Wild Honey & Chipped Sapphire  

Accessories: Labels 16 Nestability for mask, blending tool, Goosebumps Shimmer Texture Spray - Tsukineko, Rhinestone- Kaiser, Butterfly Punch - Martha Stewart

Summer Sand Castle

A little early or wishful thinking perhaps (!?) to have a sand castle card here in Massachusetts.

This is for a few challenges -  The Split Coast Ways to Use It Challenge - to use banners (flying high from my castle spire!) , the Split Coast Free 4 All challenge - to machine or die cut instead of hand cutting (this castle is from the Silhouette shape store)

And finally this is for the Raise the Bar Challenge #107 -  for June, July and August - you have the whole month to link your card - the theme for June is Summer!  Hence the sand castle.

I have a couple of projects posted over at the Pouch Mart Blog - I'd love if you'd check it out and leave a comment!

Stamps: Summer & vacation sentiments $1 stamp set from Michaels  

Paper: Hawaiian shores - PTI, Close to Cocoa - SU  

Ink: Archival ink - Coffee  

Accessories: Nested pennants - Spellbinders, Scor Pal, Sand Castle cut with Silhouette Machine

Practical Solutions

Today I have a few cards to share that were published in the recently released PaperCrafts publication - Practical Solutions for Paper Crafters. 

This card was accepted for the category - Paper Scraps -  and can be found on page 69

The 'Join Us' and 'for a Baby Shower' are from the Join Us Set by Waltzingmouse.  The cute giraffe is a Snag It stamp by Imaginisce.  The twine is from The Twinery.

Inside I stamped this line stamp to write the details of the shower on.  It is from the Victorian Fripperie  set by Waltzingmouse and I adhered a giraffe stamped and cut out from the patterned paper used on the front of the card. (PTI - Bitty Dot Basics)

My 2nd project was accepted for the Five for $5 section.  Where you had to make 5 cards and include the receipt showing that it cost no more than $5 to make all 5 cards!

My 5 little Valentine cards (each one is 2 1/2" x 4 1/4") actually only cost $3.07!    I found a wonderful piece of patterned paper by K & Co. at Michaels for 40 cents! (Postage Stamps from Sweet Talk Valentine's Day Collection) that was full of these little 1"x3" images.  I cut out 5 of them and layered them first to a panel of Scarlet Jewel card stock and then to the Vintage Cream card.  To finish them I just tied a narrow dotted satin ribbon around the top!

 These remind me of the little valentines we used to exchange with our classmates in elementary school  - putting them in brown paper lunch bags we decorated and hung on the wall in the back of the room! (one of our first craft projects right!?!!)

 These cards can be found on page 152 and 153.

The card stock and ribbon on these are from Papertrey Ink.

So that's it from me today!   Did you by any chance see these in the magazine??!

Thanks so much for stopping by!