Burlap & Lace Best Wishes

My friend just got engaged!!  She's planning a vintage, shabby-chic wedding with burlap, canning jars, and peonies.  So...I got into my stamp drawers, pulled out some oldies but goodies to bring you this:

I'm not sure what was up with my lighting, but I never felt like I got a picture to do this card justice.  It's amazing in person!

Here's the list of supplies:

• CTMH: Canning Jar and Paris Floral stamps (both retired), burlap ribbon, doily
• Verve: Sentiment (Friendly Phrases)
• Momento: Rich Cocoa ink
• Copic Markers: BG0000, R0000, R00, R01, R24, G0000, G21,G24
• Stampin' Up!: Baker's Twine (Calypso Coral)
• Lace trim sewn onto burlap: Decorative Trim (Hobby Lobby)

I used the sketch from this week's Viva la Verve challenge.  Not sure where I've been, but this is the first I've seen of these challenges.  Doh!

And even though you can't see it, I did stitch the white lace onto the burlap, so I'm going to link this over to the Heart2Heart: Nip & Tuck challenge, too.

Now I know why people decorate the insides of these cards.  It's so heavy in the front that it kept tipping over while I was trying to photograph it.  Gotta say, though, it just might be  my all-time favorite.

Until next time,
Becca

Dream Pop Color Dare

I have a confession to make.  I did not purchase Dream Pop paper.  Saw lovely things done with it.  Think it's very fun and summery.  Just didn't purchase any because...well...I didn't need it.  And I only purchase things I need.  Really...NEED.   Ha!

One of the great things about being on a Design Team is that your DT buddies come to your rescue in times like these.  Kudos to the lovely and talented Amie Kiger for sending me some 4.25x5.5 pieces so I could bring you this weeks' Color My Heart challenge.

I fussy cut the flower out of the Dream Pop paper, used a bone folder to score the petals, then bent them in an alternating fashion.  I put a small circle "bubble" (probably from Michaels) in the center.  This allowed me to have at least a small surface area to adhere to the card base.  The yellow birdcage paper is also from Dream Pop.   

I used the Slate ribbon from CTMH and folded it in thirds using a tape runner to adhere the layers together.  I taped the edges around the center panel then stapled the bejeebers out of it.  No fancy stapler, just a regular one which is why the very center staple under the flower is horizontal.  Too bad you can't see it.

I'm into yellow and gray lately...and staples. Not sure why, just am.

Here's a second card I whipped up this morning which also works for the following challenges:

CAS(E) This Sketch #30
CAS-ual Fridays #103
Pinspired Challenges #10
Color Throwdown #244

"fabulous" was cut using Cricut Graphically Speaking.  Lots of foam tape (most of them itty, bitty pieces) to make sure it stayed in place.  I inked the pink paper using Slate for the middle banner.

Before I go, I have to give a second shout out to another DT buddy, Pam Korte, who also offered to send me Dream Pop paper.  Especially after I raved over this post!  Since then, she's done a bunch more.  Go...see...be inspired.  You might just need this paper!

Until next time,
Becca

Wheee!

Went shopping at Hobby Lobby yesterday for some ribbon.  Just ribbon.  Came home with this new stamp which I had to use for my second entry in the OWH: Transportation challenge.

Mouse and umbrella where colored with Prismacolor pencils, sky done with Copic BG0000.  Background paper is CTMH.  I hand wrote the sentiment.

I'm in LOVE with this little guy...mostly because he perfectly depicts life in Oklahoma (where the wind truly does come sweeping down the plain).

Until next time,
Becca

Air Mail

Quick post today because I might need to go help a friend get a storm window in place before severe weather rolls into our part of Oklahoma again.  This card is being entered in the following challenges:

OWH: Transportation
Heart2Heart: Nip & Tuck (using stitching, real or faux)

Everything I used is CTMH except for the sentiment (Verve, Friendly Phrases).  Cardstock is Heavenly Blue (retired); inks are Pacifica, Cranberry, and Heavenly Blue plus Versamark for embossing; stamp set is Sightseer.

I CASE'd this card idea from one of the participants in the Clean & Simple Cardmaking 2 class I took a while back.  You can see the original here.  I like her use of the border along the top better but, if you look very closely at the "YOU" in the detail shot, you'll see that the top of the Y has some smudges.  That's not from poorly stamping the sentiment...it's from poorly stamping the bottom border by getting ink on my pinkie finger and transferring it to the paper.  I probably should have turned my cardstock over and started again, but I just now thought of it.  Duh!

I believe the tail of the paper airplane qualifies as faux stitching.  At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

This is going in my next batch of OWH cards.  Red, white, and blue "Miss You"...what could be more OWH'y than that?

Until next time,
Becca

Roses are Red

Two posts in one day!!  OWH has a tutorial for coloring red roses, so I combined that with Inspired By #76.

All stamps and inks are from CTMH. The flowers are long retired (Forever Roses) but, even though I have a bunch of other rose stamps, I keep coming back to them over and over again.  The chevron background is In the Background (current) which I embossed in clear powder then did direct to paper with Heavenly Blue, Crystal Blue and Pacifica dye inks.  The sentiment is from Love Quotes (retired) stamped in Outdoor Denim pigment ink then embossed with clear powder. 

Since the ombre effect made my bottom Pacifica layer so dark, I tested out several inks before deciding Outdoor Denim was the best match for the sentiment.  The card was fully assembled by this time, and I had no desire to pull it all apart because the last thing I stamped ruined the color coordination.  Been there, done that!

I used the following Copic markers:

• Roses: R24, R29, R39, RV69 and 0 Colorless
• Leaves: G24 and G28

Ribbon is from Hobby Lobby.  I've already used up one roll and the second is 75% gone.  Aaaack!  Time to stock up again.

In retrospect, I'm not sure I like the ombre effect on this card.  Hmmm...maybe I'll have to make another one just to see.

Until next time,
Becca

Poultry in Motion

Just for fun, I decided to play along with this week's Less is More: Humour challenge.



I used a variety of techniques to color my chickens (Art Impressions-Rhode Island Rocketts).  The background shading is watercoloring using the same color ink as the paper (CTMH Bamboo).  The white highlighting was done using a paint brush and pigment ink (CTMH White Daisy).  The beaks and feet were colored with Copics (E21, E53, R00).

  Here's a close up of the wavy banner.  I don't expect the wave to last in the mail, but it makes for a fun picture. The sentiment is also from Art Impressions (Poultry in Motion).

This one is going in my "Blank" folder for now. I've used this as an anniversary card in the past, but I think it could also be a fun birthday card.  Or for any occasion which calls for kicking up heels!

Until next time,
Becca

Cool Dude

Okay...I have to admit, I stole this idea from Kath's Blog and I have been waiting for the next Heart2Heart challenge to create it.  I added stitching (using Tamytha Jenkins' idea) just so it could qualify for this week's challenge!!



I used four different CTMH sets for this: Perfect Fit-Dad (mustache), Puns of Praise (glasses), A Typeface (DUDE), and Charm Uppercase (C and L, retired).  I could have just as easily used the "DAD" stamp out of Perfect Fit-Dad because I plan to use this for Father's Day. But I just liked "Cool Dude" better.

Hee, hee!

Until next time,
Becca