Blog Hop Like a 'Boss

Welcome to this month's Blog Hops with Heart..."Like a 'Boss."  I completely CASE'd this card.

This is the card I cased.  I used all CTMH stamps and supplies:

• Stamps: Shower Flowers, Big Hug
• Ink: Lagoon, Hollyhock, Flaxen, Eggplant (pigment): Thistle and Black (dye ink)
• Paper: Nevermore (retired)
• Cricut: Artistry
• Accessories: Clear embossing powder, Red Wire, foam tape

Here's another option:

I started by cutting the butterfly and background panel.  I welded a square and banner shape together to create the background panel. (Here's the cutting file for Design Space.) After I stamped various flowers from "Shower Flowers" in colored pigment inks, I poured clear embossing powder over top and heated. Then I sponged Thistle dye ink over top.

One of the great parts about pigment ink is that it stays wet long enough to add embossing powder over the top. Basically, you can create any color of embossing you want.

Now you're off to Shelly's blog.  You should have come from Kelly's blog.  Blog Hops with Heart is a circle, so keep going until you get back to where you started. If you get lost, go back to Amie's blog for a full list of this month's participants.

Until next time,
Becca

Happy Calypso-style Birthday

This week, the challenge over at Color My Heart uses colors from the new CTMH Calypso paper pack.  I used an older stamp and the challenge colors for this card:

I squeezed ink color into the lids of my stamp pads and painted color into the image with a watercolor brush.  After trimming out the image, I mounted it with foam tape on a 4.25x4.25 card base with the front panel cut back and bordered with Cotton Candy paper cut with pinking shears.  The black paper on the inside panel of the card has been retired for a long time.

Love the fun color combo that shouts, "SUMMER!"

Until next time,
Becca

Always & Forever

I'm getting this card in under the wire for the Simon Says Stamp "Mask" challenge featuring Altenew products.  I combined "Painted Flowers" with CTMH "Mr. & Mrs." plus a mask ampersand created from the CTMH Artistry Cricut cartridge.

I stamped "Painted Flowers" over the ampersand mask. To add color, I sponged CTMH Pixie, Poppy, Flaxen, Pear, and Glacier inks. After stamping the sentiment, I traced it with a silver gel pen.  The black and white checkered pattern is two rows of Washi tape.  Some black sequins finishes it off.

I have lots of anniversaries coming up this summer.  It's good to get a jump on them before I go deep in the "don't bother me, I'm under deadline" cave.

Until next time,
Becca

Inspired by...

There's a new challenge blog in town called Inspired by All the Little Things.  I've been enjoying their creative inspiration without participating until today.

This card uses the following supplies

• Stamps: CTMH Wavy Blooms
• Ink: Versamark
• Paper: Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Cardstock, CTMH Moonstruck Cardstock (retired)
• Supplies: Holbien Artist's Water Colors, White Detail Embossing Powder, Embossing Heat Gun, foam tape

The leaves on the two yellow flowers aren't actually part of those images.  I used the leaves from the red flower.  I inked only the leaves, stamped them next to the flowers that had already been heat embossed, and brushed off any powder overlapping too far before heat setting.

No idea who will be getting this card, but I think the sentiment works for engagement, anniversary, and even birthday.

Until next time,
Becca

Altenew Anniversary

Today I pulled out the last set of stamps I purchased from Altenew to celebrate my three-book contract with Kensington Publishing.  This card uses Peony Bouquet, and I'm entering it in the Altenew June Inspiration Challenge and CAS-ual Fridays: Floral.

I stamped all the images in Tim Holtz Wild Honey Distress ink on watercolor paper.  Using black on the flowers and a combination of green and brown on the leaves, I watercolored each section and did something I rarely do.  I was patient.  Then I trimmed them out as close to the line as possible.

I ran watercolor paper through a Quatrefoil embossing folder and then used the direct to paper technique with CTMH Canary ink to highlight the pattern.

The sentiment is also Altenew. It's from Vintage Roses. I embossed it with white detail powder on vellum cut in a fish-tail banner.

This will be going out to my parents in a couple weeks to celebrate their 58th anniversary. A huge congratulations to them from all of us lucky enough to follow their example.

Until next time,
Becca