Encre, papier, ciseaux

Joy Baubles

Inspiration: Freshly Made Sketch #277 + TCP Tuesday #332 + ColourQ #10

This week's Cat's Pajamas challenge was to use a word die-cut on a card. I had received the "Joy" die-cut as a gift with my latest purchase from them, so it became the starting point of this card. I paired it with the Winter Style stamp set, which hadn't seen ink yet. The Freshly Made sketch was a good one since it included a lot of white space, giving the opportunity to create a background with the image from the samp set.

I used the word die five times and layered the various cuts on top of each other to create a dimensional accent. The die is quite fine, so it took a steady hand to line everything up properly. The Christmas baubles were stamped with Basic Grey Classic ink and watercolored in matching ink colors, then I added a bit of Clear Wink of Stella over them, then a couple of rhinestones.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Winter Style (The Cat's Pajamas)
Cardstock: Emerald Envy, Ruby Red, Soft Sky, Mint Macaron, Whisper White
Ink: Emerald Envy, Ruby Red, Soft Sky, Mint Macaron
Accessories: Joy CutUp Die (The Cat's Pajamas), Designer Brad, Circle Punch, Rhinestone Basic Jewels,
White Medium Envelope, Stampin' Dimensionals, Silver Metallic Thread, Embossing Folder,
Clear Wink of Stella Brush, Stitched Scallop Basic Edges Die-namics (My Favorite Things), Sequins (Simon Says Stamp)

 

Your Sadness Saddens Me

This is a sample I had made for last fall's OnStage event in Ottawa and that I hadn't shared on my blog yet. It showcases the hostess set from the 2017 Occasions catalogue.

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Expressions imagées (Iconic Occasions – hostess)
Cardstock: Shimmery White, Smoky Slate, Old Olive
Designer Series Paper: Floral Boutique
Ink: VersaMark
Accessories: Stampin' Write Markers, Pearl Basic Jewels, Circle Punch,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder, Triple Banner Punch

 

A Toast to Our Success

Those pictures were taken at the office a couple of years ago. I based my design off of a November 2016 page Maps sketch and I adapted it to a 12" x 12" layout. The Here's to Cheers stamp set was perfect for this page, not only because of the wine image, but also because I was able to use part of a sentiment to create my title. Sentiment reads, "A toast to our hosts" and I inked only the first two words to create "A toast to our success." The rest of the title was stamped using the Sweet Shoppe Alphabet Upper and Lower.

The papers used are from Pink Paislee and I discovered that my new Iced Spruce Distress Oxide ink pad was a perfect match to the paper colors. I have also recently watched a calligraphy video from Kristina Werner and was surprised to discover that she uses shimmer watercolor to do her calligraphy. Her trick is to add water to her shimmer watercolor and then use her wet paintbrush to transfer the diluted pigments to her calligraphy tip. It clicked that I already had a calligraphy pen at home and that I might be able to use my Cosmic Shimmer Watercolor Paints with it. Today was my first try and it worked quite well, as you can see from the names underneath the pictures and the journaling. The journaling shimmer when you move the paper around and it catches the light, but at the same time, the ink coverage is solid and the words can easily be read despite the shimmer. I will definitely be using this technique again on other projects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Saison pétillante (Here's to Cheers - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Sage Shadow
Ink: Iced Spruce Distress Oxide (Ranger)
Patterned Papers: Parisian Anthology (Pink Paislee)
Accessories: Layering Circles Framelits, Layering Ovals Framelits, Stitched Shapes Framelits,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Folders Coluzzle Template, Pearl Necklace Sequins (Little Things from Lucy's Cards),
Cosmic Shimmer Watercolor Paints, Calligraphy Pen, Vanilla Striped Satin Ribbon

 

Hola Bella

I was playing around with some leftover papers from my Spring Garden collection and the 6X6 paper pad includes a page with a pink bike and "enjoy the ride" wording on it. I wasn't sure how I was going to use this piece until I thought I could fussy cut the bike and use it as an element on a card. I then remembered my Uptown Girl Sunny is Stylish stamp, which was in my "to use soon" basket. so I checked it out to see if the dimensions could work, and sure enough, they do, so I paired them together, using the Stamping Bella Sketch #27 as inspiration.

The sentiment translates to "Just for You."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Uptown Girl Sunny is Stylish (Stamping Bella), Trios pour toi (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Thick Whisper White, Going Grey
Patterned Papers: Spring Garden (Doodlebug Design)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Basic Grey, Melon Mambo
Accessories: White Square Envelope, Wild Wasabi Cotton Baker's Twine, Metallics Enamels Shapes, Crystal Effects,
It's Your Birthday Enamel Dots, Neutrals Candy Dots, Markers, Stampin' Dimensionals, Large Scallops Edgelits

 

Birthday Marquee

So after I was done with my previous masculine card, I wasn't sure if it was entirely what I wanted for an upcoming birthday and as I was putting my supplies away, I stumbled unto Marquee Messages, which I hadn't used in a while, and I thought it would work great for a masculine card. I looked at my Designer Series Paper and thought Urban Underground could look awesome paired with it. I based my design off of the Create with Connie and Mary Sketch #447 and I'm pretty pleased with how everything came together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Marquee Messages
Cardstock: Smoky Slate, Basic Grey, Basic Black, Delightful Dijon, Silver Foil
Specialty Designer Series Paper: Urban Underground
Ink: VersaMark, Delightful Dijon, Basic Grey
Accessories: Urban Underground Washi Designer Tape, Essential Designer Paper Clips,
Halloween Night Baker's Twine, Urban Underground Embellishments, Scallop Border Punch,
Stampin' Emboss Powder (White, Silver), White Chalk Marker, Pearl Basic Jewels,
Vanilla Square Envelope, Stampin' Dimensionals, Distressing Tool

 

Mom's Hugs

When I saw the latest Naughty or Nice challenge #37, asking to Feature a Creature, I thought I could pull my Mom + Me stamp set out again. Now's a good time to be working ahead on Mother's Day card and this set fits the bill. I paired it with the Perfectly Plaid Winter papers, and their colours reminded me of an older ColourQ combo, #354, that was on my "catch-up list." The design also came from some "oldies but goodies" challenges - Mojo Monday sketch #383. The tree silhouette and fence were die-cut using the Halloween Scenes Edgelits from the 2016 Holidays catalogue. They were part of an Halloween set, but I bought them knowing they could be used for more.

I used some older embossing folder Needlepoint Borders for the top and bottom of the pale grey cardstock, and some paper scraps for the layered banners. For embellishments, I found some old rub-ons that were the perfect colour so I added three flowers that I topped with black rhinestones.

 

 

 

 

   

 

Supplies
Stamps: Mom + Me (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Smoky Slate, Whisper White, Basic Black
Patterned Paper: Perfectly Plaid Winter (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: Cool Caribbean, Basic Grey
Accessories: Needlepoint Borders Embossing Folders, Halloween Scenes Edgelits, Black Rhinestones,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Dew Drops, White Medium Envelope, Flower Rub-ons (October Afternoon)