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Challenge: It Must Be Love

2/7/2018

The February 7, 2018 challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday is "It Must Be Love".

I started by die-cutting a scribbly heart from a piece of red card. I layered the negative space part of the die ut on a piece of pink card, inlayed the die-cut in the open, adhered the pink base to a pre-folded burgundy card and added a sentiment from Idea-ology:

Products used in the making of this card were:

Dies: Sizzix Thinlits "Scribbles & Splat" (660222)
Papers: Scrap of red card and pink card, refolded burgundy card
Embellishments: Idea-ology "Small Talk - Occasions" (TH93245)
Adhesives: RedLine 1/8" Embossing Tape; Simon Says Stamp Craft Tacky Glue

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Challenge: Love Is In The Air, v 2

2/6/2018

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Since the card I made for the Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge for February 5, 2018 didn’t work out exactly as I had imagined it, and since I had a new Simon Says Stamp stencil in my hot little hands, I decided to make a clean and simple card as a second entry fo the challenge.

I blended three Distress Oxide inks through the stencil and stamped a sentiment in Archival “Jet Black”. I filled in the letters of the word “Loved” using a fude ball pen to make the sentiment a little bolder:

Products used in the making of this card were:

Stamps: Hero Arts “You Are Loved Messages” (CM171)
Stencils: Simon Says Stamp “Folk Dance” (ssst121513)
Inks: Distress Oxides “Worn Lipstick”, “Picked Raspberry” and “Candied Apple”; Archival “Jet Black; Fude Ball 1.5 “black”
Papers: Paper Studio “white” (235359)

I'm also entering this in the

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge, January 31, 2018: “Anything Goes’
Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday for January 2018: “Love”
Frilly and Funkie Challenge for January 31, 2018: “All You Need is Love”

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Challenge: Love Is In The Air, v. 1

2/6/2018

4 Comments

Simon Says Stamp Monday has issued a new challenge for February 5, 2018: Love Is In The Air! And they are featuring Carabelle Studio, one of my favorite makers of stamps.

I started with a pre-folded burgundy card and stamped a Carabelle Studio border in Versamark, three times, embossing each time with a different color embossing powder:

My next step was to blend three Distress Oxides from the lower left to the upper right, and spritzing with water in an attempt (no super successful) to create an ombre effect:

Next, I embossed a flower using masking, in the same three colors:

The sentiment was added in white:

Three of the flowers were accented with silver Wink of Stella to add a bit of sparkle (which basically removed the oxide inks, darkening the flowers and white the sparkle IS there, it didn't photograph well):

Products used in the making of this card were:

Stamps: Carabelle Studio “Frises delirantes” (SA60160); The Artistic Stamper Flower by Jennie Boxall (a freebie on Craft Stamper magazine, issue 213, February 2018); Hero Arts “You Are Loved Messages” (CM171)
Inks: Versamark; Distress Oxides “Worn Lipstick”, “Picked Raspberry” and “Candied Apple”; Wink of Stella “silver” (102)
Embossing Powders: Top Boss “white regular”; Stampendous “Blushing Pink Pastel “ (EP163); Comotion Clear Top “Bright Hot Lips Red” (161324)
Paper: burgundy cardstock

I’m also entering this card in

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday, January 31, 2018: “Anything Goes’
Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday for January 2018: “Love”
Frilly and Funkie Challenge for January 31, 2018: “All You Need is Love”

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Challenge: #G45Love

2/3/2018

4 Comments

Graphic45 has issued a challenge to make a love-inspired project using Graphic45 product.

I started with a Graphic45 Staples Large Tag Album in black and used one of the tags and some february cut-apart from the "A Place i Time" collection:

I fussy cut the left border, leaving some of the black tag showing.

I continued with the cut-aparts and added a sentiment and a strip of Valentine's Day-Appropriate words:

I added some silver and paper flowers (in coordinating colors reflecting the flowers in both the border and the sentiment) and a died-to-match piece of seam binding to complete my tag:

Products used in the making of this tag were:

Graphics 45 Staples “Large Tag Album - black” (4500982) and 12 x 12 paper collection “A Place in Time” (4501470 - February cut-aparts)
Embelishments: Petaloo Botanica Collection “Blooms - white” (1102100); Prima Wilde & Free Collection (594596 and 594619); seam binding, died to match (a freebie from a Frilly & Funkie purchase)
Adhesives: RedLine 1/8’ Embossing Tape; Simon Says Stamp Craft Tacky Glue; Ranger Multi Medium Matte

I'm also entering this in
Frilly & FUnkie Challenge, January 31, 2018: All You Need is Love
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, January 31, 2018: Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday, January 2018: Love

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Challenge: Mix-It-Up, February 2018

2/2/2018

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The Mix-It-Up Challenge for February, 2018 on the Ellen Hutson blog asks us to use both Essentails by Ellen and Hero Arts products in a card.

I started by stamping a large background stamp by Hero Arts in Distress Oxide "Wild Honey" to a yellow card base.

Next, I stamped thistles from the "Thistles by Julie" stamp set in Distress Oxide "Peeled Paint" and "Wilted Violet" over the background:

I stamped over the thistle images using a Paper Smooches sentiment stamp in Archival "Jet Black":

Products used in the making of this card were:

Stamps: Essentials by Ellen “:Thistle by Julie” (EESTJ-065-17); Hero Arts “Four Bold Messages” (CL226); Paper Smooches “Huge Hugs 2 (M1S280)
Inks: Distress Oxides “Wild Honey; “Peeled Paint” and “Wilted Violet”; Archival “Jet Black”
Papers: yellow cardstock

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Challenge: February 2018 Inspiration

2/2/2018

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The Altenew Card Blog has posted their inspiration palette and photo for February, 2018:

I tried to match the color palette with the Altnew Inks I have.

I started by stamping images from a floral stamp set several times, using masks, in Altenew "Ruby Red" Crisp Dye Ink on a scrap of white cardstock. I added some leaves from the same set in Crisp Dye Ink "Evergreen", again using masking. I added the sentiment from the same set using Crisp Dye Ink "Grapevine". I mounted the pen on a burgundy card, trimmed to fit:

It looked a little "stark" to me so I added some tinting using Crisp Dye Inks, a little spritz of water and a paint brush:

Products used in the making of this card were:

Stamps: Altenew “Adore You”
Inks: Altenew Crisp Dye Inks “Grapevine”, “Ruby Red”, “Frosty Pink” and “Evergreen”
Papers: burgundy and white card-stocks
Adhesives: RedLine 1/8” Embossing Tape

1 Comment

Challenge: Love

2/1/2018

3 Comments

The Simon Says Stamp Blog Work It Wednesday Challenge for January, 2018 is "Love". This could be Valentine’s Day or beyond (maybe make a card for one of our most-loved friends!).

I decided to make a card using the embossing folder and stamp set that came on the cover of issue 178 of Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine (January 2018; inspiration sample on page 12).

I started by layering two shades of purple cardstock on a shimmery pre-folded card base. I then took a third shade and ran it through the embossing folder that I had inked with Versamark ink. When finished, I added gold embossing powder to the embossed card and heat embossed it. I stamped a sentiment in Archival "Majestic Violet".

Next, I stamped butterflies from the Sizzix framelits set "French Flight", using the palest purple card used in the mat and stamping with a dark "Amethyst" ink from Hero Arts. I die-cut the butterflies and added three to the card front:

Products used in the making of this card were:

Stamps: Jennifer Ellory "Impress This" (for Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine, issue 178, January 2018); Sizzix Framelits "French Flight" (659884)
Embossing Folders: Jennifer Ellory "Impress This" (for Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine, issue 178, January 2018)
Dies: Sizzix Framelits "French Flight" (659884)
Inks: Versamark; Archival "Majestic Volet"; Hero Arts "Amethyst"
Embossing Powders: Top Boss "gold regular"
Papers: Golden Oak card pack - sparkle-silver; scraps of three colors of purple card and paper
Adhesives: RedLine 1/8" Embossing Tape; Scrapbook.com Life Handmade tape runner

I'm also entering this in

Frilly & Funkie,Challenge, January 31, 2018: "All You Need is Love"
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, January 31, 2018: Anything Goes

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Challenge: All You Need is Love

2/1/2018

3 Comments

Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog says for their challenge on January 31, 2018 that "All You Need is Love", and that the word needs to be displayed on our piece.

I started with a freebie stamp and embossing set that came with the latest edition of Quick Cards magazine (Issue 174) and stamped several of the flowers from the stamp set in Archival "Jet Black" ink on my card front. I then watercolored these images with my Intense Pencils and a detail blending brush:

I used the embossing folder on some scrap Bazzill lime green card and a sentiment from the stamp set on a label die cut from the Sizzix "Labels" thinlits dies. I attached the embossed strip to the top of teh card and popped the label up on the embossed strip:

Products used in the making of this card were:

Stamps: Sally Mountain "British Wildflowers" (freebie on the cover of Quick Cards issue 174)
Embossing Folders: Sally Mountain "British Wildflowers" (freebie on the cover of Quick Cards issue 174)
Dies: Sizzix Thinlits "Labels" (660060)
Inks: Archival "Jet Black"; Intense Pencils "Sun Yellow (0200), "Tela Green" (1300), "Apple Green" (114), "Poppy Red" (0400), "Cherry" (0510), and "Ink Black" (2200)
Papers: The Write Stock value pack "white"; scrap of Bazzill lime green cardstock
Adhesives: EK Tools 3-D foam dots; RedLine 1/8" Embossing Tape

I'm also entering this in

the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge for January 31, 2018: Anything Goes
the Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday Challenge for January 2018: Love

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Author

Born in New Jersey, I grew up in Southeastern Ohio. Attended university at Bowling Green State University (B.Sci in biological science, 1964), University of Southern California (M. Sci in biological science, 1967) and University of Florida (Ph. D in zoology, 1971).
Worked in environmental consulting for a little more than a decade and then seven years as an instructor in biological science at various community colleges in California and Texas. Moved to London in 1992, then Beijing (1996) and Saudi Arabia (1998), before returning to NW Ohio in 2002. I am currently living in NW Ohio with my husband and three Bombay cats. I love to read (mystery, science fiction, history) and stitch (have done crewel, currently experimenting with free embroidery and needlepoint but blackwork and cross stitch are my main genres); have been known to knit; and now I'm heavily into papercrafting!
Retired upon the return to the US so lots of time for our hobbies...