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Challenge: Color Palette Inspiration

5/18/2018

Altenew has issued a color palette for May on which to base challenge entries:

I selected some Altenew Crisp Dye Inks that were close to those shown above and set about creating a floral card.

I started with a background where I stamped a floral background stamp on watercolor paper, once in Archival "Jet Black" and once in Versamark, heat embossed with "Rose Gold" embossing powder. I trimmed the embossed image by fussy cutting around the edges of some of the flowers, giving me what amounts to a border strip:

I misted both images with water and painted selected flowers in the embossed strip with Altenew Crisp Dye Ink "Rouge" and "smooshed" the "Jet Black" strip in watered downCrisp Dye Ink "Turquoise". I layered the strip onto the blue background and matted with a coordinating scrap of blue cardstock:

I attached the floral images to a white card base and stamped a sentiment (from the Altenew "Painted Sentiments" set) in Versamark and embossed with "Rose Gold. I edged the sentiment strip with a gold marker and applied it to the card front:

Products used in the making of this card were:

Stamps: WOW! “Tropical” (STAMPSET28); Altenew “Painted Greetings”
Inks: Versamark; Archival “Jet Black”; Altenew Crisp Dye Inks “Turquoise” and “Puffy Heart”; Marvy Uchida “Liquid Gold” marker
Embossing Powders: WOW! “Rose Gold” (WL17R)
Papers: Ranger Watercolor Paper (ISW39532); Neena Solar White; scrap of blue
Adhesives: Ranger Wendy Vecchi “Perfect Card Adhesive”; RedLine 1/8’ embossing tape

I'm also entering this in the WOW! May Challenge: Florals

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Celebrate: Stencil It

5/17/2018

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Both the Simon Says Stamp Monday (May 14, 2018) and the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday (May 16, 2018) challenges are to use stenciling in projects. The Simon Says Stamp Wednesday is also focusing on the Simon Says Stamp brand. I decided to combine the two challenges by creating one card.

I made a background using stencils and Distress Oxide Inks. I laid down "Antique Linen" through a medium sized StencilClub stencil and then "Mowed Lawn" through a Simon Says Stamp stencil, on a cut of Neena Solar White card:

I used a Graphic45 die set in my Sidekick die cut machine to cut a tag from ATC-sized card, leaves from a scrap of lime green card, and flowers from a 'tover made with Ken Oliver Color Burst powders “Lemon Yellow”, “Alizaron Crimson” and “Orange” on gloss white card that had been passed through my Xyron sticker maker. I layered the die cuts on the trimmed stenciled background:

The entire card face was then layered on a Kraft card base, gems were added to the flower centers and "Clipping Stickers" were added as a sentiment:

Products used in the making of this card were:

Stencils: Stencil Girl “Stencil Club March 2018” (SC-03-2018) and Simon Says Stamp “Pine Bough” (SSST 12144)
Dies: Graphic34 “Large Tag, ATC Tag & Flowers” (4501687)
Inks: Distress Oxides “Antique Linen’, “Mowed Lawn”; Ken Oliver Color Bursts Lemon Yellow”, “Alizaron Crimson” and “Orange”; Distress Marker “Gathered Twigs”
Papers: Neena Solar White; Paper Studio greeting card “kraft” (697227); ColorMates “Light Lucious Lime” (CLML856); Marco’s Papers ATC color Assortment pack
Embellishments: Idea-ology Clippings Stickers” (TH93583); Creative Cafe “Orange” adhesive gems (21086)
Adhesives: Xyron 500 sticker maker; RedLine 1/8” embossing tape

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Challenge: Surf's Up!

5/13/2018

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It feels a bit cool here (let's face it, it's downright cold) to be thinking of beach times but the challenge posed by the Frilly & Funkie design team on May 9, 2018 asks us to do just that:

"Who's ready for a little sand, a little sun and a little surf? Let's take this challenge for a stroll beside the shore! Create a vintage or shabby chic project with a beachy theme. Use ocean colors and beach images to add a fun seaside feel to your project."

Now I'm pretty sure that this is NOT a shabby chic card, and while it might harken back a few years, I don' think it's vintage either. But it is "beachy" in a pop art sort of way...

I started with an Archival "Jet "Black" image of an beach-related items (this is an old wood-mounted Outlines Rubber Stamp Company collage stamp) on a scrap of Neena solar white card. I colored it with Distress Markers, using a blending pen occasionally, but aiming mostly for the bold solid-color look of the sixties:

My Spiced Marmalade and Brushed Corduroy markers re running dry...so they left a little to be desired in the coloring. Also, I have learned, through experience, that markers do not blend well on Neena solar white and leave a blotchy, somewhat rough surface behind. Next time, watercolor paper!

This panel was much smaller than a A2 card so I matted it with a scrap of blue card that coordinated with the blues in the panel:

Finally, I die-cut my sentiment from an ochre-colored scrap that I had previously run through my Xyron sticker maker. To make the words stand out against the busy background, I used a drop shadow with a black pen and then coated the letters with Wink of Stella:

Products used in the making of this card were:

Stamps: Outlines Rubber Stamp Company (1795)
Dies: Sizzix Thinlits “Vacation” (661288)
Inks: Archival Jet Black”; Distress Markers “Walnut Stain”, “Mermaid Lagoon”, “Antique Linen”, “Weathered Wood”, “Candied Apple”, “Squeezed Lemonade”, “Tumbled Glass”, “Spiced Marmalade”, Spun Sugar”, “Worn Lipstick”, Brushed Corduroy”, Salty Ocean” and “Blueprint Sketch”; Wink of Stella “clear” (GE999); Pigma Micron 05 #1 archival “black” pen
Papers: Neena “Solar White”; scraps of yellow and blue
Adhesives: RedLine 1/8” Embossing Tape; Xyron 250 sticker maker

(NOTE to the reader of this post: I spent a lot of childhood days down the shore (as they say in New Jersey); I have also walked along the Atlantic pink shell and white sand beaches of Florida, the shingle beaches of Great Britain, and the sandy beaches of the California coast, Kauai, Thailand, and even French Polynesia. But I never saw an adirondack chair on the beach, let alone a drink with a little umbrella. We did have pails and shovels to make sandcastles as children, we did wore sunglasses and flip-flops, we often found shells, and we surely did get sunburned, but this isn't a really accurate depiction of any single beach I've ever visited... so I am not implying that this in any way reflects my beach-going days!)

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Just Playin' with Altenew - #AltenewLove

5/13/2018

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I got a surprise in the mail this past week --- a stamp from Altenew personalized for me!

I couldn't wait to try ti out, but while the words on the stamp ('handcrafted by" and my name) clearly make this a way to sign my hand made cards, I thought that the roses made it perfect for a card that might accompany a handcrafted gift.

I got our my MISTI and selectively inked the floral stamp with two colors of Altenew Crisp Dye Inks:

I chose the coral color to go with the cardstock I had selected. I used the new Graphic45 Regular Tag die to cut a tag from coral card and mounted it on an ivory Graphic 45 regular tag. I stamped the two word stamps in the same green as the floral leaves and added a crinkle ribbon that I had received free in a Funky Junkie order. I then attached the tag to a card base made from the same coral card:

I matted the inked floral image in green and placed it between the two lines of text for my completed card:

Products used in the making of this card were:

Stamps: Altenew “A Gift For You” (ALT2279)
Dies: Altenew “Regular Tag and Gear” (4501688)
Inks: Altenew Crisp Dye Inks “Olive” and “Rouge”
Papers: Coral card stock, scrap of dark green card; scrap of Neena “Solar White”, G45 “Regular Ivory Tag Album” (4501221)
Embellishments: dyed crinkle ribbon (Funkiie Junky Boutique freebie)
Adhesives: RedLine 1/8” Embossing Tape; Ranger Wendy Vecchi “Perfect Card Adhesive”

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Challenge: For the Boys

5/12/2018

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Making cards for the men and boys in our lives is a real challenge to most of us and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday has suggested that we try making a card "For The Boys" on their challenge for May 9, 2018.

OK, I'm willing to try but I don't have many "boys" in my life. There is a great nephew or two but I don't have a lot of contact with them - or their parents for that matter - and so there are few occasions where a card for them would be appropriate. However, I do have "men" in my life, men who more often than not (as is the wont of most men, I believe) behave like boys. There is my husband, his two brothers and my brothers, at least four of which are avid (and some of them quite good) golfers. So there's my theme...

I didn't take step-by-step photographs so I will try to describe what I did here. Basically it was a "collage" although there was a great deal of coloring involved.

I started with a card base of a kraft card and two colors of green card/patterned paper. I stamped a "frame" twice and a related sentiment in Archival "Jet Black" on Neena Solar White and fussy cut all three images. I colored the frames with Zig Clean Color Brushes and a Distress Marker ("Pumice Stone"), and a Distress Crayon was used to add some metallic shine to the golf club heads. and layered three fussy cut ovals from the top of one of the frame images to the second frame using foam dots. I used foam tape to place the frame on the card base and then adhered two golf-club-shaped charms to the frame opening with Simon Says Stamp Craft Tacky Glue. The sentiment was placed over the clubs, using more foam dots.

This card wouldn't work well for my husband or brother who golf: both are retired and can golf all week long if they so desire. But my brothers-in-law are full-time employed, are scratch golfers, and one might well receive this as a birthday card in the future.

Products used in the making of this card were:

Stamps: Darcie’s “golfing frame” (Z2102) and “Golf…” sentiment (J1177)
Inks: Archival “Jet Black”; Zig Clean Color Brushes 025, 036, 037, 040, 041, 047, 048, 049, 050, 060, 064, 067, 090, 106, 903 and 904; Distress Marker “Pumice Stone”; Distress Crayon “Brushed Pewter”
Papers: Paper Studio “Kraft” card (697201); green patterned 12 x 12 paper; green cardstock
Embellishments: Dress It Up “Sports - Golf” (415)
Adhesives: 3M foam Layering Tape; EK Tools 3D Foam Dots, Simon Says Stamp Craft Tacky Glue

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Challenge: Ombre

5/9/2018

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The Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge for May 7, 2018 was to create something with an ombre look. (Definition: Ombré is a French word for a color with a shaded tone or varying tones. An example of ombre is a color that fades from dark gray to light gray.).

I had been working with a Hero Arts stamp/die set consisting mainly of silhouettes of African savannah animals and plants. I thought this set really needed a sunset background to set them off so I decided a sunset would be my ombre pattern. I used Distress Inks direct-to-paper on moistened Neena Solar White to get the effect I wanted - I started with "Spiced Marmalade" at the bottom and moved up the card with "Abandoned Coral", "Barn Door", "Seedless Grape" and "Faded Jeans" to get my background. I then stamped my images in Archival "Jet Black" using a line of "grass" and trees to delineate my horizon:

And then placed my animals and sentiment:

The medium giraffe is a little off-kilter but I didn't notice this until after I stamped him. Ooops. So consider him turning to follow the tall guy in the background, maybe going a little uphill in the process!

Both the ground and sky needed something so I did another "direct to paper" with Distress Oxide "Fossilized Amber" roughly on the land area to add texture and die cut a moon (for the same stamp set) from textured card, adding some "Fossilized Amber" and "Picket Fence" to give it a bit of depth:

Products used in the making of this card were:

Stamps: Hero Arts “My Monthly Hero June 2017” (MH0617C)
Dies: Hero Arts “My Monthly Hero June 2017” (MH0617C)
Inks: Distress Inks: Distress Custom (“Barn Door”, “Abandoned Coral” and “Spiced Marmalade”). Abandoned Coral” “Seedless Preserves”, “Faded Jeans” and “Picket Fence”; Distress Oxide “Fossilized Amber”; Archival “Jet Black”
Papers: Neena Solar White; scrap of palest yellow Bazzill card
Adhesives: Ranger Wendy Vecchi “Perfect Card Adhesive”

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Challenge: May Color Palette

5/6/2018

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The Lindy's Stamp Gang color palette challenge for May 2018 is as follows:

I started with a tag for my background and after application of gesso and texture paste, I sprayed it with "Magnolia Magenta Gold", sprinkled a little "California Poppy Gold" magicals adn then heat embossed some "Poppin' Pink" and "Aurora Amethyst" embossing powders:

I tried a little overstepping in Archival "Jet Black":

I sprayed some ivory lace with "Magnolia Magenta Gold" several times and applied it to the top of teh tag with embossing tape:

I gessoed two chipboard pieces - a flourish and a butterfly. I then heat embossed the flourish with "Poppin' Pink" , "Aurora Amethyst", and “Venus Violet Blue” and the buttefly with "Sunset Yellow Orange” embossing powders. I attached these chipboards with liquid adhesive. I also dyed some pills with "Magnolia Magenta Gold" and adhered when with texture paste...

I trimmed the lace to the shape of teh tag and applied some magenta "gems" to it:

It needed more so I heat embossed to mini butterflies with "Sunset Yellow Orange”, colored a sentiment sticker with Distress Marker and a gold pen, and added some gold to the prills. There is also a magenta gem as the head of the large butterfly.

Products used in the making of this tag were:

Stamps: Stampers Anonymous our “Mini Purely Random” (CSS27843)
Stencils: Simon Says Stamp “Folk Dance” (SSST121413)
Inks: Lindy’s Gang Starburst Spray "Magnolia Magenta Gold", Shaker Magical "California Poppy Gold"; Versamark; Archival “Jet Black”; Distress Marker “Picked Raspberry”; Marvy Uchica Fine Line “Liquid Gold” pen
Embossing Powders: Lindy’s Gang "Poppin' Pink"”, “Aurora Amethyst", "Sunset Yellow Orange” and ““Venus Violet Blue”
Papers: Distress Heavyweight Tag (TDA53828)
Embellishments: Hobby Lobby “Ivory” lace trim; BoBunny Chipboard “Butterfly” (12815839); Creative Embellishments chipboard flourish; Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Mat Minis “Tiny Butterflies” (WVMM010)US ArtQuest Mini Prills (ANC801); Idea-ology “Small Talk - Occasions” (TH93245); Hero Arts 3mm Gemstones (CH1123)
Media: Liquitex Acrylic Gesso “white”; Ranger Texture Paste Opaque Matte
Adhesives: Distress Collage Medium Matte; redLine 1/8” Embossing Tape

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Challenge: Animal Magic.

5/6/2018

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This week (May 2, 2018), the challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday is "Animal Magic"!

I've had this stamp set from Hero Arts for some time now (June 2017!) which is wild animals, mostly African, but there was a supplemental stamp-and-die set that was offered at the same time that featured Bengal Tigers and I wanted to do that as my "animal". (I think tigers are, in and of themselves, magical and am worried that soon, they will only be surviving on the genetic edge in zoos and wildlife parks. But I digress...)

I did a little research and discovered that tigers care found in just about any vegetative system, even savanna's like the ones portrayed in the African set. But these were Benga; Tigers --- and that meant a jungle scenario was in order. SO I set about collecting various green papers and die cut some "jungly" leaves with the Sizzix die set "Tropical". I stamped on Neena Solar white two tigers using Distress Oxides and Archival "Jet Black" and fussy cut them (I didn't want the white order left by the dies). I also stamped some vegetation in Distress Oxides, die cut it and blended Distress Oxide "Frayed Burlap" over the pieces to eliminate the white borders, I then layered an olive green scrap on a white notecard blank, and added all the pieces. A sentiment from the June 2017 stamped set finished the card off...

No step-by-stpe photos as all it entailed was pasting leaves and tigers on a green background...

Products used in the making of this card were:

Stamps: Hero Arts “Bengal Tigers” (CM176) and “My MONthly Hero Set June 2017” (MH10617C)
Dies: Sizzix Thinlits “Tropical” (661207)
Inks: Distress Oxide “Spiced Marmalade”, “Fossilized Amber” and “Frayed Burlap”; Archival “Jet Black”; Hero Arts “Moss”, “Pine” and “Feather” (? from My Monthly Hero kit February 2018); Distress Marker “Mowed Lawn”; Versamark
Embossing Powders WOW! Opaque Bright White Super Fine” (WL01SF)
Papers: Paper Studio “white notecard” (225359); Graphic45 “Safari Adventure” 6x6 Patterns and Solids” (4501367); scraps of bright, dark and olive green cardstock
Adhesives: Xyron 500 Sticker Maker; RedLine 1/8” Embossing Tape; Ranger/Wendy Vecchi “Perfect Card Adhesive” (wVA62134)

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My April Progress in my 2018 Organization Resolution

5/1/2018

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Back at the end of December, 2017, I blogged about the mess my craft space was in, and how I hoped that, in 2018, I would make some progress in getting it all put back together and neatened up. I posted my January progress here. My February progress report on that organization is here. My March organization efforts can be found here.

I spent most of March fighting the flu, which followed me into the middle of April. And then an issue with my right shoulder and forearm struck with a vengeance. A week (so far) of physical therapy and a set of x-rays indicate that what I have is some cervical issues at the shoulder (possibly due to bad posture, something I have suffered with all my life) and tennis/golf elbow at the forearm (odd since I don't do either sport and never have, but the therapist says what I am doing right now --- typing on my computer, may well be the cause!). I still hurt but the pain fluctuates from day to day and, sometimes, even hour to hour, so, on my good days, I tried to do a little clean-up in my craft space.

As the flu symptoms subsided, I decided to tackle my reinkers and other small bottles that were rolling around in various drawers. I had purchased three Seven-Drawer Sparkle-Sprinkle Supply Cases from Totally Tiffany when they were on sale. On April 9, I dedicated one of them to reinkers. The top three drawers hold all my Distress Oxide reinkers (so far); the bottom drawers hold my Distress Ink reinkers; and the middle two drawers hold miscellaneous brands.

I will definitely have to do some rearranging - first by color so I can easily find what I may need, and second when I acquire more ire inkers (which I surely will for Distress Oxides!). Still, this makes finding reinkers MUCH easier and freed up nearly two Iris Cart Drawers for other things!

I have a few other small bottles - not many - of thinks like Stickles, liquid inks, glues, and the like which may occupy another of these units. The top two rows of drawers do not accommodate dropper bottles (like the Distress Ink reinkers) or taller sprays so I may have to rethink my storage plans for these...

Seven-Drawer Sparkle-Sprinkle storage

when drawers are opened, easy access. Also, drawers can be lifted out and used at my work surface.

The box fits easily next to my notebooks of tutorials and product instructions while the 2" binder holding magazine cover inchie stamps now rises next to the bin holding my clear stamps. If I use the other two units, I will have to find a better place for them, or move those binders once again!

On April 26, I decided that I HAD to make some sense of my Lindy's Gang embossing powders. Searching the bin for the color I wanted when all the jars look alike from the top was irritating.

Yet, my attempts at labeling the tops of my limited number of WOW! powders with embossed colored dots was tedious...and I didn't want to do that again. Instead, I opted for larger labels with the powder name written on them...

As I labeled, I discovered a total of 13 duplicate/triplicate (GASP!) jars in a collection of over 80 jars! So labeling was helpful, if only because it will help me save money!

I placed the jars in rows of five, three deep, in an ArtBin storage bin ( the compartment on the left contains Lindy's Gang Magicals):

Next step is to alphabetize by name and then set up a check-list on my iPad so I know what I have if-and-when I order! (Who am I kidding? I will surely be ordering more as my color range is not that versatile at present...).

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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...