Corrosive Challenge #7

Did Christmas come early?

Nah! I just decided to do a Christmas card for Janet's Corrosive Challenge. Here's the image:I used the beautiful deer from The Magic of Christmas set (Rupa Shevde) by Gina K. Designs. I stamped it on watercolour paper in Timber Brown Stazon and used various shades of brown from S-U with my aquapainter. I cut it and layered it with my oval nesties. My card base is Blush Blossom and has a Kiwi Kiss panel on top of that. I layered some patterned paper with Chocolate Chip. I added some Old Olive brads and ribbon on the patterned paper panel. I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set on the bottom right of the card. I hope you like it!

Three Clovers Thursday Color Challenge #8 and Clean and Simple Sketch Challenge

The color combo for the Three Clovers Thursday Color Challenge #8 is: Rose Red, So Saffron, Always Artichoke and this is the sketch for the Clean & Simple Challenge from last week:

The card base is Whisper White and I layered a piece of Saffron patterned paper on Always Artichoke. I stamped the flower from Echoes of Kindness with Black Stazon on watercolour paper and coloured it with Rose Red and Always Artichoke. The sentiment is a rub-on from S-U. I layered the main panel with Always Artichoke and So Saffron. I tied a Rose-y red satin ribbon with a little buckle around the patterned paper panel. This really is a clean & simple card - my favourite kind!

SCS - Sketch Challenge #199

Here is the birthday card I'll give my sister tomorrow. I think this Golden Oldies set from Stampin' Up is so adorable! I am sure I'll get lots of use out of it. I used an old sketch challenge from SCS for my layout. I stamped the old lady (sorry Sharon!) on watercolour paper with Black Stazon. I used aquapainters and various inks (bashful blue, baja blue, kiwi kiss, gray, brown, blush) to colour her. I layered her on Baja Breeze and Kiwi Kiss panels. I added flower photo corners on two sides. The card base is Whisper White and I layered a flower patterned paper on Baja Breeze to the left side of the card. The sentiment is from Verses Rubber Stamps and is called "Old". I layerd that on Baja Breeze. The lady is popped up with dimensionals. Thanks for having a look!

Prairie Paper and Ink Sketch Challenge #56

Happy Easter! This is a new challenge for me this week. I made this card for my boys to give to their Auntie Sharon for her birthday on Tuesday. I'll make another card for her using a different sketch challenge that I'll make and post later today. I stamped the cupcake from Crazy for Cupcakes in Black Stazon on watercolour paper. I paper pieced the cupcake wrapper with some DSP and coloured the icing with chocolate chip ink using an aqua painter. The candle was watercoloured with YoYo Yello and Regal Rose. I layered the main image with Chocolate Chip and rounded the corners on both panels. I added stickles for a little bling (after the card was put together). I used Gina K. 120 lb. card stock as my card base. I layered a Regal Rose panel that I ran through the Birthday Cuttlebug folder. I added some S-U DSP and wrapped Regal Rose 5/8" ribbon around the card. I added a few buttons. Thanks for having a look.

Mojo Monday Week 81

This is my submission for today's Mojo Monday challenge. I had the birds already coloured and the sentiment done so I just separated the birds and layered them with Tangerine Tango and Chocolate Chip. I found some cord buttons from my Baba's stash (long story but if you want to find out, read down in my posts a few entries, and you'll find out all about Baba). My card base is Gina K. 120 lb. white card stock. I layerd the Good Morning Sunshine DSP with Chocolate Chip. The birds were watercoloured. Have a terrific day everyone!

Belli Challenge for April Fools - A day late!

A quick card I whipped up for the Belli Challenge. This challenge was to make a card with the theme of APRIL'S FOOL DAY. I was doing other stuff yesterday and didn't come across this blog until this morning. I'm always up for a challenge, so why not? I had the Regal Rose embossed piece laying around so all I had to do was find a stamp that fit (sort of) the challenge. The stamp and sentiment are from Gina K. I watercoloured piggy using various pink-hued inks. I've been hoarding my hardware (that sounds kinda rude, doesn't it?!) so that I'd break that out too. A few punches and some ribbon - done!

OCC Colour Challenge

It's getting late, but I wasn't ready for bed, so I was looking through some of the blogs I have listed as "favourites" on my computer. I had forgotten about Our Creative Corner's colour challenge, so thought I'd give it a whirl. The colours this week are More Mustard, Bashful Blue and Not Quite Navy. I stamped Rubberbootabella with Black Stazon on watercolour paper and paper pieced the umbrella with S-U SAB DSP. I coloured her boots with Not Quite Navy, her skirt with Bashful Blue and her top with More Mustard. I used Blush Blossom on her skin and Close to Cocoa for her hair. I added a few self-sticking rhinestones and added the sentiment on the bottom. A pretty quick and easy card for 11:15 p.m. Gotta go get some ZZZZZ's.

Connor's Birthday Card

Happy 17th Birthday, Connor! It was my nephew's birthday on Monday and this is the card we gave him. He has had a litte grass-cutting business for about 4 summers (he's very entrepreneurial!). He's a great kid and as quirky as he sometimes is, he's got a heart of gold. The sentiment inside says "and many mower". The card base is Sahara Sand and I stamped the Sanded background on it (see what I did there?). I watercoloured the image with various markers and layered it with Riding Hood Red and Basic Black. I've had some retired ribbon for a couple of years and since it matched, threw that on as well. The ticket corner punch was used and the card was finished off with a few black brads.

Kristina Werner Colour Inspiration #47

As I often do, I combined challenges - it makes me feel like I've accomplished something major (I know, it's a little thing, but it helps me get through the day!). This time, I put together Kristina's Colour Inspiration Challenge from yesterday with the SCS Sketch Challenge #221. I had the chicks image from A Little Birdie Told Me on my craft table for about 2 months! Actually, I have about 10 of them sitting there because I was going to use them for a swap, but never did. This one was already coloured too - I only added grass under their little toes (do chicks have toes?). My card measures 5" x 5". The base is Gina K. 120 lb. card stock. I added panels using DSP. The "It's your birthday" sentiment comes from Gina K. too. I used a nestie punch to frame it and I finished it off with some Tangerine grosgrain that I've had forever and some orange brads. TGIF!

It's a two challenge in one day!

I thought I'd start off my day with the SCS Ways to Use It #211 challenge to use "Hot Metal". Because I am lay-out challenged as well, I incorporated Sketch Challenge #119. For the challenge, I put waxed paper in a cuttlebug folder with glossy card stock then ironed it. I brayered Almost Amethyst over top and ended up with a shabby circle-y look. Since we are approaching Easter and I am determined to send relatives cards this year, I decided to use the chickadee from An Egg-cellent Easter set. I watercoloured the chick and eggs with various inks. For my long Barely Banana side panel, I versamarked the egg numerous times and clear embossed it. I added a little ribbon and dew drops to finish it off. I think it's cute! I'm going to use this technique to create the 4th card in my "ir-resistable" class next month.

Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #60

I fell in love with this sketch from Taylored Expressions as soon as I saw it! I can envision quite a few possibilities with it. I dug around in my non S-U stamps for an image that I hoped would really show this great sketch off. My sister bought a wedding set of stamps from Inkadinkado that I don't think ever saw ink. That was it! I knew this beautiful dress needed some love. I stamped it in Black Stazon on watercolour paper and coloured it with various S-U inks using my aquapainter. There was a lot of empty space on the upper right side, so I dug through my big stash of primas and tried to find a couple of flowers to layer with coordinating colours. It took me about 2 hours to figure that out and in the end, I had to use reinkers to paint the rose flower in the middle. I was mucking around with these puppies that the petals were starting to come off! Of course, I didn't have a small pink rhinestone brad (well I did, but it was attached to another flower somewhere in the pile, so I had to search for that too). I cut out the dress with nesties and layered it on a Regal Rose panel, then a Barely Banana scalloped panel. My card base is Gina K. 120 lb. white and I added a panel of Barely Banana. On top of that is a Regal Rose panel and on top of that is a sheet of patterned paper from the Bella Bleu line. As accents, I used the scallop border punch on the patterned paper and added a little bit of fancy pants ribbon. I am happy with the way this one turned out!

K Werner Color Challenge 46

I stalked Kristina's blog for about 6 hours waiting for her to post the color challenge this week and was so happy when it was finally posted. Unfortunately, when I went to make a card, I couldn't get one put together for the life of me. I had 3 other images stamped and partially or completely coloured, then couldn't figure out how to lay it all out. I abandoned it for a couple of days until yesterday, when Cathy came over and got me out of a bit of a slump I was in. This is what I finally came up with - nothing earth shattering by any means. I used an old Sketch Challenge on SCS (#208). I used "House on the Hill" stamp from Sunshine Designs. I inked it up with Black Stazon on watercolour paper and used the other colour inks and an aquapainter to fill it in. I added stickles to give it a little shine. My card base is Basic Black and I added a white panel with Itty Bitty Backgrounds in Pretty in Pink so it didn't look so plain. I layered my image panel with Bashful Blue and behind that is Regal Rose. I added a couple of Pretty in Pink buttons on the bottom and voila, c'est fini!

Colour Throwdown #33

I'm glad Cathy left me with a stamp set I thought I could use for this colour challenge (kidding, Cath!!). I had this stamp in mind even before she pilfered through my stuff ;). I needed a little help with my layout, so I decided to use the SCS sketch challenge #69. This is a new set from S-U that is available early (it's featured in the upcoming Occasions Catalogue to be released on April 1/09) called "An Egg-cellent Easter". I used markers and ink to watercolour the bunny and eggs. My choice of green was certainly celery. I used the coordinating grograin ribbon and celery brads. I'm not sure what happened when I was trying to space them out - I thought I had it right, but as I moved left, I realized they weren't going to be even on both sides - oh well! My aunt, who will receive this card, won't know the difference! My sentiment came from the All Holidays set. That has to be my favourite sentiment set because it covers off all major holidays & special occasions.

And Now For Something Completely Different...

When I look at Donna's cards, I suffer from a severe case of "elegance envy!" As you're about to see, when I look at the same sketch challenge, my brain tends to go off on a completely different tangent!

Here then, is my version of Mojo Monday - Week 77:

Actually, this is a variation on the card I made for my teenaged son's last birthday. Although he makes an effort to be appreciative of my artistic efforts, his sports-obsessed mind really doesn't care so I need to have a "hook" to get his attention! (This is why I need to blog - I just don't have a wide enough audience at home)!

The shark is an older stamp from Stamp Oasis and I heat embossed him in black on watercolour paper, then watercoloured him with Tombow Markers and a waterbrush. When he was dry, I trimmed him out and slathered him with waterfall blue and frosted lace stickles for lots of shine. Instead of the scalloped border called for in the sketch, I turned the scallop element inward to create "bite" marks out of my sentiment. I thought it was kind of fun!

Our First Class - The Sophisticated Crayon

Cathy and I are pleased to announce our first Chicks With Ink Pads class! Our focus is on "The Sophisticated Crayon". You will make these cards using watercolour crayons with various other products and techniques for unique watercolour effects. You will be amazed at the simple elegance of these cards and you will become a watercolouring pro in minutes! Be sure to mark your calendar for Sunday, April 5, 2009. The class starts at 1:00 p.m. Cost is $25.00 per person. We will limit the class to 8 participants so be sure to register early! Please email either Cathy (inkycathy@gmail.com) or me (smacdonald3@cogeco.ca) to secure your space. Pre-payment is required, please. We will advise you of the class location (in Oakville) via email.

Kristina Werner colour challenge #43

Relaxing Riley - doesn't he look content? I made this card for Kristina Werner's Colour Challenge #43. This week's colours were chocoloate chip, pumpkin pie, ruby red, old olive and brocade blue.

Usually I have trouble using more than 3 colours, but I had this striped patterned paper that has all of these colours and more! I used watercolour paper and all of the required colours on my main image. I had some lovely velvet ribbon that I added to tie in my olive and patterened paper panels. I used ruby red brads from Earth Elements. I also used the small and large oval punches as well as Designer label punch from S-U with my sentiment. The sentiment is from Memories in the Making (Leisure Arts Collection). There are a bunch of sayings on this hand-held unit. I wish I was Riley right now, except, the drink would be in my hand!

SC105 - Riley on the Road

I was playing around last night after coming back from a hockey game and I pulled out this stamp I recently bought. Now, you know I'm a S-U demo, but I do occasionally "cheat" and use other stamps and other products. I hope to eventually catch up with all of the sketch challenges on SCS, so this my submission for SC105. I love these Riley stamps from Hanna Stamps. They are totally adorable. I see lots of use out of these (I only have two, so far), because my oldest son's nickname is "Moose". The patterned paper is from a scrapbook bundle from American Traditional Designs called "Road Trip". I thought it would be perfect to give Riley something to drive on. I stamped him with Timber Brown Stazon and used various inks with my aquapainter. I really like how this turned out. I used the "hello" part of "just saying hello" sentiment from SavvyStamps. I punched it using the tab punch. I used my Nestabilities to cut the circles. Brushed silver brads were the final touch.

Well, I'm off to another hockey game so I hope to play a little later for the Featured Stamper challenge on SCS. See ya!

Donna

Embossed Echoes

I have a workshop booked for the niece of a very good friend of mine in a couple of weeks. I was playing around with ideas for the workshop and I ended up making this card, which I think I'll end up giving to her at some point (she is getting married later this year). She wants to make her own wedding invitations so I'm going to try to come up with a few ideas for her in addition to the workshop cards (which I still need to prep). When I asked her what she might want me to demonstrate, she indicated she likes embossing (among other things), which is why I think I ended up making this card. I embossed one of the flowers from the Echoes of Kindness hostess set (level 2) in gold and used my blender pens with various inks to colour the flower and leaves. I mounted the image on Pink Pirouette and added gold brads. I used the Damask Texturz plate from the backgrounds 1 offering. I love these Texturz plates and they are definitely the right price (3 double-sided plates for only $14.25)! I embossed the sentiment in gold and mounted it to the card base (also pink pirouette). I love the simplicity of the card, but I think it is also very elegant.

Donna

Crazy for Cupcakes

I made this card for a workshop I had yesterday. I really liked the way it turned out and it received good reviews. I want to give full credit to Alison Fereday, who I swapped card fronts with at a Mega Meeting held in Burlington last month for the Amazink Canadians S-U group. I changed the cardstock, DSP, ribbon and sentiment, but kept the layout the same. I added Crystal Effects to the cupcake icing to give it a big of shine. The colours used were Regal Rose (card base), Pink Pirouette, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White and Sweet Always DSP. I punched a hole in the side of the cupcake image and added a wee bit of ribbon. It was a fun and easy card to make. I absolutely love the new Eyelet Border punch.

I'll be getting my act together shortly to make some samples of upcoming classes I'm planning. Watch for technique classes, altered art projects and a class featuring The Big Shot!

Donna

Echoes of Kindness

I made this card for SCS Colour Challenge #205, which called for the use of pink pirouette, perfect plum and kiwi kiss. At first I wasn't sure I liked this card, but it has since grown on me. I used my blender pen and picked up the colours from the lid of my ink pads to colour the flower. The image comes from the Echoes of Kindness Level 2 hostess set. I also used the Eyelet Border punch, which I really love. To finish off the card, I used Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware and a sentiment from Fresh Cuts.



Donna