Sunday, September 26, 2010

One stamp, four cards, five challenges

I found lots of great challenges this week, but I couldn't quite decide what I wanted to work with...digi stamps? recycled materials? pop-ups? I just couldn't land on any one idea. As they say, It must be fall, I'm feeling a little leafless.
But Saturday morning we got up early and headed to one of the many Shopping Villages that populate East Coast Suburbia. Armed with a 50% coupon for A.C. Moore, generously posted by the Scrapmaster, we braved a classic Corvette show, a dog store where we found 4-foot-long rawhide sticks for our foot-long dogs, and finally found refuge in the craft super-store. I had a bit of a time deciding what new thing I wanted to add to my crafting arsenal, what with my handsome hubby playfully poking me in the back with those rawhide sticks up and down the aisles, but finally chose an EKsuccess rubber-and-wood stamp featuring a tree with hidden images and countless coloring possibilities.
As you can see from the photos below, I really fell in love with this stamp. It certainly reminded me what an art stamping is: getting a perfect, every stamp is its own challenge! I tried my hand at hand-coloring multiple ink colors onto the stamp with Marvy paint markers, and am worried that I've found yet another obsession.
I made four cards using different versions of the stamp, inspired by five challenges:
1) Tuesday Trio sketch #35
Supplies: Tree stamp, Marvy
LePlumeII, Recollections cardstock, Core'dinations cardstock, stash paper, HP printer, Colonna MT typeface

2) Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge #72
Supplies: Tree stamp, StazOn ink, Sakura Gelly Roll pens, Recollections cardstock, K&Company Designer cardstock, ribbon from Target, Cricut personal cutter, SCAL software

3) clean&simple sketch #109
Supplies: Tree stamp, Marvy
LePlumeII, Recollections cardstock, HP printer, Colonna MT typeface, Recollections cardstock, K&Company Designer cardstock


4) Cute Card Thursdays sketch #131 and Colour Create Challenge: White + Embossing
Supplies: Tree stamp, clear Melt Art Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel, Marvy
LePlumeII (just a touch to create the watercolor effect), clear Inkssentials ink, heat embossing tool, scalloped circle stencil, Recollections cardstock, Pre-embossed Vintage White stash paper, HP printer, Colonna MT typeface

Thanks to all these blogmasters for the inspiration! Hope you'll check them out.

And for those of you who know of our dogs, Allen was spooked by the height of the rawhide sticks and Walt got both of them through two doorways before we got the groceries unpacked. They ate them in less time than we spent in line at A.C. Moore, but we certainly got plenty of entertainment for our buck!

12 comments:

  1. This is really beautiful! Thank you for joining us at Cute Card Thursday!

    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow - you are a abusy stamper and how cool that you have used the one stamp - I love that! Your cards are great and I love your take on the MMSC - great earthy colours! Love it! Thanks for joining us this week at the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge, we appreciate you support and would love to see you join us again next week! {{{hugs}}}
    Linda MMSC Design Team

    ReplyDelete
  3. Julie: The white card really looks better in person. I had a heck of a time photographing it!
    Linda: Stamping is addictive! Thanks for giving me so many outlets and ideas!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Julie I am enjoying viewing all the ways you have created with this amazing image. You really know how to work it!!! Great job with the sketch this week. Thank you so much for playing along with the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge.

    Bear Hugs,
    Carol :O}
    Midnight Madness Design Team

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a gorgeous tree! I just love the colors you have used, so beautiful and earthy is a perfect description! Thanks so much for joining us for this week's Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge, hope you will join us again next week!
    Hugs,
    Marsha
    MMDT-GD

    ReplyDelete
  6. What wonderful cards! That last one, is the most gorgeous thing I have seen all day!

    ReplyDelete
  7. such a beautiful card and fabulous embossing! thanks for joining us at CCT.
    hugs, annie x

    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful cards - I love how versatile you've made this stamp!

    ReplyDelete
  9. WOW all these cards are amazing! You certainly are getting great value out of this beautiful stamp. I love the embossing on your all white card - it looks fantastic!

    Thanks for joining the Colour Create Challenge.

    Sharon x

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is one great stamp! I love how you used it in such different ways, and the different colors really made it seem different!
    I love the colors you used for our challange.
    Thanks for playing along this week.

    Dailly - TT

    ReplyDelete
  11. Beautiful cards! Thanks for playing along with Tuesday Trio!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I was browsing around in the Clean and Simple blog and saw your #3 card. It stopped me in mid-scroll! Fantastic use of that stamp, I just love it.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to leave a message. I truly appreciate it, and I will enjoy hopping over to your blog as well.