Faux real.

The Faux Technique challenge at Gingersnap Creations has really caught my interest. Their Design Team is providing lots of inspiration, with lots more promised before the March 18 deadline...I may have to enter again!

For this card, I tried the Faux Linen and Faux Metal techniques. I'm not sure either looks like faux anything, but I'm happy with the result! I also added some Faux Stitching with my awl and a copper Sakura gel pen.

For the Faux Linen piece, I used the beautiful FREEBIE digi paper that Funky Hand is providing for their Get Funky! February Challenge. Since the theme is Flying High, I also used stamps from Funky Hand's Our Betty series.

It was such a difficult decision to only color Betty's balloons...but I really liked the look, and my Design Consultant (husband) agreed!

The Stampendous Impressions Challenge February theme is Texture, which I created mostly with heat-embossing. The image is stamped on vellum and heat-embossed in copper. I mixed the "Faux Metal" technique with Stampendous' "Frantage" technique for the sentiment.

The rosette is actually the first one I ever made, last week when I bought the Tim Holtz die. I cut it on scrap -- the cover of a package for Recollections Gold Metallic cardstock. I stamped it in watermark ink before starting the embossing process (for the Frantage technique, you heat the paper from underneath).

I even made some tissue tape for the right-hand-side element (I thought I was making Faux Tissue Tape, but I think I just made tissue tape!). I stamped a Stampendous! border in Copper onto tissue paper (which came between pieces of acetate), cut it down to half an inch with my papercutter, and adhered it onto a piece of vellum tape. Easy-peasy! No, really!

Inspiration/Challenges:

Deconstructed Sketch #39 (right)

Get Funky! February Challenge: Flying High + Funky Hand paper or extra

Gingersnap Creations Random Redhead Challenge #139: Use a Faux Technique

Stampendous Impressions February Challenge: Add Some Texture

Tutorials from Splitcoaststampers: Faux Linen and Faux Metal

Happy Groundhog Day!

The adorable and apparently immortal groundhog Punxsutawney Phil did his little thing this morning, but I stayed inside and made this card for my husband, using freebies from MelJen's Designs:

That groundhog is too cute. I used Deconstructed Sketch #37 and the Loving You Challenge at MelJen's Designs DT Blog for inspiration. Thank you everyone! Happy Winter!

Hello Little One

My sister-in-law's best friend just had her second child, and being as she's practically family I wanted to send along a card.

This week's Lili of the Valley Challenge is New Beginnings and I just happen to have a new Baby stamp from LOTV! I used the lovely color combo #118 at ColourQ and the fab sketch #33 from Deconstructing Jen.

The Lili of the Valley Thursday Challenge recently changed management, and I'm so glad that it's still up & running as Lili's Little Fairies!

Linking Up for Pink

I'll be the first to admit that I've become a bit jaded when it comes to Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness, as I'm not sure how many mammograms I have to have until everything I purchase stops coming in Pink packaging, but it's worth it if one person gets the treatment they need. Breast Cancer has of course touched my life: my grandmother had a mastectomy, a coworker has treatments every morning before coming to work, and many other people close to me have battled it and other such illnesses. I can't even begin to imagine their courage.

So, in that spirit, I made a Pink card for the Link Up for Pink blog party hosted by Celeste, Gaby, and Yolie. For layout & image ideas, I looked to this week's Deconstructed Sketch, sponsored by Tiddly Inks. The sentiment is a freebie from Create with TLC. Thanks for the inspiration, ladies!

I'm going to take the suggestion at Link Up for Pink and send my card to the PA Breast Cancer Coalition. 

Friends are always giving me a hard time for not putting a label on my cards, so I made one for this card. Not only does it have links to this blog and Link Up for Pink, it has a QR-Code that will take you to this post. Hi there!

You can generate your own QR-Code here. Thanks for checking out my card, and many healthful wishes!

For a little Jedi

I just had to buy the adorable Little Luke digi stamp, all proceeds from which go a family dealing with the heartbreaking illness of their son. There are several sets of digis available for this charity, all available, along with the background story, at Stamp and Create.

Whenever I am overwhelmed by sorrow and loss, I try my best to completely give myself over to joy and wonder. It's pretty much the best coping mechanism I've found. So I decided that for my first project with this digi stamp, I'd make a baby card. I'm of the generation that's pretty crazy about Star Wars (you know, before it came back), so I know I'll get a lot of use out of this since my childhood friends are now becoming parents.

I received just the inspiration I needed from the "Song or Film Title Inspired" theme on the Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog. A New Hope (the subtitle of the first, er, fourth Stars Wars movie) seemed just right for a baby card!

I paper-pieced the image, mostly because I really wanted a texture on his cloak. For some reason, I really remember that cloak from the movies ... all those fancy special effects and what I remember is the texture of the cloth!

For the card layout I chose the always-fab Deconstructed Sketch. I'm also entering this card into the "Baby Love" Pollycraft Monday Challenge.

The background DP and the center white paper are both shiny (as are his boots & light-saber handle). The "Congrats" is heat-embossed in green, and filled in with a blue marker.

May your day be filled with joy & wonder!

Update: I sent this to a couple of Star Wars fans, on the birth of their daughter. To make it a bit more "girly" I glued a bow on "Luke"! 

Hiya

The current challenge at MelJen's Designs is Blast from the Past, where we share the very first card we ever made using one of her images. Her Dandelion Mouse is one of my favorite digis. Here's my first card:

I love this stamp so much that I rented the Lawn King set from Raisin Boat solely for the included dandelion stamp! And I didn't even stamp the whole thing! Here's my new card with Dandelion Mouse, also inspired by the current Deconstructed Sketch:

Inspiration:
Deconstructed Sketch #16

Stamps: Dandelion Mouse by MelJen's Designs (thank you!), Lawn King set by Raisin Boat
Paper: DCWV Blossoms & Butterflies 8x8 pack, Hammermill, Recollections
Tools: Fiskars papercutter, Martha Stewart scissors, HP printer & ink, Adobe InDesign, SCAL & Cricut, Kut-Ups font, Marvy heat tool, Shrink plastic, sewing machine & thread
Other: ZipDry & Tacky glues, Memento ink, American Crafts & Michaels ribbons, Sakura gel pens, stash metal frame
Copic markers: E13, E17, Y13, B23, BG000, G07, YG03, YG67, Y000, RV02, E000

Happy Travels with Deconstructed Sketches and Karen's Doodles

Inspiration:

Deconstructed Sketch No. 15

Stamps: On the Road Again by Karen's Doodles, Round Sentiments I set by SP & Company, dotted frame set by Fiskars
Paper: Recollections, Hammermill, Core'dinations, stash DP
Tools: Fiskars papercutter, Martha Stewart scissors & border punch, HP printer & ink, Adobe InDesign, Marvy heat tool, Cricut & SCAL, Crop-O-Dile, Tim Holtz paper distresser
Other: ZipDry glue, Versamark & StazOn inks, Stampendous embossing powder, Sakura gen pels, Walk in My Garden Cricut cartridge, stash eyelets & brad
Copics: R35, YG67

Enjoying the Journey...in purple

Paulette at TLC Creations recently gave out a special image to her CDAC followers, and as soon as I saw it I knew I had to pair it with Marion's sentiment that I used for my recent flower card. I sprayed purple glimmer mist onto a black ribbon. I whipped this together this morning, before shocking myself and cleaning the bathroom...like, with a toothbrush. A clean home signifies a clean soul! Guess you gotta shake out the dust bunnies every once in a while! Actually, the bird house is close to the color of our actual house...and we both love purple.

I took both images into PhotoShop, used the magic wand tool to select parts of the image, and added a "color overlay". I chose the gorgeous palette over at The Play Date Challenge and the groovy Deconstructed Sketch.

Inspiration:
Play Date Challenge #90
Deconstructed Sketch No. 11

Digi Stamps: Vintage New Home by TLC Creations, Happiness Ticket by When the Scrap Hits the Fun

Paper: Core'dinations, Recollections, Hammermill, stash DP
Tools: HP printer & ink, Adobe PhotoShop & InDesign, Fiskars papercutter & punch, Tim Holtz scissors, Recollections punch, EK Success corner punch, Martha Stewart border punch
Other: ZipDry glue, Stampendous embossing powder, Versamark ink, AtYou Spica glitter pen, Elmer's gel pen, Copics, stash ribbon (Thanks Sandra!), Tattered Angels glimmer mist