Make Your Own Background at International Art & Soul

This fortnight at International Art & Soul we're challenging you to Make Your Own Background.

I tried a new-to-me technique: using salt to add effects to a watercolor background (inspired by the challenge at Back to Basics—thanks!); I don't have watercolor paints, so I followed the tutorial at Koala T Crafts for using distress inks. It was fun! I actually did the painting and coloring while breast pumping for my 2-month old! I tried table salt at first, but it didn't do much, so I re-wet the piece and used Epson salts. I stamped the Lili of the Valley rubber stamp directly onto watercolor paper before inking it, then die cut the square out of the center. Then I stamped the image onto white card stock and colored it with Copic markers; I fussy-cut it and added it over the top of the original stamped image. I stamped the birds (ArtsyFartsy & Verve Stamps) in the top corners of the background. I used gemstones on the bottom of the corners to represent bubbles. The sentiment (Hero Arts) was stamped on vellum and I added the little sailboat sticker. The cloud ribbon has been in my stash for so very long but I'm glad I kept it for this little touch.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Back To Basics: (2W) Salt Technique
Sweet Sketch Wednesday: (2W) Sketch + Optional Sponsor Image (Lili of the Valley)

Update: This was chosen as a Top 3 for Sweet Sketch Wednesday Challenge #152!


Thank you for visiting! Hope you'll join us at International Art & Soul,

Pink Princesses

Mom lent me her Circle Flip-its Sizzix Movers & Shapers L Die, and I'm having so much fun with it. For example, I made these Birthday cards for our nieces! [Sorry that the photos aren't great; it's been gray here and I just couldn't get good lighting!]

This first card was inspired by Lili's Little Fairies Pretty In Pink Challenge, so I used one of my precious, long-hoarded, pre-colored die cuts from Lili of the Valley. Using Diamond Glaze, I added shimmer to her bow and FlowerSoft to her boa & tutu.

Mom also sent me some yummy SU! papers she got from a friend of hers who's a consultant...she uses it for rosettes, so I took that tip from her. I cut the rosette with my TH die, and used my Swirl Sizzix die for the flourishes. The sentiment is heat-embossed with a Stampendous stamp on Core'dinations cardstock, and is cut/embossed with the wavy banner die from a•muse studio's Cupcake Toppers set. 

I created borders for the circles with pink Liquid Pearls. For the flip-side, I stamped the crown in pink & heat-embossed it in Kaleidoscope. The "Princess" sentiment is heat-embossed in a coral red.

My second card was inspired by the fact that our niece's birthday party is going to have a "luau" theme. I totally hoard my mulberry-paper flowers, but I sure had fun with them here! I strung the small flowers onto thread, and then carefully glued it down.

The black-and-green card base is actually a black-and-white DP that I sprayed with "Meadow Green" Tattered Angels glimmer mist. I sprayed the white pieces, ribbon, and lizard with "Iridescent Gold".

I heat-embossed the flowers in shiny green onto this great hot-pink, textured Core'dinations cardstock, then colored them in with my Copics (I know, I know, I shouldn't be using my Copics near colored embossing, but I just can't help myself!). The large hibiscus and lizard stamps are from a Recollections set, and the small hibiscus stamp is from Dilo en Español's Que Siga La Fiesta set. The sentiment is from Hero Arts, I think.

I'm entering this card into Shopping Our Stash #59: Extra Fold or Pleats [(much of this uses stash items).

Thank you for visiting,

Card Cupids February Drive: CPS Days 9 and 14 + Motivational Rock

Using the the sketches from Days 9 and 14 of the CPS 5th Anniversary Celebration, I made birthday cards for Card Cupid's February Drive:

CPS Day 9, Sketch #5

I cut down this Thomas the Cat pre-colored diecut from Lili of the Valley to match the rest of the shapes. I combines the balloons & sentiment from a Bentley Bear stamp set, and found a perfect matching cake in a set from Our Betty.

CPS Day 14, Sketch #45

I was really inspired by the Cropped Digi Image theme at Digi Makeover Challenges: it worked really well with Gab in the Groove from Just Some Lines. I stamped the white silk ribbon with a Great Impressions stamp in three colors of dye inks (pink, Fire Brick, and brown); this was inspired by the recent tutorial at the SP & Company Stamps blog. Thanks!

Update: The card I made for the Cropped Digi Image Challenge at Digi Makeover won the random prize! Thank you!

---

This month's challenge at Card Cupids is to "create a motivational card for a child", so I grabbed this cute DJ digi from KennyK Downloads, a sentiment from Create with TLC, & a fun Guitar Hero stamp set from StudioG (I think) and made this bright number (without any help from CPS!):

I'm thinking that I will add a "Happy Birthday" sentiment and send it in as part of their Birthday card drive.

Thanks to all for the inspiration! (All my cards for the CPS Celebration are archived here.) 

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!

Invaders, possibly from Space!

Don't you just love it when a card comes together? I received the Computer Fun Lili of the Valley rubber stamp for my birthday (thanks Mom!), and thought it would go perfectly with the paper from my Smirk for Men set. I've had the Space Invader stamp for years (well, my husband has; Mom gave it to him. Thanks again Mom!), and the little cut-outs are from a card set I designed last year for my husband's birthday.

This card was also inspired by the following challenges:

• Sweet Stampin' Challenge: Masculine
• Fetch A Sketch Challenge #9 (I rotated the sketch 90 degrees counter-clockwise)
• Truly Scrumptious Challenge #68: Shaker Card/Boxes

Felicidades

I made this card for my best friend, who's birthday is coming up, and was inspired by the following:

• Sketch Saturday
  I rotated the sketch 90 degrees.
• Lili of the Valley Challenge #116: Warm & Cozy
  I love this stamp by LOTV! Few things are as cozy as curling up with a book. I also added a bookish surprise on the inside (see photos below).
• Die Cut Dreams Challenge #100: Use a Poem on your card
  I couldn't pass up this challenge! The poem I chose, In the Desert by Stephen Crane, is my friend's favorite.
• Use It Tuesday Challenge #17: Metal
  Brads & nameplate are long-hoarded and metal!
• Paper Crafting Journey Challenge #21: Orange, Black & White
  I had lots of fun with the paper. The striped & dotted papers are Echo Park, and the embossed/sanded layers are Black Magic cardstock from Core'dinations. The white linen paper I used for teh mini card, newspaper piece, and sentiment is actually the card I got with gift cards from AC Moore (a lovely present from my awesome mother-in-law!). Talk about upcycling!

Stamps: Lili of the Valley, Dilo En Español, Tiddly Inks

Paper: Recollections, Core'dinations, Echo Park, Hammermill

Tools: Cricut, SCAL, Cricut markers, Fiskars papercutter, HP printer & ink, InDesign, Tim Holtz paper distresser, Sizzix Texture Boutique, Sizzix & Cuttlebug embossing folders, awl, sandpaper, Martha Stewart scissors & punches

Other: Copic markers, Sakura gel pens, metal brads & nameplate from stash

Quilted explorer

For my birthday (34, my goodness ... I'm just getting started!), Mom bought me some Lili of the Valley stamps and die cuts, and I'm been itching to use some of the adorable little boy stamps! The Little Pirate and Sleeping Reader make a nice set.

In order to use two stamps on one card, I decided to make what I'll call a Notch Swing Card. The concept is simple: secure a piece of paper slightly larger than the cut-out space by cutting small slits, or notches, in both. I put this card together in SCAL, and if you'd like to try it you can download my SVG files via the link at the bottom of this post (please leave a comment if you do).

I couldn't resist making something for the Columbus Day challenge at CCEE Stampers ("Make a card with a ship, ocean, or anything that relates to this day."). I grew up near Puerto de Santa María, where Columbus set sail for his second voyage to the New World. For seven years, I spent Columbus Day with the Girl Scouts, trekking to the church where he prayed before his voyage. Columbus Day isn't very popular in the States these days, since people doubt his "discovery" legacy, but I've always enjoyed the lesson of Columbus: Follow your dreams; They might not lead where you imagined, but it will be a great adventure.

The background was inspired by the Photo Inspiration/Use Your Scraps challenge at DYSU. Not only are the colors in the photo example beautiful, I liked the idea of using up my scraps to create a quilted feeling.

I sewed on the buttons, and I'm entering this into the Button Up! challenge at Divas by Design. I stamped & colored the images on Hammermill cardstock, fussy-cut them, and glued them onto the blue linen paper.

Here's card closed flat:

Here it is winging open one way (see photo at the top of this post for the view with it swing the other way):

I put the message section on the back so that the inside served as a sort of background for the front. Here's the inside:

And here it is open from the back:

Inspiration:
CCEE Stampers / CCEE1141: Columbus Day

DYSU #41: Use Your Scraps + Photo Inspiration
Divas by Design #12: Buttons

Stamps: Lili of the Valley

Paper: stash (scraps), Hammermill, China Blue Eyes Linen Finish Card Stock from Mark's Finest Papers

Tools: Fiskars papercutter & deckle scissors, MS detailing scissors, Marvy heat tool, sewing machine

Other: ZipDry glue, Simplicity thread, Recollections embossing powder
Copics: E13, YR00, E35, E31, E47, E37, YR09, B18, B39, B32, B23, B00, BG15, BG10, RV11, YG67, YG63, G99, G07, YG03, YG41, Y000, YR31, YR12 (I also used YR12/Loquat for all the edging)

Download card cut files (svg)

Let It Snow...but not for a few more months

Oh my goodness, is it Monday already?! Dang. Although I finished this card yesterday, I didn't get around to photographing it until today ... so I missed the deadline for the Mojo Monday contest. Oh well, I had lots of fun with their great sketch. The theme is inspired by this week's Let It Snow challenge at Lili of the Valley (LOTV).

Both images are by LOTV, but I did not color the center image; it's a pre-colored die cut piece. The smaller image is an LOTV rubber stamp, which I stamped onto shrink plastic and colored with markers. I added FlowerSoft with Glossy Accents to both.

Inspiration:

Mojo Monday #109: Sketch

Lili of the Valley Challenge #115: Let It Snow

Stamps: Lili of the Valley, Studio G, Alys Paterson for Quick Cards Made Easy
Paper: LOTV, Shrinky Dink bright white plastic, Recollections, K&Company
Tools: Fiskars papercutter, stamp block, MS detailing scissors & punches, Marvy heat tool, Crop-O-Dile, toaster oven
Other: tulle from WalMart, ZipDry glue, Stampendous embossing powder, Versamark, Memento & StazOn inks, Marvy markers

Playin' with Lili of the Valley

Mom ordered some stamps & images from Lili of the Valley, and they've made a nice little stop at my house first! I couldn't resist playing with the stamps; they are so lovely and so much fun to color. And Mom, let's not forget to check out their 2011 Christmas sets (link will open in a new window)!

I just had to try my hand at the following challenges:

• Critter Sketch Challenge #70
• Lili of the Valley Thursday Challenge #106: Fun & Games
• ColorLab Color Challenge #50: Lucky Limeade, Riding Hood Red, Perfect Plum

I also tried my hand at an idea Mom shared some time ago: making a detachable charm out of Shrink plastic. As they say, if all else fails do as your mother told you in the first place! So this time, I sanded one side of the plastic before stamping and coloring. Actually, I stamped the image onto the smoother side with StazOn, and colored the rough side with Copics before shrinking with my heat tool. This is something I'll have to practice, but the result sure is cute! Click on the image to enlarge.
Stamps: Merry Christmas A5 set by Lili of the Valley, Fiskars
Paper: Recollections, Brazzill, Hammermill
Tools: Martha Stewart border punch, Fiskars papercutter, Sizzix Texture Boutique
Other: ZipDry glue, ZIG glue pen, ATYOU Spica glitter pen, brads from Around the Block & Oriental Trading Co., shrink-plastic, Versamark, StazOn & Memento inks, English Christmas gift wrap ribbon (thanks Sandra!), Recollections flocking
Copics: E17, BV02, BV000, BV00, B63, BV04, R37, R35, RV04, G99, YG03, YG63, Y17, E35, C-1, B00, BG000, E13,RV02, E000