I am currently in a GTKY swap where the recipients of my cards are to tell what some of my favorite stamping things are. So based on this card can you name at least three things that I like to use when stamping? It should be a fun swap and I'm looking forward to seeing the cards the other stampers will be sending my way!
Yesterday I was playing with my camera down in my stamp room and took a photo of this framed piece. It is a CASE from an older SU catalog, I think I made it last summer (don't laugh, I can't remember what I stamped a week ago!). I gathered doo-dads, rub-ons, stamps, flowers, brads, and of course different colors of cs and DSP. I do remember this was fun to make, although it took time, and I did set it aside several times before putting everything in its final place.
Where to begin? Well like the majority of my cards on my blog here, this one was for a yahoo group swap called..."A Hint of Glimmer!" And it is impossible to tell from this picture, but there are actually three elements of glimmer going on here. Probably the most obvious is the bling on the eyes of the dragonfly and in the two buttonholes. The next touch of glimmer is the flower outline in the lower corner. Let me tell you more about that. The flower image was stamped with VersaMark Dazzle. I'm in love with this ink pad! If you are not familiar with it, the Dazzle works just like a regular VersaMark pad, leaving a watermark, but with a "hint of glimmer"! The last touch of glimmer on this card is the main image. I brayered a light blue ink on a scrap of glossy white cs. Then I sponged on some pearl white Lumiere paint. (Do you even remember this product? I've had it for years!) When the paint was dry, I stamped the dragonfly in black Staz On and cut it out.
...well actually this was my first attempt at a tri-fold card (not counting the scrap piece I used to practice scoring and cutting). I love this card when it is open, but when it is closed, you can see where I goofed. It bothers me greatly that when this card is closed, the last parts of the top and bottom sentiments show. I really should have had shorter sentiments and put in images or embellishments to show when in the closed position. Stamp and learn! Now see, you can learn from my careless mistake! For me, it sits on a shelf above my stamp table to remind me to think things through before plowing ahead. It's difficult to tell in the photo, but every flower has a brad in the center and those little butterflies are brads as well. I sure used (wasted) a lot of embellishments on this card!
I have seen many cards recently that are all white layers and they look so simple and elegant. Since that is my favorite stamping style I had to give it a try. Out came my two favorite cuttlebug embossing folders: swiss dots and swirls and of course some bling! I stamped a simple image in black and then to give it some color I added on the bling, hopefully without getting too carried away! The card and layers look crooked, but that is only due to my poor photography skills - really!
There are several versions of this card fold out there and I have been having fun trying out different ones. But let me warn you, once you get started making this type of card it is hard to stop; they are so much fun to make! I like this version of the fold because the card front remains full size, but they're all good and fun to make. Usually I have been showing you cards that I have made for swaps, but this card is part of my "stash" waiting for the right moment/person to send it to. Like I said, these cards are so much fun to make that I have several different ones ready to go!
This was a card that was just so hard for me to give away! In real life it is just gorgeous with all of the washi papers that were used. The top photo shows the outside of the card. It is a variation of a gatefold card. The main image was stamped on a thin piece of soft wood using black stazon ink. It was then embellished with a gold pearl and an Asian coin and tassel, and then layered onto red, black, and gold papers. Each panel on the front and inside were layered with different patterns of washi papers. The inside of the card is half washi paper and half gold paper with a punch out of a good luck symbol. I hope the recipient of this card likes it as much as I do!
This card was recently made for a celestial swap. I used the same sketch that I used for the red, white and blue swap card posted a few days ago. Since the sun image looks like mosaic tiles, I used a cuttlebug embossing folder that resembled the look of tiles. The sun image has some bling at the end of each ray - gotta have my bling!
One of the most recent swaps I participated in was to make a card depicting something we like to do to relax. I knew immediately that my card would incorporate a bookmark in some way, as I love to read and do so to relax, especially before bedtime. Stamping is relaxing to me as well, but that seemed too obvious a choice!
Both of these cards were made for swaps, one was a black and white theme and the other was burgundy and cream. This was my go to stamp as it is a large image that can stand alone on a card front. It's difficult to tell on the B/W card, but the petals in the forefront have two layers that are 3D, using dimensionals. For the B/C card the image was stamped on a shimmery cs (the brand name escapes me now!) with Brilliance ink. Tiny pearls were added to the decorative corner slots.
Today's card is one where I was experimenting with Flower Soft - interesting and fun stuff! I was sent a sample through a swap on one of my yahoo groups. So I choose a stamp image to use (this one courtesy of my DD's SO - thanks again Brian!). I paper pieced the planter and colored in the image with SU markers (no copics for me!) and then added small dots of glue (I used Tombow Multi) on the plant parts and sprinkled on the Flower Soft, pressing it into the glue lightly. Shook off the extra, let it dry and voila! This card is going nowhere - I'm too in love with it for now!
I love this color combo, it always looks so clean and crisp! It's hard to tell from this photo, but the r/w/b panels were embossed with the swiss dots cuttlebug folder and then layered onto black panels and then onto brushed gold paper. All of this was then added to a white card base. I love layering! The firecracker image is really a small candle image with the flame replaced by some rub-ons and then r/w/b bling added for the "sparks"! I love bling too and have been finding every excuse to add it to most of my cards lately!
I love embellishments don't you? This card came about while I was clearing off my stamp table and found this embellishment under a pile of scraps. Rather than find a place to store it, I decided to plan a card around it. I have a small three ring binder that I catalog my SU stamp sets in, so I pulled that out to find an image just the right size to fit the flower element and from there the rest of the idea grew to completion. I sent this card in for a swap called "Artist's Choice", one of my favorite swaps, as there is no theme requirement. Sometimes I "need" a theme to jump start my creativity and other times it just happens with something so simple as a misplaced embellishment!
This card was for a sketch challenge on one of my favorite yahoo groups; maybe therubberinker? What I love about doing sketch challenges is they get me to think on my own rather than CASE from someone else! This sketch was especially fun for me as: 1. I very rarely make square cards (maybe because I don't have envelopes to fit them!) 2. I started using a package of DSP that had been sitting in a pile for a long time and 3. It forced me to dig into my stash of mini buttons and actually use them! Yes, I'm a hoarder, but really trying hard to use more of my "collected" items!
This card was for a dryer sheet technique swap I was in a while ago. I think I found the directions in the resource section on Splitcoast. Although you can't see it very well in the picture, after adhering the dryer sheet to the stamped image (I used a Xyron and sent the stamped image through; stamped side to the adhesive), it was then sprinkled with dazzling diamonds. So now I have one more thing to be saving, but at least I am getting the laundry done!
This card was another swap card for a yahoo group. I'm inundated with DSP, retired and current, and am trying to use it up so I don't feel so guilty when I glance at my large stash. This card also features my love of cuttlebug embossing folders and hodgepodge hardware. The antennae on the butterfly are rub-ons and of course it wouldn't be complete without some bling, in this case flat backed pearls for the body of the butterfly.
Ladybug
