WWC214 - Marsha's "All About Occasions" Challenge

I love our "All About Occasions" challenges, don't you?  This time of the year, especially, they give me a chance to put together some fun Easter projects.

I have two grandsons and one of the things both love about Easter is the hunt.  We can only hope that the snow will be gone this year and that it isn't replaced by rain.  Paper products just don't do all that well when it's wet, nor do the yummy chocolate-filled eggs in these little baskets.  I have to give credit to Angie Juda for this pattern.  Although I made a few cosmetic changes, I stayed true to her measurements.  If you click on Angie's name, you'll find the instructions, a great video and an awesome template.

I've combined the newest Sale-a-bration paper, the Painted Seasons Designer Series paper, with one of the absolutely adorable stamp sets from the Occasions Catalogue, the Fable Friends set.  I love that bunny because he makes me think of Peter Rabbit and, of course, that makes me think of poor Mr. McGregor who was forever trying to save his carrots and cabbage from the marauding bunnies.  Yes, I know those are flowers on the Designer Paper, but look at them sideways and squint, and they make perfect cabbages.

I've used Crumb Cake for the basic baskets and then added the pieces of Designer Paper.  For the bunnies, I stamped them on pieces of Whisper White, cut them out using the Stitched Oval Framelits and then coloured them using my Stampin' Blends and Watercolour Pencils.  The Matte is Call Me Clover, which is one of the colours in the Designer Paper.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #90 - Anything Goes

Get Creative Challenges #78 - Anything But A Card

Incy Wincy Designs Challenge - For the Men and Boys

WWC213 - Karen's Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

I bought a new stamp from Impression Obsession and I believe I'm obsessed.  In the course of a week I've made three cards with it.  Each time I've made one, I've thought of a different way I could have used it.  Oh yes, it is definitely obsession.  Luckily it works perfectly for our challenge this week which is a Masculine "Anything Goes", hosted by Karen.

For my first card I had the idea of giving it a wood-burning sort of style.  I used a light coloured pattern from the gorgeous Wood Textures Designer Series Paper and stamped the image using Soft Suede.  I heat dried that to really set the ink and then used my AquaPainter to lightly add some Crumb Cake, Soft Suede and Early Espresso to the image to add to the wood-burned style of it.  Once I was satisfied, I ripped around the perimeter and proceeded to sponge the raw edges as well as distress them.  I love the aged look it gave the paper, don't you?

For my base I used Early Espresso and used the retired Wood Grain embossing folder on the front.  I added a layer of the Wood Textures DSP in a slightly darker shade, but which coordinated with the stamped piece.  I'm really happy with the rustic, vintage style of it.

A couple of days later I just had to try it again on another piece of the Wood textures DSP, but this time I chose a white birch look.  The shabby white-washed piece was perfect to stamp on with my Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  It had the same tone as the distressed part of the patterned paper, but slightly lighter.  After stamping, I didn't add any colours but instead, used my distressing tools on the edges to make the stamped piece look old and shabby.

I used the retired White Naturals cardstock as my base and a piece of Soft Suede as the matte.  In the top left corner I added a stamped and die-cut fly-fishing hook from the Best Catch bundle and, after colouring it in neutrals, attached it over a piece of linen thread.

I like the look of that hook in the corner, don't you?  It finishes the card off quite nicely.

And then I got the bright idea to stamp the image on Whisper White cardstock using my Black Memento ink.  After that had dried nicely, I got to work colouring the image using my Faber-Castell coloured pencils and Gamsol.  For this one, I used a base of Heavy Whisper White and then double-matted with Gray Granite and Basic Black.

So you can see what's kept me busy this past week.  I had to satisfy my obsession so that I could begin thinking about other stamps.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

Incy Wincy Designs Challenge - For the Men and Boys

Dare 2 B Artzy March Challenge - Anything Goes

WWC212 - Tristan's "All About Occasions" Challenge

Yay!  I made the top three!

We're having an "All About Occasions" Challenge hosted by Tristan this week.  I love the possibilities that are offered by this challenge.  So many big and little occasions happen in our lives all year long.  I also love that I had an opportunity to use a brand new Happy Hoppers stamp created by Ellen Jareckie.

Isn't that a fun image?  Stampendous offers all these wonderful images created by Ellen Jareckie in rubber stamps.  I wound up with a perfectly crisp image which I had a lot of fun colouring with my Aquapainter and several of my ink pads.  The umbrella is Rich Razzleberry, the raindrops and puddle are Balmy Blue, and the adorable little frog is a combination of Pear Pizzaz and Mossy Meadow.  For the bunny's fur I changed to my Stampin' Blends and used the Crumb Cake and Petal Pink.

That lovely patterned piece with all the watercoloured dots is from the Share What You Love Specialty Designer Series paper.  I've taken all my colours from that paper (except the frog).  My two slanted pieces of cardstock are Grapefruit Grove and Tranquil Tide.  I love the way the colours and images came together.  I think someone's spirits are going to be lifted with this little card.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and also welcome our brand new Watercooler Artist, Michelle Wallace.

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge #286 - Anything Goes with Option of Dots or Stripes

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #89 - Always Anything Goes

WWC211 - Kath's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

This week's Watercooler Wednesday challenge is an "Anything Goes" with a feminine twist.  Fun?  Of course it is, especially with that gorgeous Botanical Butterfly Designer Series Paper which I got through my Sale-a-bration credits.  Oh...and there is a huge surprise inside.

My base is Basic Black and then I've simply added a layer of the Botanical Butterfly DSP.  The paper I've used is so elegant with its black and white design, isn't it?  I love those butterflies!  Beside using one piece for the front of my card, I also fussy cut one butterfly from a small leftover piece.  The way I've designed the card, I also had the opportunity to finally use the dies from the Celebrate You thinlits.

What looks like a narrow panel with a butterfly and die-cut "YOU" is actually a belly-band, holding the card together.  I've posted a close up of the butterfly because it is actually covered on both sides with a layer of clear Nuvo crystal drops.  The result is a butterfly that appears to be plastic rather than paper.  The awesome part is that the antennae (yes, I fussy-cut those, too) are nice and strong.

And this is the surprise inside:

I've used the retired Petal Passion Designer Series Paper because its simple black and white design is perfect for this card.  Each of those coloured butterflies is from the Botanical Butterfly DSP and, yes, each one has been fussy-cut.  Sometimes I wonder if I'm a glutton for punishment.  The "Happy Day" die cut on the top panel is actually the wonderful Happy Birthday thinlits die with the "birth" missing.

I love how this Twist Pop Up card turned out, don't you?  

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

"Just Us Girls" Challenge #477 - Word Week (Birthday)

Inkspirational Challenge #181 - Use Your Stash