WWC245 - Anything Goes Challenge

Oh my goodness!  It's time for one of our awesome "Anything Goes" Challenges.  Just for fun I decided to used the sweet Magnolia Blooms stamp set for a fancy fold.  The Magnolia Blooms set is the "baby sister" to the much larger Good Morning Magnolia stamp set.  It doesn't come with a die set but for my purposes, it's gorgeous (and much, much more reasonably priced).

I used the Heavy Whisper White for my base, added a layer of Highland Heather and another of Purple Posy.  Then I took a piece of Whisper White and embossed the centre using the gorgeous oval from the Heirloom Frames 3D embossing folders set.  I love the depth of embossing as well as the dainty "engraving" that covers the oval.  Finally, I cut a piece of Purple Posy cardstock using my oval stitched die.  On that, I stamped the large magnolia image from the Magnolia Blooms set, using the Gray Granite ink.

I coloured the leaves and the outer portion of the petals with the White Stampin' Chalk Marker.  Once the leaves dried, I coloured them using my Mossy Meadow Stampin' Marker.  For the petals, I added another two layers of the Chalk Marker to achieve as solid white a colour as possible.  Leaving the inner portion of the petals the original colour of the Purple Posy cardstock worked out well for this image.  Finally, for the centre of the flower, I used my gold Nuvo Crystal Drops.

For the inside of the card I cut a piece of Purple Posy cardstock using a stitched rectangle die.  Then I added an outline of the Stitched Nested Labels dies in Mossy Meadow cardstock.  Finally I added a Whisper White stitched rectangle with the sentiment stamped using Purple Posy ink.

I love how beautifully the easel card stands, 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:

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #105 - Anything Goes

Get Creative Challenges #85 - Anything Goes

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #116 - Anything Goes

WWC244 - Helen's "All About Occasions" Challenge

Since our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge this week is "All About Occasions", I decided to use one of the adorable House-Mouse Designs stamp sets.  Of course it's all about Christmas this time.

I chose a base of Heavy Whisper White and then added a piece of retired Christmas DSP.  Then I cut a smaller piece of Soft Suede, just large enough to frame the stamped and coloured image of my adorable House-Mice.

The image is stamped on a piece of Mixed Media paper using Versafine Onyx black ink.  I intended to watercolour my images and so I needed my ink to be waterproof.  I used watercolour pencils and layered the pigment.  I love the results.  Each Mouse has its own colour and the shading turned out very well.  For my background I took my AquaPainter and used Balmy Blue ink.  It's soft but makes a nice background colour which doesn't "fight" with my other colours.

Of course I had to add a few additional touches.  Those berries, for example, just cried out for some shine and I gave it to them with the Shimmery Crystal Effects.  And the gold halo on our "holly angel" looks authentic with the addition of some Vegas Gold, doesn't it?

Finally, for the sentiment, I wanted something very small which wouldn't cut across my images.  I found just what I wanted in the retired Christmas Magic set.  I inked half the sentiment and stamped it in black.  Then I took the second half and stamped it on a scrap of Whisper White using black ink as well.  I used the retired tiny tag punch to cut it out and then attached it below the already stamped word on the card.  a tiny ribbon of baker's twine, and we're good to go.

It was really a labour of love working with this fun image.  I hope you enjoy the card as much as I enjoyed creating it.

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:

House-Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge - HMFMC #302 Anything Goes

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #58 - Anything Christmas Goes

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #105 - Anything Goes

Arty Divas Challenge #7 - Anything Goes

Crafty Creations Challenge #401 - Anything Goes

WWC243 - Heidi's Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Masculine challenges can be such fun.  I have some birthday "boys" coming up for whom I always make outdoorsy cards.  This is where the "Let it Ride" stamp set comes in handy.  Strangely enough, I also used the gorgeous Pressed Petals Designer Series paper and the Stitched Nested Labels dies added some dramatic detail.

Isn't that a fun card?  I used a base of Heavy Very Vanilla for a change.  It really complimented the layer of Soft Suede and the lovely piece of Designer Paper.  That burlap pattern is one of the "back" sides of the Pressed Petals DSP, and is perfect for the masculine feel I for which I was striving.  Instead of adding the stamped layers to the top, I actually cut out a "window" using the medium sized Stitched Label die, to expose the Soft Suede underneath.  Then I used a much smaller Stitched Label die to cut out a piece of Very Vanilla and stamped the horses onto that.  By mounting the stamped piece to the left, I had sufficient room to stamp the trees from the set onto the Soft Suede.

At the bottom of the card you can see I cut only portions of a piece of Soft Suede and a piece of Very Vanilla using the Stitched Label dies.  After stamping the "Happy Birthday" using Old Olive, I mounted the Very Vanilla to the far right of the die-cut Soft Suede before attaching the whole to the bottom of the card.  I think it balances the card nicely.  The horseshoes?  There's a story.  Remember the Home Sweet Home thinlit dies?  Well one of those dies is a round-topped window so I used that to cut two scraps of the retired Galvanized Metallic paper and then, after cutting off the window cross-pieces and bottom, I had horseshoes.  A few nail-holes added with my black pen finished the job.

For the inside I added two die-cuts of that great burlap paper and then added a special fold as a surprise.  It's an easy fun fold but will give added pleasure to the receiver of this card.  The remaining images and sentiments from the Let it Ride set fit onto the squares perfectly and look great, don't they?

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:

2 Crafty Critter Crazies Challenge #31 - Anything Goes with a Critter

Crafty Animals Challenge #31 - Anything Goes

Crafty Creations Challenge #400 - Anything Goes

The Card Concept Challenge #121 - Adventure Awaits (I was inspired by a combination of the colours and the textures in the inspiration photo.  When I think of horses, I always think of adventures).

WWC242 - Marsha's "All About Occasions" Challenge

We're having an "All About Occasions" Challenge this week and I had a terrific idea for a card.  You know how much I love that Feels Like Frost Specialty Designer Series Paper.  Well, I decided to combine that with one of the adorable images from the New Wonders host set.

Isn't that just the sweetest thing?  I've fussy cut her and placed her so that it appears as if she's drawing the snowflake with a magic frost pen.  My base is the Heavy Whisper White and the next layer is the Night of Navy which I've first embossed using that new Hammered Metal 3D Embossing Folder.  I've added three snowflakes cut using the dies from the Seasonal Layers.  My sentiment?  Well, I couldn't find anything that struck me as just right for this card and so I wrote my own using my Night of Navy Stampin' Marker.

You can see more of the details in this close-up.  Unfortunately the shimmery effect of the Wink of Stella on her wings doesn't show very well in either photo.  Nor does the gorgeous shine and shimmer I've added to the closest frosty flower using the Shimmery Crystal Effects.  In real life they catch the light and sparkle beautifully.

I love the way she fits into the scene so well, don't you?  I had such fun with this card!

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 #104 - Anything Goes

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #57 - Anything Christmas Goes

Christmas Crafts All Year 'Round for October - Christmas Angels, Fairies or Nativity

Christmas at Sweet Stampin' October Challenge - Anything Goes

WWC241 - Dawn's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Ooooh!  It's a feminine challenge at the Watercooler this week and Dawn is our host.  I decided to combine that awesome Pressed Petals Specialty Designer Series paper with the terrific Wonderful Moments stamp set.

Doesn't that combination look wonderful?  I used a base of Heavy Whisper White and, after fussy cutting carefully around the inside of the floral wreath image on that pretty wood-grain paper, I was ready for the image which would be featured inside the wreath. 

I took a piece of Whisper White cardstock and, after using my Basic Black Stampin' Marker to ink up everything but the bouquet and ribbon at the back of the dress, I stamped the "bride".  My intention was to simplify the dress and also to have her hold some balloons rather than the bouquet.  I used my Stampin' Blends to colour the image.  The dress is Rococo Rose while the hair is a combination of Crumb Cake and Daffodil Delight.  Her skin is Ivory and the balloons are Daffodil Delight and, again, Rococo Rose.  Then I covered the image and stamped the dots from the stamp set (confetti?) as my background. 

I love the way she fits into the cut out of the wreath, don't you?  And the banner finishes off my card perfectly.

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 #103 - Anything Goes

{PIN}spirational Challenges #248 - Photo Inspiration