WWC269 - Fifth Week Anything Goes Challenge

April may be one of the shorter months but it has five Wednesdays which means we have an awesome Anything Goes Challenge.  I'll admit I thought about doing a special fold but then I got caught up in using one of my new Altenew stamps instead.

Isn't it gorgeous?  This set is called Dotted Blooms and has a coordinating die.  While I would have fussy cut the image, it was far easier using the die.  If you look closely, you'll see it's really just one image of a branch with flowers and buds.  I've stamped it twice and, having attached the branches at odd angles to each other, it almost looks like different stamps, doesn't it?

I began with a base of Heavy Whisper White and then a matte of Soft Suede cardstock.  On a piece of Strathmore Mixed Media paper, I played with water and the Distress Oxide Salty Ocean ink.  I've only used the one colour but layered it, sprayed it, and otherwise man-handled it until I was happy with the results for my background.

For the images, I used Toffee Versafine ink to stamp them twice and then used my heat tool to ensure the ink was totally set.  Then I used the filler stamps to set the first layer of colour into my flowers.  For one branch I used Calypso Coral and for the other branch I used Flirty Flamingo.  Then I used my AquaPainter to softly colour in the rest of the flower petals with the same ink.  To finish, I used my Soft Suede Stampin' Marker to colour in the stem.

After stamping the sentiment, I added a few sparkly embellishments to the card and also added some Shimmery Crystal Effects to the centres of the open flowers.

I love the way the card turned out and hope you do as well.  Have fun checking out our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and I hope you'll link your creation before the deadline on Monday, May 4th.

I've also entered my card in the following challenges:

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #118 - Anything Goes

Artsystamper Digitals Challenge #14 - Springtime

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #387 - Make Your Mark

Simon Says Wednesday - Anything Goes 

WWC268 - Dawn's Challenge: All About Occasions

There is something about ducks and chickens that appeals to me, especially in a stamp.  Of course when I saw this adorable Penny Black image called "Cluck, Quack", I couldn't resist buying it.

I used a base of Heavy Whisper White and then decided to use a lovely wood-print as a matte.  For the image layer, I used a piece of Watercolour paper and my stamping platform to stamp the image in Black pigment ink.  Just to make sure it set perfectly and wouldn't smear, I used my heat tool to dry it thoroughly.

I used my Daler-Rowney Aquafine travel watercolour set to colour the images.  I love the variety of colours and the ability to mix some of the colours to get precisely the tone I want.

I love the way the card turned out and, of course, the fact that the silly "cluckers" and "quackers" make me smile.  I hope you do, too.

Have fun checking out our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and I hope you'll link your creation before the deadline on April 27th.

I've also entered my card in the following challenges:  

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #118 - Anything Goes

Always Fun Challenges #159 - Chicks or Farm Animals

Addicted to Stamps and More! Challenge #386 - Anything Goes

The Sisterhood of Crafters:  Happy Birthday or Fun Fold or Both

Use Dies as Main Feature at Cardz 4 Guyz

The new challenge for the next two weeks at Cardz 4 Guyz is #243 - Use Dies as Main Feature, chosen by Dawn with the winners picked by Dawn.

Please check out the blog for details and also to see the wonderful samples by our Design Team.

I've used a lovely die I picked up last year, cutting the image out from Basic Black cardstock.  Since I had already chosen a piece of patterned paper with stylized trees in various colours, I chose a background matte in one of the greens.  The Pear Pizzazz blends beautifully, doesn't it?

On my base of Heavy Whisper White I attached a matte in the Pear Pizzazz, followed by the patterned paper.  After stamping the sentiment using black ink, I attached the die-cut image with its matte.  I love the results and hope you do, too.

Have fun with our challenge, which closes on Monday, May 4th.

WWC267 - Karen's Challenge: Anything Goes With a Masculine Twist

Something I am hearing about almost every day since the snow is shrinking back and the temperatures are getting milder is fly fishing.  Yes, my hubby is nuts about tying flies and going fishing.  So when I was trying to decide what I should do for our new Masculine Challenge, it was a no-brainer that I would haul out Stampin' Up!'s Best Catch stamp set as well as an old, retired favourite, In the Meadow.

I decided to keep it clean and simple.  My base is the Heavy Whisper White cardstock and then a matte of Gray Granite.  On another piece of Whisper White I stamped the mountain range from the In the Meadow set in the top third and then stamped the fisherman from the Best Catch set in the lower area.  To the right of the fisherman, I stamped the sentiment which is from a lovely fishing stamp set by Inky Antics.

I used watercolours for this card.  Several greens and then the Gray Granite ink colour the mountains and then a light wash of Balmy Blue defines the sky.  I also added a light wash of Coastal Cabana for the lake.

It's simple but I know that the fisherman in my life will love it and I hope you do, too.    Have fun checking out our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and I hope you'll link your creation before the deadline on April 20th.

I've also entered my card in the following challenges:

Always Fun Challenges #158 - Clean and simple

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #117 - Anything Goes

WWC266 - Heidi's Challenge: All About Occasions

I'm so excited to share my brand new House-Mouse image for the challenge I'm hosting for the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  It's a large image and so beautifully detailed.  I hope you love what I've done with it as much as I do!

I wanted the image to be the star of the "show" and so I kept it simple.  My base is the Heavy Whisper White and the image is stamped on Strathmore Mixed Media paper.  I didn't use a matte so that the image seems to blend right onto the card.

There is a wonderful House-Mouse site where one can find the colours of all the adorable little critters.  This one is Maxwell and he's a warm brown.  That was easy enough but the pansies were another story.  We had snow yesterday.  There are still patches left on the ground although it was milder today.  No self-respecting pansy is showing its face in my part of the world at the moment.  Thank Heaven for the internet.  I searched and found a veritable "smorgasbord" of pansy images.  The only problem was deciding which colour mine would be.  I hope you like my final choice.

I used my Derwent watercolour pencils and Aqua-brushes to colour the images.  There were no droplets dripping from the brush in Ellen Jareckie's version but I used poetic license to add three tiny drops.  Maxwell simply isn't capable of colouring anything without a spot or two on the ground, you see.

In the close-up you can see that I added some shine to the paint and droplets.  After colouring, I covered those areas with my Shimmery Crystal Effects.  It is so shiny that it actually looks like wet paint.  Yay!  It's hard to tell, but I also added some pretty sparkle to the brush.  After colouring it with that lovely blue and silver, I added some Nuvo Glitter Gloss over it and in real life it's so very pretty.

I hope you love my card as much as I loved making it.  Have fun checking out our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and I hope you'll link your creation before the deadline on April 13th.

I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:

House-Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge #313 - Anything Goes (Optional Sparkle)

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #117 - Anything Goes

Creative Moments Challenge #188 - Anything Goes (Optional something to look forward to)

On, In or Beside the Sea at Cardz 4 Guyz

The new challenge for the next two weeks at Cardz 4 Guyz is #242 - On, In or Beside the Sea, chosen by Helen with the winners picked by Helen.

Please check out the blog for details and also to see the wonderful samples by our Design Team.

I've used a base of Crumb Cake cardstock for this card.  It was a perfect match for some of the colours in that gorgeous, salt-water distressed wood of the designer paper I used.  The Pacific Point cardstock matte also echoes the colours therein.

I thought the designer paper would be the perfect background for the wonderful anchor in the Stampin' Up! Sailing Home bundle.  Instead of heat embossing the anchor with a metallic embossing powder, I chose to stamp the anchor in black onto a piece of Galvanized Metallic paper.  The dull sheen really accents the anchor and gives it a sense of dimension.

The sentiment is from the same bundle and was stamped in black ink onto a scrap of Crumb Cake cardstock, fussy cut into shape and then attached to a piece of Pacific Point cardstock, cut into shape around it as well.  I had a heavy cord in the same Crumb Cake colour and so took two pieces and formed a loose square knot, securing the knot and lines along the card with Art Glitter glue.  I took the last of the four lines and had it lace through the hole in the anchor.


I hope you enjoy my card as much as I enjoyed making it.  Have fun with our challenge.

WWC265 - Marsha's Challenge: Anything Goes With a Feminine Twist

Are you ready for another fabulous House Mouse creation?  This week's challenge has to have a Feminine Twist and what could be more feminine than a huge cupcake with sparkly pink icing?  Just don't shriek when you see that two adorable little mice have been enjoying it, too.

I used a Heavy Whisper White cardstock for my base and then added two mattes, the first using Pineapple Punch cardstock and the second using Melon Mambo.  I stamped the adorable Ellen Jareckie House-Mouse images using black Memento ink directly onto a piece of Mixed Media paper.  I love that paper because I can do any kind of colouring without worrying about my paper pilling, buckling or otherwise betraying me.  The Memento ink is wonderful when I use my wax based crayons and Gamsol for colouring the images since it doesn't lift and mix with my colours.

Once I finished colouring everything and using my paper stub and Gamsol to smooth the colour out, I added some shimmer to the delicious-looking pink icing.  My Nuvo Glitter Gloss pen worked beautifully for that purpose.  I also wanted the candles to have a bit more dimension as well as more of a waxy look and so I carefully covered them using my Shimmery Crystal Effects.  Once dry, they were perfect.

 

Once assembled with a simple "happy birthday" sentiment added, I decided that a bit more "bling" was needed.  I found some Melon Mambo sequins and added a tiny silver pearl in the centre of each.  I think I've made it feminine enough, don't you?

I hope you'll enjoy my card as much as I enjoyed making it.  Have fun with our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #116 - Anything Goes

House-Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge #313 - Anything Goes (and the option of sparkle)

Crafty Creations #408 -  Anything Goes

Simon Wednesday Challenge Blog - Simon Says Happy Birthday