WWC291 - Fifth Week Anything Goes Challenge

 Oh my!  We have five Wednesdays in September and so this week we're having our fun, special "Anything Goes" challenge.  I've been looking forward to this.  Of course I've gone back and forth with all sorts of ideas, from special folds to boxes to fancy cards.  And then I suddenly needed a card for a special someone's birthday and my decision was made.  

This adorable birthday card is stamped and stencilled on one layer of Mixed Media paper.  I began with that sweet fox and bunny, stamping the image in the bottom right corner of the paper.  Then I took a scrap of  self-adhesive masking paper and stamped the image on it.  Once it had dried, I carefully cut it out just inside the lines.  Then I peeled off the backing and masked the stamped image on my Mixed Media paper. 

I had decided to use the large Crafter's Companion sentiment and knew it would stamp onto my little fox, hence the masking.  With mask in place, I used my stamping platform to stamp the sentiment in black ink.  It took several passes to get the nice even coverage I wanted (thank goodness for the stamping platform).  At this point I removed the mask from my image and used my heat gun to dry the sentiment thoroughly.  

Since I planned to use a stencil over the sentiment and image, I attached the mask onto the image once again and proceeded to use my Nuvo Blending Brush to stencil the heart-shaped pawprints using Frayed Burlap Distress Oxide ink.  Once that was done I could finally remove the mask for good.

While that dried, I stamped the sentiment inside the card and used the stencil and Blending Brush to add a few pawprints on the left hand side.  I outlined the prints with a thin black pen and like the effect.  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 Monday, October 5th.   

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

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #129 - Anything Goes

All Fun Challenges #16 - Anything Goes

Crafting Happiness Challenge #68 - Anything Goes

WWC 290 - Michelle's Challenge: All About Occasions

I love owls!  Imagine my happiness at buying an adorable stamp which has FOUR owls, all dressed in scarves and winter caps, holding their Christmas stockings.   

I used the Heavy Whisper White as my base and actually die-cut a piece of Craft Consortium patterned paper: the Grunge in Light Tones.  After die-cutting that wonderful snowflake edge, I stamped the Wild Rose Studio image of the four owls (Owl Family) and then, near the bottom edge, the sentiment.  Because the paper is lighter in the centre, it was easy to colour the owls using my Stampin' Markers.  The colours show up nice and clean and bright, exactly the way I had hoped they would.

Rather than use a matte behind the paper, I attached it directly to the white base.  The soft colours show up well against the white and give a cooler, more wintery look, don't you agree?  To add a bit of dimension, I used my Snow Marker on the "furry" edges of the hats and stockings.  After this dried, I used my heat gun to  make it nice and puffy.  A final bit of bling, thanks to my Silver Nuvo drops, in the centres of the snowflakes, and my card was finished.    I hope you like it as much as I do.

Have fun checking out our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and I hope you'll link your creation before the deadline on Monday, September 28th.         

  

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

Make My Monday Challenge #131 - Christmas in September    

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #129 - Anything Goes    

CAS Christmas Card Challenge: Christmas September 2020    

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #508 - Anything Goes     

WWC289 - Heidi's Challenge: Anything Goes With a Masculine Twist

I love the wonderful images created by Bonnie Krebs for Art Impressions, don't you?  In the set which I'm using, Bonnie has brought the adorable Opossum images to life.  I had such fun using them.

 

A lot of little things came together to make this card work.  I began with a base of Garden Green cardstock.  Then I added a layer of Whisper White which I first embossed using the confetti embossing folder and then adhered to the base.  For the background oval I used a piece of Pool Party cardstock to which I adhered three clouds which I had fussy cut from some retired patterned paper .  Then I heat embossed the sentiment using White Embossing powder.   To give it some added interest, I ran the piece through my Big Shot using the Subtle embossing folder.  I like the  way the  embossing makes those clouds appear to be part of the paper and yet still lets the sentiment be legible.  Win/win.  

 After stamping my little Possum on a piece of Mixed Media paper,  I carefully fussy cut it out and then used my Aqua Painter to watercolour it.  I kept the colours neutral but layered them to give a sense of dimension and shadows.  I used Crumb Cake, Gray Granite, Petal Pink, Pink Flamingo (for that sweet little nose), Garden Green and Pineapple Punch.   After the watercolouring had completely dried, I added some Shimmery Crystal Effects to both the balloon and that cute nose.  I love the shimmery shine, don't you?

 The oval is raised above the base and matte with a ring of Adhesive Strips around the perimeter.  I love the effect!

Have fun checking out our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and I hope you'll link your creation before the deadline on Monday, September 21st.  

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

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #128 - Anything Goes

 Creative Craft Cottage Challenge #133 - Include an Animal

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Frame It

WWC288 - Kath's Challenge: All About Occasions

I am falling in love with the wonderful images by the Craft Consortium.  The one I've used this week is from the "It's Snome Time', by the talented British illustrator, Helz Cuppleditch.  The stamps are beautiful and the premium patterned paper pads are even more so.  But judge for yourselves.

Isn't that the cutest Gnome ever?  I had such fun watercolouring him with my Aquapainter and stamp pads.  The red is Real Red, the blue is Pool Party, the tips of his boots are Gray Granite, the lowlights in his beard are a very pale Smoky Slate and, finally, the nose and hands take their colour from the Petal Pink Stampin' Marker.

I used a base of the Heavy Whisper White.  Actually I had meant to use a base of Garden Green but when I checked out the layers against both the white and the green, the white made it look lighter and more festive, so that was an easy decision.  Behind the adorable Gnome is a strip of patterned paper with a matte of Real Red and then a layer of another design of the patterned paper.   It's difficult to see in the photo, but those snowflakes all look as if they've been heat embossed onto the paper.  It's a lovely effect.

While the layers of paper are all adhered directly onto each other, the Gnome is raised up on Dimensionals.  I thought a very small sentiment was best so that no attention was taken away from the gorgeous colours and design.  I love the way it turned out, don't you?

Have fun checking out our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and I hope you'll link your creation before the deadline on Monday, September 14th.

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

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #128 - Anything Goes

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #78 - Anything Christmas Goes

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #506 - Use some patterned paper

WWC287 - Helen's Challenge: Anything Goes With a Feminine Twist

Oh my!  I just bought a gorgeous stamp set from the Craft Consortium and had to use it.  The set is called The Riverbank and the images are simply beautiful.

I decided to use the retired but absolutely lovely Perennial Essence Designer Series paper as my background.  The look of the artist's brushstrokes and the bold mix of colours compliments the swan image which I've used as well as the water lilies in the foreground.

My base is the Heavy Whisper White and then I've used a matte of the Gorgeous Grape to accent the colours in the patterned paper.  I fussy cut the swan as well as the water lilies since, alas, there are no matching dies in this set.  For the swan I used a light watercolour wash of Smoky Slate to add form to the body and neck.  For the water lilies, I began with watercolouring the blossoms, using the pretty Powder Pink.  Layering the colour in places, adds form to the blossoms, too.  The leaves, however, were coloured using my Stampin' Blends.  I used both the dark and the light Call Me Clover to give them form as well as carry the colour from the background.

While I adhered the swan directly to the background, I used dimensionals to pop up the water lilies and thus add dimension to the card.  A quick heat embossing of the sentiment using white embossing powder, and the card was done.  I love the way it turned out, don't you? 

Have fun checking out our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and I hope you'll link your creation before the deadline on Monday, September 7th.

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

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #127 - Anything Goes

Crafty Hazelnut's September 2020 Patterned Paper Challenge

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #262 - Things With Wings

Simon Says Stamp it in STAMPtember