WWC286 - Marsha's Challenge: All About Occasions

Oh my goodness!  If you've been following me for a while, you know all about my House-Mouse obsession.  Unbelievably, I found a stamp for our strange and weird 2020, created by Ellen Jareckie to acknowledge the COVID 19 restrictions.  Of course I had to use it right away!

Is that not the most darling image?  I love little Muzzy and her sweet mask.  Because I didn't want anything to draw attention away her, I made this card clean and simple.  The base is the Heavy Whisper White while the matte is Coastal Cabana.  

I stamped the image and sentiment on a piece of Mixed Media paper and then drew in the lines to ground the image.  (Can't just have Muzzy floating in the middle of a piece of paper, can I?)  For the background I used my Aqua Painter as well as the Smoky Slate and Soft Sea Foam re-inkers.  While I  have been watercolouring my images most of the time lately, this time I reached for my Stampin' Markers.   I used a layer of Crumbcake and a layer of Gray Granite for Muzzy's fur.  Then, for her face, ears, paws and tail, I used the Blush Blossom.  I had fun with the mask.  For the outline, I used the Coastal Cabana and then for the two inside colours, I used the Calypso Coral and the Crushed Curry.    

I love the way the card turned out and 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,  August 31st.

I've also linked my card to the following challenges:

HM&FMC  #322 - Anything Goes With an Option of Flowers

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #127 - Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

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 

WWC#156 - Penny's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

It's a Feminine "Anything Goes" challenge which Penny Hanuszak is hosting this week.  Such fun!  I'm so happy for the excuse to use a stamp set which I've been anxious to try out.

Which stamp set am I talking about?  The Sale-a-bration "Beautiful Peacock" of course.  I've seen some fascinating projects but each time I thought about using it I either came up blank or needed to make something totally different.  Not this time.  This time I'm going all the way.

I began with a piece of Mixed Media paper onto which I scattered some Yellow Brusho crystals and then let them work their magic as I sprayed them with a bit of water.  I love the varying shades of colour which come from one colour of the Brusho.  You never quite know what to expect and that's part of the magic.  Once I had heat dried the colour, I was ready to stamp.

There are some interesting pieces to this particular stamp set.  The peacock is a solid stamp, so you're stamping the colour instead of colouring an outline in.  Since I don't always get a perfect image the first time with a solid stamp, I hauled out my Tim Holtz Stamp Platform so that I could restamp if necessary without having the headache of trying to totally match my initial stamping.  I'm glad I used it because I had to restamp another two times after my initial stamp in order to get the saturated Bermuda Bay colour for my image that I had in mind.   While I had the paper on the platform I chose to stamp the "feathers" that way as well.  I wound up restamping each one so that was a good move.

As you can see from the card, the "feathers" are almost like flourishes or vines.  They do look wonderful, however, especially when you add several together.  I chose to have two Bermuda Bay "feathers" and then added one between them which I heat embossed in Copper embossing powder.  Don't you simply love the contrast?

As you can see, I also stamped a few of the tiny flower images along the "feathers" using Calypso Coral.  I thought the tiny flecks of warm colour in the Yellow Brusho were quite similar in colour to the Calypso Coral.  It doesn't hurt that the warm tones look great next to the Bermuda Bay.

Since I had the one "feather" heat embossed in Copper, I decided to heat emboss the crown and the wing in Copper as well.  As it happened, I had a negative bit of a die-cut lying on my table and it looked almost like the wing.  A couple of snips and it fit perfectly with a band of copper embossing around it.  Serendipitously, the piece had been the retired Bermuda Bay Glimmer paper.  It was clearly meant to be.

As you can see, I also added a few little copper foil hearts.  To finish off, I added tiny pearl embellishments to the centre of each flower as well as to the peacock's eye.

I simply love the finished card, don't you?

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

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

Always Fun Challenges #44 - Anything Goes

Crafty Gals Corner #158 - Anything Goes

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #75 - Anything Goes

Making It My Way

Inspiration comes in many ways.  I've made a card, gone to bed, and just as I was drifting off to sleep, thought of a better way to finish it up.  Sometimes I'm lucky and I remember...sometimes, well, you know how it is.  This time I was lucky and remembered my inspiration after I woke up this morning.  And wouldn't you know it, the card is better as a result.

I had finished this card last night using some of the Sale-a-bration Everyday Enchantment designer paper with the Pool Party cardstock but I had stamped the little crown and key on Very Vanilla in Crumb Cake.  Then I cut them out closely and adhered them to the card with skinny bits of Dimensionals.  It looked okay but not inspiring.  Then as I drifted off I thought about stamping them with VersaMark, embossing them in gold, and then cutting them out with that new little Embosslits folder, Fashionable Hearts.  Well, it looks so much better and now I'm happy with the card.

I've seen cards made in shapes, rather than the usual square or rectangle and have admired them.  When I saw a couple posted using the largest of the new framelits Hearts Collection, I was inspired to try my hand at it and give it my own twist.

The only real pop of colour in this card is the Calypso Coral.  Otherwise I've just used Basic Black cardstock, Very Vanilla cardstock, and, of  course, the silver Glimmer paper.  I decided that I didn't like the flat corner where the front and back of the card joined, so I added some flowers made using the Boho Blossoms punch, centred with a Basic Black Glimmer brad.  The smaller hearts were punched out with the Fashionable Hearts embosslits folder.

I don't know about you, but I require caffeine in the morning.  It's my 'kick-start" to the day...the reason my eyes stay open.  When I saw the Morning Cup stamp set, I was inspired: I knew it had been made for me.  Of course I had to buy the Stampin Around Wheel, Take a Sip too.  Today I finally used the set using Basic Black cardstock, Whisper White cardstock and some of that lovely Twitterpated Designer Paper from the new Occasions Mini-Catalogue.  The only "pops" of colour in the entire card are the hearts, two coloured with the Real Red Stampin Write marker and one cut out of the Real Red cardstock.

I also added some of the Basic Black Scallop Dots Ribbon.  I love the simplicity.  Just looking at the card reminds me that I need another cup of coffee. ;)

Wherever you get your inspiration, go with the flow.  There's nothing more satisfying than enjoying your final creation.