Cardz 4 Guyz #248 - Red, White and Blue

The new challenge for the next two weeks at Cardz 4 Guyz is #248 - Red, White and Blue, chosen by Pamela with the winners picked by Pamela.  The design can be related to the July 4th USA Independence Day or non-related.

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

I kept this card simple, using the Heavy Whisper White as my base and then adding a layer of Real Red cardstock and Whisper White cardstock.  I used a fun die to cut out the combination image/sentiment from a piece of Pacific Point cardstock.  

This could easily be for someone's birthday, whether he was born on the 4th of July or not.  It's fun and very striking.

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

It's Father's Day for Challenge #246 at Cardz 4 Guyz

The new challenge for the next two weeks at Cardz 4 Guyz is #246 - Father's Day, chosen by Caz with the winners picked by Caz.

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

This image is by Art Impressions and is the perfect card for my husband.  After stamping the image, I used my Derwent Watercolour pencils to colour it and then my Aqua Painter brush to "magically" turn it into a watercolour.  The sentiments are from random sets.

I decided to use two different colours for the background mattes.  Before using them, I dry embossed them with two different embossing folders.  I love the way the Granny Apple Green and the Pineapple Punch look against the base of Soft Suede, don't you?

I hope you enjoy this card as much as I enjoyed creating it.  Have fun with our challenge.

It's a Sketch for Challenge #245 at Cardz 4 Guyz

The new challenge for the next two weeks at Cardz 4 Guyz is #245 - A Sketch, chosen by Julie with the winner picked by Julie.

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

I used a base of Heavy Whisper White for this card and then added a matte in Basic Black and then a  piece of grey toned patterned paper with a lovely wood grain pattern.  I thought the wood looked weather beaten much in the same way that an old fence would or, perhaps, an old barn.  Using my circle dies, I cut out one circle in Basic Black and then another in Whisper White.  I stamped the horse images on the Whisper White and used watercolours to colour the scene.  Then, before adhering the image circle to the card, I  went around the perimeter of the circle with my distressing tools and then sponged the edges with a soft grey.

 For the additional shape, I decided on a die-cut cowboy hat.  With a bit of watercolouring I think it wound up looking nice and worn.   After stamping my sentiment, I cut it out using a stitched rectangle die.

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

It's all Vintage for Challenge #244 at Cardz 4 Guyz

It's my turn to pick the theme for this fortnight's challenge and I decided on Vintage.  Challenge #244, therefore, is Vintage,  and I will also be picking the winner.

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

I had all sorts of ideas for my Vintage theme.  One of my older stamp sets includes a gorgeous   old-fashioned camera which I wanted to use and just let that stew in the back of my brain for a week or two.  I do some of my best creating by leaving my sub-conscious at work while going along with other things in life.  The final  result turned out quite well, I think.

My base is a heavyweight vanilla coloured cardstock on top of which I've added a matte of Early Espresso which I first made ragged along the edges with my distressing tools.  I had kept some old, retired newsprint patterned paper which I distressed along the edges by simply tearing it.  To give it some real age, I dampened it, sponged spots of Crumb Cake ink onto it and then crumpled it tightly.  After about fifteen minutes or so I straightened it as well as I could but it retained a real old, discarded look which I had wanted. 

 For the "vintage" photos which I had resolved to add to the card, I chose a couple of stamps, one of sailboats and the other of some grazing elk, and  off-stamped once before stamping the images on glossy cardstock using Versafine Toffee ink.  

After stamping the old camera using Black ink, I fussy cut the image and then mounted it on a piece of  Kraft cardstock, cut out with a square stitched die.  Then I stamped my sentiment on a smaller piece of Kraft cardstock, cut out with a small rectangular stitched die.  To finish, I added some frayed burlap and a couple of old-fashioned buttons.

I look forward to seeing what you do with my "Vintage" theme.  Have fun with our challenge, which closes on Monday, May 18th.

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.

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.

Use a Stencil at Cardz 4 Guyz

The new challenge for the next two weeks at Cardz 4 Guyz is #241 - Use a Stencil, chosen by Sue with the winners picked by Heidi.

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

I've used two stencils for this card.  The paler background (sponged with Cajun Craze ink) is "Small Brick Wall" by MIX-ables Stencils while the grass, plant and dragonfly (sponged with Mossy Meadow and Bermuda Bay ink) are "Mini Butterfly Meadow" by The Crafter's Workshop.  I love the way they work together, don't you?

After creating my scene with stencils, I cut the piece out using my fancy double stitched rectangle die and then mounted it onto two strips of Cajun Craze cardstock.  Then I attached the whole to my base of Heavy Whisper White cardstock.

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

Begins With an "F" at Cardz 4 Guyz

The new challenge for the next two weeks at Cardz 4 Guyz is #240 - Begins With an "F", chosen by Amy with the winners picked by Caz.

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

I used last year's adorable Froggy Bundle which was free with approved purchases.  I love the images and who can resist having dies to match?  So much easier than fussy-cutting.  I've coloured them using my Stampin' Blends and, for the fellow up on that mono-cycle, I created a "rope" using my Marvy Uchida Snow Marker.  The patterned paper is stunning, even in the small section I've cut from one of the 12x12 sheets.  The Perennial Essence Designer paper reminds me of the Monet paintings.

My base is the Heavy Whisper White cardstock while the matte is the Balmy Blue.  

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

Ink and/or Paint at Cardz 4 Guyz

The new challenge for the next two weeks at Cardz 4 Guyz is #239 - Ink and/or Paint, chosen and hosted by Sian.

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

I think the die for the Eiffel Tower, released by Stampin' Up! in their Mini Catalogue this year, is stunning and so versatile.  Even if a person hasn't been to Paris in the Springtime, the sheer number of paintings and photographs of the profusions of blossoms and greenery makes it hard not to be aware of the beauty that abounds.  I used my inks to create an "explosion" of colours onto which I mounted my metallic Eiffel Tower and the sentiment.  Which guy wouldn't enjoy receiving this for his birthday?

The base of the card is the Heavy Whisper White, while the matte is Blackberry Bliss.  I've used the Blackberry Bliss, Mossy Meadow and Tangerine Tango inks for the background.

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

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

Creative Fingers Challenge #180 - Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers February - Anything Goes with Dies

Brads and/or Eyelets at Cardz 4 Guyz

The new challenge for the next two weeks at Cardz 4 Guys is #238 - Brads and/or Eyelets, chosen and hosted by Jane.

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

I love this sunburst die from the Gina Marie collection!  I knew I wanted to use it to showcase one of the gorgeous horses from the Inkadinkado "Horses" stamp set for this challenge.  My idea was to attach the die-cut circle to the card using some tiny brads which I had bought years ago.  Of course, that meant finding the silly things.  I almost gave up on them but then suddenly found them hiding in my Washi Tape drawer rather than the Brad and Button drawer in which I had been so sure I had stored them.  You would almost think they didn't want to be used.

I kept the card simple to show off the brads.  Onto a base of Early Espresso cardstock, I glued and then secured with a brad, the lovely sunburst die-cut (cut from a piece of retired Kraft paper).  After stamping the horse image, I used a stitched circle die to cut it out and then coloured it using my Stampin' Blends.  After that I glued it to the centre of the sunburst and began poking holes where each ray met the circle.  Then I added a tiny mini brad to each hole.  I love the effect, don't you?

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

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

Crafty Calendar February Challenge - Use Die-Cuts/Punches

Happy Little Stampers February - Anything Goes With Dies

Teddy Bears at Cardz 4 Guyz

The new challenge for the next two weeks at Cardz 4 Guyz is #237 - Teddy Bears, chosen and hosted by Julie.

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

I've had this Baby Bear stamp set for several years and this challenge is finally its christening.  Yay!  After stamping this adorable image, I fussy cut it out and then mounted it on a piece of Very Vanilla which I had first embossed with one of my retired folders.  I backed it with a very narrow black matte and then mounted it to the card.  My base is the Heavy Very Vanilla with a very narrow matte showing of the black and then a pretty patterned paper.  I also fussy cut the adorable little bow tie from a piece of patterned paper from the same package.  I love those indigos, don't you?

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

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

Creative Crafters Challenge #24 - Anything Goes

Dragonfly Dreams January Challenge - Anything Goes

CAS at Cardz 4 Guyz

The new challenge for the next two weeks at Cardz 4 Guyz is #236 - Clean and Simple, chosen and hosted by Chris.

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

I've been meaning to use my new kitten stamps for a while and this CAS challenge feels like the right fit.  I love cats of every colour but this one just "cried out" to be a marmalade.  Don't you just love the little orange kittens?  This one has very distinctive colours while some are very softly marked.  I chose to use the deeper Cajun Craze ink for the stripes and then added a very soft Pumpkin Pie for the contrast.  And because so many of these kittens have bits of white, I made sure to add some around the eyes, on the muzzle and those tiny paws.  

For my sentiment I used one from the Stampin' Up! Nine Lives set.  In the case of kittens and pups, True Love really does have four paws.  

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

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

Inkspirational Challenge #204 - Word Prompt "Fauna"

Crafty Catz Challenge #488 - Anything Goes with Optional Twist "Animal"

Blue is the Colour at Cardz 4 Guyz

Guess what!  I am happy to announce that I've joined the Cardz 4 Guyz Design Team.

This challenge, chosen by Cazro, is #235 - Blue is the Colour.  Please check out the blog for details and also to see the wonderful samples by the Design Team.

Since this challenge is all about the colour blue, I chose a gorgeous piece of background printed paper which is in countless shades of blue, from light to dark.  Since the paper has a lot of detail, I kept the design simple.  My base is a Heavyweight white cardstock.  Then I added a matte of Pacific Point cardstock and, finally, the lovely printed paper.

I had a die which I've been dying to use, of birds on a bare branch.  I thought it would be perfect against the background paper and cut it from Pacific Point cardstock.  To finish up, I added a sentiment stamped using my Pacific Point ink.

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

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

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge CHNC 470 - anything goes with Christmas

Merry Little Christmas Challenge Blog MLCCB#17 - Anything goes with Christmas