WWC303 - Karen's Challenge: Anything Goes With a Feminine Twist

Wow!  We're in a new year!  I can't say I'm sorry to have said goodbye to 2020.  Let's all hope that 2021 is a much better and kinder year.

I fell in love with this adorable Stampendous stamp set designed by Fran Seiford.  Not only are there three sweet images with kittens, but the set includes a stencil with tiny kitten paw prints.  The "Awwwww" factor is absolutely enormous!

I used a base of the Heavy Whisper White followed by a matte of Highland Heather cardstock.  On a piece of Mixed Media paper I stamped the image with the five kittens and proceeded to colour them using my Koh-I-Noor Woodless Colour Pencils combined with the Gamblin Solvent Free Fluid.  I tried to give each a different colour of fur as well as different eyes.  They may all look quiet and sweet in the picture, but I'm sure within moments they were running all over the place, tumbling and playing with anything not tied down. 

After colouring the kittens, I added a light purple mat on which they're sitting.  They had to be grounded, after all.  I also stamped one of the three sentiments in the set. "Hugs and Kittens" simply seemed perfect, don't you agree?

Have fun checking out our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and I hope you'll link your creation before the deadline on Monday, January 11th, 2021.

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

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #136 - Anything Goes    

Show Us Your Pussycats Challenge #62 - Any Furrything Goes   

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Use a New/Unused Product    

                         

WWC295 - Karen's Challenge: All About Occasions

Only a few days remaining before Hallowe'en!  It's the time of year when I go scrounging around in my retired products to see what might make a suitably spooky card.  Surprisingly I found my inspiration in some Designer Paper that is probably the farthest one could think of from Hallowe'en.  Can you believe that the awesome background paper is actually from the Stampin' Up! Come Sail Away Designer Series paper?  It certainly doesn't look marine-oriented to me!

I don't use a black base frequently but Hallowe'en is a perfect time for an exception.  Not only does it compliment the patterned paper perfectly, but it also suits the occasion.  Rummaging further in my stash of retired papers, I found one with a whole page of haunted houses.  How perfect!  Of course I used that, cutting out one single panel and then using a matte of Smoky Slate.  I decided to sponge the perimeter of both with black ink and love the effect, don't you?

Time to haul out one of my retired stamp sets.  The Stampin' Up! set, Spooky Fun, was the perfect size for this card and I knew immediately that I wanted to use the moon and the witch.  And possibly the gravestones.  After stamping the moon and colouring it with a mix of orange and golden yellow, I sponged it lightly around the perimeter and also over the top with the Smoky Slate, just to dull it a little bit.  Then I stamped my witch and cut her out with the matching die.  I also sponged just a bit of Mint Macaron around the haunted house and then stamped, die-cut and coloured the gravestones.   They just asked to be at the bottom left, beside the sentiment (also from the same stamp set).  

This card is larger than normal, winding up a full 5"x6".  In order to use all the images I wanted and still have an adequate amount of that patterned paper showing, I had not choice but to make it that large.  The scene makes me think of that classic Hallowe'en movie, Hocus Pocus. 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, November 2nd.

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

Simon Says Stamp, Monday Challenge:  Movie Inspired

Always Fun Challenges #186 - Hallowe'en Fun

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #131 - Anything Goes

WWC285 - Karen's Challenge: Anything Goes With a Masculine Twist

I fell in love with this adorable set of "Frenchie" pups enjoying all sorts of summer activities.  The only problem was choosing which image to use for Karen's fun masculine challenge this week.  In the end I couldn't resist the one of the pup enjoying a swim.  I suspect our hot weather made me decide to live vicariously through him.

I used the Heavy Whisper White as my base and added a matte of Granny Apple Green.  Then I embossed a piece of Pineapple Punch using the Darice Pawprint embossing folder.  I love the vibrant colours together, don't you?

I stamped the image on a piece of Mixed Media paper using my black Versafine ink.  I fit the fancy stitched die over the image to get the placement of the "Just Chillin" right and then cut it out.  As a matte backing, I used the next size up die to cut a piece of the Granny Apple Green.  I love how the watercoloured image just "pops" against the bright colours, don't you?

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 24th.

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

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #126 - Always Anything Goes

Make My Monday Challenge #129 - On the Beach

AAA Birthday: Fame #16 - Tic Tac Toe  (I used "bright, embossing, masculine")

WWC275 - Karen's Challenge: All About Occasions

As a rule I don't make Sympathy cards ahead.  I know some people like to have almost every occasion on hand and, generally, I do that as well.  I just don't make Sympathy cards ahead because I prefer not to think someone I know will pass away.  Just a little mental block.

Unfortunately not making a card ahead doesn't stop people from passing away, either.  I'm glad that I had this stunning stamp on hand.  It's by Stampendous and is probably the most moving stamp of its type that I have seen.  From the delicate foliage and blossoms to the beautifully written sentiment, this stamp took some of the sting out of the reason for the card's creation.

For the foliage, I first coloured the images with various greens and the purple and then used my stamping platform to stamp it on Mixed Media paper.  After that, I covered the image with Versamark and stamped it again, over the colours.  Taking the paper from the platform, I heat embossed the image using clear embossing powder.

With the stamping platform it's an easy matter to get the paper in precisely the same spot.  This was necessary because the actual rubber stamp is in one piece: both image and sentiment are combined.  I first stamped the sentiment using Smoky Slate ink and then covered the sentiment with Versamark and stamped it once more.  Taking the paper from the platform, I heat embossed the sentiment using silver embossing powder.

You can see in this image for which I used a flash, the sparkle of the clear embossing powder where it stands out against the watercolouring.  The silver, too, shows up   better with the flash.  I used a base of Heavy Whisper White and then added a matte of Gorgeous Grape.  The Mixed Media paper was roughed up along the perimeter with my distressing tool.

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, June 15th.

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

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #121 - Anything Goes

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Something Metallic

The Crafter's Cafe Challenge Blog #244 - June 1st, Anything Goes