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

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

WWC222 - Helen's "All About Occasions" Challenge

Every once in a while a stamp set comes along that totally resonates with you.  That's what happened when I saw the lovely Free As A Bird set in the upcoming new Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue.  I love the beautifully drawn images as well as the perfect selection of sentiments.  This is a set I knew I wanted and I was stoked when it was among the pre-orders which we were allowed to make this month as Demonstrators for Stampin' Up!

The pretty flowers and leaves are part of the stamp set as is that gorgeous bird.  Of course I had to look up "seed eating birds" for ideas of natural colours for my birds.  Then came the onerous job of fussy-cutting.  If I have one criticism, it is that the images don't have accompanying dies.  Oh, yes, there is a die-set in the bundle which one can buy with a 10% savings, but those dies are elongated stitched hexagonals.

I don't usually go fancy with my backgrounds but it's difficult not to when one has a beautiful set of laser-cut cards.  I couldn't resist the special tin designed for the Bird Ballad Suite.  That's Mint Macaron cardstock behind the laser-cut design.  I think it compliments the Balmy Blue which I used  to watercolour my stitched circle very nicely, don't you?

For the little sentiments "banner" I used my Mint Macaron Stampin' Marker to add faux stitching after stamping "Congratulations" using Calypso Coral ink.

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

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #94 - Anything Goes

Crafting From the Heart Challenge #243 - Anything Goes

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #389 - A Sketch by Narelle

"Less is More" #388 - Navy & Yellow

When I saw the Fable Friends stamp set in the Stampin' Up! Occasions Catalogue, I fell in love.  Those little images remind me so much of the wonderful characters in some of my daughter's "read-to-me" books.  Nostalgia made me buy them. 

Since the challenge for which I decided to use this set asked for Navy & Yellow, the ducklings were a sure pick.  I stamped them, coloured them with a combination of Stampin' Markers and my Blending pen and then began the meticulous job of cutting them out. 

On a piece of Whisper White cardstock, I used my AquaPainter and Night of Navy ink to create a puddle and shadows near the bottom.  Then I used the clouds and raindrops from my retired Weather Together stamp set to finish the simple rainy scene.   At the very bottom I stamped a sentiment which is also from the Weather Together set. 

Having glued the ducklings down to join with the shadows I painted, I took my glaze pen and created little swirls to give the illusion of puddles.  I also put a spot of glaze onto each raindrop.

To finish, on a base of Heavy Whisper White, I used a matte of Night of Navy and then attached the stamped scene.  I love the results and hope you do as well.

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

"Less is More" #388 - Navy & Yellow

Crafting With An Attitude #48 - Anything Goes

WWC200 - Helen's "All About Occasions" Challenge

Wow!  We're celebrating our 200th Challenge this week.  Isn't that extraordinary and wonderful, all bundled into one awesome celebration?  I felt like celebrating earlier today when my Stampin' Up! order arrived.  All those wonderful goodies from the upcoming Occasions and Sale-a-bration Catalogues--YAY!  So, of course, I had to jump right in and use some of the new stuff.

Needless to say, I had to mix and match.  (There was so much to play with!)  And so I grabbed the new Tea Together stamp set and a piece of Whisper White cardstock and stamped the teacup as well as the teapot using Balmy Blue ink.  Then I took the green twig from the Wonderful Romance stamp set and, using Tranquil Tide ink, stamped it across the lower portion of the teapot and then stamped only a portion of it diagonally across the teacup.  For this creation, I just didn't want flowers.

The framelits for the teapot and teacup are only available free with a purchase of $120 in regular products.  So, of course, I have the framelits.  I cut out the teapot and teacup, put them aside, and proceeded use the framelits from the Wonderful Romance bundle to cut that beautiful grid and leaf background out of Tranquil tide cardstock.  Finally, while I was still at the Big Shot, I used the gorgeous new Lace Dynamic embossing folder on a narrow piece of Whisper White.

Colouring was easy since I had the Balmy Blue Watercolour Pencil which is part of the Cute Crew Punch Box in the Occasions Catalogue.  For the leafy twig, I used the Tranquil Tide ink and my AquaPainter.  For the sentiment, I used the Tranquil Tide Stampin' Marker on the stamp from the Tea Together set, colouring the tiny heart with the Berry Burst Stampin' Marker.  After "huffing" the stamp to remoisten the ink, I stamped it onto a piece of Whisper White and then cut it out using the Stitched Round framelit.

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

I've also entered this creation in the following challenges:

Crafty Sentiments Challenge - Celebrate challenge

{PIN}spirational Challenge #230 - Inspiration photo

Creative Moments Challenge #158 - Always Anything Goes

ATSM #317 - Make Your Mark

It's time for another Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge.  This time it's all about making your mark.  What does that mean?  We'd love to see any creations for which you use your pens, pencils, watercolours, markers, anything that creates a mark. 


For my card I decided to use my Stampin' Markers as well as my inks and Aqua Painter.  To add a bit of interest, I also used a Glaze pen over some of the design.

I used a fun Penny Black stamp called Cup of Java to make a card for my daughter who, some days, just can't find a coffee cup large enough for the amount of caffeine she needs.  I used my Stampin' Markers for everything but the soft yellow background which is a wash of So Saffron ink, painted on with my Aqua Painter.  I also used a wash of Coastal Cabana inside the cup and at the bottom of the cup.  The flourishes on the cup and the stitched "ribbon" frame were both coloured with my Melon Mambo Stampin' Marker and then made glossy with the Glaze pen.

Check out the awesome creations by the rest of the Design Team and link up your card HERE.

WWC181 - Kath's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

This week Kath Ricks is host for our Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge.  I had a lot of fun creating my card, despite a few set-backs.  I hope you will enjoy it, too.

The set-backs?  Well, I've been house/dog-sitting for the past two weeks and only have a certain amount of paper and stamps with me.  I've gone back home to add to the pile several times, but that still means if I wind up changing course during the creative process, I reach for something I don't happen to have here.  I suppose that just adds to the challenge, right?

I decided to use the Beautiful You stamp set believe I love those images so much.  This time I decided to use the dancer holding hands with a mirror image of the same dancer.  Once I had completed my stamping, I fussy cut the images and then proceeded to colour them.  I had some of the new Stampin' Markers with me as well as my Neutrals collection.  And so my images are all in Poppy Parade and Smoky Slate.  The skin tone is my "go to" Blush Blossom marker.

I glued the dancers onto a piece of Basic Black cardstock cut with a gorgeous Gina Marie Design die and then onto a retired piece of DSP for which I can't recall the name at the moment.   I attached that onto a piece of Poppy Parade and finally onto a base of Basic Black.  To dress up the black, I scattered tiny black and silver sequins.

While it really doesn't look like it in the photo, that gorgeous sentiment is actually heat-embossed using Silver embossing powder.  

I hope you'll joining us by linking up your awesome creations before Monday, August 6th at 5 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time.   To see the wonderful creations by our Watercooler Artists, check out our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge blog.

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

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #73 - Anything Goes

Crafty Creations Challenge #371 - Anything Goes