WWC229 - Helen's "All About Occasions" Challenge

It's my sister's birthday this coming weekend and so I can fulfil this challenge as well as get a fun card designed just for her.  Doe has gone through some really difficult times over the past four years, with a major operation each year.  I thought something lighthearted would be perfect under the circumstances.  She loves flowers so definitely, the Pressed Petals Specialty Designer paper is perfect for that.  And I'm adding a bit of whimsy with the sweet images from the New Wonders stamp set.

Aren't the images darling?  I fussy cut each out.  The lower one is positioned precisely to make it appear that a layer of paper is being peeled back to expose that gorgeous Designer Paper.  I used the Stitched Nested Labels dies to cut into the cardstock and am pleased that it worked out so well.  The little magical dots and stars are thanks to a retired set, the Fairy Celebration, and work perfectly here.  They're stamped using Rococo Rose ink as is the sentiment.

I used my Stampin' Blends to colour the little fairies.  As you can see from this close-up, I've even added some Rococo Rose to the nib of the pen to make it appear it was dipped in ink.  I'm so happy the Gingham Gala self-adhesive sequins carried over since they are the perfect embellishments for my card.

I tried to use the same colours that appear in the Designer Paper on the fairies.  I think it worked out quite well.  You can see how nicely the fussy cut image joins to the die-cut opening in this photo.  I know the sweet images and colours in this card will bring a smile to my sister's face.

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:

Creative Moments Challenge #172 - Anything Goes

Crafting From the Heart Challenge #247 - Anything Goes

Just Us Girls Challenge #495 - Word Week (Smile)

Dragonfly Dreams Challenges - Things With Wings

Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge - Birthday Month (congratulations Debbie)

Paper Craft Crew Challenge (PPC343) - Designer's Choice

WWC226 - Dawn's Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Wonderful timing!  I needed a Father's Day card and we're having a masculine challenge.  What could be better?  I had such fun mixing the Let It Ride and A Good Man stamp sets.  They compliment each other so well, don't they?  Then I threw in some die-cut rope from the Smooth Sailing dies and a sentiment from an old, retired Project Life set, and the card just about made itself.

I used a base of Crumb Cake followed by a layer of the retired (but still loved) Wood Textures Designer Series paper.  I cut the Whisper White piece with the images smaller than usual so that I would have room to attach the die-cut rope.  I stamped the horses and trees from the Let it Ride set rather high on the paper to allow enough distance to make the sizing between the father and son and the horses more believable.   Then, for some grassy and ground texture, I used the water image from the High Tide stamp set, stamping it with Crumb Cake ink.  I think it worked well, don't you?

With a bit of watercolouring and the use of several colours of my Stampin' Blends, I brought the scene to life.  And if you're wondering, yes, I did stamp the father and son separately and then fussy cut them out.

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:

Try It On Tuesday Challenge - It's A Man's World

Unicorn Challenge #44 - For the Men/Boys

Tales From the Craft Room Challenge #5 - Let's Hear it for the Boys

Addicted to Stamps and More #346 - Anything Goes

Crafty Creations Challenge #392 - Anything Goes

WWC224 - Karen's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

We're having an "anything goes" challenge with a feminine twist, hosted by Karen, at the Watercooler and I'm absolutely thrilled about it.   Why?  Well I just received an order from Altenew and anyone who knows that company, knows they make some awesome floral stamps.  And floral is perfect for a pretty, feminine card.

This pretty Dotted Blooms set comes with matching dies but for my card I decided I just wanted to do my stamping on the one piece of Mixed Media paper.  I love the lines of this image and wanted to try the "no-line" colouring for the blossoms.  I think they turned out rather nicely, don't you?  You can just see the crystal Nuvo drops on the petals, resembling the morning dew.

I added some blue around the image and then stencilled in a faint brick background.  I really didn't want to add much since I wanted the branch and blossoms to take centre stage.

I used the Heavy Whisper White as my base and then added a layer of Poppy Parade, lifted up with Foam Adhesive Strips.  Then I added a partial layer of Soft Suede for interest.  The sentiment is one of my favourites, from the Stampin' Up! Colorful Seasons stamp set.  I'm so glad that set carried over into the new catalogue.

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 #95 - Anything Goes

Crafting From the Heart Challenge #244 - Anything Goes

Double D Challenges:  Rose Garden

Crafty Creations Challenges #391:  Anything Goes

WWC223 - Anything Goes Challenge

Hurrah!  It's a real "anything goes" challenge this week and there are no twists, guides or restrictions.  How perfect since I had a graduation card on my schedule with some pretty special images, colours and folds.

While this doesn't look like a conventional graduation card, I fell in love with this sentiment.  Of course that wonderful Come Sail Away Designer Series paper I've used as my background pulls everything together.  How wonderful that the blue in the paper is the blue of the school's colours.  Could anything have worked out more perfectly?  Now I know that the super-wide Jute ribbon (sadly retired) looks as if it's only decorative in this photo.  But there is more to this card than first meets the eye.

Et voila!

As you can see, the ribbon, which is adhered to a piece of Soft Suede cardstock, is, in fact, the "belly band" which holds the rather thick card together.  For the inside of this awesome graduation pop-up twist surprise card, I've also used the Come Sail Away Designer Series paper, although this one is much brighter and lighter so that the large numbers, cut from Pacific Point cardstock, would be the focal point.  The sentiment and sailboat image are both from the stunning new Come Sail Away Suite and I can see many more cards designed using the various images in my future.

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:

Cardz 4 Guyz Challenge #220 - Beside the Seaside

Always Fun Challenges #112 - Graduation

Creative Moments Challenge #169 - Anything Goes

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #192 - Fancy Folds

WWC221 - Tristan's Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

I love masculine challenges!  And this one came at the perfect time for me to create a card for my awesome son-in-law.  Could the timing be better?  And I'm sure the images are just what he's day-dreaming about, too.

I love this terrific new stamp set in our new Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue.  Finally, "A Good Man" offers some awesome images of men at leisure.  This image lends itself perfectly to that beach and palm trees, doesn't it (palm trees not part of this set).  I did some masking to get that beach watercoloured in place and then, once that was done, coloured in my images using my Stampin' Blends.  As expected, Adam loved it.

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:

Cardz 4 Guyz:  Challenge #219 - Man Cave

Crafting from the Heart Challenge #243 - Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #341 - Anything Goes

The Male Room Challenge #111 - Anything Goes

WWC220 - Kath's "All About Occasions" Challenge

This is the time of year when I begin getting a bit sentimental.  So many of my favourite products are retiring.  It's time for one "last fling" before I get all excited about the new products which will be arriving soon.  Except for the cardstock, I've concentrated on retiring products for this card.

I will admit that retirement doesn't mean that I'll be getting rid of the sweet Fairy Celebration stamp set nor the Jar of Love bundle.  I've used those products many, many times and haven't finished with ideas for them yet.  Doesn't the fairy look adorable all fussy cut and sitting on that glass jar?  I love that she's doing her best to arrange the flowers, even though they seem almost too large for her to handle.

I've combined my images with the gorgeous Share What You Love Specialty Designer Series paper.  The flowers on the right side of the card caught more sunlight and, because they have a special pearlized finish, the colour shifted.  This is a card which is fun to hold and turn in the light because it catches and reflects in so many spots.  The fairy's wings, for example, are beautifully shimmery with their top layer of Wink of Stella.

The flowers which are in the jar and which the fairy is holding are all cut from another piece of that beautiful designer paper.  I don't use a lot of designer paper, but this one certainly appealed to me and has seen quite a bit of use.  I just love all the colours, don't you?

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:

Addicted to Stamps Challenge #174 - Flowers

Crafting From the Heart Challenge #242 - Always Anything Goes

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #93 - Anything Goes

The Sisterhood of Crafters: It's All About Flowers 

WWC219 - Heidi's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

It's strange how things work out.  When I first saw the Varied Vases bundle, it didn't impress me.  The images all seemed so small.  I wasn't a fan.  And then, on a whim, I bought it.  What can I say?  I've fallen in love.  Sometimes "small" makes a big impact.

I used a base of the Heavy Whisper White.  Then I layered a piece of Mossy Meadow and a piece of Mint Macaron.  The Mint Macaron was embossed using the gorgeous Subtle 3-D embossing folder.  Now someone else would have taken the easy road and just cut out a piece of Whisper White using the scalloped Oval die.  But someone like me doesn't realize there is an easier way and so I wound up cutting out a scalloped oval from the Mossy Meadow layer as well as the Mint Macaron layer.  That allowed the Heavy Whisper White to show through and thus created a white border around the pretty leafy Floral Romance Specialty Designer series paper.

I stamped the little vase using Mossy Meadow ink and then cut it out using the matching Vases Builder Punch.  Then I stamped the gorgeous orchid after inking up the stamp with my Mossy Meadow and Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Markers.  After I "huffed" the stamp, I managed a very nice image on a scrap of Whisper White.  I used the Flirty Flamingo ink pad to stamp the colour into the outlined orchid.  Then I proceeded to fussy cut the flowers and stem.  I used the punch to cut out the orchid leaf from a scrap of Mossy Meadow.

Assembly was simple.  I used dimensionals to adhere the vase and orchids to give the card more depth.  To finish up I stamped "Birthday Wishes" at the bottom right of the card using Mossy Meadow ink.  I love the results, don't you?

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:

International Art & Soul #57 - Anything Birthday

Crafting From the Heart #242 - Anything Goes

The crafty Addicts Challenge 60 - Anything Goes

Seize the Birthday #164 - Texture

WWC218 - Marsha's "All About Occasions" Catalogue

My card for this week's challenge is a bit of a celebration.  It spotlights products which I'm happy to say are being carried into the upcoming Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue (2019-20).  I am always "tickled pink" this time of the year when something I love doesn't retire.

The pretty teacup, of course, is from the soon-to-be-retiring Occasions Catalogue.  Of course the framelit dies for the set was one of the Sale-a-bration offerings.  How wonderful it was to discover that the two products would be part of the new Annual Catalogue.  Peeking out behind the teacup are the stylish open-work connected hearts, part of the Be Mine Stitched framelits dies which are part of the Meant to Be set, also from the Occasions Catalogue.  I was happy to see those carry into the new Annual Catalogue as well.

That stunning 3-D style embossing behind the teacup and hearts?  That folder was also one of the Sale-a-bration offerings.  Happily it, too, made its way into the new Annual Catalogue.  This is an embossing folder that is wonderfully versatile.  I can hardly wait to try some other ways of using it.

I'm happy with the way these products came together for this Mother's Day card.  I kept the colours simple with a base of Heavy Whisper White and then a layer of Mint Macaron and Highland Heather.  Even the Stampin' Blends I used and those open die-cut hearts carry on with those colours.

Oh, and those pretty Gold Metallic Pearls in the centres of the flowers?  Yes, they've also carried over into the new catalogue.

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:

Inkspirational Challenge #185 - Tea Photo

Lemon Shortbread Challenge Blog #92 - Anything Goes

Incy Wincy Designs Challenge - Coffee/Tea Time

Crafty Creations Challenges #389 - Anything Goes

WWC217 - Michelle's Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

How serendipitous it is that this week's challenge is for a masculine card and I need one for my brother-in-law's birthday!  Finally, I get to use that gorgeous Let It Ride stamp set.

My brother-in-law loves horses and the great outdoors.  What better way to use some of the images from this set than to create a watercolour background and then carefully do my stamping?  I used a combination of Soft Suede and Crumb Cake inks for the mountains.  Then I added some Balmy Blue for the water and, finally, some Mossy Meadow for the grass.  Once that had dried, I stamped the trees using Mossy Meadow and then stamped the image again just to the side of the first stamping without re-inking.  The darker and lighter trees add depth to the background.

I stamped the horses using Basic Grey ink.  To colour them in, for the one on the far left, I used a combination of Crumb Cake and Sahara Sand and for the one on the right, I used Grey Granite.  To finish up, I sponged the edges using a combination of Soft Suede and Crumb Cake.

My base is Early Espresso followed by a layer of that lovely and sadly retiring Wood Textures Designer Series Paper.  I love how the colours work together for this card, don't you?

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:

Stinkin' Inkers Challenge Blog:  Lovely As A Tree

Dragonfly Dreams Challenge - Inclue an Animal

Dare 2 B Artzy April Challenge - Animals

Crafty Creations Challenges #388 - Anything Goes

WWC216 - Dawn's "All About Occasions" Challenge

Sometimes an occasion is no more than a wish to brighten someone's day.  Isn't that an awesome reason to send a card?  That's what I've done for Dawn's "All About Occasions" Challenge, by mixing together the Sweet Storybook and Fable Friends stamp sets.

I kept the card clean and simple by stamping the foliage from the Sweet Storybook set directly onto my base of Heavy Whisper White.  I used the Call Me Clover, off-stamped once.  For my adorable little squirrel, I stamped the image onto a small piece of Whisper White and then stamped the flower portion once on a scrap of Whisper White.  After colouring the images using my Stampin' Blends, I proceeded to fussy-cut them out.  (I need a helpful Crafting Elf to keep me company and do all my cutting.)

I mounted the separate flower on top of the flower which was part of the image, using a small Dimensional foam and some Tombo white glue.  I wanted the petals beside the squirrel's face to be flat against him instead of raised.  Then I added Dimensional foam pieces all over the back of the squirrel and flower image and mounted that at the base of the stamped foliage image.

I'm very happy to share the results in Dawn's challenge.

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:

CAS on Sunday Challenge #155 - Anything Spring

Inkspirational Challenge #184 - Pop it up!

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #91 - Anything Goes

WWC214 - Marsha's "All About Occasions" Challenge

I love our "All About Occasions" challenges, don't you?  This time of the year, especially, they give me a chance to put together some fun Easter projects.

I have two grandsons and one of the things both love about Easter is the hunt.  We can only hope that the snow will be gone this year and that it isn't replaced by rain.  Paper products just don't do all that well when it's wet, nor do the yummy chocolate-filled eggs in these little baskets.  I have to give credit to Angie Juda for this pattern.  Although I made a few cosmetic changes, I stayed true to her measurements.  If you click on Angie's name, you'll find the instructions, a great video and an awesome template.

I've combined the newest Sale-a-bration paper, the Painted Seasons Designer Series paper, with one of the absolutely adorable stamp sets from the Occasions Catalogue, the Fable Friends set.  I love that bunny because he makes me think of Peter Rabbit and, of course, that makes me think of poor Mr. McGregor who was forever trying to save his carrots and cabbage from the marauding bunnies.  Yes, I know those are flowers on the Designer Paper, but look at them sideways and squint, and they make perfect cabbages.

I've used Crumb Cake for the basic baskets and then added the pieces of Designer Paper.  For the bunnies, I stamped them on pieces of Whisper White, cut them out using the Stitched Oval Framelits and then coloured them using my Stampin' Blends and Watercolour Pencils.  The Matte is Call Me Clover, which is one of the colours in the Designer Paper.

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 #90 - Anything Goes

Get Creative Challenges #78 - Anything But A Card

Incy Wincy Designs Challenge - For the Men and Boys

WWC213 - Karen's Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

I bought a new stamp from Impression Obsession and I believe I'm obsessed.  In the course of a week I've made three cards with it.  Each time I've made one, I've thought of a different way I could have used it.  Oh yes, it is definitely obsession.  Luckily it works perfectly for our challenge this week which is a Masculine "Anything Goes", hosted by Karen.

For my first card I had the idea of giving it a wood-burning sort of style.  I used a light coloured pattern from the gorgeous Wood Textures Designer Series Paper and stamped the image using Soft Suede.  I heat dried that to really set the ink and then used my AquaPainter to lightly add some Crumb Cake, Soft Suede and Early Espresso to the image to add to the wood-burned style of it.  Once I was satisfied, I ripped around the perimeter and proceeded to sponge the raw edges as well as distress them.  I love the aged look it gave the paper, don't you?

For my base I used Early Espresso and used the retired Wood Grain embossing folder on the front.  I added a layer of the Wood Textures DSP in a slightly darker shade, but which coordinated with the stamped piece.  I'm really happy with the rustic, vintage style of it.

A couple of days later I just had to try it again on another piece of the Wood textures DSP, but this time I chose a white birch look.  The shabby white-washed piece was perfect to stamp on with my Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  It had the same tone as the distressed part of the patterned paper, but slightly lighter.  After stamping, I didn't add any colours but instead, used my distressing tools on the edges to make the stamped piece look old and shabby.

I used the retired White Naturals cardstock as my base and a piece of Soft Suede as the matte.  In the top left corner I added a stamped and die-cut fly-fishing hook from the Best Catch bundle and, after colouring it in neutrals, attached it over a piece of linen thread.

I like the look of that hook in the corner, don't you?  It finishes the card off quite nicely.

And then I got the bright idea to stamp the image on Whisper White cardstock using my Black Memento ink.  After that had dried nicely, I got to work colouring the image using my Faber-Castell coloured pencils and Gamsol.  For this one, I used a base of Heavy Whisper White and then double-matted with Gray Granite and Basic Black.

So you can see what's kept me busy this past week.  I had to satisfy my obsession so that I could begin thinking about other stamps.

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:

Incy Wincy Designs Challenge - For the Men and Boys

Dare 2 B Artzy March Challenge - Anything Goes

WWC212 - Tristan's "All About Occasions" Challenge

Yay!  I made the top three!

We're having an "All About Occasions" Challenge hosted by Tristan this week.  I love the possibilities that are offered by this challenge.  So many big and little occasions happen in our lives all year long.  I also love that I had an opportunity to use a brand new Happy Hoppers stamp created by Ellen Jareckie.

Isn't that a fun image?  Stampendous offers all these wonderful images created by Ellen Jareckie in rubber stamps.  I wound up with a perfectly crisp image which I had a lot of fun colouring with my Aquapainter and several of my ink pads.  The umbrella is Rich Razzleberry, the raindrops and puddle are Balmy Blue, and the adorable little frog is a combination of Pear Pizzaz and Mossy Meadow.  For the bunny's fur I changed to my Stampin' Blends and used the Crumb Cake and Petal Pink.

That lovely patterned piece with all the watercoloured dots is from the Share What You Love Specialty Designer Series paper.  I've taken all my colours from that paper (except the frog).  My two slanted pieces of cardstock are Grapefruit Grove and Tranquil Tide.  I love the way the colours and images came together.  I think someone's spirits are going to be lifted with this little card.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and also welcome our brand new Watercooler Artist, Michelle Wallace.

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge #286 - Anything Goes with Option of Dots or Stripes

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #89 - Always Anything Goes

WWC211 - Kath's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

This week's Watercooler Wednesday challenge is an "Anything Goes" with a feminine twist.  Fun?  Of course it is, especially with that gorgeous Botanical Butterfly Designer Series Paper which I got through my Sale-a-bration credits.  Oh...and there is a huge surprise inside.

My base is Basic Black and then I've simply added a layer of the Botanical Butterfly DSP.  The paper I've used is so elegant with its black and white design, isn't it?  I love those butterflies!  Beside using one piece for the front of my card, I also fussy cut one butterfly from a small leftover piece.  The way I've designed the card, I also had the opportunity to finally use the dies from the Celebrate You thinlits.

What looks like a narrow panel with a butterfly and die-cut "YOU" is actually a belly-band, holding the card together.  I've posted a close up of the butterfly because it is actually covered on both sides with a layer of clear Nuvo crystal drops.  The result is a butterfly that appears to be plastic rather than paper.  The awesome part is that the antennae (yes, I fussy-cut those, too) are nice and strong.

And this is the surprise inside:

I've used the retired Petal Passion Designer Series Paper because its simple black and white design is perfect for this card.  Each of those coloured butterflies is from the Botanical Butterfly DSP and, yes, each one has been fussy-cut.  Sometimes I wonder if I'm a glutton for punishment.  The "Happy Day" die cut on the top panel is actually the wonderful Happy Birthday thinlits die with the "birth" missing.

I love how this Twist Pop Up card turned out, don't you?  

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:

"Just Us Girls" Challenge #477 - Word Week (Birthday)

Inkspirational Challenge #181 - Use Your Stash

WWC210 - Heidi's "All About Occasions" Challenge

Oh, I love special occasions, don't you?  For this challenge, I decided to use that adorable Sale-a-bration So Hoppy Together stamp set and the new framelits that compliment it.  How perfect for a special birthday!

I decided to use Basic Gray cardstock as my base and then added a layer of Crushed Curry before adding the stamped Whisper White layer.  I stamped the unicycle slightly crookedly since I intended to have my frog counterbalance by standing on the seat on one leg.  Yes, this is a very daring frog!  I used the framelit die to cut out the frog image and then coloured it and attached it using Dimensionals for a 3-D look.  Above the frog, I added two mosquitoes (flies?) which I had stamped and cut out using the framelit die.

I wasn't entirely certain when I began the card, whether I would have the unicycle balanced on a lilypad or on a tightrope.  In the end I chose the tightrope, to add to his daring feat.  I think the green retired thick baker's twine is perfect, don't you?

Since the front of my birthday card is relatively simple, I decided to add a little special something to the inside.  what could be better than a little pop-up scene?  For that I combined a number of products including the So Hoppy Together bundle.

The grasses in the centre are die-cut using the Catch of the Day thinlits dies.  The little frogs and lily pad are from the So Hoppy Together bundle and those cute balloons were cut with the Balloon Bouquet Punch.

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

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

The Cutie Pie Challenge #132 - One for the boys

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

WWC209 - Marsha's Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

What fun!  This week's challenge, hosted by Marsha Reed, is our Masculine challenge.  Better still, it's an "anything goes" challenge.  And there is one bundle in particular from the Stampin' Up! Occasions catalogue, which is perfect for this challenge.  Wait till you see what I did with the Classic Garage Suite.

I took the colour inspiration from the gorgeous Classic Garage Designer Series paper.  That led to a base of Basic Black, a layer of Tranquil Tide and a layer of Crushed Curry, all colours in that wonderful designer paper which is the next layer.  Don't those tire tracks in all those colours look amazing?

Among the designs in the paper stack, there is a page all in black and white, featuring classic cars.  I fussy cut the one featured for this card and used Dimensionals to attach it to a strip of prepared Crushed Curry cardstock.  How did I prepare it?  First I stamped it with the "oil spill" image from the Geared Up Garage stamp set using Gray Granite ink.  Then I sprayed it liberally with water and scrunched it tightly into a sort of ball, squeezing the cardstock tightly.  After a few moments, I straightened it and put it under some weight to dry.  I love the rumpled, worn finish, don't you?

While that was drying, I cut a bunch of gears out of the Galvanized Metallic paper which is, unfortunately retired.  I love the dull metallic look to that paper, don't you?  I glued the gears randomly and then attached the strip of "beat up" Crushed Curry, matted by a piece of Basic Black.  I saved one gear to attach to the top right corner.   Then I heat embossed my sentiment using Black Embossing Powder on a scrap of Vellum.  Once that was cold, I glued that just under the gear.

For the inside of the card I merely added a piece of Whisper White and then stamped the tire tracks from the One Wild Ride set using Smoky Slate ink and added the sentiment which is also from the same stamp set.

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

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

The Cutie Pie Challenge #132 - One for the boys 

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Things With Wheels

The Corrosive Challenge Blog #2 February - Anything Goes

WWC208 - Charlotte's "All About Occasions" Challenge

I love our "All About Occasions" challenges!   They're perfect for all sorts of celebrations throughout the year.  This time I decided to go all romantic with a Valentine's Day card using colours inspired by the gorgeous vellum pattern in my favourite Specialty Designer Series paper, the Floral Romance.

I used that pretty Vellum patterned paper along the left side of the card and complimented it along the right side by embossing the Whisper White layer with the retired Falling Petals embossing folder.  Since I love those darling little mice from the Sweet Storybook set, I stamped one on each of two Whisper White hearts which I cut using the Be Mine Stitched Framlelit dies.  I love that there is a scalloped stitched piece to be used as a matte for the simple hearts.  I also cut a much smaller heart from a piece of Petal Pink cardstock to link the two larger hearts and also to compliment the Petal Pink in the patterned Vellum. 

I wanted a smaller Whisper White heart to pop on top of that scalloped Petal Pink heart but there wasn't a die in the right size and so I cut another scalloped heart from a small piece of Whisper White and then simply cut off the stitching and scallops and had the piece I wanted.  For the centre of that white heart, I cut a small heart from the gorgeous Sale-a-bration Grapefruit Grove foil sheets.  That foil is amazing because it looks a different colour from every angle, just like an opal.

For the inside of the card I used a matte of Petal Pink behind a piece of Whisper White and then stamped the pretty flourish from the Timeless Textures set using Petal Pink ink.  The sentiment is also from the Sweet Storybook set.

Remember, you can get the Grapefruit Grove Foil free with qualifying purchases from Stampin' Up! until March 31st.

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

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

Always Fun Challenges #97 - Love-Valentines

Dream Valley Challenges #195 - Love & Kisses