52CCT Distress Ink Blending Snowy Christmas Sunset

 I love this forest and deer stamp and have used it quite a bit. I have had it for years. I love that it can be used for any time of year as it has nothing to do with winter ...unless you add snow!  It would be a perfect masculine card as well.  

 I had an image in mind, on what my card should look like but it took me 3 tries!  My first time I didn't like the colors. It looked like mud as I blended.  Second time I realized I should have stamped the image last as the distress ink made it look like more muted grayish instead of a nice black as I blended.  Three times is the charm they say!

After I was happy with the ink blending for the land, water and sky, I used the sun and ray stencil with the same Squeezed Lemonade and blended it so it went up into the sky.  

After I did the rays I lightly went back over with the pink and blue in the sky again to blend the rays in a little.  On the actual card, the rays are more faint than in the photograph.  I made sure to stamp the image 4 times.  Two times first and then I moved the image over to the left edge to fill in the rest of the land and trees. I stamped 2 more times for the edge.  I wanted that dark crisp black.  Next, came the snow falling and that was white paint splatted with an old toothbrush I keep in my art supplies.  A little trick I learned from back in the day when I learned how to oil paint.  I believe I was around 11 or 12 at the time.  I also used THE BEST EVER white gel pen to make snow...Arteza White Gel Pen.  I have used this type a lot over the years and this brand never fails me!

Can you believe half the year is not even here yet and I almost have all my Christmas cards done!  This is the very first time I am not scrambling in November.  

Where are you at?  Have you even started yet? 

*smile*

 

 Submitted To Challenge

 

 

Supplies

• Fun Stampers Journey Stay Wild Stamp
  
•  Distress Oxide: Faded Jeans, Squeezed Lemonda, Pumice Stone,Stormy Sky, Picked Raspberry
  
•  Blended Brushes
  
• Neenah Solar White Cardstock
• Navy Cardstock
• Christmas Words Company Unknown
• Precise V5 Rolly Penn Extra Fine
• Tempera Primary White Paint for snow 
• American Crafts Pack of 3 Where to Next Stencil for sun rays
• Arteza White Gel Pen
  

Stencil Backgrounds

 I had fun over the weekend making a few backgrounds.  I have a lot of stencils and felt it was time to pull them out and play.  I do not have sentiments for them all yet, but they will go into my pile I have for when I need a card.

 

  Supplies:

White, Black Cardstock

                    Scrapbook.com Rose Bloom Stencil

                    Cathe Holden Layered Vintage Floral 

                    Brutus Monroe Flowering Vine

                    Blended Brushes

                    Distress Oxide: 

                        Candied Apple, Carved Pumpkin, Mustard Seed, Cracked Pistachio, Salty Ocean, Dusty                            Concord, Seedless Preserves, Twisted Citron, Prize Ribbon, Peacock Feathers,                                            Rustic Wilderness, Tumbled Glass,

                    

                    

Mandala's Birthday

Today I challenged myself.

I have most everything in plastic cases on the shelf..sometimes they house stamps and often times dies.  All of them are cataloged in my book.   Someday I will share how it is all set up.  Some stamps, I have not used yet and some I have not used in a long time.  I always tend to grab for the same thing.   Today I decided to just reach in and pull out one case.  I wasn't sure what it was going to be but whatever it was, I was hoping I could use it for birthday cards.  The case I pulled out had two mandala items..one was a die and one was a stamp.  Lucky me,  I would be able to use it for birthday cards and the stamp had never been used!  I got it free when I went to a Hero Arts event.  

I was able to get 3 birthday cards done.

I used the die twice and the stamp once.  

Here is the card I used the stamp on.  It was colored with Spectrum Noir glitter markers.  The image was cut out and glued on top of the background.  The background has the same glitter markers splattered on it.  I did not notice, but when I splattered the background some of it got on my table.  What did I do?  I laid the base of the card right on top so some splatter got on the back and of course I did not notice until the card was put together.  Know what I did to fix it without ripping it apart?  I just splattered more on the back and made it look like I did it on purpose!  

Here is the close up so you can see how pretty all that glitter looks!

This next card was simple as the background  was one I had laying around.  I took white cardstock and die cut the center.  Glued the background on the back.  The white die cut mandala was colored with oxide inks and glued back onto the same spot it was cut out from.  

This one actually is two mandalas I colored with Oxide Inks and cut parts off to glue around the card.  I used My Favorite Things Inside Outside die to make a border and circle center.  I love these dies because it puts a stitched mark on both sides...the piece cut off and the main piece.  Most dies only shows the stitches on the piece you cut out and I found that frustrating!  It was never on the piece I wanted to use.  These dies gives you both choices.  

 I actually enjoyed just pulling a case out to use.  I may have to challenge myself more often!

Have a super day!

Netta

Ingredients

• Spectrum Noir: Red Berry, Aquamarine, Teacup, Rose Quartz, Peony, Cosmos, Sea Breeze, Sand Dune
• Versamark Ink Pad
• Black Embossing Powder
• Cricut Cuttlebug Anna Griffin "Cherry Blossom" embossing folder.
• Happy Birthday Die is a Amazon no-name brand 
• Hero Arts Florals Star Flower cling Stamp
• My Favorite Things Captivating Mandala Die
• Distress Oxide Shaded Lilac, Broken China, Peacock Feathers, Cracked Pistachio
• My Favorite Things Inside Outside Stitched Dies
• Fiskars Birthday Cheer Stamp "Celebrate"
• Stampin Up Wetland Birthday Stamp
• Versafine Onyx Black

Happy 94th Birthday Dad!

I can't believe my Father-in-law's 94th birthday is today!  The past year has been a health struggle for him but he is doing very well now.  It gives me great pleasure to be able to make him another birthday card.

 Since he lives in Florida, I decided to make him a card with an ocean scene.

I created the background laying down 3 colors of Oxide Inks onto white cardstock.  I just learned how you can spritz a stencil with a little bit of water and then flip it over onto the Oxide inks, press a paper towel on top to sop up the water and remove the stencil.  Use a heat gun to dry the card and watch the magic of the stencil appear on top!  For his card, I used one to make it look like waves in the water. 

The turtles were colored with Copics and hand cut out.  I used a molding mat and a ball tool to press on the underside of the turtle so they would be more 3D.

I added a small amount of silicone glue so the areas I rubbed will stay rounded.  It keeps the image from squishing flat in mailing.

After putting all the parts together, I put a little bit of glue and sprinkle the sand along the bottom.

The whole top scene has foam under it to raise it above the ocean behind it.

Dad, I love to sit at dinner and listen to you talk about your past.  I love to hear about all the obstacles you faced growing up and depths of your experiences.  It's been such a pleasure getting to know you over the years.  You have so much wisdom and knowledge.  I especially love how you save everything to recreate or fix. Well, everything except that can opener!  You fixed it so well that it now takes the top of a can off so fast, I am afraid for my life and step way back!  *LOL* It works though!

Happy Birthday Dad.

I am looking forward to making you another year of cards in the coming year.

Netta

• Distress Oxide Salty Ocean, Twisted Citron, Tumbled Glass
• Hero Arts Unicorn Pigment Ink
• Memento Tuxedo Black
• Emerald Creek Baked Texture for sand
• WOW Twinklebelle glitter
• McGill Molding Mat and 8MM Ball Tool
• Olba transparent silicone glue
• TCW Stencil Mini Moving Vines
• Simon Says Waves Stencil
  
• Copics: E15, YG00, YG25, YG63, YR00, YR02
• Stampin Up "From Land to Sea" set
• Memory Box Dies: Reef Border and Frame Set, Seaweed Ribbons, Delicate Coral
• Message Strip printed from Computer

52 CCT Challenge-October Color-Take 2

I decided to give the silver challenge another go (see prior post) 

This time I used Distress Oxides colors Seedless Preserves, Lucky Clover, Twisted Citron and Mustard Seed.  I just kept coloring all over the white square with different colors until it was filled and I was satisfied with the color.  I had no idea if this next idea would work but I decided to give it a try.

I wet a paper towel & folded it to make it like an ink pad.  I stamped a pine branch stamp against the wet paper towel to "ink" it up and set it down onto the paper...letting it set for a moment before lifting it off.  I had a dry paper towel which I padded gently after each time I inked with water.  I was a bit disappointed my idea did not work until it began to dry and I could see it was doing exactly as I hoped. It had lifted just enough color and if you look close you can see the pine bough marks behind the ornaments.  I wanted the effect of Christmas tree boughs and the hint of color from Christmas tree lights bouncing off the boughs.

All in all...I was quite happy with the results!

I will be adding this to the challenge at http://52cct.blogspot.com as well.

Happy Crafting!

Netta

Sympathy Sunset

One of my favorite stamps from Impression Obsession is called Trees and Lake.  I have used it for birthday cards before and this time it is a sympathy card.  The tree stamp was inked with Stampin Up Basic Black.  I used distress inks and sponges to create the sunset.

These two cards were easy but one of them was also the hardest.   One of the cards will go to a very close family friend, Jeff.   Jeff lost one of his sons a couple of years ago and on Friday, he lost his last remaining son to a car crash.  Both sons were very young and both were lost suddenly.  To top it all off, on Saturday his wife had a heart attack and is in the hospital.  I can't imagine the stress and what they are going through right now.  My heart goes out to them both. 

Manetta

Sunset Birthday

I am not sure why I have not used the Tim Holtz Distress inks much but after creating this sunset birthday card, I will!  The colors are so vivid and bright!  I used the colors Barn Door, Faded Jeans and Wild honey to create this card.  

Popping this card into the mail for a special someone today!

Today is my crafting day so back to more fun.

See you soon!