...Hope...

Happy holiday weekend, crafty friends!

I know all my American buddies will be recovering from a late night watching fireworks.

Here in Canada, we celebrated earlier this week on July 1st. In fact, I had a four-day weekend last week, as the hospital I work at mandated a "slow-down" day this past Monday. No complaints here!

So here's the current sketch from Freshly Made Sketches.

That big circle is kind of intriguing...reminded me of a sunrise or sunset.

 I cut a big orange circle from patterned paper and then stamped a beautiful sentiment from Verve. It was anchored with some arrows (strip of DP and washi tape), and a big bright feather cut from the same DP. The bird taking flight, is a piece of embossible metal, from Provocraft. I ran it through an embossing folder, then tinted it with alcohol markers.

I kind of like the collage-look!

Get out there and enjoy the weather!

Happy crafting,

Caroline

Things are looking up...FMS #141

I really liked the look of Freshly Made Sketches' design for this week. It's so nice and squared and "quilty."

 I knew I wanted to use a hot-air balloon or plane image for the focal centre and played around with some stamped clouds for the border sections. But they competed too much (they're going to end up on another card, never fear!), so I went for something more subtle.

I just bought some "amazing acetate" from Paper Wishes. You can stamp, die-cut, heat- and dry-emboss this stuff and it won't warp or shrink.  I started out running some through an embossing folder, but it was TOO subtle. Are you starting to feel like Goldilocks?

So I went with embossing the border pieces in matching card-stock, but high-lighting the embossing with a silver Staz-on ink-pad.  

Here's the "just right" version:

The hot-air balloon (Close to My Heart D1581) was coloured with Distress markers and a water-brush.

Sequins courtesy of Pretty Pink Posh.

This card could work as a graduation or other "moving-on" event.

Have a great week!

Caroline

Supplies:

Cardstock in White Daisy and Slate, CTMH

Archival black ink, CTMH

Stamp set, D1581, CTMH

Distress Markers, Ranger

Silver Staz-on, Tsuneiko

Stars embossing folder, Provocraft

Sequins, Pretty Pink Posh

Foam tape

Just...Hello!

I had such fun playing with Simon Says Stamp's Favorite Flowers last week (see my FMS post, HERE), that I decided to continue exploring its possibilities.

This is a card design I CASED and used for a card workshop back in May.  I had a bunch of watercolor paper already cut to size, so might as well use it up.  I love the look of black line-drawing and water-coloring.  It has a kind of pretty, cartoon vibe.

Orange and pink.  

This is the first version, and I decided to add a little border/definition between the DP and the watercolor panel.

Pink and yellow. 

The border is just a line of Forest Moss Distress marker, drawn across the card base.

Orange and blue. 

I think this is my fave. The shading on the blue flowers turned out especially pretty.

 It's "Anything Goes" this week at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog. So these beauties are going to get linked up over there.

Happy crafting!

Caroline

Supplies:

watercolor paper: Michael's

Favorite Flowers stamp set: Simon Says Stamp

Designer Paper: Skylark, Close to My Heart

Hello die: The Crafter's Workshop

Black textured card-stock: Wausau Papers

Tim Holtz Distress Markers

Water brush

Archival Black ink:  Close to My Heart

Hey.....graduate!

Hey y'all!

Hope everyone enjoyed a happy day, celebrating with their fathers (and brothers and husbands and sons).

We celebrated my son's graduation with a B.Mus. in classical guitar performance. Plus he won an award for highest GPA in a specialization. Fun and moving convocation ceremony, excellent meal at "The Side-Door" restaurant, lots of photos!

 And I found a few minutes to play along with some challenges, too.

This diagonal design from Freshly Made Sketches, and the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog, where the challenge is to STENCIL IT. 

Here's the card:

 I used a recently acquired geometrical stencil from Club Scrap to add a diagonal line across the card base; it reminds me of a garden trellis or lattice. Then I layered a vine die-cut from MFT on top of that, stitching it down to echo the stitched line in the sketch. I used the "Favorite Flowers" stamp set from SSS for the roses (using 2nd generation colour for the base and first-generation for the detail) and the sentiment.  Some coordinating enamel dots complete the card.

Off to link up and then off to bed. I'll add some deets on supplies used tomorrow.

Have a happy week,

Caroline

TIME...to celebrate Fathers

This is the Father's Day card I made for my kids to give their dad. (Boys, you know they need a little nudge...).

It is a total CASE from one designed by Ann Barba, from the Paper Wishes website. I just changed up the sentiment, to fit the occasion, for the "Best Dad of all Time."

 It was lots of fun to colour in the clocks and gears with copper and gold Smooch inks. The black embossed design actually resists colour, so it was easy to stay within  the lines.  The beautiful silver linen paper just makes the card. Some copper jewel Dazzles also fit the theme.

Here's the inside:

 I used a stamp from Verve, inking the big "DAD" in gold Delicata and stamping the definition over top. The greeting and gears are more pieces from the "Color Me" pack.

Hope your weekend includes some grilling and stamping!

Happy Crafting, 

Caroline

You're GRATE!

Isn't this GRATE?!

I'm a little late in posting this to Newton's Nook Designs' latest Inky Paws challenge:

Jennifer posted a "grate" tutorial this week on how to emboss metal.  I thought I'd give it a try using just aluminum foil.

I adhered some tin-foil to a piece of card-stock and de-bossed that with a large-circle pattern (so that the circles are recessed).  

 Then I coloured the cute little grater from the "Just Say Cheese" stamp set, mounted it on a pinked circle and added it all to a top-fold card. Which I figured also looked a bit like a grater...

Enjoy your weekend, cheesy or otherwise!

Caroline

Supplies:

Newton's Nook Designs "Just Say Cheese" stamp set

Sizzix pinked circles dies

Spellbinder's nested circle dies

Provocraft embossing folder

Copic Markers

Card-stock in Crême Brulé, Hollyhock and White Daisy (CTMH) 

Memento ink in Tuxedo Black

Missing you... for Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge #10

Playing along with Newton's Nook Inky Paws challenge!

This cute little guy is Winston (which happens to be one of my son's nick-name--its a long story!). He is drawn to be able to hold several little stamps that come in this set:

I made a "missing you" card and used the "grin and BEAR it" sentiment for the inside.

Using DIstress inks, I stamped some leaf images using onto a large wood veneer leaf shape to make it look like a tree. Then I layered the corresponding vein on top, having coloured that, too, to create a tree trunk.

Winston is stamped onto brown suede paper, and shaded with Copic markers. He's really soft to the touch!

He's holding onto an S-O-S/I-love-you balloon, floating above the forest. With a craft knife, I cut slits around his paw, and used the baker's twine that Jennifer Jackson sent with the stamp set, to anchor the balloon.

This challenge runs for another week--break out your Newton's Nook stamps and give it a try!

Happy crafting,

Caroline

Supplies:

Winston's birthday stamp set (Newton's Nook)

Memento Rich Cocoa Ink

Copic Markers

Distress Markers

Paper SMooches Border Dies 1 (contour)

My Favorite Things grass die

Avery Elle's Alpha Dies

Paper Wishes: balloon die & suede paper

My Mind's Eye 6x6 paper pack

Card-stock (CTMH)

Wood veneer shapes (Close to My Heart-retired)

Missing--sentiment stamp (CTMH-retired)

Signo-Uniball white pen