Unembellished Blooming Roses

front of card

close-up of image panel showing paper pierced scallops

inside of card

"NO EMBELLISHMENTS" is Challenge 11 at the Splitcoaststampers Sugar Nellie Forum. I must have fulfilled the brief because as I was taking the photos my husband appropriately commented that he thought it a bit ordinary. Again it is one of those cards that could be used for a number of occasions - friendship, birthday, or a new baby boy card.

Recipe
Stamp Sugar Nellie Big Bunch of Love.
Inks etc.... Memento Tuxedo Black (image). Broken China Distress Ink & Brilliance Galaxy Gold (either singly or combined) were used for inking all cardstock & paper edges, & the Broken China also for sponging the message panel's scalloped circle.
Colouring Copic Ciaos, Sakura Stardust Pens.
Cardstock Bright gold cream Moondust, vintage gold Moondust, textured cream & turquoise from "stash".
Paper Nancy Watt Collection - Fashion, Flowers & Dots.
Punches Woodware (circles & scalloped circles).

Challenges Entered
Sugar Nellie Splitcoaststampers 11 - No Embellishments
Cowgirl's Sunday Challenge - Anything Goes
Crafts & Me #7 - Birthdays (see above)
Create 4 Fun Wk 25 - Baby Card (see above)
Creative Inspirations Wedenesday Challenge #66 - Colour Scheme: Turquoise, Gold & Cream ONLY (Negative, flesh & hair colours are permitted so I used the hair colours for the shoes).
Forever Friends - Not Forever Friends
Simon Says Stamp - Friends (see above)

Hammered Vintage Fuse Wire

front of card

 photographed without flash

 

front of card

photographed with flash showing gloss on image & sheen of Moondust cardstock

inside of card

Another card for the non-cute gentleman. As he gives me things he thinks I might find useful for crafting (& lends me his tools) I thought it appropriate to use some of the ancient fuse wire he gave me some time ago instead of string/ribbon for the tag. I did have to hammer the fuse wire somewhat to enable me to thread it through the eyelet. I stamped & heat embossed my image onto a piece of die cut white cardstock & (starting with the lightest innermost) sponged the Distress Inks over it, then wiped over the embossing with a piece of kitchen paper. The following day I still had inky fingers but I was pleased with the result. Again the project evolved as I worked but I'm hoping the resultant effect is somewhat along the lines of a tool board to which an old charred picture has been attached.

Recipe
Stamp Creative Expressions LL219F.
Inks etc.... VersaMark watermark stamp pad & Stampendous Detail Clear Embossing Powder (image), Distress Inks (Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Brushed Corduroy & Black Soot) for sponging. The Vintage Photo was used by itself for edging all the cardstock.
Cardstock White, brown Moondust & bright gold cream Moondust from "stash".
Punches/Dies Woodware (tag), Spellbinders Nestabilities Large Deckled Rectangles
Eyelet Dovecraft.
Charms GCS Imports Ltd.
The metal studs were from "stash".

Challenges Entered
A Spoonfull of Sugar #109 - Good Luck/Best Wises (it's a 65th birthday card which is also marking the gentleman's official retirement)
Crafts & Me #6 - Friends & Family
Crafty Cardmakers #23 - Cards for Men!
Creative Inspirations Challenge #36 - Monochrome
Creative Inspirations Wednesdays Challenge #65 - One For The Boys!
Magical Crafts #17 - Something for a Male/Father's Day
One Stop Craft Challenge Wk 85 - One for the Boys

Pistachio Sugar & Spice

front of card

close-up of image

inside of card

There are two challenges listed below with summer or sunshine themes. I looked at the criteria quite carefully &, since the stipulations were to make a card inspired by something done in the summer/sunshine or colours associated with summer/sunshine, I decided that my card does qualify for these. The colours I used are the ice cream colours of pistachio & vanilla with the dark green being either candied angelica, green glace cherries or mint liqueur sauce. This combination immediately makes me think of sitting eating an ice cream sundae at one of those little ice cream parlours that seem to appear when you go on holiday. I have followed the sketch provided by this week's  Allsorts Challenge.  

Recipe
Stamp Belles 'n Whistles Beary Big Hugs.
Inks etc.... Memento Tuxedo Black (image). Color Box Pheasant Gold for inking all cardstock & paper edges excepting the punched leaves.
Colouring Copic Ciaos, Inkssentials White Opaque Pen.
Cardstock Pale gold cream Moondust & dark green from "stash".
Paper Nancy Watt Collection - Fancy Framed Quotes & Florals.
Punches Woodware (scalloped square, circle & scalloped circle), Nellie Snellen (leaves).
The green bows are from a Hot Off The Press Bright Brad Pack ( I cut the legs off), the buttons are Woodware & the flower gems are from "stash".

Challenges Entered
Belles 'n Whisles - Buttons & Bows
Allsorts Wk 57 - Sketch
A Spoon Full of Sugar #108 - Sunshine Inspired Card (see above)
Bunny Zoe's Crafts #1 - Nice & Girly
Charisma Cardz #24 - All About Bling (gems, buttons & glossy metal bows)
Creative Inspirations Challenge #36 - Monochrome
Paperplay Wk 24 - Something Old (the dark green cardstock must have been amongst my initial cardstock purchases as it seems to have been amongst my "stash" for rather a long time.
Papertake Weekly - Ice Cream Flavours (see above)
Stamp Something - Something Summer! (see above)
Totally Gorjuss #35 - Sugar & Spice! (girly image)

A Different Musing to that Intended

front of card

close-up of image showing glittered wings &

sparkle on bracelet 

close-up showing textured glossy black cardstock,

floral ribbon & glittered shrink plastic flowers

inside of card

I set out with completely different colours in mind: green, red or blue in fact. It was the striped paper that caused the mauve to reappear - since I wanted to use stripes both horizontally & vertically it was this or various shades of black through to white. I still marvel at how a card makes itself as I work on it.

The card follows Sketch Challenge #3 given by Claudia Rosa on the Whiff of JoyTutorials & Inspirations Blog. 

As before the shrink plastic flowers were made from punched white shrink plastic with Stickles Glitter Glue for the flower centres.  

 
Recipe

Stamp Whiff of Joy Musing Melinda.

Inks etc.... Memento Tuxedo Black (image). Black Soot Distress Ink for inking cardstock & paper edges.
Colouring Copic Ciaos, Inkssentials White Opaque Pen, Sakura Stardust Pen, Stickles Glitter Glue (Ice Stickles Cherry Ice).
Cardstock Moondust black, Moondust mauve, textured glossy black, white & pink from "stash".
Punches Woodware (circle & scalloped circle, flowers, edging punch).
Ribbon Hobby Craft.
Gem & Striped Paper from "stash".

High Hope Meljen's Designs Blog Hop

Melissa Jenkins has joined the High Hopes team & a Blog Hop  has been organized for this Friday when the stamps featuring her images are released. See here for further information.

Musing Over Tearing Paper

front of card

close-up of image showing glittered wings

& sparkle on bracelet

inside of card

(click on above image to see the sheen of the

Moondust mauve cardstock)

As I mentioned a few posts ago I have learnt much (& continue to do so) from the Whiff of Joy Tutorials & Inspirations Blog. This week Claudia Rosa has provided 2 very different sketches for inspiration with interpretations to be submitted by Friday 18th. I have completed Sketch #4 first - it had me thinking as there was an indication of torn paper being an element of the design. Tearing paper is not something I find easy - not because of damaging the paper - it's just that I don't seem to be able to get a reasonable result when I do attempt it. It occurred to me that the pattern on the sketch looked like deckle edging &, since I have a box of  decorative edging scissors languishing on a shelf, I thought I might experiment a little. I cut the paper, inked the edges & then fitted them back together again.

I thoroughly enjoyed colouring the image, I think it is the first time I have been able to colour & use the first image - the rubbish bin normally fills somewhat as soon as I start colouring. I shall be using Musing Melinda for the second sketch as I want to see what impact a different sketch & colours will have upon the same image. Hopefully I can complete the second project also before the deadline on Friday.

Recipe

Stamp Whiff of Joy Musing Melinda.
Inks etc.... Memento Tuxedo Balck (image). Dusty Concord Distress Ink for inking cardstock & paper edges.
Colouring Copic Ciaos, Letraset Black Fine Line Drawing Pen, Inkssentials White Opaque Pen, Sakura Stardust Pen, Stickles Glitter Glue (Ice Stickles Lemon Ice).
Cardstock White, textured white & Moondust mauve from "stash".
Paper Joanna Sheen Gingham Paper Pad.
Punches Woodware (circles & scalloped circle, hearts & scalloped hearts).
Paper Edgers Fiskars Deckle.
Pearls Papermania.

Gems of a Summer Shower

front of card

close-up of image

inside of card

close-ups of various floral elements

'Anything Goes' is the tenth challenge at the Sugar Nellie Splitcoaststampers forum. It is sometimes more difficult to have an open rather than a specific brief so I was relieved when the Sketch & Stash sketch combined itself with the Pile It On theme of Summer Showers in my imagination & I could see the shape of an umbrella/parasol with a handle in the sketch. Turn the sketch ninety degrees clockwise & there it is with the image sitting beneath. Flipping the sketch over positioned the flowers more suitably for my image. I used teardrop shaped gems for the "handle" & a corner punch with the same shape to further the analogy of raindrops. Imagine the gems as a trickle of water hitting the image panel, splitting into two streams (the glitter) around the panel & joining at the bottom in a final drop (gem). The Stickles Glitter Glue that I used  is quite aptly named "Waterfall". Even the flowers fit the theme for the Summer rain encourages plant growth.

Recipe

Stamp Sugar Nellie Gorjuss Sitting.

Inks etc... Memento Tuxedo Black (image). Brilliance Galaxy Gold & Mediterranean Blue for inking cardstock edges.

Colouring Copic Ciaos, Sakura Stardust Pen, Stickles Glitter Glue (Waterfall, Golden Rod & Ice Stickles Lemon Ice). 
Cardstock Navy, yellow, blue, pale gold cream Moondust, blue Mirri & gold pearlescent - all from "stash".
Punches Woodware (circle & scalloped circle, flowers), EK Success (corner rounder), Fiskars (ornate corner).
Gems from "stash".

Challenges Entered
Sugar Nellie Splitcoaststampers 10 - Anything Goes
Pile It On #23 - Summer Showers! (see above)
Sketch & Stash #37 - sketch (my neglected stash are the Copic Ciaos I'm only now starting to use though they were a Christmas present that I chose myself in October 2009)
Stampalot Challenge June - "Punch It" (all my flowers are made using punches & see Recipe)

Stampin' for the Weekend #40 - Summer/Travel Theme (see above)

The Shabby Tea Room #14 - Summer Fun (see above)