Floral Poise

front of card

close-up of central panels showing

heat embossed image

corner detail showing shimmer of grey-blue Moondust 

cardstock plus glittering of flower

close-up of floral corner, leaf 

embellishment & metallic twine

inside of card

close-up of message panel showing

paper pierced central scallops

corner detail showing paper piercing

(click on photos to enlarge)

Challenge 53 at the Sugar Bowl is a sketch by Marlene with an inspirational photo for the theme. I have rotated the sketch 90 degrees clockwise & used the colours in the photo for my card's colour scheme.

The following in lilac are my musings over the creative process & not essential to the description of the card.

I should perhaps time the hours it takes me to make a card - this one I think I started working with last Saturday. Each card I make takes me a long time unless it is a CAS card - in which case it takes me around a week & even then I might just give up & it ends in the bin. Somehow the CAS type completely stifles my imagination & once I start working on it I have lots of ideas which make it non CAS so I have to start again.  

With this card the circle gave me trouble as I couldn't find any doilies at the local supermarket & I don't have any circular dies. I tried using a compass or drawing round an object but my cutting skills let me down every time (the little PERFECTIONIST imp was sitting on my shoulder & being critical). Eventually I decided to use a piece of vellum & the Pergamano 2-needle piercing & snips technique in conjunction with a compass. I spent most of Sunday colouring Hippie Chick, several times over until I was reasonably happy with her hair; I cut her out after Sunday evening's dinner & placed her on the card - completely out of proportion to the rest of what I'd done. OK - back to working on the image & a few mishaps later (smudged glitter, a nick to a cardstock edge, fluff/glitter/dust on card in photo etc..., & etc....) & finally here we are Tuesday evening!

Recipe

Stamp Sugar Nellie Leanne Ellis Poise.

Inks VersaMark watermark stamp pad with Stampendous Detail White Embossing Powder; Walnut Stain Distress Ink & Brilliance Pearlescent Sky Blue for inking some cardstock edges.

Colouring Stickles Glitter Glue (Turquoise).

Cardstock An assortment of blues & browns plus off-white in various textures & finishes from stash.

Papers Patterned vellum - Nancy Watt Collection: Fashion, Flowers & Dots.

Punches Woodware (corner rounder, all flowers apart from light blue, leaves, circle & scalloped square), Xcut (light blue flower), EK Success (decorative corners).

The pearls are Papermania & the metallic thread is from stash.

Challenges Entered
The Sugar Bowl Challenge 53 - Marlene's sketch + inspirational photo (see above)

Simon Says...Make YOur Own Embellishment! - I've made all my flowers using an assortment of punches

Embossing The Sketch With New Sugar At The Forum

front of card

close-up of image

angled photo showing:

 sparkle of ring on girl's finger & dress trim;

texture & shine of emboss resist panel

close-up showing dry embossing

& emboss resist panels

inside of card

close-up of stamped swirl

(click on photos to enlarge)

The Sugar Bowl Challenge is celebrating its second birthday with Challenge 50 - a sketch by Marlene with the optional theme of "Embossing" whilst the All Things Sugar Nellie Forum Challenge 33 is to use NEW STASH. I rotated the sketch 90 degrees clockwise & used both dry (the embossed diagonal lines of the main matting panel) & heat embossing (the emboss resist technique where the image is heat embossed then sponged with ink & buffed to a shine). My new stash is the stamp & the Memento Grape Jelly inkpad; I also coloured the image with my new Derwent pencils & used a white card blank (Craft UK Ltd) from an unopened packet that I'd bought at the NEC in November. The colours used are those of the CR84FN10 Challenge.

Recipe

Stamps Sugar Nellie Leanne Ellis Tell Me Something (image), Artemio Ref 10001038 (swirls of embossed resist & inside of card).

Inks etc... Memento Tuxedo Black (image) & Grape Jelly (swirl on inside); VersaMagic Spring Pansy & Pretty Petunia (sponging embossed resist); Dusty Concord Distress Ink for inking some cardstock & paper edges; VersaMark watermark stamp pad & Stewart Gill Ultrafine Embossing Powder (embossed resist).

Colouring Derwent Artists Pencils with paper stumps & Sansodor, Sakura Stardust Pen, Letraset Fine Line Drawing Pen.

Cardstock Assorted violet in various finishes, aqua & green from "stash", Craft UK Ltd white card blank.

Paper Moondust violet for inside from "stash".

Punches Woodware (corner rounder, leaves, circle & scalloped square).

The flowers & brad are from a Hot Off The Press Citrus Creative Kit, the adhesive ribbon is Anita's Pastel Flowers & the pearls are from "stash".

Challenges Entered

All Things Sugar Nellie (Paper Craft Planet) Wk 33 - NEW STASH (see above)

The Sugar Bowl Challenge 50 - Marlene's sketch + theme: Embossing 9see above)

CR84FN10 Color Challenge - Lavender, Aqua, Yellow, Green

Patience with Snowflakes in Red & White

front of card

 close-up showing texture of burgundy cardstock 

plus the layered sequin & "Blink Blink" snowflakes

close-up of image panel

close-up showing "Bleeding Inkpad" colouring 

& dimension of white on white snowflakes

 inside of card

The Sugar Bowl Challenge 49 is s a sketch by Marla-Therese with the optional theme of Snowflakes whilst the All Things Sugar Nellie Forum Challenge this week is RED & WHITE. I chose to make another Fancy Fold Stepper based on this tutorial but this time I worked out my own measurements using inches (click on photo to enlarge). 

To colour my image I used the “Bleeding Inkpad” technique where the image is stamped using water soluble ink (in my case Distress Ink)  & then shading added by applying a damp brush to the stamped lines. I gave further definition to the coat buttons by colouring them with a Sakura Stardust Pen followed by Glossy Accents applied with a cocktail stick.

Recipe

Stamps Sugar Nellie Leanne Ellis Patience.

Inks Aged Mahogany Distress Ink for stamping & colouring image & edging some cardstock.

Colouring etc... Sakura Stardust Pen.

Cardstock A selection of white & red in various textures & finishes, all from "stash" except the linen effect white which is Bits N Pieces A4 Assorted Embossed Card (Snow White Textures).
Punches, Dies etc... Woodware (red snowflake, large red "Blink Blink"), Dovecraft (small white snowflake), Xcut (ornate corner; the tiny white snowflakes are the waste from this), Spellbinders Nestabilities (Large Deckled Rectangles), Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Swiss Dots).
The ribbon, gems & snowflake sequins are from "stash".

Challenges Entered

All Things Sugar Nellie (Paper Craft Planet) Wk 32 - Red & White

The Sugar Bowl Challenge 49 - Maria Therese's Sketch + theme: snowflakes

Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge 42 - Snowflakes

Black & White Steps Into Blue With Snow

card standing showing glittered wings

& black Moondust image panel

angled photograph in brilliant sunshine to show

 differences of the various black layers

 close-ups showing pearl embellishments on snowflakes & coat fastening

plus the different finishes of Moondust, textured & glossy black cardstocks

 inside of card

(click on images to enlarge)

The Sugar Bowl Challenge 48 is a sketch by Marlene with the optional theme of "Black, white AND..." (in my case blue) whilst the All Things Sugar Nellie Forum Challenge this week is to make any type of stepper card (I've made a Fancy Fold Stepper based on this tutorial). It was whilst working on the Stepper Card that I realised that I astonishingly also had the bones of the sketch – with a little bit of tweaking (turning the sketch 90 degrees clockwise).

ETA I'd forgotten about describing my image panel. The image was stamped & heat embossed in white onto the Moondust black cardstock. A second image was stamped in black ink onto white cardstock & only the figure cut out & glued in place over the main image panel - really paper piecing the figure with white cardstock. 

Recipe
Stamps Sugar Nellie Leanne Ellis Dreamer (image), Penny Black Giving & Receiving (snowflake).

Inks etc… VersaFine (Onyx Black & Majestic Blue), VersaMark watermark stamp pad & Stampendous Detail White Embossing Powder.

Colouring Stickles Glitter Glue (Ice Stickles Crystal Ice), Sakura Stardust Pen, Inkssentials White Opaque Pen.

Cardstock Black, Moondust black, glossy black, textured black, white, & snowflake patterned blue from “stash”.

Punches, Dies etc… Woodware (large white & small black snowflakes, Dovecraft (small white snowflakes), Spellbinders Nestabilities (Large Deckled Rectangles).

Pearls The black are Papermania, the pale blue & the white from "stash".

Challenges Entered

All Things Sugar Nellie (Paper Craft Planet) Wk 31 - Stepper Card (see above)

The Sugar Bowl Challenge 48 - Marlene's sketch + theme: Black, white AND..... (see above)
Simon Says......... Let It Snow!! - (I think all my snowflakes qualify for this one)
Stamp &  Create Challenge 7 - Tis the Season

Tent Card With Poise & Joseph's Coat

There were quite a few hurdles in the making of this, any one of which would have prevented my posting the completed card, & I'm still a little unsure of the finished article.

Initially I used Distress Inks to cover the brayered base card after heat embossing the stamped image (Joseph's Coat Technique) but they were not strong enough to cover the bright greens, so I tried Brilliance Starlite Black, that didn't work either. Thinking logically: if the brayering onto glossy card was with dye inks, the Distress Inks (dye, but with their own unique properties) were not dense enough & the Brilliance (pigment) which normally copes with most surfaces wasn't great, might a "normal" dye ink work? I tried the All Night Media Dye in black - several hours later it was still rubbing off onto my fingers. Knowing that I might wreck my heat embossed image completely in the process, I used my heat gun briefly to heat set the black ink. It worked. The final hurdle was photographing the Mirri card!

card standing

close-up of image showing Joseph's Coat Technique,

 lime Mirri card & texture of blue cardstock

inside of card showing texture & paper piercing 

on blue cardstock plus stamped swirl edging

(click on image to enlarge)

Recipe

Stamps Sugar Nellie Leanne Ellis Poise (image), Elusive Images UDLSP0220 Dawn Chorus (swirls). 

Inks Kaleidacolor Caribbean Sea, Chipped Sapphire & Black Soot Distress Inks (see above), Brilliance Starlite Black (see above), All Night Media (Black), VersaMark watermark ink pad & Stewart Gill Ultrafine Embossing Powder, VersaFine Majestic Blue (swirls).

Cardstock  Moondust Silver,  textured blue,  lime Mirri & pale green from "stash".

Punches, Dies etc...  Woodware (Scalloped Circle, Scalloped Oval & Scalloped Square).

Pearls Kanban.

Ribbon from "stash".

Challenges Entered

All Things Sugar Nellie (Paper Craft Planet) Wk 30 - Tent Topper Card

Crafty Creations Challenge 94 - Beautiful Insides

Tealight Candle & Internal CAS Firsts

The All Things Sugar Nellie Forum Challenge this week is to make a Tealight Candle Card. I have never made one of these before & went in search of a tutorial in imperial measurements as the US members of the forum - who work in inches - had requested this rather than the centimetres that the European contingent utilize. I tend to work in either - though I calculate layering measurements more swiftly in metric. I used the imperial measurements from this tutorial to construct my card. The holographic Mirri card made photography extremely difficult as did the shiny nature of the gift wrapping ribbon. Another first was my stamping the sentiment directly onto the card base. For the internal decoration I tried using punched panels in my normal fashion & also covering the white cardstock with patterned paper; I even considered stamping a candle image in place of the punched snowflakes but whatever I did just looked "fussy". Eventually I settled upon this "less is more" approach".

front of tealight candle card, the snowman pattern

 of the base cardstock is just visible

close-up of image panel showing dry embossing

of holographic gunmetal Mirri card

inside of card showing sentiment &

layered snowflakes

close-up of sentiment

close-up of layered snowflakes

Recipe
Stamps Sugar Nellie Elisabeth Bell Partridge in a Pear Tree (image), Elusive Images UDLSP0335 Light of Christmas (sentiment).
Inks Versafine Onyx Black.
Colouring Derwent Coloursoft Pencils, Paper Stumps & Sansador plus Sakura Stardust Pens for bracelet & ornament (image); Whispers Strokes Marker (sentiment).
Cardstock Snowman patterned, Holograhic gunmetal Mirri, light & dark blue from "stash".
Punches, Dies etc... Woodward (scallpoped oval, snowflakes), Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Swiss Dots).
The gift wrapping ribbon & star sequins (on snowflakes) are from "stash".


Challenges Entered
All Things Sugar Nellie (Paper Craft Planet) Wk 29 - Tealight Candle Card
Lili of the Valley Challenge 73 - Anything Goes (normally I would use a LOTV image but LOTV specify that "for ONE WEEK ONLY you can use ANY MAKE OF STAMP OR DIGI IMAGE")

Autumnal Leaves Shaken Into a Waltz

front of card

close-up showing textured gold cardstock

& colouring of heat embossed images

close-up showing micro beads

of shaker element

inside of card showing texture of burgundy

& tan cardstocks

The All Things Sugar Nellie Forum Challenge this week is to make a Shaker Card. I only had a very small piece of acetate from which I could just manage to punch out a 2.5 x 1.5 inch rectangle with which to construct the shaker element. After a few mishaps (see below) I had my shaker which I teamed with a couple of the accessory stamps from Sugar Nellie's Home Grown Autumn Kit. I already had an idea for the layout & was working on it when I realised that it fitted the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge "wide interpretation" brief from this morning's post. I am also just within the deadline for entering Bunny Zoe's Challenge 5 which has an autumnal theme.

So to my little adventure. When attaching the acetate to my carefully punched out leaves panel I was waiting for the Glossy Accents to bond when I noticed that the leaf panel was on my bench, not between my fingers - I'd used the wrong piece of cardstock. I managed to prise the pieces apart & resorted to lighter fuel to remove the sticky mess from my little piece of precious acetate, rinsed & dried it off - I breathed a sigh of relief when it was usable. Unfortunately the micro beads weren't co-operating either - the lid insisted on coming off the little container suddenly strewing beads all over my work surface & floor. Ever tried to catch these little things? I rescued as many as I could then had to coax the remainder from around my assortment of containers & marker pots etc.... with the vacuum cleaner.

Recipe
Stamps Sugar Nellie Home Grown Autumn Kit 2009.
Inks VersaMark watermark stamp pad & Stampendous Detail Gold Embossing Powder.
Colouring Derwent Coloursoft Pencils, Paper Stumps & Sansador.
Cardstock An assortment of colours & finishes from "stash".
Punches Woodware (assorted leaves, Scalloped Rectangle & Scalloped Square), EK Success (Corner Rounder).
The gems & pearls are Kanban, the micro beads Woodware & the ribbon is from "stash".

Challenges Entered
All Things Sugar Nellie (Paper Craft Planet) Wk 28 - Let's Shake
Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 22 - WMSC22 (I rotated the sketch 90 degrees anti-clockwise)
Bunny Zoe's Crafts Challenge 5 - Autmn Love (autumnal theme & colours)

All Things Sugar Nellie Wk 26 - Not a Card

corner bookmark photographed with flash

to show glittering on bottom scallops

reverse showing tone on tone

stamping

This week the Paper Craft Planet Sugar Nellie Forum Challenge is to make anything but a card. I've been wanting to try making a Corner Bookmark for quite some time but other things have intervened, so this was the perfect excuse to use the tutorial on the Splitcoaststampers forum.

I have used the one stamp throughout the project, just varying the positioning so as to suit the various areas. For the outer scalloped edge I used the two sides of her hairdo & on the back for the tone on tone effect I stamped the very top of the hairdo into each corner.

Recipe

Stamp Sugar Nellie Kathy Hare Entangled.

Inks etc... Memento Tuxedo Black, VersaMark watermark stamp pad.

Colouring Derwent Coloursoft Pencils, Paper Stumps & Sansodor; Stickles Glitter glue (Ice Stickles Crystal Ice).

Cardstock Assorted colours from "stash".

Punches Woodware (circle & scalloped circles, scalloped square).

Daisy Ribbon from "stash".

Challenge Entered

All Things Sugar Nellie (Paper Craft Planet) Wk 26 - Not a Card

Sugar Bowl 45 & All things Sugar Nellie Wk24 - Sketch of Layered Warm Red & Green

front of card

close-up of image showing glitter on 

flower centres

close-up showing detail of glitter on swirls, texture of

cardstock & embossed Mirri card

inside of card

Instead of using the optional theme of Autumn with Tiets' Sketch for the Sugar Bowl Challenge 45 I have used the Warm Christmas Colours of the Sugar Nellie Paper Craft Planet Challenge Wk 24. As usual I have replaced the text on the sketch - this time with a swirl.

The girl's dress & hair ribbon as well as the ribbon around the flower pot are paper pieced.

 

Recipe
Stamp Sugar Nellie Manga Pointsettia.
Inks Memento Tuxedo Black (image), Brilliance Pearlescent Ivy (inking cardstock edges).
Colouring Derwent Coloursoft Pencils, Paper Stumps & Sansodor; Stickles Glitter Glue (Xmas Red & Ice Stickles Gold Ice); Inkssentials White Opaque Pen & Letraset Black Fine Line Drawing Pen.
Cardstock Forever Friends Gift Wrapped A4 Double-sided Textured Cardstock; Mirri & coloured cardstock from "stash".
Paper Forever Friends Santa's On His Way... A4 Paper Pack (paper piecing).
Punches, Dies etc... EK Success (Swirl Flourish), Spellbinders Nestabilities (Large Deckled Rectangles), Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Swiss Dots).
The jewelled glittery red flowers are from "stash".

Challenges Entered
The Sugar Bowl Challenge 45 - Tiets' Sketch
All Things Sugar Nellie (Paper Craft Planet) Wk 24 - Warm Christmas Colours