A Few Words--A Boxed Card Set

I have a thing about sketches...I love them! I love that, no matter how many people use the same sketch, no two cards turn out the same. And, I've noticed in the past few months, that I almost always rotate sketches. It can be a fantastic sketch that everyone else uses beautifully in the orientation it's presented in, but for some reason, I feel the need to rotate. So, when I needed a card set for a gift, I decided to put "sketch rotation" to the ultimate test! :)



Here's the Viva la Verve sketch I started with. I mostly stuck to the design, except for the little circle element. For that, I used a button, and it didn't always work in that spot with the stamps I used.

And, here is the set of cards I made with the sketch:

Can you see how I rotated the sketch? The card with the blue strip is the one that most closely follows the sketch.

Seeing the cards individually, it's a little easier to tell what I did. The blue card is in the original sketch orientation, then I rotated the sketch 90 degrees for the orange sketch, another 90 degrees for the red card, then, finally, another 90 degrees for the tan card. I used the same dp for the background of all the cards, and the black circle die cut is the same. But, for the diagonal strips, I chose four colors from the dp and embossed each one of them with a different embossing folder. To make sure they were all at the same angle on the card, I made a little chipboard template of the small triangle formed along the short length of the diagonal strip to position the strips.

I found all these sentiments at Hobby Lobby for $1.99 each! Aren't they fabulous? So great for a card set, too. I stamped them all on ivory cs and matted them on black cs leaving just a tiny sliver of black showing. Then, I colored in just one line on each of them with Prismacolor pencils, and added Diamond Stickles over that. The tan card didn't have any open letters to color, so I just Stickled over the word, "Heart."

Do you see what I meant about the buttons? I couldn't put them where they would cover up the text, so rather than trying to follow the sketch there, I just made sure that the button on each card was at least partially on the diagonal embossed strip. In choosing the colors for the twine, the colored strips, and the coloring in the text, I tried to use at least 3 of the accent colors on each card, so one card had a blue strip, red colored text, and brown twine, another card had blue coloring and red twine, and so on.

On the inside of the cards, using the template I had made for aligning the diagonal embossed strip on the front of the card, I cut four pieces of the bg dp, sponged Black Soot Distress Ink around the edges, and placed them in the corner of ivory square die cuts. 

But, since I was going for the "ultimate" sketch rotation, when I glued the panels inside the cards, I positioned the triangle in the corner opposite the same triangle on the front of the card. The individual card above is the inside of the card with the blue strip.

To have coordinating envelopes, using the same four embossing folders that I embossed the colored strips with, I embossed just the envelope flaps of standard A2 sized envelopes.

And, finally, to package up this set, I made a simple belly band for the envelopes, tied jute around the cards, and put them in this cute A2 Small Scallops Stationery Box by Lori Whitlock. Because the cards are square instead of A2-sized, I needed some filler, so I added a little paper crinkle filler.

Here's a look at the scalloped sides on the box. I could have left the top of the box solid, but I love having the clear acetate window in the box. It makes for a nice presentation of a gift set. 

Now, I'm off to make another one! This was FUN!

I'm entering this card set in the following challenges:

Viva la Verve March 2014 Week 3 Sketch Challenge

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Transparent

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes with Buttons

Paper Issues Challenge: Count Your Lucky Stars

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

~Hugs,

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To Get Joy

Brrrrr! It's cold here...AGAIN! I'm feeling a little like Olaf in the movie, Frozen, "Let's Bring Back Summer!" (Isn't he adorable?) I seriously need some warm weather! :)

For my card today I colored a springtime hyacinth image with Copic markers, then die cut it using the out-of-the-box technique. The centers of the flowers are dotted with white Liquid Pearls. The image is matted with a decorative circle die cut of heavy brown shimmer cardstock and a white doily. For the sentiment, I heat embossed it with a fine detail embossing powder on a circle of vellum. It's always a challenge to attach vellum so that the glue or tape doesn't show, so I just ran the circle through my Xyron so that the entire piece had adhesive on it, then adhered it on top of the image. The pink bg cs was embossed with a Decorative Stripes embossing folder. A few pearls on the die cuts and on the bg, and I was done. 

Thanks for stopping by. Stay warm!!!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Simon Says Monday Challenge: Transparent
613 Avenue Create Challenge #64: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

 

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Fresh Brewed Guest Designer

Did you notice anything new when you got here today? I spent the past few days revamping my blog for a fresh look. My friend, Deborah, helped me get going, and soon, she's going to help me add a few other new features, too! I can hardly wait!

But, in the meantime, I've been anxiously waiting for today to get here. I'm the Guest Designer over at the Fresh Brewed Designs Challenge Blog today! I found Fresh Brewed a couple of months ago, and I'm so glad I did. Heather, the owner of Fresh Brewed Designs, has both rubber and digital stamps in over 30 categories, as well as digi paper, in a wide variety of cute designs. When she asked me to be a Guest Designer for this month, I had my pick of three images to use for my GD cards, and I have to tell you, it was tough to narrow my choices down! You'll see what I mean! ;)




Heather has a Brew of the Month Challenge every month where you can choose your challenge of either a sketch, a photo inspiration, or both. (There's still time to enter this month--you have until March 31). For my first card, I used the sketch. And, as I seem to do with every sketch I use lately, I turned it on it's side.

For my first card, I used this sweet Watermelon Girl digi image. Is she not the cutest thing? :) I colored her with Copic markers and used a piece of terry cloth and Colorless Blender on the watermelon to give it a little texture. I also added Black Liquid Pearl to the seeds, and Glossy Accents to her little ponytail holders and her shoes. I got out my Gelatos again, and made the watermelon paper. The "seeds" were added with Inktense pencils. After cutting it with a Labels 25 die, I sponged Black Soot ink around the edges. I used the Opulent Ovals die set to cut a black frame for the colored image, and I backed it with the same green paper that I used as the bg. The "Sweet" flag was cut with a Verve flag die, then I spritzed it with Fresh Lime and Vibrant Turquiose Dylusions Ink Spray, and sponged Mowed Lawn Distress Ink around the edges before attaching it to the framed image with a floral brad. The textured strip across the middle was cut with a Simon Says Circle Border die, and I used strips of black cs to border the die cut.

I used the scraps from the watermelon paper on the front to give some color and interest to the inside.

For my second card, I used the photo inspiration from this month's FBD challenge, and did a little computer manipulation to the digital images first...

The minute I saw Bob and Betty in Heather's store, I knew I just had to have them! They are actually completely separate digital images, but by making the "sky" transparent, I was able to merge the images together. Heather did such a great job drawing these images, they went together perfectly! I didn't even have to do any resizing! I paper pieced Bob and Betty's swimsuits, then colored the image with Copics. I have to tell you, this was a blast to color. Can you see their sunburns, and Bob's farmer's tan? And, don't you just LOVE the expression on Bob's face? He's definitely "Living in the Moment," isn't he? ;) I used a cloud stencil for the sky, sponged in the sun, added in some white highlights to the water, and drew in the birds in the background. I used a Wink of Stella pen to add shimmer to the sun, and a little "sweat" to Bob and Betty. The rims of their glasses were colored with gold and silver Spica pens, and I used Glossy Accents on their lens, and also on the chocolate on the ice cream cone. 

For the layout of this card, I used Sugar Pea Design's very first Sugar Sketch. I used a weathered wood dp, distressed the edges with a Distrezz-it-All, cut two flags out of the same dp I used for the paper pieced swimsuits, stamped a tag with a Live in the Moment sentiment, which I traced with a gold Spica pen for sparkle, added a little twine, die cut the image and another circle for a mat and put it all together. And, I have the perfect couple to send this card too! ;~D

I kept the inside a little plain, with just a strip of the weathered wood dp, some sponging around the rectangular panel, and a couple of gold lines drawn with a Spica pen.

Thank you, Heather, for featuring me this month on your blog! It's been a real treat for me! 

Be sure to check out Heather's Freshly Brewed Challenge Blog for her monthly Choose Your Challenge and Blog Candy Giveaway, as well as her Fresh Brewed Designs Shop for her darling images!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a SWEET day!

I'm entering these cards in the following challenges:

Watermelon Girl:

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Farm Fresh

613 Avenue Create Challenge #64: Anything Goes

Bob and Betty:

Sugar Pea Designs Sugar Sketch Challenge #1 (SPDSS01)

Verve March 2014 Diva Dare: "Do the Polka"

Simon Says Wednesday: Glitter It

Simon Says Monday: Transparent

~Hugs,

 

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Watermelon Girl:

Bob & Betty:

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Happy Spring!

Happy Spring!!! I don't know about you, but I have been ready for Spring for a long time! Now we just need some warm spring weather to coordinate with the calendar! :)

 

For this card, I used the Viva la Verve March 2014 Week 1 Sketch, as well as the colors from the color portion of the same challenge. As usual for me, I turned the sketch sideways, and in place of the 3 fishtail banners, I used a branch die cut.

I also added a warm gold color into the color palette, as I'm wishing for warm spring days to hurry up and get here!



I first stamped the nest image in Desert Sand Memento Ink, then roughly colored it with Inktense pencils. With a paintbrush and water, I blended the color. After it dried, I inked the stamp up again with Espresso Truffle Memento Ink and stamped over the colored image. Since I stamped the image in such a light color originally, the lines disappeared in the Inktense coloring, and I didn't have to worry about lining up the stamp perfectly the second time. I used Prismacolor pencils to add subtle shading, and a Spica Atyou clear pen for shimmer on the leaves and eggs. For the frame, I used the Medallion Two D-Lites die set and cut 4 frames, layering them to give it some lift, then I die cut the colored image with just the outer die so it would fit behind the ornate die cuts. For the branch, I cut it once in brown cs, and once in a green dp, which I shaded with Peeled Paint Distress Ink and a Spica Atyou clear pen. I trimmed all the leaves off the green die cut and glued them to the brown one. The sentiment is stamped on an oval die cut, and I sponged Scattered Straw inside the die before removing the cs. I hand cut the oval behind it. On the card base, I put 1/4" Scor-Tape on the top and bottom edges, then coated them with white glitter. I did some sewing on the background dp, then glued it to the card base and added all the other elements, including a little bow on the sentiment oval, and a few Swarovski crystals.

On the inside, I sponged a Labels 28 die cut with Scattered Straw Distress Ink, then stamped the floral image and sentiment in Memento inks and added light color to the image with Prismacolor pencils.

I can almost hear the birds chirping! ;)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Glitter It

Viva la Verve March 2014 Week 1 Sketch + Color Challenge

~Hugs,

 

Supplies:

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Light it Up!

I tried my hand at another CAS card, and used colors that lean toward the masculine side.

This was so easy...just stamp, color, dry emboss a couple of wavy lines, and add some glitter with Scor-Tape. I could get used to this! Oh, and it doesn't show in the picture, but I used a clear Wink of Stella pen to add a subtle shimmer to the lanterns.

I'm entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Glitter It

~Hugs,

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Timeless Tuesday #262: It's a WASH!

Happy, Happy Tuesday! Aaannnnd, we're back...with another Timeless Tuesday Challenge!

Deborah is our hostess this week, and she has challenged us to get out those rolls of Washi tape and actually use them! I don't know about you, but I rarely use Washi tape. They are in a drawer, so I often forget I have them, but even when I do remember, I have a hard time figuring out where to use them. So, this was a real challenge for me. But, I persevered, and before I knew it, I was a Happy Camper!!! ;)

This card is not my usual style. I love fun, bright colors, but I don't use them in large doses in my cards very often. But, I recently got some Gelatos and wanted to give them a try, and since they are all bright colors, that's what I went with. :) I used the MFT Wednesday Stamp Club Sketch #166 for my layout. The bright bg paper is my first attempt with Gelatos. I just scribbled a few colors from the MFT Color Palette Challenge #3 (had to use pink and blue to make the purple color since there isn't a purple in the Gelato set I have) onto a piece of textured watercolor paper then used a paint brush and water to blend them. After it dried, I mixed some gesso and water and did a little dripping and dropping with a water dropper. For the image, I first used the S'More Fun Silhouette Cut File to cut out the camper and that cute little banner, stamped the images with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, then colored them with Copics. All those gold areas on the camper are meant to look like rust, but I'm not sure it comes across that way. ;) The vellum circle behind the image was dry embossed with a blueprint embossing folder, and the sentiment was heat embossed with black ep. The kraft strip in the center of the card has a piece of Washi tape on it. 

I almost didn't even show the inside of this card, it's so plain. But, I thought I'd show an easy way to spruce up the inside with hardly any effort at all. The strips of color on the top and bottom of the white die cut are simply from the die cut negative that was left over after cutting the bg for the front of the card. All I had to do was distress the edges with Distress Ink to match the front of the card, then glue them onto the white panel and trip the excess. Barely any waste at all, and it took all of 2 minutes to finish the inside.

So, now that it's your turn, I hope you'll play along! I can't wait to see how everyone takes on this challenge! I'm hoping to get inspired on new ways to use Washi tape!!! For the challenge, you don't have to use Flourishes stamps, but if you do, you get two ballots toward the weekly prize! You can find all the details for the challenge here.

Also, take a moment to be inspired by all our designers' blogs, and be sure to leave some love for them, too! :)

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea...that's me!
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Katie Sims

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
MFT Color Palette Challenge #3
MFT Wednesday Stamp Club #166 (MFTWSC166)
613 Avenue Create Challenge #62: Anything Goes
Simon Says Monday Challenge: D is for Distress

~Hugs,

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Song In My Heart

We had upper 70s weather here today! YAY! I think Spring may finally be here! And the card I have today feels like Spring, too. 

I am having a heck of a time getting my cards posted in time for challenges lately! So, I'm going to be short and sweet before I miss another one! :)The challenge I missed this time is Mojo Monday--one of my favs! :( I used the Mojo Monday 335 sketch for this card. It's a great sketch, even if I did miss the challenge! The birdhouse and music note dies that I used, and the sentiment, are from The Cat's Pajamas (I recently won a Cat Cash Code from TCP--Thanks, Alma!). The tag is a Verve die. For the birdhouse and the note, I cut each one 5 times, layering the die cuts to make them more dimensional. I put Glossy Accents inside the heart on the birdhouse, and used a Wink of Stella pen on the note and the little gingham heart on the sentiment. 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
TCP Tuesday #259: "March" to the Beat of a Different Drummer
Verve Spring Has Sprung March 2014 Inspiration Challenge
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Tag It
613 Avenue Create Challenge #62: Anything Goes
Freshly Brewed Challenge March 2014: Choose Your Challenge
Paper Issues Challenge: Tip-Toe Through the Tu-Lips

~Hugs,

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Timeless Tuesday #261: MASKuerade!

Hello, and welcome back to another Timeless Tuesday (on Wednesday this week) Challenge! 

This week, the super-talented Allison is hosting a MASKuerade! And here's how you play along...

I went with the stencil option for my card...

I used the Viva la Verve February 2014 Week 3 sketch, turned sideways (see, I told you...another turned sketch!) for the layout, and the crackle design on the background was made with a stencil and molding paste that I colored with Distress Reinkers. I used Flourishes Calla Lilies stamp set for the image and sentiment, stamping both with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. The image is colored with Copic markers. I ran the flourish die cuts through a Xyron, then coated them in white glitter.

On the inside, I punched a Footlights border and added a strip of dp diagonally across it. On the personalization panel, the lily image is stamped in Angel Pink Memento Ink.

I hope you'll join us for the MASKuerade this week! And, remember, you don't have to use Flourishes stamps, but if you do, you get two ballots toward the weekly prize! You can find all the details for the challenge here.

Be sure to take a moment to be inspired by the rest of the team, and leave some blog love for them, too! :)

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea...that's me!
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Katie Sims

On a personal note...Sympathy cards are always hard to make, but this particular sympathy card was made with an unbelievably heavy heart. My dear friend, Linda, had recently been diagnosed with cancer, and I knew I was going to eventually need a card for her family. I thought I was being proactive by making the card early, as I knew it would have been difficult, emotionally, for me to make it after she was gone, but the day after I finished the card, Linda suddenly passed away. I can't believe she is gone, but I am so grateful to have had her in my life. She was an amazingly strong, caring woman, and she had a wicked sense of humor that could make you laugh, even, or maybe especially, on days when all you wanted to do was cry. She was one of a kind, and I will miss her.

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week! And, to all of you, my blog friends, a great BIG virtual HUG!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve February 2014 Week 3 Sketch Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: Anything Goes With Pearls
Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Perfectly Peach
613 Avenue Create Challenge #61: Anything Goes
Paper Issues: Tip-Toe Through the Tu-lips

~Hugs,

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Celebrate Your Special Day!

Happy Tuesday! I know that would usually be followed by something like, "Are you ready for another Timeless Tuesday," but Flourishes is giving everyone one extra day for this week's challenge and we're putting up the new Timeless Tuesday Challenge tomorrow. So, be sure to check back for that. ;)
I made this card for several challenges, two of which expired before I could get it posted, so I'm going to make this quick so I don't miss out on any more! ;)

I used the Viva la Verve February 2014 Week 4 sketch, turned sideways, of course--what IS it with me and sketches? My card for tomorrow's Timeless Tuesday challenge is made using a VLV sketch, also, and it's turned sideways, too! Maybe it's some kind of personality quirk where I don't want to conform to society's expectations or something. Who knows...but it is starting to worry me a little bit! ,~)

Anyway, back to the card...I did some dry embossing, stenciling with molding paste that I colored with reinkers, die cut some stars and edged them with a gold Krylon pen, then heat embossed the sentiment with gold glitter ep, stamped the blue edge, die cut it, and gave it a gold edge, too. I also dry embossed the front of the card base with a gun metal ef.

I think I like the inside of this card better than the front! I used a curvy border die for the red and blue layers and added another of the stars on top of them. On the sentiment panel, I sponged Pumice Stone ink inside the edge of the die. This card could be used for any number of celebrations, so, for now I'm leaving the inside sentiment-less.

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget about the new Timeless Tuesday Challenge that will be posted tomorrow! Enjoy your evening!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve February 2014 Week 4 Sketch Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: Pearls
613 Avenue Create #61: Anything Goes w/Optional Twist Use Your Stash
Challenges 4 Everybody #39: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

 

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