Ink Blending On Colored Cardstock

Hello friends.  Just a quick post today after seeing all the BEAUTIFUL cards from the Group of Seven Cardmakers post where they all ink blended on colored cardstock.  They even show a video on how easy it is to achieve this elegant look, and of course I had to try it!

I started with Pretty Peacock (SU!) cardstock and an image from WPlus9 called Beautiful Bouquets: Mums and came up with this...

You are basically heat embossing (a lined image works best) on your colored cardstock (medium to dark colored cardstock shows up best) and then ink blending around the edges.  I used Altenew's Rose Gold embossing powder and embossed my image 3 times, and then started the ink blending with Pretty Peacock ink and then a tiny bit of black ink just around the very edges...you leave the center of your cardstock un-inked.

I did a little splattering next, starting with just plain water, but it didn't show up too well, so I moved on to white ink splattering.  Next I sprayed my panel quite liberally with Sheer Shimmer Sparkle Mist and let me tell you that this card really SPARKLES in real life!  Lastly I added my sentiment (Gina K - Radiant Roses) that was also embossed in the Rose Gold and a few gold sequins.  Easy peasy and done.

Definitely a FUN technique to try, and you can check it all out right HERE.  Thanks ladies...your cards are ALL AWESOME!!

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge #40

Hello friends.  I'm playing along with the Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge today and trying to stay caught up on Christmas cards so I'm ready come December!  They have a wonderful mood board to inspire us as usual...take a look!

I loved all the photos but especially the bottom right one as I had the perfect stamp to play with!  I used one of Simon Says Stamp collaborative stamp sets from Pink & Main called SNOW-ONE LIKE YOU and came up with this card...

Isn't he a cutie relaxing in his hot tub of hot cocoa?!  I'm reverting back to my old PTI days where they used to have challenges to CASE one of the DT members, and I always went for a Melissa Phillips card because she loved to paper piece, and I do too!  I used a couple scraps from SU! dsp to use on the mug and the scarf and just love how cheery it looks!

I used a few Copics to color the marshmallows (BIG & small) and hot cocoa and then added a cut out layer over my image using PFS's Scalloped Circle Dies and an older SU! embossing folder called Winter Snow.  I layered my top layer with a piece of Real Red cs and attached both layers to a top folding white card base.  My sentiment is a pre-printed sentiment strip from Gina K and I finished off with a few Disco Ball Sequins (Gina K) and one red crystal gem on the sentiment strip.  And some glitter.

Lots of FABULOUS inspiration from the talented DT over at the Peace On Earth site, so check it out and play along to get a head start on those Christmas cards.  This challenge is open til Thursday June 1st @ 8:00PM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Double D Challenge - FLOWERS

Hello friends.  Playing along over at the Double D Challenge where they are looking for FLOWERS!!

If you've followed me for any length of time, you know I'm not much into flowers...BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!  Flowers are totally my thing and I think I have probably 95% flower stamps in my stash and 5% other stuff!  All to say, I cheered pretty loudly when I saw the prompt and mood board for this current challenge!  I had also just received from my sweet friend Bonnie an envelope filled with floral die cuts using PFS's Tuberose Washi and came up with 3 cards to share with you today.  

Aren't they sooooo pretty?!  They are all just washi tape on white cardstock and then die cut...how easy peasy is that?!!  I started with an embossed background using Altenew's Basic Plaid 3D embossing folder and then added a die cut circle using PFS's Diagonal Stitched Circle Dies.  I added the largest of the washi florals to the center of the circle and then added a foiled sentiment from Spellbinders Everyday Sentiments II.  The flowers are outlined in foil too and I also added a small gold bow.

  A few metallic gold pearls finished off this CAS card.

My 2nd card is a mini slimline (6 1/4 x 3 1/4) and I blended my background first with a light touch of pink and purple inks.  Next I die cut 4 of PFS's Mini Slimline Stitched Scalloped Rectangles, glued them together for dimension and added it to my card base.  Then I took 5 of the washi die cuts and spaced them out evenly over the background, and then finished with a pre-printed sentiment strip from Gina K.  Another easy peasy card and I just love the mini slimline size of this one!

My last card is another very easy and CAS one where my background was done with PFS's Lush Vines Hot Foil Plate and I just used my rubber mat to get the textured impression rather than hot foiling it.  I added the smallest of the Rounded & Braided Rectangle Dies (also PFS) to my background and then added another small washi die cut Tuberose.

I finished with a foiled and die cut sentiment from MB's Posh Hello and called it good.  (I did end up adding a few gold metallic pearls AFTER I had photographed my cards...only 3 very tiny ones, so I still kept it very simple!)  I love how all the white on white with these washi die cuts makes such pretty and elegant cards!  Thank you so much Bonnie for sharing these with me!  (I even have a few more left to play with another time!)  Stamping friends truly are the best!!  :0)

I'll leave you with a couple photos from the corner of our deck where I added a trio of colorful pots of flowers this year (WHY didn't I think to do this before??!!!) that we enjoy from our dining room slider...and the hummers are enjoying the bright colors too while they stop to get a drink from my feeder (next to but not included in the photos).

 

 I love them all but I think the purple/pinkish Dahlia's are my favorite!  More and more keep opening every day and I'm loving it!!

Make sure you stop by the Double D site to check out all the beautiful floral cards from the DT and then play along...you have until Sunday, June 4 @ 8:00PM to play along.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Color Hues #64 - ORANGE & SLATE GRAY

Hello friends.  It's the middle of the month and time for another Color Hues Challenge.  Julie is our hostess this time around and she would like to see ORANGE & SLATE GRAY on our cards.  

My first thought upon seeing this color combo was Halloween, but Spring just arrived here in Michigan and I'm not anxious to skip right to Fall, even though I LOVE that season!  So anyway, I went back to my favorite...FLOWERS!!  I decided to pull out a Greetery set I've only used once called Honeysuckle Stems and see what it looked like in ORANGES and SLATE GRAY...I ended up liking it so much I made two cards to share with you, so let's get started!

I used 3 different colors of orange inks (Gina K) for the flowers and SU!'s Smokey Slate for the gray leaves.  (There is also a touch of yellow for the stamens.)  Did you notice the beautiful, embossed background??  Here's a close up...

My sweet friend Michele always lets me go through her stash of embossing folders when I visit, and I even remembered to write the name of this one on the back...SSS's Sparkling Facets.  It adds such beautiful interest to my background, but still lets the Honeysuckle Stem be the star!  I backed this embossed panel with a piece of Smokey Slate cs and then adhered both to a top folding white card base.  I added a piece of Smokey Slate twine (SU!) and then popped my sentiment (The Greetery - Opposites Attract) over the top of it.  A few Smokey Slate enamel dots (SU!) finished off my card.

The same flower for card #2, but a different embossed background.  This is another ef from Michele and done on a piece of Smokey Slate cs.  (It's from Altenew and called Berried Cotoneaster.)  Before I started assembling this one, I ran my white ink pad (Pigment Ink) over the top of the embossing to make it stand out a bit more.  

Such a beautiful embossing folder and I think highlighting it in white ink really makes it pop a bit more and once again, not taking away from the lovely Honeysuckle Stem!  My sentiment is once again from The Greetery's Opposites Attract stamp and die set, and I finished the card with more of the Smokey Slate twine and enamel dots (SU!).  I really love how both of these turned out and can't pick a favorite...how about you??

Our DT and Special GD Joanne have outdone themselves using this color combination to inspire you, so check it all out right HERE and then play along with us...we'd LOVE to see YOU in our gallery!  This challenge will be open till May 28th @ 9:00AM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Peace On Earth Challenge #39

Hello friends.  Still trying to stay on track with making Christmas cards and the Peace On Earth Challenge is helping me to do that.  Take a look at the lovely mood board they provided this time around...

Aren't the soft pinks and aqua's so pretty?!  I used several PFS items and came up with this...

I started by stenciling the Floral Bauble with soft pinks and aqua's and then stamped over the stenciling with the coordinating stamps with Versamark ink and then silver embossing powder.  (The embossing looks so much prettier in real life!!)  

I used PFS's Snowflakes Coverplate Die and vellum for my background and attached it to a top folding white card base around the edges.  So the glue didn't show through the edges of the vellum, I added a Stitched Scalloped Rectangle Die in Bubblegum Pink cs (Gina K) over top of the vellum, and that hid the glue completely.

To finish I heat embossed the "Noel" sentiment in silver and then die cut it (all part of the Floral Bauble set) and attached to the lower right corner of my card.  I also added a few silver metallic pearls (also PFS) to go along with the silver embossing.

Lots of beautiful inspiration from the talented DT, and you can find it all right HERE.  This challenge is open till May 18th @ 8:00PM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Triple B Challenge

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Triple B May Challenge where they are continuing their Spring theme with Birds, Butterflies & Blooms.

One of my favorite Springtime flowers are Tulips and The Greetery's BotaniCuts: Tulips are definitely my go to die set for creating these beautiful blooms.  Here's what I came up with...

I know black isn't the Springtime color you'd normally go for, but I LOVE red, black & white as a color combination and decided to try it for this Springtime card.  I started with Altenew's tulip 3D embossing folder and black cardstock, and then lightly brushed my Delicata Silvery Shimmer ink pad over the raised tulips.  After it dried I die cut a small circle opening, and then because it basically flattened out the piece running it through my Big Shot, I had to re-fit it into the embossing folder again to get the dimension back in the tulips.

 My tulips started on white cardstock and then I used sponge daubers and Distress inks for the flowers and leaves (Lumberjack Plaid & Peeled Paint).  When I layered the tulips into the die cut circle opening, I felt like it was missing something, so I stamped in gray ink using a retired SU! background stamp called En Francais on a piece of white and then the tulips popped a bit more.  

Can you spot the tiny butterfly I added using Gina K's Beautiful Butterflies set?  Along with a die cut sentiment also from Gina K (Radiant Roses), this card didn't need anything else, although I was tempted to add some bling!!  I refrained!!  Although it doesn't show well in my photos, there is quite a bit of shimmer from the silver ink and also the layer of matte silver cardstock.  A bit dramatic, but I'm very happy with the way it turned out!  And maybe it's a nice way to say "over the hill" without being too mean!  Haha!!  Maybe I'll save it for my mom's 93rd birthday next year!  :0)

Lots and lots of BEAUTIFUL Springtime cards from the DT and also in the gallery, so it's definitely the place to go for inspiration!  You can check it out and play along right HERE.  This challenge is open till May 31st @ 8:00PM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

The Flower Challenge #80 - PRETTY PASTELS

Hello friends.  I'm playing along with The Flower Challenge today where they are looking for floral cards done in pretty pastels.

I decided to use an older (2017) Altenew set called Springtime Azalea that hasn't seen ink in years, and came up with this...

I started by stamping all the layers of these Azalea's in very light shades of purple, pink, aqua, yellow & peach using PFS inks.  After die cutting them all out I played with the arrangement on my A2 card base and decided it needed something more.   An embossed background (Spellbinders Geo Screen ef) did the trick!

I also stamped and die cut a few of the green leaves and buds and added them in before attaching my die cut sentiment (MB - Big Hugs Posh Script) and a few Trinity Stamps Crystal Ball Dewdrop Baubles for a finishing touch.  I'm usually not much of a pastel person, but have to admit I like the way this card with the soft colors turned out!

There's LOTS of BEAUTIFUL inspiration from the DT and their Special GD  Maria that you can find right HERE if you'd like to play along.  This challenge is open till the 25th @ 5:00PM, so plenty of time left to play along!! 

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Double D Challenge - Fresh Picked and NBUS #50 Challenge

Hello friends.  Playing along with the gals over at the Double D Challenge where they would like to see anything that is FRESH PICKED (NOT including flowers though) on our cards.

Well it was a given that I'd pick CHERRIES as I'm originally from the Old Mission Peninsula in Michigan which is prime cherry country and my grandfather owned a cherry farm there (my cousins run it now).  I used a SU! set called SWEETEST CHERRIES that I've had for a year now and never used, so figured it was a good time to break it out for this challenge!

My idea for this card actually came from a card that is in the newest SU! catalog where I fell in love with the fun and bright background with the cherries all stamped in different colors of reds and yellow (Rainier Cherries).  I added Parakeet Party ink (SU!) for a fun and bright green for the leaves and the stems were done in Soft Suede ink.  

My sentiment was stamped with the same colors on a white strip and then I added a cherry that I fussy cut along with a couple leaves.  A very, VERY simple card where the colorful background does all the work!

The DT has some FABULOUS inspiration for you if you'd like to play along and you can check it all out right HERE.  This challenge is open till Sunday, May 14th @ 8:00PM. 

I am also entering this card into Darnell's NBUS Challenge as I have never used this SWEETEST CHERRIES stamp set before.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Inkspirational #288 - Designers Choice - Nonni

Hello friends.  Playing with a new to me challenge today called the Inkspirational Challenge, that is now being run by one of my fellow teammates at Color Hues - Carol Mayne.  YAY Carol!!  I am happy to play along as this challenge is a "Designers Choice" and DT member Nonni has chosen DOTS & STRIPES!

I love, LOVE dots and stripes, so this was a fun challenge for me!!  I pullled out some Spring Rain Pattern Pack from PTI and Poppystamps Bird House Pop Up Easel Set and came up with this...

I couldn't resist a polka dotted birdhouse and love how this one turned out with the Spring Rain DSP (PTI) and some sponging with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  The little bird was cut with larger dotted Kraft DSP (also PTI) and sponged with the Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  A few little die cut leaves make it look like he's nesting right into this little house and making it his home.  And don't you love the textured roof on this little birdhouse?!  The die does the texturing for you, and I just enhanced it a bit with some more sponging.  

 For my background I used a strip of STRIPED DSP in the Spring Rain color to match with the birdhouse, and then added a thin strip of kraft next to it, and then added a piece of white embossed cs (Honey Bee Dogwood Blooms 3D) to complete the background.  My sentiment is from The Greetery's Sentiment Suite: Thinking of You and I finished with just a few Disco Ball Sequins from Gina K.  

The DT has some awesome inspiration for you using DOTS & STRIPES and there's also a bunch in the gallery already too, so check it all out right HERE and play along.  This challenge is open till Friday, May 5th @ 11:59PM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Color Hues #63 - Hot Pink & Cyan

Hello friends.  It's a new month and time for a new challenge here at Color Hues.  Hannelie is our hostess this time around and she would like to see HOT PINK and CYAN.  

I played with PFS's Daisy Wreath and some Speckled Aura Hot Foil and came up with this card.  (My hot pinks almost look red in my photos, but trust me, they are very much HOT PINK!!!)

I did my hot foiling first and then used the coordinating stencils with Catherine Pooler's Party Dress and Fiesta Blue inks.

I've been using some new to me blending brushes from Altenew and am really loving them!  They're longer handled and so easy to grip and blend with...I would definitely like a few more!

I die cut the wreath 3 times from white cardstock to add a bit of dimension beneath the top stenciled and foiled layer and then attached to a panel that I used the Stitched Diamonds Coverplate Die on.  My sentiment is also from PFS and is again hot foiled with the Speckled Aura and the Fancy Script Words set.  This whole card shimmers and shines with the hot foiling and the colors look absolutely beautiful together!  

  The DT and our Special GD Kristin have outdone themselves once again with this lovely color combination, so check it out right HERE and then play along with us...we'd LOVE to see YOU in the gallery!  This challenge is open till Sunday May 14th @ 9:00AM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!