CAS(E) this Sketch 40

HI Everyone,
My local stamping store Heather's Stamping Haven just started carrying the new dies from Penny Black - of course I needed to get a couple. I got this Daisy die and am loving it. I saw this week's CAS(e) this Sketch and new I had a winning combination. So I looked up this tutorial from Julie Ebersole and decided it was time to try it out.

I didn't have the inchies that Julie used, so I doubled up two pieces of Neenah Solar white cardstock and covered it with Eclipse masking paper. Then I ran it through the Vagabond with the die to make a deep impression, but not to cut it all the way through. I peeled off the masking paper around the flower and sponged with Mustard Seed Distress ink; next, I sponged with Spiced Marmalade. Finally I peeled the masking paper from the flower. I covered the whole panel with Versamark Ink and clear embossed the whole panel. I repeated this process 4 times to create an enameled effect. I love the way it turned out - it is glossy goodness. The photo doesn't quite show off the gloss to its full effect.

Thanks for looking.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Muse Challenge 29

Hello Everyone,
I missed the Muse challenge last week and was determined not to make the same mistake this week. So I was wxcited to see that the Muse this week is Laurie Willison - I LOVE her cards and find her blog so inspiring. I will admit that this card is no exception, but the colours were challenging to me - a more muted pallette than I usually work with. It took a couple of days of percolating, but the card finally worked itself out last night while I slept! Anyone else dream card designs?!

I decided to use the "sketch" and work with a slightly bolder tone of the same colours. I kept the background very monochromatic and let the flowers add the punch of colour. I pulled the blue, yellow, and green from the background of Laurie's card and used those colours for my flowers. I love the result. The flowers are from a Verve set called "Make a Statement" and the sentiment is from Paper Smooches "Sentiment Sampler" - love that set. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge: Sheer

HI Everyone,
I have decided to join in the Paper Smooches Sparks challenge this week. The theme is to include something sheer/clear in your card, I decided to go with vellum. I had seen a card with coloured vellum strips and loved it - I can't for the life of me remember where I saw it, so I can't credit the original designer... If anyone recognizes it, please give me a heads up. Anyway, on to the card,

I cut four strips of Vellum and coloured them with four copics 2BGs, 1RV and 1YR. I then wrapped the focal piece with them. I cut the Paper Smooches "Love" die from Neenah Solar white and coloured it with RV copic. I stamped the "you" from the "Miss You" sentiment from the PS set "Sentiment Sampler". I added the little rhinestone heart for just a little blingification. I am pleased with the way it turned out.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

CAS-ology: Gold and Summer Card Camp Week 3 Day 4

Hello Everyone,
Today the challenge over at Summer Card Camp is totry something new. Debbie Hughes and Kristina Werner - the queen's of CAS - decided to go shabby chic. I too have tried this style in the past, and while I admire others' creations, I just don't like it for myself. So I decided to do another entry for the CASology Gold challenge and step outside my box... a little.

I stuck with a simple design, but really blinged it up. I made my own glitter paper using sook wang tape and  Glitter Ritz Microfine glitter - I am not a big glitter gal, but this glitter is exceptional. I used a new Memory Box die and a Martha Stewart snowflake punch. How I stepped outside the box... First of all the amount of glitter, secondly the washi tape. You may not think this is revolutionary, but I love it on other cards, I just never know how to use it - apart from holding my dies in place when I am die-cutting. So I took a page out Julie Ebersole's book and used it at the top of the card. Lastly, I used some sequins - I have avoided this trend because I thought that like washi tape, they look great on other people's cards, just not sure I would use them. I got some with a recent Neat and Tangled order as a thank you (I love that they always include a little gift with the order), so I thought that this would be the perfect time to use them. I started out by "sprinkling" them all across the top portion of the card front like snow, but it just did not look right. So, I did what fit more with my style ... I used them to embellish the single snowflake - I layered a white one inside a larger gold one and topped it off with a gold bead.

 I did not step way outside the box, but did incorporate things that I wouldn't normally use and I love the result. Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Muse Card Club: Challenge 27

Hi Everyone,
When I saw the inspiration card for this week's Muse challenge, I loved the combo of purple and red - that is what inspired me to create this card. I just got the Neat and Tangled "Across the Card" stampset and had to try it out. So I stamped it and embossed in gold; then I used PTI's "Quilled Elegance" to create a border above and below. I used the purple/red combo to add a bit of colour. Head over to Muse to check out the fabulous inspiration card and play along!

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Summer Card Camp 2 Week 3 Day 2 and CASology Cue Card 54: Gold

Hello Everyone,
Today we had yet another amazing class at card camp - one of the techniques was embossing die cuts. I chose to put my own twist on this and follow along with the new CASology Cue Card: Gold. I will admit it probably would have been easier to just emboss the die cut of the flowers, but what I did instead was I created a mask with Eclipse Masking paper and used the negative as a mask on my card front. I sponged the fower space with Versamark and embossed in gold. I peeled that mask off and replaced it with a mask of the oval and sponged around the flower with  Peacock Feathers Distress ink. Then I stamped the Hello sentiment in Delicata Gold Pigment ink - I actually triple stamped this to get the opacity I wanted. I love the way it turned out. I didn't really stick to the  colour combo of the week for camp, but my inspiration was a Tiffany's box - turquoise and gold. I hope you like it. I loved all the funky "mixed" EPs Jennifer used in today's class, so I am going to try mixing my own concoctions - if it works I will post again later.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Summer Card Camp Week 3 Day 1, Part Two

Hello Everyone,
I have another card to show you! This time I am casing the delightful card that Kristina Werner demonstrated over at Card Camp today. I changed things up a little, but essentially, I used the same sketch and distress watercolour technique she used. The heart and sentiment are from a die set that Kristina desgined for Simon Says Stamp - the thank comes in a heart that fits inside the heart I watercoloured - but it looked a little too washed out with the heart around it, so I just cut the sentiment out and adhered it onto my die cut. In true Kristina fashion, I not only added the white dash lines, but also used my corner rounder! Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Summer Card Camp Week 3 Day 1

Hello Everyone,
I have a card to share inspired by a technique that Jennifer McGuire demonstrated over at Summer Card Camp today: layered background stamping. I used the Mint Motif "Beyond Borders 2" set to create my layered effect. Following Jennifer's directions I stamped the background in white (Color Box Frost White) and then I stamped the same pattern in the negative space with SU's Crumb Cake ink. The sentiment was made using a PTI alpha die set and the little hearts were created with a Martha Stewart punch and an EK Success one. I veered away from this week's colour scheme a little by adding the red hearts and the little hearts in the center are purple although I think they look dark blue in the photo. Anyway, this layered background is a funky new technique I know I will use again - at first it looked complicated, but it turned out to be quite easy. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Summer Card Camp: Week 2 Day 2 - Technique Tuesday!

Hello Everyone,
Today is Technique Tuesday over at Summer Card Camp! My card is a direct case of the one shown by Jennifer McGuire. I did use a different stamp set than hers, but really came up with the same results! She was demonstrating an emboss resist technique for layered stamping. Essentially, do all your step stamping and then stamp versamark over your layered image with the first layer stamp and clear emboss. The point of this is to be able to do the watercolour wash over the image afterward. I used my versamarker to colour the images and then applied the clear EP. Quick and easy - creating a grreat effect. Amber Kemp-Gerstel also demonstrated a cool ombre embossing technique, but that will have to wait til later - after I have run my errands! Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Stamping,
Meg

Summer Card Camp Day One/Week Two

Hello Everyone,
Today sees the start of the second week of the fabulous Summer Card Camp - I love these online classes; honestly, if you haven't taken one yet - don't delay... go sign up.

Today's card is based on of this week's sketches and the colour palette for the week. I did struggle a little with this one, as the colours are not really ones I gravitate toward. However, I think I am pleased with the resulting card - I am still not sure... I used the same distress ink water colour technique that Kristina used, except I used Peacock Feather and Crushed Olive - I really like the pop of blue in the flowers. Anyway, hope you like it.

Happy Stamping
Meg