… as if they had surprised a butterfly in a winter wood

I’m sharing a card today featuring a stamp from Magnolia’s first Vintage Box, a lovely wood grain pattern, and a Noor! Design Butterfly diecut.

This card was inspired by the current Fusion inspiration photo.  Rather than a musical background I decided to go with the wood grain.  I embossed this with white embossing powder to create a resistant outline before using some Brusho and Color Burst powder to create the smooshed effect from the inspiration photo.

At Less is More they are looking for shadows so I’ve added in two on my card.  The first is incredibly subtle; in fact, the whole sentiment is almost invisible (turns out those colour powders are harder to control than I thought!).  I stamped my sentiment in Old Olive ink and then embossed with clear embossing powder before shifting my paper ever so slightly to create the shadow in black ink.  I split the sentiment into two; my first stamping (the ‘wish’) was a much better shadow effect than the second.  But then I added in the colour powders and it all kinda didn’t matter so much as I realised, too late, I should have done the sentiment in a contrasting colour.

The second shadow is on my butterfly.  I cut two, one I inked in black and doused in clear embossing powder to form my shadow; the second I left white and covered in some Shabby White Fran-tage for some bling against my otherwise rather grungy background.

The current challenge at Crafting When We Can is CAS so I am linking my card up there too.  I’ve not as much white space as I had planned; again, it was my inability to control the colour powders that is to blame.  I do like the effect though and will definitely be playing some more with these.

Ingredients:

Chalks & Powders etc

Colourcraft Brusho ~ Sea Green

Ken Oliver Color Burst ~ Burnt Umber

Stampendous! Embossing Powder ~ Detail Clear & Detail White

Stampendous! Fran-tage Embossing Enamel ~ Aged Shabby White

Dies, SVGs & Templates etc

Noor! Design Die ~ 6003/0023 Butterfly

Inks & Paints etc

Stampin’ Up! Stampin’ Pad ~ Basic Black & Old Olive

Tim Holtz Distress Ink ~ Embossing

Papers

Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock ~ Marshmallow

Bellbird Paperarts ~ Cotton Blend Card

Stampin’ Up! Cardstock ~ Always Artichoke

Stamps

Magnolia ~ Wood Grain from Vintage Box 1

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Collection ~ THJ009 Saying Stuff

Challenges

Crafting When We Can #143 ~ Clean and Simple

Fusion ~ Musical Butterfly

Less is More #326 ~ Lucky Dip Shadow!

Thanks for stopping by!

Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul…

I’m sharing a really simple thank you card today featuring a trio of Tim Holtz Stamps, one of the lovely ladies from the Runway set, the pretty floret pattern from the Rosette and Floret set and a sentiment from the Saying Stuff set.

My card was inspired by the current CAS theme over at AAA Cards, where they want you to take inspiration from the Oscars red carpet.  I don’t watch award ceremonies or follow red carpet fashions so I googled and found this lovely image of Bette Midler from the 2014 (I think) Oscars.

When I saw it I immediately thought of using one of the Runway images and a background stamp to do the pattern.  I created a reverse mask to get the red stamping in and used clear embossing powder to make the red really pop.

Keeping my card CAS I haven’t added any embellies to let the image take centre stage with the pop of red in place of embellies.  The Alphabet Challenge is up to ‘z’ for zero embellishments so I am linking my card up there.  As this is also a thank you card I am also entering it in the current challenge at Incy Wincy where they’re looking for thank you cards.

Ingredients:

Chalks & Powders etc

Stampendous! Embossing Powder ~ Detail Clear

Inks & Paints etc

Stampin’ Up! Stampin’ Pad ~ Basic Black & Real Red

Papers

Bazzill Criss Cross Cardstock ~ Elephant & Lily White

Curious Metallics Iridescent Cardstock ~ Cryogen White

Stamps

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Collection ~ CMS279 Rosette & Floret, CMS214 Runway & THJ009 Saying Stuff

Challenges

AAA Cards #85 ~ CAS Oscar Red Carpet

Alphabet Challenge ~ Z for Zero Embellishments

Incy Wincy ~ Thank you cards

Thanks for stopping by!

But through the clouds I’ll never float…

Another day, another male card and another Bird Crazy stamp from Tim Holtz.

January has proven very busy for male birthdays and I am loving how quick and easy it is to make a masculine card with these Bird Crazy stamps.  This card follows the sketch over at Sunday Stamps, which I flipped.  I made the shaped element using a stencil and some Distress Ink in Mowed Grass softened with Peeled Paint.  I then stamped my crazy bird in Archival Ink and coloured him up.  I added in a sentiment but the birdie looked like he was looking at something off in the distance so I went in and added the balloon floating away.  I deliberately stamped it off the edge to add to the impression it was drifting away.

This isn’t quite a one layer card, I double matted the white cardstock to add some weight and a nice border but it is still CAS so I am entering it in the current challenge at Craft Rocket.  Over at Cute Card Thursday they are looking for masculine projects, which my card is, so I am also linking my card there.

Ingredients:

Dies, SVGs & Templates etc

Stamper Anonymous Tim Holtz Layering Stencil ~ THS021 Speckles

Inks & Paints etc

Ranger Archival Ink ~ Jet Black

Tim Holtz Distress Ink ~ Mowed Grass & Peeled Paint

Tim Holtz Distress Markers ~ Broken China, Iced Spruce, Mermaid Lagoon, Peacock Feathers,Spiced Marmalade, Squeeze Lemonade & Tumbled Glass

Papers

Bazzill Prismatic Cardstock ~ Black and Blue

Ranger Inkssentials ~ Specialty Stamping Paper

Stamps

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz ~ CMS212 Bird Crazy & THJ009 Saying Stuff

Challenges

Craft Rocket #7 ~ Clean and Simple

Cute Card Thursday #409 ~ Just Boys!

Sunday Stamps #118 ~ Let’s get sketchy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Tweety’th my name but I don’t know my age

Today’s card is for one of my staff and features another of Tim Holtz’s Bird Crazy birds.

To make up my card I’ve followed the current sketch over at Feeling Sketchy.  I swapped out the shape that looked like a postage stamp for a wonky square as you can’t help but think of wonky things when you look at those crazy birds, well, at least I can’t! 

My birds are coloured with Distress Markers, one day I will be happy with how I colour with those things, for now, well, I am improving so that’s a good thing.  I stamped the sentiment and embossed it, was going to go for a full blue and white theme but felt the background was a bit bland so added in the designer paper I’ve had in my stash for ages.

As I’ve used both a die cut and a bird on my card I am entering this in the current challenge over at Die Cuttin’ Diva’s.  I am loving these birds and plan to use them for every male card I need to make this year and I have to make plenty.  Over at Creative Corner they are looking for feathers and, as birds have feathers, I am also linking my card up there.

Ingredients:

Chalks & Powders etc

WOW! Embossing Powder ~ Opaque Bright White

Dies, SVGs & Templates etc

Spellbinders Nestabilities ~ S4-289 Wonky Squares

Inks & Paints etc

Craft-T Products Metallic Rub-ons ~ Sky Blue

Tim Holtz Distress Markers ~ Aged Mahogany, Barn Door, Candied Apple, Festive Berries, Fossilized Amber, Mustard Seed, Peacock Feathers, Picket Fence, Pine Needles, Spiced Marmalade, Squeezed Lemonade & Tumbled Glass

Papers

Bazzill Smoothie Cardstock ~ Huckleberry Pie

Designs Galore ~ The Bike Cogs Collection

Stamps

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz ~ CMS212 Bird Crazy & THJ009 Saying Stuff

Challenges

Creative Corner ~ Feathers

Die Cuttin’ Diva’s #248 ~ Tweet! Tweet! Use a Bird

Feeling Sketchy ~ Sketch #137

 

Thanks for stopping by!