New Purchase

This is my new purchase swap for this month on Inkyfunstampers Yahoo Group. I love their swaps. I just purchased 5 Sugar Nellie stamps and already one is missing. They are so beautiful and they really scream "COPICS" to me. This image is called "Fragile Beauty". For the base card I used Co-ordinations and then took a Cuttlebug embossing border and ran it through my Big Shot. Then to take advantage of the core color, I sanded the embossed design til the core showed through.

The image was colored and blended using several markers. Unfortunately I put them away so that I can't tell you which ones I used. I stamped the image with Memento ink onto Neenah 110# paper.

Now it is back to the drawing board. I have 6 more swaps and 4 more sketch books waiting.

I will be gone to Vegas tomorrow and come home Friday and then stay with my sister until we go back to Vegas Monday to pick up her hubby at the airport. Things should be back to normal (whatever that is) by Wednesday. I am really really glad Hubby bought me a laptop for my birthday!!!

Side Step Card

The side step card was a challenge on ScorPalPals yahoo group. If there is a tutorial on how to make a card using my Scor-Pal, I am right there ready to make it. I absolutely adore my Scor-Pal. TAC carries it. It is item # F-358 and retails for $43.95. I have the Scor-It and I thought that was great but there is no comparison between the two at all. As a matter of fact, I should probably sell my Scor-It.

Anyway, the card is 5 1/2" x 8 1/2".

You first cut your line. Turn your card vertically and at the two inch mark, cut a line from 2 1/8" to 7 1/2" then place the card horizontally with the cut more towards the bottom. You then score at 2 1/8", score the entire way down past the cut at the 4 1/4" mark, next you need to score at 5 3/8" and only to the cut line. Since there is no mark there but there is one at 6 3/8", move your card over to the right by 1". This will give you the score at 5 3/8". Put your card back to the far left and score at 6 1/2" and 7 1/2". Now fold the score lines. On the step side beginning at the front, fold mountain, valley, mountain, valley then Mountain. On the side piece. fold as a Mountain fold. Then you are all ready to decorate. I chose Karen Foster's Purple marble Designer paper for the background. Then I took light purple from the DCWV purple combo - non textured pack you buy at Michael's or Jo-Ann's and punched it using the scallop edger punch with the holes from SU.

The image is an iris from PSX' botanical stamps. They are no longer in business to my knowledge. I went around the edge with a Spica glitter pen.

It was fun and I hope you try it.

Anything Goes

This is a card that would not normally be my style. Since I am coming out of comfort zone, I have decided to use this card for my swap. I do like the nestabilities die and I am starting to use buttons on my cards. Stamping ribbon doesn't come easy to me. I guess I just don't do it often enough!

Missing You

It has been awhile since I used my pastels. This card was actually completed at an SU party. Of course, I had to do it my way, mostly because I didn't know where the original card was. It was the first time I had used a stamp with Versamark and then used my pastels. Neat trick. I also used my chalk enhancer with it. I love that stuff.

Hot Hot Hot Swap

I finally did a tri shutter card! I have been putting it off for so long. My friend Kathy McGuire even DARED me to do it. I can't stand when someone dares me. So I think she will be proud of me.

I followed Beate John's tutorial on You Tube. You can see the video on the right column. I wouldn't rate it as easy but I had a lot of fun doing it.

I am showing you the inside and then the folded card.

Swap for Latest Purchase

This is another triangular card that I have made. The stamp inside is a TAC stamp from the set in the Serendipity magalogue called "true beauty". I think every single stamp in this set is gorgeous. I love butterflies, can you tell?

The paper I used was a Soar With It Collection called Hemingway along with the matching card stock. I actually took white itty blossoms and dyed them with "Wheat" Versa Magic chalk ink. The tiny flower was also dyed to match the blossoms over the butterfly. I used a metallic gold prismacolor pencil to outline the postage stamp frame then used prismacolors, along with Gamsol and tortillions, for the remaining colors of the stamps.

It is actually brighter in real life. I hope the recipient likes her card.

Violet, Green and Orange Swap

Today I have a couple of swaps that I will post for you. These are for Inkyfunstampers.

This one really surprised me. I couldn't imagine these colors together but what the heck! That is why I am doing swaps. I want to get outside my comfort zone. Oh Boy!!

The image is from a retired TAC set called Pansies. They happen to be my favorite flower. (Along with roses and frangipani.). For the orange, I used the Pansy stamp with versamark to break up the brightness. For the image itself I used prismacolor pencils, Gamsol and spica glitter pens. I then cut it out and added to a paint sample from Home Depot.

It still looked too blah so I needed something. Ribbon didn't work nor did brads. But what a difference when I added the TAC buttons. I was happy that it came out well enough that I could send it to some one.

Anything Goes Swap

Well, I missed a day somehow, but here is my card. The set is from TAC called "In Bloom". I stamped in Jumbo Java, Versamagic and just used glitter to color in the image. I stamped a swirl on the background and that made me lose inspiration. I had no idea where I was going to go from there. I had to wait until the card led me. The picture isn't great but the card came out well in person. So it will be winging its way to my 1-on-1 swapper.

Next I am going to alternate between my swaps for Stamper's Life (Christmas themes) and my sketch book pages.

See you soon!

3rd Swap for Today

The theme for this swap was "latest purchase" I just purchased tons of Hemingway paper for a TAC demo that I did. Thinking of that, I should post that card because I am VERY proud of that card! So I guess I will do one more post today.

This card was cased from the Serendipity magalogue . If you have the magalogue, you can see it on page 13, along with the stamp set, "want to fly". To me this has to be one of the most elegant samples and my favorite stamp set in this book.

I used Hemingway paper, along with Jumbo Java Versamagic ink. The brown ribbon was from my stash of ribbon collected when Michael's had a great sale on their ribbon. The strip that is horizontal at the bottom is actually crimped tho I don't think that is clear in the picture.

I have never cased a card before but I certainly could not improve on this. If you are the designer of this card, please leave a comment.

Thanks. See you in a few minutes.

Another swap card

First, I have learned I better check my spelling before I post!!!

This card theme is "Flowers, Flowers Everywhere"! Since there were supposed to be flowers everywhere, I thought of the Bella Flor paper and stamp set by Mabelle R O for TAC. I believe both are retired.

The template was lovingly shared by Vicki Hook (who also gave me the inspiration to start this blog.)

Since the middle section would have shown white on the back, I chose to use the yummy pink to cover it with a square tag that matched the flowery paper.

Of course I had to add a flower to the upper right hand corner. The leaf comes from another dollar store lei.

On to my next swap....

Swap

I have recently started doing swaps again and I have joined a Sketh Book Art Mail Club. You will be hearing more about the Sketch Book Club as I continue to Blog. Today I would like to share a card that I did for a Swap. The theme of the swap was "Patriotic".

I didn't want to do just any card. That has always been my problem. I put a lot of time into each card I do. So I don't get much done all at once.

This card actually was very simple but it needed a run to the dollar store for inspiation. I got the wired ribbon from there. While I was at it, I bought a 4th of July lei. I used the blue flower as the large flower while using other flowers I had hanging around the house. The stamp is a retired TAC stamp called "Liberty".

I hope you enjoy this card.