#1013 – STB: Follow a Sketch

PE: Featured Artist at As You See It challenge! Yay!!

Hello and welcome! Today we start a new challenge at Seize the Birthday!

Our host this time, JoAnn, has given us a sketch to work with as the topping . The Topping is an optional challenge, but as long as your project is birthday-related, it’s worthy of entry!

And here’s what I made –

I started with making those little stamp die cuts. To create my own pattern paper for die cutting, I just took a plain white cardstock panel, stamped images using normal inks, then used a little water with a brush to spread the ink a bit. Doing that would blur the image so I stamped each image a couple of times more to add the definition back. Of course, since I was using my MISTI, restamping was easier. I used images from Hero Arts Flower Garden and Kaisercraft Butterflies stamps. I then die cut the panel randomly to get the stamp die cuts. I think the die was a free gift from a Winnie & Walter purchase.

I also used the same technique to stamp the big butterfly, also from Kaisercraft Butterflies stamp. I also added some details using a black fine liner pen and fussy cut it.

I first adhered the stamp die cuts on a grey card stock strip, trimmed it to size and used another strip of grid washi tape behind it and adhered it on the white cardbase. For the sentiment, I used a stamp from Reverse Confetti Tall Blooms. I trimmed it and added a strip of rainbow colored foil washi tape behind it. After adhering this on the cardstock, I also adhered the butterfly on top.

And that’s the card! I’m joining the following challenges as well –

As You See It challenge #281

AAA Birthday card challenge #40: Anything Birthday Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More #436: Make Your Mark

Happy Little Stampers August Birthday challenge

Step over to the Seize the Birthday blog to checkout how our Surprise Party Guest Karren J and our talented DT has cracked this sketch. And don’t forget to join the fun!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

#1012 – STB: No Stamping

Hello and welcome! We have a new challenge at the Seize the Birthday blog. This time we have Glenda as our host and she has chosen ‘No Stamping‘ as the Topping. Of course, as always you may enter any birthday themed projects into our gallery if you don’t want to take the Toppings option.

And here’s what I made –

I recently got a few embossing folders in my stash, which I wanted for quite some time now. For this card, I used the Simon Says Stamp Exotic Vines embossing folder on a metallic silver cardstock. I first swiped some dark grey ink on one half of the folder to get two tones on the cardstock. Of course, misting the cardstock with a little water on both sides did help me get a clear embossing without any cracks.

For the sentiment, I actually forgot ‘no stamping’ and had heat embossed a stamped, silver heat embossed sentiment on black cardstock, but then remembered it and swapped it for what you see. I used Tim Holtz Alphanumeric Tiny Type Lower Thinlits Die Set to die cut the same silver metallic cardstock and adhered it on black cardstock. I then fussy cut the pieces and foam mounted it con the embossed card base.

I thought something extra is needed, and die cut a few butterflies using My Favorite Things Hip Clips from black cardstock. I then added three of them on the card. They act as embellishment as well, and I love the look of them – like they are fluttering around the garden.

And that’s my card! I’m also joining the following challenges with this card –

AAA Birthday card challenge #40: Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge #435: Die Cuts and/or Stencils

Happy Little Stampers August Birthday challenge: Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge: Happy Birthday

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Emboss It

Step over to the Seize the Birthday challenge blog and checkout what the rest of the DT and our Surprise Party Guest Karen J have created for this challenge.

Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

#1011 – Color Hues: In Memory of Lindsey

Hello crafting friends. We lost our treasured friend and teammate Lindsey last week, following her hard-fought battle with cancer. Lindsey was well-known for her amazing creativity, witty sense of humor, and immense capacity to support and encourage her design team members and challenge participants. The crafting community will miss her shining light.

Today The Seize the Birthday Team is playing along with our sister challenge – Color Hues challenge. Lindsey was a Design Team Member for both the teams. The Color Hues challenge this time was to be hosted by Lindsey, so all of us want to honor and celebrate her beautiful, creative life by sharing “Lindsey Inspired” projects using her Blue and Purple combination, along with things she loved the most, as inspiration. We hope that you will join us as we pay tribute to our dear friend and teammate.

Here are a few of her favorite things: humor, cats, gardening/flowers, love of reading, friendship, wine, tea. Lindsey loved Clean and Simple cards too.

Here’s what I made, with Lindsey’s cards as inspiration:

I started with the rose, from Altenew Build a Flower: Rose, stamped it in colors of blue, purple and dark grey and cut it out using the co-ordinating dies. I also cut out a frame using Paper Smooches Frame 2 from kraft cardstock. I then adhered this in the center of the white card base.

For the sentiment, I used Avery Elle Laurels and Simon Says Stamp Tiny Words, stamped them in VersaFine Black Onyx ink, fussy cut it and adhered it on the card. And that finished my Lindsey-inspired card.

We would love for you to join the Color Hues challenge. You can find all the details along with inspiration from both of the Design Teams over at the Color Hues blog.

#1008 – Go Metallic with Gel Pens

Hello and welcome! It’s time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday and this time the optional Topping chosen by Cathy is ‘Metallic‘. Every Challenge is always Anything Goes and a special Topping is included for extra fun. It’s not required to include the topping on your birthday project.

And this is what I made –

I had a few techniques in mind, but in the end I chose to use these Uniball gold and silver gel pens, which have been in my stash from the longest time. And they perform so well too!

I started with stamping the flowers from Altenew Garden Treasure stamp set in black ink on a dark green paper – after all, metallics shine more on darker cardstock! I then traced the images in gold gel pen. The images have thin defined outlines which were not really standing out so I thickened the outlined a bit more and used a silver pen to fill up some spots and add a little definition as well. I also added a few dots using the silver pen.

Such a beautiful shine!!

Once done, I trimmed the image to center the drawing a little more and then added a frame using both the gel pens, using my ruler. I then adhered this panel to a kraft brown card base. For the sentiment, I used Altenew Bold Greetings die. I used a metallic dark gold cardstock I had at hand. This gives a subtle shine, so as to not take away the focus from the metallic, shiny florals, but has enough shine to compliment the image as well.

Sorry for the photos not being up to notch, the weather is pretty dull here, not much sunshine. 😦 And the color of the gold metallic pen is looking more greenish but it is a proper gold color irl. Not sure why that is – might be the background green is affecting it.

Anyway, that’s my card. And I’m joining the following challenges as well –

Addicted to Stamps and More #433: Birthdays

The Flower Challenge #70: CAS

Checkout more cards with more metallic elements in the Seize the Birthday blog where you can see what the DT and our Surprise Party Guest Karren J have created!

Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

#1002 – Inspiration Station Challenge #18

PE: Color Throwdown Featured Stamper!! Yippie!!

Welcome to Inspiration Station Challenge #18! It was my sister’s chance to come up with the challenge this time.

She made this Tic Tac Toe board, which turned out to be a little difficult for me. Any line I chose, two were in favour, one, not so much. I then had a flash of inspiration and used the middle column to make my card.

And here’s what I made –

I started with making the mosaic background. Helping me were CrafTreat Arabic Pattern stencil and my trusty Faber Castell Polychromos pencils. After coloring a white card base using them, I set it aside to work on the frame.

The flowers are from Altenew Delicate Clusters and the sentiment is from Concord & 9th Painted Peony. I added gold leaf to a frame cut out using Paper Smooches Frame 4 die and adhered it to a few more pieces of die cuts to get some dimension.

I was going to just adhere the floral frame on the card and maybe add a twine with a bow, but then I had a flash of inspiration – something I had seen a few card makers do – I used the twine to make it look like the frame was hanging like a portrait on a mosaic wall. Loved it instantly! 🙂

I’m joining these challenges as well –

Color Throwdown challenge #694:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge #430: Stencils and/or Die cuts (I’ve used both)

And that’s my card! Checkout this gorgeous tag that my sis has created for this challenge! I love how she’s used washi tape to create that gorgeous background (I wanna copy that technique!!) and that glittery flower die is just muah!!

Thank you so much for stopping by!