#967 – Let’s Try Stitching!!!

Hello and welcome! We have a new challenge up at Seize the Birthday and the optional Topping this time, chosen by Barbara, is to ‘Use Faux or Real Stitching‘. Since the topping is optional, as long as your project is birthday-related, you can join the party!

And here’s what I made –

I finally dipped my hands into cross-stitching!!! Yay!!! My sister was a major inspiration, after all, I’ve been seeing her use the needle and thread for years now! 🙂

I’m glad to also have used the Simon Says Stamp Stitching Panel, for what I think, is the intended way of usage (no, I am not saying you can’t just just use it as a background, it looks wonderful either way!). On this, card, since I didn’t want to waste embroidery thread with my amateur stitching, I used normal sewing thread instead, since I had access to plenty of it from my mother’s stash! Also, I did choose colors on my own this time – I usually have a couple of colors in my mind and use my color inspiration board on pinterest to pick the rest of the colors – but this time, I chose all of them, and I am super happy that they worked so well!

I did have a great time stitching. I did all the amateur mistakes – felt so bad when I had to cut off a lot of thread because I didn’t pull it right, made the top stitch come out from the wrong side, stitched over one hole, measured wrong – the whole shots – but I truly did enjoy the experience. In fact, I would like to make more (and maybe use embroidery threads this time? What say sis?) if I am not time constrained!

All that story, since I didn’t have much to write about the card itself!!! 😀

Anyway, coming back to the card – Once I finished the sewing, I cut out 2 sets of the frames using dies from Simon Says Stamp Stitched Squares and Waffle Flowers Nesting Squares, along with extra pieces from scrap cardstock to stack them for dimension. I then adhered these using liquid glue and then mounted that over a square Beige card base. The sentiment comes from Neat and Tangled Hand Stitched stamp set, which I thought suited the card to a T. I also added a thin strip of copper foil washi tape on the sentiment strip, since I wasn’t going to add any other embellishment – sorry you can’t see the shine here.

And I’m joining the following challenges as well –

Watercooler Wednesday challenge #324: All About Occasions

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge #414: Any Occasion

And that concludes my report of my new crafting adventure! 😀 Checkout more stitching inspirations from our Surprise Party Guest Jenny Martin and of course, our fantastic crafting team at the Seize the Birthday blog!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

#966 – Watercoloring on Glossy Cardstock

Hello and welcome! Its time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday and this time, the optional Topping, chosen by JoAnn is to ‘Use Pastel Colors only‘. Of course, as it is optional, you are free to join with any birthday related project you’ve newly created.

And here’s what I made –

The cardstock I used was pretty different this time – it had a normal side and a glossy side. The glossy side was pretty unique – water or watercolor, wasn’t moving like how it would with either watercolor paper or normal cardstock on it. It was behaving kind of like when light gesso is applied on paper. Colors were not settling or drying quickly enough, but its not like I was able to reactivate once it dried either. Very unique indeed! And I used that to get a lovely effect for my background! In fact, that’s the cardstock I used for the whole card.

For the background, I smooshed the distress ink pad over a acrylic sheet, misted it with water and dropped the cardstock on top, moved it a bit before lifting it, and repeated the color-picking process until I was satisfied with the coverage. And I watercolored the flowers’ and leaves’ solid die cut parts using a simple thick brush. For the outlines, I die cut them out of the same cardstock, leaving them uncolored, of course, showing off the glossy cardstock. While adhering the pieces, I offset them a bit and adhered only the center areas, leaving the perimeters hanging. That helped in getting a bit more dimension as well.

For the background, I did add a small detail of white heat embossing using a Border Patterns stamp from Cloud9. I then trimmed the sides a bit before using a couple of scrap cardstocks for extra dimension and adhering it to a white card base. I then adhered the flowers and leaves, and then used white half-pearls to embellish. For the sentiment, I used the stamp set Playful Animal Friends 2, trimmed it and again used strips of scrap cardstock to add dimension.

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

Watercolor Wednesday challenge #323: All Things Feminine

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge #413: Birthdays

The Paper Players challenge #556: Tic Tac Toe challenge from Jaydee (I’m picking the first column: Feminine – Birthday-Florals)

Do stop by the Seize the Birthday challenge to checkout the cards made by our wonderful Surprise Party Guest Jenny Martin and the rest of our creative design team!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

#965 – Magical Mermaid

Hello and welcome! The first of the month, and we have a new challenge up at Happy Little Stampers. Its the Watercolor challenge, with the usual theme of ‘Anything Goes‘!

And this is what I made for your inspiration this month –

After making some Friendly Unicorns last month, I was inclined to get to some Friendly Magical Mermaids as well! For this scene, I used the images from the cute Waffle Flower Mermaid Mail stamp set. After stamping them in a light grey ink on CrafTangles watercolor paper, I watercolored them using Distress inks. To fill in the scene, I also drew some mountain-like boulders and the sandy base and fussy cut all the images out. For the background, I used a light touch of blue and green, then added lots of splatters.

Once everything was dry and ready to be put together, I thought I wanted to add a bit of dimension to a few of the images, instead of laying them down flat. I also didn’t want to add too much dimension by using foam tape or foam sheets. Instead I used 1-2 layers of scrap cardstock. This kept everything as flat as possible plus, made the tiny pieces a bit stronger, harder to bend. I used normal glue to adhere the layers together, and also to adhere them on the card.

For the sentiment, I used Ellen Hutson Totally Random Sayings Vol 1, which I stamped in a dark brown ink, instead of black, to fit the rest of the scene.

My favorite thing in this card, that I absolutely had to mention, is that cute little sea horse, with its tail twisted around the sea weed, trying to keep itself anchored. I especially cut it out so that I could make its tail wrap around the sea weed, and I totally love it! 😀

I’m joining the following challenges with my card –

Double D challenge: Anything with a Tail

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge #413: Birthdays

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Anything Goes

Hope you are inspired by this card. If not, or even if yes, you can still stop by the Happy Little Stampers challenge blog to checkout more wonderful inspiration from the rest of the DT!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

#959 – Rainy Day’s Smile

Hello and welcome! Today I have the honor and pleasure of being the Guest Designer at the Addicted to Stamps and More challenge!

And the challenge this time is one of my favorites –

Since I am getting into pencil coloring these days, I thought this would be the perfect time to try something out. I wanted to try coloring in a small scene for myself. And here’s what I created –

I wanted to color on something darker, non-white, basically. I have this sheet of kraft paper that I had initially bought for making envelopes, but there’s so much of it, and the texture being just right, I thought I could use it for some coloring as well. I chose the cute piggy from My Favorite Things Piggy Pebbles and the cute doggo from Purple Onion Designs Puddles Dog, stamped them using a dark brown ink.

I had to make a small mofication to the image, since the umbrella that the piggy carried was too small to shelter both of them. I stamped it the spine of the umbrella, and then leaving the rest of the umbrella, I stamped the tip of it, then I drew the umbrella’s shade, exanding its coverage a bit to cover both the animals. I colored them using Faber Castell Polychromos pencils.

Once done, I drew the fence behind them, stamped the puddles as well, and colored them both. I thought of adding a tree and a windmill in the background, but then decided aginst the windmill, since I wanted the scene to be relatively small. I drew the tree only instead, which, lets face it, didn’t come out as well as I hoped. Anyway, I can learn how to draw a beautiful tree in time! 😀

In the end, I colored and drew some grass. I then trimmed this sheet and added it on a kraft card base. Finally I stamped the sentiment, from My Favorite Things Well, Hello stamp set in white pigment ink.

And that’s my card. Do stop by the Addicted to Stamps and More challenge blog to see more wonderful creation from the DT – they always manage to inspire me! Thank you Kylie for having me over!

Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

#957 – Berry Sweet!

Hello and welcome! Time or a new Tic Tac Toe challenge and this is going to be my last challenge as a part of the Design Team. Thank you so much, Felicita and the rest of the team for all the great time!

We are continuing the theme of ‘Summer Entertaining/Weddings‘ and this time JoAnne has created this board for us –

Chooing the diagonal from top left – Fruit – Pattened Paper – Shaker, I made this card –

My idea of using the fun strawberries for shaker came from this shaker card created by the fantastic Julie Ebersole, which actually has cute cupcakes for the shaker. It’s so much fun! I thought of using berries instead, thinking they would be perfect for the summer theme.

So I started with the berries from the Winnie & Walter In Bloom: Carolinas Florals stamp set and die cut them with the coordinating dies. I used an extra die for the berry itself, to add a bit of support and dimension. For the pattern paper, I used Recollections Blossoms & Bliss paper, adhered it above the entire card base.

For the shaker’s frame, I used Neat & Tangled Scalloped dies, cutting a few white cardstocks using it. I adhered them all together for the frame. Since I wasn’t going to use any foam tape, with the pattern being so thin at places, I didn’t want to take any chances. I adhered this on the card base and then added the sentiment from Honey Bee stamps Pearfect Sentiments

Finally, I added a few sequins, beads and the fruit die cuts, adhered the transperency using double sided tape and then placed the top frame, which I cut out from Fabiano Elle Erre Belle card stock, which has a little bit of striped texture to the card. And that finished my card!

Joining the following challenges with my card –

Addicted to Stamps and More #410: Die Cuts and/or Stencils

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Anything Goes

Watercooler Wednesday challenge #321: All Things Masculine

Stamplorations Summer challenge: Anything Goes

Checkout more inspiration on the Tic Tac Toe challenge blog, where you can see creations from the rest of the DT and our guest designer as well!

Thank you so much for stopping by!