#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! 🙂

#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!

#1001 – Inking Stencils

Hello and welcome! Time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday challenge and this time we have the topping ‘Use a Stencil‘ from Vicki! Since the topping is always optional, you can just stick with our usual ‘Anything Goes‘ Birthday! The choice is yours!

And here’s my card –

I was very inspired by this card from Virginia Lu – her cards always wow me!!

I started with the card base. I used a gel plate with CrafTangles Mandala Reloaded stencil and distress inks. I first applied a light layer the inks on the gel plate, using a brayer to even out and blend the inks on which I used the cardstock directly. I then adhered the stencil to a side of my white card panel, reinked the gel plate with darker colors and carefully laid the stencil+cardstock on the inked gel plate. I did repeat the top most part by reapplying the ink, so taping the stencil helped. I did use the brayer each time to press the inks on the cardstock.

Setting the panel aside, I used Simon Says Stamp Blooming Meadow stamp for the flowers, fussy cut them out. I foam mounted the stencil panel on white cardstock and then arranged the flowers on top, with the sentiment from Winnie & Walter Sketchy Thoughts stamp set. For embellishing I used tiny orange sequins.

And that’s my card. I’m joining these challenges –

Retro Rubber Challenge #183: Anything Goes (I’ve used the Simon Says Stamp Blooming Meadow which is from Feb 2021)

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge #430: Die cuts and/or Stencils

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Anything Goes

Checkout more stencil inspiration from all my talented teammates and our inspiring Party Guest Lorraine A in the Seize the Birthday blog.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

#993 – Your Radiate Kindness

PE: Retro Rubber Challenge Top Pick!!

Color Hues Runner Up!!

Hello and welcome! I made time for myself to make a card for other than my DT duties. Its been such a long time, I had a real great time! 🙂 And here’s what I made –

I was inspired by the colors in the Color Hues challenge. I used a stamp set that I’ve not used for such a long time – Altenew Dodecagram. I think this is one of the stamp sets which shines more when used with a lovely color combination – which is something I am interested in now-a-days – color theory.

So anyway, I just took out the solid stamps from this set, and stamped the whole panel using my Misti. The sentiment comes from Concord & 9th Sunshine Turnabout, which I stamped in black, then brushed the white cardstock with the same teal ink as I stamped the background with and fussy cut. I then die cut a frame using Waffle Flower Nesting Squares dies and colored it black and mounted both the sentiment and frame using foam tape.

And that’s my card! I love how dramatic that background looks. I am inspired!! 😀

Joining the following challenges with my card –

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Favorite Things (Stamping and Colors)

Retro Rubber challenge #178: Anything Goes (Altenew Dodecagram was released in 2017)

Color Hues challenge #37

Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

#990 – Color Hues – Support for Ukraine

PE: Addicted to Stamps and More Honorable Addict!

Hello and welcome! Today is a special post, where members of the Seize the Birthday DT are joining the sister challenge, Color Hues challenge to show support for Ukraine. It’s heart wrenching to see people suffer because of some completely unreasonable people. I don’t have words to express the frustration, the helplessness, the fear. I hope these people are able to return to their lives soon, they deserve peace and simple everyday as much as rest of us. Prayers!

In the challenge this time, the Color Hues team has added an option to make a card in the challenge colors and/or to make a card using the Ukraine flag colors of Blue and Yellow. Of course, since we are making our cards in blue and yellow.

So, here’s the card I made –

I knew what I would make as soon as saw the colors. I thought of using an embossed background in blue and flowers in yellow.

I first made the background using Itsy Bitsy Leaves embossing folder on Navy cardstock. Before running it through, I inked the flatter side of the inside with Memento Tuxedo black ink – now my ink pad was a little dry, so it wouldn’t give a perfect black, but instead darken the cardstock a bit. Exactly what I wanted!

I then adhered this on a bright yellow cardbase, along with a strip of the same cardstock on one edge. Next, I made a distress ink panel to die cut the flowers from. I used a few shades of yellow ink to create an ink-splotched panel and die cut the flowers using Simon Says Stamp Crocus Flowers. I also die cut a few more panels from scrap yellow cardstock to adhere behind the main piece to get some dimension. I then adhered this on the card and also added few gold sequins to embellish. Finally, I gold heat embossed the sentiment from Concord & 9th Lots to Say, trimmed it and adhered it on the card as well.

I’m joining the following challenges –

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge #424: Any Occasion

Do join the Color Hues challenge. You can take up the original set of colors (Green and Gold) or show your support for Ukraine and choose to go with blue and yellow.

Thank you very much for stopping by.