Two Challenge Cards

Happy Friday, everyone!  I have two challenge cards to share today.  The Mixability Challenge over at Splitcoast is A Taste of Fall.  For my card, I chose a leafy pattern from the 'Follow the Son' Paper Pad from Divinity Designs LLC.  The rooster from 'Rise and Shine' was stamped in the center with Cajun Craze dye ink, then the sentiment was over-stamped with Stazon Timber Brown.  After coloring the feet and beak with a marker, a clear glaze pen was used to highlight them. Other items used for this card are as follows: Linen Thread, foam tape, sequins, and the following dies from Divinity Designs LLC: Basket Weave Square Background, Squares, Square Card Base with Layer, Double Stitched Circles, Bitty Blossoms.

My second card is for the Friday Free4All Challenge, 'Go To the Corner'. This is a card I made for a co-worker to give to his mother-in-law. All of the products used are from Divinity Designs LLC.  The flowers are from the Beautiful Blossoms 4 Paper/Die Duos set, the floral paper is from the Beautiful Blossoms Set 4 and 5 Coordinating Paper Pad. These are the dies used: Lattice Background, Pierced Ovals, Ovals, Family Names, Matting Rectangle, and A2 Portrait Card Base with Layer.  The satin ribbon was tied with a Bow Easy and foam tape was used to pop up the layers. 

Thanks for visiting with me today!

Have a blessed weekend!

Hope Anchors the Soul

Happy Friday, everyone!  This week's Mixability Challenge over at Splitcoast is 'Put a Bird On It'....my card has four sea gulls.  Though my card doesn't appear to be 'mixed media', I have used multiple mediums: Stazon permanent ink, Dye Ink, Distress Ink, Clear Glaze Pen, White Gel Pen, and markers.  Most of the items used are from Divinity Designs LLC: 'Anchor the Soul' stamp set, Blending Brushes, Foam Mounting Tape, and the following dies: A2 Pierced Multi Windows Die, Clouds and Raindrops (created a stencil), Cowboy and Cactus Silhouettes, Matting Rectangle, and A2 Landscape Card Base with Layer. The scene was stamped, sponged, partly colored with markers, highlighted with watercoloring, with glaze and gel pens adding the finishing touches.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Thankful and Grateful

Hi, everyone!  This week's Mix-ability Challenge over at Splitcoast is to incorporate metallics in your mixed media project.  For my card, I began creating the background with the Wrinkle Free Distress (or Smoosh) technique....dab several colors of ink pads onto a craft sheet, spritz with water, then 'dip' your cardstock into the puddle to soak in the colors.  Once dry, the panel was gold embossed with the Leaves Background by Divinity Designs LLC.  The sentiment panel was cut from the original WFD piece.  The sentiment from 'Bountiful Blessings' was gold embossed. The dies used for this card are also from Divinity Designs: Vintage Labels 2, Pierced Vintage Labels 2, Pierced Rectangles, Matting Rectangle, and A2 Portrait Card Base with Layer.  Blackberry Bliss ribbon, gold cording, and gold foil cardstock were also used to coordinate with the gold embossing powder and ink colors.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Be Still and Know

Hi, everyone!  Today I would like to share a card which was created about a year and a half ago but did not get posted anywhere.  (I have about a hundred cards with the same status....life gets in the way of blogging, ya know?)  Today's Friday Free 4 All Challenge is about 'Peace' and the Mixability Challenge is about 'Contentment'....I thought this card fit both of those challenges...my faith brings both peace and contentment.  The background panel (and top cross panel) were created with the Wrinkle Free Distress Technique (some call it the Smoosh Technique), by dabbing ink pads onto a craft mat, spritzing with water, then laying the cardstock in the puddle.  Once dry, the background panel was stenciled with both the Flourishes and Arrows Mixed Media Stencils. The scripture verse from 'Be Still' was heat embossed with pewter onto the 'yellow' Wrinkle Free Distress panel, then cut out with the largest of the Cross Layering Combo Dies set.  Other dies used: Bitty Blossoms, Pierced Rectangles, Matting Rectangle, A2 Portrait Card Base with Layer.  Pewter brads were added to the corners to coordinate with the embossing powder.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Blessings,

Oil Pastels - Rainbow

Hi, everyone!  This week's Inspiration Challenge over at Splitcoast is to find inspiration from the V and A Museum site......when I saw this set of oil pastels, it reminded me that I have only used my set just once.  The rainbow colors inspired me to use this stamp from the 'Sentiments Collection 2' (from Divinity Designs).  I remembered that the Mixability Challenge theme yesterday was 'draw a line', so I masked a straight line with scratch paper, scribbled small lines of colors with the oil pastels, then blended them with my finger.  The panel was cut out with the DD Custom Double Stitched Rectangles Dies.  Two blue gems were added for a simple embellishment.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Blessings,

Mixed Media Sunshine

Hi, everyone!  My card for today combines three challenges over at Splitcoast: Color Challenge of peach, espresso, and light blue; Mixability 'Array of Sunshine' Challenge ; and Friday Free4All 'Orange' Challenge.  The background panel was created with the Wrinkle Free Distress Technique....espresso brown, peach, and light blue ink pads were swiped onto a craft sheet, spritzed with water, then white cardstock mopped up the colors.  Once the panel was dry, it was cut out with the Divinity Designs Custom Double Stitched Rectangles Dies, the sun and sentiment from 'Hello Sunshine' were stamped with Stazon Jet Black, then the sun was colored with both markers and water-coloring.  White chalk pen was added to highlight the clouds.  Three strands of blue baker's twine were cut and laid across the card;  they were curvy from being on the spool and I like how they looked laying on the card, so I knotted the end and glued them down in the natural shape.  Kinda weird and out of the normal for me, but I like it!  The panel was matted with espresso brown and adhered to a white card.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Have a blessed weekend!!

Faith, Hope, Love, and Alcohol Ink

Hi, everyone!  Today's Mixability Challenge is to incorporate Love/Hearts into our mixed media projects.  I've been playing with alcohol inks and Yupo paper all morning and came up with a design for today's challenge.  I began by inking a panel with two pinks and one purple alcohol ink....I worked it quite a bit with a little mixative until it became a pretty solid consistency since the 'Bookmarks - Faith, Hope, Love' stamps (by Divinity Designs) had a lot of flourishes which I didn't want to get lost.  Each stamp was inked one at a time with Alcohol Lift Ink and pressed onto the inked panel; a clean cloth dabbed the lift ink to reveal the ghosted images.  Once each was lifted, I stamped off onto a piece of cardstock which I will use for a project at another time.  When finished, the panel was cut into strips.  The Clean and Simple Challenge this week is 'Bands of Color'.....I'm hoping that the strips and diagonal swipes of purple count as bands, otherwise, the challenge police may come after me! :) To finish the card, pink baker's twine, white heart sequins and tiny pink pearls were added.  I will also be submitting this to the 'Love Is In The Air' Challenge over at the Card Concept Blog.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Blessings,

Find Refuge / Gouache Watercolor

Hi, everyone!  Today I stepped way out of my comfort zone and tried a new technique, for the Mixability Challenge over at Splitcoast, which was a bit messy and my fingers are stained....eek!  (Next time I will wear rubber gloves! lol!)  The technique is called 'Gouache Watercolor'.....since I do not own any Gouache paint, I created my own by mixing watercolor re-inkers with acrylic paint.  With a wet sponge, the different colors of the hybrid paint mixtures were dabbed onto the panel.  Since my hands were already messy, I created several more panels to use in the future.  Once the panel was dry, it was cut out with the Divinity Designs Custom Pierced Rectangles Dies.  The Friday Free4All Challenge theme at SCS is 'I might use this someday'......I dug into my scrap bin and found this 'Find Refuge' Bible Journal image, already cut out, plus a bunch of feathers.  All I had to do was color them...yay!!  

Thanks for visiting!

Blessings,

Let Me Sow Love

Hi, everyone!  My card today was created for two challenges over at Splitcoast: FridayFree4All (love themed with no hearts) and the Mixability 'Text/Script' Challenge.  I began by swiping three different ink pads onto a craft sheet, spritzing it with water, then mopped up the colors with a piece of white tissue paper.  This is the 'Tissue Paper Watercoloring' Technique.  The tissue was pressed onto a white panel which had been run through a Xyron Sticker Maker, then the panel was cut out with the DD Custom Pierced Rectangles Dies.  The 'Prayer of St. Francis' was stamped, then the butterfly from 'Butterfly and Bugs' was stamped then colored with colored pencils with coordinating colors. This was a very quick card to make....yay!

Thanks for visiting!

Blessings,

Sending Lots of Love

Hi, everyone!  This week's Featured Stamper is Marge Yoon....congrats, Marge!!  I chose this gorgeous card to case today.  I used a different stencil, different colors, and a different sentiment, but kept the basic design the same.  After stenciling the panel with coral and pear, watered-down acrylic paint was splattered with a paintbrush before adding the word die and sentiment from the 'Sending My Love' Stamp/Die Duo set from Divinity Designs. The small sentiment was white embossed on black cardstock as on Marge's card and the word die was shadowed with black.  The two rectangles were cut out with the DD Custom Pierced Rectangles Dies set.  Clear sequins were added as a finishing touch.  I will also be submitting this card to the Mixability 'Coral' Challenge and Ways To Use It 'Resolution' Challenge...I resolve to be brave and use more mediums on my projects this year. This card will be mailed out to a dear friend who is having health issues.

Thanks for visiting!

Blessings,

Stenciled Pansies

Hi, everyone!  This week's Featured Stamper over at Splitcoast is Lori aka ArtzadoniaStudio...congrats, Lori!!  I chose this gorgeous card to case from Lori's gallery (flipped the layout to horizontal).  My intention was to use the same shaved pencil technique but I could not find my pencil sharpener ANYWHERE! (Grrr!)  So, I used ink and sponges instead.  The stencil I used is one I bought over 22 years ago to decorate/paint my new mailbox when we moved.   The stencil was taped down to watercolor paper; a yellow marker was used to color the pansy centers then a clear glaze pen sealed the yellow in to protect it from the purples.  Olive, lavender and razzleberry inks were sponged. Once the stencil was lifted, yellow was sponged in the center (which unfortunately smeared some of the razzleberry.)  The panel was cut out with the DD Custom Pierced Rectangles Dies and the sentiment from 'My Friend' (also from Divinity Designs) was stamped in Stazon Gothic Purple.  Since I used three different mediums and one of the oldest craft items in my stash, I will also submit this to the MIX311 challenge from Friday.  Since the stencil used was re-purpsed for paper-crafting instead of a painting stencil for home decor, I will also submit this to the December Fan Club 'Flea Market Flip' Challenge.

Thanks for visiting!

Blessings,

God Is Good All The Time

Happy Saturday, everyone!  This week's Inspiration Challenge over at Splitcoast is to find inspiration from the Lakeside Collection.  I chose this awesome wall clock so that I could combine the Friday Free 4 All 'One Layer' Challenge and the Mixability 'Clock' Challenge.  For my card, I began by masking off a square with post-it paper, then swiped the exposed card with ink pads and white-washed with acrylic paint for the 'faux wood' look, then stenciled various numbers. The clock hands and sentiment are from the ODBD set, 'God's Timing'.  Once the mask was removed, the card looked a bit plain, so I used the same die from the ODBD Custom Double Stitched Squares Dies to emboss around the inked section.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Mixed Media Dream

Hi, everyone!  Today I stepped out of my comfort zone and played in the Mixability Challenge over at Splitcoast, which was to use different types of text on your card.  I am also playing in the Friday Free4All Challenge, which is to use a stamp or stamp set which has never seen ink before, so I chose the 'Elements of Style' set by Stampin Up and a misc text stamp which I bought at a scrapbook store over ten years ago.  I began by creating an inked panel using the Wrinkle Free Distress Technique (caramel, kraft, and blush dye inks were swiped onto a craft sheet, spritzed, then mopped up with the cardstock).  Once the panel was dry, the text stamp was stamped with Stazon Jet Black.  Each section of the stamp was torn, inked, then adhered to a Cherry Cobbler card base.  White acrylic paint was lightly painted over the text; the floral image from 'Elements of Style' was stamped with Stazon, then the flowers were colored with Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, and Always Artichoke markers.  The 'Dream' letters (from Top Dog Dies) were cut and adhered.  I decided not to add any embellishments so that it could be mailed with one stamp.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,