Patterned Papered Dreams

CAS Card Making II -Day 8-

Hey there! Happy Sunday! I'm way behind on my homewrok for Clean and Simple Card Making II class, but I'm trying to catch up. Day 8 was about some inky techniques and here are my humble attempts to put to work what I learned in class.

First, a tribute in the form of a tag to the queen of stamped plaid, Laura Bassen. Her video for the class was awesome and super funny! Franckly, stamping lines, inking, cleaning, inking, stamping and so on is as relaxing as stamping hundreds of dots (see here). I loved the process!

I finished the tag with sequins and a heat embossed bubble sentiment. The embossing allowed me to sponge some ink on it to color the letters.

Next, a bookmark that has already been put to good use by my husband. I tried to reproduce Kristina's cool technique with salt, but it didn't worked. I used Inktense pencils for my background instead of Distress Markers, so maybe it has something to do with that.

The process: I scribbled with the pencils on a die cut bookmark, and then went over it with a water brush and blended the colors. After heat setting with my heat gun I used and alpha stamp set to stamp "here", and an arrow. Finally, some of my brand new washi tape. Aren't that triangles gorgeous?

I'll try to be back later with my homework for day 9. Wish me luck ;)

Thanks for visiting!

A little hello tag: Cardstock/Canson; Stamps: stripe/PTI, speech bubble/Simon Says Stamp; Ink: harvest gold, new leaf, autumn rose, hawaiian shores/PTI, black/versafine; Embossing powder/Ranger; Die: tag/Hero Arts; Twine/The Twinery; Other: sequins.

Here bookmark: Cardstock: watercolor/Hero Arts; Stamps: alpha, arrow/Hero Arts; Ink: black/Versafine; Pencils/Derwent Inktense; Die: bookmark/PTI; Washi tape/MT; Twine: The Twinery.

CAS Card Making II -Day 7-

Hey there! It's back to work for me this week (and lots of work!), which means I'm not able to keep up to date with the Clean and Simple Cardmaking II class. I'm a day and a half behind, boo!

So here's my card for day 7. A single layer card where I played with a little stamp. I chose that cute card with a hear shaped window and a Hero Arts sentiment from a set I just got and love.

Started with a piece of Hero Arts layering paper. It's the first time I use it and it's amazing for stamping! The first thing I stamped was the sentiment. Then I measured with a ruler and traced some lines with a pencil to mark the spots for the little cars. Once I was happy with the cars, I stamped 3 tiny hearts, glittered them and colored the rest of the windows with a white pencil.

Also, the washi tape strip? It wasn't planned. I had taped the pannel to my desk so it wouldn't move while I stamped. And when I removed the tape, I sligthly ripped the cardstock (talk about craftsmanship, huh?). So I used the tape to hide the oops.

That's it! Thanks for stopping by :)

Love more card: Cardstock/Canson; Layering paper/Hero Arts; Stamps: car/American Crafts, sentiment/Hero Arts, tiny heart/Mama Elephant; Ink: Tide Pool/Hero Arts, black/Versafine, Strawberry/Impress; Glitter/Ranger; Washi tape/MT; White Pencil/Faber Castell.

CAS Card Making II -Day 6-

Good morning! Back with my homework for day 6 of Clean and Simple Cardmaking II. I have to confess that I still haven't had time to watch the videos, crazy day around here yesterday, but last night I sat and at least played with the sketches. I made two different versions of Kristina's sketch.

This first one is a super free take on the sketch, but I love, love, love it. My husband came back yesterday after a week in Spain and guess what he brought me? A 24 box of Inktense pencils! They are beyond amazing! Truth is, there's not a product recommended by Jennifer McGuire that hasn't worked great.

So for this card i just scribbled some colors on watercolor cardstock, watered them down, dried with my heat gun and then stamped the sentiment. The arrows anf lowers are 3rd generation stamping (I stamped the images on scratch paper twice and then on the card without reinking). The sequins have been sitting unused in my stash for years... not anymore :)

And here's the second version. Here I played around with texture.

 

I started stamping the Hero Arts background and heat embossed in clear. The die cut circles piece has been sitting on my desk for a couple of weeks, so there it went. Finally, I covered a strip of cardstock with narrow washi tape (also brought by husband in his magic suitcase, hehe!), die cut the banner and stamped a partially inked sentiment also by Hero Arts.

Thanks for stopping by!

Pure joy card: Cardstock/Canson; Stamps/American Crafts; Ink: black/Versafine; Pencils/Derwent Inktense; Other: sequins, water brush.

Life is good card: Cardstock/Canson; Stamps/Hero Arts; Ink: black/Versafine, Versamark; Embossing powder/Ranger Dies: circles/Simon Says Stamp, banner/PTI; Washi tape/MT.

CAS Card Making II -Bonus Day

Happy Sunday, people! Yesterday was a bonus day in the Clean and Simple Card Making II class I'm taking, and the subject was making CAS projects that involved die cutting. So I couldn't wait to put to work the amazing technique that JJ Bolton showcased in her fantastic video (thanks JJ!). Kelly Rasmussen also rocked some die cutting techniques that I'll be trying soon :)

So first, a card. The great thing about these colorful arrow/chevrons is that they dress so nicely the card that little more is needed. I went for a banner heat embossed in silver.

I love the shine!

Another great thing about this technique is that you are left with a gazillion leftover pieces that you can use in other projects. A tag, for example:

Here I adhered the stripes, heat embossed a sentiment, stamped another one and finished with an arrow and a die cut glittery heart. I wanted the arrow to be subtle underlining the second sentiment, so I stamped it off once before adding it to the tag, which toned down the black ink.

I'l also entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp Challenge, where "Anything goes" this week :)

That's it! Enjoy your Sunday and thanks for stopping by!

Hip hip hooray card: Cardstock/local source; Stamp: banner/Simon Says Stamp by Kelly Purkey; Ink: Versamark; Embossing powder: silver/Ranger; Dies: squares/Spellbinders.

Love tag: Cardstock/Canson; Stamps: sentiments/PTI, arrow/Mama Elephant; Dies: squares/Spellbinders, hearts/Memory Box, tag/PTI; Twine/Impress; Other: glitter cardstock.

CAS Card Making II -Days 4 and 5-

(Warning! Heavy picture post!)

Hello friends! Today I'm posting my cards for lessons 4 and 5 of Clean and Simple Card Making II. I'm loving the class, so many useful tips and gorgeous samples!

On day 4, the subject was white space on cards. I totally embraced it with this card. Feather stamped with dye ink and lightly colored with a blender pen. I used a beautiful parchment cardstock that really shines with all this white space :)

Added a little something using a pearl colored with a gold marker.

Next, a tag with the clean chalkboard look Kristina showcased. Instead of drawing a frame, I used a mason jar and my pop of color comes from the sentiment.

Now, day 3: Stamp it 3 ways or how to stretch your stamps. I chose an Impress bloom and brainstormed about different ways to use it. Finally settled on making 3 mini cards with basic color bases. I just love how different they are!

For the first one I was inspired by Julie's coloring on white heat embossed images on kraft. This technique is simply amazing.

My sentiment didn't stamp very crisp so I went over it with a black marker and retraced it. Stickles added to the center of the bloom.

In the second card, I masked the flower, added a bold sentiment and finished with bakers twine and a metallic dot.

And finally, I experimented with the blackboard tecnhique again in the third card.

First, the bloom was heat embossed in clear and then I sponged some white pigment it over it and wiped clean with a cloth. I draw the frame with a white pigment mencil. The banner was die cut from vellum and the sentiment, heat embossed with gold ink. The gold marker came handy once again to add a few dots to the center. The pic really doesn't make this card justice, it's so pretty in real life!

Phewww!!! Thanks if you made it to the end of this post ;) Off to see what the next lesson brings. Have a wonderful weekend :)

Note of thanks card: Cardstock/Canson; Stamps: feather/Hero Arts, sentiment/PTI; Ink: pistachio/Memento, brown/Versafine; Other: pearl/Basic Grey, gold marker/Pilot.

With Love tag: Cardstock/Canson; Stamps: jar/American Crafts, sentiment, reinforcer ring/Mama Elephant; Ink: Versamark; Embossing powder: white, hot pink/American Crafts; Twine/The Twinery.

Bloom 1 card: Cardstock/American Crafts; Stamps: bloom/Impress, sentiment/American Crafts; Ink: black/Versafine, Versamark; Embossing powder/American Crafts; Other: markers/Tombow, glitter/Ranger Stickles, corner chomper.

Bloom 2 card: Cardstock/Canson; Stamps; bloom/Impress, sentiment/Hero Arts; Ink: strawberry, turquoise, slate/Impress; Twine/The Twinery; Other: metallic dot.

Bloom 3 card: Cardstock/Canson; Stamps: bloom/Impress, sentiment/Simon Says Stamp; Ink: white/PTI, Versamark; Embossing powder: clear, gold/Ranger; Other: white pencil/Faber Castell, gold marker/Pilot, vellum.

CAS Card Making II -Day 2-

 

Good afternoon! I'm back with my homework for Clean and Simple Card Making II, Lesson 2. Today it's all about one layered cards and I learned great tips from the teachers and also remembered some techniques I already know but always forget to put in use. So here we go with a card and a tag... And sorry in advance for the pics, not very good light today around here.

My card features the two kinds of masking. After sponging the inks, I stamped some patterns to add texture without adding bulk. With the washi tape strip I mixed yesterday's tips from Julie and Jennifer: it adds interest, pattern and helps balance the offset stars. The biggest star has some tone over tone stripes but the pic doesn't show it, so here's a closer shot.

Second, a tag with yet more masking and Debby's tip about debossing an image to make it pop without adding bulg. I also loved Julie's gold glitter dots from yesterday, so I made some silver dots of my own :)

Oh, and remember yesterday's lesson about keeping your work clean and without smudges? Obviously I didn't pay enough attention, because I had to repeat the whole tag due to "ink happenings".

Thanks for stopping by and for your sweet comments, they make my day!

Card: Stamps: stripes/WPlus9, chevron pattern/Savvy, sentiment/Hero Arts, dots/PTI; Ink: Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seeds/Distress Inks, black/Versafine, light yellow/Colorbox, Summer Sunrise/PTI; Dies: stars/Spellbinders; Washi tape: EK Success.

Tag: Stamps: assorted hearts/Hero Arts, PTI, sentiment/PTI; Ink: Pool Shadow Ink/Hero Arts, Red Currant/Impress, Silver/Colorbox, black/Versafine; Dies: small banner, tag/PTI; Twine: The Twinery; Other: silver glitter.

Clean and Simple Card Making II

Hello friends! Can you believe it? Me blogging two days in a row! Ok, so I enroled in the latest class by Online Card Classes, Clean and Simple Card Making II. And as I have this week off work, I hope I can follow up, or at least that's my intention :)

Day 1 is about the craftsmanship of CAS cards, and I managed to complete two cards following the sketches by Julie Ebersole and Amber Kemp Gerstel. Here's a look at my stamping place...

First I challenged myself to make a very inky card without splotches. Lots of therapeutical stamping here. Who needs therapy when you can stamp thousands of little dots and end up completely relaxed and in peace with the world?

The arrow was colored with a silver marker.

Now, card number 2 inspired by my admired Julie Ebersole. I used her sketch turning it upside down.

I also "stole" the gold ink idea. Pretty!

That's all for today, unless I can steal a bit more time to give a try to one more sketch.

Thanks for visiting!

Card 1: Stamps: (sentiment by Technique Tuesday, assorted dots form various companies); Ink: Fresh (Tomato Red, Mango, Pool, Limeade), Versafine (black); Die: Lil' Inker; Other: rhinestones, silver marker.

Card 2: Stamps: (striped line by Hero Arts, big snowflake and sentiment by PTI); Ink: Fresh (Turquoise), Brilliance (Rocket Gold), Versafine (black); Other: rhinestones.

Beautiful Borders

Hi there, happy Saturday! Ok, so Gallery Idol 2011 finalists have been revealed and I didn't made it. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit sad because it would have been so exciting to be part of that contest... but hey, the chosen cards are all A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. and there are a couple of friends that made it, like Amber and Aimes and I'm over the moon for them. Go girls!! So now, let's brush off the dust and get back on the saddle! And one of the best ways to do that is to brainstorm for a Moxie Fab Challenge: Beautiful Borders.  And here's the result:

I made the gradient pine using a border punch and 8 strips of cardstock in a gradiant green (gradiant green, gradiant green, say that with me!). I cut a triangle shape, adhered the borders and trimmed. For the trunk, I used the log in this Lawn Fawn set. The butterfly is also from that set. And the sky was stamped with this Hero Arts beautie that I've been wanting for a long time.

Thanks for stopping by and check out the Moxie Fab World to see the amazing stuff people is making with borders!

Supplies: Cardstock: Canson, Coredinations; Stamps: Lawn Fawn, Hero Arts; Ink: Memento, Versafine; Border punch: Martha Stewart; Other: Blue Stickles.

The rejections blog hop

Hi there and happy Sunday! Ok, so Amber had the most brilliant idea: a blog hop to showcase the cards that didn't made it to the recent Paper Crafts Go-to Sketches issue submissions call. I completely agree that these babies deserve their 5 minutes of glory too, lol!! I've been very lucky and will have a couple of cards published in that issue, but since I submitted 30 cards specially created for the ocassion, I just couldn't not participate in this blog hop, lol!! So thanks Amber for the fantastic idea. And as this card has some paper piecing, let's enter it to the Moxie Fab World Paper Piecing challenge! Details here.

So here it is. I've chosen this one because I find it a super fun card. And after all, paper crafting is all about that: having fun. Getting published is truly a dream come true, but we should never forget why we started crafting in the first place. Having a creative outlet like this is a true joy and a blessing, and I'm sure when you create out of fun and not a bit "forced" out of pressure, it shows. So ladies (and guys too), remember to always have fun and enjoy the process. I know I did with my 30 cards :D

Oh! And here are some blog posts with publishing tips from great designers that I found really helpful:

Advice from Tiffany Johnson

Advice from Teri Anderson. And here's another from her too.

Advice from Latisha Yoast

Advice from the Paper Crafts Magazine team. And here.

Thanks for visiting and enjoy your weekend!

Supplies: Cardstock: De la Riva; Stamps: Hero Arts, Basic Grey; Ink: Versafine, Memento; Other: White gel pen, stickles, copics.

I'm back!!

Hi everyone!! Well, that's just in case there's still anyone out there after two months of neglecting my blog. In my defense I'll say that I moved back to Spain after a two year posting in Uruguay. I went back to work. My toddler started daycare. We settled in a new home and started getting used to the crazy life of a big city after two years in the quiet Montevideo. But that's it. I'm back! And I can't think of a better way to come back than joining a challenge from one of my fave cardmakers ever. Lucy is probably one of the reasons I started making cards. Her work is SO sweet and inspiring!!

So here we go. The challenge was to use glitter, and so I did. Lots of stickles and even some "sparkly fluff", which by the way is an awesome product, really fun to use and not as messy as you would think.

Anyhow, here's my card. The Hero Arts cling stamp was colored with Copic markers (a new addiction, I find them here).

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

- Kraft and red cardstock

- Stamps: Hero Arts, Inkadinkadoo (sentiment)

- Ink: Tsukineko Brilliance, Colorbox chalk (alabaster), Copic markers

- Silk twine

- Stickles (diamond, cotton candy)

- My Crafts Lounge Sparkly Fluff

- Metallic rhinestones.

- Nestabilities Tags shapes