Pretending to be Normal

Do you ever buy a stamp set just for one sentiment? Well, I hadn't until now. But this cute floppy-eared bunny pushed me over the edge. Of course, "Life's a Beach" is a fun thought especially if that is your last name, lol. Or even if it's not! It is the name of the stamp set from The Cat's Pajamas that found it's way to my home recently.

I assembled this card rather quickly after spending way too much time puttering around with a complicated but more "normal" design. I don't like that one well enough to share it, you know? 

But I love the way this cute and quirky card turned out. Hope you do too! I did a bit of paper piecing, a little loose Copic coloring and ink blended lightly with Distress Oxide ink in Speckled Egg, a new color for me. 

Shimmer pen helps the sand to sparkle and I added glossy accents to the bunny's nose.

I am playing along with three challenges!

NBUS (the stamp sets, Life's a Beach and Get Grounded (Ink Blot Shop.)

The Paper Players and Freshly Made Sketches. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit me today. I really have appreciated your kind comments! Hope you have a great day. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Christmas Reindeer

It's been awhile since I've posted but I have been busy.  Crafting has been happening sporadically in between lots of holiday preparations and family gatherings. 

We did however make time to boat on a warmer day this week, before putting the boat into storage. I don't want to ever miss a chance to be on the lake, you know? Others say we're CRA-ZY!!

Would you like to see my project? 
I'm in love with the Reindeer dies from Elizabeth Creations and featured them on my Christmas card. 

My background uses Distress Oxide Inks in Broken China, Peacock Feathers, Salty Ocean and Wilted Violet blended to 
create a night sky. Using a stencil from the Make It Market Fairytale Christmas from PTI, I slicked on embossing paste and glitter to make pretty falling snowflakes.

Silver accents include the embossed sentiment, a skinny strip of silver foil paper along the top of the panel, 3 rhinestone gems and a silver chord adorning the deer's neck. 

I am pleased to have another card added to the stash. Hopefully I will be getting them addressed to mail soon! 

Thank you so very much for stopping by to visit today! Hope you are enjoying some crafty moments too! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Embossed Stencil Valentine

Hello friends,
It's a Wednesday afternoon of a busy change-filled week here. Everything's fine but life happens, and ours has felt some unsettling emotional highs and lows the past few days. 

I'm welcoming and inviting my favorite therapy - stamping -  to work it's wonders!

There's something so soothing and thoroughly engrossing about stamps, paper and ink and the things you can do with them. I've been experimenting with techniques lately and while I enjoy that it does put me out of my comfort zone when it's time to incorporate them into a card. 

Today's card highlights a stencil technique completed with embossing paste and then heat embossing. 

My panel began with kraft card stock and the Caroline stencil from Simon Says Stamp. I filled in the spaces with embossing paste in an even layer. While it was still wet, I sprinkled on embossing powder and heat set it. Loved the resulting elegant shimmer with a bubbled rich texture. 

The embossed panel was layered over a white card base and a white panel blended with inks. I also blended inks for the love die cut, and backed it using the shadow die to cut a vellum layer. 

A foil strip, hearts and a pearl are the simple embellishments. 
I don't send too many Valentines, but they are so fun to make that I will be finding friends to send them too.

Thanks so much for visiting today! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Adding this to the challenge at Inspired! where the creamy goodness and texture of the cookies inspired me. 

Supplies used:

Stamps:  None

Paper: White, SU - Crumb Cake, Card Stock Vellum, Foil Sheets - Copper

Inks: Distress Oxide - Worn Lipstick 

Accessories: WOW! Embossing Powder Silver Pearl, Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste, Simon Says Stamp - Caroline Stencil, Love Dies

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Using Distress Oxide Inks

Hi there, how are you doing today?
I got to playing around over the holidays with backgrounds made with Distress Oxide Inks. I made two of them into cards today and I'll share them in a quick post. It feels good getting them off my desk and into the ready-to-mail pile.Do you send Valentine's? Now that we have grands, I will be sending them for sure!

Both backgrounds used the same colors: Picked Raspberry, Abandoned Coral and Wild Honey. Can you tell I received the new colors for Christmas? 

For the first card, I blended the inks for a fairly straightforward background, adding droplets of water and splatters of ink and white paint to add texture. I made a shaker, sandwiching the sequins mix between two sheets of acetate and stamped the sentiment in Staz On ink (from SSS Big Scripty Greetings) on the top sheet. The small hearts were die cut from the same background when I removed the large heart, and I added black stitching to complement the black sentiment. A wink of shimmer and a few sequins complete the adornments on the card front.

For the second card, I blended the background and then wet a background stamp (MFT - Distressed Stripes) and while damp lay it over the colored background. This allowed the color to LIFT, forming beautiful stripes.  Again, shimmer and spatters of water and white paint were used. The sentiment (from SSS: Hello Beautiful) was embossed in white on a banner. Behind the three die cut hearts, I placed a white panel stamped with the Falling Hearts background stamp from SSS. Sherbet Shimmer Glitter Nuvo drops were dotted here and there.

Wow, this was supposed to be a quick post. Hope you liked it! 
Have a great day, thanks for visiting!  

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

          Make something beautiful!