Giraffe Buddies

Hi and welcome!  Today's card was made for the sketch challenge at WPlus9 as well as the color challenge at ColourQ and the Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp.

I've had this Party Animal set since it was released in June and for some reason, I have been totally intimidated by it and scared to color those giraffes!  In the end, and as part of my mission to reduce my NBUS, I bit the bullet and this is the result.

I stamped both giraffes in the set and just decided to color them, without paying much attention to shading.  After they were colored and die-cut, I focused on the card base.  I took a panel of Desert Storm cardstock and die-cut it with Blueprints 24 and the new Homespun Stitched Lines die.  This mimics the shape in the sketch.  I stamped the sentiment then positioned the giraffes, with the standing giraffe popped up on foam tape.  I placed some sequins to represent some of the circles in the sketch and my card was done.

Thanks for visiting.

Products Used:

Stamps:  Party Animal (WP9)
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black
Cardstock:  White, Desert Storm, X-Press It
Dies;  Homespun Stitched Lines, Blueprints 24 (MFT), Party Animal (WP9)
Accessories:  Copics, Pretty Pink Posh Sequins

Cheers
Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at ColourQ.

Silver Stripes

Hi!  It's time for another fabulous challenge from Fusion Card Challenge and this week we have the most gorgeous inspiration photo and a fun sketch.  Check this out:

I chose to work with the photo this week, focusing on the aqua, white and silver color scheme.

True confession time - I actually made this card a few weeks ago for a couple of challenges that were current at the time, but when I'd finished it, I realised it worked for this challenge, so I held it back.

I used a diagonal stripes stencil and smooshed Versarmark ink onto it before embossing with silver embossing powder.  I die-cut two snowflakes, one from silver foil paper and one from Maliblue cardstock.  The sentiment is white embossed onto a black banner and some Pretty Pink Posh sequins finished the card.

Thanks for visiting.  Be sure to check out the fabulous creations from the rest of the design team.

Products used:

Stamps:  Polar Pals (Mama Elephant)
Ink:  Veresamark
Cardstock:  White, Silver Foil, Black, Maliblue
Dies:  Elize, Abby (SSS) Fishtail Flag Stax (MFT)
Accessories:  PPP Sequins, White EP, Stripes Stencil (MFT)

Cheers
Karren

Merry Christmoose

Hi and welcome to Freshly Made Sketch Challenge Day!  This week, our hostess is the super-talented Jennifer Timko and she has come up with the sort of sketch that I lurve :)

In the last few months, I've been keeping my new stamp sets in a separate container until I use them, rather than file them with all my other stamp sets.  This is to encourage me to ink them up!  The box is getting a bit full, so I'm happy to have taken Merry Christmoose for a spin today!

I started with a white card base and cut another panel to layer on top using my Blueprints 21 die. Onto that panel, I lightly sponged some Tumbled Glass ink behind where the moose would sit.  I colored the moose and cushions with Copics and die-cut them before adhering them with foam tape.  The sentiment was stamped and die-cut with a pierced banner.  Some Pretty Pink Posh sequins finished off the card.

Thanks for visiting.  The design team have made some incredible cards using this sketch so be sure to check them out.

Products used:

Stamps:  Merry Christmoose (MFT)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black

Cardstock:  White, X-Press It

Dies:  Merry Christmoose (MFT), Blueprints 21 (MFT), Pierced Fishtail Flag Stax (MFT)

Accessories:  Copics, Sequins

Cheers

Karren

Holly Jolly

Hi and welcome!  Today's card is yet another Christmas card - which, considering I've been making them all year and have enough, is a bit ironic!  But I can't help it!  Seeing all the fabulous Christmas cards around blogland at the moment and all the gorgeous new sets has inspired me.

The image on this card, even though it's new to me, is from last Christmas, I think.  I wanted to make a card for the latest Tag You're It challenge and I was intrigued by the sketch at Try Stampin' on Tuesday.  This card also fits the Christmas theme at Simon Says Stamp.

I wanted to keep the polka dot theme and the holly theme from Tracey's tag so I used some polka dot paper on the card base.  I stamped and colored the gorgeous holly leaves from Hero Arts and positioned them onto a small tag cut with one of MFT's pierced tags.  The berries are painted with clear Wink of Stella to give them a shimmer.  I had to hunt for a sentiment small enough to fit in the space left after placing the holly on and finally found this sentiment in the Build a Snowman set by SSS.

A small twine knot just to show the tag is actually a tag :) and the card was finished.

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Holly Jolly (Hero Arts), Build a Snowman (SSS)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark

Cardstock:  White, SU patterned paper, Riding Hood Red (SU), X-Press It

Dies:  Holly (Hero Arts), Pierced Tag Stax (MFT)

Accessories:  Copics, White EP, Wink of Stella, Baker's Twine

Cheers

Karren

Caribbean Snowflakes

Hi!  Today's card was made for the current Muse challenge, as well as  the Thanks/Thanksgiving theme at Simon Says Stamp, the inspiration pic challenges at City Crafter and The Challenge and the snow/white theme at Simply Create Too.

We don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in NZ, so I've gone with a general thanks card.  I used the blue/white colors in the inspiration photos and from Anita's gorgeous card I was inspired by the white on white layers, the layout, and the tag with the hearts.  In my case, I used a die-cut snowflake.

My snowflakes were stamped with Caribbean Blue ink and I also smooshed some onto some white card for the layers above and below the snowflakes.  The snowflake panel and the die-cut snowflake were spritzed with a Perfect Pearls/water mix.  Everything on this card happens to be Simon Says Stamp product, apart from the twine, which is from Lawn Fawn.

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Lots of Snowflakes (SSS), Tiny Tags Words (SSS)

Ink:  Caribbean Blue (SSS)

Cardstock:  White

Dies:  Maryanne die (SSS), Tiny Tags (SSS)

Accessories:  Perfect Pearls, Lawn Fawn twine

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Muse Card Challenge.

Fox in the Snow

It's time for another fabulous sketch from the team at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week, our hostess is our newly-crowned Artisan Amy O'Neill!  Such a well-deserved achievement!  Amy has a very versatile sketch for us - as you'll see from the DT cards!

For my card, I had the idea in my head that the two horizontal panels were going to be snowbanks and I built my card around that.

I die-cut a panel of Neenah Solar White cardstock using Blueprints 21 and sponged Tumbled Glass on it - keeping it heavier on the bottom and fading away at the top.  I then spritzed the panel with a Perfect Pearls and water mix which gives it a gorgeous shimmer in real life.  I then took a pierced rectangle die and cut the middle out of the panel, before arranging the snowbank die cuts on both the main panel and the cut-out piece.  The birch trees were stamped, die-cut and very lightly colored with Copics.  The fox was stamped, Copic colored and cut and then it was time to put it all together.  

Because the birch trees overlapped the cut-out center, I didn't have to mat the center panel and just moved it over a fraction of an inch to the right to cover the hole, after popping it up on foam tape.  A bit of shading under the fox and the card was finished.

Thanks for visiting.  As I said earlier, the rest of the design team have used this sketch in wonderful and versatile ways, so be sure to check them out.

Products used:

Stamps:  Joy to the Woods (Lawn Fawn)
Ink:  Tumbled Glass Distress, Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Tuxedo Black
Cardstock:  White, X-Press It
Dies:  Joy to the Woods, Blueprints 21 (MFT), Pierced Rectangle Stax (MFT), Stitched Slopes and Hills (SSS)
Accessories:  Perfect Pearls, Copics

Cheers
Karren

Poinsettia Tag

Today's card was made using the inspiration photo from Addicted to Stamps and More, the tag challenge at CAS on Sunday and the colors from Colour Me.

I took a piece of PTI's Stone cardstock and die cut it with a Blueprints pierced edge die.  I then used some embossing paste and the Falling Snow stencil after masking off a spot for the sentiment.  While the paste was still wet, I sprinkled on some Rock Candy Distress Glitter so the card has a subtle shimmer IRL.

Once the embossing past was dry, I stamped the sentiment using Versafine Onyx Black ink.  The poinsettie was stamped with various SSS inks and die-cut.  I then colored it with Wink of Stella.  It looked a bit bare on the Stone panel so I tucked a tiny little tag behind it with a Baker's Twine bow.  I finished the card with some PPP sequins.

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Pretty Poinsettias (WP9), Hand Lettered Holiday (MFT)
Ink:  Duckling, Sunshine, Hot Lips, Lipstick Red, Willow, Green Leaf (SSS), Versafine Onyx Black
Cardstock:  White, Stone (PTI)
Dies:  Pretty Poinsettias (WP9), Blueprints 2, Blueprints 15
Accessories:  Baker's Twine, PPP sequins, Embossing Paste, Falling Snow stencil (SSS), Wink of Stella, Rock Candy Distress Glitter

Cheers
Karren

Holiday Joy

Hi and welcome!  Today is a bonus day for me as it's our provincial holiday, so that means a day off work - yay!

I made this card for the current Just Us Girls Challenge to use stripes, as well as the sketch at Just Add Ink and the colors from ColourQ.  I CAS-ified the sketch somewhat but I hope you can still see the sketch in my card.

I stamped and colored the snowman and fire from my new Toasty Greeting set by MFT.  I just adore the Birdie Brown sets and can't help buying one or two when ordering from MFT.  The other thing I love about MFT is that they offer Fedex shipping, so I get my goodies in just over 48 hours - from Florida to New Zealand!  The best part is if I only buy stamps, die and stencils, it's the same price as USPS.

But I've digressed enough.  Back to the card.  I stamped the Bold Diagonal Stripes Background stamp down the left side of my card base using Old Olive ink.  I then cut a smaller piece of white and raised it up on foam tape before adhering my snowman and fire.  The sentiment was black-embossed onto vellum and tucked behind the snowman.

Thanks for visiting!  Once I've linked this up, I'm heading back to my craft room.  A perfect day :)

Products used:

Stamps:  Toasty Greetings, Bold Diagonal Stripes Background (MFT)

Ink:  Old Olive (SU), Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark

Cardstock:  White, Vellum, X-Press It

Dies:  Toasty Greetings, Fishtail Flag Stax (MFT)

Accessories:  Copics, Black EP

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Just Add Ink and ColourQ.

Musical Birthday

It's time for another challenge from Fusion Card Challenge and this week we have another gorgeous inspiration photo and a fabulous sketch.  Check this out!

For my card, I focused on the sketch, although there are some color elements from the photo as well.

I started by white-embossing the Sheet Music Background stamp onto a sheet of white cardstock, before sponging various distress inks, gradually fading out as I got closer to the top.  I used a Stitched Basic Edges die to cut the panel with a curve.  I used the die to position the "your day" into the same shape and stamped that onto the card base.

The two sponged panels were then adhered to the card base using foam tape.  The die-cut word was stacked four-high and painted with Wink of Stella before being adhered to the card.

Here's a bit of a funny story.  I actually made this card about three weeks ago and in fact sent it to my sister two weeks ago for her birthday.  It wasn't until I was writing this blog post and the one for my FMS card yesterday that I realised how similar both cards are and my FMS card was only made last weekend!  Looks like I need to expand my repertoire when it comes to distress ink blending :)

Thanks for visiting.  Be check out the fabulous creations by the rest of the team and have a go at this challenge yourself.

Products Used:

Stamps:  Sheet Music Background (MFT), Wet Paint (PTI)

Ink:  Ripe Persimmon, Spiced Marmalade, Scattered Straw Distress Inks, Versafine Onyx Black, Versamark

Cardstock:  White, black

Accessories:  White EP, Wet Paint Dies (PTI), Stitched Basic Edges dies (MFT), Wink of Stella

Cheers

Karren

Celebrate Squared

Hi and welcome to another fabulous challenge at Freshly Made Sketches!  This week, Narelle, our resident Queen of Layers, is our hostess and she came up with this sketch:

The first card I made using this sketch will never see the light of day :)  Let's just say, it looked so much better in my head!  After a couple of hours, I finally gave up and this card came together in about 30 minutes.

I white-embossed the text image from Papillon onto some watercolor paper before sponging some distress inks onto each panel.  I then cut them with a rounded square die.  The sentiment is stacked about 4 high from black cardstock.  

Thanks for visiting!  Be sure to check out the fabulous creations from the rest of the design team.

Products used:

Stamps:  Papillon (Tim Holtz)

Ink:  Spiced Marmalade, Ripe Persimmon, Scattered Straw, Fossilized Amber (Distress), Versamark

Cardstock:  White, Watercolor, Black

Dies:  Nesting Rounded Squares (Lifestyle Crafts), Good Times (PTI)

Accessories:  White EP, Wink of Stella

Cheers

Karren

Gilded Thanks

Hi

I'm sneaking this card in just before Color Throwdown closes!  I made it on the weekend, but didn't get time to post it until now.  I'm also linking to CASual Fridays Precious Metals Challenge, CAS(E) This Sketch and Happy Little Stampers Gilding challenge.

For my card, I started by watercoloring a tag using various green distress inks.  I then gold embossed the beautiful flower from Mon Ami before coloring it with my Zig markers.  The thanks was die-cut from gold foil paper and it was all layered onto a white card base.

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Mon Ami (CASual Fridays)

Ink:  Twisted Citron, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint Distress Inks, Versamark

Cardstock:  Watercolor, white, Gold Foil

Dies:  Thanks (Savvy Dies), Mon Ami Fleur (CASual Fridays), Tag Sale #5 (PTI)

Accessories:  Gold EP, Wink of Stella, Baker's Twine

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at CAS-ual Fridays.

Awesomeness

This is just a quick card I made for the current Muse Challenge.  I've had this idea in my head for a few days now and this is the first opportunity I've had to put it onto paper!

Ardyth's gorgeous card inspired me in so many ways - the row of pandas translated into a row of flowers; the pop of red became one red flower in my row; and the neutral background became a white card base with a Stone layer.

Thanks for visiting.  This was a quick and easy card, but quite an effective card, I think.

Products used:

Stamps:  Mon Ami (CASual Fridays)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black

Cardstock:  White, Stone (PTI), X-Press It

Dies:  Blueprints 21 (MFT), Mon Ami Fleur (CASual Fridays)

Accessories:  Copics

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Muse Card Challenge.

Thanks a Bunch

Hi!  I'm thrilled to be Surprise Sweetie over at Cupcake Inspirations Blog today!  The theme this week is Tags.  Check out this gorgeous cupcake:

I tried to stick to a similar color scheme with pinks, kraft and white and this is the card I came up with.

I took a sheet of watercolor paper and placed it onto my craft mat where I'd smooshed Tattered Rose, Spun Sugar and Worn Lipstick inks and spritzed with water.  I then die-cut a tag and a banner from the panel and layered them onto some black cardstock.  The flowers come from Bloom & Grow by Verve and were stamped with Rosie Cheeks and Hollyhock inks.  The leaves, from Turning a New Leaf, were stamped with Green Leaf ink.  These were arranged onto a white panel I'd run through my Big Shot with PTI's Canvas cover plate.

All of this was adhered to a kraft card base.  Some pearls were colored with a black Sharpie for the centers of the flowers and a twine bow finished the card.

Thanks for visiting and thanks to the team at Cupcake Inspirations for inviting me to join them this week.  I hope you'll make a tag card and link up.

Products used:

Stamps:  Bloom & Grow (Verve), Turning a New Leaf (PTI)
Ink:  Tattered Rose, Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick Distress Inks, Green Leaf, Rosie Cheeks (SSS), Versafine Onyx Black
Cardstock:  White, watercolor, black, Desert Storm
Dies:  Floral Circles (Verve), Blueprints 24 (MFT), Stitched Fishtail Flags (MFT), Stitched Tag Stax (MFT)
Accessories:  Twine, Pearls

Cheers
Karren