My blog is called "Creative Smiles" because my designs are the result of incorporating mistakes. With fumble fingers that drop whatever they are holding - repeatedly, it takes a lot of giggles, smiles and creative patience during my crafting process. xx

Sunday, April 01, 2018

Lovely Winged Collages by Linda Simpson Designs {2 Crafty Critter Crazies}

Thinking of you during the celebrations of Easter, Passover, and Spring!
To friends who have been enduring such horrific weather - my thoughts are with you, and praying you have not suffered loss as a result.

On to the fun stuff!


This month at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies we are sponsored by Linda Simpson Designs, where quality digital products are available in several styles and colors!

Until the 28th of April, you may share your critter creations with us, being sure that your animals are the featured element of the project! We have a product winner and design team picks, as well. 

It was pure joy working with Linda's quality products. My cards feature the "Les Beaux Oiseaux Designer Ephemera" - Beautiful Birds - a pair of birds on branch and postcard.



and beautiful digital papers from Les Beaux Oiseaux 6x6 Set 3.





I printed a small section of the pretty birds, die cut them, and mounted them on top of the "Tan Feathers on Light Tan" digital paper after distressing it with firebrick red and black soot inks. The butterflies are also fussy cut out, distressed with black soot ink, and layered atop. Also featured is my very VIRGINAL Spellbinders Imperial Square die set. It's lovely! This is a 6x6 card.

Question Time:

I heat set my sentiment on vellum using SNS Antiquities Detail Opaque Embossing Powder. While it looks great in person, all the little shadows show up in the photo. Is that because I did not heat it sufficiently from the underside of the vellum? Am I supposed to melt it from underneath and then a little bit on top?
(Embarrassed that I don't know the answer to this question, but would like to know your kind responses, please)

SNS Antiquities Detail Opaque Embossing Powder
Antiquities Detail Opaque Embossing Powder is a very fine, metallic powder, great for the smallest detail work. Depending how the light shines on it, it will appear slightly more silver, or titanium, with a splash of distressed copper or iron in it. It's a great universal color!

TIP:
To get the most economic use of my printed images, I try to save on ink and paper by "overlapping" the images in my word processor:





Next is this fun 5x7 card, using the script digital card stock in the background distressed with firebrick ink. The lace is from my Great Aunt Agnes in the 1940's.

Hello Die Cut by Tonic has been coated with Glue Pen (large) by Tonic and then dredged with SNS Galaxy Ultrafine Glitter (a mix of black and colors found in the galaxy).  Black Ash Mousse by Tonic distresses the taupe panel. Depending which one it is moved, it changes from a gunmetal gray to light ash.


Lastly, I have a super easy card to show. The birds are digitally layered to a red background, where I applied some digital lace. This was cut out, layered onto a coordinating pale tan/ivory panel, and finally placed onto coordinating red cardstock. Added a few fussy cut butterflies for some dimension. 



The sentiment is heat set with textured SNS Timber Embossing Powder. I love the elegant earthiness this EP brings to the card with the grainy, but shiny elements! Timber Embossing Powder contains a surprise ingredient that really brings out the burnished bronze richness in brown.

SNS Timber Embossing Powder
Check out this month's challenge at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies and be sure to visit Linda Simpson's fantastic, easy-to-use vintage images!

Products:
Challenges I'd like to Play in:



On a Personal Note to my close blogging buddies:
You likely have noticed a change in my on-line habits.
It's been a period of adjusting to a new "plateau" of abilities.
I AM enjoying your creations, just not able to leave as much feedback as I'd like to. Thanks for understanding.

hugs,


45 comments:

KarinsArtScrap said...

these are gorgeous Donna.

Gr Karin

Sue said...

Hi Donna, What fantastic cards.

Hope you are having a nice day. Sue

Linda Simpson said...

Well Donna, what can I say! I am absolutely over the moon with what you have created using my papers and ephemera! Your cards are just gorgeous and I love them all. Easter blessing dear friend.
Hugs
Linda xxx

KT Fit Kitty said...

Hi, Donna! These are beautiful! Wow, the birds are gorgeous! You did an amazing job with these images, and the digital lace - I thought it was a die-cut! And your vintage lace is stunning! Sorry I don't know the answer to your embossing question - the embossing looks fine to me! Please don't worry about visiting and commenting; save your energy and strength for the priorities in life. Take care, Donna, always thinking ofyou.

Hugs,
Kitty

Lisa said...

Wow, these are absolutely amazing, Donna!! I love the vintage images!! You've showcased them so beautifully!! Each card is a work of art!! I love them!! Your embossing looks perfect to me. I have no clue what the correct way to heat vellum is...I usually hold my heat gun in the air and let it get nice and hot before I aim it at the vellum...and I usually heat from the top instead of the bottom. I would love to know the correct way to do it!! And please don't worry about commenting. I hope you and your family have a very Happy Easter, my friend!! Big hugs :)

Lisa
A Mermaid's Crafts

SD pooja said...

Different than our usual color palette! More vintage-y :) I loved them , heat embossing on vellum I too do it like Lisa said :)

DIANA L. said...

Happy Easter Donna, these are just breathtaking beautiful!!

Silvis Kreativstube said...

Hallo liebe Donna,
ich wünsche dir frohe Ostern.
Deine Karten sind wieder so wundervoll gestaltet. Ich liebe deine Werke und deine kreativen Ideen. Big hugs Silvi

Valerija said...

Gorgeous cards, love the birds!
Valerija xx

Jackie T said...

Hi Donna your cards are stunning I love them all. Take care. Hugs Jackie

Verna Angerhofer said...

These are so pretty using the bird designs on your cards. I love them all. And, I love the beautiful blog page you have created with that wonderful heading design with all the boots filled with flowers.

Ann Greenspan's Crafts said...

Such pretty cards with the lovely papers, Donna. I adore that square SB frame too; it's dainty and detailed. Beautiful work!

Shona Erlenborn said...

Such a pretty assortment of cards Donna. Your attention to the little details just amazes me! So vintage with the distressing and the touches of lace. Beautiful work my friend. If anything is wrong with the embossing I think it may be caused by too much heat. But to be honest I don't see what you mean, it looks gorgeous.

Mia said...

Perfect cards, Donna! Happy Easter, my friend.

Shirley said...

Another stunning array of your artwork Donna. Those bird images are divine and again the way your have laid it all out is perfection indeed.

Hope your Easter break is going well? The weather here could be better but we can't have everything, it just means that I will have to craft more lol take care sweets.

Warm crafty hugs from Shirl x x x
ShirlsArtwork.

Abfabdesigns said...

You make these papers of Linda’s come alive , beautiful in every way ,
As in everything you do , every detail is perfection.
as for embossing on vellum ( a favourite of mine)
Get heat gun up to a good heat hold the vellum up so the air gets round it.
If you heat from above you get a raised impression if you heat from underneath you get a smooth impression.
So there is no right or wrong way it’s personal choice.
And yours looks good .
Happy Easter 🐣
Hugs xxxx

Donna Phelan said...

LOVE! There is just something about a bird or birds on a card, right? Love them. The bird postcard papers are amazing, just lovely! You have made some beautiful creations here, but that's no surprise, just the standard! Great details and layouts, and I adore that torn Vellum--adds sooooo much!

Janice said...

Love your ‘birdie’ cards Donna, the postcard papers are fabulous!
Janice x

April said...

These are beautiful! Love them.

Diane said...

Gorgeous cards Donna and what fun and pretty bird images!! I always love all your detail you put into your cards, I wish I could be as detail oriented, I try but they never come out like yours. I generally heat vellum from the top, it looks great to me, but I do find vellum hard to photograph. Happy late Easter!

NanaConnie said...

These are all so magnificent, Donna! You've really outdone yourself this month. Love the embossing powders you chose for the sentiments and that black Spellbinders die cut is magnificent. Beautifully done, my friend. :-D

NanaConnie said...

Forgot to say how much I love the new blog header!

Leslie Miller said...

Oh, my word, Donna, those bird images are all so beautiful I can hardly stand it! How could you ever decide which ones to use first? Exquisite!! I dearly love the cards you made with the antiqued and earthy quality. Beautiful dies and papers and layering and lace. Easy to mail, too -- woo hoo! Your embossed sentiment on vellum looks fine to me. Sorry I can't be helpful about that. I don't know what it's supposed to look like, but to me it looks good. The only time I heat from beneath is when I use ultra-thick, so it doesn't blow all over the place. I also love the Timber embossing powder. Amazing, the things you do. Hugs and love!

KraftyKoolKat said...

A lovely range of creations sweetie. Your embossing looks great to me sweetie. Don't worry about commenting, your health is more important & getting fun out of your hobby.
Hugs
Cathy
xxxx

MaryH said...

Ah, you know I'll love these gorgeous bird designs. How splendidly you've shown them off in your lovely designed cards. Adding the antique lace was a perfect embellie, and I didn't see anything wrong with your vellum embossing. (I'm not an expert with vellum so you're already way ahead of me in knowing how to use this product!) The EP is very pretty too. Love that S/B die, and will have go looking (yes, I DO SO need another die!) It is wonderful with the bird digi, and these are awesome designs & papers. So pleased you are feeling well enough to make cards again too! TFS & Have a good week.

pam said...

Gorgeous card using Linda`s papers Donna, they are beautiful.
Glad you have plenty of answers regarding your velum! looks beautiful to me, I find some embossing powders are worse than others.
Hugs Pam x

Conniecrafter said...

Oh my Donna these are just beautiful, you do such a lovely job with the digital images, and I like how you bring dimension with the butterflies. I can't say what to do about the sentiment on the vellum, they look great to me, I have only heard to emboss under and then end with the top., love the torn look to it also. The square die on the first is just outstanding and lovely way to frame the image. Love how you used hand me down lace on the second too, and the sparkle in the sentiment! Beautiful layering on the last and like how the sentiment is over the image!! Always so neat to see what you have created!!
Wishing you all the best as you make your adjustments, may you soon have healing!!
Hugs

CdeBaca Crafts Gallery said...

Wonderful work!

Teresa Arsenault said...

These cards are super gorgeous.

SewPaperPaint said...

These are lovely new papers and you've used them beautifully dear Donna! What gorgeous cards. Hugs, Autumn

Pia S said...

It’s so inspiring to see how you’ve used the image to create three different looks. They’re all beautiful. The frame on the first one looks spectacular. I don’t know what’s right or not, but I always heat set on vellum on the top, not from underneath. Uneven result can be a result of both under- or overheating, and I think different powders behave differently too. However, I don’t think they look bad at all. A handmade card should look handmade, it’s part of the charm.

Lori Kobular said...

I absolutely LOVE your cards Donna!! The birds are gorgeous, I just love when the birds come and visit my yard, and even more when they make nests in the yard! I hope you had a Happy Easter! Sorry I have been missing in action for so long! But I am back now!!

brenda said...

Hi Donna,

First of all LOVE that new header.

Saw your kind comment and realise it's been so long since I visited so popped over to explain, do try and update my blog but sometimes forget to add an explanation as most posts are scheduled a few weeks ahead. Back into hospital next week and sooooo hope they can sort me and I can get back to normal crafting and blogging again.

B x

aussie aNNie said...

Linda has some fabulous goodies in store and you have displayed them well. Sorry been MIA, lost my darling Thye, my shadow and best friend, so am still in shock and grieving...she was a one of a kind dog..💖 [Aussie aNNie's Blog]
❣️

Beebeebabs said...

Your cards are absolutely beautiful - love the vintage images - so well put together. You did a great job as always thanks for sharing!!!

crafty-stamper said...

Fabulous vintage effect cards and images Donna --I embossed what I thought was vellum last week but it melted under the heat gun-so obviously not!!!
Carol x

cotnob said...

Gorgeous cards Donna, beautiful bird toppers and pretty papers - lovely die cut details as always.
It's lovely to see you creating cards and blogging again, you don't need to visit and comment - just take care of yourself and do as much as you wish.
Pauline - Crafting with Cotnob
x

Sue said...

Good to see you creating again. These cards are so beautiful. The images are wonderful, and they have such a lovely vintage feel to them. I love images of birds, and I feed mine year round in our yard. Stunning creations as always, so much detail and extra touches.

Hugs
Sue

Dr Sonia S V said...

Donna what a stunning creation and how fabulous you have showcased the gorgeous bird design and take care my friend
Cheers
Dr Sonia

Pamellia said...

Oh my goodness Donna, these are so gorgeous!! I think birds are just the most beautiful of images to use on a card, and this one is simply divine in all three versions! Love the vintage tones and the contrast with the white, red and black accents. The touches of metallic are wonderfully elegant! Such a beautiful set of cards my friend!

I find every year, that the weather is just a little bit crazier than it was the year before. Last week I was making patio garden plans, this week I I had to pull out the snow shovel!! It sure can be difficult to make any plans when your not sure what season it's going to be tomorrow. lol. I hope all has been well with you. Thinking of you and sending hugs :)

aussie aNNie said...

Waving hello and sending hugs.xx 💖 [Aussie aNNie's Blog]

Paper Creations by Shirley said...

Gorgeous cards Donna, the birds are very beautiful and so are your designs. I hope you are doing well. Sorry I'm not in blogland much these days, all is well (except the winter weather we are having this Spring). Take good care, hugs, Shirleyxx

Monica said...

All the cards are simply beautiful. I love the colours and the vintage appeal to them.

Lots of love always,

Monica

sarascloset said...

Beautiful set of cards, Donna! I do love the birdies so these images really caught my attention! You are really a whiz with the digital imagery! I don't have an answer for you on the heat from top/bottom conundrum. I usually heat from the top unless it's a special powder like Cloisonne and Frantage. They tend to blow away heated from the top. Good to see your beautiful work again, today! Wow! What a treat! Back to work for me now! Hugs!

Shelly Schmidt said...

SO very beautiful! I especially love the metallic embossing!