Texture It Up! {Cardz 4 Galz}

Hello, blogging friends and visitors! It's great to see you this morning, and I hope you are doing well.

A DESIGN TEAM CALL AND new challenge begins at Cardz 4 Galz Challenges today!
Badges are awarded for the Spotlight Winner and Top Picks.

Challenge #47 is chosen by teamie Sian -and the theme is:

  Add Texture to Your Card.  

Show us your cards using any and all manner of textures - 

Challenge ends on May 24.

IF INTERESTED in an enjoyable, lay-back, easy-to-manage DESIGN TEAM
THIS WOULD BE IT!
Caz, our DT Coordinator, is the nicest, most kind coordinator I've had the pleasure of designing with - so don't hesitate contacting her if you're interested!

Leaving my proverbial box behind, I made my first Christmas card of the year - sigh - so much for good intentions of 2 Christmas cards per month! 

Lots of Textures and Lots of "Old Stuff" from my stash!

1. KandCompany printed Christmas paper which has to be at least 10 years old! Yikes! 
2. Rhinestone sparklies (2 years old? 3 years old?) added to the columns on the paper.
3. One of my first digital images ever - I don't know who drew it, but it's cute! (colored with Copics)
4. Virginal Sizzix rosettes, inked on the edges, and topped with glittered snowflake brads which are at least 10 years old (another yikes!)
5. Glitter Tinsel, again, at least 4 or 5 years old.
6. Pretty striped grosgrain ribbon which is also several years old.
7. Not to mention the cheesecloth from MY GREAT AUNT AGNES' COOKING STASH! (double yikes! since it must be from the 1960s or 1970s).
8. Good standbys like Starfire Glitter to jazz up the Chloe Stems.

I love the rosettes on other people's cards, and I finally used my Sizzix die which has two sizes of rosettes cut out in a single pass:

I am falling more deeply in love with the Nuvo Glue Pens. This time I used the medium tip on these tiny brads, and dredged with Starfire G1017 Ultrafine Glitter. The glitter is rock hard on the brads! Pleasant surprise. I even pressed down hard and rubbed, and no glitter came off! 

Starfire G1017 Ultrafine Glitter is also adhered to the Chloe Stems and the merry blue circles in the image.

Tomato Red Glitter Tinsel was glued onto the SB foliage pieces to give a little extra sparkle and texture to the floral spray. (even the die cuts are all old!)

I thoroughly enjoyed using all my "old stuff"!

Products:
Image - unknown digital, colored with Copic markers (one of my first)
SB Dies - Foliage, Big Scallop Ovals, Labels Four
Sizzix Die - Tim Holtz Mini Paper Rosettes
Memory Box Die - Chloe Stem
Tomato Red Glitter Tinsel
Starfire G1017 Ultrafine Glitter
KandCompany Christmas paper (old, old)
Rhinestones, striped ribbon, Cheesecloth, Brads

Challenges I'd like to support with this card:

1. A Perfect Time to Craft Open Challenge #5 May - Anything Goes 6/1
2. A Snowflakes Promise #40 Anything Goes Christmas or Winter - 6/10
3. Cheerful Sketches Challenge #May - Sketch - 6/1
4. Christmas Card Challenges #12 Anything Christmas + Optional Photo 5/20
5. Christmas Card Throwdown #May 6 - Sketch with Many Layers - 5/21
6. Christmas At Sweet Stampin' Challenges #May 10 - "Anything Christmas" 6/10
7. Crafty Gals Corner #122 BLING! 5/17 (rows of rhinestones, lots of glitter on brads and die cuts)
8. Crafty Girls Creations Challenges #36 Anything Goes 6/1
9. The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #5 Anything Christmas Goes 5/14 sep post
10. World Wide Open Design Team Challenge #21 Anything for a DT 5/1

Stamping Smiles,

Patriotic Inspiration + Freebie {Dies R Us}

Hello Sweet Blogging Friends!

I'm glad you could stop by for a little Dies R Us Inspiration!

Hopefully summer is settling in at your home, 

and that you are thawing out from the recent crazy winter and spring.

Today's cards utilize simple layering techniques to draw special attention to a focal image. 

My cards use the following Dies R Us Products:

Spellbinders - Grand Rectangles

Spellbinders - Matting Basics A and B 5x7

Sizzix - Branch with Leaves
Sue Wilson - Pierced Flags

The rectangles are different sizes in order to produce a little intrigue, while keeping the over-all design simple.

The first image was stamped in Memento Flannel Gray Ink. 

I chose turquoise and orange Prismacolor pencils to highlight the vivid colors in Old Glory.

After selecting several reds ranging from orange to burgundy, I chose

blues including navy, bold-true, and turquoise:

As the star section was completed, I pressed the turquoise pencil harder over the area, using it as a blender pencil, rather than a traditional Prismacolor Blending Pencil:

In the same manner, the orange pencil was used as the blending tool for the red stripes.

The white stripes were deepened using both grays and blues:

This beautiful Rubber Monger stamp has been in my stash for over 10 years and had never been used! In fact, the stamp woke me up one night, crying out for me to come color it, so I accommodated, getting up at 2AM and giving it my attention.

Do your stamps ever wake you up?

Finishing touches include Vellum and Vellum Cardstock. The Sue Wilson Pierced Flags set was used to feature the sentiment. Spellbinders Grands and Card Creator Matting Basics A and B (5x7) were used in creating layers.

In the next card, the image is stamped in Memento Cocoa on ivory for a sepia effect. Darker pencils were used in coloring. Tan, gold, and brown tones were used in shading, with a black layered panel. The Pierced banner is placed on the side:

Another Sepia tone card on ivory, this time layered with red and navy, and a touch of green for our beautiful country. Even though this was colored with a lot more browns, the blue matting highlights the cooler colors. Using different sizes of rectangles makes a pretty mat:

Lastly, a vintage rendition done in Gray Ink and gray-and-blue tones of pencils to create yet another flavor. This one is simply adorned with navy cardstock, and green branches:

In each case, a slight variation in the matting sizes and colors, 

and in the blending colors, 

has created a different effect.

click below for:
STORE

PINTEREST BOARD
CHALLENGE BLOG
FACEBOOK
INSPIRATION BLOG

Products Used:

A few personal shares:
I've been gratefully enjoying a bit of a remission these past few months, and am now leaving the remission period. Therefore, it's a bit difficult making the blog rounds, and keeping up with my normal daily obligations. I only explain so you will understand why my comments may not be quite as descriptive as ordinarily.
In the meantime, I have some freebies for you!

INSPIRED BY ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE FOUGHT FOR (AND LONG FOR)
FREEDOM:

(from the United States' Declaration of Independence)

These are for personal use. They may not be used by companies or for profit:

It is the same sentiment - four styles available in jpg.

To download, click on the sentiment first to enlarge it, then download to your hard-drive.
Not sure why the original version looks great compared to Google's reduced size below.
Once this is published, I'll try downloading to be assured of the quality.

Hope you enjoy!

1.

2.

3.

4.

Challenges I'd like to play in please:

Great Impressions (June) RWB Anything Goes 7/3

Simply Create Too #110 Red White Blue 6/21

Dream Valley Challenges #133 "Vintage"  6/18

hugs,

Flying Free {Dies R Us}

Good Morning, Sweet Crafty Friends!

So glad you could stop by for a little feathery Dies R Us Inspiration!

Today's card utilizes simple layering techniques yet is FLAT for mailing! 

(so we can use our papers and dies without adding bulk and thickness)

click below for:
STORE
PINTEREST BOARD
CHALLENGE BLOG
FACEBOOK
INSPIRATION BLOG

My card uses the following Dies R Us Products:

Memory Box Contempo Birds #30017

Impression Obsession - Bird Cage

Spellbinders - Grand Scallop Squares

Spellbinders - Curved Rectangles (interior)

Sizzix - Branch with Leaves

The bird cage is slightly off-set with white to create a shadow.
By the way, this Impression Obsession - Bird Cage cuts like butter!

The little Contempo Birds are in three pieces, and face both directions.

The layers have been "distressed" with Mowed Lawn Distress Ink to give each tiny piece a little depth.

The Sizzix Branch with Leaves is layered with Olive vellum and River Rock cardstock.

This allows the vellum to be invisibly adhered to the cardstock behind it.

(the feathers have been glued on the card base, and the white layer is glued directly on top of the feathers and base of card - no dimensionals were used anywhere.

The letters were stamped in VersaMark, and a different color EP was used on each letter before fussy cutting.

The flat layering continues on the inside:

Thanks for stopping by today!

Other Products:

• Sparkle N Sprinkle: Madagascar Green Cosmic EP, Ice Rink EP, Bullfrog EP (letters FLY)
• Paper: KandCompany, Rust, Tan, Olive Vellum, White, River Rock
• Stamps: Hero Arts Alphabet Upper Case Letters
• Feathers
• Inks: Mowed Lawn and Crushed Olive Dye, VersaMark Pigment

Hugs,