Embellished Christmas Tree ft. Hero Arts

EDIT: Top 3 at a2zScrapbook

Since it's finals week next week, I didn't make many cards during the holidays except for the ones I guest designed for. However I really wanted to enter a2z Scrapbook's challenge because this month's theme is "Embellish it", and I love adding embellishments to my cards. I decided to make the embellishments the focal point so I picked Hero Art's Merry Christmas Tree stamp and die set. 


I used a good amount of pearls, gems, sequins and stamped die cuts to decorate this christmas tree. The gems are originally clear (like the ones on the right side of the photo), but I colored some with my Copic marker (R37 Carmine) to match the red color scheme.


I also added a coat of glossy accent to all of the stamped die cuts so they would look like embellishments, too. Then I mounted them on foam squares and adhered them to the tree. 


I also embossed the white card base for some additional interest. It looks more dimensional in real life, I just can't capture the details in the photos. 

I just received the SHOTBOX today and this is the first card I photographed inside this light box. To be honest I'm a little disappointed with the results; the lighting environment isn't what I've expected and I still have to tweak the photos afterwards. I think the lights is a little too sharp and cool and I was looking for the effect of warm, natural light. Maybe I just need to practice using it more and figure out the right way...If you have any experience with light boxes or would like to share how you photograph your projects, please comment below. I would really appreciate it! And thanks so much for stopping by!

Challenges Entered:

a2z Scrapbook: Embellish It / SSS Wednesday: ATG / SSS Monday: O' Christmas Tree

MFT Color Challenge #58

Fall Leaves Card ft. STAMPlorations

I hope you all are having a wonderful Thanksgiving. :) Today I'm sharing a quick thankful card I made with STAMPloration's Trendy Leaves set. The color scheme and leaves images are inspired by CUTploration's challenge graphic (shown below).

 

I don't usually stamp with distress inks, but today I thought I would try the misting technique to create this watercolored look. I stamped each leaf image with Seedless Preserves and Spiced Marmalade/Fossilized Amber, then sprayed the stamp with perfect pearls mist and finally stamped it on watercolor cardstock. I love how quick and easy it is and the result is quite stunning. Hope you have enjoyed this card, and thanks for stopping by!

Challenges Entered:

Cas-ual Fridays: Be Thankful / STAMPlorations: Giving Thanks / Cards in Envy: Thank You

STAMPlorations: CUTplorations (I used Mama Elephant's Ocean Wave Trio Die to create the curvy edge of the purple panel) / STAMPlorations: ATG

Christmas Alpaca Card ft. Lawn Fawn

EDIT: Winner at CASology / Honorable Mention at ATSM

It's almost December! I can't wait for Christmas to come.  :) Today I'm sharing a card I guest designed for Marker Pop's color challenge. I don't usually make cards with colored card bases, but I decided to use all the colors in the color scheme and I happen to have this mossy green cardstock on hand. 




I originally wanted to use the snow marker I bought recently to create the fur texture, but it didn't puff up the way it should. I'm guessing it's because I have an older heat gun and its temperature setting is too high. So instead of getting a puffy texture I got an overcooked mess. (I've tried heat setting the liquid before and after it dried, and even applying heat from the back of the paper. None of the methods work unfortunately.) 

At this point I've given up using the snow marker. I still wanted to add some fur to my alpaca, and I thought about adding cotton. I don't have cotton balls in my house and I'm kinda reluctant to buy a big pack just for this small project, so I begin to search for substitutes. And yes, my solution is Q-tips!


I pulled off cotton from 1 Q-tip and dabbed some color on with my Copic marker (E33 Sand). I then mixed/transferred the color to other white areas by tearing the cotton ball repetitively. I love how it turned out; the color variation definitely makes the fur look more realistic and natural. Even though this method took a lot longer than just using the snow marker, you could add colors to the critter's fur and you don't have to worry about it being squashed in the mail. 


The Copic colors I've used are:

Scarf: R27, R37

Body: E33

Face: Y21

Blush: R02

I created a mask and applied Vintage Photo distress ink over it to create the ground. Then I drew some white dots as snow and applied 3 snowflake sequins to finish off the card.


I've also created a CAS version as I want the focus to be solely on the alpaca. I hope you have enjoyed looking at my creation, and thanks so much for stopping by!

Challenges Entered:

CASology: Soft / Penny Black: ATG Christmas

ATSM: ATG / MFT Color Challenge #58

City Sunset Scene ft. Paper Smooches

Hello! I'm guest designing over at AAA Cards. The challenge theme for Game #78 is circles. I decided to use a circle mask and blended Chipped Sapphire, Picked Raspberry, Ripe Persimmon, and Squeezed Lemonade distress inks to create a sunset background. I've never tried using these colors to create a sunset scene before, but I think the bold, vibrant colors give a modern city vibe that match the die cuts quite nicely.

The building die cuts are from Paper Smooches' Super 2 Die. I actually cut the die cuts into 3 separate parts and arranged them differently to fit in my circle background. I've also decided to mount two of them on foam tape to create a subtle dimension, as well as add some sparkle with my wink of stella brush. The sentiment is from Sugar Pea's Wanderlust set. I hope my creation has given you a bit of inspiration, and thanks so much for stopping by. :)

Ombre Lotus CAS Card ft. STAMPlorations

EDIT: Winner at Happy Little Stampers

I'm guest designing over at STAMPlorations, and this month's Theme & Sketch challenge theme is STAMPS & 3 of Anything. I decided to use the Lotus Love stamp set and create a card with 3 lotuses and 3 sentiments. 



I'm also CASEing the highlight stamping/coloring technique on Joyce's card over at Happy Little Stampers. This is a technique I wanted to try out for a long time, and I'll definitely make more cards with this technique in the future!


I usually watercolor my images since I'm not so good with Copics, but for this card I decided to give it another try. The colors I'm using today are BG10, BG15, and BG18 for the lotuses, and C1, C3, C5 for the ombre gray background. I think I'm slowing getting better at Copic coloring, at least the ombre flowers and background don't look too terrible, right? 


For the sentiments I decided to do an ombre effect as well. I stamped the top sentiment with Soft Granite Hero Arts Shadow Ink, and double stamped the middle sentiment with the same ink. For the bottom sentiment I used Charcoal Hero Arts Shadow Ink.

I hope my creation has given you some inspiration, and thanks so much for stopping by!

Challenges Entered: 

Addicted to CAS: Ombre / HLS: CASE the Designer / STAMPlorations: ATG

DIY Plaid Pattern with Washi Tape

EDIT: Top 10 from Virginia's View

Hi there! Today I'm sharing a card inspired by Virginia's Stripes and Plaid challenge. Virginia is, in my opinion, one of the most talented crafters on blogland and she certainly inspires me to challenge myself when I'm crafting. So this time, instead of creating a stripe/plaid background using stamps, I decided to go with washi tape. 

I picked some vibrant, neon colored washi tape and arranged them diagonally. 

Then I embossed the entire panel with a diamond pattern embossing folder. I decided to use the heart die from Memory Box to create a window for my sentiment. After stamping the sentiment from Simon Says Stamp's Big Scripty Greetings set, I felt like it needed some sort of border to help draw one's attention to the focal point. I didn't have a heart outline stamp, so I came up with the idea of tracing the inside of my die with a black gel pen. I gotta say, the thickness of the lines and dimensional look is just perfect!

I then lift up the die, which revealed an awkward, large gap of white space. To be honest, I panicked a little because I'm not sure if I can hand-trace along the lines to make the outlines even thicker. (gel pens are hard to control; if you exert too much pressure it's going to ooze out a lot of ink. And a blob of blackness is a big no-no) Thankfully I had an a-ha moment and decided to add stitched lines outside the borders. 

I've also written some words below the stamped sentiment to tie it to the colorful background. I like to customize my sentiments a lot of times to make them fit the card themes better. To finish off the card, I colored this little bird from Lawn Fawn's Snow Day set and adhered him to the upper right corner of the heart.

I hope you have enjoyed my creation, and are inspired to use your washi tape in different ways. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Challenges Entered:

Virginia's View #25: Stripes and Plaid / Memory Box: Giving Thanks / STAMPlorations: Giving Thanks

Creative with Stamps: Use a Bird Stamp / SSS Work it Wednesday: Use SSS Product