Stampin' Mim

Do you hoard your favorite paper?  (or maybe all paper!)  I forgot how much I loved this Dreamin' paper collection from CTMH. I am really making an attempt to clear out things I don't use or love....but I just keep finding great things I've stashed away.  Just enough of this left for a few cards. 

Starting with a sketch is my salvation when I am working so much - I am supposed to be retired, but have been part-timing 3 days a week and volunteering at the grandson's school as well.

But I count on a good sketch every week at Atlantic Hearts to keep me going. This card used sketch #131 created by Michelle Stewart.   The image and sentiment come in the Happy Autumn set, inked with Honey and Chocolate. I fussy cut the sentiment and also traced over it with Liquid Glass, and wrapped the small square panel with some Chocolate twill.

I am a Massachusetts girl living in Washington state....and I miss snow. We get a little here in Puget Sound, but I would love a bit more. Enough for snowmen ♥

This one layer card was made with a sweet little stamp from Pebbles that I picked up last weekend. I stamped him on a post-it first and created some curvy lines also on post-its for a mask.  Then sponged with some Sky blue ink. Colored in the scarf and added some falling 'snow flakes' with a sparkly Gelly Roll pen.  The sentiment is from a long ago Close To My Heart set, Captured Moments. I liked the size and clean font with this simple snowman.

Linked to One-Layer Simplicity challenge.

Cards in Envy Challenge for some Halloween fun. I used some 'imaginisce' paper for the back panel. Cut two circles and used a stamp from Close To My Heart ( Spook Alley) for the sentiment. Love how you can bend acrylic stamps to fit a curve! I added some messy faux stitches. The fun pumpkin with frog is a dimensional from my stash of Halloween stuff popped with thin foam tape.
 

Having some fun making Halloween cards this year. The color challenge at Just Us Girls this week was, of course, just the thing.  The purple patterned paper is CTMH, Laughing Lola. The center panel I sponged with orange and shimmer purple ink.  The top is much more purple in person...I wanted to get the cat eyes to glow, and that seemed to bleach out the sparkly purple pigment ink.  sigh. Photography challenge!  The cat and sentiment were cut on the Cricut, and sequins from stash.  I used some craft scissors (yup! I still have a drawer full) to edge the center panel.

Linking also to Heart 2 Heart Challenge: Cricut Capers.

Hope you are getting treats this week.


 

This card had several inspirations: a recent video tutorial by Kristina Werner showing watercolor on clear embossed image random stamped on the page, and the Atlantic Hearts Sketch #129.

 I used some patterned paper from Close To My Heart (Zoe) to cover the front of the card base.  The stamp image is an old wood stamp that might even have been from the days when CTMH was Dots!  I stamped the image randomly on an 8x10 piece of watercolor paper and clear embossed. After painting the leaves, I used my water brush and Slate ink to paint in the background around the leaves. I used Kristina's trick of putting ink directly on the acrylic block and brushing it off to splatter.   The sentiment is from the Fall Harvest set, embossed in white on Whisper card stock. I cut one of the leaves out and popped it with foam tape. It was difficult to cut into this water color piece! (I have more, so there will be another card soon using the rest.)

The leaf image is rather large and so the card ended up being 4.5x6.25" I backed each of the watercolor panels with Whisper and did a bit of ink distressing on the sentiment banner. Embellishments are 'Durables' from CTMH.

Also linking to My Time to Craft #306 'Autumnal Colors' and
Addicted to Stamps + More #166 'Anything Goes'

Broke out an embossing folder and tried a diffuser for the first time.  This one layer card is linked to CAS(E) This Sketch #144.

Image: Stampin' Up! Pocket Full of Posies
Sentiment: Verve Thoughtful Florals
Accessories: Darice Folder Wire Fence; Close To My Heart Diffuser + Bitty Pearls
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; CTMH markers Autumn Terracotta, Goldrush

 

It's been a while since I have been in the craft room....just returned from a 22-day dream trip to China, Mongolia and Russia.  It was a marvelous adventure!  As I go over the pictures and read my travel journal, I am filled with gratitude for the chance to see some of the places I've taught about for years. And now enjoying my green and wet Pacific Northwest home.  Life is good.

So I pulled out fall papers and made a card using the Atlantic Hearts sketch #128.

Products used:
          Paper: Pathfinding; Autumn Terracotta, Champagne, Lagoon
          Stamps: Blossom (workshop set); November word puzzle (long retired favorite)
          Inks: Lagoon, Cocoa, Olive
          Liquid Glass