Mark's Finest Papers #50 - Emboss Resist

This card was such a joy to make!

The challenge this week at Mark's Finest Papers / Speedy's Friends is Emboss Resist.  You can find a tutorial on it HERE.

I began with a piece of white cardstock.  I used a dandelion and butterfly from Just Dandy  and stamped the images with Versamark, sprinkled with clear embossing powder, and hit them with the heat tool.

Then the fun part began...adding a sentiment stamp and sponging on the color.   The sentiment is also from the same stamp set, and I stamped it repeatedly with True Thyme (SU) dye ink.  With a sponge, I washed on some ink in the following Distress Ink colors:  Frayed Burlap, Tattered Rose, Old Paper, Scattered Straw, and Antique Linen.  The edges were sponged with True Thyme.

I matted it with black cardstock, and punched a hole with my Horizontal Slot punch from Stampin' Up!.  I threaded the accordion-pleated ribbon through the hole and around the card.  The ribbon is from SU, too.

The card base and patterned paper were both in my Design Team goodie package when I joined at MFP.  I don't know the names of them, but I LOVE their Old World feel.

We'd love to have you play with us!  Emboss resist is fun, and I wish I did it more often.  :)
Just link up your card HERE by Friday April 8th at 3:00 pm EST.  We'll be around to comment on your terrific creations.

For more inspiration, check out what my teammates have done for you:

Vicki Dutcher -- Joanne Grezlak -- Geri Utterback --

Harriet Skelly -- Susan Raihala -- Karen Knegten

Thanks for joining me today.

Colleen

Stamps:  Just Dandy by MFP
Paper:  So Saffron and Basic Black by SU, white by PTI, caramel cardstock and patterned paper through MFP
Ink:  Distress Ink colors:  Frayed Burlap, Tattered Rose, Old Paper, Scattered Straw, and Antique Linen; True Thyme by SU
Punch:  Lattice Edge by Martha Stewart, corner rounder and Horizontal Slot by SU
Other:  sponge, ribbon by SU, pearls by Queen & Co., dimensionals

Watering Can

Yesterday I had a bit of time to play with some new stamps. 

I played along with a Clean and Simple Splitcoast challenge.  Challenge #113 is to use soft aqua, soft yellow and white, and of course, the card has to be clean and simple.

I inked up a watering can from a brand new Mark's Finest Papers set, In My Mother's Garden, which is being released this month.  I used my Stampin' Up! markers, so the ink is Stazon Black.  The soft yellow sponged around the Spellbinders nestie is Scattered Straw Distress Ink (breaking in a birthday gift).

Haven't used my SU Texturz Plate 'Perfect Details' in a while.  I wish it could be more defined and more deeply embossed. 

Had to add some bling to the ends of that die-cut:  it looks too plain without something there!
I carefully used two gray Copic markers on the watering can.  With Stazon ink, Copics make it bleed and it ruins your marker tip.  A better ink for Copic coloring is Memento Tuxedo Black by Tsukineko.

See you tomorrow with a new Mark's Finest Papers challenge and card.  I'm super-happy with the card...can't wait to show you!

Colleen

Stamps:  In My Mother's Garden by MFP
Paper:  white by PTI
Ink:  Black Stazon, Scattered Straw Distress Ink
Other:  ribbon from my stash, pearls from Recollections and Queen & Co., bling from Queen & Co., Spellbinders Labels Ten nestie, Big Shot, SU Texturz Plate Perfect Details, dimensionals, sponge, SU markers, gray Copic markers

Play Date Cafe 76 - Flower in a Vase

Our lovely Sarah Anderson has chosen cool colors for this week's Play Date Cafe challenge:

I decided to play up the green with a satin ribbon I've had for years and years.  It was from my grandmother's sewing supplies.  She used to make her own clothes, and she helped me learn to sew in my late teens.  I bought an old cotton striped sheet (white and a couple shades of blue) from a thrift store [and of course it was in great condition; no shabby sheets for me!] and asked Mom-mom to help me sew some shorts.  They were simple, with an elastic waistband and two side pockets.  We trimmed them with some white eyelet that she had in her stash.  That experience opened my eyes to the fun world of sewing, and I'm so glad she was the person to teach me.  I'll have to show you my quilts sometime!

For now, here's my card:

I kept it pretty simple, using (how apropos) Simply Sweet by Stampin' Up! for my image.  The one vase that I singled out has a deep blue flower, green leaf and lighter blue "water".  I used Crystal Effects from SU to achieve the shiny, dimensional look.  Isn't it cool?

The sentiment is from Magical Moments by Wplus9.

Time to check out my teammates' fabulous creations this week:

Sarah -- Ruby -- Tracey -- Jaclyn -- Jinny -- Julie -- Michele --

Fiona -- Andrea -- Savannah
and our special Guest Designer, Tracy Evans!

We'd love to have you join us! 
Our sponsor this week is The Crop Stop.  They have a huge range of products, from stamps to envelopes, cardstock, die cuts, embossing tools, punches, and so much more!

Here are the details:

Please follow THE PLAY DATE CAFE RULES carefully to enter.

Deadline for prizes is 11:59pm EST on Tuesday

The 'Cup of the Week' will be announced during the next challenge.

ALL SKILL LEVELS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PLAY! 
We want you to enjoy this challenge. 

Interpret the colors the way you see them. 

We do not use specific card stock color names or brands.

Break out of the box and have fun! 

The main requirement is:

PDCC COLORS BE THE 

FOCUS OF YOUR SUBMISSION

When using additional colors, please limit them to neutrals. 

You are welcome to combine challenges, 
but we do ask that:
 1. The PDCC name and/or photo is used

2. OUR colors are the focus of the card.

Thanks for joining me today!  Let me know what you think of my clean and simple card.  I always love to hear what you think!

Colleen

Stamps:  Simply Sweet (SU), Magical Moments (Wplus9)
Paper:  white by PTI
Ink:  Memento in Tuxedo Black by Tsukineko, Ballet Blue by SU
Other:  Stampamajig, markers, Crystal Effects, satin ribbon

Play Date Cafe 75 - Magical Peacock

Hello everyone!  Check out the color story from our very fab, very talented Julie Ranae for this week's Play Date Cafe challenge:

I loved the game Monopoly as a kid!  I think I always wanted to be the "shoe".  ;)

For my card, I needed help with the creative process.  I looked in last year's Paper Crafts Go-To Sketches and voila!  All I had to do was drop in my elements.

Our sponsor this week is Wplus9 Design Studio, and owner Dawn Woleslagle is our special Guest Designer!

Dawn generously blessed each of the Play Date Cafe design team with a stamp set of our choice, and this is the one I picked, called Magical Moments:

It was fun playing with these colors and a peacock theme.  Worked out to be very appropriate, I think.
We had to use silver, instead of gray, for this challenge, so I tried to put in some shiny embossing.

The peacock was stamped in Taken With Teal, and I blobbed Crystal Effects over it, to shine him up.

Other silvery accents included silver pearls and silver Smooch Accent Ink.

We hope you want to play along with us this week! 
The prize:  a stamp set of your choice from Wplus9 Design Studio!
Check out what the rest of the design team has in store for you:

 Michele --  Tracey --Ruby -- Andrea -- Jaclyn -- Savannah -- Jinny -- Sarah -- Julie -- 

Fiona -- -- Libby  ....and our special Guest Designer this week:  Dawn Woleslagle!

Please follow THE PLAY DATE CAFE RULES carefully to enter.

Deadline for prizes is 11:59pm EST on Tuesday

The 'Cup of the Week' will be announced during the next challenge.

ALL SKILL LEVELS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PLAY! 
We want you to enjoy this challenge. 

Interpret the colors the way you see them. 

We do not use specific card stock color names or brands.

Break out of the box and have fun! 

The main requirement is:

PDCC COLORS BE THE 

FOCUS OF YOUR SUBMISSION

When using additional colors, please limit them to neutrals. 

You are welcome to combine challenges, 
but we do ask that:
 1. The PDCC name and/or photo is used

2. OUR colors are the focus of the card.

Thanks for joining me today.  :)  I always appreciate your visit, I really do.

Colleen

Stamps:  Magical Moments by Wplus9 Design Studio
Paper:  white by PTI, teal patterned paper from Stampin' Up! scrap, Cameo Coral
Ink:  Versamark, Basic Black, Taken with Teal, Cameo Coral
Punches:  Deco Fan by Martha Stewart, 1 3/4" circle (SU)
Other:  gray pearls by Queen & Co., ribbon bit from stash, dimensionals, silver embossing powder, heat tool

You Make Everything Special

Some paper therapy for me today...

This is for the Splitcoaststampers Clean and Simple Challenge 112, 'Cut Up Sentiments'. 
I can handle a clean and simple card today.  It doesn't require much fuss.

I've used some birthday gifts on this card:  the Pink Paislee papers and the golden pearl and pearl flourish.

I'm keepin' it short and sweet.  Thanks for joining me.  :)

Colleen

Stamps:  Just Dandy by Mark's Finest Papers
Paper:  Pink Paislee Sweetness, white by PTI for card base
Ink:  Early Espresso
Other:  dimensionals, pearls, pearl flourish - Recollections, vintage satin ribbon and lace

A Garden Trio

Hello everyone.  I am relieved to have found some time to create a few cards.  My family is under a great strain right now, with one of my children being desperately ill.  Although I find card-making therapeutic, it seems that I am short on both time and the ability to focus right now. 

Let me share these creations with you, all of which were created for Splitcoaststampers' challenges.  What I like about their challenges is that they are timeless.  There are no deadlines, no pressure.  This is what I need at the moment.

This sunflower was created using a Mark's Finest Papers poinsettia, from the set Seasonal Poinsettias.  I feel rather proud of myself for cleverly turning a winter flower into a summer one with merely a change of ink and paper colors.  The leaf ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  The challenge entered is Free For All 57 - Hello Sunshine, to be inspired by the sun.  I've got my sunflower, and that is pretty sunny!

I used a new-to-me Spellbinders die called Beaded Circles to create the sentiment circle.  My in-laws gave it to me for my birthday.  The sentiment is from Mark's Finest Papers, too:  Just Dandy.

The next card was created for Free For All 56 - How Does Your Garden Grow.  I used the MFP set, Just Dandy, for both the dandelion flowers and the sentiment. 

The patterned paper comes from a freebie in a Stamper's Sampler magazine bought long ago.  I stamped the dandelions in Whisper White craft ink but did not emboss.  The punch is new-to-me; it's Martha Stewarts Double Arches.  I bought the set of corner and border punches with birthday money.

On all three of my cards in this post, I have used fabulous 3-D stickers from K & Company's Tim Coffey Blossomwood Butterfly Grand Adhesions.  I think I need to go buy another set, 'cause I don't have many left on my sticker sheet!

My final card is for Try A New Technique TLC317 - Newsworthy.  We are to use newsprint.  I cheated slightly and used a book page.  Real newsprint is a messy, smudgy affair.

A long time ago, I had punched out a Tulipe Bigz Die shape for another creation, and saved the negative that was left.  I layered this black negative over a piece of an old book page, then mounted on my card base.  The Lattice Edge punch helped transition to the edges of the card, since the negative wasn't quite large enough to cover it. 

The sentiment and tiny iris flower (seen here on the Pale Plum oval, stamped repeatedly) are from MFP's Grandma's Boudoir.  I made my own (rather lame) "newsprint" flowers from a Stampin' Up! punch. 

Here's a closeup of a dragonfly sticker from that K & Company pack.  Those stickers were worth every penny! 

That's it for now.  You all take care and thank for joining me today.  :)

Colleen

Sunflower card -
Stamps:  Seasonal Poinsettias and Just Dandy - MFP
Paper:  K & Co. Wild Raspberry Die Cut Mat Pack, Crushed Curry cardstock, white cardstock by PTI
Ink:  More Mustard, Basic Black
Other:  sponge, K & Co. Tim Coffey Blossomwood Butterfly sticker, leaf ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon, bling from Queen & Co., dimensionals

Dandelion card -
Stamps:  Just Dandy - MFP
Paper:  Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, patterned paper from freebie in magazine
Ink:  Whisper White craft
Punch:  Double Arches by Martha Stewart
Other:  K & Co. Tim Coffey Blossomwood Butterfly stickers, grosgrain ribbon

Tulip card -
Stamps:  Grandma's Boudoir - MFP
Paper:  Basic Black, white by PTI, Pale Plum, Very Vanilla, page from book
Ink:  Pale Plum, Basic Black
Punches:  Wide Oval, Boho Blossoms, Modern Label - SU, Lattice Edge by Martha Stewart
Other:  K & Co. Tim Coffey Blossomwood Butterfly sticker, bling from Queen & Co., silver brads from Joann's, half a Prima white flower, crochet lace trim snippet, dimensionals

Mark's Finest Papers #48 - Polar Bear

Hello everyone!  This week's Speedy's Friends Challenge at Mark's Finest Papers:  to use dry AND heat embossing AND to pop up part of your image. 

I dry-embossed my little polar bear from the Mark's Finest Papers set, Time To Chill, using a Cuttlebug folder called  Holly Ribbons.  I did it twice, so I could cut out his head and pop that up even more than his body. 

The card base began as a white card.  I stamped the snowflakes from Time To Chill in Versamark ink, then heat-embossed with clear embossing powder.  On this card, I tried my hand at brayering layers of color over those snowflakes for the evening sky.  I don't have good brayering skills!

My disappointment with the brayering led me to create the same card, but with a sponged sky in those same colors.

 Gives it a much different look, doesn't it?

We'd love for you to play in our challenge this week!  Visit the Speedy's Challenge webpage for details, then link up your card there by Friday, April 1, 2011 at 3:00 pm EST. 

For more inspiration, check out what my teammates have done for you:

Vicki Dutcher -- Joanne Grezlak -- Geri Utterback --

Harriet Skelly -- Susan Raihala -- Karen Knegten

Thanks for joining me!

Colleen

Stamps:  Time To Chill
Paper:  white by PTI
Ink:  Versamark, Basic Black, Pale Plum, Orchid Opulence, Almost Amethyst, Ballet Blue, Brilliant Blue
Other:  clear embossing powder (SU), heat tool, iridescent glitter, Big Shot, Cuttlebug Holly Ribbons embossing folder, dimensionals, sponge, brayer, glue pen

Play Date Cafe 74 - Welcome LIttle One

This week's color inspiration comes from our own Ruby 2 Shoes, and our sponsor this week is Lizzie Anne Designs.

They have the sweetest stamps!  Our design team was blessed with some of their adorable stamps and here is my sample for this challenge:

As I put this card together, I was thinking about the lullaby, "Winken, Blinken and Nod."  There's something magical to me about this combination of colors and patterned papers and Lizzie Anne images.

The bird/moon image was stamped on patterned paper from K & Company's Wild Raspberry Die Cut Mat Pack.  The same blue paper is in the background.  I sponged some Baja Breeze on the moon for depth, and colored the birds with Stampin' Up! markers. 

The group of stars and the one dangling from the moon were touched with Smooch Ink in gold and silver.

The purple and gold paper is from DCWV Once Upon A Time mat stack.  I propped up my "picture" on an "easel", which was made from Stampin' Up!'s Tulipe Bigz Die.

Check out what the rest of the design team has in store for you:

 Ruby -- Tracey -- Jaclyn -- Jinny -- Sarah -- Julie -- Michele --

Fiona -- Andrea -- Libby -- Savannah
....and our special Guest Designer this week:  Taylor Usry!

Lizzie Anne Designs has an awesome prize package for one lucky winner, valued at $39.95!

Want to play along?

Please follow THE PLAY DATE CAFE RULES carefully to enter.

Deadline for prizes is 11:59pm EST on Tuesday

The 'Cup of the Week' will be announced during the next challenge.

ALL SKILL LEVELS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PLAY! 
We want you to enjoy this challenge. 

Interpret the colors the way you see them. 

We do not use specific card stock color names or brands.

Break out of the box and have fun! 

The main requirement is:

PDCC COLORS BE THE 

FOCUS OF YOUR SUBMISSION

When using additional colors, please limit them to neutrals. 

You are welcome to combine challenges, 
but we do ask that:
 1. The PDCC name and/or photo is used

2. OUR colors are the focus of the card.

Thanks for joining me today.  Thanks, too, for those of you lifting up prayers for my daughter and the rest of my family.  We continue to need prayers and positive wishes.  Please keep us in your thoughts. 

Colleen

Stamps:  Lizzie Anne Designs Monthly Mix May 2010
Paper:  white by PTI, blue patterned from K & Co. Wild Raspberry, purple from DCWV Once Upon A Time
Ink:  Baja Breeze, Stazon Black
Punch:  punched scallops border and Modern Label by SU
Other:  Big Shot, Tulipe Bigz Die, bling from Recollections, dimensionals

Born Lucky

I was born lucky:  my birthday is on St. Patrick's Day, as many of you know.  I also feel lucky and blessed because of the many wonderful friends I've made since I began blogging last May.  My mailbox has been stuffed full these last couple of weeks with gorgeous, heartfelt handmade creations....and even some presents! 

Each of these cards 'wowed' me, and I appreciate every one.  I thought you might like to see them too!  Thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes....you're all the best!!  {{Big Hugs}}  All of this happy mail has helped lighten my spirit.  Thanks from the bottom of my heart.

From Tracey Kuzniak

From Deborah Forbes

From Brenda O'Rear aka Benzi

From Audrey Hiltke

From Pam Lawver

From Sue Titolo

From Karen Saalfield

From Nancy Williams

From Ruby McGuire

From Emily Keaton

Also from Emily Keaton

From Carol Hurlock - THIS is the ENVELOPE!  Can you believe it??

From Carol Hurlock -- and THIS is the card!

From Vicki Dutcher

From Savannah O'Gwynn

From Jaclyn Miller

Hugs,
Colleen