All Occasion Card | MFT Stamps - Harvest Mouse | Retro Rubber Guest Designer for Fall Colors Challenge #119

Hello!

Thanks so much for joining me today ♥ I can't tell you how excited I am to be the Guest Designer over on the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog for the current Fall Colors Challenge - #rrcb119! This is especially true because I will be sharing this adorable card featuring MFT's Harvest Mouse Stamp Set, which is still as fresh as when it was released in the fall of 2015! I think it's proof that well-drawn images really can stand up to the test of time.

I created the Swiss dot background by stamping MFT's Itsy-Bitsy Polka Dot Stamp with VersaMark Ink onto a piece of 110# Neenah Card Stock and heat embossing it with white powder. Distress Oxide Inks (Peeled Paint & Bundled Sage) were blended over the embossed dots, the surface was lightly rubbed with a paper towel (to remove any excess ink) and cut to a 5" square. This was adhered to the front of a top-folding 5" square card front.

Using the Gina K. Wreath Builder Template, I stamped many small images from older, retired MFT stamps sets (including Bold Blossoms) to create my harvest wreath and spattered it with diluted inks/metallic watercolors to soften the design. I cut the inverted scallop circle in the center with the smallest option from Pink Fresh's die set, added a handful of small sequins and backed this entire panel with a piece of craft foam for added stability.

  

I stamped the pumpkin-carrying mouse with VersaFine Onyx Black Ink, heat embossed it with clear powder, colored and fussy cut the image. I ink blended a small panel (with Fired Brick Distress Oxide Ink) to fit behind the center scallop opening with Distress Oxide Ink and glued it to the center of the dotted background; the wreath panel was adhered on top. The mouse was popped into the center with a double layer of foam tape and a piece of heavy twine was tied/knotted at the top to finish off the card.

Thanks so much for joining me today and head over to the Retro Rubber Blog to check out the great ideas from the Design Team!

Additional Challenge Submissions:

Creative Fusion Arts & Crafts Blog #14

Dream Valley Challenge #209 - Autumn Colors

Daisy Chain Challenge #44 Autumn is Coming

Crafty Friends Challenge Blog - Autumn Colors #118

Rachelle ♥

All Occasion Card | Simon Says Stamp/Neat & Tangled - Hello Pumpkin

Hello! 

I think I can almost feel a cool down starting in my neck of the woods (or maybe it's just wishful 

thinking considering it was almost 90 degrees this afternoon with a relative humidity of 99% here in North Carolina?) and I believe it may be due to the "Everything Pumpkin" display that I saw today at my local Whole Foods Store! Pumpkin puree - pumpkin flavored tea - pumpkin spice muffin mix - harvest pumpkin craft beer...you get the idea! Well that put me in the mood to get started on some autumn-inspired cards!

This cute bundled bear is a part of Simon Says Stamp's Stamptember 2017 Neat & Tangled Set and is combined with Hello Bluebird and Sunny Studios products. I am basing the card layout on this week's Retro Rubber Stamp Challenge Sketch #118.

I used Distress Oxide Inks and blended them through Hero Arts' Woodgrain Stencil onto a piece of 110# Neenah Solar White card stock, spritzed it with shimmer spray, die cut a panel and adhered it to a top-folding A-2 card base. I ink blended a piece of the same cardstock with Wild Honey and Fossilized Amber and die cut it with Sunny Studios Scalloped Square Dies - a panel was lightly ink blended with a circle/diamond stencil, cut to fit behind the square die cut frame and adhered into place.

I smooshed a mix of autumn-toned Distress Oxide inks onto my craft mat, spritzed them with water and daubed pieces of the Neenah card stock into the inked areas. I tapped the paper numerous times until I got the depth of color and mix that I wanted and I set these pieces aside to dry. Hello Bluebird has so many great stand-alone dies and one of my favorites is the Gallery Frame #3, which has some added leaf and pumpkin die cuts. This is such a wonderful die set and I used it to cut multiple leaves, acorns and pumpkin images from my inked papers. 

I stamped the bear with VersaFine Onyx Black Ink and water colored/die cut the image. I glued it into the scalloped frame and stamped the sentiment using the MISTI. This entire piece was glued onto the wood grain panel (following the sketch) and the autumn die cuts were added to the left-bottom corner. The card was finished with a sprinkling of assorted sequins and a light application of Wink of Stella clear shimmer.

Challenge submissions:

Unicorn Challenge Blog - #47 - Autumn

2 Crafty Critter Crazies - #30 - September AG Challenge

Crafty Animals #30 - Anything Goes - September

Make My Monday Challenge - Use a Shape #104

Creative With Stamps #42 - Autumn

Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday AG Challenge

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Rachelle ♥

Birthday Card | Hello Bluebird - Pig Day & Avery Elle - Market Stand Sets | Guest Designer on the AAA Birthday Challenge Blog - Game #5 "Use a Stencil"

Hey There Birthday Fans!

I am thrilled to be the Guest Designer over on the AAA Birthday Blog for their #5 Challenge: "Use A Stencil" and to be sharing these cute Hello Bluebird critters with you! Head on over to the blog and see all of the great ideas that the designers have created for this challenge. I will have to admit that I was a little late to the stencil party (I just starting using them about a year ago!) but now my collection of designs just seems to multiply like magic in my craft closet! 

I love combining products and this card has it all: MFT Stamps' "Geometric Star Stencil" & "Elegant Rectangles Die-Namics", Lawn Fawn's "Happy Happy Happy Stamps", Avery Elle's "Market Stand Set" and the aforementioned "Pig Day" Crew! 

I began by lightly blending Shaded Lilac and Twisted Citron Distress Oxide Inks at the top and bottom of a 4.25" x 5.5" panel of white card stock - leaving a bit of the white showing through in the middle. Salty Ocean and Lucky Clover were then blended through the Geometric Star Stencil on top; diluted inks and shimmer mist were spattered/sprayed and blotted to give the panel texture. This panel was die cut using the second largest shaped die. I blended another panel using the same inks with heavier values to provide a solid color gradation and die cut it with the largest rectangle. The stenciled panel was adhered to the background with foam tape.

I partially stamped the market stand using the MISTI from the bottom up because I didn't want to use the top header board. This left the two tall supports on either side incomplete and I extended them to the height I wanted with a fine-tip black marker. I colored the stand, partially die cut the image and then trimmed the extended supports with my craft knife. I stamped the small banner in the same way - leaving the ends "open" and drew the rest of the "rope" line and fussy cut the image; the banner was colored and glued to the top of the wooden supports.

The Hello Bluebird pig, bird and balloon were all stamped, colored and die cut. I wanted the pig's arm to hang over the edge of the counter so I just made a small slit along the inside edge and slipped him into place, taping him behind the stand. A second blank die cut was glued behind the balloon to give it more stability and then glued behind the pig and onto the market stand. The sentiment die cut was glued into place and then I stamped the word "Birthday" VERY CAREFULLY using the MISTI. :)

The market stand was adhered to the stencil panel with foam tape, a light coating of Wink of Stella was applied to the images and a few sparkling gems were added to finish off the card front. In order to make a shaped top-folding card base, I placed the largest die 1/8" over the top of an A-2 size card base and cut it over the folded edge. I wanted this shaped card to 'stand' on its own but it rocked with a rounded bottom edge; so I just trimmed 1/8" (from the back panel only) and this allowed it to sit perfectly level. The entire front panel was then glued to the shaped card base.

I just love the happy images from this Hello Bluebird Set!

Thanks so much for joining me today and head over the AAA Birthday Blog and check out the other great submissions! I appreciate each and every comment :)

I have also entered this card into the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday AG Challenge

Do-A1 Creative - #33 Cut (Shaped) Cards

Crafty Animals - #30 Anything Goes

2 Craft Critter Crazies - #30 Anything Goes with a Critter

Love To Craft Challenge Blog - #38 - AG

Dragonfly Dreams Challenge - Happy Birthday

Crazy 4 Challenges - C4C500 Shaped Card

Rachelle ♥

All Occasion Card | Hero Arts MMH Kit December 2018 | A Place To Start Challenge Blog - "Show Us Your Masking"

Hi!

Thanks so much for stopping by to join me for another great challenge over at A Place To Start! This month's twist on the Anything Goes Challenge is "The Lone Crafter: Show Us Your Masking" - featuring masking techniques. Please head over to check out the other great ideas the Design Team has to share for this challenge!

I haven't used this Hero Arts' MMH Kit (December 2018) for a while and pulled it out to create a vignette card with this beautiful fairy. 

First, I did a quick sketch of the basic layout/coloration.

The fairy was stamped on a piece of white card stock and also onto a 

large Post-It Note, which was then fussy cut and stuck over the card stock image.

I then determined the toad stool placement and used the MISTI to stamp it 

on top of the masked fairy image.

I removed the mask and the image was water colored and trimmed with a combination of partial die and fussy cutting. I left enough space at the bottom to add some additional grassy area since I wanted it to fill up the negative space in the scallop die cut.

I trimmed a 1" strip of gingham pattern paper, adhered it to the left edge of an A-2 top-folding card base and set it aside. Using the Pink Fresh "Inverted Scallop Circle Dies", a circle was cut off the right edge towards the bottom of a 3 5/8" x 5.5" panel of the same white card stock. I adhered the fairy image to the back of the scallop opening and backed it with craft foam to give the opening added dimension. 

I ink blended the gradated blue background (using Salty Ocean Distress Oxide Ink) onto white card stock and spattered it heavily with white pearlized paint. This really made the background shimmer behind the fairy. I adhered it to the card front right next to the gingham paper and then glued the die cut panel on top. I added a couple of additional pieces of foam tape behind the fairly itself to really pop the image off the card and lightly curled the wing tips up for even more depth.

After I prepped a piece of black card stock with my anti-static powder tool, the sentiment was heat embossed with white powder and die cut. I lightly blended the same blue ink onto a piece of vellum, die cut it and adhered it behind the sentiment strip as an accent shadow. I felt that the black strip on its own was a bit too harsh and that it needed just a bit of softening - the vellum really worked here. The sentiment was glued into place and trimmed to be flush with the right edge. I gave stamped images a light application with my Wink of Stella brush for a bit of shimmer to finish up the card.

Thanks for joining me today and I really appreciate all of your comments! : ) 

Additional challenge submissions:

Through the Craft Room Door Aug 27th - AG

Try It On Tuesday: In my garden there is...

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - AG

Moving Along With The Times - Things With Wings

Crafts Galore Encore AG Challenge #67

A Bit More Time To Craft #99 - AG

A Blog Named Hero - Stretch Your Stamps

Allsorts Challenge - Feminine

My Time To Craft #404 - Fantasy

Happy Little Stampers - Watercolor Challenge

Rachelle ♥