Birthday Card | Krafty Chicks Challenge #723 - "Stamps"

 

Hello!

It's "Stamps" Week over at the Krafty Chicks Challenge and I hope you will join us with all of your creative stamping projects! It's birthday season for me (it seems it's always birthday season!) and I've got a double color way of this digi stamp from Graciellie Design to share today!

This simple corner floral spray can be used in vertical and horizontal positions with lots of space to stamp a greeting! I love it! I printed the image onto 110# white card stock, watercolored and trimmed it down to 3.75" x 5". I spattered the background with diluted paint and added a bit of bokeh effect with some distress oxide that I stenciled through a circle die cut into a piece of scrap paper. The entire panel was spritzed with shimmer mist and spattered with paint. I glued the panel to a top-folding card base and added a few sequins to finish up the design!

Please pop in and say "Hi" to the other Krafty Chicks and check our their awesome projects!

The KRAFTY CHICKS!

Lori Turner - Caffeinated Creativity

Leanne Elliott - Banking On Crafts

Diane Lebrun - Ink Outside The Box With Diane

Denise Morgans - The Crafty Den

Thanks for stopping by today and happy crafting!

Rachelle ♥

Birthday Card | Krafty Chicks - All Occasions Week #717

 

Hello!

This week we are featuring "All Occasions" over at the Krafty Chicks Challenge #717 and I chose a giant floral digital image from Graciellie Designs to split in two for a couple of birthday cards!

The image was printed in the middle of an 8.5 X 11" piece of white card stock and cut right down the middle. I randomly ink smooshed Distress Oxides onto the flowers, spritzed and spattered them with pearlized watercolors. Then I went back in and added just a bit more color to the petals/centers to bring the flower into focus. Here's what it looked like at this point:

I stenciled a small flower design onto the right panel for some added texture, trimmed the two sides down to 4.75" x 6.75" and attached them to different colored backgrounds. The card fronts were adhered to card bases, the sentiments were stamped and some sequins and pearls were added to finish up the designs. I love using pearls but sadly, they don't travel well in the mail for me, however, this card went to my next-door neighbor and so I was able to handle deliver it along with some homemade strawberry ice cream!  

I hope you will join us for some crafty fun this week at the Krafty Chicks Challenge! Please stop by and see the awesome projects the Krafty Chicks have created!

The KRAFTY CHICKS!

Lori Turner - Caffeinated Creativity

Leanne Elliott - Banking On Crafts

Diane Lebrun - Ink Outside The Box With Diane

Denise Morgans - The Crafty Den

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Rachelle ♥

Birthday Card | Graciellie Designs - "Cupcake Wishes" | Krafty Chicks Challenge #712 Week 3 CAS

 

Hey there!

It's week #3 over at Krafty Chicks Challenge and that means CAS! I decided to go with one of my favorite birthday images from Graciellie Designs' "Cupcake Wishes" digital stamp set and I absolutely LOVE this cupcake image!

I printed the image on 80# white card stock, watercolored and trimmed it to fit an A2-sized card base. The wide sentiment is from one of my most-used stamp sets, Simon Says Stamps' "Birthday Greetings." This great set has nothing but birthday sentiments in all sizes/fonts and has a matching die set as well! The heat-embossed sentiment was cut to size and glued onto the card front.

I also made a second color way for a very special little girl who loves PINK and here is that version -

I hope you will join us over at the Krafty Chicks Challenge for some 'Clean & Simple" FUN!

The Chicks!

Lori Turner - Caffeinated Creativity

Leanne Elliott - Banking On Crafts

Diane Lebrun - Ink Outside The Box With Diane

Denise Morgans - The Crafty Den

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

Rachelle ♥

Birthday Card | Graciellie Design - "Rainbow Birthday Cake" Digital Stamp Set | Krafty Chicks Challenge #710 - Week #1 Stamps

Hello!

I’m so excited to announce that I have been invited to join the Krafty Chicks Challenge as a guest designer for the next few months! I have been following this wonderful weekly challenge for many years and it’s an honor to become a part of this great team for a guest gig! 

We are starting Challenge #710 with Week #1 - Stamps (inked or digital) and I chose a great digi stamp set from Graciellie Designs, “Rainbow Birthday Cake”. The original cake was created as a tall slimline image but with just a few tweaks, I was able to convert it to a 3-layer design that would fit on my A2-sized card front.

After resizing, I printed the image onto 80# white card stock and watercolored both versions. Distress Oxide Ink was blended around the edge of the pink version and both card fronts were spattered with gold metallic paint. I trimmed both painted fronts down to 4” x 5.35” and glued them to coordinating card stock. Baker’s twine was wrapped around and tied to the panel, which was attached to an A2 top-folding card base. 

The sentiment on the pink version was already printed onto the cake layers but I stamped/die cut the sentiment for the primary card and popped it into place with foam tape. This is a classic image and I have made dozens of these cards for my birthday stash!

Thanks so much for joining me today and I hope you will link up your “Stamp” project over at the Krafty Chicks Challenge !

Happy Crafting!

Rachelle ♥

All Occasion Card | Graciellie Design - “At The Right Time” Digital Stamp Set

Yippee!

After an 11-week hiatus due to rotator cuff surgery recovery, I was finally able to head back to my drawing table! It’s about time - and this card is the perfect way to kick start the New Year using the beautiful clock image from Graciellie Design’s “At The Right Time” Digi Stamp Set! 

I cropped the main clock image to fit an A2-sized card, added the scripty background (from the “Vintage Papers” Set) and printed the design on 110# white card stock. I blended Distress Oxides onto the script background and spritzed the panel with shimmer mist. The image was watercolored and spattered with gold paints.

The image was trimmed to 4” x 5.25” and adhered to a black background panel; this finished piece was attached to a top-folding A2 card base. I added a scattering of opal sequins to complete the card! 

Thanks so much for joining me today and happy crafting!

Rachelle

CHALLENGES:

Crafty Calendar Challenge - January - AG

Krafty Chicks Challenge #697 - Stamps

Little Red Wagon Challenge #737 - What’s New? New Digi Stamp Set!

Autumn Card | Graciellie - "Vintage Pears" Digital Stamp Set

Hello!

I've got a nearly one-layer card for you today featuring Graciellie's beautiful "Vintage Pears" Digital Stamp Set but I couldn't resist using some matte gold sequins to add a little bling to this watercolored image!

The image was downloaded, sized to fit an A2 card front and printed on 110# Cougar White Opaque Card Stock. The background was randomly ink blended with "Tumbled Glass" and "Unchartered Mariner" Distress Oxide inks, spritzed with shimmer mist and spattered with pearlized paints. The colored panel was trimmed to size, glued to a card base and the sequins attached. This card took under an hour to complete start-to-finish because the watercoloring was not precise but gestural in feel. You can see the slightly messy feel on the painting in the photo below!

Thanks so much for joining me today and happy crafting!

Rachelle ♥

CHALLENGES:

The Creative Crafters Challenge #68

Dream Valley Challenges - Occasions other than Birthdays

Inspire Create Challenge #153

All Occasion Card | Graciellie Design - "Vintage Peony 2" Digital Stamp Set | Guest Designer

Hello!

Here's a "Pretty In Peach" Shaker Card featuring Gracie's NEW Vintage Peony 2 Stamp Set! I really love this amazing release full of these well-drawn images! 

I loosely watercolored the background image and spattered it with pearlized paint. The panel was trimmed and mounted to a black card base - but I didn't stop there! I die cut three decorative frames, glued them together and adhered an acetate panel to the back. Skinny strips of foam tape were adhered behind the frame, shaker bits were piled onto the center of the card front and the acetate window was pressed into place on top. 

The word sentiment is from an older Graciellie set which was printed, die cut and adhered into place with strong two-sided tape. I think there are at least fifty ways to color these beautiful images and I'm just getting started! 

Thanks so much for joining me today and happy crafting!

Rachelle ♥

Birthday Card | Graciellie Design - "Vintage Peony 2" Digital Stamp Set | Guest Designer

 

Hello!

I've got another floral birthday card for you today using the NEW "Vintage Peonies 2" Digi Stamp Set by Graciellie Design! This is the second peony set in her latest release and it works perfectly with the "Vintage Library Cards" Set!

Even though I'm a clean and simple cardmaker at heart, I really love these new vintage-feel designs and I decided to add some lace, silk ribbon and beadwork to this card. I first ink blended around the floral image, adding some distressed textures and water spatters on top. I didn't have to be too careful about blending the background colors over the peony because it was going to be watercolored with vibrant colors. I really like how distressed and aged it appears!

I then watercolored the floral image and spattered some of the purples/greens onto the background to integrate them together a bit more. I also added some gold paint for a bit of shimmer and set the panel aside to dry.

The lace was placed across the top of the card front and adhered to the back with strong tape; the lavender silk ribbon was added underneath. I used an awl to carefully punch small holes into the lace pattern and stitched the beads into place with gold thread. The sentiment was die cut with a banner die, popped into place with foam tape and a few sequins were attached to finish up the card. The completed panel was then adhered to an A7 card front.

CHALLENGES:

Beautiful Blossoms - Say It WIth Flowers Mood Board #6

We Love 2 Create - Challenge 6 AG Mixed Media

Crafty Calendar Challenge - July Anything Goes

Krafty Chicks Challenge #671 - Stamp Act Week 1

Thanks so much for joining me today and happy crafting!

Rachelle ♥

Birthday Card | Graciellie Design - Vintage Peonies | Guest Designer

 

Hello and happy Friday!

I'm excited to say that I've been invited back to join the Graciellie Design Team as a guest designer for the month of July! I'm doubly excited because the images include lots of peonies, which happen to be one of my favorite spring flowers! My grandma always had peonies growing near her fence by the railroad and I remember smelling them as a small child and getting a nose full of black ants! They do love the sweet nectar of the peony flowers! My first card this month is using the main flower cluster from the NEW "Vintage Peonies" Digital Stamp Set. This gorgeous set features so many wonderful images and I really like the word pairings on the sentiments!

I always start by designing the layout in a PowerPoint presentation; this allows me to get the sizing right on all of the elements and play with the placement! Once I get a rough design of something I like, I copy that image onto a separate slide and print it on 100# white card stock. This is an A7 (5" x 7") card base and so the main floral is pretty large, which made it super easy (and fun) to watercolor. 

I fussy cut the finished floral and set it aside. Next I created a mixed media background starting with two of my Brushos Colour Crystals. I taped a piece of the same 100# white card stock onto a heat-resistant cutting board with painter's tape and wet down the surface thoroughly with water. Then the page was dusted with just a bit of the Crimson powder and sprayed with Shimmer Mist. I let the color bleed all over the sheet and dabbed the excess runoff with a paper towel. I added a bit of the Leaf Green Powder around the edge using this same technique. When I got the coverage I liked, I used my heat gun to dry the sheet on the cutting board. The panel was spattered with gold and opaque white paint and dried again with the heat gun. 

After the surface was dry, I used Hero Arts' Unicorn White Ink and randomly stenciled a pattern onto the background to add a bit of texture. This softened the overall intensity of the color and added some extra interest. I cut my favorite part of the panel to fit the card front and adhered it into place. Several sentiments were printed in different sizes and die cut. Then I played with the placement of the design elements and added a vellum leaf die cut behind the peonies. Once the layout was figured out, everything was attached in place and I added a few sequins to finish up the card!

I can honestly say that this is one of my favorite floral cards I've ever made and it's going to my Great Aunt Phoebe for her 98th birthday! The new peony cluster is so beautifully drawn and I really like the accompanying sentiments. The rest of this July's Digi Releases are equally fantastic so be sure to head over to Gracie's Shop for all of the details!

Thanks so much for joining me today and happy crafting!

Rachelle ♥

CHALLENGES:

The Crafty Addicts - 03 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday - Weeks 603-604

Try It On Tuesday - Summer Blooms 

Crafting Happiness Challenge - July 144 - Anything Goes

Crafts Galore Encore - #113 - Anything Goes

Creations in Pink - #59 - Anything Goes in MAINLY PINK

Stamping Sensations - July Challenge 2023 - Summer Flowers

We Love Stamping - July Challenge - Fabulous Florals

Birthday Card | Graciellie Design - "Magnolia Branch"

Hello!

Well - it's Day 10 of the Coloring Challenge (the final day) over at the Daily Marker! I've enjoyed posting projects on my IG page and following along with all of the other colorists out there! 

Today's project is really all about the color! Do you have an affinity for any particular color? I've got a couple of favorites and one of them is the Distress Ink color "Victorian Velvet"! What's so weird about this color fetish is that I don't own any piece of clothing, jewelry, furniture, houseware, etc., in this color!!! So I'm not quite sure why I love it so much...but there it is!?!? I made it the main focus of my birthday card palette today and used the image from Gracie's new release, "Magnolia Branch". 

I sized, printed and water colored the magnolia branch image on 100# card stock. I partially die cut the panel with a slimline die and fussy cut around the flower petals on the right side. I ink blended and stenciled the "Stained Glass" pattern from Pink & Main around the magnolia branch, leaving the center area highlighted by the white cardstock. The panel was sprayed with shimmer mist and spattered with diluted white paint.

The floral panel was glued onto a black mat and then onto a white slimline card base. I added a printed birthday sentiment strip (from Gracie's "Beautiful Day" Bundle) and some gorgeous "Essential Pearls" from Pink & Main's new embellishment line to finish up the card! These pearls are so shiny and almost multi-tonal! 

I can't wait to send this card out to its intended recipient! Thanks so much for joining me today and I hope the rest of your weekend is fantastic! Take care!

Challenges:

Seize The Birthday Challenge - #212 / Spring Flowers - Topper

Crafter's Cafe #264 - Flowers

Shopping Our Stash - #443 - Plant Life

Rachelle ♥

Birthday Card | Graciellie Design - "You Go Girl"

Hi!

Well, after getting my second dose of the Covid vaccine,  I was out for the count for about two days but I am starting to feel a bit more like myself today! I wanted to try and get back into The Daily Marker's latest 10-day challenge with this ink on watercolor paper project!

I printed Gracie's latest release, "You Go Girl", onto watercolor paper and painted it with Daler-Rowney inks. I haven't used these inks for a long time and I forgot how vibrant the color is! The inks act almost like a stain so you have to really wet the paper down first and dilute them because the pigment does not 'move' at all after application. I only used 5 colors of ink in total but the color is really pure and has a lot of luminance when compared to watercolors. 

The panel was heavily spattered with gold metallic paint and cut with a stitched rectangle die. The panel was attached to a black card base and I added some sequins to finish up the card. Thanks so much for joining me today and I hope you have a great week!

Challenges:

Creative Knockouts #397 - Add a Sentiment 

Aud Sentiments - #272 - Anything Goes

Crafter's Cafe - #264 - Flowers

Shopping Our Stash #443 - Plant Life

Time Out Challenges #185 - Photo Challenge

Rachelle ♥

Mother's Day Card | Graciellie Design - "You Go Girl"

Happy Friday!

It's Release Day at Graciellie Design and she's got another wonderful floral set ready to go just in time for Mother's Day...or any other day for that matter! I really like all of the sentiments in this digi set and these floral elements could be used for so many different kinds of cards!

I printed the image on watercolor paper and taped it to my heat proof cutting board. The image and background were painted with Altenew Watercolors and spattered with metallic paints. Once dry, I trimmed it to fit an A7-sized card front.

I wanted to try something a bit different with this card so I added some hand-beading and stitching. Using gold thread, I stitched small gold seed beads into the center of each flower and added a running stitch to accent the linework in the leaves. I also stitched the sequins in place by using the same beads. You can see the stitch details in the close-up photo above - it really adds dimension and a tactile quality to the card!

This color palette is a bit different for me and I'm please with the way it turned out! I hope you'll head over to Gracie's IG Page to check out all of the wonderful DT projects posting this weekend as she showcases this beautiful new set! Thanks so much and have a wonderful weekend!

Challenge Submissions:

A Perfect Time To Craft #4 - April 

Classic Design Team Challenge - #4 April 

Let's Craft and Create - #170 - AG /Flowers 

Crafty Creations #420 - AG

Through The Craft Room Door AG April 

Crafter's Castle Challenge AG April #40

Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Special Woman

Colour Crazy Challenge Week 13 - AG

Take care and stay safe! Rachelle ♥

Easter Card | Graciellie Design - "Alleluia"

Greetings!

I hope everyone has a Blessed Easter celebrating God's Gift of Grace through His Son, Jesus. I am sharing this card with you today featuring this simple floral cross design from Graciellie's "Alleluia" Set.

I printed, watercolored and die cut the top panels. Then I created stenciled backgrounds in coordinating colors, cut them with an A2 stitched rectangle die and glued them onto top-folding card bases. The cross panels were adhered on top and I added a few sequins to finish the cards. This was an easy card to mass-produce and even with a protective piece of card stock inside the envelope, they only required one standard postage stamp for mailing! This helps balance the cost of sending out most of my triple-padded-expensive-to-mail cards! : )

Thank you so much for stopping by and I wish you a very Blessed Easter! Take care and have a wonderful week!

Challenges:

Crafty Calendar - April - Spring/Easter

My Time To Craft #454 Easter

Rachelle ♥

All Occasion Card | Alphabet Challenge "Z" is for Zoology | Graciellie Design - "Hope & Strength"

Hello!

We've made it all the way to "Z" once again over on the Alphabet Challenge and this time it's for "Zoology - The Study of Animals" and we would love to see your animal projects! I chose to use this beautiful dragonfly from Graciellie Design's digital stamp set "Hope & Strength".

I began by printing, watercoloring and fussy cutting the dragonfly image. I used some pearlized painted to really make the wings shimmer! I printed the sentiment and die cut it with a fishtail banner die.

I used a mix of smooshing, stenciling and stamping techniques with Distress Oxides to create the background panel on watercolor paper. I stamped some small scientific script and insect imagery on top with VersaMark Onyx Black Ink. The whole panel was spattered with pearl paint and set aside to dry in a heavy book. Once dry, I die cut it with a stitched rectangle die and glued it to an A2 black card base. I tore a piece of an old dictionary page, added a bit of ink and cut it with the same die. I glued this piece directly to the watercolor background and adhered the sentiment in place.

I gently folded the dragonfly's wings up and attached it with Scor-Tape just behind the narrow body. This allowed the wings to stay up off the card with no additional foam tape underneath. I added just a few clear droplets and centered one over the word "live", magnifying it from the rest of the text. I haven't created a background like this for a while and was happy with the result! You never know how it's going to turn out!

We can't wait to see your "Zoology" projects over at the Alphabet Challenge! Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have a great weekend!

Additional Challenges:

Creative Artiste Challenge Blog - March AG #69 Mixed Media

Aud Sentiments #271 - Animals + a Sentiment

Krafty Chicks # 552 - All Occasions

Creative Moments #211 - AG

Crafting Happiness Challenges - #89 Outdoors or AG

Crafts Galore Encore #85 - March AG

Pearly Sparkles Challenge - #60 - Must Use a Digi

Rachelle ♥