Just a quick post from me today as I've spent the weekend sick... I'm healing but still not 100%
This is my card for the monthly Embossing Folder hop in Instagram... we were playing with "partial embossing" Instead of doing just a part of panel, I did a small panel instead using up a scrap of an embossed piece that's been sitting on my desk.
This month for the Crushing Christmas Instagram Hop, we are playing with the theme of silver and gold. I'm not one to mix my metals so I chose to play with some silver mirrored cardstock and some snowflakes.
This month for the Create It 3-Way Instagram Hop, our theme is "thinking of you"... each of us plays with at least one common item from our stash to create three cards following the theme. I chose to play with the same stamp set, the same die set and the same pattern paper...
Here are the up close photos of each of the cards I created... going from clean and simple to less clean and simple...
First, the clean and simple version...
This second one has an fully embossed background which takes away from it being truly clean and simple (although there are many who would still classify it as clean and simple.
And finally, a mini slimline that isn't at all clean and simple...
I had to play with the theme of "where you're from" for the Card Clubhouse Instagram Hop today... I didn't feel super inspired to make a red and white card so instead I went with a Calgary Stampede themed birthday card... anyone who knows me is probably surprised as I am not a country girl, I am not interested in Stampede... but it's probably what the city I live in is best known for.
I started with a Spellbinders alphabet and cut out the iconic Stampede "yahoo" and then used a wood grain embossing folder on them. Super simple!
This week for the This or That Instagram Hop, we had to choose between sandcastle and snowman...
Was there even a choice here? Of course I had to play with the snowman theme!
We're playing with a "celebration" theme for the Rediscover Your Supplies Instagram Hop. For this hop, we try to dig in to our stash to create cards following the common theme. We are trying to use what's in our stash instead of buying something new (not that I'm not buying new still LOL)
I had an idea for this card and honestly, it took a few turns before I ended up with this... and I'm kind of glad it did!
This month for the Embossing Folder Instagram Hop we are playing with the theme of Summer Bliss. I went with the lush greenery of summer... everything in bloom, the grass is green... so many shades of green in your view! We've got a lot of green here in Calgary right now because we had a very wet spring... but flowers are behind because it's been cool and cloudy too!
Good morning, creative friends... it's time for a new sketch at Atlantic Hearts! I love trying to make these sketches a little closer to my clean and simple style when I can... and I am IN LOVE with the card I created today!
First, here's the sketch!
I love the overlapped framed squares on this sketch...
Each month, a group of creative friends gather on Instagram to play with white on white cards. We can use a small amount of another colour on our cards and I usually save that for my sentiment.
The key to white on white cards is layers and dimension. I started with some white die cut strips across the front of my card and then added a gorgeous floral embossed panel.
I messed up my calendar and almost missed making my design team card for this weeks' sketch at Atlantic Hearts! We did a mini road trip in the new car last week and thankfully I booked the entire week off work which meant I was able to get myself on track to share a card with you.
Let's look at the sketch...
And here's what I did with it... I took some inspiration for colouring from a card I found on Pinterest. I added the waves embossing folder to create some movement for this gorgeous butterfly! I have a little tip for you. I, personally, hate stamping with anything but my Versafine Clair black ink. It's so crisp and clean! But you can't use your Copics (or other alcohol markers as the ink will bleed). So, I use my Misti, stamp my image lightly with Memento... I colour the image and put the piece back in my Misti and stamp on top of it with my Versafine Clair. And BOOM! Crisp and beautiful!
This month, we are creating cards of gratitude for the Build Your Stash Instagram Hop. The goal of this hop is to encourage the participants to make some basic cards that we might need throughout the year so that they are ready to be mailed when we need them. I aim to make two cards following each theme. Some months I fail. This month I didn't!
In my effort to make more clean and simple cards (as they truly are where my heart is at), I did two simple cards to share today.
For this first card, I used some printed Washi and the matching die to cut out this gorgeous spring of leaves and added a simple stamped and die cut sentiment.
For my second card, I kept it simply black and white, breaking up the boredom with a simple embossing folder
This week our choices were COFFEE or ICE CREAM for the This or That Instagram Hop... I am not a coffee drinker (I don't even like the smell of it!) so of course I went with ice cream! I cut my scoop of ice cream out of a piece of patterned paper and added an embossed strip behind the focal point to add a little interest while keeping the card fairly clean and simple.
Happy June, my friends! Today is my hubby's and mine 35th wedding anniversary! It feels like we've been married forever while also feeling like it was all just a few years ago! Crazy!
I'm here today with my first card using the fabulous June sketch at Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers!
I was going to do a fully white on white card for my first card, but I felt like the snowflake got lost... so instead, I cut the snowflake out of some silver holographic cardstock to let it shine!
This week we are playing with our favourite embossing folder for the My Favourite Instagram Hop. I'm not sure that this is my favourite embossing folder, but it's certainly my most versatile folder ! I use it a lot!
I used the debossed side this time and dragged a grey ink pad across it to create my grout lines.
I'm participating in a hop to celebrate my friend Melissa's birthday today! Go check out the hop on Instagram and leave some comments for your chance to win one of the prizes Melissa has offered up! I"m sure she'd love some more birthday wishes!
I was inspired by a card I saw by Cathy Zielske a few weeks ago. I cut my panel and then cut my banner out of that panel. I fit the two pieces back together and put them through my Big Shot with a 3-D embossing folder. I did some ink blending on the tag shaped piece and tried to get a gradient of colour on it. I put the embossed panel on the card front and then added the tag shape with foam adhesive. I finished it off with a simple stamped and die cut sentiment that I popped up on foam adhesive.
This week on the This or That Instagram Hop, we had to choose between INSIDE and OUTSIDE. I chose to play with an idea by Sandi MacIver. I cut a panel for my card front and then cut out the centre of the panel as well. I then put them back together and put them in to an embossing folder. I took the pieces out and did some ink blending on the inside part of the panel. I matted the inside panel and added it back to the card front.
This month for the Embossing Folder Instagram Hop, we are playing with the blackout technique. After some trial and error, I found a few things that worked for me for this....
*ink blend darker than you think you should with your colours
*choose an embossing folder that has a lot of texture on it (not one with a lot of open space)
*use a 3D embossing folder
*use a light hand an MANY passes with your black ink to create the black out
I think this is probably the first time I've had good success with this technique...
This week on the This or That Instagram Hop, we had to choose between Masculine and Feminine. You all know that I struggle with masculine cards, so of course I went more feminine... but I put a masculine twist on my card by using a wood plank embossing folder and by colouring my flowers in what is considered a more masculine colour.
It's time to share my design team creation for the current sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenges.... but first, the sketch!
This card took me hours to put together. I'd do an element and then change my mind... I did this more times than I can even remember! But in the end, I think it turned out OK!
Each month, I host the CASE It Instagram Hop... a group of us each finds a card that inspires us on Instagram and we create our own card using the first as inspiration. Sometimes we outright copy the design, sometimes we take elements from the card to create something different.
This month, I was inspired by a card created by Rochelle at StampingFlair... I fell in love with the layout of this card! To be honest, I had 5 cards I could see myself CASEing this month so I went to my online friends and asked them to pick a number... the winning number left me with this card. And I hope I don't disappoint.
What did I like about this card? The layout was the first thing that drew my eye. I also liked the colours and that big bold flower in the centre of the card. I also liked the thin matted layers. I wanted to change it up a bit so I left off the pretty peach colour and stuck with greens and blues. I used a different embossing folder and some pattern paper for the layer right behind the flower. My flower is much larger than on the original so my layout is a little bit different as well.
