Embossed Elements

Good evening. I have had a bit of trouble getting into my stamping since vacation. I need to get rolling again. Today I met with the Creative Arts group and did a bit of stamping, but we mostly just gabbed. The project for the day was Chat & Dabble. We did more chatting than dabbling, but it was so much fun.

This weeks CAS challenge is to use dry embossing. The ever ready BIG GUY put some lovely embossed dots on the stamped image. This card uses Mellow Moss, which has been discontinued, but would be lovely in River Rock or the In Color, Pear Pizzazz.

Super quick and easy.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Elements of Style, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Mellow Moss, Basic Black, Whisper White, Black StazOn
Ink: Mellow Moss, Basic Black
Acc.: Big Shot, Perfect Dots Embossing Folder, Ballet Blue SU Marker, Black Satin Ribbon, Small Oval & Large Oval Punches

Hope you got to do some stamping today...some chatting too.

Enjoy the day,

Bonnie

Whacked A Flutter

Hello Stampin' Friends. I hope you haven't given up on me. We had a wonderful vacation and I was able to see a lot of family that I hadn't seen in so long. I spent lots of time with my Dad who is 89 yrs. old today. The weather was as hot in VT as it was here in NC but Dad lives on a beautiful spring fed natural lake that never gets very warm. It's great for cooling off!

This is a card I made a while back. In fact I CASEd myself! I love this layout and the whacked embossing folder is perfect with this.

I have had some questions about directions for whacking folders. I have a link for it here. You will need to scroll down to the Sept. 17, 2009 post. Sandi MacIver, one extremely creative lady, put these directions on her blog. I whacked the Finial Press Embossing Folder and I have used the pieces lots.

On this card, I sanded the embossing a bit so it would stand out a little more.

Card Recipe

Stamps: All a Flutter, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Brocade Blue, Whisper White, Certainly Celery

Ink: Black Stazon

Acc.: Brocade Blue SU Marker, Big Shot, Whacked Finial Press EF, Scallop Trim Corner, Scallop Trim Border, Large Oval & Scallop Oval Punches

I have missed stamping and sharing with you. Hopefully I will get a chance to get to my table and do some stamping.

Enjoy,

Bonnie

Wild Rose

Happy New Stampin' Up! Year. You would think I would be showing you something out of the new catalog wouldn't you? Today though I have something from the UFO box that fit for the Sketch Challenge on SCS this week.

I used some scraps of leftover paper too, so I don't know how accurate my description will be.
I think the rose was stamped with Ruby Red ink and the leaves in Mellow Moss, both retired now. I sponged a little Mellow Moss ink on the edges of the design.

The paper on the other 2 sections is some handmade paper that was a gift a while back. Behind that was a scrap that looks very close to the new SU color Cherry Cobbler. I stamped the sentiment in Cherry Cobbler and it looks like a perfect match.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Wild Rose, Watercolor Trio
Paper: Mellow Moss, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler
Ink: Mellow Moss, Ruby Red, Cherry Cobbler
Acc.: Big Shot, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Pearls

I won't be blogging for the next week. We will be visiting family who don't have any Internet (gasp). I'm hoping I don't have some kind of breakdown not being able to make any cards or blog! I have packed my new catalog though, so I can create in my mind.

I wish you all a safe and happy Independence Day and inky fingers.
Bonnie

One Layer Celebration

I have been enjoying the One Layer Wednesday challenge on lateblossoms blog, Simplicity. This weeks challenge is to do Patriotic cards.

I'm ashamed to say but I don't have any patriotic stamps. Isn't that awful? But I really wanted to play so I thought and thought and the only thing I could think of was the star shape die to use with the Movers & Shapers and the BIG GUY.
Wanting to stick to one layer, although you can attach an embellishment, I opted to punch the star out of a piece of window sheet to use as a stencil.

I used a piece of sponge to apply Brilliant Blue ink in the star shape on a Naturals White card. (I smeared the first one and learned that I should leave more space around the cutout.)

I hand drew the square around the star with a Real Red marker. Then I stamped the Celebrate, from an old stamp set called Warm Words, in Brilliant Blue.

I finished it off with some silver stickies in the star to give it a little sparkle.

I'm going over to Susan't blog and post it for the challenge. I'm sure she would like to see yours too.

Happy Stampin' & Happy Independence Day.
Bonnie

At the Beach

Hello and welcome.

I am not an artist as you can see, but I love trying new techniques and think that just maybe, with trial and practice, I can come as close to an artist as God wants me to be.

After watercoloring 3 pieces to look like the beach, I decided to try sponging. I have admired so many sponged cards but have never used the technique much. I love the soft pastel look of it.

I used Naturals Ivory for the base card and cut a piece from scrap computer paper to give the shape of the beach. I laid it down and used 1/6 of a sponge (p. 195; 2010-2011 SU catalog) to dip in the Bermuda Bay (you can use Marina Mist instead) ink pad and sponged on the card. Oh, I also laid the straight edge of the rest of the scrap paper to leave room for the sky.

I like how the sponging has many shades of blue. It just kind of happens that way.

Then I punched a 1" circle from the sky mask and sponged Crushed Curry for the sun. (You can use Daffodil Delight if you don't have the Curry.)

Then I laid the circle down over the sun and sponged some Dusty Durango very lightly around the horizon to look like the sky at sunrise. Finally, I lightly sponged Bermuda Bay on the rest of the sky. (These 3 colors were the Color Challenge this week on SCS.)

To finish the scene off, I sponged a little Crumb Cake on the beach to give it some depth. I used an eye shadow sponge to add some Crumb Cake at the edge of the shore and a little whisper white on the ocean.

The shells, from Nature's Nest, were stamped with VersaMark and heat embossed with white embossing powder. When they cooled, I colored them with a Dusty Durango marker. They were a little dark so I painted them with some Frost White Shimmer Paint. The photo doesn't show how well they shine. They are a little big for the scene but they will have to do.


I hope you enjoy this little trip to the beach. I'll be back with another post later.
Bonnie