Mimosa Sympathy

One of my very favorite subjects in stamping and card making is florals and foliage.  Over the years and across my previous blog as well as this one, I've likely revealed this from time to time.  Today's card is from the heart of me for special cousins.

A few years ago I was literally browsing along the fence line, simply enjoying the leaves of bordering trees and shrubs.  Among them stands one mimosa tree that actually reaches over from the neighbors' yard.  On that day, I plucked a couple of the leafy mimosa stems with an idea of pressing them onto card stock ... just to see what might result.  I so enjoyed the result that I made nearly 30 of those prints for cards to be given to friends at an upcoming retreat.  

The sentiment was embossed on vellum card stock, then framed with a muted metallic gold card stock 'frame'.  Although it might appear as 'copper' on some screens, the embossing and framing are both a lovely, soft gold color.  I was happy to see the green showing through the vellum, just as I had hoped.

For me, this is the one of the most natural of all the card making techniques or styles I've utilized.  I believe that I shall love it always.  

I hope you've found some inspiration here today!  Thanks for having visited.

Inky (((hugs))),

Butterfly Kisses?

Cute little critters and/or cute little critter stamps ... they're both incredibly hard to resist!   

Fluttery little nose-to-nose touches is something I've loved passing along to the little ones across my life.  It's a treasured memory that seems so simple but its value runs very deep into my heart.  So how could I not adore and need this House Mouse stamp?!   

Admittedly, I did have to browse through a couple of crafty drawers to search for a possible charm, and ta-daahhh!  I found one ... for the current House Mouse Challenge, HMFMC #273.  

Inky (((hugs))),

Card Supplies:

Stamps:  House Mouse 'Nose to Nose in Flowers'

Inks:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers

Papers:  SEI designer paper, Neenah White

Accessories:  Stitched Rectangle dies (The Stamps of Life), natural thread, 'love' charm

Neutral & Gold

Hello, stampy friends!  Today my card making shifts into using hardly any stamping at all ... it's there, but it's very subtle.  

This card as August's guest designer for Creative Escape Papercrafting (CEP) came together very quickly, actually became a working idea as I unboxed the fully-loaded August Kit.  {See the full kit in my previously video linked here.}

Everything you see was included in the August Kit, with the exception of that tiny strip of gold mirror card stock, which is available at CEP as one of the many stamping products offered in addition to their kit subscriptions.  I love the heavy weight (approx. 100-lb. cover) of the card stocks provided in their kits!

The foliage stamp from the All the Good Things stamp set was inked with Distress Ink Antique Linen.  When I sampled it, the color was a little deeper, but as it dried, it softened quite a bit atop this lovely kraft card stock base.  I really like the way that stamp coordinates with the foliage wreath on this gold foiled piece from the kit's My Bright Life Ephemera package.  

One more creation to come from the same kit of goodies!  I hope that you're being inspired to get inky 'n creative!

Inky (((hugs))),

~Bev Gerard

Card Supplies:

Stamps:  All the Good Things (American Crafts)

Papers:  My Bright Life collection (Jen Hadfield for Pebbles), Gold Mirror c/s, kraft 

Ink:  Distress Ink Antique Linen

Accessories:  Gold sequins, My Bright Life Ephemera package (Pebbles) 

Shimmer & the Crayon

It's always fun to try out new-to-you things in your hobby world.     Luckily, I was tickled to receive a new-to-me Art Crayon and a sample jar of Vicki Boutin's Iridescent Glaze .   Yay!  Time for some discovery play... ...

Using the Misti enables me to stamp, then re-stamp the sentiment on watercolor texture to get the exact placement I want is a delight!  

I've explored just one of many ways to use this shimmery mixed media glaze and art crayon.  Now I hope you'll give yourself a simple gift by setting aside some time to explore and play in your stampy zone today!   

Inky (((hugs))),

~Bev Gerard 

Project Supplies:  

Stamps:  All the Good Things (Vicki Boutin) 

Misti stamp positioner, Sizzix oval dies, Ranger White embossing powder, VersaMark and VersaFine inks.

Lifting those Petals

Are you playing in the Dare to Get Dirty challenges this week?  There's plenty of fun to have and more challenges than I can make in a week ... but lots of stampers love to go for the win to create something for every challenge and scoop up some prizes!   Go, Go Stampers!

Once upon a time I enjoyed turning 'flat' floral stamped images into a more realistic blossom with lots of fussy cutting and adding curves to the elements, etc.  Like most of us, my style has morphed along my stampy journey.  So when my darling friend, Kittie posted her DTGD18kittie747 challenge earlier this week, I knew I wanted to play and return to lifting up those petals!  

Both the blossom and the sentiment are from Wendy Vecchi's 'Birthday Art' stamp set.   I stamped the image 3 times, coloring each one with Copics before fussy cutting.  Each layer was offset atop the previous layer before gluing in the center.  

When I spotted the softly colored printed paper in a retired My Mind's Eye square stack, I knew I had to use it with this bold blossom.  For the center of the blossom, I used little bitty seed beads.  (My bitsy rhinestones are AWOL from their last known location ... so plans had to change.) 

Have you stamped today?  

Inky (((hugs))),

~Bev Gerard

Supplies used:

Stamps:  'Birthday Art' by Wendy Vecchi/Stampers Anonymous

Inks:  Gina K. Amalgam, Distress Ink Brushed Corduroy, Copics

Papers:  Misti stamp positioner,  Prism card stock, Neenah Solar White c/s, My Mind's Eye 6x6 stack

Accessories:  Spellbinders circles + squares dies, Sizzix sentiment die, seed beads, crystal lacquer, May Arts ribbon, glue dots

Screechless Chalkboard

Stacy's Dare ... well, her Dare to Get Dirty challenge (DTGD18JBgreendawn) is just one of lots of fun challenges to dive into this week over at SCS!   Long ago I sold my paper crafting chalks.  Then I borrowed some cool metallic chalks from my crafty daughter ... and returned them after a bit of fun.  So, here's what I opted to do:

My Misti positioner enabled me to get a nice amount of VersaMark ink on the black card stock, since it allows us to stamp again in the very same spot.  Thankful am I!  Plus, since my rectangle was already die cut, it allowed me to perfectly place the jar image.  The sentiment was prepared separately, then punched out and affixed with dimensional foam.  I finger-rubbed the  white smears of faux chalk dust, so .... no screeching of the chalk on my 'chalkboard'!  (Some of us will understand ... but those who know only 'white boards' might have a little question mark on their faces.  ;)

Tex's Tip:  When embossing, being sure to have complete ink coverage on the image is important, as well as using an anti-static pouch.  Find the anti-static pouch in the stamp departments where embossing powders are sold.

Thanks for taking a peek today!

Inky ((((hugggsss)))),

Bev Gerard

Supplies:

Stamps:  Darcie's

Inks:  VersaMark 

Papers:  Neenah white, SU black

Accessories:  Misti, The Stamps of Life stitched rectangle dies, white embossing powder, anti-static pouch, Darcie's Chalk FX (or real chalk dust), rhinestones or candy dots.

C'mon & Take the Dare!

It's here!   The annual week of Dare to Get Dirty challenges over at Splitcoaststampers is here!   

Although each day this week will bring some special new challenges, I'm actually more of a "turtle" stamper .... keep a steady pace, hurry isn't good, "channel the hare" ... you know what I mean.    
  This one is for Dina's challenge, DTGD18dini:    

I could quietly tell you that my fingers were ink-free during the making of this one .... but truth is my style ... even when it's ugly.  Yes ... a few fingers on each hand briefly bore evidence of inky play yesterday from the sponging of piggy's turf, and the splattering of the background.  

BTW ... both the pig pen dirt and the splatters are Distress Oxide - Walnut Stain.  For the splatters I simply wiped ink directly only an acrylic block, then loaded a watercolor brush with water, mixed it up, and splattered from the brush.  

Since the image area was created by masking, masking again, and even a third round of masking for the splatter process, the only true dimension is via the lifted little sentiment banner.  

This darling stamp + sentiment are both from Inky Antics.  It was fun to bring them out for some inky play again! 

Check back very soon for more.   Inky stuff is on a roll here!

Inky (((hugs))),

Bev Gerard

Supplies used include:  

Stamps:  Inky Antics

Inks:  Distress Oxides - Walnut Stain + Tumbled Glass, VersaFine Sepia, 

     Memento Tuxedo Black

Papers:  Neenah, Recollections Kraft

Accessories:  Spellbinders Labels 2;  The Stamps of Life banner die, sponges, Eclipse tape, watercolor brush