Sweet Words

Hello friends!  Today I am sharing two cards on the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog and thought I'd post here as well.  The same two stamp sets from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps were used for both cards, Sweet as Honey and Scribble Flowers.  I recently watched a demonstration using a two-step stamp set that resulted in a pretty watercolored look and wanted to achieve the same look using a stamp set not designed for two-step stamping.

Creative Nugget:  To create the watercolored frame, attach a flower stamp upside down on an acrylic block and paint color burst on the back of the stamp.  Give it a little spritz of water and stamp onto heavy card stock.   Bristol board was used here but water color paper or mixed media paper would also work.  If you do not have Color Burst, use any water based marker like Tombows to color on the back of the stamp and give it a spritz of water.  Clean the stamp and continue to randomly stamp flowers around the panel.  It might look a little messy, but just wait until the next step!  When completely dry, turn the stamp right side up on the block and emboss the flower outline over the watercolored flowers.  Now it's lookin' good!  A little swirly flower was used to fill in the gaps and a little messy stitching was added to the frame.  Color Burst was painted on the honeycomb stamp from the Sweet as Honey set, stamped on a separate panel, and spritzed with water to lighten.  The frame was popped up onto this panel using foam tape.  The sentiments, bees and sequins were added to finish the card.  The design for this card came from the Freshly Made Sketch for this week.

The second card uses the same two stamp sets but with a different look.

Creative Nugget:  Distress Oxide inks were sponged onto white Neenah card stock and over stamped with the honeycomb.  The Honeycomb was also stamped on a plain white panel and spritzed with watered down oxide ink.  The panels were cut with curvy edges and stitched together to make the base for the card.  The bees and flower were colored with Copic Markers and popped onto the card.  The sentiment was stamped twice, once on the card and once on scrap card stock in a different color so parts could be cut apart and added for contrast.  A few sequins were added to finish the card!

These cards will be submitted for the following challenges:

Freshly Made Sketches - FMS #296

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #250 - Photo Inspiration

Alphabet Challenge Blog - I for Insects

The Flower Challenge #10 - Embossing Heat/Dry

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Week #291 - Anything Goes

Thanks so much for stopping by...hope you were inspired!

Hugs,

Cathymac

Something Fishy

Hello friends!  Something fishy is going on over at Splitcoaststampers this week...it's the Ways to Use It Challenge.  Carla challenged us to make an aquarium card with a dessert option to use something shiny.  My great-niece will be celebrating her 4th birthday soon, so I decided to make a fishy birthday card for her.

Creative Nugget:  Oxide inks were sponged through a wave stencil and then spritzed with water to create a background for the card.  My something shiny was a piece of acetate used to make this shaker card.  The sea grass was made with a stamp from the Scribble Flowers stamp set by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps and the cute fish are from the Happy Ocean Friends set.  The sentiment was white embossed on black card stock to create the base for the little aquarium.  Seed beads were used to fill the shaker and dew drops and Bitty Sparkles were added to finish the card.

This card will also be submitted to the following challenges:
Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #237 - Make Your Mark
Aud Sentiments Challenge Blog #177 - Birthday Party
Crafting From the Heart Challenge #154 - Anything Goes
Pile It On! #129 - Interactive Card
Tuesday Throwdown #338 - Something Clear

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Have a wonderful Easter!

Hugs,
Cathymac

Birthday Fishes

Hello again!  WOW…two cards in one day!  Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is adding an adorable new stamp set to the store today, Birthday Pals!  These cute critters are perfect for sending happy birthday wishes that are sure to make you smile.

Creative Nugget:  See what I mean!  I had so much fun with this shaker card for my grand-niece.  The front of the card was made with Color Burst pigment powders, a wave stencil, and the Salt Technique.  The sentiment was embossed with Liquid Platinum powder and a few leaves from Scribble Flowers were added to the back panel to look like seaweed.  Woooo-Hooo…matching Birthday Pals Dies were used to cut the fish which were stamped and colored with Copic Markers.  The Reflection Technique was used to make one of the fish facing the opposite direction. Metallic thread was used for the balloon string instead of the stamped string and was tied to the fish's tail.  Sequins and seed beads were added to the inside of the shaker, Glossy Accents applied to the balloon, and lots of shimmer added with Wink of Stella to finish the card.

Here are the stamp sets from the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Store that were used:

This card will be submitted for the following challenges:

Just Us Girls #356 - Trend Week (Water Color)

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #154 - Time to Color

Pile It On #114 - Make Your Own Background
Mod Squad Challenge - The Dies the Thing

Thanks so much for stopping by…share a smile with others today!

Hugs,

Cathymac

Music to My Ears

Hello, friends!  I have two cards to share that feature a new stamp set being released today by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps…Music to My Ears.  I love the large background stamp included in this set as well as the four wonderful sentiments and bits and pieces of music...I know I will be reaching for this one time and time again.  

Creative Nugget:  Twisted Citron, Fossilized Amber, and Broken China distress inks were applied to a piece of mixed media paper using the wrinkle-free technique.  Watering Can Archival ink was lightly stamped off once and stamped over these colors.  A strip of texture paste was applied through a Tim Holtz stripes stencil for a little more texture.  The letters in one of the sentiments were masked and stamped one at a time to create the letter tiles while the rest of the sentiment was white embossed on a hand cut banner.  Scribble Flowers were stamped on scraps of wrinkle-free paper and cut with the new Scribble Flower Dies.  Gold micro beads were added to the centers of the flowers to finish this card.  Several challenges were the inspiration for this card including the Splitcoaststampers WTUI Challenge today, the Color Throwdown Challenge, and the Pile It On make your own background challenge.

Creative Nugget: The design for this card was inspired by the Splitcoaststampers Sketch Challenge and the Morgan's World Challenge to add three of something.  Watering Can ink was used to stamp the music background on the first layer.  Distress inks were used to age the panel.  The background was white embossed, sponged with Tumbled Glass, Victorian Velvet, and Frayed Burlap, and cut with a pierced rectangle die for the second layer.  One of the sentiments from the Music to My Ears set was embossed and matted to a square panel.  A few music notes were lightly stamped around the border.  The hearts from the Grunge Elements 2 set were stamped over the embossing and a square frame was mounted around them.  A circular frame was mounted to vellum, and white embossed hearts also cut from vellum and colored on the back with Copic Markers were added.  Some glittered enamel dots and metallic thread finish the card.

These products from the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Store were used:

These cards will be submitted to the following challenges:

Color Throwdown #405 - Green, Yellow, Aqua

Pile It On #114 - Make Your Own Background

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #206 - Anything Goes

The Crafty Addicts Challenge #21 - Anything Goes with Embossing Option

Morgan's World Challenge #16 - Add Three of Something (Hearts)

Thanks so much for stopping by…have a wonderful day!

Hugs,

Cathymac

SaveSave

Scribble Flowers

Hello, friends!  I have a card to share with you today using a new stamp set by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps that is just being released today.  Scribble Flowers is a large stamp set filled with 23 fun flowers, leaves, and fillers, and the best part is that there are 20 new coordinating dies to go with it, but only as a Scribble Flowers Bundle for a limited time while supplies last!

Creative Nugget:  This card was created with Gayatri's Dare to Get Dirty Challenge at Splitcoaststampers in mind.  The card base was splattered with Ken Oliver's Yellow Gold Liquid Metals and black acrylic paint.  Liquid Metals was also used to color some Texture Paste which was spread through a Tim Holtz stripes stencil to make the angled background.  Color Burst pigment powders were used to color pieces of Mixed Media paper.  The flowers and leaves were stamped on the colored paper with Jet Black Archival ink and cut.  A Decorative Plaques die cut matted with black was used as a frame on which to pop the flowers.  The sentiment from the God is Bigger stamp set was gold embossed on a black Banner and tucked under the flowers along with a strip of Washi tape.  A gold piece of Washi tape was cut with the little scalloped border from the Bookmarks & More Die Set which is currently out of stock.  Gold metallic thread was used to make a bow and pearls were added to finish the card. 

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps has also made their entire 2016 Christmas Release available for preorder for those who want to get a jump start on their Christmas cards for this year.  These sets will be shipping next week so be sure to check out the nine new sets!  Here is a peek at several cards made with two of the new sets, Scripture Tree and Christmas Pine.

Here are the products from the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Store used to make these cards:

Some of these cards will also be submitted for the following challenges:

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Snow Cone (Colors)
Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge #77 - Show us Some Sparkle
Inky Chicks Challenge #70 - Use 5 or More Flowers
{PIN}spirational Challenge #171

Thanks so much for stopping by…have a wonderful Friday!

Hugs,
Cathymac