Springing Ahead?

Even here in the south winter has been hanging on.  One day it is warm and the next there are threats of freezing rain.  Today I woke up to a beautiful, sunny day.  My daffodils are blooming and I am ready for spring.  I love spring and all the gorgeous flowers.  I couldn’t help but use lots of flowers on today’s card, along with lots of swirls, for a very girly look.

I started with a die cut base, using Spellbinders’ Mystical Embrace and floral designer cardstock.  The frame is Sweet Stamps Elegant Scrollwork Frame, heat embossed with Sparkle N Sprinkles Bull Frog Embossing Powder on striped designer cardstock.  I used a perforating tool to punch around the inside and outside edges instead of doing a fussy cut.  This is popped up with dimensionals over the embossed and colored floral image from Sweet Stamps Elegant Filigree Oval. 

Paper flowers and a sheer bow were added to the corners, along with leafy swirls created from a Cheery Lynn Designs Fanciful Flourish die.  This was cut into several pieces and tucked under the flowers.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

E. Marie

I entered this card in the following challenges:

Sweet Stamps.com Challenge #211 – Girly

Our Daily Bread Designs Shining the Light Challenge ODBDSLC229 - Pastel Color

Scrapy Land Challenge #13 - Use any brand of die Scrapy Land sells

Simon Says Stamps Wednesday Challenge –Girly

Party Time Tuesday Challenge #196 - Anything Goes

All Sorts Challenge Week 301 – Spring Is In The Air

Stamp and Create March Challenge:  Is it Spring Yet?

Crafty Sentiment Designs Challenge – "Spring Colours"

Crazy 4 Crazy 4 Challenges - C4C276, Put a Bow On!

Cute Card Thursday Challenge 363 – Die Cuts and Punches

Papertake Weekly Challenge – Anything Goes

Pennys Challenge 217 - One For The Girls/Female Cards

Artistic Stamper March’s Creative Challenge – Spring is Coming

The Shabby Tearoom Challenge #247 – Pop of Pink

Wishing You Well

Here is another card that will be sent to the soldiers.  Sweet Stamps’ challenge this week was to use a brayered background and I really love all the different ways you can use a brayer.  Wanting to stay with the requested simpler card, I decided to stamp with Versamark Ink on white glossy cardstock, using the newer Blossoms image.  I brayered over this using Rhubarb Stalk Memento Ink, which brought out the image.
 

 

The image in the center is Sweet Stamps’ Wishing Well, also stamped with Rhubarb Stalk, and die cut with a Spellbinders’ Labels 1 die.  I framed this with a Lattice 2 die cut from Cheery Lynn Designs.

This was a great weekend and the temp has really cooled off.  I am off to make a very special card and an exciting announcement (at least for me) so see you again soon.

E. Marie

This card is entered in the following challenges:

Sweet Stamps.com Challenge #85 - Brayered Backgrounds  

A Blog Named Hero Challenge #13 – White Out (All Cardstock/Paper Must Start As White)  

Stampin For The Weekend Challenge #18 – Feeling Floral    

Catch The Bug October Challenge – Anything Goes    

Sentimental Sundays Challenge #123 – Anything Goes (plus a sentiment)

Crafts and Me Challenge #104 – My Sentiments Exactly

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge PWC226 – Flowers

Totally Gorjuss Challenge 152 – Anything Goes

Watercolored Pansies

The challenge this week at the Sweet Stamps Blog is Watercolor.  I love to use their stamps on vellum, but they also are amazing with watercolors.  I used their stamp, Pansy Layers Frame (474), and heat embossed it in white on watercolor paper.  I lightly spritzed it with water and painted it with purple and yellow watercolors.  I added some light coloring around the frame to bring out the image more.  The pansy borders are created with a Martha Stewart border punch. 

Tonight is short and sweet since I plan to head to bed early.  Starting back to work and getting up really early is a big adjustment for me and with a class of 30 little five year olds I come home pretty tired.  They are a very sweet class!! 

E. Marie

This card is entered in the following challenges:

Sweet Stamps.com Challenge #79 – Watercolored

Craft Your Passion Challenge 125 - Emboss It

Cute Card Thursday Challenge 231 – Bling It Up

Dutch Dare Card Challenge #179 – Bling It On

Stampin Sisters In Christ Challenge #154 – Punches, Dies, or Shapes

Parchment Snowflake

I have been spending some time in my craftroom trying to put a few things away.  I am terrible about pulling out stuff and then just setting it on my table in a pile instead of putting it back where it belongs.  Sound familiar?  Well, I found my heavy vellum and decided to make a card with it. 

I love white embossing on vellum or parchment because it always looks so elegant.  For this card I used Sweet Stamps’ Open Hearts Medallion for the snowflake and heat embosses using Sparkle N Sprinkle’s Vanilla Ice embossing powder on vellum.  Then I used a stylus tool to dry emboss from the back around the outer sections and swirls.  Another thing I found while cleaning my room was my grid, which I misplaced before I even used it.  Grrrrr.  I used it to create the little embossed dots in various areas.  Then I used a 4-Split Perforating Tool to “punch” it out, giving it a lovely lacy look on the edges. 

For the background I ran another piece of vellum through Marianne Designs’ SwirlsEmbossing/Cutting Folder.  I layered it on white cardstock and a layer of silver and added some lace and ribbon.  The ribbon had a little silver design running through it that really coordinated with the embossed snowflake, which I popped up in the middle of the card.  All of this was added to a white card base.   

I had punched several snowflake borders to try with this card but decided they would take away from the gorgeous snowflake.  I had the little leftover punched snowflakes laying on the table and decided to add a few of these to the card.  I brushed them with a Versamarker and heat embossed with more VanillaIce EP.  I glued them on top of the background swirls and added a pearl in the center of each.  For the final touch I added a lovely satin fabric brad to the center of my snowflake and added a few tiny pearls. 

I loved how this turned out and I hope you do too.  It inspired me to stay up and work on a few more vellum cards so watch out!!  There are more to come. 

Hugs, 

E. Marie 

This card is entered in the following challenges:

SweetStamps.comBlog Challenge #74 Christmas Parchment

Bunny Zoe's Crafts Challenge 26 – Swirls and Lace

Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge Week 117 - Christmas in July

Paper Play Challenge Week 29- Christmas in July

CCW July Mini Challenge - Monochrome Theme

Marianne’s Design Divas Challenge #12 - Anything goes 

FlourishesTimeless Tuesday # 179 (FTTC 179) - Christmas in July

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge PWC215 – Bling It On!!

Totally Stampalicious Challenge - Texture

Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge:  Hey Girl (Feminine)

Snowflake Resist

I saw that Sweet Stamps Blog had a challenge for resist so I decided it was a good time to use my new Starflake Medallion that looks very much like a snowflake. I embossed it in white on white and brought out the design with blue ink. I embossed it in white on silver and cut out part of this to add a layer of silver in the middle. Then I embossed it on white and sponged it with blue ink again, only a little lighter, and cut out the middle to pop up in the center, along with a light blue snowflake jewel. All of this is cut out with Spellbinders’Grand Circle die



Behind the image I added a silver doily die cut with the Dutch Scallop Square die from Cheery Lynn.  The blue layer behind the doily was created by stamping and embossing just the outside border of Sweet Stamps’ Pansy Layers Frame on snowflake paper from DCWV.  I cut it out and layered it on silver and cut it out again.  I distress the edges and layered all of this on some lovely red, white, and blue paisley winter paper, also from DCWV.  I sponged the edges with a little blue ink, distressed the edges, and layered it on white cardstock that was turned blue on the edges with sponged ink.  Distressing it created a thin white edge and this is added to a white card base. 

I really wanted to add some ribbon but then saw this lovely jeweled swirl and new it was just what it needed.

E. Marie

This card is entered in the following challenges:

Sweet Stamps.comChallenge #72 - Christmas Resist

Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge 36 – Silver and/or Gold

Creative Card Crew Challenge #14 – Swirls and Pearls

Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge - Layered

AllSorts Challenge Week #162 – Red , White, and Blue

Crazy 4 Challenges C4C144 – "Show your Countries Pride” (Use color of your country’s flag-red, white, and blue)

The Pink Elephant TPE 156 – Christmas In July

Stampin Sisters In Christ Challenge #145 – At Least 1 Circle or Oval element, 2 different Papers, and 1 Embellishment

Charisma Cardz Challenge #26 – A Sketch    

Sweet Fall

Today I decided to play some more with my Distress Stains.  I used a piece of white cardstock that I ran through a Frame Cutting and Embossing Folder and colored it with a variety of Fall colored stains.  I spritzed it with some Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz which gave it a lovely shimmer.  I cut the center out and layered it on dark brown cardstock.  I used foam dots to pop this up on top of some rust cardstock punched with a Martha Stewart corner/border punch, then layered this on green and more dark brown.

For the image in the center I stamped and heat embossed using Versamark ink and gold embossing powder.  I painted it with bleach but it wasn’t as light as I wanted so I decided to paint it with some Smooch.  This really added some sparkle.  The image is Bird On Flowering Branch from Sweet Stamps.

This was a fun card to make and I really love those stains.  I have ordered a few more and can’t wait to get them.  Thanks so much for stopping by.

E. Marie

This card is entered in the following challenges:

Sweet Stamps Challenge #35 – Anything Goes

Delightful Sketches Challenge – Make It Dimensional

Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge Week 76 - No Designer Paper

Paper Play Challenge Week 40 – Autumn Colors

Simon Says Stamps Challenge – Sparkle and Bling

Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge – Things With Wings

Bling It On Challenge #8 – No Patterned Papers

DYSU Challenge #40 – Use Brown

Fussy and Fancy Challenge 46 --Fall or Halloween!

Kaboodle Doodles Challenge #88 – Let’s See Those Leaves

Sew Many Challenge #70 – Colors: Burnt Orange, Yellow, and Brown

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #133 – Distressing

Totally Papercrafts Challenge #87 – Animals

Stampin Sisters In Christ Challenge #110 – Anything Goes

The Pink Elephant TPE120 – Inspiration Challenge!!