Markers, Ink & Paper: August 2022

Friday, August 26, 2022

{BYSHC} Sketch Challenge #25 - Mini-slimline

I decided to try a mini-slimline version of the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Challenge #25 sketch.

I went to my Vicki Boutin stash of 12x12 Christmas cardstock for the polka dot card base paper and added a couple of other papers for the rest of the sketch. The cluster of trees is from the Twinkling Trees Stamp Set from Papertrey Ink - foiled with silver foil, fussy cut, and tied with red baker's twine. I added a "peace" die cut that has been sitting on my desk for months and a few gold embellishments around the card. Simple card, but I love the combination of papers and the overall look of it!! Hope you are inspired to add a card to the {BYSHC} Album for Challenge #25 in out FB Group. You have a few more days!

Thanks for stopping my blog!

In kindness, Cathy

Friday, August 19, 2022

{BYSHC} Sketch Challenge #25 - Foiling and A Day for Daisies

I am back with my second Challenge #25 card for the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Blog and this one is full of shine and shimmer!!

It's hard to capture all of the shine in a foiled card, so I was thrilled with how this one photographed. The background is a gold foiled Unity toner card front called Wild Garden. I LOVE this pattern because it is really versatile. I have used it a few times and haven't even tried to color it yet.

The sketch stripes are die cuts using Gina Marie's Pleated Lace Slimline die. The horizontal stripe uses gold glitter paper and the vertical is made from gold foiling MFT's Lined by Hand Background stamp (using heat embossing and Deco foil with my Minc).

The beautiful big-eyed image is Wild Star Nymph from A Day for Daisies. I bought her thinking she would be perfect for a Christmas card. I colored her with Copics, painted a little gold glitter gel over her clothes and stars and used Wink of Stella on her wings. The white behind her is Gina Marie Pleated Lace Rectangle die that I shortened into more of a square and is textured with Taylored Expressions Pierced Circle Cutting Plate.

The card is finished with gold embroidery thread, clear sequins, TE's Drip Drops and a sentiment from TE's Simple Strips in reverse- Christmas. Hope you are inspired to build your stash of holiday cards and add it to the Challenge #25 Album in the {BYSHC} FB group. I will be back next week with a third card - this one is a mini slimline version of the sketch!

Thanks for stopping by my blog. In kindness, Cathy

Challenges Entered:

613 Avenue Create: August - AG

NBUS- August

Addicted to Stamps & More #436 -Make Your Mark

Little Red Wagon #667 / Embellish It!

Christmas Kickstart #65 - Never in A Nativity

ABC Christmas P for Pink, Q for quarters, R for Reindeer - P for pink

Thursday, August 4, 2022

Let's Craft & Create Challenge #185 - Distressed

I am excited to say I have been invited to join another DT - the Let's Craft & Create Blog. The monthly anything goes challenge (with an optional theme) run from the 5th to the last day of the month. This month's theme is "Distressed". I was a little loose on the interpretation - and went back to my roots when I first started making cards in 2007 . . . remember when inking the edges was called "distressing"?!?! That's way before Tim Holtz changed how the term was defined!!

I do love how this card turned out. The background and sentiment are from a stamp and stencil from Taylored Expressions. I foiled the leaves with Deco's Emerald Watercolor foil. After stenciling the lemons, I heat embossed them with TE's White Pearl Embossing Powder, which gives a sheen and a dimpled look!

The image is called Lemon Girl and I bought in from Andrea LaGafotas' Etsy Shop. She is an artist in Spain and has darling images - most of them wearing glasses!! I was just looking for something to go with my background and found her work!

I hope you will join the LC&C Blog AG challenge this month. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Challenges Entered:

Paper Funday August Challenge #44 - AG with optional twist of friendship

Creative Fingers #236 / AG

Double Trouble Challenge #117 / Thing 1 Gimme S'More

Playing with Colors . . .

. . . and new-to-me stamps and a stencil!

I have been in my craft room today playing with color challenge #507 from the Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge Blog. These aren't colors I would usually put together and the challenge's rules that you have to use only the three colors with their permitted neutrals provided just the right amount of mental gymnastics and problem solving for me today.

I had to think of what might only use the three colors and chose the Penny Black Social Butterfly stamp I recently used from bought in a Restash group. I was surprised to see it was released in 2012!! Then I inked up PTI's Weather Tile Stencil (on sale through the end of August) with the trio of challenge colors and a little Delicata Golden Glitz pigment ink. There is a shimmer to the background in a few spots, even though it doesn't show in the photo. The main butterfly is heat embossed in black before the colors were blended and popped up with foam tape. The sentiment is from Pinkfresh. A few clusters of clear sequins finished off the card. I love how this turned out! Butterflies are not my "go-to" - but I do love polka dots!! This stamp set has more than one beautiful butterfly - I know I will bring it out again.

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

In kindness, Cathy

Challenges Entered:

Color my Heart Color Dare:/ Challenge #507

Paper Funday Challenge August #44 - AG w/optional twist Friendship

Retro Rubber #188 /
AG (stamp released in 2012)

Addicted to Stamps & More #435 - Die cuts and stencils

Double Trouble Challenge #117 / Thing 1 Gimme S'More

Monday, August 1, 2022

{BYSHC} August - Sketch Challenge #25

Back with first looks at the August sketch for the

Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Blog.

Crystal's "any shape" on this sketch made me think of using this sweet Snowman with Bird image from the Whimsy Stamps digital collection. I fell in love with it as I was looking through their digital stamps during their recent Christmas in July sale. The non-traditional colors folks used in the recent BYSHC Linky Party inspired me to try some new combinations. I found some beautiful papers from Maja Designs' Winter is Coming collection in my stash (and cut into the 12x12 pieces - eeek!!) to pair with the Fa La La background stamp from Ellen Hutson I foiled. I wanted to take a playful approach to coloring the snowperson, so I pulled out BV000 and RV000 Copics for the shading and shadows. To keep with the color theme, I used deeper RVs and Rs on the hat and scarf. Making the bird a female cardinal tied in with some of the colors in the patterned paper. The image is fussy cut. The card is finished off with some TE drip drips and another sentiment of her Sentiments in Reverse - Christmas collection and the color blended on the background is TE's Mulled Wine ink.