It's time for another Just Us Girls challenge and another week that I have to opportunity to be a guest there.  Challenge #301 is to use GOLD.  Gold on a card or project has been pretty hot for some time so I loved the chance to add it to my card. 

 I used some gold embossing powder and some metallic gold cardstock to cut my word die.  But, first off, I created a simple background with some Distress Stains on watercolor paper.  I love to touch a few colors to my piece of paper, give it a spritz of water and then walk away and leave it to dry.  I am always amazed at the results when I come back to work with my piece. 

I used an Altenew flower and a leaf sprig by Waltzing Mouse.  I stamped the flower with white ink and embossed that with white embossing powder on warercolor paper.  For my coloring I simply touched the stamped flower with some Distress Stains.  This is such a fun way to add color.  The word die is from Winnie & Walter.  

Be sure to play along at Just Us Girls.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

The embossing paste journey

I love to experiment and to just sit and play with my crafting supplies.  I always learn so much, sometimes failures, most of the time victories.  

 I picked up some Crackle embossing paste and so I wanted to see how I could use it. I started out with the matte black embossing paste and a stencil.  It looks bad here so I wanted to be sure to show you that fun step!

 In removing the stencil, it is almost breathtaking the beauty that is unveiled.  This was left to dry. It could even be left just like this too.

I put the stencil back in place and gave my leaves a coat of the Crackle embossing paste.  That goes on white and the cracks are revealed as it dries.  I then took some Worn Lipstick Distress Stain and started adding color over the entire surface.  Again, I left this to dry. The color here is a little bit too orange from the real color.

 Here is the finished card.  I thought it ended up being a fun mix of colors and techniques.

 The fancy circles pieces are cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities with an vellum kind of paper.  The amazing black leaves are a Waltzing Mouse stamp and the label sentiment stamp is from Altenew.  The color combination was to go along with the Colour Me challenge but that has ended.  

 The card fits the Simon Says Emboss IT challenge.

And the Addicted to CAS Celebrate challenge.
And for a photo...

This is a new plant to our yard this summer, it just opened it firsts "flower".  Kind of odd but actually pretty artistic.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Gotta Create!

Once again, I find myself creating with a couple online challenge.  The first one is a brand new one to me at the Craft Stamper Magazine.

 This challenge was to play with a technique I really hadn't tried and so this was the time to dive in.  The challenge is called Bleach Blocking. Instead of using actual bleach though, you use water with Distress Inks.  I have used bleach several times and love that look.  I created a background with some Distress Stains and Distress Stamp pads. As I sat at my desk, I glanced at a jar of embossing powder that was in front of me and I wondered what would happen if I spritzed water on the lid and "stamped" that into the red ink.  Just like with using bleach, you have to let the water "work".  I came back to find a look I loved! I also used some black embossing paste and a stencil to add small aaccents.

 How amazing is that leaf branch???? That and the little flower are from Waltzing Mouse.  They have matching dies so I cut them out with those.  

 Here is the Craft Stamper challenge.

 I also wanted to play along with the CAS-ology Celebrate challenge with some Wplus9 Designs and Paper Smooches stamps.  

 This quilt builder set is so fun, I kept with a very simple design and used the red and blue to go along with Fourth of July coming up soon.  I used Liquid Pearls for accents and some red splatters.

Here is the CAS-ology challenge.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

How do you Celebrate!?

Yeah, another Colour Q combo and I needed to create a card to go with it.

 Since CAS-ology is Celebrating their anniversary, I also played along with them.  I did start out with a Tim Holtz stencil and some Distress Stains to create my background on watercolor paper.  

 Next, I stamped the leaf branch from Waltzing Mouse Stamps and cut that out with it's matching die.  That great die cut "celebrate" is from Penny Black.  They have a bunch of great sentiment dies and I love them all!!! I did finish my card off with some silver Liquid Pearls. 

 Here is the Colour Q combo.

Here is the CAS-ology challenge.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

This is the day...

 I have said this before and I'll say it again, creating a card with just one layer is soooooo hard for me. I want to add something for dimension. I found two current challenges, both are using one layer and I was determined to do it! Less is More's challenge is also "off the edge" and they like to see white space. That is my next huge hurdle!!! 

 I used watercolor paper, this stuff is my new "most favorite".  

 That amazing leaf branch is a stamp from Waltzing Mouse.  The sentiment is by Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday and those little butterflies are from a set by Clearly Besotted.  I used Distress Stain and Distress Stamp pad inks, love the look of these. 

 Here is the Less is More challenge.

And the Paper Players challenge.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Soft beige - Bright green

Gotta share a couple cards.

First up is the Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger for this week.

I love the soft and subtle little scene with beige, a touch of pink, a touch of black and a touch of green.  I wanted to do something that would give my card that same soft light brown/beige background like in the rug.  I used a stencil from Crafter's Workshop. I rubbed it with a Distress brown ink.  I also used a text stencil and sprayed that with some brown and pink Chalkboard mist.  I like that I can make a random pattern with the stencil. 

I used a stamp set by Waltzing Mouse.  I used two layers of doily stamps from the set.  The pink layer is my brand new Martha Stewart punch and the leaf pieces are leftovers that were cut with a Cricut cartridge.

And now for the Unscripted sketch for this week. I turned the sketch upside down for my card.  I also changed the size/shape of my card.  The piggyback challenge this week is to use green. 

I think this is my favorite shade of green and I love it with black.  This sentiment is cut from the Martha Stewart Elegant Cake cartridge. 

The central image is cut with a Cricut cartridge. I liked that it has a quilt look. I cut out the first layer from a piece I had stamped with a Hero Arts stamp. Then I cut the outline layer from black cardstock. The butterfly is a punch.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

A Trigger and a Sketch

First off, a Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger.

 This is the current Trigger.  I love challenges so I made sure I got to play along with this one.

 First of all, I loved the shape of the purse and then the dots arranged in the pattern.  I didn't have a purse shape to cut with my Cricut but when I saw this adorable typewriter, I knew that would be the look I wanted.   

 This shape also cuts the piece of paper and it slips inside the cut out in the typewriter.  The rub-on sentiment is by EAD Designs/Paper Smooches. 

 The keys in the typewriter are cut out with this cut but I wanted the keys to be more pronounced, so I punched circles in the colors in the Trigger and added them with foam tape.  Smaller black circles were added on top of those and I coated them with Aleene's Paper Glaze. 

Now for the Unscripted sketch for this week.  I turned the sketch for my card.

 This sketch has a Piggyback challenge to go with it and that is to use only cardstock.  I did use tiny pieces of a BoBunny patterned paper though since it was the perfect color. 

 That wonderful doily shape is cut with the Art Philosophy Close to My Heart Cricut cartridge.  The two layers of doily stamps are by Waltzing Mouse stamps. 

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

MUCH APPRECIATED card
Materials list:
Core’dinations cardstock
Doodeltype Cricut cartridge – 4 1/2”, Shift 4 1/2 ”
My Little Shoebox patterned paper
Rub-on sentiment – EAD Designs/Paper Smooches
Circle punch- McGill
Aleene’s Paper Glaze
Heart sticker



SKETCH 133 YOU MAKE MY WORLD… card
Materials list:
Cardstock – Core’dinations
Patterned papers - BoBunny
Art Philosophy Close to My Heart Cricut cartridge
Doily stamps – Waltzing Mouse stamps
Sentiment stamp – Technique Tuesday
Black Versafine stamp pad
Clear embossing powder - Stampendous
Button
Foam Tape