Coffee Valentine

I didn't realize how much I was influenced subconsciously by guest designer Tenia's coffee card until I went to post my entry over at STAMPlorations.  The post was from January 2, and as you can see my post is on January 28.  That's a lot of time in-between to remember the idea.  (She used rings for her background--hers were white on dark brown and very much more orderly--I went with a random design.)

First I tried coffee splatters by actually tossing some coffee from my cup onto this card.  I also dipped a cup into the coffee and tried to stamp coffee cup rings.  None of this worked.  The card absorbed the liquid and left no stains--perhaps because, to begin with, the card was a toothy dark kraft stock.

So I resorted to stamping with Archival "coffee" ink (perfect color choice, of course!).  I used a glue jar for the rings and then a Crafty Individuals ink splats stamp, literally to make splatters.  I used the "roll" technique, rather than putting the stamp on a block which gives an uneven effect to the stamped image--perfect for a "blotch".  I also used the "kiss" technique, meaning I stamped twice without re-inking, which creates two different intensities of color.  Finally, you'll also notice a few finger smudges in a lighter color, as if I tried to "mop up" the spill. That would be the sum of my inking technique for an inky background.

Other Materials:
STAMPlorations Eat Drink Be Merry stamp set:  sentiment and coffee cup
Stampin' Up early expresso ink for the stamps
Stampin' Up very vanilla and early expresso card stock (what can I say, I'm on a roll with the theme)
1-3/8" circle punch
1-3/4" scallop punch
Wilton red doily for a pop of color (I love red with kraft)--I kept with the "circle" theme but added a punched heart that was a reject from another project--it was the perfect little touch of  "Valentine".


Challenges I'm Entering:

STAMPlorations January Ink and Stamp challenge
By completing this challenge, I'm in the running for the frequent player prize, as I now have entered all three challenges offered in January.  Plus I was able to put a couple entries in the never ending Anything Goes challenge.

Hiding in My Craft Room:  Challenge #184 Any Holiday

Entering these two challenges because I'm working on my coffee splatter technique AND with my new STAMPlorations Eat Drink Be Merry stamp set.

Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday:  New product/technique

Crafty Gals Corner:  Challenge #4 Try Something New until Feb 3

Macarons

For some reason I always use crumb cake paper when I get out the macaron stamps.

I like the way this embossing folder literally texture fades away, leaving room to stamp directly onto the card.  I combined the I love you like I love coffee stamp with the word stamp macarons.  And the women in our family really love macarons!

Materials:

Stampin' Up crumb cake and very vanilla card stock
STAMPlorations stamp sets Eat Drink Be Merry and Sugar Rush
Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations embossing folder
Versa Magic Gingerbread chalk ink

Entering these challenges:

STAMPlorations Challenge:Bi-Weekly Sketch  #26 due January 30


STAMPlorations Anything Goes challenge (never ending challenge)

Shopping Our Stash Challenge #186 Love me do until Feb 2

Celebrate the Beginning of a New Year Card

If you give a mouse a cookie (aka domino effect)......  I couldn't find a quote or saying about Father Time that seemed appropriate, so I wrote my own. Then I found an image that matched the digi paper perfectly.  And then I found a sketch that made it all come together.

Entering These Challenges:

12 Months of Christmas Challenge: #1 January Father Time is the theme for extra consideration.  New Year's is acceptable as one of the December holiday cards. This is my second card for the month so that qualifies me for another free digi paper from Decosse's Digital Doodles.

Sentimental Sundays: Challenge #243 Anything Goes

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper January challenge


Materials:

Decosse's Digital Doodles--digital paper
Black Heart Art etsy: champagne celebration digital image
My own wording added via computer generated type
various Copic markers
sparkle pens
Stampin' Up gumball green cardstock
misc. golden paper from stash

Hearts

This is a pop-up diorama card.
Instructions for assembling may be found at Split Coast Stampers site HERE.
To achieve this effect, you will need shapes (hearts, squares, etc.) of different sizes that nestle.  This card uses a set of heart dies.

One of the nice things about getting together with other crafters is that you can experiment with a project such as this and help each other figure out the directions.  That's what happend a couple of days ago.  Everyone brought their own supplies, so the variety of cards made from the same instructions was amazing and inspirational.

I used a very old Making Memories Love Notes paper pack.  The wide variety of patterns worked together for this composition.  One of the things I did was to make a paper quilt pattern with 3 of the papers which you see on two of the hearts.  This also is a very old sheet of 12x12 red cardstock.  I love using up my stash for these types of projects.

Challenges I'm entering:

Time Out Challenge: Valentine's Day with optional twist Hearts
Addicted to Stamps Challenge #128: Holiday
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Have a Heart
Mema's Crafts: January Anything Goes

Christmas Gumballs

Let's hear it for sweet treats!

Did you get candy for Christmas?  My cousin always sends a box of candy from the shop where my mom worked part-time as a teenager.  A sentimental gift for sure.  She always sends her gifts out early, and I'm always running late.  Since the candy comes early in the month of December, this card doubles as a thank you and Christmas card.   In keeping with the Christmas theme for challenges, I used green paper and think this fits the December holiday occasion category.

In my software program, I layered the jar on top of the thank you paper and printed it out with a white border.  I adhered this to the gumball paper which I had printed out separately, and then placed the layers onto a green cardstock card. (I love that the card stock name is "gumball green"--a perfect backdrop for Kris' gumballs.)

Products Used:
Imagine That! digis by Kris:  Jars of Cheer and Sweet Tooth Papers
Stampin' Up Gumball green paper

I'm entering the following challenges:
Imagine That!  January Use Any It Digi
12 Months of Christmas Link Up: January  This is card #1.  I'm using one of their sponsor's products although that is not required.
Scrappy Moms Stamps Terrific Tuesdays Challenge: Sugar Rush (her stamps not required to enter; new challenge site for me)

Baby Girl Card

One of my new year's resolutions is to make my challenge entries relevant so that I can actually use them--give them away, mail them out, etc.  So here's a cute baby girl card which I'm sure will come in handy this year.

Materials:
A Creative Need January digi freebie of baby girl shoes
Copic Markers: RV02 Sugared Almond Pink and RV32 Shadow Pink
Wink of Stella Dark Pink 027
Sharpie Black
papers and sentiment from stash--lots of old stuff that I'm using up.

Papers are edge distressed and paper pieced together.  Ranger Antique linen distress ink added.

Entering These Challenges:

A Creative Need: January Challenge:  Celebrate Something New  due end of month, winner announced Feb 6
Creative Card Crew Challenge #78 For a Child ends January 18 noon  (winner random draw)
Tuesday Throwdown: #227  Sketch   due Monday  x

Wine Journal

For my milestone birthday, the family gave me a weekend in Napa, California for a little wine tasting.  I decided to make a Wine Journal as part of a "junk journal" of the trip.

This is a digital creation using Crafty Secrets Wine Lovers digital stamp set.  After using various elements in the set to create my journal, I printed it out and colored it with Copic markers.

Entering these Challenges:

Crafty Secrets Linky Party: January due midnight Pacific time January 18
Hiding in My Craft Room Challenge #183 Color It due January 24
Top Tip Tuesday: Challenge Keep It Simple
My tip:  Copic markers do not make the ink bleed on injet printed digital stamps.

Invitation to Tea

I've joined the STAMPlorations stamp club.  I get a new stamp set every two months.  My plan is to join in the monthly challenges.  My purpose is to make things that I'll be able to give away or mail out--useful, useable papercrafting.  I guess that's my craft motto for this year.

So here I go with the first challenge.  I made a card using the sketch.

Materials Used:

STAMPlorations Eat, Drink, Be Merry stamp set (tea pots and sentiment)
Gecko Galz Tea Time digital stamp (girls)
Samantha Walker Tea Time digital paper set (3 patterns)  I love how the stamped teapots match Samantha's patterns on her digital pots!
Ranger ink:  Wendy Vecchi Forget Me Not Archival Ink, Tim Holtz Broken China and Wild Honey Distress Markers
Dimensional foam behind sentiment and one teapot

STAMPlorations Challenge #25 Sketch due January 16



Stamplorations Never Ending Challenge:  Anything Goes (using STAMPlorations stamps)

Pile It On #51 Something Edible

My Heart on a Silver Platter

It's time for another challenge from My Artistic Adventures.  The theme is LOVE and the challenge rules can be found HERE at the challenge blog.

I created  a 6x6 inch heart shaped Valentine.

using Heather's

Victorian Vintage Valentine's Day Shabby Pink and Aqua Cherub Angel Hearts Digital Collage sheet Printable

which can be found in her Etsy shop, My Artistic Adentures HERE.

Starting today and running through Feb 14th if you purchase $20 or more of her Digital Collage Sheets, she will email you the collage sheet set to create the banner --which you can see at the challenge blog-- for free!!

I used a white cardboard heart, covering it with a red doily, then fussy cutting the chrerub and placing on top.  I adhered bows and the "always" word strip.  I finished with Wink of Stella for some pink shimmer.

Heather now has some yummy digital paper packs in the shop along with her collage sheets.

I hope you have time to play along with our latest challenge.  If you use any Heather's images, you are in the running for a free collage sheet and a guest designer spot with free MAA product to use in your design..  Otherwise, you still may qualify for the top three badge.