Ink Spray Smash.....go crazy making cards!

           Today's HYCCT Challenge was called "Get Smooshed" and I think we all know what that refers to....ouch! I may not love the test, but I do love the technique that I chose to use...ink, spray, smash. It is a simple way to make some really pretty backgrounds. I had a piece of waxed paper lying around so I used that for my technique. I smooshed my Picked Raspberry and Spiced Marmalade Distress Inks onto the waxed paper. I dotted some Smooch paint on there too for some shimmer. I filled a spritzer with rubbing alcohol which dries really fast and then spritzed away over the ink to get it good and wet. I cut a piece of glossy cardstock in half and smashed each half into the sprayed inks. 

This is the second piece; the colors aren't quite as vibrant on the second  print, but still a fun piece.

This one is made from the second piece-I've punched out tiny flowers and added pearl centers.

Here I've stamped my leaf on the 2nd piece and fussy cut it.

I embossed in clear on this piece then ran a pink marker over the stems and wiped the ink off the embossing.

Another leaf print this time stamped in gold and embossed with a mix of clear and espresso ep. This was from the first print.

I stamped in Sepia and embossed in clear here. I tried the out of the box die cutting technique but didn't quite get it right. I inlaid the framed image panel.

Here's another with black embossing. Kept the setting CAS

Keeping Up Connections

     I'm so excited to be hosting a challenge this year for the month long Hope You Can Cling To Challenges at splitcoaststampers. I called my challenge "Keeping Connected" with the challenge of connecting 2 or more elements on the card with twine, tape, doodles, etc and/or depicting a means of maintaining relationships: letters, phone call, girlfriend time, etc.
     Here is my clean and simple sample card for the challenge.

    I purposefully kept my sample card simple. I used my phone images paired with the connection oriented sentiment and connected the images with a piece of pink twine. 
     My connection to breast cancer is mainly through my mom, though I've had several friends face their own battles over the years as well. Mom is still on her journey with new challenges popping up recently.  I hope the challenge will encourage us all to try hard to keep up our connections with whomever we know that could use some encouragement.
     The challenges for this month are really fun. The card drive is a great way to "do something" during this month of breast cancer awareness campaigns, and there are even prizes at the end. 

Bind Us Together

    As I was working on this Hope You Can Cling To Challenge card, I kept thinking of the hymn Bind Us Together. It is one of the blessings of suffering, that the bonds of family and friendship grow even tighter as we draw together in support of our loved ones. I chose to use twine for my binding, but I've seen some really cool composition notebook looks with tape so I may have to go back for a second try! Here's my finished card.

My bg piece is a work desk protector piece used when I was making a card using blue spray. I added some more blue and then watered down acrylic paint spatters as well as some dry wall mesh stenciling. I also stamped some misted music notes.

For my stitching, I scored a line 1/2" from the normal card fold. I glued my bg piece over the base to the right of the scoring. I then used my template to pierce stitching holes. I pierced every other hole in the template on either side of my scoring.

Here's what the holes look like before stitching.

I used a large needle and thin twine.

I should have started from the top with my knot (I ended up going back and adding a knot in the first hole). I stitched diagonally.

Here's what the stitching looks like from the back side.

Once the stitching was completed, I used a piece of double sided tape between the edge of the card and the score line. When you open the card, it only opens up to the point of the "spine"

Pin-up Masks

     I had a chance to make a couple of cards using a new Mixed Media technique that Lydia shared with us on the Mixability challenge. It is really pretty straightforward-cut a mask by cutting out an image from a magazine page then use ModPodge or some other medium to seal the paper. Once you have your mask, you can use it for a gelatin plate print (would have loved to do this but have no plate currently) or any other application of spray, paint, etc. Here are the cards I came up with.

Warm & Fuzzy

     I had an opportunity to make a card for Lori's Warm and Fuzzy HYCCT Challenge. I had made a card previously using the dry blending technique with Gelatos and thought it would be a great way to use some warm colors for the challenge. It is a really simple, technique that gives really vibrant colors since there is no watering down of the Gelato color. 

I used my Gelatos to scribble color circles on my card stock. I ended up adding a bit more color once I started blending.

Now comes the fun, rub away with your finger. I used different fingers for the different colors.

Here's what the colors look like once they're blended. I purposely blended the colors together a bit where they abut.

This was really a quick card once I got my blending accomplished. I simply added a 3D sticker and some fuzzy pom pom trim. I keep meaning to try this with some cool colors and see how I like it sometime, but I need to get more Gelatos!!!
Hope you'll join in the fun at splitcoaststampers for the month long Hope You Can Cling To Challenges and card drive.

Time to Clear it Off!

You know you're in the midst of a busy stamping time when your desk looks like this!

I'm having so much fun with the Hope You Can Cling To Challenges at splitcoaststampers.com

Hope you're playing along.

My Mom-My Hero

    This card I made as a sample for Bridget's "My Hero" Hope You Can Cling To Challenge is very close to my heart. My mom has been such an amazing example of godly womanhood to me. She has such a servant's heart. One of the hardest parts of her cancer journey has been not being able to do for others as much as she would like. Here's my card.

Stamps: Messages for Mom, Gorgeous Grunge Paper: Black, Kraft, Soft Suede, Real Red, Always Artichoke, Dictionary Page, script dp Paper Size: A 2Ink: Versafine Onyx, Soft Suede Accessories: Memory Box-Prim Poppy die, burlap string, sponge, cutter kit distressing tool Techniques: Distressing, Crumpling, Sponging

                                                  Read more:
 http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/2561467#ixzz3FZRDnj4q

     My mom loves poppies so I went with my poppy die cut adding some layering with a few individually cut petals for added depth. I was making this one as a sample card for HYCCT so I was clearing my desk to make way for the upcoming craziness of card-making and this is a result of elements already in place on my desk.....I put the green poppies on the bottom over a blank part of a dictionary page with another strip of torn dictionary page and a strip of dp. I crumpled and distressed this a bit and added some sponging. I also tied a tiny bow with burlap string. My sentiment was stamped on a strip then distressed and sponged. I stamped spatter around the base and the poppy piece. My second sentiment was carefully stamped with the longer sentiment divided into two to fit in my space. On the inside I added a vanilla piece with another dictionary strip at the bottom.
     I hope you'll join in this wonderful opportunity to support cancer patients through the card drive portion of these challenges. Come and check it out!
Hope You Can Cling To Challenges.

Birthday Bear

      

     This is for Lee's Challenge. I'm thinking that maybe someone will have a "teddy-bear of a husband" who needs a birthday card. I was thinking about making a punch art bear, but I've loaned out a bunch of my circle punches. Instead, I thought of a silhouette stamp of a bear I own. Lydia has me hooked on this Paper Tole technique and I actually found my stylus the other day when I was scrounging through strips for Holly's challenge! I stamped my bear a couple of times using Versafine Onyx and then adding some Soft Suede to when a few parts weren't quite dark enough. I used my stylus to add  some rounding to the layers of front and back haunches along with the head and popped them on dimensionals. I missed part of the bears nose in my top layer so added a bit of black behind the head to make the nose. I also used my black or Espresso marker to go along all the edges of the top image so the white of the paper didn't show. 

     I had stamped off my Hardwood image multiple times on a piece of white cs. I used this as my base then stamped my trees and sentiment over this. My trees were inked with 3 markers. I used a Clear Star pen to add some highlights in the tree and the upper right corner though I'm not sure you can detect them in the photo. Last step was to add a twine at the bottom then affix to a Kraft base.
    I'm having a lot of fun with these challenges. I hope you're playing along in the Hope You Can Cling To fun!

Stamps: Pines, Happiest Birthday Wishes, Hardwood, Just For Fun-pine trees Paper: Kraft, White Paper Size: A2 Ink: Early Espresso, Soft Suede. Versafine Onyx Accessories: Stylus, Stampin' Dimensionals, Paper Snips, Sponge, Gelly Roll Clear Star Pen, Markers: Early Espresso, Garden Green, Basic Black Techniques: Paper Tole, Omitting with Markers

Read more: 
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/2567708#ixzz3FODoAjTI

Bio Blurb

This is where you find me on vacations!

My parents at my daughter's wedding

My daughter had my veil re-worked for her veil!

I love having a garden!

My oldest two sons and middle daughter with my hubby.

St Louis was having its 50th and my DD her 17th

My youngest who is a big Hello Kitty fan.

My almost 6'3" almost 14yo son

The whole clan including my SIL. It was 17 degrees when we took these pictures last Christmas time

He may be tall, but he's still my little boy!

Harvest time in IN....this is the view from my car window as I drive between towns.

My mom on our St Louis trip this summer

Me and the four-legged one, Ouzo.

At a family reunion with my mom's family (she is the youngest of 7), we're in red.