September Card Chain Challenge: Pirates!!

Hello and welcome!  I am so so so very behind with posts lately, so please excuse my absence...we're so terribly busy as a family right now!  Nevertheless, its time for another CCC reveal!  The September Card Chain Challenge was so fun for me...I just love Pirates!  

If you're new to The Card Chain Challenge, let me tell you, its wonderful!  Card makers from all over the globe get to exchange their beautiful creations and its quite inspiring!  What a fun way to make new friends! 

So, as with any challenge, there are a few rules.  You must stick with any one (or more if you are so inclined) of four different options.  For September, our options were:

1. Color Palette option: 

2. Sketch option:

3. Theme option: Pirates / In the Jungle / Friendship

4. Product/Technique option: Graphic 45 / Metal Charms / Tri-Fold Cards


I wanted to do something a little different this month and decided to use a card kit that I'd gotten not too long ago.  Have you checked out the card kits from Scrapping for Less??  They're such a great value and oh so cute!!  The products I used in my card come from the June kit and feature Scrapberry's papers and stickers by Express Yourself.  So, let's get to it shall we?! ;D

Aside from being super cute, the SFL card kits come with a sketch sheet that make it incredibly simple to pull together a card...or four ;)  I used one of the sketches included with my kit to pull this cutie off...isn't that little guy adorable?!

Since anything associated with pirates and buried treasure usually looks worn and aged, I was sure to ink most of my edges with Distress Ink.  It also helps them to stand out against one another since there were so many elements to this sketch.  I heat embossed my little sentiment strip and die cut the "Thanks" out of glittered cardstock.

Lastly, I added some dimensional tape to the backs of a few of the pieces and adhered everything into place!  This photo shows the layering and dimension a little better.  I did forget to photograph the inside of the card but the sentiment continues with "for showing me the way!", which I thought was absolutely perfect for the map background on the red patterned paper, the ships steering wheel and the telescope sticker...they all tied together so nicely!  Hopefully Dawn in New Zealand will think so too...she was my recipient this month!  Hi Dawn! :D

So that's it for this month...Big THANKS for dropping by today and here's to a wonderful October!

Hugs, 

CTS #231: Just Keep Swimming!

Hey ya'll!  Long time no see!  Or hear from??  Either way, I'm back for a quick post today!  I've been having such a crazy busy summer with the littles that I've hardly had time to write posts or create much of anything!  Anyhow, I'm thrilled and so honored to be guest designing for one of my favorite sketch challenge blogs today!  The sketches on the CAS(E) this Sketch blog are always fun and really help me to stretch my creative muscles...let's have a look at this week's challenge:

I swayed from the sketch slightly, but here is what I came up with!

I was in the mood to use this fun layering set by Hero Arts.  The layering sets that they have come out with recently are fantastic...I love them all!  The detail that they have on each layer is unbelievable...so realistic!

I started by stamping my goldfish with Hero Arts inks in Dandelion, Orange Soda, Soft Cantaloupe, and Ultra Pink.  I added the eye and gill detail with Walnut ink by Lawn Fawn.  The sea weed strands are done in Tide Pool and Green Apple, also by Hero Arts.  For the watery background, I cheated and used the Watercolor Brights paper pack by My Favorite Things...so easy!  The square cutout also hails from the MFT die collection.  Its one of my new favorites!

  

The sentiment is where I really had some fun...I wanted to make it look like a broken wood plank...think shipwreck! ;)  I die cut the plank shape from one of the MFT Blueprints sets and then stamped it with a woodgrain background stamp.  After doing this and then inking the edges with the same Walnut ink, I stamped the sentiment in black.  So cool right?! 

All my pieces are adhered with TomBow Mono Multi liquid glue with the exception of the one larger fish...I couldn't resist popping him up with some foam tape.  For the finishing touches, I added clear Wink of Stella on the fish and sea weed,  and finally some Pretty Pink Posh clear droplets.

Thank you so much for stopping by today...I hope you're having a "fintastic" week!

Hugs,  

Love From Lizi May Kit

Hi there!  I hope you are having a fabulous Memorial Day weekend...I am always so humbled when I think of this holiday and what it stands for.  We all owe such a debt of gratitude for those who have given and served so selflessly so that we may live our lives as free men, women and children!  I can honestly not thank our service men and women enough in one lifetime!! 

I am dedicating these ten cards that I've created with the Love from Lizi May kit to these men and women who have dedicated their lives to protect our nation and our beliefs.  Let us remember them and honor them always!! 

For card number one, I knew I wanted to create a background using these spiffy little mustache stamps...they're so dapper!  Using distress inks to create backgrounds is one of my go-to techniques and it always turns out so fun!  I stamped the images in black ink onto Bristol Smooth cardstock and heat embossed with clear EP. 

For the timepiece embellishment, I used one of the Tim Holtz Movers and Shapers dies called Pocket Watch, one of the arrow dies included in the kit, one of the letter charms from the kit, and a gear piece from the TH Ideology line.  I painted all of my pieces using Distress Paints and coated the silver inside pieces in Glossy Accents.  I like that the sticker used for the sentiment had a pocket watch already there and wanted to take it a step further. :D

For card number two, I wanted to use the music themed items from the kit.  Music and art are never ordinary so I thought this was the perfect sentiment to go along with this theme!  

I popped the stickers up with foam tape and fussy cut the cassette tape.  I inked the edges of my little tag with Distress Ink and coated the tape and record stickers with Glossy Accents. I used white and black gel pens for the little hand drawn accents.  I really wanted to give this one a good bit of dimension since I used so many stickers!

Card number three uses one of the vellum panels from the kit...no need for a sentiment since it was already there!  I used patterned papers from the kit for the background and a line of foil to divide them. 

 

The arrow dies were just right for adding some small details and once again I used Glossy Accents on them for some dimension...and the little blue gems were perfect to add a bit more to some of the foil details on the vellum panel.

Card number four uses another of the vellum panels but the design is slightly different.  I think this one just might be my favorite because of the message it conveys!  Whales travel such great distances and they do it without question...they have complete faith in their migratory paths and they travel with purpose.  We could take a cue from these magnificent beasts any day!

I used another of my go-to techniques here...adhere glitter washi tape onto cardstock before you die cut and it comes out perfect every time! And I am loving the color of the Nuvo drops in this kit! :D

 

For card number five, I used a lot of scraps leftover from cards one through four.  I don't like to waste anything!

Add a few details, adhere everything to the card base and this one is pretty simple and straightforward!  I did use my Onyx Black Spectrum Noir sparkle pen on the "friend" die cut to add some sparkle, but it is so hard to see in photos!

Card number six...I fell in love with this sea turtle image as soon as I opened my kit and couldn't wait to use it!  I cut it out of the vellum panel using my detail scissors and placed it on top of one of the tags that I'd given a little paint makeover using more Distress Paints and some Distress Crackle paints.  I love this look! 

I used the film strip stamp from the kit and some glitter embossing powder to make a border detail on my blue patterned paper.  Once it was heat set, I added some more of the arrow die cuts to finish it off.  The sentiment die and word sticker are both from Tim Holtz...

With Father's Day right around the corner, I really needed get crackin' on some cards!  Cards number seven and eight are both for Father's Day. :D

I was really impressed with the word stickers in the kit...they laid down beautifully without any fuss!

Card number eight uses a stamp and die set from Simon Says Stamp's last release...it's a great set for both Mother's and Father's Day cards, and it went so well with the mustache in this kit!

The images are perfect for popping up also...so cute!

Card number nine is an interactive card.  The tag isn't actually adhered to the card base.  Instead, I created a pocket for it using these cloud border dies and foam tape.  It slides perfectly into place and lifts out of the pocket just like a real hot air balloon!  The sky's the limit with this one! ;)

Here you can see that the vellum balloon isn't attached to the clouds...it is actually just resting on top and the Nuvo drops (from a previous LFL kit) help to keep it in line. 

Last but not least, here is card number 10!  The large butterfly embellishment is die cut from another Tim Holtz die called Fanciful Flight.  This one was really fun to make.  I die cut the bottom layer for the wings only once using the green patterned paper in the kit, and cut the overlay layers three times in black cardstock and once also using the green patterned paper.  I stacked the black cardstock pieces together so that there would be plenty of dimension in the wings.  I spritzed the bottom/base layer of the wings with Perfect Pearls Mist in Perfect Copper, layered the overlay dies on top and then coated the top layer with Glossy Accents.  For the body, I used a Nuvo glue pen to coat black cardstock and then applied the foil from the kit along with some more of the little blue gems. 

 

I layered some patterned papers and velum pieces onto my card base before attaching the butterfly and the sentiment.  This sentiment is one of my new favorite dies from Poppy Stamps!

Well, that's it for the May kit...If you haven't seen the LFL June kit yet, I highly recommend checking it out!  It looks like another super fun kit from Lizi...I can't wait for mine to arrive!  I believe its already sold out, but you could always subscribe so that you won't miss out next time!  A complete list of supplies used for the May kit cards can be found below.

If you know someone that has served, or is serving, in the Armed Forces, please be sure to hug them and say an extra THANK YOU for me!!  Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Hugs,



Additional Supplies Used: 

Dies: MFT Stitched Hexagon Stax, SSS Stitched Squares, SSS Stitched Rectangles, Hero Arts Infinity Rectangles, Poppy Stamps Stitched Cloudline, SSS Mom and Dad Icons, MFT Sunny Skies, MFT Photo Corners, MFT Sending Hugs, MFT Stitched Interactive Window Trio, Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle Frames, SSS Painted Friend, Tim Holtz Fanciful Flight, Tim Holtz Pocket Watch

Stamps:  SSS Mom and Dad Icons, SSS You Matter

Various Others: Tim Holtz Big Chat stickers, MFT Black & White Basics 6x6 paper pad, fun foam, Perfect Pearls Mists in Perfect Copper, Glitter Washi by Scotch in black, silver and copper, twine, button, Distress Ink, Distress Paint, Glossy Accents, Tim Holtz Ideology Gear, Nuvo Jewel Drops in Grey Mist, black cardstock, blue cardstock, white cardstock, Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers, hole punch, corner rounder

My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge 322

Hi there!  Today I'm sharing the card that I created for the My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge 322.  If you click the image below it will take you to their site so you can check it out!

I'm always up for a good challenge!  My hubs is taking a huge certification test today, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to make him an encouragement card.  The Stars Above stamp set (also from MFT) is a great one for just that!

I think the most time consuming element to this card were all those tiny inlaid stars!  My neck started to cramp by the time I finished getting those in place...whew!  Other than that, it came together fairly quickly.  Below is a complete list of supplies used. 

One final look...

Say a quick prayer for my honey if you don't mind and have a fantastic day!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hugs,

Complete list of supplies:
Banner Die from My Favorite Things Blueprints 27
Stars/Sky Vertical background die from My Favorite Things
Scallop Frames from Pretty Pink Posh
Puffy Cloud Borders from Lawn Fawn
Stars Above stamp set from My Favorite Things
After Midnight cardstock from My Favorite Things
Black Licorice cardstock from My Favorite Things
Silver Sparkle cardstock from My Favorite Things
Zing! Silver embossing powder from American Crafts
VersaMark Inkpad
Assorted Moonshine sequins from Simon Says Stamp
Spectrum Noir Sterling Silver glitter pen
Scrap of silver mirror cardstock