Look on the bright Side Tag

Hi there,

this month the topic is Distress at the Happy Little Stampers Mixed Media Challenge:

• cut out a tag from watercolor paper
• create a background using a brayer and Distress Paints (Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint)
• ink up the white spaces with Distress Ink (Salty Ocean, Mowed Lawn)
• add some water droplets for more texture
• stamp the little rounded rectangles from the Paper Artsy EKD02 stamp set with Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink (Fern Green, Forget-me-not)
• stamp some trees from the same stamp set with Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink (Orange Blossom)
• add Multi Medium Matte to the "buds" of the trees and sprinkle Prima Marketing Micro Beads (Pollen) on top
• stamp one of the cats from the Katzelkraft Les Chats Russes stamp set directly onto the tag with Versafine (Smokey Gray) and heat-emboss it with clear embossing powder
• stamp the cat again onto a piece of watercolor paper with the same ink and color it with ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Pens and a waterbrush
• add white gel pen and Glossy Accents to the nose and the eyes
• dye a piece of seam binding with Distress Inks (Salty Ocean, Mowed Lawn) to match the project
• ink up the edges of a sentiment sticker from the Ideaology Small Talk Set with Distress Ink (Mowed Lawn) before adding it to the tag

613 Avenue Create Challenge #189 - Anything goes

Animal Friends Challenge #42 - Animal with Fur

Stempelgarten-Challenge #53 - Alles geht

More Mixed Media Challenge #9 - Anything goes

Simon says Stamp Monday Challenge - Stamp it

Craft Rocket Challenge #23 - Anything goes

Have a colorful day.

Yours,

Happy Birthday Cat

Hi there,

this is my fourth card as a Special Party Guest at Seize the Birthday. This week our Topping is Clean and Simple:

• cut out a panel from watercolor paper using the Memory Box Stitched Rectangle Layers
• stamp one of the cats from Katzelkraft Les chats russes and the large balloons from WPLus9 Party Animal with Versafine (Smokey Gray) and color the images with ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Pens and a damp brush
• stamp the sentiment from Clearly Besotted Stamps Many Mini Messages with Avery Elle Pigment Ink (Aquamarine)
• add the string around the cat's tail with a Memento Marker (London Fog) - I did that after finishing my watercoloring because the Memento Markers are not waterproof

I would like to take part at the following challenges:

613 Avenue Create Challenge #158 - 3rd Annual Block Party - Anything Goes w/ Optional Twist Birthday/Anniversary

Craft Rocket Challenge #6 - Happy Anything

Simply Create Too Challenge #100 - It's Party Time!

Stampin' Royalty Challenge #312 - One Layer

Time Out Challenge #47 - Birthdays

I hope you got inspired.

Yours,

Happy Birthday Reindeer

Hi there,

I have exciting news for you today: I am the Surprise Party Guest at Seize the Birthday for December and January and this is my first creation using a holiday stamp to make a birthday card:

• stamp the cute little Unity Stamp Company Let it snow Reindeer with Memento (Tuxedo Black) and the stack of presents from Katzelkraft Les drôles d'accessoires
• color the images with Delta Markers and a silver gel pen
• create a background using Brushos (Turquoise) and Color Bursts (Ultramarine) and cut out a tag using the Lil' Inker Designs Anytime Tags 2
• add twine to the hole of the tag
• cut out a stitched panel from grey cardstock using the Memory Box Stitched Rectangle Layers, stamp the sentiment from Clearly Besotted Stamps Many Mini Messages with Versafine (Onyx Black) and add circles and stars from WPlus9 Little Bits with Delicata (Shimmery Silver)

I would like to partcipate at the following challenges:

Retro Rubber Challenge #28 - Anything goes

Craft Rocket Challenge #5 - Anything goes

Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Sparkle and Shine


I can't wait to see your creations over at Seize the Birthday.

Yours,

Stamp Connection #2

Hi there,

connected through our love for card making, blogging and being from Germany we (Cornelia from Stempel Spass and I) decided to create a monthly project within predefined requirements. We are going to show you the result every 3rd Sunday of the month and this is our second transatlantic get-together!

Our requirements this time were:
"Flowers and Watercolors"

• cut out a scalloped circle from watercolor paper
• stamp the watering can with flowers from Katzelkraft JMC & Norris Fleurs with Versamark and heat-emboss with silver embossing powder
• watercolor the image with Distress Inks and Re-Inkers (Pumice Stone, Worn Lipstick, Shaded Lilac, Picked Raspberry, Tumbled Glass, Weathered Wood, Bundled Sage) and  a waterbrush
• stamp the sentiment from Mama Elephant Many Thanks you with Versamark on a paper strip from the Avery Elle Sorbet Collection and heat-emboss it with WOW! Bright White Super Fine embossing powder; add a second paper strip and cut both into a banner shape
• cover a white cardbase with patterned paper from the same paper pad; ink up the edges with Distress Ink (Tumbled Glass)

Make sure to hop over to see Cornelia's creation and leave her some birthday wishes.

Happy Birthday Cornelia - have a wonderful day!

I would like to participate in the following challenges:

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge - Bouquet

Challenge up your Life #13: Watercolor

Naughty or Nice Challenge #14: In Bloom

Virginia's View Challenge #14

Thanks for stopping by. We hope to see you again at the ...

Yours,
Tanja

Enjoy the Journey - Step-by-Step

Hi,

today, I would like to share a step-by-step tutorial with you and since one of the card's essential embellishments is twine, I am going to put a link to this post on the Simon Says Anything Goes With Twine Or String-Challenge:

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The card started out relatively unspectacular. It was my goal to create a rusty vintage background. I used Montval watercolor paper and Distress Paints (Gathered Twigs, Walnut Stain, Peeled Paint and Vintage Photo). Afterwards, the stamping could begin. I used three different ink colors: Memento Luxe (Gray Flannel and Rich Cocoa) and Versafine (Vintage Sepia). First, I used the Kaiserkraft Texture Stamps Wood Grain and Sketchy stamps. My second choice was the Katzelkraft - Single Steampunk Engrenage and finally, I used the IndigoBlu - Ledger Background.

Here is my result:

In my opinion a vintage background isn't completely vintage without some distressing. I used the Tim Holtz Tonic Paper Distresser around the edges and added same Distress Ink in the color of Walnut Stain with the Ranger Inkssentials Ink Application & Blending Tool. I am really looking forward to the release of the new Ranger Mini Round Ink Blending Tool because I think it will work just great with stencils. 

Now I had to think about what should be on the card. I stamped three different elements: a tag from the Papermania All Aboard Tags, a compass from Inkadinkado's Woodland Trail set and a sentiment from Stampers Anonymous (Tim Holtz - Simple Sayings).

I colored them with my Derwent Graphitint watersoluble pencils using a Faber-Castell waterbrush. After coloring I used some Distress Ink Vintage Photo around the edges.

I tried to give the compass the look of metal and glass using my Versamarker and Sternenstaub embossing powders (clear and platinum).

I wasn't really satisfied with the result. So I tried it a second time, using the clear embossing powder on the whole element. So much for the glass-look. Then I added Distress Paint (Pewter) to the outer rim. Much better. In the picture below you can see the two versions of the compass (left: embossing powder and paint; right: two different embossing powders).

I put all the elements on my cardbase and came to the conclusion that I need something more. For this reason, I stamped the suitcases from the Papersmooches Get outta Town-set. As a finishing touch I put some twine (Lawn Fawn - Lawn Trimmings single natural cord) through the hole in the tag.

Finally, it was time to assemble my card. I used brown cardstock as a base and put the background on it. Before that I added some more twine. The tag was glued directly to the background and I used foam pads for the sentiment and the suitcases in order to give the card more dimension. The compass was attached using a star brad from Prima Marketing.

This is my tutorial for today. I hope you like it.

Have a nice day.
Tanja

P.S. Since the the suitcases are from a Papersmooches set, I decided to also add a link to this card to the Paper Smooches SPARKS - Anything Goes Challenge.

P.P.S. And here is the custom-made envelope for this card.

I used some Washi-Tape at the top and the bottom and stamped images from the stamp sets Mail around the World (Marianne Design) and Air Mail (Avery Elle) with Versafine vintage sepia.