random reflections

Seize the Birthday: Anything Goes Round 2

One of my intentions (which has not been realized very often) was to make two identical cards when I sat down to craft so I would have a bit of a stash. The #100Day Project is definitely helping in that regard, but I don't often make two of the same card. This time I did.

I'm entering them in the Seize the Birthday: Anything Goes challenge.

"Butterfly Blooms" might be my favorite new stamp set (although "Butterfly Folk" runs a close second.) Both are relatively new sets from Papertrey Ink. I think you'll be seeing lots of both sets this spring and summer. I posted another one last week that I made for Besty. This time I embossed the images in white on vellum and colored the images on the back with Zig watercolor markers. I die cut a tag from "Made with Love Tags #1" (PTI) and layered the top of it with some Bitty Big patterned paper in Amethyst Allure. Using an old Cuttlebug embossing folder, I embossed some Royal Velvet paper and die cut it with a Stitched Rectangle (Simon Says.) All of it was adhered to a white card.

The sentiment from "Ways to Say: Birthday" (PTI) was stamped in Amethyst Allure on the bottom of the tag. Some sequins and a pretty silk bow finished it off. I have a lot of ideas for these butterflies, and a whole envelope of pre-stamped ones waiting for cards!

#100DayProject: Week 4

The weeks seem to be flying by, but I must admit to being happy to greet May with the warmest temperatures of the season. In just two warm days, we've seen the forsythia burst into bloom, and signs of the bushes and trees coming back to life. It really is late this year; frequently this happens mid-April. According to the meteorologist this was the 9th coldest April on record. Fortunately, I don't remember the others!

I worked on several projects for the #100Day Project this week:  messy watercoloring, stamp layering techniques, and a new die cutting technique. The results of some of these projects haven't yet been made into cards. I have a rather lovely file now of stamped images just waiting for the right occasion for a card. I broke open the May Card Kit from Simon Says and made three needed anniversary cards. I also pulled out a stamp set I've had for some time, but never used.

First off, the messy watercoloring technique. This is not my usual style, and it took awhile before I decided I liked it.

The design came from the CAS(e) this Sketch challenge this week, although I had to move my sentiment to make it work. 

Altenew's "Charmed" stamp set has been in my collection for awhile. I liked it a lot, but have had a hard time figuring out exactly what to do with it. It turns out messy watercoloring works well. I stamped it on Tim Holtz watercolor paper and watercolored it with a water brush and Distress Oxide Inks (also a new technique). Once I finished, I added the sentiment from Papertrey Ink's "Choose Joy," another set that doesn't get pulled out often. The card still needed something, so I did some paint splattering and misted it with Fallen Angels Glimmer Mist. You can see a bit of the glimmer in the close up. I approach splattering with a fair amount of trepidation because I've been known to totally ruin a perfectly good card with ugly splatters. This time it worked.

Here are the three anniversary cards I made from the Simon Says May kit. The first one (my favorite) was a CASE of Nichol Spohr's. I think you can easily see the influence, although mine ended up a bit more CAS. 

I used the same patterned paper and the same basic design, but only three of the puffy hearts by Pink Fresh. I die cut "happy" from the Simon Says "Happy" set three times and stacked it for some additional dimension and then stamped the rest of the sentiment.

While I had the kit out, I pulled out some more of the Pink Fresh "Let Your Heart Decide" patterned papers and made two more cards with the papers and the puffy hearts.

This time only the sentiments changed. The first one is from Mama Elephant's "Bountiful Blessings" set, and the second from Reverse Confetti's "Circle Wishes," which I'd never used before. All three cards are addressed and ready to go in the mail later this month.

Next week we'll be at Sarah's. I've packed a little box with materials so I can work on colored pencil techniques and color layering techniques. I'll be back tomorrow before we leave with another entry for the Seize the Birthday challenge.