Masculine Mojo on Monday!

Welcome to another edition of Masculine Mojo on Monday. Today I am playing along with a couple challenges to shape my final design.

Playing with Inspired By #IB373 and for choosing my hot chocolate cup dies and incorporating two focal images in my design from their sketch. 

Over at Festive Fridays #FF0202 Valentine’s Day inspo list I have chosen to  add pink, used die cuts, added a love sentiment, hearts and arrows in my design.

Getting inky with the Sweet Jars stamp set, the Hearts of Love 3D embossing folder, Made with Love DSP, Strawberry Slush & Pretty in Pink gems, Poppy Parade and Flirty Flamingo ink and from my stash Coffee Cups dies.

It all came together for an adorable “sending a little love your way” paper hug! 

 

Happy Stampin’ 

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life 

Ghosting Technique

Welcome to Try a Technique Thursday. Today I am playing with the ghosting technique along with being inspired by a few challenge prompts. 

The Colour INKspiration has a “showcase your favourite colour” for their 200th challenge. While it’s hard ti pick just one for the purpose of the challenge I have chosen Secret Sea … it’s such a gorgeous deep navy and goes with everything! 

Thanks to the Cupcake Challenge Let it Snow #CI632 - I am playing with the Elegant Pine Snowflake stamp set and dies for my focal images.

I am having another go at Tic Tac Toe challenge this time using the diagonal for the win - Navy, Free is Snowflake technique, and Holiday sentiment of “Warm Winter Wishes”

In addition to the Elegant Pine Snowflakes stamps and dies I playing with the new Triple Banner punch, a retired 3/8” circle punch for my glittery centre of my snowflake and of course some bling rhinestones. 

The Ghosting Technique is a simple technique to do but it packs a good WOW in the effect. The shadow of the ghost image really makes the focal images pop.  

First you want to stamp your focal image in  white ink or Versamark for a more subtle shadow to create the shadow layer. I have chosen Whisper White.

Clean the stamp well to ensure you don’t transfer white ink to your darker inker.

Next ink stamp with your dark inker choice and then carefully stamp slightly off from the white stamped image. 

Photopolymer stamps are perfect for this technique but you can use wooden stamps with a stamp a ma jig or rubber stamp with a stamp positioning platform. 

That’s it - you can repeat more ghosting if desired and complete your card design. 

You can also create the ghosting effect with your dies as well - I have cut pine accents for my focal snowflake in white and Secret Sea and layered to create that shadow effect with the paper as well.

See how easy it comes together with this short process video: 

I forgot how much I love Crumb Cake with Navy. A perfect holiday card for someone on my Christmas card mailing list! 

What’s your favourite Stampin’ Up! Colour? 

Happy Stampin’ 

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life

Slimline Sunday but on a Monday

Welcome to another edition of Slimline Sunday - but on Monday as I am off a day from a Stampin’ Up! Event this past weekend and guest designing for Lasting Memories on Sunday. Today’s  card design has been inspired by playing along with some challenges.

Slimline card sketch from Sweet Sketch Wednesday 

And playing some Tic Tac Toe Challenge #tttc284 for the middle line of Gold (twine) Free (snowflakes) and matching envelope cause friends don’t let friends send out naked envelopes! 

I’m getting inky with my Delicate Pines stamps, dies and DSP, some gold twine and star embellishments. Old Olive and Garden Green monochrome colour palette. 

A tall wonder to behold - I need to play with my light box and figure out why the camera doesn’t photograph slimline cards as well. The pops of red are far more pretty in person!

Happy Stampin’

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life

Masculine on Monday

Welcome to Masculine Monday - challenging myself to make more cards with a masculine vibe as it’s so easy to be drawn to the Feminine and Floral in my stash. 

Today’s design was inspired by playing along with Colour INKspiration challenge #199 to use Cherry Cobbler, Shaded Spruce and Pecan Pie colour palette. 

Over at Stampin’ Up! Only Challenges and their mood board challenge #SUOC389 had me pulling out a stamp set with trees in it. 

I’ve pulled out my Country Living for the truck and Encircled in Nature for the trees and branch dies. Paired these with current products Everyday Arches, Greetings for You ephemera sentiments, Traditional Sequins Dots and my Stampin’ Blends in the colour Cherry Cobbler, Shaded Spruce and Pecan Pie colour palette 🎨 

Nothing says it’s the holiday season like bringing home the Christmas tree!

Are you a real Christmas tree fan or do you prefer the reusable artificial tree?

Happy Stampin’

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life

Whimsical Wings & Things Wednesday

Welcome to another edition of Whimsical Wings & Things Wednesday where I play with my favourite Whimsical treasures from my stash.

Today’s card design was inspired by a couple challenges. 

Try A Sketch On Tuesday #TSOT682 - fun circle sketch. I have flipped it from landscape to portrait.

 

 

Double Trouble Challenge Thing 1, 2 and 3. I used the TSOT sketch with round element, image or die cut, twine ribbon and Thing 3 incorporated a bird! 

I’m playing with another Enchanted Hallow Fairy named ‘Capri’ and the retired Swirly Bird stamps and dies and the mini corrugated embossing folder from SU. I’ve added in current SU products with the Greetings for You ephemera, Traditional Sparkling Sequins and my Pecan Pie, Petal Pink, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Sea Foam and Granny Apple green blends to colour my fairy. Some Wink of Stella along the snowbanks and on her wings for that extra bling bling magic!

Love how the final design came together - a pretty holiday card for a fairy lover! 

Happy Stampin’

Margaret

Live, Laugh. Love

Be Totallyawake4-life

Technique Tuesday Dryer Sheet Magic

Welcome to another edition of Technique Tuesday - today I am making doing laundry be extra beneficial! Not only clean clothes but a cool WOW for your cards with the Dryer Sheet Magic technique.

My design was also inspired by a couple blog challenges.  First shout out to Festive Friday’s #FF0196 Veterans Day inspo list. I have chosen red, black, watercolour, poppies and sympathy sentiments.

Over at TGIF challenge blog I am playing along with #tgif549 Everything But the Kitchen Sink … so I have lots of layers, texture, bling and several different techniques from blending, water colouring and the dryer sheet magic! I totally love an everything but the kitchen sink designs! 

I’m playing with some of my favourite retired products from my stash! The Painted Poppy stamp set and dies, Peaceful Poppy Elements ephemera package, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Pearl embellishments and the current Everyday Arches dies and Greetings for All ephemera sentiments. 

It’s such a fun way to add extra bling and texture to your card design that packs a WOW. 

So you start by creating your card front so I have stamped an image in Versamark and added black embossing powder and heat set. I watercolored the poppies with Real Red. I used my blending brush and added Old Olive for grass and Balmy Blue for the sky.

Next you want to cover the entire card front with glue - I’ve used Tombow liquid glue and used a sponge to create an even layer over the entire card front. 

While the glue is still wet cover the card front with your used dryer sheet. You want the dryer sheet to be larger than your card front and you don’t need it smooth - the wrinkles help add texture to the effect. Trim off the excess sheet. 

Working while glue is still tacky you want to cover the entire card front with glitter. I am using Dazzling Diamonds from Stampin’ Up! I love using a coffee filter to catch my cast off glitter or embossing powder and funnel back into the container when done. The coffee filter seems to have its own anti static effect.

Photos don’t due the sparkle and texture justice - even the videos not picking up all the shimmer and shine!

The final design is just lovely if I do say so myself. I love poppies, not just for their significance with Veterans Day and both my spouse and stepson having served our country, but they are just beautiful delicate flowers! 

Happy Stampin’

Margaret

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life 

Slimline Sunday

Welcome to another edition of slimline Sunday. 

Playing with the Peaceful Gardens Suite.

Love the extra design space to show off the gorgeous DSP in this suite. Added some of the pieces from the sticker sheet and the little Dove of Peace carrying a holiday note and sparkly sprig! 

Happy Stampin’ 

Margaret

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life

Whimsical Wings & Things Wednesday

Welcome to Whimsical Wings & Things Wednesday. A chance for me to show some inky love to the fairy stamps in my collection. 

Today I am sharing an oldie but a goodie Crystal the Fairy Heathers Stamps Enchanted Hallow series and a sentiment from Stampendous that I have had since I first started stamping back in 2004 and giving her a chance to play with some of my new goodies The Christmas Greetings Mix and Match Specialty cards & envelopes, Cherry Cobbler and Granny Apple Green blends, Gold foil DSP and circle punches.

Isn’t she just adorable? I love the sentiment “A Christmas prayer is winging its way to you.” I have Wink of Stella on her wings plus over the snow under her feet for some glittery magic and the gold foil in the paper and behind my card front and the sentiment helps create a dance of golden rainbow as light reflects from it … so pretty in person. 

Happy Stampin’

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life 

Technique Tuesday - Playing with Brusho

Welcome to another edition of Technique Tuesday. Today I am sharing the magic of Brusho Powder Watercolour Medium. 

My card layout was inspired by the Stampin’ Up! Only Challenge sketch challenge #SUO387. This is a quick and fun sketch that I will definitely reuse. 

My colour palette was inspired by the AAA Colourful Colour themed Challenges the colour board #21 as was making me think about pulling out my Brusho - hope that one day the bring it back over at Stampin’ Up! 

I’m playing with the Pine Tree Trimmings stamp set, Exposed Brick Embossing Folder, Granny Apple Green, Real Red and Misty Moonlight. 

If you haven’t played with Brusho it’s SO fun! You need the following - Stampin’ Up’ is no longer selling Brusho but you can get it on Amazon and other craft stores.

Here’s a little video demo so you can see the Magic unfold. 

Mixed Media mediums like Brusho are a great crafty therapy tool. You have to give up a little control, relax and just play and trust the process to let it come together.

Love how the final design came together for a cute little Christmas card. 

Happy Stampin’

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life