Happy Halloween

We're expecting all sorts of funny looking folks tonight. I always enjoy seeing the neighborhood kids' costumes. Makes me think back fondly on all the creative costumes my mom helped us put together. Way better than store bought ones. Hope you all have lots of treats and no tricks today.

The image on this card is part of a clear set by Rusty Pickel. The words I think are by Amuse. The image was stamped with dye black ink. A little shading was done with a sponge and black pad.

Bob the bat card

Eat Cake Graphics has wonderful images. What most don't get to see in their paper catalog are descriptions of all the characters that make the images even more appealing. I used "Bob the bat" on this card. Bob was stamped with dye ink and colored in with markers. The "boo" is also by Eat Cake.

Stencil Mist Card

Had a great time with the folks in the stencil class yesterday. Besides using paste with stencils, we also used mists. That's why I wanted to post this card today so folks could see another card using mists. If I remember right, this card was done with Glimmer Mists which has not only color, but a metallic gleam to them which is hard to see here. Once dry, I stamped the words(Penny Black)on a piece of vellum and added a paper clip.

Embossed web

Getting close to Halloween so I'm posting a few last cards for the day. This is one of the cards we did in our dry embossing class. Due to the amount of detail, I recommeded this stencil be used on one of the machines now that will dry emboss. Turns into a quick card. Today in our paste class we will use the same stencil with paste. Works well both ways. The word stamp is by Amuse.

Christmas Paste Card

I've been prepping for a stencil paste class that's coming up this Thurs. This is one of the cards we'll be doing. It's hard to tell, but the white is covered with iridescent glitter so the trees have a real sparkle to them. The look of paste can't be beat, but it does take time and patience to use paste. It's also a bit messy, so anyone coming to class-be sure to wear old clothes.

Layers of colors

These cards show a technique I learned a while ago from Mary Jo McGraw. You take Color Box pads and start with the white pad, and layer up layer upon layer of colors. All the while moving masking strips so it will create various interactive strips of colors. On some of the layers stamps were also used which is why you see images of leaves. Once done, I cut the paper up so the pieces could be used on several cards. It was great fun!

Stampscapes Mill card

Was up before the birds today and the moon was full and shining in the window. Made me think of this card we do in my Nightscapes class. So, thought I'd post it. This card is made with a die cut from Accu-cut which gives it the shape and mat. The stamps are both from Stampscapes. Stamped the mill first and masked over it to put in the sky. The Kalidicolor multi pad "Blue Breeze" came in handy for inking and coloring. Sorry, can't remember where the quote is from, but think it goes well with the image.

New home card

This is the other card I recently sent to a friend who moved into a new house. He's a bachelor, so I wanted something "guyish". The houses had hearts coming out of the chimney, but the words fortunately covered that up. The words are from Impression Obsession. He sent me an email saying how much he liked it, so guess that worked.

Quilt card 2

Here is the same image that was posted yesterday. However, today's post was stamped in black and colored with Prisma pencils rather than dry chalks. Similar colors, but a whole different affect. The quote was also added so I could give this as a birthday card to a friend. Would also make a good Thanksgiving card.

Quilt card

Just got back from PA and what a georgous day to be there! A beautiful day with the leaves at their best. This card reminds me of PA. I see lots of clotheslines and various items drying when I'm up there. And they do love their quilts!
This is a stamp is by Impression Obsession. I stamped it with a Sepia Versafine pad to help catch all the details. Coloring was done with dry chalks.

Welcome card

So do you know the history of the pineapple? It is a symbol of "welcome" that the captins in the 1800's would use. When home from a voyage, they would post a pineapple on their gates so folks would know they were home and could come visit. I made two cards this week for folks in new homes. Sent this card to one of them as a welcome into their new home. The pineapple is by Impressions Obsessions, and I colored it in with Copic markers. Did pretty well on the pinapple, but think I needed to do more dark shading on the leaves. Learning to shade is a work in progress for me.

Birthday Song

One of my favorite stamp companies is Verses. They specialize in just doing word stamps, and they do that well! I made this card with one of their birthday messages. Because I used printed paper, I embossed the words so they would stand out more. Then I just layered up the card and added a musical ribbon for some extra flair.

Fireplace Card

Had a "hootie owl" night last night. One of those nights I just couldn't sleep. So I started making my Thanksgiving cards. I love to give Thanksgiving cards to those I'm thankful are a part of my life. Just seems appropriate!

This is a stamp from Northwoods. It was stamped in black, then colored in with dry chalks. The chalks give a soft look and adds to the cozyness of the card. The edges was sponged with a light brown ink. This card really puts me in a fall mood and makes me want to curl up in front of a fire with a good book.

Waterfall Card

In a previous post, I talked about how Stampscapes stamps have the ability to be used to make large scenes or small scenes. The crane in water was posted as an ATC card. Today this card is also ATC size. In fact, I slit the card so all you have to do is slip the ATC card into the slits. That way it can be easily removed if desired. The ATC was made from 6 stamps. The waterfall, clouds, trees, horse, and grass. No masking was needed. All are stamped with a Versafine green pad.

Dry Embossed Acorn Card

I have a dry embossing class coming up this week at Angela's Happy Stamper, so I thought I'd post this card. This is card is what folks think of most when dry embossing. But, the class I'll be teaching is actually a technique class because there are actually lots of things you can do with dry embossing. If you are interested, check out my class link. Three cards are posted, but we actually do five cards in the class.
The stencil on this card and all the printed papers are by Lasting Impression. Words are by Amuse.

5th Alice Card

This is the last Alice card I'll be posting. However, I did make more cards than what was posted. The 6x6 pack did all my cards I needed this year. It was great fun and I've enjoyed sharing some of them with you this week. Added onto this card was a saying from Amuse stamps.

4th Alice Card

Here is another card with the phrase used on yesterday's card. It goes well with these images. All paper is from the Wonderland series. I like using Memory Box black cards because they are actually white on the inside so it's easy to write a note. Hoping you are enjoying these images as much as I have.

3rd Alice Card

Had my friend, lovely Laura over last night to help me with my computer issues. This is the card I gave her for Halloween. The phrase on the front of the card is a little hard to see in this photo. It says "Things that go bump in the night". Inside is the Eat Cake phrase, "I'm not afraid of the dark. Not me, no siree bob, not me". I could just hear Laura saying that! She and her mom were up in Gettysburg recently doing the ghost tour. Now why you pay money to give yourselves more things to be scared of, I'll never know. But, you can see why I thought this was the perfect card for her.

2nd Alice Card

Well it just doesn't get easier than this! Mounted the whole picture onto a Memory Box black card and wrapped a ribbon around it. All done! Gotta love this paper from Graphic 45! I used the 6X6 pack that has several sheets of each of papers in this line. On the inside I stamped the Eat Cake saying "Trick or treat! Smell my feet, give me something good to eat!" It goes perfectly with this card. So easy, and yet so nice.

First Alice Card

A friend came over yesterday to help me with some computer issues. Since she was here, I gave her the Halloween card I had made her. Will be posting more of the cards I made from this great set of papers from Graphic 45. It's Alice in Wonderland paper with a Halloween twist. These cards were so much fun to do and so incredably easy I was able to do them all in about 2 days. Hope you enjoy them.

Bats about you

Here's a quick card I recently sent to friends in CA. This paper is great, because the bats are flocked and fuzzy to feel. All I did was cut, glue, and add stamp the saying. Added a little flair with the ribbon. I'm a total ribbon sucker-love it! Am rather swimming in it, so I'm always thinking of ways to use it. Feel free to share an idea of how to use ribbon with me!

Double thanks

Am dedicating these cards to all the wonderful folks in my Dad's life who came to his party yesterday and who are such a support to him. The party was a big surprise-and he was amazed at all the folks who were there for him.

This stamp is by Paper Inspirations. It was stamped with a black Versafine pad on the paper. Am showing two variations on a card again. The hearts were punched out by Marvy punches.

Dad's card

Here's the actual card I'm giving Dad today at his surprise party. Inside it says "Heard you have something to crow about" I stamped this bird with Versamark and heat set black embossing powder over it. The beak was cut and the candle stamped in black dye ink. I colored in the candle with Copic markers and added a little sparkle to the candle with a glitter pen. The white was sponged with some orange ink and layered onto the printed paper. The orange piece was embossed with the Cuttle bug and the birthday folder. Now I need to get on the road!

Tip #25

Going to be seeing my brother tomorrow which is the inspiration for this post. This is another great group of stamps from Eat Cake Graphics. I know all little sisters can relate to this card. The images were stamped with a black Momento pad and then colored in with Copic markers. The edges were sponged with some orange from the Distress pad Marmalade. The Momento pad is great at stamping images clearly and evenly, and you can color right away without having to heat set it.

Circular Thanks

I love a good bargin. Was in a store that was selling large orange stickers on a roll for half off so I couldn't resist. I'll be using them for the rest of my life, but such a deal! Today's card uses one of these stickers which is so big, it wraps around to the back of the card. Next I punched out some circles with various round punches using printed paper and interspersed them around the edge of the sticker. Then I punched out the yellow circle and stamped the words(Hero Arts) with red Versafine ink onto the circle. Let me know if you have any good ideas on how to use large orange stickers!

birthday blessing

Today is my dad's 88th birthday. I'm posting this card as a tribute to him. He's been struggling with his sense of self worth lately. This card is a good reminder of how we all are a part of our world. These stamps are by Stamp Mania which specializes in Southwestern art. The blessing is from Cornado Stamps. I stamped the images with Black Versa Fine. A great pad for details and standing up well on colored paper. Now I need to get off and go call Dad. (Don't tell, but we're having a surprise birthday party for him Sat.!)

Tip #63

It's the dreaded time of year-candy is everywhere! I've already bought 3 bags for Halloween and put them in a the hall closet. Now we are down to 1 bag and it's only days into Oct. (sigh) So it seemed appropriate to post this card. The stamps are by Eat Cake Graphics and colored in with Prisma pencils. The corners are sponged with a rust colored dye pad. Hope your self control is working better than mine.

Asian card

Had to reorganize my stash of printed papers. Oh my! I'm obviously a "sucker" for pretty paper. It was painful to do, but if things aren't organized well for usage, I find I'm frustrated and end up buying more paper because I can't find what I need. So, I've posted a card today that is made out of 2 printed 12x12 papers I had. Quick and easy, and yet looks good. I added some yarn and nice beads to finish it off.

Smokn' Stampboard

Stampboard has a clay surface perfect for any ink or paint and able to enhance an image by scratching out white lines into the clay. On this piece, I held the piece over a candle until the soot covered the surface. Then I pressed the stamp onto the soot and it actually took off the black. The image was then scratched out so the white showed up even more. Stampboard is very light, so I taped it to the rest of the card with double stick tape.

Dream Card

Happy World Card Making Day! Hope you sieze the moment and go make a card for someone today. I posted a "dream" card today as I send a shout out to my bestest boss. I'm very greateful to be at a job I enjoy and to have a boss that makes it fun to be there as well. Working in a stamp store is the polar opposite of my last job, for sure. Hope you can stop by Angela's Happy Stamper today to pick up 2 free cards to help you in your creative quest.

On this posted card I embossed the image (by Stampers Anonymous)with black emobssing powder. I added the colors by sponging them on. Stazon dye inks are really vibrant when you sponge them on paper and worked really well for the look I wanted. The words were stamped with a metallic pink ink.

Paper Inspirations Christmas Card

How are your holiday cards coming? I need to get back to mine, but today is a day to reclaim my stamp room. It's turn into a progressive pit of disaster. We'll see if there is any time left after that for card making.

This card was done by first taking a solid rectangle and stamping it with a metallic tan pad onto the cream paper. Then the cones were inked with brown and green markers and stamped on top of the solid image. A gold pen was used to add gold lines along the pine needles but this part is hard to see. The words (by Penny Black) were inked with a gold metallic pad and stamped on cream and then punched out with a circular punch. A gold cord was added to the circle. The flourish was stamped with a watermark pad onto the green.