Thanks Friend Tag

The inspiration this time for Tag You're It!  Is a pretty vintage looking photo.

I have not used buttons in my card making for too long.  The backing for the buttons in the photo inspired the design of my tag.  I masked the images to layer them and heat embossed them in white.  The whimsical images are from a stamp set by Papersmooches.  I colored the tag using pencil crayons. I found a soft yellow button in my stash for the center of the flower. To finish it off I used some white Nuvo Drops.

I hope you are inspired to make a tag and share it with us at Tag You're It!

Three Thank You Cards

I am in need of a bunch of Thank You cards and I had none in my stash.  The theme at A Blog Named Hero is "Stretch Your Stamps" and it is perfect for creating multiple cards.

I used the "Kaleidoscope Floral Cling" for these cards.  I positioned it in my stamp press so it was easy to stamp and heat emboss the image three times.

On this card I stamped on watercolor paper and used Nuvo Shimmer powders sprayed with water.  Once dry I used an x-acto knife to cut out the image.  Next to pop up the image I adhered fun foam behind the image.

This card I used craft colored paper and colored in the image with pencil crayons.

On the third  card I did some ink blending of three shades of Distress Oxide inks.  I splattered with water.  I highlighted parts of the image by painting areas with water and removing the ink with paper towel.  Finally I added some subtle glitter with Wink of Stella on part of the image.

Thanks for stopping by I hope you are inspired to join our challenge at A Blog Named Hero.

Stretch your Stamps

The challenge for you at A Blog Named Hero is to "Stretch Your Stamps".

For inspiration for this challenge I turned to the Online Card Classes Stretch Yous stamps lessons.  A lesson in which Jennifer McGuire used a background stamp gave me the idea for these cards.  For these cards I used the Jellyfish Party Background stamp.  I stamped the image with Hero Arts Embossing ink on dark card stock.  Next I brushed on three different shades of Pearl Ex powder.  I die cut a circle from this and used it for the focal point on my second card.

I stamped the Pearl Strings Bold Print Background stamp on light blue card stock.  I used the Happy Stamp and Cut set for the sentiment.

On my second card I brushed Pool Hero Arts Reactive Ink through the Crossing Waves Stencil.  Next I misted some Shimmer Spritz on the background.

I would enjoy seeing how you stretch your stamps please share your work at our latest challenge.

Hello Flamingo Tag

Hello!  I'm a bit late joining the current challenge at Tag You're It!  Life was crazy this past week with back to school and Birthdays.

Fun and colorful inspiration photo for this challenge.  I used Nuvo Pearl powders on watercolor paper to make the background.  I sprinkled several colors of powder on the paper and spritzed with water.  After it dried I die cut the tag, this helped flatten the warping the water caused in the paper.  On a separate piece of card stock I stamped and colored the bird (Hello Bluebird Stamps) with Copic markers.  I stamped the bird on the tag.  I fussy cut the bird except for it's legs then adhered it on top of the stamped image on the tag.

Thanks for stopping by I look forward to seeing your work at Tag You're It!

Christmas in July with A Blog Named Hero

Hello!  A quick post today with my second card for the Christmas in July challenge.  For this card I created a alcohol ink background on Yupo Paper.  While the ink was still tacky I pressed a scrap of heat transfer foil onto it and the silver did stick to the background in some places.  I used the fabulous Hero Arts Snowflake Confetti die to die cut the snowflakes.  I kept the cut out snowflakes for other projects, they were too pretty to throw away.  The sentiment was created using the Hero Arts Merry Stamp and Cut.

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you are inspired to create a project to enter in the A Blog Named Hero "Christmas in July" challenge.

'Tis The Season

In the weeks before Christmas I usually can never have enough time.  It works well for me to work on my Christmas cards throughout the year when I feel inspired.  The current theme at A Blog Named Hero is "Christmas in July".

This color layering stamp isn't currently available but the "Color Layering Cardinal" stamp set would also work well for this card.  I went with a softer color palette for this card.  I made the frame for this card using the "Wood Frame Infinity Dies".  I die cut several frames and adhered them together to create a thick frame.  A piece of acetate was adhered behind the final layer of the frame to create the window.

Inside the shaker I used some snowflakes that were from a die cut alcohol ink background.  I used the "Snowflake Confetti Infinity Die" to create a background for another background and the leftover snowflakes were too pretty to throw away.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you are inspired to work on your holiday cards and play along with the current A Blog Named Hero challenge.

Christmas in July Tag

Always a good idea to add to the Christmas card and tag stash when inspiration is available.  Challenge # 92 at Tag You're It! is themed "Christmas In July"

For this challenge I used some pretty stamps and dies from W plus 9 to create a shaker card .  I realized after I assembled it the candle image didn't look quite right because I missed one of the layer stamps for the flame.  But I think this shaker tag turned out very pretty.

Thanks for stopping by, please share your Christmas themed tag at the current challenge.  

Alcohol Ink Sympathy Card

Hello!  My card today is for the challenge at A Blog Named Hero.  

Because this is a sympathy card I wanted to use soft colors.  First I created the background using alcohol inks on Yupo paper.  Start with a generous puddle of Ranger Alcohol Ink Blending solution.  Next working quickly add the alcohol inks, give the colors time to spread and blend.  To help the inks move I used a puffer tool used for cleaning camera lenses.  While the ink is still a bit tacky I used a scrap of gold foil to add some shine.  The foil had been used and had a bit of pattern in it which worked well.

When the background was dry I used a Misti tool and archival ink to stamp the Hero Arts images from the set "Make a Fountain".  I use a stamp positioner because I find it a bit tricky to stamp well on Yupo Paper.  I ended up re-stamping the image a couple of times because I used the positioner it was an easy fix.  Next I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment on velum.  To finish of the card I added a layer of Hero Arts cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope to see your work shared at A Blog Named Hero.

Slow Down Shaker

The New Challenge at Tag You're It! is a fun one.

I decided to make a shaker card. I decided to make the tag a focal point on a masculine card.  For the tag I used dies from My Favorite things because they make a cute circular tag that easily can be made into a shaker.  

I stamped the images from Flora and Fauna then heat embossed them.  Next I colored the images with pencil crayons.  Then for the background I smooshed the cardstock cut to A2 size in Distress ink spritzed with water on my craft mat.  

The water droplet embellishments from Studio Katia finished off the card.

I hope you are inspired to share an interactive tag for Challenge #90.

Butterfly Sympathy

Unfortunately sympathy cards are a good thing to have on hand, .  When I need to send a sympathy card I don't usually feel up to making one.  This months challenge theme at A Blog Named Hero is "Sympathy".

For my card I colored some white embossing paste with a blue re inker and applied it through the "Spiral Petals" stencil.  I had applied Brusho paint powders to watercolor card stock for another project and used the left over piece for the butterflies.  I heat embossed the butterflies from "New Day Butterfly" and fussy cut them.  I made little antennas for the butterflies by coiling some black wire.  I sprinkled the dry embossed background with some black alcohol ink before stamping the sentiment and adding the butterflies.

Thanks for coming by to see my card.  I will have a second card for this challenge at the beginning of July.

Fabulous Dolls

My second card for the Celebrate challenge at A Blog Named Hero.  This card features the cute Hero Arts photopolymer stamp set "Four Dolls"  from 2009.  I used my MISTI stamp tool to stamp the doll images and colored one with Copic Markers.  I embossed the sentiment from the "Birthday Messages" stamp set in gold on velum.  My grandfather made many business trips to Japan and he would sometimes bring me back a Kokeshi doll, that is why I purchased and love the stamp set.

Still a few days to join our Celebrate challenge.  I would enjoy seeing some of your favorite products from Hero Arts shared to celebrate their anniversary.

Hello There Tag

Hey there!  Here with my tag for Challenge #88 , "Spring Flowers", at Tag You're It!

I stamped the images from Hero Arts on watercolor cardstock.  To add color to the images I used watercolor paints.  Once dry I fussy cut the images.  The tag was diecut from smooth bristol using a tag die from Reverse Confetti.  

I added green Distress ink with a blending tool and splattered some black ink on the tag.  I adhered the fussy cut images using foam tape behind a couple of the pink flowers.  I finished off the tag with the sentiment and some gold glitter Nuvo drops.

I hope you share your work at the current challenge.

Iris Anniversary

Hello!  At A Blog Named Hero we are celebrating Hero Art's Anniversary with the current challenge.

I used one of my oldest Hero Arts Stamps on this card, "Iris Bookmark" from 1998.  I stamped the image on paper for pastels.  I then colored it using Prismacolor pencils.

I fussy cut the image, adhered it to black fun foam and fussy cut the foam.  I used some layers of the new Hero Arts cardstock on the card as well.  The light purple was diecut with the Postage Infinity Die and sprayed with shimmer spritz.  The sentiment is from the older set , "All Occasion Messages".

I hope you are inspired to join the challenge and share with us some of your favorite Hero Arts products.

CAS Mother's Day

Hello!  My second card for the Clean and Simple Challenge at A Blog Named Hero.

This card is fairly simple to make.  I stamped the flower on Watercolor paper.  The stamp set I used is no longer available from Hero Arts, the "Hero Floral Overlapping Petals" cling stamp would work well.  I then coated the flower with masking fluid.

Once the fluid dried I sprinkled Brusho paint powders around the flower (a little of this stuff goes a long way) and spritzed with water.  When the color dried I removed the masking fluid, colored the center of the flower with Wink of Stella and clear Nuvo drops.  The sentiment I stamped using a MISTI stamp positioner in black ink and heat embossed it with clear.  I distressed the edges of the water color paper and layered it with some pattern paper to the card.

So except for drying time this is a fairly quick card but the paint powders make it standout.  I hope to see your work shared at the current challenge, there is still a few days left.

Heffy Doodle and Chibitronics

Hello!  Very fun card today for the collaboration of Chibitronics with Heffy Doodle.  

I love the adorable Narwhal from the Heffy Doodle "Oceans of Love" stamp set.

I started out with a 4.25"X 5.5" piece of Neenah Solar white cardstock.  I stamped the starfish and bubbles with copic friendly ink.  I colored the images in and coated them with clear and blue sparkle Nuvo drops. But before adding the Nuvo drops I poked holes in the starfish for Chibi lights to shine through. I set it aside to dry.  I then colored the little Narwhal on a seperate piece of cardstock and fussy cut him.  

When the Nuvo drops dried I blended Distress oxide inks to create the background.  I first blended a light blue over the entire background then blended a medium blue and purple through the "Bubbles Waves Stencil".

I cut the background down to 3.75" X 5".  On a blue piece of cardstock (4" X 5.25") I mapped out the Chibitronic circuit.

I used a simple circuit.  When the flap on top of the battery is pressed down the copper tape connects with the battery and completes the positve circuit powering the LEDs.  I adherred the front to the ciruit using foam tape.  To finish the card off I added clear droplet embelishments and the heat embossed sentiment.  Heffy Doodles "Interactively Yours" stamp set is perfect to use with Chibitronics and its what I used to stamp "press here". 

This was such a fun collaboration!

Hop List:

Heffy Doodle

Koren Wiskman

Kelly Griglione

Jessica McAfee

Wei Wei Wang

Francesca Vignoli

Yukiko Sugiyama

Isha Gupta

Eiko Uchida

Ali Farmer

Kelly Szafron ← You Are Here

Cassie Tezak

Vanessa Reinheimer

Yukiko Inami

Heffy Doodle will be giving away a £50 gift voucher to one commenter and Chibitronics will be giving away a starter kit to one commenter! 

Thanks for stopping by, Your next stop is Cassie Tezak.