MFT Shaker Card

I just love the new #MFTStamps Die-namics cover up dies.  They are large and are made to basically cover up an A2 card base.  I like this die because it makes an easy shaker card.  The flower is another MFT die called Plentiful Petals.  The stamps are from the Simon Says Stamp You die and stamp combo set and I used Pretty Pink Posh sequins.  Easily came together.

Funny Quick Card

This card makes me grin.  I just love that sentiment.  This is a quick card because I had a stash of pre-cut #MFTStamps die-namics Four Way Chevron die.  I also used another MFT die label to cut a white label to stamp the cute saying.  It was super quick.  Hope you like it!

I love the deep true red card stock from Simon Says Stamp.  I used that red to pop the white card stock with the sentiment.  I also add black enamel dots on the yellow flowers.

Does anyone make Halloween cards?  Somehow I've never made more than 1 or 2 but this year I found myself making quite a few for different card challenges.  This Halloween card was not a quick card.  The sponging took the most time to do, but it was fun.  I love sponging backgrounds.  I made my own cloud mask out of regular typing paper.  The little bats are from a paper punch I've had for years!

Watercolor Roses

I just love the My Favorite Things Roses Background.  This was fun to create and super quick to put together.  Used Ranger's Distress Inks to watercolor the white embossed rose background stamp.  I used the MFT Die-namics Stitched Basic Edges to cut the embossed and water-colored roses background.  I went back and used the same die to cut a strip of black card stock and another one in lime green. It's hard to see the lime green card stock strip.

Vertical Greetings

I have 2 sets of  My Favorite Things ( MFT) Vertical Greetings but one of them has been retired.  You can find these under the Die-namics companions at the MFT stamps website.  The Vertical Greetings set contains 4 inspiring sayings and you can purchase the die that is sized to fit the stamped greetings.   Lucky for me the Vertical Greetings I own is still available.  Then I used the cool background die called Die-namics Four Way Chevron Cover-Up to cut my background using black cardstock.  I then took some yellow card stock and cut out the MFT Die-namics Pierced Fancy Flourish.  It is fancy!  I used the same yellow card stock and die cut the LJD Scribble Flowers and layered that under the LJD Scribbles roses cut out of red card stock. I cut the rose leaves using the MFT die-namics Royal Leaves dies.  This set is a must have and is perfect for roses.  Can you imagine cutting these out in white or gold card stock?  Perfect for Wedding or Anniversary Cards.   All products are from MFT!  I love how this card looks so complicated, but it's not.

Since I work outside of my home I've had to device ways to get my "required for my sanity" creative card-making time.  I've had to device a time-saving strategy.  The best thing I did was to set a couple of hours out and just die-cut a bunch of backgrounds, flowers, leaves, butterflies, flourishes, and precut and score your base cards.  I also stamp a bunch of greetings at one time as well.  

Strategy #2 - Store all of these card elements and use a $1.00 bragbook to store them in.  Brag book?  Is that aging me.  I'm talking about those $1 photo albums you pick up at Michael's to store your 4"X 6" photos in.  BTW, Michael's $1 bins are up to $1.50.  It's still a good deal.  

Now when you need a quick card, just go to your photo album with the cut-out goodies and slap that card in no time!  

Watercolor Butterfuly

I love the My Favorite Things (MFT) company's butterfly dies.  This was another ink smooching technique using Distress Inks by Ranger to create a background.  I used several  MFT Blueprint Dies to create this card.  It was a quick card as well.  The black card stock butterfly was die cut using the Flutter of Butterflies - Lace dies, the word "Wish" is from the die-namics brushstroke birthdays set.

The watercolor paper was first covered with plain water to better able the accept the organic flow of the distress ink water color.  

So what is the ink smooching technique.  I saw this great video by Kristina Werner and have seen Lauren Bassen's video as well.  This is how it goes:

1.  Take a non-stick craft mat (Ranger makes one), pat your distress ink pad directly onto the craft mat.  

2.  Spritz the ink splotches on the craft mat with water.  Side note:  Next time, I'm adding Pearl Effects to my water spritzer for added glimmer.  Can never have to much glimmer & glitz in my book.

3.  Here's the fun part.  Take a manageable piece of acetate, or clear packaging that you get when you purchase  photopolymer stamps.  Use the outside plastic NOT the sheets that your stamps "live" on.  

4.  Take the piece of acetate with both hands and place it on top of the distress ink splotches.  The ink gets picked up onto the plastic and now place the inked acetate on your still wet watercolor paper.  You can play around and smooch the ink around.  

5.  Continue to build your layers of color until you get the desired effects.  

6.  I use my heat tool to dry the paper and go back to add another layer of color if I want more intense colors.

7.  You can add plain water on top of the water color and wait a few seconds to pick up the water droplets with a paper towel and you get a cool "bleached" out effect.

This card was eazy-peazy, because I had die-cut a bunch of water color paper with my Blueprints and had ink smooched several of these panels.  So, I had backgrounds and card elements pre-cut it was a matter of picking out a sentiment and putting the card together.

Have a great day! 

Courage

This post is about art and the courage to release inhibitions and just create art.  I get tired of people saying, "I don't have a creative bone in my body" or "I'm not creative."  Ah, yes you are!  Did you skip your childhood and go straight into adulthood?  I didn't think so!  Discover the love of just coloring or playing with paper and scissors.  It's so good for your artful soul.  Don't  shut that part of your life off.  Time to bring it up to the forefront and make it a part of your life.  OK, I'm off my soapbox now.

My Favorite Things (MFT) has a retired stamp set called, "All About Art" and it had many quotes and sayings about art, artists, and the artful life.  If you ever find it on ebay or Craigslist, you need to buy it.  It's a must have.

The Super Boy was colored with Prismacolor pencils.  I wish I had more of these pencils, they are the best, but alas I only have the 24 pencil set.  After I colored the super boy I used Gamsol to blend the colored pencil images.   I also used the MFT Die-namics Double Stitched Oval STAX to cut out an oval.  I used ink blending using distress inks on the oval.

I borrowed the Super Boy stamp set from my crafting friend Rubina.  The cute street lamp is the Streetlights die-namics die which I don't think it's available yet.  I received it as a "free with purchase of $60 or more" from MFT.  Isn't that the coolest -free dies with a purchase?  I die cut the street light and glued it onto the sponged background oval.  The sentiment, "Creativity takes courage" is from the All About Art stamp set.  The sentiment is stamped on a strip of white card stock die cut from one of the elements of Blueprint 13 I believe.