Seize the Birthday #315

Hello Fellow Crafters!  Seize the Birthday has just posted our latest Topping and it's a good one.  Shirley is our host and she's chosen Splish/Splash.  What makes this extra special is that she's offering us many freedoms of choice.  Pool, Ocean, Beverages, Messy Inking, etc.  I love it! 

I will admit to sneaking a peek into the DT gallery ahead of time to get a feel for the direction everyone took.  Always wanting to be a bit different, I chose a fishing theme that allowed me to combine two awesome die sets from two different companies.  

I haven't given my postcard die background enough love so that's where I started.  I did some light inking to give it a bit of depth, die cut the fishing gear in white and then colored them with Catherine Pooler dye inks.  After that it was just a matter of arranging them and stamping the sentiment.  I really love the versatility of her Topping!

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Fairways and Fish Tales die set

Cottage Cutz - Fishing Gear die set

Clearly Besotted - Sentimental Type stamp set

Waffle Flower Crafts - Postage Collage die and stencil

I invite you to visit our blog for a variety of splashy goodness and do hope you're inspired to play along!

Thanks so much for visiting!

Jules

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers #267

Hello Snarky Friends!

I'm still waiting for both fall to arrive and my mojo to return so if any of you are hoarding either or both, please return them to me ASAP.  As you read this I am in Central Illinois where it is in the upper 80s/low 90s.  C'mon!  This Florida girl wants to sit outside, see some red leaves and not sweat.  One would think traveling 1250 miles north IN OCTOBER would get me that.  *sigh*  

To quote one of my favorite movies...

You're Killin' Me Smalls!

Today I am sharing a very simple mojo-less card I created for our October Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers challenge.  This month we are looking for Spooky themes.  Because it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month I went with a bright pink background.

I apologize for more of a cute than spooky vibe but ghosts are spooks, right?  And because I'm still struggling this is a really simple card.  The ghosts were leftovers from last year.  The background is designer paper.  And I combined two stamp sets for the sentiment, spider and cobwebs.  My only real detail is the thin white border that I added for some interest.

Supplies:

Miss Ink Stamps - Boo Sheet stamp set

Art Impressions - Fright Night stamp set

I do hope a bit of fall is heading your way by now.  If not, don't invite me to visit.  Apparently I'm an Autumn Kill Joy.  

I invite you to visit our blog for some wonderful inspiration from my teammates. (Some are downright creepy!)  We would love for you to play along!

Thanks so much for visiting and sorry/not sorry for the rant.

Jules

Color Hues #319

 

Hello again my crafty friends.  Today marks the start of a new Color Hues challenge.  Marcia has chosen the perfect duo of autumnal colors for us to work with this fortnight....Rust and Yellow.  I haven't played in my craft room for weeks and to say I have lost my mojo (aka, a bit rusty...LOL!) is putting it mildly.  What I'm sharing here is the third card I created for this challenge and I highly doubt that either of the first two will ever see the light of day.  Their construction was like pulling teeth but this one came together rather quickly.

I pulled together several Spellbinder die sets for my focal point.  The gourds were die cut from white and blended out with two shades of Distress Oxides yellows.  The pumpkin was cut from a scrap of The Stamp Market cardstock called Rust (seemed appropriate, right?) and I used their coordinating ink to give select pieces their depth. What truly makes the card in my opinion are the cute glasses.  I want to put glasses on all the things!  I die cut an oval from the top panel, arranged the die cuts, stamped the greeting and then adhered it to a white card base using fun foam.

I have two more cards to make before I leave to visit friends in a few days.  I sure hope my mojo decides to come out and play.

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Modern Ovals die set (one of my favs!)

Spellbinders - Smart Glasses die set

Spellbinders - Autumn Wonder die set

Spellbinders - Autumn Scarecrow die set

Simon Says Stamp / Neat and Tangled - Hello Pumpkin stamp set

I invite you to visit our blog for more wonderful examples from my fellow teammates.  You won't be disappointed.  And I do hope you're inspired to play along.  Remember that Rust, Yellow and approved neutrals (see blog for list) are the only colors to be used in your design.  

Thanks so much for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday #314

Hello Crafty Friends.  For those in the northern hemsphere I'd love to know if fall has hit your area yet.  There is no such thing in Florida so I need to live through you.

Today I'm sharing a card I just whipped up for our latest Seize the Birthday challenge where our fearless leader Nancy has chosen Clean and Simple with a Stencil.  I know CAS means different things to different crafters....such as No Layers, No Embellishments, Lots of White Space, etc.  Since I am a failure at single layer cards I chose to add a stenciled and stamped white panel onto a green card base.  There is not much white space however it is entirely flat and devoid of embellishments.  

I chose a beautiful but underutilized set of stencils (5 in all) along with a simple stamped sentiment.  I thought this sentiment design was perfect with the drape of the hanging florals.    

Supplies:

Pink Fresh Studio - Hanging Garden stencil set

The Greetery - Everyday Labels stamp set

Catherine Pooler inks

In addition to Johanna who will be here until year's end we have previous winners Milla and Bonnie joining us on the blog today.  Please come take a look around the blog.  We'd love for you to play along.  CAS/Stenciling is optional.  A birthday greeting is not.  

Thanks so much for visiting!

Jules

Color Hues #118

Hello my crafty friends!  I have the honor of hosting the new Color Hues challenge that just went live on the challenge blog.  When I struggle to choose a unique combination I often turn to my Distress Oxide inks for inspiration.  Two of my favorites are Stormy Sky and Bundled Sage hence our newest color duo is ...

Smokey Blue and Sage Green.

Disclaimer: The silver shimmer is throwing off the color hues in my photo. 

 

I dug through my NBUS bin once again and pulled out a "new to me" set of Christmas ornament dies and then went wherever the creative juices took me.  

I began by ink blending a few scraps of Bristol cardstock in my color choices, often mixing different shades of greens/blues combined with Weathered Wood and Iced Spruce to get a variance of hues.  I then added a spray of silver shimmer to the top layer before assembling.  I used a silver pigment ink to "stamp" the Better Press plate's image onto smooth black cardstock.  It's hard to see in the photo but the sentiment is actually silver foiled and the gems are clear, not silver.  I thought they added just the right finishing touch.

If you use my Spellbinders Affiliate Links to make any purchase it earns 

me a bit  of crafting cash at no additional expense to you. TIA! 

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Stitched Curve Border and Ornaments die set (DOM-Nov21)

Spellbinders - Sending Joy Sentiments

Spellbinders - Night and Day Better Press plates

Distress Oxides - Stormy Sky, Weather Wood, Bundled Sage, Peeled Paint, Faded Jeans, Iced Spruce

Lisa Horton - Silver Shine pigment ink

Imagine - Sheer Shimmer Silver spray

I invite you to visit our blog for more inspiration from my teammates as well as our special guest, Birgit.  It would make our day if you played along in the gallery!

Thanks so much for visiting!

Jules

Seize the Birthday #313

 

Hey Crafty Friends!  My card share today was created using the new Topping at Seize the Birthday.  Jenny is our host and she's chosen Embossing.  I opted to use a folder to create a subtle embossed texture on the lower half of my card along with a cute NBUS stamp set.

I haven't been coloring much lately however this neglected stamp set was calling my name.  The critters come prearranged on a single stamp so no masking was involved with this one.  (I did stamp the the balloons and speech bubble separately.)  This would make a great card for an coworker don't you think?

Supplies:

Simon Says Stamp - Critter Crowd stamp set

Concord & 9th - Banner Alpha stamp set 

Fun Stampers Journey - Big Dot embossing folder

I invite you to visit our blog for more wonderful embossing inspiration.  We would love to see you in the gallery and hope you decide to take on the challenge.  

Thanks so much for visiting!

Jules

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers #266

Happy September Fellow Crafters!  It's the first Saturday of this glorious month and the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers would like to celebrate the coming of fall.  My example isn't snarky but it is punny so I thought it would work.  Thoughts?

If you use my Spellbinders Affiliate Links to make any purchase it earns 

me a bit  of crafting cash at no additional expense to you. TIA! 

I just used this scarecrow for my Color Hues card earlier this week and he was just too cute to put away.  Besides, I don't get much chance to create fall themed cards here in South Florida.  For something a bit different today I used a combination of patterned papers and cardstock as my die cutting materials.  After that it was just a matter of assembling and stamping.  Love my scarecrow paper doll.  

Supplies:

Spellbinders - Autumn Scarecrow die set 

Spellbinders - Dancin' Halloween sentiments (appears to be sold out)

I invite you to visit our blog for more autumnal inspiration.  We would love to see your cards in our gallery...the snarkier the better but not a requirement.  

Thanks for visiting!

Jules