A.O.K. / End of the Week Technique #62- Coloring with Bleach / NAC #31/ My Challenge #58

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Hey y'all. Happy Wednesday! I'm sitting here doing this post on pain meds, so bear with me if I seem a little more off than normal. :)

Here's a quick update for you- 1st let me say Thanks! to Everyone who has sent me so much Love and Support over the past week. I am doing much better, however I think I over-did it yesterday (Big Shock to those of you that know me) and ended up with some severe pain today so I'm taking the next 2 days off from work and am back taking pain meds. :( I guess the good news is that maybe I can get some stamping done. Glass Half-full and all that. :)

Two Questions for you today- 1) Do people ever just surprise you and 2) Do you ever just surprise yourself?

1) It seems that people rarely surprise me. Ok...that's not totally true. People rarely surprise me in a good way. 2) It doesn't happen very often, but there are those times when I really just surprise myself. Today's card is a product of both of those things. Oh and are you wondering about today's title? Instead of R.A.K or Random Acts of Kindness it's just A.O.K. Act of Kindness, because I think the person that inspired today's card probably does little A.O.K.'s more than just randomly.

1) One of my Stamping Friends sent me a get well card after my little emergency trip to the O.R. last week and it just really touched me. Years ago, before the internet, it was hard to imagine being friends with someone you had never met. Now-a-days it's a little bit easier, but still sometimes hard to imagine. Then every-once-in-a-while you meet someone and you become friends and you just know that when you actually meet it's going to be like seeing an old friend and you're going to just laugh yourself silly. Know what I mean? Well, I have a couple of Blog-landia friends like that and one inspired today's card. (Hi Tams!) So I sat down to make today's card to let her know how much her A.O.K. meant to me and when I was done I had one of the #2 moments and just looked at my card and thought "Wow! I made this." It's not my normal style card with lots of layers and lots of color but I just thought it was so pretty and I really hope my friend likes it too. Of course I hope the ladies over at NAC like it and I hope you like it too! So without further ado, here's today's card-

Card with Pretty Poppies Stamp Set and Bleach Technique

What do you think? Oh, I really hope it's not just the pain meds telling me it's pretty. I have to say this is really one of my favorite cards in a very long time...you know one of those you almost want to just stick up on your own board instead of sending. I actually think I may make some boxed sets with this...that is if it's not just me and the pain meds. :) 

Here's the sketch I was using-

Wide open for interpretation. This is from the fabulous Tammy Fite over at Nacho Average Challenge. Love her and her fabulous team members. This is an awesome site for not only challenges but inspiration and support. There's still plenty of time to play along, so make sure you drop by and check them out, but after you finish here. :) At first I was going to use my Doily background set and then I thought of my Pretty Poppies set which I love but haven't used nearly as much as I thought I would. So many fabulous stamp sets and so little time. Darn It! I had also been wanting to try out the Coloring with Bleach technique and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. Ooooohhhhh, so glad I did!

Here's a closer look-

The bleach turned my Crumb Cake c/s a pretty pale, pale, yellow. I started with a base of Early Espresso c/s cut at 4 1/4 x 11 and scored at 5 1/2 to make a tent style card. I inked up my stamp with VersaMark and stamped it onto a piece of Crumb Cake c/s cut at 4 x 5 1/4 and then covered it with Early Espresso Embossing Powder. (Oh yeah, I used my Embossing Buddy first to make sure I didn't get any stray embossing marks. This is Key.) I then colored in my flowers using my Aqua Painter filled with Bleach instead of water. The raised embossing contains the bleach. I sponged the edges with some Early Espresso and adhered this layer with Tombow. The embossing and bleaching makes this layer a little heavier than normal so I recommend either Tombow or Dimensionals instead of SNAIL here. I wanted the sentiment to make a statement but not really be a focal point so I stamped it in Early Espresso ink on a scrap of Crumb Cake c/s and punched it out with my Modern Label Punch.  A little sponging and 2 Dimensionals and my card front was done. I don't remember when I had so little on a card front and had such an impact. I actually tried to "sponge" the sentiment layer with more bleach a few other times but the bristles kept giving me stray marks so I had to give up on that idea. :( I have to say as much as I love how this turned out, this is not a good technique for those of you that are control freaks like I am. You have no control over how this is going to turn out. There are slight variations in the coloring and once the c/s absorbs the bleach you can't really go back and even areas out. Once the bleaching is done, it's done... it won't absorb more. You just kind of get what you get. Oh, the sentiment is from the Language of Friendship set. It's a nice set and pretty in-expensive but I really think it gets overlooked a lot.

You know I like to pretty up the inside so here you go-

The sentiment is from the Kindness Matters set and I just re-inked my stamp with Versamark and stamped a portion onto the bottom of my card and repeated the process from the front. Here's a closer look-

So what do you think? I hope you like it and I hope it inspires you to try something new, especially this technique. If you do, I'd love to see what you come up with! For those of you that have never done this before here's today's tutorial-

Coloring with Bleach.

Here's what you'll need- Aqua Painter, Liquid Bleach, Stamp set and Card stock of your choice, VersaMark pad, Embossing Buddy,Embossing Powder and Heat Tool.

Here's what you do-

1) Choose your c/s and rub your Embossing Buddy all over it to get rid of any static. This will ensure you don't get stray embossed areas.

2) Ink your stamp with VersaMark and stamp. If you use a really juicy ink pad like our new ones you might be able to just emboss without the VersaMark but you would have to work really quickly. Cover your image with Embossing Powder, I used Early Espresso. Flick off and/or brush off any excess powder that may be lingering.

3) Heat set your Embossing Powder. Make sure to thoroughly emboss your image. If you don't get it completely set, you could smear it or your bleach might not be completely contained.

4) Very carefully color in your image with your bleach filled Aqua Painter.  Here's another close-up look-

***Tip*** Here's a few for you-

a) Wear old clothes when you fill your Aqua Painter with bleach, just in case. You wouldn't want to splash/spill any on your good clothes.

b) Make sure to designate one Aqua Painter as your "Bleach" Painter. I used a sharpie and wrote a "B" on mine. You wouldn't want to use this one to do your regular water-coloring with. *OOOOPS!* Thankfully this was not an "Ask me how I know" moment.

c) Be careful not to "squeeze" your Bleach Painter while it's on/over your project. This could result in an unhappy bleach "spillage" moment. :( Use a scrap piece of post-it note or c/s to ensure you have plenty of bleach in your brush tip.

d) Try "Bleaching"scraps of c/s before you actually do your project to make sure you get the look you are going for. I got lucky and had an end result that went with my color theme with my first try. In fact I plan on "bleaching" lots of scraps so I know in advance what to expect, because this is definitely a technique that I will try again.

5) Be sure to secure your bleached layer well. Like I mentioned above, the addition of not only the embossing but the bleach makes for a heavier than normal layer. It would be very sad if your layer fell off because you didn't adhere it well enough. :'(

6) Smile when you see your finished product and smile even more when you think about the smile it will bring it's recipient. (Unless of course you're me and then smile even as you hope it's not just the pain meds making you like it so much, lol)

Well, that's all I have for you today. I really do hope you like it and I hope you will give this technique a try. I already have some ideas for some masculine cards using this same technique so I hope you'll stay tuned for more projects. Don't forget to get your project completed before Saturday night at midnight so you can play along with me over at the Nacho's. (Love that name!) If you liked today's card or technique, or have questions about it, I hope you'll take just a moment to leave me a message below. I love hearing from you and your comments really do make my day! If you'd like to +1 or Pin today's project I've put those buttons on my blog for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! Till Next Time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,

Shan

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Kindness Matters Shadow-Box Card / NAC #14

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Hey y'all. Happy Friday! Are you ready for the Long Holiday Weekend? I know I am. Gonna get some stamping done for some upcoming Craft Fairs. I haven't done any before, so I'm excited. :)

Today's card is one I did for Nacho Average Challenge. Have you been to their site yet? You should definitely check them out, but after you finish here. They have weekly challenges and alternate between Color Challenges and Sketch Challenges. You know I love the sketch challenges but the color challenges are definitely not my favorite. Not that they pick bad combo's, no it's totally that I just get so overwhelmed with all the possibilities  This one came to me pretty quick though and I'm very happy with how it turned out.

Here's today's card-

Shadow-Box Card featuring
Kindness Matters Stamp Set

This was the first time I made this type of card and it was so quick and easy. One of the best parts...It lies flat and will fit in a standard envelope. Score!

Here's the challenge I was working with-

Such a pretty combination, don't you think?

Here's a closer look at my card-

I used Early Espresso and Very Vanilla for my base. I used my Simply Scored Tool to create my score lines first and re-enforced all the lines. Next I centered my framelet from the Apothecary Accents Framelet set in the middle of my E.E. c/s and ran it through my Big Shot with the Fancy Fan E.F. I did it in this order for two reasons. 1- So I wouldn't flattened out the embossed design when I did my scoring and 2- So I could align the center of the embossing folder with the center of my cut-out. You can see how nicely that turned out in this picture. I lined up my two pieces of c/s and lightly marked the middle and center of the V.V. c/s by drawing small tic-marks through the E.E. cut-out. I was able to then use these marks as a guideline to stamp my image. No, I didn't use my SAMJ and yes, I realize I should have because it's just slightly above center. However, it's so slight I don't think many people would notice or care. But the OCD in me will ensure it doesn't happen again. :)
The image is stamped in E.E. and then I used my Blender Pen to color in the butterflies using So Saffron and Pretty in Pink Classic Ink Pads. A little Two-Way Glue Pen and some love from Tink and I have some beautiful, sparkly, friends. The shadow-box is closed with two strips of Sticky-Strip. I wanted to add a sentiment so I stamped one from the same set in E.E. on a scrap of V.V. c/s and then used my Bitty Banners Framelets to cut it out. It's adhered with 2 Mini-Glue Dots on the left hand portion. This allows it to "flow" off the card when it's opened up. You can use the back of the V.V. c/s to hand-write your note.

I took the first two pictures at an angle on an easel so I thought I would try one more sitting flat, like it would be on a desk or shelf-

This really did come together so quickly that I'm thinking of making some more, maybe a little taller and trying different framelets to make the windows.

That's all I have for you today. I hope you liked it and I hope those Fabulous ladies over at NAC like it too. Love, Love, L.O.V.E. playing along with them each week. If you liked today's card or have questions about it, I hope you'll leave me a message below. I love hearing from you and read them all. They really do make my day. If you'd like to +1 or Pin today's card I've put the  buttons on my blog for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! I hope you have an Safe and Fun Holiday weekend filled with lots of time for Family, friends and of course time for Creativity. Come back and see me soon, won't you please? Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain. 

Be Safe,
Shan

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A Soft, Shimmery, Thank-You and a Challenge / NAC #4

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Hey y'all. Happy Humpday! I hope you've had a fabulous week so far. Just two more days until the weekend. Woo-Hoo!!!

*Disclaimer*- Today's post is a little wordier than normal, but full of pretty pictures. I hope it at least makes you smile if not full-on belly laugh. :)

Have you ever gone somewhere and expected one thing and ended up with something totally different? Most of us have had this happen at one time or another. Often times, unfortunately, our "something different" is not something that makes us very happy. I recently had an experience though, that while not really "happiness inducing" at least had me laughing a Great deal. In fact it was so pleasant I decided to make a Thank You card for the people involved.

It just so happens that I was also able to incorporate Nacho Average Challenge's Color Challenge for the week. Most of you know I'm not a fan of the color challenges as they leave me feeling very inadequate, but I think I did ok this week. Thanks to NAC for another great color combo! I don't normally look at the DT samples prior to making my challenge cards, because I don't want my card to come out looking like theirs. It's a good thing I did though, because I had thought of summery ice-cream cones and well, apparently great minds do think alike (lol) because one of the DT members had the same thought. How embarrassed would I have been to have submitted a card so similar!?! Very, would be the correct answer. So I had to come up with a new idea. I thought about some yummy cupcakes, but I recently did a card with a cupcake for another challenge and I wanted something new. What to do, what to do....you know what to do here, come on say it with me in your best Pooh Bear voice...Think, Think, Think, Think.... I would use my new Butterfly set, Papillion  Potpourri. I've seen lots of cards with this set recently but I hadn't had a chance to use either the stamp set or the punch, so I was pretty excited. I've seen lots of people layer the punched out, stamped butterflies over a butterfly that was stamped onto c/s. But just the other day I saw one where the punched butterflies were layered over a butterfly punched out of coordinating cardstock. Genius! It looked so pretty. The stamper had colored her butterflies in with daubers for a really pretty effect. Well,  let me just tell you that I tried searching my reader feed with the "search" function and by going back through all of my recent feeds and couldn't find that card anywhere! I wanted to link to her card. I must have hit upon it off of one of my feed's websites. :'( So if that was your card, or you know whose card it was, please let me know so I can give proper credit.

Any-whoo, back to my story.... I had to take last Friday off to do paperwork for my stolen vehicle which was of course recovered the next day...After I used a day of vacation running around to complete the darn paperwork!!!!! While I was out at the end of the day, no really it was after 5, I stopped by my dental office to give them a down-payment on some dental work I needed done. Fun, right!?! Not!!!! Well, they tell me "The doctor's free now, do you want to just go ahead and get it done?" Well, the it was a root-canal and a crown. Uh-No!!!! I don't ever "want" that done, and somethings you want to give yourself a chance to prepare for.  Especially since even though my new dentist seemed really nice, what did I really know about how uncomfortable she was about to make me? So, why is it that the words "Sure" came tumbling from lips? Ruh-Roh! Can I just tell you that I left there almost 3 hours later and my cheeks hurt! What in the world do "Cheeks", have to do with a Root Canal and a Crown. Well we were all laughing so hard they couldn't help but hurt. My dentist was having such a good time, she said she wanted to "Send me candy, so we could do it again real soon!" Uh, thanks doc, but I'll be good with just a Hi! So long story short, that's why I needed a Thank-You card for my  unexpectedly happy "something different". My dentist is Amazing! Although I don't "want" to need another Root-Canal, if she's the one doing it, I won't be apprehensive. The only thing she needs remedial training in is "How to understand what your patient is saying when you have both hands and instruments in her mouth." Other than that, she and the entire office as well are the Best!!!

Here's today's card-

Thank You Card featuring
Papillion Potpourri and Curly Cute

Here was the challenge-

What pretty, soft, colors! I felt pretty confident about this challenge even with my initial idea null and void. I started with a base of So Saffron. I topped this with a Whisper White panel that I ran through my Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots E.F. Layered onto that were the Pink Pirouette and Certainly Celery layers. Because of the width of the three butterflies I couldn't fit a So Saffron layer on so I sponged the edges of the W.W. panel with some So Saffron for the illusion of another layer. :) The P.P. layer and C.C layers were Tombowed together and then raised up with Dimensionals. The W.W. layer was also elevated with Dimensionals. Oh and I stamped my sentiment prior to embossing. Much easier that way.

Here's a closer image of the focal point-

I wish you could see how pretty this is in person! I used my Copic Style Water-coloring Technique shown here. Although it's difficult to see because I then let Tink have her way with the inside portions of the wings.
You can still see some of the shadowing and color variations in these close-ups-

I tried to get them to line up across the screen but they wouldn't, not even small. :( Can you see the color variations. I made it darker at the black lines and softened it out from there. I left the very outer portion of the wings, the little scalloped portions, full strength. The bodies are colored in a light wash of Soft Suede. I stamped them in Black Staz-On on watercolor paper, punched them out, colored them, and then Tink made my studio a mess. :) I gave a slight crease to the center so the wings would come up and then attached them to the coordinating colored Butterflies beneath them with a Mini-Glue Dot.

Here's the inside-

I used the sentiment from Kindness Matters. I liked the thought and how even though it's from a different set than the sentiment on the front, the font is similar with the little curls. I inked up different butterflies from the same set by coloring them in with my Stampin Write Markers and the  let Tink have some more fun. :)

Here's a close-up of one of the beautiful babies-

I. Love. This. Card. I really wish it showed better. This is another one of those cards where you look at it and think "Wow! I made that!?!" And the best part is that this was so simple even beginners will be able to make beautiful reproductions. Love when that happens! :)

That's all I have for you today. I hope you liked today's card and that it inspires you to create something beautiful today. Don't forget to check out the Nacho Average Challenges' site. They are really doing a great job with their new challenge site. This challenge is open until Saturday night at midnight. I hope to see your fabulous creations there.

I love hearing from you, so if you have comments or questions about today's card, leave me a comment or feel free to e-mail me. I read all of my comments and they really do make my day! If you'd like to +1 or Pin today's card, I've put the buttons here on my site for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! I hope you'll stop back by soon. Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,
Shan Pin It

Sneak Peek - Betsy's Blossoms and Floral District / SSC #256 / My Challenge #22

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Hey y'all. Happy Tuesday. It's rainy and gloomy here in the DMV and I'm fighting the migraine (that is threatening to hit full force) it has brought me. :(

You guys know I love the peeps over at Stamping 411 and all the great sketches they have for us. They really motivate me to step out of my Scaredy Cat self and stretch myself creatively. Well they have another great sketch this week and as soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to make something with it.

Here's today's card-

Thank You Card with all new Betsy's Blossoms and Kindness Matters stamps and Floral District DSP

This card is a little of a departure for me. I rarely use DSP as a complete background. I looked back over my posts and it looks like I've only done this 9 times for full cards and 3 times for 4 x4's out of about 160 cards/projects. I tend to use it more for an accent/element. Geesh! I probably wouldn't have nearly so much old DSP if I did this a little more often. LOL! Another departure for me is the use of Rich Razzleberry. It's the first time I've ever used it all, no cards, no projects, no accents, nothing. Poor R.R. must have been feeling so unloved. The colors/design are also a little bold for my cards, but I went with the DSP for my color choice. Ha! I guess I should change that first line to say "This card is a BIG departure for me!"

This is a pretty simple card all in all. Rich Razzleberry base, Floral District DSP, (First time it's getting used but it def won't be the last. Love every design in the pack!) Daffodil Delight (another lonely c/s color) for the mat and a little Baja Breeze joins the other two colors for my floral accent.  I stamped my sweet little bird in Baja Breeze twice on c/s, using one to cut out the wings which I popped up with dimensionals, and once on a post-it note. I then cut out the one on the post-it note to "mask" my stamped image for two reasons. 1- so I wouldn't get ink on it when I stamped my other images and 2- so it would give depth to my stamped panel where it looks like the bird is flying "in front of or over" the floral image.

I used the sentiments from Kindness Matters for the front and inside of my card. I got this set for free during SAB and am finally getting to ink it up. :) I used R.R. to stamp my sentiment and one of my "must-own punches", the Word Window Punch to punch it out. I punched individual flowers with my BoHo Blossoms Punch. I'm so glad both of these are hanging around in the new catalog!!! I curled the edges of the flowers up with my stylus, adhered them together with Tombow, added a little pearl (another under-utilized item) and adhered them all to the card with more Tombow. The right side end of the sentiment is elevated with a dimensional as is the Daffodil Delight layer. All other layers in my card utilize Tombow.

Here's the Stamping 411 sketch I used for my inspiration-

I stuck pretty close to it just changing the orientation and moving the sentiment and embellishment over to work with the orientation change. If you haven't played with the great gals over at Stampin 411, this is a wonderful sketch to start with! One of the things I like most about their site (other than the great sketches!) is they give dimensions for their cards and all the layers to help with your design. I don't know about you, but that's one of the things that takes me the longest to figure out! What a time saver to not have to guess, and cut and then re-cut! Thanks Ladies!!! <3

Here's the inside-

Once again the sentiment is from Kindness Matters and is stamped in R.R. I stamped the flowers in R.R. and D.D. and then let Tink have her way with them. It's been far too long since I just let her have her way. You know me, it just hurts me to not have a little something pretty on the inside. Why shouldn't the inside be as pretty as the outside?

For those of you new to my blog, You will see Tombow used a lot. My team-mates tease me about this all the time, even promising to break me of my Tombow addiction (or compulsion) if you will, especially before I begin my Convention Swaps. It's a pretty good bet that the only time you will see SNAIL used on one of my cards is to hold down ribbon. I use Sticky Strip for the "major" stuff, Dimensionals for elevation and Mini-Glue Dots mainly to adhere ribbon or embellishments. Most people ask me why I take this extra step especially since the SNAIL is sooo much quicker, not to mention less messy. Due to the humidity in the area I live, I've had "Snail-Fail" before on cards/projects I've made and stored. (I store all the cards I make for my blog until I either sell them or have an occasion to give them to someone. Sometimes that can take a little while.) Having found card elements in my storage box separate from their cards I would never want that to happen on a card I gave to someone and certainly not on a card I had sold. (Horrors!!!) I read a post a year or so ago about someone who gave a card to a family member and when they picked it up off the mantle to show a friend it fell apart. :'( How sad!!!! Please, don't get me wrong....I think SNAIL is a great product, I just don't think it works for me where I currently live. I know if I give you a card that I've Tombowed, those layers are staying put!

That's all I have for you today. Hopefully it's sunny where you are today and if not, that today's card brings a little cheer your way! If you liked today's card, feel free to leave a comment. I love hearing form you. If you liked it and want to +1 or Pin it, I've put the buttons on my sidebar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too. :)

Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.


Be Safe,
Shan Pin It