New Post... New Challenge

So... It's been a while since I've posted anything.  This last year (almost) has been quite the ride.  in October, I bought a new house, and it took me a while to get my craft space set back up.  Then, I changed jobs, and was incredibly busy for 4 months.  In June, I was supposed to complete 3 weeks of training for that job, but it was cut short due to a family medical emergency.  In June, my mother was diagnosed with cancer.  She had a large adrenal tumor that needed to be removed immediately.  The tumor (which I'll do you the favor of NOT posting the picture here) was over 8inches long, and 4 inches wide.  During the surgery, they took out her kidney, the adrenal gland, and her spleen.

This was her third cancer in less than two years; the only reason they had even found the adrenal tumor was because they took a CT scan to determine the origin of her cervical cancer, which she was diagnosed with in April/May.  The two cancers were completely unrelated.  Mom is tankful now for the cervical cancer, because if she hadn't gotten it, it's unlikely that they would have found out about the adrenal cancer in time, and much more damage would have been done.  Now that the adrenal tumor is gone, shes undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for her cervical cancer.  It really put into awareness for me how short life can be, and how we all need to take advantage of everyday we're given.

Now that her treatment is winding down, I've found it within me again to be creative, and attempt to make things.  I made a few thank you cards for Mom to bring to the hospital, and I've also made some cards for challenges, which I'm posting below.

 The center card was made for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog, Anything Goes challenge.  I used the SSS Wild Cuddly Critters stamp set along with the Tag Builder Blueprints 5 from MFT Die-namics, and some paper from the Lawn Fawn Perfectly Plaid Rainbow collection.  I colored the image using copic markers.  Er... I don't recall which colors, sorry!

The other two cards were made for challenges, but I didn't get them complete in time for the challenges.  The card on the right was made using Your Next Stamp's Maki a Wish set, and the one on the left was made using Hero Art's Operations Write Home set Year Round Sentiments, and a die from ebay.

Here's a close-up of my card for the SSS challenge:

Entered into the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog, Anything Goes

Moving is Such a Pain

Wow, moving is such a pain in the rear!  I just recently bought a house and spent a whole lot of time packing, moving, and then unpacking.  And I've only JUST finished unpacking my craft stuff.  It's not as organized as I'd like yet, but I should be able to start creating again!

I can't wait to share some more cards with you guys!  Hope to post again soon!

Celebrate with Zig Clean Color Real Brush Coloring

I made this for the Sketch and Color Challenge #47 at Your Next Stamp.  I tried to follow both the sketch and color challenge.  I used some paper from my stash (mostly Simple Stories, I think) and then stamped the drummer from the YNS Silly Monster Rockstars, and the sentiment from the YNS Journal Words.

I colored the image using my Zig Clean Color Real Brushes so that it matched the color scheme of the challenge.  I mounted the colored panel on fun foam and adhered it to my card, made of 110lb white card stock, and then added a few star confetti as embellishments.

Challenges

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Chellenge: Stamp it
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes
Your Next Stamp challenge: Sketch and Color Challenge #47

Materials Used (some affiliate links included):

Silly Monster Rockstars
Journal Words
Zig Clean Color Real Brushes: Canadian Amazon; American Amazon
Neenah 110lb Solar White Cardstock: Canadian Amazon; American Amazon
Fiskar Paper Trimmer: Canadian Amazon; American Amazon
Multi Matte Medium: Canadian Amazon; America Amazon

Altenew Easy Watercoloring Card

I wanted to use my Altenew Majestic Blooms set again, but had a different idea in mind this time.  This time, I heat embossed the outline image of the flower and leaves in white and watercolored the image with my Mission Gold Pure Pigments watercolors.  I made sure to leave the coloring very loose, and let it go outside the lines.

Then, I cut the watercolor panel down to 5 1/2 x 4 inches.  I added mauve glitter tape to a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 card base, made from 110lb white cardstock, and then mounted my panel onto using fun foam.  I stamped a sentiment from the Close to My Heart "Say it All" occasions set onto some black cardstock and heat embossed in white.  I added fishtails to the end and then used more mauve glitter tape underneath.  I'm in love with how this card came out!

Colored Pencil on Colored Card Stock

Today's card was made using Altenew's Majestic Bloom stamp set.  For this card, I stamped only the outline flower onto some purple Recollections card stock.  Then I used my Prismacolor pencils to color the flowers in and add dimension.  The colors I used were White (PC 938), Rose (PC 929), Light Peach (PC 927), and Violet (PC 932).  I didn't blend them with anything, but these pencils are so soft that they kind of blend themselves together.

To finish the card I stamped the thank you sentiment from the same set in Versamark and then embossed it using Ranger Super Fine White Detail Embossing Powder.  Even though I used my EK Success Powder Tool, some of the embossing powder still stuck to the card, and I had to cover it up with sequins.  I cut the panel using the largest die from the Mama Elephant Peek a Frame Creative Cuts.  I then adhered it to a white card base.

I'm entering this into the following:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Simple Rainbow Thanks

So, one of my favorite stamp companies, Your Next Stamp, is hosting the challenge this week over at CASology, so I decided I had to participate.  Also, it means that now I have one more challenge that I can enter weekly to inspire me to make cards.  This week's "Cue Card" was "stitch".  For this challenge, I stamped a panel using Your Next Stamp's Stripes and Stitching in rainbow colors, and then die cut the panel using Your Next Stamp's Stitched Rectangles, which I popped up with fun foam.

 I also used Your Next Stamp's Fancy Thanks die, which I cut three times and glued together to create a thicker sentiment.  I wanted even more dimension and some shine on that, so I added glossy accents.  I finished the card with a few self adhesive sequins, just to give it a little pop.  I'm not if this is what a clean and simple card should look like, but I think maybe it fits the bill.  One thing I didn't like about this card was that it ate up the last of my Tombow Mono Multi adhesive.  Now I need to go buy more...  *sigh*

A Stitched Kraft Christmas

When I was going through my Mulberry Wood stamps from Crafter's Companion, I came across some adorable Christmas sets and realized that I'd better get a move on making some holiday cards!  It's closer than we think it is!  I wanted to do something a bit different, so I decided to stamp the image in white pigment ink (I used Close to my Heart White Daisy, but any will do) and color it in with my Prismacolor pencils.

I also used Simon Says Stamp Falling Snow stencil on the card base in the same ink, and to make a simple layer behind my image.  I used the same Kraft paper from Michael's for everything so that there was a sense of unity.  I finished the card with a faux stitched border using a Bo Bunny Stitches stamp.  I decided that I didn't want to add a sentiment to the front, and just kept it as it was.  I DID add little black dots to the eyes to make them pop a bit.  The white just didn't stand out enough.


I'm entering this in the following challenges:

SSS Monday Challenge: It's a Stitch Up!
SSS Wednesday Challenge: It's Hip to be Square