Friend ...

The people behind Lawn Fawn Stamps seem to have cuteness all bottled up and served in a cut-crystal coupe. These images -- especially the critters -- just make me smile.

I love how the wine-bottle foil seems like real giraffe hide.

I made this simple friendship card with two goals in mind: a Simon Says Stamp challenge to use stencils, and Lawn Fawn's New Technique challenge. Wouldn't you know I missed both deadlines: Lawn Fawn's by only five minutes! This is only my third or fourth week of trying to meet challenges, so it's a learning curve here, folks!

It's all good: I need to try out more techniques, and this card pushed me to forge several boundaries. I mono-printed from the reverse side of a stencil: It's patchy but it turned out to give the feeling of a dry place in the African savanna. In my vision, at least.

 I used a hillside border die (... for the first time -- yes, I am the late adopter of the world ... lol)  but  I used the "waste" side. The  "real" side has little stitches, which I felt wouldn't go well with the wild look of the tree and background. I stamped grasses and other scrub-looking foliage behind the hill, creating the feeling of a savanna look, I think. I fashioned the giraffe by die-cutting a wine bottle's foil topper. I used ink spray to watercolor the little birdie friend. Finally, I finger-painted the green hill with fine glitter, and I used a white pen to shadow my sentiment, "friend." These are all new paper-crafting techniques for me. Whew! I'm all worn out here, friends. ;)

Card Ingredients:
Cardstock: background:  Bazzill, Avalanche -- sprayed with Dylusions Funky Fuchia Ink Spray, and Heidi Swapp Color Shine, Georgia Peach.
Hillside: Core'dinations cardstock by Ranger: Crushed Olive Distress Collection, finger-painted with glue and Recollections Pumpkin glitter.
Tree stencil: The Crafter's Workshop: "Mini-Branches," used as a mask to spray the two spray inks, above; then I inked the reverse side of the stencil and blotted the tree with tamped-on inks in Ranger Crushed Olive Distress Ink and Archival Brilliance Pearlescent Olive.
Flora stamps, a wonderful and versatile set from Inkadinkado: "Meadow," inked with Ranger Crushed Olive Distress Ink and Archival Brilliance Pearlescent Olive.
Critters stamps and die: Lawn Fawn, "Critters on the Savanna": The giraffe was die-cut from a wine bottle's foil and stamped with Lawn Fawn's coordinating giraffe stamp, then colored with Copic # E39. I forget the wine brand and vintage, but it's probably a Chardonnay!
Hill: Lawn Fawn's beloved "Stiched Hillside Borders" die cut set. I used the "waste" side, however: I felt that the side with little stitches wouldn't go so well with the looser background treatment. Instead, I was pleased with the effect of the non-stitched side. I've admired the look of this die set for years -- and finally I broke down and bought a set of my own. It's such a versatile tool.

As always, I'd love for you to comment, suggest, give links to helpful sources, or just say hi!
Tina in San Diego


I would like to enter my friendship card into the following challenges:
Crafty Creations Challenge #290: All Creatures Great and Small
The Color Throwdown #344
Simon Says: Anything Goes 
Crafty Gals Corner #21: Critters
Love to Scrap Challenge Blog #54: Anything Goes

A Mother-in-Love's Card for Alice

I was so happy to find these themed stamps and dies from Verve Stamps: Perfect for Mother's Day. Believe me, Alice is the mother who never fails to button all the buttons! I am the luckiest Daughter-in-Love on Earth.

Gotta love this sentiment: "Mothers Are Like Buttons: They Hold Everything Together"

Using a coordinating die to cut out a stamped image was a new technique for me. Purchasing a stamp set is a fairly reasonable investment -- especially if you love it and get lots of cards or layouts or altered art or whatever you do ...  out of it. Buying the coordinating die set is purely a luxury item: There's no more tedious "fussy cutting" with scissors around the stamped image, but the steel dies are pricey. If I use my imagination, however, I can see this die as a wonky blue ribbon award medallion -- and lots of different flowers. I can't wait to explore this set some more!

Tip: Next time, I'll die-cut the cardstock and then stamp it! (The base we use with clear stamps is a clear acrylic block, so you can see right through to your stamping surface. Some are ruled. A joy.) ... I digress. Anyways, you know how Mothers are: They love everything we do!

To make this card, I used:
Paper: Xerox 110lb. Cardstock, and Core'dinations Distress: Tumbled Glass.
Embossing folder: Cricut Swiss Dots, the blue paper sanded lightly to reveal the embossed dots
Stamps, Flower Die Cuts and Sentiment: Verve Stamps' Button Best
Leaves Die Cut: Verve Stamps' Sprightly Sprigs
Corner Rounder: Creative Memories
Sequins: Verve Stamps' Pastel Sequin Mix
Inks: Hampton Art "A La Mode" Red; Tim Holtz Distress pad, "Tumbled Glass".

I'll enter this card into the following challenges:

Inspired by Stamping: Color 

A Creative Need: Favourite Moments with Mom (or a Mother figure in your life)

Stamp and Create: May Flowers

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes!
Hiding in my Craftroom Any holiday
Stampotique Designer's Challenge: Something Old ...