Beate’s Inspiration Challenges » Rainy Day Creations

Beate's IC #22 and a Flourishes Sneak Peek!

Sep 092008

It’s always so much fun creating for Beate’s Inspiration Challenge. Here is the beautiful inspiration piece that she gave us this week. I so love the soft blues and greens of the glass with the white and greens of flowers and foliage.

Here is the card I made that was inspired by it. Do you see those pretty little white flowers “peeking” onto the oval? Well tomorrow Flourishes releases three new sets! Those sweet little flowers and the sentiment are both part of one of them.
Just a few details about the card. Using my Nestabilities I cut and embossed an oval in Whisper White card stock. I stamped the sentiment and flowers in Garden Green and then colored the image in with Certainly Celery and Barely Banana. I then drew over the image with a VersaMarker and applied clear embossing powder. After heat setting the ep, I sponged Bashful Blue on the oval. The edges of the butterflies were sponged with Not Quite Navy.

Check out the cards made by the other Inspiration Challenge Team members. Hope you can join in on the fun and play along!

Jennifer Buck
Charmaine Ikach
Silke Ledlow
Danielle Lounds
Dawn McVey

——————————
Stamps: Flourishes – TO BE RELEASED TOMORROW!!
Papers: SU! Not Quite Navy, Bashful Blue, Whisper White; Basic Grey “Euphoria”
Inks: SU! Not Quite Navy, Bashful Blue, Garden Green, Certainly Celery, Barely Banana
Accessories: May Arts Polka Dot Ribbon; Kaiser Rhinestones; Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities; Cuttlebug; VersaMarker; Clear Embossing Powder; White Gel Pen; Butterfly Punch

Beate's Tuesday Inspiration Challenge #21

Sep 022008

Beate’s inspiration piece this week is a console table from Pottery Barn. Well I couldn’t help but be inspired by that big beautiful bouquet of orange tulips. The tulip stamp that I used is from Flourishes “Thank You” set. One of the fun things about clear stamps like this tulip image, is that they can be bent and shaped. So even though this tulip naturally curves off to the right (the tallest of the three tulips on the card), I was able to bend the stem to appear almost straight for one of the tulips and then even more for the third tulip in the bouquet getting it to lean to the left. Also with some masking I was able to use just the leaf part of the image to stamp a leaf on the left side of the stems. It looks like I have several different images. How fun is that! The designer paper is from Basic Grey’s “Scarlet’s Letter” collection.

Check out the cards made by the other Inspiration Challenge Team members. Hope you can play along!

——————————

Stamps: Flourishes “Thank You”; A Muse “Happy Birthday”

Papers: SU! Basic Black, Old Olive, Very Vanilla; Basic Grey “Scarlet’s Letter”

Inks: Versafine “Onyx Black”; SU! Old Olive Classic and Barely Banana, Only Orange, Certainly Celery, Old Olive Markers

Accessories: SU! Corner Punch, Brads, Raffia, Black Gel Pen

Beate’s Tuesday Inspiration Challenge #20

Aug 262008

Beate is back and so are her weekly Inspiration Challenges! Here’s my card for this week’s challenge.

Here is the inspiration piece. It is by Jo Moulton from Coldwater Creek.

I used Flourishes “Poppy Patch” for the main image. I stamped the floral images on Basic Grey’s “Ambrosia” designer paper and then colored them in with LuminArte’s Pure Mica Powder in “Real Gold”. Nancy Kirk has made a wonderful tutorial for using these beautiful powders. The background is brayered using SU!’s Rose Red, More Mustard, So Saffron, River Rock and Always Artichoke.

Check out the cards made by the other Inspiration Challenge Team members:

Stamps: Flourishes “Poppy Patch”; (Sentiment Unknown)

Papers: Basic Grey “Ambrosia”; SU! Very Vanilla, Basic Black

Inks: Versafine “Onyx Black”; SU! Rose Red, More Mustard, So Saffron, River Rock, Always Artichoke

Accessories: LuminArte Pure Mica Powder “Real Gold”; GG Ribbon; Raffia; Brads; Gel Pen; Fiscar Oval Cutting System

————————————————

I had such a wonderful time with my son and his family on their visit. But yesterday was very strange. All day I kept hearing the girls’ sweet little voices. And then I would remember that they had returned home. But I do have some pictures. Here’s one of our visit to the Seattle Aquarium. I had no idea that starfish were so squishy!

I have four sons and no daughters. Consequently my whole experience in buying clothes for my kids has always been all boy stuff… certainly no pink roses! Well you can imagine my delight to have twin granddaughters (and another one on the way!)! I took the girls shopping, and we found these fun clothes. They humored grandma and dressed up for me.

————————

Hope everyone finds some time today to laugh and love and count your blessings. Happy Tuesday!!

————————

Beate's Tuesday Inspiration Challenge #18

Jun 172008

I’m so happy that I was able to play along in Beate’s “Be Inspired” Challenge this week! Just look at this gorgeous inspiration piece.

(Click to enlarge.)

Here is the card I made for it.

First I chose a designer paper with a floral pattern and colors similar to the inspiration piece. I think the embossing helps to complete the look of the frosting. I thought this beautiful image from Flourishes “Fantasy Floral Garden” set was a perfect match to the paper, too. I colored it with SU! markers and a blender pen, a white gel pen and Sakura’s Stardust Pen. I love this Stardust pen. It is so much easier to use than other glitters as it is so easy to control where you want the sparkle to go. And it dries really quickly. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve added glitter in the past only to smear it as I’m trying to do something else with the card!

Hope you can all play along today! Check out the other cards made by the Inspiration Challenge Team:

Charmaine Ikach

Danielle Lounds

Dawn McVey

Jennifer Buck

Stamps: Flourishes “Fantasy Floral Garden” and “Flourished Words”
Papers: Very Vanilla, Ruby Red, DCWV Textured Mat Stack, K & Company DP
Inks: Always Artichoke Classic and Markers in Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Bordering Blue, Ruby Red
Accessories: Ric Rak, Brads, White Gel Pen, Stardust Pen, Cuttlebug, Birds & Swirls Embossing Folder

———————

SEATTLE COPICS CLASS!!

This Thursday there is a Copics class being offered here in Seattle that I am going to. I have wanted to try coloring with Copics for some time but have been too scared to try them on my own. I hope Marianne doesn’t regret her decision of “No Experience Necessary” for participants. I have warned her that she may change that policy after having to deal with a certain “coloring challenged” student in this Thursday’s class! But I’m really excited and really looking forward to it!! And I think there may still be a few spaces available if you live in the Seattle area and you have been wanting to try these markers. Here is Marianne’s blog I Like Markers.

Beate's Tuesday Inspiration Challenge #16

Jun 032008

It’s Tuesday and time for another one of Beate’s “Be Inspired” Challenges. Here is a picture of her inspiration piece. (Click on it to get the full sized picture.)

When I saw this challenge piece my first thought was how clean and simple my card was bound to be. Well…

Somewhere along the way that clean and simple look got kinda lost! I’m sure it is all those felt flowers with an acetate and white card stock backing. But they sure were fun to play with! Someday I will get the hang of quick and clean, but not today. lol

Stamps: Sentiment from SU!’s “Older and Wiser”
Papers: Night of Navy, Ballet Blue, Whisper White, Very Vanilla, DP from Basic Grey’s “Boxer”
Inks: Night of Navy
Accessories: Felt Flower Fusion, Brads, GG Ribbon, Acetate, Scalloped Circle Punch, Corner Punch, Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder

Beate's Tuesday Inspiration Challenge #14

May 202008

Take a look at this inspiration piece! Oh Beate, this was a fun one!

There was so much to choose from, but I settled on the orange, yellow and green color combination. And I couldn’t get my mind off of that big ole flower at center stage, either.

So that became my main focus. For the wood grain panel I used an embossing plate from Spellbinders on some striped dp. After the grain was embossed I ran my Close to Cocoa ink pad over it. I love how it turned out even if I ended up covering most of it with the flower.

How does Beate’s inspiration piece inspire you?

Stamps: Ginormous Flowers, Seeing Spots, Older & Wiser, Flannel Plaid (All stamps are from Stampin’ Up!.)
Papers: Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery, Basic Black, Whisper White, DP from My Mind’s Eye
Inks: Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery, Close to Cocoa, Jet Black Stazon
Accessories: GG Ribbon, Brad, Gel Pen, Cuttlebug, Spellbinders Embossing Plate, Circle Punches

Beate's Tuesday Inspiration Challenge #13

May 132008

I love playing along with Beate’s Inspiration Challenges. This week the inspiration piece is this beautiful bed linen.

Here is the card I made for it.

The coverlet inspired me to use an embossing plate from Spellbinders that I bought several months ago and still had not used. I colored in the leaves on the main image using a blender pen and reinkers. See those tiny little Raindots on the flower centers? Aren’t they cute! The sentiment is from Flourishes “Many Sentiments” set.

And I also wanted to share this wonderful Mother’s Day card that my DS and DDIL, Kimberly, made and sent to me.

I just love the way she stamped the sentiment in the corner where the designer paper has been torn away. And isn’t the sparkle on the bodice such a sweet and perfect little detail. I love this card!

Inspiration Card:
Stamps: SU! “Artfully Asian”, Fourishes “Many Sentiments”
Papers: PTI White, SU! True Thyme and Going Gray
Inks: True Thyme Classic and Reinkers in True Thyme and Going Gray
Accessories: Spellbinders Embossing Plate, Cuttlebug, SU! Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon, Raindots, Primas, Blender Pen

Mother’s Day Card:
Stamps: SU! “Blooming With Happiness”

Beate's Tuesday Inspiration Challenge #12

May 062008

It’s Tuesday and this week I remembered to make a card for Beate’s Inspiration Challenge! Yay!! Both the topiary and the sentiment are from my new “Siberian Iris” set from Flourishes.

Sewing is not my thing. (I’ve been told that some people actually do it for enjoyment!) But I decided to give it a try on this card. Well I can say that at least I love the look if not the process of the real stitched border. The topiaries are stamped directly onto the designer paper. Oh and before I forget here is Beate’s inspiration piece. It is a print from Coldwater Creek.

Stamps: “Siberian Iris” from Flourishes
Papers: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Basic Grey DP
Inks: Chocolate Chip, Jet Black Stazon and Markers in Ruby Red, Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, Sage Shadow, Handsome Hunter, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel
Accessories: White Gel Pen, Ribbons, Clip

Beate's Tuesday Inspiration Challenge #10

Apr 222008

Here is my card for Beate’s Inspiration Challenge this week.

And here is the inspiration piece. It is a Lanie Loreth Print. First off I have to say how much I LOVE this print! But, I really struggled with this challenge and here’s why. When I am given an inspiration piece I like to go somewhere with it. In other words I try not to just duplicate the piece itself. With this piece I first tried a sky scene. Can you see those three big puffy clouds? But it just wasn’t working. Next I tried a water scene with sail boats. Yes… big white and yellow sails against the blue water.. Nope. Didn’t work either. And then it hit me. What exactly was I trying to do? Here Beate had given me a gift… a print with beautiful flowers and gorgeous colors. GO WITH IT!! Stamp flowers! lol So I did. And I’m much happier now. 🙂

All the inks used on this card are craft inks. Using my Stampin’ Spots in Summer Sun and Certainly Celery, I stamped and dragged them across the designer paper in those areas where I wanted to change the color of the background. I then stamped the solid flowers in Whisper White. While still very wet, I stamped over them with Summer Sun ink with the flower outline stamp. Then I immediately stamped the solid flower image again with Whisper White. I really liked the look and it put down a lot of ink on the paper giving the flowers some texture. I’m so use to using regular inks that dry quickly. Using the craft ink really tried my patience! After waiting 12 hours it was still wet! (Seems like a heat gun or even a hair dryer would have done the trick but I didn’t want to take any chances.) So I carefully added a few simple embellishments and pronounced it “done” before I ended up smearing the ink!

Stamps: Wild Rose, Blooming With Love
Papers: Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, DP – NRN Designs
Inks (All Craft): Whisper White, Summer Sun, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Primas, Brads, Dotted Swiss Ribbon, Clip

Beate's Tuesday Inspiration Challenge #9

Apr 152008

An Edna Valley Giclee on Canvas is Beate’s Inspiration Challenge #9 this week. Since this is painted to look like a satellite picture of the earth to me, both cards I created today refer to the world in their sentiments. I was also inspired by the gorgeous rich colors.

Here is my first card.

The pear images were stamped directly on the designer paper from Fancy Pants. They were then cut out and adhered to Chocolate Chip card stock and then cut out again before adhering them to the background.

And here is my second card.

The multicolored background is a piece of fabric. It has a sticky back that is adhered to card stock. There was no company name on this fabric, but it was purchased at Ben Franklin. The plaid background is designer paper from Basic Gray. Oh and don’t you just love that black felt fusion lace! I just got if from Jacksonbelle Embellishments and couldn’t wait to use it. My DH rarely reacts to any of my cards, but he actually commented how much he liked this one!

Card 1
Stamps: Infinite Goodness, Define Your Life, Always, Sanded
Papers: Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi, DP from Fancy Pants
Inks: Timber Brown Stazon, Chocolate Chip, Really Rust
Accessories: Ribbon Originals from SU! “Jersey”, Brads

Card 2
Stamps: Rubber Stampede “Be the Change”
Papers: Basic Black, Really Rust, Barely Banana, DP from Basic Gray “Recess”
Inks: Jet Black Stazon, Really Rust, Only Orange Marker (Colored in sections of the fabric.)
Accessories: Fabric, Black Felt Fusion Lace from Queen and Co., Brad