Looking Back » Rainy Day Creations

Dare To Get Dirty: The Finale

Aug 102015

Today is the final day to upload cards for the Dare To Get Dirty Challenges over at Splitcoaststampers, and I have five cards to share!

This first card fits into four of the challenges: DTGD15DiniA, DTGD15vdutchr, DTGD15UnderstandblueA and DTGD15LMcAree.

This was the first time I’ve played at making a watercolor wash background and admit to using a big background stamp to help me with it. Once the stamp was inked, I spritzed on some water and then stamped.

This card is for the DTGDvasunshine challenge. It may be my first Christmas card for the year. Gotta start somewhere!

The star is popped up on foam tape for some fun dimension.

This third card is for the DTGD15StampmommaB challenge. It is what I call a “recycled” card to help my hubby out of an awkward situation! (See below.)*

Lots of foam tape on this image panel and the sentiment.

*Over the years with birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day and other miscellaneous occasions my DH has accumulated quite a large number of handmade cards from me. And he doesn’t know what to do with them afterwards. He doesn’t want to toss them. He thinks this would hurt my feelings. But he really doesn’t have any place to put them either. So I decided to rescue him from his dilemma. After he has had them out for a week or two, I take them back and recycle them. He is TOTALLY okay with this. In fact, I think he is relieved! lol It is especially fun to dress up the earlier cards. Below is the original of the card above. The new version is already off to my DBIL. And he can do whatever he wants with it afterwards with no worries.

Original card on Splitcoastampers..

Card four is for the DTGD15JeanneS challenge.

This gears die seemed like the perfect companion for this Graphic 45 patterned paper. The large butterfly is popped up on foam tape for some depth and dimension.

Made a trip to my local craft store over the weekend and found lots of NFL goodies. Had to have some! Will be sending these fun stamps off to my Tucson Seahawk loving son and family. Kinda hard for them to find much of this sort of thing there. lol

Made a card for fun with some of the designer Seahawk paper to go along with it all. Added a little football brad to finish off the fun.

This card will be playing along in the DTGD15StampmommaA and DTGD15fattire7 challenges.

Hand drew a frame around the image of Seattle and added a “12” flag at the top of the Space Needle.

Hope that you had a chance to play in the fun DTGD challenges over at Splitcoaststampers, too!
Happy Crafting!
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Card 1:

Stamps: SU “Market Fresh”, “Watercolor Wash” and “Sprinkles of Life”

Papers: PTI Select White and Spring Rain; Watercolor Paper

Inks: Ranger Distress Worn Lipstick and Fired Brick; SU Basic Black; Memento Tuxedo Black; Copics:

Accessories: Striped Grosgrain Ribbon; Linen Thread; Prima; Self-Adhesive Pearls

Card 2:

Stamps: PTI “Merry Little Christmas”

Papers: SU Kraft; Doodlebug Design “Home for the Holidays” Designer Paper

Inks: Tim Holtz “Old Paper”; Memento Tuxedo Blac

Accessories: Star Button; Rhinestones; Twine; Spellbinders “Stars Five” Dies

Card 3:

Stamps: SU Ancient Art, Canvas, Antique Cracking and Itty Bitty Backgrounds; PTI Birthday Basics

Papers: PTI Select White; SU Taken With Teal and Basic Black

Inks: SU Basic Black; VersaMark; White Gel Pen; Copic

Accessories: Grosgrain Ribbon; Clip; Brads

Card 4:

Stamps: SU “Floral Wings” and “Teeny Tiny Wishes”

Papers: PTI Select White; Graphic 45 “Steampunk Spells Collection”

Inks: SU Tempting Turquoise, Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun, Old Olive, Always Artichoke and Basic Black

Accessories: Self-Adhesive Glitter Ribbon; Organdy Ribbon; Rhinestones; Martha Stewart Butterfly Punch; Memory Box “Steampunk Corner” Die

Card 5:

Stamps: Rubber Soul “Seattle”

Papers: PTI Select White; Scrapbook Customs Designer Paper

Inks: SU Night of Navy; Copic Black 0.1 Multiliner: Copics:

Accessories: Football Brad; Self-Adhesive Glitter Ribbon

Practice Makes..

Sep 122011

I have always loved lighthouses and find it difficult to pass up any stamps depicting them (and generally don’t!) So consequently I have several. My sister, Leslie, is even more crazy about them than me, so this birthday card is for her. It is made with my most recent lighthouse stamp purchase and colored with Copics.

To add a little texture, the panel of designer paper was embossed.

Since the card base is black, a panel for writing was added to the inside of the card. The birds only were inked and stamped on this panel to add a little interest to it.

While typing this post I began to think.. to remember.. that it was very possible I had made Leslie a lighthouse card in the past. So I looked back in my card files and sure enough, clear back in 2006 when I had only been stamping and card making for a couple of months, I made and sent this card to her.

I can honestly say that I think my coloring has gotten better. It is encouraging to me when I look back and compare my work then to my creations now. I know that I still have a long long way to go to learn about shading and shadows and lighting, etc. etc., but it is fun to see that practice does indeed make one better.

Looking forward another 6 years, I hope that I will again be able to see a huge improvement in my work from today’s creation.

Hope you have a great week ahead. Happy Crafting!

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Stamps: SU Uncharted Territory; Hero Arts Petite Birthday

Papers: PTI Select White, True Black and Pure Poppy; Authentique Blissful DP

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black; Copics:

Accessories: Craft Concepts In Stitches Embossing Folder; Eyelet; Lace; Grosgrain Ribbon

Backpack and Fabulous

Aug 232010

Can’t believe that summer is almost over, and it’s time to start thinking “back to school”. So today’s post is looking back to the August ’07 Dirty Dozen Gallery at Splitcoaststampers to a couple of cards that I made.

The first is a backpack shaped card.

The backpack was cut from a standard 5-1/4″ x 4-1/2″ piece of brown card stock. It was then mounted on a white card base which was also cut to the backpack pattern. The straps in back were adhered between the brown and white card stock so as to not inhibit the opening and closing of the card itself. A sewing machine was used to pierce the paper and then a marker was used for the faux stitching.

Here are the measurements if you want to make your own template.

The second card is also a standard 5-1/4″ x 4-1/2″ size.

The vase is on one layer of foam tape. The sentiment is on two. The canopy is on three! I used the 1/16th” and 1/8th” hand held circle punches for the ‘locks’. The locker vents are hand drawn with a gel pen.

Thanks for dropping in today. Hope you are enjoying the last few days of summer.

Happy Crafting!

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Backpack

Stamps: SU! “Sporting” and “Canvas Backgrounder”

Papers: SU! Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss, Chocolate Chip, Silver and Whisper White

Inks: SU! Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip Classic and Marker, Cranberry Crisp, Ruby Red Marker

Accessories: GG Ribbon, Silver Brads, 1/4″ Square Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Sewing Machine

Lockers

Stamps: SU! “Fabulous Flowers” and “Vases in Vogue”

Papers: SU! Going Gray, Basic Gray, Silver, Basic Black, Bravo Burgundy, Groovy Guava, WW, Apple Cider DP

Inks: SU! Going Gray, River Rock, Bravo Burgundy, Jet Black Stazon, Blush Blossom and Garden Green Markers

Accessories: GG Ribbon, Rhinestone Brads, Primas, Scalloped Scissors, Circle Punches, Gel Pens

Mother's Day Wishes

May 062010

Here are the cards that I made for my DDIL’s for Mother’s Day.

I am grateful for my daughters-in-law. They are both such wonderful mothers and beautiful women inside and out. My sons are so lucky to have found them. I love them both with all my heart.

The flowers on both cards have been stamped twice. After coloring the stamp directly with a marker, a flower was stamped. Then I huffed* the stamp, turned it 90 to 180 degrees and stamped again. Stamping a second time without applying more ink results in the second image being lighter and adds depth and dimension to the flower.

Because the stem on the flower was longer than I wanted, I only inked a portion of it before stamping.

These cards are a CASE of a RAK that I received a few years back from epiphany. I loved her card! It is such a timeless and beautiful design. In fact this is the second time I have CASEd it. On the first CASE, I added a background stamp to one of the large panels.

Both of my married sons live in the same city and this past week I flew south and visited with them. It was so nice to see my sweet granddaughters.

Alivia has had a loose tooth. While I was babysitting the twins one day it finally fell out! She was so excited that there “wasn’t even any blood and it didn’t hurt at all”. lol

I hope that all mothers and all those who mother have a wonderful day this Sunday.

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POST EDITED 5/7 TO ADD: Ellen Hutson is having a fabulous Mother’s Day Celebration Sale: May 7th-13th!! 15% off your entire order! Happy Mother’s Day from Ellen!

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Stamps: SU! “More Petal Prints” and “Teeny Tiny Wishes”

Papers: PTI Select White, SU! Elegant Eggplant, Lovely Lilac, Rose Red, Regal Rose, Always Artichoke

Inks: SU! Elegant Eggplant, Rose Red, Always Artichoke, Summer Sun

Accessories: GG and Organdy Ribbons, Stickles

*Huffing a stamp is when you breathe on a stamp to re-moisten the ink with your breath.

Wishing You a Blessed Christmas

Dec 232008

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given;
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of peace.”
Isaiah 9:6

This project was made for Splitcoaststampers’ November 2007 Fan Club Gallery. It can be seen here. (You must be a Fan Club Member to view.)

Stamps: SU! Holy Triptych, Sleigh Bells Ring, Finials & Frames; Rosie’s Roadshow (Sentiment)

Paper: SU! Watercolor, Not Quite Navy, Brushed Gold, Basic Black

Ink: Jet Black Stazon, Bordering Blue, Versamark, SU! Markers, Sukura Glaze Pen (Gray)

Accessories: Blender Pen, Stickles, Gold EP, Heat Gun, Glue Gun, Brads, Miniature Screw Brads, Red Velvet Ribbon, Gold Cording, Ticket Corner Punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Dimensionals

Blog Candy and A Gift Card Holder Challenge!! Stamp Simply Celebrates - Day 7

Dec 072008

The party has gotten so big over at Sharon’s blog that today “Stamp Simply Celebrates” is spilling right over onto mine!! With Christmas almost here and lots of mailing to do, I think that Gift Cards are one of the best ways to send a little love to family and friends. Well every gift card needs a holder, and there is a template and a whole gallery for inspiration that uses that template over on Splitcoaststampers (SCS). That’s because it was SCS’s Sketch Challenge #101. So your challenge is to make a gift card holder. Now if you have a different design that you like or want to try, no worries. Go for it!

Splitcoaststampers SC101 Gallery

Template/Instructions

Now I have some really USEFUL Blog Candy that I hope any and everyone can use. Nope… it’s NOT stamps.

Yup!! It’s a gift card! LOL I will send the winner their choice of the two gift card holders above WITH their choice of either of the two gift cards shown!! The first card for Target has a $20 value. The second card for Starbucks also has a $20 value. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I can tell you their hot chocolate can’t be beat!! To enter just leave a comment ON THIS POST. If you play in my challenge, please come back here and leave me a link to your creation! I REALLY want to see them all as I LOVE these little things. Oh and as a fun twist… if you do play and leave me a link here… you will automatically have a second entry for my Blog Candy!! Woohoo!! I will use random.org on Friday, December 12th at midnight PST to pick the winner!

For some wonderful inspiration I have some sample makers!! Check out their beautiful creations:

Janine – 2BKrafty

Jennifer – The Buck Stamps Here

Darlene – Dar’s Crafty Creations

AJ – The Willow Garden

A couple of Christmases ago my DDIL Kimberly and I stamped our hearts out making these fun holders. Here are some that she made.

Here is a peek into the Dirty Dozen Fan Club gallery over on SCS from August of last year. (I had such fun with these. They are scratch ‘n sniff… chocolate and apple scented!)

And here are some others that I have made for wedding or new baby gifts.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Remember: Anyone can play ANY of the challenges by ANY of the hostesses during the 12 days of Stamp Simply Celebrates!!! You DO NOT need to have a Blog to play — uploading your project to SCS (Splitcoaststampers.com) is not only permissible, but HIGHLY ENCOURAGED. When doing so, use the KEYWORD SSC08.

Have a wonderful Sunday! Hope you can play along in my challenge!!! These holders are so quick, so easy and SO FUN!!

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Recipe for my Christmas Gift Card Holders:

Stamps: SU! ‘Winter Post’

Papers: SU! Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Baja Breeze, Ruby Red, ‘Holiday Treasures’ DSP

Inks: SU! Chocolate Chip Classic and Ruby Red, Certainly Celery, Old Olive Markers

Accessories: Metal Photo Corners and Brads, Designer Label Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Cuttlebug, Die Cut ‘Vintage’, Gift Wrap Ribbons, Kaiser Rhinestones

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR THIS POST

Looking Back #2

May 272008

It’s almost June and time for weddings. I’ve made several wedding cards this year and wanted to show a few that I made last summer as well.

As I’ve mentioned before, I like to take the invitation and use it to be inspired for making the wedding card. On this first card I used the actual ribbon from the invitation. The invitation itself was red, white and black, too.

The invitation which inspired this next card was a very clean and simple one with some blue accents.

Can you guess what the invitation looked like for this next card? Well if you guessed black and white and traditional, you are right.

On this final card I used the paper insert from the invitation as the main card stock for the backgrounds. The Wild Hearts backgrounder was almost a perfect match to the border around the text on the invitation.

So the next time you get an invitation, give this a try. Let the invitation inspire the direction or design or colors of your card. Or actually incorporate parts of the invitation itself. It’s really fun!

**I’m still out of town visiting my sons and their families and haven’t had as much time to blog as I originally thought I might. My little 3 year old granddaughter had her tonsils out on Friday and unfortunately developed pneumonia. She ended up having to stay in the hospital over most of the holiday weekend. She is home now and doing much better.**

Hope everyone has a happy and healthy Tuesday!

Beautiful Girls and Looking Back #1

May 222008

Any respectable grandma shows off pictures of her adorable grandchildren… right? Here are mine… my beautiful twin granddaughters at age 3. If you live in the Colorado Springs, Colorado area you may want to look up Kim Harms if you need a photographer. I love this picture of the girls.

Here are a couple of shadow boxes I did for the Fan Club at Splitcoaststampers when I was on the Dirty Dozen Design Team.

I titled it: “Grandma’s Garden”.

(Click on it to enlarge.)

Today I am on a plane to go see my sweet girls. One of them is having her tonsils out tomorrow. Since she will not be able to go to her daycare for a couple of weeks, grandma will be taking care of her so that her dad (my son) won’t miss any school and her mom won’t have to take vacation to care for her. The last time I saw them was at Christmas. I’m sure that they will have grown considerably since then.

I don’t expect to be making any new cards or projects to show you until I get back home, but I do have some cards that I have made over the past couple of years to share with you. Most of these have been uploaded in some gallery or another on Splitcoaststampers. A few have not. I got this idea from Sharon Johnson. She will sometimes post some of her older cards and I just love seeing them. So I hope you enjoy “Looking Back” with me.

Let’s start with this card. It could almost pass as a card inspired by the photo of the twins at the top of this post! What do you think?

This was made with some of the first designer paper I bought. I remember being so intimidated by dp. I was much more comfortable using my background stamps. Now I have notebooks full of dp and have to remind myself about that stack of backgrounders! How times change!

Stamps: Long-Stemmed, Sentiment (?)
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Brushed Gold, Very Vanilla, Blush Blossom, DP K&Co.
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Apricot Appeal , Blush Blossom, Regal Rose
Accessories: Prima, Brad, GG Ribbon