March 13, 2015

What Wood I Do?

Amy Jasper As You See It Challenge Adventure Bound, alphabet rotary stamp, As You See It, card, challenge, embossing, Gorgeous Grunge 3 Comments

I just love the Adventure Bound paper stack. The photographic images mixed in with the simple patterns make it very versatile. Check out how I used it along with the Alphabet Rotary stamp to make a punny thank you card!

I started with this sketch from the As You See It Challenge this week:

I chose a masculine theme to create this card for the wonderful men in my life who I would be absolutely lost without – men in my family and my church who always amaze me with their willingness to help in whatever way that they can. They are moving furniture, digging holes, repairing computers, picking up groceries, putting up the trampoline, building basements, lending tools, or offering a word of encouragement. I am frequently surprised by their willingness and even eagerness to do something out of the kindness of their heart. It overwhelms me with gratitude.

This card was created with some of these men in mind.

I haven’t completed the inside, but it would likely carry on the pun by saying “I don’t know, but the odds are probably stacked against me!” (ok, its a groaner, but I feel very clever right now, lol!)

Whisper White cardstock was used to thinly matt the Adventure Bound Designer Series paper (wood pile image) and the Crumb Cake cardstock. The Alphabet Rotary Stamp was used to create the sentiment. I chose a piece of Kraft cardstock for the banner that I dry embossed with the Woodgrain Embossing folder and sponged lightly with Soft Suede ink to bring out the ‘grain’. I then hand cut some wood pieces out of another scrap of the wood pile paper from the Adventure Bound stack and added those along with the Linen Thread for embellishment. I wasn’t sure what to use to represent the 3 sequins in the sketch, but decided to simply add some splotches with the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set in Crumb Cake ink. I used Stampin’ Dimensionals under a couple of the wood cut out pieces as well as under the entire Whisper White cardstock layer to adhere it to the Basic Black card base.

I hope you’ll try this sketch from As You See It and share your project on the blog for us. We’d love to see what you come up with!

Amy

March 6, 2015

Butterfly Bliss

Amy Jasper As You See It Challenge, Techniques Adventure Bound, As You See It, butterflies, card, challenge, photopolymer, speed, Stampin' Up, thinlits 3 Comments

Oh, speed challenges, how I love thee. Let me count the ways: I love you because you are quick; I love you that you push me; I love you that you’re quick; I love that I have time for you; I love that you are simple; I love that you are quick!!

My card today was designed for the As You See It Challenge Blog. The challenge is to create a card from start to finish in 10 minutes or less!! Can you do it? I’m usually just under the wire and find it very challenging. My design style is very … involved. Making a quick card is NOT my usual style at all! But I love that these challenges stretch me and force me to do something simpler. Sometimes I’m very unhappy with my final results, but today, I quite like how it turned out.

Here’s the speed challenge theme:

I decided to try working with a cute technique I saw using the Butterflies Thinlits. The card I saw was simple white cardstock, that had the butterfly cut out of it, then put back in place so that a colourful patterned paper showed through the detailing of the wings. I thought I would turn it inside out just a little bit and have the patterned paper on the topmost layer, with the solid colour showing through. Of course, if I HAVE to use purple (not my favourite for cards), I choose to use the gorgeous, rich, Blackberry Bliss!

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Blackberry Bliss is very striking along side the soft neutral tone of Sahara Sand, so I chose one of the patterned papers from the Adventure Bound Designer Series Paper Stack that has a nice tone-on-tone plaid pattern. This I stamped with the leaf image in Sahara Sand, then thoroughly rubbed my Embossing Buddy over the paper before stamping the sentiment in Versamark ink and heating the applied Black Embossing Powder with my Heat Tool.

Once all the stamping was taken care of, I grabbed my butterfly die and headed on over to my Big Shot to cut it out from the stamped patterned paper. The Blackberry Bliss Satin Ribbon is wrapped around this paper and tied in a bow, then applied to the Blackberry Bliss cardstock layer with many Stampin’ Dimensionals (thin paper that has been heated for embossing, tends to get a bit curvy and needs support). Next, half of a Stampin’ Dimensional was used to attach the cut out butterfly back into its place in the patterned paper. And, finally, all that is attached to the Sahara Sand card base.

Love it, love it, love it. Simple, pretty, elegant, and QUICK!! I could easily whip up a bunch of these in different colour combinations and package them up to give away as a gift. Hmm. Maybe I’ll do just that!

I hope you’ll give the speed challenge a try and share your finished result on the As You See It Challenge Blog. I’d love to see what you do with purple!

Amy