Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Happy for Butterflies, Happy for You

Here is my personal favorite card that I made for the recent Virtual Stamp Night (VSN) at splitcoaststampers.com.


This challenge was to use a spring element somewhere on the card; I used a coiled wire as the body of the large butterfly.

A lot of the cards I made for this VSN were much simpler than this, and in general I've gotten away from a lot of fancy layers in much of my card making. Sometimes it just feels good to really lay it on, though! This design has six layers (including the butterflies), dry embossing, lots of sponging and both the wire embellishment and some half-back pearls. Both the butterflies and the dry embossing are courtesy of Stampin' Up!'s fabulous Big Shot die cut machine. I (well, actually DD#2) cut Marina Mist card stock with the Butterflies die, and then I used the ever-popular Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder and sponging (Marina Mist ink) to add texture to both butterflies and mat.

The Always Artichoke swirl is from Baroque Motifs, and the sentiment ("I am glad there is you") is from a set of rub-ons that I've had for years. I really like the bright, crisp look of the rub-on on top of the Always Artichoke card stock.

I sent this card home with my sister at the end of her almost 6-week stay while Mom recovered from surgery. It is for her partner, who graciously made do on her own all that time. I am truly glad that there is her!

I liked this design so much that I reprised it in more Spring-like colors and with gold sponging as an Easter card. It also was a featured project at our March Stamp Club meeting.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

VSN Again!

The Spring Virtual Stamp Night at Splitcoaststampers.com is this weekend. I amazed myself last night by completing all 5 Friday night challenges. Woo-hoo! There are 10 additional challenges today--starting at noon Eastern--and I've got some things going on, so I probably won't complete all the challenges. But I'll try my hand at a few more, for sure.

I'm loving the "Spring" theme, with so many challenges (so far, at least) focusing on cheery colors and happy thoughts. Especially with the unseasonably warm (forecast high of 62!!) weather here in MN, I'm feeling Spring!

Rules for VSN are simple. Create your card in 45 minutes or less, upload to the gallery (using the keyword), then browse the gallery and comment on others' submissions. Click on the links below to access each challenge post.

MAR12VSNA: Here Comes the Sun
Our challenge is to create a card using sunny colors. I went for the sunset look, mixing pink, orange and yellow.


The cute duckies are from the Barnyard Buddies stamp set, and I punched the borders with SU!'s Pinking Hearts punch.

MAR12VSNB: Love is in Bloom
Cards for this challenge need to have either a heart image or the word "love" somewhere in the design.


I had no problem finishing this CAS design in about 15 minutes. It is a baby card for a baby that will arrive this Spring (gender unknown).

MAR12VSNC: Spring Cleaning
I actually made this card first, using a couple of things I haven't used for a while--my Stampin' Pastels and the Chalkboard technique.


The Chalkboard technique is a fun and easy way to add a pop of color in an unusual way. I stamped the butterflies image from the current SAB stamp set Kindness Matters with Whisper White craft ink on Basic Black card stock. Then, while the ink was still wet, I used a small cotton pad to add some vibrant chalks. To clean up the images a bit, I just ran my eraser around the edges.

MAR12VSND: Spring is in the Air
Including something that can be found in the sky was the order of the day for this challenge.


Flies are in the sky, right? Heh, heh. I love this dude, from the Hoppy for You stamp set. I chose the color scheme based on the fact that I had one small piece of Old Olive 1/4" grosgrain ribbon sitting around. I used my Circles die and Big Shot to quickly cut the image panels, and both frog and fly are inked using the Rock and Roll technique.

MAR12VSNE: Rain, Rain, Go Away
The only challenge so far that calls for a sad theme--a sympathy or get well type card.


Just for something different, I made a 4 1/4" square card for this challenge. I added texture with the Lattice embossing folder, and sponged both Soft Sky and Chocolate Chip inks around the edge of the main image panel. I love those cute Mini Library Clips, and the images from D is for Dog are very versatile.

I encourage you to play along this weekend. Uploads must be completed by 7:00 PM (Eastern) Monday.