Use a Physical or Digital Stamp - Cards Galore Encore Monthly Challenge

Welcome back to another Crafts Galore Encore monthly challenge! July's challenge: make a project using a stamp or digital stamp!

emma and rosey digi

July's sponsor is Fred She Said Designs, which offers a wide variety of digital products with a floral flair and cute characters too - Digi's, Pre-coloured images, Papers, Sets, Fred's Flower Kits, and even digital cutting files. Have some fun with Fred!

Fun indeed, cuz if you win, you'll get a generous prize of $15 credit to spend at the Fred She Said Designs store!!! 

I was given the Emma & Rosey digi which comes with or without the butterflies. The digi comes in a singular image and in a sheet of 4 to print out.  I love choices! The page included 4 images, 2 with butterflies and 2 without. That way I didn't waste any of my special card stock and had a couple of images to practice on before deciding on my coloring implements. 

For the first time I colored a digi using only Wink of Stella brush markers by Zig. Well, I had to use a Copic for the skin but other than that it's Wink of Stella. I decided to go with the butterflies and love how it came out. I did a minimal amount of shading and it was very quick to complete the project that way. Freedom!!!

Here's a slanted view so you can see the unique shimmer Wink of Stella pens create. Now I am going to blow your minds.... guess what? I used a spellbinder's die to cut out the image in my cuttlebug for the first   time! AND.... I added the background (card stock was white) AFTER I colored with the Wink of Stella. "What?" you say?? 

YES I DID. It was a risk. I had no mask. I could've messed up all the effort I put in. But guess what? Wink of Stella dries quickly and doesn't pick up the Distress Ink. I used a dauber to get it on there and a water brush to soften it. In the process of trying to steer clear of my images I created that white halo around the image that makes it look good (by accident) score!! Then I stamped the sentiment full strength in the same Distress Ink used for the sky. This was a time saver for sure. Give it a try!

Supplies:

• spellbinders die - fleur de lis rectangles (largest rectangle)
• Copic X-press it blending card
• Copic E11
• Zig - Wink of Stella
• Recollections 100 lb white cardstock
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Stormy Sky, Mowed Lawn
• The Stamps of Life - Crayons2Stamp "hello"
• waterbrush
• bone folder 
• CutterPillarPro
• Scotch ATG adhesive

Here's the back view. I simply cut a rectangle of 100 lb Recollection card stock about an inch longer than the card (A2) scored, folded and flattened it so I could adhere it to the back of the card front. Voila! I hope you enjoyed this presentation and will join in on this month's challenge!


La-Vie



Challenges:

Crafting for All Seasons - Whatever the weather 

Crafty Girlz - ATG   

Inky Impressions #165 - ATG 

Crafting by Designs - here comes summer   

Cute Card Thursday #327 - circles 

Brown Sugar Challenges #100 - Color challenge

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge #237 - ATG 

Creative Fingers #41 - ATG 

Fussy and Fancy Challenge #117 - Summertime 

QKR Stampede #94 - Include a dog 

Wags 'n Whiskers #132 Summer Fun 

JW Scrapshack - #56 In the Garden 

Suzy Bees Bloomin Challenge #35 - ATG 

Little Scrap Pieces - Show it off Sat. Linky Party 

Pile it on Challenges #26 - Outdoor Fun 

The Pink Elephant #257 - ATG 

Scrapbook Blessings - ATG/June use a digi 

Cutie Pie Challenge #72 - Cute girls 

Cheerful Stamp Pad #89 - Weekend Activities

April Challenge - Crafts Galore Encore: fav color

It's time to announce the April challenge for Crafts Galore Encore! You're going to love this one! Include your favorite color in your project. Our sponsor for this month is Kenny K Downloads  Two winners (one chosen at random and one chosen based on their submission) will be able to choose two Kenny K digis each.

My fav color for male-oriented digis is red! I started with Kenny K's digi called J-Cool. I was excited to color this image because I have not colored many men at all - specifically not African-American ones. I really had fun with this one!

J-Cool

Copics:

• Skin - E13, E15
• Hair - E29, E79
• Hankie - C3
• Glasses - R29, Y06, Y15
• Shoes - B93, R29, Signo ball white pen
• Earrings/chain - Y15
• Sweatshirt - R29, R59
• Shirt B93
• Jeans - B0000, B34, B45, B93, B95, B99
• Copic multiliner black

Once I had colored J-Cool, I looked into my stash and found a Sizzix movers and shapers Circle flip-it card designed by Stephanie Barnard of The Stamps of Life. I just knew it was the setting for J-Cool. Then I thought, let me add some brick texture, so I pulled out my brickyard Cuttlebug embossing folder and my Cuttlebug to make that happen. I added stamping and thought I was almost done.

But then I was stumped! J-Cool looked too corny by himself with the clean bricks and I had to reach out to crafty friends to help me get a clue of which direction to go in next. Shout out and thanks to Lyne, Anna, Carol, Ellen, Leila for sparking my creativity. They suggested a boom box, graffiti and street light/signs. I marinated on that for a day and then went about my task. I love the result! I wrote all the names of my household on the walls of the card.  I may have found a new way to sign my cards...who knows.

Additional supplies:

• 2" boom box  - rock princess - DCWV black adhesive cardstock, Bazzill White, silver from my stash
• 4" traffic light - Artiste - Bazzill yellow, red and green
• Core'dinations - VC Ruby and whitewashed collection
• Brickyard cuttlebug folder
• Kenny K Digi - J-Cool
• ATG, Xyron, Zig 2 way
• No Fear, Play Hard - CTMH Later Sk8r - stamped in Chipped Sapphire distress ink
• Background (card interior) - CTMH Later Sk8r - stamped in Broken China distress ink
• Sunburst, Trophy - CTMH Cricut Artiste Collection: Kudos
• 100 Copic black and Uniball Signo white opaque pen for graffiti
• EK Success powder tool
• Copic Xpress it blending card

La-Vie

Challenges:

1. The Crafting Cafe - One for the boys
2. DL.ART - April Linky Party
3. Crafting by Designs - ATG
4. 
   

Zora's Sympathy Card

My daughter Zora (age 7) wanted to make a sympathy card for her beloved teacher who lost her grandmother recently. Due to completing my organization challenge, my reward was teaching my daughter one new craft technique each week. I asked her to pick a letter from the alphabet. She picked "P" so I taught her how to use punches.

She chose the Martha Stewart scallop dot punch and expertly executed this double sided border. She watched some of the 24 hr HSN craft day last month and saw Martha doing that method. The card is stamped with sentiments from The Stamps of Life. I am a proud stamp of the month member. We cut the butterfly out of beautiful paper I had in my stash. The base card was from Die Cuts With a View.

This was a 2-for because I also showed her the basics of good stamping and let her use my Darice pad that I use under all my stamping when it has to be perfect. It was a great bonding time for us.

inside the card

Zora was super psyched about this post and adding more to her board on my Pinterest account.

On back: zora's signature with a stampin' up stamp

Please show your love to my baby girl...


La-Vie

With Sympathy

Last week, I lost a friend suddendly. I created this card for her only child, a teenage daughter left to fend for herself in the world at such a formative time. My heart is heavy, but with prayer all things are possible. I've prayed for the family since the tradegy happened. I know God is able.

Along with this card, I sent a journal and pen so that she may record her thoughts and feelings to aid in her healing. I also sent a prayer book entitled The Lord bless and keep you; a treasury of God's promises.

Supplies:

• card base - Cricut Cartridge Sophie cut at 5.5" from Bazzill dotted swiss white cardstock
• both layers - SEI Poppy Stack
• bling frame - Spellbinders want 2 scrap Nestabling
• with sympathy stamp - The stamps of Life - branches4flowers #24
• ink - Clear & Simple stamps Hybrid Ink - Espresso your style
• Glitter adhesive dots - Recollections
• corner rounder - Creative memories
• inside message written with AtYouSpica glitter pen - chocolate
• recycled ribbon (I keep ribbon from items and reuse it)

La-Vie

Repeat Impressions Sketch #J2512 Challenge

Today is the last day to enter Repeat Impressions Sketch #J2512 Challenge to win a $25 Repeat Impressions gift certificate. I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring.... Using this sketch, I came up with this get well card. To make it fun for and exciting, I gave myself a time limit! I created this card from A to Z in under 30 mins.   

• Blue card and white envelope - Recollections "Frost Mix"
• Art Deco embossing folder and Cuttlebug
• 1st layer - SEI Poppy paper stack - metallic foil
• layer cut in Cuttlebug with Spellbinders Nestibilities Big Scalloped Rectangle
• Top layer Bazzill preimum cardstock scrap
• Ribbon from the Paper Studio
• Stamps from umbrella4you set by The Stamps of Life
• Tim Holtz Disteress Ink- Evergreen Bough

I love this embossing, wish more of it was showing. I combined a few of the stamps to create the message.

La-Vie