The Gift of Friendship

This card is a birthday card I made for my husband's barber.  I love the wheat die from IO and could not resist using it again. I will enter it in the IO challenge "The Gift of Friendship"  http://mitrafriant.typepad.com/impression_obsession_news/2014/08/impression-obsession-challenge-.html  and Lee's Fruitful Harvest at Mod Squad  http://modsquadchallenge.blogspot.com/ .
and the Monday Witch Kraft  challenge at Simon Says  http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/

I used the following dies and stamps from IO for this project

I used the following dies and stamps from IO
Deer Trio - DIE080-N Deer Trio
DIE171-K Circle cut out border
DIE084-V wheat 
CL342 stamp set

CAS Pine Branch

I started on my Christmas cards yesterday.  This is another simple design using IO dies products that I will enter in the CAS http://mitrafriant.typepad.com/impression_obsession_news/2014/08/impression-obsession-challenge-clean-simple.htmlchallenge at IO.    

I used the following IO supplies:
Small snow flake DIE100-F
Pine Banch   DIE021-N
 Not Only at Christmas stamp C3503

CAS Snowflake

Just got this large snowflake die from IO and had to try it out. I also needed to get started on Christmas cards for this year.  These are not Christmas colors, but I still like the combination. I will enter it in the CAS challenge at IO.    http://mitrafriant.typepad.com/impression_obsession_news/2014/08/impression-obsession-challenge-clean-simple.html


IO die DIE093-X

Embossing Paste 3

This is my third attempt at using embossing paste.  I used a Die Namics die to make the stencil and  PTI  phrase play for the sentiment. The dogwood is a die from Susan's Garden. For this card, I tried something different.   I saw someone on You Tube use patching compound  instead of embossing paste so while I was making a mess I thought I would give it a try.  It is a bit thicker and not as smooth as the embossing paste but it took the color about the same.  The biggest difference was the drying time.  Even after drying all night it still had some moisture so I ended up using my heat gun.  I am not sure how it will hold up in comparison with the embossing paste but so far I have not seen any evidence of cracking.  It sure is a lot cheaper.  4oz of embossing paste cost me $9 while 16 oz of the DAP ElastoPatch was under $4.  You can see the video and challenge entries here http://stampwithk.blogspot.com/2014/08/embossing-paste-flower.html

Embossing paste flower

Second attempt at using embossing paste.  Again I had some paste seep under my stencil. The flower is a Memory Box die and the ENJOY is one of PTI Phrase Play dies. You can see the video and the challenge here.  http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/make-it-monday/

Embossing Paste Lotus Die

I ordered some embossing paste last week and it arrived on Friday just in time for the challenge at PTI to use embossing paste.   Then I had to decide what dies I would use to make a stencil.  Here I used the Spellbinders Lotus die. I needed to tape it more securely because I had some paste get get under my stencil. I used the happy from phrase play die and the birthday is from the matching stamp set. You can see the video and challenge at  http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/make-it-monday/
 I will also enter it in the Masculine Birthday at the Mod Squad. Usually I use brown shades or blacks and greys for masculine cards, but I decided men like color too.
http://modsquadchallenge.blogspot.com/

CAS Birthday

This is a card for the IO  Clean and Simple challenge http://mitrafriant.typepad.com/impression_obsession_news/2014/08/impression-obsession-challenge-clean-simple.html   and the Mod Squad Masculine Birthday challenge. http://modsquadchallenge.blogspot.com/  

The wheat( DIE085-X)and sentiment(CL342) are both IO products.  The designer paper is Gina K Designs.

Stephanie's Birthday

I needed a birthday card for my niece so I decided to make one that fit the Sparkle, Glitter or Bling Challenge at The House that Stamps Built. The Butterfly is a Cherry Lynn design and the branches are from IO.  I typed the sentiment and cut it out with a Spellbinders die.
http://www.thehousethatstampsbuilt.com/designers-choice-challenge/dcc730-sparkle-glitter-or-bling/

I will also enter it in the Wednesday challenge at Simon Says "Make it Sparkle."
http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/

Paper Pieced Pears

There are four different dp patterns used in this card.  Each of the pears is a different paper and the leaves are the fourth.  I colored the flowers and the branch with markers,and the background is sponged with spun sugar and tea die distress inks. I will enter this in the Pretty Pieces Challenge at Mod Squad.
http://modsquadchallenge.blogspot.com/

The Sky is the Limit

I made this card for a my niece who is turning six this year. I got the idea from the Make-it Monday  video at PTI and will enter it in the challenge there.
 http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/2014/08/make-it-monday-175-creative-card-borders-using-non-border-dies.html
The super girl is a stamp with matching die from MFT and the balloons, rainbow and sentiments are PTI.  I dabbed the white card stock with different color markers to make the background.

Hello Friend

This card is for the sketch challenge at MFT.    http://www.mftstamps.com/blog/stamp-and-win-with-this-weeks-card-sketch-187/    The greeting is from Hot off the Press and the flowers are Die- Namics sunflowers. I used some self stick fabric pieces at the top and bottom of the fish tail  that I got in a prize package that Barbara Campbell was offering at her web cite http://inmycreativeroom.blogspot.com/  .  Thanks, Barbara.

Seashells

This is a card for an IO Nautical challenge.  I made a stencil by cutting out the shells on heavy CS.  I sponged over the stencil onto kraft CS with distress inks. I used versa mark to make splotches and then embossed with UTE. I stamped the sentiment and cut it out with a nestabilities die and sponged it with Memento desert sand.  I added a strip of seashell paper and a seashell cut from some dp.
http://mitrafriant.typepad.com/impression_obsession_news/2014/07/new-impression-obsession-challenge-nauticalbeach.html

I used these IO products
CL43
 DIE077-W

Watercolor Butterfly

I made this card for Stamp TV's Monday challenge and Simon Says Wednesday Challenge Anything Goes.
http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/simon-says-anything-goes-6/

I've Got the Blues

I made this card for the Mod Squad challenge I've Got the Blues and for the Work It Wednesday challenge at Simon Says.  Both challenges required blue but Mod Squad also asks for brown.  I personally like blue and brown together.

 http://modsquadchallenge.blogspot.com/

http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/blog/work-it-wednesday-july-2014/

Super Cameron

When I saw this MFT stamp set and matching die, I knew I had to have it.  I have two great nieces that have a stubborn streak and have been known to stand with their hands on their hips and an attitude that screams "I dare you".  Cameron's birthday is next month so I decided to get busy and make a card.  I will enter it in two challenges at MFT, the color palette and the sketch challenge. I did not have exact matches for the color palette so I matched them as best as I could.  The snow cone is a really pale blue so I used the lightest blue CS that I had and a turquoise CS for the other blue.  The chevron pattern is a MFT die.  You can find the challenges at these web cites.
http://www.mftstamps.com/blog/stamp-and-win-with-this-months-color-palette-challenge-7/
http://www.mftstamps.com/blog/category/wednesday-stamp-club/

Summer Dreams

I will be entering this card in two challenges. Summer's Fun at The Housethat Stamps Built http://www.thehousethatstampsbuilt.com/designers-choice-challenge/dcc716-summer-fun/  and A Missummer's Challenge at Simon Says  http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/?p=1767

 The hot air balloons and the sentiment are from Papertrey Ink. the pine tree is a Hero Arts stamp.

Strawberry Basket

I will be entering this card in two challenges, the sketch challenge at MFT and the Mod Squad challenge, A Fruitful Summer" which asked us to use fruit and the colors black, white and kraft. http://modsquadchallenge.blogspot.com/    I started with a  Die-Namics chevron die.  I cut it twice from kraft and white.  I used the kraft for base and filled in with the negatives from the white one. I mounted that on a black base.  The strawberry basket and strawberries are digital freebies from Becca's Place.  I colored them with Spectrum Noir Markers.  I fussy cut them and then layered them with pop dots for some dimension. I stamped the sentiment with Versa Mark and used white embossing powder to make the sentiment pop.

http://www.mftstamps.com/blog/category/wednesday-stamp-club/

Feather Medallion

One of my gal pals, Judy Woodland, created a beautiful feather card a few months back.  In her description, she said the stamp was from Paper Tray Ink. I scurried over to their web cite and began following  their posts and looking at their products.  I finally purchased a few stamp sets and dies and they arrived in time for a current Make-it- Monday Challenge.  Of course, one of my purchases was the fabulous feather set.  Unfortunately, the die that accompanies the stamp set  was out of stock at the time, but it is back now so I will be ordering that soon. The challenge this week is to make a rainbow medallion using a stamp.  I used the smallest feather from the set.  The picture is a bit faded so the medallion is more vibrant than the image shows. I don't normally make square cards,but this particular stamped image seemed perfect for one.  The sentiment is from Melanie Muenchinger's  Buds and Vases available at Gina K Designs.  The scalloped circle and feather are Spellbinders and the embossing folder is Cuttlebug  Mosaic.   If you are interested in this challenge or a great tutorial on the technique,you can find the details here
http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/make-it-monday/

http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/make-it-monday/

Happy Thoughts

This is a card I made for the IO challenge, The Colors of Summer. I love this little pail from IO and wanted to fill it with flowers. You can see other entries for this challenge at http://mitrafriant.typepad.com/impression_obsession_news/2014/07/impression-obsession-challenge-colors-of-summer.html

Impression Obsession Products

Pail - DIE164-A
Square Cutout Border - DIE172-
Leafy Branch - DIE055N

Hydrangea Set - DIE044-Y

CL43 Stamp 

Three Challenges

The challenge I set  for myself this week was to see how many challenges I could enter with one card.  I managed three.  I will enter this in the Stamp TV Monday color challenge, MFT sketch challenge and the Mod Squad Challenge.  The port hole  and fish tail dies are  Die Namics , and the seashell is IO. The lighthouse stamp is from By the Sea and the sentiment is from Dream Catcher both available at Gina K Designs.
The challenge at Mod Squad is called Love that..... Texture.   http://modsquadchallenge.blogspot.com/

MFT Sketch

http://www.mftstamps.com/blog/category/wednesday-stamp-club/



Stamp TV color challenge

Think Pink

I will enter this card in the MFT Sketch challenge.   /http://www.mftstamps.com/blog/category/wednesday-stamp-club/    I had so much fun the other day creating water color backgrounds so I used a couple for this card. The sentiment stamp and the circle cut out border are from IO, and the feather is from Spellbinders.  I took some liberties with the sketch and used the feather in place of the fish tale.

Just a Note Mini Card

For this mini I inked up by acrylic block and spritzed it with some water and put the CS on top. Once it dried I cut out one of the feathers from Spellbinders and a circle. I stamped the sentiment from Theresa Momber's  Dogwoods and Butterflies set and used the leaves from Summer Blooms.  Both are available at Gina K Designs. I cut a square from white CS sponged it while it was still in the die. After masking the edges of the square I stamped it with a text stamp. I used black CS for layers, and mounted it on blue CS.  This is the third entry for the Mod Squad challenge.
http://modsquadchallenge.blogspot.com/

Summer Blooms

This is my second entry for the Mod Squad Challenge.   http://modsquadchallenge.blogspot.com/     I think these mini cards are so cute. I die cut a square and sponged it while it was still in the die.  I used a stamp set from Gina K Designs called Summer Blooms and stamped the leaves,butterfly, and sentiment in black.  I cut three flower pieces using a die set and sponged the edges and filled the center with flower soft.

White Wash Note cards

The challenge at Mod Squad this week is to make mini cards.  These note cards are 3x3. I stamped kraft CS in Versa Mark and embossed with white embossing powder.  I used some water and white ink to fill in the center of the flowers. I left  one white but went over the rest of them with various Memento colors.  The white ink is from Ranger.   The stamp set is from Hot off the Press and the greeting is from Gina K. Designs Thank You duo. You can see the other entries here. http://modsquadchallenge.blogspot.com/

Migration

 I made this card tor a travel challenge at IO called "Are We There  Yet".  As I looked through my IO stamps and dies, I discovered I had nothing travel related.  Then I saw these birds and the die and  I thought about birds migrating.  As I continued to look,  I saw this sentiment and I was reminded of all the traveling I have done in my lifetime. Since my husband had a career in the USAF, we were constantly traveling and moving and I remember the goodbyes that we made to places, homes and friends.  Each move was bitter sweet because it hurt to say goodbye but at the same time the idea of new and exciting adventures pulled at my imagination, I was much like the bird that "paused in its flight" and rested and grew comfortable until the boughs beneath her give way, but when they do, she does not panic because experience has taught her not to fear but to sing because she has wings.  Venturing into the unknown takes courage sometimes, but what we would miss if we never left our comfort zone. 
You can find the challenge here
 http://mitrafriant.typepad.com/impression_obsession_news/2014/06/new-impression-obsession-challenge-are-we-there-yet.html    

 The IO products used are

My Little Chickadees - C8589

Birds Die - DIE003-A

Leafy Branch - DIE055-

 Be Like the Bird - E13029