Tag: sponging

GinaK Designs

Masculine Birthday Cards

Anne Slattery

I have a hard time coming up with designs for masculine birthday cards (what did we ever do without Pinterest). My husband works for a Life Center for Seniors as a driver. The participants in the program can stay independent and remain in their home while the Center helps them get to doctors appointments, have meals and get assistance with whatever needs they have.

Recently, one of those participants had to go into a nursing home. Hubby brought home a letter from this gentleman’s son requesting they send him birthday cards. We all have good intentions and before we know it the date has passed and we never got around to sending that card. So I am whipping up 20 birthday cards for my husband to take into work, put them in the lunchroom with a sign and a box. All his coworkers have to do is write a little note of encouragement, wish this man a happy birthday  and place the card in the box. Hubby will bring them home and I can drop them off at the nursing home!

So coming up with different designs for masculine birthday cards was a challenge but once I had a few finished I was on a roll. Here is one of those cards. Yesterday’s card is included in the bunch as well.

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Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day.

My Favorite Things

Getting Back Into The Groove

Anne Slattery

I finally feel like I am getting back into the card making groove and have a few cards to share.

P1200023I follow Heather Telford’s blog with her inspirational sponging techniques – that is what inspired this card. It is direct ink to paper. I cut out a Spellbinder die cut and used it as a mask to sponge on the background scene using Memento Summer Sky, Tangelo, Canteloupe, New Sprout and Pear Tart inks. Using stamps from Penny Black’s Tweet Tweet set I stamped the flowers (Tangelo) and bird (Versa Fine). The floral strip was stamped using MFT (springtime background) in sour apple.

P1200026Another card inspired by Heather Telford. The flowers are from Penny Black’s Tweet Tweet stamp set, embossed with clear embossing powder and sponged over with Summer Sky Memento ink. The two squares were cut out and popped up to add a little dimension to the card. The sentiment does show up better than the photo.

P1200045This was an easy one embossing folder and then brayered with MFT grape jelly and stamped sentiment with Versa Fine.

My Favorite Things, Stamps by Judith, Stamps of Life

My Favorite Things

Anne Slattery

Today while looking at the submissions for OWH’s Sunday Sketch challenge I was commenting on a card when I found a new blog called Words 2 Scrap By and their first challenge is to create a card based on the song My Favorite Things (Sound of Music). You can find info here. One of my goals this year is to branch out beyond OWH for challenges and to look fear in the face and just do it, to stop seeking perfection, to embrace my own individual creativity, and to stop being intimidated by rules and regulations of design.

When I saw this challenge I had to laugh. When I was a child I played the piano/organ and when the Sound of Music came out I had to have all the sheet music (I still have it). There were seven kids in my family and my dad loved for all of us to gather round and sing. So I played every song and knew every lyric. In my life nothing happens by coincidence. This was meant to be my first and so here is my first card in my first challenge outside of OWH!

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I used Spellbinders Distress Edges cut out from Whip Cream MFT cardstock, embossed the top half with Darice cloudy sky embossing folder. I then used raindrops from Stamps of Life boots4rain stamp set using Versamark. I sponged over the clouds with Memento Summer Sky (to allow the raindrops to show) and Grey Flannel (to add a little cloudy sky). It looks like a blue sky in the photo but it is much darker in person.

Next I used MFT Brick Wall Stencil and MFT Kraft ink to create the wall. I then stamped on the roses from MFT peaceful wildflowers using MFT red hot ink and Memento Bamboo Leaves. It needed a little something else so I went to my little Stamps by Judith grass stamp to add a touch of grass to the bottom.

The last thing I did was add the raindrops to the bottom half – this was trial and error. The top half raindrops are done with clear embossing powder but that didn’t work for the bottom half so I used white embossing powder for the raindrops on the bottom (so they would match the top raindrops). I distressed the edges in Kraft ink around the whole card.

I chose not to use a sentiment on this card so that it can be used for any occasion.

I want to wish the gals at Words 2 Scrap By much success and thank them for allowing me to use this as my diving board to jump into unchartered waters and outside of my comfort zone.

My Favorite Things, Online Card Classes, Stamps by Judith

OWH Sketch #207

Anne Slattery

Stencils seem to have come around again and are the current trend in the paper crafting world. Lately I have been creating my own backgrounds using stencils, sponging, the retiform technique, brayering and getting ink everywhere in the process and usually it is on my almost finished project (ARRRRR). That being said I’ve used stencils today on my card. You can find today’s OWH Sunday sketch here.

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For this card I used the brick wall stencil with kraft ink on whip cream cardstock — all from My Favorite Things. I used some of the oldest interactive stamps I have from Stamps by Judith for the image and the sentiment is from Just Rite Stamps called Hugs and Kisses. The flowers were stamped with Razzle Berry ink and Sour Apple from My Favorite Things. I used a Copic marker to add water to the jar.

Online Card Classes is offering a class on Creative Ways to use Stencils on Cards starting Friday January 24, 2014 which I have registered for and am looking forward to. There is a fee to take the class. It is interactive, and you have access to it forever to refer back to the videos and pdf files. I participated in the Summer Card Class and learned so much (some of which I am still trying). Just a suggestion in case you are interested.

Enjoy what is left of the weekend and thanks for stopping by.

GinaK Designs, My Favorite Things

Sketch 187

Anne Slattery

owh sketch canvas copy

My card:

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Two masculine cards I worked on over the weekend. Practicing my sponging, masking and direct ink to paper techniques.  GinaK Designs Northwoods stamp set. Ranger Distress Ink – Antique Linen. Followed GinaK’s Woodgrain Focal Image video on StampTV.

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Used Danube Blue and Sky Blue (Memento Inks) for the sponging. GinaK Designs The Northwoods stamp set.

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Thanks for stopping by.

GinaK Designs

Any Hero Cards – OWH Midweek Challenge

Anne Slattery

Below are the “any hero” cards I created for this week’s Midweek Challenge for Operation Write Home. I’ve been making fall/autumn cards so I thought I would continue with the same for our heros. The first two cards I sponged the backgrounds with Memento inks to give it a background.

This card I used stamps from GinaK Designs (Country Roads and the birds are from By the Sea). I don’t like how the pumpkins turned out (don’t know where that stamp set is from – AC Moore bargain find). Next time I will have to use the masking technique. The sentiment is from Inkadinkadoo (Thank You words). The paper is TPC Studio (Rustic Garden Sunflowers) and mounted on GinaK Design Sweet Mango cardstock.

Heartfelt-Hero-Card

This next card I used the Gina K Design Country Roads set along with that same bargain stamp set I found at AC Moore. I drew my own birds on this one (yes, I need practice with this) and used the Distress Card Creator dies from Spellbinders for the layers. The sentiment is from the same stamp set I used on the above card. The card is mounted on MFT cardstock (lemon drop).

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And this card I had to go with the USA theme and use the red white and blue.

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OK – now I will write to our soldiers inside these cards I just made.