B & W and Teal

The challenge this week at Mod Squad is to make a project using black and white plus one other color. It took a little while to find patterned paper that fit with these restrictions but there were some gems hidden in my stash. For this card I found black and white and teal paper from Kaisercraft. The pattern seemed too big to me, so I cut it into three strips to break up the large images. 

The sentiment is from Verve Stamps.  I'm posting this card over at The Cat's Pajamas as well where the challenge is called "How does your garden grow." 

Gelato Watercolor Card

If you haven't tried them, Gelatos are a type of watercolor crayon made by Faber Castell. There are lots of ideas on Pinterest for different ways to use them. 

For this card I heat embossed the sentiment (Verve Stamps) on watercolor paper. Then I mixed a little water with three different Gelato colors. and used them to paint washes of color over the sentiment. 

The idea for this card came from the Calling All Sistahs Challenge. Calling All Sistahs is a new challenge created by Cas-ual Friday Stamps. The purpose of the challenge is to make encouraging cards and also to help raise breast cancer awareness. 

I'm also sharing this card over at the Mod Squad Challenge Blog where the current challenge is to make the sentiment the focal point. 

Scrappy Background Card

If you do a lot of projects with colored paper you inevitably end up with many colorful paper scraps. My favorite thing to do with these scraps is to make a scrappy card background. Although Operation Write Home has closed up shop the tutorials are still available on their website. The Scrappy Background tutorial is still there as well. Click on the link if you want to know how to make cards like this.

For this card I used the colors from the latest Calling All Sistahs challenge. The stamp is from Verve. This card is also going in the Mod Squad challenge which is to make the sentiment the focal point. 

Spirit Brave

This card uses one of my new favorite sentiments from Verve.

May your heart be kind

you mind fierce

and your spirit brave

The paper is from a giant pad of Kathy Davis paper that I can't seen to use up no matter how hard I try. #firstworldproblems



Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge 'showers and flowers"
Simon Says Stamp Work it Wednesday "April flowers/May flowers"

Inhale Courage

Another card using the latest Mojo Monday sketch from Verve.

Inhale. Exhale.

A new card using the latest Mojo Monday card sketch.

Just Breathe ATC

I recently had the idea to make an ATC inspiration deck for myself. The ATC format is new to me. Its difficult for me to do anything other than make them look like mini greeting cards. 

This one uses the current sketch from Your Next Stamp. The colors sort of match the YNS colors as well. 

I used the smallest flower from the Stampin Up Blossom Punch to make a tiny tag. 
The stamp is from the Just Breathe set from Verve which I just bought. I went over the stamp with my new purple Wink of Luna brush marker. So this gets put in the Simon Says Stamp Work it Wednesday Challenge to use something new. 

The SSS Monday Challenge is "Chill Out" which goes along with the relaxing message. 

And the SSS Wednesday Challenge is "Anything But a Card." I'm hoping they mean greeting card and my ATC qualifies. 

Best Dad Ever Card

When I saw this paper it seemed like a great choice for making colorful, interesting cards that would be appropriate to send to men. 

Because I'm making cards for Operation Write Home, a sentiment like "best dad ever" is great. It could be used as a birthday card, a Father's Day card, or just to let dad know that he's in your thoughts. 

Paper: Basic Grey Hello Luscious
Stamp: Verve
Washi: My Mind's Eye

This week the Wednesday Challenge at Simon Says Stamp is "Make it Masculine," so this card will be entered over there. 

Time to Blossom

Do you even get hooked on a sentiment and you just can't stop using it? That's what has been happening with me lately with two stamps. One is from Close to My Heart and says "A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and will sing it back to you when you forget the words." The other one is stamp I used below. 

Mojo Monday Sketch #387

In case you can't read it clearly it says "And the day come when the risk it took to stay tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." I have always loved this powerful, inspirational message. Searching for a stamp with this quote on it was how I first found out about Verve Stamps. It got pushed to the back of the stamp rotation for a while, but it has been seeing a lot of ink lately. 

This card is based on the latest sketch from Mojo Monday.

This card if perfect for the current Work it Wednesday at Simon Says Stamp. They are looking for a spring theme. Well, not only does this card have flowers on it, the sentiment really evokes a springtime image of buds opening.  

The Wednesday Challenge at Simon Says Stamp is "Special Lady/Girly," so I'm entering 

this card in that challenge as well. 

Paper: Amy Tangerine Ready Set Go, Bazzill Arizona

Stamp: Verve "To Risk"

Ink: Momento Nautical Blue

Punch: Stampin Up Boho Blossoms

She Adjusted Her Sails

This is my second card inspired by Mojo Monday Sketch #383. This sketch is great! I have many more ideas for how to use it. After I made this card I made another variation on it with the blue flower paper on the bottom and the sailboat paper on top.

Mojo Monday #383

Sketch: Mojo Monday #383
Paper: Authentique "Anchored"
Sentiment Stamp: Verve "Adjusted Sails"  
Shell Stamp:  Gina K Designs
Ink: Memento Nautical Blue
Card Base: Neenah Texture Patriot Blue

Blossom Card

I'm really excited about this card. It came together really easily and I'm so pleased with the result.

For the layout I used Mojo Monday sketch 383. This sketch is great for using with a 6" x 6" pad. If you cut the base layer of patterned paper to 5" x 3.75" you will have a piece of paper left that measures 5" x 2.25" which is perfect for the top piece of patterned paper. If the paper is double sided, just flip the smaller piece of paper over for a coordinating layer. Or, use a different paper from the same pad to cut a base layer for a second card. Then, use the smaller leftover paper from the first card as the coordinating paper for the second.

I'm also entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.  This week, the challenge is "All Things Bright and Beautiful."

Mojo Monday #383

Sketch: Mojo Monday #383
Paper: Crate Paper On Trend
Stamp: Verve "To Risk"
Ink: Stampin Up Soft Suede