It's VSN Time!

Are any of y'all participating in Virtual Stamp Night on Splitcoast?  You still have until Monday at 8:00 EST to play and upload your creations.  I like to play because it's always fun to see what I can make in 45 minutes.  Here are a couple of cards I made for it; I'll share a couple more tomorrow.

This was definitely my favorite of the bunch!  It was for Snail's challenge of embossing (either heat or dry) vellum.  I definitely need to put vellum on my shopping list, because I only have this confetti kind from a long-ago craft project.  I was puzzled for a bit until I saw this Sugar Nellie image in my stamp index, and thought a sparkly vellum moon would be so much fun.  I stamped her on the vellum and embossed with clear embossing powder.  Then I used Wild Honey distress ink to ink up the moon.  I stamped her again on white paper, and colored her in using distress inks and an aquapainter.  I was going to go with a "wish big" type sentiment, but then I just couldn't resist "I love you to the moon and back..." from PTI's Out on a Limb sentiments.  I stamped the "I love you" using Barn Door distress ink and the rest of the sentiment with Fresh Ink Lemonade, then clear embossed.  I cut the sentiment strip extra long, folded the flaps over, and adhered them to the inside of the card.  Then I used some blue & white twine to hang the moon on, securing it to the back with tape because I'm classy that way (and I was running out of time).

Embossed vellum turns out to be really hard to photograph, so here's another angle for ya:

Not Quite Navy is definitely one of my favorite colors of all time, and I used it again on this card for Resqbarbie's sketch challenge. 

Would you believe me if I told you I watercolored this card using only 3 distress ink colors (tumbled rose, peeled paint, and vintage photograph)?  Well, ok, you probably would.   But I still love it and this SU stamp!  I guess technically I used four colors, because I sponged the edges with Antique Linen.  The PTI Mega Mixed Messages sentiment is stamped with NQN ink onto Soft Suede (which is another current favorite that I need to order more of!), then punched out with the modern label punch.

Anyone watching the Oscars tonight?  I'm hoping for King's Speech to win.  We saw it last week and it was definitely the best movie of the year.  Social Network just didn't do it for me, but I am hoping Aaron Sorkin will win for best screenplay in return for Sports Night never winning anything.  Yes, that is exactly how I think the Academy Awards should work.   :)

DTGD Day Three

Whew!  What a fun cardmaking day I had yesterday!  I'm so glad SCS kept Dare to Get Dirty in July so I can play along!  I ended up making 3 cards yesterday, with a fourth one planned to finish up this morning.

This card also uses Dawn's Color Cue Challenge 6: vanilla, coral (Berry Sorbert here), kraft, and brown.  Oh, how I love a Neapolitan color combo.  Funny story: my wedding was a Neapolitan wedding and my wedding cake was white with pink & brown stripes.  6 months later, I give my parents their album, and my dad shows it off to his friends.  He calls me up and says, "Did you know that your cake matched the bridesmaid's dresses?  I didn't until a lady pointed it out to me!"  Ah, men and their lack of recognizing a theme.

One more item before I start explaining this card: I must give props to Dawn of Wplus9.  I was stamping my stamping index when I noticed there was a manufacturing defect on one of the stamps (there was an extra dollop of plastic so it wouldn't stamp right).  I emailed her, ready to provide pictures and/or send the set back.  Instead she replied that she would be sending along a replacement straightaway, and when I get the package, she had sent an entire replacement set!  So I will be taking the perfect stamp out and sending the rest to my sister in my attempts to get her to come to the dark side.  Yea for fantastic customer service!

Whew, now onto the card making deets: I stamped my now-perfect big leaf image from Wplus9 Woodgrain Silhouette Additions on PTI Berry Sorbet with PTI Vintage Cream for the background, and stamped the flowers from Woodgrain Silhouettes.  The brown paper is another flocked piece from My Mind's Eye Lush collection.  I used my new SU Butterfly embosslet to make the butterfly from October Afternoon paper, adding three self-adhesive pearls.  The sentiment is from PTI Delightful Dahlia, stamped with Rich Cocoa onto PTI Cream, notched with a square punch.  A cute little bow from some generic kraft colored ribbon finished it off!

It's official: I do not have a "card style."  You can almost hear the record scratch as you scroll from the nice, elegant pink card to this craziness!  This was supposed to be for the CAS sketch challenge, but it was one of those project that just kept growing..."I'll use this fruit paper...no, wait, I'll make a patchwork with it...and sew it...and emboss it with basket weave!" :) The image is from Unity Hodge Podge of Happiness, stamped on PTI Rustic White using SU Markers, then colored with copics. The sentiment was stamped with Memento Rhubarb and I colored in the letters for "apple."

 And then it's back to cute for this girlie!! I stamped Sugar Nellie's "Catch a Falling Star" on PTI Rustic White, colored with copics, and cut out. I also paper pieced her skirt and the star from October Afternoon paper. The wire is from an old Christmas ornament project-I applied a little adhesive behind her hands to hold it, as well as just a smidge on the end to hold it in the same place it was drawn on her skirt.  I added an eyelet to the star, then threaded the jute twine through.  I added a drop of Crystal Accents on the back of the star where the twine was so the star wouldn't lean forward.

 The other paper is also from October Afternoon, and the sentiment is from MFT; I wish it would have stamped darker!  The ribbon is I think American Crafts.

I'm seeing quite a few familiar faces over on the DTGD challenges--aren't they fun and inspiring?  If you're a fan club member, be sure to check 'em out!

DTGD Day Two

The good news: I can use this card for all four Dare to Get Challenges posted yesterday.  Bad news: it took me all afternoon to make it!  Good news: I enjoyed every minute of it!!  Sometimes you just gotta pull out all the stops and cut up some fancy paper.

My Sugar Nellies have been neglected recently as I've gone on a CAS kick and this Wish angel just called out to me.  I stamped her onto PTI Rustic White, and then on some My Minds Eye Lush, SU Cameo Coral, and Kiwi Kiss patterned paper.  I colored her hair and added some blush, eyeshadow, and lipstick with prismacolor pencils and baby oil, and then paper pieced her outfit.  I colored her wing spots and the letters with a pink pencil, then went over it with a Jelly Roll Star Dust pen.  This (flocked!) Lush paper happens to go wonderfully with SU Sage Shadow, so I cut a Nestability Big Scallop square out of it, used a square nestie to cut the window, and then added the hearts that were punched from the border using a Xyron adhesive machine.  I just throw a few in there at a time, pull the tape a little, throw some more, and usually the odds work out that I have enough that landed right side up to use.  Much less frustrating than trying to get them all in there face-up.

I had some Martha ribbon that matched, so I used that over a strip of paper border punched from DCWV Luxury Stack.  I really like how the Kiwi Kiss makes the whole thing pop; I just happened to have a scrap on my desk and decided to try it.  I also used PTI Text Styles in Old Olive at the top and bottom.  After cutting out and adhering the letters, I poked a hole and threaded some PTI twine through.  I cut it to a point and it gets a little fuzzy build-up when I started pulling it, but I just kept pulling and the fuzzies came through, so I didn't have to do too much haircutting (my orderly math side: cannot handle too much fuzziness on my twine or any extra-long fuzzies!). I colored a rhinestone with a pink copic and added it to the bottom of the "S."  The card is 5 1/2 by 5, there was just too much yumminess to be restricted to 4 1/4 (but not enough for 5 1/2 square).

I'm so glad I found some fellow Mad Men fans!  Did y'all see Jon (we're on a first name basis) on 30 Rock?  I'd bring him a Diet Raspberry Fanta any time!  Thanks for all the warm-fuzzy* comments!
*these are the type of fuzzies you want to have, not like those evil twine fuzzies.