At Joan's Gardens Challenge #12

This week we are to create a card that uses products sold at Joan's Gardens, is worked in orange, white and green, and contains a container---that we fill with flowers.

My container is a clay pot created in Photoshop, mounted on stacks of Core-dinations sandable layers of orange yellow and green  in Tim Holtz Alterations collection.  The flowers are made from a sticker (that I do not know the name of or where I got it, and the manufacturer's name is not on it any longer.) I used a crackled shiny orange and yellow contact paper scrap behind the flowers and fussy cut the sticker.  I worked Anirondak Alcohol Inks for the green leaves on photo paper surface then backed the sticker with the green alcohol ink paper and adhered the flowers and pot to a Spellbinder Labels Twenty Die ( S5-026.). The orange paper and the cardstock front are embossed with Tim Holtz Alterations Bubbles and Honeycomb Set Texture Fader folders (Sixxix 667846). Any inking was with Peeled Paint (Tim Holtz Distressing Inks). The matting is machine stitched in a zig-zag with Madera Gold (#6).  All of the products except the pot and contact paper scrap are available at Joan's Gardens.  I was inspired by Joan's (and Elizabeth's) sticker use videos, but departed from her tutorials a little bit. when I played with the alcohol ink and the contact paper for the flowers.
This will be a Birthday Card, with sentiment and greeting inside. Be sure to click the picture to see a larger image.

At Joan's Gardens Challenge #12

The Challenge this week is to make a card:  use a yellow, orange  and green theme, use some kind of container, fill it with flowers, include products that are sold at Joan's Gardens
This Easel Stand-up card uses Spellbinders Labels #18 (S4-310).  They are edged in  Tim Holtz Distressed Inks and layered over Tim Holt's Alterations  Embossing Textrues Fades Folders  (Sizzix 657846 ) The Honeycomb was brayered and them embossed with Kaleidacolor Desert Heat Oranges and Yellows inks. Flowers were punched from scrap paper using both Studio G and McGill (Mini Petals for Hydrangea) punches centered with Stickles (Platinum) .  The adorable Digi Stamp is by Wendy Hall of Digital Delights by Louby Lou  called Flower Power  Rosie colored with Tim Holtz Distress Markers on Ranger Specialty Paper (that I do not like!).  These pens work better for me on high quality watercolor paper worked very wet.  The basket on the inside of the card is a digital clip art design drawn by Tracy Barnes, and textured with 3D Crystal Lacquer filled with the punched flowers.  Inside the baskets and in the element clusters are clippings from Cheery Lynn Designs, Borders Flourishes and Edgers (B148) which is the Holly Flourish. The Sentiment stamp is from SU-Vintages Verses.  Inserted decorative paper is by Pink Paislee Nature Sanctuary 00440.The inside of the card opens to show butterflies and an orange rose on clear acetate and orange paper traced from Rosie's hat, with room for a note for the recipient.

Lily of the Valley---Stamps

Introduced in the February Papers and Pixels Magazine, were some of the beautiful stamps and amazing products available at of Lili of the Valley and Laila Ansbergs of the United Kingdom.  The stamp I used here is called "Watering the Flowers."  It is colored with Tim Holtz Distress ink markers, (that I am just beginning to learn how to use.) The card front layers are cut from the gorgeous Gold Labels Four Spellbinders Nestabilities dies (S5-159)  I used twill tape overlaid with gold threaded baker's twine behind and through the die cut. The blue paper has been spritzed with Imagine Crafts' Sparkle Shimmer.  This card was inspired by the example that Laila's Design Team member shared on page 120 of the February Papers and Pixels Magazine, and is mounted on deckled edge ivory cardstock. Many of these products are available at Joan's Garden, but this was not completed for one of her store or site challenges.

For my Friend

I just love how this birthday card came out, for my friend Clareene.   Happy  Birthday, until you see this one for real Monday.
 I used a sewn in organza bow (from my tutorial in the March Papers and Pixels Magazine) on a third-cut card front die cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities, Imperial Gold Gold Labels Four (S5-159).  I used the same die layered up using 2, 3, and 4 of this set.    I used a  SU stamp from the 25th Anniversary collection Best of Flowers.  The butterflies are SU's  darling Beautiful Wings Embosslits touched with star-gel pen.  The pearl swirls are Recollections and the whole card is brushed with  Tim Holtz Distress Markers, or Tim Holtz distressing inks.  All but the Stampin Up products are available at Joan's Gardens. 

At Joan's Gardens Challenge #11

This week we are to use a square, alter something, use flower paper, and include something that can be purchased at Joan's Gardens
This card is a 5 1/2 by 5 1/2 inch square, with flowered paper squared at 5inches.  The paper is from the K&Company ancestry.com collection.   I embossed it with dotted swiss embossing folder. and burnished the edges of the ecru cardstock (and the embellishments with Ranger Distress inks in four colors, walnut stain, old paper, fired brick and iced spruce). Joan carries the full line of Ranger/Tim Holtz products.  The flower is cut from the same paper as the background with Tim Holtz Tattered Flower Garland (657824) die, also made a cut from light aqua paper for the flower center, and some other flowers that I did not use. I coated the flowers, and just the edges of the die cuts with 3D Galaxy Gloss. The main diecut is what I altered for this challenge.  It is the most Gorgeous Spellbinders Shapeabilities S5-165 Ornate Squares Die, sponged in the frame, (dies 5 and 3)  I altered the diecut by cutting off the square corners, shaping the result and then turning the cut-away parts into corner mounts, accented with clear-star gel pen, and pearls.   This die has tiny piercings in the detail, and I joined those dots with the clear-star gel pen.   The Thank you sentiment is a SU punch and stamp (Pretty Petites).  The leaves behind the flowers are created from Heartfelt Creations die and stamp called Bella Rose (HCD712) also available at Joan's Gardens.   Aqua organza ribbon wrap and bow finish off this card that I am very pleased with. Be sure to click the photo to see a larger picture of this card.   
Below the card I am placing a picture of what that Spellbinders  Die looks like, and you can see the alteration I did when I worked on this week's challenge at Joan's Gardens.

At Joan's Gardens Challenge #10

The Challenge this week is to create a card that uses products sold at Joan's Gardens. Use an embossing folder, make a black and white card, and use pearls, lace and flowers.

For this card, I used Starform Stickers, edge trims in white and black; I embossed the black and the white photo paper matting with the Vintage Lace Embossing folder that came with my E-Bosser machine that I got from Joan's Gardens.  The Black edging,  embossed with Bubbles embossing folder and  spritzed with white shimmer mist, is created with Spellbinders Edgeabilitis E8-006 and accented with pearls.  In the wings of the edging I have placed Schiffli satin embroidered lace edging that closely mimics the embossed paper below it.  A little punched glitter paper flower tops a satin bow that holds two doves on a shimmer paper heart. (EK Success 81339). This card has a lot of dimension created with the open lacework, the embossing and the edge trim. 
This is an anniversary greeting card for friends renewing their vows this year.
Almost all these products, plus the wonderful E-Bosser machine, are available at Joans Gardens. AND if you can't find what you are looking for at Joan's--just e-mail her and she will find it!  She has hundreds of sources for the best products for crafting on the market.  

At Joan's Gardens Challenge #9

Inspired by the garden theme, this card is a hand watercolored "coloring page" from the internet, I painted with Tim Holtz Distress markers and traditional water colors on Tim Holtz Specialty Paper. Markers and paper area available from At Joan's Gardens.  The side border is Stampin Up Victoria Crochet Trim bordered with Starform gold lines and Happy Birthday vertical sentiment stickers found at Pop-Ups Etc.. The texture in the paper is printed, (I have not embossed the cardfront.  A little "platinum" Stickles on the yellow daisies, and the simple (but time consuming) card is ready for the mail. I'm going to be away now for the next couple of weeks. Thank you for visiting my blog. Enjoy the upcoming challenges.  One thing that I AM finding, is that the watercolor brushes and distress markers seem for me to be prettiest when stamped or printed on watercolor paper, rather than Specialty paper, which for me is showing the best performance with pencil and gamsol coloring.  The golden butterflies are diecut from SU Beautiful  Wings Embosslit, from gold foiled specialty paper.

At Joan's Gardens Challenge #9

The challenge is a garden theme, and my garden this time is from beautiful paper "Sunny Day" by S.E.I. called Window Box (8-5401) I have used punched vellum and paper flowers and leaves, burnished with olive chalk and Distress Ink (fired brick) The center from Cheery Lynn's Build a Flower 1 (B181), and SU ribbon.  The Madera Corner by Memory Box (98291) accents the bow and flower area.  I am looking for my "Bitty Banners" stamp and die set (SU) for a waved sentiment that I will put into the bow (but it's lost in the mess on my desk!).  The delicate cutout window is the Spellbinder's Radient Rectangles..number 6 in the set (S5-161) cut and embossed through a 5x7 deckled edge cardstock base and backed with harmonizing blue paper.  All these supplies except SU and the printed paper are available At Joan's Gardens

At Joan's Gardens Challenge Week #9

The challenge this week is a "garden" theme.  My garden is an autumn harvest using one of the Gorgeous Art Impressions "Try Fold" stamps in their new series called Harvest TF_UM4205. This is stamped  onto watercolor paper and colored with Tim Holts Distress Markers (and with traditional watercolor paints) The die cut is from Spellbinders Imperial Gold Nestabilities, Gold Labels Four (S5-159) The littlest die in that set is stamped with Distress Marker Inks using the For You stamp from SU's Elements of Style set.  Rhinestones are coverd with Sharpie brown ink and adhered to seam binding ribbon.  Tiny maple leaves touched with orange stickles are punched from a dollar bin punch from Walmart! The green mat is Cordinations paper, but I have not distressed it, and the center is backed with an embossed (French lattice) SU textured impressions embossing folder.  All of these supplies except the Stampin Up products are available at Joan's Gardens, (some by special order.)  The inside of this card has another of the stamps from the same set which is a little wagon full of pumpkins;the inside sentiment is " Sow kindness, harvest Friendship"

At Joan's Gardens Challenge 8

I created this card for the At Joan's Gardens Challenge #8, Challenge was to use a lattice, dry embossing, a flower that has been  painted and an oval diecut for a background. This card evolved as a drop-front, window-card created with a textured impressions Lattice embossing folder brushed with Tim Holtz Distressing ink in Antique Linen for the card base.  The beautiful two sided paper is from a card pack by K&Company (Ancestry set).  The dies I used are Spellbinders Labels 18 and (inside) Spellbinder's Classic Ovals (which doesn't show from the front).  I double diecut mounted and lined a 1 1/2 inch folded top border with part of the Labels 18 die, and then cut a window from it. I mounted a smaller reverse of the paper inside the window.  When you open the front you see Cheery Lynn's  French Lattice (FRM 132) (cut from Core-dinations by Tim Holtz) adhered to second side of the paper over the medallion which is rimmed with Starform Glitter Stickers #1283 (from Pop Ups Etc )  The flower is punched from a Punch Bunch flower petals punch, from the same paper, with the rims painted with Tim Holtz Distressing Ink in Rich Mahogany.  Stamp is a SU stamp from "Elements of Style." and the painted organza center of the flower is also from SU.  I also made a flower from the negative pieces of the Lattice used as petals...great idea!, but the Cordinations paper is too heavy and the flower was not pretty.  I made a third one from  tissue spritzed with the turquoise blue of the card, but it didn't look right.  I had fun with this card, which took WAY too long to create, but some ideas I'd been thinking about got tried out!  All the Spellbinders, Tim  Holtz, Cheery Lynn and C&K products are available at Joans Gardens. 

At Joan's Gardens Challenge # 8

This week we are to use a lattice, dry embossing that has been inked, flowers that have been painted and a circle or oval die cut background.  My modified gate-fold card has an oval diecut,  formed with graduated sizes of Spellbinders Labels 20 (S5-026).  The sentiment is cut from a scalloped edge circle. The background is dry embossed with Textured Impressions  Square Lattice burnished with both Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress ink and  Creamy Carmel dye ink by SU. The medallion is created using Spellbinder's Shapeabilities Fold and  Tuck Die (S5-114)  which is cut from blue vellum, and adhered to a white, burnished background.  The closure is created from punched circles and gold and white Baker's Twine secured with brads.  The edges of the punched flowers are painted with gold acrylic paint. (Hard to see in the picture, because its just on the outside edge. A couple of Recollections rhinestones and some accenting with Platinum Stickles completes this card which was inspired by a demonstration I saw by Lori Spendlove.    The Spellbinders and accent products are all available at Joan's Gardens. 

At Joan's Gardens Challenge #8

Use some kind of lattice - we want you to be creative
Use a circle or oval die cut background
Create a flower that have been painted. You can use Gesso on it, acrylic paints stains, etc. - be creative
Include some dry embossing that has been inked.

This wonderful card just surprised me so much.  I had no ideas for it when I began and just started playing with paper and dies to meet the guidelines of Joan's Challenge this week ---until it emerged! 

 I used Quinn Flourish (98267) by Memory Box for one of the "lattice effects" which had been stamped with a delicate detailed stamp in gold before cutting. I placed the delicate Cheery Lynn French Lattice (FRM 132) which was cut from Core-dinations Paper over K&Company 2 sided designer paper (from which the flowers were cut using Tim Holtz Alterations Tattered  Flower Garland (667824). I painted the flowers with Mod Podge (glossy), to achieve brushstrokes, and some detail. and anchored them to the center medallion with American Crafts Mini Jewel Brads.  The Circle medallion is a Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Scallops die, cut from Core-dinations, which I embossed with SU's Textured Impressions Square Lattice embossing  Folder then sanded, then inked.  All the inking was done with  Tim Holtz Distressing Inks in either evergreen bough or old papaper colors.  All but the  SU and the brads (and ribbon), can be ordered from At Joan's Gardens.    There's a third matching flower inside, but no sentiment sheet yet.