new product adventures

OK, I know you've seen these products before, including here (assuming you've been here before) but my Stampin' Blends and Brusho Colour Crystals are still new enough to me that I feel I need a lot more practice.  I loved this card of Amy O'Neill's, but couldn't bring myself to make any more blue cards; for some reason, half of the cards I've made and added to my display stand recently have been mainly blue!  I changed the colors and also changed the layout a bit, using the new one from Sketch Saturday:

stamp sets - Flying Home, Yay You (hostess); ink - Memento Tuxedo Black; Soft Suede; Stampin' Blends; card stock - Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede; designer series paper - Wood Textures; Big Shot with Stitched Circles and Layering Circles framelits  

Looking at it now in the photograph, it seems like it just needs a little something more - maybe a spray of leaves tucked under the right side of the circles?  I'll try that...

Before I go, though, I also wanted to share this card, which I made with my favorite color of purple for Tuesday Throwdown:

stamp sets - Beautiful Day, Yay You (hostess); ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, Melon Mambo; stampin' emboss powder - Clear (I think, maybe White?); Brusho Crystal Colours - Brilliant Red, Prussian Blue; card stock - Watercolor, Very Vanilla, Dapper Denim, Perfect Plum  

I'm pretty pleased with it, other than having inadvertently shortened the butterfly's body.  The Stampin' Up! set of Brushos doesn't include purple (whaaaat!?), so I mixed my own by combining blue and red crystals on a palette and mixing them together with water.  I used an Aquabrush to painting the watercolor onto the butterfly, which is stamped and embossed on watercolor paper.  I used the same two colors for the background by simply sprinkling them onto dry Very Vanilla card stock and spraying water at an angle across them.  I've found that I can use the less expensive plain card stock without an issue if I don't try to "work" the colors.  The red spread and lightened more than the blue, so to give it more definition, I stamped the flower image over it using stamped-off Melon Mambo.

adventure of feathers

Twofer Card Challenge #1 posted - hooray! - and the prompt is "feathers" on two different cards for two different occasions:

I made a masculine birthday card using the sketch from TGIF Challenges:

stamp set - Feather Together; ink - Versamark; Stampin' Emboss powder - white, copper; Brusho colour crystals - Moss Green, Prussian Blue, Yellow; card stock - Watercolor, Vellum, Vary Vanilla, Crushed Curry, Dapper Denim; punch - Best Badge

And, a multi-color striped Thank You inspired by the deliciousness pictured at Give a Crafter a Cookie:

stamp set - Feather Together; ink - Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight; Emerald Envy, Pacific Point, Elegant Eggplant; Stampin' Write marker - Daffodil Delight; card stock - Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie; punch - Best Badge

Do you think I get extra credit for using the same punch, as well as the same stamp set?  OK, me neither, but it was still out on the table.  It probably would have been easier to just snip the ends (and possibly also more symmetrical).

look what Santa brought me adventure

To start 2018 off right, Jingle Belles Lauren and Stef are celebrating all things new by using new things to create holiday cards, and encouraging us to do the same. Santa brought me a lot of wonderful crafty stuff (it will take months to show off all of it); I think the Brushos were the first to come out for a play.

stamp set - Ready for Christmas; ink - Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Versamark; Stampin' emboss powder - Clear; Brusho crystals - Brilliant Red, Yellow; card stock - Shimmer White, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, So Saffron; Big Shot with Christmas Staircase thinlits

I had to watch a few videos before I felt comfortable sprinkling out those little crystals with the super-saturated colors.  Did you know they've been around for more than 25 years?  35?  I can't remember just now, nor can I remember who said that in their video, sorry! I've only been seeing them in the craft-blogosphere for something like two or three years, and they are brand-new in the Stampin' Up! Occasions catalog.  

I started with the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown January sketch, although it rotated while I was working, and the star moved to the center.  

I'm pretty tickled with that star, by the way.  You may not be able to tell because it's a bit small, but it's my biggest adventure with this card.  Shimmer White or Watercolor card stock are recommended for Brusho techniques because they stand up to the water needed.  But I wondered, if I didn't move the water around too much, could I get away with using just regular card stock, and it turns out that yes, I can!  It does start to pill, but the small size made it less problematic.

It's my second Christmas card this year and, I'm pleased to say, one of seven cards I've made so far this year, so I'm on track for my #365cards2018,  making #365somethings2018:

Four of the seven are copied from other card makers.  The Christmas one was from Mindy Backes, and the snowflakes card is from the Stampin' Up! catalog.  Unfortunately, I didn't make notes on the other copies.  I wonder if it's not a good idea to share them here, since I can't credit them properly? Something I'll have to think about - feel free to share your opinion.