Gnome Pun Groaner Alert

Third Coast Creative Coterie has assigned dates to post on the TCCC blog. I was assigned July 4th, but my Third Coast stamp collection was lacking in patriotic stamps. So, I put on my thinking cap and this is what sprang into my head.



I'll admit to chortling maniacally whilst creating this one. I also had another incident that reflects somewhat interestingly upon my mental state. After I bore you with the details about this card, I'll relate that story. That way you can always skip ahead or click away. You probably will opt for the click after this groaner of a pun card.

So, the gnome is Gned Gnome (AP-157-C) and he resides on page 19 of the Summer '05 Catalog. He was colored with Copic markers and the buttons of his braces were touched with black Glaze pen for dimension and shine.

The flag banner is a digi from a free digital stamp set of four flags from Bombshell Stamps. Free digital stamps are available to all Bombshell Newsletter subscribers. The newsletter is very informative and exceedingly well written ;). Plus, if you subscribe by 7/3/12, you'll be in the running to win a $100 Bombshell Shopping Spree. Click HERE to subscribe. The winner will be selected on July 4th.

The flag banner was also colored with Copic markers using the same colors I used for the Gnome. I added "Land of the free... Gnome of the brave" using Photo Elements.

By the way, Third Coast has a new challenge blog that kicked off yesterday. Here's a link to it. You should play along to win a fabulous prize!

So, on to my story. I had finished coloring both the gnome and the flag banner and was starting to design the card. I was trying out various patterned papers and such. I thought to myself, "Self, you have some bangin' red/white and blue/white star ribbon. Go find it and see what'll work." So, I dutifully got the big plastic bag that hold my unsorted ribbon and various ribbon scraps and suchlike. I couldn't find either ribbon. So I got down the second bag. Same result. Got down the third one. Yep. Still couldn't find it. Meanwhile Gned was waiting a bit less patiently to be put onto a card. I dumped out all three bags on top of poor Gned. Still couldn't find either the red/white star or blue/white star ribbon. Sigh. So I started to sort the ribbon by color and finally found both color combos. Score! But I now had a foot high pile of ribbons all over my work surface. An hour and a half later, I had all the ribbon into plastic bags by color. I probably could have spent a few more hours because I got a bored with wrapping ribbon around my hand and just started stuffing the bags (still sorted by color).

After finding the ribbon, I did not feel like sorting through more patterned paper. I was "out of sorts". *snort* I used plain red ribbed cardstock and some shimmery blue vellum. I finished the card in the very wee hours of the morning. I know this because the birds started singing up a storm. *sigh*

So not only am I a compulsive bad-gnome-pun creator, but also tetched with some ADD and/or OCD.

Thanks for visiting today.

I shall be entering this card in the following challenges:

• Simon Says Challenge: Sporty or Patriotic
• Outlawz Greetings: Anything Goes
• Sisterhood of Crafters: Seeing Stars challenge
• Craft Punked: Week 26: Independence Day

You're so tweet!

Kraftin' Kimmie is moving house and is busy, so she's posted a few challenges on her Facebook book. One of them was to use purple. Meanwhile, Craft Your Passion challenge blog's theme this week is "Wings". Lately, I've been challenging myself to use older papers, so I did and hit a trifecta.

Woot!

So here you go.



Bird Fairy, by Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps was colored with Copic markers, masked with Winsor & Newton masking fluid, and the sky and grass was airbrushed. As sometimes happens, it got a bit sticky, so I did my "quick fix" (alcohol on a paper towel and smooshed over the sticky areas). I messed up and got a bit 'o green in the sky, so I added a sun.

The wings were painted with a layer of Winsor & Newton Irridescent Medium, which added a nice touch of glitter.

The patterned papers are from the Oh Baby Basic Grey collection, which I loved and hoard, especially the purples and that floral. There's something about the color palette in that collection!!!

The gingham bow was colored with a V22 Copic marker to make it blend better. I actually made a bow using the fork method, which I found online. And it worked. Yay.

The sentiment is from the late lamented Odd Bird Planet. Love those teensy sentiments in that fun and funky font (Purple Boxers).

Thanks for visiting today.

I shall be entering this card in the following challenges:
• Kraftin' Kimmie's Facebook challenge
• Craft Your Passion #117 Things With Wings challenge
• Basic Grey Challenge Blog: Favorite Colors Combo challenge

Bombshell's Hump Day Hop!!!

Alison, our lovely and talented Bombshell Blog Captain, has decreed that the theme for this hop is Three Cheers for Summer!

Here's what Alison had to say about the hop theme.

The theme is..."3 Cheers for Summer!" What's that about? Ya gotta make a Summer themed project...but there's gotta be either the number 3, or 3 of something on your project. 3 eyelets, 3 patterned papers, etc. Simple! And fun!

I hope you got here from Torrey's blog. She's fabulous, don'tchathink?

My project isn't done yet, so hop along to check out Kelli's project.

Bwa ha ha. Better late than never, though the way this was going and with all the interruptions, it's a miracle it's completed.


The card features the pin-up from Bombshell's Cherry Bomb set with a new hairdo. It's her birthday, so she got three wishes. She got two of them and is waiting anxiously for the third wish to come true.

Her three martinis are from the Lady Luck set.

The Genie Lamp (AP-346-J) stamp is from Third Coast Rubber Stamps.

The pin-up, martini glasses, and genie lamp were colored with Copic markers and all were "fussy cut", then added to the card using dimensionals.

The big die cut is an Alterations die that cut through all those layers of cardstock.

My "threes" are the QuicKutz die cut number, the three martinis, the three vellum elements, and stuff in three of the four corners.

Here's the hop list!

Bombshell Blog
Alison
Mary G.
Jodi
Stempelientje
Kim
Rachael
Laura
Alaine
Cassie
Glittery Katie
Susie
Torrey
Kathi
Kelli

I have entered this card in the following challenge(s):
• The Kraft Journal #77: Anything Goes

My home state

Outlawz is having a party. I made this card for the "Where in the World" challenge that's sponsored by the Copic/Promarker Friday Group. Since I was itching to use gingham for the curtains, it qualifies for Moxie Fab World's Gingham challenge as well.



Whereas I am a native New Yorker and have lived many different places, I've called New Jersey my home for more than two decades. Both New York and New Jersey are known for their classic diners, so Outlawz' challenge was the perfect excuse to use this wonderful Diner (SKU:83-18) stamp by Rubbernecker.

The diner was stamped and colored with Copic markers. Spica Glitter pen was used to highlight the image. I used my craft knife to cut out the windows.

I then stamped image onto white cardstock and then stamped just the window area onto red gingham cardstock. I colored the white cardstock windows with B000 Copic marker and clear Spica Glitter pen to make 'em sparkly. I fussy cut the gingham curtains and adhered 'em to the colored windows. I adhered a strip of ink jet transparency over the curtained windows, then adhered the diner over that piece. The entire diner was masked and a cloudy sky and a grassy lawn were airbrushed with the Copic Airbrush system.

My husband gave me a New Jersey map for the cause. I love using old maps for my crafting, so I swipe 'em whenever I can. (big grin).

The funky 50's-ish sign is a chipboard piece from the now defunct Deluxe Cuts company. I painted it with Picket Fence paint dabber, used Doodlebug rub-ons for "from" and used QuicKutz Khaki dies for the the lettering. A ring was used to circle my town and mini Khaki and Khaki shadow dies were used to cut the gingham paper.

The gingham cardstock may or may not be from AMuse. I got it from my now defunct LSS, which I miss.

Thanks for visiting today!

I shall be entering this card in the following challenges.
• "Where in the World" challenge
• Moxie Fab World's Gingham challenge

Anniversary Gatefold Card

Greetings! Here's another project that got away from me. So odd when that happens, but I just "go with the flow" and see what happens!

This card was prompted by Craft Your Passion's Flips & Fold challenge. I'm ever-so-boring and usually do regular fold cards, so I decided to do a gatefold card.

I was also prompted by Simon Says Stamp & Show's "Brown" challenge, so the card is predominantly brown.

Lastly, I was inspired by this stamp, May I have this dance (VB-239-P) from pg. 5 of Third Coast Stamps Late Winter 2008 supplement. It made me think of Cinderella, hence the blue dress, though I could see coloring it in white for a wedding card or any other color for other occasions as well.

Outside with Belly Band


Inside:


Detail of "Belly Band":


I tried some new stuff for this card. A while back, someone had told me that the Fiskar's fingertip craft knife made cutting things a snap, so being me, I bought it and used it for some stuff but never for "fussy cutting" an entire image. Then someone else told me that a glass mat made all the difference in the world when using a craft knife. I already had one of those, but used it with my hot knife for cutting EZ foam, so it was rather gooped up with excess adhesive. Then my daughter's friend gifted me with a second glass mat, so I tried using a regular kraft knife on it and was delighted, so I decided to try "fussy cutting" this rather detailed image with the fingertip craft knife on the glass mat and was excited by the result.

So that was the first thing that was new.

The second thing was digitally manipulating patterned paper to make it work for my purposes. Since I was kind if in the "Cinderella" mode, I needed a nice background for my couple. I had an 8x8 Once Upon a Time pad by DCWV, but the piece I wanted to use wasn't working. The couple would have been like the 50' woman (Do you remember that movie?) and Paul Bunyon. So I scanned the sheet, scaled it up, and printed it a few times to use for the outside, the inside, and the belly band (that term reminds me of those wacky weight loss commercials. I don't know about you, but I LOVE the idea of having a vibrating belt make my belly disappear).

So, I separated the couple for the outside of the card by masking their hands before inking the stamp. The I stamped the couple a second time, fussy cut them using my handy-dandy glass mat-fingertip kraft knife combo), and colored 'em with Copic markers.

Please note that the print on the belly band lines up with the patterned paper underneath it. I'm cool like that. :D "Once Upon a Time" came from the small pad. (Yes, I have the 4" x 6" pad and the 8" x 8" pad.) It was cut with a Nestabilities heart die. The gold paper is this super-cool wrinkly gold paper that I found in the box where I keep my Dresden trim.

"And they lived happily ever after." was die cut using some old Indigo QuicKutz dies. The sentiment is a sticker by Stampendous and it's on an Alterations die cut banner.

Ta-dah! I'm done blathering on endlessly. At least for this post.

Except for two more things.

1) Thanks for visiting today!

2) I shall enter this card in the following challenges.
• Craft Your Passions #115: Flips and Folds
• Simon Says Stamp & Show: A Bit of Brown challenge
• Paper Play Challenge: 2012-Week 25: Die cuts!
• Crafts & Me Challenges: #89: Anything Goes

I can do cute too! Earth Angel!

My cards and projects can be dictated by my moods. Sometimes I feel dark and edgy. Sometimes I feel flirty. Sometimes I feel punny. Sometimes I feel whimsical. And every now and then I feel cute. This is one of those days.

I was inspired by the stamp, some older papers by Fancy Pants, and by a sketch I found online.

Sunday Sketch & Stamp's Sketch #111


My take on the sketch:


The super-cute Earth Angel is by Elizabeth Bell for SCACD. Since I'm an aging hippie, her outfit and that little peace sign on her wing totally spoke to me. I also figured that she was versatile and could just as easily be blowing on a flower or a heart or a bird or a butterfly or for a Season's Greetings card. So I bought her.

She was colored with Copic markers, which I know is a total shock. Her wings were touched up with some Spica Clear glitter pen. I took my color palette from the very old Sweet Pea patterned papers by Fancy Pants, which I found in my scrap bin! I also have some untouched 12x12 pieces from that collection (and many others). I'm trying to use my stash when I can. All edges were sponged with Pearl Paint Dabber. The die cut scalloped circle was sprayed with Perfect Pearls Pearl mist.

The sentiment was computer generated and says "Imagine: Peace & Love". Remember what I said about my youth?

The flowers were diecut from patterned paper, except for the innards of the large flower which were punched with a pistil/stamen/flower-centery punch from Punch Bunch and the daisy from EK Success.

The pearls are from Recollections.

Thanks for visiting today.

I shall enter this card in the following challenges:

• Sunday Sketch & Stamp's Sketch #111
• Outlawz Copic/Promarker Friday Favorite Color Combo challenge (pink & blue)
• Oozak's Two Papers & an Embellie challenge

Happy Father's Day!

When I met husband in college, he played guitar. Some time afterwards he stopped playing and both of his guitars were given to his brother, who eventually passed them along to someone else.

My husband recently started playing again on a guitar borrowed from a friend. He got an electric guitar as an early Father's Day gift.

Therefore, this year, instead of a bicycle or wine card, his Father's Day card featured a guitar from Taylored Expressions' You're My Hero set.

The card was created using this week's sketch from Sketch Saturday.

Here's the sketch.


Here's the card.


You're My Hero set is cool because it includes a guitar neck and four different Fender-style guitar bodies.

The neck of the guitar was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink, colored with Copic markers, then masked with Winsor & Newton masking fluid. The solid-flame guitar body was stamped with Black Onyx VersaFine ink to achieve better ink coverage.

Both the blue and guitar print patterned papers are from Glitz Designs. The metallic silver flame patterned paper is from EK Success. I've hoarded both papers forever and save every scrap. Krylon Silver Leaf pen was used to edge almost all the edges since I can't abide white edges and to add a bit of metallic "pop".

The sentiment is by A Muse. I used a Father's Day sentiment inside the card and had my daughter write something for her father.

It's my first Father's Day without my Dad and I feel a bit sad and bereft. However, he's alive in my heart and my memories and that gives me some comfort.

Thanks for visiting today!

I shall enter the card in the following challenges.
• Sketch Saturday: Week #212
• Craft Your Passion Challenge #114: "Anything Goes"
• Cards for Men: Challenge 12: Father's Day (this challenge was posted on June 4th which was my Dad's birthday.