Watercolor and Embossing for AHSC #256

Hello again, crafty friends.  I am stretching my wings and trying something a little new to me for this week's sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.  Before I share my project, though, I want to say we love seeing all our participants' AMAZING artwork and remind you that the deadline for submissions for this week's sketch is 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central on Sunday, 3/25/18, and you can link your projects HERE.  Now on to my project:

details:  While the purpose of most cards is to share joy or send cheer, I have found that once in a while it's meaningful to let someone know you understand what they're going through.  Sadly, there are a lot of people near and dear to my family who are experiencing big struggles right now so while I'm not sure who I will send this to (or even if I will send it it all), my heart and thoughts have been heavier than usual and this card, which is quite a bit darker and bolder in color than I usually create, is the result.  I started with a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4" base of black cardstock topped with a 5 3/8 x 4 1/8" panel of Lagoon, and another black panel measuring 3 5/8 x 2 5/8" topped with a 3 1/2 x 2 1/2" panel of watercolor paper.  Before I put the pieces together though I used several ShinHan markers (Turquoise Blue, Peacock Green, Marine Blue, and Lavender) and the colorless blender marker to create a sort of twilight themed watercolor background.  Once that had piece had dried, I used VersaMark ink and white embossing powder to heat emboss this image from a retired stamp set called Paper Garden.  For the sentiment, I used Pansy ink with another retired stamp set called Beloved Bouquet.  I ran the stamped sentiment through my Cuttlebug using the banner die from the retired Sugar Rush cardmaking stamp and die set and then inked the edges with a sponge dauber and Peacock ink.

So while there were several steps to this one, it really was fairly simple to do.  While I'm still deciding if I like such dark, dramatic colors I do think I will continue to practice my alcohol marker blending with other color combos and stamp sets as I like the overall effect.  Also, don't forget to stop by HERE to see what the rest of the AHSC design team have created for you.  Trust me, you will be glad you did!  Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

Cheery Hello for AHSC #254

Hello again, crafty peeps!  This week's sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge gave me an excuse to *finally* sit down and put together a cheery little card I've had in the back of my mind for AGES.  Actually, it was in the back of my "stash" as I could never seem to find both the patterned paper and this particular stamp set at the same time.  Both the stamp and the paper are items I picked up at yard sales when I first began paper crafting approximately 10 years ago and I'm not even sure whether they "went together" or even if I got them at the same yard sale, but I love how they look together!

details:  I have no idea what company designed the paper, but the stamp set is an older rubber stamp set designed by Mary Engelbreit.  I used black Memento ink to stamp the images on watercolor paper, fussy cut the teapot and cup and adhered them to the panel, stamped the small flowers in the corner directly on the panel, and then used vivid green, golden yellow, and cherry pink ShinHan alcohol markers.  I cut another white panel just 1/8" taller than the first one, and used this black and clear washi tape that coordinated with the retired Jeepers Creepers kit, as Mary Engelbreit's work often featured such "dotted" lines around them.  To finish the card off, I used some Honey cardstock with the Hello and Thanks Thin Cuts (both of which are retired).  I have to say, I am so pleased with how closely the finished card is to what I had in mind, as that rarely happens for me!

This was such a fun sketch that I want to try a few other combinations if time allows this week, and of course we would love to see what you create with it too!  As always, you have until 9:55 pm Eastern/8:55 pm Central on Sunday, 3/11/18, to link your project, which you can do HERE.  Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

A Little Cross Stitch Love for AHSC #252

Hello again, crafty friends!  I am extra excited to bring you today's project based on this week's sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.  This stamp set is my personal favorite out of the current Seasonal Expressions catalog from CTMH.  My first crafting love was cross stitch and my first project, taught to me by my paternal grandmother, was a pink rose with green leaves stitched onto baby blue gingham.  My aunt has a bedspread made from blocks of the same rose pattern (I believe on lavender gingham) and I plan to send this card to her.  I hope it will remind her as much of sewing with her mother/my grandmother as it did me and brighten her day.

details:  I had to change the orientation of the card to make it work using this image as the centerpiece.  I used Sweet Leaf and the long retired Bubblegum ink with this Cross Stitch Love stamp/die cut set.  Because I wanted to recreate my childhood sewing project, I dug down REALLY deep into my stash to find this single-color based set of papers in various shades and designs and as near as I can tell, this was the Sky set.  I also used the smallest sized Basic Hearts Thin Cuts die set for the larger, off set heart.  To make the larger heart stand out a little from the smaller one next to it, I stamped it twice with the same ink to give it a deeper hue.

This was a fun sketch that I am sure I will come back to again, and we would love to see your take on it too!  As aways, you have until 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central on Sunday, 2/25/18, and you can link your projects HERE.  Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

Congrats on #250 for AHSC

Here's a big shout out to Michelle Stewart and the gang at the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge for reaching their 250th sketch this week, that's quite a milestone!  Woo hoo!  I don't know about you, but I've been both challenged and inspired by all the fabulous artwork the design team and participants have submitted every week.  BTW, let's not forget a big shout out to all of  you who visit, follow, or regularly play along with us at AHSC, as without an audience there wouldn't be a blog.  So THANK YOU to all the AHSC fans out there, keep playing along and sharing your amazing talents with us!  Also, stick around till the end of this post for the details for the give away I will be doing on Wednesday, 2/14/18, in honor of our 250th sketch!

So on to my project for this week.  I am rather late getting to the "party" but better fashionably late than to miss the big event!  While this particular sketch lends itself equally well to a variety of styles, I really wanted to go for something bright and festive.  To my way of thinking, primary colors and the contrast of lines against curves always lends a sense of energy to a project so that's what I was going for.

details:  I started with a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4" card base and some scraps from the Prickly Pear kit which features Blossom, Emerald, Lemon, Poppy, Sapphire, Sea Glass (retired), Sorbet, and Tangerine.  I cut 3/8" wide strips of the striped paper for each side and adhered them to the base.  I used the template I made from the Confetti embossing folder (on clearance for $4.50 while supplies last!) from this post, the featured colored ink pads for this kit, and a sponge dauber for each to make this fun confetti-looking background panel on a 5 1/2 x 4 3/8" panel of White Daisy, adhered that to a panel of Sapphire that was 1/8" wider for a thin border to help separate the striped patterns from the dotted, and centered the combined panel on the card base.  I then used Poppy and Sapphire plus Tangerine ink and Lemon cardstock with the Way To Go stamp set to create these streamer images, which I then fussy cut and adhered.  I used the larger two of the Basic Circles Thin Cuts dies to create the 2 1/2" circle of patterned paper and the 2" circle of white CS.  I used the Sapphire ink with this sentiment (also from the Way To Go set), centered the circles, and then used my glue pen and Poppy thick twine (also on clearance) to add a little dimension and color to the center panel.  For the finishing touch, I dug through my stash and found this heart sticker in Sapphire from a retired style of fundamental stickers and popped it up with 3-D foam tape.  Once again, there were a lot of little steps for this one but hey, how often does your favorite challenge blog hit their 250th challenge milestone!

Now on to the prize!  I am offering this pendant in gold tone to one winner of a random drawing, which will be announced in THIS POST.  Good luck to all and THANK YOU for helping the AHSC blog to reach this fun and exciting milestone.  Don't forget, if you haven't entered a project yet, you have until 9:55 pm Eastern/10:55 pm Central on Sunday, 2/11/18, to do so and you can link your projects HERE.  Happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

January SOTM Meets AHSC #248

Hello again, crafty friends!  I hope the beginning of 2018 is finding you happy, crafty and above all, healthy.  Luckily, I have been healthy but my tough-guy husband was sick for nearly 2 weeks so while I have been feeling creative, I haven't actually been able to spend much time actually crafting.  Between nursing my husband back to health, the bitter cold and the snowy weather we have been experiencing in the Midwest, it was a lovely change of pace to work with some light colors and floral-themed products for this week's sketch at the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.

details:  I started with a 7 x 5" base of Heather cardstock and topped that with a 6.75 x 4.75" layer of Bashful which I embossed with the rose embossing folder and lightly sponged Heather ink onto.  I then  used Fern and Bashful inks with this image from the January 2018 SOTM "Bloom & Grow".  I used multiple layers of stamping with the same inks to create these roses and leaves using the Beautiful You stamp set and coordinating Thin Cut dies.  Of course, no project is really complete without a little sparkle or bling so I added some gold glitter gems to the center of the flowers and the lower right corner, a gold ribbon and bow cut from gold glitter paper using the Thin Cuts ribbon border, and this lovely gray and gold ribbon from the Basics ribbon pack.  I thought it still needed a little something so I filled in the word "planted" with the new Bashful shimmer brush.  I will be submitting this card for the Fern-Heather-Bashful theme at the Color My Heart Color Dare #275 and the "tool time: Bashful shimmer brush" theme at the Heart2Heart challenge blog. 

Of course, this project started with the sketch from AHSC challenge blog.  We would love to see your take on this sketch too so if you find yourself with some crafty time on your hands this week, you have until 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central to link your projects HERE.  I hope you also take a minute or two to check out the fabulous creations brought to you this week by the rest of the design team. 

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!  ~~  Annette

Quilted Congrats

Hello again, crafty friends!  I hope you are all having as much fun this weekend as I am, which is in the middle of an annual 3-day crop, probably the biggest scrapbook event I attend all year.  So much crafting fun going on, and so much inspiration!

 So here is something I've been wanting to do forever and it was so much fun to put together!  I will be entering it in the Heart2Heart "something new" challenge as well as the Color My Heart challenge blog for their Bashful, Glacier, and Charcoal theme.  The beautiful quilted die cuts are from MFT Stamps, the sentiments are from retired CTMH sets "Cute Koalas" and "Expecting."  Thanks for stopping by and have a crafty weekend!  ~~  Annette

Valentine's Card for AHSC #246

Happy 2018 to all my crafty friends!  I don't know about you but every year the only resolution I  truly try to stick to is to get more organized, especially my craft area, and I am proud to say I have already made progress this year.  Yay!  So I'm happy to report this Valentine's card came together much more quickly and easily than usual since I could more readily access the supplies I was looking for.

I started with this week's sketch at the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.  I used a base of Lagoon cardstock layered with this lovely small hearts-patterned paper from the retired CTMH "Heartstrings" kit.  I knew I would have to change the proportions of the horizontal stripes element somewhat, but I really wanted to incorporate this "love" stitching pattern for this one.  To do this, I used the We R Memory Keepers stitching tool and some Cranberry colored embroidery floss I bought ages ago, as that shade of red is one of the featured colors in this kit.  For the arrow-patterned horizontal stripes, I used the Heartstrings zip strips set on Whisper cardstock with a very narrow border.  I used the retired Thin Cuts hearts die on the patterned red paper (also from Heartstrings) and again on Bashful glitter paper, adhered both pieces on white cardstock for better stability and then fussy cut around them.  The "truly, madly" banner is a sticker that was available with this kit.  I thought I was done but then I felt there was just a little too much empty white space at the bottom so I added a couple of the negative-space hearts cut from another piece of Bashful glitter paper using the Thin Cuts hearts border.

And that's all there is to this one!  I'm not sure who I will give it to but I do know I had a lot of fun creating it.  I hope you will find some time to create a project with this week's sketch, and we would love to see it if you do!  As always, you have until 10:55 pm Eastern/9:55 pm Central on Sunday, 1/14/18, to link your project HERE.  And don't forget to check out what the rest of your design team has created with this week's sketch, they are sure to inspire you!  Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting in the new year!  ~~  Annette