Negative Space with a Positive Outcome

Have you ever missed a deadline because you were in the wrong week in your planner?  Yes? No?  Just me?  I did that this week.  On Tuesday I missed my dog's grooming appointment in the morning because I thought it was the day I was supposed to be at the dentist.  On Wednesday I didn't have a card ready to go for the current challenge at StampNation because I thought it was our sponsor week, (that card was done weeks ago) when in fact that is next week as well.  Aye yi yi.  Some weeks I truly wonder about myself.

All is well, and I am back on track with my days.  Thankfully Maureen is very understanding and let me slide for this week.  Our groomer was also accommodating and Bella will be getting "pretty" next week.  Unfortunately I still have another week to dread going to the dentist.  On the bright side, I get to share my Design Team cards with YOU because I didn't get them posted in time for the challenge at StampNation.  How is that for turning negative into positive?

Did I mention the challenge this week (for real) is to use Negative Space on your cards?  Fitting isn't it?   Thankfully the challenges at StampNation never close, so I can go add them to the challenge thread after I post here.

As you can see I was super inspired by this theme.  I chose blue ornaments so I could keep up with my personal 6 week Merry Monday challenge.   For each of these cards I die cut my ornament/circle out of white cardstock, then layered the ornament stamp/glitter paper behind.  The die cut piece was embossed then popped up using dimensionals over the ornament paper.

MM#134

 If you have ever mixed up your weeks like this, I would love to hear about it in the comments below.  If you never have, then please share your organized secret!

If you would like more information on StampNation, and/or to join the fastest growing online community of passionate paper crafters, clicky here.

Fancy Stamped Ornament
Stamps: Ornament Keepsakes (SU); Seasonal Flourishes (WMS)

Ink: Night of Navy, Versamark (SU)

Paper: Whisper White, Soft Sky, Night of Navy
Accessories: Holiday Ornament Framelits (SU),;Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder (Ranger); Wink of Stella Glitter Pen

Glitter Ornament  (all Stampin' UP!)
Stamps: Christmas Bliss 

Ink: Lost Lagoon 

Paper: Various Glimmer Papers, Whisper White
Accessories: Circle Framelits, Early Espresso 1/8" Tafffeta Ribbon, Silver 1/8" Ribbon, Decorative Dots Embossing Folder

Warm Wishes

Lately I've begun "collecting" 6x6 pads of DSP.  Their graphics are sized smaller so they work well with cards. Many of them have lovely images that don't need much embellishing, like the one I used on my card today.

This week's theme at Merry Monday Challenges is right up my alley.  I just had to participate.

MM#97

For the past couple of weeks I haven't been able to play along with the challenges at Merry Monday, but I made this card after I finished my first card.

It feels good knowing I am building my stash of Christmas cards.  I used some retired Holly Berry DSP from my stash for this card. 

Use Holly

I'm pretty sure I will make more cards for this week's challenge with these lovely colors.   They are perfect for winter.

Stamps: Seasonal Flourish (Waltzing Mouse Stamps)
Paper: Glistening (Authentique), Soft Sky (SU)
Accessories: Silver Ribbon (SU), Silver Embossing Powder, Clear Sequins (Pretty Pink Posh)

Romantic Christmas

Coming in just a little late for this week's Merry Monday challenge, and it's the card I have wanted to make since I saw the current Monday Mood Board challenge from Wplus9.  Could that be because I saw one right after the other?

If you saw Friday's post you saw the other card I made inspired by the mood board.  (clicky if you want to see it now)  That card did not give me the soft look I was going for so I decided to try again.  I've actually been thinking about this all week wondering how I could create the flowery whitewashed wooden background.

Monday Mood Board #26

Then it came to me.  I could use my hardwood stamp, ink it up in Smoky Slate, stamp off twice and then stamp on Whisper White cardstock.  It gave it that soft wood feel.  Then I pulled out my markers to ink up the trellis flowers and leaves.  It was time consuming to create this background but I think it was worth it.

 

One of my all time favorite backgrounds is a script font.  I've been looking for ways to use my Defining Words stamp from Wplus9 and decided it make make a pretty background for my embossed sentiment.  I really want to try to add this type of stamping to my cards more often.

MM#93

The Merry Monday challenge was to use an ornament on your card.  I've been wanting to make this kind of ornament since seeing Catherine's card here.  In fact I bought the Pucker Me Pink metal sheets from Monica at Add A Little Dazzle just so I could CASE Catherine's card, but as I put this card together I felt that the card wanted to be more "soft & romantic", so I pulled out my brushed copper metal sheet to see if that would work, and I think it did.

Monica showed us on StampNation how we could take finger nail polish remover and remove color from embossed areas of our metal sheets. Isn't that cool?  This week the Dazzling Diva's challenge is "Anything Goes".    I think  this card fits the romantic feel of the photo even though I don't have any hearts on my card.

DD#10

The funny thing is that the heart is my favorite shape.  I'll keep this photo on the wall in my stamp room for another week to see if it can inspire me some more.  If you are looking for a quick and easy card, this is not it, but it was fun to pull out tons of things and just play.  

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Supplies Used

Stamps: Defining Words (Wplus9), Forever With You (SU), Hardwood (SU), Seasonal Flourish (WaltzingMouseStamps)

Ink(SU): Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Smoky Slate, Versamark

Accessories: Brushed Copper Metal Sheets (Add A Little Dazzle), Gold Embossing Powder, Holiday Ornament Framelits (SU)Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder (SU), Misc. Crochet Lace trim from my stash, Basic Pearls

Play Day in the Hobby Room

Having some fun with some new goodies this weekend.  :)   I thought it might be fun to make a Clean & Simple (CAS) card and then step it up with a more embellished card using similar supplies.

It all started with the Leafy Branch die from Savvy Stamps.  Isn't it beautiful cut out of Brushed Bronze metal from Add A Little Dazzle?  I paired that with the Lots to Say stamp set, also from Reverse Confetti.  It was heat embossed with Early Espresso before being dry embossed with my dots embossing folder.

While my Big Shot was getting a workout I decided to try out my brand new Love Notes die from Reverse Confetti.   I was SUPER impressed with all the Confetti Cuts dies.  (Yes, I bought more than one. ;)  They cut smoothly through metal as well as glimmer paper and they released easily from the dies.

My stepped up card has just a few more details that are easy to see.  The seem binding ribbon was adhered with score tape in a scrunchy band across the card.

Each of the rhinestones was colored with Copic R29.  It was so easy to color these gems, just like everyone has been telling me.

I'm entering lots of challenges with these cards.  :)  It should be pretty easy to tell how I was inspired.

The Curtain Call challenge ended this morning, but it is what inspired the love message on the first card.  I had planned to make a thank you card before I saw this challenge last night.  When I saw it I got excited because I knew I could use my new goodies from Reverse Confetti.

Curtain Call

CAS isn't always easy for me, but I am learning with each challenge I do and each lesson Maureen Merritt gives us at StampNation.  CAS*ology has a refresher course on CAS design for their challenge.  Contrast was pretty easy to accomplish with all the white space and saturated colors of the first card.  It truly was a light bulb moment for me that contrast plays a big role in CAS design.

CAS*ology

My personal challenge to create a Christmas card a week led me back to Merry Monday challenge.  It was a color challenge, but one I found easy to accomplish.  :)  Usually I struggle with color challenges, but not this time.  I think this color combo is great for rustic Christmas cards.  You should check out the design team and other submissions for this challenge.  They are lovely.

MM#92

Last, but certainly not least is the challenge that started all this.  I ordered the die and knew I wanted to use it with Brushed Bronze metal sheets.  Lucky me that it was a perfect fit for the current Dazzling Divas challenge.  :)

DD#9

Even though I don't have red nor white metal sheets, I think you can see how this picture inspired the colors on my cards.

Can you believe I was inspired by 4 different challenges and none of them are sketch challenges?  

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Love You Card
Stamps: Lots to Say
Paper: Whisper White, Red Glimmer Paper
Accessories:  Brushed Bronze Metal Sheet (Add A Little Dazzle), Dots Embossing Folder, Early Espresso Embossing Powder, Leafy Branch #10092 (Savvy Stamps), Love Notes (Reverse Confetti)

Warm Wishes Card
Stamps: EnFrancais (SU), Seasonal Flourish (Waltzing Mouse Stamps)
Paper: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Basic Rhinestones, Brushed Bronze Metal Sheet (Add A Little Dazzle), Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, Copic R29, Early Espresso Embossing Powder, Leafy Branch #10092 (Savvy Stamps)

Greatest Gift

There's something magical about Christmas, isn't there?  Every year we remind our children of why we give gifts on Christmas.  We tell them that Jesus gave us the greatest gift of all so we give to others on His birthday to honor Him.  That's why I love this stamp set so very much.

Such a special card deserved some special treatment.  :)  For my background I masked and sponged in crumb cake ink.  My star was cut by hand and I added dimensionals to pop it over baby Jesus. Speaking of baby Jesus, He was stamped in Midnight Muse onto Very Vanilla, then cut out with SU Circle Framelits.  Next I layered him on a scallop circle I cut out of Midnight Muse cardstock using my Spellbinders Nestabilities Lacey Circles die.

 That beautiful script sentiment comes from my new favorite stamp company.  (new to me, that is)  Seasonal Flourish by Waltzing Mouse Stamps.  (WMS)  They have super fast shipping and lovely scrolling script.  You will be seeing more of them on my cards soon.

In other news, my old laptop is just about dead.  It runs super slow and really hot.  That's why I haven't been able to edit videos.  My dear husband bought me a new computer for Christmas, which I am trying to learn.  It doesn't have Photoshop yet, but it will soon.  I'm so excited!   Last night I found the movie maker program and I am almost back in business!   Here is a quick video I shot for you today with some sneak peeks.  ;)

I'm linking up to CAS on Sunday Challenge.  The theme is Christmas.  I think every card I'm going to show you this week will be Christmas and most will be CAS to get them done fast so they can be mailed out before Christmas.  ;)

CAS#23

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Card Recipe:Christmas (SU), Seasonal Flourish (WMS)
Paper/Ink: Crumb Cake, Midnight Muse, Very Vanilla
Accesories: Circle Framelits, Lacey Circles (Spellbinders Nestabilities)



P.S.   Don't miss out on the Clearance Rack Blitz going on now!  So many wonderful items, but they won't last long.  I suggest getting the Jewelry Tag Punch if you don't already have it.  It's a favorite of mine that I won't be letting go of any time soon.

Jewelry Tag Punch