Amazing Worthy Powerful Woman

I created today's card for a friend/colleague who loves to dress in classy and stylish fashion for work, but since we're all working from home now, she hasn't had an opportunity to dress up in a while. Her favorite color is pink, and I definitely think she'd rock this outfit.

This is a 5" x 7" card, and the character fills most of the space. This classy lady is a digital stamp called "Autumn Audrey" by Sweet Escape Digis. I added the sentiment next to her from the Fresh Start digital stamp set (Graciellie Design).

I printed her on Copic XPress-It Blending Card and colored her with Copic markers. I wanted her to shine, so I layered the colored panel over bright, pink cardstock. Finally, I added a few Rose Swarovski crystal for a little sparkle.

List of all stamps/dies/stencils used on this card:

• Autumn Audrey digital stamp (Sweet Escape Digis)
• Fresh Start digital stamp set (Graciellie Design)
  

Other supplies:

• Copic XPress-It Blending Card
• Copic markers (various)
• Memento Tuxedo Black Ink 
• Pink cardstock (Gina K)
  
• Double-sided tape
  
• Rose Swarovski crystals
  

Have a fantastic week!

Hello Card for a Book Lover

Today, I've taken the Reading Lily digital stamp (Sweet Escape Digis) and created a quiet reading space for her. I'm going to send this card to a colleague I haven't seen in many months (due to working from home), as she's as much of a bookworm as I am. While I've embraced digital technology, including digital books, I believe there's just something so magical about holding a physical book in your hands.

This is a 5" x 7" card, and the character fills most of the space. This lovely bibliophile is a digital stamp called "Reading Lily" by Sweet Escape Digis. I added the sentiment to her shirt from the Hellebores digital stamp set (Power Poppy).

I printed her on Copic XPress-It Blending Card and colored her with Copic markers. I fussy cut her (with scissors), then worked on the rest of the scene.

I trimmed a 4.75" x 6.75" white cardstock panel, then cut the papers for the wallpaper behind her and floor underneath her. The wallpaper is a patterned paper by My Favorite Things (cut to 5.75" x 4.75"), and the floor is a 1" x 4.75" strip of patterned paper by Stampin' Up. After the panel was done, I stamped the "Hello" sentiment on it (Honey Bee Stamptember set from 2020) with Tuxedo Black Ink.

I layered my colored panel over a 5" x 7" black cardstock panel using double-sided tape. I mounted the girl on foam dots, so there would be dimension, and attached her to the front of the card. Finally, I added some light blue enamel dots.

List of all stamps/dies/stencils used on this card:

• Reading Lily digital stamp (Sweet Escape Digis)
• Hellebores digital stamp set (Power Poppy)
  
• On My Mind stamp set (Honey Bee/Simon Says Stamp Stamptember 2020, retired)

Other supplies:

• Copic XPress-It Blending Card
• Copic markers (various)
• Memento Tuxedo Black Ink 
• Patterned paper (My Favorite Things and Stampin' Up)
  
• Double-sided tape
  
• Foam dots
  
• Light blue enamel dots (Gina Marie Designs)
  

I hope you find some quiet time to read something good this week!

Beautiful Autumn Princess Card

Today, I've taken the Alexandra digital stamp (Sweet Escape Digis) and colored her as an autumn princess. The girl looks a lot like someone I know, so I colored her with the same hair and eye color and will give the card to her next month.

This is a 5" x 7" card, and the character fills most of the space. This lady with flowers is a gorgeous digital stamp called "Alexandra" by Sweet Escape Digis.

I printed her on Copic XPress-It Blending Card and colored her with Copic markers. That beautiful hair took me two days, as it was like coloring Rapunzel's hair!

After the coloring was done, I trimmed the panel to 6.75" x 4.75". I stamped a sentiment from a Studio Katia stamp set (Stamptember 2020) in the bottom right corner. I layered my colored panel over a 5" x 7" red cardstock panel using double-sided tape.

I can't resist extra sparkle, so I glued on some Light Siam Swarovski crystals to finish the card.

List of all stamps/dies/stencils used on this card:

• Alexandra digital stamp (Sweet Escape Digis)
• Flower Bunch stamp set (Studio Katia/Simon Says Stamp Stamptember 2020, retired)

Other supplies:

• Copic XPress-It Blending Card
• Copic markers (various)
• Memento Tuxedo Black Ink
  
• Double-sided tape
  
• Ranger Matte Multi-Medium
• Light Siam Swarovski crystals

Have a fabulous fall day!

Missing You Every Day Card

My sister and I have always been very close, and for the past several years, we've lived on opposite ends of the country. I have an autoimmune condition, so we have to be extra careful during the pandemic, and I don't know when I'll get to (physically) see her again. I miss her every day. I made this card for her, as a surprise.

This is a slimline (3.5" x 8.5") card. The girl is a lovely digital stamp called "Nevaeh" by KristaSmithStamps (on Etsy). The sentiment is from the "Simple Sayings: Miss You" clear stamp set by Pretty Pink Posh.

I printed her on Copic XPress-It Blending Card and colored her with Copic markers. I fussy cut her, then cut my panels for the rest of the card.

For the black panel (8.25" x 3.25"), I stamped the sentiment with Versafine Ink and heat embossed it with Ranger Silver Tinsel Embossing Powder. I glued all of the layers together, then finished with a few teal glass drops. (Unfortunately, they look more clear than blue on the black cardstock.) Finally, I drew a "floor" with a while Prismacolor pencil.

List of all stamps/dies/stencils used on this card:

• Nevaeh digital stamp (KristaSmithStamps)
• Simple Sayings: Miss You stamp set (Pretty Pink Posh)

Other supplies:

• Copic XPress-It Blending Card
• Copic markers (various)
• Versafine Ink
  
• Ranger Silver Tinsel Embossing Powder
  
• Blue glass drops
  

I hope you stay safe and healthy during this crazy year!

 

Hey Beautiful Girl Card

Today's card is one of my favorites of all the cards I've made... and that's a LOT of cards!

This is a 5" x 7" card, and the character fills most of the space. This lady with flowers is a gorgeous digital stamp called "Emily with Flowers" by Sweet Escape Digis. The sentiment is from the Keep Growing digital stamp set by Graciellie Design.

Since the image and sentiment I used were both digital stamps, I resized the girl and layered the sentiment at the bottom, right edge in MS Word. TIP: If you create a shape (rectangle or whatever) in the size of your card - in this case, 5" x 7" - you can properly size all of the other elements. When you're done, you can delete the shape and know that your images will be the perfect size.

Once I printed her on Copic XPress-It Blending Card, I colored her with Copic markers. It took several sessions (over three days), as there were a LOT of elements to color. I stuck with fall colors, starting with her lovely red hair.

After the coloring was done, I trimmed the panel to 6.75" x 4.75". I cut a 5" x 7" panel of white cardstock, and then I carefully attached brown, glittery washi tape around the edges. It looks like a layer of glittery cardstock, but it's MUCH cheaper, and you can still securely glue your top panel to the non-washi-taped parts of the bottom layer. (I find it incredibly difficult to get ANYTHING to stick to glitter cardstock, so this is the perfect solution.) I also put a layer of double-sided tape down at the edges, just to provide an extra-strong hold on the washi tape, as washi tape loses its stickiness over time.

I can't resist even more sparkle, so I glued on some Topaz Swarovski crystals to finish the card.

List of all stamps/dies/stencils used on this card:

• Emily with Flowers digital stamp (Sweet Escape Digis)
• Keep Growing digital stamp set (Graciellie Design)

Other supplies:

• Copic XPress-It Blending Card
• Copic markers (various)
• Brown glitter washi tape (Michael's brand)
  
• Double-sided tape
  
• Ranger Matte Multi-Medium
• Topaz Swarovski crystals

Have a beautiful day!

Nativity Slimline Card

Today, I created a slimline card, inspired by the Nativity. When I saw the stamp set with these characters, they reminded me of the cute little people (Fisher Price, I think?) I played with as a child.

This is a slimline (3.5" x 8.5") card. There was actually a surprisingly large amount of coloring involved, as every character has a different outfit and accessories.

The main stamp set I used is called "Christmas Nativity" (by Joy Clair). I stamped all of the characters with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Copic XPress-It Blending Card, and then I colored all of them with Copics. I fussy cut them (with scissors) and set them aside while I worked on the background.

I cut three panels for the background: black cardstock (3.5" x 8.5"), sky panel (3.25" x 8.25"), and sand panel (8.25" x 1.9" after cut with the die). I blended Faded Jeans and Blueprint Sketch Distress Oxide Inks for the sky, and then inked the sand layer with Antique Linen Distress Oxide Ink. I cut the sloped shape with the Stitched Slimline Snow Drifts Die-Namics (My Favorite Things). I lightly splattered both the sky and sand panels with water and blotted them dry with a paper towel.

I stamped the sentiment (from "Lyrical Script" by Altenew) with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink on a 0.5" x 2" piece of white cardstock, and then I got to do the fun part: assembly! I glued all of my layers with a tape runner, as liquid glue would activate the Distress Oxides again and cause running or bleeding. I took my Y26 Copic marker and drew the shadows on the sand. Finally, I added some clear Swarovski crystals for the star, with the largest one as the Star of Bethlehem, and glued those on with Ranger Matte Multi-Medium.

List of all stamps/dies/stencils used on this card:

• Christmas Nativity stamp set (Joy Clair)
• Stitched Slimline Snow Drifts Die-Namics (My Favorite Things)
• Lyrical Script stamp set (Altenew)

Other supplies:

• Copic XPress-It Blending Card
• Copic markers (various)
• Distress Oxide Inks: Faded Jeans, Blueprint Sketch, and Antique Linen
• Tape runner
• Ranger Matte Multi-Medium
• Clear Swarovski crystals

Have a wondrous day!

Witch with a Pumpkin Card

Today, I was in a Halloween mood, so I colored up this lovely Witch with a Pumpkin digital stamp (Sweet Escape Digis) and turned her into a card.

This is a 5" x 7" card, and the witch takes up most of that space. I printed her on Copic XPress-It Blending Card and colored her with my Copics. I fussy cut her with scissors, carefully removing any white space that would hide the patterned background..

I stamped the sentiment from the Sassy Pants Spooktacular stamp set (My Favorite Things) onto a 0.75" x 4.75" strip of white cardstock and added that at the bottom of the card. Finally, I added a few purple enamel dots.

List of all stamps/dies/stencils used on this card:

• Witch with a Pumpkin digital stamp (Sweet Escape Digis)
• Sassy Pants Spooktacular stamp set (My Favorite Things)

Other supplies:

• Copic XPress-It Blending Card
• Copic markers (various)
• Patterned Halloween cardstock
• Purple enamel dots

Have a spooktacular day!