Cards

An Oceanic Tribute to Joanne Grzelak

Joanne was one of the founding members of the Crazy 4 Challenges blog. Sadly she passed a few weeks ago. So we decided to create a Tribute Blog Hop, with all of us creating in a style she loved which included everything related to the ocean.

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So I created 2 ocean cards and a little beach shack. I’m sure she would love them as they truly celebrate the beauty of the sea. My first card uses a Beach Baby image by Penny Black. I coloured it a while back but it took me a while to find the best way to use it.

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She is done with Copics but the background is done with watercolours. I also added a few shells from the Beach and Sea set by Hero Arts.

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This card uses the same Hero Arts set. I wanted to make it look like the dolphins were in the foreground, not sure if I achieved it or not. As I was photographing it, I noticed my perspective was off on the waves. I think the white caps should be wider near the bottom of the card to make that area look nearer.

beach n sea dolphins2.jpg

I added the white with Copic white paint. I used Daniel Smith Kyanite for the dolphins, it’s the perfect grey-blue with flecks of glitter in it. I can’t wait to use it again!

ocean beach shack.jpg

This adorable little box is by Lawn Fawn as well as the additions dies to make it a beach shack. It’s the most fun thing to put together, my kids both beat me to it! All the pieces were die cut and most inked to get an authentic worn beachy look. Using some tiny makeup-style blending brushes helped a lot as I’d already put it together when I decided to add the ink. I’m thinking of placing this in an upside down canvas with some sand mixed with glue to make an entire little scene including palm trees, a hammock and a clothesline with tiny bathing suits hanging on it.

I hope you will continue along the blog hop to pay tribute to dear Joanne. Please feel free to leave comments along the way with memories of her. I’d like to extend my condolences to her family and close friends.

Thank you, Rebecca

CCEE Stampers

Frances Byrne

Lois Bak

Karen Ostergard

Liz Williams

Vicki Garrett

Rebecca Ednie

Kelly Santi

Karen Aicken

Vicky Gould

Maryann Einam

Anne Harmon

Nicky Foden

Lynn McAuley

Kathleen Adams

Crazy 4 Challenges

 

Cards

Soft n Shabby Mermaid Card

I’ve got to say, I am LOVING the awesome weather we are having here! And I just got my Hero Arts My Monthly Kit along with a special edition set from the Vault I ordered. Did you know they’ve brought back some older sets for their 45th Anniversary? So I used Beach and Sea for my card today.

c4c 19 mermaid.jpg

I’m also using the sketch I designed for the Crazy 4 Challenges blog this week. It’s a classic I can never use too often! The image was stamped with Antique Linen Distress ink on ivory cardstock. I kept the colours as soft as possible to match the Authentique papers I’d chosen.

c4c 19 mermaid2

The rocks were surprisingly challenging as I needed them to be all different colours or they’d look like a giant blob. Plus it took a lot of shading to make them look realistic. It’s quite small so that makes it even harder. In the end, I needed some coloured pencil to get the shading just right. But that’s ok, I’m adding it to my Copic colouring more and more often lately.

C4C488Sketch

The hello die is from Spellbinders from a monthly club kit. The frame and border dies are also SP, funny, I didn’t plan it that way.

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I know the weather is nice right now, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, but I’m sure a rainy day will come along so you can join us over at C4C to play with us using this sketch! You can of course flip or rotate the sketch or choose different shapes like I did!

Enjoy, Rebecca

Cards

Beach Retirement Card

This week, my challenge over at Crazy 4 Challenges was to use sand. Real sand, images, sandpaper, whatever works! I have plenty of sand images so I checked through my Summer stamps box and grabbed a set of stamps from a Hero Arts kit.

c4c 19 sand.jpg

I stamped two layers of the ocean but used the last layer to create surf on the top of the waves. If you have this set, you omit inking the solid section that creates the horizon line and, once heat embossed, you get perfect white caps! I used puff embossing powder this time to get a 3-D look. I also added a few more waves with an embossing pen. Previously I’d cut a mask to cover the waves so I could ink the sand. Always be sure to save those!Then I used a very old Stampin’ Up! stamp to create texture on the sand with two darker I inks and some copper pigment ink. It makes the sand shine and sparkle. Gold works very well too.

I wanted some detail in the ocean so I used a Kaisercraft set called Sandy Toes to add the island. I selectively inked it to get the various colours as it’s a one piece stamp with no layering stamps. I also added the sailboat from the Hero Arts set and the sea gulls. I stamped them in 3 different greys to make some look closer and some further away. I added stenciled clouds and sky and the shells to the beach along with the sentiment. But I thought it needed one more thing to complete the card. So far this was a one layer card which is something I hardly ever do. But I just had to add some die cut beach chairs also from the Hero Arts stamp set.

Enjoy, Rebecca

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No!!! Summer Can’t Be Over!

I can’t believe how cool it’s gotten here in Southern Ontario! It’s usually super hot on Labour Day weekend yet we have the heat on! I love, love, love summer and once again, it’s flown by! But I couldn’t let go just yet. It’s my turn to host for the month at Crazy 4 Challenges so I chose a summer or beach theme for this week. Just make any summer or beach-themed project; it can be a card or something else! c4c beach retirement

I used some older paper from Bo Bunny this week with a sentiment that is part SSS and part PTI. The flower is a die cut from the same collection but I altered it by making the white edge smaller, adding Glossy Accents and a touch of glitter. The papers were all sponged to help them stand out more from each other. This collection includes some awesome papers but not a single one is subtle! They are all large scale, full-page designs or very bold. I added a touch of stamping to the card base with stamps from Taylored Expressions and a few sequins.

I really hope you’ll head on over to the C4C blog this week. My guest this month is the amazing Teresa Kline so go check out her sweet card!

Enjoy, Rebecca

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Summer Hello

I can’t believe I waited so long to use this awesome new card kit from Simon Says Stamp. Anything beachy or ocean themed is my favourite! I might even do my own version of 1 kit 10 cards! I’ve got 2 so far!

c4c hello summer

I made this card using sketch for this week’s Crazy 4 Challenges. There’s one paper in the kit with a lot of fun borders so I used them for the banners on the sketch. I am kind of allergic to making cards weighted to the right of the card, not sure why, so I moved the focal panel over.

The sentiment was stamped in Distress ink but to get enough coverage I had to stamp it three times. That was enough to make it bleed into the patterned paper which made the sentiment fuzzy. I tried to fix it with a Distress marker but ick, that didn’t look so hot either. Last ditch effort was to try to stamp over the whole mess and emboss the sentiment. I actually like the way the sentiment looks with the green popping out from under the gold.

When you make a card using this sketch, be sure to link it up over at the Crazy 4 Challenges blog!

Enjoy, Rebecca

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Life Is Better in the Summer Canvas

I am quite honestly addicted to summer. It improves my mood, makes my skin nicer and most of my aches and pains disappear (though it’s taking a while this year so far). Yeah for SUMMER!!

life is better in the summer canvas1

To honour summer, I was inspired to make this canvas. I have a wall at the front of my house near the door where I put seasonal décor, changing it each new season. This will go up on my wall soon or maybe now since I love it so much! I started with a basic dollar store canvas, nothing fancy, it was stapled on the edges and not the back but that was ok for this project. I covered it in heavy acrylic paint in titan buff. Then I dry brushed on some metallic gold paint on the sides and edges of the front.

life is better in the summer canvas2

Next I added some light modeling paste using a coral stencil. I allowed it to dry then replaced the stencil and air brushed some peach Copic marker. Then I decided I needed some more texture so I randomly and messily applied some glass bead gel. If you want to use this, be warned that it takes a long time to dry if you apply it too thickly. I pieced some Kaisercraft papers adding some coloured modeling paste using a gorgeous ocean-themed poem stencil (both by Red Lead Paperworks).

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The papers were both sponged on the edges with matching Distress inks and I popped them up with a foam layer. I usually adhere my papers with gel medium so this was a new things for me. Next it was time to add some fabulous embellies!

life is better in the summer canvas5

The tag and oval pieces were from the back of the Kaisercraft paper pad. Dreams was die cut using a SSS die. The sea grass is a Frantic Stamper die cut from Kraft cardstock.  Some assorted shell chips, beach glass and sand was added across the bottom. A few other embellies and some real fish net rounded out the canvas!

life is better in the summer canvas6

I think I’ll add a knotted string of beads to hang this from. I have a TON of ocean themed charms and beads that will match the colours in this canvas! Fabulous right?

Enjoy, Rebecca

Entered in: Simon Says Stamp Monday – Make a Wish. I wish I could live at the beach, liKe so bad! Global Design Project #37 MFT Colour Challenge

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MFT_ColorChallenge_PaintBook_46

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Beach Paradise Mixed Media Canvas

I’m planning on painting a large three-part canvas for my bathroom. To test out the paints I bought and to help me know what proportions of colours I’d need to mix, I painted this much smaller canvas board.

mixed media beach full

For the background I spread an uneven layer of texture paste not covering it all up as I like the canvas texture. Then I went over that with a great stencil from Red Lead Paper Works and more embossing paste. Next I painted it with acrylic paints, first the sand (a mix of unbleached titanium white and metallic gold), then the sky and finally the sea. The metallic-ness of the gold got a bit lost in the mix so I dry brushed the sand with the gold paint.

mixed media beach close up

It wasn’t enough gold for me so I went over it with gold Gilder’s Paste and that turned out much more shimmery. The gold sat up on top of the lettering and looked so pretty! So now I had my trial for my larger canvas. I remembered to write down my approximate paint mixes then decided to embellish it as it turned out so well. I will put it up downstairs during the summer months. I’ve added air dry clay shells, Prima flowers, sequins and shell beads, buttons, ribbon, real fish net, rhinestones, die cuts, twine, wood veneer, a coin, brads and a pearl stick pin.

mixed media beach

The shell ‘sequins’ area really cool. They are real shell beads called heishi beads and basically look like sequins! I got them at Art Beads.com and I highly recommend them for any application. I might even use them in a shaker card! I know this is out of season but honestly, I could make beachy themed items all year! And I probably will! Stay Tuned!

Enjoy, Rebecca

Entered In:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Throwback. I forget when it was but this was for the Paradise challenge.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

mmmc18

RECIPE
This is a pretty big list. Let me know if there’s anything in particular you’d like to know about.

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Warning, Many Cards…

I have been playing quite a few challenges lately but always seem to run out of time to blog the cards before the deadline! Well, I finally found some time and actually remembered so this is one of a few posts with cards I’m entering. sorry to post so much all at once!

sun sand n flip flops

This was for three challenges, two of which have ended sadly. JUGS challenge to use layered die cuts and Retro Sketches 168. But, the Curtain Call challenge is still open! yeah!

flip flops

Most of this is pretty straight forward. On the kraft layer, I inked it with Distress ink and applied light moulding paste to the edge to mimic the frothy front edge of waves. The sides of the card were sponged through a stencil using the same colour ink as the cardstock.

I’m also entering this in the SSS Wednesday Challenge Anything Goes.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps:
You Did it-SSS, sand stamp-SU!
Paper: DP-SSS may kit, Hawaiian shores CS
Ink: versamark, Hawaiian shores, Vintage photo distress
Accessories: glossy accents, Smile die-SSS, white ep-Hero Arts, light moulding paste-Liquitex, sequins-Pretty Pink Posh, stencil-Crafter’s Workshop

Uncategorized

Vacation Island for Mojo Monday

I got some new Kaisercraft paper and it was so fun to play with it.

my island mojo

My mojo has been a bit low lately; I’ve been doing so much organization, it’s kind of sapped my creative energy. But as I worked on this, I just got more and more happy. I have to make a note to myself that anytime I’m not inspired I should go to this paper pad!

Mojo392

Click on the photo to visit the challenge.

To make the sun set background, I used Distress Markers. To make sure that the colours blended, I spritzed the stamp then dabbed off the area where the colours meet. Then I spritzed again. I love the effect! I stamped on the island using my MISTI to line everything up. It wasn’t perfect but it was user error. The MISTI placed the stamps exactly where I aligned them. I love this tool and it is totally worth the cost.

The card was sprayed with gold Glimmer mist when I was done and it looks great! Shame it doesn’t show up. I also added a few brushstrokes of Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint. You can’t see it very well as the angle isn’t right and the cracks are very fine but it does add a bit more texture. The button was don a while ago so I don’t remember what I did too well but I remember adding Copic airbrushing to change the colour. Then the ink stayed tacky so I covered it with, I think, Glossy Accents. The finish ended up kinda cracked and textured which was really cool. The charm is covered in Sharpie paint pen to change it from silver to gold.

RECIPE
Stamps:
My Island-WMS
Ink: chocolate-PTI
Paper: kraft CS-PTI, DP-Kaisercraft
Accessories: shell ribbon-May Arts, shell charm-Fire Mountain Beads, button-PTI, gold and white thread, Copic Markers, faded jeans, broken china, marmalade Distress markers, Rock candy paint, Sharpie paint pen