S.S.U.S. Swap Card

I can't believe it's come to the end of another month already...and it's time to get those card swaps out for my snobby, stuck-up stamper group. This month there is an interesting mix of themes one being "Puzzling Predicament". So here is my creation, and I was even able to artfully recycle some scraps from other projects and mix-n-match different size puzzle pieces and my puzzle whale of a punch...and I used one of those pre-fab cards from the $1 bin that has a window puched out [I covered up the embossed "T"]. Gotta go hand deliver this baby...just two more cards to go...Sb

Quote of the Day...

Money and time are the heaviest burdens of life and...the unhappiest of all mortals are those who have more of either than they know how to use.
~ Samuel Johnson

Isn't this the truth! Sb

S.S.U.S. Swap Cards

This is my "All About Me" themed card. I started with purple cardstock that I stamped with a paint swoosh stamp in green pigment ink all over. Then I stamped with the Art Definition stamp with Royal Purple StazOn to make a patterned background. I also added the small "ART" word in the bottom left in the same color. Now on to the "Scream". I stamped with versamark on brown cardstock AG frame stamp and embossed with clear embossing powder. This was the first time I embossed this stamp and it came out a lot better than I expected. I stamped the "Scream" on white cardstock with black StazOn, then I colored it with my fav Caran d'Ache watercolor crayons. Then I applied some versamark directly to paper and embossed with clear EP. So what are the clues here: Well - I love purple, and art - but this is what I look like when the Starbucks wears off! he he

This is my "Going Postal" themed card. This was fun because not only did I use my Caran d'Ache crayons again, I repurposed two envelopes from the recycling bin. For the postcard, I stamped with black StazOn, then colored and blended with water. On the two stamps, I added Diamond Glaze. I distressed the edges with MM distress tool and aged all three pieces with Old Paper Distress Ink. I also stamped and aged a mini 2" postcard stamp on the inside [oops I forgot to scan]. On the outside postcard, I stippled with versamark ink and embossed with clear EP. WOW! That was a neat experiment. I didn't expect the texture that it made. Then I assembled the rest. The flowers are white Prima that I aged with Antique Olive Dew Drop [my favorite color to distress edges with].

Now this card was for "Love Potion #9" - my version of a vintage Valentine. I had made this card larger for the Stamping 101 class that I teach, but I used BB patterned paper for the background. Since this is for the SnobbyStuckUpStampers Group, I just had to make my own background - I am only two months old in the group. On white cardstock, I stamped an Inkadinkado flourish with green pigment ink and embossed with clear EP. I learned that with this ink I was using, I had to apply powder, then stamp, then powder, so that the first couple of stamped images weren't dry by the time I applied the powder. So after attempting it a second time, perfection!!! Then I used my new stipple tool [that I became familiar with at a class I took with Joyce Brazen last weekend] to apply two different shades of red pigment ink. Then I used a wet paper towel to wipe the red off the embossed green [my DH thought this was neat] and Viola!!! Love it!!! The layered heart flourish is also Inkadinkado and was stamped with versamark on red cardstock four times then embossed with clear embossing powder.

Did I mention I spilled the embossing power everywhere and lost half of it? That's the risk I take with putting it in a paper plate - it easily is tipped onto the floor. ARRRGGGHHH!!!

Back to the hearts - I cut out each of the shapes, one full size, and the other three smaller following the detail of the stamp. Instead of layering with 3-d dots, I used some thin red craft foam cut to each shape and glued them together. No white, and no red hands from attempting to color them. Enjoy! Sb