Ombre

 

Playing along with Addicted to CAS, code word "Ombre." This will be a birthday card for my son-in-law, so I didn't want to make it too feminine. Everyone loves balloons, right?

I made the balloons with a very simple stencil I designed and cut myself using my Cricut Explore Air, then colored them with sponge daubers using distress oxide inks. I used Lucky Clover, Peeled Paint, and Twisted Citron to get the ombre effect, then added little twisty strings using my Zig brush pen. I love that pen, by the way, and have been laboriously practicing my calligraphy (with mixed results; it takes time!). 

The sentiment is from Sunny Studios Magical Mermaids stamp set. I stamped it in Versamark Onyx ink and embossed with clear embossing powder. I embossed the frame, then added a few Nuvo drops in Crystal Clear. I never know how many to add - don't want to overdo - but my usual Rule of Three just didn't seem enough. Result: balloons in the rain?

Thanks for looking!

Chilled

Playing along with AAA Cards challenge "Chilled" today. Besides loving this cute Arctic Pals stamp set from Ellen Hutson I just had to use some of the paper I bought last month, Freshwater Pearls. It's so shimmery! Here's the link.

First I cut a piece of the specialty paper using my Lawn Fawn Stitched Border die, then glued a piece of blue vellum behind and trimmed the whole thing to 4.25 x 5.5. Secondly I stamped the bears in Versafine onyx, then embossed with clear powder. Using a tiny bit of distress oxide in Antique Linen and Fossilized Amber, I gave their fur a little bit of color. I fussy cut both bears (can you believe that once upon a time I had to look up the term "fussy cut?" Took me forever.) and attached them using pop-up foam dots.

The sentiment was stamped onto a piece of vellum using versamark, then embossed in white. I used a Dotliner to adhere the sentiment; doesn't show through the vellum but still holds.  Lastly, I added several icy snow drops using Nuvo crystal drops in clear and robin's egg blue.

I made another, similar version, this time using a single bear and a piece of cardstock from Carta Bella. I think the tree silhouettes give it a very chilly night feeling, don't you?

Thanks for looking! 

Colored Pencils on Black Cardstock

Thought I'd jump in with The Daily Marker 30Day Coloring Challenge even though it's already halfway through. I did this on Gina K Designs Pure Luxury Cardstock in Black Onyx after embossing the flower in gold for drama (and an outline to stay inside). I'm always amazed at how the penciled colors stand out against a dark background, especially on such high-quality cardstock!

After I colored the lily with my Prismacolor  pencils, I went over it with my blending pens. The result was not quite as smooth as if I had used watercolor pencils, but instead created an almost hand-painted look with a little sheen (which you can't really see here). 

All in all, a lot of fun. I just might get one or two more projects colored before the challenge ends! Thanks for looking.