Watercooler Wednesday Challenge – WWC103 – A Little Pop…A Little Wiggle

Posted: 16 Nov 2016 05:00 AM PST

WWC103 – Gail’s Masculine Anything Goes Challenge

Welcome to this weeks Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

 Straightlaced this card isn’t.  LOL    I decided to take my masculine anything goes card to a little sexy, flirty place.  The usual guy colors for the basic layers and cardbase but with a pop of color and a little wiggle from the gal in the hat.   A bit of Mae West if you will.  And yes…it helps if you imagine her voice saying the Happy Birthday Gorgeous.  With a little bit of “come up and see me sometime” implied.  {grin}

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A Little Pop and a Little Wiggle

(as always click the picture to see a larger image)

 

Yep…I’m still addicted to the notecards from Stampin’ Up.  Love that the matching envelope is included with the card and that you get a pack of 20 for $6.00 (US pricing).  Not sure I know 20 guys to send flirty birthday cards to but I’m pretty sure I can come up with other themes for the rest of them.

One other thing that makes notecards special…you can use standard first class postage to mail them.  I sure hope you got your Forever  stamps before the price went up last Sunday.   I had fun picking out packs of 20 in various designs last Saturday so I should be set for awhile.  Did you know there are 37 designs for my favorite forever stamps.   Turns out there are International First Class Forever stamps too.  Who knew?  Now that I do, my Canadian buddies will start seeing cards from yours truly.  In the past I could never figure out what the rate was and getting to a post office wasn’t possible.  Now…easy peasy.  Thanks Post Office!

 

Supplies:

Stamps: Beautiful You

Ink:  Crumb Cake,  Basic Black Archival or Momento Tuxedo Black , Stampin’ Up! Watercolor Pencils (Melon Mambo)*

* Sad note.  SU has run low on the new watercolor pencils and will be turning off the order number for a considerable time until they can get more stock made ( yes…they were that popular and that wonderful)…so…if you want in on the last shipment, get your order in before the 28th.

Paper: Basic Black, Very Vanilla Cardstock.  Crumb Cake Notecard/Envelope Pack.

Punches: none

Tools & Adhesives: 1/4″ Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon (Occasions Catalog), Aqua Painter or Blender Pens,  Stampin’ Trimmer, Paper Snips,  Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Bone Folder,  Fast Fuse and a Clear Acrylic block or two.

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Measurements:

Basic Black Mat: 3″ x 5″

Very Vanilla Focal: 2-3/4″ x 5″

Vanilla Satin Ribbon: 14-15″

Beautiful You Notecard Directions:

1) On the Vanilla mat piece. Stamp the woman with a hat image from Beautiful You.  Apply the watercolor pencil to the dark lines and a lighter bit on the interior and then use the aquapainter or blender pen to wet and blend the watercolor pencil lines.  Alternatively you can apply the blender pen to the pencil tip and then color directly on the paper without applying pencil directly to the paper.   Stamp the sentiment in black below the woman image and then stamp the squiggle image over top in Crumb Cake. Adhere the piece to the Basic Black mat and adhere the joined piece to the front of the Crumb Cake cardbase. Apply the joined piece closer to the right hand side than to the spine.

2) Decorate/stamp the inside of card as you wish (envelope too).   Tie the ribbon along the spine of the card.

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That’s it for this challenge.  To see the rest of the design teams contributions to Gail’s Masculine Anything Goes Challenge head on over to the Challenge blog website here.   That’s also where you can add your own creation with the linky doodad.  When you add your own design and there are more than three entries, one of you will be a challenge winner or runner up and have the option to place our badges on your own site.  Of course…you’ll also win bragging rights!

Check here to see the winner of last weeks challenge.  And here to see all of last weeks other linky and Artist Team entries.  Check the challenge site for newly updated rules on competing for future challenges.

I hope you will add your own creations this week to the linky.  I love the inspiration I find in your shared creations.  With an Anything Goes set up this week the sky’s the limit.  As long as you have a guy theme.

Put a little creativity and color in your life this week.  I  love you all for stopping in to read and enjoy the challenge posts.

 

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Watercooler Wednesday Challenge – WWC93 – Noel Bells or should that be Noel’s Bells?

WWC93 – Deb’s Color Challenge

Welcome to this weeks Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

Deb has given us a cool set of colors to work with this week.  I have to admit I had a hard time moving past those very cool and modern splotches and it took some time for my mind to wrap itself around a project idea.  In part because of the colors and the splotches I kept thinking retro of some kind and masculine.  Christmas never entered my head until I started seeing some of the rest of the teams ideas.  Then I hit my head and said…of course…red and green and a couple of neutrals.  Totally traditional and perfect for Christmas.  Of course by that time I was down the modern rabbit hole so…ta..da..here’s my mix of retro modern with a hint of traditional for a Christmas card perfect for a guy.

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Noel Bells

(or should that be Noel’s Bells?)

(as always click the picture to see a larger image)

I really wish you could see this card in real life.  Or that my photography set up was better.  The dark vividness of the Real Red against the black mat and the stark white of the cardbase is really something.  Then add the pop of green from the Old Olive and until you get to the Soft Suede bells this card has color that pops.    It was quite a fun project.  I found myself thinking modern graphic arts mixed with California Mission styles.  Quite a combo.  I’d love to know what you think.

Supplies:

Stamps:  Merry Medley, Seasonal Bells

Inks:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Soft Suede

Paper: Thick Whisper White, Real Red, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Basic Black Cardstock

Punches: Bell Punch

Tools & Adhesives:  Big Shot, Pretty Pines Thinlit Dies, Christmas Stockings Thinlit Dies, Simply Score Tool, Bone Folder, Tombow Liquid Glue, Dimensionals, Glue Dots & SNAIL.

 

DIRECTIONS & Tips:

Tip: When inking the Merry Medley background stamp place the stamp on it’s block face up on the table and ink by dabbing the pad onto the stamp.  This lets you see where you might need extra ink for a well inked image.

Tip: If you would like a wonderful set of greetings (about 14 I think) you can cut the background stamp into the individual sentiments that make up the whole stamp.  Of course if you want the whole stamp back together again just keep track of a picture of the whole stamp to serve as a map for the complete block.

Cardbase:  Thick Whisper White – 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″  Score at 4-1/4″

Black Mat Layer: 4″ x 5-1/4″

Red Focal Layer: 3-3/4″ x 5″

1) Place your background stamp face up on the table and ink with Memento Tuxedo Black or Basic Black Archival ink.  Decide where you want the placement of the Real Red Layer to best feature the sentiments you want to see.  Adhere the red layer to the Basic Black mat layer.

2) Die cut the boughs and mistletoe from the Pretty Pines dies with Old Olive scraps of paper.

3) Stamp and punch two bells using your favorite bell image (I like the one that resembles mission bells) and Soft Suede ink on Soft Suede paper.

4) Assemble your boughs and bells and adhere to the focal layer.  I glued the greenery directly to the paper using small dots of Tombow Liquid Glue.  I let the glue set up a bit before attaching to the paper.   Attach one bell with glue dots and the second with a couple of Dimensionals for varying height.  If you want you can pierce the tops of the bells and thread some Linen thread or a very thin ribbon through and tie a bow or knot.   My linen thread has gone walk about so I skipped that step.  I was afraid thin black baker’s twine would look too funereal.

5) Add your focal piece to the white card base with dimensionals and voila!  You’re ready to decorate the interior and envelope and then mail!

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Want to join in the challenge but can’t quite think what to do? Check out page 30 of the Holiday Catalog and find the Merry Medley sample at the bottom of the page.  It’s perfect.  Just swap out the black sentiment for a Soft Suede one and you are all set.

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That’s it for this challenge.  To see the rest of the design teams contributions to Deb’s Color Challenge head on over to the Challenge blog website here.   That’s also where you can add your own creation with the linky doodad.  When you add your own design and there are more than three entries, one of you will be a challenge winner or runner up and have the option to place our badges on your own site.  Of course…you’ll also win bragging rights!

Check here to see the winner of last weeks challenge.  And here to see all of last weeks other linky and Artist Team entries.  Check the challenge site for rules on competing for future challenges.

I hope you will add your own creations this week to the linky.  I love the inspiration I find in your shared creations.

I hope you’ll also join us next Wednesday for yet another Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

 

 

 

 

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Watercooler Wednesday Challenge – WWC91 – Masculine Anything Goes

WWC91 – Marsha’s Masculine Anything Goes Challenge

Welcome to this weeks Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

This week Marsha has set us free to do an Anything Goes Challenge.  Well…as long as it has a masculine theme that is.  I truly love the freedom of an Anything Goes challenge whatever the theme.  So many possibilities.  So why didn’t I make a box or some such?  Well…I had this cable stitch folder sitting there and some Garden Green and Cherry Cobbler paper sitting there and some fun memories.  So of course…what came out was a card.

The embossing of the Cable Knit folder reminds me of hand knit sweaters.    A bit like one I knit many years ago for my late husband Steve.  Well…to be truthful it had no cables but it was green anyway.  😀    We shopped for the wool and the pattern while we were in Ashland, Oregon visiting my folks (have you ever taken a husband into a yarn shop ladies?  Interesting).  It was my first attempt at a sweater with reindeer and pine trees knit into the sweater itself and not hand stitched with a needle.  Intarsia they call that style of knitting pictures and shapes into a larger piece.  Very tricky for the newish sweater knitter that I was at the time but such a boost when it actually worked out.   Of course at that time we lived in Southern California so you can guess just how much wear that sweater got (mostly when we visited Oregon again or went cross country skiing).  LOL    Note to self…don’t shop for sweater materials when you are cold and in a state that stays cold a good part of the year… especially when you live elsewhere that’s mostly warm!

Now that the memory has surfaced again I’ll have to see if I can find the sweater and curl up with it during the very cold winter that’s being predicted for my area.

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A Cable Knit Warm Greeting

(as always click the picture to see a larger image)

Supplies:

Stamps:  Tin of Cards

Inks:  Garden Green

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Garden Green, Very Vanilla

Punches: None

Tools & Adhesives:  Big Shot, Pretty Pines Thinlit dies, Layering Squares Framelit Dies, Cable Knit Dynamic Embossing Folder, Big Shot Die Brush, Simply Score Tool, Bone Folder, Dimensionals, Fast Fuse and Tombow Liquid Glue.

 

DIRECTIONS & Tips:

Tip The new Dynamic Folders require a different sandwich when you run them through the big folder.  Here’s a PDF from Sizzix with a reminder on how to use this new type of folder:

dynamic-folder-embossing-tips-tricks  – PDF (click to download)

Since I did this card for last Saturday’s Stamp Camp as well as the Challenge luckily I have a PDF of the directions for this as well.

cable-knit-warm-greetings-card-blog-instructions-version  – PDF (click to download)

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That’s it for this challenge.  To see the rest of the design teams contributions to Marsha’s Masculine Anything Goes Challenge head on over to the Challenge blog website here.   That’s also where you can add your own creation with the linky doodad.  When you add your own design and there are more than three entries, one of you will be a challenge winner or runner up and have the option to place our badges on your own site.  Of course…you’ll also win bragging rights!

Check here to see the winner of last weeks challenge.  And here to see all of last weeks other linky and Artist Team entries.  Check the challenge site for rules on competing for future challenges.

I hope you will add your own creations this week to the linky.  I love the inspiration I find in your shared creations.

And…I hope you’ll  join us next Wednesday for yet another Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  Hint…next weeks sketch challenge is mine.  All mine.  {grin}

 

 

 

 

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Watercooler Wednesday Challenge – WWC90 – Black on White Simplicity

WWC90 – Libby’s Black on White Simply Stamping Challenge

Welcome to this weeks Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

This week Libby is keeping it truly simple with this fun challenge. Can’t get much simpler than black ink on white paper.  Of course…I just had to add a bit of white on black too with my doodles!

I tried to think how far back black ink on white paper might go but figured it had something to do with the first person to use a charcoal stick from the fire in the rain and thus a form of black ink.   Hm…probably close to cave man days.   Of course…they didn’t exactly have the white paper now did they?

As per my usual I did a Google and found a variety of answers from China to Egypt to use of ink from a cuttle fish.   From the descriptions I’m very thankful that Stampin’ Up has so many black ink options that come in easy to use ink pads.   They make cool stamps to use with the ink too.  {grin}

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Black on White Blessing

(as always click the picture to see a larger image)

Care to guess what I used for the white on black inking?

Think current…not retired.

I love that the project mirrored pretty closely what I saw in my mind.  I had thought about creating a frame around the main collage image with other stamps from the Paisleys & Posies set but decided in the spirit of the challenge to keep it truly simple.   I also loved that the sentiment and the pumpkin images could be placed together on one block.  Should make producing multiples quick and easy.   I think I’ll be reproducing this card for many of my friends at the Wellness Clinic I’ve been going to.  Although…I may play with single colors besides black just for the fun of it.  After all…Stampin’ Up has so many fun colors to work with don’t you think?  Maybe I should order an extra Chalk Marker?

One of the things I love about very simple cards like this…the emphasis for me is on the handwritten note I place inside.   A nice counterpoint to the stamped images on the front.

Another suggestion if you are planning on multiple copies of the design.  Use the Notecard and Envelope sets Stampin’ Up sells.  You get 20 card and envelope sets in the pack for a very reasonable price (about 31¢ a set here in the States).

Supplies:

Stamps:  Paisleys & Posies, Fall Fest (retired)

Inks:  Memento Tuxedo Black, White Chalk Marker (I intended to use my retired white gel pen but after 7 years wouldn’t you know…it only had 4 dots left in it!  Sigh.  I’m so thankful I had the current Chalk Marker on hand.)

Paper: Thick Whisper White

Punches: None

Tools & Adhesives:  Simply Score Tool, Bone Folder, Dimensionals

 

DIRECTIONS & Tips:

Can’t get any simpler than this card really.  Unless you stamp directly on the card base.

Tip for getting a more white look from the Chalk Marker.  Go over a couple of times where you’ve made your marks.   And let the ink dry from your stamped image and in between the applications of chalk.

Tip for fixing a bold image that didn’t quite ink in all spots completely.   To get the best bold image you can ink the stamp upside down.  Place the stamp face up and then apply the ink pad.  That way you can see how fully inked the image is.  Then…place the stamp on the paper and let it sit there for just a bit longer than usual.  Allow the ink to sink into the paper.  If there are still a few spots that are less covered than you would like you can use a blender pen and the ink from the ink pad to fill in as needed.  Use light strokes so it melds with the stamped ink.

Cardbase:  Thick Whisper White – 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″  Score at 4-1/4″

Focal Layer: Thick Whisper White – 5″ x 3-3/4″

1) Place your pumpkin and sentiment image as a collage on one black then stamp with Memento Black Ink onto the center of the focal layer.    Stamp the small flower from Paisleys & Posies to either side of the sentiment.  If you are truly a perfectionist you can use the Stamp a Ma Jig for perfect placement.  For the rest of us…the old Eyeball Mark 1 works reasonably well.  LOL

2) Using a white gel pen or Chalk Marker doodle images in the black pumpkin sections.  If you want a more “Zentangle” look try using the pumpkin image from Jar of Haunts and one of the Project Life pens.

3) Pop the focal layer up on the card base with dimensionals.  Voila!  You are done!

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That’s it for this challenge.  To see the rest of the design teams contributions to Libby’s Black on White theme challenge head on over to the Challenge blog website here.   That’s also where you can add your own creation with the linky doodad.  When you add your own design and there are more than three entries, one of you will be a challenge winner or runner up and have the option to place our badges on your own site.  Of course…you’ll also win bragging rights!

Check here to see the winner of last weeks challenge.  And here to see all of last weeks other linky and Artist Team entries.  Check the challenge site for rules on competing for future challenges.

I hope you will add your own creations this week to the linky.  I love the inspiration I find in your shared creations.

I hope you’ll also join us next Wednesday for yet another Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

 

 

 

 

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Watercooler Wednesday Challenge – WWC87 – One Good Thing on Top of Another

WWC87 – Kath’s Masculine Themed

Anything Goes Challenge

Welcome to this weeks Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

This week Kath has given us a fun challenge.  Make a guy thing (card, box or whatever)…anyway you want.   This was a challenge that once again is perfect for yours truly who lives surrounded by trees and deer (the traditional guy themes) and two male cats in a mountain valley in the Pacific Northwest and you can’t get more guy themed than that right?   Well of course cars or trucks might also be needed (we have those too) but hey…maybe he’s a guy who bikes to work like my doctor and his assistant instead of driving?  And of course guys read books, listen to music and all kinds of other “normal” things so really…almost any type thing might provide inspiration for a guy themed project.

Here was my take based on the local inspiration of my many pine trees and the idea of a plaid deer.  Why plaid you ask?  Heaven only knows…but it’s what came to mind (hush Patti on comments about my mind.  :D).

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One on Top of Another

(as always click the picture to see a larger image)

This is what I call a 3D-ish project.  It’s not a box, it’s not a bag or other treat type holder but it does pop off the card just a bit.  It’s also one that started out with one design feature in mind…a plaid deer and possibly a plain one to share the page. The rest just evolved as I went.  After I stamped and die cut the plaid deer I also did one in Crumb Cake.  To preserve and not waste paper I stamped and cut right in the corner.  I put aside the Crumb Cake leftovers and it lit on top of a white piece of paper.  Aha!   The deer had stepped right off the paper…or so it seemed.  So I had an evolution of the deer theme going.  From plain white (the best kind to hide in a snow storm) to crumb cake with features stamped to the fancy dan plaid deer who perhaps sees that as his version of camouflage?  Of course the copper wreath was a given as I’m so addicted to copper these days and as metals go…that seemed a more masculine type of metal.  Besides…that plaid deer has a bit of attitude going so why not a laurel wreath of sorts like the Romans did for the star of the parade.

I have to admit…the card was finished before I reread the saying and realized it could also apply to my Brother in Law who is a bow hunter and always gets his limit of deer or elk to feed his family, as well as the holiday season I intended it for.  I wonder if SU thought about that possibility.  Of course…I’m not sure they thought of layered deer or even plaid deer.  And I had stamped the sentiment before I realized that the deer themselves were on top of one another.   So sometimes humorous congruence happens when you least expect it.

So it appears my card might work for many different types of men.  Those who wear plaid, those who hang out in slightly dissimilar groups, those with attitude and those who hunt.   Or for the male deer with attitude who may decide to hunt the men!

For me…I’m picturing those proud deer stepping out in the moonlight under the pines as the snow begins to fall.  It’s truly beautiful when you see it in person…with or without the plaid.

Supplies:

Stamps:  Santa’s Sleigh, snow dots are from one of the various sets on my table…I’m not sure which one.

Inks: Garden Green, Memento Tuxedo Black, Black StazOn

Paper: Crumb Cake, Garden Green, Whisper White Cardstock (thick and thin) ; Warmth and Cheer 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper Stack, Copper Foil Paper

Punches: None

Tools & Adhesives:  Big Shot, Santa’s Sleigh Thinlits, Pine Bough Embossing Folder, Paper Snips,  Q-tips,  Dimensionals, SNAIL

 

DIRECTIONS & Tips:

Cardbase:  Thick Whisper White – 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″  Score at 4-1/4″

Stamp with Memento Black Ink  the deer image from Santa’s Sleigh on the plaid sheet from Warmth & Cheer DSP and die cut.

Wreath:  Using Black StazOn ink stamp the wreath image from Santa’s Sleigh on a scrap of Copper Foil.  Die cut and carefully slip over the plaid deer’s head.

Crumb Cake Layer: 4″ x 5-1/4″  Stamp with Memento Black Ink and die cut the deer in the bottom left hand corner.  Then emboss the Crumb Cake layer piece in the Pine Bough embossing folder.

Stamp the falling snow in Whisper White Craft Ink with whatever snow or dot image you have.  If you want the snow to stand out a bit more cover the ink with white embossing powder and heat with your heat tool.

Using a Q-Tip gently rub Garden Green ink across the raised/embossed pine boughs.  This may take repeated layering of the ink to get the depth of color you prefer.  Adhere the Crumb Cake layer to the Whisper White Cardbase making sure to add adhesive all along the edges including around the die cut deer area.  Layer the Crumb Cake deer using glue dots onto the layer piece in the right hand corner.   Using dimensionals adhere the plaid deer with his wreath over top of the two other deer.

Sentiment flag:   Stamp the sentiment from Santa’s Sleigh on a scrap of Whisper White and flag/banner cut the ends.  My scrap was 1/2″ x 2-3/4″.   Cut a Garden Green piece 3/4″ x 3-1/2″.  Notch the far end top and bottom as evenly as you can using paper snips.  If you are truly a perfectionist you can make a measured dot for the top of the triangle cut and measure the sides as well.  As you can see…I just winged it.  Isn’t that what most guys would do?   Wrap copper metallic thread as many times as seems good to you.  I started with a glue dot on the back to hold the starting end and then ended by pressing the final end into that same glue dot.   Add a notch in the left end of the mat.  Adhere your Whisper White sentiment piece and banner cut the Garden Green ends.  I decided to blunt cut my ends a bit to match the more blunt left side end.   Attach the matted piece with two dimensionals.   Stand back and admire your creation, decorate the interior  and then send to a guy who likes plaid…or at least will grin at the idea!

 

Tip: I used a Q-tip to give myself more control when applying the color to the raised portions of pine boughs.  I found when I used a sponge or sponge dauber that I ended up with halos of green around the boughs.  Not what I was going for if I could avoid it.   AND…I used a pair of paper snips to make my notches to wrap my copper thread around for another pop of metallic shine.

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That’s it for this challenge.  To see the rest of the design teams contributions to Kath’s masculine theme challenge head on over to the Challenge blog website here.   That’s also where you can add your own creation with the linky doodad.  When you add your own design and there are more than three entries, one of you will be a challenge winner or runner up and have the option to place our badges on your own site.  Of course…you’ll also win bragging rights!

Check here to see the winner of last weeks challenge.  And here to see all of last weeks other linky and Artist Team entries.  Check the challenge site for rules on competing for future challenges.

I hope you will add your own creations this week to the linky.  I love the inspiration I find in your shared creations.

I hope you’ll also join us next Wednesday for yet another Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

 

 

 

 

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