MTTCC 92 - Half Wreath Card

Welcome to My Time to Craft Christmas Challenge 92! 

The theme for this challenge is buttons. 

I gave away almost all the buttons in my stash many years ago. I had a handful of tiny silver glitter buttons left but that was it. I used a layering stencil set and created two partial wreaths on a card front. The tiny buttons were added on the two wreaths and I placed a hot foiled sentiment with silver metallic thread at the bottom. The entire card front was adhered to a dark green card base. 

Come and join us at MTTCC and show us your projects with buttons. 

You have two weeks to link up your project. 

We can't wait to see what you create! 

As an aside, as I was deciding what to do for this challenge, I misread the challenge itself and thought it was for the OTHER MTTC team. I made this card using some alcohol inked background pieces, leaves created with the Better Press system and a cute little grumpy pea.

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Friendship Alcohol Inked Background Card

 I saw this cool technique on YouTube and wanted to try it myself. 

I used a sunburst stencil and texture paste on vellum. One that was dry, I added two colours of alcohol inks (bold pink and blue) and where they met, purple was created. Based on those colours, I stamped and coloured the image and die cut it using a circle die. The sentiment was stamped and fussy cut. The corners were rounded on the card as well. 

Enjoy, 

Alyson

HLS Birthday - Full Front Shaker Card

 Welcome to Happy Little Stampers Birthday Challenge for December! 

This is always an anything goes challenge as long as the theme is birthday. 

I created a full front shaker card. The background was made with alcohol inks and I placed a Waffle Flower shaker element around the card front. Purple and gold sequins were placed inside and that was sealed. The frame and birthday sentiment were hot foiled in gold and placed toward the top and a smaller heat embossed sentiment was added at the bottom. There is a lot going on with this card so I decided not to add anything else to it. 

Come and join us at HLS Birthday and show us your birthday projects. 

You have until the end of the month to link up your project. 

We can't wait to see what you create!

Enjoy,

Alyson

TSOT 588 - Butterfly Hello

 Welcome to Try Stampin' on Tuesday Challenge 588! 

The optional theme (in addition to the sketch) is winter activities. 

I chose to use only the sketch this week. 

The background was created using alcohol inks and I also hot foiled a diamond pattern using teal foil. I used some matte silver cardstock for the two background rectangles and also added a turquoise mat under the foiled piece to set it apart. 

The butterflies were silver embossed and coloured with markers before being die cut and adhered to the main panel with thin foam tape. I added a silver embossed sentiment at the bottom.

Come and join us at TSOT and show us how you interpret this week's sketch. 

You have two weeks to link up your project. 

We can’t wait to see what you create! 

Enjoy,

Alyson

HLS Birthday - Trio of Branches Shaker Card

 Welcome to Happy Little Stampers - Birthday Challenge! 

This is always an anything goes challenge, as long as the theme is birthday. 

I had some alcohol ink backgrounds made that I wanted to use and this was a great opportunity to do just that. 

The triple branch image was die cut from both the alcohol inked background and also from black cardstock. I carefully adhered the black die cuts to a piece of acetate and created a shaker. I inked very lightly at the bottom of each square with a turquoise ink before adhering the shaker front to the card base. A sentiment was embossed and added at the left side, along with three enamel dots. 

I created a second card (not birthday) with the leftover pieces from the first set of die cuts. I cut a second set from back cardstock and inserted the alcohol inked pieces into the black frames. I splattered the backgound and die cut a sentiment to fit in the bottom corner. 

Come and join us at Happy Little Stampers and show us your birthday creations! 

You have until the end of the month to link up your projects. 

We can’t wait to see what you create! 

Enjoy,

Alyson

Maple Leaf Cards

 These two cards were created using one alcohol inked background. 

I die cut the leaf image so I had an opening plus all the little pieces. I used the detailed image for the first card and added a die cut sentiment at the bottom.

The second card has the outline image and all the tiny pieces adhered to a black outline shape. That wasn't hard to do as I used low tack tape (see through) to keep the pieces in their original spots. I aded a white die cut circle behind the leaf as it was lost on the black embossed background. The sentiment was stamped, die cut and added at the bottom. Gold Stickles finished off the card. 

Enjoy,

Alyson

Alcohol Inked Leaf Card

 The background of this card was created with alcohol inks and I love the end result. I die cut a leaf image from the centre and also die cut the detailed leaf image from that same piece. The detailed image was fit back into the opening. 

The sentiment was embossed in white on teal cardstock and I added some silver metallic thread underneath before adhering it to the card front. No other embellishments were added. 

Enjoy,

Alyson

Hello Sunshine

 This was a lot of fun to create! 

I started with an alcohol inked background that was kind of a rainbow colour scheme. I die cut the leaf background from both black and the alcohol inked piece and inlaid the leaves back into the black background. The sentiment was die cut from teal glitter paper and adhered at the top. I added some teal gems around the leaves to finish off the card.

Enjoy,

Alyson

Krafty Chicks Week 1 - I Smiled Today Card

I am honoured to be the "Guest Chick" at Krafty Chicks Challenge for the month of October. There are four challenges during the month and this is the first one. 

This week, a stamped image is required. 

This card has a lot of elements - alcohol inked backgound, hot foiled border, stamped and stencilled images, multi-colour stamped sentiment and it is also a shaker card! 

The background was created using turquoise and teal alcohol inks and die cut with a hexagon shape to create the shaker. A hexagon shape was hot foiled and die cut to create the shaker border. I die cut a stitched background for inside the shaker as well. The flowers were stamped, stencilled and die cut and arranged at the bottom. The sentiment was stamped in two colours (it looks like three since the pink and teal mixed to create purple) and that was added to the side of the shaker. The inside of the shaker was filled with tiny silver stars, purple sequins and some "snow". I added a few silver gems around the card and used silver Stickles on the centres of the flowers. 

Come and join us at Krafty Chicks and show us your projects with a stamped image. 

You have until 2pm ET next Wednesday to link up your project.

We can’t wait to see with you create! 

Enjoy,

Alyson

TSOT 569 - Bold Butterflies

 Welcome to Try Stampin' on Tuesday Challenge 569!

You have a choice this week - use the inspiration photos, use the sketch or use both! 

I chose to use only the sketch. 

The background for my card was created using alcohol inks. The middle panel was created using a foil plate on stamping foam - that was trimmed and a scalloped border was added at the side. The front panel was lightly inked behind the butterflies and the stencilled butterflies were adhered in place. The sentiment was white embossed and added at the bottom. I coloured several clear sparkles to add to the butterflies and around the card. There are lots of techniques on this card! 

Come and join us at Try Stampin' on Tuesday and show us how you interpret this week's challenge. 

You have two weeks to link up your project. 

We can’t wait to see what you create! 

Enjoy,

Alyson

Birthday Card with Alcohol Inks and Hot Foiling

 I made this card for a design team call at Happy Little Stampers... it is for their Birthday challenge team. 

The background for my card was created with alcohol inks and I added a white stitched frame around the outside. I hot foiled the diamonds in silver, die cut them and placed them around the card front. The flowers were stamped, stencilled and die cut and the sentiment was placed over the stems of the flowers with some silver metallic thread added underneath. The small 'happy" was stamped and added at the side. I brushed the darkest parts of the flowers with a clear shimmer brush and added some iridescent gems around the card to finish it off. 

A mentioned above, I am entering this card at Happy Little Stampers for the Birthday Design Team call. 

Enjoy,

Alyson

AH 480 - You are Amazing

 

Welcome to Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge 480! 

I chose to stay close to the sketch but there is a LOT happening on my card. 

The left background was created using Distress Oxide inks, a stencil and silver glitter paste. The right side (bottom) was created using alcohol inks. The two pieces were cut diagonally and I added strip of silver glitter paper to define the sections. That same glitter paper was die cut to form a border for the card.

The centre leaf image was die cut from silver foil and placed on a die cut shape. The sentiment was embossed in silver and although it is hard to read in the photo, it is clear and easy to read in person. A few silver glitter gems were added around the card. 

Come and join us at Atlantic Hearts and show us how you interpret the sketch shown above. 

You have until Sunday evening to link up your project. 

We can’t wait to see what you create!

Enjoy,

Alyson

Alcohol Inked Sunburst Cards

I have been holding onto a lot of backgrounds that were created while instructing others. In many cases, that results in more than one piece as a sample is needed plus I end up with another finished product after the session. Time to use those pieces! There will be a few posts in the coming days using various backgrounds I have created. 

I really enjoy playing with alcohol inks as the result is always a surprise. This background was one I wasn't sure I was ever going to use until I paired it with the sunburst thin cut. I die cut the sunburst from both the alcohol ink piece and black ore paper (it has a shine to it). I kept all the black inner pieces for the second card as you will see below. 

The first card is simple - I just inserted the inked pieces into the sunburst and stamped a sentiment in yellow for the centre. I didn't want to add anything else to this card as the focal point is the alcohol ink background. 

For the second card I used the alcohol inked sunburst outline and I alternated the insert pieces with the black ore paper and a small dotted black patterned paper. I stamped a different sentiment in red this time and added a few enamel gems to the black sections. 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated:

Paper: Mix-In Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Black Ore Cardstock, Yupo Paper (Ranger), White Cards and Envelopes 

Stamps: Spot-On Sentiments

Inks: Candy Apple, Sundance, Various Alcohol Inks (Ranger) 

Accessories: Sunburst Thin Cut, Yellow Enamel Gems 

Enjoy,

Alyson

Miss You Layered Flower Card

Once again, I joined a sketch challenge posted by a friend of mine on her Facebook page. I stayed fairly true to the sketch except I did change the bottom section slightly by adding a sentiment instead of placing my image on a shaped background. 

The background was created using some alcohol inks. I did that a long time ago... this piece had been waiting to be used! I used a turquoise foil background and some pink glitter paper on which I placed the alcohol inked sections. I kept them in the same order so as to continue the pattern down the card. 

The flowers and leaves were die cut and the flower petals were shaped. I added some seed beads in the center of the flower and then stamped the sentiment in two pieces. The last step was to add some dots using Liquid Pearls. 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Ballerina Cardstock, Pixie Cardstock, Emerald Cardstock, Pink Glitter Paper, Nobel Peacock Foil Paper (SU), Neenah Solar White Cardstock, Vellum

Stamps: Happiness Lives Here Cardmaking

Inks: Alcohol Inks (misc.), Lagoon, Emerald 

Accessories: 3-D Flower Thin Cuts, Petal Palette Dies (SU), Seed Beads, Ballerina Liquid Pearls

Enjoy,

Alyson

AH 408 - Friendship Card with Alcohol Inks

Welcome to Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge 408! 

The sketch is shown in horizontal format but I chose to rotate it 90 degrees and create a vertical card instead. 

I have always posted my projects for Atlantic Hearts on Monday but with some changes made in other design team posting dates, I am looking at 3-4 posts happening on some Mondays now. Consequently, I am moving my Atlantic Hearts posts to early Wednesday morning to avoid so much happening on the same date. Design team artwork isn't posted on the Atlantic Hearts site until Wednesday anyways so that works out ok. 

A while ago, I created a bunch of backgrounds using various alcohol inks and one of those pieces is used on this card. I paired purple with green and added some gold accents. 

The sentiment is in two parts - the second part is on the inside and that reads, "Friendship is about who came and never left your side." It's such a beautiful sentiment! 

The circles were die cut and I added some gold ribbon behind the first circle and then mounted that on foam tape. A few gold gems were added around the circle. 

Come and join us at Atlantic Hearts and show us how you interpret the sketch shown above. 

You have until Sunday evening to link up your project. 

We can’t wait to see what you create! 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Brights Stack, White Daisy Cardstock, Green Apple Cardstock, Yupo Paper (not CTMH), Neenah Solar White Cardstock

Stamps: Thank You Friend (Gina K. Designs) 

Inks: Evergreen, Various Alcohol Inks (Ranger)

Accessories: Basic Circle Thin Cuts, Stitched Circle Thin Cuts, Gold Ribbon, Gold Glitter Gems, Thin Foam Tape 

Enjoy,

Alyson

Birthday Shaker - Glitter Alcohol Ink Background

It's that time... time to create cards for the birthdays that are coming this year. 

Although this one appears simple, it's the background that took some time. It was created using white glitter paper and alcohol inks. Alcohol inks will generally move around a fair bit but they sit in one spot on glitter paper unless a lot of blending solution is used. Even then, working quickly is required as the inks don't move around nearly as much as they do on other types of paper. This background was created using turquoise and blue inks along with a silver mixative. 

I wanted to focus on the background so I chose a simple card design - just the birthday shaker with coordinating sequins and a few simple embellishments. The shaker was cut from holographic paper.

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Clover Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock, White Glitter Paper, Oasis Holographic Paper, Neenah Solar White Cardstock

Stamps: none

Inks: Alcohol Inks (Ranger)

Accessories: Happy Birthday Shaker Window Thin Cut, Silver Loose Sequins, Iridescent Sequins, Turquoise Sequins (not CTMH), Shaker Foam and Acetate

Enjoy,

Alyson

Double Trouble 73 - Christmas in Glitter Shaker Form

Welcome to Double Trouble Challenge 73!

This week, we are winding down our challenges for the year so this is the final challenge of 2020. The quick details are to create a holiday project using electronic cuts or die cuts and to use either patterned paper or some sort of ribbon or twine. The mini image is below - please visit the Double Trouble website for detailed information. 

I was playing with alcohol inks recently and used them on glitter paper. The effect is amazing! Not only do you get the movement with the inks but the glitter makes the background so awesome! I decided to use that paper as my patterned paper for this challenge (even though I created it myself). 

I designed two oval frames on my Cricut to provide a cabin setting in the woods. A moose is peeking out from the left side. I attached the inner frame directly to the background and also added a shadow cut of Santa and a reindeer. I then added foam tape and sequins, fake snow and silver confetti stars inside the shaker. A long thin sentiment was stamped on the front as well as a handful of stars. This card is so much prettier in person than in the photograph. 

Come and join us at Double Trouble and show us your interpretation of the expectations for Challenge 73. 

I am also linking up my card with the Bitten By the Bug challenge. 

You have until Jan. 3 to link up your projects! 

We can’t wait to see what you create!

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Ballerina Glitter Paper, Neenah Solar White Cardstock

Stamps: Very Merry, Wishing you Everything

Inks: Archival Black, Lagoon, Bluebird, Alcohol Inks (but and green hues) 

Accessories: Cricut - Basic Shapes, Complete Creativity, You are Here, Flower Market, Teresa Collins Dec.25 (not CTMH), BHG Woodland (not CTMH), Fake Snow (not CTMH), Blue Sequins (not CTMH), Silver Confetti Stars, Foam Tape, Black Journaling Pen, Sharpie Marker (not CTMH) 

Enjoy,

Alyson

Turquoise and Silver Christmas

Yes, Christmas will be here before we know it! I spent some time working on non-traditional Christmas cards today...

This one was created using alcohol inks and a blower. The blower moves the inks around and when they were partially dry, I added the silver metallic ink. This card is so much more vibrant in real life than in the photos. I added a die cut flourish to the centre of the card and stamped a sentiment to go at the bottom. Finally, a few silver glitter gems were added to some of the dots on the die cut. 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: White Daisy Carrdstock, Silver Foil, Yupo Paper (not CTMH), Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Inks: Alcohol Inks (shades of turquoise), Lagoon

Stamps: Say It In Style 

Accessories: Flourishing Phrases Thinlets (SU), Silver Glitter Gems 

Enjoy,

Alyson

AH 368 - Stay Awesome with Alcohol Inks

Welcome to Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #368!

I chose a colour scheme that is very unusual for me - green, orange and black. It sounds like Halloween but that really isn't the case. 

I began by creating a background using alcohol inks. It ended up being more green than I anticipated but sometimes, that's the way it goes. Two colours that worked with the background were Tangerine and Emerald - both retired CTMH colours. I embossed a piece of Tangerine cardstock and then cut some frames from Black and Tangerine cardstock. The wreath was cut three times and layered off centre. The leaves were stamped using Black and Emerald inks - second generation Emerald and then I used a tissue to add deeper colour at the ends of the leaves. Those darker sections were brushed with the Clear Shimmer Brush. I coloured three acrylic hearts and attached them on the stitched centre panel. 

Come and join us at Atlantic Hearts and show us how you interpret the sketch shown above. 

You have until Sunday evening to link up your project. 

We can’t wait to see what you create! 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Black Cardstock, Tangerine Cardstock, Yupo Paper (Ranger), Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Leaf Canopy (Altenew)

Inks: Black, Emerald, Alcohol Inks (Ranger)

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle Dies (GMD), Basket Weave Embossing Folder (SU), Leaf Canopy Dies (Altenew), Stylish Frame Trio (Memory Box), Clear Shimmer Brush, White Acrylic Hearts, Touch Marker (misc.)

Enjoy,

Alyson

Cards of Support

I was playing with my alcohol inks again a couple of days ago and wanted to use those backgrounds for a few cards of support. Many have already been mailed out but I can always use more, especially during this time of self-distancing and self-isolation. 

I used two old Mojo Monday sketches for the basis of my cards. The colours in the inked background pieces matched pretty well with various papers I have in my stash. I enjoy working with alcohol inks as I never know what to expect with the final results. I used a hair dryer this time to move the inks around. 

The first pair of cards are based on the colours of Bluebird, Lagoon and Raspberry. I didn't have a match for the pink shade in the alcohol inked background but raspberry was a fairly close match. Each section was mounted on a piece of cardstock and the sentiments were stamped using Bluebird ink. A few silver embellishments were added along with a coloured flower. 

The second pair of cards are matched with some dark turquoise foil paper, glitter cardstock, some old purple patterned paper and a piece of lighter turquoise cardstock. I embossed the sentiments using silver embossing powder - under the normal light, it doesn't show in the photos which is why I am including photos of just the sentiment parts. 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: So Much Happy Paper Pack, More Magical Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Raspberry Cardstock, Bluebird Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock, Silver Glitter Paper, Noble Peacock Foil Paper (SU), Purple Patterned Paper (unknown), Turquoise Cardstock (unknown) Purple Cardstock (unknown), Turquoise Glitter Paper (unknown), Yupo Paper (Ranger), Neenah Solar White Cardstock 

Stamps: Love These People, For Your Heart, Keep Your Head Up

Inks: Various Alcohol Inks (Ranger), Versamark, Bluebird, Intense Black 

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle Thin Cuts, Basic Circle Thin Cuts, Stitched Circle Thin Cuts, Basic Stars Thin Cuts, Tri-Blend Markers, Silver Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Thin Foam Tape, Silver Embellishing Thread, Silver Glitter Gems

Enjoy,

Alyson