Happy 1st Day of Autumn

Here's a simple card I made to celebrate the first day of Autumn. OK so it's a flower card maybe not the most masculine card I could have made (not everyone is perfect) but it has many masculine touches.

I started with the color selections; I wanted to really highlight the colors in the 3D glittered sticker from Recollections/Michael's flowers. I chose an ivory and orange (bold and somewhat masculine). Although it's hard to see in this scan, there are subtle touches of gold glitter on the flowers, so gold became my highlight colors as well. The die cut frame (Spellbinders Fleur de Lys) is edged with gold ink and the orange panel is framed with a thin gold line sticker from Mrs. Grossman. I also added a couple of gold sticker flourishes around the flower to balance the overall center of the card.

I for one am looking forward to the cooler weather and the fiery colors Autumn brings!

Thanksgiving Inspiration

I try to challenge myself by selecting one single appropriate image for each Holiday and then making the most out of it by reproducing it with stickers, stamps and die cuts. This year my Thanksgiving inspiration was a shaft of wheat. Here are my three versions (as published in the November/December 2015 issue of Scrap & Stamp Arts magazine).

The first card was made using a 3D sticker.

The second card was made using a stamp.

The third card was made using a die.

These are simple cards to  make ... they need to be with the Holidays being busy already without having to spend hours making cards to go along with them!

Layered Masculine Card

I enjoy using 3D stickers on my cards ... but I also enjoy creating my own 3D images using stamps. Case in point my square deer card.

I started by stamping a deer image with trees from Serendipity Stamps twice in brown ink on Cosmo Cricket Chicken Little patterned paper (to me it's the best sky background). I color both image with pencil and then cut out one of the deer images and one of the trees. The second one is cut into a 4"x4" square panel on which I add the cut out images with thin raised adhesive dots. This panel I add to a 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" square chocolate brown card. Next I cut a square frame using Spellbinders dies to match the exterior size of my stamped panel from a light brown piece of paper; which I them add to the card using raised adhesive dots. 

Masculine Halloween Card.

The October issue of Scrap & Stamp Arts includes my article and cards for masculine Halloween cards ... but I left one out specifically for use here. 

I started by using a Spellbinder die to create a mask ... I actually used the surround as the mask. Using a light pastel green paper as the background, I next colored the inside of the mask with grey ink. Before removing the mask I stamped the Inkadinkado image in permanent black ink inside the masked off area. After the image was dry, I colored the moon using white water color. Next I used the next larger die in the same set to cut out the stamped panel. Before removing the die, I mused it as a guide to draw a thin frame with a black marker.To finish the card, I added a computer generated text and added the panel to a black card using raised adhesive dots.

Simple, easy and fit for any man to enjoy on Halloween!