Dancing Butterflies

July 27, 2022July 27, 2022 Happy Ink Designs4 Comments

Hello crafty friends!! Please join me for a new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge. This week the challenge is

Anything Goes

We are showcasing Simon Says Stamp Products this week. If you have any of these products, we’d love to see them used, but it’s certainly not a requirement to join the challenge.

As always, the generous folks at Simon Says Stamp will be giving away a $25 voucher to one randomly selected winner to shop at the fabulous Simon Says Stamp Store. You can enter 5 times which means you can make 5 different projects following this week’s prompt and have 5 chances to win a shopping spree!! Sounds like a win/win to me!! I’ve linked all of the supplies that I used at the end of this post. Compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

I couldn’t decide which colors I liked best so I’m sharing two cards today. This first one I made for my Mom who is the most amazing woman I have ever known. She’s my rock. She’s been there with me for every single surgery I’ve had and I’ve had over 30 intestinal surgeries. She stays in the hospital with me and everything. Well, before covid she did. Now she has to get a hotel but she’s with me during visiting hours everyday until I’m discharged. She really is amazing.

For this first card, I started out with a piece of A2 Bristol Smooth card stock and I ink blended Salvaged Patina, Peacock Feathers and Mermaid Lagoon distress oxide inks. Then I heat embossed the sentiment from the XL Greetings 2 stamp set by Simon Says Stamp using silver embossing powder.

I splattered some white gouache and Villainous Potion onto my background using my Tim Holtz Splatter Brush. I used Neenah 110 lb. card stock to die cut 3 layers of the Leafy Frame die from Simon Says Stamp. I glued all three layers together using my Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue.

I LOVE these butterflies from the Dancing Butterflies Hot Foil Plates and Dies by SSS. I foiled them with prism foil by Spellbinders. I inked blended Salvaged Patina, Prize Ribbon and Villainous Potion over the top of the foil. I used the 100 lb. Hammermill card stock that I keep hearing people say it great for hot foiling, but I wasn’t really impressed. Maybe because I’m so used to ink blending on bristol smooth and that’s just what I’m used to now. But to be fair, I’ve never foiled on anything else besides the Hammermill because I’m brand new to the hot foil world. I sprayed my butterflies with Sheer Shimmer Sparkle Spritz to give the butterflies a little twinkle.

I added a few Clear Round Drops by Studio Katia as an embellishment and adhered my panel onto a top folding card base.

My second card is basically the same, just with different colors and a different sentiment. I ink blended Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn and Rustic Wilderness.

I splattered the background with Rustic Wilderness and White Gouache.

For these butterflies I used Blush foil by Spellbinders. I think they turned out just as beautiful as the first ones did.

I heat embossed my sentiment from the Clean Line Everyday stamp set by SSS and CZ Design with white embossing powder on black card stock.

I popped my sentiment up with black foam squares.

For these butterflies I ink blended Wild Honey, Candied Apple and Aged Mahogany. They are absolutely gorgeous!!

I attached my card front to a top folding card base and I was done!

So now it’s YOUR turn. Happy Crafting!!

Follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram

Do you use Instagram ? If so please add #ssswchallenge to your challenge entry uploads so we can see them on there too.

You have until Wed 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in

Don’t forget we have our Kid’s Challenge going on right now through the month of July. Click the image above for all the details.

Cardmaking · Challenges · Handmade Greeting Cards · Simon Says Stamp · You Tube

Wow Embossing Powders are Magical

September 25, 2019December 14, 2019 Happy Ink Designs5 Comments

Hello crafty friends!! Please join me for a new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge. This week the challenge is

Anything Goes

We are showcasing Crafters Companion Products this week. If you have any of these products, we’d love to see them used, but it’s certainly not a requirement to join the challenge.

As always, the generous folks at Simon Says Stamp will be giving away a $50 voucher to one randomly selected winner to shop at the fabulous Simon Says Stamp Store. You can enter 5 times which means you can make 5 different projects following this week’s prompt and have 5 chances to win a shopping spree!! Sounds like a win/win to me!! I’ve linked all of the supplies that I used at the end of this post. Compensated affiliate links used where possible at no cost to you.

Happy Wednesday, my friends!! I have to say that I had A LOT of fun playing with these Wow Embossing Powders this week. They were absolutely magical to watch melt. I tried to capture a little of it in my video. I’ve used plenty of E.P.’s before and none that were this mesmerizing.

I kept the cards pretty simple so the EP and dies could be the focal point. For this one I used the One Hundred and One embossing powder which is a classic black and white. I thought it paired nicely with this Congratulations die by Crafters Companion.

I love the dies I used this week as well. I can see myself using this Congratulations die for years to come. It’s a great script font and I’m a sucker for any word die with a corresponding shadow or outline die.

The other die I used is called Wave Ribbon Collage from Memory Box. I have Sharon from Uniquelykdesigns to thank for the die and the Black Magic embossing powder (used on 2nd card). I saw a card that she had made on her Instagram account and I knew I had to have both the die and the EP. You should check out her IG account and see what I mean. She’s a very talented card maker.

This gorgeous black card stock is called Onyx Black Pearlescent by Tonic and it was just what this card needed. The second part of the sentiment is from the printed sentiment labels called Sentiment Labels 2 by SSS. Love that you can just cut these and attach to your card.

This lovely black, silver and gold embossing powder is called Black Magic. I used a couple circle dies from SSS Nesting Circles to cut and emboss for some added interest.

I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to do a shaker card or just a window card because these word dies with outlines are perfect for shakers. But I wanted to keep it simple so I decided to just do a window card.

I added a 2nd layer of card stock on the inside so that that acetate wasn’t exposed showing where I glued it. The second part of the sentiment is from the Tiny Words stamp set by SSS. As always, I used the Sentiment Labels die to cut my sentiment in perfect strips and covered the bottom banner with Gold embossing powder.

I finished both cards off with some Nuvo drops in Ebony Black and Simply White.

So now it’s YOUR turn. Happy Crafting!!

Follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram

Do you use Instagram ? If so please add #ssswchallenge to your challenge entry uploads so we can see them on there too.

You have until Wed 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in

Simon Says Stamp NESTED CIRCLES Wafer… [ SSS ]	Simon Says Stamp SENTIMENT LABELS… [ SSS ]	Crafter’s Companion CONGRATULATIONS… [ SSS ]
Memory Box WAVE RIBBON COLLAGE Craft… [ SSS ]	WOW Embossing Powder BLACK MAGIC WL25X [ SSS ]	WOW Embossing Powder ONE HUNDRED AND… [ SSS ]
Simon Says Clear Stamps TINY WORDS… [ SSS ]	Simon Says Stamp SENTIMENT STRIPS 2… [ SSS ]	Tonic ONYX BLACK Pearlescent… [ SSS ]
Sizzix Big Shot Kick STANDARD CUTTING… [ SSS ]	Sizzix BIG SHOT MACHINE Gray And… [ SSS ]	Sizzix MAGNETIC PLATFORM Big Shot… [ SSS ]
Tim Holtz Tonic GUILLOTINE COMFORT… [ SSS ]	Tim Holtz Tonic CRAFT PICK… [ SSS ]	Precision Heat Embossing Tool Hero… [ SSS ]
EK Success POWDER TOOL Applicator… [ SSS ]	EK Success HONEY BEE Non-Stick… [ SSS ]	Scor-Tape 0.25 Inch Crafting Tape [ SSS ]
Neenah Classic Crest 110 LB SMOOTH… [ SSS ]	EK Success CRAFT TWEEZERS Precision… [ SSS ]	Ranger Embossing Powder SUPER FINE… [ SSS ]
Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100#… [ SSS ]	Simon Says Stamp Embossing Ink Pad… [ SSS ]	Tim Holtz Tonic GLASS MEDIA MAT 1914e [ SSS ]
Gina K Designs CONNECT GLUE Adhesive… [ SSS ]	Therm O Web PURPLE TAPE Easy Release… [ SSS ]	Couture Creations CREATIVE DETAILER… [ SSS ]
Fiskars SPRING-ASSIST SCISSORS… [ SSS ]	Hero Arts ACETATE SHEETS 5 x 6 inches… [ SSS ]	Tonic DELUXE ADHESIVE Nuvo Glue 200N [ SSS ]
Tonic GLOSS SIMPLY WHITE Nuvo Crystal… [ SSS ]	Tonic EBONY BLACK Nuvo Crystal Drops… [ SSS ]	Scrapbook Adhesives THIN 3D ADHESIVE… [ SSS ]
Tonic SILVER SILK Luxury Embossed A4… [ SSS ]	Ranger Embossing Powder SUPER FINE… [ SSS ]	Sizzix SIDEKICK STARTER KIT Die… [ SSS ]
Scor-Tape 1 Inch Crafting Tape [ SSS ]	Simon Says Stamp VELLUM SSSVEL12 [ SSS ]

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Cardmaking · Challenges · Simon Says Stamp

Anything Goes, Dude

June 26, 2019June 26, 2019 Happy Ink Designs3 Comments

Hello crafty friends!! Please join me for a new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge. This week the challenge is

Anything Goes

We are showcasing Stampendous Products this week. If you have any of these products, we’d love to see them used, but it’s certainly not a requirement to join the challenge.

I’m adding a super cute male themed card to my stash this week. I’ve had this stamp set called Wheels by Stampendous for a little bit now so I thought this would be a good time to test it out.

To start things off, I colored my monster truck with my Copic markers and fussy cut it. Using Neenah Desert Storm card stock, I created my little hill using the Stitched Square die and Stitched Simply Wavy Borders die both by Lawn Fawn. To add some color and interest, I used Vintage Photo distress ink and Gathered Twigs to ink blend around the edges. They I splattered it using the super cool Distress Splatter Brush by Tim Holtz with Gathered Twigs.

I set my truck aside to create my background. I used the Diamond Pattern cling stamp by Simon Says Stamp and heat embossed it with Silver Embossing Powder.

I used the Dude die by CZ Designs and cut it out using black card stock and Tonic Studio’s Sliver Silk as the top layer. I popped it up on some craft foam. I also popped up my hill and a portion of the monster truck. I glued it all to a top folding A2 sized black card base.

So now it’s YOUR turn. Happy Crafting!!

Follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram

Do you use Instagram ? If so please add #ssswchallenge to your challenge entry uploads so we can see them on there too.

You have until Wed 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in

Stampendous Clear Stamps WHEELS ssc1297 [ SSS ]	Simon Says Cling Rubber Stamp DIAMOND… [ SSS ]	Simon Says Clear Stamps FATHER’S DAY… [ SSS ]
Lawn Fawn SMALL STITCHED SQUARE… [ SSS ]	Lawn Fawn LARGE STITCHED SQUARE… [ SSS ]	My Favorite Things CROSS STITCH… [ SSS ]
Lawn Fawn STITCHED SIMPLE WAVY… [ SSS ]	MINI MISTI PRECISION STAMPER Stamping… [ SSS ]	MISTI CREATIVE CORNERS Positioning… [ SSS ]
MISTI Neodymium BAR MAGNET 007070 [ SSS ]	Copic Sketch Marker BG13 MINT GREEN [ SSS ]	Copic Sketch Marker BG23 Coral Sea… [ SSS ]
Copic Sketch Marker YR07 CADMIUM… [ SSS ]	Copic Sketch Marker YR04 CHROME ORANGE [ SSS ]	Copic Sketch MARKER C5 COOL GRAY Grey [ SSS ]
Copic Sketch MARKER C3 COOL GRAY Grey [ SSS ]	Copic Sketch MARKER C6 COOL GRAY NO. 6 [ SSS ]	Copic Sketch Marker N5 NEUTRAL GRAY NO.5 [ SSS ]
Copic BLENDING CARD X-Press It Paper… [ SSS ]	Tim Holtz Tonic Craft SHEARS 9.5… [ SSS ]	EK Success HONEY BEE Non-Stick… [ SSS ]
Ranger Embossing Powder SUPER FINE… [ SSS ]	Tim Holtz Distress SPLATTER BRUSH… [ SSS ]	Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad WEATHERED… [ SSS ]
Tim Holtz Distress Mini Ink Pad… [ SSS ]	Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad VINTAGE… [ SSS ]	Tim Holtz Distress Mini Ink Pad… [ SSS ]
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad GATHERED… [ SSS ]	Tim Holtz Distress Mini Ink Pad… [ SSS ]	Simon Says Stamp Embossing Ink Pad… [ SSS ]
Tombow REMOVABLE ADHESIVE Tape Runner… [ SSS ]	Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100# FOG… [ SSS ]	Bazzill LICORICE TWIST Card Shoppe… [ SSS ]
Tonic SILVER SILK Luxury Embossed A4… [ SSS ]	Best Creation SMALL SQUARES 3-D Foam… [ SSS ]	Best Creation BIG SQUARES 3-D Foam… [ SSS ]
Therm O Web Gina K Designs BLACK FOAM… [ SSS ]	Neenah Environment 100 LB SMOOTH… [ SSS ]	Scor-Tape 0.125 Inch Crafting Tape [ SSS ]
Ranger .5 Oz. MINI MULTI MEDIUM MATTE… [ SSS ]	Ranger 4 ounce MULTI MEDIUM MATTE… [ SSS ]	Ranger GLOSSY ACCENTS Glue… [ SSS ]
Tim Holtz Tonic CRAFT PICK… [ SSS ]	CZ Design Wafer Dies DUDE Czd26 Good… [ SSS ]

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Cardmaking · Challenges · Design Team · Simon Says Stamp

Anything Goes with Simon Says Stamp

August 29, 2018August 29, 2018 Happy Ink Designs17 Comments

Hello crafty friends!! Please join me for a new challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.

This week the challenge is

Anything Goes

We are showcasing Stampendous Products this week. If you have any of these products, we’d love to see them used, but it’s certainly not a requirement to join the challenge.

As always, the generous folks at Simon Says Stamp will be giving away a $50 voucher to one randomly selected winner to shop at the fabulous Simon Says Stamp Store.

I started this card on a 6″ x 6″ piece of Bristol Smooth paper. I stamped the lovely Cora Background stamp by SSS using my Stamping Platform. I knew I was going to have to stamp it several times since I was using Bristol paper so I also had my SSS clear embossing powder on standby just in case I had to switch gears a bit. After stamping it 5 or 6 times, I decided to do just that. I poured clear embossing powder off the still wet ink and heat set it.

I took several Distress Oxide inks and started blending over my background image. I started with Cracked Pistachio, then moved on to Mermaid Lagoon then Peacock Feathers and lastly I used Blueprint Sketch around the edges. I cut it down to 4″ x 5.25″ paying close attention to where I was cutting it. I wanted to make sure the center of the background stamp was set off to the left a bit mainly because I didn’t want it dead center but also because I wanted to make sure I didn’t cut off all of the Blueprint Sketch. I really liked that color around the edges.

Moving on to my sentiment, I heat embossed the word Happy from the stamp set called Big Words Happy by Stampendous on some black card stock using white embossing powder. Unfortunately it’s out of stock at the moment, but if you click on the “Notify Me When Back In Stock” button, then SSS will send you an email when it’s back in stock. Then I fussy cut it. I added several large and small foam squares to the back to pop it up for dimension. Next I heat embossed the word Birthday, (also from the Big Words Happy set) on vellum using the same white embossing powder. I cut that down to a thin strip and tucked it behind the word “Happy”.

I used Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue to attach my card front to a black card base.

To finish it off, I added a few charcoal and silver sequins here and there and added a dab of Silver Moondust Nuvo Crystal drops in the center of each sequin.

I wasn’t too sure if I liked how dark the black on black was so I just quickly created another background, only this time I used white embossing powder for the background stamp instead of clear over black. Side by side, I end up liking the black on black better, but I’m happy to have another card for my card stash. I have a craft fair this weekend and I’m usually always stressed that I don’t have enough cards. But this year is different. I have lots of cards to get rid of!!

It’s kinda crazy what a difference the color of the background stamp makes. I used the exact same Distress Oxide inks on both of these and they look completely different!!

Ok, here’s how my CRAZY week is going to go…. I have a craft fair to prepare for this weekend. I still have to make signs and pull everything out and wash the tablecloths, iron them, all that good stuff. It’s also STAMPtember on Saturday (WOOHOO) so I still have to make my project for that awesome event, which I’ll start first thing tomorrow morning. It’s also Jayden’s 11th Birthday on Thursday!!! He always has a sleepover this weekend so Friday night (the night before my craft fair begins) I’ll have a house full of wild and crazy boys!!! Before I have a house full of wild and crazy boys, I’ll have to clean my entire house, top to bottom! As if I don’t have enough to do this week. Don’t even ask me why I have to clean BEFORE having a house full of boys because I do not know the answer. All I know is it will give me MAJOR anxiety if I don’t do it. Somehow I’ll have to get up at 4 or 5 Saturday morning to prepare for my craft fair, leaving my house full of boys to my hubby. Even just typing all that is giving me anxiety… It may not sound like much to do, but for someone like me that gets sidetracked at the drop of a hat SQUIRREL!!!! It’s going to take a miracle to get it all done. Prayers and good luck wishes are welcome.

Thanks for listening to my panic ~ 😉

So now it’s YOUR turn, Happy Crafting!!

Follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram

Do you use Instagram ? If so please add #ssswchallenge to your challenge entry uploads so we can see them on there too.

You have until Wed 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in

Strathmore BRISTOL SMOOTH 9 x 12… [ SSS ]	Simon Says Cling Rubber CORA… [ SSS ]	Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad… [ SSS ]
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad… [ SSS ]	Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad… [ SSS ]	Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad… [ SSS ]
Stampendous Clear Stamps BIG WORDS… [ SSS ]	Tim Holtz Tonic Craft STAMP PLATFORM… [ SSS ]	Simon Says Stamp EMBOSSING POWDER… [ SSS ]
Precision Heat Embossing Tool Gun… [ SSS ]	Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100#… [ SSS ]	Ranger Embossing Powder SUPER FINE… [ SSS ]
Best Creation SMALL SQUARES 3-D Foam… [ SSS ]	Best Creation BIG SQUARES 3-D Foam… [ SSS ]	Bazzill 40 LB VELLUM 8.5 x 11 White… [ SSS ]
Tombow XL MONO MULTI Liquid Glue 62195 [ SSS ]	Tonic SILVER MOONDUST Nuvo Glitter… [ SSS ]	EK Success POWDER TOOL Applicator… [ SSS ]

Cardmaking · Challenges · Simon Says Stamp

Anything Goes with Doodlebug

May 30, 2018May 30, 2018 Happy Ink Designs10 Comments

Welcome back my crafty compadres!! It’s Wednesday which means…

The challenge this week is

Anything Goes

We’re featuring Doodlebug products this week. If you own anything from Doodlebug, we’d love to see you use it, but it’s certainly not a requirement to join the fun!!

Each week Simon Says Stamp generously gives away a $50 voucher to one lucky (randomly selected) winner to use at the fabulous Simon Says Stamp store.

I’m going to keep this post nice and short. I had some medical schtuff come up this last weekend which landed me in the hospital overnight and it put me behind a bit so no video this week and a SUPER easy card.Sadly, I don’t own much from Doodlebug so it was either this paper pack or a 4th of July paper pad and I just love the black, white and silver that this pad had in it.I finished my card off using some Nuvo drops, but after doing so, I realized that I do have TONS of Doodlebug enamel dots that I could have used!! Darn it..

And now it’s your turn!! Grab your Doodlebug goodies and join us!! You have until Wed. 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in

Follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram

Do you use Instagram ? If so please add #ssswchallenge to your challenge entry uploads so we can see them on there too.

Thank you guys so much for stopping by today!! Be sure to check out the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and join us!! We LOVE seeing all your entries.

I’ll see you next week with a new theme and hopefully a new video!!

Doodlebug HATS OFF 6×6 Paper Pad 5687 [ SSS ]	CZ Design Clear Stamps HELLO YOU CZ08 [ SSS ]	CZ Design Wafer Dies HELLO CZD05 [ SSS ]
MINI MISTI PRECISION STAMPER Stamping… [ SSS ]	9 x 12 WHITE FUN FOAM 12 Pack 118711 [ SSS ]	Tonic DELUXE ADHESIVE Nuvo Glue 200N [ SSS ]
Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100#… [ SSS ]	Tonic PARTY PINK Nuvo Crystal Drops 690n [ SSS ]	3M Scotch PINK ATG ADVANCED TAPE… [ SSS ]
Scor-Tape 1/8 Inch Crafting Tape [ SSS ]	EK Success POWDER TOOL Applicator… [ SSS ]	Tsukineko Versamark EMBOSS INK PAD… [ SSS ]
Simon Says Stamp EMBOSSING POWDER… [ SSS ]

Cardmaking · Challenges · Handmade Greeting Cards · You Tube

I Really Like You. Like Really

February 4, 2018March 11, 2018 Happy Ink Designs8 Comments

Hello fellow crafters!! Hope everyone is refreshed and ready to take on a brand new week. I know I am. I took a couple of weeks off to prepare for my notary exam and I just took the test last week so I’m back to share a new card with you! If you’d like to see the adorable “Down On the Farm” card I made for the last challenge I did, click here.

The theme this week at Always Fun Challenges is Anything Goes. I’m not really sure what category this card would fall under. It’s not necessarily a Valentine’s Day card because it doesn’t say anything about Valentine’s. It’s not really a love card… Would it be a “like” card?? I don’t know. It’s a happy card though. I was super excited to use SSS’s January card kit so that’s exactly what I did!! This is definitely one of my favorite card kits. It had some really great elements to it. I LOVE the stamp set. As I said in my video, I love that there’s a couple of images that you can use for a sentiment or you could use to make a background. I chose to make a background with the ‘xoxo’ stamp.

I started out with some Tim Holtz watercolor paper and die cut my heart. Then after heat embossing my sentiment, I used a couple distress oxide inks to do some ink blending. When I was done with the heart, I quickly cut out another heart from vellum in the next heart size up. I moved on to the background which was super easy. I just picked out a nice gray ink and stamped the ‘xoxo’ image over and over.

I also used the gorgeous Distress Glitter Dust (also in the kit) to make a strip of glitter for the front of my card. Cut out a few little hearts, some SN clear glitter pen and a little glossy accents and we have a card!!

I love the little block words that also come in this stamp set. I thought this sentiment was super cute. There’s all kinds of possibilities.

I made this for the Always Fun Challenges blog and I’m also entering it into the SSS Flickr Challenge and the SSS Wednesday Challenge.

We’d love for you to join us this week for Anything Goes over at the AFC blog. Just click here and I’ll take you right to where you need to go.

If you’re more of a visual person, like myself, below you’ll find a video so you can see exactly how I made it.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today. I’ll see y’all next week!!

Misty

(Affiliate links used when possible at no cost to you)

Cardmaking · Challenges · Handmade Greeting Cards

Playing with Oxide Inks

September 24, 2017September 27, 2017 Happy Ink Designs3 Comments

Hi friends!! I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend. I had a crazy weekend, but I did find a little time on Sunday to play with the few distress oxide inks that I own. I will say that after playing with these, I’ve gone ahead and ordered 7 more!! I keep hearing people say how easy they are to blend and they are NOT exaggerating!! These inks are AWESOME!!! I’ve added a process video at the end of this post so you can see for yourself.

So in case you’re wondering what the theme is this week at Always Fun Challenges, it’s “Anything Goes”. My favorite!! I had so much fun playing with these inks, that I didn’t stop at just one card. I made three!!! Which is kinda crazy considering I didn’t even have a card made yet as of Saturday, the day I’m supposed to turn my project in (like I said, it’s been a crazy busy weekend).

I watched a video by Jennifer McGuire where she used stencils and oxide inks and it looked like a lot of fun so I gave it a whirl. This is my version. I only have 6 oxide inks at the moment so I started out using Cracked Pistachio and Broken China. I spritzed some water on my stencil and placed it on top of my blended background and left it alone for a couple of minutes. When I pulled the stencil off, I ooh’d and awed for a couple of seconds and then started on another one.

Once I got the feel for how these inks blend, I added in some Faded Jeans. I absolutely LOVE how they turned out. This next one I did, I used a more delicate stencil so I was a little worried that it wouldn’t turn out as good. I made this stencil with my Silhouette Cameo awhile back and I think this was my first time using it. The top part doesn’t pop as much as the rest of it, but I’m ok with that. While less of the surface reacted to the water, I still love it. It just has a more delicate look, is all.

I saved my favorite one for last. I made this stencil with my Silhouette as well and even though I covered up a lot of the background with the vellum, you can still see the awesome reaction to water!! I am in love with distress oxide inks. Not only do they blend so seamlessly, but they have such a cool reaction to water!! All distress inks do, but this is just sooo cool. I can’t wait to get more colors now. I added some vellum behind my sentiment, added a few clear Nuvo drops and tied some twine around the bottom and voila!! Card complete.

Thanks for stopping by!! Below is a process video where you can see for yourself how smooth these inks blend. Below that is a list of all the products I used. Until next time…

Misty

Disclosure: Please note that links to merchants mentioned within this post might be using an affiliate link which means that – at zero cost to you – I might earn a commission if you buy something through that affiliate link. That said, I never recommend anything I don’t personally use and find to be a valuable asset to my business. Any time you use an affiliate link, I greatly appreciate it.

Cardmaking · Challenges · Handmade Greeting Cards

So Much To Be Thankful For

September 17, 2017September 19, 2017 Happy Ink Designs8 Comments

Hello crafty friends!! Thanks for stopping by to check out my project for the Always Fun Challenges blog this week. As summer passes us by once again and we head into another wonderful season, I just want to let you all know that I am extremely grateful for each and every one of you. Some of you may read this and carry on with your day and some of you may leave me a sweet comment, letting me know you’ve been by. Some may even watch my video at the end of this post. No matter who you are and which category you fall under, I appreciate you. Most of you don’t know me personally so the fact that you take even a moment of your already precious time to read this post, means so much to me. I’ve never been much of a writer so I really didn’t think this blog thing was going to be for me, but the more I write and the more people I meet along this crafty journey of mine, the more I realize how much I enjoy blogging. It’s all about the people I meet along the way, that make this so important to me. So without getting too sappy on ya, just know that I appreciate you.

Getting back to the theme for this week, which is Fall Colors, I decided to make a card of gratitude. I really enjoy this time of year, I love the change in temperature, I love the change in colors around me, I love bundling up and feeling the crispness of the air on my face. This time of year always makes me stop and think about all the wonderful blessings I have in my life. Without a doubt, I have “So Much To Be Thankful For”. This sentiment is perfect for the way I was feeling while I was making this card.

If you’d like to join us this week with some fall colors, head over to the Always Fun Challenges blog and share with us!! There’s a new theme each week that starts every Monday. You can share up to 3 projects each week, using whatever supplies you have on hand. We have a very talented design team and gorgeous entries each week. Take a peek for yourself and you’ll see what I mean.

I’m also entering this in the Simon Says Stamp Flickr Challenge. The theme is Emboss Like a Boss. I love the title of this one. Click on the link to be taken to their flickr page where you can find the rules on how to participate.

Thank you so much for stopping by. If you’d like to see how I made this card, just click on the video below. Just below that is a list of all the products that I used.

Challenges:

Always Fun Challenges – Fall Colors

Simon Says Stamp Flickr Challenge #80 – Emboss Like a Boss

Until next time,

Misty

Disclosure: Please note that links to merchants mentioned within this post might be using an affiliate link which means that – at zero cost to you – I might earn a commission if you buy something through that affiliate link. That said, I never recommend anything I don’t personally use and find to be a valuable asset to my business. Any time you use an affiliate link, I greatly appreciate it.

Cardmaking · Challenges · Handmade Greeting Cards

Father’s Day Card No. 1

May 21, 2017May 21, 2017 Happy Ink Designs4 Comments

I’ve been chomping at the bit to use the Hipster set from Stampers Anonymous. I’ve had it for a couple of months now and I just hadn’t found the right card to make with it until now. Since the theme this week at Always Fun Challenges is Anything Goes, I decided to get a jump on my Father’s Day cards. I have to make 4 of them so if I start now, I might have them done in time for Father’s Day… Yes, as ridiculous as that sounds, it is the truth. These boys keep me busy!! If I’m not at the school, I’m either running errands or trying to make a card, edit a video, taking a pet to the vet, folding clothes, etc., etc. Once 3:15 comes around, MY day gets put on hold. It’s all about those 2 boys I love so very much. Oh, and my hubby too when he gets home at 5. I just don’t know where the time goes each day!! It seems like time is slipping by faster and faster as each day passes.

So yeah, I’m starting my Father’s Day cards now, in hopes that I will have them done by Father’s Day. I made this one for my Dad. If you watch my video below, it’ll explain why I chose this particular image for my Dad’s card. It’s fitting. I used distress inks to color Mr. Hipster and then after winging my way through painting the background, I added a stencil design here and there for some texture and dimension. Then I popped Mr. Hipster up on some craft foam and put it all together. I really like the way it turned out.

I didn’t do anything too fancy. The most challenging part of this card was painting the background. I used acrylic paints and I had no idea what I was doing. I’ve never done a background with acrylic paint before. It was looking pretty awful at first but once again, I persevered and I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. At this point, I was pretty much panicking though..

I was sure I was just ruining this. What a hot mess!!! I thought the white would help me blend them together and it just didn’t. But once I started adding more of each color, I was starting to like it.

I loved using the stencil sporadically. I felt like I couldn’t really mess this part up even if I tried.

As an after thought, I added some Antiqued Bronze splatter and I was really pleased with the results. It was just what it needed.

And I just had to give him some wild hair because it would have been too boring not to!! I added some glossy accents to his glasses and I was done!! How cool does he look..??

For the inside, I just stamped my sentiment and then splattered some more Antique Bronze.

As always, you are welcome to join us at Always Fun Challenges. We have a new theme every week and the theme this week is Anything Goes!! If you can’t join us, at least check out all the oodles of talent you’ll find there. Thanks so much for your oh so valuable time. I really appreciate it. If you’d like to see exactly how I made this card, just click on the video below! It’s that easy. I’ll see you guys next week!!

Blessings,

Misty

Cardmaking · Challenges · Handmade Greeting Cards

Always Fun Challenges Blog

April 9, 2017April 10, 2017 Happy Ink Designs33 Comments

Well, some of you may already know this but by the time I post this I’ll have already shared some really awesome news. I’m so excited to have joined the design team for a blog called Always Fun Challenges. We’ll be doing weekly challenges and would love for you to join in with us!! The theme for the first challenge is “Anything Goes”. You can click here to be taken directly to the AFC blog. If you’d like to join in on the fun, just add your entry between now and Saturday. Instructions can be found on the blog. Below is my entry.

I used Time for Wine by Simon Says Stamp and colored it with my Faber Castell Polychromos colored pencils. These images were super fun to color!! This is only the 2nd card I’ve made using these colored pencils and I have to say, I think I’m in love. They color like a dream. Very smooth, very easy to blend. I know I’ve said this before, but the polychromos are oil based instead of wax based so you don’t get the wax build up like you can get with other colored pencils. I’ve listed the colors I used below. I added some glossy accents to the glass and I LOVE how it turned out!!

Another first for me were the Nuvo drops. This color matched so perfectly and added just the right finishing touch. This is Rhubarb Crumble. I think this is my new favorite embellishment at the moment. I don’t use embellishments all too often, but I hope to change that now. The Nuvo drops took a bit of practice, but I learned that some of them have different consistencies. Some came out fairly easy and leveled out all by themselves while others never did. Here’s my practice sheets.

The bottom row on the left and the top 3 rows on the right never did level out so they have a less than favorable shape to them. The rest of them did pretty well. The coral colored ones that are 4th down on the right are not Nuvo, it’s actually Enamel Dots by Ranger.

See how the bottom row turned out? Just when I thought I was getting the hang of it… Check out this close up though. Aren’t they beautiful?!!? Look how perfect some of them turned out!!

These are my favorites. Listed in order from top to bottom:

Rhubarb Crumble, Pale Periwinkle, Rosewater, Duck Egg Blue.

The bottom photo from top to bottom:

Silver Moondust, Caribbean Ocean and Sherbert (and then another row of Rhubarb Crumble).

Anyway, the Rhubarb Crumble drop matched my coloring perfectly so I added a few of them as my final touch. I also used some jute twine and for my background, I used woodgrain kraft card stock that I am madly in love with.

Polychromos:

Leaves: May Green (170), Chromium Green Opaque (174), Green Gold (268), Indian Red (192), Venetian Red (190)

Grapes: Manganese Violet (160), Magenta (133), Violet (138), Crimson (134)

Bottle: Earth Green Yellowish (168), May Green (170), Olive Green Yellowish (173), Chromium Green Opaque (174)

Cork: Bistre (179)

Glass: Cold Grey II (231), Cold Grey III (232)

Well, that’s it for my very first challenge as a design team member!! That sounds so cool!! I’m so excited to be a part of this and to do something I’ve never done before. And I can’t wait to see what you guys create!!

I didn’t do a YouTube video on this one, but next week will definitely have a process video to go along with it. I simply didn’t have time this week. I am however, learning some time saving tips and tricks to utilize in Adobe Premiere Pro (which is what I use to edit my videos) so my editing process will hopefully (fingers crossed) be cut down considerably, making it more likely that I’ll have a process video for all my entries from here on out. It’s not easy taking a couple hours of video and cramming what I think are the most important parts into a 10-12 minute video… I know some of you can relate..

I’m entering this in the “Anything Goes” challenge at Always Fun Challenges Blog and also at Darnell’s 2nd Annual April Fool’s Boo-Boo Hop and NBUS Challenge #11

Until next week, my friends….