Double Bugged Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone!

I have a quick card to share with you today using the Double Bugging technique. This TJ technique involves running a piece of c/stock through two different embossing folders. I've described it a little more below:

Firstly I embossed the purple c/stock using the Distress Stripes folder, then dragged white ink along the embossed portions. Once dry, I flattened the whole piece by running it through my embossing machine several times. I then embossed this smooth piece of c/stock using the Spider Web folder and highlighted the raised areas with black ink.

I finished the card off with a spooky image of a tree from Stampin' Up! that I stamped on a sponged background.


We'll be trick or treating around our neighborhood later today after dinner with friends - should be a fun time! I hope you have a spooky Halloween!

Ali

New Card

Okay, how come it's over two weeks since I last posted? Where has the time gone? I've been busy with other projects unrelated to stamping and just lost track of time, I guess!

I created a card for this week's Gingersnap Creations Color Challenge using pumpkin, avocado and eggplant. I love these rich colors, although purple is always a struggle for me. I couldn't for the life of me find any purple ribbon in the house and let me tell you, I have a lot of ribbon!


The leaf in the center of the card was created using a Tim Holz die and some patterned paper that I sponged and clear embossed. Here's a closer look:


I hope you get more time to stamp than I do at the moment and can play the challenge!

Happy stamping,

Ali

Versamark Challenge

It's time for another Spicy Supply Challenge on Gingersnap Creations and this month we're using Versamark.


I created a couple of 3" x 3" Halloween cards for the challenge. Firstly, I stamped and colored the images with markers. I pressed the entire piece into a Versamark ink pad, covered it the Iridescent Ice embossing powder (from SU) and melted it with a heat gun. I believe this technique is called Diamond Dust. It's usually a technique I reserve for Christmas cards, but I think it works well for Halloween too - you can never have too much bling!


[Images by Outlines Rubber Stamp Co.]

Have a great day!

Ali

Blog Candy Winner

Good evening folks! Sorry I didn't draw the blog candy earlier - I was out all day hunting for a Halloween costume with my 10 year old daughter. She wants to be the Greek Goddess Athena this year - go figure!

The randomly drawn winner of the blog candy is #21....... Mari.

Congratulations, Mari. Please send drop me a line at alimanning@charter.net with your address and I'll put your goodies in the mail!

Sunday CASE

Happy Sunday everyone! It's a very happy weekend here because my brother and his wife finally had their baby yesterday - a healthy baby boy called Oliver. I'm so excited to be an aunt again! I can't wait to see the little cutie.

I managed a quick card today between getting home from church and going to see a movie with my daughter. I checked out the Featured Stamper challenge on Splitcoast and it was a lovely CAS (clean and simple) gallery belonging to Jenn Spencer. Her card can be found by following this link. I changed the color scheme and stamps, but kept the layout pretty much the same.

The panel on the left was created using a TJ technique called Sanded Whitewash. I sponged inks onto a white panel and painted it with a light layer of gesso. I ran it through an embossing folder when it was dry and highlighted the raised areas with ink. I'd made the Sanded Whitewash panel ages ago, so it was a quick and easy Fall card. The sentiment is from SU.

Don't forget it's your last chance for the blog candy today. Enjoy what's left of the weekend!

Ali

Splitcoast Color Challenge

I was asked by Betty to make a sample for today's Splitcoast color challenge - the colors are Rich Razzleberry, So Saffron and Tango Tangerine.

These colors screamed Halloween to me, so I dug out my Artistic Outpost Vintage Halloween set and made this card. Of course, the base is a Fabriano watercolor card and there's lots of white space!


The pumpkin was stamped onto a piece of bookpage background that I sponged with So Saffron and Pumpkin Pie inks (I didn't have Tango Tangerine). I double matted him onto Pumpkin Pie and Rich Razzleberry c/stock. I added some piercing and white gel pen to mimic the polka dot ribbon.

Hope you have time to play the challenge today.

Happy stamping,

Ali

Faux Letterpress Wedding Card

I played the Clean and Simple challenge on Splitcoast this morning. This week they challenge you to use a technique called Faux Letterpress.

I've also seen the technique called Brayered Folder and it is almost identical to TJ technique called Cuttlebug Smoosh (Oct/Nov 07), which uses a rainbow ink pad. The basic idea is to ink the inside of a Cuttlebug embossing folder and run it through your die cutting machine with some neutral card stock. Very simple, but very effective.

This is a wedding card I made with the technique - it's for a friend whose getting married this weekend. I used Bashful Blue ink and vanilla c/stock for the piece of Faux Letterpress. I finished it off with an SU sentiment, some taffeta ribbon and flat pearls. Pretty clean and simple, I'd say.

Don't forget to enter for the blog candy in the post below!

Happy stamping,

Ali

Featured Stamper Blog Candy

I nearly fell off my perch this morning when I found out that I was Featured Stamper on Splitcoaststamper. Wow - what an honor - I'm totally flabbergasted!

In order to celebrate, I'm offering some blog candy. I chose some of my favorite supplies to give away:

• Inkadinkadoo Inchie Stamps
• Box of inchies from Inchie Art Inc
• Box of Stampin Up buttons
• Book of collage images from Crafty Individuals
• Pearls and gems from Hero Arts
• Fabriano watercolor cards and envelopes

I'm happy to ship the blog candy anywhere in the world - just leave a comment below. If you're a Follower and you win, there'll be an extra special prize thrown in there too! Comments close in one week - Sunday, October 10th at midnight. I'll announce the randomly drawn winner on Monday, October 11th.

Winter Art Exchange

It's my pleasure to host another Art Exchange on Gingersnap Creations! This time around we'll be creating 4" x 4" panels with a Winter Theme. I created my Snow Baby by stamping this adorable Crafty Individuals stamp onto a piece of Antiqued Glimmer (TJ technique - Dec 09). He's mounted onto a piece of white snowflake embossed c/stock and wrapped in some cozy fibers.

For more details, read the Art Exchange Post. I hope we get lots of players!

Happy weekend,

Ali

Inchie Scraplings

The last art exchange we hosted on Gingersnaps was paint chip scraplings. I made a few extra scraplings to include in the participants' packages. Instead of paint chips, I used inchies and small punched shapes and they work perfectly with the scraplings. These adorable little cards measure just 4.25" x 1.5" and are so handy to include with a gift or package.

I used some left over inchies from this card using my Inchie Collage Technique. Stamps are from Non Sequitur.


The second set are left over from this card. Stamps are Cornish Heritage.

Okay, these aren't inchies, but they're scraplings nonetheless. I punched the butterflies from a piece of dry embossed book page background and embellished them with a rhinestone.


These scraplings are quite addictive - try them if you dare!

Have a great weekend,

Ali

Simple Thanks You Notes

I needed to make a batch of thank you cards for a wonderful group of women at my church, so I sat and cranked these out this afternoon. I'm really happy with how they turned out and you don't hear me say that very often!

[They also fit nicely into today's Splitcoast Free For All challenge.]


The card bases are my favorite Fabriano Watercolor cards that were embossed using an SU folder. The centers of the flowers were highlighted with chalk and the sentiments were stamped inside using summer sun ink. The cards were finished with a scrap of taffeta ribbon. I also stamped the envelopes for a little more interest.


Thanks for visiting. Have a wonderful weekend!

Ali