Clownmom Creations: 2014

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Sketch Challenge 521 - SCS

This was my final week as a sample maker for the Sketch Challenge over on Splitcoaststampers. Allison had given us a daunting task with this sketch:

My card started out as basically a Clean and Simple design, but morphed into something a bit more "busy."

I sponged the rays with Ranger Distress Scattered Straw ink and planned just to add the sun/moon panel and the sentiment, which definitely would have been CAS. However, I smudged a bit of ink onto the sunrays; and, after all the time it took to do that sponging, I was not about to throw it away. So I cut a small flourish and adhered it strategically to cover the smudge. Then I had to add the Enamel Dot stickers to balance out the flourish. No longer CAS!

I enjoyed my stint as part of the Sketch Challenge team. It was supposed to be a three-month gig, but it extended to five months -- and I had a grand time. Thanks, Janette, for asking me.

Stamps: MFP Stamp Shop Sun and Moon
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress Scattered Straw
Paper: MFP Stamp Shop Dark Night Navy, Snow Storm Smooth
Accessories: Copic markers, Ranger Sponge applicator, Cheery Lynn Fanciful Flourish (small), Recollections Enamel Dot Stickers

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

SCS Sketch Challenge

I have one more week as a sample maker for the Splitcoaststampers Sketch Challenge. Today's sketch was pretty simple -- a circle inside a square. I had bought a set of Spellbinders arrows (called Shoot) about a month or so ago, and I thought I could make an archery target out of the circle element and use one of the arrows. I stamped the "Happy Birthday" on my card, but computer-generated the "You Hit the Mark" sentiment at the bottom.

It's Christmas Eve, so I will with you all a Merry Christmas!

Stamps: MFP Stamp Shop - Out of Time
Paper: MFP Stamp Shop - Deep Scarlet, Snow Storm Smooth, Black Linen, Bang Up Blue, Sun
Ink: Memento Rhubarb Stalk
Accessories: various Circle nesties, Spellbinders Shoot die

Saturday, December 20, 2014

SCS Inspiration Challenge

It's been a while since I've posted any Splitcoaststampers challenge cards, but I decided I should start doing that. As the Inspiration Challenge is my favorite one of the week, I started there. Today's inspiration site is a Pinterest board with all sorts of packaging from all over the world. I chose this particular photo to use as my inspiration.

My Love Juice on Packaging of the World - Creative Package Design Gallery

I thought the photos on the juice containers looked just like flowers, and the orange juice one reminded me of a chrysanthemum stamp from MFP Stamp Shop.

Stamps: MFP Stamp Shop Chrysanthemum, Lots of Words
Ink: Memento Espresso Truffle, Ranger Distress Tea Dye
Paper: MFP Old World Gold, Sun, Natuaral
Accessories: Copic markers, Brads, Sponge applicators

Thursday, December 11, 2014

CCEE1450 Starring Santa

This is the last CCEE Stampers challenge for 2014, and we were asked to make a card starring Santa. I'm not sure my card is "starring" Santa, but there is a Santa on it. My neighbor had asked me to make her a card to give to her brother. She wanted a particular type of card -- a pop-up box card, and it needed to contain several specific elements: a poinsettia, the Three Wise Men, and Santa kneeling at the manger. After much thought, I remembered my SU set called Holy Triptych, which I thought had the right type of images for the "pop up" elements. I did not have a stamp of a kneeling Santa, so I Googled it and found many images. I printed off one, cut it out, and glued it to one of the folding down panels. There actually is a poinsettia on the card, but it's hidden behind the kneeling Santa panel.

Please go over to the CCEE Stampers blog and see all of the Santa cards created by the rest of the team.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

CCEE1449 - Christmas Tic Tac Toe

Lynn gave us a quite a choice for this week's CCEE Stampers challenge. We're playing Christmas Tic-Tac-Toe. As I am somewhat computer challenged, I was not able to reproduce Lynn's entire Tic-Tac-Toe image. I will, however, tell you what I have included on my card -- it was down the center column of her game:

Snow, Embossing, Glitter.

Here's my card:

I don't know if I was cheating or not, but I used Stickles (glitter glue) in place of the glitter portion of the column. I embossed the house images before cutting them out with the dies and made the snow by using masking fluid before I sponged in the sky.

Be sure to check out the CCEE Stampers blog to see what the rest of the team did with Lynn's Tic-Tac-Toe game.

Friday, November 28, 2014

MFP Blog Hop Day 4 - Vintage Fashion

Welcome to the Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich Company

Nov. Blog Hop!

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

Featured Nov. 25

Java Time

Featured Nov. 26

Crisp Winter

Featured Nov. 27

Ice Skating

Featured Nov. 28

Vintage Fashion

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the participating blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All four winners will be announced on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014, on the MFP Stamp Shop blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win; and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) The deadline for commenting is
10 PM EST on Friday, November 28, 2014.

Again I'm not an official member of the Blog Hop today, but I'm glad you stopped by to see what I did with today's set, Vintage Fashion. I thought a collage would be a good design for these vintage images, so I looked for some patterned paper that would lend itself to a collage. I added a clock face and a die-cut button.

For my second card today, I used a doily as the backdrop for the dress and paper-pieced the skirt and bodice front with the same paper I used for the background. I added a pretty bow and a hat pin to finish it off.

Here's the Design Team for today. Be sure to check out their cards.

Jane C

Pat

Pam M

Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co.

I hope you have gotten lots of inspiration from the design team this month.

Tutorial Time - Watercoloring with Gelatos

This is the last Tutorial Time challenge for 2014 -- the team is taking the month of December off! As luck would have it, today's tutorial uses supplies that I didn't have in my craft room -- Gelatos. Barb Klusendorf wrote a tutorial for simple watercoloring using Gelatos, so I went to Michaels (50% coupon in hand) and bought a small set of them to try. Turns out it wasn't too hard. Here's my card: