Mr Cardmaker Is Challenging

Well, as promised, I was host of the Free for All Friday Challenge over at GinaK Designs during the span of July 13-20.  I did a "Man Style" challenge, asking the participants to come up with a card for an adult male, as opposed to a boy.  It was SO much fun, and SO many people joined in!  SEVENTY-TWO, you heard me, 72 entries!!  Everyone did amazing work, and I was really happy to be host.

I made two samples for this challenge, using GKD Follow your Dreams set by Theresa Momber.
They look like this--

I used DP from MME, and card stock from GKD.  My die cuts were done with Spellbinders dies, and the embossing folder is a Cuttlebug folder.
I colored the dragonflies with colored pencils, and also used the pencils to do some detailing on the trees, reeds, and other images. 

I took some ink and lots of water and flicked some speckles onto the first card with a paintbrush.  As my shadowy photos can show you, I used copious amounts of foam tape to pop up different elements on both cards.

I'll use one of these for my dad's birthday next week.  I love it when timing works out like that!

Sorry to be away for so long.  My MIL had some serious health issues this week, and I have been at both hospital and rehab center for almost two weeks now.  Hope to be free to post more in the coming days!

Thanks for stopping by! 
All Best-
Richard

Birthdays by the Shore

 I am hosting the Free For All Friday Challenge at GinaK Designs on Friday, July 13! 

Come play with us!!



Back at the end of May, my Aunt Lauri had a birthday.  She is a particular favorite of mine, and she is a big collector of shells and all things beachy. 

I thought this would be appropriate for her--

One day I am going to get myself a REAL photo set-up, I swear. 

This is a kraft card base, made from GinaK Designs 120# base-weight card stock.  The clouds is a DCWV photo paper.  I have done other cards with the blue sky in the past, but this is the sepia version of that paper.  I used yellow swiss dot SU Designer series paper, and a scrap of blue dp that I have had for a million years, and have lost the label to.  The stamps are from GKD, the Gifts from the Sea set by Melanie Meunchinger.  This is one of my go-to sets, for sure. 

The die used to make the pull tab and the "open" and arrow stamps are all PTI.  Under the tab is a lovely sentiment as well.  I should have marked down what it was that I stamped there, because my addled brain has forgotten what it was!  Oh, great...

Anyway, the shells are all stamped in Memento Rich Cocoa ink, and there are touches of hand coloring here and there.  I smooch spritzed them for a bit of shimmer, and then adhered them with some foam tape.  The bling and ribbon is from AC Moore.

The pull-tab set up requires some strong tape to make sure things don't fall apart on you when you pull the tab.  I find 1/8" Scor-tape is the best for this.

Now, notice the missed opportunity for genius here.  PLANNING would have made all the difference.  See how the ribbon goes across, and you can see the blue paper going over it?  Now, IF I had planned, I would have seen that if I had increased the size of the blue strip (by, what, 1/8 of an inch ?), I could have had a seamless transition going on.  ARGH!  The things we notice in hindsight.  SIGH...

Note to self.  Maybe flying by the seat of one's pant isn't always the way to go.  Think about it.

Thanks for stopping by!
All Best-
Richard

Mr Cardmaker is Having a Sneaky Peeky Moment

Ok, so here's the thing.  I was contacted by Lori McAree at GinaK Designs this week, and she asked me to host the Free for all Friday challenge FOR THIS FRIDAY!!!  That's Friday the 13th.  Ooooooo.  Spooky.  Of course I said yes.  My Momma raised no dope. 

I am doing a masculine card challenge.  I have read that many people have problems doing a masculine card, so more practice will be a good thing.  I think strong shapes and lines, and a minimum of soft and shiny embellishments, as well as your color choices are key to making a card for a guy.

It took me all day to come up with a sample for this thing, and I actually came up with TWO.  I have a sneak peek  of one of them for you today.

It looks a little like this--

Oh yeah, there's all kinda stuff going on here.
To go to the GinaK Designs StampTV challenge page, click HERE.
I will be there early Friday morning.  The challenges are fun, and they give PRIZES, too! 
Hope to see some of your work there!

Thanks for stopping by!
All Best-
Richard

Mr Cardmaker Shows His Colors

Well, it's that time of year where we show off our red, white, and blue, and go see all the sparkly things in the sky.  My cousin Gerry is having a birthday on the 6th, so I made him a seasonal card.

It looks like this--

I used a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"white card base made from PTI card stock, and layered a 4 1/8"x 5 3/8" piece of SU striped designer series paper on it.  I then made six panels 1 5/8"x4", and used the side with the dots first.  I adhered them them on top of the stripes.  Then I took my Fiskars star punch and punched random stars, keeping some on and some off the edge of the panels.  I then layered those over the dots pieces with foam tape.  I used my white gel pen to make dots and stitch lines on the dotted paper inside the stars. 
To make the stripes, I used my wavy slider die from PTI's Movers and Shakers die sets to cut two different red shades of card stock from my scrap bin.  I inked up my Swiss dot cuttlebug embossing folder with some white chalk ink, and ran the pieces through the Cuttlebug.  To adhere them, I tucked one edge under the first panel, stuck them down, and then trimmed the ends that went over the edge of the card with my paper snips.  Then, deciding that the red Swiss dots wanted some pop, I ran a foam dauber with some red ink across each of the stripes really lightly; I really wanted most of the ink on the dots more than the stripe itself.
I punched some more stars, this time with a red and white dot paper that I got in a grab bag (I think it's Basic Gray).  These got popped up with foam tape, and trimmed to fit inside the panels.
I added some star shaped rhinestones that I had left over from my winter card projects, and there it is.
I didn't take a picture of it, but I added a red and a blue star to the side of my happy birthday sentiment.  This one is in the mail today!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a TERRIFIC Independence Day!

All Best-
Richard

More Summer Birthdays

I am really NOT a summer person.  I like the colors, and the sunshine and the long days, and all the flowers.  I DO NOT like the HEAT.  Re my last post about Michigan summers....yeah.....Not with this horrific heat wave we're having!  Lawdy, can we get us some SEPTEMBER already??

ANYHOW....

My nephew/godson Jared had his birthday, and I made him this card--

I was kind of digging this design, because the image happens at the bottom third of the card.  I don't think I find that happening most of the time. 

This card started with a base of SU card stock, with some layers of cut and punched MME Fine and Dandy Boy DP.  I did some detail with yellow and white twine from We R Memory Keepers.

I stamped Jenny Bowlin Studios seal stamp in two colors to create a sun on some SU daffodil delight cs, and circle cut it with a spellbinders die and my Cuttlebug. 

I die cut some clouds with my A*muse studio clouds duo die and sponged them with Memento cantalope ink to make them look like a sunrise, then popped them up with some foam tape.  That little kiss of aqua behind the sun is a circle sticker from Paper Source.

The truck is SU's Loads of Love set, and the dude and presents are from the Loads of Love extender set.  I hand drew the little swirls that look like exhaust/movement.  I stamped the truck both on the card stock and a piece of DP, then cut out the DP one and pieced it on top of the stamped image.  I used copics to color things in.  I mounted the whole thing on some random gray cs, and mounted it up with foam tape.

The inside looked like this--

Here I used sentiments from SU, both from the Loads of Love set (duh), and from Happiest Birthday Wishes (double duh)..
I repeated the use of that seal stamp to make my sun, and I used a piece of smashbook tape to help attach the blue banner piece.
I hand drew a border around the yellow cs with a superfine tipped marker.  I like how it personalizes it a little.

So-  That's my birthday card!

Thanks for stopping by!
Stay out of the heat, for heaven's sake.

All Best-
Richard