In the Works...

Customer Share

Sorry I missed posting last week. It was not intentional. Kept thinking I'd get to the ol' stamp room to create at least one card, then post a little late, but each day slipped into the next until here we are an entire week later...

Believe it or not, I still haven't inked any rubber! This time, however, instead of thinking "I'll get to it", I'm going to do something different, and share a couple of single layer note cards sent in by customer, Sarah Kornhaus, of Encouraging Impressions.

Sarah used Spirit Dancer images from Full of Spirit and Drum Dance, and a Bible verse from Faith Quotes, stamped everything directly on the card fronts in black ink, and colored them in with markers. So simple! So colorful! So well done!

Thanks, Sarah! These look great added to smARTworks' customer gallery!

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Reality Inspired Foliage Card(s)

The subject for this week's one layer card challenge at Less Is More is foliage, which as it happens, coincides with the deciduous trees of Maine beginning to change into their autumn garb. Pretty leaves are everywhere! In fact, the photo shows a leaf I recently noticed along a trail where I've been walking -- an eyecatcher to me because of the unique play of chartrueuse and deep caramel brown... Enter the idea: Why not try to mimic God's handiwork?

I used a combination of Distress and Adirondack inks -- Shabby Shutters, Wild Honey, and Mushroom... daubered directly onto the largest oak leaf from Flowers & Leaves. The Scripture verse, from Bookmarkables, was then stamped over the leaf image in Adirondack Expresso.

Note: Since I still had some kraft colored paper sitting at my workspace, I actually tried using that first, but compared to the real thing, it seemed a bit too muted, sooooooo next, a try on white stock... Better. Certainly neither are as good as God's, and inkwise, Rusty Hinge would probably have been a better choice than the Mushroom, but it was still fun to try.

Also, a special thank you to the ladies at Less Is More for showcasing the brown & pink card I entered last week. Discovering that I'd been CASed was an unexpected surprise that really brighted my day.

Siggy-2012

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Deja Vu Color Combo

When I checked in on Less Is More for this week's challenge, I couldn't believe it! It's a color combo -- brown & pink... the same combo I used for last week's card! It's also a combo that I haven't always liked, but over time, seems to have grown on me. The more I see it, the prettier it becomes...

Anyway, since I hadn't quite gotten around to putting away the supplies from my last card, I went with what I had at the ready -- kraft colored stock, and Archival coffee ink pad, then pulled out a 1/2" corner rounder, Prismacolor watercolor pencils, and some tiny glass beads:

Clear, glass beads adhered with dimensional glaze, and when dry, colored with an alcohol marker. Blossom portion of flower is "popped".

Creating this CAS card reminded me of another card I made awhile ago using the same image from the Face It sheet-- not quite as clean and simple, but still brown & pink:

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September Sunshine

News for the month is located on the smART News page.

September's Easy-To-Do Card Project -- Bright 'n Sunny Wishes using stamps from the Spring Fling and Face It sets.

Close-up of piecing

Click on grid to enlarge

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3-2-1

The specs for the 3-2-1 challenge at Less Is More this week were to make a card using three of something, two of something, and one of something... and the "somethings" could be anything.

Okay, how about 3 words - 2 girls - 1 moth, all contained in a single collaged image from Gal Pals? Throw in kraft colored cardstock, Archival coffee ink, some pink chalk, a little layering, and a bit of bling... and there ya go!

Close-up of layered moth

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R-r-r-r-r-r-ip...

This is a vacation week, so I am pretty much "on the go", and not stamping, but I still managed to squeeze in this entry for Less Is More. The challenge? Tearing... which I've incorporated in two ways:

The first is obvious - a torn edge along the embossed strip (Cuttlebug folder, Distressed Stripes).

The second is a bit more obscure -- used in creating a background for the focal panel... a technique for which you need: chalk pastels (stick form), white cardstock, copy paper, and cotton balls.

smART stamps used come from Changes (b-fly), My Hope (words), and Slow Go (grass).

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Looking Up While Looking Back...

Many moons ago, in the early days of smARTworks, a contest was held to name the giraffe from the now Van Gogh-go sheet. Try as I will, I can not remember who turned in the winning suggestion, but I do remember the winning name: Bogie. I still like it... and although I hadn't inked up my Bogie in quite awhile, he seemed a perfect choice to feature on a OLC for this week's Less Is More Fur or Feathers challenge.

Here's Lookin' At You, Kid!

Click on grid to enlarge

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Blue & Green

It's been awhile since I've participated over at Less Is More, but this week's color challenge seemed a must enter because Blue & Green just happen to be my all-time favorite color combo.

I created two simple cards using a combination of the following ink pads -- Distress Salty Ocean and Mowed Lawn, Memento Bamboo Leaves, and Memories Apple -- and showcasing stamps from Hearts-A-Plenty (heart & words) and Pansy Smiles (background circles), Fern-ished (flower) and Ministry Mix (quote):