Be My Valentine Series Day 10 - Quick Yet Cute

For this last card I wanted to challenge myself to make a card in 10 minutes that I would still be happy to give to someone.  

I often find both sketches & color challenges to be good starting points for any card.  They also give me a great plan when trying to make a quick card like this one! For this card I combined the current MarkerPop color challenge with the My Favorite Things Sketch Challenge.

I was inspired by my crafty friend Kevin Bray and his use of stacked washi tape strips to create a quick background!  Next I cut out a cute Pix image from Mama Elephant Pix's Favorites, I had painted her with Zig Clean Color Markers & Distress Markers.  I found a shimmery bit of vellum and used the Sizzix nesting hearts to cut out two to place Pix on... they really weren't distinct as two so I inked the smaller heart with Cranberry Ink from Lawn Fawn.  I still felt the vellum heart wasn't really distinct against the washi so I trimmed the card base down so it would hang off the side a bit and draw your eye.  

The sentiment is from My Favorite Things Because You Stamp Set and was embossed with white on black before being die cut with a banner from Blueprints 27.  To finish the card I added sequins, both cupped & hearts with some Multi Matte Medium!

Phew, that was 9 min and 36 sec, a total record for me!!!!

Thank you so much for joining me!  I would love to see any cards you created that were inspired by this series, be sure to tag me @modernmamabear on Instagram!

Be My Valentine Series - Day 9 - Bookmark Cards

Today I wanted to share with you an idea using a sketch from Scrapbook and Cards Today.  This is their challenge sketch for February and I thought it would be perfect for bookmark cards!  These cards are perfect for Grandparents, parents, aunts or uncles for any occasion and Valentine's Day is no exception!

The important thing to remember about a sketch is that it is meant to be a starting point but if you want to CASE it completely that is okay too!  Sketches are a great way to get your creativity flowing.  I followed the sketch pretty closely on these card but tweaked it to work with the supplies I had on hand.  I created two cards; one more manly and the other a bit more feminine.

These adorable bears were colored with Staedtler Watercolor Pencils, Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers, and Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils.  I was going for a specific look with these images; I wanted them to look like illustrations.  The bear stamp sets are Cub Cuddles and Bear Hugs both from Mama Elephant.

The cards are just basic white side folding cards.  The patterned paper is from Lawn Fawn's Polka In The Meadow Petite Paper Pack (note:  I backed each bookmark with the same paper as the card front) The epoxy hearts, washi tape and red twine are from my stash. The green hills were all cut from one piece of watercolored paper using the Mama Elephant Hillside Cover die. I used some thin but strong double sided tape on each side of the extra little hill on the card front so I could slip the bookmarks into them yet keep the bulk down.

I know my Mom will be really excited to get this card!  Let me know if you end up making any of these cards, I would love to see them!

Be My Valentine Series - Day 8 - Dynamite Dies

Some people just aren't stampers, I get it as I wasn't always either.  So today I went back to my first love... die cuts!  Each of these cards was created using only die cuts and really they could be used for any occasion but are perfectly suited for Valentine's Day!

The card above features dies from Lawn Fawn, the heart die from the Stitched Party Banners and  a few of the smiley faces from the Make Me Smile die set!  I used some micropore tape to hold the smiles in place for die cutting and it worked perfectly to keep them in just the right spot on the hearts!

The next card features a water colored background done with Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers on some Canson XL watercolor paper.  This amazing Heart Beat die is from SugarPea Designs; I used it on both the background and a piece of black cardstock to create the inlaid panel!

My final card features the Rose Background Die from Wplus9, I love that this die covers the entire card front!  I cut it from some Doodlebug bubblegum crushed velvet cardstock (I have been hoarding this paper for the last 9 years so it was high time I used it!  But wait, Joann.com still has it in packs, I need more, it is so darn awesome.  You can click the link above to order.)  I then spritzed a black card base with Shimmer spray and adhered it using the 3L adhesive sheets!  This card is so stunning in person but very hard to get a good photo of.

I hope you feel inspired to break out those dies and create a Valentine for your loved one!  See you soon with a few more days of heartfelt cards.

Be My Valentine Series - Day 2

Today's card is guaranteed to bring a smile to your dearest friend's face when they see these adorable bunnies from the Pix's Favorites stamp set by Mama Elephant!

This card was very simple to put together.  I began by stamping the Pix images with Ranger Archival Ink onto Canson Fanboy paper ( this is my favorite paper to use with Zig Clean Color Markers)  as you can guess I colored them with my Zigs and used a wet paint for blending. I did add a bit of sparkle with my Wink of Stella Clear to these cuties and once they were dry I fussy cut them leaving a white border to help them standout from my background.

I knew that I wanted to use a thought bubble so I stamped one from Lawn Fawn with Hero Arts Unicorn ink and heat embossed it using Hero Arts White Satin Pearl embossing powder.  I used the coordinating dies to cut these.

For the background I did some quick watercolor with Distress Inks on watercolor paper.  I die cut that with the Mama Elephant Hillside Cover Die and then trimmed off about 1/4" to allow for a white border on the card front.

I will admit I was so excited to put this card together that I adhered everything and then realized I forgot to stamp my sentiment!  (I had to remove the mouse pad from my MISTI due to the fun foam I had used being the background but it still worked perfectly, love that tool!)  The sentiment is from Concord & 9th was heat embossed using a white embossing powder from my stash. 

Quick, simple and oh so cute!

Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow to share some more happy heart day fun!

Merry Christmas From The Whole Gang - Lawnscaping Challenge#144

This Lawnscaping Challenge is bittersweet as it is the last one in their amazing five year run.  I only discovered the Challenge this year but I have gleaned so much inspiration from everyone who participates and I have also received so much encouragement through the Challenge.  Thank you to Laurel Beard for creating, designing and hosting this awesome challenge.  Thank you to the Lawnscaping Design Team who has spent so many hours creating amazing cards and commenting on all of our blogs.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday filled with laughter, tasty treats and lots of memories.  I am sure the Lawn Fawn Critters have some pretty rowdy celebrations and with that in mind I created this card for the Challenge... Merry Christmas From The Whole Gang!

This card features lots of the adorable Lawn Fawn critters that I have colored throughout the past year. I gave them a few Christmas-y accessories to so they would all look their merriest for the group photo!

Listed below are all of the Lawn Fawn stamp sets I used...  

Baah Humbug, Critters Ever After, Critters In The Snow, Critters on the Farm, Critters on the Savanna, Dad + Me, Fairy Friends, Flamingo Together, Happy Everything, Holiday Party Animal, Jump for Joy, Lovable Legends, Mermaid for You, Thankful Mice, Turkey Day, Winter Alpaca, Yay Kites.

Wishing everyone a fantastic 2017!  Thank you for all of the crafty love and encouragement this past year! 

xoxo

Houston

Love These Lights!

My awesome crafty friend Brandi Kincaid recently designed several stamps sets for Ellen Hutson LLC. I couldn't wait to get my hands on them!  What I love most about her designs is that somehow, in each simple black line, she convoys happiness and optimism... she truly has a gift.  If you don't know Brandi's work you can check it out at the links above, I promise you won't be disappointed!

I used just two stamps to make this card for the CASE(E) this Sketch! #197 Challenge.  I love card challenges (I am sure you know that) and I just stumbled onto this one today. I am certain it will become a favorite!

This card was made using the single light bulb image from the Light Parade stamp set.  I stamped it in a sort of circular pattern several times on Canson Fanboy paper with Ranger Archival Ink. Next I colored it in with my Zigs and a brush.  Once the bulbs were dry I used the American Crafts Metallic Markers to color in the bases of each bulb.  I added some white Gelly Roll pen inside the little sheen detail and then used a Copic Multiliner to draw in the wires!  The panel was then cut down and mounted on fairly thick fun foam for dimension.  I stamped my sentiment, from the same stamp set, gave it some color and cut it with a circle die.  I added a bit of white Gelly Roll pen to mimic the lights. The base of the card is this beautiful teal cardstock from my stash (I believe it is Prism, due to it's smooth nature) a small strip of light green Bazzill peeks out from behind my watercolored panel to tie the whole card together!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I always love to hear what you think of my creations, feel free to drop me a comment below!