Never Give Up Hope

This is my last posting for today. The Try That Technique challenge at Technique Junkies is challenging us to use the layered masking technique from the Feb/Mar 2012 TJ newsletter. I've been admiring this technique done by several of the other TJers. This was a great opportunity to try it for myself. 
I'm also excited because Cornish Heritage Farms stamps are back and now CHF is sponsoring a challenge. The theme is anything goes. Both the lighthouse and sentiment are from the CHF collection.

Wishing

The layout of my card is based on the SweetStamps challenge sketch. My card also meets the challenge at Kraft Monday which is emboss and embellish and the challenge at Frilly and Funkie which is kraft and twine. My background panel has been dry embossed and the embossing was lightly highlighted with distress ink. The front panels are kraft cardstock. The long front panel was also embossed and highlighted with distress ink. The stamp is a part of a larger SweetStamps stamp which was stamped with distress ink and colored with watercolor markers. The sentiment is from the Tim Holtz collection. The embellishing pearls and twine are from my stash.

Kind Words

Today has been a fun day. I spent quite a bit of time in the studio, so it'll be a long blog night tonight. This card was created for a couple of challenges. At Our Daily Bread Designs, the Shining the Light challenge is pink, black and/or grey, and white/vanilla.The Ink on my Fingers Sunday challenge is words. My background panel is from a dictionary page (lots of words) which I stamped with pink (worn lipstick distress ink) dahlias (ODBD). The sentiment is also from ODBD. The ribbon was white and dyed with worn lipstick distress stain.

One Layer and Masculine

Fridays do roll around quickly. It's Bloggers Challenge time again and this time we are to make a one layer card. It's not as easy as it sounds. To make my card I started with a piece of manila cardstock. To create the background color I used distress stains on the front of the card. Then I stamped my postage and frame stamp from Hero Arts. This stamp has a matching embossing folder which highlights several of the stamps, postage marks and center tag shape. I went over the embossed areas with antique linen distress ink and the edges with vintage photo. The sentiment is from Club Scrap. I did add the two brad like embellishments to the tag image. I think the resulting card has a very vintage and masculine look.
I'm also entering this card into Simon Says Stamp and Show one for the boys, into Tuesday Throwdown with the theme masculine, and into Three Muses with the theme postage stamps.

Friends

This week the challenge at The Octopode Factory and at Take a Word was friends. The layout of my card is a quarter turn rotation of the sketch challenge at Critter Sketch. The Octopode version of the Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum characters from Alice in Wonderland looked perfect for a friends challenge as they walk along arm in arm. I thought the sentiment was ideal for a friends card.

Your Future Awaits

It's graduation time of year and the challenge at Cheery Lynn is just in time. The theme is for the grad and I need a graduation card for my grandson's aunt tonight. For the layout I used this weeks Mojo Monday sketch challenge. Although faint on the scan, the background paper has music imprinted on it. The paper is from Club Scrap and has a wonderful texture. Behind the mortar board and diploma, I needed a smaller doily, so I used the inner doily from the Polynesian sails oval. Behind the doily is mini flourish one. The mortar board and diploma is computer generated and the sentiment is from Club Scrap.

Roses -- Faux Porcelain Style

It's near the end of May and I'm just finishing up  my May tag for the Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2012 challenge. When I first saw Tim's instructions, I thought that he had lost it. I loved his tag, but faux porcelain roses ... was he kidding? No he wasn't, and I'm so glad he did it. What a wonderful technique and the spool vase is so cool too. I actually ended up making several more roses. I don't know what I'll use them for, but they are so pretty.
I'm also entering this tag in the Tuesday Throwdown challenge which is 3-D, the City Crafter challenge which is a rose is a rose,  the SweetStamps challenge which is anything goes, and the Great Impressions challenge which is anything goes.