"over the sun" card

Challenge/contest time again!  

This one is for: www.papersmoochesstamps.com >> 

The challenge was to use this photo as inspiration for a card/project:

Here's my take on a card:

     I had an idea that it would be cute to have the orca jumping "over" the sun at sunset.  :)

Supplies:
I used watercolor paper for this card to hold up to the ink better.  The background was created by sponging blues onto the paper, directly from the ink pads and also by using makeup sponge wedges (tip: to create a curve with sponge wedges, pinch them into a 'U'-shape and ink up).  The sunset/ocean/reflection was created in the same way, but using yellow, orange, pink, and lavender in addition to blues & white ink.  I left the paper in the Spellbinders die as I inked it to keep the borders on the shapes (hint: washi tape is great for this!).  I used a Cuttlebug circle die as a mask to ink the sun and keep its edges smooth, also.  The orca whale is covered in black and white glitter glue (which took forever to dry!) and I also added yellow pearl paint on the edges of the die cuts for some interest.  One last finishing touch was to catch the outside edges of the card with my corner rounder.  Finally, the orca is popped up on foam adhesive -- I almost hated to cover up that neat sunset background, so I took a pic before:

Here's a close-up of the glittery whale, too:

Stamps:
Orca whale, "hi" sentiment -- Paper Smooches/

Thanks for taking a look!
~ Amanda B., the manderbean :)

"celebrate monster" card

 It has been a very busy summer!  I haven't done as many challenges as I'd like, but I have been making some fun things...hope to upload some soon.  :)  I had some technical difficulties, so sorry for the tablet photo below, but it was better than not entering at all!

Challenge/contest time again!  

This one is for: www.papersmoochesstamps.com >> 

The challenge was to use this color combo for a card/project:



Here is my card:

The monster stamp is one of my favs because it can hold so many things. 

 

Supplies used:

 

Stamps:  monster, extra arm, drink, "toast" saying -- Paper Smooches/

"celebrate" saying -- Studio G

 

Colored with Copic markers; cream & tan cardstock (the blue background is just my blue clipboard on my desk; I was in a bit of a rush!  One of these days we need to invest in a better digital camera.  Until then, printer scans or tablet shots...)

 

Thanks for taking a look!

*the manderbean  :)

"trails", "dinos", & "martian hello" cards

I took a blogging break for a few months because the school year has been so busy!  

Definitely had ideas for this color challenge, though!

Challenge/contest time again!  

This one is for: www.papersmoochesstamps.com >> 

The challenge was to use this color combo for a card/project:

Here's my take on THREE! cards:

The oranges, yellow, and green made me think of different forms of desert: southwest, prehistoric, and martian.  :)  I added brown/off-white to the palette because I consider those colors as neutrals.

Supplies:
various colored cardstocks, hand-cutting (mesa rocks, ground, and planet's surface), Copic markers, black Sharpie, white gel pen, funky circles Cuttlebug die (for desert sun).  I simply crumpled up the 'planet surface' cardstock for some extra texture.

Stamps:
cactus, hat, "happy trails", stegosaurus, triceratops, leaves, rocks, heart, "you are awesome", aliens, stars, planet/moon -- Paper Smooches/


Thanks for taking a look!
~ Amanda B., the manderbean :)

"don't wallow" card

I haven't posted in a while...teaching is keeping me pretty busy!

Challenge/contest time again!  

This one is for: www.papersmoochesstamps.com >> 

The challenge was to use this color combo for a card/project:

Here's my take on a card:

The pink and brown made me think of a happy pig in the mud.  Hence the sentiment and title of my post.  :)

Supplies:
Light blue and mint green cardstock for the background, handcut hills, mud puddle/splashes, and clouds, some diecut grass (C.C. Designs metal die), and I added some brown Liquid Applique (by Marvy) to add some shine to the mud.  I stamped the sun on goldenrod and the pig on hot pink cardstock.

Stamps:
Pig, sun, smile -- Paper Smooches/
sentiment -- PrintWorks Collection (I got it at Hobby Lobby)/

Thanks for taking a look!
~ Amanda B., the manderbean :)

"smarty" card/embellishment

This card is actually going to be part of some scrapbook pages I'm doing on training our puppy.  My plan is to use this on a page describing the tricks we've taught him.

Supplies:
Turquoise, red, and gray cardstock for a background mat (I love that color combination!), stamping, a red pen, formula-pattern washi tape, green & blue twine, and coloring with Copic markers (highlighting with white Sakura gel pen) -- I am getting good with shading thanks to watching lots of YouTube videos on how to blend/shade/highlight when coloring!  :)

Stamps:
Dog and glasses -- Some Odd Girl Stamps/
formula (background stamp) -- Basic Grey/
notepaper -- Jenni Bowlin/
graph paper (background stamp) -- Stampendous/
sentiment and pawprint -- Technique Tuesday/

Thanks for taking a look!
~ Amanda B., the manderbean :)

"Olympic dreams" card

So...I started this card while the Olympics were going on.  That just shows you how busy a teacher's life can get...in my defense, I was doing lots of crafty SuperHero-themed decorations for my classroom.  :)  My idea was inspiration from Gabby Douglas and the USA women's gymnastics teams -- since her nickname is "the Flying Squirrel", I thought it would be fun to use my squirrel stamp.  Plus, the tree branches could double as parallel bars.  Pretty clever, in my humble opinion!

Supplies:
I created the background scene with a cloud background stamp.  I hand-cut the tree trunk and the hills on the ground.  Coloring was done with Copic markers -- I am getting better at using them!  I also added Sakura souffle pen to the squirrel's paw prints, clear glaze to her eyes, and a pink sparkly star as a bracelet.  A little red, white, and blue twine, a little of my own handwriting ("big") -- and a lot of careful cutting -- and this one makes me grin!

Stamps:
Squirrel, branches/leaves, two birds -- Paper Smooches/
sentiment and dream bubble -- KI Memories/
Olympic "rings" (letter "O") -- Studio G/
clouds (background stamp) -- Hero Arts/

Thanks for taking a look!
~ Amanda B., the manderbean  :)

"flower panels" card

Challenge/contest time again!

This one is for: www.papersmoochesstamps.com >> 

The challenge was to use this picture as inspiration for a card/project:

I had flower stamps that were very similar, so I decided to use them!  I also really liked the enameled colors on the photo, so I kept those as well (even though the yellow I used is brighter in real life).  Here's how the card turned out:

[Finally Updated!] Supply List:
Turquoise and kraft cardstock...I heat embossed the black outlines for the flowers (stamped) and the stems/leaves (hand-drawn with an embossing pen).  Coloring was done with a combination of chalk and Sakura souffle pens.  Some gray Sharpie pen dot trios and blue distress ink finished off the backdrop panels; hemp twine and the white sentiment finished off the card. 

Stamps:
dots --KI Memories/
rose -- American Crafts (Pebbles)/
daisies -- Studio G/
sentiment -- Paper Smooches/

Thanks for taking a look!
~ Amanda B., the manderbean  :)

"bella luna" card

Challenge/contest time again!

This one is for: www.papersmoochesstamps.com >> 

The challenge was to use this color palette on a card/project:

 

Here's card #2 >>> I wanted it to look like the backs of the aliens as they are stargazing.  :)

Supplies:
This one was easy!  Colored cardstock, the "bubbles" Cuttlebug folder for the moon/planet, a star hole punch, Copic markers, a tiny bit of ink smudged around, and a Sakura white gel pen.. 

Stamps:
Aliens, moon -- Paper Smooches/
Quote -- All Night Media/

Thanks for taking a look! ~ Amanda B., the manderbean :)

"wish you were here" card

Challenge/contest time again!

This one is for: www.papersmoochesstamps.com >> 

The challenge was to use this color palette on a card/project:

Here is card #1:

Supplies:
A lot of this card is just layered colored cardstock (I handcut the "sandy" area).  There is a tiny bit of yellow scale-patterned paper under the sentiment.  For the "sea foam" on the "beach", I used both dimensional 'snow' paint and sponged on sandy-colored ink.  For the ocean, I used both sandpaper and white ink to create "waves".  I also used blue & white ink and white Sakura gel pen on the clouds.  The whale and starfish were colored with Copic markers, and I added blue Sakura Souffle' pens to the swirls in the water.  I also added some silver and blue glitter glue to the "splashes" of water.  Final touches included: photo corners, a swirl paper clip, and hemp twine. 

Stamps:
Whale, swirls, water drops, starfish -- Paper Smooches/
Cloud --Making Memories/ (? I think?!  I will check.)
Quote -- All Night Media/

Thanks for taking a look! ~ Amanda B., the manderbean :)

"faith, hope, love" card

Got a wedding to go to tomorrow...

{Oops about the crooked scans lately... this is the best I could get after many attempts.  I would take photos of my projects, but this is faster and shows more detail than my camera usually does when taking pictures of text!}

And here's the inside...

I also made a gift tag (just showing a slightly different way to color/embellish the same image):

Supplies:
I took color (black, white, hint of yellow) and pattern (flower pattern) inspiration from the wedding invitation.  The rest is pretty straightforward!  Both images were colored with Copic markers (which I just got this week after much deliberation and finding a big discount sale --pretty happy with 'em so far!).  I layered the main image (the edges were sanded) on a black cardstock mat, layered on top of a stamped strip (the floral background stamp is about 2" by 2.5"; all I did was stamp, trim, cut the cardstock in half, and splice the halves together to make a strip behind the image).  For the verse, I stamped and then sanded/inked the edges in black.  All that was was layered on a pre-embossed white card from DCWV.  As finishing touches, I added a section of white tulle tied with shiny white embroidery floss to add texture to the dress (I borrowed this idea from a Google Images search of cards made with this stamp; I can't take credit for it!).  I also added some detail with glittered/silver Sakura gel pens. The handwriting on the tag was done with a Sharpie pen. 

Stamps:
Happy Couple -- Stampendous/
Verse quote -- Stampabilities/
flower background -- Prima/
inside sentiment -- All Night Media/
Wedding Rings -- Rubber Stampede/

Thanks for taking a look! ~ Amanda B., the manderbean :)