Challenge #8 Inspiration with Nora

Hello everyone!! Nora here to bring you some inspiration for Stamping Smiles Designs Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge #8.

I knew when I saw this card that I had to use the last row across--color inspiration, labels and food/drink for a card before it ended. Labels, food or drink and the fantastic color inspiration? What is not to love?

Here is the card I came up with.

The first thing I did for this card was to create the background. I die cut a white piece of card stock and used Ranger Ink Dylusions Mist in "After Midnight" and Heidi Swapp Color Shine in "Citron" to mist the background. When the panel was dry, I adhered it on an angle to a piece of blue card stock.

I then stamped the ice cream images from "Oh Happy Day" by Lia Griffith for Hero Arts onto white card stock using Memento "Tuxedo Black" ink and colored them in with Copic markers. Next I used Stickles glitter glue in the color scheme on the ice cream cone and Glossy Accents to cover all three of the stamped images. I set the treats aside to dry while I stamped the Altenew label sentiment in blue ink.

When everything was dry, I assembled the card. I used a scrap of powder blue card stock to make a banner to go across the card. I then adhered the ice cream confections over the banner. Next I adhered the stamped label using foam adhesive over the banner.  My last step was to adhere some clear sequins from Pretty Pink Posh.

I am really happy with how this card came out and cannot wait to send this to someone for their birthday. I hope this has inspired you to play along with us.

You still have a few more days to enter Stamping Smiles Designs Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge #8. The design team is always inspired by YOU and cannot wait to see what you create!!

Nora

I Love You So Matcha

Hi there! 

Francesca's here today with some inspiration for you! 

Are you joining the Tic Tac Toe Challenge #8? I think it's the funniest one of all time!!

I had so much fun creating my inspirational project (based on the Challenge #8 board) for you. So...here it is! :)

Ahah!This card makes me giggle. A lot!! :)

Here's how I created it:

• First, I stamped all the images by Lawn Fawn, colored them with Copics, and fussy cut them.
• Then I die-cut a stitched rectangle from a piece of white cardstock and created my background sponging some distress ink in Tumbled Glass color. 
• Next, I created this stitched hill with a Pretty Pink Posh die and sponged it with Shabby Shutters distress ink. 
• Finally I put all the pieces together to create my cute and pretty scene. 
• I added a little bird and I stamped my own customized sentiment :) 
• With a white gel pen, I also added some details to give them extra cuteness :)

Hope you like my card and thank you so so much for stopping by today! 

Have a lovely day :)

Franci :)

Challenge Guest Designer : Shirley Karnos

Hello! Running a bit late today to share our 8th guest designer. Our weekday mornings are usually crazy busy with packing lunches for the kiddos, getting them ready for school, and then dropping them off at school. I'm sure some of you can relate to morning routines during the school year.

Anyway, today, we have Shirley Karnos from Karnos Blog sharing not only one, but two simple, but fabulous cards. If you're stuck on our current challenge, make sure to make use of the fabulous inspiration below by Shirley!

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I've been a fan of crafting since I was little, but it was making wedding invitations the second semester of senior year in college that started me on papercrafting as a more serious hobby. I mostly scrapbook and make cards, but I also dabble in making mini-albums and other crafts.

For the current challenge, I made two cards using the top row of: 3 of a kind, enamel accent, and square card.

For the first card, I started with a square kraft card base and punched rounded corners. I watercolored three die cut feathers and cut them in half, sandwiching the “congrats” sentiment in the middle. I also paper-pierced two lines to better define the middle. I embellished with trios of enamel dots, as well as heat embossed a flourish on the corners.

Supplies: Mama Elephant feather stamp and die; Papertrey Ink flourish and sentiment stamps; Eyelet Outlet enamel dots; Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolor; JoAnn white embossing powder; We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper; Paper Source cover stock; VersaMark ink pad

For the second card, I started with a small square metallic brown base. Using a ruler, I traced a square using a VersaMark marker and heat embossed with white embossing powder. I then added the white embossed “congrats” sentiment, as well as the enamel shapes.

Supplies: Papertrey Ink sentiment stamp; American Crafts Shimelle enamel dots; JoAnn white embossing powder; VersaMark ink pad; VersaMark marker

Thanks to Ka for the opportunity to be a guest designer for this challenge! Will you play along too?

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We love the Clean and Simple designs of both of Shirley's cards and how she used those enamel accents like a Tic-Tac-Toe grid on the second card. Beautiful and creative! If you have a little more time today, hop over to Shirley's blog to see more card inspiration. She also share scrapbooking layouts for those of you who loves scrapbooking! :)

Challenge #8 Inspiration with Lindsey

Hi, there!  I'm so happy to be sharing another card I made using Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge #8 as inspiration.  The most intimidating element for me on the board was "color".  Coloring certainly isn't a strong point for me, and I usually avoid it.  However, I purchased some Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers a couple months ago when I found them on a sale that I couldn't resist, and I decided that it was about time I get over my fear and try them out.  The elements I chose to work with on this particular card come from the middle row: holiday, color, and die-cut negatives.

I started my card by die-cutting a branch of leaves (from PTI's Turning a New Leaf dies) twice out of a panel of watercolor paper.  Instead of inking up my stamps, I used my Zig markers to color them.  It creates a light blotchy look, but that's okay because you are going back in and coloring the images directly on the paper as well and blending with a water brush. (Marika Rahtu gives an excellent tutorial here using a much more detailed version of this method.) 

The florals on my card are images from PTI's Brushed Blooms set.  Since this set already stamps with a watercolor look to it, it really helps simplify watercoloring for a beginner like myself.  I finished off my card with a sentiment from an old WPlus9 set, Mother's Day Bouquet.  I purposely left the sentiment uneven looking, hoping that it would give a look of being hand-painted.

This card has a wonderful amount of dimension to it that is hard to capture in photos.  The large leaves were stamped in the negative die-cut space and the other images in the floral spray are popped up at varying heights. It's almost like there is a real bouquet tucked inside the card, which I love.  

Well, that's it for me today.  Thanks so much for stopping by!  I am having so much fun being challenged by the Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge boards.  I sure hope that you'll give them a try and join us for Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge #8!

Champion Guest Designer : Giovana Smith

Hello! Today we have our 4th Champion Winner, Giovana Smith from Believe guest designing for us. Check out below for her project info and details, inspired by our current challenge.

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Hello everybody!! I am super excited to be guest designing this time. Here is a little bit about me. My name is Giovana Smith, born and raised in Lima, Peru, Spanish as a first language and English as a second one. I am married, I have a daughter who loves to craft, although now she is very into music (clarinet and violin). I run a little daycare/babysitting job, and I love it very much. I started crafting in 2006, cutting rolls of paper and using scissors, LOL, things have changed a lot since then. I have been blessed to be part of several design teams and be published in different magazines. I love to craft as often as I can. I invite you to visit my blog "Believe" and check out my creations.

This is the card I created for the current challenge, very simple but yet elegant. I used the top line for my project, 3 leaves (3 layers), 3 enamel dots and a square card (6" square).

I started stamping the leaves in Antique Linen Distress Ink on a piece of watercolor cardstock, then colored them using the wet on wet technique, with Kuretake watercolor paints, allow the colors to dry naturally and add more color if desired. The sentiment I think invites to create more, I added this sentiment because I am trying to do better with watercoloring techniques, inviting myself to keep creating. I added a layer of shimmering cardstock to the watercolor panel and added it to the square card base, finally added 3 clear enamel dots.

Thank so much Ka for inviting me as a guest designer.
Hope you all like my creation.

Giovana

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Thank you, Giovana for sharing your beautiful project with us! We absolutely love it! Don't forget to check out Giovana's Blog for even more amazing creations!

Have a great day, everyone!