Masculine Mountain Card

 Hello everyone! I hope you had a good Saturday and didn’t get fooled by anyone.  

Today, I would like to share a masculine card that I made for a challenge in my Artsy Inkers group.  We were to create this aperture by cutting an X in patterned paper and then fold it over.  Connie calls it Bursting Out.  I’m not sure if there is another name for this type of fold.

This was easy to do once I picked some double sided paper and found an exact-o knife to cut the x.  

The stamps are Elizabeth Crafts Summer Sentiments and Camping Out and the paper is My Mind’s Eye Happy Camper. I did just color the image a bit with alcohol markers.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Cleaning My Craft Desk: Owl Always Love You

 I have been working to clean off my craft desk again.  You know how this happens, you see something and have to work on it. In my case, a lot of what is on my desk is partially finished, even to the point of being 75% finished.  Or, you have stamps out on your desk you just have to work with.

So this is my new blog series, what I made when cleaning my craft desk…

This is a super cute and simple card.  

I cut the heart from the patterned paper and then just flipped it over to the other side to get the tree print.  I popped it up instead of inlaying it.  I LOVE this burrowing owl image!  They have so much personality.  I just used Versafine Ink cubes to ink them up in two colors and then added a touch more color with markers.

Technique Junkies Owl stamp

Echo Park Happy Camper 6x6 paper pad

Fishing Birthday Card

 Hello!  It is boiling hot weather today!  A quick share to cool off!

This cards was made with an alcohol ink background and the Hero Arts July 2019 My Monthly Hero Kit.  It was super fun to make!

thanks for stopping by!

Teen Music Themed Card

 Hello everyone. Recently, the I Brake for Stamps store was purchased by the owners of Blank Page Muse!  This is such great news because it means that all the wonderful IBFS images are still available! Phew!  It would have been such a shame to lose access to these 4000 stamp designs.

Kim, from Blank Page Muse, asked me to become part of their design team.  I was really happy to say YES!  She seems super nice and there is a big and diverse group of ladies on the team with me.  

So this is my first design team post for the sister stores IBFS/BPM!  Woo!  The stores are keeping their own websites, so you can shop the same way you always did.

And to sweeten the deal, Kim has given me a coupon code that anyone can use to get 15% off, it works at both stores! Know that it is an affiliate code.

BPMHeidi

Okay, now my card.  This card is one I am proud of, if only because it is often hard to make cards for teen boys!

PLUS, I really think this card design will work for all skill levels of card-makers.  You can make a slightly fancy background like mine, a much fancier one, or just use patterned paper.  All the stamping on the outside of the card is basic stamping in black ink.  And I fussy cut and didn’t use any dies, so this really doesn’t use that many supplies. 

For the outside I used Jennifer McGuire’s technique where you mask off an area, use distress inks to blend, then brush some perfect pearls over top. Finally, you dry emboss the whole panel.  It looks pretty in any combination!  I added some glitter glue to accent the tiny stars in the sentiment stamp.

I did decorate the inside of the card with the drum stamp in a light blue ink. Although these stamps are intentionally distressed, I did want to add even more texture by swiping my inkpad across the stamp.  That texture shows up better in person than it does in the photo.  

The stamps I used on this card are all from the I Brake for Stamps store:

Music Sheet, Sentiment Circle Quad Thinking, Happy, Get Well, Thanks, Inspirational Phrases

Looking for more Inspiration? Click the links below!

The Blank Page Muse Shop https://blankpagemuse.com/

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Happy Trails Camp Cards

 Hello.  Well, it is a swelteringly hot summer day, so that must mean it is camping time.  I made this card to send to my son at summer camp.  

The Hero Arts background was inked up randomly with navy and black ink.  I added some copper Nuvo glitter drops to the stars and colored in one of the moons.  The images are from Purple Onion and they were colored with alcohol markers.  The sentiment is from an older Close to My Heart set. I did write the name of his camp to the sign, before sending, to personalize the card.

Hope your are staying cool today.

Seahorse Father’s Day Card

 Hello. I wanted to use this wonderful old stamp from Just for Fun (now closed) and I thought it was perfect for a Father’s Day card because of how involved Seahorse dads are.  Lol.  A little silly but that was my thinking.

I used a gelli print for the background and then I used Archival Ink to stamp the image.  I cut up my sentiment (Hero Arts Celebrate Everyday Sentiments) and stamped on a scrap of turquoise cardstock from my scrap box.

Hey, I am starting to get my craft desk more organized to a point that I can actually make stuff. I did make some purchases in the last couple months, so I unpacked those and sorted stuff so I won’t forget to use the new items. I also got a bag of neglected stamps ready to give away.  I think I can find a new owner in a facebook group I am in.  

Hope you’re well and I will see you again soon.

Outdoorsy Dog Scene Card

Hello everyone! I hope you are doing well this week!  We are having such wonderful fall weather!

I have been making a bit of an effort to collect more masculine stamps.  This stamp is called Asleep on the Deck.  I have several recipients in mind who are going to love this scene!  

I made a bit of an abstract background for this scene.  I used glossy paper and swiped my inkpads randomly across the paper.  When you wipe the excess ink off, it blends them just so.  You can always repeat the process if you want to add a little more here or there.  Then I stamped right over top with black Memento ink.  

I am not sure what occasion I am sending this for, so I left the sentiment off for now. I do think I it could work well for a dog sympathy card.  

Thanks for visiting!  Keep on stamping!

Birthday for an Outdoorsman

 I hope you are doing well.  September snuck up on me and I need to get a card out for my brother’s birthday.  He is an outdoor enthusiast, and I found this wonderful stamp that I know he will love!

I first masked off part of my card front. I then sponged green and brown distress oxide ink over the area.  I added some blue to the top to get another color of green. I spritzed this with water to get marks and then stamped over top.  

I could have done this in landscape, the stamp is big enough to cover a card that direction too.  

I then used a Happy Birthday stamp from another sets and a couple enamel dots to finish this off.  Clean and simple works well for masculine cards.

The stamps I used today can be purchased at the I Brake for Stamps store. Use my code SAVE10HEIDI to save 10% on your entire order. Outdoorsmen Collection , Sentiment from Florals Sheet .

Thank you for visiting today!  What are you working on?

Masculine Duck Card

Hello! Coming here with a masculine card to share today!  This is the time of year I start looking for baby ducks in the local ponds, lakes and waterways.  They are fun to watch.  Thinking of that made me want to use this fantastic duck scene, called Mallards.

I colored this with markers, but I was thinking as I went along that it would be a good stamp for an easy, loose watercolor look, also.  I used some neat, outdoorsy papers for the background.  I have a lot of male relatives that would like this for a birthday card, but I left the sentiment off, just in case I need to use it for a thank you instead.

You can use my code SAVE10HEIDI to save 10% off your order at the I Brake for Stamps store.

Thank you for visiting today!  Keep on stamping!

I’d love to enter SimonSaysStamp Wednesday Challenge - Use Dies or Punches and WordArtWednesday’s Anything Goes challenge.

Ombré Stamping - Sailboat Card

Hello!  Just doing a quick share today of a card I made earlier this week.  It is monochromatic, and clean and simple.  I already sent it out as an encouragement to the parents of a friend who are feeling isolated.

I’d love to enter Word Art Wednesday’s Anything Goes challenge.

Thank you for your visit!  Stay well and keep on stamping!

Nautical Card Set

Hello!  I have a set of 3 cards that were easy to put together. The Mojo Monday sketch challenge this time is a special one that turns your 2 sheets of patterned paper into 3 cards.  The cut guide and sketches are here.  

I decided that I would use stamps from I Brake for Stamps By the Sea Rubber Sheet.  This is a really great set of stamps! These were made in a pretty straightforward way, the only one that requires some explanation is the fish.  I had some dendritic paintings in my stash. (This link shows an introduction to the kind of painting.)   I stamped the fish over top of this with Staz On ink and fussy cut him out.  I had used some lumiere paint that I thought looked shiny like scales.

Thank you for visiting today! Stay well and keep on stamping!

Sailboats in Watercolor

I don’t know how many people have seen this but Stampendous is having a tutorial each week at YouTube on watercoloring.  They started out with in depth videos about the tools, and then in February started the project tutorials. They have so much information in the videos and I have learned a lot!

  They do have a line of stamps out for these projects, but I decided to buy (on sale) the Daniel Smith watercolor paints, and then start working with some stamps I already have.  

This is an OLD Stampendous stamp that I thought was a similar style.   I think this scene is awesome for masculine cards, so I decided to get ahead with a Father’s Day card.  

Supplies: Stampendous Cling Sailboat Bay stamp, Hero Arts Celebrate Everyday sentiment set, Versafine black ink, Daniel Smith watercolors, Canson Watercolor paper, other items from my stash.

I did pick up one of the stamp sets from the videos now, and will be working with it in the future.  I definitely need a lot of practice! What do you think about watercoloring?

I’d love to enter Retro Rubber’s Anything Goes Challenge (have to use an old stamp, this stamp is 5-10 years old)

Grand Canyon Hand Stamped Notecard with Distress Oxides

Hello stamping friends! I had such a busy week last week. There was a lot of running around, and one of my boys was sick for several days.  Luckily it was not the flu, but still not fun.  I spent most of my day yesterday just trying to catch up a little.  But I also made a little time to make a card, and let me tell you, that really did help me relax a little!

I was looking at this very neat Grand Canyon scene stamp and I thought that I could make a really great masculine notecard if I just stamped it over an inky background.

I used beige and brown Distress Oxides in the background, smooshing them up from my craft mat onto watercolor paper. I dried between layers and also added a little orange to suggest the color of the rocks at the Grand Canyon.  (Which I have only ever seen from an airplane! I really would like to see this one day in person.)

When dry, I just stamped over top with a crisp black ink.  I matted this in navy blue.  I think I could send this to any guy for any occasion. I’m so happy to have a card like that in my stash!

Save 10% on your purchase at I Brake for Stamps with my code SAVE10HEIDI.

Thanks for visiting!

Woodsy Mouse Masculine Valentine

Hello!  I have a cute card to share today that I am probably going to use as a Masculine Valentine. 

 It is cute,

 it is woodsy,

 and I like it!

Card process:  First I stamped my mouse and mushroom image with Memento Black ink. I colored it in with alcohol markers.  Next, I masked around the mushroom cap with masking paper.  I used red ink to stamp the Bubble Wrap background onto the mushroom cap. After removing the mask, I used colored pencils to add just a little detail.  

The background is kraft paper with a Darice woodgrain embossing folder. I inked the raised portions with Gina K dark chocolate brown ink.  I then used the brown ink to stamp my sentiment, and embellished the card with Spellbinders die cuts, cut from paper scraps.

I combined 3 different stamp sets for this card.  

Mostly Mice Sheet

Bubble Wrap Lattice and Flowers Sheet

Bauble, Doily and Words Sheet

Save 10% on these, and your whole stamp order at the I Brake for Stamps store using my code SAVE10HEIDI.

Thank you for visiting today!

Happy Trails Card - Wrap Around Card

I don’t know where the week went, but here we are at Friday!  I hope everyone had a good week. I am happy to report that my dental issues are finally resolved as of yesterday!  Just in time for Turkey?

I have a card to share today that I made a while back but didn’t get to sharing yet.  This was inspired by a wrap card made by Karen Dunbrook.  You should follow her, if you don’t already.  Every card she makes is beautiful!

Basically, you just create a wrap for your card that goes onto the back. I like how it is something different, and finishing the back makes it feel more complete.

I created my wrap by first sponging two Distress Oxide brown inks as an ombré. I then stamped the woodgrain over top.  The camper was partly colored and partly paper-pieced.  I added clear Nuvo Drops to the windows, but unfortunately, that cracked as it dried, so I guess my camper is a little run-down.  

If you create a wrap card, I would highly suggest using your lightest weight cardstock for the wrap part so that your card can still open and close easily.  It would be easy enough to use lightweight patterned paper too.  

Supplies: Close to My Heart Happy Trails stamp set, Hero Arts Woodgrain background stamp, Distress Oxide ink Vintage Photo and Antique Linen, Memento and Versafine black inks, other items from my stash.

Thanks for visiting! Will you have time for stamping this weekend, or are you too busy preparing for the holiday?  

Splash of Love - MMH July 2019 Card

So, I did need one more card to send to my son at camp, and luckily, the My Monthly Hero kit from Hero Arts for this month arrived in time.  

I did a fairly simple scene using mostly items from the kit.  It even included 5 inks, so I used most of them on this card too.  The one big addition was an alcohol ink background I had sitting around.  This I used for the water.  I hope my son is having lots of fun at camp! I wonder if they have a dock like this there.

I would like to enter this card into Crafting By Designs Summer Fun, and SimonSaysStamp’s Wednesday Challenge Make Your Own Background.

Thanks for looking!  Have a great day!

Sailing - By the Water card

Hello!  A quick share today.  I have a second card made with the rest of the Alcohol ink background I shared last week.  

I simply stamped my sailboat over the background, and voila!  A very pretty masculine card!

This card is part of JFF’s By the Water challenge that I am hosting this month!  Hope you will play along!

Monster Humor

Hello!  Today I am using my favorite Carmen Medlin monster stamp, from the Clueless set.  This time I paired it with a funny saying called Blessed Are They. (A friendly reminder that you can always save 10% at the I Brake for Stamps store using my code SAVE10HEIDI)

I colored the monster using alcohol markers.  I then used Art Glitter Glue and applied some loose glitter to parts of the monster.  When that was dry, I fussy cut him out.  

I used some scraps of matching patterned paper to create my layout.  I already have the perfect person in mind to send this card to!  They will really get a chuckle out of it! I also have some plans to use this sentiment in a scrapbook.

Thank you for your recent blog visits and comments!  My posts this last week were pre-scheduled since I was traveling with family and knew I would have sketchy internet access.  I hope to be back visiting as normal within the next day or so!

By The Water - JFF’s July Challenge

Hello!  This month, I am the blog host for JFF’s July Challenge!  The theme I picked is “By the Water.”  July is a big vacation month; and a vacation, for me, is somewhere by the water.  My first choice would be a lake where I could do some boating (skiing, fishing) but your card could be at the beach, by a river, etc.  

My card was started as an alcohol ink background, which I did, this time, on yupo paper. I think I prefer yupo over glossy paper for AI techniques, but they both work wonderfully.   I stamped my fishing father and child stamp over top of the background.  I then stamped, colored and cut out the fish and applied it to the bottom as a title.  The black card scrap was cut to look like a Polaroid frame.  

Supplies: Just for Fun Rubber Stamps Father & Child Fishing stamp, Fishing title stamp, Ranger alcohol inks and Yupo paper, Sizzix swirl embossing folder, MFT DieNamics Pierced Square dies.

Please check out the JFF blog for the link up for this challenge, AND to see the artwork that the rest of the design team made for this challenge!  I really hope you will play along!  There will be a random drawing for a gift card.  

Thanks for your visit and kind comments!  They are such an encouragement to me!

Camping Cards

I got a late start with my camping cards this year.  I always make special cards to send my son while he is away at camp in the summer.  Here is the first one.

I just recently used this background stamp in a different way (African and Tree cards in this post).  I was looking at the Tribal Blanket stamp again, and this time I saw what could be a little scene.

I colored onto the stamp with water-based markers, spritzed it with a mist of water and stamped it onto watercolor paper.  I then added the die cut tent to complete the scene.

The stamps I used today can be purchased in the I Brake for Stamps store with my discount code SAVE10HEIDI:  Tribal Blanket, Home Sweet Tent (Also check out the Overstock section, it has a bunch of great items in it right now!)

Hope you have a wonderful day!