Tuesday, March 10, 2015

STAMPlorations Stencil Blog Hop last day and Cardz 4 Guyz Guest Design



This post is going to have to serve double duty! It's been a crazy hectic week with blogging and vacationing, but I've had a ton of fun. Tomorrow starts the 5-hour car trip home (so maybe I'll have time to catch up on my commenting!). 

As you maaaaaay have gathered from the last 3 blog posts, STAMPlorations is hosting a 3-day blog hop to showcase the new stencil line. I've had the privilege of showcases some of them, along with new techniques every day. 



I've already covered stencils and embossing paste; stencils and Distress Paints; and stencils and Spray Stains. Today's technique is:

STENCILS AND SPONGING

Sponging is probably by far the most common way stencils are used. But that doesn't mean I don't want to show off how to do it, because great results can be achieved! That's why it's such a popular technique - doy!

I began by creating an entire sponged background using Distress Inks (Picked Raspberry, Honey Mustard, Spiced Marmalade... and now I'm hungry)


Once I had all the colors blended to my satisfaction, I put the Shutters - ARTplorations Stencil over the top, taped it down really good so it wouldn't move, and used a sponge to dab black ink through the stencil. 


The background turned out totally cool and made me want to whip out some scrunchies and legwarmers because I felt like I was in the 1980s again. 

I pulled out my trusty blackboard dies and used Perfect Pearls to add a shimmery sentiment. 


Perfect Pearls are a really cool medium, too. There are TONS of ways to use them. I've highlighted several of their uses in past blog posts, so if you want to learn more, just click on the little orange tag at the bottom of this post that says "perfect pearls". 

But I digress, here's my finished card:


I found these funky cool acrylic flower bursts from Basic Grey and fell in love. I also added a big ol' bow to complete the look. 

I'm sending this card over to the following challenges:
Happy Little Stampers - Sponging
Mixed Media Card Challenge - Hints of Spring
Mixed Media Place Creative Gym Exercise - black background + all the colors of the rainbow

As for YOU - if you haven't joined the fun at STAMPlorations, it's not too late! There's over $75 worth of prizes being given out on this hop-a-long and some of it could belong to YOU! Check out what the rest of the team made! You'll find links to all our projects here.


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I also want to showcase the card I made for Cardz 4 Guyz! It's the start of their new challenge this week - Hobbies! I get the immense honor of being a guest designer over there for the whole month of March! woohooo!

Here's my card:


Unlike my normal style, this is very CAS. I embossed all of the compasses in a navy blue and distressed some of them so the images wouldn't all be whole (imperfection is my favorite). I sponged the edges with Distress Inks and embossed the sentiment. The photo above doesn't do the sentiment justice, 


Stupid lighting! It says "I would be lost without you". Once of my father's favorite hobbies is exploring the outdoors. He taught me how to use a compass (although now he's gone "soft" and upgraded to a GPS). Thanks to my Pop, I know how to call squirrels (be really quiet and hit some stones together), start a fire with flint and steel, find deer trails, and identify poison ivy. Barring the last one, I don't really put much of these things to use... I'm more of a stay indoors and stamp kinda girl. But hey - if the zombie apocalypse ever happens, I've got a leg up, right?!

So if you make any manly cards - go enter them in Cardz 4 Guyz!!

I'm also going to enter this one into the following awesome challenges:
Virginia's View - Embossing
Just Us Girls - Masculine 
Simon Says Stamp Monday - B is for... (Boy!)

Thanks for popping by! I'll be back to my normal self  later this week and will be coming for as many visits as I can fit in!

67 comments:

  1. Oh, I loved both the cards! Thank u for the tutorial as well! :)

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  2. I have loved this blog hop and have learned so much. Your card is so RAD, I think that is a 1980's word!! Love it.

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  3. Your card is simply amazing! I love the use of the stencil and those colors really Pop. Thank you!

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  4. Great cards! LOVE that first one....so bright and colorful!! ♥

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  5. Awesome stenciled card - great tutorial too~ Congrats on your Guestie gig!

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  6. These are both really awesome designs Becca!! Love the sponging details on the first card and your second card is just awesome for your masculine design!! Congrats on your GDT! :)

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  7. Beautiful cards! Love the one with all of the compasses.....very masculine! Thanks for joining us this week at Just Us Girls!

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  8. Beautiful cards Becca! I love the first one for it's burst of colour and stencilling....and the second for it's masculinity and clean elegance! Gorgeous work! ;-)

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  9. The third day of the stencil hop - so sorry to see it end - I really enjoyed this one and have learned lots. Now I just have to put it onto practice! Your card is fabulous - love these colours and use of Perfect Pearls! Great sponging technique too! Your masculine card is wonderful - I love your design and gold sentiment. Is that true, how to call squirrels? Must try that one. Brian loves squirrels! Thanks for the stencil inspiration this week!

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  10. Two fab cards Becca, well done for being so organized before you went away. Hope you had a brill time. :)

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  11. Love your card designs, so bold, bright and graphic!!! I really enjoyed your post with lots of new techniques to learn them well!!! Congrats on your GDT!

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  12. a lot of black, yet colorful --- you did it great !!!
    and yes I´m hungry after reading your post *lol
    CU hellerlittle

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  13. Two beautiful cards, Becca. Thanks for playing along at Happy Little Stampers.

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  14. Great cards Becca, I love the bright colours on the first one! Hope you had a really lovely time away xx

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  15. great batch of cards, love the bold fun colors on the top card and CAS style on card #2!!!

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  16. Wowsers Becca! Love that vibrant Stamplorations steciled card and those BG flowers rocks! Now the masculine card also rocks I love the gold--perfect

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  17. So cool...I feel like disco dancing looking at you first card. Those colors call to me. Do I here the BeeGees in the background? That masculine card kinda calls to me, too. Your Dad taught you well. Though I couldn't call to squirrels before, I do have a lot in my yard so I now am prepared in case I wish to become the Pied Piper of squirreldom.

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  18. Your parade of stencil cards is awesome Becca! But it's the fab perfect pearls sentiment that I just can't stop looking at, reminds me that I must get them out to play again, but alas no crafty time for me at the moment. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  19. Love both your cards! So different and amazing. I am partial to those super yummy colors at the top! Wonderful! Thanks so much for this awesome Hop!~kim

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  20. I love these Becca and feel I must CASE the stencilled background on the first as it looks fabulous. Carol x

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  21. Both are so pretty but so different! Love the techniques, thanks for the info!

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  22. Fab cards, wonderful bold impacts.

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  23. I stopped by because you are one of the blogs I stalk, and look at that - a two for!! Your stenciled card is all kinds of bright amazingness! That bonus card is awesome and love the story behind it!! (And since I'm a JUGhead, thanks so much for joining us for the Masculine challenge at Just Us Girls!

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  24. I adore your stencilled background - the black over the colours looks fantastic!

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  25. Yes! LOVE the bright pops of colour & those Basic G elements in the top one.....I'm humming 'footloose, footloose' as I type this!!! And the 2nd one. You are the Queen of the Pun! Fabulous! I've a compass stamp & rarely use it. Not now! And BTW..... applauding your Outdoor Skills. Even if rusty!!!

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  26. I love that first card! It is so 80's but also could be Studio 54:) I like how the colour peeps out from the black. Your 2nd card is just perfect for a man and I love the colours and the sentiment. isn't it fun to create:)

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  27. Your stencilled card for the blog hop is amazing! So bright , so vibrant, so fabulous!
    Elaine

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  28. Thanks for the tutorial. Your card is great.

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  29. Both of your cards are gorgeous!! I love the background of the stenciled card!! It looks amazing!! And the masculine card is so beautiful!! I have such a hard time with masculine cards - you did a fabulous job!! Safe travels home!! Have a great day :)

    Lisa
    A Mermaid's Crafts

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  30. OMGosh these are so fabulous, I love them!

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  31. Funky and fab! LOVE that Shutters stencil!!

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  32. You have inspired me to break out my perfect pearls. I never have really been sucessful.... but I think it is time to try again. Wonderful projects. TFS

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  33. Your background is beautiful Becca and the finished card WOW!! Those acrylic flowers were the perfect finishing touch. And about the guy card ~ perfect!! Love the compass!!

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  34. Love that zingy stencilled background - the black really pops against the bright colours! Your guy card is cool too - love the angled panel :)

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  35. Becca, I love this dark bright creation. What a great idea. It's scrumptious. Hugz

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  36. Awesome cards! I'd never think of sponging black ink but I like the look!

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  37. Both cards are fabulous!! I LOVE how you created the background with the vibrant colors and the black on the first card. Super fun. On the second card, I love the blue you used. Fabulous design!!

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  38. I'm still learning how to use stencils, so I have really enjoyed your little tutorials. TFS

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  39. Fabulous cards Becca ! I love the way u created the silhouette using stencil, such a neat idea :) I will have to give this a try !!

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  40. My jaw dropped when I saw your first card all completed! That stencil is excellent with your technique and all the elements put together made it shine! That manly card is wonderful! Our dads were cut from the very same cloth! I think you and I were too, I'm an indoors stamping kinda gal.

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  41. Beautiful card, I like the mix of colors in the background, and the black for the stencil.

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  42. Oh for Pete's sakes...you are hilarious! And yes, you would thrive well on a wilderness expedition! What an awesome dad to teach you survival skills...you never know *grin* Your card...well, those are utterly fabulous! I'll be giving your technique a try for sure...apparently I've been bitten by the stenciling bug, of late! Safe travels home, sweet friend!
    Hugs~c

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  43. Absolutely stunning colors on your stencil card - amazing work, Becca! Congrats on your GDT stint - I may have to play now! Enjoy your vacation!

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  44. Wow Becca, both your cards are amazing. Love your sponged bright colors and the how you sponged over you stencil in black. Way Cool effect! You should add your 2nd card to Loll's HLS CAS March Sponging Challenge. Hugs, Nancy

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  45. Just LOVE your stencil card Becca. The colours are amazing. And your guy card is great.

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  46. Beautiful cards Becca.. The first one is so happy and wow! :)

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  47. A gorgeous colourful card Becca, super new stencils.

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  48. whoa!!! love the colors in the first card :) and the compass in the 2nd is perfect!!! :) awesome cards Becca!!

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  49. Love your sponged stencil background, Becca! Very dramatic with the black!!!

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  50. Fantastic background work ! Thank you for joining the Mixed Media Place challenge!

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  51. Love all of those compasses and the sponging to age it! Love you stenciled first card, too. Thanks for playing with us at JUGS!

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  52. Love the pink and yellow stencilled background and matching acrylic flowers! Thanks for playing along at The Mixed Media Card Challenge, and thanks for your lovely comments on my blog. I'll look forward to seeing your wall art ;)

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  53. First, congrats on your GDT gig, Becca... awesome guy card. And i cannot leave without commenting on the first card - super stunning colour combo and sponging. WOW!... seriously, WOW!
    hugs Asha

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  54. 2 great cards, Becca! I really love the black contrast with the beautiful sponged paper!

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  55. Congrats on your GDT, two fab cards and love the colour combo on the first one, hugs Carole Z X

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  56. Two equally lovely cards! The stencils look very cool! Thanks for playing along with us at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!

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  57. Simply stunning, love the gold embossing x

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  58. Congrats on being GDT Becca and really manly card wooohoooo I am speechless
    I think I will play there too wish I have time enough...
    now your first card you are so experted using stencil right? I am newbie
    your sponging with that color are funtastic
    I always love to see the way you made your card
    thanks for sharing dear Becca..
    hope you like to see my three stencil card I join at the linky party at the Artplorations :)

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  59. Hi there,
    I'm hopping over here from the Mixed Media Place Challenge, having participated in it myself, I wanted to see what everyone else did. Congrats on the GDT. I totally dig that you used the Perfect Pearls. I don't see many people using them anymore these days, and I'm always excited when I see someone using techniques and mediums that aren't the latest and greatest. Both cards are something anyone would be thrilled to receive!

    May your muse shine brightly!

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  60. What a great selection of cards - and thanks for the reminder about Perfect Pearls, I've not used mine for FAR too long! Lovely to have you guesting with us at Cardz 4 Guyz
    Jane

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  61. Fabulous selection of cards Becca. Love what you do with embossing, perfect pearls and distress ink..so creative. Pat K x

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  62. doy! and the zombie apocalypse! Stop making me snort into my coffee :P These are fabulous!

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  63. I think these two cards are flat out AMAZING!!! love the texture and dimension and character they each have!!! Super impressive!! Love the compass card for the guy - so well done and spot on as a good guy card!!!

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  64. What a great card! Thank you for joining the Mixed Media Place challenge!

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  65. Hey, I can ID poison ivy too! I love that wild and crazy pink and black beauty. What a burst of color. Thanks for joining us at the MMCC this month, Becca!

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