STAMPlorations 7th Birthday Bash - Day 2

It's day 2 of STAMPlorations Belated Birthday Bash and I'm popping in for a quick share! 

I'm always looking for quick and simple Christmas cards because it seems like you have to make a kajillion. This one is extra good, too because it's flat! (or mostly flat if you ignore the sequins, which your mailman will). 

I used the brand new Holly ARTplorations stencil by Sanna Lippert Designs and outlined everything using a white gel pen on black paper. Then I painted in the berries using red Perfect Pearls and added some little red embellies to some of them. I added a strip of washi tape for the sentiment and viola!

Make sure you go join in the fun this week up at the STAMPlorations blog! There are over $150 in prizes being given away!!! Also, if you buy anything from the stamp store, be sure to use code STAMPGIRLBECCA for 20% off your order! 

Baby Pink Card - Two Ways

I'm a card designer who likes to explore different styles. My favorite style by far is mixed media, followed closely by shabby chic because both seem to come naturally to me. It's like my brain thinks in layers. 

And while I admire clean and simple cards, the style is as elusive to me as liking exercise. I swear to goodness, I just LOOK at some white space and BAM! an inky thumbprint appears. 

So since there are a bevy of challenges I wanted to play along in this week, I decided to try my hand at creating both shabby chic AND clean and simple cards. 

My shabby chic card is inspired by the swath of pink flowers in the inspiration image at Inkspirational and the sketch challenge at Beccy's place. 

 

I wanted to create an uplifting card and I bought a brand new kit from Unity Stamp Company that's perfect for anyone worrying in this time of uncertainty. 

I'm in loooove with all the texture in this design and also with that big scrawly sentiment. 

My next card was inspired by three different challenges: STAMPlorations CAS card challenge's current theme is anything goes with the option of baby pink. I'm also using the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches. 

 

And there's a really cool technique challenge at the CAS Mixed Media Challenge that I've never tried before: gesso resist. 

I've done resist with a lot of things, but I've never tried it with gesso. 

I painted a stamp I had from the STAMPlorations Trendy Butterflies stamp set with a thin layer of gesso and then stamped it into the center of my paper. I apparently hadn't cleaned my stamp from the inking before and so it turned out a little gray - which I actually didn't hate. 

Gesso resist definitely isn't as foolproof as embossing resit. I found that I couldn't quite wipe away all of the color, but nonetheless it was pretty. 

I sponged it with some Distress Inks, splashed with a little bit of water, and then used some Pink Distress Oxide Spray Stain to add a little bit of darker splatter. I finished it with a simple sentiment.

It was a fun challenge to try such different styles! Which one do you like best?

Rainbows!!

Rainbows are a sign of hope and a signal of all things happy. So sometimes, if I'm feeling blue, I paint a little rainbow or two. 

I got the STAMPlorations Art Marks 2 set in the mail this week and fell in insta-love with it. I looked at the scribbly little stamps and immediately was drawn to one that looked like a rainbow. 

I know they are just a bunch of innocuous little marks, but all I see are possibilities!

So I stamped this one, and masked it, then started a stack of rainbows. Please don't mind the messy stamp block - that's my real life. ;) 

I used my Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolors on these because I wanted a nice vibrant color. I looooooove how saturated these watercolors are!

After I finished my rainbows, I stamped an equally graphic retro sentiment (STAMPlorations Big Greetings).

I'm linking this up to STAMPlorations Anything Goes CAS challenge with the optional twist of Lemon Yellow. 

I also had this piece of rainbow watercolor paper I'd created earlier, and couldn't resist throwing together this scrappy, bright card with the xxxx stamps!

Paper Shelter has a Happy Colours challenge going on and I definitely think this applies!

Quarantine Schmorantine

Hellooooooo my bloggy friends. Ope. Hold on one sec. 
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Ok I'm back. Sorry. I had to shake the rust off my blog. 

As you may have realized, I definitely have taken a hiatus from the bloggy world of cardmaking to focus on my mixed media canvas art business (you can see what I've been up to on my Instagram @damselofdistressed). 

But the thing is - the world is changing. And right now this Extrovert with a capital "E" is holed up practicing some social distancing and canceling all my plans and meetings. My two little nieces, who live in my house with me and their mama, just came back from a trip to Florida so they are quarantining for 14 days and I packed one rolly suitcase of crafty supplies and headed to stay at my boyfriend's apartment until they're cleared. 

So what's a girl to do with all her unexpected free time besides turn back to her first love of cardmaking and blogging. Can't wait to check in on some of you and see what you've been up to. 

For my card today, I decided to break out my STAMPloration stamps and do some watercoloring. I have limited supplies, so CAS is what's in in my world right now. Luckily STAMPlorations has an Anything Goes Clean and Simple card challenge every month with an optional theme of using light blue. 

I didn't choose the optional color twist, but I DID choose some fresh Springy colors that made me feel especially happy. The flowers are all one stamp from STAMPlorations - the In Bloom: Floral Bliss Trio - so no tedious masking required. I embossed them in gold. 

Once I had watercolored everything (which honestly took soooooooo much longer than I remember. God bless the watercolor cardmakers of the world.) I sprinkled it with a little white Distress Spray Stain and then embossed an uplifting sentiment from the Buttercups and Butterflies set. 

Honestly, it felt so good to make a pretty card and get lost in a design for a couple of hours. Thanks for stopping by!

How are you all surviving this current global nightmare? 

Fun Stampers Journey + Coffee Loving Papercrafters Blog Hop

Today the Coffee Loving Cardmakers team is pairing up with Fun Stampers Journey for a super fun and inspirational blog hop. You should have come here from Lori Turner's blog.

I absolutely love, love, love the quality of FSJ products. Their stamps are sooooo fleepin' cute and I can't wait to show you what I made with thier die cuts, too!

I inked up the Coffee Helps stamp set using some Walnut Stain Distress Inks. 

 

I painted in the plate using some gold Distress Paint to give it a pop o' elegance and then I splashed the same gold paint on a Hello Word Bubble wooden embellishment. 

A little stamping in the background with the coffee stain stamp, and then some more gold paint and viola! I a clean and simple mixed media card with a whole lotta personality. 

Since clean and simple cards are the complete opposite of my normal style, I had to go back to layering it up and my next card is a shabby chic creation. 

Layers and layers and burlap and twine and lace and die cuts - oh my!!! 

I used the Coffee Helps die set and some pretty paper from Bo Bunny to create my coffee mug.

Fun Stampers Journey is giving away a $25 gift card to a lucky hopper! So hop along, comment on all the blogs, and get some inspiration! Comments close on July 27.

Next up is Dana Gong's blog. 

Happy Hopping!

Visible Image + MISTI blog hop + PRIZES!

Hello Friendly Friends! I've got a blog post today that you're not going to want to miss out on. If you love Misti, or you love Visible Image stamps read til the end because there's 100 smackers worth of prizes up for grabs. *insert gasping noise here*

When the MISTI (short for most incredible stamping tool invented) came out, I definitely shelled out all my crafty savings to buy one because they are AMAZING. I use masking frequently as a technique, when I design cards and got so frustrated whenever I'd stamp an image that wouldn't be right on. The MISTI allows me to restamp the image in the exact same place every time. Believe me when I say that whatever I paid for the tool has been more than made up for in the cost of paper I would have had to chuck otherwise. haha.

A few months after they released the full MISTI, they dreamed up the mini MISTI and I'm so happy to get my hot little hands on one. I like the full size one because it's nice for using with large background stamps, but the mini appealed to me because it doesn't take up so much of my table space and I can keep it in arm's reach. And it's sooooo cuuuuuuuute. hehe

As you may know, if you're a regular reader of my blog (if not ->> hit the subscribe and I'll be forever grateful!) I am not a huge CAS fan. Mostly because if I even look at white space crosswise it somehow winds up with ink all over it. 

So rarely - if ever have I attempted the triple layer stamping technique. Since I had the handy dandy mini MISTI, I decided to give it a go. I cut 3 sheets of blank paper and stacked them atop each other, securing them in place with the magnet that comes along with the MISTI. 

I placed and inked my stamps - these moths come from the Glimmer of Light stamp set from Visible Image, which is freakin' gorrrrgeous. 

Check it! 

I stamped on the first layer, and then removed it, stamping again on the second layer, removing, and then repeated all the way until I only had the last layer to go. 

I repeated this on both sides of my card, before inking up a sentiment from the Shining Bright stamp set using VersaMark embossing ink. 

Shining Bright is another one of my fave sets. Visible Image always has the most unique sentiments and I love the slightly grungy feel to all their designs. 

I stamped a lightbulb and watercolored it, fading it out until the outer edges were a soft yellow. 

I added in some InkaGold to give the lightbulb some real life shimmer. and then speckled my card with flicks of yellows and golds. 

Once I had all my layers, I used mounting tape to give them a little lift in between. 

Taaaa-daaaaaa! I never would have attempted this technique without the MISTI. If you haven't invested in one, you neeeeeed to. Like not even a want. It's a need. You will never regret it.

Oh yeah - I mentioned prizes.

Both Visible Image and MISTI are offering a $50 shopping spree!!! Winning is pretty simple, just go have some inspirational fun along the hop with these folks: 

Veerle Moreels

Ilina Crouse

Lisa Taggart

Jeanne Streiff

Sharon Traynor

Kia Gibson-Clapper

Becca Cruger <--- YOU ARE HERE

Ceal Pritchett

Pauline Butcher

Giovana Smith

Josefine Fouarge

Chris Dayton

Jane Tyrrell

Stephanie Severin

Tenia Nelson

Janine Tinklenberg

Elisa Ablett

Dina Kowal

Heather Mitchell

Kyra Sanders

Lynn Good

Susan Wymer

Lanette Erickson

Joan Bardee

Aga Baraniak

Judy Rozema

Eileen Godwin

My Sweet Petunia

Leave a sweet comment on each post and two lucky commenters will win. :) 
Comments must be left by Monday, April 30 11:59 p.m. CST. Winners will be announced May 1st on the Visible Image and My Sweet Petunia blog. 

Happy Hopping, friends!

Growing in Unity Hop + Prizes

Boy (or in this case girl) - do I ever have an exciting couple of minutes planned for you. I'm so jealous because you guys (or girls in this case) get to hop through some AMAZING talented cardmakers AND you get the chance to win some awesome prizes from Unity Stamp Company.

If you're here from the hop, you're on the caboose of the talent train. 

Here's the official order:

Terri Burson from Waving My Wand

Sarah Vait from Sarah's Stamping and Stuff

Deborah Adams from A Creative Life 

Becca Cruger from Damsel of Distressed <-- YOU ARE HERE

Here in North Dakota, we saw the first snow of the season this week! Naturally that put me in a Christmasy mood (aka the pre-Christmas panic of realizing I haven't made any Christmas cards this season and I now have exactly ONE MONTH to get crack-a-lackin'). 

I bought the Unity Itty Bitty stamp set All is Calm All is Bright stamp set last Christmas season and never opened the package. So now I'm killing two guilt birds with one stone! I get to use a never-before-used-schtuff (in the words of Darnell Knauss) AND start my Christmas card spree. 

I stamped my image and then sponged over it with some Broken China Distress Oxides. Then I spritzed it with a little bit of water. 

To add a little texture and shimmer to my background, I schmeeeared some Heidi Swapp metallic white embossing paste through a stencil. 

Instead of letting it air dry, which would have produces flat circles, I used my heat tool to dry it. You can see that this causes the paste to bubble and crack, producing a yummy texture (and helping impatient crafters like me get on with their business). 

I put it all together, and got this little lovely! I even think I can get away with mailing it with no extra postage. Woot! 

Thanks for popping by! If you're new to my blog, I'd love for you to give me a follow. I love teaching new mixed media techniques and sharing my processes with you all - so you won't be bored! 

Now get to hopping and win some prizes!

Elegant Wedding Card

Challenge time, challenge time, let's all go for a challenge time. *humming*

I'm always in a good mood when I have a great challenge to play along with and today is no exception.  STAMPlorations Theme & Sketch challenges are back for the year after a short summer nap. 

This month our theme is Stamps & Two Colors and here's the sketch: 

 

For my design, I used an embossed card base and watercolored in the florals with a light shade of pink and a shimmery blue. 

Then I used the CUTplorations Forever Word die in a shimmery gold and added some gold splatters. 

OOOO! I'd say that is all sorts of elegant and a perfect design for a CAS wedding card.

This guy is also going to play along at Tuesday Throwdown's Clean and Simple challenge.
 I hope you'll come play along in our STAMPloration challenges! 

Watercolor Autumn Leaves Card

CHALLENGES ARE BAAAACK!!!
At STAMPlorations that is. We may have taken a little summer hiatus, but we are back and better than ever!. 

This month our theme is Stamps & Two Colors and here's the sketch: 

 

If you want to play along, we make it easy peasy. You can use either the theme or the sketch OR both. And you can also use stamps from any company you want!

I chose to use the theme this go-round.

I also wanted to take part in the first birthday shindig for CAS Watercolour Challenge. So I stamped and clear embossed some leaves from the Trendy Leaves stamp set and used my Kuretake Gansai watercolors to add a splash of vibrant color.

 I've loved playing along in this challenge throughout the year. Happiest of birthdays! 

Their theme this month is watercolours and fall leaves.

I finished my card by stamping a sentiment from the Holiday Expressions: Thankful For Autumn onto a thin strip of vellum. I splashed the leaves with some red Distress Spray Stain and added a little bit of glimmer using some clear sequins. 

There's so much gorgeous inspiration over on the STAMPlorations blog so pop over and have a peek!