Fusion Challenge 4th Anniversary

I have a super quick card today for the Fusion Challenge. They're celebrating their 4th Anniversary this go round so I wanted to be able to join in.  While I don't get to participate in every challenge each and every time, Fusion is one I like to check out and join in on as often as possible.

For today's card, I did a fusion between the sketch and the inspiration Photo by combining some elements from each; the linear parts of the sketch with the colors and rustic elements of the photo. 

I started with a piece of weathered wood patterned paper and colored one "board" with a Copic marker to mimic the painted wood in the photo. Taking a piece of 4.25 x 5.5 inch Smokey Shadow Cardstock, I put vertical score lines in it.  Then I added the patterned paper to the cardstock with adhesive and die cut the whole thing with a stitched rectangle die. I also cut three of the grey Memory Box Stitched Hearts and glued them together to make a thicker element and a slightly smaller Stitched Heart from the same set using scraps of the wood grained paper.

Next, I die cut a banner from White Cardstock and using the Happy Valentine's Day Sentiment from Papertrey's Enclosed: Heart set, stamped the greeting in Versamark and heat set it with Judikins Detail Silver Embossing Powder.  This is not a fine or superfine powder so I didn't want to risk trying to double emboss.  It came out very well, it's just hard to see in the photograph.  I assembled the card with Kokuyo Adhesive and finished off with some touches of Nuvo Drops in Gloss Carribean Ocean and Gloss Ebony Black. This card would work well for one of the men or boys in your life and I have someone in mind already. It was fast and easy to make.

Thank you so much for coming by today and spending a bit of time here with me.  I've linked the supplies I've used below for your convenience (Affiliate Links may be used at no additional cost to you).

Copic Marker Duck Blue BG 49 Shop at: SSS	Cuttlebug Die Cutting Machine Shop at: SSS	Kokuyo Long Dot Runner Adhesive Shop at: SSS	Memory Box Stitched Hearts Shop at: SSS
PTI Smokey Shadow Cardstock Shop at: PTI	PTI Stamper's Select White Cardstock Shop at: PTI	PTI Tag Sale: Quilted Shop at: PTI	Teflon Bone Folder Shop at: SSS
Tonic Nuvo Crystal Drops - Grande Caribbean Ocean Shop at: SSS	Tonic Nuvo Crystal Drops Glossy Ebony Black Shop at: SSS	Versamark Ink Shop at: PTI | SSS	Wagner Heat Tool Shop at: SSS

Color Throwdown #392 & Fusion Port of Call

This afternoon I am working on a couple of Challenges that I wanted to combine. This first image is from the Color Throwdown Challenge #392 and I think must have been photographed somewhere in Greece. When I saw the colors I immediately thought it would be good for a more masculine card.  That ocean, those blues... where else could it possibly be?

Then over at The Fusion Challenge they gave us this image for our inspiration.  While I didn't use the same color scheme, I tried to create elements that followed the same shapes as in the photograph, all the way down to the life preserver by using square, rectangle and circle die cuts.

To begin this card, I started with a Smoky Slate Top Folding Card Base, a 4.25 x 5.5 Kraft panel cut down with the largest Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle, a square frame, a circle frame and the sentiment in Stamper's Select White. Both frame dies were included in the Don't Forget to Write Kit by Papertrey Ink. The sentiment is from Color Pop Butterflies Kit. I used Sahara Sand and Pacific Point Stampin' Up! Inks for my stamping.

The cobalt paper is a shimmer cardstock from Recollections.  I love the color and I don't have much of it, so I tend to use it pretty sparingly.  I wanted to frame the Cobalt rectangle using the square die, so after stamping the corner flourishes in Pacific Point Ink, I cut the square in half and then lined it up and adhered the top and bottom pieces to the blue rectangle.  For the circle frame, I stamped the flourishes in Pacific Point and the inner striped circle using Sahara Sand.  The circle frame hides where the middle section of the square frame is missing. This was really fast to pull together once I had my design figured out.  

Everything is attached using my ATG Gun except for the sentiment and the tiny banner.  For the sentiment, I used Multi Medium Matte and for the Banner I used some Thin 3D Foam Adhesive Squares.

I think the colors and bold graphic style of this card would be great to give to a graduate.  In have a graduation invitation sitting on my desk for a cousin so I'm thinking I might just send this to him.  

I hope you enjoyed this card.  I have many projects on my desk right now, so be sure to stop back by or subscribe to get e-mail alerts when new projects are up. Have a great weekend everyone!  

Fusion Challenge - Lucky Days

Hi Everyone!  For this week's Fusion Challenge I wanted to keep the sentiment simple and to the point while really trying to do a combination of both the inspiration images.

For this card I wanted to incorporate the word "Lucky" to participate in this challenge and the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge as well.

When I see clover, it makes me think of all the lucky, four-leafed ones I have found over the years.  My mom has a knack for spotting them and I do as well.

I used Simon Says Stamp Lucky Ink with a Mini Ink Blending Tool all over a panel of watercolor paper.  I wanted to spray it with some Iridescent Gold Glimmer Mist to really blend the colors and this works the best on watercolor paper.  I buy the large 11 x 14 pads and cut them down to make them pretty economical. I have several different ones around right now.  Arches Hot Pressed, Arches Cold Pressed, Canson XL Watercolor Paper, and Canson Bristol Watercolor Paper which for my purposes, is my favorite.  You can't overwork it or it will start to pill sooner than the others I have, but once you kind of know what you're doing and know how to control the water, it is the smoothest. Occasionally I want something with more texture and the other ones I have around work great for this.  One of the reasons I like the Canson Bristol is that it is whiter and brighter than regular watercolor paper.  I don't have to have stark white but I don't usually want off white. It works for some things but I'm glad I have a choice.

I happened to have just this one single piece of the star vellum in an A2 size and when I saw the inspiration photo, I thought of it right away.  So with the green and the stars, I had "Lucky Stars" which seems the perfect fusion to me.  The sentiment I used is from the WPLUS9 Design Studio Lucky Stars Stamp Set and it was perfect for this card.

I heat embossed the sentiment using WOW! Metallic Platinum Sparkle Embossing Powder. With the kind of pale silver stars, I thought it was perfect.  I attached the vellum using Ranger Multi Medium Matte.  You can see it in a few places, but I hope the recipient won't pay too much attention to it.  This is for my best friend, Gloria.  She loves green!

I'll be back soon with another project.  Thanks so much for stopping by today.