Butterfly Sympathy Card - AHSC#574

It's been raining cats and dogs for the past week, so the good news is I didn't have to go out a lot, however I've been stuck at my computer most days trying to finish up Council business and my own paperwork.

So today it was a nice change getting together with my stamping bestie, Sheri, and tackle some card challenges.  Even though it was wet, dark and gloomy outside we had such a good time in my craft room.  Just being able to sit for a few hours, having a laugh and giggle at the week's silly stuff and being creative together was just the best medicine to help me forget about all the work still on my desk.   

We decided to tackle some challenges that are coming to an end this weekend, so began with a simple sketch challenge from the Atlantic Hearts. Challenge. 

HERE'S MY CARD: 

Unfortunately I need another sympathy card, and decided to use the Atlantic Hearts sketch and paper supplies from Stampin' Ups@ April Paper Pumpkin Kit called Delicate Wings.  This kit really keeps on giving as this is the 18th card I've made with it so far and I know I still have enough supplies to make at least ten more. 

Apologies for the poor quality of the photos.  The very shiny basic gray and gold metallic design on the top layer of the card really casts a reflection.  

In this closeup you can   see the beautiful two layer butterfly and the gold threads that are behind the hexagon.  You can also see the lovely butterflies that are embossed on the hexagon focal point. 

The inside of the card is very plain with the sentiment and lovely butterflies stamped in Moody Mauve ink directly to the card base.  

• This card began with an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of Sahara Sand cardstock scored at 4 1/4".
• For the foil layer I cut one of the basic gray cards in the kit in half and then cut one piece into a 4" x 5 1/4" mat.
• For my focal point I replaced the banner with a Moody Mauve hexagon that was embossed with the now retired Fluttering Textures Embossing folder. The hexagon was easy to cut out with the Delicate Wings dies which were an add-on to the April Paper Pumpkin kit.
• Before adhering the hexagon to the card face I made a figure eight with some gold thread and attached it to the back of the hexagon with glue dots.
• The sentiment banner is from the kit and was added with dimensionals.
• To finish the card I added three 2023-2025 In Color Dots in Moody Mauve and a 2-layer butterfly that I stamped in Moody Mauve ink onto Sahara Sand cardstock and layered the dies in the kit to cut out with the butterfly.

I hope you like this week's challenge card and will drop by to leave me a comment.  Thanks again for stopping by.  

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Independent Stampin' Up! Demo

Click here for my Web Store:    

NOTE:  I've also added this card to to Kats Scrapiness Blog Challenge following a comment by Buffy Kramer on my card.  Thanks so much! 

Sympathy Card with Flowing Flowers

 

Although this stamp set recently retired I wanted to share this very special card I made for a neighbor whose husband passed away after a valiant struggle with cancer.  

The Flowing Flowers stamp set is part of the "distinktive" stamps that give a very deep impression and look very realistic.  To make this card, I began by stamping various floral images, leaves, butterflies and hand written text on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of whisper white card stock.  This technique is called a One Sheet Wonder (OSW).  I stamped the images with Highland Heather, Fresh Freeshia, Polished Pink, Soft Succulent and Tranquil Tide inks.  

When I had finished assembling this card, I made a serious mess stamping my contact information stamp on the back of my card, and the image was all smeared.  I would never be able to send a card out like that, but luckily I had an additional 4" x 5 1/4" panel of the OSW cardstock, so I adhered that to the card backing and Voila the card looked pretty again. 

The inside of the card features whisper white panels that are trimmed with 1/2" x 5 1/4" strips of the OSW and sentiments stamped with Tranquil Tide ink.  These sentiments are from a retired Stampin' Up! set called "Love & Sympathy".

I stamped the floral image from the Love & Sympathy stamp set in Garden Green and then adhered the small flower cluster from Flowering Thoughts with dimensionals.

I hope you liked this card and I'd love to hear your thoughts on the extra layers for the inside and how you cover up stamping boo boos like I did on the back of the card. Enjoy!

Until the next time............

Happy Stamping!

Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot 

https://pennyhanuszak.stampinup.net

WWC73 - Gail's Clean and Simple Challenge - Summer

It's officially summer now, so how appropriate that this weeks Watercooler Wednesday Challenge hosted by the wonderful Gail Allen is a Clean & Simple (CAS) challenge with a Summer theme.  What fun! 

Living on the West Coast it's hard not to equate summer with being at the beach.  I have fond memories of end of school year outings to the local beach.  My classmates and I were always looking for sea life in the tidal pools, and hoping we'd be the one to discover something bigger and better than a sand crab?  It was so exciting and such fun!

Well I had that same feeling of excitement while using the two-step star fish images from the Picture Perfect stamp set for this card. It was my first time inking up these stamps and that little star fish was calling my name. 
Here's my card:

Background Design:
Visually I divided this card into three sections, but if you wanted to you could use an acetate or post it note mask on each area.  My card base was an 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of Soft Suede Textured card stock scored at 4 1/4".  I added a 4 x 5 1/4" layer of Island Indigo and a 3 7/8 x 5" piece of Whisper White card stock that was sponged with with Crumb Cake, Island Indigo and Soft Sky inks. Working with a piece of scrap paper beneath the layer of card stock I'm stamping makes it easier to manage the amount of colour I'm applying.

Sand:  Starting from the bottom and working towards the sky with Crumb Cake ink I sponged in circular motions until I had the sand a third of the way on the card stock.  To give some life to the sand I stamped the speckled image from Gorgeous Grunge in Soft Suede and then again with Versa Mark and Gold embossing powder.

Water: To get the look of movement in the water I stamped the lined image from Gorgeous Grunge in Island Indigo ink just above the sand line.  Starting off the card stock I began sponging with the Island Indigo ink in a soft circular motion until I had sponged the ink just above the lined image. 
 

The Gorgeous Grunge Set contains 5 texture images that are perfect for creating background scenes.  For this card I used the top speckled image for my star fish and sand and the lined image that looks like tire tracks for the water.

Sky:  I sponged Soft Sky ink in a circular motion from the water line to the top of the card, so it looks like soft rolling clouds on the horizon.  The sentiment is from Rose Wonder and is stamped in Early Espresso ink.   

Note:  I'd already attached the star fish to the card base before I chose this sentiment, and while I was stamping it I rocked the stamp resulting in some blurring.  If you're CASing this card I'd recommend stamping the sentiment first and then adhering your star fish. Lesson learned.

Star Fish:  To bring this star fish to life I began the process by stamping the first image in Crumb Cake ink on a scrap of matching card stock.  The second star fish stamp has more texture and I stamped it in Soft Suede.  I stamped a third time in Crushed Curry and then stamped the small speckled image from Gorgeous Grunge in Versa Mark ink across the center of the star fish and heat embossed the speckles with Gold Embossing powder. The star fish was adhered to the back ground with small strips of the new foam adhesive strips - love this stuff!  It's only 1/8" wide so perfect for this embellishment. 

Inside of the Card:

Since I didn't have any small star fish stamp images, I couldn't resist stamping these little sand pipers on the inside of my card.  There from one of my favourite Stampin' Up! sets called Wetlands.  

Supply List:
Stamp Sets:  Picture Perfect, Gorgeous Grunge, Rose Wonder, Wetlands 
Card Stock:  Whisper White, Soft Suede, Island Indigo, Crumb Cake
Ink:  Island Indigo, Soft Sky, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Crushed Curry, Versa Mark
Accessories:  Snips, Heat Gun, Paper Trimmer, Gold Embossing Powder, Tom Bow Glue, Foam Adhesive Strips 

Well that's it for today. I love hearing from all my visitors, so I hope you'll leave me a comment and let me know what beach or summer memories you remember.

Click here to access the WWC73- Gail's Clean and Simple Challenge and visit the other design team members to check out the details on their WWC73 CAS Summer entries.  There are some awesome designs and tips so you won't want to miss out on.  And, I hope you'll decide to play along, it's a great way hone your stamping skills.  It's easy and you have until next week to get your entry in.  In the meantime Happy Stamping! 

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot 

Floral Frames Sympathy Card

Sadly, I've just learned my friend Bev's mom passed away over the weekend.  I knew from talking with Bev recently that her mom's health had been failing for some time and she had been slipping away little by little.

I'm so grateful my husband and I had an opportunity to meet Norma and her sweet husband Mel, some years ago and have fond memories of those get-togethers.  

We first met this great couple from Winnipeg on one of their visits to Black Mountain Ranch, in Washington state. Our memories of Norma's friendliness, warmth and great cooking skills during those visits remain. She was one of those women you instantly took a liking to, with her great smile, strong hug and wonderful sense of humour.

Our sympathy goes out to Mel, his children and grandchildren in the loss of their wife, mom, grandma, and an all around great woman.   

Here's a card I made to express our sympathy:

Supply  List:
Stamp Sets:	Gorgeous Grunge, You’ve Got This
Inks:	Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake
Card Stock:	Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake
Accessories:	Floral Framelits, Basic Rhinestones, Detailing Scissors, Tom Bow Glue, Dimensionals
Tools:	Big Shot, Paper Trimmer

This is the inside of the card.  I added the additional cut flowers to cover the back of the ones on the front of the card. 

 

Happy Stamping! 
Penny Tokens

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #151

It's Labour Day weekend and, as usually happens on a long weekend, we've had a mixed bag of weather, with cooling temperatures and some rain.  I feel sad that the beautiful warm weather we'd been having didn't hold for all those families trying to get in one last camping trip or day at the beach before the bustle of September and back to school starts. Oh well, it's the prelude to fall. 

Today I've made a Sympathy card based on a sketch from Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #151.  I liked the simplicity of this sketch designed by Kim Singdalsen the Freshly Made Sketches August Guest Designer.  It was her first ever sketch, and she's done an awesome job!  Check out all Kim's other great cards on her blog Joyful Creations With Kim.  

Here's Kim's Sketch:

Here's My Card:

Supplies:
Stamp Sets: 

• Four Frames
• Teeny Tiny Wishes 
• Friend to Friend (R)
• Gorgeous Grunge
• Papillion Potpourri
• Stippled Blossoms

Card stock:  

• Crumb cake for the 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" base, the 3 1/4" x 3 1/4" layer and the 1/2" x 3 1/8" banner.
• Soft Sky for 3 x 3" layer and scrap for the Decorative Label layers
• Very Vanilla 5 x 3 3/4" for first layer, 2 7/8" x 2 7/8" for stamped layer and a scrap for the Decorative layer and butterfly.

Ink:  Crumb Cake, Early Espresso and Soft Sky

Accessories:   

• Decorative Label Punch
• Bitty Butterfly Punch
• Square Lattice Embossing Folder (R)
• Honeycomb Embossing Folder 
• Aqua Painter
• Basic Pearls
• Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Adhesive Strips

 

The Very Vanilla layer measuring 5" x 3 3/4" was embossed with the Honeycomb Embossing Folder and then randomly and lightly stamped with the speckled stamp from the Gorgeous Grunge set and Soft Sky Ink.

The banner strip was cut from Crumb Cake card stock and embossed with the now retired Square Lattice Embossing Folder.  Three medium sized basic pearls were added for some interest.

For the 3rd layer on the card I stamped the floral image from the Four Frames stamp set in Crumb Cake on a piece of Very Vanilla card stock.  Details on the flowers were touched up with Soft Sky ink and an Aqua Painter.  One small basic pearl was added to the top flower to tie it in with the flowers on the 2nd layer.  This piece was punched out with the Decorative Label punch and a border was added in Soft Sky card stock.  Some small sprinkles were added in Soft Sky with the Gorgeous Grunge stamp.
 

Decorative Label Punch coordinates with the Four Frames Stamp Set.

Four Frames Stamp set - a very stylish stamp set.

I started the design on the 2nd layer of Very Vanilla card stock by randomly stamping the sprinkle image from Gorgeous Grunge in Crumb Cake ink.  The large rose and smaller detailed petal roses from the Stippled Blossoms stamp set, were then stamped randomly in Crumb Cake  ink. I used an Aqua painter and Soft Sky ink to add shadows and hints of colour to the roses and then finished off this layer with a smattering of tiny basic pearls in the flower centers. 

I

 I wanted to keep the inside of the card simple with lots of "white space".  A 5 x 3 3/4" piece of Soft Sky was added to the inside of the card and topped with a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock measuring 3 1/2" x 4 3/4".  The sentiment "Thinking of You" from the retired Friend to Friend set was stamped in Early Espresso and the large flower image from Stippled Blossoms was stamped in the bottom corner in Soft Sky.

The beautiful little butterfly was stamped twice in Soft Sky ink on Very Vanilla cardstock and then punched out with the Bitty Butterfly punch.  The edges of the butterfly were sponged with Soft Sky and Crumb Cake inks.  The butterflies were nested with a Glue Dot and then added to the card with a dimensional.  The wings were fluffed up with the bone folder to give an appearance of flight and finally a small band of pearls was added for the body. 

Here's the finished card.  I'm pleased with how it turned out. 

Well that's it for today folks.  I hope you'll take the time to go and check out all the other entries and guest designer cards for this sketch on the Freshly Made Sketches blog site.  There is so much creativeness and awesome ideas there. 

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens

Just Add Ink Colour Challenge #225

 I couldn't wait to get started on this week's Just Add Ink's Colour Challenge #225 because I truly like this color combo.  I think it's one of my all time favourite combinations.  

 

Here's my card: 

Supplies: 
Stamp Set:  Bloom With Hope
Ink:  Smokey Slate, Memento Tuxedo Black, So Saffron
Card stock:  Whisper White, Basic Black, So Saffron and Smokey Slate
Accessories:  Trimmer, Heat Gun, White Embossing Powder, Smokey Slate 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Modern Label Punch, Adhesive, Tom Bow Adhesive

How I Made This Card: 

This card was made with a fun technique known as "Triple Time Stamping".  Although it might not look it, this is a very quick and easy card to stamp and assemble.  Several months ago I posted a tutorial on my post "Fabulous Florets and Secret Garden go Triple Time".   Check out this post for measurements and details on how to make a Triple Time card.  

For this sample, I decided to make a Sympathy card, but with a change of Sentiments, this would make a wonderful Birthday, Thank You or Thinking of You card.  

I used the Bloom With Hope stamp set which is one of the wonderful new Hostess Stamp Sets in the 2014-15 Idea Book and Catalogue. 

You can get this 11-piece sketched design stamp set for FREE by hosting a party with me.  Simply give me a phone call or an email and we can set up a date and time that works for you and your friends. 
 

The inside of this sympathy card has a verse and flowers from the Bloom with Hope stamp set.  I've lined the interior of the card with two 5 x 3 3/4 inch Whisper White liners to provide extra writing space for special words of comfort.

 

Well that's my card for today.  Hope you liked it and will leave me a comment.  If you're interested in Hosting a Party in your home or mine, let me know.

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens