You're Awesome!: Take Five

It's Monday again so I thought I'd spruce up the day with the final version of the AWESOME cards I have made for my husband's co-workers (to see all five check out my other You're Awesome! posts)!

For this last installment I wanted to create a one-layer card using kraft cardstock.  I chose to use the insanely adorable Into the Woods stamp set from Lawn Fawn.  I really wanted to try doing some Prismacolor coloring with gamsol on kraft and this little fox provided the perfect opportunity.  He's not too big or intricate but creating the reddish fur required blending some reds and browns - so a challenge without being too complicated :)  

Once the fox was on his log and the sentiment was added the card still seemed a little bland so I took the fun arrow from the set and created a vertical border.  I totally lucked out and got the spacing perfect so four of them fit without going off the edge of the card (no idea how I pulled that off on the first try!).  I added the arrow to the You're Awesome custom sentiment on the inside to tie it in to the front.  A little Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush Pen and some white dash lines finished it off.

 Here is a look at all five AWESOME cards!  Which one is your favorite??  I think I did pretty well at meeting the challenge I set for myself to make each card unique but still use the same sentiment.  I really had some opportunities to stretch my card-making comfort zone and learned a few new techniques along the way!  Thanks so much for stopping by for the grand finale of my AWESOME card challenge.  Don't forget to leave me a comment and say hi!  

You're Awesome!: Take Four

Hello again! I hope you all had the most fabulous holidays! I was completely spoiled this year and got some amazing goodies to add to my craft room (I'm completely giddy with joy!!!!).   A Big Shot, a lamp for my workstation, and a new set of Prismacolor pencils are just a sample of the glorious fun my hubby got me this year. I haven't had the chance to play with my new toys yet but I do have another "You're Awesome!" card to share with you today.  This is also my entry in this week's Friends With Flair challenge by Unity.  

For the fourth card using the custom sentiment my husband requested for cards for his co-workers I decided to use some Distress Inks and Markers to watercolor this beyond adorable image from the November Kit of the Month from Unity. I am pretty much obsessed with owls so this guy is going to be a favorite. 

To add a little something special I stamped the image in VersaMark ink and heat embossed it in chestnut Zing embossing powder.  I found a cute little mushroom in another Unity kit I had to add to the sentiment inside and tie it to the toadstool on the front.  A few sequins and some Wink of Stella clear glitter brush pen finish off the project.

Thanks for stopping by!  Leave me a comment and let me know what fabulous fun you got for the holidays!  Check back soon for the final AWESOME card, as well!  Happy holidays and a happy new year to you and yours!!!!

You're Awesome!: Take Three

I don't know about you but with Christmas right around the corner I'm finding it difficult to get anything made that doesn't have Santa Claus or Rudolph on it! But I really wanted to take a break from yuletide crafting to make the third "You're Awesome!" card for my husband's co-workers.

For this card I used all products from the December 2014 Card Kit from Simon Says Stamp.  Now, I tend to gravitate more toward the cutesy images that can be colored and whimsical so this stamp set with it's geometric images and clean lines was tricky for me to work with.  I do love the way all of the elements can be repeated to create fun backgrounds so I decided to create my own embossed cardstock using the Ranger Platinum embossing powder from the kit.

I then made a little window for my custom sentiment and got to use the great stitched and sketched circle in the stamp set.  I finished it all up with a great technique I got from Kristina Werner's videos - embossing the edges of the card. This is an easy, simple way to really make your card feel finished.  Just brush the edges of your card with your VersaMark ink pad, like you would to distress the edges. Then sprinkle with embossing powder and heat set. 

I hope you all enjoy!  Check out my first two "You're Awesome!" blogs and let me know how you think I'm doing with my challenge to make them all totally unique. I hope you all have very happy holidays and thanks for stopping by!

You're Awesome!: Take Two

Hello again! It's time for my second go at creating a card using the custom sentiment "You're awesome" for my husband's co-workers.

For this card I decided to go with paper piecing and the irresistible Science of Love stamp set by Lawn Fawn. I think this set has so many versatile elements, plus I really dig the nerdy aspect of it. 

First, I stamped a Heidi Swapp chevron background using white pigment ink on some kraft cardstock.  Next, I stamped and paper pieced the little book from Science of Love as well as the small tag from the Birthday Tags stamp set, also from Lawn Fawn.  I used the coordinating die from Tag, You're It to cut out my tag but fussy cut the other elements on the card.

The best part of this card is the punny sentiment inside using part of a sentiment from the stamp set and part custom sentiment with Lawn Fawn's Jessie's ABCs  (are you sensing a theme with the stamps yet?).

I really like how the finished result turned out AND it is completely different from my first AWESOME card, which you can check out here!  Two down, three to go! Thanks again for stopping by! Don't forget to leave a comment and say hello!

You're Awesome!: Take One

It's Friday!  Hope you all have fantastic weekend holiday plans to look forward to.  For today's card I was unknowingly given an interesting challenge by my husband.  He requested five cards for some of his co-workers to thank them for helping him out (he's the theater teacher/director at a high school so he needs A LOT of help).  He specifically asked that they say "You're awesome" because that is what he tells them whenever they do him a favor.

So I decided to take this idea and run with it.  I've challenged myself to create five completely unique cards that are all AWESOME!

For my first card I inked up a new Unity Stamp Co. Kit - Birdie Conversation and used Distress Inks to create a background and watercolor my adorable little bird.  The Jessie's ABCs set from Lawn Fawn was perfect for creating that custom sentiment.  Finish it up with a little twine and some rhinestone sparkle and my first AWESOME card was complete! 

Stay tuned for the other four takes on "You're Awesome!".  If you have some AWESOME ideas or projects to share I'd love to see them in the comments.  There's no better inspiration than the talent of fellow crafters!  Thanks for stopping by!

Unity {be inspired} Challenge #6: Let It Snow

Happy Wednesday, all!  It's time again for another entry in the fabulous Unity {be inspired} Challenge.  This month I chose to use the color palette as my inspiration.  I chose this rather than the card layout because the colors that Unity selected, while very beautiful, are a little outside of my normal comfort zone with colors so I really wanted to challenge myself to come up with something awesome even though I may not have chosen those colors on my own. 

See what I mean??  Gorgeous!  But still not something I would have put together on my own.  Along that same vein, I chose to put together my very first shaker card for this challenge.  I have been watching some great videos with amazing shaker cards and I just had to try it!  So I figured, hey, I'm already pushing my boundaries, why not just blow through them altogether and do something totally new?!

So here is the final result!  I used the Like A Snowflake kit from Unity and just went to town stamping and heat embossing those amazing snowflakes.  I hope you all enjoyed my entry in the Unity {be inspired} Challenge this month!  Check out Curl E. Cue's on Facebook and give me a big ol' LIKE!  Leave a comment and let me know what you think!  Have a great evening and thanks for stopping by!