Superhero Thank You Cards

Welcome back! That’s both for you and for me! I finally made a couple of cards for the first time in weeks! It only took three days and several do-overs, but it sure felt good to be transforming plain old paper into something fun and beautiful again!!

I started out fairly simple, but wasn’t happy with the watercolor sky. (nor that I managed to get some on the inside. Fortunately, the recipient won’t mind.)

I like how shiny her little gold crown turned out!

The next one got a little more challenging with an animated inside, as you’ll see in a bit.

I like the blended Distress inks for the sky better, don’t you?!

Here’s the card in action (click on the image below to start the video):

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Animated Superhero Thank You card – detail on my 7/13/2020 blog post. (Link in profile.) #motioncrafts #animatedcard #animationart #animationstamps #uchisdesign #scrapbookingmadesimple #altenew #cityscape #spellbinders #superherocard #thankyoucard #papercrafts #papercrafting #cardmaking #handmadecards

A post shared by @ d.ann.c on Jul 13, 2020 at 12:46pm PDT

I also love that amazing holographic paper… just perfect for a South Florida vibe!…

 

Supplies:

• Altenew – Cityscape A & B cover dies
• Altenew – Signature Words dies
• Spellbinders – Palm Trees die
• Motion Crafts by Uchi’s Design – Super Friends stamp set (SMS)
• Motion Crafts by Uchi’s Design – Rotary animation set
• My Favorite Things – Peek-a-Boo Circle Windows, Jumbo
• The Ton – Most Interesting Cardmaker stamp set
• Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink
• Gina K Designs dye inks: Black Onyx, Lipstick, Sweet Mango, Wild Dandelion
• Marvy Uchida Le Plume II markers: 53, 103, 8, 94, 67, 49, 83,  87
• Ranger Tim Holtz Distress inks:  Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Worn Lipstick, Barn Door, Broken China, Chipped Sapphire, Dusty Concord
• Copic Markers
• Brea Reese Metallic Pens – Gold
• Kuretake Zig Wink of Stella clear
• Hunkydory Holographic Mirror paper – silver
• Core’dinations cardstock blue and white
• Sookwang Scor-tape
• Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue

Obviously, I’m still puttering along, but I have a huge backlog of cards I need to make, so maybe I’ll get back in the groove and you’ll see more posts soon! Thanks for stopping by and for sharing your thoughts!

~D.Ann

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2019 – The Year In Review

Phew! Another year and another decade have slipped by! Here’s hoping the upcoming year and beyond are WAY better!

Despite only being able to do 20 posts last year, I was tickled pink to have 3766 visitors and 82 followers from 78 countries visit and leave scores of comments. Thank you all!!!

Despite my limited activity, I did have a couple of special honors last year:

• On September 12, 2019, I was pleased to be featured in the ‘Caught by Altenew‘ Instagram post for this project (Blog post HERE; Instagram post HERE):

• June 28, 2019 I was surprised to be featured as “Caught by Quietfire” in the Suzanne Cannon Fan Group Facebook page for this card:

Here are the top nine from the 1150+ likes on my 34 posts on Instagram:

Looks like cards with beaches, cats and mice rule!

For the year ahead, I have some posts in draft that I wasn’t able to finish and I HOPE to get to do more crafting and posting this year. My health problems continue, plus now I’m battling the insurance company to reinstate my disability.  Dad is still doing chemo and his pancreatic cancer markers have fallen considerably, so that is good! My 5 year blogiversary is coming up this year, too. Thank you all for sticking with me and giving me so much encouragement as I continue to craft wherever the whim takes me!

Hugs,

~D.Ann

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Wake Up Brave ‘Floating’ Masculine Card and Personal Update

Hello! It sure has been a long time!!

Many thanks to those of you who have written inquiring why I’ve been away so long and then sent encouraging notes!! My heart always swells with your kindness!!

For those of you unaware, it’s been a rough few months: It started with the 40 year concrete reformation on my building that required everything off my patio for a few months… no small feat as my patio is about 1/2 the size of my efficiency! That left me with just a path from the kitchen to my bed and hardly any room to turn around, let alone craft. Then we decided to evacuate with Dorian as having gone through Andrew and Wilma taught us we never want to risk Cat 4/5 storms if at all possible. I sure feel for the folks in the Bahamas!! One small wobble and that could have been us. To top it off there have been some major family and personal health issues. As you know, it’s hard enough for me to keep up when life is ‘normal’ let alone upside-down. Despite all of that, I DO have a few posts back-logged and will post them as I can.

Enough about me. I wanted return by sharing with you this masculine ‘floating’ see-through Wake Up Brave card I made for my father who has just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (he starts chemo tomorrow):

Supplies used:

• Altenew Dodec cover die
• Spellbinders Labels 18 dies
• DCWV Shimmer Stack cardstock
• Sookwang Scor-tape
• Metal token from Hobby Lobby
• Acetate repurposed from packaging

May we all Wake Up Brave as we face each day!

I intend to be back in time for the Cat Lovers Hop (5th year!) coming up the 21st (if not before). See you there!!

Hugs to you all and thanks for your continued support!

~D.Ann

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DIY Stamped Floral Blouse with Altenew Stamps and Brutus Monroe Ink

Hello, crafty friends! I have a fun stamping project to show you today, but not stamping on paper. I decided to try something NEW. I found a sweet, plain poly-cotton lace top and wanted to gussy it up for my mom. So I pulled out my Altenew floral stamps and looked at their January 2019 Inspiration  Challenge for, well, inspiration as to where to start with colors:

Those colors are right up mom’s alley, so I gathered up the Altenew stamp sets I thought would work (four of which were brand NEW! (New AletNEW for the SSS Mon. & Weds. Something NEW challenges! LoL!)) and started laying out the stamps to get a idea of how I wanted to place them, and decided a cascade from the right shoulder down to the left waist would look nice…

 

I placed a thick rubber stamping pad inside the shirt to protect the backside from any bleed-though (there wasn’t any) and to help get a good impression from the stamps. I used the top of the MISTI stamping tool to pick up as many of the stamps as I could and moved the others away. Then loaded up the stamps with ink, flipped the lid the opposite way from usual and held my breath…

This was my first time using the NEW Brutus Monroe Surface Inks that I had purchased for this project and a couple of other ideas I have in my pile of whims. They’re supposed to be permanent once heat set. I sure hope so!!!

The impressions were light, but there. As the fabric stuck to the stamps and lifted, I was afraid to re-stamp them and have them slightly off.

I continued until I had the design I wanted complete…

Now the hard part… I used paint brushes and picked up the ink off the inkpads to paint the flowers. Painting on cloth with ink is VERY different than painting on paper! Some results I was quite pleased with the depth I was able to achieve…

Others, turned out a hot mess…

Fortunately, I was able to stamp over it with a darker color and got a more natural look…

At this point, I ironed the entire piece. First I used paper towels to protect from bleeding, but nothing came off, so I took them off and ironed again. I’ll come back and edit this post if mom has any trouble with the ink bleeding when she washes it.

To jazz up the butterfly and hummingbird, I put down some Fabri-tac fabric glue and covered it with crystal glitter that picks up the colors beneath…

I really didn’t feel like masking when I stamped them out and that left too much white space. I had thought to use rhinestones, but they were too heavy. Instead, I used the smallest of the halftone circles to fill in between the flowers. From a distance it just looks like part of the greenery.

Supplies:

• Altenew stamp sets: Adore You*; Beautiful Day; Bejeweled; Camelia Build-a-Flower*; Dahlia Blossoms*; Halftone Circles; Lotus; Peony Bouquet & Wishing You* (all sets with an asterisk are NEW)
• Brutus Monroe Surface Inks: Cabbage, Jack-o-Lantern, Jurassic, Lapis, Marsalla, Oz, Rouge, Terracotta, Sage, Sea, Speckled Egg, Stargazer, Wagon and Zest
• Beacon Fabri-Tac fabric glue
• Stampendous Fran-tage Crystal Micro Glitter

I am playing along with the following challenges – click on any one for more information on how you can join the fun!

• Altenew January 2019 Inspiration Challenge
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – Use Something New (stamping on fabric, 4 AlteNEW stamp sets (see supply list: and Brutus Monroe Inks)
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – Something New (stamping on fabric, 4 AlteNEW stamp sets (see supply list: and Brutus Monroe Inks)

Thanks for joining me today. I hope you like this project as much as my mom did!! (But, then, she’d’ve liked it just plain, too… After all, she’s my mom! lol!) Have a lovely, crafty day!

~D.Ann

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9/12/19 Thank you , Altenew for featuring me on your Instagram post: Caught by Altenew (HERE)!

You Make My Heart Smile – Altenew Friendship Card

Hello once again and welcome to another day of cards and fun giveaways for the Cat Lovers Hop!

Let’s start off with a simple window card:

The inside sentiment is probably too small to read in the picture, so here it is:

A bunch of smiles and a little note to tell you that I care, that’s what I’m sending out to you from my little heart over here. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I think of what you mean to me. It brightens my day and puts a smile on my face!

What a wonderful sentiment showing gratitude for friendship! Why, I’d send it to all of you, dear readers!

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: The gold top shine that you get with the Brilliance inks is, well, brilliant!!

Love the halftone heart as a background for an open heart window!

I’ve been making an effort to finish off my cards with something inside and out and on the envelope, too. Don’t always get it done, but this time I did. : )

Supplies:

• Altenew: Halftone Hearts, Layered Letters AFG & Modern Cats stamp sets
• Spellbinders Lace Hearts & Card Creator A2 Divine Eloquence dies
• The Paper Studio orange card
• Recollections white and peach cardstock
• Tsukineko Brilliance Rocket Red Gold pigment ink
• Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black dye ink
• Brutus Monroe Alabaster pigment ink
• Shuttle Art gel pens
• The Ribbon Boutique paw print ribbon
• Simply Defined Stay-Put glue

I’m playing along with the following challenges – click on any one of them for more information on how you can join the fun:

• 2018 Cat Lovers Hop
• Lost Coast Designs & Carmen’s Veranda Challenge #63 Cats & Dogs

• Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday – Give Thanks

 

*****      Giveaway now closed      *****

Since some kitties like to scarf down their food (now WHERE did that idiomatic expression come from?!!), how ’bout a kitty scarf giveaway?! Check out this little package (#5) of feline goodies I have to give away to one of you:

Furbulous! Cat scarf, pen, color in post cards, kitty tissues, cat eraser, washi tape, sticky notes, a magnetic bookmark, and even a glow-in-the-dark cat necklace! Fun!

What do you have to do to be eligible to win my prize package #5? If you’re interested, just leave me a comment using the word “scarf” somewhere in your comment.

Bonus entry option #1: Be a follower of my blog and leave me another comment.

For a second bonus entry, follow me on Instagram (@d.ann.c), like and comment on the post featuring this project. (It doesn’t have to be a long comment, just a heart will do.) Come back here and leave a comment letting me know that you did it and your Instagram name.

Bonus entry option #3 (for a total of 4 possible entries): Follow me on Pinterest(@dannscrafting) and re-pin any one of my cards or projects that you like. (If you don’t like them, you don’t have to pin any. lol!) Come back here and leave a comment letting me know your Pinterest name.

You will have until Midnight, Eastern Standard Time, October 28, 2018 to get your comments in. Sometime after noon Eastern Standard Time on Monday, October 29, I will publish a post listing all winners from giveaways on my blog from this hop (chosen using Random.org). Winners will have 48 hours to claim their prizes so, if you’re not subscribed, be sure to check back later that afternoon for that post!!

Phew! Time for this cat to take a little nap… see you on the prowl later today!

~D.Ann

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MarkerPOP! Guest Designer – Altenew

Hello and welcome! I’m pleased to be one of the guest designers for the new MarkerPOP! Challenge (#124) post today! Here’s a hint of what the challenge will be:

And here’s my card:

I took the Altenew Beautiful Day stamp and masked off areas of the Spellbinders Divine Eloquence die, then colored it in with Copic Markers and Tonic Nuvo Cerystal Drops.

Do POP right on over to the MarkerPOP! blog to share in the fun!

Materials used:

• Spellbinders A2 Divine Eloquence Card Creator die
• Altenew Beautiful Day stamp set
• Memento Tuxedo Black ink
• Copic Markers: G5,9,15; R22,24,29,35 YG61
• Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops Gloss: Red Berry, White, and Woodland Green
• Tsukineko VersaMark ink
• Inkadinkado black embossing powder
• Core’dinations white cardstock and Parisian Nights A2 red card
• Tombow Mono permanent Adhesive
• Aleene’s Clear Tacky Glue

I am also entering this card in the Altenew July 2017 Inspiration challenge (HERE) which is almost the same colors:

And in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes. (HERE) Be sure to check them both out, too!

I’m glad you could stop by today. I may be laid up for a while now, but I’ll be back as soon as I can… I have lots of interesting things on the back burner waiting to be shared with you! If you’re not subscribed to my blog, you may want to sign up now. (hint- hint!)

TTFN,

~D.Ann

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Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Class – Lesson 6

Well, it’s time for my card from the final lesson of  Altenew’s Creative Watercolor Media Class.

  

Lesson 6 showed another way to use re-inkers to watercolor. I liked this technique a lot! It’s fun to watch the colors spread out to wherever the water is on the paper. Although I only had 2 re-inkers, it worked just as well smooshing my ink pads onto a craft mat and picking up the ink. I added a lot of ‘raindrops’ — you regular readers know I love to take pictures of flowers that have raindrops on them. : )

Materials used:

• Altenew Peony Bouquet & Beautiful Day (sentimen) stamp sets
• Tsukineko Versamark Ink
• Inkadinkado embossing powder: Linen White
• Stampin’ Up! dye ink re-inkers: Bravo Burgundy & More Mustard
• Altenew Crisp Dye Ink: Coral Berry
• Tsukineko Memento  dye inks: Bamboo Leaves, Dandelion, Sweet Plum & Teal Zeal
• Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops: Morning Dew
• Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Cardstock
• Simply Defined 5×7 Bright White card base 200#
• Misc. teal cardstock
• Tombow Xtreme adhesive

I am entering this in the following galleries and challenges:

• Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Student Gallery.
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Well, it was a fun and informative class. I’ve learned some useful tips and have a few techniques I think I will use again and again. As you’ve seen, the the class focuses on using dye inks (on pads, from re-inkers, or in shimmer sprays) to watercolor. Click on any of the highlighted links above for more info.

Edited to add: Thank you Altenew, for the honor!

Thank you all for stopping by! If I’m not back before, have a lovely weekend!

~D.Ann

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Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Class – Lesson 5

Hello, again! Lesson 5 of  Altenew’s Creative Watercolor Media Class was on using dye inks for watercoloring.

   

The images were stamped and then the butterfly was covered with a masking fluid. Once dry, the background could be ‘smooshed’ on, dried, and the masking rubbed off.

 

This was only my second ever try with masking fluid. I don’t know if it was because of the type of fluid I used this time or the watercolor paper, but the paper wanted to pull up with the fluid…

   Argh!

But the nice thing about papercraft is most things are fixable… a Micron pen easily re-drew the lines, but when I watercolored the wing, the colors showed the lifted spots. Solution: Cover the areas with shiny metallics and dimensional liquids…

As the saying goes, ‘it’ll never be noticed on a galloping horse (or fluttering butterfly).’ lol

Materials used:

• Altenew Bejeweled stamp and die sets
• Altenew Coral Berry Crisp Dye Ink
• Memento dye inks: Dandelion, Elderberry, Rhubarb Stalk, Sweet Plum, Teal Zeal and Tuxedo Black
• Imagine Crafts IrRESISTible Pico embellishers: gold & copper
• Nuvo Glitter Accents: Fresh Snowfall
• Nuvo Crystal Drops: Morning Dew & Copper Penny
• Prima Christine Adolph Watercolor Resist Pen
• Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Cardstock
• Core’dinations Parisian Nights A2 pink card base
• Tombow Xtreme adhesive

I am entering this in the following galleries and challenges:

• Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Student Gallery.
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Hopefully, I’ll be back soon with the final lesson.

~D.Ann

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Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Class – Lesson 4

Welcome back to another card from  Altenew’s Creative Watercolor Media Class.

   

Lesson 4 was quick and easy watercoloring with ink sprays. Once again, I had trouble with my stamped image in dye ink bleeding, but I dabbed it up and re-wet and had a light grey background that didn’t seem to bother the vibrancy of the mica sprays.

Love that shimmer and how the three colors blended! I did the body and the tips of the wings after drying the blended areas. Then I used Nuvo drops to add the embossed frame some dots, hearts and a doodle to finish it off.

Materials used:

• Altenew Bejeweled stamp and die sets
• Memento Tuxedo Black dye ink
• Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists: Coral Reef, Stormy Night & Sunflower
• Tonic Studios Gloss Nuvo Crystal Drops: Apple Green; Caribbean Ocean & Carnation Pink
• Canson L’Aquarelle Hot Pressed Watercolor paper 140#
• Core’dinations Parisian Nights A2 pink card base
• Tombow Xtreme adhesive

I am entering this card in the Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Student Gallery.

There’s a lot on my plate tomorrow, but I’ll be back soon with the last two cards from this fun class.

~D.Ann

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Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Class – Lesson 3

Well, after a roaring start, I wasn’t able to keep up the pace. : ) But I’m glad to be back today with a card I made for Lesson 3 of Altenew’s Creative Watercolor Media Class, taught by the ever cheerful and talented Laura Bassen (aka Laurafadora). She used the Altenew crisp dye ink pads to paint her cute card blending a light and dark shade of each color.

I liked my last card (the 3d lotus) so much, I thought I’d do the same layout but all on one layer this time, using the same color scheme from the May 2017 Inspiration Challenge in my foreground:

I also decided that since this would involve some masking and using the MISTI stamping tool, I should take advantage of the set up time and do 3 additional cards. The MISTI makes it easy to set up a production line:

I also wanted to try stamping in the darker color of what I’d be painting for a no-line look. Then I thought while I was at it, I would compare papers. Here they are, all ready to go…

Upper L: Distress Watercolor Cardstock; Upper R: Strathmore mixed media 90#;       Lower l: Canson cold press Watercolor; Lower L: Canson L’Aquarelle Hot Pressed

Here’s how they turned out:

I learned why it’s easier to watercolor when you heat emboss the outline… the water and color stays in the lines! : ) I was surprised that the lines, although dry, absorbed the water from the fill-in and bled out, blurring the images. I can only imagine if I’d’ve used black to stamp the outlines! The Mixed Media paper was the worst at this although it said for wet media.

I selected the best one (Ranger Watercolor Cardstock) and decided to add some sunshine by watercoloring the white space in all yellow to make the flowers pop (and to see if it helped hide the bleeding). I think it turned out ok. I’ll set the others aside and try to do something with them later on.

Supplies used:

• Altenew Lotus tamp and die sets
• Altenew Beautiful Day stamp set (sentiment)
• Tsukineko Versamark Ink
• Inkadinkado embossing powder: Linen White
• Altenew Crisp Dye Inks: Coral Berry & Frosty Pink
• Tsukineko Memento  dye inks: Bamboo Leaves, Dandelion & Pear Tart
• Tsukineko Brilliance Pigment Ink: Pearlescent Beige (for the pistil)
• Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Cardstock
• Here were the other three contenders, :
  • Canson Cold Press Watercolor paper 140#
  • Canson L’Aquarelle Hot Pressed Watercolor paper 140#
  • Strathmore Mixed media 90#
• Core’dinations pink cardstock
• Simply Defined 5×7 Bright White card base 200#
• Tombow Xtreme adhesive (great for watercolor – no warping!)

I am entering this in the following galleries and challenges:

• Altenew Creative Watercolor Media Student Gallery.
• Altenew May 2017 Inspiration Challenge: Watercolor Lotus Card
• Simon Says Stamp May 2017 Work It Wednesday: Sunshine

Well, I’m halfway through the class and having a blast. I’ll be back when I can with the next card.

~D.Ann

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