Wet Leaves

Yippeeee! Creating two cards on one day - what a luxury, LOL! I enjoy a long weekend (yesterday it was the National holiday here in Germany) - so there could be no better date for the World Cardmaking Day!
Here's my card for the Cardmaking Day Insipiration Challenge on the SCS site. I chose the title of the Inspiration catalog as my inspirational piece and created a no-stamps-card (sorry!). The card catches up the wheather we have right at the moment: stormy and rainy!
I sponged my cuttlebug embossing folder with copper Brilliance ink and ran it through my machine with some black cardstock. The leaves are punched with my new Woodware punch (WHAT a tool!!!!) which not only punches the leaf but also embosses the strands. I sponged the leaves with copper, pearlescent ivy and gamma green Brilliance inks. I added some green fibers, green and brown leaves ribbon. The rain drops were created with Diamond glaze.
Wishing you all a great cardmaking night!

Unexpected but inspired cards...

I intended to create some totally different card today with my brandnew stamp sets I got for my birthday...
Okay, it was my fault that I checked the SCS Inspiration Challenge first... Out came an Asian stamp (as old as the hills, dating back into times when I didn't catalog my stamps, so I don't know the manufacturer) I already used for about 273 cards before, LOL! My new stamps will have to wait...
The branches were stamped with red pigment ink onto turquoise cardstock and embossed with red sparkling embossing powder. The flowers were colored with white Stargazers, and I added some highlight with a gold jelly pen to the branches. I stamped the Maze background with Versamark onto red cardstock, then brushed with Pearl Pigments. Then I sponged a cuttlebug embossing folder with Brilliance Galaxy Gold and embossed it onto some turquoise cardstock. Borders of the red panel and the card were edged with a Krylon pen, and finally I grabbed into the very deep ends of my craft stash and added a Chinese bookmark (which drowsed in my stash for ages) and some Chinese script peel-offs (I didn't expect to use them at all any longer...).
What can you learn from this card?
First: Don't check any inspiration challenges when you've got a card in mind already - could happen you'll never stamp it but something totally different!
Second: There's no embellishment you could not use some time - maybe it just takes ten years or so...
Third: Sometimes those unexpected cards are the ones you create in a minimum time and with maximum fun - this one took only fifteen minutes, and I like how it turned out!

A rough day?

Do you know how it feels when cards develop their own life? Today, Shellapoo is SCS featured stamper, and this was thought to be a case of Shellapoo's (Michelle's) wonderful Riley card (www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/971448?cat=500&ppuser=133522), because I've got this cute dog stamp on his chair, just as Riley, the only thing is that Riley is somewhat more diligent and knitting whereas doggie just enjoys life... I kept Michelle's color scheme and tried to keep on the layout, but the proportions of my stamp didn't work for that, so I had to use a different layout.
The dog is stamped several times with Black StazOn, then watercolored and cut out - one time the whole scene, then the chair with the doggie only, then only the doggie and finally only doggie's feet and the front and arms of the chair. I stacked the pieces together with dimensionals, then onto som scallop circle punchouts. The background paper is created with an inked cuttlebug embossing folder.
Dog stamp by Maryse Carrier, sentiment by Inkadinkadoo.
Michelle, I hope you like this card - at least I do love yours!!!

Asian Simplicity

I love Asian stamps, and after making so many sponged and brayered cards in the last weeks, I wanted to experiment a little bit with strong, non-shaded colors and clear designs. I stamped the water scene with VersaMark onto terracotta cardstock and embossed it with black powder. Then I went with a white gelly pen along the embossed lines to highlight them. I attached the scene onto white and black cardstock.
The background paper is made from black cardstock which I run through a cuttlebug embossing folder which I had inked up with Brilliance Copper ink. Though I used this "cuttlebug negative effect" before, I was really overwhelmed how "coppery" this turned out! I added a copper twine and a punched-out Asian symbol which I attached to a terracotta circle punch, again highlighted with a white gelly pen.
Though this is a VERY simple card and took only ten minutes, I really love how it turned out!
What do you think about it?