Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #124 - Fiona's Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

This week happens to be our Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge at the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  It's hosted by another one of our new Watercooler Artists, Fiona Whitehead.

There always seems to be a need for masculine birthday cards.  I have three sons and seven grandsons as well as all the other male family and friends I have in my life.  I must confess that I make way more feminine cards than masculine so I love that we have a masculine challenge as part of our lineup at the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.    

Stamp Set:  Wetlands (Stampin' Up!); Ink:  Soft Suede (Stampin' Up!); Cardstock:  Always Artichoke (Stampin' Up!), Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!); Patterned Paper:  Capella Paper Pad (Basic Grey); Other:  Twill Tape

For all the challenge details and to share your project, visit the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge by clicking the image below.  We'd love to have you join us.  You have until Monday, June 26th at 6:00 p.m. Central Time to link your project.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

Bright Butterfly

So, between chores and cleaning and sorting and again, rearranging my craft room, I managed to sit down and make this simple but pretty butterfly card.  It's another of those I made for my "thinking of you" stash.  These days it seems that I have more family and friends who live away than close by to share a cup of coffee.  Sigh,  I think my three sons should have taken me with them when they all moved out west, don't you?  😉

Stamp Set:  Wetlands - sentiment (Stampin' Up!); Inks:  Tim Holtz's Fossilized Amber Oxide and Spiced Marmalade (Ranger), Soft Suede (Stampin' Up!); Cardstock:  Soft Suede, Whisper White (both Stampin' Up!); Patterned Paper:  Gabrielle (Bo Bunny), Succelent Garden (Stampin' Up!); Other:  Butterflies Thinlits Dies (Stampin' Up!), Simply Stamped - Butterflies Dies (Taylored Expressions)

The theme I used is from the Retro Rubber Challenge. It's an anything goes and one of my favorite kind of theme.  But, you have to use a stamp that is a year old or older.  For this one I used the sentiment from Wetlands which is from the 2013 Annual Catalog.

The sketch I used is from the Sunday Stamps Challenge. I loved the simplicity of this sketch. I've been using up bits and pieces of things I have laying around my desk and the butterfly patterned paper was perfect to showcase that bright Calypso Coral butterfly.

So glad you stopped by the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha

A Study in Clean and Simple

After days of rain and gloom and cold, we finally have lots of sunshine and blue skis.  It makes for a very pleasant day.  The kind where you want to throw your windows open and breath in the clean air.

But, it also finds me in somewhat of a dilemma.  I'm entering a new challenge for me and also trying out for the Design Team at the AAA Cards Clean and Simple Challenges.  As many of you know I love clean and simple cards.  There is just something very elegant about them.  I've made two cards for the challenge but I can't decide which one I like the best so I'm including both in this post.  That's my dilemma so I guess you could say, dilemma solved.

Here is the first card I made using a negative from a die-cut label and my Clarity Stencil Brushes.  I love those brushes.  I used temporary adhesive to hold the stencil in place and used the brushes to add color and fill in the negative space.  Once done, I stamped the image and sentiment in Tuxedo Black Memento ink and the card was done.

Stamp Sets:  In the Meadow (Stampin' Up!), Wetlands - sentiment (Stampin' Up!); Inks:  Cucumber Crush, Marina Mist, Soft Sky (all Stampin' UP!); Cardstock:  Whisper White Thick (Stampin' Up!); Other:  Labels Collection Framelits Dies (Stampin' Up!), Clarity Stencil Brushes (Clarity Stamp)

For my second card, I used some Stamping Mask Paper, another product that I love.  I just recently learned there was such a paper when I took a class at Taylored Expressions all about the Clarity Stencil Brushes.

I die cut the word sunshine from a piece of the Stamping Mask Paper and attached it to the front of the card.  Then, I used the Clarity Stencil Brushes to add the color.  I stamped the sentiment from the Sunshine Sayings stamp set in Old Olive ink.  The dot over the i has a drop of the White Blizzard Glitter Drops.  And, there was another done.

Stamp Set:  Sunshine Sayings (Stampin' Up!); Inks:  Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie (all Stampin' Up!); Cardstock:  Whisper White Thick (Stampin' Up!); Other:  Sunshine Wishes Dies (Stampin' Up!), Stamping Mask Paper (Inkadinkadoo); Clarity Stencil Brushes (Clarity Stamp), White Blizzard Glitter Drops (Nuvo)

I've entered my cards in the AAA Cards Clean and Simple Challenges.  For all the challenge details and to share your project, click the image below.

Thanks for stopping in at the Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe,

Marsha