Art Impressions Beach Card

"I Smell Old People."

I am very happy with how this beachy card turned out. I've been practicing my beach (sky, water, & sand) backgrounds with Ranger Distress Oxide Inks. I added some Glossy Accents to the water to look like waves and the water's edge (both look white in this picture). The very front of the sand is made with Flower Soft. It may be the first time I've used Flower Soft in the years and years I've had it. I don't know if it's even on the market anymore, but I thought it looked like dry sand.

The stamps are from Art Impressions. I'm not sure of the actual stamp names because I've thrown away the packaging, which isn't like me. I'm guessing they are older because I keep the packaging now. I colored the stamps with Copics and added little touches with Nuvo drops here and there.

 "I smell old people. Oh wait, that's you." is from the Tim Holtz Ideology Snarky Small Talk set.

The mat around the scene is a paper from the BoBunny 6x6 Beach Therapy Collection papers.

As long as the recipient has a sense of humor, I think this card would be appropriate for a birthday, retirement, or anniversary.

Everything Is Better with a Friend Birthday Card

I pretty much love everything about this card, if I do say so myself. I even like the photograph. And, everything IS better with a friend.

 

Again, I was thrifty and used scrap paper! The stamp is from the Girlfriends line by Art Impressions titled "Laughing." The sentiment is from CTMH's "Better with a Friend" stamp set.

Both the image and sentiment are matted in black cs, and I used a miscellaneous flower and some bling from my stash.

 

I used Copics to color the ladies and the open areas in the word "friend."

One thing I like to do when coloring with Copics, which was probably taught to me at my first Copic class, is to outline everything in light grey. I use C1 Cool Grey. It gives the image a little depth. Also, the pool of grey color around their feet grounds them so they aren't hanging in the air.

Shake Your Grass Birthday Card

Beachy themes are definitely my favorite.  When our closest Archiver's was having its going-out-of-business markdowns, I picked up this aging hula girl from Art Impressions called "Hula Set."  I colored her with Copic markers and added some Recollections flowers to her skirt.  The sentiment is a new mini stamp from CTMH, "Heartfelt Birthday Wish."  I used Copics again on it and then added a little sparkle with a Spica clear marker. (You probably can't see the sparkle unless you click on the image to make it larger.)  The paper, also CTMH, is "Lollydoodle," which I've used several times already.

 

The "Hula Set" is funny because you also get a little spring contraption that I used inside the card:

I affixed another image of the bottom half of the hula dancer with the spring, so when you open the card the image jiggles.  The sentiment, "Shake Your Grass" on the right also came with the same stamp set.

 

Here's a closer look at the inside image:

You can see how the image is raised, and at this angle you can glimpse the stick-on part of the spring.

I love how it turned out.  It's perfect for one of my Parrothead friend's birthday, because we've worn our share of grass skirts over the years and "shaken our grass."

Stormy Seas / Art Impressions Card

The beach-going gal on this card is in the "Sally Swimmer" set from Art Impressions.  I colored Sally with Copic markers and affixed her with dimensional adhesive.  Everything else is from CTMH's "Tommy" paper pack and workshop on the go.  I didn't take a photo of the inside, but it says simply,
"Happy Birthday."

Art Impressions Birthday Card with CTMH Roxie

This photo isn't the best, but I think this card turned out pretty cute.  I love the series of "old people" stamps from Art Impressions.  This lady on the couch came with the sentiment, which I also used.  It stamped much more clear than shown in the pic.  I stamped the image both on the plaid paper and  then on white cs.  I cut out the couch in the plaid, then colored the lady with Copic markers and paper pieced them together.  The plaid, along with the other background B&T papers, are from the CTMH
retired Roxie paper pack.

This picture is even less clear than the first one, ugh.  But you can see how I added CTMH Liquid Glass to both the wine glass and the lady's glass lenses.  I also added some cinnamon Stickles to the leopard print shirt and her shoes, and I stuck a little bling on her earrings.

 

Growing Older But Not Up -- for Him

Stealing words again from Jimmy Buffett, here's another "Growing Older But Not Up" card--this one for a guy.  The old man is from Art Impressions Golden Oldies line, and I colored him with Copic markers.

The card base is a purchased one in metallic grey.  The pink background was made with Lindy's Stamp Gang Hottie Patottie Hot Pink Starburst mist--you can see a little of the shimmer above the word "growing."  I stamped the circles with CTMH's "Love Life" stamp set in White Daisy ink.  The banner is from CTMH's "Pennant Alphabet" stamp set and stamped with CTMH's new inks, Slate and Ruby.  The dots across the top were made with Liquid Pearls.  The sentiment was made with my label maker and outlined in white colored pencil.

What Happens in Vegas...gets scrapbooked

(several posts today--make sure you scroll down)

Our trip to Las Vegas was pretty tame...a few fruity drinks, a little gambling, and our husbands posing by a busty figurehead at Margaritaville.  I used CTMH's new "Cruisin" papers for this what-happens-in-Vegas-stays-in-Vegas layout.

"What happens in" was punched with CTMH's "Vintage Type" stamps and punched out with 1/2" punch, and "Vegas" was stamped with the "Delightful" alphabet set.  "Celebrate Good Times" is fromt he CTMH "Good Times" set.  The drinks are all from SU.  The old lady playing the slots is from Art Impressions.

"Party On" is another stamp from the "Good Times" set, and "A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words" is from CTMH's "Take a Picture" set.  The row of bling on both pages is from Recollections.

Lunch Group Gifts

Today was my Lunch Group Christmas exchange.  Three fellow court employees and I used to gather for lunch almost every day.  We don't anymore, and we're not all still even in the same building, but we still get together from time to time, and for years we have gathered for a Christmas gift exchange.  Because there are four of us, we're not young, we're not thin, and we probably looked this excited to go on our lunch breaks, I thought this stamp from Art Impressions Girlfriend line would make a great tag.  I colored it with copics.  The giftbags--lunch sacks, of course.  And it's hard to read, but the license plates are LNCHGRP. 

Welcome to Finland Layout

Welcome to Finland is the name of Jimmy Buffett's 2011 tour, so it makes a great title for my Buffett tailgate layout from Alpine Valley.  The layout is based, very loosely, on the Monologue layout from CTMH's Imagine book.  I used CTMH's Sweetheart B&T papers and added Dutch Blue and Pear cs.

Almost everything on the layout is CTMH, except for the stamped woman image, which is from Art Impressions.

I paper pieced the dress with some random B&T paper, and colored the rest of the image with copics.  Her lei is made by stringing small papercrafting flowers on a piece of string and threading it through and attaching it to the back.

For the title, I used the CTMH stamp set Around the Block for "Welcome to" (barely visible in this pic), Hang Ten for the shark fins, and Bohemian Alphabet for "Finland."  I stamped "Finland" in pear ink, filled in the flowered areas with Cotton Candy marker, then cut out the letters.

Art Impressions Mother's Day Card

Third post today, and it's not even 10 a.m.!  The bathing beauty on this card is a stamp from Art Impressions, which I colored with my copic sketch markers.  The water is made from a CTMH stampset, Adorning Corners.

"Fins" card with CTMH and Art Impressions

Another card with an Art Impressions stamp.  I paper-pieced her dress with CTMH paper, andt he rest of the papers are also CTMH.  I think the lady is supposed to be doing ballet, but if you've ever been to a Jimmy Buffett concert, you know she looks like she's doing "Fins to the Left."

Art Impressions Girlfriends Cards

I love this stamp, "Girlfriends," from Art Impressions.  I colored it with my copic markers, and the papers are all CTMH.  I think this is how my fellow Parrothead gals will look at future Jimmy Buffett tailgates.

Old Lady Card

I made this card for a friend's birthday.  The image is from Art Impressions.  I paperpieced her dress, and colored the rest of her with copics.  The paper, ribbon, and sentiment are all from Close to My Heart.