Coffee Card Monday

Hello there, so kind of you to drop by! Hope you survived your Monday.  It's been storming here on the upper Texas Coast, thanks to Tropical Storm Barry. My weekend was spent in the sick bay with a few strange afflictions that hardly ever strike me: swollen feet, headaches and, for lack of a better name, throat congestion. Plus, my usual arthritis pain has increased. So, not as much art play as I would have liked. The swelling in my feet has gone down but they are still very tender on top. Honey also had the throat thing, but neither of us have a temperature or feel sick. Just weird. I have a regular doctor appointment later today, so we'll see what my doc thinks it is. I am mostly worried these might be side effects from my new meds...

I am sharing 2 A2-sized cards with you that I made yesterday, both inspired by me wanting to use these Stamps Happen wooden stamps I bought years ago at Hobby Lobby and had yet to ever ink up. So I stamped both on Office Depot 110# index stock using VersaFine Clair Nocturne ink, clear-heat-embossed and fussy cut them.

Here's the first card I made, with the Latte' image which I colored with ProMarkers.

 

I got my colors from the current Fusion challenge photo. I also liked the diagonal upsweep of the paint strokes, so I positioned my ribbon similarly. Now that I had my color scheme, I was ready to find materials.

I chose the ribbon from my stash first, then spotted the A2 polka-dotted card base blank in a birthday card blank pack I'd picked up dirt cheap somewhere. Cute designs, but the card stock is thin and flimsy so I knew then my paper layers needed to be sturdy for support. I have a stash of old DCWV card stock mat stacks sized 4.5 x 6.5 in various solids, so I rummaged through and found some nice color matches. I used an Elizabeth Craft coffee bean embossing folder on the brown background layer, matting some white underneath. I used my Big Bite Corner Chomper to alternate rounded corners on my layers. I used the light and hot pink card stocks to cut the MFT flag dies called Fishtail Banner Stax, and some more white to cut the MFT rick rack die that is called Chevron Stripes. I layered the ribbon over the paper rick rack which makes it just peek out here and there. I mounted my image on the larger flag and stamped a sentiment on the smallest flag.

 For the card's inside, I chose some patterned paper from a huge 12x12 Best of K&Co pad, just to line the surface. I'm keeping it blank inside for now. If I want to hand-write a note I can use my Sakura Silver Shadow gel pens and it will show up nicely on the dark paper.

My card back is matted with some hot pink card stock and some of the leftover pinks and the rick rack. I die cut more flags and stamped an Impression Obsession siggie.

The card base is showing up greyish black here but is really a very deep dark brown. I quite like the combination of the pink coloring of my image. Pinks always go so well with browns.

CHALLENGES FOR MY LATTE' CARD:
1.  Fusion Card Challenge July 11-23 - I used the colors and diagonal sweep in the above photo.
2.  Crafting from the Heart #247: Always AG
3.  LTCCB #36: AG
4.  Crafty Creations #394: Always AG
5.  Aud Sentiments #231: Sentiment + Bingo - I chose Ribbon/Digi or Stamp/Die Cut.

6.  Outlawz Sunday Songs & Rhymes July14-27: July Morning - The singer of the song obviously began his day with some coffee and is thinking about who he is singing to A LATTE. {grins}
7.  Brown Sugar #291: AG
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now for my second card using the cafe' coffee image. Since I had ribbon and paper left, I made this card with the same materials as the latte' card.

 

For this card I chose a Splitcoast Stampers card sketch from a few weeks ago. I again colored my image with ProMarkers. I stamped a Stamplorations sentiment with the Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink.

 I used more of the K&Co sheet for the inside, opting to keep it blank of stamped sentiments like my Latte' card.

For the back of this card, I used a pink card stock mat and layered my last bit of the K&Co sheet. I then added some leftover card stock strips and stamped another Impression Obsession siggie.

I think I like the Cafe' card a bit better, but I very much like how both cards turned out. I think my preference for the short wide "soup bowl" cups is what it is. {winkwink}.

CHALLENGES FOR MY CAFE' CARD:
1.  Split Coast Stampers Weekly Sketch #SC752 - Sketch is shown, above.
2.  Use Your Stuff #367: Masculine
3.  LTSCB #123: AG - I've stamped the focal image and the sentiment.
4.  Creative Crafters #18: AG
5.  ABMTTC #96: Always AG
6.  Through the Craft Room Door Week of July 16: Always AG
7.  Colour Crazy Challenge Week 26: AG with Colouring - I used ProMarkers to color my focal image.

That's all for me. Hope you have an art-filled day! xoxo