A summery farewell

My time as a designer at SweetPea ends tomorrow but I just had to show you these 3 cards that I made with the newest plate.

My new favorite tool is a dry preferably scratchy old washcloth to add that touch of beach sand to a summer card. Sweet!

No special trick here, but I have taken to using punchies instead of brads to keep the post office from charging me for fat envies!

Girls just wanna have fun ... and stampin with Sweet Pea has been a blast! Thanks for looking at my cards - I have enjoyed sharing.

Cat

Find yourself at sea

E E Cummings had the right idea about finding yourself at sea; but not when you sail down the Hudson where my son sails! This is the card I made for him after his sailboat collided with another in a speed race.

Credit for this card goes to Schirmcat over at splitcoast who created the design.

1. Paper piece the sailboat from print paper

2. Stamp text on separate gold paper

3. Rim the water edge and sun with stickles or other sparkle glue

4. Assemble

card by cat gondek

Dreaming of the post office!

I am having a fight with my post office. Seems every time they see me now, they purposely FEEL for embellishments so they can charge me more. This card is flat as a pancake; lets see how they respond to it.

Can you believe this is really 2 scans of the same card? My scanner is crazy! It will either fade out the color, or make a totally new combination. Wonder if I could learn to use that to my advantage?

Directions :

1. Stamp sentiment and create two borders, each one 1/4 inch larger

2. Cut first background paper 2 1/2 x 3 1/2, or a size that balances the size of your chosen image. Layer once with background 1/4 inch larger

3. Create central stripe and back it with background 1/4 inch larger

4. Punch dots of various sizes and layer -- for ONCE the post office won't make me pay extra. I attached mine with scotch glue. You COULD put a brad in each which would be lovely but my post office would see that as a fat packet.

Card by cat gondek

When Thank you isn't enough

Sometimes just "thank you" isn't quite enough. This card says it in French, in your very own handwriting. What you can see is the brayered background but what you can't see is the sparkle from using kaleidoscope embossing powder.

1. Stamp with versamark and clear emboss using kaleidoscope embossing powder

2. Brayer over using a kaleidacolor pad.

3. Cut and mat

4. Write "Merci" and punch; layer with darker punch and attach.

Sample by Cat Gondek

Dream dream dream ...

  I just love using that undersea vegetation stamp and here it is used as a corner even though it stands on its side.

1.  Stamp dream twice, follow your dream and sea vegetation in white craft ink on dark paper. Let dry.

2. Color lightly with chalks or markers in just a few spots.

3. Mat with narrow green at center and larger pink on sides. Add ribbon and brads.

Sample by Cat Gondek

Undersea butterfly!

This one was really fun to do combining the undersea with the Happy Birthday Butterfly and getting what I think was a very effective result.

It uses the Sweetpea phrase "If I counted every drop in the sea, It wouldn't match what you've given me" with the butterfly birthday however you don't see the happy birthday at all. Then the border is filled in with the undersea plants and some positive and negative punches making the whole card very busy but striking in my opinion.

1.  Stamp butterfly birthday on glossy cardstock and heat emboss with clear powder.

2.  Brayer background with "bouquet" kaleidacolor pad over the butterfly and borders. Polish ink off embossing with a kleenex

3. Stamp background over and over with undersea plant stamp from Sweetpea.

4. Stamp sentiment on blue cardstock, layer on a longer strip and punch out a branch.

5. Punch additional branches from 3 colors of cardstock. 

6. Layer and attach, adding a couple of pearlized translucent brads.

card by cat gondek

Bookmarks are FUN !

These were really fun to create and I will have a great way to remember my place when I read my summer novels ...

1. Use sea bottom stamp and a kaleidoscope pad to create floor of ocean about 1 1/2 inch up from the bottom.
2. Use same stamp to create borders up the sides. Yes, one will be upside down, but could you see that before I told you? Just keep close to the edge and nobody will know.
3. Stamp same image on acetate and turn over, place carefully and rub the ink off to create illusion of a reflection
4. Use torn paper and a cotton ball to create rows of fluffy clouds
5. Create central image. Color if needed.
6. Add a bunch of glitter glue to the reflection in zigzags. Stickles is my favorite brand.  This doesn't show well in the scan, but try it on yours and see the difference it makes.
7. Insert into a SweetPea bookmark sleeve and choose your fibers for the top.

Introducing Cat

Here's a quick note about me since Lynette thinks you are eager to know ... Cat is short for Cathy but I am a cat lover too, currently trying to keep fur and feathers off my stamping table which is hard with 2 cats, 3 birds and a dog in the house.     I beach and teach between Florida and Michigan.  When I am not walking the beach, I am teaching English at Saginaw Valley State U.  Been stamping for 30 years ... which is exactly half my life. You do the math; I haven't had enough coffee to count that many years.

Priceless !

Love these long strippy sayings - they could go down the card but I thought something like PARTY TIME had to be screaming across the card. This card will be a birthday card for a JULY 4 birthday.

1.Wet a watercolor marker ( crayola fat markers work fine) and spatter across white cardstock.

2. Cuttlebug Birthday across white

3.  Stamp "Party Time" and add more color with a contrasting color marker

4. Layer and adhere; add some punchies and brads for more fun.

I love the "priceless" stamp for the back of a card, but decided to try putting it on the front. I was kind of tickled with how this turned out.

1.  Stamp the mermaid on fish images randomly with a dark color leaving large gaps between

2.  Repeat with 2 lighter colors and fill in the gaps

3.  Layer with solid and coordinating print cardstock

4.  Stamp "Happy Birthday" using quick dry pigment ink on colored twill tape

5.  Stamp "Priceless" on scrap of print background

6.  Highlight just ONE of the fish/mermaid images with glitter glue, dazzles, or sparkle of your choice. Mine doesn't show up in the scan but is pearlized with twinkling H2O's and does stand out from the crowd.

More fun with the fish and mermaid pair.

1.  Use the seabed stamp and a kaleidoscope pad to create an underwater hillside for the fish to swim down.

2. Color fish and mermaid with prismacolor pencil

3. Deckle cut edges and rub with dabber or cosmetic sponge

4. All images have been sparkled with a variety of glitter glues; my scanner doesn't like sparkle

5.  Stamp sentiment on scrap; attach and border with brads. Again these are sparkly metallic brads but my scanner is keeping that a secret!

If I counted ...

This thank you card was for a very dear friend who took me out to lunch on my 60th birthday. We have been friends and did lunch together wayyyyyy back on my 40th!

1. Choose 3 coordinating papers.

2 Cut squares and rectangles and back with solid paper 1/4 inch larger.

3  Layer

4. Stamp sentiment on white and layer

5. Assemble and add brads

This is based on the splitcoast sketch challenge # 232. See splitcoast for more details.

Sentiment stamp is from SWEETPEA, of course.

sample by cat gondek

Kaleidoscope dreamy mermaid

This is a fun way to use the wedge design of the Dreamy Mermaid stamp -

1... Stamp image 8 times

2.  Fold a paper in quarters and then fold it once more to get a pattern for your 8 wedges.

3.  Position your paper till you like the placement on the stamped image and cut out 8 of them

4.  Color images with colored pencils

5. Arrange in a circle. I put double stick tape on a punched circle of cardstock to help in arranging the wedges

6.  Mat and embellish

card by cat gondek

No one can rain - again

This card uses the splitcoast sketch challenge # 232 - and the spattered background and metallic ink backgrounds from before.  I made it from scraps by my paper cutter.

sample by cat gondek

No one can rain

I love this stamp for a cheer-up card plus it was great fun with a new technique I have been playing with from my latest technique junkies newsletter.

Inside text could be computer generated or hand written and my card says " Except Mother nature. She can rain on anything she wants ! "  I was thinking of incorporating my mermaid stamp as Mother Nature but that may have to wait till tomorrow.

1.  Drop some metallic craft paint into a coke can and add a few drops of water.

2.  Splatter over your white cardstock and let dry

3.  Stamp and mat your text

4. Use your paper punch to add interest and to create 2 tabs over your matting.

card by cat gondek

One layer mermaid

Here's the Daydreamer mermaid again, this time for a one layer challenge over at splitcoast.

1.  Punch circle to mask sun; place on corner and brayer tap using a multi color stamp pad.

2. While your brayer is inked, mask the edges and create a 1/4 inch border

3. Stamp image and color with markers

4. Stamp image on acetate, turn over and rub ink under original image to create reflection; color it lightly.

5. Sponge in the sky using a cotton ball or cosmetic sponge; sponge in the water using circular motions, color in the sun. You can outline it with a black gel pen to make it coordinate with the black lines of the stamped image.

Reflecting Mermaid

This lady has a lot to think about, as she sits and holds her head.  To get her reflection, follow these steps:

1.  Stamp Daydreamer mermaid above the center on your white cardstock.

2.  Stamp mermaid again onto acetate. I used versafine quick dry pigment ink.

3.  Position  your stamped acetate image under the original and rub your finger on the back to transfer the ink. The color will be somewhat muted.

4.  Color your main image with bold colors and your reflection with the same colors but lighter tints.  Use a lot of white space and horizontal lines to give the illusion of water and waves.

5.  Accent your work with clear dimensional lacquer. I used crystal effects.

Inside text could certainly be Thinking of you, or Missing you, or even the cute Sweetpea stamps that says D R E A M ...

Sample by cat gondek

Feeling under the water?

This Daydreamer mermaid get well card was fun to make -- my mermaid is holding her own piece of kleenex and has a red runny nose. Poor baby, she also has her box of tissues sitting just below the rock where she is trying to get some rest.

1.  To get her to hold the kleenex, use your smallest punch and punch a row of 3 dots at her hand.

2.  Poke the corner of a piece of tissue through the hole and secure with tape from the back.

3.  Kleenex box is a square with left top and bottom right diagonal corners snipped off.

4.  Draw lines on the back connecting diagonals to see where to cut and create your box.

5.   Mount the pieces on a contrasting color leaving a margin of color showing through.

6.  Cut with a scant 1/8 inch border.

7.  Mount that on a punched circle or 2.

8.  Dimensionally mount on the corner of the cardstock.

Inside text ideas .... Feeling under the water? Hope you feel on top of things soon.

Or ... ( my personal favorite ) Nothing magic, nothing fishy --- Just a little get well wishy.

Sample by cat gondek

Butterfly Thank You

Card created by Cat Gondek

• Stamp background (Butterfly Thank You) in two colors, staggering placement
• Stamp central image and color
• Embellish with pearls and ribbon

Butterfly Thank You

Card by Cat Gondek:

• Stamp Image (Butterfly Thank You)
• Cut image in quarters and mount pieces with 1/8" space to create window
• Cut out curtains and mount
• Use 'Flower Soft' to create window box

Let Us Celebrate

Card by Cat:

• Cut wine glass stencil out
• Wipe ink onto cardstock with cotton ball
• Stamp Text
• Create grapes from punchies, doodle stem
• Use marker on stamp (Let Us Celebrate)

Sweet dreaming mermaid

This mermaid is floating on a sea of torn paper waves - After stamping and embossing mermaid in black, tear a piece of paper with several bumps and valleys and cotton ball your blue ink off the edge in several places on white cardstock.  Mermaid is colored in with markers and glitzed up with shimmery glue.

To create the "dream" in several colors, stamp the image several times in different colors then cut out individual letters R E and M.  Attach those to a base stamped in green or the color of your choice.

I wonder if my mermaid is dreaming of summer beaches, or if it is merely the dream of having a body you can show off with swirling golden curls.

Sample by cat gondek