Control Freaks Convention Swap Cards

While at Convention I participated in a card swap with the Control Freak Stampers. This group is full of talented paper artists and it's always so much fun to swap with them. It's even more of a treat when we get to see each other IN PERSON like some of us were able to do this past week. We each swapped two card fronts and so I came away with 28 samples to share at my upcoming events! We pushed back our tour date to the end of the month so that those of us who went to Convention could share their swaps...and for those Control Freaks who couldn't make it they get to share whatever they want today! If you have been following along already you should have come from Wendy's blog at Wickedly Wonderful Creations. If you are just joining us, get ready for some stamping inspiration!

First up is a Christmas card I created using the Santa's Gifts stamp set from the 2015-2016 Annual Catalog. It's never too early to get a jump on making Christmas cards, right? Some special touches I added to the card include the stars (included in the stamp set) in the top right corner which I stamped using the Versamark ink pad. I also used my Blender Pens and Real Red ink & Basic Gray ink to color in Santa's suit. I added Dazzling Diamonds Glitter with a 2-Way Glue Pen to the white parts of his suit (too bad you can't see this card in person...it really does sparkle!) Of course I felt like the card needed an itty bitty heart to go with the sentiment, so I punched one out using the Two-Step Owl Punch. The present is actually a separate stamp (included in the stamp set), so I stamped it on a piece of scrap paper, colored it with Mossy Meadow ink and a Blender Pen and then used my Paper Snips to cut out the intricate pieces. I then popped it up with some Dimensionals and placed it in Santa's hands. The striped paper is from the Christmas Designer Series Paper Pack called Merry Moments. I am SO HAPPY they are including Christmas items in the Annual Catalog again! The cardstock colors I used are Real Red, Smoky Slate, Mossy Meadow, & Whisper White.

My next card I created uses another new stamp set from the Annual Catalog...actually a couple of new sets! The background is created using a new background stamp called Watercolor Wash. This stamp makes a beautiful background like it was painted with a brush. I stamped the background using Soft Sky ink to create an ocean look. The other new stamp set is called From Land to Sea. It has some beautiful images perfect for coloring. I couldn't resist using the turtle image for this card. I stamped the turtle in Black Stazon ink and then used my Blender Pens to color him with Sahara Sand and Old Olive. I also colored in the spots of the turtle with Soft Suede. I REALLY wish you could see the card in person because I added Crystal Effects to the turtle's shell. My kids loved that technique! It just gives it a fun, glossy look. After I let it dry (for a long time!), I cut out the turtle using my Paper Snips and then popped him up on Dimensionals. I stamped a quick "thank you greeting" (using another new set!) and added some Pearl Accents for the bubbles of the turtle breathing under water. Although this card is simple in design, there were many steps to pull it all together. Although I love how it turned out, if I were to do it any differently, I would probably use a "happy birthday" greeting instead. The cardstock colors I used are Sahara Sand, Night of Navy and Whisper White.

I am so happy you came by today! I hope you will continue on the tour to see what other inspiring cards were created. The next stop is Mindy Backes at Bada-Bing Paper-Crafting.