Bonus Love To Scrap Challenge Blog post

This month the Love To Scrap Challenge Blog is sponsored by Blank Page Muse (formerly Sin City Stamps).  Usually, we only post on the 1st on the month, but Kim, the owner, set us all so many fabulous stamps that we all agreed to create multiple cards and feature some mid-month.  The cards I made for the first of the month were very mixed media in nature.  Today, I have 3 completely different types of cards to show off these gorgeous stamps.  My first card is very soft, and pretty and feminine:

 These flowers are so gorgeous!!!  Both pieces of ribbon were in my bits and pieces stash and I'm so glad I discovered the pleated one; it adds such a great texture, along with the embossing.

The second card is muted and artsy:

 I started by stamping the collage image directly on a 4 inch square note card in dark gray.  Then I used my mini MISTI and stamped it again, on top, with a couple different colors of gelatos.  It had a beautiful, subtle shimmer.  Then I started coloring in the image with  markers and it was going well, except the nest looked way too dark and bold.  I was trying to make it nice and subtle.  So, I added a piece of adhesive vellum over the entire card.  Sadly, I lost the shimmer and color from the gelatos, but it did mute the image like I wanted.  I used brown and shimmery blue gelatos with a bit of water to stamp the sentiment and added three tiny blue rhinestones to the banner to highlight the blue of the birds.
My third card was really, really fun and a bit mixed media-ish, but also super elegant, I think:

I attempted the black ice technique that I have seen several places recently, but I'm not quite sure I succeeded.  My black ink turned out a bit blue on the silver paper, but it still created a really fun look.
I started with a black card base that was in the stash of card blanks I am trying to use up.  I layered it with a dark gray panel embossed with a damask embossing folder, highlighted with black ink and a bit of silver on the edges.  The next layer is a dark gray card stock with black ink dragged on it directly from the ink pad and it is layered on a textured silver paper.  This is followed by another dark gray layer on which I randomly stamped a watch face image, but unfortunately it is mostly covered up by the layers on top.  I used antique silver frantage powder along the edges.  It is also layered on the textured silver paper.  I added a piece of lace that was recycled from a dress my daughters outgrew a long time ago and a dark gray  ribbon (that for some reason looks a bit purple).  Then came the image panel, layered on a textured black panel.  And everything was finished off with a corner die cut from the textured silver card on which I swiped a little black ink to antique it a bit.

Card #1:
Supplies:
Stamps: Blank Page Muse "Flower & Bird Sketches Art Rubber Stamp Sheet Set"
Dies: MFT "Blueprints 13" stitched rectangle; Spellbinders "Fleur Di Lis Squares"
Darice Damask embossing folder

Challenges:
Try Stampin' on Tuesday #359--sketch plus the optional twist: green

Cuttlebug Mania--springtime
Sweet Stampers--spring or easter
Use Your Stuff #303--die cuts
Southern Girls--pop is up (I popped the die cut panel with foam tape)
Try Stampin' On Tuesdays March technique--embossing
Creative Craft Cottage #105--make it feminine
Sheep Ski Designs #12--flowers
Card Mania #102--embossing

Card #2:
Supplies:
Stamps: Blank Page Muse "Vintage Sheet Music with Birds Background" and "Free as a Bird Word Art"

Challenges:
Shopping Our Stash #345--put a bird on it
Fashionable Stamping #133--springtime
Crazy 4 Challenges #425--chicken (or bird)
Stamplorations--spring and/or faith


Card #3:
Supplies: Blank Page Muse "Mannequin Dress Form Music Flower Art Rubber" and "Steampunk Watch Face"
Dies: MFT corner die
Darice Damask embossing folder

Challenges:
heARTful Stamping--anything goes
Cardz TV #38--anything goes
Crafty Catz #407--layer it up
Crafting By Designs--anything goes
Love To Craft Challenge #20--anything goes
Cheerful Sketches--sketch