Look! I Sponged! With A Stencil!

If you are looking for my NBUS Challenge #4, click HERE. 

Thank you to everyone who has already played!

Hello, my friends!

I want to take a moment to acknowledge my sympathy for the families of all those lost in the tragic Germanwings plane crash in the French Alps. It is horrible for everyone involved and particularly unbearable to think of the pain happening in Haltern, Germany, where sixteen students and two teachers were from. We are reminded again of how precious and uncertain life is.

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Away in my crafty world, I needed a couple of "new home" cards for friends, so I went to play.

First of all, a lot of you may recognize that the design of my card is a direct take-off of the adorable card that Karolyn Loncon showed us how to do in the "Stretch Your Dies" class. Thank you, Karolyn, this was a lot more work than I normally put into a card, but it was worth it!

[I just noticed that the little guy is slacking his hold on those balloons and all the orange color has drained from his chicken fingers. It's not his fault. I took about 23 photos, so it's no wonder he's losing his grip.]

So Proud!

What is astounding about my cards today is that I sponged!

Now, to be honest, I have tried many times to sponge in the past. (Not counting the kitchen counter and the bathrooms.) I bought into the whole Distress Ink groovement and purchased the adorable little wooden sponge handles and, yes, even the carousel. I mean, c'mon it's a carousel!

Then I tried to use the dang things. And failed. Way more times than I care to think about.

The best I could do was schmear some ink onto the paper, along with irritating and unacceptable lines from the rectangle sponges! No, seriously, I watched the videos and I really tried to get up a good swirl from off to the right before I hit my actual card paper, but that never worked for me either, despite the experts' assurances.

I tried from a few inches away to several feet away. I tried a light hand. I tried a heavy hand. I tried a slow swirl. I tried a fast swirl. I tried counterwise and clockwise. I tried tiptoeing as I approached the paper, hoping the surprise of the sponge softly hitting the paper wouldn't leave a mark. It did.

In the end, I declared defeat. The sponges won. I put the torture turning device away in a cupboard filled with its cute little ink-stained deelybobs. It was all good. I don't expect to be interested in or talented in all things card art.

And then ...

Months later, I watched with awe during the BABES Lake House adventure as Ardyth sponged like an angel. Then Kim did it. I'm pretty sure everyone there could do it. I looked down ashamed, but not before I made a mental note that Ardyth was using a new-fangled round sponge blending tool. Ah, hello? Finally.

Well, long story long, I bought a couple after the Lake House and yesterday I SPONGED with the NBUS things!! I not only sponged, I made clouds with a stencil!

WHAT??

Me, a stencil? As far as I knew, I only had a couple of tiny brass stencils and I wasn't going to buy any more, nor the embossing paste. I just couldn't see investing in another new groovement when I have too much NBUS and too many techniques on my to-do list to justify adding one nother thing.

So, then, where did the clouds come from?

Hammy, of course. He earned his oats and carrots for another day as he piped up while I was staring at Karolyn's card with its pretty sponged grass and sky. "Don't you have a binder somewhere from like twelve years ago with those things that had shapes? You could trace them and then cut them out? You know. Stencils."

I sat up with a start and sloshed wodka on my shirt. Naturally he was right. In the second place I looked, I found this old thing filled with stencils!

As we were leafing through the binder, I saw all the fun shapes, but Hammy pointed out that the edges on some of the sheets also had shapes and you can see on the one above that there is a cloud border. "Well, I'll be darned," I mumbled as I creaked to my feet, "I'll give it a shot."

And it worked!

I didn't have room on the front of my card to put the rest of the sediment, so I decorated the inside. The balloons are winked, of course.

 Here is my second card:

I used a ten y/o NBUS Hero Arts stamp called "Row of Squares" to make my little neighborhood. I inked the boxes and then I used my markers to add the rooves to each little "house."

I had so much fun, I made a third card to welcome spring:

 This time, here is a close-up so you can see all the shiny bits.

Yippie Skippie, I did it! (Ardyth and Lolly, look at me!) And I even sponged HILLS! My sponging is still novice, of course, so I know you'll be kind. I have to admit, it was hecka fun!

Since I waffled on, I'll skip the ingredients bit, but if you have any questions, lemmeno.

Challenges

• Addicted to Stamps and More: Make your mark.
• Pixie's Snippets Playground: Use your snippets.
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes.
• Stamplorations March Challenge: Stamps and Stencils.
• Happy Little Stampers: CAS Challenge: Sponging.

The challenge links will take you to the inspiration galleries and provide you with information about rules, sponsors, and prizes.

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Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy.  LITS!* 

As always, thank you for coming by to visit the Playhouse and special thanks to you if you take the time to leave a comment and/or join as a follower! Please let me know you came by, so I can be sure and return the flavor! 

 

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See you at NBUS Challenge #4! We're about halfway through!