Merry Christmas From All

This stamp set from My Favorite Things called Merry Everything is so adorable!  I've been stamping and coloring so many of these cute images!

I had these images colored and wasn't sure how to make them into a card so I looked at MFT's current  Wednesday Sketch Challenge #306 and that helped so much!  So, of course, I'm entering it into the challenge.

I colored these with my Spectrum Noir markers.  I also used the rectangle die from MFT's Blueprints 29 to cut the rectangle (I did some partial cutting with it to get the rectangle to the size I wanted.)   I made the glitter tape with some beautiful Mountain Mint glitter from Sparkle N Sprinkle.  Used my white gel pen to add some dots and a Spectrum Noir clear sparkle pen for some shine.  The clear sequins are from Pretty Pink Posh.

Thank you for stopping by to take a look!  Love your comments too!

Pink Striped Happy Birthday

Was just notified today about this!  What a sweet surprise on the first day of 2017!

Link HERE

Well, again, haven't added much to this blog lately.  I've been participating in The Daily Marker's (Kathy Racoosin) 30 Day Coloring Challenge and posting a lot on my Instagram here.

I had a very kind commenter on this card suggest I submit it for Virginia's View Challenge Stripes and Plaid.  I used Concord & 9th's Stripe Builder stamps for the pink stripes.  The Ton's Happiest of Peonies is the floral which I watercolored with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers.

I did some partial die cutting with Simon Says Stamp stitched oval and fussy cut the rest.  The sentiment is also by SSS.  Finished it with some clear droplets by Pretty Pink Posh.

Thank you so much for taking a look.  Love your comments too!

Autumn Friend Card

I made this card for Splitcoaststampers Falliday Fest.  The assignment Lydia gave us is to make a card with fall colors and with print such as newsprint, book pages, or text.

I used two Justrite stamp sets for this card:  Script Background Stamp and Shabby Chic Autumn Leaves (I've had this one forEVER & I think this is only the 2nd time I've used it!)

I stamped the leaves in Versamark and added brown embossing powder.  After creating masks for the leaves and sentiment, I stamped the script onto white Neenah 110 lb. paper with Cosmic Shimmer Flake & Glitter Glue then added Warm Sunrise Cosmic Shimmer Gilding Flakes.  I just love how this turned out!!

I then used Distress Inks (colors listed below) to create the background and watercolor the leaves.  I added a bit of Walnut Stain Distress Ink around the edges.  I also used Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen in Biscuit on the leaves.

Here is a closeup showing the beautiful shine of the gilding flakes:

I really appreciate you looking and especially if you leave a comment!!


Distress Ink colors:

• Walnut Stain
• Squeezed Lemonade
• Fossilized Amber
• Spiced Marmalade
• Fired Brick

Long time--no post!

Haven't posted anything to this here little blog in quite some time so I thought I'd give it a new look and do some catching up.

We were gone for 2 weeks at the end of August on a trip that started in Rome, cruised down the coast of Italy, crossed the ocean to a few different stops in Greece and finished it with a couple extra nights in Athens.  I was a wonderful, awesome, beautiful trip.  However, it was go, go, go and then major jet lag that took me about 4 days to get over.  Here's a few pics from our trip:

A selfie at Trevi Fountain in Rome

Pizza, of course!!        Our ship, the Royal Clipper

So, after not feeling 100% in September, I'm finally getting some cards made!  Here's one I made for a friend's birthday using Heartfelt Creations stamps and dies.  I used Distress Inks for the coloring.

Thanks for taking some time to look!  I love it when you also take a few seconds to leave a comment!!

A Crazy Dog Happy Birthday

Just wanted to do a quick post to share the cute (in my opinion) birthday card I made for our daughter.  She really loves labradors and will be getting a puppy in a couple months which is why I tried to have the dog similar to a lab!

I used the adorable Tim Holtz Crazy Dogs stamp set and hand cut the dog out after using my Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers.  The background paper is from a Heidi Swapp pack for use with the Minc machine.  I used some pink foil and my Minc Mini on it.  The hat is from the Crazy Things stamps and dies.

The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp Birthday Balloons stamp set, which I heat embossed using their white fine detail embossing powder.

Here is a close up showing the sparkle and shine from the foiling, Crystal Stickles, and clear sequins from Pretty Pink Posh.

It was suggested by a very sweet commenter on my Instagram post that I enter this into the Simon Says Stamp Flickr Challenge #51.

So I thank you for taking a look and so appreciate any comments!

You're So Kind!

Thought I'd finally post something on my blog.  Seems like it's been a while but I've put a few things on Instagram instead of here.  Being lazy, I guess, as it is easier.  :)

Because I have a fair amount of stamps and dies from My Favorite Things (they really have many of my favorite things--LOL!) I decided to enter two of the current challenges.  I had to enter the color challenge because these colors are seriously one of my top favorite combinations.

The Color Challenge link is HERE and Sketch Challenge 291 link is HERE.  I've listed my supplies below.




Thanks so much for taking a look!  I love it when comments are left :)


Supplies:
My Favorite Things:

• Blueprints 29
• Double Stitched Rectangles (the leaf panel)
• Flashy Florals stamps and dies
• Bundles of Blossoms background stamp

Simon Says Stamp inks:

• Lucky
• Jellybean
• Fog
• High Dive

Powder Puff ink Caribbean Blue
Pretty Pink Posh clear sequins
Crystal Stickles
Nuvo Crystal Drops, White and Caribbean Ocean

Thinking of You

I've made this card for Day 3 (which was a few days ago :)) of the Online Card Classes Heat Wave using the iron off technique.  Until I did this, I didn't really "get" why I would want to iron off embossing.  Now I do!!  I've list the steps I took at the end of this post, along with supplies, if you're interested.

I'm also taking Altenew Academy's Color Your Day with the awesome instructor Therese Calvird.  The first lesson is to find inspiration for color in things around us.  Well, it's all blue sky and hot sunshine here in Texas now, which is what inspired my background, with a bit of green for all the lovely green trees and plants we have now.

I also got some coloring in for the 30 Day Coloring Challenge at Thedailymarker.com.

I really enjoyed creating this card and getting a bit inky in the process!  Thanks for taking a look!


Here are the main steps for my card:

• Prepped the surface with my anti-static pouch first.  Then I stamped Justrite's Script Background Stamp with Hero Arts Color Lights by Lisa in a golden yellow color (no color name on the mini cube).  (It's a pigment ink.)
• Used Simon Says Stamp clear embossing powder over all and heat embossed.
• Randomly apply Distress Inks to watercolor paper using wet-on-wet technique.  I used Mustard Seed, Tumbled Glass and Twisted Citron.
• Next step is to put a sheet of printer paper over the card, and using a dry hot iron, iron off all the embossing.
• Stamped Justrite's butterfly from a set called Butterfly Kisses.  Using my MISTI, I first stamped it in VersaFine Onyx Black in a few times, then stamped in VersaMark ink and embossed with SSS clear embossing powder.
• I colored the butterfly with Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers.
• The sentiment is stamped the same as the butterfly and is from Essentials by Ellen Mondo Hydrangea.
• Sequins are Pretty Pink Posh clear.

Thanks--Just for Being You

After much embossing and not loving anything I did, I finally! pulled something together.  My inspiration is a combination of the Day 2 lessons in the Online Card Class--Heat Wave from Jennifer McGuire and Laura Bassen.

Thanks so much for stopping by!


Supplies:

• Stencil:  Heide Swaps
• Stamps/Dies:  My Favorite Things Flashy Florals, Kind Thanks, Twice the Thanks
• Embossing powder:  Sparkle N Sprinkle Emerald & Mint Julep, SSS Fine Detail White

REALLY?!!! She says with a SMILE!

I'm just seriously honored, pleased, thankful, and doing a happy dance!!!!  Just found out:

Check My Favorite Things blog post HERE.  :)

And my original blog post HERE.  :)

Grateful!!

I posted this on Instagram--my thoughts for this card are posted on Instagram at THIS link.

Very grateful for connections here and for you taking some time to look and leave a comment!

Supplies:
Distress Ink--Blueprint Sketch
Stamps & Dies--Altenew Spring Daisy, My Favorite Things Grateful for You
Embossing Powder--Ranger Silver

All the Little Things

This covers Days 2 & 3 of Kathy Racoosin's #30coloringchallenge.

Find out more HERE.

I used stamps from 3 different Art Impressions' sets.  The birdhouse is from WC Series 7 Set 2-3545 and the rest from the Flower Set-4052 & Foliage Set-4051.  I used this piece from My Favorite Things Die-namics Blueprints #29 to plan out the placement of my stamping.

I stamped on a piece of watercolor paper with Marvy LePlume II markers and softened with a damp brush.  When I was done I centered this die over my stamping/watercoloring and ran it through my die cut machine.  I cut another frame from heavy white card stock.  I used the extra pieces to add dimension to the three watercolored pieces so they would be raised above the frame.

The sentiment is from My Favorite Things Twice the Thanks and heat embossed in Recollection's Pesto embossing powder.

Here's another angle:

I added a few matte sequins from a couple of mixes by Pretty Pink Posh.

Thank you for stopping by!!  Love and appreciate your comments too!

P.S.: I'll also be adding this to the Online Card Class Heat Wave Pre-class student gallery (class starts Monday, July 11, 2016.)

And, entering Art Impressions Anything Goes (link HERE)

Daily Coloring Challenge, Day 1

I'm joining in the awesome Kathy Racoosin's 30-Day Coloring Challenge.  The details and her blog post for Day One are HERE.

Kathy's Day One inspiration was a card that she made by coloring a portion of a page from a coloring book.  I have two coloring books and really wasn't inspired by any of the images in them.  Then I remembered the coloring cards I have that were in the Hero Arts' My Monthly Hero kit for March, 2016.

There were 12 cards included in the kit and are preprinted on X-Press It paper.  Let me tell you, that paper is a dream to color on!  I used my Spectrum Noir markers to color the image.  Thank you Kathy for your tips on using a white gel pen to add details!  I used my Uni-ball Signo Broad point on my card.  I've included the before and after gel pen pics below--what a difference!!  The sentiment is stamped from Hero Arts' Ribbon Messages Stamp & Cut set.

Before                                                                                  After gel pen

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Your comments are greatly loved and appreciated!!

You Make Me Smile!

Yes, you do!  :)

When I saw the colors in the My Favorite Things Color Challenge, I was totally in as this is my MOST favorite color combination!!

It was fate---see---I already had these in the perfect colors!  And I have to say WOW for the NUVO Crystal Drops.  I ended up only using the little white ones, but I can save the others for another use.

Anyway, after several different ideas, here is what I came up with.  I've listed the supplies and a few of my steps below along with the challenge links that I'm entering this card in.

This shows the beautiful shimmer of the Perfect Pearls!

Thank you so VERY much for taking a look!  I love getting comments from you!

Method to my madness:

• Stamped MFT's Bundles of Blossoms background stamp onto watercolor paper with VersaMark and embossed with white embossing powder.
• I swiped Wilted Violet Distress Stain onto my craft mat and sprayed Perfect Pearls into part of it.  I painted this onto the stamped background in varying shades.
• Created my shaker window with two dies from SSS called Stitched Circles.  Added the bling from Queen & Co. (wish I could capture the sparkle in the photo!)
• The banner is vellum die cut from JustRite Stitched A2 Banners and Rectangles.
• Cut the florals, MFT's Beautiful Blooms dies & stamps, from colored yardstick and stamped the images using a shade darker ink.
• Used MFT's Blueprints #29 for the sentiment banner (swiped with same Distress Stain.)  Sentiment is from MFT Warm and Fuzzy Friends.

Challenges:

MFT Color Challenge


MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge 287


Simon Says: Anything Goes


P.S.:  If you're still reading, I learned why it's a good thing to stand my card up for several hours.  LOL!  Oops, needed stronger adhesive!

Thanks!!

Another card for the My Favorite Things Camp Create.  This card is for the day called Delightful Die Cutting.  This is the badge for it:

SO...I have this thing about throwing perfectly cut paper strips into the trash.  After you've cut the Striped Sentiment Strip die a few times you have a bunch of strips:

Somehow I had an idea to weave these strips into the die cut piece.  If you cut the die three times you'll have plenty of strips to do the top and bottom.  After I had them all woven I turned it over and added a drop of glue at each end of the strips to secure them.  (Wish I'd thought to take a few photos of the steps!)

I just love the basket weave effect of this!

I used the stamps and dies for Beautiful Blooms and Twice the Thanks for the other elements.  For the thanks and the vase I used Hero Arts Ombre Tide Pool to Navy ink and blended the ink onto the paper for the ombre effect.  I used the same on the stems along with Lime to Forever Green.

I had to have some shine and sparkle so I pressed my VersaMark ink pad to the Thanks and the vase and added clear embossing powder.  A few clear sequins from Pretty Pink Posh finishes it up.

I always am so appreciative for you taking time to look and to leave a comment!  :)

Happy Thoughts

The link is HERE.

This is the Glitzy Glitter badge.

I have 2 cards for My Favorite Things Camp Create.  I had hoped to do all five days, but oh well!

The first day was called Glitzy Glitter.  Well, I do love glitter and I had just received my order of some of their newest release that included the Striped Sentiment Strip die.  I used Ken Oliver's Stick It on some white card stock before I die cut.  I used some beautiful glitter from Sparkle N Sprinkle in Lemonade to cover it all.

I put the glittered piece on a piece from the 6x6 Plaid Patterns.  I used Tweet Friends stamps and dies and Cheerful Cages dies for the rest.  I had colored a ton of birds a few months ago so I used a couple of them for this card.

Thanks so much for taking a look!  Many thanks for a comment too--so appreciated!

Distress Inks w/Beautiful Day

This is the fifth! and final (for now) card using Altenew's Beautiful Day stamps and dies.  There is something about this set that caught my eye when they first previewed it.  It is one of my most used stamps of all.  The colors are inspired by this photo on their June Inspiration Challenge.

Link to challenge HERE.

As I started this card I realized that my other four ALL were laid out basically the same.  I HAD to make this one a bit different.  My inspiration for the placement is from Amy Gray's card she made for this challenge that you can also see on the link above.

The bottom piece was made by stamping the flowers and leaves in VersaMark onto watercolor paper and heat embossing in white.  I smooshed Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn Distress Inks onto my craft mat.  I used water and a brush to pick up the inks and randomly wash the two colors over the embossed panel.  The same Distress Inks are used for the die cut leaves.  The yellow flowers are Squeezed Lemonade Distress Ink and Zig Clean Color Real Brush marker in yellow.

I popped up the top flower.  Simon Says Stamp Birthday Flowers sentiment is stamped in Versafine Onyx Black ink.  Pretty Pink Posh sequins and droplets finish it up.  (Gasp!  No Wink of Stella!!!)

Thank you so very much for looking and especially for your comments!

Happy Thoughts

Number four of five using Altenew's Beautiful Day stamps and dies!  Another one to go to the June Inspiration Challenge.

Link to challenge HERE.

Seriously, I almost threw this in the trash after I did the background piece.  For the bottom layer I stamped the flower multiple times with Versa Mark onto watercolor paper and then heat embossed in white.    My thoughts were to use Distress Inks in Mowed Lawn and Twisted Citron for the stripes with a light brown in-between.  I smooshed the inks onto my craft mat and picked up the ink with a flat wet brush to paint the stripes.

Long story short--I DID. NOT. LIKE. it.  So since I wanted to trash it, I thought I might as well try other things with it.  (After all, what harm is it if I was going to trash it anyway?!!)   Started by sponging Walnut Stain ink around the edges.  Still not good.  So I just sponged the ink all over it.  Wiped it with a dry paper towel to clean the white embossing.  Hmm, do I like it, I wondered?  I wanted the flowers to stand out more.  Somehow Jennifer McGuire's video of her doing a technique she called Distress Ink Lifting came to my mind (her blog link for this technique is HERE.  She is truly a genius!)

I used clean water and a small brush to wet certain areas of the flowers.  After the water sat on it for a few seconds, I blotted it with a dry towel, and tadaahh!  The Distress Ink lifted and left the white areas you see on the background.

I just always seem to NEED some sparkle and shine!  Wink of Stella and Pretty Pink Posh sequins satisfy that need!  :)

For the flower I used Squeezed Lemonade Distress Ink and 2 Momento inks in Dandelion and Cantaloupe.  The leaves are Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn.

I do love it when I can salvage something that I didn't like into something I like a lot!  Thanks so much for taking a look!  Comments are much appreciated!

Happy Birthday with Altenew Beautiful Day

Here is the third of FIVE cards I've made this week using this awesome stamp and die set from Altenew called Beautiful Day.  I saw their June Inspiration Challenge and wanted to give it a try as I just LOVE green and yellow used together!!

The link to this challenge is HERE.

I used nothing but Distress Inks and a few Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers on this card.  I'll list the colors below.  I heat embossed the florals on watercolor paper in white embossing powder before watercoloring them.  The sentiment is from Simon Say Stamp's Birthday Flowers set.  (Oh, I did stamp this in Wendy Vecchi's Potting Soil ink.)   Some Wink of Stella and Pretty Pink Posh sequins finish it up!

Here's a closeup of the pretty shimmer---love the Wink of Stellas!!

Thank you so much for looking and hugs for any comments too!

Distress Inks: Walnut Stain, Squeezed Lemonade, Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn
Zig Clean Color: Yellow, Red

Wedding Wishes

Get ready for it---this is the first two of FIVE cards I've made using Altenew's Beautiful Day stamp and die set!!!  Yes, I just LOVE this one!  Thankfully, my order of their new Spring Daisy came today, so I'll be giving Beautiful Day a rest!  Haha!

Why is it that when I'm "up against the wall" for a card that it comes together much more quickly that when I have plenty of time to ponder it?  We had a wedding to go to last Saturday and I had a couple hours to make a card.  I thought, "Oh, that's plenty of time for this card I had in mind."  LOL!  Seriously, what was I thinking???  I had to take the photo on the kitchen counter on the way out the door!!  Literally finished the last bit in the car!

I used part of the ribbon that was on her invitation which helped me choose the color for the rest of the card.  I love those We R Memory Keepers Next Level embossing folders--the hearts are perfect!  The sentiment is from the Stamp Simply Ribbon Store.  I used Distress Stain in Tarnished Brass and a gold acrylic paint for the splatters.  The brown stamping on the florals is Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink in Potting Soil.

Then I decided to make another card to have on hand in a different color.  I used Simon Says Stamp inks in Lake Shores, Mint Candy and High Dive for this card.

I added some Wink of Stella and used Pretty Pink Posh clear sequins and droplets for some sparkle and shine!

Thank you so much for looking!  :)

Did you know I have a grand total of TWO followers (thank you Darnell & TK!!) and would love it if you would join them.  I'll be happy to give you a follow back!