Thursday, March 30, 2017

Purple Haze



I had a special request for a card from a coworker. He wanted purple and black colors, so when I saw the new Card Concept Challenge, I wanted to share it there as well!  I chose the mixed
media style since I used at least 2 different mediums - watercoloring and texture paste - on my card.  The sentiment was computer generated (this is a special saying between him and his fiance`).  I used Mijello Mission Gold paints to watercolor the background.  I then splattered Black Soot distress ink and added Wendy Vecchi metallic silver embossing paste using a Heidi Swapp stencil.  The purple zigzag edge is from my fave Reverse Confetti die set - Edge Essentials.  I also die cut RC's Butterfly Dreams large butterfly out of vellum.  Over that, I layered Concord and 9th's Floral and Flutter die cut butterfly.  

Thanks so much for stopping by!  It's an overcast day here in VA but I'm feeling great knowing I have a 3 day weekend off work starting tomorrow!

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Color Throwdown




Happy Wednesday everyone! Lisa Henke has a really sweet color palette for the new Color Throwdown Challenge: light yellow, green and blue! It totally inspired me to create something with Simon Says Stamp's Spring Flowers stamp set!  Thankfully, I don't need a sympathy card, but it's always good to have one on reserve.  

I white embossed the images on Ranger watercolor cardstock, then loosely watercolored using distress inks and markers.  I've been wanting to create some wide stripes with a flat edge brush and was happy how these turned out using Tumbled Glass distress ink.  The border includes a die from Reverse Confetti's Edge Essentials - a must have die set for that awesome finishing touch on a card!  I was too chicken to add splatters without using a more controlled method of just stamping with a splatter stamp from SU's Gorgeous Grunge set.  The sentiment die was cut twice and is by Simon Says Stamp.

I'm also entering this card for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where "anything goes" for the theme this week.

Congrats to Cheryl McAskill of A Stampin' Holiday, our guest star stamper this week!
Also, we have to sadly say goodbye to Lisa Lara who graced us with her talents during March as our guest designer.  Thanks, Lisa!  Stay tuned next week to meet our April guestie.

For more details on how to play along, head over to the Color Throwdown Blog and you'll find the information on the right sidebar!  You can also visit the rest of the design team's creations for more inspiration by clicking on the links below:


Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Feeling Prickly?



Hope you're having a terrific Tuesday! I made this card late last night for the Fusion Card Challenge (I only used the sketch) and for the Sunday Stamps Challenge which is a color challenge this week. 

I used the newly released Elemental Stripes stamp set just released by Reverse Confetti to create the striped background using 4 different WPlus9 ink colors: Sea Breeze, Siren Song, Blossomberry, and Cockleshell. 
I colored the images (MFT Sweet Succulents) with Copics then die cut with matching Die-Namics and popped with foam tape.  I die cut the top panel (Stitched Rectangle die by Lil' Inker Designs) over a mat of Rich Razzleberry CS by SU.  Thanks so much for stopping by...I always appreciate your comments!


Monday, March 27, 2017

Mojo Monday


Hello everyone! There's a new Mojo Monday Challenge on board and this is another fun sketch by Julee!  I knew right away I wanted to feature a Verve Plain Jane verse as the focal point, then paired it with a trio of potted plants from Verve's Potter's Clay stamp set with matching dies.  Papers are from SU's Moonlight paper stack.  I also used Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon and White cardstock.  Other dies used include Lacy Scallop Frame by Reverse Confetti and Stitched rectangle border by Lil' Inker Designs.  I sponged the edges of the pots with Lost Lagoon ink.  The sentiment was stamped with WPlus9's Silver Lining ink.

We'd love to see how you interpret this challenge!  You'll want to post your creation on the Mojo Monday blog.  If you need more inspiration, check out the design team's creations below: 


Saturday, March 25, 2017

Baby "Girl" Blog Hop


Lesley and Corey Croghan are expecting a stork delivery in April and some crafty friends are celebrating their baby girl with a "girlie" crafty blog hop!  Lesley is well known in the paper crafting world as the coordinator of several popular challenges and I'm happy to be part of the team at Inspired By All The Little Things - which, by the way, has a new challenge posted today (scroll on down to see that post). This hop is being hosted by Lori Turner and you can see all the entries by checking out her blog HERE.  Here is my card created for the sweet bundle of joy that will soon make her debut...



Stamps and dies are all by My Favorite Things.  The baby sentiment was die cut three times and glued together to give it more dimension.  I used Black Enamel Accents to the flower centers. Here's what else I used... 

STAMPS: Beautiful Baby (MFT), Mini Modern Blooms (MFT).
PAPER: Blush and Mint (Recollections).
INK: Piggy Bank and Lime Green by Reverse Confetti; Little Piggy by WPlus9; Old Olive by SU.
DIES: Baby's Bib, Oh Baby, Mini Modern Blooms Die-Namics by MFT.

Check out all the other creations linked up on Lori's blog HERE

Inspired By All The Little Things




Good Saturday everyone! Rabbits are a sure sign of spring and the new Inspired By All The Little Things Challenge has one for us in the new inspiration photo. I just wasn't ready to go with dark, neutral colors, so my take on the photo was simply to go with a rabbit theme in general.  I used stamps and dies by Lil' Inker Designs.  The egg stamp was white embossed then colored with distress ink markers and spritzed with water to give the image a more blended, watercolor look.  

Here's what I used:
STAMPS: Easter Hodge Podge (LID).
PAPER: Splendid Sunshine (Echo Park), Neenah Solar White.
INK: Versamark.
MISCELLANEOUS: Perky Posies, Bunnies and Bows, Quilted cover plate and Easter Hodge Podge dies by Lil' Inker Designs; Stitched Basic Edges Die-Namics by MFT; Enamel dots.

Would love to have you join us and hope to see you in the gallery!

Friday, March 24, 2017

Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop




Good Friday everyone! Hope you've had your cuppa joe by now and are hopping along on the Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop!  As you probably know, this hop has loads of wonderful sponsors who have prizes up for grabs if you join in!  You have until next Friday to get your card or project completed.  Here is my take using a new (to me) stamp set and dies by Verve.



My papers are freebies that Julee tucked in with my last Verve order (along with some ribbon).  The cup was paper pieced and the floral embellishments are by Recollections. 
 
STAMPS: Coffee (Verve).
DIES: Cuppa Joe and Coffee Word by Verve; Stitched rectangle die by Lil' Inker Designs.

I'm also joining in with the current Freshly Made Sketches Challenge.

Thanks so much to Amy Tsuruta who heads up these blog hops for us coffee lovers!  You can link up your creation by going HERE.

 

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Vintage Flowers


Hope you're having a terrific Thursday! I'm joining in three challenges with this card: Altenew's March Inspiration Challenge, CAS(E) This Sketch and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge to use more than one die or punch!  I discovered a quick and easy way to do a background color wash by scribbling distress ink markers on watercolor cardstock, spritzing several times with water, then gently blending with a brush.  I used Squeezed Lemonade, Carved Pumpkin and Festive
Berries markers.  The 3 step stamping on the flowers was done using SU inks: Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango and Real Red.  I then fussy cut and popped the flowers with foam tape.  Dies are by Memory Box - Hello Script, Small Mariana Vine Outline, Large Marianna Vine Background.

Thanks for stopping by...now I'm heading out to do some shopping!  :-)

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Color Throwdown



Hello and welcome to another Color Throwdown Challenge! Jodi is our hostess this week and was inspired by this home decor photo to use orange, turquoise and yellow. Though the picture has a nautical theme, I couldn't resist inking up this adorable new lamb set (All About Ewe) that was just released this month by Reverse Confetti!  I thought it would pair up well with the whimsical florals in RC's Petals 'n Posies set.




I'll get right to my list of what I used...
STAMPS: All About Ewe, Petals 'n Posies - Reverse Confetti.
PAPER: Iced Aqua (Reverse Confetti); X-Press It Blending Card; White (PTI).
INK: Tangerine, Lime Green (Reverse Confetti); Daffodil Delight (SU); Memento Tuxedo Black.
DIES:Tall Striped Panel, All About Ewe, Petals 'n Posies, Lacy Circles - Reverse Confetti.
COPICS: C00, C1, C3, RV10, BG11, BG32, YR04, YG23, YG25.

Congratulations to our guest star stamper this week - Tara Chaussee of Secret Bees Studio!

For more details on how to play along, head over to the Color Throwdown Blog and you'll find the information on the right sidebar!  You can also visit the rest of the design team's creations for more inspiration by clicking on the links below:

Monday, March 20, 2017

Mojo Monday


Happy First Day of Spring everyone! Are you ready to kick start your mojo with Julee's new sketch for the Mojo Monday Challenge? It's another great one and I met the challenge by creating a spring card with some happy colors!


I paper pieced the flowers and highlighted with Copics (YG23, YR68), then added clear Wink of Stella to give it a subtle shimmer.  Here's my enabler's list:

STAMPS: Happy Place and New Beginnings by Verve.
PAPER: Sunkissed by Doodlebug Design; Lime Green by Reverse Confetti.
INK: Memento Tuxedo Black.
DIES: Happy Doodles (Verve); Lacy Scallop Circles and Stitched Flag Trio (Reverse Confetti); Stitched Scallop Border (Lil' Inker Designs).

We'd love to see how you interpret this challenge!  You'll want to post your creation on the Mojo Monday blog.  If you need more inspiration, check out the design team's creations below: 

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Inspired By All The Little Things


Good Saturday everyone! I'm ready for a weekend off with no big plans other than catching up on some housework, watching some basketball playoff games and getting some stamping time in as well! There is a great new inspiration photo up for the latest Inspired By All The Little Things challenge.  This intense background of colors with purple as the primary color with a little hint of yellow and green led me to get out my sponges and a variety of distress inks to create a scene.  


I struggled with choosing a sentiment and finally went with an older Flourishes stamp set called 'You' which reflected what the sun rising after a dark night might symbolize.  The mountains stamp (Stampendous) is from my early stamping days and hasn't seen ink in years!  I masked the sun prior to sponging then added the silhouette tree die (Arboscello Tree by Memory Box) in the foreground.  I used the following distress inks: Spun Sugar, Dusty Concord, Seedless Preserves, Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed, and Bundled Sage.  The white frame is a new (to me) die by Reverse Confetti called Lacy Scallop Frame.  I love the dual stitching detail paired with the tiny open scallop edge and wondered why I waited so long to order this die set - lol!

Our guest designer this week is Leanne Elliott of Banking on Crafts.  Welcome, Leanne!

I can't wait to see how YOU will interpret this challenge!  Hope to see you in the gallery!

Thursday, March 16, 2017

CAS(E) This Sketch




A quick and easy card for the CAS(E) This Sketch Challenge.  I already had a watercolored panel in my leftover pile with smooshed Twisted Citron and Peacock Feathers distress inks on Ranger watercolor cardstock.  I cut my fave butterfly using Concord and 9th's Floral and Flutter Dies set and adhered it over a stenciled background (Tim Holtz 'Bubble' stencil) using the same two distress inks.  The sentiment (C9's Being Classy stamp set) was stamped twice using Versafine Onyx Black ink and a MISTI.  

Time to head off to work shortly.  Will be looking forward to March madness NCAA basketball games this week through the weekend and will be rooting for the VT Hokies as they meet up with Wisconsin this evening! Go Hokies!

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Color Throwdown #434




It's Wednesday and that means there's a new challenge on the Color Throwdown blog! I had a request from a coworker for a St. Patrick's Day birthday card, so this is what I came up with. 


I went with a metallic gold in the cording and sequins and found some scraps of these two green patterned papers that I thought would work.  The cupcake was paper pieced and Crystal Ice Stickles were added to the icing.  The shamrock is a digi stamp from a free set that Julee has been offering this month in the Verve store - printed and colored with Copics (YG23, YG25).

Here's what else I used:
STAMPS: Small Packages (Verve).
PAPER: Shamrock patterned paper by Recollections
DIES: Lacy Scallop Circles Confetti Cuts by Reverse Confetti.

Congratulations to Sandy Mathis from Stamp With Sandy - our guest star stamper this week!  Be sure to stop by her blog and say hello!

For more details on how to play along, head over to the Color Throwdown Blog and you'll find the information on the right sidebar!  You can also visit the rest of the design team's creations for more inspiration by clicking on the links below:

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

PTI !0th Anniversary Challenge



I definitely wanted to play along with PTI's 10th Anniversary Challenge to use our favorite PTI flowers. One of my faves to watercolor is the Peonies on Parade stamp set with coordinating dies. I white embossed on Ranger watercolor CS then painted with Mijello Mission gold paints. I paired them with another favorite die -Phrase Play #5 Stamp and Die set.  Background paper is from Echo Park's Splendid Sunshine 6x6 pad. 

Thanks so much for stopping by... 

Monday, March 13, 2017

Freshly Made Sketches




After caring for a sick 8 month old grandson today, I finally got some time to stamp after making a huge pot of chili for supper - so appropriate for the chilly and snowy forecast heading our way!  I literally took every element on this card from my scrap pile!  I flipped the current layout for the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge.  The florals (Daisy by Altenew) were fussy cut and popped with foam tape.  I smooshed distress inks over watercolor paper prior to stamping the Carte Postale background stamp - an old one by Stampendous.  The sentiment die is Hand Lettered Hello by WPlus9.

During the time it took me to make this card, the dreaded snow has started to fall.  I'm so ready for spring and am sure all the daffodils and budding trees are wondering what in the world is going on with the weather these days!

Mojo Monday #488



Sadly, I needed a sympathy card for my cousin's family who lost their 30 y.o. son very unexpectedly. Verve's Forever In Our Hearts stamp set always comes to my rescue when I need sympathy sentiments and the new Mojo Monday Challenge sketch was so perfect for a clean and simple design!

STAMPS: Forever in Our Hearts and Better Together by Verve.
INK: Coastal Cabana and Baked Brown Sugar by SU.
DIES: Stitched Rectangles by Lil' Inker Designs. 

We'd love to see how you interpret this challenge!  You'll want to post your creation on the Mojo Monday blog.  If you need more inspiration, check out the design team's creations below: