BOLD BLOOMS

Ellen Hutson has a challenge out there now to use an Essentials by Ellen product with a Pinterest inspiration (funny enough it's the same photo I used in February for the Hero Arts scramble).  Anyway I am in love with the new Bold Blooms stamps and dies so had to use them in my cards today.

On the first card I die cut the flower and leaves from black card and embossed with HA clear embossing powder as I wanted the flower to be as shiny as the gold stripes.  The background for the whole front of the card is Neenah white gold metallic (I have 200 4 1/4"x5 1/2" pieces printed on one side that Office Max screwed up on a print job for me - anyone want some of it?? - perfectly good on the blank side!)  The gold stripe paper is from a Teresa Collins Studio Gold pad.  The little glitter gold heart is also from TC.

The second card has the bloom and leaves cut from gold Neenah metallic card with vellum on the back just to give a little more interest.  The hearts and striped paper are from TC.

These cards are going to be part of a set for a prize at a bridge weekend coming up in April.  Six years ago a friend and I organized this bridge weekend at a beautiful lodge in Nebraska City - we start on Friday night with dinner and bridge and then play all day Saturday - the first year we had 16 women - this year there are 32 - and it is so fun - that is if you like to play bridge and eat and win fun prizes!!

Thanks for visiting today and love your kind comments.  Betty

VINTAGE BUTTERFLY

I don't often do vintage, but was in the mood for that for this post today at a2z Scrapbooking.

So hop over there and check out the entire card.

Thanks for stopping by and your kind comments.  Betty

EASTER BUNNIES

A friend asked me to make Easter cards for her granddaughters so here's the results!!

The tags were die cut with MFT stitched tag and the bunnies are from Impression Obsession.  I made them both into shaker cards with little seed beads inside.  The sentiment is also from Impression Obsession.  I think they turned out pretty cute - should probably make some for my granddaughters too!!

Thanks for stopping by and your kind comments.  Betty

BIRTHDAY FEATHER

Today's scramble on the Hero Arts discussion group was to create a "word art" card.  I had the watercolor piece in my stash of backgrounds so first die the feather.  I stamped the happy birthday in the center of the feather in black ink and then stamped it all around in distress broken china ink.  Cut four more layers of cardstock and glued all the die cuts together.  Adhered the watercolored background to a card base and then fit the layered feather in place.  Added a few enamel dots and done.

Thanks for stopping by and your kind comments.  Betty

SPRING BOUQUET

Have a new post on a2z Scrapbooking today - here's a sneak peek...

So hop on over there and check out the details.

Thanks for stopping by.  Betty

MARCH CCC

I'm trying to keep ahead of the game with a2z design team posts and other stuff in my life - so made my card for Deb's March card chain challenge - I used the great sketch, colors and the friendship theme to make a card for Taunya.  These challenges from Deb are such a fun way to meet new friends from all over the world! -  plus she always has fabulous colors, an easy sketch and several themes from which to choose.

Used Altenew's layered painted flowers (stamped with HA butter bar, Memento dandelion, PTI sweet blush and melon berry), HA's new Hello Stamp & Cut, and MME striped paper.  The little clear gemstones are from Hero Arts (such a great value and the perfect accent)!  I find it much easier to color the leaves on this Altenew stamp by watercoloring with two shades of green ink rather than stamping.  Think I will make several of this design minus the sentiment just to have on hand for a quick card - the new Hero Arts stamp & cuts - Happy, Congrats, and Thanks would all work well with this design. 

Thanks for visiting and and always enjoy reading your kind comments.  Betty

HERO ARTS SCRAMBLE 104

This morning Judy's challenge was to think spring and design a card using flowers.  Usually I only get one card finished and uploaded in the 90 minute timeframe but managed to do two today.

On both cards I stamped the HA flower with versamark, embossed with Hero Arts white embossing powder and watercolored. 

On the first card I used PTI melon berry reinker and water for the flowers, sponged some Ranger tumbled glass on the bottom, doodled the stems and added a few HA clear gemstones.

On the second card I again white embossed and stamped with HA sweet threads flower, watercolored with Ranger broken china, added the sentiment from HA hello stamp & cut and added a few enamel dots.

This challenge scramble is usually every other week on a Saturday with a different hostess every time - it is such a great way to get the creativity juices flowing and there are always some prizes as an extra incentive!

Thanks for stopping by and always appreciate your kind comments.  Betty

MARCH CHALLENGE AT a2z SCRAPBOOKING

The a2z challenge for this month is "color it", so I did a card using my copics which have been quite neglected lately.  This is the same technique as I used in my card here only this time I used new Hero Arts stamps from the 2015 release.  I originally saw this technique on Amber's blog - she calls it an "inside out card".

The butterfly was stamped in black, die cut and then colored with Copics  B32, B63 and B95.   Then I die cut the butterfly on the front of the card.

The leaves were stamped with the new HA Stamp Your Own Plant in Forever Green shadow ink.  I just put a piece of paper under the die cut part so I wouldn't get ink on the inside of the card.  The "hello" is from the new Hero Arts Stamp & Cut Hello.

side view showing die cut front

I lightly outlined in pencil on the inside where the butterfly would be and then stamped more leaves and the "thinking of you" sentiment (also from the Stamp & Cut Hello).

                           inside                              

Lastly I glued the butterfly in place on the inside and added the clear gemstones on the butterfly and the front of the card.

Enter the a2z challenge for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate during the whole month of March - maybe win some of those Hero Arts new "must haves"!!

Remember you can always get a 15% discount at the a2z store on a $25 order with my code - BETTY15.  The new 2015 Hero Arts release is now in stock at a2z so you can pick up some of the great new stamps and dies - it won't be hard to spend $25!!!

As always, thanks for stopping by and your kind comments.  Betty