A BIT OF SPARKLE

This month the challenge at A Blog Named Hero is 

and I created a card using Hero Arts hydrangea which is an all time favorite of mine.   Here is a sneak peak:

Head on over to A Blog Named Hero and check it out.  There's still time to make a sparkly card and enter it this month's challenge here - and a chance to win a prize from Simon Says Stamp, our sponsor for this month.

Thanks for stopping by.

SILVER BELLS...

Silver Bells...it's Christmas time in the city - I think that the way the song goes anyway!  So today it's silver bells for Merry Monday's "bells" challenge.

A friend gave me these PTI bells ages ago, but they were cut from patterned paper - so I smooshed them with Versamark and embossed with HA silver.  The bow is from the same set and also smooshed, but embossed with Stampendous aged aqua metallic.  Cut the pine boughs from Neenah white gold metallic cs and then daubed with tumbled glass distress ink.  The watercolor background was more smooshing with tumbled glass ink.  Put it all together with Neenah metallic silver cs for the mat and sentiment and added the sequins here and there.  Done and dusted!

Thanks for visiting today and your comments make me so pleased.

 

FEBRUARY CARD CHAIN CHALLENGE

This month I sent my card to a friend in New Zealand, Dawn, who was one of the first card making friends I made on the CCC.  We have kept in touch ever since and that is such a neat perk from joining in this challenge.  The colors this month were fuschia, dusty blue and eggshell, the sketch had leaves and the theme I chose was friendship.

I stamped the gingko leaves in black and embossed in clear - then watercolored around them.  The sentiment was a scrap leftover from another watercolored piece and also stamped in black and clear embossed.  Added a few sequins, gave it a black mat and then onto an eggshell base.  And off it went across the world.

Thanks for stopping by and your kind comments.

IT'S THE BERRIES

The theme of Merry Monday's challenge this week is berries and I wanted to do something a little different than just an ordinary wreath.

I started by watercoloring a large piece with various greens.  When dry, I cut out a bunch of stitched holly leaves in three sizes.  I embossed a circle on the card front and played around a bit with a few ideas.  Finally glued on the gold cord and just added a few holly leaves with gold sequins for the berries.  Die cut the joy sentiment and done.  The holly leaves are all sparkly with WOS.

Thanks for stopping by and always enjoy reading your comments.

 

WARM WINTER WISHES

This month A Blog Named Hero is collaborating with Simon Says Stamp.  If you follow me you know that little children are not my forte - in fact I don't think I've ever created a card with little kids on it.  Well, there's always a first for everything!!  When I was like around 10 years old, I loved to design clothes for paper dolls - well, in creating this card I felt like I was 10 years old again!!  These little guys are so cute and come with hats and mittens and scarves and are the "funnest" ever!  Penguins in December and little children in February - what next???  Vintage?  Ten layers of stuff? Bright bold colors?  Anyway, head on over to my ABNH post and check out my card.  The challenge for the month is "sparkle" and there's lots of that there too.  You have all February to enter a card with sparkle here.

Thanks for visiting today and love reading your wonderful comments. 

LAYERED HEART

Happy Little Stampers has a challenge this month to design a card using the embossing folder technique.  If you are unfamiliar with this there are multiple links on their blog challenge.  CAS on Sunday's challenge is "valentine" and this will qualify for them also.

For the ef technique, I sponged abandoned coral and picked raspberry distress inks onto the folder, spritzed with water and pressed the paper onto the folder.  When dry, I die cut the hearts.  The Concord & 9th Layers of Love dies come with the both the floral outline and the stripe.  Adhered the stripe to the back and then popped it all up with some foam tape onto the card base.  Carefully inserted some clear sequins under the stripes and done.  Had never tried this technique and it really is a fun way for a different watercolor look.  

Thanks for visiting today and love reading your comments.  

Betty

HOLLY JOLLY

I'm the guest designer on Merry Monday today as I won their challenge a few weeks ago with this card.  The challenge for this week is to use the chalkboard technique - if you're not familiar with it, google it and you'll find lots of ideas - there are several ways to achieve the "look".

I first white heat embossed the sentiment on the black cs.  Then I took my white pigment ink and lightly sponged the edges and swirled around a bit more on the card to give it that chalkboard look.  Gold embossed and colored the holly leaves with my Zig brushes and fussy cut.  Then went looking in my stash for some paper for a mat and finally settled on the polka dots with a tan card base.  Put it all together and popped up the leaves and added the red enamel dot berries.

Hope you join in their challenge this week - the chalkboard technique is a few years old but still a fun, easy and great look.  So hop on over to Merry Monday and check out all the other wonderful inspiration from their design team.

Thanks for stopping by and your kind comments. 

HERO ARTS SCRAMBLE

I am hosting the Hero Arts 90 minute scramble today on the HA discussion group.  I have an inspiration photo and the theme is "love" - lots of leeway in the challenge so hop on over to the post, check out the details and create a card to enter. It's a 24 hour challenge meaning it's open until Sunday 7 February but you have to create your card in the 90 minute time span (honor system) from start to finish including photographing it and posting.  I have a nice prize for the winner and Tami Hartley from Hero Arts will also have a digi prize from HA.

Inspiration Photo and my cards

I used HA die, sentiment and sequins, MB branch and oval die in the first card and my Fuze tool for the shaker.  In the second card I cut the HA die twice, then layered it on the card base and added some sparkle with the sequins.  

Hope you have some time to create a card for this scramble - it's really fun to see what you can do in 90 minutes!

On another note - how do you like the new look for the blog?  My friend Loll Thompson was my coach who was super helpful and patient with all my fumbling around and I am so pleased with the way it turned out.  The free header photo is from Clementine Creative. 

All for now - thanks for stopping by and your kind comments. 

SILVER SANTA

The challenge this week at Merry Monday is "santa".  Since I only own one santa stamp - what to do to make him front and center???  Decided on a silver theme and I really am pleased with how he turned out.

Santa was stamped in silver embossing powder as was the sentiment.  I added WOS to his beard, hair and fur on cap - sorry couldn't get it in the photo as it really adds a lot.  Put two circle dies together for the rim and the background was embossed and little clear sequins added.  Card base is Neenah metallic.  The santa and sentiment are from an old Jane Doodles set and the embossing folder is from Tim Holtz - neither available any longer.

My card also will be entered in Happy Little Stampers Christmas challenge - it's a tic-tac-toe and I chose the middle row.

Thanks for stopping by today and also for your kind comments.   Betty