PINK AND GRAY

"Anything Goes" is this month's theme at A Blog Named Hero and you still have until 29 April to get in your entry.

Played around with some gray inks today and my new MISTI creative corners - love how easy these make stamping off the side of the card.

My flower came from the Hero Arts May monthly kit from 2016 - one of their prettiest flowers ever.  The first flower was stamped in dark gray and clear embossed.  Then did the other two progressively lighter.  Used a Heidi Swapp stencil and sponged on some random light gray stripes.  Stamped the greeting in HA black and clear embossed.  After coloring the one flower with copics and shading with colored pencils, I die cut the piece with a MFT stitched frame, put it together on a white base, added a few Nuvo rosewater dots and done.

Hurry and get your entry in here - it's not too late and you'll be eligible for a lovely prize.

Thanks for visiting today and love to read your kind comments.

ELLEN HUTSON PINSIGHTS GUEST DESIGNER

I am so honored to be one of Ellen Hutson's Pinsights designer this month.  When Laurel sent me the challenge photo, I was so excited to start creating with these gorgeous colors.

The center flowers in the pinks and yellows were the inspiration for my card using Julie's mondo peony.  I used distress oxide inks in worn lipstick and fossilized amber to watercolor a background piece. Die cut with the stitched rectangles and kept them together with some washi tape on the back and stamped the peony on the bottom right - used my Misti and stamped it several times to get a nice black impression.  I also stamped the peony on a piece of vellum.  Then I adhered the watercolor piece with a bit of non-permanent adhesive to the center of the card base.  Placed the vellum over matching it all - then put the stamp over the piece of vellum for just the right placement in my Misti.   Removed the card and vellum and stamped the peony on the base.  Put some thin adhesive dots all around the frame and adhered that down and then put the center piece in - and voila!! it all matched up!!!  Added the clear drops, some Spectrum Noir to just the center and the Nuvo dots and done.  This will be one of those cards for my stash to add a sentiment when needed.

I hope you'll play along with the Pinsights Challenge this month  and fun with these gorgeous colors!  You must use Ellen Hutson products - and there's a random drawing for a $50 gift certificate.

All the info on how to enter are on The Classroom blog, so have a go!

Thanks for visiting today and love to read your comments.

 

PAINTED FLOWERS

The photo for this week's Inspired by All the Little Things really is so gorgeous, I just had to make a card.  In fact, every week they have such lovely inspiration photos - I just don't always get around to creating something.

Since Altenew is celebrating their 3rd anniversay, I decided to use the first flower stamp set I ever bought from them - it's still one of my favorites and it has been a bit neglected lately.  I used some of their striped paper from the Reflections kit to mimic the stripes in the model's cape.  Then just used colors and the vertical design from the photo - added little raindrops too.  There is Spectrum Noir on just the flowers for some shiny prettiness!

I don't know how I was chosen by Altenew to receive this darling stamp set, but it came in the mail quite by surprise a week or so ago.  Love it!! 

So will add this to Inspired by All...and also Altenew's anniversary celebration.

Thanks for visiting today and love to read your kind comments.

HIBISCUS BACKGROUND

It's "Anything Goes" for this month's theme at A Blog Named Hero!  And you know me and my flowers so...

Today's card is totally inspired by Yana Smakula's card - I have always been total rubbish when it comes to making a background - have never liked what I've made - somehow it always looks off kilter or I screw it all up when I'm almost finished!!!  So using the hibiscus stamps I carefully did a similar placement of stamps and I'm finally happy with the results.  Now that I have this background placement technique down pat, I just might be making more of this design in various colors!

I used only the first and second layers of the flowers and picked some pretty HA colors.  Since I wanted perfect coverage, used my Misti in case I needed to stamp several times.  Added some little dots to fill in the blank spaces. When I was finished I embossed around the flowers and leaves using the dies.  This is the sandwich I use on my Cuttlebug to emboss with a die - A plate, B plate, tan Spellbinders mat, paper, die (face down), B plate.  Cut down the size of the piece with one the larger infinity rectangles and put it on a soft grey base adding some fun foam underneath.  Embossed the little sentiment on some HA layering paper (sorry don't know which color it is) using HA white powder.  Finally a few Nuvo crystal dots in rosewater.

HA inks used - pale tomato, a pink from Lia, butter bar, pastel blue, sea glass, soft granite - the light grey is  london fog and the pale yellow is dandelion - both from Memento.

Have a go with any Hero Arts stamps in your stash, create a card and enter it this month's challenge!!  

Thanks for visiting today and love to read your kind comments.

 

DEER TRIO

The challenge at Merry Monday this week is to "create a scene" and it prompted me to make my first Christmas card of the year.  Also the challenge at CAS Mix-Up is "inlaid diecutting" and since I cut my scene apart and then inlaid the the center part back into the frame, I thought this might qualify.

I first smooshed some Tsukineko white frost ink onto a piece of white cs (5.5x4.25) using some cling wrap.  Then stenciled the trees with Altenew evergreen ink and where the white ink was it sort of looked like snow and gave a varigated color. Next I die cut the frame, made the shaker and put it all back together on a soft gray card base.  Added the IO deer trio on the top and done.  Sentiment stamped inside.

 

 

Inlaid die-cut, stencil

Thanks for visiting today and love to read your kind comments.

CAS WATERCOLOUR

I have had this piece stamped with antique linen distress ink on my desk for several weeks - wanting to do some no-line watercolouring - but kind of reluctant to even try it.  So when I saw the challenge today on CAS Watercolour, decided it was time to take the plunge.

The image is from a Concord & 9th set - Happy Words.  Colored the flower with distress worn lipstick, the center with scattered straw and the leaves with peeled paint and water.  I used some watercolor pencils to add a little definition.  Finally used a light gray Zig and water to do the shadow around the flower.   Die cut it with a stitched rectangle and put on a soft gray base popping it up with some fun foam.  Couldn't decide where to put a sentiment, so just left it as is.

Thanks for stopping by and love to read your kind comments.