CARD CHAIN CHALLENGE

It's been awhile since I exchanged a card in the Card Chain Challenge - this month I get to send a card to my great blogging friend, Cat in Maryland.  While I was in rehab she sent me a little kit of prestamped flowers, sentiments, card bases, even a little scissors - everything I would need so I could keep on crafting.  That (along with lots of chocolate and visits from other friends) really kept me going while there for four weeks!!  I am now going to p.t. 3 times a week and getting a real workout on the knee.  This week I have to get it to bend 90 degrees - still have to wear the brace and use the walker, no driving, have figured out how to get my shoes on - baby steps!

I used the sketch and the colors suggested for this month - pale peach, pale yellow and pink.  The black and white stripe is some washi tape and there is a piece of vellum behind that.  Arranged the little flowers on top with some sequins and seed beads in the flower centers, added the sentiment and done.

It's always such a fun surprise to get some happy mail with this challenge - check it out and join in.  

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

saada 

PINK BALLOONS

CASology is celebrating their 5th anniversary with a balloon challenge and a blog hop - was really inspired by all the great designs on the hop. 

Decided on vellum balloons and a happy accident occurred.  Cut some balloons from patterned vellum - plan was to color on the back with alcohol markers and spritz with alcohol for a sort of watercoloured look. Well, I inadvertently colored on the front and when the alcohol hit it, the dots and stripes remained pink and the rest faded off - so I just rubbed it all off and ended up with pink and clear patterns.  The rest was pretty simple - die cut the sentiment, arranged it all, added twine bows and done!  Think this would make a cute card for a baby girl.

Thanks for stopping by.

ICE CREAM CONE BOUQUET

The theme at A Blog Named Hero this month is "florals" and I certainly love my flowers.  If you have read my blog before, you'll know I recently took a class where we used art, photography, fashion, etc. as our inspiration.  Found this art print and when I saw it, thought it was perfect for the HA ice cream cone set and all the little flowers that are in many of their stamp sets.  It's also National Ice Cream Month so let's celebrate with a floral cone!!

Source: Rifle Paper Co.

I stamped lots of little flowers from HA stamp sets (DC130, CL963, CL779, DC195) in a variety of inks.  Then fussy cut them because most did not have a matching die and I didn't want a white edge.  Stamped the cone and also fussy cut.  Then I did the flower arrangement and used the Press n' Seal method to keep them all together.  Attached the cone and flowers to a base matted with black, stamped the sentiment in black ink and clear embossed.  Added some Spectrum Noir to the flowers and rosewater Nuvo drops. 

In the July release, Hero Arts has a perfect stamp set for making bouquets with small flowers called Summer Garden.  Certainly would have used that if only I had it!!!  On the wishlist!

There is still time to make your floral creation and enter the challenge here.

 

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

BUTTERFLY

From my little stash of watercoloured tissue paper, I die cut some butterflies and leaves for my entry in the CAS Watercolour Challenge.

First I die cut the circle in the pinkish paper and then dry embossed.  Embossed a piece of cream card and fit it in to match the butterflies in the top piece.  Mounted that on a card base and added the butterfly, leaves and a few raindrops.  This will be a card for the miscellaneous file.  I am also entering this in HLS challenge for July.

Thanks for stopping by today.

ENCHANTED IRIS

I had a fun time playing with tissue paper and various dye inks yesterday - this technique certainly makes fantastic watercolor backgrounds!  The challenge at CAS Mix-Up this month is to use tissue paper, stamping and choice - my choice is a die cut.

After making the tissue paper background, I die cut the piece and put it on the white card base.  I colored the iris with Zigs and added some more dimension with my Prisma pencils, die cut them and added them and the sentiment.  

I am also entering this in Virginia's summer challenge and Happy Little Stampers watercolour and blue challenge.

My second card was a result of just some playing around with some DO inks.  Stamped the flowers with worn lipstick on black cs, but it just didn't look very pink, so again used Prisma colored pencils to add a little color.  I'm not wild about the colors, but used them on this card.

All for today.  Thanks for stopping by and love to read your comments.

BLACK AND WHITE WITH A SPLASH

The challenge at SSS Flickr Challenge this month is black and white with a splash of color.  i used my design from this card, colored the stamped image differently and changed the sentiment.  To break up the black background piece I added a piece of striped washi tape.  Both the image and sentiment are from "Floral Bliss" by SSS.

Thanks for visiting to day and look forward to reading your kind comments.

 

FLORALS AT ABNH

The challenge theme this month at A Blog Named Hero is "florals" and that's just up my alley!!!  Decided to make an "inside out" card as I haven't made one for ages.   These are easy to make with almost any stamp as long as you have a die to match.  

OUTSIDE

INSIDE

For my card, I first white embossed two of the flowers from the HA April 2016 kit, colored them with Copics and die cut a whole flower, then just a center part and layered them.  Did the same with the leaves. I next figured out where I wanted the flower and die cut the card front.  Then I fitted the layered flower in the cut area and glued it so it would be on the inside of the card.  The leaves are on the outside of the card.  Added the little sentiment, a few sequins and some Nuvo gold (flower center) and done!  The card base is HA wet cement - love these layering papers as they're white inside and there is such a great range of colors from which to choose.

You can enter your floral creation here and be eligible for a great prize.   

I am entering this in The Flower Challenge as the theme there this month is embossing.

Thanks for visiting today and so appreciate your comments.

NEW CREATION STATION

Since I am unable to "do" stairs, I had my sons move my craft stuff from the lower level of my townhome to the first floor second bedroom/office (which it used to be).  They also bought me a new desk and chair and put a ceiling fan/light in the room as the window faces west and can get really warm in the afternoon.  Got rid of a futon, file cabinet, lots of books, etc. to accommodate the new desk and chair.  A friend came over the other day and helped me organize as Kevin and Mike just brought stuff upstairs while I was still in rehab - so I didn't know where anything was.  What a joy it is to have everything where I can find it and to have such great family and a friend to help.  Here are some pics of the new room!

Top left is an antique oak file cabinet that holds a multitude of supplies.  Next to it is an old oak library table and another wood table where I keep my clear stamps, embossing folders, and stencils organized in wooden boxes (Target) and vintage filing and sewing machine drawers.  Bottom left is my new desk and chair.  Last is another view of the desk with the bookcase where I keep more supplies.  It will probably be tweaked a bit more as time goes by, but right now it works for me.  The desk has a pull out space where a keyboard is supposed to be, but I have a small paper cutter, my MISTI, and a small score board stored on it.  So handy. There is also a deep filing drawer where I keep all my cardstock.  The desk came from Office Depot (RealSpace).  

All for now.  

MUSE5

My final bit of homework for the Altenew Muse class uses photography as the inspiration.  

Love the soft colors with the strong contrast of the black tree and the bench for balance. 

I sponged on worn lipstick and broken china distress oxide inks and then went over the colors very lightly with some Altenew mocha.  Spattered some water drops, popped the piece up with fun foam on a pale grey base, added the leaves, the sentiment and a few clear sequins and done!

I have loved this class and would again highly recommend if you would like to stretch your designing skills.

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

MUSE4

Here is my fourth card for Altenew's Muse online class.  Can't believe I've actually made four cards - only one more to go and all my homework will be done!!!  Carissa used party supplies and decor for our inspiration this time.  I found this great letter with it's pretty colors on Pinterest and used that as my starting point.

I die cut the letters from white cardstock and inked them with Altenew's desert night.  The background was stenciled with sea glass ink.  The little flowers and leaves are from EH Courage and inked in rose quartz, puffy heart and purple wine.  The background is popped up with fun foam and mounted on a grey/tan card base.  Added a few clear dots and done!  The card is blank inside awaiting "birthday", "anniversary" or whatever.

Good to see you here today and thanks for your kind comments.

MUSE3

Art is the inspiration for today's card.  I found this painting on Etsy and loved the simple design and bold colors.

 

I just took my Versamark pad and smudged the edges of the three pieces of cardstock and then embossed in gold.  The center white piece is popped up with some foam tape.  Added the little sentiment strip and a few Altenew enamel hearts and done!

 

Thanks for stopping by today.