FALLING LEAVES

One last entry for this month's CAS Mix-Up challenge to use marbling, stamping and a choice (die cuts).

 

I die cut the HA leaves from a piece that I had marbled with shaving creme and reinkers and then stamped the veins with HA copper embossing powder.  The strips on the left were another piece of marbled paper and a piece I made by embossing it with more copper.  Pico dots and a simple sentiment completed the card.

 

 

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

 

WARM WISHES

and warm ears and hands and feet!!  The theme this week at Merry Monday is "keep warm" and I immediately thought of my SSS "Ready, Set, Snow" kids!

So I colored my little girl with Zigs, made a snowy embossed background and a couple of snowbanks, added a few sequins and a little glitter - and done!  The sentiment (an old one from Technique Tuesday) was stamped in black and clear embossed.  She's pretty cute, isn't she!!! - and you know I never do "cute"!!

Thanks for visiting today and your kind comments make my day!!

 

 

SNOWFLAKE SHAKER

Am really late in getting my Merry Monday card done and it really didn't turn out like I envisioned - but am going to have to run with it.

I used my new HA layering snowflakes with frames to make the shaker and the sentiment is also from a new HA set.  I wish the frame part looked more like snowflakes but...it shakes really nicely!! 

Supplies: Hero Arts DI196, DC195

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

FIRST CARD FOR AUTUMN

Today's challenge in the Hero Arts discussion group's 90 minute challenge was to use a geometric design and of course HA products.  So I created this card with a few other challenges in mind.  Time Out has a lovely fall photo inspiration and since I had used a marbled piece for the leaves, it also fits CAS Mix-Up.  It also fits the "fall" LOVE challenge on Flickr .

The leaves, die cuts, embossing and sentiment are all  from the new Hero Arts holiday release.  I had made the marbled piece using reinkers and wasn't really thrilled with the outcome - but die cutting the leaves from it made it work.  Used Neenah copper metallic cs for the circle, PTI soft stone cs for the base and added a few enamel dots to complete my card.  The techniques used for the CAS Mix-Up were marbling, die cutting and stamping.

Supplies: HA DI199, CL987, DI315, PW116

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

STAY GOLDEN

Today I have a sneak peak of my card for A Blog Named Hero.

Our challenge this month is:

 and our prize is from:

Check out my card here and enter our challenge here for a chance to win a great prize from our generous sponsor, Ellen Hutson.

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

GRATEFUL FOR YOU

The September CAS Mix-Up challenge is to use the marbling technique - and I can't say I'm over the moon with my results.  I used the shaving cream method ages ago only didn't have any shaving cream so went with water - after many attempts with reinkers, alcohol ink, spays and nail polish, I finally settled on the one using SU reinkers and some HA gold spray.  So here's the result!

It really turned out quite well and the gold gives it a nice shimmer as you can see from the closeup.  The PTI die cut was layered 3 times to give it some depth.  Thought I'd give it a "fake shaker" look by adding sequins just along the bottom part of the leaf (not an original idea, but can't remember where I saw it).  The little sentiment is also from PTI.

Thanks for visiting today and your comments make my day.

AUTUMN THANK YOU

The current Essentials by Ellen Mix-up challenge is to use a Concord & 9th product and of course an Ellen product.  Recently bought "Give Thanks" from Concord - loved all the fall stamps and sentiments - and then there were a ton of ideas from various artists during their August birthday celebration.

I gold embossed the leaves and stalk of grain after seeing Jennifer McGuire's technique, only I left all of the little pieces in place.  Used Brushos to create the watercolored piece, embossed the background with a TH folder, added a few sequins and put it all together on a kraft card base.  The sentiment is from the "Stay Golden" set by Julie Ebersole.  Stamped it in black and clear embossed.

Am sending this to a special blog friend as part of another challenge.

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

MERRY MONDAY #2

After I made my first card for Merry Monday's challenge, I had a little strip that was cut off and wasn't used, so made another card sort of in reverse.

So the gold piece is the leftover and then stamped another panel in black ink and embossed in clear.  The sentiment was added stamped in Versamark and gold embossed.   And then I realized I had sliced off too much on the right side.  The fix was to add a piece of gold foil paper and pop up the left side with some foam tape, add a thin black strip and a few sequins - done.

Thanks for visiting today and your kind comments make my day.

MERRY MONDAY

Merry Monday is back with their Christmas card challenge after a summer break with a fantastic challenge to use black, gold and white.  I was so intrigued by the design technique by Danielle today on Make It Monday that I decided to try on my card.

I first positioned all my poinsettia stamps on my MISTI and stamped in Versamark and then HA gold powder.  Next I stamped again onto a white card base using black ink and embossing in clear powder.  Stamped the sentiment the same way.  Then added a piece of fun foam to the larger piece and added it to the card base, matching up the lines.  Felt like it needed a bit of "something" so added the thin black strip and a few black sequins - happy.

Thanks for stopping and love to read your kind comments.

MAKE IT MONDAY

Today on PTI Make It Monday, Danielle created a card which was partially colored - sort of like a spotlight card only with the black and white part on the left side.  

 

I used PTI "Delightful Dahlia" stamps for the flowers and the sentiment is from their "Beautiful Butterflies".  Stamped the images in black ink and clear embossed.  Then sliced off about an inch from the side and colored the larger piece with my Zigs.  Used a piece of fun foam on the back of the colored piece to pop it up a bit.  Fun and easy technique!

 

Hope all my USA friends have had a relaxing Labor Day holiday - thanks for stopping by.

 

 

BEAUTIFUL DAY

Well, I'm finally getting some mojo back after being gone for three weeks and then just not being able to get in the card creating mood again.  Have had this new set from Altenew for awhile, so it was perfect for Darnell's NBUS challenge.

  

It's not that I don't have other NBUS, but this is the one I've mostly been dying to use.  I stamped the flower with the red inks from Altenew - also the leaves.  Then I just used my MISTI to stamp the black smaller leaves and flowers around the edge of the 3 3/4" x 5" piece and adhered that to a regular top folding card.  Added the colored flower, leaves and the sentiment and done!

Also have some good news to share - had entered a card in the Ellen Hutson Pin-Sights guest designer challenge and heard from Laurel Beard the other day that I was chosen as one of the designers.  Don't know yet when I'll have to do my card - probably not until early 2017 - but I'll let you know when.

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

HIBISCUS POP

Here is a sneak peek of my post on A Blog Named Hero today.

This month's challenge is 

So check out my post at ABNH and here is another idea for creating a "pop of color" card I made last month.  There's still time to enter our challenge - add your card here.  If you go on Pinterest and search "pop of color cards" you'll find lots of ideas.  The design team has had ideas for you all month and you could win a prize from out lovely sponsor

 Love your kind comments and thanks for stopping by.

 

BLUE PEONY

The challenge for August at CAS Mix-Up is to use sprays, stamping and a choice.  

 

Since I had stamped and embossed quite a few of the peonies, I colored another one with my Zigs.  Made the background by smooshing (choice) peacock feathers and tumbled glass distress ink on a piece of watercolor paper.  Then made a mixture of Perfect Pearls and water and sprayed with a mini mister.  That caused the colors to blend and spread a bit more and gave it a wonderful pearly finish.  When it was all dry, I die cut the piece.  Figured out where to put the sentiment and stamped in black and clear embossed.  Then added the panels and the florals.  You'll have to believe me about how pretty and shiny the card is.  There's still time to enter this challenge as it ends on 24 August.

 

Thanks for visiting to day and your comments make my day!

 

PEONY

Have been playing a little catch-up today with several challenges - Altenew August challenge and CAS(E) This Sketch #186.

I colored the peony with my Zigs - pink flamingo and light carmine and the leaves were done with cool gray and pale gray - used a damp brush to blend on both.  The paper is MME "Fancy That", the sentiment stamped in HA silver is from Clearly Besotted and the base is Gina K ivory.  Added some Spectrum Noir clear to the flower and a few sequins and done!  

Thanks for stopping by today and love to read your comments - they make me happy to be a part of this great stamping commuity!

PRAYERS

Today Karen has a great challenge over at the Hero Arts discussion group - it's open until 9:30PM PST tomorrow nite so there's still plenty of time to join in the fun and maybe win a nice prize from Karen or Hero Arts.

The challenge is to make a card using solids and outlines, photograph and post within 90 minutes. 

 

I used the flowers from the HA April monthly kit for my outline and the leaves from Stamp Your Own Plant, plus sentiments from the HA Prayers Stamp & Cut.  I gave the flowers a little color with a copic - B000.  Added a few clear sequins for a little pizazz - done and dusted in 70 minutes (including taking the photo and posting).

 

I was also thinking about A Blog Named Hero's challenge for this month which is to use "pop of color".  There's still time to enter that challenge also.

All for tonite - thanks for visiting and love to read your kind comments.

 

CHERRY PINK

This month at A Blog Named Hero the challenge is

and our sponsor is The Ton - great prize available from them for the winner.  They have gorgeous stamps and fantastic ideas for using them on their blog, The Season. Here is a peek of my card today.

Check it out here and enter our challenge here.  ABNH designers have some wonderful inspiration for you.

Thanks for your visit and kind comments.

AUGUST CCC

This month I'm using the colors (lavender, mint and teal) and sketch from Deb's Card Chain Challenge and sending to Deb.  Since Deb has received her card I can post today.

I used Altenew's Watercolor Wonders stamps and dies using Altenew purple inks for the flower and Hero Arts mint julep ink and Altenew ocean waves ink for the leaves. A  Heidi Swapp stencil and salty ocean distress ink were used for the stripes.  A little gold thread, some sequins, a few spatters and a rounded corner were the finishing touches.  Easy card to do and I love those colors together.  It's so easy to do a layered card with the Altenew inks - love them!!

Thanks for all your kind comments and for coming by today.