MORE MAGNOLIA

Have another magnolia card for you today.  When I first received this new Hero Arts stamp, I decided I would use it with different mediums and different card designs for my A Blog Named Hero Facebook team posts this month.  In case you missed it, the first one is here.   Since I have been using it, it's fast become my favorite flower stamp - which is the challenge this month at A Blog Named Hero - use your favorite Hero Arts product.  Besides this stamp I love their embossing powders and black ink - use them all the time!

I colored with my polychromos again, but this time on kraft cs.  I laid down a base of white on the magnolia before adding color with two shades of pink.  The flowers were first stamped with Versamark and white embossed and the sentiment was stamped in black and clear embossed. I had to snip a bit of the flourish off on the "you" so I could get it to fit on the card properly.  Trimmed the piece down to 4"x5.25" and popped it up on a white card base with fun foam.  Added some white Nuvo drops and done.  TaeEun has a wonderful video showing how to color with pencils - she is a fantastic artist and you can learn so much from her.

Plan on experimenting with alcohol inks, watercolours and copics with this same stamp.

I have always had trouble positioning a wood block stamp.  To make things easier for myself, I peeled this stamp off the block and coated it with Aleene's Tack It Over and Over - I just put a little bit on the back and smooth it out with a credit card or something similar - let it dry overnite and you have a cling stamp to use in your MISTI. 

There's still time to create a card with your HA faves and enter it here.

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

80th BIRTHDAY

A friend asked me to make an 80th birthday card and here's what I designed for her.

I had a difficult time photographing the closeup of the hidden "80" (looks like a different color background) but you can get the idea.  My card is a combo of this card and one by Therese.  Inside the sentiment is "and fabulous!".  

Thanks for visiting today.

FOIL EASTER EGGS

Had this piece of alcohol inked and foiled Yupo paper on my desk for a bit and when I saw the challenge at CASology, it inspired me to use it.  

I first stamped some smaller eggs using Versamark all over the background piece for a little interest.  Next figured out where I wanted the eggs, stamped and embossed the sentiment and then adhered the eggs.  Mounted all on a white card base, added a few Nuvo drops and done.

In case you don't know how to do foil with alcohol inks, here is a link. 

Thanks for stopping by and also for your kind comments.

HOLLY

In the midst of finishing some Easter cards, I made a Christmas card at the last minute for the new challenge - CAS Christmas.

 

I stamped the HA holly and colored with copics.  Then used the alpha dies to cut out the word "joy" - cut three more sets of letters in white and stacked them.  Adhered the stamped piece to the base and then put my stacked letters back in place.  Added some Nuvo drops to the berries and done.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and your kind comments make my day.

 

 

BIRTHDAY WREATH

I have never felt I've been any good at stamping a wreath - so decided to have another go at it - turned out fairly decent even tho it is rather oval shaped.  Think it has sort of a folk art look to it tho.

Sorry for the shadow from the sprig prop - didn't notice it when I took the photo this morning and had already mailed off the card to my granddaughter today.  Used EH stamps supporting breast cancer research which I bought last summer and have barely used.  Lots of little layering stamps in this set which I thought would work well for a wreath.   Added a few Nuvo drops for some texture and done.

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

MAGNOLIA

Hi all - this is my introductory post for A Blog Named Hero Facebook Team for 2018 - so made a special card with a new Hero Arts stamp for the new challenge year.

Created the background for my magnolia flower by stamping it with Versamark and white embossing it.  Stamped and embossed another flower on the same pale gray cs I used for the base and die cut - then colored with polychromos. I used a black glaze pen to make the tiny dots in the flower center. Trimmed the white panel and added to a light gray base.  The sentiment is stamped in black and clear embossed.  Popped up the flower with some foam tape, added a few sequins (tiny gold Nuvo drop in their centers), gold thread and done.

Thanks for stopping by today and be sure to check out the A Blog Named Hero FB page for more Hero Arts inspiration.  Also check out my blog again for more ideas using this gorgeous stamp.

FEBRUARY CARD CHAIN CHALLENGE

This month my Card Chain Challenge partner is Dawn Turley in New Zealand - Dawn is one of the first stampers I met when I first started joining this challenge so it's great to be sending her a card again.  I used the colors (aubergine, rose and cream), sketch and theme (friend) for her card.

I white embossed some of the flowers from Altenew's Adore You set onto black cs and then watercolored with Kuretake metallic colors.  I put some score lines for texture down the left side of the card, but they didn't photgraph very well.  Added a few Nuvo gold drops and the little sentiment and done.

Thanks for stopping by today and always enjoy reading your kind comments.

CASEING YANA

The other day, I watched Yana color this gorgeous card and immediately thought of a new background stamp called Riotous Wildflowers I just won from The Ton.  So to initiate it, I just tried Yana's design and coloring techniques.

I don't have any polychromos so had to use my Prismacolors but think they worked pretty well.  I used PTI soft stone cs for the background and embossed it all in liquid platinum.  Added it to a white card base with the little sentiment and some Nuvo drops.  

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

WATERCOLOR HEART

Concord & 9th and CAS Watercolour both have the same theme for their monthly challenge - so made one card for both.  This also fits Just Add Ink challenge to use the letter "H" (happy and heart).

I stamped the Concord & 9th You Are Here heart in liquid platinum and loosely watercoloured.  Added the sentiment and stripe detail on the side and done.

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

FEBRUARY TWOFER

Hearts are the challenge theme for both Darnell's Twofer and HLS CAS this month.  Darnell's challenge wants two different cards using the same stamp or die and HLS needs a CAS card.

For both cards I used Concord & 9th's lovely heart stamp.  The prayers card was stamped and embossed on a piece of vellum and then colored on the back with alcohol markers.  The birthday card was embossed in gold on black cs and then colored with Prismacolors.  

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

 

STENCILED TREE

The challenge this week at Merry Monday is stencils.  Created a very CAS card with the Tim Holtz woodland stencils.

The green is DO peeled paint, the gold is Modellier Creme and then added some gold Nuvo drops.

 Thanks for stopping by...

 

ALCOHOL INK STAMPING

Today I had an idea spurred by a post on Pinterest about making your own ink pad using reinkers on baby wipes.  So wondered if that would work with alcohol inks.  Didn't actually make an ink pad - just put alcohol inks on my blending tool with a little blending solution.  Here's the result...

I used Altenew's Beautiful Day stamp set - inked just the second layer of the stamp with a mixture of shell pink, salmon, watermelon and mountain rose.  On the leaves are citrus, lettuce and meadow.  All were stamped on yupo paper.  I used my MISTI so I could get a better variation in the colors.  This worked really well for the leaves and was able to stamp multiple times without reinking the felt or adding more blending solution.

Now I'm wondering what effect the alcohol ink has on the clear stamps???  I cleaned them off really well and they're stained, but no more so than with ink.  Did a Goggle search but didn't find a definitive answer.  

No matter what, I had fun experimenting.  Thanks for stopping by today - and if anyone knows whether I've ruined my clear stamps, let me know!!!

EDIT:  have been told that stamping first in Versamark will protect the stamp and the stamping with the alcohol ink will be fine - sounds like a good idea to me.

TEAL BUTTERFLY

This past weekend, I managed to create a couple of cards that will fit into several challenges.  

I wanted to play around with my alcohol inks and made some backgrounds using yupo paper and also a piece of thick vellum.  For my card, I used the vellum piece on the back side for a softer look.  I adhered the vellum to cardstock with some wide scor-tape and then die cut it with a rectangle die.  Cut the butterflies from PTI's Life is Beautiful in white and also another piece of the vellum.  Put it all together with a few Nuvo drops on the body of the butterfly.

I am entering this in the PTI challenge (use only dies), HLS Mixed Media challenge (butterfly) and Addicted to CAS (teal). 

Made a second card with the vellum piece.

Just used it for the background and embossed the butterfly and added some white Nuvo drops and the little sentiment.  I really like the soft look of the alcohol ink on the vellum - maybe even better than on glossy or yupo paper.

Thanks for stopping by...

PASTEL POINSETTIA

On this cold, snowy, freezing, northernly wind blowing Sunday, I decided to make a last minute card for the Merry Monday challenge for this week.

Used EH mondo poinsettia stamped on vellum in silver and colored on the back with copic markers.  Finished it off with the little silver sentiment, silver thread and some Nuvo silver drops in the center of the flower.

Now I'm off to watch Nebraska women's basketball game against Maryland - they're #1 and we're #2 in the Big Ten - so should be a good game.  Go Big Red!!

Thanks for stopping by.

 

INSPIRED BY...

Altho I'm not much of a vintage card maker, the challenge today at Inspired by All the Little Things made me think of a stamp I've never used - probably bought it 'cause it had a bicycle in the set.  The bicycle, brick wall, polka dots and all the hearts were my inspiration.

Stamped the little bicycle across the bottom, embossed the brick wall and sponged some distress ink to give a somewhat vintage look. Put it on a polka dot background, added the  sentiment and the hearts - done.  My grandson is a bicyclist so this card is going to him.

Glad you stopped by today - have a great weekend.