Merry Monday Mistletoe

It's Merry Monday time.

Can you believe it's the last day of March?

Time is flying by!  I'm so glad I've got a good start on my Christmas Cards.

Debbie chose our challenge this week.

I pulled out an old favorite stamp set, Cardinal Christmas.

This mistletoe was underused

I stamped the image in Sahara Sand and colored it by swiping markers on a plastic lid and picking up the ink with a blender pen.

The berries were colored with my White Gel Pen leaving a dot in the center of the berries and dotting with a Soft Suede marker.

The embossed label was in the snippet pile and so was the bow.

I swiped a Sahara Sand marker on my plastic lid and picked up color with the blender pen to lightly outline the design giving it more dimension.

The background card was stamped with the mistletoe stamp from the retired Easy Events.

I used VersaMark ink to stamp the background.

Be sure to go over to Merry Monday and check out the Design Team cards.
They are amazing!

So glad you stopped by.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Cardinal Christmas, Easy Events (retired)

Ink: Sahara Sand, VersaMark, SU Markers (Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede, Sahara Sand, Crumb Cake)

Paper:  Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Dark Green (? snippet)

Other: White Gel Pen, Labels Collection Framelits, Lacy Brocade EF (Clearance Rack), Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

Happy Chicks

A quick post with a Holiday card for

Addicted to Stamps.

Their challenge is Holidays.

I found this stamp on the clearance shelf at Hobby Lobby a while ago.

My stampin' friends and I have been having a good time with it!

Since I used some snippets for these chicks,

I'm sharing with Di and Parsnip and all my friends at

Pixies Snippet Playground.

There's lots of fun over there.

Do take a look.

I hope this brings a smile to your face.

Enjoy!

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Card Recipe

Stamps: Chickie Hop (Stampendous), Sentiment -Eggstra Special Sentiments (Amy R.)

Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento), Daffodil Delight, SU Markers (Blushing Bride, Pumpkin Pie)

Paper:  Daffodil Delight, Whisper White

Other:  Sponge Dauber, Stitched Mats Rectangles (Lil Inkers)

Backyard Basics for the Queen

I've been so busy preparing for classes that I've hadn't been able to 

participate in the Queen for the Day challenges at SCS.

I hope I can catch up on those that I missed.

Today I have a card for last week's Queen Lori.

She has a wonderful gallery!

I picked this card to CASE.

Here's mine

The flower stamp was inked with Pear Pizzazz and Elegant Eggplant 

and stamped on a snippet of Whisper White.  

After using the blender pen and a swipe of Wisteria Wonder on a plastic lid 

to color the flower, the design was die cut with the matching die.

I inked the stamp again and stamped several times without re-inking

on the background piece.

I'm looking forward to the irises blooming soon.

Thanks for the visit.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Backyard Basics, Teeny, Tiny Wishes

Ink:  SU Markers (Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder, Pear Pizzazz

Paper:  Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White

Other:  Square Lattice EF, Backyard Basics Framelits

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Pleasant Poppy Splotches

A couple of years ago I did a tutorial on what I called

Watercolor Splotches

And this is another card I made using this technique.

I've been revisiting that technique.

See what happened.

This time I used Crushed Curry and Calypso Coral ink refills.

I'm not telling how many tries it took to get a piece I liked.

Then when I stamped the poppies, the stems didn't stamp right.

So here's the lemonade....

I love lemonade!

Check out the Paper Crafter's Library.

They're Technique Tuesday is all about watercolor today.

Thanks for the visit.

Enjoy!

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Card Recipe (card 1)

Stamps:  Pleasant Poppies

Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Paper:  Shimmery White, Basic Black

Other: Aqua Painter, Ink refills (Crushed Curry, Calypso Coral), Basic Pearls (colored with black Sharpie)

Card Recipe (card 2)

Stamps:  Pleasant Poppies, Too Kind

Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Paper:  Shimmery White, Basic Black)

Other:  Aqua Painter, Ink Refills (Crisp Cantaloupe, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral), Corner Rounder Punch (Fiskars)

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Merry Monday Peaceful Wishes

Hello and Merry Monday to you.

Karren chose our challenge this week.

I was so happy to be able to use this birch die that I bought last Fall.

And I used the stencil paste that I bought for a recent Online Stencil Class.

Check out what the rest of the Design Team has done.

Be prepared to be dazzled!

And we'd love to be dazzled by your card at

Merry Monday!

Some other challenges....

Cuttlebug Mania

is celebrating their first anniversary this week.

A big congratulations to this awesome team.

To celebrate they're going.

I've stenciled the dots, but I did use my Big Shot to cut the trees and birds.

Pixies Snippet Playground

since I used some of my teeny, tiny snippets

Thanks for the visit.

Enjoy!

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Card Recipe

Stamps:  Peaceful Wishes (retired)

Ink:  Basic Gray, SU Marker (Basic Gray, Basic Black)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Smokey Slate, Naturals White, Real Red

Other:  Birch Trees Die (Impression Obsession), Wendy Vecchi White Embossing Paste 

Watercolor Secret Garden Flower

I am really enjoying my play with watercoloring.

Actually, I use re-inkers not watercolors.

Does that still count?

Here's my latest attempt.

After I had the panel colored, I wasn't sure what to do with it.

I checked in on the sketch challenge at SCS this week and thought it would work.

Here's the sketch....

I took some liberties with the sketch but I think it's still visible.

One thing I've learned about watercoloring.  

I have to be patient and let one color dry before applying another.

I hope you like this as much as I do.

Off to share at Pixie's Snippet Playground

since I used a snippet of watercolor paper and matting.

Thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy!

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Card Recipe

Stamps:  Secret Garden

Ink: SU Markers (Strawberry Slush, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight)

Paper:  Watercolor (Strathmore), Pear Pizzazz (snippet)

Other: Needlepoint Border EF, Primrose Petals Stitched Ribbon, Aqua Painter, Re-inkers

Good Luck

I know, I'm late for St. Patrick's Day.

But aren't shamrocks good luck anytime?

Addicted to CAS' Codeword is

I had this image in my UFO (UnFinished Objects) box.  

It was a leftover from a Calendar.

I cut it down, matted it with a snippet from the green bag,

and stamped my only good luck sentiment.

I have a head start on next year's St. Patrick's day

or a card to just wish good luck.

Lots of wonderful inspiration at this site.

I hope you'll check it out.

Thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy!

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Card Recipe

Stamps: Shamrock (Inkadinkadoo), So Happy for You (retired)

Ink:  Gumball Green

Paper: White 110 lb. (Pip), Gumball Green, Whisper White 

Other:  Basic Pearls

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Backyard Basics Butterfly Stitched

I had some left over sets from my Papercrafting classes last week.

I combined 2 and came up with this.

We used the Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder leaving 1 1/2"  unembossed at the top.

Then we used the Mosaic Punch to create the decorative edge.

Some challenges for this card

Valerie Anne's Butterfly Challenge #3

is A STITCH IN TIME

She wants to see stitching (faux or real) and a butterfly on our projects.

There's real stitching on this ribbon.

It came that way.  I'm so glad!

Curtain Call

gave this as inspiration

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #87

is MAKE YOUR MARK

I've used markers to color my butterfly.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Enjoy!

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Card Recipe

Stamps:  Backyard Basics

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), SU Markers (Baja Breeze (retired), Marina Mist)

Paper:  Midnight Muse, Whisper White

Other:  Modern Mosaic EF, Mosaic Punch, Summer Starfruit Stitched Ribbon

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Copper Birds

Yesterday I posted a card in honor of my friend Loll.

A while back, Loll sent me some copper sheets that she had heated.

Thank you so much for  your generosity, Loll.

She's made some gorgeous cards with the copper.

Here's one that I did with it.

I also used the Faux Mother of Pearl technique that she has used several times lately.

To do this technique you put some Frost White paint on a craft sheet or wax paper

Dip some scrunched up plastic wrap in the paint, dab off the excess and tap the paint lightly on a piece of white cardstock leaving some of the cardstock uncovered.

Let it dry.

Sponge ink on the paper.  It won't stick to the frost paint.

I sponged the top piece with Certainly Celery and Wild Wasabi.

The piece behind and the flowers were sponged with Very Vanilla. 

After sponging the color, I rubbed with a folded paper towel to remove any ink from the frost paint.

I love the way the copper has different colors in it from the heating.

The tiny flowers were punched from some of the frost and vanilla FMOP and

punched with one of the Itty Bitty Shapes punches. 

I used a 1/16" circle punch to punch the ends of the flowers to look like Dogwood.

The punched ends were tapped with a Primrose Petal marker.

The centers are a tiny pearl colored with a yellow Copic Marker.

Paper Players 

is having a CAS week with a theme

Fusion Card Challenge

has one of my favorite sketches and my colors are somewhat similar.

Thanks for the visit.

Enjoy!

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Card Recipe

Ink:  Frost White, Certainly Celery, Wild Wasabi, Very Vanilla

Paper:  Certainly Celery (retired), Whisper White, Soft Suede snippet

Other: Plastic Wrap, Copper sheet, Woodland Branch Die (Memory Box), Bird Die (Impression Obsession), Itty Bitty Shapes Punch, Basic Pearls

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

For Loll

My friend Loll is the CAS Featured Stamper on SCS this week.

Loll inspires me every time she posts

sometimes in between posts too.
Here's her blog.  She'd love to have you visit.

This is Loll's card that inspired me.

I used a piece of "smooshed" background behind the outcut circle and

another piece for the butterfly.

Since I used snippets I can go for a spin on the merry go round at

Pixies Snippet Playground

I'm so glad you could stop by.

Enjoy!

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Card Recipe

Stamps: Apothecary Art

Ink: Rich Razzleberry

Smoosh colors: Pink Pirouette, Blushing Bride, Rich Razzleberry

Paper:  Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White

Other:  2 1/2" Circle Punch, Isabella and Pippi Butterflie Dies (Memory Box), Madera Corner Die (Memory Box)

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Merry Monday Milestone

It's a special week at Merry Monday!

We're celebrating our 100th challenge.

Our challenge organizer and leader, the amazing Lesley,

brings  us this special challenge

We can do either the sketch or the colors

or, we can do both.

I attempted both although I changed the flags to scallops.

Inspired by the very talented Sanketi of the Storyteller Blog,

I tried my hand at watercoloring again.

This is my third try. The first 2 tries were a mess.

This time I inked the stamp with Stampin' Up! markers and stamped

onto dry watercolor paper.  I used an aqua painter and ink

to color the flower.

Third time's a charm.  It's not perfect but I'm really happy with it.

I hope you'll join in this special challenge at Merry Monday.

Be sure to check out the amazing cards by the rest of the Design Team!

Thanks so much for the visit.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Christmas Blessings (retired), Petite Pairs

Ink:  Primrose Petals, Lucky Limeade,  SU Markers (Primrose Petals, Lucky Limeade, Early Espresso)

Paper:  Aqua Painter, Watercolor Paper (Strathmore), Acrylic Paper (Canson), Large Scallop Edgelit, Delicate Designs EF, Basic Pearls

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Backyard Basics in Watercolor

I love the look of watercolor.

I'd really like to be able to do it myself.

So I'm trying.

Sanketi of The Storyteller blog has been inspiring me to try.

She makes the most incredible cards!

There are a lot of other watercolor artists out there that also inspire.

So..........

I made a card from some watercolor paper and inked up this stamp from Backyard Basics

with markers.

Then I squished some ink from inpads and dipped the damp Aqua Painter in the ink 

to color the flower.

I added some accents on the petals with a marker.

Then I tried to splotch some green and yellow around the flower to add a sort of wash.

It looks kind of muddy.

I'll have to work some more on the technique.

But I was happy enough with this to share it.

I added some score lines to the top, rounded the bottom  corners, and added pearls.

Addicted to Stamps and More

is having an ANYTHING GOES challenge.

CAS on Sunday

says COLOR ME PRETTY

I inked the stamp with markers

and colored in the flower with my Aqua Painter

The One Layer Simplicity Challenge

this month is

JUST ADD WATER

Virginia's View

is a new challenge on the block.

Her first challenge is Watercoloring.

She has some wonderful inspiration photos 

and the gallery is full of beautiful watercolored cards.

Stampin' Celebration

has a lovely inspiration this month...

I'm so glad you stopped by!

Enjoy!

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Card Recipe

Stamps: Backyard Basics, Blooming with Kindness

Ink:  Wisteria Wonder, Pear Pizzazz, Elegant Eggplant, SU Markers Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Pear Pizzazz)

Paper:  Watercolor (Strathmore)

Other:  Aqua Painter, Simply Scored, Basic Pearls

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Tag It with Bella's Bloom

Is it still a tag if it doesn't have a loop at the top?

I am really enjoying the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch from the Occasions Catalog.

I love to pair it with a round topped tag made by inserting the paper from the bottom of the 2 1/2" Circle Punch.

Instead of putting a hanging ribbon on this, I added a bow.

Cuttlebug Mania

 says to do something for our Mum 

or another special woman in our life.

I used my Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder

My Mom passed away many years ago 

so this will go to another special woman.

Simon Says "Tag It"

And that's what I did. Twice as a matter of fact.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Enjoy!

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Card Recipe

Stamps:  Bella's Bloom (retired)

Ink:  SU Markers (Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green)

Paper:  Raspberry Ripple, Whisper White, DSP (retired)

Other:  Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Scalloped Top Tag Punch, 2 1/2' Circle Punch, Doily, Essentials Paper Piercing Template, Paper Piercing Tool, Rich Razzleberry Ribbon

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted