Turning the Page April 2018

Tomorrow we turn the page on our calendars to a new month.

I make calendars each year and I've been sporadic about sharing them with you so

I thought I'd set up a regular post on the last day of each month "Turning the Page".

I hope you enjoy these posts.

Here's our April page.

By the way, the calendars are clipped together and can be displayed on an easel

or hung on a push pin or magnetic hook.  We all have a different way to display them.

In case you're interested, here's the latest on our daughter at the

Agape Village Orphanage.

They are fascinated with her phone!

It looks like one of them may be a budding photographer/blogger.

I've never tried to post a video here but I'd like to share this post

that Jenny put on Facebook.  I love hearing these children sing!

They put their heart and soul into it.  Here's the link.

Happy April!

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  First Blush (PB)

Ink:  Markers Shabby Shuttters, Brushed Corduroy, Antique Linen, Squeezed Lemonade (D), Blushing Bride (SU)

Paper:   Neena (110 lb.)

Other:  Slightly damp water brush

Furry Friends Wish You a Merry Christmas

Hello friends.

I'm slipping in earlier than usual for Merry Monday this week.

Leanne is hosting the challenge.

This is the only Christmas stamp I have with puppies or dogs.

I stamped it on Mixed Media Paper with Pumice Stone Distress ink

and colored it with my Distress Markers and a water brush, then fussy cut them out.

I've framed the little trio and gave them a brick background

to rest against.

My plan was to put some flower soft on the one pups hat but realized 

that I'd forgotten it while I was editing the photo.

I'll go add it now.

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Furry Christmas (SSS), Christmas Treasures (wish)

Ink:   Real Red (SU), Pumice Stone (DI), Distress Markers 

Paper:   Neena, Mixed Media, Real Red

Other:  Water Brush, Brick EF (TH), Stitched Squares & Stitched Rectangles (SSS)

March Flower-Daffodil

Hello, friends.

The flower for March is the Daffodil.

March is almost over....ACH! How did that happen?

I inked the stamp with Distress Markers, stamped and moved the color around with a water brush.

Quick and easy!

I'll enter at
Inspired by all the Little Things

I'm inspired by the daffodil in that vase of flowers.

I hope you have a very happy Easter.


Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Year of Flowers Collection (PTI), Easter Blossoms (SU)

Ink:   Mustard Seed, Dried Marigold, Peeled Paint, Mowed Lawn (Distress Markers), Onyx Black (Versafine)

Paper:   Mixed Media, Daffodil Delight (SU), Neena

Other:  XStitch Frames (GM), Tulip Frame EF (SU), Water Brush

Elegance

Hello dear friends.

I hope this brightens your day.

Today's card uses a beautiful, elegant die cut from Penny Black.

In fact it's named Elegance.

It's so easy to watercolor die cuts!

I cut the flower from Mixed Media paper and added watercolor using

ink smooshed into the lids of the inkpads adding more color until I was happy with it.

I cheated on the splatters and stamped them with an old wood mount stamp.

A few scored lines on that background and a sentiment finished the base.

Penny Black Saturday Challenge

ANYTHING GOES

optional Easter or Chocolate

(I ate the chocolate, yum)

also

Just Us Girls

I'm seeing pink flowers.

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Heartfelt (PB)

Ink:   Onyx Black (Versafine), Strawberry Slush, Wild Wasabi, So Saffron (SU)

Paper:   Neena, Strawberry Slush, Mixed Media

Other:  Elegance Die (PB)

Happy Holly Days Watercolor

Hello and welcome.

When I saw Loll's watercolor holly card, it made me think of
a piece I had in my UFO box.  So another UFO finds a home.

I had stamped the small holly from the Hero Arts Happy Holly Days set,

 heat embossed with white, and did a loose, wet on wet watercolor.

One of the holly bunches didn't look so good.

A circle die took care of that.

I embossed a larger circle with a Hero Arts Infinity Die

and adhered the design to it.

Since most of the work was done, this was pretty quick.

Choosing the twine took longer than anything else!

I'm joining in at

Rudolph Days

where Mo and friends host an 

ANYTHING GOES FOR CHRISTMAS challenge 

every month on the 25th thru the end of the month.

A great way to build that stash of Christmas cards.

Our oldest daughter, Jenny is on a mission trip in Zambia.

Actually I think the children at the Agape Village Orphanage are

ministering to her!  She is writing about their time together on 

the Agape Village Blog.  Today's post made me cry....tears of joy.

God is good!

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Happy Holly Days (HA), Handy Christmas Greetings (Amy R)

Ink:   Whisper White, Garden Green, Real Red Marker, Handsome Hunter (SU)

Paper: Neena, Mixed Media, Garden Green (SU)  

Other:  Water Brush, Infinity Circles Dies (HA), Baker's Twine (Darice)

Ornamental for Merry Monday

Hello.  I hope you are having a good weekend.

I'm coming in under the wire for Merry Monday...again!

Linda is hosting another inspiration challenge this week.

I was inspired by the greenery, red ribbon and gold.

I'm also taking my snippets of gold foil and ribbon over to 

Pixie's Snippet Playground

It's been a busy week!  Our granddaughter was competing in the

State Gymnastic Meet.

She did really well placing 2nd on the balance beam, 8th on the vault

and 9th overall for her division.

She made us proud and so glad we could be there to watch!

We're off to watch Luke's Championship Football game this afternoon.

I'm hoping to catch up some on my commenting after that.

Life is busy.  God is good!

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Ornamental Pine (SU), Season's Gifts (PB)

Ink:   Old Olive, Handsome Hunter, Real Red (SU), Chocolate Chip SU Marker

Paper:   Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Gold Foil (SU)

Other:  Ornaments 2 (Elizabeth Craft Designs), Satin Ribbon (ret. SU)

Ghosting with Alcohol Ink and Acetate

Hello and TGIF!

There's still a couple days to play in the
CAS Mix Up Acetate Challenge.

We're celebrating our birthday this month and have prizes!

Here's one last card (for now) using acetate.

Using Stamping, Alcohol Ink, Ghosting Technique, Acetate, Die Cut

I used a technique I saw on Jennifer McGuire's blog on my alcohol inked piece.

I inked a stamp with Archival ink and stamped then wiped off the ink with a soft cloth.

It removes some ink leaving a ghosted image.  I repeated the process several times.

When it came to the dragonfly, I didn't think it showed up very well so I

stamped him in black and left him stamped.

Unfortunately the ink smeared a bit (it doesn't dry very fast or at all?) so

I filled in the schmeared wing with a black Sharpie and put some

acetate over the whole thing to keep it from schmearing more.

I die cut a piece of foam behind the frame so the acetate doesn't touch the

dragonfly.

Oh, and I stamped Friend on the acetate.

Even if you don't use acetate, come on over to see the gallery at

CAS Mix Up

Awesome entries!

Also entering at

Craft Stampers Magazine Take It, Make It Challenge

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Awesomely Artistic (SU), Bouquet of Thanks (SSS)

Ink:   Jet Black, Forget Me Not (Ranger Archival)

Paper:   Neena, Glossy Photo, Window Sheet (SU)

Other:  Alcohol Ink, Stitched Rectangle Die (SSS), Foam Strips

Butterfly and Bloom for the Twofer

I'm seeing butterflies in the flowers again for the Twofer Challenge.
There's only a coupla days left to enter.

I stumbled across my Concord & 9th dies one day and had a eureka moment.

By cutting one petal off the flower, I had a butterfly.

I'd never thought of that because the set has a perfectly beautiful butterfly.

But this one is a little smaller and a better fit for some flowers.

This first card was stamped and heat embossed, then painted with Lindy's Magicals

which gives them a lovely shimmer!

I painted this image around Christmas time when I first got the Magicals.

(Thanks again, my friend.)

After snipping the flower petal to make a butterfly, I fussy cut a solid butterfly

from vellum and attached a body from a Memory Box butterfly die.

(I have a little box of assorted butterfly bodies at the ready.)

The second card uses the flower die as intended.  It was cut twice.

Once from watercolor paper and once from mixed media paper scraps.

I put a piece of Press and Seal behind the paper for one die cut so the 

pieces would stay intact and watercolored the flower using 

Distress Oxide inks.

I used the same DOX inks for the openwork flower but not as dark,

and added some Distress Glaze on the flower to bring out the color a bit.

The stem was stamped from a Tim Holtz stamp set and watercolored.

Two of the pieces from the openwork flower were painted to make some leaves

that hide a renegade splatter that landed on the stem.

I don't think I'd used this die before so I'm glad to get a Twofer out of it!

Twofer Challenge #3

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe (card 1)

Stamps:  Charming (PB), Fun Birthday Sentiments (HLS)

Ink:   VersaMark

Paper:   Neena, Mixed Media (ST), Basic Black (SU), Vellum

Other:  White EP (SU), Floral and Flutter Die (C9), Lindy's Magicals (Maintenance Magenta, Bling Blond, Drop Dead Gorgeous Green), XStitch Borders Die (GM)

Card Recipe (card 2)

Stamps:  Bouquet of Thanks (SSS), Flower Garden (TH)

Ink:  Wilted Violet, Peeled Paint (DOX), Onyx Black (Versafine)

Paper: Neena, Watercolor (TH), Mixed Media (ST), Basic Black (SU)

Other:  Floral and Flutter Die (C9), Press & Seal, Distress Glaze (Rgr)Sentimental Die (AE), Double Pierced Rectangles (AE)

Serendipity Typewiter

Hello.

I'm joining in with the Serendipity Blog Hop again.

Serendipity Stamps is having a SALE!
Buy 3 items and get the 4th free!
Sale is good from Wednesday, March 21st thru Saturday, March 24.

Blog Hop:

Serendipity

Me (you're here)

Beth Chiu

Julie Warner

Marybeth Lopez

Mariam Napier

Vickie Zimmer

This stamp brings back memories of learning to type.  I learned on a typewriter 

that was very similar to this one.

I stamped this image on a piece of splash watercolor with Versafine ink

and heat embossed with clear powder.  It gave the machine a shiny look

like the one I learned on.

I added a bit of watercolor to the surrounding images and used
a marker to color the pencils and flowers.

The sentiment is from Serendipity too.
I love the pretty font.

It's been fun joining in the Serendipity Blog Hop!
Thanks for the invitation Mary, and the warm
welcome from the other hoppers.


Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Typewriter, Quick Note Vertical (Serendipity)

Ink:   Onyx Black (Versafine), Distress Markers (Hickory Smoke, Pumice Stone, Festive Berries)

Paper:   Neena, Mixed Media, Gray Texture (stash)

Other:  Clear EP (SU)

Small Antilles Flower Garden on Acetate

Hello my friends.

Today's card is for both the CAS Mix Up and CAS Watercolour Challenges.

 

I have used alcohol inks to color a piece of acetate for the background.

The flower garden has been die cut and watercolored using a

water brush and picking up ink smooshed into the lid of the inkpad.

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Bouquet of Thanks (SSS)

Ink:   Jet Black (StaxOn), Old Olive, Strawberry Slush, Not Quiet Navy, (SU)

Paper:   Neena, Watercolor

Other:  Acetate, Alcohol Ink (Lettuce, Pesto, Gold Mixative), Stitched Rectangle Die (LI), Small Antilles Floral Left Corner (MB), Water Brush

Inspiration at Merry Monday

Hello my friends.

Another week has flown by and I'm coming in to Merry Monday
just under the wire.  Again...
edited to add, my computer jammed so I didn't get this entered at Merry Monday after all. :-(


This week Kim chose an inspiration photo.
I struggle with this kind of challenge.

I did notice that yummy topping and the candy cane.

I had the cup but no candy can die that would work.

So I pulled out my candy cane $1.00 stamp and stamped that.

It didn't stamp really well so I filled in with a Red Ultra Fine Sharpie.

I cut one of the candy canes out and it was a perfect fit.

The topping is some old Sparkle Paste that I put on top of
the die cut then sprinkled with red glitter.

And since the cup looked a bit plain, I added a sparkly snowflake
and some holly.

While I had the candy canes out, I went for a Twofer.

A dear friend had given me this beautiful scallop diamond die for Christmas.

I was delighted to see that the candy canes fit on it so nicely!

I stamped the peppermint on mixed media paper and used the tip of a

water brush to move the color.  The bow got a generous portion of WOS.

Since I popped that holly on my cup, I'll put this in the gallery at

CAS Christmas Card Challenge

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe (card 1)

Stamps:  Christmas Sentiments (Kaisercraft), Candy Canes (Michaels)

Ink:   Real Red (SU)

Paper:   Neena, Foiled Vellum, Smoky Slate (SU)

Other:  What's in Your Cup Die (PB), Stitched Squares Die (SSS), Holly Punch (MS), Sparkle Texture Effect (MS), Red Ultra Fine Sharpie

Card Recipe (card 2)

Stamps:  Candy Canes (Michaels)

Ink:  Real Red (SU)

Paper:  Neena, Mixed Media

Other:  Scallop Diamond Tags (PPP), Holiday Words (Quickutz), Water Brush, Clear Wink of Stella

More Holly for CAS Christmas Card Challenge

Hello and welcome.

I'm decking the cards with more holly.

I used my favorite holly die from Penny Back and die cut from a scrap of mixed media paper.

I lay the die on a plastic lid (half of a broken stamp case) and used

Zigs and a water brush to add color.

The woodgrain background and sentiment square were cast offs waiting to be used.

While I was playing with holly, a friend brought me the die I used for the second card.

I colored it in the same way and added it to an dry embossed piece.

We're using holly on our CAS (Clean And Simple) Christmas cards this month at

CAS Christmas Card Challenge

We're trying to get a jump on our Christmas cards so we're not 

in panic mode when it's time to send them.

We'd love for you to join us.

The challenge is open until the 24th.

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe (card 1)

Stamps:  Season's Wishes (PB)

Ink:   Early Espresso (SU)

Paper:   Neena, Mixed Media

Other:  Holly Berries Die (PB), Stitche Squares Die (SSS), Pinewood Planks EF (SU), Zigs (Olive, Mid Brown, Dk. Brown) SU Marker (Real Red)

Card Recipe (card 2)

Stamps:  

Ink:   

Paper:   Garden Green (SU), Neena

Other:  Holly Die (wish), Zigs (Olive, Mid Brown, Dk. Brown), SU Marker (Real Red)

Stitched Flower Garden

Hello again.

I'm back today with a reminder for the CAS Watercolour Challenge.

This challenge is hosted by Loll

What beautiful gardens are filling the gallery!

Our fantastic Design Team and Guest Designer (Nonni) have

lots more inspiration for you over there.

I used a stamp from the Penny Black Stitched Flowers set.

By placing the stamp in my MISTI, I was able to easily ink the different flowers

with Distress Markers.  I'd stamp and move the color around with a water brush,

then stamp again as needed.

I worked in sections until I had the whole image stamped, then pulled some color

from the images to make a soft wash around the flowers.

When I die cut the design piece I got a little divot. 

I added a sequin to hide that and it looked lonely by itself, so I added more

to keep it company.

I'm happy with this garden.  Wish I could say the same for my outside gardens! 

Challenges:

Simon Says Monday Challenge  Easter/Spring

Flower Challenge: Anything Goes

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Stitched Flowers (PB), Bouquet of Thanks (SSS)

Ink:   Gathered Twigs (DI), Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey, Worn Lipstick, Wilted Violet, Peeled Paint, Aged Mahogany

Paper:   Mixed Media (Strathmore), Neena, Daffodil Delight (SU)

Other:  MISTI, Water Brush, Sequins (SSS)