Turning the Page May 2020

Time to turn the page on our calendars to a new month.

I make calendars each year for my desk and my family.

I thought I'd set up a regular post on the last day of each month to share them.

I hope you enjoy my “Turning the Page” posts.

Here's our May page.

(This is my favorite for this year.)

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.

If you would like a word document with the calendar, email me

and I will be glad to send it to you so you can design your own.

Email link is on in my profile on the sidebar.

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Shades of Orange

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by?

How are you doing?  I hope you're well and enjoying some creativity.

Another card using a Power Poppy digital image.

There's still a fantastic sale going on there.

This particular image is from a free digital.  I find these gerbera daisies

great for practice.

I didn't keep track of the colors this time.  Sorry about that.
The colored image sat on my table awaiting a home and unfortunately
ended up with some splatter from something else.

You'd think I'd remember to move things out of the way.
Especially when I'm splattering!

Nothing to do but add some more splatter and then
some white dots with a gel pen to draw the eye to the flower.

I'm using the sketch that Julie Koerbor brought out for the
Power Poppy Creative Confetti Challenge.
I love this sketch but needed to turn it on it's side for this image
to get the angle of the flower right.

Challenge:

Power Poppy Creative Confetti Challenge: Sketch

Take Care!

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Kindness is the Way (PP free Digi), Thoughtful Wishes (Stampnds)

Ink:   Versafine Onyx Black

Paper:   Neenah, Pumpkin Pie (SU)

Other:  Copics, Edgelits Adorning Accents (ret. SU)

Home for Christmas

Hi there.  I'm so glad you dropped by.

I hope you are dealing with this "new normal" in a creative way.
I think I'm starting to get used to it.  Last week went by a lot faster
and I only thought it was Saturday once!

I was going through my Christmas UFO box and found this little background.

I'd inked it with Distress Ink and tried splattering some water to get a

snowy look.  My little drops ended up being one big glop.  Oops!

Not wanting to trash it, I did the next best thing and threw it in my UFO box instead.

A scene with a large object to hide the blemish felt like a good fit.

So I stamped this house on some woodgrain paper and die cut it.

Boo boo hidden!

I removed a bit of color through a circle stencil in the top corner.

It's Neenah and the water started the paper to pilling.  I was able to

color it in for the moon and hide most of it with the frame.

Sometimes it seems like it's one blooper after the other.

I think this is passable for a Christmas card.  At least I hope so.

Challenges:

Christmas Kickstart: Winter Wonderland: Create a Scene

Rudolph Days: Christmas Card

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Holiday Home (ret. SU), Waterfront (SU), Snow Globe Greetings (MFT)

Ink:   Versafine Onyx Black, Smokey Gray, Garden Green

Paper:   Neenah, Distress Woodgrain (TH)

Other:  Stitched Squares Die (SSS), Homemade Holiday Framelits (SU)

Darling Viola

Hi there.  I hope you're having a good day!

I've die cut this sweet viola from watercolor paper twice and colored
with Distress Ink smooshed onto a palette and picked up with a waterbrush.

The background peeking out through this pretty open die cut was
done by smooshing a paper towel that had been used to wipe up some
Lindy's Magicals.  There's some sparkle on it even if the camera can't see it.

I hope you are seeing signs of the World blooming around you.

Challenges:

Memory Box Outside the Box Challenge #60: Spring Fling

Poppystamps Challenge #67: Puddle Jumping (I made a puddle with watercolors)

Take care!
Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Watching the World Bloom (MB)

Ink:   Gorgeous Grape (SU), Wilted Violet, Mowed Lawn (DI)

Paper:   Neenah, Watercolor (Strathmore 300 series)

Other:  Darling Viola (PS), Lucienne Tile (MB), Paper Towel

Three Poppies

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!

April 25th is ANZAC day in Australia and New Zealand. 

It's a day to remember those "who served and died in all wars, conflict and 

peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and 

suffering of all those who have served". Wikipedia

I'd also like to honor those who are serving during this 

COVID-19 pandemic so we can stay safe at home.

Poppies stand for remembrance

I place the poppy outline stamp in my MISTI and inked with Distress mini ink cubes
and markers, pulling the color with a waterbrush then restamping until I was happy with the results.

After stamping a second poppy, I masked the flower to stamp the third.

Finally, I did a wash using wet on wet technique and added some splatter.

Challenges:

Fusion Challenge: Let Us Remember (inspired by the poppies in the picture)

Krafty Chicks: All Occasions (Birthday)

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Painted Poppies (Alt.), Fancy Sayings (Clearly Besotted)

Ink:   Abandoned Coral, Festive Berries, Peeled Paint, Gathered Twigs, Black Soot (DI and DM)

Paper:  Watercolor (Strathmore 140 lb. cold press)

Other:  Soft Sky re-inker (SU)

Spring Flowers for the Flower Challenge

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!

I hope you are feeling good and getting crafty.

I've been practicing Copic coloring with some of the Power Poppy Digital Stamps.

Marcella is having an awesome sale. Just sayin'....

I had so much fun coloring this image that I dropped a marker in 

a place that there was obviously not supposed to be color.

So... I fussy cut the whole thing.

Since I had to cut all that background I'd colored, I colored up

another piece to put behind the cut out.

It took more effort than I'd planned, but it was worth

it in the end.

I liked it so much that I colored it again.

This time I didn't drop a marker!

It's kind of dramatic with the darker card base.

I like that I got two very different looks and used much the same colors.

Challenges:

The Flower Challenge: Spring/Autumn

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe (card 1)

Stamps: Sunset Sway Digital (Power Poppy), Handwritten Notes (PTI)

Ink:   Gorgeous Grape (SU)

Paper:   Neenah

Other:  Copics (V01, V04, BV0000, RV00, YR18, Y15, Y38, YG93, YG46, YG97, G2), Stitched Squares Die (LI), Subtle EF (SU)

Card Recipe (card 2)

Stamps: Sunset Sway Digital (Power Poppy)

Paper:   Neenah, Rich Razzleberry (SU)

Other:  Copics (V01, V04, BV0000, RV00, YR18, Y15, Y38, YG93, YG46, YG97, G2), Double Stitched Circles Die (LI), Subtle EF (SU), 

Gilded Holly

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!

How are you?  I hope you and yours are staying healthy and
not worrying too much.  I'm trying to focus on the uplifting stories
I see and hear and trying not to worry about the rest.

I've needed the fan on in the studio for most of the month, but had a day 

cool enough to turn it off and get out the Gilding Flakes.

If you've ever used them with a fan on, you know what I mean! ;-)

Cathy is asking for us to use gilding flakes at CAS Stencil.

I used a Tim Holtz holly stencil and a piece of cut-n-dry foam pad to spread

Flitter Glu through the stencil.  I removed the stencil and covered

the piece with these gold flakes pressing down with my fingers.

When it seemed the flakes were covering good, I used the scrubby thing

to brush off the excess.  The leaves still felt a little sticky so I took out

some little scraps of foil and used a bone folder to rub it over the stickiness.

It gave it a bit of a golden grunge look.

I love the way my friend Ros tucks a bit of same color die cuts

on her cards and I copied that idea with a pine branch.  A gold embossed

sentiment on a strip of vellum finishes it off.

.  This shows the shine, but the background is washed out.

Oh, well.  Hopefully you can get the idea.

It really looks much better IRL.

Challenges:

CAS Stencil: Gilding Flakes

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Think Big Christmas (PTI)

Ink:   WOW Emb. Pad

Paper:  Neenah Natural, Vellum, Gold Foil (SU) 

Other:  Holly Bough Stencil (TH), Flitter Flu, Chariot of Fire Mega Flakes (Indigo Blu), Gold EP, Holiday Greens Die (TH)

Magical Bleached Mermaid

Hi there.  I glad you stopped by.

I hope you are feeling good and crafty!

While I had my bleach out for this card, I thought I'd do another.

I used a piece of Brusho background with very intense color and a
NBUS stamp set.

After stamping on the Brusho background, I used the bleach to
remove the most of the color from the stamped mermaid.  I used less bleach
on her tail so it would keep some of the blue color.  After removing most
of the color from her upper half, I colored with watercolor pencils.

Some die cut seaweed from my stash and a strip from cutting
 the background placed horizontally added a bit more interest.

Challenges:

CAS Mix Up - Bleaching
Craft Stampers Magazine Take It Make It - Anything goes

NBUS Challenge #13 - Use Never Before Used Schtuff (Stamp)

 

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Magical Mermaid (SU)

Ink:   Jet Black Archival

Paper:   Neena, Strathmore Watercolor (300 series)

Other:  Brushos, Clear EP, Clorox Splashless Bleach, Watercolor Pencils

Umbrellas for Twofer

Hello there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!

I hope you are still feeling well and feeling creative.

When I saw this month's Twofer Challenge was umbrellas, I was kind of excited

because our February Craft Group Swap was umbrellas and I had done some

ATC cards with an umbrella.  Fortunately I'd made an extra for myself.

The background of my ATC was splashed in DOX ink and dried between layers.

I used a coated paper so it has a nice smooth surface! The raindrops are Crystal Drops

and the die cut umbrella has been scored and shaped. 

 The sentiment is computer generated.

I dry embossed a piece of vellum to pop the ATC on and added a gem

to each corner, because this will probably go to Emmy and she loves gems!

But what to do for my twofer????

For my Twofer...

There were a couple of umbrella tops in the stamp/die case that just happened

to land to look like this.  And it just spoke baby carriage to me.

 I stamped some motorcycle wheels and added them to punched circles 

to make this buggy go and used the umbrella handle to push the rig. 

When trying to figure out where to put the sentiment,

I ran out of space and decided to just tie it on.

Challenges:

Twofer - Rain/Umbrella

Krafty Chicks - Clean and Simple

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe (card 1)

Stamps:  Weather Together (SU)

Ink:   Iced Spruce, Faded Jeans (DOX), Melon Mambo (SU) 

Paper:   Melon Mambo, Vellum (SU), Neenah, Coated Cardstock, Silver Foil 

Other:  Weather Together Dies (SU), Nuvo Crystal Drops, Stitched Rectangle Die (SSS), 

Card Recipe (card 2)

Stamps:  Baby (?)

Ink:   Versafine Onyx Black

Paper:   Neenah, Daffodil Delight (SU), Watercolor Note Cards (old SAB)

Other:  Weather Together Dies, Hemstitch Rectangles (Splbndr), 1" Circle Punch

Holly Jolly Christmas

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by.

Have you played at CAS Christmas yet?
There's still a bit more time.

I'm hosting the challenge this month and this is what I chose...

I've used a die from my abundant stash of NBUS.

It cuts the windows and the holly.

A little watercolor with Zigs for the color and Stampin' Up! markers

to ink the sentiment and it was quickly done.

The icy looking background is a piece of packing foam.

I thought it added texture as well as dimension.

I'm also playing along with my friend Darnell's brand new

NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff) Challenge.

What a great idea to have this challenge every month!

Challenges:

CAS Christmas - Favorite Christmas Song

NBUS - Never Before Used Schtuff

Jingle Belles - Recycling for Earth Day

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Bitty Holiday Wishes (MFT)

Ink:   Real Red, Handsome Hunter SU Markers

Paper:   Watercolor (Strathmore), Shaded Spruce (SU)

Other:  Holly Triptych (SSS), Zigs (901 Gray Tine, 65 Mid Brown, 45 Pale Green, 44 Deep Green, 24 Wine Red) Waterbrush

Power Poppy for the Front Lines

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by.

I hope you are staying well and enjoying lots of creative time!

I've been spending a lot of time practicing with my Copic markers.

I'm getting more comfortable with them largely because of these

gorgeous Digital Designs from Power Poppy.

Marcella is having a fantastic sale right now and I've fully taken advantage of it.

Actually this is a free design and I found it an amazing piece for practice.

Of course it led me to purchase many more digital designs.

At these prices I could get twice as many!

This is a background design so I cut it down and got two cards.

These are the colors I used.

Challenges:

Power Poppy Creative Confetti Challenge: Flowers for the Front Lines

I recently sent a bunch of cards to the ER at a local hospital.  They are my heroes to face all they do every day.  What would we do without them?

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Kindness is the Way Digital (free Power Poppy), Vibrant Thanks (c. 2)

Ink:   Whisper White (SU)

Paper:   Neenah, Basic Black, Linen (PTI)

Other:  Copics, White EP, Many Thanks Die (PB)

Easter Blessings

Wishing you a wonderful Easter full of hope.

Because He Lives

God sent His Son

They called Him Jesus

He came to love, heal and forgive

He lived and died to buy my pardon

An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives

Because He lives I can face tomorrow

Because He lives all fear is gone

Because I know He holds the future

And life is worth the living just because He lives

And then one day

I'll cross that river

I'll fight life's final war with pain

And then as death gives way to vict'ry

I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know he lives

Because He lives I can face tomorrow

Because He lives all fear is gone

Because I know He holds the future

And life is worth the living just because He lives

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Gloria Gaither / William J. Gaither

Because He Lives lyrics © Capitol Christian Music Group

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Enjoy!

Spring Tulips

Hi there. I'm so glad you stopped by.

I hope you and your loved ones are well.

There's still time to join in at CAS Watercolour.

Susan is hosting this month and she chose...

Susan says: "I am looking for SPRING flowers - not just any flowers.  

So please think snowdrops, daffodils, tulips, crocuses, 

apple and cherry blossom, dogwood, etc."

I've inked this wonderful stamp from Technique Tuesday with Distress

Markers and stamped on Mixed Media paper. You may recognize it as the 

same flowers on my March calendar page.

Using the MISTI makes it possible to ink small sections and blend

with water then stamp again.

If you like your cards brighter, here's another version for you.

Our Design Team along with our Talented Guest Designer, Vicky have

wonderful examples of Spring flowers to inspire you.

I hope you'll check us out and share your watercolor Spring flowers with us at

CAS Watercolour.

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Tulips (TT)

Ink:   Festive Berries, Peeled Paint, Candied Apple (DI and DM)

Paper:   Neenah, Mixed Media (Strathmore 400 series), Strawberry Slush (SU-card 2)

Other:  Hemstitch Rectangle Die (Spl), Oxford EF (Cuttlebug)