Watercolor Class Cornflowers

Here's another card using a technique from the Online Watercolor Class.

This technique was so much fun!

I didn't realize you could make flowers with a flick of a brush and some paint.

(You did know they were flowers.  Right?)

DH is amazed that I can get so many colors out of 3 tubes of color.

It is amazing.  But I'm still having problems getting the right amount of water.

I'm waiting for that aha moment when it all comes together.

This is how it looked when I finished painting.

I stamped a sentiment at the top.

Then I decided to do some scoring.

Yikes,

Should have let the ink dry first.

I'm glad you are enjoying my blunders and bloopers.

Rest assured that there are much worse that didn't get their picture taken!

I'll take this over to Simon Says Wednesday Challenge where it's

ANYTHING GOES.

You've got to check out those designer cards if  you haven't already.

Thanks for the visit.

Enjoy!

    **********

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Papillon Potpourri (SU), Fun Birthday Sentiments (Happy Little Stampers)

Ink:  Whisper White, Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper:  Watercolor (Strathmore 140 lb. cold press for base), (Arches 140 lb. cold press for design), Brilliant Blue (retired SU), Whisper White

Other:  Watercolors (French Ultramarine, Aureolin), White EP, Bitty Butterfly Punch (SU)

Dies and Punches, Watercolor Too

I am so excited to be the Guest Designer at

Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge

for the month of May.

Here's the challenge for this month.

Loll (Stamping with Loll)

who is the leader of this challenge, has posted a video 

to show how to get dimension from your die cuts.

Be sure to check it out.

What a difference the sponging and shaping make!

I used 2 dies and a punch for this card.

The die is by Penny Black

and the punch is Stampin' Up!

I cut the iris and sponged it, then used an Aqua Painter to spread the colors.

Using Loll's technique, I "curled" the petals

with a burnishing tool.

Adhering the iris with tiny pieces of dimensionals added even more depth to the card.

I love the dimension.  IRL it looks like the iris is growing out of the card!

I'd like to enter this at

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

ANYTHING GOES

also

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

ANYTHING GOES

Thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy!

    **********

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Papillon Potpourri (SU), Kind Words (Verve)

Ink:  Perfect Plum, Wild Wasabi (both SU), Memento Tuxedo Black, Rich Razzleberry SU Marker

Paper:  Solar White (Neena), Watercolor (90 lb. Carson), Whisper White (SU)

Other:  Iris Die (PB), Aqua Painter (SU), Stitched Mats Rectangles (Lil' Inker), Dew Drops (stash)

Summertime Corner Garden

I haven't had much crafting time lately but here's a card I made last month

for DD's birthday.

I used a NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff) stamp for the garden.

It was stamped with Memento ink on watercolor paper.

I used an Aqua Painter and my Koi watercolors for coloring.

This little set of watercolors is perfect for travel. 

I took it with me on vacation along with some stamped images.

I find watercoloring very soothing.

Looking at this photo I see that I should have done something different 

on the inside of that large flower! Maybe some dots with the white gel pen?

No matter, DD loved it!

I stamped the butterfly on a piece of cardstock that had been sponged with yellow.

It seemed to look much better than any of the marker colored butterflies I had on hand.

CAS on Sunday

is looking for butterflies, so I'm playing over there.

I was so excited to see that this card was the winner of their last challenge.

I won a $20.00 gift credit at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps.

I've already cashed that in and can't wait for my goodies to arrive.

They really ship fast!

Mrs. A's Butterfly Challenge

is asking for Summertime Butterflies

so I'll flit over there. 

I used 2 techniques besides stamping on the card

(Watercolor and Sponging [butterfly])

so I'll go over to

the Mixed Media challenge

which has a Summertime theme.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge

is also looking for Summer projects.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Enjoy!

    **********

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Corner Garden, Papillon Potpourri

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper:  140# Cold Press Watercolor (Strathmore), Whisper White

Other:  Koi Watercolors (Sakura), Aqua Painter, Elegant Butterfly Punch

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Papillon Potpourri for the Teachers

I wanted to give Luke some cards to give his teachers and bus driver.

They have been so good to make his kindergarten year a pleasant experience.

I found these butterflies in my UFO butterfly box 

and had the oval left over from my last Stamp Stack.

I've had this embossing folder for a couple of  years

and I don't believe I'd used it before.

I ought to use it more

and that's the theme this week at

Simon Says Monday Challenge

It's a NBUS too.

I've already joined Darnell's challenge 3 times.

But if you use a NBUS,

do join in her challenge.

Thanks for taking the time to visit.

Enjoy!

    ***********

Card Recipe

Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Much Appreciated (retired)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Markers (Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz

Paper:  110# Solar White (Neena), Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise

Other:  Elegant Butterfly Punch, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Oval Nestabilities Die (Spellbinder), Designer Frames EF (retired), Stylized Flowers EF (Cuttlebug)

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Lattice Work

The Lattice Die is retiring from the Stampin' Up! catalog.

It'll be staying on my shelf.

Here's a couple of cards I've made with it.

and

You can find a video with instructions for the window card here.

Thank you Dawn.

Here's another card using this die.  I did a couple of years ago.

The cross was cut from the lattice.

I'm so sad to say that our dear friend who had the heart transplant passed away.
He was doing so well and we had high hopes that he would be with us for a long time.
The Lord needed him more.
Please pray for his wife and family.
He will be dearly missed.

Thanks for stopping by.

Live is short.
Enjoy!

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Card Recipe (card 1)

Paper: Soft Sky, Vellum, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer

Other:  Window Frame Framelit, Lattice Die, Bird Builder Punch, Square Lattice EF, Owl Builder Punch (heart), Organdy ribbon (Joann Fabric)

Card Recipe (card 2)

Stamp: Papillon Potpourri

Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento), SU Marker Daffodil Delight), VersaMark

Paper:  Neena 110#, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Vellum Paper

Other: Window Frame Framelit, Lattice Die, Lorelei Leaf die (Memory Box), Elegant Butterfly Punch, Shapeabilities (Spellbinders), Basic Pearls

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

Field Flowers Bloom

It's been a while since I took the Stenciling Class

and I haven't used what I learned nearly enough.

I had a few minutes and thought I'd give it a whirl.

The stenciling is Celery Green and I can't seem to get it not to look muddy.

IRL it looks very Springy.

I used my Moroccan Lattice Stencil and softly sponged 

Certainly Celery ink over some of it.

The flower was in my UFO box-a leftover from a calender. 

I fussy cut it out.

I colored a butterfly that was already stamped, punched it out

and layered it on a butterfly punched from a snippet of Daffodil Delight.

The beautiful sentiment is from Verve.

It's a NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff)

The Teapot Tuesday Challenge at SCS

is one I haven't participated in for quite a while.

It's such a worthwhile challenge and I wish I had more time to play.

This week's cards are for a fellow SCS friend, Kathleen Lammie

I know Kathleen from her encouraging comments on my cards

and as she's facing this difficult time, I want her to know 

that she is in my thoughts and prayers. 

The Butterfly Challenge gallery

is full of yellow this time.

So many beautiful butterflies there.

Pixie's Snippet Playground

is the place to go for a friendly spin on the merry go round.

I used snippets for my butterfly and flower.

Virginia's View Challenge #2

is to use a stencil on our cards.

This challenge seems to be immensely popular.

So much inspiration in that gallery.

Thanks for the visit.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Field Flowers, Where Flowers Bloom (Verve), Papillon Potpourri

Ink:  Certainly Celery, Strawberry Slush, Garden Green, Tuxedo Black (Memento), SU Marker (Daffodil Delight)

Paper:  Neenah 110 lb Solar White, (card base), Whisper White

Other:  Moroccan Lattice Stencil (Kite), Bitty Butterfly Punch

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

Guest Designer ATSM

I am so excited to share a bit of news with you!

I've been asked to be the Guest Designer 
at Addicted to Stamps!

This week's challenge is
CLEAN AND SIMPLE (CAS)

and here's my contribution

The winner's prize this week is 5 free digis from

StampArt Design

That beautiful hyacinth stamp belongs to a friend and I stamped 

a couple of images last time we stamped and shared together.  

I should have noted who made the stamp, but I didn't.

The butterfly is from Papillon Potpourri,

stamped in black, colored with markers and punched with the Bitty Butterfly Punch.

I hope you'll join us at Addicted to Stamps

with your CAS card.

Thanks for visiting.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Hyacinth (?), Papillon Potpourri, Easter Blossoms (retired)

Ink:  SU Markers (Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Wild Wasabi)

Paper:  Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White

Other:  Ovals Framelit Dies, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Bitty Butterfly Punch

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Happy Birthday Marybeth (a little late)

Marybeth, of Marybeth's Time for Paper had a birthday a little while ago.  Joyce and Cathy have planned a belated birthday/blog party for her.  Marybeth is so inspiring both with her creativity and with her encouraging comments.  How could I not want to particpate?

You may remember that I was playing with this flower last week.  While the stamp was inked and still looked pretty juicy, I stamped again on another piece.  Seeing it on my table and thinking about Marybeth, this came together.

Marybeth, I hope had a wonderful birthday!  Enjoy all the love today.  You are such an inspiration!

Here's the rest of the party goers.  Take a peek and see what they've done for Marybeth.

Joyce

Cathy

Ally

Bev

Bonnie

Carol J.

Carol S.

Christina

Darnell

Helen

Jeanne

Jill

Kara

Kelly

Kim

Lisa

Nancy

Renee

Sharron

Sue

Tracey

Vickie

Addicted to Stamps and More is having a CAS with a Twist Challenge

OPTION 1

Create a CAS (Clean and Simple) project

OPTION 2

Create a project that incorporates a Nicecrane Design Image

OPTION 3

Combine the two and create a CAS project with a Nicecrane Design Image

I chose Option 1.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Blooming with Kindness, Papillon Potpourri, Morning Meadow (Hostess Set)

Ink:  Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Tuxedo Black (Memento), SU Marker (Daffodil Delight, Basic Black), VersaMark

Paper:  Melon Mambo, Whisper White

Other:  Clear EP, Elegant Butterfly Punch, Scallop Trim Corner Punch (retired)

The butterfly was stamped and colored with a Daffodil Marker.  Then I smacked it with the VersaMark pad and clear embossed it. After punching it out and mounting it on the card, I drew the antennae with a Basic Black Marker.

I'm glad you could stop by today. I hope you'll have time to visit some of the other party goers blogs and especially Marybeth's.

Enjoy!

Blooming with Kindness Inside Out

Here's an inside out card for the Technique Challenge at SCS this week.

 External Frame/Internal Greeting

Today's challenge is to create a frame on the outside opening of your design, and to have the actual sentiment and main image on the inside. 

The outside....

And the inside....

It uses the colors of the Color Challenge at SCS.  The butterfly really is Daffodil Delight and Old Olive.  I don't know why it's showing up orange here.

Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive
Dessert Option--Use some kind of flower

Other Challenges:

Seize the Birthday 

And a couple of new to me challenges thanks to Cathy of Cathy's Card Spot

Cuttlebug Mania  

The front of the card is embossed with Perfect Polkas Dots Embossing Folder.

Simon Says Monday Challenge

Make the Cut

The window and frame were cut with the Window Frames Collection Framelits.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Blooming with Kindness, Happiest Birthday Wishes (retired)

Ink:  Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Tuxedo Black (Memento), SU Markers (Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Basic Black)

Paper:  Whisper White

Other:  Big Shot, Window Frames Collection Framelits, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Bitty Butterfly Punch, White Gel Pen.

I cut the window in the base card and front panel with the Window Framelit then cut a frame from a scrap piece using the same framelit and the next larger one.

Then I lightly traced the shape on the inside with a pencil.  Using this as a guide, I stamped the flower and sentiment and when the ink was dry, I erased the pencil marks.

The butterfly was stamped with Tuxedo Black (Memento) and colored with markers. Then I smacked it with the VersaMark pad and clear embossed it before punching it out. It's adhered with a glue dot under the body so the wings can be pulled up.  The antenna is drawn with the black marker.

I nearly scrapped this project as the first 2 times I went to stamp the image, it fell off the block onto the card.  I was able to fix that by applying 2-Way Glue to the top of the stamp and letting it dry.  It stays put very well on the block now. 

I was able to salvage one of the mishaps.  I'll share that with you later.

I hope you're having a wonderful day wherever you are.   Thanks for sharing some of it with me.

Enjoy!

Featuring Jodi and Sue

I've gotten behind on the Featured Stampers at SCS, again.  This is for last week's celebrity, Jodi (aka jodi r.)  She has lots of cards I'd like to CASE but I chose this one for the layout that worked with something from my UFO box.  I see that Jodi made her card from scraps. How appropriate is that!

The embossed and colored piece was in the box.  I added a butterfly from Papillon Potpourri that was in the butterfly box. (I have all kinds of boxes.)  I stamped a sentiment, added a narrow black mat and tied a knot in a snippet of ribbon. 

This week's Featured Stamper is Sue (aka Susiespotless).  I love that call name!  Again, such beautiful cards to amaze and inspire us!  I chose this card because it showed me what to do with the pieces I was working with the night before that totally stumped me.  

The flower, which had been stamped on handmade paper, was in my UFO box.  I fussy cut it and found the already embossed piece that I liked it on but couldn't get any further than that.  Then I went to bed and dreamed about that card all night.  Do you do that?  Not the most restful night's sleep!

When I saw Sue's card, it all clicked.  

I found the DP in the scrap box.  I couldn't find any ribbon that I liked so I used a scrap of Elegant Eggplant and my Scallop Trim Border Punch instead. 

I'm caught up with the Featured Stampers for now.  And I'm so excited to be using some of the UFO's.  

Some of you have commented that I should host a UFO challenge.  While I would love to host a challenge, my time is limited right now.  Like some of my blogging friends, I am thinking about slowing down with the blog.  It seems like I'm spending more and more time on the computer and the boys are only going to be little for a while.  Soon they won't want Nana to play with them and I don't want to look back and wish I'd spent more time playing with them and less on the computer.   

So I'll unofficially challenge you to use your UFOs (UnFinished Objects) and your NBUS (Never Before Used Stuff) and your Snippets and just have fun with them.  Isn't that what this is supposed to be all about?  We need to relax and enjoy the craft.  And if they fit in a challenge, so much the better.

I'm taking these to Pixies Crafty Workshop cause I used Snippets.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe (card 1)

Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Short & Sweet

Ink:  Bashful Blue, Certainly Cellery, Tuxedo Black (Memento), SU Markers

Paper:  Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Whisper White

Other:  Bashful Blue Taffeta Ribbon, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Elegant Bouquet EF (retired)

Card Recipe (card 2)

Stamps:  Touch of Nature

Ink:  Perfect Plum

Paper:  Handmade (non SU), Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White, DP (non SU)

Other:  Square Lattice EF, Scallop Trim Corner and Border punches, Bitty Butterfly punch, Basic Pearls 

Thanks for the visit.

Enjoy!