Playing in the Leaves

Hi there.  I'm glad you stopped by.

I seem to have a large collection of leaf stamps, dies and even embossing folders.

I've had some fun times playing with them and thought I'd share them.

Two simple cards for my sympathy stash.

I've cut the branch from my favorite Tim Holtz Wildflower Dies from a piece

of Dirty Pour that Nance & I did way back when.

I used the die to emboss on the first card.

For the second, I Die cut from the background and inlaid the colored branch.

I embossed the cut out branch with my Subtle Texture Embossing Folder and

popped it on top.

This set was a gift and quickly became a favorite set!

I've inked with markers on mixed media paper and used a waterbrush to

blend the ink.

Before I go....I'm having trouble sending you notification of my blog posts.  Evidently there is something on my site that thinks I'm spamming you.  I have no idea what else I can do to prevent this.  If you aren't getting email notification, that's why.  I'm hoping it will straighten itself out.  If not, I'll be posting but not able to let you know.

If you hear a scream in the distance, it's probably me! 😱

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe (card 1)

Stamps:  Eloquence (PB)

Ink:   Shaded Spruce (SU)

Paper:   Neenah, Watercolor (TH), Canvas Paper (Strathmore)

Other:  Acrylic Pour, Floral Stems #1 (TH)

Card Recipe (card 2)

Stamps:  Bridge Set (IO)

Ink:   Versafine Onyx Black

Paper:   Neenah, Watercolor (TH), Canvas (Strathmore)

Other:  Acrylic Pour, Floral Stems #1 (TH), Subtle EF (SU), Score Board (SU)

Card Recipe (card 3)

Stamps:  Stronger Together (SSS),

Ink:   Tombow Dual Brush Pens (26, 126)

Paper:   Mixed Media (Strathmore 400 series), Warm Cocoa (GKD)

Other: Caran D'ache Supracolor Pencils (16 Khaki Green, 18 Olive Gray, 225 Moss Green, 69 Burnt Sienna)

Winter Fenceline CAS Watercolour

Hello friends.

There’s still time to join in at CAS Watercolour Challenge.

This month’s challenge is hosted by my friend Susan

I've used this serene stamp by Serendipity, stamping with Versafine Onyx Black.

I let the ink dry for a while then watercolored with Distress inks smooshed

onto a palette and picked up with a water brush and painted onto wet paper.

If you look close you can see that the tree branches have been glossified

with some Nuvo Crystal Glaze for an icy look.

Unfortunately my sympathy stash is getting low.

The Design Team, including our fabulous Guest Designer, Janet have

some more wonderful inspiration pieces for you.

Hope you'll  join in the fun at CAS Watercolour. 

Challenge ends on the 24th.

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Winter Fenceline (Serendipity), Tiny Sayings (AE)

Ink:   Versafine Onyx Black, (weathered wood, hickory smoke, worn lipstick, abandoned coral (DI)

Paper:   Mixed Media (Strathmore 400 series), Neenah (110 lb. solar white)

Other:  Nuvo Crystal Glaze

Stenciled Sympathy

Hello friends.  I'm glad you could stop by.

I find I'm very short of sympathy cards and need to send a couple.

My dear friend Loll has started a new CAS Stencil Challenge

Another friend gave me a new stencil for Christmas.

How lucky was that?

I sponged some Crumb Cake ink through the stencil, stamped a sentiment

and found this butterfly already cut from Inka Gold Smoosh

and wishing for a home.

I have lots of NBUS stencils that I need to pull out

and give some love.

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Deepest Sympathy (HA)

Ink:   Crumb Cake, Soft Suede (SU)

Paper:   Neenah (110 lb. Solar White)

Other:  Stencil (gift), Stitched Butterfly Trio Die (PS), Inka Gold

More Blooming Buds

Here's another card from my play with the Blooming Buds.

The watercolor process was the same as for this card.

By mounting it on a dark card base, it has a totally different look.

I love the sentiments that are included with these flowers.

Most of you probably know that Heidi Swapp lost her second oldest son.

An unimaginable loss!  You can read about it on Jennifer Mcguire's post here.  

You can send Heidi a card at

Persnickety Prints

44 West Center St.

Orem, UT 84057

Thank you for your visit.

Enjoy!

Single Iris Sympathy

This was my first time inking this NBUS stamp.

I love the easy watercolor look that I got

by inking the stamp with markers.

I couldn't decide whether I liked it better on the white base or the Eggplant base.

So I did it both ways.

CAS on Sunday
is looking for a Sympathy card this week.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge
says ANYTHING GOES this week.

Addicted to Stamps Challenge
also says ANYTHING GOES this week.

I'm happy you could stop by.

Enjoy!

    **********

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Single Iris

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

Paper:  Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White

Other:  Stitched Mats Rectangles Die (Lil' Inker), Basic Pearls

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Butterfly Buttoned and Bowed

Mrs. A's Butterfly Challenge this go round is the 3 B's

Butterflies, Buttons and Bows

I had some bits and pieces laying around that hadn't made it onto cards.

I put them together and here's what I found.

My button is faux.  I hope that's OK.  It keeps it flat for mailing.

But there's still some dimension that I think will regular postage rate.

The card is Sahara Sand not gray but I can't get it to look tan in the photos.

Everything is a snippet so off I go to

Pixie's Snippet Playground

Even the card blank is a cast off.  I hope the design doesn't fall off.

There's a stamping mistake underneath it.

CAS on Sunday

says COLOR ME PRETTY 

use markers/pencils/etc. on your card.

I used markers to color the butterfly.

Shopping Our Stash

says 3-2-1 

Use 3 of something (3 colors of cardstock), 2 of something (2 stamps), and 

1 of something (1 button)

ETA House of Cards

asks for Cute/Shabby with a button

Thanks for the visit.

Enjoy!

  *************

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Best of Butterflies, French Script (retired)

Ink:  Sahara Sand, Tuxedo Black (Memento), SU Markers (So Saffron, Tangerine Tango) I think

Paper:  Sahara Sand, Basic Black, Very Vanilla

Other:  Sweet Buttons Embosslit, Hemp Twine (Michaels)

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Best of Butterflies for Queen Lori

The Queen for the Day this week at SCS is Lori (aka saintsrule).  Unfortunately I was not acquainted with Lori's work.  I was amazed and found so much inspiration in her gallery.  This is the sweet card that I CASEd! I loved the soft pastel with the gray.

This butterfly. that I stamped with the new Smoky Slate, was sitting on my table.  It hadn't even made it into the UFO box.  It was a test piece for the inside of one of the upcoming Stamp Stack cards. I colored it with So Saffron ink and a blender pen.

Note:  To get softer and more even color, swipe the marker on a clear block or a plastic lid and pick up the color with a blender pen.  I go all over the image once and then go back over parts of it again to add a little more color.

I thought it would be fun to add a little sparkle so I outlined all the wing sections with a glitter pen.  See the sparkle?

CASology's challenge this week is

Butterflies are free to fly about and we don't have to pay to enjoy their beauty.

Edited to add:

Simon Says Stamp  has a new challenge  ANYTHING GOES.  Just can't pass that up!

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Best of Butterflies, Sentiment (Stamping Studio)

Ink:  Smoky Slate, SU Marker (So Saffron)

Paper:  Smoky Slate, Whisper White

Other:  Blender Pen,  Lacy Brocade EF (retired), Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Glitter Pen  (no name)

I'm so glad you could stop by today.  I hope you're having a good week.

Enjoy!

For Queen Val

This week's Queen for the Day at SCS is Val, aka Greywolf.  Val is so encouraging as well as a talented cardmaker.  When I saw this card in her gallery, I thought of this stamp I recently bought and hadn't inked up yet.

LOL, when I ordered it, I didn't realize it was so BIG!  This is only about a quarter of the image.  It's a full size background stamp.

I inked it with different colors of green.  I started with Certainly Celery at the top, Wild Wasabi in the middle and Gumball Green at the bottom.

The monochromatic colors work for the TLC challenge at SCS.  Much more fun than basketball in my book!

 Monochromatic Madness!

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Love and Sympathy, Leafy Vines (Hero Arts)

Ink:  Certainly Celery, Wild Wasabi, Gumball Green

Paper:  Whisper White, Gumball Green

Other:  Tulip Frame EF

I'm hoping we'll be seeing these soft Spring greens on the trees soon.  They started out but they're staying put waiting for warmer days.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Enjoy!

Dynamic Duos for Gail

 It's been a busy few days but I did manage to get some cards made.  I think it takes longer to get the photos and editing done than the cards!  Here's a couple that I did this week.

I keep seeing Soft Suede these days and I've gotta say that  I'm liking it more and more.  It's a good thing since the Dynamic Duos challenge this week is....

And the CAS challenge at SCS this week is  

Clean and Simple Featured Player Challenge 

mamaxsix 

I've been a fan of Gails for a while now and I enjoyed the excuse to CASE one of her beautiful creations.  This is the card I chose.

I stamped the Medallion a couple of times.  Here's what came of the second try.

The Technique Lover's Challenge, also at SCS, this week is

Play with Balance

use a stamp, image, diecut, etc. too big and one too small to create a perfectly scaled design!!!

I used a sentiment from the Teeny, Tiny Wishes for the too small and the Medallion for the too big.  I'm not sure of the outcome.  It may be a bit too CAS even for me.  

I stamped the Medallion in Crumb Cake first and then overstamped the flourish from Everything Eleanor in Soft Suede.  Rhinestones were colored with a marker and placed randomly to add a little more balance?  There are rhinestones on the first card too.  They don't show up well in the photo though.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Medallion (retired), Everything Eleanor, Close as a Memory (retired), Teeny, Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Crumb Cake, Soft Suede

Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White (card 1), Whisper White, Soft Suede (card 2)

Other:  Basic Rhinestones, Corner Rounder Punch (card 1)

I have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of love in your comments and CASEing of my cards both here and at Splitcoaststampers since I was named as Featured Stamper.  Words just can't express how it has warmed my heart!  A big inky hug and thanks to all of you.

And thanks for stopping in today.

Enjoy!

Sympathy Sketch

Sadly, I needed a sympathy card.  And the sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch! looked like a good place to start.

Here's the sketch   

I used the perfect colors from the Paper Players Challenge

Edited to add that I'm going to take this over to the CCEE Stampers challenge to do a Sympathy card.

And here's the card...

The door's getting ready to close at the sketch challenge so I'd better skedaddle and get over there.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Thoughts and Prayers, Teeny, Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Basic Gray

Paper:  Whisper White, Basic Black, Basic Grey, Snippets of Pacific Point and Daffodil Delight

Other:  Beautiful Wings Embosslit

I'm so glad you stopped by.  See you soon.

Enjoy!

Sandy Hook Heartbreak

My friend Darnell has a perfect post for today.  I'd like to join her.

Neutrals

We're back to a colour challenge at Less is More this week.  And the colour is

Neutrals

This could be anything from off white to black with any shade of beige brown or gray in between.

I dug into that UFO box and found this design I did last year and never put on a card.  The stamp set has been retired, but it's one that will stay in my collection.

I wanted to do something new for this challenge too.  So I made this card.

I played around with the new Labels Framelits dies and found that I could emboss with it.  I was so excited to do it that I forgot to write down what I used for shims.  LOL, I can't remember what I used!

I stamped the cross with Chocolate Chip ink on a scrap of Naturals Ivory and die cut it with a Framelit.  I cut 2 more of the same size Framelits from scraps of Chocolate Chip to make a mat for the design.  All this is adhered with dimensionals.  Stamped the sentiment and it was done.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Card Recipe (card 2)

Stamps:  Crosses of Hope

Ink:  Chocolate Chip

Paper:  Naturals Ivory, Chocolate Chip

Other:  Big Shot, Labels Collection Framelits Dies

Card Recipe (card 1)

Stamps:  Easter Blossoms, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Jet Black StazOn, SU Markers (Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight)

Paper:  Naturals White, Basic Black, Crumb Cake

Other:  Signo White Gel Pen, Small Oval Punch

I tried to link yesterday's card at Styles Ink for the OLW challenge and wasn't able to get my card to link up. I see that Inlinkz has some changes going on and thought I did what needed to be done.  Anyone have any suggestions?  Isn't that always the way?  If something works well, change it!

Thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy!

Shimmery Blossoms

The One Layer Wednesday challenge over at Simplicity this week is to use shimmer, but not glitter or bling.

A one layer is defined as a single piece of cardstock folded in half.   No other layers of cardstock are permitted.

I colored the flowers with my Signo white gel pen first to get a nice white flower.  Then I dry brushed a bit of shimmer paint over that.

Maybe you can see the shimmer better in the close up.

The sentiment is heat embossed.

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Easter Blossoms, Thoughts and Prayers
Ink:  Black StazOn, Whisper White
Paper:   Crumb Cake
Accessories:  White Embossing Powder, White Signo gel pen, gold glitter pen, Frost White Shimmer Paint

Thanks for the visit.  Enjoy!
Bonnie

Spring Branch

Sunday, when DH & I were riding around, we spotted a tree in full bloom with it's beautiful pink flowers!  I'm not sure whether it was a Redbud, or some kind of flowering fruit tree.  It was small, but magnificent, covered with those beautiful little flowers.

This branch is not as pretty as the real thing, but maybe will remind the recipient that Spring will come.

I stamped the branch with Crumb Cake on Very Vanilla cardstock, then used my SU Watercolor Pencils and a blender pen to color the flowers.  I found my distressing tool, and distressed a bit around the edges and rounded the corners.

The scallops at the bottom are the top of the Scallop Envelope cut with the BIG GUY.

The layout is from the JAI#56 challenge....

I flipped the sketch and left off the scallops under the ribbon.

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Easter Blossoms, To You and Yours (Retired Christmas set)
Ink:  Crumb Cake
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Accessories:  Watercolor Pencils, Blender Pen, Big Shot, Scallop Envelope die, Corner Rounder, Very Vanilla Seam Binding

Enjoy!
Bonnie

Thoughts and Prayers Vine

The CAS challenge on SCS this week is to do a Sympathy card.  

And I checked out the Featured Stamper challenge yesterday on SCS and really enjoyed CherylQuilts gallery.  This card in her gallery inspired my Sympathy card.

I inked the branch with SU Markers and used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to turn this branch into a vine.  I stamped 3 times.

Just simple layering with rounded corners and some basic pearls on a few of the flowers finished it off.

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Thoughts & Prayers
Ink:  Old Olive & Rich Razzleberry SU Markers
Paper:  Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories:  Stamp-a-ma-jig, Corner Rounder, Basic Pearls

I stamped the sentiment on the inside with just the tips of the branch, stamped off once, framing it.  Sorry I didn't get a picture of the inside.

Thanks for joining me tonight.  I hope you found some inspiration and will be back soon.

Enjoy,
Bonnie