Another Happy Card

But this time I used the negative space left over when I die cut the word "happy".  Actually, I received some new sequins I purchased from Avery Elle and I just had to use them.  What better way than on a happy card!  Usually when I buy sequins they are all one solid color.  Well these sequins were packaged with a few shades of the main color.  I am also including a pic of the bags of sequins so you can see how pretty they look in their packages and together, too!  I am thinking I need some pink, purple and blue like
 these!  Speaking of blue, it is off to the tax lady today~~and we will be blue when she finishes them up and we find out how much we owe Uncle Sam this year!!  Have a great day!

Seashell Saying

Happy Monday!  It has been a very busy weekend for me.  We had card classes Saturday and Sunday and during both classes we did a lot of creating together with a lot of chatter and laughter. Not only was class time enjoyable as I was with my friends, it was even more enjoyable to me as the classes gave me a break from working on my taxes.  But I am happy to report that I finished them up last night.  The card posted today is one I made a few days ago.  The verse is from Verses Rubber Stamps and the shells from Heartfelt Creations.  I wanted to see if I could stamp the saying and then stamp and color a separate image underneath it and slightly overlapping the saying.  I am pleased with the way my card turned out.  Now I just need to decide for what occasion I would use it.  Have a great day!

A Little Smile

I missed a post yesterday as I was busy enjoying my granddaughter.  She went home with her own set of color pencils, Gamsol and blending stumps and she is going to share with her Mommy everything we did the past two days.  She is growing up so fast.  Part of me wishes I could keep her at 10 for a long time. The other part of me enjoys watching her as she turns into quite the young lady.  Since  colored pencils were on the counter after Syd left, I grabbed one of the first stamps I purchased when the present annual catalog came out last June, A Little Smile.  I thought it was so cute and I still do.  But I have hardly used the stamp as I could never color it in nicely. Well it turned out pretty good with the pencils, so here it is.  Now, once I take a picture of it and post the card on my blog, anyone who clicks on the picture will see just how not perfect the coloring is~~hahaha!!! I look forward to seeing some of you at card class this weekend which will be enjoyable.  Have a great weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Happy Colors

While looking thru all of the Designer Series Paper I have, The Birthday Bash paper again caught my attention.  The multi-colored splashes on one of the papers screams "tropical" and "splashing water".  My mind drifted to Florida.  One of  the perfect stamps for this paper would be the flamingo from the Ronald McDonald House set, Flamingo Lingo.  I used my Calypso Coral and Gray markers directly on the flamingo stamp and she looks like an almost perfect flamingo, too!  The candy dots are a cute embellishment.  The papers in this collection are very versatile.  There is a navy and white striped paper in this pack that will be perfect for something nautical being created in the not to distant future.  Have a great day! 

Open Sea Birthday

Once again I used my colored pencils to color and add dimension to an image, this one from The Open Sea stamp set.  In yesterday's post I said those were the two easiest cards I had made in a while.  Well, this one was pretty easy, too.  I stamped the sailing ship twice, once on scrap paper and once on Whisper White cardstock.  I colored it in on the scrap paper to see what blues I should use.  Once I made that choice I moved on to the Whisper White image and colored it in, using a little Gamsol to soften the pencil strokes.  The sentiment is from And Many More.  This could also be a perfect retirement card or a Father's Day card by just changing the sentiment.  Have a great day!

Hello You Thinlets

Thanks to very cute cards I saw on the Lawn Fawn Facebook page, I used that idea and the Stampin' Up!  Hello You Thinlets to create today's cards.   Even though the Blendabilities are no longer available, since I have them, I used them.  The Coastal Cabana set shows off the Ombre (colors that are graduated or shaded in tone) technique better than the Pink Pirouette set, but none the less, easy. Starting at the bottom of a piece of white cardstock, I scribbled back and forth using the darkest marker, then the medium above that and the lightest at the top.  When I went to die cut the words I realized that the blending of the colors will go from left to right rather than from top to bottom..  And then I repeated myself when using the Pink Pirouette markers.  But it's okay as I so like the  look of the color gradation on the words.  Both the  "birthday" and "so much" are phrases in the Crazy About You stamp set that coordinates with the thinlets.  To add a little something to the card fronts, I stamped little cupcakes and flowers from retired sets.  The thank you card had a little too much white space, so I used the retired corner punch to take care of that!  Have a great day!

Artisan Embellishment Mother's Day Card

This is a card we will be making for Mother's Day, but it would be a pretty wedding or anniversary card, too.   I had been looking at the Artisan Embellishment Kit in the Occasions mini and after seeing a few different cards created with the kit, I did order it.   I ended up using only the flowers and stencil for this card, but at class I will show you a couple of cards where I used more embellishments from the kit.  As I look at the card, I notice I did not put a pearl on the bottom butterfly--oops!  Have a great weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Father's Day Card?

Today's card speaks masculine to me.  The image is from the
Moon Lake stamp set in the Occasions mini.  Once I started water coloring using an aqua brush and ink pads, I decided in my mind that this sure would be a nice Father's Day card.  I was all proud of my finished card front as I stamped the quote, but unfortunately, not dark enough~~oh well.  I will use it for something.   So the second time I water colored using the same image, I used a paint brush and water rather than the aqua painter.  It is another card of which I am pleased with the outcome.  The quote is included in the Moon Lake set.  The sentiment on the bottom of the card is from the Sheltering Tree stamp set, also in the Occasions mini.  We will be creating this card in the April card class.  Colored pencils this month; paint brush and water next month.  Have a great day!

OWH Cards

Yesterday I spent a little time creating cards for Operation Write Home.  Ellie and this cute bunny are little creatures with perfect messages to be sent to family and friends.  This Ellie is from the stamp set by Wplus9, Bubble Talk.  Ellie was colored with my Copic markers and the speech balloons were stamped.  Island Indigo cardstock matched pattern paper I purchased at Lawn Fawn for the I Miss You card.  I used the triangle embossing folder for texture.  The Hello card with Ellie is a water colored background with little blades of grass and thought bubbles stamped onto it.  I love the color combination of Pool Party and Pistachio and I will very much miss Pistachio when it retires in a couple of months.  The little bunny is an image from an older Inkadinkado stamp set, Nature's Garden.  I colored her with colored pencils and Gamsol and think she turned out so
cute.  The sentiment is stamped in Chocolate Chip.  The baker's twine is from a while ago and it matches the Crisp Cantaloupe circle layer.  And yes, I will surely miss Cantaloupe when it retires, too.  I enjoy creating cards from Operation Write Home.  I know that someone will be thrilled to send the cards as will the recipient when it is opened.  Have a great day!

Bird From Moon Lake

I have been enjoying the birds in the yard again.  Over the winter we had the chickadees, juncos and an occasional cardinal or two.  Recently, there have been blue jays, a family of cardinals and today I saw the house finches.  So when I was deciding what card to make, I thought a bird card would be perfect.  I colored the image from the Moon Lake stamp set (Occasions Mini) with my colored pencils.  I lightly went over the coloring using Gamsol.  The Hardwood background stamp was inked using Elegant Eggplant and then stamped off before stamping for this card.  I wanted the wood background, but by stamping off, I kept the bird image as the center of attention.  A little Regals DSP and the card is what I was aiming for.  I did leave off the sentiment until I decide for what I will use it.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!   

Little Elephants

During the last week I have spent some time  playing with different items in my scrap room.  I had received new stamp sets and dies, so I had to try them out.  Today's cards were made using the WPlus9 stamp set, Unforgettable.  When I saw this stamp set, little Ellie called my name.  On the first card, I stamped Ellie and the balloon directly on white cardstock and colored them in using Copic markers.  The little stars are  from another WPlus9 set, Little Bits, stamped using SU Ink. Ellie and the balloons on the pink and Bermuda Bay card were stamped on watercolor paper and then colored using Distress markers and water.  Ellie and the balloons have coordinating dies which I used.  The "happy" is from the Stampin' Up! Hello You thinlets set, and the "birthday" is from the Crazy For You stamp set.  It has been quite enjoyable to play with different mediums.  I did have to pitch a few images, but for the most part I have kept images for future cards.  Today is supposed to be a nice warm day here so if you have the chance~~go out, enjoy and have a great day!

Pink & Crumb Cake

One of my favorite stamps is Postage Due.  Unfortunately, I have not used it in quite some time.  So last night I took it off the shelf and inked it up with Crumb Cake and then stamped on Crumb Cake cardstock.  I also stamped a Pink Pirouette card base using Crumb Cake with the Butterfly Basics and Gorgeous Grunge stamp sets to create a subtle background.  A little lace and Happy Birthday completed today's card.  Have a great weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Sheltering Tree In Bloom

The past few days have been very promising that Spring is just around the corner and before we know it, our trees will be budding.  When I was playing with the Sheltering Tree stamp set, I wanted to add a little more color.  Melon Mambo did the trick, looking like pretty little pink flowers.  This is another set that has pretty font and nice sayings.  I think the next time I use this set, the bicycle will be somewhere on the card.  I actually saw a couple of people riding there bikes in the neighborhood today.  Have a great day!

A Hallmark--My Version

I really, really like today's card.  I am not quite sure if it is because it shouts Springtime or if I really did such a nice job~~hahaha!  The image is from the stamp set, For The Birds and the sentiment is from Choose Happiness.  I colored the image using my Marina Mist ink pad and blender pen for the birds; the Slate ink pad and blender pen for the bird bath; and my Many Marvelous Markers for the little flowers and grass.  I thought the image was really pretty when I was finished with it and even thought about not adding a sentiment.  But adding the sentiment truly made this card.  The font is pretty and fine and crisp.  I like many cards I create.  But this is one of my favorites of all times. Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Blendabilities

This morning Stampin' Up informed all of its demonstrators that the Blendabilities are discontinued and will no longer be available to order .  The quality was inferior to SU!'s standards.  It was a difficult decision to make but at this point, for Stampin' Up! it is the right decision.  Now for today's post, I love the simplicity.  I used the leaf image from Crazy About You (Occasions Mini), inking it up with Pear Pizzazz, stamping off and them stamping on the card front.  Stamping off made for a quiet background allowing for the die cut "hello" (HelloYou thinlets) to stand out.  I added "sweet friend" using Fabulous Phrases (retired favorite).  And the pretty little embosslit butterflies completed the card.  I also like this color combination.  Have a great day! 

So Many Framelits

During the week I was going thru "stuff" and realized I needed a better
filing system for my framelits.  I have some SU framelits in cases I created using magnet sheets and plastic stamp cases.  There are some in an Art Bin (specifically made for storing framelits).  Then there are some non-SU framelits in the same package as their coordinating non-SU stamp sets.  Oh yes, there were a couple in a container in a cabinet, too.  Anyway, while watching videos I came across a framelit storage system made by Stamp-n-Storage and I decided to bite the bullet and order it.  I worked over the weekend gathering all my framelits and putting them in this "file box" and I am so happy I invested in it.  All of my framelits are now in one place on my counter. I have labeled each magnet with the name of the set and the number of framelits in it.  And once I was finished with the framelits, I colored these cute little Easter bunnies to embellish table favors for Easter Sunday.  I had a nice little Copic practice session and only two that I colored are not here.  Enjoy the sunshine and warmer temperatures and have a great day!

Birthday Bash Treat Bag

 I truly like Stampin' Ups! Birthday Bash paper pack!  This particular pattern is so festive and not just for birthdays.  It made for a cute treat bag and the Calypso Coral pompom trim added to the festive feel.  I knew I would be using the pompom trim and with the Night of Navy stripes on the inside of the bag, the Night of Navy seam binding was the perfect ribbon to wrap around the bag.  The seam binding does unravel as you work with it, but I can make the prettiest bows with it.  I just make sure I use a long enough piece so that when the bow is finished, I can trim off the unraveling ends.  Being from the Chicago area, when I put the mini treat bag all together I thought Chicago Bears-~~hahah!!!  Have a great weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Sketched Birthday Bash

Today's fun birthday card is bright and cheerful thanks to the Specialty DSP Birthday Bash.  I like the colors and most of the patterns of this colleciton.  Unfortunately I did not purchase any of the birthday stamp sets in the Occasions mini.  But that's ok as I chose to use the balloons from the Sketched Birthday (Annual) set and the sentiment from Big Day (Sale-a-bration).  The coordinating Candy Dots fill in the little white space that was beneath the Calypso Coral balloon.  Tomorrow I will use the same DSP together with the Calypso Coral pompom trim (so cute) in the Occasions mini. Have a great day!  

Proud Grandma!

Today's post is a proud Grandma post!  Last night John and I had the pleasure of going to an awards

program for the National PTA Reflections Program.  The PTA Reflections Program is an arts program that encourages children to explore their talents and express themselves.  There are a variety of categories including Dance Choreography.  Sydney's submission was a tap dance she choreographed and her dance has moved on to the State level.  We are always so proud of Sydney and last night was another moment when we stopped to thank God for such a beautiful granddaughter and her parents who encourage Sydney to use her  talents and try her best.  Congratulations, Sydney!

Colored Pencils and Gamsol

I was playing with my Copics over the weekend and decided to switch over to colored pencils.  I decided that the flowers in Bloom With Hope (hostess set) would be good to color.  I stamped the flowers using Memento ink and gave it a few seconds to dry.  I chose light and dark violet pencils for the flowers. When using Gamsol, you don't need to fill in the entire flower.  The Gamsol and a blending stump move the waxy color of the pencils around.  Anyway, the flowers look pretty and what I like about colored pencils~~you can erase little mistakes!  I stamped the sentiment (Butterfly Basics) before I chose the layer color.  Next time, I would stamp the sentiment in Elegant Eggplant.  I then colored in the same image using the light violet pencil and a darker blue violet pencil. I think we will make this card at the next class and you can try your hand at using colored pencils and Gamsol.  Have a great day!

Butterflies & Bling

Over the weekend I received a package from my dear friend, Regina.  It was filled with all kinds of little goodies.  But I have to share with you the best item in the package~~ this beautiful card she made for me.  This card spoke to me.   As a matter of fact, it spoke so loudly that we will be making it at the March classes.   It might not have quite as many layers of butterflies and I do not have the sentiment she used, but it will be pretty~~a Mother's Day card or you can choose the sentiment for the front.  I like the rounded corners on the layer and the pretty rainbow of gems with the little dashes in between.  A pretty card from a pretty lady.  Thank you, Regina.  I hope everyone has a great day!