Fun Techniques

I do love my W&W Hello die, but I promise not to show it again--for a little while! The BD Bash challenges are about to end & I have one more card to enter. This one is for Two Challenge with Shay (2 sequins) & Color Challenge with Heather P.  I blended the die with Distress Ink abandoned coral, PTI Limeade Ice & Distress Ink peacock feathers.  Then I spritzed with Tsukineko Shimmer Spritz Sparkle & oh my goodness--so gorgeous in real life!

"Spring" is from a beautiful The Craft's Meow set & is stamped in VersaMagic Gingerbread.  I added a couple Ellen Hutson leaves die cut from vellum. The dry embossed frame is inspired by Virginia's card HERE.  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday & AAA Cards. 

Another challenge about to end is Fabulous Flowers at Hero Arts.  I recently watched Jennifer's video & wanted to try embossing with watercolor lifting. Since I happen to have Tombow markers (15 yrs old & stored in the back room) I pulled them out & they worked!  HA Wild Flowers was stamped twice & clear embossed on the watercolored panel. Then I "lifted" color with water & the images appeared--so fun!  Decided to try stamping over it with HA Friend Definition--a stamp I've had forever & barely used.  The white embossed sentiment from HA Thinking of You Messages was die cut with a circle & mounted with foam tape. Lil' Inker Stitched Rectangles provide the stitching & I finished off with some PPP Marshmallow sequins.  This is going in the mail today to hopefully give a lift to a friend.  I'm also entering SSS Monday, Freshly Made Sketches & SSS Work It Wednesday. Thanks so much for taking some of your blog reading time to visit me. 
 

A Card & A Candle

The PTI MIM challenge is watercolor resist using rubber cement.  Looked pretty easy, but mine wouldn't drip very well.  I did 3 layers of colors with my cheap watercolor paints. Wasn't what I wanted for a background panel, but did make interesting flowers when cut with PTI Friendly Flowers die.  

I covered them with Glitter Glaze which gives a nice shine & sparkle. The small flowers from the same set were watercolored with the blue paint & mounted with foam dots.  I made my striped background by white embossing an image from Watercolor Wonder & the sentiment is from Friendly Flowers. I'm also entering SSS Wednesday & Work It Wednesday.

Didn't think I'd get anything made for the W&W Birthday Bash challenge: Anything But a Card with Kate.  

However, I love decorating candles & found some plain ones in the cupboard.  So fun to use my felt--it's been awhile.  I backed the green felt with cardstock to cut the W&W Hello die. The flowers & leaves are MFT & I tied on some hemp. It has a nice vanilla fragrance without being lit, so hopefully will be enjoyed by my friend.  Hard to photograph a candle, so here are a couple shots. Since I used 2 flowers I'm also entering the W&W Two Challenge with Shay. Thanks so much for taking time to visit my blog.

One Layer With Silver

We're alternating sun & rain every other day. Today it's the sun's turn, so more yard work is on the agenda. Quick post with 2 more cards for challenges about to close.

First is my entry for Merry Monday, One Layer Christmas Card Challenge & Rudolph Days. The bells are a very old DeNami stamp I love, but struggle to actually use.  The card is watercolor paper since I colored the silver embossed image with my Zig markers. The berries are covered in Stickles & the bells are coated with Diamond Glaze--wonderful stuff that comes out of the bottle without bubbles & I've had mine for 15 years! 
The card was just too plain for me so hunted in my ribbon/trim drawer & found just what I needed. It attached easily with Score Tape.  The silver embossed sentiment is by AMuse & I finished it off with a PPP bow cut from SSS fog & a red gem.  

Next is another entry for the W&W Birthday Bash using my only W&W product--the hello die.  

This time I wanted to try "dipping" the die cut in silver. Love the look & since my sister loves blue & silver this makes a perfect note card to send her.  The blue die cut is attached to white so that there's a white shadow which I then attached to one cut from fun foam for easy dimension. The background is smooshed in Distress Stain brushed pewter & then splattered with Distress Ink chipped sapphire. Finished off with 3 marshmallow sequins. I'm entering these W&W challenges:  Two Challenge with Shay (2 toned die cut) & Create Your Own Background Challenge with Gayatri.  I'm also entering SSS Monday as I keep humming "Hello, How are you" by The Eagles & SSS Wednesday. Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.

Papertrey February Blog Hop Challenge

PTI Blog Hop Inspiration

Time for the PTI Blog Hop challenge & this month the inspiration is truly swoon worthy!  I immediately thought of PTI Meadow Greens.  The other day I mopped up leftover Distress Ink picked raspberry onto watercolor paper.  The last piece was the lightest & turned out really pretty, so wanted to use it for my background.

I started by randomly stamping the butterfly from Quilled Elegance in white pigment ink.  I didn't want to emboss, so just used my heat gun. Surprisingly, the images became light pink--a happy accident! Hard to see in the photo, but one is in the upper, left corner. Then I stamped the ferns in VersaMagic Aloe Vera & the sentiment in Versafine Onyx Black.  I started to do some black splatters, but chickened out & used Perfect Pearls instead. 

Maile's Card

Thought about cutting some strips at the bottom, so browsed Maile Belles' blog & instead was inspired by this card. Finished off with some Rainstones--a gift from a blogging friend.  I'm also entering at SSS Wednesday.  Always lots of inspiration, so enjoy the hop!  I'm headed out to prune roses as we're having another lovely day.  

Hello & Thank You

We had sun & clouds yesterday, so started the Spring yard work.  Always rewarding to see how much nicer things look, although I still have a lot of roses to prune. Hard to imagine some of you are getting more snow, but maybe you can think Spring when you see my cards today.

First up is another entry for W&W BD Bash--this time Color Challenge with Heather P & Gold + Watercolor Challenge with Heather H.  I'm hoping gold counts as a neutral for the color challenge.  The watercolor panel is smooshed with watered down Distress Inks abandoned coral, peacock feathers & shabby shutters.  I added my favorite gold splatters--Distress Stain tarnished brass.  Back to my obsession with foiled self-adhesive fun foam--haha! This die is absolutely perfect for it!  The rest of the sentiment is from PTI Wonderful Words: Hello & is stamped in Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate. The panel is mounted with fun foam to a card front covered in textured coral cardstock. Might send this with a Happy Easter greeting inside.  I'm also entering Word Art Wednesday.

Next is a card heading to a sweet blogging friend using my newest SSS die--Heart Banner. I had St Patrick's Day in mind & inked the Sizzix tag die cut with Distress Ink mowed lawn--love that color of green! The sentiment is from SSS Hello Friends & the sweet bow is a PPP die cut.  Fun to "color" the hearts & sentiment with Stickles.  I'm entering the challenges at SSS Flickr, SSS Wednesday & CASology.  Thanks so much for stopping by.

Inlaid Die Cuts

Another card using the Winnie & Walter Hello die.  This card is for 2 of the BD Bash challenges: Rainbow with Vanessa & Inlaid Die Cutting with Mayuri.  I stamped PTI Watercolor Wonder in some of my favorite Brilliance Pealescent inks: Lavender, Coral, Jade & Sky Blue.  Then the word was die cut from the panel & from white cardstock layering them slightly offset.  It was inlaid into the panel which was mounted with foam tape to the card front. Tim Holtz stickers were used for the word "friend" & PPP Marshmallow sequins finish it off.  I'm also entering at AAA Cards.

Next is my card for the February challenge at Memory Box.  Couldn't miss this one as it's simply to make a pink card--my favorite color!

I'm lucky to have a couple friends who send me die cuts so I can see if I "need" to buy the dies. Cat sent me the MB Precious Hearts which I glittered & attached to the MB Grand Heart colored by smooshing with Distress Ink picked raspberry.  I stamped a tiny heart with the same ink & the Penny Black sentiment with Versafine Onyx Black. I added more water to the left over ink & smooshed a panel of watercolor paper. The large heart was die cut from the panel & I stacked & inlaid the decorated one. A strip of printed paper & a black pearl finish it off.  I'm also entering Word Art Wednesday. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Zig Markers 2 Ways

W&W Inspiration

I've been working on cards for the Winnie & Walter BD Bash challenges. Currently my only product is the wonderful "hello" die which was an unexpected gift from a blogging friend some time back.  I'm giving it a work out now! This card is for the final challenge: Image Inspiration with Taheerah.  I began by trying to make a watercolor background with my Zigs using pink, purple & green, but didn't really like it.  
Out came the Gesso--& I left it overnight.  I added just a touch of the colors over the Gesso & dry embossed the piece with my newest embossing folder by WRMK--super cheap at Tuesday Morning. I lightly rubbed the raised image with Memento Gray Flannel & cut it into panels. The "hello" die is stacked 3 high, covered with Diamond Glaze & mounted with foam tape. Used my new clear dots from PPP for embellishment.  I'm also entering at ATSM. 

Next up is a white embossed Hero Arts background stamp (Flower Medley Bkgrd) I don't think I'd ever inked.  Isn't it beautiful?! I added color with the Zigs by brushing on small spots which I then moved with a waterbrush. The stitching is done with Lil' Inker Stitched Rectangles & I hand cut the banner for a very old sentiment by Imaginations!--no longer in business.  The panel was sprayed with Tsukineko Shimmer Spritz which gives a gorgeous shimmery sparkle in real life.  I've seen some Faux Shaker cards in Blogland, so gave it a try.  Think I'll stick to shakers--easier not to deal with gluing all the sequins--haha!  I'm entering Hero Arts Fabulous Flowers, A Blog Named Hero, Word Art Wednesday, SSS Wednesday & Twofers. Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.