Friends

Very last minute post for this month's challenge at a2z.  We are to use our favorite Hero Arts product & I have a ton of stamps collected over the last 20 years!  I don't have a single go-to stamp, but I do love their background stamps.  Classic Fabric Design is certainly one of my favorites, but I've never used it for a watercolor effect.  

Using my Mini MISTI, I inked the stamp several times with Distress Inks evergreen bough, pine needles & iced spruce.  I spritzed with water each time before stamping on white canvas cardstock.  

The sentiment from HA Friends Are Treasures was stamped on a scrap of the same cardstock multiple times with iced spruce & then evergreen bough.  I used Heidi Swapp glitter paper for the frame & embellished with PPP Sparkling Clear sequins.  I'm also entering CropStop, HLS Watercolor Challenge,  The Playground,  SSS Wednesday & Word Art Wednesday. Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.

Best Wishes

Silhouette images always appeal to me, which is why I have Penny Black's stamp set called silhouettes.  When I saw that was the challenge at Double D, I determined to use that set--maybe for the first time.  

I began by using my new NUVO stencil brushes to add Distress Inks tattered rose & cracked pistachio over the MFT Fishnet stencil.  Then I die cut it with Spellbinders Labels 18 & stamped the image several times in Brilliance Starlite Black--a beautiful shimmery charcoal ink.  Couldn't find anything I liked for the background, so finally just brushed the card front with the same 2 inks.  For a bit more shimmer, I brushed on perfect pearls--works great since Distress Ink doesn't dry immediately.  

I die cut the next size down label from fun foam & attached it to the focal point & then to my card.  Keeping things simple, I just stamped the 2 words from W&W Big, Bold, Seasons in Starlite Black & trimmed them out.  Now I just need to find a Spring bride to give this to--haha!  I'm also entering CropStop, SSS Wednesday, Stamplorations CAS challenge & Word Art Wednesday.   Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.

So Excited!

Finally, after 3 or 4 years, the lilac that began as a start from a coworker is blooming for the first time!  Never crossed my mind that it needed to be fed, but finally after no blooms again last year I asked the experts advice.

Yesterday a couple opened enough to see the 2 tone--it's going to be spectacular I think!  No fragrance yet, but I'm hoping it will be lovely.  My mom always sent me back to college after Spring Break with a big bouquet of lilacs--she would have loved this one.
I have a couple cards to share today.  First is my entry for PTI MIM Stenciled Watercolor backgrounds.  

I used MFT's Fishnet stencil designed by my blogging friend, Mona, with PTI's The Sweet Life.  The inks are Lovely Lady, Scarlet Jewel, New Leaf & Green Parakeet.  Not sure they're still in, but I like the silver thread nest.  

The stenciled panel was die cut with Mat Stack 3 & the sentiment is from the matching stamp set.  The rose was heavily spritzed with Perfect Pearls--just can't get enough of that shimmer!  I'm also entering HLS Anything Goes with Dies, SSS Wednesday, SSS Work it Wednesday & Word Art Wednesday.

Next is a Christmas card--my favorite cards to make!  Even turned out to be 1 layer & think I'll make a couple more to send overseas.  I used the Penny Black holly tree stamp which was given to me quite awhile ago.  

To be honest, the picture on the cling stamp is not very appealing--too busy, I think until the leaves are somehow defined.  As most of you know, I'm not much of a colorer, so that's why I never opened the stamp. However, it was the size & type of image I wanted to use for CCCB Birthday Case #4: Marina.  I love how she stamped the cake off the side of the card & used a color combo of brown, white & gold.  I white embossed the tree, colored the stem with a brown marker & the leaves with my white Prismacolor pencil.  Seldom use the gold Pico Embellisher I "had" to have--worked perfect for the berries.  PB has the best sentiment stamps--love this one from 2012 which I stamped in Versafine Vintage Sepia. Decided to add "snow" by splattering some white ink which dries quite muted--just the look I wanted.  Fun to have discovered a way to use one of my stamps to get a card I really love.  I'm also entering Merry Monday, Christmas Card Challenges, Rudolph Days, SSS Wednesday & Word Art Wednesday. Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.

 

Papertrey April Blog Hop Challenge

Love that PTI gives us the Blog Hop themes well in advance of the 25th which gives plenty of time to think of what you want to make.  I had a ball using my new Butterfly Hope stamps with colors close to those of the inspiration: Smokey Shadow, Pale Peony, Summer Sunrise & Lemon Tart.  The tiny flowers are from Take Three: Summer & the sentiment is from another set I just bought--Mat Stack 3.  

Fun to curve the sentiment on my block to fit.  The panel was die cut with Sentiment Splits: Curve Vertical Die & attached with fun foam to the card front covered with a panel of Pale Peony.  

I added yellow Stickles to the butterfly centers & used my new yellow Jewel Nuvo drops for the tiny flower centers.  I'm also entering Stamplorations Things with Wings Blog Hop, Allsorts & Word Art Wednesday.  Enjoy the hop--always lots of inspiration!

Congratulations

Recently we got a letter saying our doctor of 10 years is retiring.  We both really like her, but thankfully our previous doctor agreed to take us. She had left to spend more time with her young kids, but has been back for a few years now.  I have one last appointment with our current doctor & made a card for her.  

The beautiful Stamplorations butterflies were stamped using Hero Arts ombre red to pink ink pad.  I heavily spritzed the panel with Perfect Pearls--gorgeous shimmer in real life!  

This is my second card using the great sketch at Fusion.  Hero Arts ombre sequins sent by my blogging friend, Betty, provide embellishment.  Once again I used my favorite black ink, Brilliance Graphite Black, for the sentiment from Altenew which is mounted with foam tape.  I'm also entering 3 challenges at Stamplorations: Theme & Sketch (theme only), Things with Wings Blog Hop & Never-ending Anything Goes and Time Out. Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.

Birthday & Hello

I really love my blogging friend, Stella's style & she has a wonderful card that we're to case for CCCB Birthday Case #3. I took inspiration from her use of polka dots, a balloon & the layout.  

The balloon dies are Penny Black, the square is Spellbinders & the card is PTI.  The darling sentiment is from my blogging friend, Lisa's PRS Stamp Set called Sweet Pea.  The green glitter is Heidi Swapp tape attached to cardstock & the dotted paper was a little scrap in my stash.  So fun to add some loops to the twine I used for strings.  Might end up giving this BD card to an adorable little girl in our neighborhood who's about to turn 3. I'm also entering Seize the Birthday.

Next are 2 cards I made after thinking for days about W&W The Gossip Column No 7.  The challenge is to use the look of letterpress/typography. I knew I wanted to use the fun foam stamp I made a long time ago from the W&W Hello die. It's time to make a new one, but the look from the worn one is actually close to some of the examples.  

I used Brilliance Mediterranean Blue & Rocket Red for the word from C&9th.  I really wanted to add something, but didn't think that would be very Alan Kitching like.  

Instead, I made a second card with some blue splatters & my new PPP clear confetti which looks like sequins without holes.

After cutting down the panel I attached it to a card sponged with the same blue ink.  Gotta say, I would never have made these cards without the challenge & it was really fun creating way outside the box--haha!  I'm entering Word Art Wednesday.  Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.