Birthday, Friendship and Thank You

Here's my entry for JUGS Stencil Week. I used SSS Peony Bouquet stencil with Distress Oxides tattered rose, saltwater taffy, bundled sage and fossilized amber.

I laid the stencil over a watercolor panel, pressed the ink pads on the stencil, spritzed with water, laid another panel on top and pressed everything together with a brayer.  I just kept playing with inks and water.  When it was dry, I put the stencil back in place and ran it through my die cut machine with a rubber mat.  Decided to add a pink spray, but it was too much.  I saved the panel by doing a white metallic watercolor wash and now I love it!  SSS Happy Birthday Brush Script and Stitching Butterfly, plus gold splatters were added.  The sentiment, flower centers and butterfly body were colored with a gold glitter pen.  I'll post the card made with the other panel later.  I entered DCD and TTTC via Flickr.

Edited to add:  Entering Seize the Birthday without the topping.

Next is the card I made with my leftover PFS Small Butterflies and it's my last pink and turquoise card. 😊

In case you didn't see the other cards, the inks I used were VersaMagic Pink Petunia and Turquoise Gem.  The embossed panel was made with Memory Box Blooming folder and the sentiment is from TE Scripted Sentiments.  Finished off with a few white sequins.  

I'm so happy Shery has been able to reopen Stamplorations and now it's their 13th birthday!  For someone who doesn't color much, the Stamplorations Card Fronts make it easy to come up with a beautiful card.  

I thought the multi-colored bouquet of this one was perfect to say thank you.  All I did was use ECD scalloped rectangle to die cut the panel, stamp the sentiment from Stamplorations Bloomfully: Thankful, add black splatters and mat and use Stickles for the flower centers.  I'm entering Stamplorations Never-Ending Anything Goes Challenge.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Celebrate

Fun to get out my Zig Watercolor Brush Markers to make a sweet floral card for several challenges.  The stamp is from Poppystamps Friends and Flowers clear set.  I stamped it on Bristol paper in Versafine Clair Acorn.  Then I colored with Light Pink and Light Carmine using the blender brush and no water.  It doesn't show in the photo, but I also brushed the blooms with shimmer--so beautiful in person.  You can get an idea from my IG post. 

The sentiment from Altenew's Sweet Bouquet was stamped in Acorn and embossed with clear matte powder.  I used Elizabeth Craft Designs Dotted Scallop Rectangles to die cut the panels.  So glad I saw the light pink paper in my stash.  Hard to see, but it actually has very light white or pink polka dots.  The edges of the card front were brushed with vintage photo Distress Oxide.  Finished off with 3 PTI rainstones.  I'm entering JUGS Case a DT Week.  I was inspired by Lisa's card with scallops, stamped focal point, polka dots and pink/tan/white color combo.  I'm also entering Poppystamps Inspired by Nature, DCD Celebration, SSS Monday Feminine, SSS Wednesday ATG and WAW ATG.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Memory Box, Altenew and Stamps Happen

I just could not make my first idea for the Memory Box August Animal Themed Cards Challenge work.  Luckily, I realized birds are in the animal kingdom!  That let me use the wonderful Backyard Wren die. 

First I ink blended Distress Oxides bundled sage, lucky clover, speckled egg and broken china.  Then I smooshed over the blended areas with lucky clover and broken china to add more texture.  Love the look.  Instead of a tree branch, I decided to put my bird in a bush using MB Tall Frilly Leaf Stems brushed with several green metallic sprays.  Many of my old spray bottles clogged, so I just pour some out and use a paintbrush.  You can see the sparkle in my IG post.  I brushed the bird diecuts with DO vintage photo, fossilized amber and antique linen.  The oval frame was made with Elizabeth Craft dies and I inked it with DO antique linen and a touch of vintage photo--purposely not making it a solid color.  Poppystamps Scribble Hello was stacked and inked with the vintage photo.  Not sure about embellishments, so left them off for now.  I'm also entering Tic Tac Toe 276 using Any Color/Free/Sentiment.  

My next card is for the August Altenew Inspiration Challenge.  I had fun using some of their older products along with a new one. 

The Fresh Flowers diecuts were ink blended with Puffy Heart, Rose Quartz, Citrus Burst, Maple Yellow, Forest Glades and Frayed Leaf Altenew inks.  Watercolor Stripes Cover Die was cut from vellum and attached to a soft yellow textured cardstock panel.  The sentiment letters from Essential Sentiment Strips were ink blended to match and inlaid into the vellum base which was matted with the same yellow cardstock.  I finished off with tiny yellow gems.  I'm also entering JUGS.

I finally made a card with this beautiful woodblock stamp called Rose Parade.  It's by Stamps Happen and I bought it over 20 years ago at a stamp convention.  

The image was embossed in SSS Rose Gold powder before I watercolored with Distress Oxides kitsch flamingo, picked raspberry and pumice stone.  I failed to leave enough lighter areas, so I added a bit of white metallic watercolor.  That helped, I think.  You can see the shimmer and shine in my IG post.  I added a very soft watercolor wash around the image using kitsch flamingo and finished off with pink sequins.  I entered the last Woodblock Wednesday challenge and I'm entering Color Hues Pink and Gray.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Orange and Hot Pink

Couldn't resist making a card for the JUGS Color Week Challenge, Orange and Hot Pink.  I remembered that my pink Zig is really bright and thought it would work.  It can be softened with water, but full strength is Hot Pink!  

My newest SSS flower die is Beautiful Buttercup, so wanted to use them.  The blooms were watercolored with pink and orange Zigs and the stems with a beige Zig.  I found 2 orange cardstocks in my stash that went together and used Elizabeth Craft Designs oval die cuts.  The center oval was embossed with SSS Dibble Tile folder--also new.  Thought the sweet Poppystamps Scribble Hello was the perfect sentiment.  It's colored with the pink Zig, stacked and covered with Shimmer Pico Embellisher.  I actually had this card finished a couple days ago, but had a terrible time getting decent pictures.  Tried again today and this will have to do.  I'm also entering WAW. 

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Card Chain Challenge

The Card Chain Challenge started many years ago.  There aren't a lot of players left from the early days, but I'm one of them.  I was the letter writer in the family beginning when I was in grade school.  So, exchanging cards every month with people all over the world really appealed to me.  There are actually more players outside the US now.  It's only once a month and the prompts always include friendship.  You can even send a card from your stash, which I have often done.  Why not consider joining us?  All the details can be found at The Card Chain Challenge.

Anyway, my card for May went to a blogging friend I've known for many years, Linda in Minnesota.  The color combo of Gold, Raspberry, Blueberry appealed to me.  I wanted to see how they would look using Altenew's Floral Radiance Layering stencil set which was one of the products I received as a guest designer in April.  Here's the first card I made posted on IG in April using blues and greens.

For Linda's card I used CN9 Dragonfruit and Blueberry with the detail layer gold embossed.  Talk about a totally different look!  

I splattered the inks and used gold embossing powder for the detail layer.  The panel was spritzed with a favorited old Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist called Irridescent Gold.  You might get a hint of it in the close up below.  

The scalloped rectangle is from Elizabeth Crafts and I used PTI Dark Indigo for the mat.  I didn't want to cover up much of the design and thought this sentiment from Alex Syberia Spring Garden was a great size.  I seldom use this type of sentiment which seems a bit "preachy" to me.  However, Linda certainly does enjoy life with her years of being in Sweet Adelines Chorus, making cards and spending time with family and friends.  I added gold thread and Altenew Satin Gold sequins.  I'm entering SSS Monday, SSS Wednesday and WAW.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Stencils and Dry Embossing plus Fritz!

Finally had to take time out to begin AGAIN purging craft goodies and making the guest room useable!  Not done, but made enough progress to see a lot of improvement.  Taking a break and rewarding myself with cardmaking and sharing 3 cards.😊

First is the card I sent last month for CCC.  Often I just make a friendship card or send one from my stash.  But for February I used the color combo and the stencil technique.  

I still love my old Brilliance ink pads and I have many, including Pearlescent Sky Blue, Yellow and Lime, so that's what I used with SSS Layered Flowers stencils.  I also used silver for the dots.  Stamplorations circle cover plate is fun to use over stamped or stenciled images.

Memory Box Hello Friend Posh Script shadow die was cut from vellum and the words from MB glossy black cardstock.  The scalloped die is Elizabeth Craft Designs.  Luckily, I found just the right sequins in my stash.

Dry embossed stationary was my favorite before I discovered cardmaking.  So it's no surprise I can't get enough of 3D embossing folders.  For this card I used Memory Box Blooming which is a favorite I've used many times. 

I inked one side with white pigment ink before running it through my die cutting machine.  It didn't show enough on the PTI Lovely Lady panel, although you can see some on the blooms.  I repeated with Altenew Puffy Heart which gave beautiful contrast.  I also added a bit more with the ink cube on the highest edges.

MB Moonlight and Kaleidoscope Butterflies were die cut from vellum.  The body/antennae piece was inked with Puffy Heart.  Impression Obsession Easter Joy was stacked and covered in Shimmer Pico Embellisher.  I'm entering Memory Box Challenge and TTTC242 using Floral/Embossing/Favorite Color of pink.

My next card used my newest Altenew 3D folder called Flower Bed.  I inked it with Brilliance Pearlescent Purple and added a bit more to the raised edges.  Love the sweet SSS Stitching Butterflies which I brushed with the same ink, darker in the centers.

SSS Easter Blessings shadow die was cut from vellum.  The words were stacked, inked with the purple and covered with Shimmer Pico Embellisher.  I added Stardust Stickles to the flower centers and butterfly edges. 

There's a video on my IG post showing the shimmer and sparkle.  I'm entering SSS Wednesday.  Hoping to get a few more Easter cards made, as I have products that need to be used!

It's been a long time since I shared a picture of Fritz who is now 10 years old!  He looks the same as he has for the past 7 or 8 years--so unfair!  We've had a few sunny days and even with his fresh haircut, one day was warm enough for a walk without his fleece jacket.  

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.