Happy 4th of July!

Wishing all my friends in the USA a fun, safe holiday!  I only mailed 3 cards this year, but that doesn't mean I'm not thinking of you.  

I did make a red, white & blue card yesterday.  Just in time for Bastille Day, so it's going to a French friend. 

I really love the SSS Bright Blossoms die & decided to use it for Jennifer McGuire's Faux Stained Glass technique.  I stacked 4 of the white die cuts & put them into the negative space in a red panel.  I backed the openings with blue cardstock brushed with silver WOS.  Nuvo Glaze provides the shine--love it! 

I used a flower stem from the 2014 SSS stamp set called Warm Wishes to make the blue lines down the left side of the card using VersaMagic Night Sky.  The sentiment from the same set was stamped in the same ink & attached over the flower stem using foam tape where needed.  I attached the panel with fun foam & added a couple clear embellishments.  I'm entering SSS Flickr Challenge #100, SSS Monday & SSS Wednesday & Retro Rubber.  I'm working hard to catch up with all my blog reading.  Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.

Just Because

PTI is having some fun 10th Anniversary Challenges & I finally finished my first entry which is for Lizzie's Challenge.  Stitching projects are the inspiration, but stitching isn't required.  As soon as I saw project #5, I thought of Snowflake Flurries.

I stamped  the image on Soft Stone cardstock in Lemon Tart, Harvest Gold, Green Parakeet, New Leaf, Spring Rain, Blueberry Sky, Pale Peony & Berry Sorbet.  The sentiment from Friendly Flowers is stamped in Brilliance Graphite Black. The little black dots are Pico Embellisher.  This is Take 2 since a big black blob ruined my first stamped piece.  I'm proud of myself for not getting upset & not giving up--haha!  I'm also entering Retro Rubber (image from 2012--my colors may not be close enough) & Word Art Wednesday. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Running Out of Time

Challenge deadlines are coming right up, so I have 4 cards to show you. Feel free to just look at the pictures--tried to write less, but still a long post.
First is a card I made yesterday for the Hero Arts Flickr Scramble.  

I brayered a piece of glossy photo paper with HA red to pink ombre ink pad & then stamped the 2009 Large Dot Flourish in Brilliance Graphite Black.  The HA sentiment from 1996 is stamped in Delicata Silvery Shimmer.  I'm entering a2z, Retro Rubber & Word Art Wednesday.

The next 3 cards are for the PTI challenges which have given me so much inspiration to use the sets I currently own!  The first one is for Celebrating 2008 & Nichole's Out on a Limb card inspired me to use one of my earliest purchases--Lovely Leaves.  

I've used this sentiment but never took time to figure out how to stamp the leaves on the branch.  Need more practice, but still love how it turned out.  The leaves are stamped in Green Parakeet & then watercolored with the same ink using a tiny brush.  The berries & mat are Berry Sorbet while the branches & card front are Classic Kraft.  The dotted leaves were stamped in Classic Kraft on the card front.  

The berries are so tiny I decided to add shimmer to the leaves instead & it's really pretty in real life.

My card for Celebrating 2009 uses Guide Lines--a stamp set I bought from a blogger doing a purge several years ago & I'd never used it.  As soon as I saw Nichole's card using Giga Guidelines I thought maybe I could use a small image stamped multiple times for the same idea--& it worked!  

I used Lavender Moon for the image & mat & Brilliance Starlite Black for the sentiment from Splits: Just a Note. Clearly my taste runs to simple, as this is one of my favorite cards.  I want to try the other images & various color combos--could make a nice gift set.  I'm also entering ATSM & The Playground.

Last is my card for Celebrating 2014 inspired by Dawn's card. I usually stamp black, brown or white on kraft, but really love the look of these colors that Dawn used: New Leaf, Hawaiian Shores, Simply Chartreuse & Pinefeather.  

The stamp sets are Meadow Greens & Twig Wreath.  I used AJVD Polka Dot Rectangle Backdrop Dies.  I'm also entering Dies R Us.  Thanks so much for making it through this long post--I appreciate every one of you!

Mix It Up Feminine Tag

Good thing my hair appointment is today since we're under a Winter Weather Watch starting tomorrow.  I hate freezing rain--so glad I don't have to worry about commuting to work! Had to play along with Ellen Hutson Mix it Up with Art Impressions.  AI is an Oregon company & years ago they had a retail store where I shopped, took classes & even taught a few classes.  I was inspired by Kittie's wreath tag for 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist.  

Maybe my favorite AI stamp is this gorgeous 2004 wreath which I double stamped in PTI Tropical Teal & Vintage Jadeite--love the resulting color which just happens to match the beautiful Lawn Fawn plaid paper I'd already cut into.  I cut the tag shape myself & used Stickles Christmas Red for the sparkle.  The die cut sentiment is EH Merry & Bright which I stacked 2 high & covered with Diamond Glaze--purposely leaving it white. I'm back into using my eyelets--glad I still have my setter & know where it is--haha!  I'm also entering Retro Rubber & The Playground. Thanks so much for taking time to stop by--I know how busy everyone is.

New Beginning

The MFT Color Challenge is beautiful & I just happen to have Blu Raspberry & Sno Cone felt.  

I began by smooshing Distress Inks salty ocean, tumbled glass & shabby shutters on 140 pound watercolor paper--drying between each layer of color. MFT Fancy Flourish is cut from cardstock sponged with shabby shutters. The felt flowers are MFT Prima Donna Petals with a gray enamel dot for the center.  Using my Mini MISTI I was able to ink the sentiment from MFT Spring in Memento Gray Flannel onto the textured gray cardstock.  As you can see, the MFT Sketch Challenge provided my layout.  I'm also entering the Flickr Love Group (sentiment of encouragement), ATSM, Retro Rubber (stamp at least 5 yrs old) & SSS Wednesday. Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.
  

Nature

The current Impression Obsession challenge is Fanciful Florals.  I only have 2 IO floral stamps & I used one last time. Gave me a chance to come up with a different design using Petite Flowers 1 which I bought at my LSS sometime before it closed over 3 years ago.  I started by stamping the IO sentiment (C5171) in PTI Stormy Sea.  Then I arranged the flowers using my Mini MISTI & inked them with Memento markers as many times as needed.  Love being able to do that!  

I splattered with Stormy Sea, sprayed with Glimmer Mist spray glitter & added 3 PPP Sparkling Clear sequins. Retro Rubber Challenge provided my color palette--as close as I could get.  I'm also entering CTS--hopefully not too big a stretch.  
 
Speaking of flowers, have to share another picture of the roses I brought in before the rain started.

This is my favorite bouquet so far--2 Breathless & 1 Grand Masterpiece.  They're not only beautiful, but they also have a wonderful fragrance!  Thanks so much for stopping by my blog.

Hello from Oregon

Time for a new challenge at Words 2 Craft By. Here's the quote to inspire you by Byron Caldwell Smith:  "Our spring has come at last with the soft laughter of April suns and shadow of April showers."  Gave me a chance to use a wonderful old (over 10 years) Magenta umbrella stamp.  

I stamped it at an angle & heat embossed the image on watercolor paper.  Coloring was done with purple, teal & yellow Zig markers & a waterbrush. Then I covered the image & area around it with Wink of Stella--such a great shimmery effect!  

The frame was made from spellbinder dies which I black embossed several times to get it smooth & shiny. The sentiment is labeled 1998 & is from an Oregon Company called Peddler's Pack. Hope you'll check out the wonderful work of my teammates & join us at Words 2 Craft By. I'm entering at Die Cut Divas, Retro Rubber & SSS Monday. Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.
Edited to add: Thanks for the link, Jeannie--very creative idea for your Dragonfly Journeys challenges!