I'm still here!

I know my blogging has been pretty intermittent.  I do appreciate those of you who still come by.  Recently I got to spend a few days with cardmaking friends & didn't have to get on an airplane--yay!  It was such a treat!  Here's a few pictures Darnell put together.

It was fun to try out some techniques that were easy to do & turned out great!  I came home with quite a few panels ready to make into cards & will be using my stencils & my alcohol inks a lot more!

While the others were coloring, I smooshed a panel using DO inks stamped & spritzed on my craft mat.  It actually looked terrible!  I didn't even show anyone what I'd done, but it did come home with me.  Thankfully, it looked fine once I trimmed it into a strip.  

I simply added black ink splatters & a couple PFS Delicate Blossoms black die cuts.  The white mat looked too plain, so I dry embossed it with my new SSS Refracted folder--love it!  The sentiment strip from Sweet Friend Floral was mounted with foam tape & I added black enamel dots.  I'm entering PFS June Monthly Challenge & TicTacToe 165 using Die Cut, Embellishment, Bright Colors.

Next is my entry for PTI Melissa's Fab Friday Feature stencil challenge.  I only have PTI alpha stencils & I used that for the last stencil challenge.  Decided to make my own stencil this time & used What the Doodle Snowflake outline dies cut from vellum scraps.  

I brushed Spring Rain through the stencils & then stamped the detailed images using Dark Indigo.  I really like the contrast on the white card, even though it's subtle.  I used the same ink to stamp the small snowflakes & the sentiment from Wreath for all Seasons.  

My usual color combo for snowflake cards is blue & silver, but this time I changed it up using Pink Stickles in the centers.  Really love the bit of pink sparkle!  I finished off with Raindots & a Dark Indigo mat.  

My last card is for Poppystamps June challenge to make a masculine card.  Gentle Leaf Collage is one of my favorite Poppystamps dies.  I made my own stencil a few years ago & it still works great.  The Distress Oxides I used are fossilized amber, spiced marmalade & abandoned coral.  

After clear embossing, I used the die to emboss the image.  Next I brushed the panel with DO vintage photo.  It needed something, so I partially embossed with a woodgrain folder using a small hammer.  I brushed on more vintage photo & wiped a bit with a baby wipe getting variations in the color--so fun!

The sentiment is made from Marzipan Greetings & Grateful Heart.  I had forgotten about these wooden dots which were just the right embellishment.  This can be a masculine retirement or birthday card.  I'm also entering The Snippets Playground since I used white scraps for the sentiment.

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

Happy Retirement

My last order from W&W included the wonderful Cover Model: Do You See What I See? Cutaway.  Gotta say, it cut beautifully without using a shim!  Decided to keep it simple for my first card & just cut it from white cardstock.  For the background I watercolored a panel with DI evergreen bough, peacock feathers, salty ocean, broken china & tumbled glass.  I misted with water for a bit of added texture, but hard to see in the photo.

My color combo is based on the W&W April Color Combo Challenge--so beautiful & peaceful.  One of my previous bosses who is also a friend just retired May 1, so this card is for her.  The sentiment is done with W&W In a Word: Hello Cutaway and Heidi Swapp alpha stickers.  All the white cardstock is brushed with Wink of Stella & the sticker word is attached with foam tape.

I think this is the first time I've added a sentiment strip on top of a die cut word--so fun!  I'm also entering HLS Anything Goes with Dies, SSS Monday & WAW.  Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.

New Name--Same Challenge!

Words to Scrap By is now Words to Craft By.  We want everyone to know that we welcome all kinds of projects.  Our schedule has changed to starting on the 2nd Wednesday of each month & running to the end of the month.  One winner will be selected each month & will be invited to Guest Design, but in addition we'll have a random drawing for a gift certificate.  What hasn't changed is that our inspiration comes from words & for 2016 we're using quotes.  Here's the January quote by Dave Weinbaum: "The secret to a rich life is to have more beginnings than endings."

I was inspired to make a retirement card for a doctor I loved working with for quite a few years. Funny that we're both semi-retiring at the same time.  The background panel is more of my playing with inks & Ken Oliver Color Burst powders on watercolor paper. Then I stamped the little star images (old Stampendous wood mounted) with matching inks. Another old stamp (Comotion) I've always liked & used for retirement cards was black embossed on vellum. The wooden stars were inked in 3 of the colors & clear embossed. Black strips embossed with an old Cuttlebug folder are attached to the card front & the panel is mounted with foam tape. Hope I've inspired you to join the challenge at Words 2 Craft By. If you stop by & follow our new blog you'll be in the running for a special random drawing this month. I'm taking this card to The Playground, The Male Room, Word Art Wednesday & SSS Wednesday. Thanks so much for stopping by.