Watercolored Poppies for Sherry

Happy Thursday!  I looked out my window this morning to see that God has blessed us with rain.  We've been in a drought for quite awhile now, so rain is most welcome where I live!  (Since I use natural light for photographing my cards and today was quite a dreary day, I hope you'll forgive the poor photo quality on this post.)

I'm running behind on my Teapot Tuesday challenge at Splitcoast Stampers this week, but I finally finished my card last night.  This week's recipient is a lovely lady whose husband died last year and she needs some cheering up.  We were asked to make "thinking of you" cards with flowers, and perhaps a butterfly or two.  After I went to bed last night I realized I forgot the butterflies!  So I will add a couple to the inside liner of my card before mailing it to her.  I am also submitting this card for the current Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge, where the theme this week is "nature".  In the midst of winter, it was nice to take a break and make a flower card!

Here's my card: 

While I usually make A2 sized cards (4.25" x 5.5"), this time I wanted to make something a little different.  This card is 3" x 5 3/8", a rather odd size, but I liked the way it worked for my design.  Sometimes you just have to mix things up a bit!

I started by stamping my image and sentiment in StazOn Timber Brown on watercolor paper, then I watercolored my image.  I attached the stamped panel to a piece of brown card stock and trimmed to fit.  I made a card base from some lightly textured dark green card stock and cut a smaller piece of the same card stock to put in the middle section of my stamped panel.  I embossed the smaller green piece using the Square Lattice embossing folder, then adhered it to my watercolored panel.  I wrapped jute around the center section and secured it with a decorative brad.  (The brad is a bit bulky and heavy so I also used a mini glue dot to hold it in place.)  I attached the panel to my card base and added a liner to the inside for writing.       

It's been a busy week at my house, and I'm so glad we've almost made it to Friday!  I hope you have a wonderful day.  Thanks for stopping by!

Products Used:

Ink: Timber Brown (StazOn)

Stamps: Poppies (Penny Black); Sincere Salutations (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Watercolor paper (Strathmore); dark green card stock, dark brown card stock (unknown)

Tools and Accessories: Watercolor crayons (Staedtler); watercolor pencils (Prismacolor);
Square Lattice embossing folder (Stampin' Up!); brad (Recollections); jute (unknown)

Twins and Teapotters

Happy New Year!  I was lucky enough to kick off 2013 with some gorgeous snow which really put me in a festive mood.  It made for a beautiful start to the New Year!

Today's card is a Teapotter's Challenge card at Splitcoast Stampers.  This week our cards are celebrating the birth of fraternal twins born to a sweet couple, Andrea and Erik.  They've been married for 19 years and have suffered through miscarriages until finally, at the age of 44, Andrea gave birth to twins.  Yay!!  Every time I hear a story like this, it makes me smile all the way from my heart.  I know quite personally how hard it is to go through a pregnancy after miscarriages, and I know the amazing joy of bringing a child safely into the world after months of waiting and worrying.  So I am thrilled to send this card to Erik and Andrea with my very best thoughts and wishes:

 

I just love this image of a mother cradling her child.  I used this image and sentiment on the cards I sent out to family and friends after my daughter was born.  The sentiment is a Christmas one (I'm sure you recognize it as a movie title), but I think it fits perfectly.  My daughter's birthday is in December (and Andrea's twins were born in December), so the sentiment suits the season well.  I feel such deep and utter contentment when holding my children and I know that really, truly, my life is wonderful and amazing and blessed, and this stamp really puts my feelings into words.  Since these babies are boy and girl twins I had to include some pink and blue on my card, which I used in the background.  I kept the baby's blanket a neutral yellow so it could symbolize either baby in her arms.  I wanted the focus to be on the image and sentiment so I kept this card free of embellishments. It is a simple card, but I hope it conveys my heartfelt joy at the birth of these beautiful, much-anticipated babies.

I started by stamping my image and sentiment on Solar White 110 lb. card stock, then used watercolor crayons and brushes lightly dipped in water to color the image.  I inked the edges of the stamped panel with Rich Cocoa and set it aside.  I used the direct-to-paper method to add blue and pink ink to another panel of Solar White card stock and adhered the stamped panel to the inked one.  I attached pink and blue patterned papers to a Solar White card base, then added a satiny white ribbon to cover the seam.  I attached the stamped piece to the card base to complete the front of the card.  I also stamped a sentiment on the inside which reads, "It's the smallest things that fill your heart."

I never get tired of making baby cards!  Since I took a short break from stamping over the holidays, this challenge gave me a happy excuse to get inky again.  Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you have a Happy New Year!

Products Used:

Stamps: Sketches (Stampin' Up!); sentiment from Hampton Art

Stamp on Inside Panel: Smallest Things (Stampabilities)

Paper: Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb. card stock (Neenah); Clouds (Paper Pizzazz);
Baby Girl Elephant (Reminisce)

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Summer Sky and Angel Pink (Tsukineko)

Tools and Accessories: Watercolor crayons (Staedtler); ribbon (Offray)

Last-Minute Christmas Card

Happy Friday!  I had to sneak in one more Christmas card for you.  This one is quick and easy, which is just about all I have time for right now.   I love the Christmas season and will be sad to see it end, but I won't miss the craziness of holiday preparations!

Here's my keep-it-simple Christmas card for today:

I started by making a card base from Crumb Cake card stock.  I used some dark green card stock to die cut three Christmas trees, then added some color by watercoloring over them in green.  To add a little sparkle and texture, I outlined them and scribbled over them with a clear Spica pen.  (It's hard to see the texture and sparkle in this picture.)  I stamped the sentiment in Handsome Hunter using both a pad and a marker (I didn't like the coverage I got with a stamp pad alone, so I used the stamp pad first and then filled in any light spots with the marker before stamping).  Since this is a large stamp and some of the letters had spots that still weren't as dark as I'd like, I used a blender pen to fill in where needed.  I added a background of ivory burlap, then added my die cut trees over the burlap with mini glue dots.  For a little sparkle, I added some rhinestones near my sentiment. 

I hope you are feeling the joy of the Christmas season, too.  Thanks for stopping by today!

 

Products Used:

 

Stamp: Hero Arts
Paper: Crumb Cake card stock (Stampin' Up!), dark green card stock (unknown)

Ink: Handsome Hunter Classic Dye Ink (Stampin' Up!)

Accessories and Tools: Framelits Holiday Collection (Stampin' Up!); Watercolor Crayons (Staedtler);
Spica pen (Too Marker Products); rhinestones (Zva Creative); ivory burlap

Two Snuggly Snow Friends

Happy Monday!  We finally had a cold snap where I live, so I was inspired to make another snowman card.  This time I have two snowy friends wrapped in a hug.  I think this is such a sweet image!  It is a large one and I think it's perfect for a one-layer card.  This card is my submission for this week's "Let it Snow" challenge at ABC Challenges (you can see the challenge HERE).  One-layer cards are fantastic for mailing (no bulk! no extra postage!) and they can be completed quickly (if you're not constantly getting interrupted by kids or a husband...). 

Here's my card:

I started with Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb. card stock.  This is a heavyweight card stock that holds up well to multiple layers and also to watercoloring.  I stamped my image in Memento Tuxedo Black, then grabbed my favorite watercoloring crayons.  I prefer to dip my brush in water and then pick up the color from my crayons rather than coloring directly on the paper.  This method allows me to control the amount of color I put down, layer the colors, and also use different sized brushes so I don't get stray marks outside the lines (hopefully).

To add depth, I inked up the white space around the image and the card edges with Memento New Sprout using the "direct to paper" method.  I used a dew drop pad because it works really well for getting the ink into small spaces.  Rather than put a sentiment on the front, I can add a sentiment inside for a holiday or leave it blank to make a nice note card.  Since I colored this one in red and green, I will add a Christmas sentiment inside before mailing it.  I could easily use other colors and create a winter-themed friendship, birthday or love card.  This stamp is quite versatile!

This is a large cling-mount stamp, and since I recently purchased a Fiskars Stamp Press I thought I would give it a try on this card.  I have to say that I love the press!  It allows me to line up my stamp exactly where I want it on the page and helps me put down an even layer of ink with a large stamp.  It also works well for using several small stamps at once to make a scene.  I hadn't bought one sooner because I kept thinking it was unnecessary, but after reading several reviews and watching videos online I decided to give it a try (thank you, 50% off coupon at Michaels).  This tool was definitely worth the money! 

It's beginning to look (and feel) a lot like Christmas around my neck of the woods!  I hope you, too, are enjoying the blessings of this Advent season amid the hustle and bustle of holiday planning.

Thanks for stopping by!

Products Used:

 

Paper: Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb. (Neenah)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Memento New Sprout (Tsukineko)

Stamp: Jumbo Snowfall Pair (Stampendous)

Tools and Accessories: Watercolor Crayons (Staedtler); Stamp Press (Fiskars); watercolor brushes and water

Thanks a Bunch!

I finally had a chance to spend some time in my craft room and boy, is my craft table a mess!  Looks like I will be doing some reorganizing this weekend.  Doesn't that sound like fun?!

I want to give a shout-out and thanks to my followers.  Some of you have just started following my blog, and I thank each of you for taking the time to follow and visit!

After a busy week without much creative time, I really wanted to get back to challenges.  I combined this week's Ways to Use It challenge at Splitcoast Stampers (make a "thank you" card) with this week's sketch challenge at Operation Write Home.  Here's the sketch:

I love the simplicity of this sketch!  I chose to make a few small additions but tried to stick closely to the measurements provided.  Here's my card:

(I apologize for the shadows on this card, particularly the one around the sentiment panel.  The shadow and the brown card stock really blend together and it's hard to tell where the paper ends and the shadow begins.  I didn't notice it until I had already deleted my other pictures...ugh!)

I really struggle with matching patterned papers, so I was pleased as punch to find this two-sided paper in my stash!  I used the flowery side for the larger panel and used the lighter side for the smaller piece.  I made a card base with Chocolate Chip card stock and added some brown and white baker's twine to tie it all together.  I stamped my sentiment in Rich Cocoa on Crumb Cake, used watercolor crayons and a slightly wet brush to color the image, then layered that piece with Chocolate Chip.  I had planned to simply attach the sentiment panel to the middle of the long strip, but I made an error as I was adhering my layers and tore the flowery paper slightly.  Thankfully there's usually a way to hide errors like this, and it often involves adding more layers or moving elements around.  I moved the sentiment panel to the left side of the card to cover my mistake and adhered it with dimensionals.  I knew I'd need some sort of embellishment on the right side to balance it all out, so I decided to fussy-cut two of the flowers from the leftover patterned paper (I am not a fan of fussy-cutting, so I did not come to this decision easily!).  After cutting out the flowers, I added a small white brad to the middle of each and attached them to the card with mini glue dots.  To add a little dimension, I lightly rolled the ends of the flowers so they would stand off the paper a bit.

This is a simple and quick card that could be used for many occasions just by changing the sentiment.  I am sure I will be using this sketch again!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Products Used:

 

Stamp: Thanks a Bunch (Unity)

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko)

Paper: Chocolate Chip and Crumb Cake card stock (Stampin' Up!); patterned paper (unknown)

Accessories and Tools: Watercolor crayons (Staedtler); white mini brads, brown and white baker's twine

Trick or Treat: It's Pumpkin Time!

In the past I haven't put a lot of energy into Halloween.  I usually jump right into making winter and Christmas cards at this time of year.  But my little boy has become enthralled with pumpkins and costumes and trick-or-treating, so this year I'm making more of an effort to enjoy the fun of Halloween.  I picked up a few Halloween stamps from the dollar bin at Michael's (and they were 40% off, so this frugalista was pretty excited!).  I figured that if they didn't stamp well, I'd only wasted 60 cents on each of them, but I have actually been surprised by how well they stamp.  The small pumpkin and the sentiment on this card are from my dollar-bin shopping spree, so you can see for yourself how well they stamp.

This card was created for the very first challenge offered by a brand-new blog, CAS(E) This Sketch.  Here is the sketch for this week's challenge:

 

Isn't that a fun sketch?  So many possibilities with this one!  CAS(E) this Sketch posts challenges for the Clean and Simple style. Click CAS(E) This Sketch to join in the fun!

 

Here is my card for the challenge:

 

 

This card is a very clean and simple (CAS), one-layer card.  The images and sentiment are stamped directly on the white card base.  A one-layer card can be a great option if your base paper weight isn't heavy enough to hold a lot of layers and embellishments, although that's not the only reason to make a one-layer card.  I find one layer cards to be quite challenging because it's very difficult to hide mistakes!

 

I stamped the sentiment first, then added the pumpkins.  Since the font on the sentiment gives a slight curve to the words, I followed that pattern and stamped my pumpkins in a slightly curved line, too.  (Sure, we'll go with that.  Sounds a lot better than admitting I couldn't stamp them in a straight line if my life depended on it!)  I colored the pumpkins with watercolor crayons.  The trick with the crayons is to pick up the color from the crayon with your slighty wet brush and move the color from the brush to your paper, rather than coloring with the crayons directly on the paper.  The more water you use, the lighter the color will be, so for these brighter colors I used very little water on my brush..  I think the crayons provide more intense color than watercolor pencils, and I really like using them.

 

If CAS isn't your usual style, I'd encourage you to give it a try.  I definitely find it challenging (especially the part about leaving a lot of open space...that goes against the grain for me), but it's also really nice to complete a card and feel satisfied with it after just one or two layers.  Sketches are really helpful in trying out a new style, so I recommend using a sketch to get comfortable with the CAS concept.

 

I'm working on a card for another challenge that uses a technique I've never tried before, and I hope to have that card ready to show you tomorrow.  Thanks for visiting today! 

 

Products Used:

 

Paper: Whisper White card stock (Stampin' Up!)

Stamps: Small pumpkin (Stampin' Up!), large pumpkin and sentiment (Craft Smart at Michael's)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories: Watercolor Crayons (Staedtler)

Technique:Watercoloring