Birthday Gifts

Simon’s Monday challenge is Books.  Since i spend my time reading to my almost two year old twin grandsons, i chose Dr. Suess Happy Birthday to you , book. 

I used a generic background paper and an oldie but goodie embossing folder.  I left the paper in the folder and used a sander to give some character to the embossing.  I found these Sizzix birthday dies a long time ago and have never used them, so that was fun to use something “new”.  The ballons and strings are from Simon, I think.  or MFT.  not sure which.  Just plain cardstock but water colored and some white gel pen highlights added.  This was such a fun card to make.  The border die is MFT. 

loose water color

I’ve been wanting some of those flower stamps that look like the adult coloring book and MFT still had some of their Fancy Floral kits hanging around and i grabbed one.  I see they are now GONE!  It’s been fun playing.  I saw a card by Torico in the gallery and it was fun to try her idea.  However, i knew my skills in no way come close to hers and i decided to go for very loose no-line coloring.  (that’s my story and i’m sticking to it) LOL   I will keep practicing this technique and maybe some day in the far off future i could create a beauty such as hers. As for me, i like what i created, it’s vibrant, it’s different, and it’s mine!  I sprinkled some gold flecks onto the background with my very old liquid smooch.  It comes in a little bottle that looks like an elf hat.

I used Peerless water colors this time around.  the intensity is astounding. I think i’d like to try one in pinks.

Simon Says Wednesday Anything Goes

Fancy Flowers

These large flowers from MFT are so fun to play with.  Easy to color.  I used the ink smooshing technique on this circle  with picked raspberry, twisted citron , mustard seed and pistachio.  I then went in and added a bit of detail with my distress markers.

We have an engagement party to attend this evening and i thought this whimsical flower would be the right little card for them. Something about black and white checked ribbon says SPRING to me on this day that we just got dumped on with four inches of snow and strong winds.

MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge

Cousin Cards

My cousin wanted me to make her some cards to give to her mom and dad.  She gave me some ideas of what her dad likes and asked me to re-create a card i had posted for her mom.  I have such wonderful memories of my sweet aunt and uncle from childhood days.  None of our parents had much in the way of material goods but there was a lot of love to go around in the family and that has bonded us yet today.

Here’s what I made for Uncle Johnny’s 90th birthday coming up.  Aurora sent me a verse for the inside that she had created and I typed it on some special watermark paper and cut it to size. 

Simon Says Transport Monday Challenge

the details

SU retired images, MFT brick stencil with Ranger crackle paste, Paper Studio Spare Parts, MFT number dies

Technorati Tags: SSS,Antique Car,Uncle Johnny,Bunny,Brick Stencil

Simplicity

I have long wanted to use these MFT butterfly dies as embossing and these framed embossing folders never get used enough.  I recently purchased these curved Stampendous sentiments.  This one says, thoughts of you flutter by on the breeze.  I used glue dots in two sizes for my embellishments and sprinkled them with Art Impressions glitter for a soft embellishment.  The rounded corners helps keep the card soft.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

Technorati Tags: SSS,Embossing frame folder,glue dots,butterfly die,MFT

More KW inspiration

Here is the graded color wash of one solid color going from light to dark.  I stamped with MFT’s Wild Flowers set in Olive Green from SU and added a touch of white gel pen to a couple of spots.  White embossing on this sets off the greeting and a black and white bow that i always thinks look classy.  The sentiment is from Simon Says Wishing/Sending greetings set.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge

Technorati Tags: water color ombre,MFT wild flowers,SSS

trying out water color stripes

Kristina Werner always inspires me.  She is a good teacher.  I was watching her video on how to get these water color stripes without getting mud.  I quite like how it turned out it’s not as smooth as hers and it’s not as easy as it looks but i still like the soft blending.  This is the first one i made.  I made another today but it’s too dark outside to photgraph it.  The one today has more brilliance to the stripes and the stripes are a bit more even .  I used two layers for each butterfly using the delicate die for both layers, one in white and one in blue.  I had thought to use the solid die for the bottom of the butterfly but i wanted that background to show through.  I’m loving my Nuovo drops.  (if you order on-line from JoAnn fabrics there is usually a 30% off coupon) I also added some of my clear acrylic sequins made with my MFT die. I used Memento ink on the flowers, just used my little dew drop ink pads and inked direct to the stamp. 
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge

Technorati Tags: water color stripes,ombre,butterflies,aunt virgie,cousin bunny,donna sanchez

D is for Dimension

I found this cute Stampendous penguin set and die on closeout sale at Michaels.  Too cute to leave there and he had to find a forever home with me.  This offering is for the ABC Christmas Challenge for February D is for dimension.  I used my MFT snowflakes and dies to create dimension and popped that little guy right up front.  I used an old old old SU tree stamp and fussy cut it to pop it onto the background.

Technorati Tags: ABC,Christmas,Penguin

C is for Critters

I seem to be drawn to the ABC Christmas challenge as my favorite do ahead Christmas cards blog.  This month we have two challenges.  C and D  The C challenge is for critters and i got to use my sweet die that i purchased from Oscars Rubber Stamp vendor at the vendor show back in November.  This is a Memory Box die.  I made a back ground with a semi-gloss paper and variety distress inks with a bit of water spritz after the color was laid down.  I quite like how this turned out.  One more card ahead.   Feeling accomplished.    The sentiment die is from Whimsey. 

Completely Different

This is why sketch challenges are so fun for me.  You never know what will happen.  This was a quick and fun card to make.  It kind of ended up like this though because the first stamping i did direct to my card and i ended up with smudges in the white part.  I had the stamping all justified to the right like in the sketch but then what to do with the so obvious smudges on the white part?  I cut the dots into a panel and somehow the panel looked better on the left hand side of the card and I went with that. Then it looked like it needed an anchor and i pulled out my blue prints #5 for the notebook strip.  The dots are from MFT Big Bold Backgrounds.  It was my first free set from MFT. 

MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge

Watercolor Fun

While at the Ladies Day event I colored several images with water colors and really enjoyed the process.  The challenge then is to turn them all into cards instead of just filing them. 

I didn’t have a lot of mojo this week with fighting the flu bug and it was relaxing to just see what kind of simple cards i could make with those images.  The challenge was making them small enough to fit into some small sized envelopes that i found in my stash.  The largest of these cards is 5.25 x 3.75 inches.   the square cards are 4.25 x 4.25 with handmade envelopes. 

I got these images at a rummage and don’t have the packaging for them but I believe they are Stampendous.   The watering can is from Art Impressions water color images.

I will enter these into Simon’s Wednesday Challenge Fantastic Florals.

 

My first stamps from Altenew

I’ve been looking at this company for quite some time and just never made the plunge.  This set is called Painted Rose.  It was so easy with my MISTI to do the three layers.  I used all Stampin’ Up inks for both, except for the purple background which is Brusho inks. The second card is masked.

Technorati Tags: Altenew,Painted Rose,Rose,Flower

you keep trying

This was one of “those” cards.  Everything i did with that image it just seemed to look messier and messier.  I really don’t know how i fixed it all but i did end up liking the end result.  I used a plastic stencil and ran the DP through my big shot with a skinny embossing pad.  It’s from the Crafter’s Workshop. 

a folded card

Friend Angie sent me these sweet little stickers to color.  It’s like a super mini coloring book for adults.  I don’t really care for the adult coloring books as i feel if i am going to be coloring i might as well be coloring images for my cards.  These little stickers fit the bill perfectly.  I decided to make a swing card or whatever they call these.  My sweet sister-in-law that turned 79 today loves pink roses…easy peasy.  I’m thinking i really like this die that does this.  I purchased it at the vendor show from my friend Beth who owns Endless Creations www.shopec.com  Her stamps are rubber and they stamp so nicely but i just used the die i purchased from her and not her stamps for this one. The inside roses are Judith Stamps. 

Technorati Tags: Judith,Ramona,Tri-fold,flip

1 image 4 ways

This set is Gina K Designs vertical greetings & things .  I do love the clean lines of her stamps and they always stamp so beautifully.  I am just realizing i have quite a few uninked stamps that need some using.  Guess i have stopped counting.  I have forgotten to count but i know now I have well over 1500 images.  Should i really be purchasing another stamp? ??  it is an addiction though!  I should probably sell my wooden stamps, they take up way too much space.

I do think i am in love with this set of red rubber . 

fraternal twins

Simon’s Monday challenge is about hearts.  It says there are still eleven hours left to enter the challenge so i guess you could say i am entering this at the eleventh hour.  LOL

I wanted to play with my Crazy Birds.  I love them but it seems i am always making serious cards.  These guys are cute.  All images are from the set.  The snow banks are Spellbinders border dies.  I do enjoy using those.

i’m not biased

Digging in my stash.  I haven’t made too many cards with this stamp set.  I purchased it because a friend asked me to make a “sewing” card for her to give to a friend.  It is cute though with all it’s cute sentiments.  It’s called Sew Nifty from MFT.  It seemed the right stamp to send to a friend as a thank you for having all us ladies over on a yearly basis to do crafting.  I popped up the panel that looks like vintage wallpaper.  A good paper for the vintage sewing machine.  I used MFT dies to create some interest and dimension.   I’m just doing to well at this “loose” interpretation that i set out to do the first of the year.  Guess my mind works more linear than that.   

Challenges:  MFT Sketch Challenge # 319

the rest of the Simon Kit

I am trying to hurry and get these cards blogged then i can get back to making more.  I set little goals like that to help me get things done besides stamping.  LOL  anyone else do that?  I made ten cards in the first two days of my kit’s arrival.  It is so much fun to use all the coordinating papers and embellishments and just start creating. Here’s my stash.  Thanks for stoppiing by. Appreciate your comments. They always leave me with a smile.

This card is almost a duplicate copy of Suzy Plantamura’s card that i found on the kit gallery.  I loved it so much i just had to copy it.  Not CASE it COPY it.  I hope she considers it an honor and won’t be too angry with me.  You can find her beautiful blog and inspiration HERE.

this next one is a CASE of Jess’s card that I also saw in the gallery.  This one i did something similar but made it look very different. I used my Ranger sprtizer tool to mess up the plain stamped images and make it look a bit like coffee grounds.  That spritzing tool is so much fun.  To give a pop of color i added the fun rainbow heart strip and a tiny piece of green from my own stash.  This one was fun and got lots of good thumbs up on my FB page.

 the rest of these are my own design.  I surely could have done more had i received the cute little sticker pack along with my kit.

Young at heart

Here’s to old friends that are young at heart.  This sweet little coffee cup die is in that February Simon kit.  We are to use Simon products if we have them and this fits the bill.   The card is a piece cut from one of the DP in the kit and the heart stamps are from the kit.  I used some crystal effects on them for some shine.  The faux stitched banner topped it off and covers a smudge on my paper.  Don’t you just love to fix things?

Simon’s Monday Challenge Young at heart 

Work it Wednesday 3

It’s fun trying all the different fonts that Live Writer offers.  I really like the clarity of this one.  It’s called Miriam Fixed in a size 14.

on to my third entry for Work it Wednesday creating with something new.

This tea/coffee cup is adorable and is bland inside to allow for paper piecing or coloring in solid or making your own design.  I thought the polka dots would be cute.  I wanted to make a little tag card and this was perfect for sending to my wonderful older sister-in-law.  She will be having her 83rd birthday on Sunday.  I did a new little technique for me and that was to add the little patterened paper on the top of the tag.  I have often thought that to be such a cute look and then i forget to do it.  I just ran a marker under the upper part to give it more connected look to the bottom part of the tag. This was one of my favorites that i created from this kit but i did love every single card i made. 

Work It Wednesday 2

Use something new.  oooo…i like that.  i do have lots of new goodies to use that i am working my way through.  for this challenge i chose this oh so cute new kit from simon to make a pocket card.  i love the doodlebug DP that came in the kit.  i had so much fun creating ten cards from the kit and still have a couple of more i could get out of it. The pink drops were part of the kit and the white pearl drops are my new Nuvo drops.  I love them. I stamped the little tea bag out of vellum. 

WORK IT WEDNESDAY SIMON CHALLENGE

The color of love

I love the Simon kit i got for February 2017.  I loved everything about this kit, except it was missing two pieces.  A sheet of really cute stickers and a piece of corrugated card stock.  I have contacted them and i hope they will make it right.

Here is my card that fits the Wednesday Simon Says Stamp challenge this week.