One More Background

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge to make my own background resonated with me!

I had a lot of fun with Inka Gold...a cool product made of beeswax that comes in beautiful colors and leaves a lovely smooth shine!  I wanted to experiment with all of the different ways that it could be used.  The background is three colors of Inka Gold spread with my finger and a little bit of water to blend. 

I watered down some pink Inka Gold and stamped the flourishes on the right and splattered on the background.

The hearts on the left is white texture paste mixed with Inka Gold.  The yellow butterfly is a wood element coated with yellow Inka Gold and dotted with thinned down Inka Gold.  The pink butterflies are vellum colored with Inka Gold. 

I rubbed more Inka Gold on the edge of the card base for another layer.  Buffing made it shine even more!

The shine of this card just makes me smile!

Thanks for taking a look!

Make Your Own Background, Part 2

This was the result of playing with a new sentiment stamp and I ended up with a background ready to mount.  This is being submitted to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge to make your own background.

I stamped the sentiment first and painted it with Liquid Frisket.  The sunbeams were stenciled with Transcluscent Paste and then the background was covered with Distress Inks.  My favorite part was rubbing off the frisket to expose the white sentiment.

Stencil:  Tim Holtz Rays
Stamp:  Ranger Dylusions Clearly the Right Words

Thanks for taking a look!

Make Your Own Background, Part 1

I am playing along with Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge to make my own background.

 

I stamped the background image and embossed with clear embossing powder.  I colored the embossed background with three colors of gelatos and wiped the color off the embossing.  I cut the left strip off and flipped it so the ombre effect was going the other direction.

I have no idea of the source of the cow stamp....it is a very old stamp that I took off of the wooden block.  The sentiment is from Paper Smooches Chubby Chums.

Vintage Christmas, Part 2

I am continuing to add to my Christmas card stash...I have never started this early!  I picked out this stamp because it reminded me of flocked wallpaper...that's vintage, isn't it?  This is for the Merry Monday Vintage Christmas Card challenge.

I stamped and embossed the image in gold on watercolor paper.  It was watercolored with Distress Ink Reinkers (Aged Mahogany, Pine Needles, Peeled Paint, Rusty Hinge, and Wild Honey.)

The image was edged with gold...all it needed was a layer and a sentiment to call it done!

Stamps:  Stampendous Poinsettia Background, JustRite  Elegant Christmas Swirls.

Thanks for taking a look!

Vintage Christmas, Part 1

I am inspired by the Merry Monday Challenge to make a vintage Christmas card.  I bought this stamp at Michaels a few years ago and was never satisfied with the results.  This time I am happier and the stamp can reside in my home for a while longer.

I stamped in Potting Soil Archival Ink.  The main image was watercolored with Inktense Watercolor Pencils which dry permanent.  I gave the entire image a wash with Distress Ink  (Antique Linen and Old Paper) to make it look older.  The edges were inked with Distress Ink Vintage Photo.  It is mounted on cream color cardstock.

Stamp:  Stampendous Snow Postcard

Thanks for taking a look!

In the Middle

The Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge uses "middle" for the inspiration.  I immediately thought of a black and white image with one element colored.  The stamp is around 12 years old...and probably hasn't seen ink in 10 years.  (Does that make me a stamp hoarder?)

I stamped on watercolor paper with Watering Can Archival Ink.  Most of the flowers are lightly watercolored with gray ink.  The yellow flower was colored with Distress Inks.

The sentiment was computer generated.

I repeated the look with rust colored embossing ink and watercolor.  Not bad...but I think I like the gray better.

Thanks for taking a look!

Spring Angels, Part 2

This is another card that I am submitting to the Merry Monday challenge to use angels or cherubs.

I used an outline sticker and watercolored the image with Twinkling H2Os.  Before I removed the outline sticker, I colored the silver sticker with a black Copic marker...I like the result...it looks more like the leading in a stained glass window.

The Simon Says Stamp die cut sentiment was in-laid into the panel.  Makes the delicate sentiment easier to mount.

Thanks for looking!

Spring Angels, Part 1

Every year I recommit to starting my Christmas cards early....perhaps this will be the year!  To get me kickstarted, I thought it would be fun to participate in the Merry Monday challenge so here goes my first two posts for this challenge.

The challenge was to use angels or cherubs.  I happened to see a blog (can't remember which one) that used outline stickers for watercoloring.  Since I had over-purchased outline stickers years ago, I pulled out my folder and found a couple of angel stickers.

The image was colored with Twinkling H2Os.  I wanted to keep it simple to let the angel shine through.  One note...the silver panel is metal tape mounted on cardstock...one of my favorite purchases from the hardware store.  Once mounted on cardstock, it can be embossed, die cut or colored with alcohol ink or markers.

Thanks for looking!

Fluttering By

Playing with old and new supplies.  The new die cut from Limitations set goes well with the Antique Flowers & Butterflies dies.  I used the Tim Holtz Spritzer with Copic YR18 and RV19 to create the paper used for the negative die cut and inked the edges with Abandoned Coral.  The gold edging is from a gold paint pen.

There is a subtle herringbone pattern stamped in Abandoned Coral behind the butterflies.

Thanks for taking a look!


Stamps:  Paper Smooches Simply Said (for the sentiment)  Hero Art/Basic Grey Dash Pattern (background)
Dies:  Sizzix/Tim Holtz Limitations, Sizzix/Hero Arts Antique Flowers & Butterflies

Deco Sheets and Butterflies!

I am enjoying playing with the new supplies that just came in the mail.  I saw a video about the new Tim Holtz Deco Sheets so had to throw them into my cart.  Wooo...the glimmer is fabulous and doesn't rub off like glitter.  It tears like paper but feels more like vinyl and is very thin.

The butterfly was stamped on a sheet of watercolor paper that was wetted, then spritzed with Abandoned Coral and Mermaid Lagoon Distress Markers.  Love that technique that I picked up in Tim Holtz's April 2015 Tag. 

I will be using this stamp and die cut set a lot...who doesn't need more butterflies?

The background layer was colored with Mermaid Lagoon Distress Stain.

Thanks for taking a look!

Butterfly Stamp/Die:  Tim Holtz/Sizzix Limitations

Hello Die:  Avery Elle

A is for Argyle (and Abandoned Coral)

I am having fun with the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge to draw my inspiration from something starting with the letter "A."

I used Cracked Pistachio and Abandoned Coral to watercolor the embossed background and then used a Memory Box die to cut the Happy Birthday...this die always makes me smile!

I also swiped the ink pads directly on paper to get the darker colors for the perfect match layer and the die cut balloons.  The balloon strings are embroidery floss and the white accent on the balloons is from a white Pitt pen.

Thanks for taking a look!

Stamp:  Impression Obsession Dotted Argyle
Dies:  Memory Box Grand Happy Birthday, C.C. Designs Balloons

A is for Animals, Part 2

Continuing with my "A is for Animals" theme for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, I watercolored another "animal" and framed it with cardstock stamped with distress ink.  The butterflies are die cut from a scrap.

 

Stamps:  Penny Black Garden Friends, Simon Says Stamp Handwritten Greetings (sentiment), Impression Obsession Textural Dots (background)

Dies:  Impression Obsession Butterflies, Spellbinders (circle)

A is for Animals, Part 1

This card started with an old stamp set that has new life since I discovered how much I like to watercolor!

The background has a subtle texture from texture paste through a stencil.

I am including this in the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

Stamps:  Penny Black In the Garden, Simon Says Stamp Handwritten Greetings

Dies:  My Favorite Things Blueprints 15 (stitched rectangle) and Sizzix Tags


Thanks for looking!

Sharing Easter Cards

Now that my big push to get Easter cards in the mail is past, I wanted to go back and share what I did.  So this is a photo intensive post!


The first card uses an older Penny Black stamp that is getting new life with my new loge of watercoloring.  Layout is inspired by the most recent Online Card Class Stretch Your Dies.

Stamps:  Penny Black Garden Friends, Impression Obsession Dotted Argyle (stamped on the purple)
Die:  Scalloped Circle Spellbinders, Tim Holtz Tattered Flower Garland




   




I let this wonderful stamp take center stage with only a small layer and and embossed card background.

Stamp:  Penny Black For Goodness Sake
Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug Polka Dots










Love this beautiful stamp from The Rubber Cottage!  A little bit of watercoloring and it is ready to mount!

Stamp:  The Rubber Cottage Lilies







 
 

But I couldn't leave it alone...I die cut a cross out of the piece and mounted on fun foam for a subtle addition.

Die:  Spellbinders Crosses Two







 

 

I had colored all of these images with watercolor and Distress Ink several months ago and then struggled how to finish off the cards.  Fortunately, Tim Holtz inspired me with his April tag.  What a brilliant idea--wetting watercolor paper with clean water and then spritzing with Distress marker.  Magic!  

Stamp:  Tim Holtz Easter Blueprint



  


And these eggs cried out to be popped off of the page.  I made my own dark green grass by wetting and crumpling thinly cut paper.



 





Had some fun with this card by stamping a background with the same stamp.








 


 


The next two cards used watercolored images from Tim Holtz Easter Blueprints and patterned paper from American Crafts Dots and Stripes.  I sprinkled salt on the wet background of the egg to get the mottled look.

 

Thanks for taking a look!

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Birthday Challenge, Part 2

The Simon Says Stamp April Card Kit has delightful gold and kraft paper...but I am struggling to figure out how to use it.

I decided to go simple and let the gold shine through!  The border around the pink tag and the gold layer were created with a gold paint pen that I just rediscovered.  (So much fun to dust off old supplies!)

The gold embossed sentiment didn't photograph well, but I do like how everything shines.

Thanks for looking!

Stamp:  Big Birthday Wishes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

I was delighted to get the Simon Says Stamp April card kit in the mail!  There are always need for more birthday cards. 

I am currently in a mode to make flat, mailable cards so didn't add any dimension to the card.  I used three of the stamps from the kit and a combination of Ranger (love their new dye inks!) and Hero Arts Shadow Inks. 

Stamps:  Simon Says Stamp Big Birthday Wishes