Amazing Grace Will Bring Us Through #StampinUp #TravelsAbroad #Verve #AmazingGrace #PlainJane

Had a bit of time to play this morning so whipped this one up using my long coveted SU set, Travels Abroad. Yes, it came out in 2003, and this is just the 2nd time I've used it.  The first time was on my Shenpa card made a month or two ago?  Lol, so yes, I'm still coveting this set since 2003!

I loved this alternating ink color in today's new Muse inspiration, so decided to replicate my repetitive stamped image design of the previous Shenpa card with the Venus de Milo image.

I decided to stay with just SU Real Red and Brilliant Blue to keep with the Viva La France theme of the Venus de Milo; My image only allowed a row of 3 images instead of the 5 in the original inspiration card.  I was playing around with my brand new bottle of Heidi Swapp Gold Color Shine spritzer and decided to use that piece of "scrap" to play as background to my trio of Venus de Milo's.

Here is today's Muse Challenge #131 Inspiration by Carol Mane:

I wish I had feather stamps; That's one trend I missed out on during my 4 year hiatus.  I loved the colors she used...it's very reminiscent of Basic Grey colors.

P.S. If my Baker's Dozen Partner is reading this: Dawn, I used Glossy Accents this time to secure the sequins.  Keeping my fingers crossed that the sequins are truly secure! 





"Amazing Grace" Card
Paper: Recollections CS; SU Brilliant Blue CS
Stamps: SU Travels Abroad; Verve Plain Jane "Amazing Grace" 
Ink: SU Brilliant Blue; SU Real Red
Embellishments: Heidi Swapp Gold Color Shine; Darice Sequins
Size: 4.25" x 5.5" rectangular 

Washi Chevron Anyone? SCS Baker's Dozen Swap - Week #6

It's been awhile since I've posted and honestly since I've been crafty.  In the meantime, I'm getting lots of lovely mail from my SCS Baker's Dozen Swap partner Dawn.

I received this bejeweled washi tape chevron card last week and am just getting around to bragging about my swap partner.

This girl is seriously showing me all kinds of ways to use washi tape!! I only own two rolls. Guess I better get on it and get my collection going.

We're entering the second half of our Bakers Dozen Swap and I can't tell you how much I'm loving getting something delightful in the mail instead of just junk mail and bills.

Thank you so much Dawn!! I love it!

A Hot Chili Card to Enjoy in Hot Cali!! SCS Baker's Dozen Swap - Week #5

While I'm dying in this heat, I received this hilariously clever card from my swap partner Dawn.

It's a hot chili card she says for me to enjoy in hot Cali!

Love how clean and well designed her cards always are.  She used sequins AND bling this time.

I keep mentioning how she decorates the insides of her cards but keep forgetting to photograph them to share.

We're officially at the half way point now of our Baker's Dozen Swap.  My 7th card just went out today!

Dawn, if you're reading this, I absolutely looooove it!! It's hilarious!

SCS Card Sketch Challenge #552 Thanks Tim Holtz Crazy Birds Card

I'm still having tons of fun with my Tim Holtz Crazy Birds and Kuretake Gansai watercolors. This time, I decided to stamp a few of the birds and color them in advance so I could take out my Crazy Birds dies for a whirl.

They cut like a dream and these are pretty easy to align.  I can tell I have a little too much white border on the bottom right design of my stamped bird image, so hopefully next time, I'll get it perfectly right.

I was inspired by the current weekly Card Sketch #552 over at SplitCoastStampers, but made a few minor tweaks with placement.

Made this card as a very belated thank you to my fellow blog team member and friend Lynn to thank her for her incredibly generous support of a Card Donation Call I'm hostessing at SCS to benefit cancer patients at the Ronald McDonald House locations.

I'm hostessing the month of Jan 2016, and in addition for my call for cards which will be donated to the Pasadena, CA location, I'm also committed to donating a minimum of 10 cards each month to each of the monthly hostesses so that a different RMH location throughout the US can be highlighted.

Lynn sent me a whopping 162 cards WITH envelopes for the Pasadena location. 

Here's a sample of her GORGEOUS cards that she sent.  (I apologize for the low lighting; I couldn't find my DSLR at the time and had to rely on my iphone camera.)

I haven't yet made my way to the center yet to drop off by have set up an appointment with the Center Director to meet with her in a few weeks to drop off. I'll be sure to post pictures so Lynn can see how her generosity has impacted others.

Thank you so very very very much Lynn! 






"Thanks" Crazy Birds Card
Paper: Canson Watercolor Paper; Misc PP; Vellum
Stamps: Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Bird Crazy 
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black; Kuretake Gansai Watercolors 
Embellishments: Oval SB Dies;QK Nesting Cookie Cutter Basic Phrase Dies
Size: 4.25" x 5.5" rectangular 

"Celebrate" with SU Manhattan Flower

Just a quickie today, so took a stab at this week's Muse Challenge #128 by finally whipping out my SU Manhattan Flower Embossing Folder that I just HAD to have about two years ago but never got around to using.  Yup, then I just adhered a "Celebrate" die cut sentiment from my QK Basic Phrases set using some silver metallic cardstock scraps.  Just kept this one super simple and quick.

Here's this week's inspiration card at the Muse by Michelle Ferguson.

Thanks for visiting! 

"Celebrate" Card
Paper: Recollections Cardstock
Embellishments: QK Nesting Cookie Cutter Basic Phrase Dies; SU Manhattan Flower Embossing Folder
Size: 4.25" x 5.5" rectangular

Hippity Hoppity trio of Violet Layered Poppies

Just so in love with my new set of Kuretake Gansai watercolors, but I know now that I really need to spring for a full set of the Color Burst pigment powders I got to try at the rubber stamping convention I attended last month.

These Gansai colors are rather opaque and a huge improvement over my cheapy set of Canson Watercolors, but they still lack in color vividness. See the Rubber Necker card sample here using the Color Burst pigment powders.

I made this card for my blogging group team leader and friend Cindy over at  Designing Duo's to send her some hippity hoppity cheer using my new Rubber Necker set!  (Cindy, this is your fault I bought this!)

Cindy and her family has had to weather through some trials in life lately. She also was so kind and generous in gifting me this lovely RAK of yummy patterned papers and handmade card out of the blue recently! 

These days, we're all on a budget so I'm truly grateful and touched she shared her crafting bounty with me. Thank you Cindy!  

These women in the crafting community are something else, eh? :) 

------

It just dawned on me that "hippity hoppity" is probably more appropriate for Easter related themes? I just loved how happy, cheerful and springy it sounded. 

Hmm, I have no idea if poppies really come in this color combo? 

Oh well for my temporary lapse in judgement. 

Nevertheless, it was definitely an ordeal to do VERY little and force myself to just WALK AWAY several times while waiting for each color to dry, lol. 

I couldn't resist and had to resort to one of my old fav attaching methods - the stapler, to attach my sentiment. 

Thanks for visiting!

"Hippity Hoppity" Card
Paper: Canson Watercolor Paper
Stamps: RubberNecker Layered Poppy Set; Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Crazy Talk "hippity hoppity" 
Ink: Versafine Black; Kuretake Gansai Watercolors 
Embellishments: Darice Sequins; Staples; SU Watercolor Wonder Designer (gold dotted) washi tape
Size: 4.25" x 5.5" rectangular

Flutterby SCS Baker's Dozen Swap - Week #4

Ohhh, I just had to post this lovely I received today from my swap partner Dawn.

We're both catching up in our swap as she's been down with computer and now cell phone problems.

I'm learning lots from Dawn's style and craftsmanship such as how she

• uses sequins on this card 
• decorates the inside of a card regardless if the base is dark or not.  She goes the extra mile. 
• decorates the outside of the envelope including using super cute postage stamps!

I'm caught up with mailing my week #4 & #5 a few days ago and have my next few cards ready to go in the next couple of weeks.  

This has been SO much fun!! 

Think Happy Thoughts Watercolor Splatter

I've noticed this splattered paint/watercolor trend in many of the card galleries out there and finally got a chance to try it out.  I'm still finding my confidence in allowing the water to spread, mix and dilute the colors.  Can I tell you how hard it is to just leave it alone?!?!?!  

TIP:  When using watercolors, it's important to use an ink and/or heat emboss it so it doesn't smear.  I made the mistake of using Momento Tuxedo Black in my previous Crazy Birds card because it's been awhile since I've been crafting.  I love that Momento pad because the black is rather crisp.  But it's just a dye based ink pad.  Grr! I completely forgot I had been using Versafine Black which is an archival instant dry pigment ink pad.  Voila! No wait time, I could apply gobs of water or watercolor right away. 

Decided to play along with the current Muse Challenge #127 this week while trying out this splatter technique with my Kuretake Gansai set.

Here's this week's Muse inspiration card by Joan Bardee:

I loved the tons of fresh clean white space which I replicated on my card.  Also loved her circular / oval gathering of elements that framed her sentiment which I created with my color splattering and golden bronze-y sequins.

This was a fun card and challenge.  Thanks for visiting!





"Think Happy Thoughts" Card
Paper: Canson Watercolor Paper
Stamps: Reverse Confetti Color Me Happy 
Ink: Versafine Black; Kuretake Gansai Watercolors 
Embellishments: Darice Sequins
Size: 4.25" x 5.5" rectangular

Define Normal with Tim Holtz' Crazy Birds and Kuretake Gansai Watercolors Cards for SCS Baker's Dozen Swap - Week #4

Work is whopping my BEE-hind so I'm playing mad catch up with my swap cards to my weekly partner Dawn.  I've been having a blast texting with her somewhat regularly in between.  It seems she's having computer issues and I'm weathering long hours and long commutes, so I thought the sentiment of this card, "define normal?" seemed appropriate.

Finally got to play with my newly acquired Tim Holtz Bird Crazy stamps I just got at the recent rubber stamp convention last month.  I also happened to pop into a Hobby Lobby when I read somewhere on SCS of ladies finding the Kuretake Gansai watercolor set there. Ohhh, hello 40% off coupon?

Just like Jennifer Mcguire said her video tutorial, these Kuretake Gansai watercolors are very rich, creamy and buttery feeling when handling them.  I decided to make a color swatch before I started just to really see the true colors of cake pan.

Here's my first try using both the bird stamps and the Kuretake Gansai watercolors.  Hmm, I was impatient and didn't wait for the Momento ink to dry or did I heat emboss it to set it, so there's a bit of smearing.

I was hoping for my birdie to be a bit more happy primary color orange-y as that's Dawn's favorite color, but it came out a bit more distressed than I was intending.  Oh well, it definitely looks very Tim Holtz-y distressed.

Yes, I just made up a word.

Dawn seems to be the washi tape queen so she's inspiring me to use more washi tape in my designs and to decorate my envelopes.  Problem is, I only have one set that I ordered from SU earlier this year.  I'll have to make some time to browse the aisles at Michael's and pick up a few fun bright colors.  I remember seeing some super fun ones from Heidi Swapp.  For now, this will have to do but I think it should be brighter to anchor my very heavily colored crazy bird.

I had fun experimenting with new products and new mediums.

Entering this card in CASology's Week 158: Precious White Space Challenge.

Thanks for visiting!





"Define  Normal" Card
Paper: Canson Watercolor Paper 
Stamps: Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Bird Crazy & Crazy Talk 
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Kuretake Gansai Watercolors 
Embellishments: SU Watercolor Wonder Designer (gold dotted) washi tape
Size: 5.5" x 4.25" rectangular 

Chirp Up! Card for SCS Baker's Dozen Swap - Week 3

I'm really enjoying the Baker's Dozen swap on SCS in which we are partnered up with another crafter and are to send a handmade card every Monday for 13 consecutive weeks.  Get it? Baker's Dozen?  I think it's adorable and it's been super fun so far.

Just wanted to share the lovely cards I've been getting from partner Dawn Mercedes who's been just wonderful sending loads of sunshine my way.

The first card on the left, you've seen before as I've shared that in a previous post.  The middle and right cards are the most recent cards I've received from Dawn.

I can't tell you what a difference it makes to come home after a long day at work to find these cheerful cards from Dawn. Her style is so different than mine so I'm learning a lot from her.

I was in a hurry when I was mailing my third card to Dawn so I was only able to get an iphone snap shot of my card just I was at the post office.

This one was using up mini pinked circle punch outs from my previous bee themed Bzzz...You're one in a Buzzillion card.  It came together pretty quickly and I was tickled pink when I received Dawn's third card.  She also embossed and used yellow with her sunshine theme.  Looks like we were in synchronicity eh? 

Thanks for visiting!

"Chirp Up!" Card
Paper: SU Whisper White; Misc Yellow CS
Stamps: SU Very Punny
Ink: Memento Black; Zig Writer Brush Pens
Embellishments: Spellbinders Large Pinking Circle Nestabilities; Lifestyle Crafts QK Tide EF
Size: 4.25" x 5.5" rectangular