Red, White & Blue Honeycomb

Hello everybody!  Hope you're having a wonderful weekend.

I saw a card similar to this in an old Card Maker magazine and just had to try it. Using red, white & blue made it work for the Mod Squad Challenge this week.

The honeycomb and hexagon stamps are from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life; the sentiment is from Gina K Designs. The ribbon was purchased from my local Hobby Lobby, and I used two oval punches from EK Success for the sentiment. I think I got those through Stampin Up! The blue ink is from Gina K Designs and the red ink is Tim Holtz Distress Ink also purchased at a local store.

The honeycomb stamp set has several different designs that go with it, so I had to pick out what I thought would work best. Once I figured out the designs to use, this was a fun card to create.  I've had this set for several years & never before thought about inking it in red, white & blue! I like the result.

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your visits and comments very much. Hope to see you again soon!

Red, White & Blue

Happy Friday, everybody! I'm so glad you're here. I realize it's been a slow week but now I'm cookin!

The Mod Squad Challenge this week requires red, white and blue, and since I've been working on cards for heroes, this fits right in! I enjoy writing Thank You notes to heroes who are serving our Country. It's a good thing to do during Memorial Day weekend!

I purchased this stamp set from a friend online, Leigh Penner. Since it came without the packaging, I don't know who makes it. It also comes with a stamp with a beach theme and a back-to-school theme. I love all of them! In fact, I just used the beach stamp for a scrapbook I worked on over the long weekend.

Anyway, I thought this would look nice with the red, white & blue colors, and I'm happy with the result. The paper is very old, from a 4 x 6 paper pack by Generations. I stamped the sentiment (from Gina K Designs) in VersaMark and embossed it in white, then layered all this onto a Pure Luxury White cardbase.

Thanks for stopping by today! I appreciate your visits and comments very much and hope to see you again soon. Have a great weekend!

Sketch

Hello! Happy Wednesday to you! I hope you are enjoying your week.

This is another card I'd created in hopes of entering it into the Sketch Challenge at Mod Squad Challenges. Like I said, my camera settings had been changed for a different project and I had problems getting it changed back for several days. I missed the Challenge deadline, but now that the camera is working, I decided to go ahead and post what I'd hoped to use earlier.

This card uses images from Gina K Designs Lean on Me stamp set. I love the flowers and they fit just right in the little squares. As you can see, I used a strip from a cork square and wrapped it with twine. The patterned paper is from Gina K Designs Shabby Spring Stamp TV kit.

Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your visits and comments very, very much, so I hope you'll come back soon! Have a good day ~

It's Your Birthday

Hello! I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! I enjoyed a great cookout with friends in the nice, warm summer breeze. I know, I know...it's not actually summer yet, but it sure feels like it!

My intentions for this card was to enter it into the Mod Squad Challenge, but my camera's settings were changed and I couldn't get a single good picture in time for the deadline.  It's taken me several days to figure out how to get the correct settings back. Frustrating!

This card was fun to make. I used some images from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life and paper from Echo Park. The ribbon was in my stash.

Thanks for stopping by! I always appreciate your visits and comments very much. Please come back again soon!

One Step

I know the calendar doesn't say it yet, but the weather sure does...it must be Summertime! Memorial Day Weekend is here, and the weather is warm and sunny. Beach weather -- I Love It!

Yesterday was a busy, busy day, and by evening I was ready to sit down and relax with some crafting. First thing I thought about was this new stamp and die set, called flipflops2stamp, from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life. Isn't it fun? I stamped the flip flops onto paper from Echo Park's This & That and then die cut them out, along with the ocean waves. Had to stamp the waves after they were cut out just so I'd get it accurate. Finally, I layered all this onto yellow cardstock and added some bling in the "sky" part of the card. I love the stamped little starfish! I might add some glitter to those.

Thank you for stopping by today! I appreciate your visits and comments very much. Hope you have a wonderful Friday!

Flip-It Card

Hello! Happy Thursday! The weekend is almost here, but clouds have arrived today. Hope the rain comes and goes before Friday. The up side is since I need to stay inside to stay dry, I'll have more time to play and create!

Recently I watched a video by Stephanie Barnard where she used beautiful paper from My Mind's Eye. That made me realize I had very similar paper in the same colors, also by My Mind's Eye, so I got it out and die cut this Flip-It card. I LOVE this paper! So pretty! The sentiment is from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life, as is the Cornflower Ink I used.

I hope you'all like this card as much as I do. This paper is beyond words. It also feels like a "happy card" as I sometimes call them.

Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your visits and comments very much, as they keep me moving forward on this creative journey.

Sympathy

Hello again! I realize this is the second post for the day, but since this card was just finished, I decided to post it, too.

Sometimes it can be hard to come up with an appropriate Sympathy card. I know I've tried several different styles and I like all of them, but this one is my favorite. It's very clean and simple, which is what you need when you are grieving. It's been my experience, too, not to send the card too soon, as the grieving process continues long after the immediate load of Sympathy cards arrive.  Sometimes a person needs to remember others are still thinking of you long after the majority of the cards and visits stop. A card can arrive just when they feel the most lonely.

I used a simple rose sticker from Jolee's Boutique and put it in the center of two layered Sizzix Majestic Labels which have been die cut in red and white. The only other thing I did was add the sentiment, which is from Gina K Designs Vogue Vases by Theresa Momber. This was all placed on a Pure Luxury white card base, also from Gina K Designs.

If you find yourself needed a quick Sympathy card, try this one. It's clean, simple, direct and to the point yet elegant enough to reassure a grieving friend you are thinking of them.

Thank you for stopping by! I appreciate your visits and comments very much, and I am very curious to know what you think about this card in particular. Too simple? Just enough? Needs more? Feel free to express your opinions, as that's the only way I'll learn as I continue on this creative journey. Have a good day, and I'll see you again soon.

Brown Challenge

Hello! Happy Tuesday! How are you'all today? Hope you're enjoying some sunshine in this beautiful weather. I love it when it hits the 70s and the sun is out!

Today's card is for Mix It Up Monday challenge at Gina K Designs Stamp TV, where we're supposed to include three shades of brown. I used some patterned paper from the Shabby Spring Stamp TV kit for the bottom half of this card, which is layered onto some Kraft and attached to an Ivory base. I used some Vintage Cuts for the bird and the butterfly, which are also from the kit. The Kraft ribbon is also from Gina K Designs. I added some pearls to the butterfly for some bling and attached the sentiment after diecutting the tag.

Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your visits and comments very much and hope to see you again real soon!

Watercolor Bonus Day

Hello! Happy Saturday to you! I hope you are having a good weekend! Today was a surprise Bonus Day for us at Watercolor for Card Makers Online Card Classes. WooHoo!

Jean Manis shared another video with us that gave a great lesson on watercoloring balloons. I've tried this before with no luck, but after watching her take on it, I was inspired to try again. This time, I think they turned out much better.

The balloon outlines are from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life, as is the "happy" in Happy Birthday and the confetti. I watercolored the balloons using Tim Holtz Distress Inks. I die cut the Birthday in a beautiful blue and added it to yellow paper. Finally, I layered all this onto Gina K Designs Kraft cardstock base layer.

I like the way this turned out. After adding the confetti, it looks like a real fun card.

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your visits and comments very much. This class has been awesome, and I believe we've all learned a lot. See you again soon!

Watercolor Day 11

Hello Everybody! Welcome to Day 11 for Watercolor for Card Makers Online Card Classes. Today we were blessed with a video by Tim Holtz, a creative genius in my opinion! What a great surprise! He showed us how to use Distress Inks with Stencils and turn it into a watercolor card.

When I tried to upload the picture of the card, it somehow skipped to the left. Ever hit too many keys at once? Yep. I don't know how it happened, so I don't know how to undo the placement. Anyway, it's there for you to see, despite being on the right side of the page.

I really enjoyed using my Circle Stencil by Heidi Swapp for this card. It was fun to apply the ink and get the negative effect on the card. This wasn't too hard, either, which means it was something I could do! WooHoo! No more stress today trying to create a watercolor card!

Thanks for stopping by today. I appreciate your visits and comments very, very much. I love the contact with you during class, as I always learn something new from your own creations. Have a good evening!

Black Accents

Hello! Happy Friday to you! I decided to create a card today for the Mix It Up Monday Challenge at Gina K Designs Stamp TV. As much as I've enjoyed the Watercolor class, it's nice to take a break from it and create a card for something else. It's been a while since I've joined the Gina K Challenges, so it's a good time to try it again.

This card uses a stamp set called Lean on Me, also from Gina K Designs. I love the embossed black against the hot pink color. The frame is a gift from a dear friend of mine who has requested to remain nameless, so I'll just say you know who you are, and I thank you!

Hope you are having a wonderful day. I appreciate your visits and comments very, very much and hope you will come back again soon!

Watercolor Day 9 and 10

Hello! Happy Thursday to you! I am so glad you're here with me today. This card is combination of Days 9 and 10 because I just couldn't do Day 9! Some would call it creative misery when you realize you just cannot watercolor with a free hand...actually, that's what I CALLED IT! I mean, it's supposed to be messy around the edges, but I can't get it right! Go figure.

This card is supposed to be a watercolor of a certain type of flower. Don't ask me what, because I'm so stressed over getting the thing right that I forgot the name of it. Anyway, I left off the greenery so maybe you'd think it was a type of firecracker instead and go with that. I'm happy with either. I'm just glad to get it done! I love the sentiment! Can't tell you what that one came from because the stamps are not marked. I think it's Hero Arts, but I'm not sure. If you know, feel free to tell me.

This sounds like it's been a stressful day. Actually, it has not. Maybe the injections I had the other day flustered me more than I thought. Who knows? I just wish I had some natural creative talent so I could watercolor like some of the rest of you. It's fun to try anyway.

This class has definitely been a stretch for me, especially these last few days, but I have loved every minute of it. It's good to step out of your comfort zone every now and then, and that's what these classes do for me. I am very thankful to have had the awesome experience while learning some incredible lessons. Hope you're enjoying it, too!

Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate your visits and comments very much! Take it easy, and maybe I'll see you tomorrow.

Watercolor Day 8

Hello! This is actually Wednesday, Day 9, in my Watercolor for Card Makers Online Card Class, but I am posting yesterday's card, which was Day 8. I had more injections and was out of it most of the day, so I'm a day behind. Today I'm feeling much better and am ready to get back at it!

For this card, I used a stencil-like piece to help guide my hand for the flower. I cut out the flower using a die and then painted inside the cutout. Laura Bassen had provided a video teaching us how to do this, and I was happy to try it out. The other lessons looked a bit too difficult for me!

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your visits and comments very much. Some of you that I've met from previous classes have posted comments, and I greatly appreciate you doing so. Take it easy and have a great day!

Watercolor Day 7

Hello! Happy Monday! I hope you had a good weekend. The weather has been so beautiful here I was surprised when we had a brief rain shower. That's all right...it's a good time to stay inside and CREATE!

Today we had three wonderful videos in Watercolor for Card Makers. This is kind of a combination between the first one and second one. I tried to remember all the details from the lessons but ended up just doing what felt right.

This image is from a very old Martha Stewart stamp set I bought when I first started stamping several years ago. I am so glad I kept it because the flowers, created using two-step stamping, are perfect for watercolors! I inked it with some brush markers (also a very old set I found in a carrier!), stamped it and then watercolored it. Later, I went back and added a little bit of a shadow, the sentiment and some pearls.

Thanks for stopping by! If you're a fellow classmate, please leave a comment and let me know you were here! I love your comments AND your visits, so keep coming back!

Watercolor Day 6

Hello Again! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend! The sun is out today and it is beautiful!

Today is Day 6 at Watercolor for Card Makers Online Card Class, and we had some awesome videos by excellent teachers. I am enjoying learning how to create beautiful cards using stamps and watercolors. For some reason, I had never tried some of these techniques before, and they aren't even that difficult!

This card is another one of my favorites. I have had it for years but never knew the best way to color it. Now I realize watercolors are the answer! After a few different attempts with different colors, I settled on this one, using pink for the flowers and deep purple for the background. I love that shade of green for the leaves! I tried to vary the shade a bit, some darker and some lighter, but I'm not sure you can tell it from this picture. No need for bling on this baby...just a simple sentiment. Love it!

I appreciate your visits and comments very much! We can always learn from one another as we "attend" class each day and comment on each other's cards. The lessons continue!

Have a great weekend!

Watercolor Day 5

Hello everybody! Happy Saturday! I didn't get my card posted yesterday, so today I am playing catch-up.

I love this card! I used a very old stamp that's one of my favorites...a simple rose. I painted the color on with markers and then spritzed it with water. That's it! I didn't feel this image needed a lot of bling, so I kept it clean and simple with red and green matting and put the sentiment towards the bottom right.

Hope you like this as much as I do! I appreciate your visits and comments very much, as they keep me moving forward on this creative journey.

Watercolor Day 4

Hello! Happy Thursday! Today is Day 4 for Watercolor for Card Makers Online Card Class. We had three more videos full of lessons that I could work with for weeks!

For today's card, I used a flag stamp from Art Impressions. After coating it with Gelato-like inks, I spritzed it with water and then stamped it a couple of times. This is actually the second stamped image with those inks, and I think it turned out better than the first. I added USA to the bottom right corner and then put a ribbon around the card for the final step.

I like this card so much I believe I'll put it in my batch for Operation Write Home, an organization that sends handmade cards to soldiers serving our Country. Now that I have tried this technique and like it, I could make several more to add to the bunch!

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your visits and comments very much. It's fun to connect with other classmates, too. We can learn from each other! See you tomorrow --

Watercolor Day 3

Hello! Happy Wednesday! I hope you are having a wonderful day. The weather is bright and sunny today...a bit warm, but pretty anyway. I love Spring! 

Here's a card I watercolored for today's class. I first stamped the image in Tuxedo Black Ink from Memento and then outlined the different sections with watercolor pencils (Inktense). Finally, I took a wet brush and spread the colors throughout the image. I added a touch of Stickles for some bling.

Thanks for your visits and comments! I appreciate you stopping by and hope to see you again soon!

Watercolor Day 2

Hello! Happy Tuesday! Today is Day 2 for Watercolor Class for Card Makers, and we learned more about creating watercolor backgrounds.

Agnieszka Malyszek provided an awesome video showing how she used watercolor pencils and water to get a beautiful background. I tried it and got a background that wasn't as soft as hers, but I still like it. Maybe it's the colors I used, and maybe I didn't use as much water. The paper was beginning to cause problems, so I stopped where I was. I like using the water with the black pencil to get the water drops. That turned out pretty neat. The stamped sentiment is from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life. The flower was cut from a Memory Box die called Dancing Tulips--one of my favorites!

Hope you are having a wonderful day! It's very hot here in NC...the beach is waiting for me! Thank you for your visits and your comments! I appreciate every one of you and hope you will come back to see what is created from Day 3 of Watercolor Class for Card Makers!