Baby, Butterfly, Birthday!

Hello and welcome,
I made a few cards over the last week but haven't had time to do posts about each one so I decided to do one post with several different cards in them!

This first card is a stamp I found (again) at a thrift store and I bought it for the sole purpose of practicing my Copic coloring!  I did a simple version here for a boy with blues and greens. Now I don't have a lot of Copics so it's tough getting the colors to blend well. I added some vellum hearts because there was that little blank space on the lower right that needed something to finish it. The sentiments are from Winnie & Walter and Papertrey Ink combined.

This next card is the beautiful butterfly from Stampin' Up on black cardstock! I used embossing ink and some blue Perfect Pearls to add shimmer. I cut it out of the black cardstock and added it to a Stampin' Up kraft cardstock. I stamped some thrift store stamps (yes, again!) and added some blue bling to match. I thought this might be good for a graduation card or someone who is going off to college or out on their own for the first time.

This last card is one I remade after doing some of it in a local card shop card class. I rarely use pattern paper and ever rarer use pink on a card! I don't know the cardstock base or pattern paper company as it was included in the class. It's hard to see but the hearts are glittery pink and I hand drew the strings. The "happy birthday" are die cuts from black foam using Clearly Besotted dies.

Thanks for joining me! God bless your day!
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Supplies:
Stamps: Winnie & Walter (hello), Papertrey Ink (baby)
Paper: Stampin' Up (kraft), Hero Arts (tide)
Ink: Colorbox (primary), Hero Arts (white pigment)
Accessories/Tools: MISIT, Vagabond, Copics
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Challenges:
Kathy Racoosin's 30 Day Color Challenge 2

Happy Hydrangea...

Happy birthday hydrangea

Hello and welcome,
I did this card a few days ago. It's a hydrangea stamp I rescued from a thrift store! I inked the top in distress ink purple and the bottom in distress ink green and stamped it on Strathmore cold press watercolor paper. I used distress markers and a Wink of Stella pen that I had added water to to color with. I'm obviously still learning my watercoloring technique! I went for a very purple hydrangea this time (my last one was blues and purple and can be found here because it was before I started blogging). The background is watercolored as well in distress blue. I used an older Stampin' Up greeting and kraft cardstock too.

It would have been a good card for my mom because she loved purple, but I lost her almost two years ago... that's when I changed my favorite color to purple... in her honor!

I've been being kept busy learning a new job and so hope to get a couple of posts up during this week! I also have a moose post to put up with more moose with twin calves video! Stay tuned!

God bless and have a great day!

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Supplies:
Stamps: Rubber Stampede (hydrangea), Stampin' Up (sentiment)
Paper: Stampin' Up kraft
Ink: Ranger Distress inks, markers
Accessories/Tools: MISTI, bling
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Challenges:
Kathy Racoosin's 30 Day Color Challenge 2
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday: Refreshment (flower tending is refreshing to me!)

My daughter turns 25... night sky card!

Hello and welcome,
So my youngest daughter, Hannah, turns 25 on July 1st! She is a Trekkie and a Whovian (Dr Who fan). I did this night sky scene about a month ago in playing around and hadn't decided what to do with it. I decided since she's a space lover it would behoove me to use it for her card!

The background is a lot of different distress inks and some Perfect Pearls for shimmer, white gel pen for faraway stars and splatters of white pearl and silver paint. I used some embossing paste (my first time after having it for a year!) for the stars and colored it with silver paint from Adirondack. I did smear some of the paint under the star stencil and actually threw away my first attempt! But I persevered and like what I ended up with!

I die cut the numbers, ampersand and "awesome" from heavy weight black and white cardstock and stacked the numbers. All the black got a coat of Wink of Stella to add to the shimmery night time effect, even around the border! I adhered the night sky panel to black foam to pop it up and then to a heavy weight black cardstock base.

I added a Dr Who quote on the inside in white gel pen:
"We're all stories, in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?" (Season 6, Episode 4)

I think she will like it! Happy 25, Hannah!!

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!

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Supplies:
Paper: Gina K Designs (black), Neenah Solar White 80#, Strathmore watercolor
Ink: Ranger distress inks
Accessories/Tools: Vagabond, Wink of Stella, sequins, Adirondack paint, Wendy Vecchi embossing paste
Dies: Avery Elle? (numbers), Memory Box? (letters)
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Challenges:
Kathy Racoosin's 30 Day Color Challenge 2
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

It's all about YOU...

All about YOU!

Hello and welcome,
So I've had embossing paste for about a year now and have never used it! Yesterday was the day to experiment! I did several versions using the paste and different stencils! I need practice with smoothing it out and getting it even though. I have a few spots that are thinner than others.

I've had this card in my head for awhile now. I've always loved cards with sun rays on them and thought it would be fun to have a bold YOU with the rays representing different sweet sentiments about YOU! I also saw awhile ago that either Jennifer McGuire or Kristina Werner had sprinkled microfine glitter on embossing paste and had some I wanted to use it on. I learned a few things along the way about embossing paste!

So here's the process I used: I used Wendy Vecchi translucent embossing paste and colored it with distress ink. I mixed it on my mat and used a 12 inch sun rays stencil. I laid the stencil over my 80 lb cardstock (mistake #1... use heavier cardstock!) and taped it down with micro-pore tape (mistake #2 de-sticky the tape first on your arm or clothes... it left sticky residue behind on all the cards I used it on!). I really had to work this embossing paste to get it smooth... it seemed not very smooth when it came out of the jar (maybe too old!) and so I worked it to get a smoother consistency. Then I started spreading it around! I realized that I was trying to be too stingy with the paste and should have made more than I needed to get good, even coverage. There are a few spots on the rays that aren't as full as the rest!  When I took the stencil off I was pleased with how the rays turned out so I quickly washed the spatula and stencil. I then sprinkled microfine glitter over the paste. I let this dry about 1 hour while I did other stencils with more paste (you'll see those in later posts!).

Shimmery sun rays up close

I love my Avery Elle stamps and die set "Simply Said You" and use it often. I picked out six sentiments from the set and stamped them in between the yellow rays using my MISTI stamp tool (I stamped them all at once!). I also die cut the YOU from black foam to be in the lower corner for all those rays/sentiments to come from. I knew I needed a stronger cardstock base for that heavy embossing paste panel and so used 110 lb weight. I cut down the panel and adhered it some white craft foam to pop it up and then adhered it to the card base. I used multi matte medium to adhere the YOU in the lower left corner.

I love how this turned out! It was a lot of work but worth it to me! I don't have anyone in mind to give it too and I may end up selling it on my Etsy shop... whenever I get time to set it up!

You'll be seeing the other embossing paste cards I did as I finish them!
Thanks for sticking with me this long! God bless your day!
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Supplies:
Stamps: Avery Elle Simply Said You
Paper: Neenah solar white 80#, 110#
Ink: Ranger Mustard Seed
Dies: Avery Elle Simply Said You
Accessories/Tools: MISTI, Vagabond, Wendy Vecchi embossing paste, Elizabeth Crafts silk microfine glitter "Cool Diamond", Hot Off The Press stencil, Micropore tape, Ranger multi matte medium
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Challenges:
Kathy Racoosin's 30 Day Color Challenge 2
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday Challenge: Refreshment (Sunshine is so refreshing after winter!)