Spring flowers

 There are lots of card-giving occasion in the spring for my family, so I'm working ahead. This card features a cute image from Bugaboo, colored with pencils.  (I colored it like Pansies, then realized the name of the stamp is violets in a watering can). I tried adding Wink of Stella on the little checked area across the middle of the can, and all it did was mute the colors I had there. Baker's twine is wrapped around the panel and tied in a bow.

For the background, I used a flowery springlike embossing folder to add texture on the lavender paper. For interest there's a plaid panel.  

This card is for these challenges:

Can you handle the pressure -- use an embossing folder and plaid

Double D Challenge -- use something with a handle (watering can)

Simon Says Stamp Monday: feminine

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: using your favorite things (which is the Cuttlebug used for embossing)

C.R.A.F.T. 630: female

Word Art Wednesday #535 -- anything goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2211 -- anything goes

Leafy

 

A friend sent me this patterned paper probably two years ago and I love the colors in it. I immediately wanted to use it in a card, and look it only took about two years. Because I wanted to showcase the paper, it's a CAS card. The sentiment (an old one from SU) was stamped on a cream-colored snippet, cut with a circle die (Spellbinders).  The stems were cut from a lavendar-colored snippet using a Sizzix die.  I added some piercing around the exposed edges of the circle. 

This card is for these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday -- add a die-cut

Dies R Us #188-- anything with a die-cut

Word Art Wednesday #533-- anything goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2210 -- anything goes

Snippets Playground #423-- use snippets

Happy birthday

 We have a lot of spring birthdays in my family, so I've started to work on cards. For this one, I used some coloring tools I haven't used in a long time -- watercolor crayons. I colored a solid stamp of cone flowers with crayon, spritzed with water and stamped it on watercolor paper.  I like this technique, but getting the right amount of water is tricky. 

The "happy" part of the sentiment is a Cutploration/Stamploration die. "Birthday" is white embossed on black.

This card is entered in these challenges

Time Out #208 -- 8th birthday celebration (happy birthday!)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday -- anything goes

Word Art Wednesday #531-- anything goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2208 -- anything goes

 

In the Pink

 I'm ready for spring, so I made a spring-like card today.  I used a set of Sizzix dies I bought a while back that containts a bunch of different styles of flowers and leaves. I pulled out a bunch of different shades of pink snippets and randomly die-cut them (fitting as many dies as I could on one snippet, running them through the Cuttlebug, then starting with another snippet). Then I stacked them into interesting multi-layered flowers and added leaves cut from another snippet. For added interest, I embossed another pink snippet using a Hobbycraft spring flower EF and layered that panel under the other elements on the mini-slimline card. 

The sentiment panels are from the same Sizzix die set, also cut from snippets.  The white, smaller panel has a pale green ink sponged around the edges.

This card is entered in these challenges:

Double D -- shades of Pink

Can you Handle the Pressure -- embossing folder with twist (use pink)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday -- slimline

Word Art Wednesday #531 --- anything goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2207 -- anything goes

Snippet's Playground #421 -- use snippets (everything)

Collar fold

 Mrs. A (aka Valerie Ann, owner of The Butterfly Challenge) continues to find interesting folds and techniques to feature in her challenge.This time around it's what she calls the collar fold, which it turns out is both easy and versatile.

For this card, I also adopted her theme of "circles" with both dotted papers and die-cut circular elements for the focal point/sentiment. Technically, you need double-sided printed paper for this technique, but since my paper was only printed on one side, I stamped a swirly pattern in light blue on the other side. The edges of the anels and the sentiment circles are all rubbed with the same cornflower blue. The butterfly is cut out of a snippet of a failed watercolor project. I used a Sizzix die for the butterfly, then embossed it to give it a little more texture. The brad that's in the flower center is the same coral color as the butterfly.

This card is entered in these challenges:

Butterfly Challenge #166 -- includes the collar fold, circle theme, and 3 of the colors -- cornflower blue, coral and celadon

Die-cut Divas Feb -- angle it

Word Art Wednesday #531 -- anything goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2207 -- anything goes

 

 

(one of) 12 drummers drumming

 

 Recently I scored a box of embossing powders, glitter, old wood-mounted stamps and other stamping goodies at a thrift store. It turned out to be a timely purchase, because the glittery red embossing power was perfect for the drum on this Christmas card. The super fun image is from a digi set of all 12 Days of Christmas from Melonheadz. How fun is that?

The image is colored with pencils, then I used an embossing ink pen to add the red glittery embossing. (The jar says it's from Personal Stamp Exchange. I remember that name from back when I first started stamping. I just googled and apparently they've been out of business for a long time.) The sentiment is a sticker from Stamplorations. The layout is the current sketch at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.

This card is entered in these challenges

Jingle Belles -- My True Love Gave to Me

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday -- emboss it

52 Christmas Card Throwdown -- sketch

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2206 -- anything goes

Word Art Wednesday #529 -- anything goes

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Card Challenge -- anything Christmas

 

 

 

 

Fresh herbs

 Sunny greetings on a cold wintry day.  I was trying to put some sunny summer vibes into this card.

This card began with the watercolor challenge/lesson at SCS.  The lesson was on painting shadow, and the artist's video used a clay pot to demonstrate that technique. I immediately thought of this image from Pattie's Creations as a good place to try the technique.

So, obviously, the image is watercolored. The watercolored image is mounted on a terracotta colored piece of card stock that's been distressed around the edges. The sentiment is on the same colored cardstock, white embossed with a sentiment from The Alley Way. After all, you can't grow good herbs without sunshine!

This card is entered in these challenges

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2205 -- sunshine

Word Art Wednesday #529  -- anything goes

Pattie's Creations #191  -- anything goes

Crafts Galore Encore Feb.  -- anything goes