April Showers for The Paper Players

 Hello and Happy Easter!

It's my last chance to use this beautiful image from Spring Day (Penny Black). While not specifically an Easter card, it is definitely seasonal. It was the first thing I thought of when I saw The Paper Players Challenge #587 beginning today called April Showers. 

It is hosted by Claire and is a Clean and Simple Challenge. I kept my layers and embellishments minimal and did just a bit of color blocking for interest. 

The image takes center stage, stamped in Warm Wool ink (WPlus9). It's a fav of mine when I want a soft outline and it can withstand water for coloring. I used Copics today, and added - you guessed it - a butterfly with a pearl. 

Hope makes our lives a little brighter is my favorite sentiment from the faith.hope.love transparent stamps also by Penny Black. Thanks so very much for visiting today. I hope to see your take on the challenge in the gallery!

I am adding this to the challenge at Fusion to use tulips, as featured in the photo. I also want to add this to the Penny Black Saturday challenge, Anything Goes or Easter.

 Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Rejoice Rabbit

Hello dear stamping friends! It may not surprise you that a few new stamps have made their way into my collection. I kept seeing adorable critter stamps from Waffle Flower, and couldn't wait to ink up this darling Rejoice Rabbit for an Easter card. 
I did some simple coloring with Polychromos Colored Pencils after stamping in black on watercolor paper. 

I fussy cut the image to fit behind an oval frame, trimming the flowers at the bottom to fit outside the frame. Shimmer and dotted accents were added along with a sentiment banner. 

Although I need lots of practice with this medium, I find coloring to be very relaxing. 

The inside reads, Rejoice and Be Glad. I love the way this bunny looks content contemplative and just a tiny bit bashful. Thanks so much for your visit today. Take good care.

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

I

I'm adding this to the Anything Goes Challenge at Simon Says. 

Supplies used:

Stamps: Waffle Flower - Rejoice Rabbit

Paper: Fabriano Extra White Watercolor Paper; Patterned paper from Doodlebug

INK: Gina K  - Jet Black Amalgam Ink

Accessories: White gel pen, Wink of Stella, Oval Frame die from PTI

Take Out Thursday: Somebunny Special

Welcome to my blog today! What I said yesterday about Thursday Play Day? Scratch that. Now it's

Take Out Thursday 

When I serve up something simple and easy.
Take out a stamp set for a spin, spice it up.

Here's what I've come up with for the first Take-Out Thursday with  Simon Says Stamp Somebunny Special  set.

I've been wanting to use these cute bunnies forever.

 You know why I didn't? I kept thinking I had to do something never-seen-before with it. One of my reasons for Take Out Thursday is to use a set or product without having to re-invent the wheel. You know? Take Out food is not gourmet. Not perfection.Designed to get you out of the kitchen quickly. 

These bunnies are meant to be colored and made into something cute! I think someone special will love opening this from his Mimi.

I stamped and die cut the images onto watercolor card stock and colored them with Zig markers. The background features blended distress ink and spatters. The sentiment has a popped up heart accent. I stamped hearts and colored them on the large white panel, and backed it with a Soft Sky (SU!) card base. 

Hope you enjoyed my posts this week, see you on Tuesday! Hugs and bunny love - Are your ears twitching? 

Keeping happy thoughts. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

What I love Wednesday; He is Risen from W Plus 9

Hello friends, I hope your week has been going well. We are finally getting WARM temps here and I can't wait to get outside for some sunshine! 

Just a brief note of explanation about my blog. It seems on a recent post that I had gotten a bit bogged down. In thinking about it I've realized that I need to focus on the JOY that stamping brings me, and reflect that more often here on my blog. I got this great idea from Leslie Miller, to plan out my stamping itinerary to help keep my focus and to help keep it fun. ( In case you haven't yet discovered Leslie's blog I will invite you to check it out HERE where you will be inspired to learn, laugh, and love her amazing work and happy outlook.) 

Back to the blog planning. I've come up with posting three times weekly with the following themes. 
  
Paperytrey Tuesday - where I share work done for Papertrey challenges

What I LOVE Wednesday - where I share a favorite set or technique, new or old, in my favorite elegant style, using flowers, butterflies or other things I love as elements.

Playday is Thursday or Friday. You can expect simpler cards and my intent is to keep it light, easy, and fun! Fun for me = fun for you. 

For today's card, I fell in love with the He is Risen stamp set from W Plus9 after seeing this 

card by Dawn and decided I must make my Easter cards using it. 

What I absolutely love about this set are the large floral background that covers the whole card front and can be stamped tone on tone, and the fabulous sentiments that speak of my Lord and the real meaning of Easter. Of course there are beautiful lilies to love too!
Here's my card. 

I used PTI card stock in Harvest Gold, stamping the background floral in W Plus 9 Queen Bee ink. Dawn's photo shows this beautiful color much more accurately. The individual flowers were inked onto white card stock and embossed in white. I sponged Distress inks to fill them in with color. 

The pretty banner is called Bold Banner from W Plus 9, and there's a sweet coordinating set of sentiments. I used the MISTI to stamp my sentiment, and curved it a bit to fit the banner. 

How often do I mention that I love SEQUINS? I just felt this card needed some sparkle. I couldn't stop at 3. 

I'd love to hear from you and will take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Easter. Will be back tomorrow or Friday for Play Day. 

For now, I'm off to play outside while the sun is still shining. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!