Color Block Stencils Birthday

Hello! 

Summer means stamping when I can. When a cold front hits North Carolina and the humidity disappears for a few days, it's time to be outside! The weather has been just wonderful and I took every opportunity to enjoy it. 

Today I created a birthday card which began with an ink blended background. 

 Papertrey Ink came out with a new product called Color Blocked Stencils which I explored for this card, sponging the triangle areas then stamping the chevron pattern over them in darker ink. It's a great way to pare down the layers on a card for mailing and was just plain fun!  Especially if you like ink blending as much as

 I do.

I paired it with some die cut flowers, a bold sentiment, and a few glittery  enamel dots. 

That's all for me today, I have one more card to share with you tomorrow. Hope you are enjoying a wonderful day. Thanks for your visit! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: PTI - Stitching Garden and dies, Sentiment Staples: Sending You; SU - Chevron 

Paper: Neenah Solar White, SU - Basic Black ; PTI - Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, Harvest Gold, Hibiscus Burst, Autumn Rose, Pale Peony

INK:Simon Says Stamp - Intense Black, Versamark

Accessories: PTI - Color Block Stencils, sponges, White embossing powder

Blended Ink Backgrounds

Hello crafting friends! 

Is any one besides me having their days mixed up after our holiday on the 4th? Yesterday felt like Monday to me, my days are all off.  Feels like Tuesday today. Turns out any day is a good day to pop in with a project for Make It Monday! 

Betsy's Make It Monday #327 is all about Ombre Watercolor Backgrounds. (see her video HERE sharing a fool proof and easy way to make blended backgrounds.)

I've got two cards for you today. 

For the first, I blended shades of pink and then washed them with a damp thick brush. After it had dried I used the Stencil Basics: Dots to add tone on tone design.

My second card is clean and simple, using yellows for the background. I added tone on tone stamping with two or three leaf images, and spattered white paint to add texture and detail. Well. I did get a bit carried away with splattering the paint.

For the flowers on both cards, I used the 2108 Anniversary Set: Mixed Bouquet, trimming out the blooms with my scissors. 

I will be uploading this soon. Wishing you a fabulous weekend! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something wonderful!

Inchie Elements for Make It Monday

I had so much fun making a card using Inchies that I'm thinking I just can't wait to make another one! Can you make just one? 

You can find a wonderful tutorial on the Make It Monday video by Lexi. 

I wanted to use different stamps than Lexi did and thought about it all week. Then I pulled out the panel I had on my desk using blended inks (a first attempt for THIS card) and the light bulb went on in my head. Here's my card using the Salt Air: Fauna and Reef Builder stamps and dies. 

 I love the contrast of the stark white against the colorful inchies. For a few bits of sparkle, I added iridescent confetti stars. 

It's a bit too hot here today, I am happy to be staying cool inside. Hope you are enjoying your day. Thanks so much for your visit and kind comments. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Seas the Day

Hello, crafty friends! 

This week seems to have gone by so quickly and now we are officially into summer. I've been enjoying some wonderfully fun family time including time on the lake and boating. When I got a chance to stamp, I was still in BEACH mode and made this card with the Salt Air Fauna set from  Papertrey Ink.

I masked a Bristol Smooth card panel and blended inks for the background,  spritzing with water and white acrylic paint. Coloring the Salt Air: Reef Builders die cuts with Zig markers, I began placing my scene. I placed a layer cut with a curved die and colored it to look like sand.

Except for the die cuts, this is a one layer card. I considered adding sequins but did think it best to omit them. There is some shine from Wink of Stella. I wonder if  a single pearl might be nice?

I just love these elements and can't wait to create more with them. The two step stamping results in great details and dimension. 

Thanks for coming by to visit my blog. Have a great day!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Papertrey Ink June 2018 Blog Hop

Welcome to my blog today! 
















I'm joining in with fans of Papertey Ink for the monthly Blog Hop and I'm glad you've come to visit. 

The inspiration photo was luscious and loaded with rich tones in rainbow colors, cascading sweet treats and fruity goodness. Just makes my mouth water!

For my interpretation I focused on the regal color palette, stripes (see them on the frozen pops?) and a cascading floral containing blueberries. 

I stamped directly on the card front and added a card stock panel adhered to foam to raise it higher than the stamping, a technique called set in stamping. I colored the images from the Fresh Bouquet stamps and used the dies to cut out the panel. Choosing Copic markers, I kept the coloring fairly simple and the colors bold. I added a green strip and black twine for that pop of contrast.

Hope your week is off to a great start! Thanks for stopping by.

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Life's a Beach!

Hello there, welcome to my post for Takeout Thursday. It's my day to have some creative fun and I sure did as I mixed and matched elements to make a bright beach-y scene. 

I loved the Beside the Sea clear stamps from Avery Elle, but what really sold me was the "Life's a Beach" sentiment. You know, Beach is my last name! 

Using Bristol smooth card stock, I stamped the elements in black, colored them with Zig markers and trimmed them out. I also mixed in an element or two from other sets that worked to complete the scene. The sea, sands and sky were sponged with Distress Inks and spattered with water for added texture. 

Although I didn't do too much planning this card came out just the way I envisioned it in my head. Don't you love when that happens? I really wanted it to pop with bright color.

Cheering to have added a masculine birthday card to my stash. I think this card works for anyone with a summer birthday.

It felt really good to post three projects this week. 
I am so glad that you stopped off at my blog to visit. Enjoy your day!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: Avery Elle - Beside the Sea, Stampin' Up! - Waterfront

Paper: Neenah Solar White, Bristol Smooth

INK:Simon Says Stamp - Intense Black, Ranger Distress Inks, Zig Markers

Accessories: WPlus9 - Wave Border Die

Pretty Petunias

Hi there! Hope you're having a great Wednesday.
This is the day my post focuses on what I love and flowers are at the top of the list today. Especially these pretty petunias from the WPlus9 Modern Petunias stamps and dies. 
Love the flowers, love coloring, love pink and pops of gold. Here's my card for you!

The flowers and sentiment were stamped with black ink. 
I colored the flowers using Copics, not the medium I'm most proficient with but it was good practice. I used white and black layers to frame the flowers, and added gold embossing to the edges. Of course I had to use a few gold sequins too! 

It's been so hot everywhere today. I went grocery shopping early to beat the heat. Staying inside this afternoon made for fun crafting. Hope you are staying cool where you are! 

Thanks so much for your visit today!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: Wplus9 - Modern Petunias and dies, Fresh Cut Florals; PTI - Stitch In Time Stamp set

Paper: Neenah Solar White, SU - Basic Black

INK:Simon Says Stamp - Intense Black, versa mark 

Accessories:  PTI - Stitch in Time Dies, Gold embossing powder, Copic markers