Hello for a Sweet Friend

Hello to you! 
I'm happy to be finding just a bit of time each day to craft. Today I tried something new, hope you like it! 
I began with the sketch in mind. I wanted to try a new technique of making a background with inks. Beginning with lemon images in mind, I chose the pale pastel colors but you know how things go. Had to change my plans in the middle! 

I used a paper towel saturated with Distress Oxide inks and spritzed with water for the background, created on white card stock. If you look closely you can glimpse the texture of the paper towel in places. This looks pretty neat IRL! 

I used the Hand -Lettered Hello stamps and dies, and the Tossed Florals Border Die from WPlus9. All card stock used is white, and was inked for color. I added a hint of yellow with pale sequins.

Entering today's card at 
CAS Mix Up Challenge 

CAS(E) This Sketch

Thanks so much for your visit! Have a wonderful day!

MFT: Wednesday Sketch Challenge

I pick you.
I love this simple sweet sentiment. Couldn't resist coloring up this pig-tailed cutie for the Wednesday Sketch Challenge at MFT. 

She's part of the Love You to the Core set from MFT and I used Copics to color her. 

For the pale blue background behind her I tried the inky paper towel technique shared HERE at the CAS Mix Up Challenge. Hope to try again with a very CAS card to enter the challenge next. 

Have a wonderful day!

For All You've Done

Just breezing by with another card to share! Card blog challenges have sure been boosting my creativity and I'm loving it. 

My Thank You card was made quickly and it will be easy to mail too. Not a sequin or jewel on it, HA! Just stamps paper and ink and a bit of twine. 

The die cut greenery (Gathered Garden stamps and dies from Papertrey Ink) form an elegant silhouette. 

I'm happy to be entering it in these challenges: 

Freshly Made Sketches

The Paper Players 

The Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Midsummer Blues 

Keeping this short sweet and simple today. Have a wonderful weekend! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Shimmering Butterfly Mandala

There is nothing I like better than trying out new products and new techniques. Always learning something new and having the ability to play are two of the factors that keep me in love with stamping! 
You can see the result in today's card.

I began by embossing the Butterfly Mandala stamp (WPlus9) in white onto Ranger Distress Watercolor Paper. This is a huge stamp that is intricate in detail and covers most of a card front with lacy leaves and butterflies in a circular shape. Isn't it gorgeous?

Then I added Nuvo Shimmer Powders in Atlantis Burst and Falling Leaves. When you sprinkle the tiniest bits of these powders and add water, they burst into many colors and flow together to blend beautifully. The result is AMAZING! Varying the placement of the powder and the amount of water enables you to watercolor a gorgeous background. I can't wait to do this again! 

This card was sent to a friend who is quite amazing herself. I die cut the sentiment, using three layers of the die to give dimensions. I doubt using the sequins was a good idea in the end for this card. But you know I just couldn't resist a bit more sparkle. 

Thanks so much for taking time to visit my blog. I hope you have a fabulous day!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Color Throwdown #556

Hey there! I'm super happy to be The Guest Star Stamper for the challenge at Color Throwdown today. The talented stampers in this group provide a new color combo and wonderful inspiration for using it each week. I love playing along! Here's this week's challenge.

I was completely taken with the soft nubby look of the fabric and embroidery on the pale green bag. I went looking for stamps to use and came up with an oldie but goodie set, Fresh Cut Florals and paired it up with the fresh new sentiments from Butterfly Mandala (both from WPlus9).

Adding a vertical strip of kraft paper adorned with gold stripes gave a hint of elegance. I carried this over by embossing the sentiment in gold and adding three dots with gold embossing at the bottom of the card. Just a bit of shimmer pen was added to the sentiment for sparkle.

I really enjoyed using an older set made fresh with newer elements. It feels good using what I have and giving the retro stamps some love. They will always be in style!

Thanks to the team at Color Throwdown for a great combo. Make sure to check their site to see the array of beautiful projects. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 
          Make something beautiful!

And lucky me, it's Anything Goes week so I can add this to the Retro Rubber Challenge. I got Fresh Cut Florals in 2013.

Sending Many Hugs

Hello, welcome to my blog and a brand new week! 
You know I'm not a huge fan of purple, right? But since I am loving challenges, I challenged myself to include purple in today's color combo. 

Turns out I'm loving it with the mix of hues that I saw on THIS gorgeous card by Dawn Woleslagle that inspired me. 

I used the My Whole Life stamps and dies, and inks from WPlus9 to create the florals. Keeping the colors the focus was my desire. Applying ink to the stamps and die cut sentiment with sponges helped to keep the colors softer. I also sponged ink using a stencil to create the striped background. 

I added a few pearls and a border die for bells and whistles. 
Thanks so much for joining me today! Wishing you a fabulous day, friends.

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

I'm playing along at the Simon Says Challenge: Add a Die

A Woodland Scene

Hi there!
The other day I just wanted to do some inking for fun, trying out a new color combo. Of course I had to finish it into a card, so next I went looking for images that worked well with it.

Turns out I had Copic colored some critters for practice on our recent road trip so I mounted them up for this card. 

For the inside I will complete the sentiment with "Wishing you a fun-filled day!" 

That is also my wish for you friends, on this Wednesday. I appreciate your visit so very much. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps:  Pretty Pink Posh - Woodland Critters and dies (2017), Sentiments are from WPlus9

INK:Simon Says Stamp - Intense Black, DOX - Squeezed lemon, Worn Lipstick, Abandoned Coral

Accessories: Nuvo Enamel Drops, White Gouache, White Gel pen, white embossing powder

Playing along at: 
Retro Rubber Challenge 

I love Jan's tic tac toe choices! Completed the top row across, and the bottom row across with my stamps from Nov. 2017.