Do you love your four-legged friends?

 Hello! Thanks for stopping in for a visit today. For those in the US, it's a day to take a break from our labors. That's a great reason for me to spend time in the craft room. I appreciate that you spend a bit of your valuable time here on my blog. I am grateful for every one of you! 

I do love my four-legged friends. We are without a dog now, but I hug lots of other people's dogs! We also have deer that come by our back yard every day to enjoy. The Paper Players asked for us to play along with the theme of four-legged friends this week and I did just that. 

I have quite a few new sets from Penny Back that I bought to encourage myself in two ways. First, I want to practice my watercolor skills with paints, and they have so many pretty and cute (like this bear!) line art images. I will practice, and practice some more! 

I stamped the image with Warm Wool ink (WPlus9). This is my favorite ink for a soft outline that looks black. I stamped onto Canson Water color paper, and used Distress re-inkers to color, adding some sponging for the sky, and a few details with Prismacolor watercolor pencils. I did a bit of masking when adding the sky. 

Secondly, I want to try to simplify my stamping processes. I can stamp images in batches, and color them when I have a short span of time, not needing to complete a card in one sitting. I'd LIKE to go more to a clean and simple style, but we will need to wait and see if that happens! 

Entering these challenges:

The Paper Players 

NBUS  Critter Crazy Challenge SSSWednesday Challenge  AAA Birthday - animals and 
PBS Saturday Challenge 

That's it from me for now, have a wonderful day! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft!
                 Make something beautiful!  

Penny Black supplies used: Stamp - Showered in love, includes sentiment; Background Basics stencils

All Abloom for The Flower Challenge!

 Hello friends and crafty colleagues, I hope you are doing well today and enjoying doing what you love. 

I LOVE flowers and today I am announcing that I've been asked to design for The Flower Challenge! Our challenge extends all month long with a mid month post featuring a second design from each team member for further inspiration and encouragement. Our goal is always to give an enthusiastic nudge so you can play along! 

For Challenge #84 we are asking you to use a die and make a card where flowers are your main feature. That's easy, isn't it? 

For my card, I've pulled out the new stamp called Abloom and the matching die, and used Altenew watercolors to color.

Paired it with pretty papers from Honey Bee stamps and tied it up with a bow! 

Please visit the blog HERE to see the fabulous DT samples. Watercoloring and flowers are a happy place for me, I look forward to posting more each month.

For now, I'll say 'Bye! til next time. 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

 I am happily adding this to the gallery at NBUS as the stamp and die are brand new! 

Color Hues #71 Thanks

It's good to be with you on this first day of September! I love this month, the back-to-school time brings happy memories. And its the beginning of my favorite season. At Color Hues new challenge, Tracey has chosen Tangerine and Violet. Could be for a fall vibe? Or maybe you'd choose a Halloween theme? 

 I'm happy to be playing with a few supplies from my new goodies pile. I wanted to use the Postal Collage Bundle and the colors lead me in the direction of fall elements. How about leaf dies?

My thank you card was so much fun to put together. I can't wait to use the Postal Collage stencils to make a colorful bunch of paper stamps.

Please join us to play along, this is sure to be a great challenge! I hope to see you in the gallery. Thanks so much for your visit today. 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies: Concord & 9th card stock and Leafy Layers Dies

Sending Smiles for Freshly Made Sketches!

 There's a party going on and I'm not too late to join the fun! Freshly Made Sketches is celebrating their 600th sketch! This fabulous team of talented card-makers has inspired and delighted us for 12 years! 

I had to pop in and share a card for this big occasion. 

I pulled out autumn - themed dies and watercolors and created my card using the sketch as the starting point.  I've often played along at Freshly Made, and hope they continue their challenge for many more sketches to come!

Card supplies: 
I used Distress Ink reinkers to watercolor on watercolor card stock for the die cuts
Curio Autumn Finding Die and Rustic Wreath Twigs Die from The Greetery
Card stock: Peacock from Concord & 9th
Stamps: Paper Hugs Transparent Stamps from Penny Black

Thanks so much for visiting today! I hope you are having a wonderful day and I'm sending some hugs and smiles your way. 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Bold HELLO for Color Hues #70

 It's time for another duo at Color Hues and for this fortnight Stef has chosen red and yellow for us! A wonderful bright set of colors to pair and use at the end of summer. I went bold and bright with my card. You may need your shades, lol!

I really had fun putting this together using some new and some older supplies. I'm loving the Concord & 9th Markered Messages Dies and the Markered Turnabout Stamp set. Pulling out the cute pup from the Wish Happiness set (Colorado Craft Company) I added a bit of color and whimsy to the card as if he was painting the note.

My stripes are from PTI papers. The yellow was hard to photograph, hope you don't mind. IRL it's not quite so florescent-looking.

Joining us today, please welcome our guest designer Annette, and be sure to check out the gallery! We hope you will play along too. 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Playing the challenge at NBUS as the stamps and dies are brand new!

Bring Joy

 Hello, and welcome to a new day! It makes me smile to know you're stopping by.

I saw the fabulous samples at The Paper Players and was inspired to play along! It's been awhile since I've made a slimline card, I had fun creating this one. 

I stamped the bear image in black ink and added clear embossing powder. Using my zigs I added color and fussy cut her out. To create the scene, I lightly sponged blue ink over a clouds stencil and used die cuts to add borders of green grass and stitched clouds. 

The Players featured a tic-tac-toe board. I followed the diagonal row: flowers, die cuts, slimline. Wishing you a wonderful day. Until next time! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

The stamps I used are: Meadow 40-900, Happy Builder 40-474, Bring Joy 30-978 

Adding this also to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge 

Starfish Wishes for Color Hues #69

Hi there! I know that it seems as if summer is over. That may be true in the stores who have back-to-school and fall things on display. In my book, on August 1, we still have a good month of summer left and I'm going to enjoy every minute. 

At Color Hues, we are starting the month with colors of Teal and Orange, chosen by Sheri! I know you will have many options for these delicious shades.

I decided to go with Sea Shells and a punny sentiment.  I used Distress inks to do some no-line watercolor, beginning with stamping the images onto watercolor card stock with pale tan ink. Next I added some spattered the panel and sponged the edges with teal. I heat embossed the sentiment on a tag wrapped with twine, and adhered a few clear bubbles completed the theme.  

 Next I added some spattered the panel and sponged the edges with teal. I heat embossed the sentiment on a tag wrapped with twine, and adhered a few clear bubbles completed the theme.   

Stamps used were Seashell, and Starfish Wishes, transparent sets from Penny Black. Distress Inks in Evergreen Bough, Peacock Feathers, Orange Marmalade, and Espresso. 

We are so grateful for those of you who fill our gallery with your amazing creations week after week. I can't wait to see what you will make! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!