A Simple Sketch - Times 2

Hello there! 
My stamping has been a bit hit or miss this fall, but somehow I got on a roll. Here's the first post to share with you! 

I used to have a category on my blog called Twice is Nice. If I found a sketch I really like it was fun to make two completely different cards with it. That's what happened with me while crafting. I couldn't stop after one card and had to make a second. 

Let me show you the sketch first, from the great designers at CAS(E) This Sketch. 

I began with wanting to place the sentiment in the sketch and then added the leaves around that to form rows. Although it is a bit busy, I like how this card turned out. 

For the second card, I went looking for a smaller image and pulled out the Whole Lotta Happy set from W Plus 9. This card is still also a bit busy, but the uniformity of the images gives it a more cohesive look. I like it so much better than the first card.

These images are so cute and I thought they'd be perfect for a rainbow themed card. You know they've been the rage for so long but until now I hadn't made one! What fun! 

Here's where the rainbow comes in, on the inside - 

This will be a congrats card for someone we love so much! The photo makes it look wonky but I promise that the image and sentiment dies are straight. Both cards give me a sense of delight in using stamps and dies that have been long lost in my stash. It is invigorating to re-discover them. The sketch inspired me to seek them out. Another reason I love sketches. 

Thanks for visiting today! It has been raining here, but I keep looking for the rainbow from my warm cozy spot. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: SSS -  Apple of my Eye;   WPlus9 - Whole Lotta Happy

More Mice-y Blessings

Hello again! Not having much time to stamp this week but in honor of Take Out Thursday (my own blogging prompt) I assembled a few images from the Harvest Mouse stamp set (MFT) that were just spread out atop my desk from last week's coloring session.

The images were colored with Inktense colored pencils and I used a water brush to blend colors and layers. Sponging the background with Distress Oxide inks, I then spattered water and dots of orange. I used Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Antique, Wild Honey and  Mustard Seed. 

This will be the last of my fall cards. Heading on to Christmas! 
Hope you're having a great day, my friends. Happy stamping. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Sweet Wishes with Merry Mug

Hello on this Saturday night! 
Although it's not when I usually post, it's not too late to join in with the Create Along with Us Challenge at PTI.  We've been inspired with so many fabulous holiday projects for the new release and I just couldn't resist getting out some goodies to play along. 

I just fell in love with this card by Betsy and especially her color combo of Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, Berry Sorbet and Navy.

I was also itching to use my snowflakes stencil from the Fairytale Christmas Kit on a sponged background. 

I sponged using Distress Oxide inks adding Embossing paste with glitter over the stencil.

How about incorporating that snowflake pattern onto the cute striped cup from the Merry Mug set? I think it worked to pull to whole design together. 

Can you tell I had a blast making my card? And it will be so sweet for that special someone. As for the pink sequins, they are my favorite!
Hope you're having wonderful weekend, Thanks so much for coming by! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Coloring with Inktense Pencils

Hello!
I knew I had taken a break from card-making and posting, but I had no IDEA it's been over 2 weeks! 
Last post I said I was puttering, and I guess I continued in that mode. A few things have been going on, and well, life happens! 

One of my creative days involved a spurt of watching videos and coloring a bunch of images with Inktense pencils. My favorites were these adorable mice from MFT (Harvest Mice). I used an aqua brush to spread the color and added a few layers of color. While it's still not the medium I'm most comfortable with, I did get better with practice. 

I learned that keeping the aqua brush just barely damp worked best. The background areas of ground and sky were sponged with Distress Oxide Inks.

The sentiment is one of such nostalgia for me because it's from a song my Mom used to sing to us. If you do a search for it, it's good for a chuckle. Makes me feel really old, lol. But then Mom lived to be 96 and never thought she was old. So sing a chorus for her!

I hope I will get back into some stamping soon. Thanks for visiting today! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

What I Love: Spattering!

Hi, it's Wednesday!

 I LOVE a day to putter - putting things away, doing a chore here and there to get my house in order, but nothing too daunting or pressured by time constraints. My time in the stamp room today involved puttering, and lots of spattering too! 

Sponging a blended background with Distress Oxide inks is one of my favorite techniques but the best part comes when I spatter it with water, then flick on a darker shade of ink, white Acrylic paint, and Gold watercolor. 

I enjoyed pulling out N-B-U-S (never before used stuff) from Neat & Tangled, the Oak Leaf set. I've always loved the mosaic look of this image. I embossed the leaf in gold, then colored it in with Zig markers and fussy cut it out. For shine I whisked the leaf with a clear glitter pen, and placed a nest of gold thread behind it. 

As always, I am grateful that you come to visit my blog. I hope to be back tomorrow! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: Neat & Tangled - Oak Leaf

Paper: Neenah Solar White, Tim Holz Distress Watercolor Paper, SU - Chocolate Chip

INK: Versamark, Distress Oxide - Candied Apple, Mustard Seed, Abandoned Coral, Fired Brick

Accessories: White and gold embossing powder, gold thread, Zig markers, White paint, Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolors 

Transformation Tuesday with Papertrey Ink

Hi there, thanks for popping in to see me on Papertrey Tuesday. It's been awhile since I was in sync with my own blog plans I had for posting Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday each week. I'm working on changing that!

I love the Transformation Tuesday Challenge at PTI where we are encouraged to do a remake on a card we have created in the past. There are lots of good reasons to do this. I find it is a tool for increasing my design skills, even if it's just to fine tune what I love and don't like. Not liking the way a card turned out is another option for re-creating it, or changing up the season or colors, for example. 

My card today has a layout that I really DID like from one card and using it again for a second card really helps when wondering what to make next. 
Here's the first card. 

And here's the remake. And the link HERE if you want to see how I made it. 

I chose to make my new card in the same layout and even using the same background DSP and die cut white piece. I added vellum on top to mute the brightness and the print a bit for my fall themed card.   I also wanted to give the style an update from elegant to more graphic. Thus, I used less layers, and instead of sequins I added twine and a wooden leaf element at the top. 

The supplies are from Papertrey Ink's Mini Market Kit: Color Pop Autumn which was in my stash. The printed die cuts were provided and it feels good to put them on a card! 

Thanks for coming by today! It's turned into a beautiful afternoon here and I will be having a time on the lake to fish this evening. Making the most of the nice weather while it lasts. 

Beautiful Butterflies

How are things going for you on this last Saturday in September? Officially it is fall, but the weather is still quite warm today! I have hated seeing summer end, but in my craft room with new stamps I can still make Beautiful Butterflies and think of summer. 

I'm popping in with a quick post using new sets from the WPlus9 release which I just love! 

Today's card uses a simple color scheme, of one color plus pops of white and black. I stamped the butterflies in Peacock Feathers and then sponged over it with Cracked Pistachio, adding details to the body with a black gel pen.

I'm sure I'll long enjoy using these hexagon dies because they  are classic, make a bold statement and I love being able to add dimension by placing the center pieces with foam tape. 

Here's the sketch that inspired my card, you can the check out the challenge HERE and see many more wonderful designs. 
That's it for me today. Enjoy your weekend! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: Beautiful Butterflies stamps and dies, Butterfly Mandala and Hello and Thanks stamps and dies for the sentiment

Paper: Neenah Solar White, SU - Bermuda Bay

INK:Simon Says Stamp - Intense Black, Distress Oxide Inks - Peacock Feathers and Cracked Pistachio

Accessories: Clear Cut Stackers Hexagons, White embossing powder