Summer Swim

This card was so much fun to make. I love the colors and the image is just darling! I colored the little guy with Copics and cut the whole thing out to layer onto matted ovals. All the DP is stamped, every single one! The plaid background was created with one of Waltzingmouse's background stamps, stamped vertically and horizontally in two colors. The polka dot papers were also done with stamps from WMS.

I added Liquid Glass to the water in the pool, it looks so awesome IRL! You can just barely see it in this close up.

The jumbo ric rac is cut from my own stash of dyed wool felt with MFT's new ric rac die. Reminds me of waves, so it ties in beautifully with this card.

Thanks for looking!

Stamps: Digi illustration from Mo's Digital Pencil, Waltzingmouse Stamps
Ink: CTMH, PTI
Paper: Heavenly White, Gina K
Accessories: MFT jumbo ric rac die, Oval Nestabilities, wide polka dot ribbon, EK Success bubbles edge punch, Liquid Glass, Copics

Lili of the Valley Thursday Challenge

Hey everyone! There's another sketch challenge going on over at the LOTV Thursday Challenge blog. This week is another sketch by Dawny:

The rules are simple, just make a card using the sketch and a LOTV stamp or die cut and add your blog post, or gallery link with Mr. Linky to the list. You could win 2 free stamps of your choice! 

Here is my card for this challenge. 

I seem to be having an obsession with all things tea related lately. I have at least 4 tea stamp sets, because everyone just keeps coming out with more and more awesome tea sets! So this darling 'Tea Party' stamp was one of my favorites from the newest LOTV release. I colored the image with Copics. I decided to make it into an easel card because I just love being able to display the card front and inside at the same time. I always make sure to leave a blank area above the sentiment inside the card for a personal message and signature too. Here's a closer look at the card:

Once again I made a little wool felt rosebud to embellish the tiny tag. I always feel uncomfortable using a large amount of flowers on my cards for some reason, don't ask me why, LOL! So this tiny one suits me just fine.

I hope it inspires you to make your own card to join in our challenge, thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Stamps: Lili of the Valley, Waltzingmouse Stamps
Ink: Memento, Perfect Match
Paper: My Mind's Eye, Neenah, PTI
Accessories: Spellbinders Labels & Nestabilities, Copic Sketch and Spica markers, EK Success diamond scallop edge punch, Martha Stewart Tiny Tag punch, wool felt, pearl seed bead, needle, thread, PTI ribbon

A Perfect Rose

I knew that Nicole Heady would design the most perfect rose stamp set for the latest addition to the Year of Flowers series, but when I actually saw it, it took my breath away! Absolutely perfect in every way! I really wanted to color this rose in with colored pencils, because I seem to get the best shading with that technique, but I was too impatient. I wanted something fast to see its potential. So I chose the simplest, fastest coloring technique I knew of. White embossed and sponged inks. 

How stunning does this look?!! I am over the moon for this card, I absolutely love it. The colors just seemed to come together on their own. I normally choose the DP before I color anything, but this time I knew I wanted a peach/pink rose and I said the heck with it, I'll find the paper later. It took me HOURS to find the right paper. I think I went through every-single-piece-of-patterned-paper I own, lol! I finally found this old piece from K & Co. and when I held the finished rose to it, I knew it was perfect.
The rest is history, came together in a jiffy after that! I love this combo so much I'm thinking of making a framed shadowbox thing-y to hang on my wall. I don't do that very often, surprisingly enough, although I should do something with my favorite projects instead of leaving them hidden away in a box.
Hope you like it too, thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Papertrey Ink, Waltzingmouse Stamps
Ink: Versamark, Adirondack
Paper: PTI, K & Co., vellum
Accessories: EK Success edge punch, Martha Stewart edge punch, Spellbinders, dyed seam binding ribbon, PTI button, pearls, sponge daubers, Stickles, white EP

Happy Father's Day

Good morning everyone! I wanted to show you the card I made for my Dad, which I sent out last week thinking last Sunday was Father's Day! LOL! I probably confused the heck out of him.

Anyway, I used one of my favorite lighthouse stamps from Stamps Happen. I colored it with colored pencils, in sunset colors. Because this stamp is so big, the rest of the card hardly needs anything else. A bit of ribbon, a metal embellishment, not much else. The background paper was just a piece of Core'dinations Whitewash cardstock embossed with the Herringbone embossing folder and sanded down to reveal the color layer. Love that stuff....
Here's a closer look at the lighthouse:

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there, and thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Stamps Happen

Ink: Memento, Distress

Paper: Bristol vellum, Core'dinations, SU, PTI

Accessories: PTI stitched ribbon, SU hardware, colored pencils, OMS, Tonic corner rounder, Cuttlebug EF

Wild Thing

Good morning everyone! I want to share this seriously cute card I made the other day, using the Wild Thing stamp set from My Favorite Things. You know, 6 months ago if I had been asked to make a card for a little boy I would have had a really hard time doing so. I think I had one stamp that I could've used. Today, with all the new designs coming out with the little boy in mind, I'm happy to say I'm very well prepared!

This little guy is just so stinkin' cute, I had to add the set to my collection. I immediately thought of this paper from My Mind's Eye. The zig zag stripes reminded me of reptiles, for some reason, LOL.

So I paper pieced the dino suit, did a bit of Gray shading with Copics, and he's as scary cute as can be. Of course, for the card background I knew I had to use the Cuttlebug Mosaic folder, and emboss the whole thing with clear EP. (Thanks to the faux leather wallet tutorial on SCS). Looks just like T-Rex skin!

Hope you like it, thanks for visiting!

Stamps: MFT
Ink: Memento, Versamark
Paper: PTI, My Mind's Eye
Accessories: MFT Jumbo ric rac die, PTI rickrack die, Cuttlebug Mosaic EF, Clear Embossing powder, Copics, EK Success edge punch, wool felt

Impression Obsession Red Color Challenge

Good morning everyone! It's time for another challenge over at the IO blog, this time it's the color RED! I usually only use red at Christmas and Valentine's Day, so this is a bit of 'challenge' for me. 

Now onto my card:

I decided I wanted to layer this Flower 2 (just released!)stamp several times, and the thought of coloring and blending each one many times over made me shudder, lol! So I white embossed them instead, and used a sponge dauber to apply the ink. I used Adirondack Cranberry and Watermelon inks, both pretty reds. I love the instant gradation of color you get with sponging ink on, so easy! Just lightly swirl your sponge in a circular motion starting from the center out and you get a natural shading effect. The leaves (Slihouette 7 and Silhouette 2) & behind the flowers were stamped first, in Antique Linen Distress ink. 

The polka dot DP was stamped as well, using Cover-a-Card background stamps. First I stamped the CAC Gradation in Antique Linen Distress Ink, then I stamped directly over it with the Large Polka Dot CAC in Cranberry.
Interesting color combo, eh? I knew that Red was a very strong color, so I used it sparingly and with lots of neutrals. I think it's pretty effective though, I'm liking this card a lot!

You can play along in our red challenge too, check out the details on the IO blog. There is a chance you could win some IO bucks, and trust me, there a bunch of new stamps you have got to see!
For more inspiration, check out the rest of the DT ladies' blogs:

1. Daniela Dobson
2. Deborah March
3. Dina Kowal
4. Jeanne Streiff
5. Jenny Gropp
6. Julie Koerber
7. Laura Fulcher
8. Rosemary Marino

Year of Flowers....Violet

Can you tell I love Papertrey's Year of Flowers? I'm a little behind with this one, the Violet. I actually didn't realize I wanted the whole series of stamps until the Sweet Pea and Daffodil stamp sets came out. Once I got those, I said to myself might as well get the whole YOF sets. They're just going to get more and more beautiful, lol!

I colored the Violet with Copics, which wasn't really that easy, to be perfectly honest. Lots of large open areas to color in and blend smoothly. Takes a looooong time. I used some pretty Memory Box papers with lovely blue-violet, lavender and spring greens. The blue-violet reminds me of the color of my favorite kind of hydrangeas. I love that particular color so much, but have a really, really hard time recreating it with any sort of media. It's a cross between lavender and blue-violet that I have no name for, but just takes my breath away when I see it. Oh well, I'll keep trying till I get it!

Hope you like it, thanks for visiting my little world!

Stamps: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Memento, Perfect Match
Paper: PTI, Memory Box, Core'dinations
Accessories: EK Success edge punch, silk ribbon, Copics, Liquid Pearls, Stickles, Spellbinders Labels 1

Bundle of joy

Good morning everyone! I have a sweet little baby card to share with you all today. This image is from Lili of the Valley's newest release, and it is just darling! I don't have too many stamps of babies, so I was glad to see this one when it came out. 

This was very easy to color in with my Copics, just a few colors to work with. I added a little bit of sparkle with some Stickles to the babies footie pajamas. 

You know what I absolutely love on this card, though? If you guessed the little rosebuds, you'd be correct! I'm a fan of Betsy Veldman's blog and when I saw the little felt rosebuds she created a little while ago, I fell in love with them! They're just a strip of felt cut out with a rick rack die, and rolled into a little rose. Simple! I just cut out the little leaves freehand from scraps of pale green wool felt I dyed a long time ago. I glued the rosebuds into a little cluster in one corner of the card and attached the little punched tag to it.
The background paper was stamped with Impression Obsession's Cover-a-Card stamps so everything coordinates perfectly!

Thanks for looking, have a great day!

Stamps: Lili of the Valley, Impression Obsession (CAC Lg. Polka Dots, CAC Distressed Corduroy.) Papertrey Ink sentiment
Ink: Memento, Distress, Perfect Match
Paper: Heavenly White, PTI, Core'dinations
Accessories: Martha Stewart Modern Garland & tiny tag punches, twill ribbon, Copics, Stickles, felt, PTI rick rack & scallop dies, thread, needle, pearl seed beads

A little different.

I needed a get well card for someone who loves primitive folk art, so I dug into the stash and found this set from Cornish Heritage Farms I've had forever. I stamped all the images in Versamark and embossed it in brown embossing powder. I put in the hills with a Versamark pen. Then I simply sponged Distress inks to color it in.

I used the checkerboard stamp from one of  Waltzingmouse Stamps sets, and added the faux stitching as well.
Here's a closer look at the sponging:

Some gingham ribbon, twine, a button and a tag I printed the sentiment on and I call it done. Love the earthy colors and simple images, so nostalgic!

Gotta run, thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Cornish Heritage Farms, Waltzingmouse Stamps
Ink: Versamark, Distress, Memento
Paper: PTI, SU
Accessories: Fiskars apron lace punch, gingham ribbon, button, twine, embossing powder, Stickles, antique silver brads

LOTV Thursday Challenge

It's my first challenge on the Lili of the Valley team. We had a sketch to follow (see here), and maybe to incorporate some flowers. Hmmmm.... try as I might, I couldn't see this little guy sporting flowers at all.  

So I opted for a floral pattern paper--sorta.

I used this adorable little sailing boat guy, colored with my beloved colored pencils. I paper pieced the sails for the boat with PTI's patterned paper. I added some shading on them with some Cool Gray Copics, just to give it some dimension.
Here's a closer look at the darling boy:

Now, go check out the other cards made by the rest of the talented DT ladies, take a look at the rules/guidelines for the challenge, and then make your own card to enter. You could win an awesome prize for some gorgeous flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Lili of the Valley, Papertrey Ink sentiment

Ink: Memento

Paper: Heavenly White, Bristol vellum, Core'dinations, Papertrey Ink

Accessories: Colored pencils, OMS, Cuttlebug mosaic embossing folder, white grosgrain ribbon, pearls, Copic sketch/Spica markers, SU word window punch

Splish Splash

I've got another sweet Lili of the Vally card to share with you today. Does the background look familiar at all? It should, I've used this tile technique a few times. I learned it from Mel Stampz blog.
I colored the bunny in the bucket with my colored pencils, and cut him out to adhere right to the tile BG. The 'tiles' are squares of patterned paper I cut out, then coated with Versamark and clear embossed with UTEE. They were all glued down with onto cream paper and cut out with my labels die.

All those little bubbles are clear Dew Drops and clear seed beads, glued down with plenty of Liquid Glass. That stuff really holds well!

Hope you like it, thanks for looking!

Stamps: Lili of the Valley

Ink: Memento, Versamark

Paper: My Mind's Eye, PTI, Heavenly White, Bristol vellum

Accessories: Spellbinders Labels 1, EK Success edge punch, Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel, colored pencils, OMS, seam binding, button, Dew Drops, clear seed beads

Relax...it's your day.

Good morning everyone! Thank you for all the really sweet comments over the past week or so, they just make me feel so warm and fuzzy all over! I love to share my stuff with the world, and it's a huge boost if other people like it as much as I do!

There really aren't too many cute boy stamps out there, which is a huge problem for all the little boys who need cards! Which is why I love Lili of the Valley's amazing stamps. The little boys are almost as cute, if not cuter than the little girls! This little guy sitting under a tree having a snooze after reading his newspaper is a perfect example. I think it would be pretty funny to give this to a man, who just happens to know all about frequent naps, LOL!

I colored him with colored pencils, and layered the image onto some woodgrain embossed Core'dinations paper that I've sanded to reveal the 'grain'. Love that woodgrain impression plate, I have no problems making masculine cards now that I have it!

I printed the sentiment out on my computer, and used a McGill label punch to mount it on. The leaf patterned paper is from one of PTI's paper pads. Instead of a bow, I used some striped ribbon threaded through a PTI button to make this embellishment. I tucked a couple of leaves punched with Martha Stewart's leaf punch behind the button just to tie in with the leaf pattern paper. 

BTW, in case you haven't noticed the little banner in my sidebar, I've been invited to join the LOTV Challenge Blog design team! WOOT! How could I say no when I'm already a LOTV addict?! So you'll be seeing me playing along with the bi-weekly challenges. 

Well, that's all the news for today. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Lili of the Valley

Ink: Memento, Distress

Paper: PTI, Heavenly White, Core'dinations, Bristol vellum

Accessories: striped grosgrain ribbon, PTI button, colored pencils, OMS, Martha Stewart leaf punch, PTI woodgrain impression plate, McGill label punch

Smiles across the miles...

This is such a fun card, who doesn't love hot air balloons?! They're just made to make you smile!  For this card I stamped a piece of Memory Box cardstock with the clouds in white. I wanted a really pale blue color for the sky instead of the deeper Aqua Mist or Spring Rain. I finally used my cloud dies on felt, and added a little stitching around their edges with embroidery floss. 

I colored the balloons with Copics, glittered them up with some Stickles, too. I did that ribbon thing-y that Nichole Heady does a lot on her cards. I like it, very different from the usual bows. 

Thanks for looking, Happy Friday everyone!

Stamps: PTI

Ink: Memento, Perfect Match

Paper: Memory Box, PTI

Accessories: Spellbinders tags, Hero Arts pearls, striped ribbon, Copics, Stickles, wool felt, DMC floss

Impression Obsession Challenge- Let's Go to the Beach!

It's time for another IO challenge. This week's theme is a beach or nautical themed card. This is easy for me, because I LOVE lighthouses! Here's my card:

I used this gorgeous 'Rowboat' stamp image and colored it with Copics. I was having a hard time coming up with patterned paper appropriate for a nautical theme, until I remembered I had this woodgrain impression plate from PTI. I ran it through with some Core'dinations Whitewash paper and sanded away to reveal the red grain. I LOVE this paper! Doesn't it look like some old, weathered, painted wood?!

Then I rummaged through my huge stash of craft supplies and found some of this white cord. Perfect for a nautical rope embellishment. I threaded it through some eyelets and left the ends to fray like real rope. I desperately wanted to add an anchor charm, or a ship wheel, but had nothing like it. :-( If I come across one, I'm adding it to this card later on. 

Thanks for visiting!

You can play along in our challenge too, and win some IO bucks for the Impression Obsession store! Read all the details on the IO blog. Then you can check out all the other beach cards created by our design team ladies for more inspiration!

• Daniela
• Jeanne
• Jenny
• Julie
• Laura
• Dina

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Impression Obsession 'Rowboat'

Paper: Core'dinations, Bazzill, PTI, Heavenly White

Accessories: Copics, white cord, eyelets, PTI woodgrain impression plate

Spring Lilies

I am really enjoying PTI's year of flowers stamp sets. I just wish they were all released so that I could create a gorgeous calendar for each month! Especially for the month of June, which HAS to be a rose set! Waiting is such sweet torture...

This card is all PTI, colored with Copics. Oh, except for the ribbon! I'm sure you all have been seeing this unique kind of crinkled ribbon around. I first saw Melissa Phillips using it on her cards and loved it, but just didn't want to buy a bunch of colors when I already have TONS of ribbon that I need to use! Well, I had been using regular colored seam binding for a long time, Etsy has tons of sellers who have the most gorgeous color collections, and I happened to have a lot of white laying around unused. I looked up how to dye it and crinkle it myself, and just dyed a bunch of my own in colors that I wanted. It's really simple, you can get like a 100 yard roll of white on Ebay for less than $8, then use any reinkers, or spray inks to dye your own. I did it with some homemade spray inks made with reinkers and Shimmer Mist. I just sprayed a 5 yd. length of it with some ink, squished it up into a tight little ball in my hand, put it on a paper plate and microwaved it till it dried. Dries in about 90 seconds. I usually do 30 second increments, take it out, unravel it a bit so the center doesn't stay wet, nuke it again, etc... It's so pretty, and all the custom coordinating colors...oh my!

Hope it inspires, have a great day!

Most supplies Papertrey Ink, some Copics, and white seam binding dyed with Shimmer Mist.  OH, and some Stickles and Nestabilities, too!