Happened by Accident

     This card started out by me making a background with an old Hydrangea stamp and some watercolors.  I was not quite as pleased as I had hoped, so I started building on it.  My DD is in the process of packing to move, so she sent me her scraps and little unfinished elements.  I saw this loopy panel made with a Martha Stewart punch and decided to put that over my watercolor.  I sponged the edges to make it blend and added a sentiment by Hot Off the Press.

     It was then that I realized what a pretty sympathy card this could become.  I added vine dies on either side and used some SU mini punch flowers to the vines.  I centered a Adirondack chair from Impression Obsession, as my focal point.  There are a few gems added to the flowers as centers.

     I decided to take this over to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, which is Anything Goes, this week.  I also found that Repeat Impressions at The House That Stamps Built is an Anything Goes this week!

     I was happy at how this came out.  Always need a few of this type card to fall back on.  Using what is within reach also reduces clutter!  Yes I have desk clutter!  Thanks for the visit.
 

A Little Bit of Watercolor.

     Since Distress Inks have come on the scene, it has made it much easier to create some fun watercolor backgrounds.  I made this card for Tuesday Morning Sketches #450, which this week is sketchless and looking for water coloring.  You also have the option to use an older sketch.

     I started with some Bristol Smooth watercolor paper, 3 blue inks, and a spray bottle.  The colors are Faded Jeans, Salty Ocean and Peacock Feathers.  I chose the stamp set from SU called Thoughtful Branches.  Black stamping was done with Hero Arts Intense Black ink, and the white was done with Versamark and WOW white embossing powder.  My sentiment is stamped on a Gina Marie stitched circle.  My watercolor panel was then mounted on a white A2 card base.

     I am also a little sad that one of my favorite inspirations from the TMS design team is stepping down.  Best of luck in your new adventures, Janice! 

     Have a wonderful Thursday, and thanks for the fly by!

Ahoy There!

     Today I have a card that I created for the challenge at Shopping Our Stash #350, called Yo Dude!  All those that think that Ahoy There is the same kind of greeting as Yo, Dude, raise your hand.  LOL!

     I looked and looked for a background with a bright moon, and ended up printing it from Pinterest.  I layered that on white and began building.  My cloud, fishing boat, and sea gull dies are all from Ebay.  The gulls were colored with Copic markers.  The windows on my boat were filled in with Glossy accents, and silver beads were added as accents.  All of the stamps used were from Sheena Douglass and her Sea View collection.  I stamped some waves with Unicorn White ink and did my sentiment with WOW embossing powder.  The inside says, Happy Birthday, Mate.

     Thanks for sharing your Sunday with me, and I hope to see you again real soon!

Friendship!

     Today I have a card that I made some time ago and never got to post.  I would like to enter this over at the Double D Challenge blog with the theme of Friendship.

     My card starts with a base of Bazzill textured green card stock and a splattered background I created with SU re-inkers!  My stamp set is from Fiskars called Perfect Blend.  This set was a gift from a dear stamping friend, who wanted to recycle it.  You never have enough coffee stamps, I say!I cut 2 sizes of stitched circles and used the solid as a base for my stamping.  My flowers were fussy cut from a scrap of designer paper.

     That is it for me today.  We made it to Friday!  YAY!  Thanks for stopping by.

Bookworm

     Here we are, and it is Thursday, already!  This week, the sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches is # 449, and is a bit of a CAS design.  Since I have trouble with CAS, I added a couple extra doo-dads!

     I used a stamp set called Bookworm from Clearly Besotted stamps, and an apple from Impression Obsession.  My card base is 110 lb. black from Michael's and I layered it with dp from Basic Grey's PB&J collection.  I miss you, Basic Grey!  I used Glossy Accents on the glasses and added a few silver half beads.

     My DGS is a book addict, so I thought this would be cute to send to him.  I have gotten away from reading, and sometimes I really miss it. 

     The weekend is within reach, and I hope everyone has something fun planned.  Thanks for stopping by.

House Mouse Challenge

   
     Before my hands started giving me issues, I always entered The House Mouse Challenge #264. It is Anything Goes with the option of Let's Eat!   They were one of the stamp brands that I started collecting way back in the early 90's.  When I saw the newest challenge, I decided to give it a try.

     I started with kraft card base, and a layer of wood designer paper from JoAnn's Fabric.  I stamped my mouse image with Hero Arts Intense Black ink, and began coloring with Copic markers.  There was also some sponging done to create my clouds.  The image is a stamp called Balanced Diet, from 2010.  I cut it out with a wonky stitched die, added some colored die cut corners, and the word YUM which I coated in glossy accents.  For accents I added some sparkle to the sprinkles and pearls to my flowers.

     Here is hoping you enjoy what I created!  It felt really good to use my House Mouse stamps again.

Playing this Weekend.

     This week, my DH stopped at the book store and surprised me with a magazine packed full of fun!  It has stamps, papers, die cuts, and an assortment of ideas! It even has some blank cards and envies! I used this kit  to create my card for this weeks TMS #448. 

     This is the sketch that needs to be followed, and I did so using stitched circle dies, from Gina Marie, an embossing folder by Sizzix, Intense Black ink from Hero Arts, with Copic markers.  For embellishments, I used a satin bow and some Nuvo Drops.

     I find it funny that I can not find the maker of the stamp set included.  That seems a wee bit odd to me, as you would think they would love the shout out.  The magazine is called Make Special Cards.

     Well, my thermometer peaked at 87, here yesterday.  It felt so nice and all of the trees rushed to blossom.  Today is is barely 40 and the heater is pumping away.  I guess we need to be happy that we are not getting the mid-west blizzard!  Have a great day!

Headed to the Beach!

     I had recently started on some Father's Day cards and one of them is beachy.  I would like to enter this over at the Shopping Our Stash Challenge #349, called Headed to the Beach.

     Recently I have been excited to use metallic card stock.  I guess because I have not been buying it one sheet at a time, and waiting for a coupon to do so.  I have purchased large packages on HSN and do not regret it one bit!  My designer paper is From Carta Bella called Ahoy There.  My dies are from Darice, and were cut from scraps, with one of them being textured card from Bazzill.  The sentiment is from a stamp set from My Sentiments Exactly, Father's Day Innies and Outies, and stamped in Midnight Muse ink from SU.  I used a hole punch on some gold to make my rivets, and tied twine for my anchors.

     Want to shout out that we are having a couple of  warm days, finally!  I am sure it will be short lived, as Sunday is suppose to dip back down.  My bones just want to feel warm!  Glad you visited and hope you have a great
weekend!

B+W+1

     Today I would like to share a card I recently created for my DD's birthday.  Since this winter has been insane, I finally got to give it to her, this past weekend.  Her BD was early February!  Yikes!

     This card uses almost all things that have no info.  The corset stamp I created the background with, was from a collection I bought years ago, and is unmounted.  The die cuts are all from Ebay, as are the tiny, pre-tied bows I added.  My daughter sentiment and it's frame are from Anna Griffin, with the funny sentiment being from Art Impressions.  I added tiny opaque gems as studs.  Sorry that is not more informative.

     I will be adding this to the Shopping Our Stash Challenge #348, which is Black & White plus 1 color.  Mine is pink!

     I appreciate the visit, and I hope to see you again soon!  Have a great weekend!

A Birthday Creation

   
     Today I have a birthday card to share with you.  I had great fun making this one with things that have all been laying around.  I started with a layer of designer paper from Making Memories.  I then cut a slightly smaller white panel and stenciled it with butterflies.  My stencil is from the Dollar Tree, and used dirty sponges of blue and orange.  The ink is anyone's guess....LOL. 

     Next I found a die cut from Diamond Press, which I had made earlier , and added the Let's Celebrate.  My flower die cuts are from Simon Says Stamp called Fresh Daisies.  They were cut from a left over scrap of the blue, the stems colored, and the dots added with a white gel pen.  My Happy Birthday is from the Sunshine Sayings stamp set by SU!.  I added some matching blue sequins for bling.

     I would like to enter this over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, which is Happy Birthday!

     That is it for this morning.  Hope your day is wonderful!  It is Friday, so that is always a good sign!

Celebrate!

     Happy Thursday, my crafty friends!  Today I have a card that I would like to enter in this weeks Double D Challenge, which is called the "Twine Challenge".  It is just what it says.  Use twine on your project.

     My card was created a bit ago, but it was never posted.  I remember finding this lovely piece of double sided, designer paper in my stash. (My friend Carol told me the name...Soho Garden by American Crafts)  I adored the color combo and I went with it!  I also used a deckle edge panel and cut a hole in it with a SB circle die, to let the paper show through.  A banner was cut for the top and the bakers twine bow was added.  My stamps are from Stampin Up! set called "Beautiful You".  I water colored my image with a water brush and inks.  A bit of shine was added to the puddle.

     Yesterday we survived horrid winds and today we are back to frigid temps.  Is it really April?  I have seen the "S" word in the extended forecast quit a few times into next week.  Today is the parade for Villanova, for their National Championship, Opening day for the Phillies, and a real good day to either join the fun or avoid Philadelphia!  I think I will get my thrills by TV.

TMS #447

     This week I have a card for the Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge #447.  I sat and pondered this one and decided to do something cute and happy.  When I stepped back and reviewed this card, I decided I will save this for one of the zillion kids birthday cards I am asked to make.  There is that big old blank spot in the right hand corner, where I can stick an age die cut!  Besides, who does not love a unicorn?

     My card base is black with a layer of gifted card stock, from my friend Carol.  I love the texture and color.   Next I added an oval from MFT called inside out stitched ovals. There were 2 strips of lime green gingham dp added, from my scrap bin.  My castle was bought on Ebay, so I am unsure of the maker.  That was cut from a pewter metallic card stock.  Then we get to the Unicorn and sentiment, which were both stamped from The Greeting Farm set called Magical Friends.  I colored with Copic markers and used Diamond Stickles for sparkle.   The last embellishment was gems added to my sentiment.

     I hope you like what I came up with, and am happy you stopped by.  This morning I got to post since the fog is too thick for me to drive to work yet.  Hoping it lifts soon!

Happy Easter!

     May the joy of springtime fill you with a refreshed feeling and fill your days with happiness!  Enjoying my family today, and I will see you again soon.