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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

The Cutting Edge Challenge #5

After reading about this challenge, I just had to try it! I love die cutting on cards. SO here is my take on this challenge.

The Cutting Edge Challenge

There are several requirements to the challenge and I will do my best, but I am new at entering challenges so here goes...



My inspiration came from a search on Google image for PTI's Botanical Blocks... my order just arrived today and I was so excited to give them a try! 

I stamped and embossed the image with white on Classic Kraft paper before painting with Distress inks mixed with Perfect Pearls. The image is painted with Spun Sugar, Tattered Rose and Peeled Paint. The greeting "thinking of you" is cut and then cut again in PTI Hibiscus Pink, inlaid and glued with a new ZIG 2 way glue pen. I really liked the way it worked for this.

I also "painted"over the greeting with Glossy Accents to make it shine. The i's are dotted with little hearts. The base has a strip of washi tape on the side and bottom before adding the top layer. 

 Now a look at my first try which I painted with watercolors... Didn't like the result at all! I hate the evidence of Glossy Accents! I wasn't careful enough...


Now a quick look at two more images in the making with Distress painting. I love the Spiced Marmalade and Wild Honey... It looks so authentic!



Monday, July 28, 2014

MIM: Diamonds

Because I was so encouraged last week, I decided to try this week's Make It Monday Challenge. Diamonds... making a background from a line stamp.

Our eight-year-old grandson, Carter,  has been really enjoying baseball this year and was very disappointed when the season ended for his team. With that on my mind I looked at PTI's 7th Inning Stretch to help me with a card for him. Here's my take on the challenge...


I used SU Soft Suede ink to stamp the bats, and SU Real Red for the baseball stitching.  I sponged some of the ink to give some shading on the white. There is one bat that is die cut to give an added dimension (hard to tell in the picture) all the baseballs have a foam square to give them more definition.

This panel is layered on a white card base. I completed the card with twine. Carter had such a great season, loving the team sport and is considered to be the "closer" as a pitcher - his favorite position. He loves the Red Sox and has been to many games already at his young age. Reminds me of his dad as an enthusiastic team player, just loving the game.  He told us he'll miss baseball, but he'll really miss the players on his team.

This one is for Carter!



Sunday, July 27, 2014

Sympathy Cards

The most difficult card for me is a sympathy card. Even to buy one I have a hard time finding the right thing to say. I want it to be heartfelt but short. SO I have made a couple to have on hand from the watercolors...

Here are my new tries...


These are both from Penny Black's  Blooming Gardens set, which is quickly becoming my favorite for watercoloring. Again I stamped with Distress Antique Linen first on Tim Holtz watercolor paper and then watercolored wet on wet each floral image. After they dried I used Peacock Feathers as a background wash.

The red colors are Fired Brick and Barn Door, greens Mowed Lawn and Peeled Paint, and Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, and Scattered Straw. I also used Walnut Stain and some Black Soot. 



The image is perfect for my idea of a sympathy card. The sentiment inside is "So sorry for your loss."

Mojo's back!!!

So happy to say that I am back!!! It is definitely watercoloring that helps ground me right now for whatever reason :)

Here are my new cards for those September birthdays...

A little different layout for me... greeting along the side and inlaid with the same dotted paper on the card. My new die from Simon Says Stamps! Love, love it!!!

Die cutting the greeting first on the white card base and then from the dotted paper, I pieced the dotted sentiment onto the card base. The hardest part is gluing the pieces to stay! I used Post it Tape on the back of the space and then used crystal effects- painting it over the letters after it was all put back together. My first try also with Multi Medium Matte for the sequins, which comes highly recommended by Jennifer McGuire. I may try that next time to glue down that die cut!

I have been envious of PTI's Botanical Blocks, so this was my way to get the same effect with stamps I already have. The image from Penny Black Blooming Garden stamped with Distress Antique Linen first and that I chose to paint as an orange instead of as a daisy- this is more like a Black-eyed Susan. The Tim Holtz watercolor paper is cut in half and the card base is 140# white- my favorite!

I painted the image with Distress inks- wet on wet- because I love the shading which it almost does on its own! The colors were Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Scattered Straw, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint and Walnut Stain. 



Now this is the same design but with my mother's favorite color. This is PTI's Tropical Teal and it is just gorgeous! The matching patterned paper is also PTI. The stamp is another Penny Black floral from the same set. 

The Distress inks on this one are Peacock Feathers, Salty Ocean and Broken China. The background wash on both was done with Peacock Feathers.


I love how both of these came out and will definitely use the smaller watercolor designs again!

New Techniques...

In September we have lots of family birthdays, so I need to get some cards going. For some reason, I just feel out of my groove... so this has been difficult to get done!

Here are a couple of trials. Not sure if I feel good enough about them so I will even send them...


On this card I masked a circle, and then stamped lots of flowers and greenery around it, using the wreath idea. The stamps are from Wplus9 Fresh Cut Florals and the inks are all various SU colors. The greeting is from PTI which I cut apart and used a different "happy" stamping in all the flower colors...


This card is from a technique Jennifer McGuire shared, stamping first with a BG stamp in white on white and then the floral images over. I must admit, I do like it more than I thought I would, but I definitely need practice with the color combos!

The florals are from PTI Bigger Blooms and also Mini Blooms. I added a strip of patterned paper on one side and the greeting from SU Curly Cute on vellum. I do wish the greeting was darker... maybe emboss over the black with clear?

Next time I think I might try the background stamp with Versamark... I wonder how that would look on those florals?  Need some motivation...

Variations on a Theme

The watercolor trend has completely captured me! I am having a difficult time focusing on any other kind of card techniques...

So here is one that I noticed I didn't put in my photo album and couldn't figure out why?

It was from the watercolor class but I didn't keep track of it! And its one of my favorites! The large flower is from SU Pretty Amazing stamp set, the lilacs and greenery from Wplus9 Fresh Cut Florals. I used Distress inks, watercoloring over the Antique Linen stamped images with Distress inks. The greeting is from PTI's Mini Blooms.

I wanted to send it to my daughter's MIL who was recovering from hip surgery, but didn't want to forget how I did it! So I made a variation...


Following the same procedure (I think :) but I used different flowers and twine. The centers on the flowers, I don't think work as well. The colors aren't as vibrant- Don't like it as much, but it will work... The first one is definitely an all time favorite!

I think that's one of the reasons I love the online card classes... they keep me trying new things and since I know I will try to post them, I work really hard!


Wednesday, July 23, 2014

MIM- Fly Away

Here's number three...


PTI Fly Away Mini Stamp Set


This definitely is my "thinking outside the box" watercolor! I don't have many PTI sets that aren't flowers, so this was so cool! Using the Antique Linen Distress again, I then watercolored with Barn Door and the lines are totally not visible!

I used a background stamp with red ink for the dots on the white paper base. It is white 140# cardstock, my favorite! The birds are from SU Up and Away stamp set. 

Wonder how the bike would do with watercolor- or the flip-flops? Love Watercoloring... and I'm getting braver... checking out other challenges! 

MIM: MIni Blooms

OK - SO I can't figure out how to post these on the website without having three different links... so I made each entry a different posting! You know sometimes I know just enough technology to be dangerous...


PTI Mini Blooms


Using PTI MiniBlooms stamp set, with the Distress Antique Linen ink, I used the larger stamp and then used other Distress colors to paint the images. I did use water first and then the inks. Most images have two or three different colors, blended together. The blossoms were then painted with Clear Wink of Stella for a bit of glitter, very subtle, just enough!


More MIM Challenge Entries

Interesting what positive comments and inspiration will do!  I headed back up to the craft room today to try more PTI sets with the MIM challenge! After viewing so many wonderful examples of watercoloring with stamp sets other than flowers, I had to give it a try. And after all the encouraging from fellow card makers, I entered a few more cards in the challenge.

Here are the cards ...

PTI Year of Flowers- November



Using Tim Holtz watercolor paper, I stamped and masked the images with Distress Antique Linen. All painting is with Distress inks, using different shades and blending. I love how it works with water. I used peacock feathers as a background wash.

Used some clear Wink of Stella to color the flowers and a bit of glitter with 3 colored sequins. Still not sure how I feel about splatter on the card front...




Monday, July 21, 2014

50 Years in July

My brother and his wife are celebrating 50 years together on July 25th this year. Their seven sons and their wives organized a big party in CT that we will attended. We haven't had a family gathering like this in some years, and it was a fabulous celebration of family!

All of our children and grandchildren were able to make it! It was just such a great day...

Here's my card for them:



The image is from Penny Black and is watercolored with Distress inks. After they dried, the background wash of peacock feathers was applied. Love the results on this card! I sure hope they do too!

And I hope they have 50 more!!!

First time entry!

I have never joined in on a challenge before... EVER... this is a first! It is time... It is the no outline watercolor for Make It Monday Challenge #173...

Here's my entry...


The stamp set is PTI's  Friends 'Til the End , one of my favorite sets of all time! I stamped the center flower first with Distress Antique Linen and then masked it off and stamped the smaller two flowers, also masking before stamping the leaves.  I used Tim Holtz watercolor paper and Distress inks to paint the flowers- Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge and a touch of Barn Door. The leaves are Peeled Paint and Mowed Lawn with a bit of Forest Moss. 

After everything dried I put spots of black Wink of Stella and some white gel pen to look more like I would think a sunflower would actually look, also made a nice shine on the center. I just so loved that watercolor class! Wish they'd do another... would keep me on task :)

The card is for our son and daughter-in-law, John and Erica, for their tenth annie! She loves sunflowers and I couldn't help but think of them when I was watercoloring these flowers.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

John's Big Day!

Every year on July 9th, John gets "a year older" than me.  The five or so weeks that we are the same age- the remarks from him are hilarious so that some years I've actually forgotten my age!

My card is totally from Betsy with PTI's Star Gazer stamp set HERE . Here's my card for his 66 this year...



The white card base was watercolored in stripes of Distress yellow inks- scattered straw, wild honey and lemonade to show through the stars.  The blue SU Not Quite Navy cardstock was die cut with SSS falling stars die. Both the blue and grey cardstock was hand cut and adhered together with foam tape. 

The trees are from SU Trendy Trees, stamped in Staz-on black ink. The sentiment was embossed with white detail powder on a separate grey sheet and added. 

The moon was cut from PTI's Star Gazer and the inside sentiment shows the Cancer constellation, which is John's birth sign, Caring and Dependable! 

And he is so that! Happy Birthday, John... You are still older than me!

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

My Dentist

My dentist is retiring and my heart is broken! He has been my dentist and friend for well over twenty years.  This is a sudden decision as he was just diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.  So now I need to be less selfish and thank him for the tender care that I have received these many years...

Here's my card for him:



The stamp set is from Penny Black Poppy Trio, on Tim Holtz watercolor paper, painted with Distress inks- Barn door, fired brick, spiced marmalade, wild honey, scattered straw, peeled paint and mowed lawn. I used the darker greens to color the inside of the seeds, but also added some black water color paint to enhance the look. The background is peacock feathers and a touch of mustard seed. The splatter is with various distress colors.

The sentiment is from Hero Arts and the watercolor paper is attached to the card base with foam tape.

I am so going to miss Phil and his awesome perspectives on dentistry and preventive care. I know he has left his practice in good hands- but I sure am going to miss him! I hope he enjoys his newfound retirement with his family- especially grandchildren- and traveling!