Butterfly: Thanks

When I used the stencil for the butterfly Here, I wondered what the negative space would look like.

Here's my card:

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The color is almost too soft to photograph! After masking with the butterfly and the border edge, I used Distress Inks - blues and yellows, then splattered them around the stencil. I also spotted some water to make the colors move a little more... Stamping "happy" in yellow...

... and happy birthday inside the card, with a smaller stamped butterfly. Very simple but will make an easy birthday card to have on hand.

Here's another card for I made for a challenge... even though I was too late.

It is very similar to the other but reminded me of the blue swallowtails that I sometimes am lucky enough to catch a glimpse of in summer! Love the easy style of this card...

Next I need a Father's Day card for John...

CAS(E) This Sketch

Another challenge to try... and a stamp set that I've never used before!

Here's my card for the first time at this challenge ...

What a great stamp set... I had more fun with this one! Clearly Besotted makes it with matching dies, although I didn't use the dies. I stamped the two leaves sections, and then added the layer stamping again where it overlapped. Next I added the strawberries.

The greeting is stamped in Stazon Black until the last "scrumptious" was a mistake that I had to cover and then embossed the word in black, also stamping the smaller strawberry and layering it on the top layer. Good save after all the other work! Ink colors are SU Pure Poppy and Gumball Green.

The larger layer is attached with fun foam which gives dimension hard to see in the picture.

Don't you just love a good strawberry?

Make It Monday: Neutrals

So since I am brave enough to start a watercolor class... I should take on a challenge or two. The butterfly card went to The Card Concept and I think I am ready to try another...

Here's my card for Make It Monday ...

Using a neutral color for the background, I sponged a light tan over a stencil on the masked card base. Then stamped PTIs Fruit Fusion: Berry strawberries with red and green. The greeting is with black, a sentiment from a Clearly Besotted set.

It is amazing how that neutral stenciled background affects the card!

Watercolor Thank you

For my birthday, our son and his family gave me all kinds of beginner art supplies for my new venture into watercoloring. How thoughtful! Of course I had no more idea of what to do with them, or what I should get. The good thing about the class, is that everything is provided.

So I decided that the thank you should be part of the first lesson... real stretch for me as the newest recruit! Here's my card...

It is done "freehand" on the paper and with the paint and brushes they got for me... then I put it on a card base and added my new favorite PTI Super Swoosh!

It works, right :)

June: Thanks

Always impressed with the kindness of people! Maybe because it is unexpected that it catches me sometimes...

Here's a thank you card for someone that did just that:

I used the idea from the OCC Mask-erade class with a butterfly stencil. Using the inside of the butterfly on white card stock, I stamped flowers and leaves from many different stamp sets all that were very small in size. The colors are SU oranges and yellows, with Gumball Green for the leaves. 

It looks so amazing in real life... Before removing the stencil I lightly sponged Tangerine Tango with a dauber near the stencil edges to get a sharper contrast. Next with the PTI Super Smooches die thanks, I die cut across the front layer. I drew in the antennae with black liner. 

Just love the look of this card! I made another almost exactly like this for a friend's birthday, just a week after mine... but forgot to take a picture of it. And I just discovered I think I could put this card in a challenge on The Card Concept ... as CAS... 

My watercolor for beginners class started at the Art Center on Monday. I thank Jennifer Rzasa for inspiring me to give it a try from the OCC watercolor class that I loved so much! It is four 2 hour classes with the very basics of the medium. I am definitely the worst in the class, but probably the most enthusiastic! And I really don't care... which surprises me.  I am so enjoying it!

OCC Mask-erade: Day 5

Heat embossing... So here's the card I tried... Loved this technique!

With Debby's idea in mind, I used PTI's Superstitions Dies to mask the cats with Distress inks and again that PTI Super Smooch die... this card is for my 9-year-old granddaughter, Emma.

We have been fostering two kittens for the last few weeks from our local Animal Shelter to help get them acclimated to people so they will be more adoptable. Such hard work, right? Love, love, love these kittens! Our granddaughter Emma, came this weekend with a toy she had made just for them. They LOVED it and her! She already has several cats at her house in PA.

They will go back to the shelter tomorrow for their surgeries to neuter and then be available to adopt. Someone is going to be so fortunate to get a wonderful pet... wish it could be me! But with family allergies with grandkids and in-laws it is just too hard... Plus there's Florida for 2 months in the winter...

Blessed is what I am for sure! This class has been amazing... as have all of the ones that I have taken. As Jeb Barlett on West Wing says... "What's next?"

OCC Mask-erade: Day 4

Problem- I do not have freezer paper; Solution- Try embossing! So using Shari Carroll's idea of a masked sentiment-


I decided to try a thank you which is card I always seem to need. Didn't turn out like I wanted! The colors were too light around the sentiment... And I didn't use watercolor paper! Much different result! Instead of trashing it, I added a vellum gold embossed sentiment, some splatters and gold sequins...  salvageable!

Try again... a masculine birthday card on water color paper!

So much better! I used the SU Curly Cute sentiment and Distress inks to color wash and splatter around it. Very simple and love the look. I don't use the splatter very often, usually because I am afraid it will ruin my hard work :)