Happy Little Stamper's January Watercolor Challenge

 Yes, I know, it is still 2020 in the United States but Happy Little Stampers is an Australian based blog and it is 2021 there.  

Happy Little Stampers took six months off to rest and we are now back to challenge you and help you get your creative juices flowing.

The Watercolor Challenge at Happy Little Stampers for the month of January is Anything Goes.  

Anything Goes is my favorite challenge because you can make cards for upcoming events.  My card this month is for my daughter's January birthday.

The stamps are from My Favorite Things.  I water colored the birds with my water color pencils (had not used them in a long time - maybe because I just found them again).  I scribbled the pencil on plastic and added some water to it and painted my birds.  I did attempt to add some shading.  The sweaters were colored with the pencils also.  I die cut all the birds and foliage out.

I water colored a background and made sure I colored enough to stamp the sentiment on.  I die cut a gold frame.  I layered 3 frames together to add some depth and glued it to a white card base.  The sentiment was stamped in gold embossing powder and adhered to the blue background.  I had to cut the sentiment in half so I could make it fit on the space allowed.  I did a little floral arranging in opposite corners and then glued the bird on top.  I finished the card off with some gold watercolor splatters.

Here is a picture of the lower left corner.

Here is a picture of the upper right corner.

Please join us at Happy Little Stampers for our January Watercolor Challenge.  

Thanks for stopping by.

Oldie Moldie Monday

 It is Monday - time to show some love for your old supplies.

I am once again using the November sheetload of cards for my design and another 6 x 6 pad of Christmas paper.

Remember to show some love for your old supplies.

Thanks Card

 Since I had this 6 x 6 Prima pad on my design table already (see yesterday's post), I decided to use the same paper for the current CAS(E) this Sketch challenge.  

I fussy cut the floral border out of a piece of paper and then adjusted my upper corner piece.  I added a strip to differentiate between the two layers.  I added a die cut sentiment.  

This is a favorite sketch of mine that I do use quite often.

Thanks for stopping by.  

Hello Butterfly

 I had looked at the sketch on Freshly Made Sketches and had it kinda in my mind.  

Now you can why I said "kinda in my mind".  I do have the extra pieces on the side of the large image but mine are somewhat smaller.

I had this 6 x 6 pad out and in the pad was  the frame and the butterfly so I decided to use them on a card.  I dry embossed the background to add a little depth.  I kept everything flat for easier mailing.

Thanks for stopping by.  

Oldie Moldie Monday

It is Monday and it is time to show some love to your old supplies.  I have many 6 x 6 pads of Christmas paper and I really need to make some cards with them.

I used the November Sheetload of cards for making this set of cards.  This sheetload is designed for 6 x 6 pieces of paper.  You can get six cards out of three pieces of coordinating patterned paper.  I even used an old sentiment stamp (which had never been used before but I really love it - the size and the message it conveys.)

Yay - six more Christmas cards are made for 2020.  Remember to show some love for your old supplies - they still make beautiful cards.

Favorite Technique

 The Monday Challenge at Simon Says Stamp is your Favorite Technique.  This last year I have been trying to play with my watercolors more and try different things.

On this particular card I used a new Tim Holtz stencil and then added watercolor in multiple layers through the stencil.  I let it dry some to get a good solid shape of the flower and then I sprayed the heck out of it with water to make the colors run.  There is no control on this particular method.  Each card you make will be a little different.  I finished the card with a large sentiment die cut and gold splatters.  

I used a scalloped die to cut a card base and the front panel to add a little more interest to the card.

Here is a close up of the poinsettia focal point.

Thanks for stopping by.

Oldie Moldie Monday

 It is Monday - time to show some love for your old supplies.  

I was working in a 6 x 6 pad and had to trim it down so I made strips out of the leftover pieces and made this card.  Strip or stripe it out - the same thing - only different words.

Remember to show some love for your old supplies.

Christmas Is Fast Approaching

 Christmas is coming up really fast and it is time to get all your Christmas cards in the mail so they get delivered before the 25th.  Hopefully mine will all be in the mail by the beginning of this week.  It is lots of work to address and write in all the cards.  

My goal for next year is to also make my cards flat for easier mailing and more chance they will make it through the mail safely.

Today I am playing along with the current challenge at Paper Players where it is "it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas."

I chose a favorite from the picture - the lovely Christmas Tree.    The tree is a die from Pretty Pink Posh and I cut it from watercolor paper I had colored with greens and gold.  The background is watercolored also with embossing paste stenciled through a stencil to represent snow.  I die cut the word Merry from gold and stamped the word Christmas.  I did draw around the word Christmas to add a little more gold to the card.  A gold star completed the card.  I added it all to a kraft card base.  This may be a prototype for some cards for next year.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day and week.

Zebra Christmas Card

 I have three great great nieces which I like to send a Christmas card to each year.  I like them all to be different but related in some form.  This year each card had one of My Favorite Things' zebras on them.  I tried to use one of the MFT sketches each time.

Here is the sketch this week.

Of course, I took creative license with the sketch by using a zebra instead of a circle.  I could have put the zebra in a circle but decided not to.  The paper is from MFT also.  Those Santa hats I bought from a big box store come in handy for dressing up critters.

Now I can mail my three cards to the girls.  I am going to mail each one separately.  Should we make a bet to see if they all make it on the same day.  It will be interesting to see what the post office does.

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Birthday Molly

 This is my next to last birthday card for the month of December.  

This is for my niece Molly and she is turning 18.  Where does the time go.  Molly was named after my Mom and the last grandchild.

I drew and water colored the birds.  I spent almost a month in Florida last year and spent lots of my free time water coloring.  I have lots of images I drew or backgrounds I made and images that were stamped and colored to be made into cards.  I keep them in the box ready to be used.  

The card actually had a different design but I screwed up so it was an opportunity for another creative fixer - I do like how it turned out.  I love the addition of the little hearts.

Thanks for stopping by.

Oldie Moldie Monday

 It is Monday - time to show some love for your old supplies.

I am working on a set of cards as a gift and wanted to include some coffee cards.  I dug out an old favorite stamp and some very old pink and brown patterned paper.  I heat embossed the sentiment and cup and fussy cut it out.  I did inking around the pink circle and background to bring everything together.

I even decorated some kraft envelopes to go with the coffee cards.

Remember to show some love for your old supplies.

Patterned Paper Fun

 I have a friend who collects Santas and so every year for Christmas I try to make him a Santa card.  This year I decided to throw many things in my Tim Holtz Christmas collection at the card.  

The card actually started with a burlap mixed media panel I had made a year or two ago.  I added some blue paint to it and some gold foiling.  It took me awhile to find my foiling box but I did and the glue pen I had did not work so I can to get inventive.  What finally worked for me is to put some double sticky narrow tape on the panel  did it in the corners) and then rubbing the gold foil sheet over the top.  The foiling also stuck to some of the weave of the burlap.  You can see the foiling in this picture in the left hand bottom corner.

I am entering this card into the current challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.  The challenge is to use gilding flakes or foil on your card.  I do wish I had found this challenge blog earlier in the year but it will help me have a variety of cards next year.

Here is my card.  Everything but the burlap is from Tim Holtz.  All of it is in my stash.  I distressed the pattern paper which is the base.  I adhered the mixed media burlap panel with wide double adhesive tape.  I then made little groupings of stuff and used my tiny attacher for the first time.  I like it.  Some of the stuff was a little to white (such as trip on Santa) so used a light brown oxide ink to color it.  I didn't know what sentiment to add so added three.  I really try to keep my cards flat for mailing but this is oe of the exceptions for this year.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a good day.

Wishing You Bright Holiday Wishes

 The season of mailing holiday cards for the Christmas season is fast approaching and many card makers are scrambling to get enough made.  I counted mine and I have over 100 cards made - I have more than enough to mail out to family and friends.  Now is the hard part - actually mailing them and also picking the right card for each person on your card list.

I am sharing this card today with the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge where the challenge is Anything Goes.  

I had a set of dies I had never used.  I looked through my background box and found a sheet of bright colored alcohol ink paper which I used to cut out my poinsettias.  Another piece of green alcohol ink colored paper (a small piece) was perfect for the leaves.  The mat was also cut from the same sheet of paper as the poinsettias.  I colored a piece of white card stock by dipping in a light pink oxide ink to make the perfect backdrop for the flowers.  I heat embossed a (I believe) a Penny Black sentiment on the card front.

Thanks for stopping by.

Let It Snow Let It Snow

 Let It Snow.  Of course, you have to let it snow, we have no choice and we actually did have snow this morning.  This afternoon it changed to rain.  I know soon we will get a hum dinger of a snow storm but that is OK - I stay home all the time right now anyway.

The current challenge at Shopping our Stash is Let It Snow.  

I used some old supplies on this card.  The embossing folder and the little snowflake dies are well loved from my stash.  The snowman die is a more recent purchase.  I actually recycled an envelope liner for the silver glitter paper.

Thanks for stopping by.  I always show some love for my old supplies on Oldie Moldie Monday.  I have been doing this for years.  

Oldie Moldie Monday

  It is Monday - time to show some love for your old supplies.

Here is that layout from Sheetload of Cards again.  I guess I really liked it - it is designed for 6 x 6 pads and I just have a few hundred of them.

Remember to show some love for your old supplies.

Merry Everything and Happy Always

 I love this sentiment.  I do need to use it more often.  

 I am in a group that we have a word of the week - this last week it was SNOW and I made this fun card.  The snowman is a very old Stampendous stamp (I think).  I dug out my copics and colored him.  Found some great patterned paper and coordinated my colors on the scarf and hat band with the paper.  I tucked him in some glitter snowbanks and added a few snowflakes to finish the design along with that sentiment.  White ink splatters completed the card.

I am entering this card into the theme challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.  The challenge is winter wonderland.  I think my card falls into that category.

I need to go make a birthday card now.  I also need to get a couple mailed on Monday.  Even though the cards have been made for months, they will now be late.  Go figure.

Have a good day.

Peace Joy Love Holiday Cards

 I am in full crafting mode making more Christmas/Holiday cards.  I was working with a personal challenge where my inspiration word for the week was SNOW.  

I looked into my box on unfinished projects or kinda started projects and found two cute snowman images which are napkins which have been adhered to white card stock.  Add some pretty paper and some gold shiny paper and you have a fun card for the holidays.

I am entering this card into both challenge for Simon Says Stamp.  The Monday challenge is Happy Holidays.  The Wednesday challenge is Christmas.  

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Holiday

 I keep making more Christmas cards.  I really should stop and count how many people are on my Christmas card list and how many cards I have.  Either I will be very happy or in great distress.  Maybe I will wait until after my doctor's appointment next week, I don't want to have high blood pressure due to stress.

I am playing with the current challenge at Sunday Stamps.  It is a sketch.

I was playing with the word SNOW for my creativity for the week.  This is two of the cards I made.  Basically the same sketch but on the bottom one I added extra layers of paper and used a different sentiment.  I had to place the sentiment on the bottom on in that particular way because I did not die cut a complete circle.  I hid my oops.  This stamp set is so old but they three snow people are so cute.

Thanks for stopping by.  

Oldie Moldie Monday

  It is Monday - time to show some love for your old supplies.

I was trying to match some cardstock and I found this cute Basic Grey 6 x 6 pad.  These cards are going to a foster care home in South Carolina.  Imagine you may have never received a greeting card and your house parents give you one - wouldn't this make you feel very special.  The smiles the cards we make bring to people's faces is what makes me continue to donate my cards.

Remember to show some love for your old supplies.

Thank You So Much

 It seems we always need Thank You cards and I also make Thank You cards for a non profit.  The challenge at CAS on Friday is to use a BIG sentiment.  

I had this new thank you sentiment from The Stamp Market so thought I would use it.  I went into my box of backgrounds and found this pretty blue one.  I think it may be watercolors.

I should have conditioned the stamp before I used it for the first time.  I got some areas that did not take the ink.  I tried restamping it a second time (two layers of embossing powder on the sentiment) but did not work.  I am not going to waste my work.  I die cut the panel and added it to a white card base.  I did add a couple layers of cardstock behind the panel to give it a little lift off the page but not as much as foam.  The mail is so funny now days that I am trying to make flatter cards.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sending Joy and Cheer Your Way

 I have three great great nieces so I try to send them a Christmas card each year.  I try to have the same theme with just a little bit different take on each card.  The theme this year is a zebra with a santa hat on his head.

I have used the weekly sketch at My Favorite Things for my card layout.  I just flipped the design the other way and adjusted the layout of the strips.

I used the current challenge board at Tic Tac Toe Challenge.  I chose to use plaid, snow and critter.  For my snow you have snowflakes and snow banks and the cute critter happens to be a zebra.  

The zebra and sentiment are from My Favorite Things.  The plaid paper is also from a 6 x 6 pad from My Favorite Things.  The snowflakes are an addition because I made a goof on my sky and needed to cover it - well once you add one snowflake you have to add a couple others.  There are also small dots of white paint.  I had to use a santa hat from another image.  The colors in my papers did not work with a premade red santa hat.

I have one more zebra card to make.  I wonder what will inspire me for that card.

Thanks for stopping by.  

Tis The Season

 Tis the Season to panic because you do not have enough Christmas cards made for this year.  I don't know why because we have been at home.

I am playing along with the current challenge at 52 Christmas Card Showdown.  Their current challenge is a color challenge and the colors are red and green.  

I have been making Poinsettia cards this week and this paper pad had the beautiful page of poinsettias and a wonderful piece of green paper that looks like barnboard.  The 6 x 6 pad from Kaiser Kraft also comes with sentiments.

Thanks for stopping by.

Christmas Cards

 In an attempt to keep what sanity I still have, I have been making Christmas cards.  For this set of Christmas cards I went into my background box and found three different colored backgrounds that I thought white embossing would look good on.

I wanted to use a Honey Bees stamp and die set I bought last year and never used.  Here are my three cards.

I am entering these cards into the current challenge at The Sisterhood of Crafters where the challenge is embossing.  I did heat embossing.

Thanks for stopping by.

Let's Play Tic Tac Toe

 I am playing along with the current challenge at Tic Tac Toe.  

I chose to use the top line:  Gold, stencil, and floral.

I used the new Poinsettia stencil from Tim Holtz.  I first colored the stencil with distress oxides and then applied a glitter paste over the top so the glitter paste absorbs the color and you have a beautiful glittery poinsettia.  I did a card in pink and one in red.  The sentiment is cut from gold paper.  I matted the floral background with gold also.  (to save gold paper, I always try to cut sentiments out of my mat).  Gold splatters completed the card.  Whew two more Christmas cards done.

Thanks for stopping by.