Holly - Season's Greetings Card

Time to get in gear to get some Christmas cards made.  Now that I am retired maybe I will be able to play along with the challenges for making a holiday card each week.  Plus I have to stay home and have time to create.  This maybe more of a problem - but oh the wonderful freedom to do whatever I want when I want to do it.

I decided to play along with the challenge at Merry Monday which is to use holly.

I found a stamp in a drawer that had holly on it so I decided to play.  After that I found a coordinating stamp and stencil of holly.  Maybe there will be another holly card created this week.

This is smaller than an A2 card and opens from the short side.  I stamped the image in black ink on water color paper and then water colored with water color pencils.  I attempted to get a little shading on the leaves and berries.  The berries also have been brushed with a clear Wink of Stella.  I embossed a piece of white.  Both pieces are matted with a dark gray.  You did know that gray is the new black.  The sticker was found in some things I was going through and fit perfectly in that corner.  The bow is a favorite Offray ribbon.  I added the gold medallion in the corner for a little more interest.

Thanks for stopping by.

Merry Christmas Santa

Merry Christmas.  Santa is colored with distress paints.  Sentiment stamped on vellum.

Sunflower - Thinking of You

Friends of mine have lost both of their Moms within the last month.  I wanted to send them a card to let them know that I am thinking of them.

One week end I had been playing with this sunflower stamp from Penny Black and experimenting with my coloring.  The coloring is done with watercolor pencils, distress inks and distress paints.  I learned lots from my coloring but at least I had one image I could use - actually two.  I used another image for the inside of the card.

The sentiment and banner are from Simon Says.

I am going to enter this card in three challenges.

Wednesday - Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Anything Goes

Sunday - AAA Cards - Watercolor

Monthly - Penny Black and More November  Anything Goes

Have a wonderful Sunday - I hope you find some time to create.

Penny Black Poppy Stamp

I am trying to make some sympathy cards so I have them on hand.  They are so hard to make when you need them.

This Penny Black stamp was stamped with a light distress ink.  I colored it with gelatos - I think - I know I used a water color technique to color the flower.  I did the coloring a couple weeks ago so I don't remember exactly what I did.  It was hard to make it into a card once I got it colored.  I added a light watercolor background with a few splatters of color.  Which was a result of accidently getting some splatters on the background so then you had to have more.  I added a piece of patterned paper (just a peek) on each side and it was mounted onto a gray card base.  A SRM Sticker was added for the sentiment.  I have even finished the inside of the card.

Enjoy your Tuesday.

Anything Goes With Paper Smooches

Can you believe it is Wednesday and I am posting a card to the Paper Smooches Sparks weekly challenge?

The challenge this week is Anything Goes.  Those are good challenges. This week I needed to make a card for a bridal shower.  I always struggle with cards for bridal showers - what do you use.  I guess anything goes.

I have been taking the Online Card Class - Stretching Your Stamps.  The first two classes are on using your background stamps.  You ask - what does that have to do with this card.  Well - I did s background and used a rainbow background.  I liked the background so well I decided just to make rainbow watercolor background for my card.  I had this die cut sitting around so I thought why not use that for part of the front of my card.  I then used the dies that coordinate with Denim and Daisies to cut all my flowers.  I had colored watercolor paper in the same colors as my rainbow background.  I thought the sentiment was very appropriate to the background and for a bridal shower card.  

I need to find some heavier vellum.  I guess I will put that on my card making shopping list.  If you wish to shop for your own stamps from Paper Smooches pop over to their store.  

Well time to get ready for bed.  

CAS Sympathy Card

I am combining two challenges for this card.  Addicted to Stamps' weekly challenge is CAS.  CAS on Sunday is a sympathy card.

I find it very hard to make sympathy cards because when you are making the card, it is for someone you care about who has lost a loved one.  I have decided to get a few made for my personal supply or if someone asks me if I have any for sale.

A couple weeks ago I was playing with my distress inks - and making some backgrounds.  You can see a couple of the cards at this link that I made with my background play.  The cards are all very similar.  I had one more background made and it was already stamped.  This was the incentive to finish the card.  Thank you - you don't know how many cards I have sitting around waiting to be finished.

The background was made with distress inks squished on a sheet, sprayed with water and a damp piece of water color paper dipped in it.  I got a fairly even coating with it and did not do anything else to it.  The stamp is from Hero Arts.  This was the floral stamp and then a outline stamp.  I stamped it first in the turquoise ink and then the outline with black ink.  I added a few rhinestones to the center of the flowers to complete them.  I don't have many sympathy stamps so I used a sticker from SRM Stickers.  I had colored some paper to use for the sentiment.  I placed the sticker on the paper.  Cut it out freehand and to cover the edges, I ran the edge of a black copic marker around it to finish the white edges off.  The image is pop dotted on the card front.  I placed the sentiment directly on the image.  I did not want to make it too bulky for mailing.

Thanks for stopping by.  Thanks for helping me get one more unfinished card done.

Watercolor, Hero Arts, and Seize the Sketch

I have had this piece of background paper I made in the online watercolor class sitting on my table.  I have been trying to use it but nothing ever came together.  Finally we have a card.  The background is made by wetting a piece of watercolor paper and I add a light wash of color.  I then put a stencil over the top and then brush more watercolor over the openings in the stencil.  It never turns out the same.  This is one of my favorite color combos of distress ink.  I decided to use a piece of the background paper in the sketch from Seize the Sketch.

I had watercolored the flower awhile back.  It was colored with distress inks also.  This is a new Hero Arts stamp set for me with a coordinating die set.  Yes I do have other embossing folders besides this one but I love the subtle effects of this embossing folder.  The pearls came from my supplies which I must start using.  I died the crochet thread with distress ink so it would match the card perfectly.

I hope you enjoy my take on the sketch.  It is a sketch with great possibilities.  Now I need to do some work for work.  I need to put in a few hours today to finish up a project.  Everyone enjoy their Sunday.

Graduation and Mixed Media

My granddaughter graduates from high school tomorrow so I tried making a card and nothing came together - I think it was because this canvas was in my head and heart.

I am entering it in the monthly challenge on the Faber Castell Design Memory Craft blog.  The challenge this month is to mix and match your mediums.  My interpretation is to use lots of different products and that is what happened with me in creating this project.

It is a 6 x 6 canvas.  Several layers on the canvas because I did not like the first background I made.  That is the glory of gesso, gel medium and paper.  You can start all over again and again if you have to.  I layered on patterned paper with gel medium  I then applied gesso over the top.  After the gesso dried I used my gelatos to add color (Emily's favorite colors are purple and teal).  I used a stencil and added embossing paste and from there I went with a polka dot background theme.  Unfortunately I do not know who makes the girl stamp.  Unmounted rubber.  The sentiment is by Penny Black.  I colored the image with gelatos, watercolor pencils.  The girl and sentiment were stamped on dictionary pages which had gesso on them.  I colored the paper for the sentiment before stamping.  The girl I colored after I stamped.  All this was added to the canvas with gel medium.  I used another stencil and just colored with a brush and picked up the color off the end of a gelato and applied it in the circle.  Very soft background.  I finished it off with with random rub ons and other rubber stamps.

A friend shared it on facebook and one of her friends wants me to make her one.  Gee what do you charge for something like this.

Enjoy your Saturday.

More Watercolor

Here is another watercolor card I made in the online watercolor card class.  As you can see, I did enjoy this class.  In this class you used a design to paint your image.  I cut this flower shape with my Silhouette.  I then laid the design over my watercolor paper - taped it down - and painted inside the cut out shapes.  After you have the initial shape painted you can remove your cut design.  I think I colored it with gelatos and some watercolor pencils layering color upon color.  After I liked the design, I then added some color around the design.  I colored a strip of watercolor paper and also another piece where I stamped my sentiment.  The sentiment was from Unity Stamps.

I added the dots but I didn't really like them but they were stuck so there was no turning back.  In retrospect I think I would have liked to have done some splatters.  I matted the image in dark grey (my new black) - I wanted something dark on the card to pick up the black ink in the sentiment.

I still have more backgrounds made so there will be more cards coming soon.

More Watercolor

I am still playing with watercolor - or I am making cards - out of backgrounds I made in the watercolor class I took online.  I had so much fun in this class.

The background was made by getting ink on an acrylic block and then stamping the block on your watercolor paper.  You get some interesting colors when you do this.  I do like the background.  It was done with distress ink.  The floral stamp is from Deep Red.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts.

I used the sketch from CAS on Sunday.  Pretty clean and simple and pretty true to the sketch.

I am also entering it into the Simon Says Monday Challenge blog where the challenge is botanical.  My flower card will qualify for that.

Well off to get a few more things done.  Participating in a blog hop this week end so need to read the rules and decide on what I want to do.

Watercoloring Flowers

More watercolor magic.

The first card was made by inking up the stamp with gelatos and then spraying it with water and stamping.  I got three different stampings off the one layer of gelato.  Probably not the best stamp to use but I wanted to try it - I couldn't throw any away so I did make a card.  I did color paper for the mat.  The sentiment is a sticker from SRM Stickers.

The second card - the flowers were stamped in distress ink and then when you watercolor the distress ink fades into your other paint giving you a no line look.  The card is very pretty.  I think I had 3 pearls on it but that third one is not to be seen and of course I only had 3 that size.  The sentiment is from Paper Smooches.  The flower stamp is from JoAnn Fabrics.

Well off to clean my house.

More Watercolor

Here is another card I made in my watercolor class.  These lessons were on stamping with watercolor.  I mixed some distress ink with water and painted it on my stamp - and stamped away.  I did a couple stampings of this.  I like how it turned out.  Very soft colors.  I decided to stamp my sentiment in grey so it was softer in color.  I luckily had these dots that matched and shimmered a little and add the finishing touch to the card.

The flower is by Stampendous and the sentiment is by Penny Black.

Another Watercolor Background

I am taking the online watercolor class and the first two day lessons were making background  I have made a few and am getting some of them made into cards.  This card (along with this card and this card) were done withe same technique and same stencil.  Two of the card I used the same color inks on them and look how different the backgrounds turned out.

I made this card into a birthday card for my co worker who loves butterflies.  I also gave her the other card with the butterflies on it.  These are some of her favorite colors.  I am going to enter this card into the SRM Sticker challenge blog - their monthly challenge is birthdays.

Everyone have a good Tuesday.

Watercolor Class Assignments

This is another card I made for my watercolor class.  Look - I have made it to Lesson 3 and 4.  I colored the stamp with Gelatos and then sprayed with water and  stamped.  I did come back in and add some more detail with a water brush and the Gelatos.  The flower is from Hero Arts and the sentiment is from Penny Black.  I then splattered the paint mixture around the background.  Since I had no cardstock to match the flower, I colored around the edge of some watercolor to make a mat.  I did the same thing for my sentiment.
This was the card I hand delivered to my Mom for Mother's Day.

Watercolor Hero Card

As I have been sharing my cards you all know I am taking the watercolor class.  I have been making backgrounds with distress inks and stencils.  How exciting that the challenge on The Friday Mashup is to use a stencil.  Unfortunately I do not know who makes the stencil.  I colored the twine with distress inks also.  I also made my own paper to match using distress inks for the mat and the sentiment.  The stars were cut with a Spellbinders set.

The challenge on the Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge blog is Anything Goes.

I decided to use the background to make a Hero Card.  I will write a note in the card to one of our Heroes who are serving overseas.  It will go in my next Operation Write Home box.  The sentiment stamp is from Paper Smooches - a stamp set which part of the proceeds goes to Operation Write Home.  Thank you Paper Smooches for supporting our Heroes keep in touch with their families and friends at home.

If you want to buy your own Paper Smooches stamps, pop over to their online store.

If you are interested, pop over to this post and see how different this very same stencil and different inks look.

I am so glad it is the week end.  I hope to play more with watercolor stuff.

Watercolor Background Card

Here is another card I made for my watercolor class.  I made the background with distress inks and water on watercolor paper.  I saturated the paper with water and light wash of ink.  You then put a stencil over the top and the water is supposed to pool in the holes.  I sorta did not think it had enough color so put more watered down distress ink in the holes of the stencil.  I really like the muted soft background I achieved.  You will have to come back and see some other cards using the same technique and stencil - how different they turned out.  Unfortunately I have no idea who made the stencil - no name on it.

The stamp set is from Unity Stamps.  There were butterflies in the stamp set and if you look you can see some muted stamped ones in the background.  I punched out two butterflies.  One I colored with the distress ink and glued down - shhh - don't tell anyone - there is a bird underneath that butterfly.  The other one is punched from the cardstock of the card base.  I have seen all these cards made with the image off center so I wanted to try that.  I added a few pearls to the card.

Watercolor Class

I am taking the watercolor class from "online card classes".  Having lots of fun.  I haven't gotten past the first two days of class in creating - we learned how to do different backgrounds.  I have been having so much fun I may never do any other cards.

This card is made by putting ink on an acrylic block and then stamping it on watercolor paper.  I used distress inks for this card.  I did this a couple nights ago - hmmmmm - how did I do that?  I must have wet something down - maybe the paper.  This is a very small card - it only measures 2.5 inches by almost 4 inches.  I decided to put my sentiment at an angle.  something a little different.

Come back tomorrow to see another technique.