Papertrey Ink - 2016 SAF, Starry Night Sky Technique with Amy Sheffer

The start of Papertrey Ink's 2016 edition of Stamp-a-Faire is finally here!

They have an amazing line-up of tutorials, and one in particular I've been very much looking forward to is Amy Sheffer's Night Sky Tutorial.

Of course, I wasn't quite sure I could pull off this awesome technique once I saw Amy's feature card, but watching her easy-to-follow video was not only inspiring, but shows just how easy this technique is.

Check out this wonderful video here to see for yourself.

Oh sure, I may not have the perfect result this time around, but I found this technique so forgiving that I'm sure that each time I attempt it, my card will end up with a different look. But that's the beauty of a night sky, isn't it? It looks different all the time.

My card has a scattering of Pretty Pink Posh Iridescent Mini Star Sequins as well as ink splatters in silver that add some lovely sparkle to it (you may not be able to see that in the photo).

A big "Thank You" to Amy, as well as the Papertrey Ink DT, for sharing their wonderful knowledge and proving yet again how amazingly generous the stamping community is.

I will definitely use this technique again and again!

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI Through the Trees
Dies: PTI Wet Paint Cuts III

Giraffe Birthday Wishes - colourQ challenge #346

Wow ... I'm motoring gliding along with cards, aren't I?

May as well strike while the mojo "iron" is hot! :-) (did you see that segue coming? LOL)

This week's colourQ challenge was a great opportunity for me to add some boy birthday cards to my collection:

Great colours, aren't they? So many ways to go with this ... and so much inspiration to check out on the challenge blog. Here's mine:

I guess I'm on an Avery Elle kick lately as this giraffe balloon image is from one of their sets, and I've paired it with the "Birthday Wishes" sentiment again. I guess you can say, "a match made in card heaven".

Hmmm ... I better quit while I'm ahead. I seem to be in a cliche kinda mood today. Happy Sunday!

Supplies:
Stamps: Avery Elle Balloon Giraffe; Simon Says Stamp Birthday Messages
Inks: See Above
Dies: MFT Stitched Rectangle Scallop Frame Die-namics; Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle die set
Accessories: Dimensional foam dots

Ellie's Birthday Wishes - CAS(E) this Sketch #177 + Time Out Challenge #59

Combining 2 challenges with my card today -

CAS(E) This Sketch #177, which I flipped

as well as this week's Time Out Challenge #59, which is "Masculine with a optional twist of mixed media".

Fun, right?

And today happens to be my DH's birthday :-)

I asked his opinion on my last card post, and sure it had "MASCULINE" written all over it (not to mention my love for him). But, he has already seen it ... so what surprise is there in that???

So I had to get hopping today while he was at work as we're celebrating his special day tonight, and this is the card I came up with:

Avery Elle's adorable Ellie is helping me wish him a very Happy Birthday.

I broke out my Primsacolor Watercolor Pencils for this special occasion - it's been AGES since I've coloured an image with them, but this little darling made it quick & easy. A bit of DP for the heart balloon and a sponged sky helped me with my "scene", and of course, for those who know me, you know how much I love my flowers, so I added some Flower Soft to the tops of my grass image to create my wildflower "garden" (is this considered a "mixed media" product? I think so).

Thanks for joining me today - I'm off to finish up the "pièce de résistance" ... birthday cake, of course! :-)

Wild For You - CASology Week #202 + Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge (Animal Magic)

This week's challenge over at CASology is rather simple ... Masculine!

If you're a bit like me, your inside voice just said "yeah, right!". Masculine cards are definitely a challenge for me!

But that didn't stop me from wanting to play along this week, so as soon as I got home I rummaged through my stamp collection and immediately focused on this Deep Red image. Well, that's fine & dandy, but then I had to go on another search & destroy mission to find an appropriate sentiment (you should see my craft room now - ha!). This little gem was hidden away in an old bin of stamps I purchased back when I began this little hobby, and my card idea took hold. I also reacquainted myself with some fabulous stamps I own that I've completely forgotten about :-)

A strip of Basic Grey leopard print DP coordinates with the embossing folder I used on the kraft panel to form the base of my card.

I inked up my stamp image with Distress Vintage Photo, then added black ink lightly with a sponge dauber. The image was then cut with a stitched square die and mounted on black cardstock. The sentiment panel was accented top & bottom with a stitch design to give it a bit of interest.

This week's Simon Says Stamp Challenge also fits the bill for this card: Animal Magic. And since my leopard definitely plays nice, I'm going to send him over there to play along with all the other "animal" creations ;-)

This is the perfect card for my DH this weekend as he celebrates both his Birthday as well as Father's Day!

Cheers!

Supplies:
Stamps: Deep Red Leopard; Michael's Dollar stamp sentiment
Dies: Simon Says Stamp Stitched Square Dies; My Favorite Things Basic Stitch Lines Die-namics

Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge #11 - Celebrate!

Thanks for popping in!

Finally managed to join in on the fun over at the Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge blog, as well as put ink to a stamp set that I ADORE considering the flowers are now blooming in my garden in 3 different colours.

Here are the challenge parameters:

I chose one of the diagonal lines - Yellow, Ink Splatters, Scalloped Border - and created this card:

The ink splatters were added once the image was stamped using Inka Gold Beeswax Polish mixed with water. It has a lovely shine that matches the gold cardstock I used for the scalloped border, but it's hard to see in this photo.

Alas, my yellow peony has almost finished showing off it's gorgeous fragrant flowers, so I must settle for trying to recreate its loveliness on paper until it blooms again next year - an impossible task as Mother Nature does it so much better!

Pop on over to see all the amazing creations on the challenge blog - guaranteed you'll be inspired (and maybe decide to join in?) :-)

Supplies:
Stamps: Altenew Peony Bouquet; Altenew Painted Greetings
Dies: MFT Stitched Rectangle Scallop Frame Die-namics; Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles
Accessories: Viva Decor Inka Gold

My First Watercolour Card - Less Is More Week #278 (Sketch Challenge)

Hello!

I want to send out a special "thank you" to Debby Hughes, of Lime Doodle Designs, who recently shared some advice regarding watercolouring and gave me the courage to finally take the plunge!

There are so many amazing "artists" out there in blog land - including Debby - who make it look so easy and effortless. Seeing their beautiful work only makes me look at my own attempts critically. I can't tell you how many "fails" ended up in my paper recycling bin!

So, even though I'm a bit late to the (watercolour) party, I'll definitely be taking Debby's advice to practise, practise, practise!

When I saw the sketch challenge over at Less is More, I knew I wanted to create a watercolour card, and I had one specific stamp image come to mind immediately.

Here's the lovely sketch:

And here's my very first watercolour card (that didn't end up in the trash LOL):

The image was heat embossed in black on Strathmore Cold Pressed Watercolor Paper, then coloured with my Zig Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolours. Once dried, I then diecut the panel with a stitched rectangle die, added my sentiment in Versafine Onyx Black ink, then mounted it on coordinating solid coloured cardstock.

I'm looking forward to playing around with my watercolour mediums and developing more of a comfort zone with them. This card definitely isn't a game changer, but I'm pleased with the way it turned out.

Appreciate you stopping by to take a look!

Supplies:
Stamps: Penny Black Delightful; Simon Says Stamps Scripty Greetings

Card making "funk" - And Sharing Some Garden Pics

Well, it's happened again ....

I've developed a temporary allergy to stamps, ink and glue! LOL

OK, well of course I'm exaggerating, but the truth is that with all this gorgeous weather finally here, I've been spending more time playing with dirt than I have with paper & ink.

I'm not lucky enough to live in an area where I get to plant to my heart's content year-round, or see beautiful blooms all the time. So Spring is always a busy time for me to re-arrange plants, buy new ones, and plant annuals to add instant colour to my landscape. I also tackle "mini" landscape jobs to add more "space" for me to plant more flowers - currently, I'm laying a small flagstone walkway from our back iron gate, curving around to the basement entrance.

So this means that making cards has taken a back seat - for now! And that means that this little ole blog gets neglected - again!

So I thought I'd share some pics of my recent "visitors" to my garden ... those flowers currently in bloom that are hoarding all my free time on weekends and when I get home from work.

My roses, irises and Veronicas are not yet blooming - while my rhododendrons & azaleas are almost done!

My only wish is that your screen could have a "scratch & sniff" option for my yellow tree peony - the scent is A-MAZING!!!

Is there anything prettier than a beautiful flower in full bloom?

:-)

Thanks for your visit today!