bloom where you are planted...

Hello everyone!  Popping in with a card for a couple of challenges:  Color Throwdown and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge.  I absolutely love the colors in this week's CTD challenge!  They are so bright and fun!  I have wanted to color up the Essentials by Ellen Mondo Wildflower stamp set for ages now and this was the perfect opportunity.  I recently tried my hand at no line watercoloring with pretty good results (I will be sharing that card soon!) so decided to give it a go with the Mondo Wildflower, but unfortunately I need more practice.   Since no line was a no go I went with my tried and true coloring with ZIG Clean Color Real Brush markers on smooth bristol cardstock and got much better results.   After I finished coloring I die cut the image with the matching die.  I die cut some Simon Says Stamp fog cardstock with a Jillian Vance Design stitched dot rectangle, stamped the sentiment in VersaFine Onyx Black (I used the same ink for the image) and then adhered the die cut image with foam dimensionals.   The panel was then adhered to a fog cardstock base.  I really like the way the fog cardstock makes the bright colors pop!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Supplies: (Affiliate links used where possible) Cardstock: Simon Says Stamp fog; Smooth Bristol; Stamps:  Ellen Hutson; Ink:  VersaFine; Watercolor medium:  ZIG Clean Color Real Brush markers 

thanks so mush...

Hey there!  Popping in with a card that I made for Color Throwdown and Freshly Made Sketches.  When I saw all the cute little mushrooms in the CTD inspiration photo I immediately wanted to use my Essentials by Ellen Snailed It stamp and die set.  Because the mushrooms are not small I did not go with a square card, but a rectangular one.  I stamped the mushroom stems in kraft ink and then the tops in red, green and black.  I die cut some Tim Holtz distress woodgrain cardstock with the largest A Jillian Vance Design stitched dot rectangle die and then after adhering the mushrooms together adhered them to the panel using foam dimensionals.  I stamped the sentiment from the Snailed It stamp set in kraft ink and then trimmed it out.  The word friend (from the Essentials by Ellen Mondo Daisy die set) was die cut three times, adhered together and then adhered to the card front along with the sentiment strip.  Finished by adhering the panel to a kraft cardstock base.  Also adding this to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of anything goes.  (Compensated affiliate links used where possible.  Thank you for your support I truly appreciate it!)

Compensated links:

Rectangle Die:  A Jillian Vance Design Stitched Dot Rectangle

Ranger Ink - Tim Holtz - Distress Woodgrain Paper - 12 Sheets
Scrapbook.com

Crafter's Companion - Gemini Jr. - Die-Cutting and Embossing Machine
Scrapbook.com

Catherine Pooler Designs - Party Collection - Premium Dye Ink Pads - Rockin' Red
Scrapbook.com

Catherine Pooler Designs - Party Collection - Premium Dye Ink Pads - Grass Skirt

Scrapbook.com

Nuvo - Deluxe Adhesive
Scrapbook.com

Tsukineko - VersaFine - Instant Dry Pigment Ink Pad - Onyx Black
Scrapbook.com

Additional supplies:  PaperTrey Ink Kraft and True Black cardstock
                                   My Favorite Things Smooth White cardstock

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

more floral cards...

Hey there!  I have two more floral cards to share.  This time I did some coloring.  One card features coloring with ZIG clean color real brush makers and the other with Faber-Castell Polychromos color pencils.  First up is the card I colored with the ZIGs.   This card is for the MFT sketch and color challenges and uses the Flowers in Bloom stamp set from the MFT June card kit.  I haven't used the custom blended Color Burst powders that came in the kit yet, but hope to give them a try soon!  I stamped the image on Strathmore smooth bristol cardstock with VersaFine Onyx Black ink and then colored the images with the ZIG markers giving each flower a different color.  To deepen the shadows I used a little bit of dark brown on each flower as well as in the center of each flower.  I also used a little bit a very light green to color the stems.  I finished off the design by coloring around the flowers with a light blue ZIG and blending it out with water.  I die cut the panel and then added the sentiment by stamping the word thanks in VersaMark watermark ink one vellum and heat setting with white embossing powder.  I adhered the vellum strip using my Glue Sponge and I must say that it worked really well!  (Compensated affiliate links listed below where possible.)

The second card is for the Sunday Stamps challenge that closes in just a few hours. Thank you to the team at Sunday Stamps for picking my entry in their previous challenge for an honorable mention!   I actually colored this image from Technique Tuesday with my Polychromos pencils several months ago, but never found a project to use it on.  I realized that it would work well for the Sunday Stamps challenge and so it finally made it onto a card!  I did turn the sketch on its side to make it work better for me.  A few weeks ago when I was down in Vancouver, WA visiting my friend, Greta, we spent sometime at a Craft Warehouse store and while there both of us picked up a pad of 6x6 pads with a fun linen like texture on them.  I used two of those papers for the bottom strip as well as the mat for my colored image.  Simply layered everything up and I was done.  (Compensated affiliate links listed below where possible.)

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Supplies:

Stamps:  My Favorite Things
Dies:  My Favorite Things
           A Jillian Vance Design
Inks:  VersaFine Onyx Black
           VersaMark watermark ink
Coloring Mediums:  Faber-Castell Polychromos color pencils
                                 ZIG Clean Color Real Brush markers
Cardstock:  Simon Says Stamp Fog
                   PaperTrey Ink rustic white, vellum
                   Strathmore Smooth Bristol
Embossing powder:  Hero Arts white

i thougth about you...

Hey there!  I hope your week is off to a good start.  Mine is... I got to make something today!  This card is for a few challenges:  CAS(E) this Sketch, The Paper Players (spring fever - I used flowers) and Fab Friday (color challenge).  Have you ever had one of those days when you thought the card you were making was going to be easy to make and then it turned out to be really hard?  Well... that was my day today, lol!  Things started well as I stamped the image from the beautiful Stampin Up! Climbing Roses stamp set on smooth Bristol paper and then watercolored the image with distress markers in Forest Moss, Abandoned Coral and Spun Sugar.  Once that was done I die cut the image with the matching die from the Rose Trellis die set.  Then things started to get hard.  Mainly because I decided that I wanted to emboss my square on to my cardstock and I hadn't done that in awhile.  So the first one didn't get embossed, but it did cut out the square!  Finally one the third try I got things right and ended up with a nicely embossed panel.  That was die cut with an AJVD stitched dot rectangle die.  Then I had to make sure that I got the sentiment stamp correctly.  Thankfully I was able to use the square that I accidentally cut to help me make sure that everything was straight!  I stamped the sentiment, adhered the floral image and then adhered everything to a light gray cardstock base.  Hope the next time I make a card things go easier for me, lol! Also going to add this to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of anything goes.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white, SSS fog; Stamps: Stampin Up!; Dies:  Stampin Up!, Spellbinders and AJVD; Ink:  VersaFine; Watercolor medium:  Distress markers

Fun with MFT...

Hello!  Hope your week is going well!  The other night I sat down and did some watercoloring with several different MFT stamp sets and today I'm sharing two cards that I made using those efforts.  First up is a card for this week's Paper Players challenge which is a lovely sketch.  I used smooth Bristol cardstock and Ranger distress markers to color up the sweet little girl with her umbrella from the MFT/Birdie Brown stamp set called Rain or Shine.  I was thinking of my little niece Kaia and her bright pink Ugg boots as I colored up this sweet little girl!  May just have to send this card to Kaia!  Once I was done I die cut her with the matching die.  Then I found patterned papers that would work with the colors I used for my little girl.  After cutting the rectangles and laying them out on my card base I decided to do a little stenciling with the MFT Mini Raindrop stencil using MFT Blue Breeze ink.  The sentiment was stamped on a strip of white cardstock that I die cut with an A Jillian Vance Design sentiment strip die and then I got to layering up all my elements.  To finish things off I added a little sun peeking out from behind the clouds.  I will also add this to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of anything goes.

The second card features a little boy and his umbrella from the MFT/Birdie Brown set called Puddle Jumper.  This card was inspired by my little nephew Max.  He isn't old enough to actually jump in puddles, but I still couldn't help but think of him as I colored this little guy!  I used distress markers to color him, as well.  When he was finished I die cut him with his matching die.  The layout comes from the MFT sketch challenge.  I used the Mini Raindrops stencil on this card, as well.  But this time I used Ranger Texture Paste transparent gloss.  I love the fun shiny raindrops!  I die cut some green polka dot paper (from MFT) with an AJVD slippery slope die and adhered it to my card base.  The sentiment was stamped on another piece of MFT patterned paper and die cut with an MFT fishtail flag stax die.   I colored up a little puddle for my little boy to jump over and then adhered all the pieces to the card base.   May have to send this card off to him, too!

Hope you have a wonderful day!  Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:  Card #1:  Cardstock:  SU! blue, PTI  white, Smooth Bristol; Patterned paper:  MFT; Stamps:  MFT; Dies:  MFT, AJVD; Ink:  VersaFine, MFT; Watercolor medium:  Ranger distress markers; Stencil:  MFT

Card #2  Cardstock:  PTI white, Smooth Bristol; Patterned paper:  MFT; Stamps:  MFT; Dies:  MFT, AJVD; Watercolor Medium:  Ranger distress markers; Ink:  VersaFine, VersaFine CLAIR; Ranger texture paste

two more cards...

Hmm... I seem to be doing a lot of posts with two cards lately.  Guess it just seems to make sense to me.  Anyway... the first card is for Color Throwdown.   The color combo is really pretty, but also one that I wouldn't even think of to use.  When that happens I fall back on what I like to refer to as collage stamp... one of my favorite ways to stamp.  Collage is the technique of taking various materials to create a design.  Obviously I don't use different materials, but different types of images.  For this card I went to some of my favorite Stampin Up! set for images to use.   I generally have a good idea how colors will work together so it is just a matter of determining what types of images that I will be using.   I actually figured out how I was going to stamp this card, changed my mind to try something different, didn't like it and went back to my original idea, lol!  Anyone else do that?  Once the stamping was done I die cut the panel with my trusty A Jillian Vance Design Stitched Dot Rectangle die and then adhered it to a light gray cardstock base.  The inks used are from Stampin Up!, Close to My Heart, PTI and Imagine Krafts.

While the first card is all about stamping the second card is all about die cutting.  I recently received the Spellbinder's small die kit of the month and actually managed to make a card with it before the new kit has been revealed!  This card is for Freshly Made Sketches and the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of dies only.   I turned to my large collection of patterned paper pads and pulled out an oldie, but goodie from My Mind's Eye Collectible Notable collection.  (I just checked and it is from 2013!)   I die cut the large die cut piece from some green paper from the pad and then the little flowers and butterflies from various coordinating papers.  Cut the piece of blue striped paper to fit the bottom portion of the card base, adhered the large die cut and then adhered the piece to my cardstock base.  I then added all the little flowers and the butterflies.  Because the large die cut is actually larger than the card front I trimmed off the overhang.  The sentiment was die cut from the same yellow patterned paper as the little flowers multiple times, adhered together and then adhered to the card front.  I did add little clear Pretty Pink Posh jewels to the center of the flowers.   Can't wait to use this beautiful die set again to create another spring themed card!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Supplies:  Card #1:  Cardstock:  PTI white, SU! Smoky Slate; Stamps:  Stampin Up!; Inks:  Close to My Heart Pansy Purple, Stampin Up!, PaperTrey Ink and VersaFine CLAIR

Card #2:  Cardstock:  PTI white; Patterned paper:  My Mind's Eye; Dies:  Spellbinders; Embellishments:  Pretty Pink Posh jewels

a bright daisy...

Hello!  Hope your week is going well!  I recently purchased the Essentials by Ellen Mondo Gerbera Daisy stamp and die set and used it to create a card for a couple of challenges:  The Flower challenge (use your newest stamp and die set) and The Paper Players (monochromatic CAS).    For this card I used my ZIG markers and some smooth Bristol cardstock.  I have not had a lot of luck with Bristol cardstock in the past.   I always wondered why people seemed to be able to create beautiful projects with their ZIGs and Bristol cardstock.  Then I watched a video by the super talented Lisa Tilson and she mentioned that she really liked to use Strathmore smooth Bristol for coloring with ZIGs.  I had a 60% coupon for Joann and so I went up and purchased a pad.  I had a few piece of a different kind of Bristol and so before I tried using the Strathmore Bristol I gave the one of the other pieces a try.  Once, again, I had a bad result.  Then I tried the Strathmore.  What an amazing difference!  Coloring with ZIGs on the Strathmore Bristol is like a dream!  So glad I gave the Strathmore a try.  I used one ZIG in Bright Orange to color the Mondo Gerbera Daisy after stamping it with VersaFine Onyx Black ink.  The stem was colored with a light yellow ZIG.   I die cut the flower with the matching die and then used the word dies that come with the die set for my sentiment.  I finished off the card with a few little Pretty Pink Posh jewels in buttercream.

Have a wonderful day!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white, Harvest Gold; Strathmore Bristol; Stamps:  Essentials by Ellen; Dies:  Essentials by Ellen, A Jillian Vance Design; Ink:  VersaFine; Embellishments:  Pretty Pink Posh jewels; Coloring medium:  ZIG clean color makers