Hello Friend Tree

As soon as I saw the current prompt at the CAS Watercolor Challenge I knew I just had to play along. It's trees!!!! If you have followed my blog for a while you know that I love trees!

Stamps: Hero Arts (tree)
Other: Simon Says Stamp (stencil), Schmincke watercolors, Washi tape

I knew exactly which tree I wanted to use. I received this wonderful stamp a while ago from a dear friend (crafty friends are the best!) and finally made time to play with it. I created an evening sky and a hill for it with watercolors, added a strip of Washi tape (yes, again, I must be on a roll... soon I will run out of it, hehe), and some stenciled hearts using embossing paste.
I have to admit that I am absolutely in love with this card! Probably will have a hard time parting with it. Good thing that I made two... Might make more, I had so much fun!

CAS Watercolor September Challenge

Be well and keep in touch!

Autumn Hello

On a recent Thursday night Dora brought her new stamp from Purple Onion to the 7Cardologists get-together. We all stamped the cute raccoon with the pumpkin designed by Stacy Yacula on watercolor paper but then went off in different directions. I watercolored mine, fussy cut it, and made this card.

Stamp: Purple Onion Design (raccoon)
Die: Top Dog Dies (hello)


Our cards all ended up looking very different, so for more ideas on how to use this adorable stamp please click over to Dora's blog (here and here) where she has posted what the other girls made!


Challenges:

Virginia's View #19 "All Things Colored"







Simon Says Monday Challenge "Wonderful Watercolor"






Simon Says Wednesday Challenge "Mood Board"







Simon Says Work It Wednesday "Stamp"







Time Out #42 
(Pumpkin and striped scarf)








Hope you are all well!
Hugs,
Susanne

Four (!) graphic triangle cards

Yes, you read that right! Today I have four cards for you! I think, that's a first!

I love geometric patterns and have many graphic stamps and embossing folders. So, of course, the current challenge over at Virginia's View really speaks to me and I wanted to play. The fairly new Pinterest Inspired Challenge features triangles so I pulled out a triangle embossing folder that I had never used.

Inked the EF in different Distress Inks, spritzed it, and "stamped" it on watercolor paper. Spritzed and stamped it again to get lighter colors. Then I made cards of my backgrounds. I thought the Design Teams could pick their favorite card from this collection.

A close up so you can see the vellum

And all together!
Which one is your favorite? Mine is card #4!

Stamps: Winnie & Walter (sentiments on cards 1 and 3), Altenew (sentiment on cards 2 and 4), Mama Elephant (Triangles on card 4)

Other: Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug)

Challenges:

Virginia's View Challenge #18 "Geometric Patterns"

Pinterest Inspired Challenge "September 2015"

Darnell's NBUS #5
In addition to her usual generosity, this time Darnell has many sponsors! Click on the link to find out more! It runs until the 18th!






Pixie's Snippet's Playground #194
Because Miss Di celebrated her birthday last week, this week's prize is extra generous! The infamous Crazy Bird stamps, dies and accessories! Am I the only one in blogland who doesn't have them yet...?
My snippets are the vellum on card 1 and the labels on card 2 and 4!





I really appreciate your taking time to visit my blog and hope you come back!

Hugs,
Susanne

Another CAS card for CAS(E) this sketch #132

As I said in my last post I had several ideas for sketch #132 of CAS(E) this sketch... That's why I am back so soon! And don't worry this time it is a card for a happier occasion!

Stamps: Hero Arts (flower), Technique Tuesday (sentiment)

The flower is heavily "winked" which is always hard to photograph. Here is a close up. Sorry it's not quite focused...

Challenges:

CAS(E) this sketch #132






a2z Scrapbooking July challenge "CAS"


And here are some more pictures from California. The last week we spent in the San Francisco Bay area on the coast. It was very hard to pick just a few from the many photos I took!
(You can see more pictures from our trip here and here)

Boardwalk in Santa Cruz

(Doesn't that roller coaster remind you of the die that SSS recently came out with?)

Big Sur

Along Highway 1 towards San Francisco

(Check out the coastal fog!)

That's about as much as we saw of the Golden Gate Bridge...

Capitola

And look what I found when we came back! 

Even the potatoes were sad that we were away for so long...

If you made it through the whole post - my compliments! 

Thank you for your visit and your kind comments! If you have any questions, please let me know!

Hugs,

Susanne

Hello for the "Cure for the Monday Blues Challenge #46" / Happy Little Stampers

Most of you probably have heard of and even played with the "Cure for the Monday Blues Challenge" where Taheerah posts a fabulous picture every Monday for us to get inspired by! I finally managed to play along this week even if it's just before the door closes! Don't you just love all the grays and yellows with white and a little black?

The pillow with the bird caught my eye. It reminded me of the bird punch from Stampin' Up. 

Stamps: Technique Tuesday (sentiment), Picture Show (dots)

Punch: Stampin' Up (bird)

Stencil: SSS

It looked a little bland on a white card so I took the diagonal stripes stencil from SSS and sponged Barely Banana on the front. 

Challeges:

Cure for the Monday Blues Challenge #46

Happy Little Stampers "Sponging"

Your visits and comments make my day, so thank you!

Hugs,

Susanne

Winnie & Walter "Pinspiration with Vanessa" / Virginia's View Challenge #8

I am back with another card for another fun challenge over at the Winnie & Walter blog that started on World Cardmaking Day and fortunately is open until Saturday! This time it's called "Pinspiration with Vanessa". Look at that fabulous Inspiration photo:

And here is what I made

Stamps: Winnie & Walter (sentiment), Hero Arts (woodgrain background)

Since it is another clean and simple card (or is it not?) I am sending this over to Virginia's View Challenge #8 and letting Virginia decide if it is clean and simple enough!

Winnie & Walter also want to see pictures of your workspace or of yourself crafting, called "craftie" so I am showing you part of my desk. (I thought that was only for WCMD but the linky is also open until tomorrow!)

There is so much else, I should be doing but I am having so much fun with their stamps! I wish I had time to make more cards, as there are other challenges on their blog! 

Hope your weekend is a good one,

Susanne

Winnie & Walter "On Trend with Lea" / Virginia's View Challenge #8

Woohoo, I managed to make another card for the challenges at Winnie & Walter blog, using my new stamps from them,  this time for "On trend with Lea"! Look at her fun sample:

I have no camera dies just one camera stamp and a roll of washi with cameras. So I made something that you don't see often on this blog: a One Layer Card! Unless you count the washi as a layer and/or the foam mounted camera...

Stamps: Winnie & Walter (sentiment), Inkadinkado (camera)
Washi: don't know, maybe Recollection

And since it's pretty clean and simple I am also sending it to Virginia's View 'cause that the theme of her 8th challenge (already - wow!)

It's late and I need to go to bed so I won't keep you any longer...

Hugs,
Susanne

You guessed it... more watercolor homework

Ok, remember that I had difficulties with the technique Jennifer Rzasa showed us in the very first video? Well, I looked around in the Forum and discovered that I was not the only one struggling with this. After several more attempts it worked and I made a card with it today. It's great to be able to ask questions and find tips and tricks on the Forum! Because my watercolor paper was very textured the paint made an interesting pattern where it pooled. I might try it again with a smoother paper now that I have some of the often mentioned Tim Holtz watercolor paper.

I CASEd the layout from Jennifer's card which was of course much better. I really liked how she took the ends of her thread and taped them on the back of the paper. The class is full of these cool little details.

Stencil: TCW

Stamp: Hero Arts

And then I made a card inspired by the first video on Day 4 by Yana Smakula. I love her card but didn't have any of her supplies. I was disappointed at first because it didn't work so well but then I made a card and really liked it... until I saw it on the screen. Does that ever happen to you? Anyways, here it is:

Stamps: Hero Arts (rays, small words), Mama Elephant (sunshine)

In real life the rays are lighter. 

I discovered that I have a new follower "windycindy" but I haven't found a blog (maybe because I am not on Google+ ???). Welcome windycindy and please let me know your blog address so I can come and visit you too! I picked this quote by Thomas S. Monson for you:

We cannot direct the wind

but we can adjust our sails. 

As always your visits and comments make my day! 

Thank you so much,

Susanne

More Watercolor Homework from Day 2

Thank you so much for all your encouraging comments! I love to read them all - they warm my heart! You are the best!

Today I am showing you a card that I pretty much CASEd from the card Agnieszka Malyszek made. I used my watercolor pencils (that I've had forever and don't use often enough) to make a background.

I have never used that Hello stamp (NBUS!!!) and unfortunately don't know who makes it. ETA: Anita in France told me that the stamp set is from Stampendous and it's called "Window Box"! Thanks Anita! The flower is colored with a sparkly Gel marker and I finally used some messy thread behind a panel. I love the look and admire it often on different blogs but had never done it. Next time I might try to get less ink splatters...

I also want to enter a photo over at Our Beautiful World. This weeks theme is Mirroring. I took this photo on our recent trip to NYC. I always love modern glass buildings reflecting older buildings and this one was especially interesting. But don't ask me where exactly it is...

Have a great weekend everyone!

Susanne

ric #45, CAS(E) this sketch #48

Hello everyone,

The inspiration picture of the Runway Inspired Challenge #45, Tanya Taylor is right up my alley! Black and white with bright colors and stripes! Sunday morning, while in the process of waking up, I had a, what I thought, brilliant idea. But it didn't work out. Oh well... I had a few other ideas and finally made a card with the current sketch from CAS(E) this sketch #48. But first the inspiration picture. Doesn't this dress look comfortable and actually wearable?

And this is the sketch

and finally my card

Thank you for your visit and for all your kind comments,

Susanne

Stamps: DRS designs (black and white stripes), Hero Arts (Everyday sayings - love this set!), the colored stripes are made with markers (years ago I tried to copy my favorite patterned paper that I couldn't find anymore)