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!

Sunflower Cards

Hello creative friends,

The current CAS Watercolor Challenge asks for sunflowers and since I love them and had some time this weekend I decided to see what I could come up with. I picked a very old stamp featuring a framed mosaic sunflower that I hadn't used in a very long time. And then I couldn't stop playing with it!

On the first card I colored it with markers and spritzed it with water to create a watercolor look. Because I used watercolor paper that wasn't bright white I used a kraft card base, added a little stenciling, a little spritzing, and a small sentiment.

When I used this stamp in the past I always colored the frame in blue because this color combo makes me so happy. I thought I was done but then I began wondering how it would look like with a green frame... So I pulled everything out again and had to try it. I have to say I really like the fresh look. It's almost as if it is surrounded by leaves... Since I liked the stencil (doesn't it mimic the mosaic style of the stamp?), I kept the layout, etc. the same, just changing the sentiment. 

Stamps: Rubber Stampede (sunflower frame), Hero Arts (both sentiments)
Other: Memory Box (stencil)


After all the spritzing I was curious how it would look when I colored it with markers and huffed on it (anybody remember that "technique"?). The colors are not as vibrant as when you spritz them with water but I still liked it. Since I used regular card stock I was able to use a white card base using the same stencil with some embossing paste.

Stamps and Stencil see above. The sentiment is from Print Works.


I had so much fun inking and spritzing this stamp that I ended up making three simple bookmarks with it! Sorry, forgot to take a picture but it's basically the image on a strip of watercolor and some ribbon on top.

CAS Watercolor August Challenge "Sunflowers"





Addicted to Stamps and More #304 "CAS"





Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!

Be well and keep in touch!

Baby Girl

It's been a long, long time since I needed a baby card, so I had a lot of fun creating and personalizing this one for a little girl. I got the elephant theme from a quilt the mother and her cousin made that featured an elephant. What a great excuse to finally use this cute one that was a gift from a friend and has been patiently waiting  in my NBUS box for it's moment to shine. Same goes for the welcome die.

I used products from lots of different companies to make this card. It makes me happy when they play nicely together. *wink* The background is watercolored.

Stamps: Inkadinkado (letters)
Dies: Impression Obsession (welcome), Memory Box (tags), SSS (balloon), Cottage Cutz (baby elephant), My Favorite Things (hill)


Challenges:

Inkspirational #153 "Word Prompt: Attachment"
The balloon is attached to the trunk, plus a baby is very attached to it's mother in the first months...







CAS Watercolor February Challenge "Hearts"
Dear Design Team, I am not sure if my card is CAS enough... If it isn't, please delete it.

Be well and keep in touch!

Birthday Card for the Best Sister

I have the best sister in the whole world. I am truly sorry for you if you thought yours was the best... ;)

Anyway now that we cleared that up I want to show you the card I made for her birthday which happened to be last week. The inspiration for the card came to me last summer when we stayed at her house (she and her husband are also the best and most generous hosts). They have these black and white dishes with flowers for a long time. Who knows why all of the sudden last summer it occurred to me that I could turn them into a card. I wanted to take a picture of them but forgot. So I had to go by memory. Mine is not the best anymore. And remember it's six months later...

Stamps: Altenew (flowers, leaves), Create a Smile (sentiment)
Dies: My Favorite Things (chevrons)


My sister was kind enough to take a picture of one of the plates. You can see that instead of the pale yellow I should have added a deeper, more redish orange... Oh well, she liked the card and that's all that matters!

Entering the card into the following challenges:

CAS Watercolor January Challenge "Birthday"

Time Out Challenge #100 "Being Thankful"
Congratulation on 100 challenges! You asked what we are thankful for and I am very thankful to have such a wonderful sister!







Thank you for your visits and comments!

Be well and keep in touch!

Purple Best Wishes

It's a very busy time of the year - I am sure you all agree. For me that means very little time to play and blog, don't know how you all do it... Maybe you are better organized than I am...

Amidst all the gorgeous holiday cards in blog land I dare to show you a birthday card!

Stamps: Winnie & Walter (background), Avery Elle (sentiment)
Dies: My Favorite Things (flowers and leaves)

Clear embossed the background on watercolor paper and watercolored it. Die cut the flowers, the purple one is watercolored, the smaller one is cut from a scrap of shimmery vellum. Stamped the sentiment on a strip of vellum.


Sending this to

CAS Watercolor December Challenge






Just realized it would work also for

CAS Mix Up December Challenge
I used heat embossing, watercoloring, and die cutting

Be well and keep in touch!

Best Wishes in Green and Gold

Over at the CAS Watercolor Challenge the theme is "Silhouette" and it doesn't have to be a black one. So mine is gold with a green watercolor wash, sprinkled with salt, in the background. Instead of using gems, I die cut the top of the flower again, cut out some of the circles, "hammered" them with the end of a brush to give them some textures and glued them on.

Stamps: Hero Arts (sentiment)
Die: Memory Box (flower)


CAS Watercolor September Challenge
ETA: This card won Outstanding Design!






CAS Mix Up September Challenge
ETA: This card won Outstanding Design!

Hope you are enjoying the weekend!

Be well,

Two Cards, Two Techniques

Today I have two cards for you featuring two different techniques. The first one has a strip of Yupo paper (sort of like a sheet of thin plastic) and alcohol inks. In the close up you might be able to see a bit of gold there, too. It's very fascinating to watch how drops of alcohol inks react on Yupo paper. If you haven't tried it you should definitely put it on your list of techniques to try!

Stamps: My Favorite Things (sentiment)
Die: My Favorite Things (happy)


On the second card I played with watercolors on watercolor paper sprinkled with salt. The salt sucks up the color and creates an interesting pattern. I die cut the hearts and the word love from the sheet I created. The close up is supposed to show you the Wink of Stella sparkle that is so hard to capture on a photo!

Stamps: PTI (sentiment)
Dies: PTI (love), Sweet 'n' Sassy (hearts, SSS (stitched frame)


Challenges (click on the links for more information and lots of inspiration from the DTs and the galleries):

CAS Mix Up August Challenge

CAS Watercolor August Challenge

My Favorite Things Camp Create 2017 "Delightful Die Cutting"








Thanks so much for visiting and commenting if you feel like it! Let me know if you have any questions!

Be well,

Watercolored Wild Hibiscus

Before I go to bed I would like to share a card with you using gold embossed and watercolored flowers that had been sitting on my desk...

Stamps: Altenew (flowers, leaves), Create a Smile (sentiment)


Challenges (click on the links for more information and lots of inspiration from the DTs and the galleries):

CAS Mix Up May Challenge "Splatters"
My choices are watercoloring and heat embossing





CAS Watercolor May Challenge "Flowers"
ETA: This card won "Outstanding Design"! 





So glad, that I finally managed to combine these two challenges!
Have a fabulous week and

Be well,

Reminder for Time Out Challenge #83

Hello there,

Just popping in to remind you that you still have time to CASE Hannelie's fantastic card for the Time Out Challenge #83

Here it is again:

Stamps: Altenew (flower, leaves), Hero Arts (background), STAMPlorations (sentiment)
Die: Nestabilities (circle)
Other: Brushos


As you can see I stuck with the same color scheme but used it on the flower this time (stamped on the same Brusho panel). I also used a negative circular die cut and lots of black and white. I am a bit disappointed with myself that both times I didn't use any splatters considering how much I like them! On this card I sprinkled a few gems around to imitate the splatters.


I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

CAS Watercolor May Challenge "Flowers"
ETA: This card won "Outstanding Design"!






STAMlorations May CAS Challenge

I had so much fun CASEing Hannelie's card, now it's your turn! I hope to see your creation in the gallery! You have until May 25th to enter and you could win a $15 voucher to Happy Little Stampers! For more details go to Time Out Challenges.
Thank you very much Nonni and the DT for inviting me to guest design!

Be well,

More ghosting and some Watercoloring

Check out my new signature at the end of the post that the amazing Loll created for me! The one that I made a few months ago caused a warning to pop up every time I wrote a new post, so sweet Loll offered to design a new one for me! I love it and hope you do, too!

Today I have two cards for you!

This past weekend I spent with my 7Cardologists friends (although one was missing) in the mountains at our annual Stamp Camp. I taught them the Ghosting technique which is the current theme at the CAS Mix Up Challenge. We all used different stencils and colors and had so much fun. I made this card from my background.

Stamps: Happy Little Stampers (sentiment)
Dies: Impression Obsession (tree)
Other: Tree stencil (TCW), Distress Inks


Challenges (click on the links for more information and lots of inspiration):

CAS Mix Up October Challenge "Ghosting"
plus Stamping and Die cutting
*This card was a runner up!*







On my second card I did some watercoloring with Distress Inks. I don't own Copics and use a lot of colored pencils when I am stamping with my friends but what I really love is the look of watercoloring.

Stamps: Winnie & Walter (sentiment)

Dies: Impression Obsession

Other: Distress Inks, copper embossing powder from PSX (that I've had for more than 20 years!!!)

The word "autumn" is embossed in copper. Hard to see in the picture but very pretty in real life. Will take a picture tomorrow and post it on instagram (button on the right sidebar).

Sending this card to the following challenges:


CAS Watercolor October Challenge "Fall"

Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesdays September "Yellow, Orange, Red, and Brown"





The Gossip Column with Taheera Atchia on the W&W blog #5 "Precious Metals"








Both CAS Mix Up and CAS Watercolor Challenges are having an Design Team call and since I really like that style and enjoy playing in these challenges I am being brave and throwing my hat into the ring. Wish me luck...

Phew, that was a longish post! Thanks for sticking with me 'til the end!

Be well,