April Showers Bring May Flowers

Well, that's usually what happens! But what does April snow bring?

Hopefully even more flowers!

Here is Tilda enjoying a warm Spring shower.

Ingredients:

Stamps-  Magnolia "Tilda in Spring Rain", CDStamps "Wistful Wishes"

Ink- Memento "Tuxedo Black"

Markers- TH Distress, Copic, MEPXY

Card stock- K&Co. "Julianne"

Dies- Spellbinders "Fair Isle", "Fancy RibbonThreader", "Stnd Circles Lg",

& "Lg Scalloped Circles"

Embellishments- Stickles "Crystal", Jolee's stickers "Water Drops", ribbon from my stash...and I used my Craft-deebowz bowmaker to make my bow!

Challenges:

https://craft-deebowz.blogspot.com - April Challenge AG w/bow

http://cropstop.blogspot.com - #38 April AG

http://craftycardmakers.blogspot.com - #209 "Water"

http://magnolia-liciouschallengeblog.blogspot.com - April "Rain"

http://www.scrapyland-blog.com - #88 AG

http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge - "Sparkle & Shine"

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #330-331 AG

Thanks for stopping by today and thanks so much for your kind comments!!

Much appreciated!

Two Cards, Same Stamp

Today I made another card with the FSJ bird stamp...the same stamp I used on my last card. One of the challenge blogs I follow asks for 2 different type of cards using the same stamp, so I made a sympathy card and a congratulations card. The theme this time was "Pets". Since we are "bird-sitting" our daughter's bird while she is off on vacation I decided that he would be my inspiration! His name is Pops and he is very vocal!

The sympathy card I have already described and explained in my previous post; the Congrats card is for a friend from my church who just sold her house (in just 24 hours!) so she can move to a "leisure village" where many older folks enjoy an easier, safer, more convenient home ownership experience.

To make the Congrats card I used the Memory Box "Catalina Wreath" die, Pearlescent Watercolor paints, FSJ stamp "Psalm 91:1", JustRite "Grand Handwritten Sentiments", gold glass beads, and raffia for the bow. The background DP is from a 12x12 pad called "Recollections".

The bird was stamped using the metallic watercolors, as well as the top wreath with the peachy-red flowers. (The bottom layered wreath was just a green DP)

Challenges:

http://twofercardchallenge.blogspot.com - #4 Pets

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #330-331

http://www.scrapyland-blog.com - #88 AG

http://mmmchallengeblog.blogspot.co.uk - #69 In the Garden

http://cropstop.blogspot.com - #38 AG

https://craft-deebowz.blogspot.com - April Challenge

http://caswatercolour.blogspot.com.au - April/Bird

Well, thanks, as always, for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

CAS Watercolor Card

Finally! A beautiful sunny day! Only a bit of snow left hiding in the shadows. My tulips are up 3-6 inches so far and my hosta plants are finally showing their little nubs above the ground. 

I'm doing just a quick post here before I go out to wash my muddy car!

Today I decided on trying a CAS card again...and wonder of wonders...I think I actually did it!

The background I created using the "Rubber Band Technique" as suggested on the CAS Mix Up blog. I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink "Antique Linen" on the rubber bands then did a metallic Pearlescent Watercolor wash over that. In the light it creates a nice shimmer. 

I even used the metallic watercolor paint to stamp the bird, then fussy-cut it, raised it with foam mini squares and adhered it to the background.

So now that I've posted this I'm thinking I may add 3 small metal studs or brown pearls in the bottom left of the background piece...what do you think? Do I need to?

Besides the TH ink and the paint I also used the FSJ  "Coffee Bean" ink, FSJ stamp "Psalm 91:1" (bird), sentiment stamps from StampingScrapping "Say it Your Way" set, and Paper Studio heavy weight white cardstock.

Challenges I'd like to join:

http://casmixup.blogspot.ca - Rubber band Tech+stamping+watercolor

http://caswatercolour.blogspot.com.au - April: Bird

http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge - Sparkle & Shine

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #330-331

Gate-Fold Guy Card

Good morning, friends! And happy Monday!

Anyone who has visited my blog often knows that I prefer creating lovely feminine cards far more than making masculine ones. I really struggle with guy cards...they never seem "done"...probably because I can't add bows, lace, sequins, flowers and "fluff"!

Well, yesterday afternoon I was working with a sketch and wanted to make it into a gate-fold card. That seemed complicated enough, so I chose non-feminine DP and left off the frills.

I dug out an old 6x6 paper pack by Webster's Pages called "Ladies & Gents" so all the colors coordinate perfectly...then I just had to find inks to match. My base cardstock is Paper Studio heavy weight ivory and the inks I used are: FSJ "Coffee Bean", Stampabilities "Lime", Studio G "Aqua" & "Turquoise". To get the right depth of color I used my Misti stamping platform and restamped the pale aqua several times.

The "Happy Birthday" sentiment on the front is an Inkadinkadoo stamp, the watch is from a set called "Time Travelers Memories" by Prima, the compass is Sandylion "Are We There Yet?"

And on the inside of the card the sentiment is a SweetStamps stamp, "Old Fashioned Wish", the Bible verse is from Our Daily Bread, "Scripture Series 3".

This was an interesting card to make, but as usual, took me far longer to make than it should have!

I'd like to enter it in a few challenges:

http://cheerfulsketcheschallenge.blogspot.nl - April Sketch

http://cropstop.blogspot.com - April #38 AG

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #330-331

Thanks for checking out my blog today! Come back soon!

Corner Floral: Best Wishes

I know that Spring WILL get here in Michigan some day soon, but today is cold, windy, grey and downright yucky! We had snow and sleet this morning, and now have warnings for ice tonight. So, a card with lovely flowers is much nicer to look at today...while trying to wait patiently for Spring! 

Here is the list of most of what I used to make this one:

Stamps: Stampabilities "Vintage Flourish", Stampin' Up "Best Wishes"

Ink: FSJ "Coffee Bean"

Punches: McGill "Floriano" & "Birch"

Die: Sizzix/Tim Holtz "Tattered Flower Garland"

Cardstock & Glass Beads are from my stash

Challenges I'm entering:

http://cropstop.blogspot.com - #38 AG

http://houseofcardschallenge.blogspot.com - April: Floral Corner + colors

http://www.scrapyland-blog.com - #87 AG

http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge - "Add Some Texture" (beads)

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #330-331 AG

Thanks for stopping by today! 

I hope you are enjoying sunshine and warm temps!

Have a great weekend, my friends!

Trio of Butterflies

Tonight I made a quick sympathy card using watercolor paper and Tim Holtz distress inks.

I brushed water on the paper and painted wide brush strokes using "Evergreen" & "Shaded Lilac" inks. Then I stamped the butterfly images with the same inks on moistened paper. They have a soft, smudged look that I really like. I added Stickles "Icicle" & "Crystal" for a bit more dimension.

The butterfly stamps and dies are from Fun Stampers Journey, and the sentiment stamps are StampingScrapping "Say it Your Way".

I want to enter this card in these challenges:

http://freshlymadesketches.blogspot.com - #331

http://mmmchallengeblog.blogspot.co.uk - #68 Things with wings

http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge - A Trio of Something

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #328-329

Pretty "Scraps" Card

Well, recently I've been in the "spring cleaning" mood so I've been sorting things in closets, cupboards, drawers...and my craft room! I actually sorted and got rid of at least half of the paper scraps that I save from card projects. I had a whole file drawer full! And now all the solids are separate from the prints...a lovely rainbow in an organized box. A few of my favorites were tiny, tiny scraps that I just couldn't part with, so I decided to make one last card with them. I had to piece the background papers and even some of the flowers. It took me probably 3 times longer than usual to make this card! Not sure those scraps were worth that! LOL

Here is a partial list of items used for this one:

Cardstock- DCWV "Holiday Collection" & "Indian Summer", Paper Studio

Dies- Tim Holtz "Tattered Flower Garland", Spellbinders "Scalloped Borders 2", Trimcraft "Tag Dies"

Punches- McGill "Birch"(leaf), Martha Stewart "Flower"

Stamps- StampingScrapping "Say It Your Way"

Ink- FSJ "Coffee Bean"

Embellishments- Basic Grey "Bling It -Greens", FSJ "Natural Twine", tea-dyed seam binding

Challenges:

http://cheerfulsketcheschallenge.blogspot.nl/  - April Sketch

https://craft-deebowz.blogspot.com/2018/04/april-challenge.html - AG 

http://cropstop.blogspot.com - #38 April  AG

http://www.scrapyland-blog.com - #87 AG

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #328-329 AG

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you enjoy your "spring cleaning" too!