#923 – A Prickly Thought!

PE: Winner at Addicted to Stamps and More!!!

Hello and welcome! With the start of the a new month, we have the start of a new Watercolor challenge at the Happy Little Stampers challenge! As usual, it is an Anything Goes challenge.

And here’s my inspiration for you for this month –

I used the image from Waffle Flower Potted stamp set and stamped it on watercolor paper using VersaFine black ink. Now I wanted it to have the look of a sketch, so I used an extra fine pen and drew over the lines again, adding a few more pricklies. Once done, I messy watercolored the bunch of cactii and also the table and wall behind it using Gansai Tambi watercolors.

Once it dried, I added a few splatters of black ink on top. Finally, I added the sentiment, from The Stamp Market Scripty Sentiments using black ink. I trimmed the panel, mounted it on a grey card base. I added a couple of strips of black card stock to balance everything out.

And that finishes my card. I’m joining the following challenges with it –

Addicted to Stamps and More #399: Anything Goes

Watercooler Wednesday challenge #310: All About Occasion

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Anything Goes

Hop over to the Happy Little Stampers challenge to get more wonderful inspiration from the rest of our creative DT. And thank you so much for stopping by!

#922 – Rose Stenciling

Hello and welcome! Its for the new challenge we have up a the Tic Tac Toe challenge. Continuing with our February theme of ‘Congrats/Thinking of You‘, we have a new board, created by Betty, for you to work with –

I am trying out a card which in which I am using a few things that I am wanting to use lately – nothing new, more like trying to use what I have. I used the diagonal from top right, including the cells Stencil – Word Die-cut – Flowers. Here’s what I made –

I started with the roses. I’ve used the stencils from CrafTreat called Roses 2 and Roses 3. These stencils help you make a rose using the layered coloring approach. The stencil set also has masks for the roses.

I used the stencils and the masks on striped texture cardstock and then fussy cut it. I then die cut a frame using white cardstock and some scrap cardstocks, which I adhered together. I then adhered the flowers and frame over a mango yellow cardstock. For the sentiment, I first cut out a few pieces of My Favorite Things Congrats die cuts, adhered them together and adhered it over the card. The stamped sentiment comes from Waffle Flower Congrats stamp set. For embellishing, I used a few half pearls.

I’m joining the following challenges –

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge #399: Any Occasion

Watercooler Wednesday challenge #310: All About Occasions

Timeout challenge #182: Anniversary challenge: Birthday themed or any Celebration

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Anything Goes

Checkout the Tic Tac Toe challenge blog for more wonderful inspiration from the rest of the Design Team!

And thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

#921 – Elephant Love!

Hello and welcome! We have a new challenge up at the Seize the Birthday challenge. This time, the Topping was chosen by Lindsey and she chose ‘Create a Scene‘. But of course, like always, the Topping is optional and you are free to go without it, and join us as long as it is a birthday project.

And here’s what I created –

I started with stamping the images. The two elephants are from Mama Elephant Ella & Friends and WPlus9 Bubble Talk. The flowers from Purple Onion Designs Blooms No.2, the little cupcake from Memory Box Birthday Bunnies and the clouds are from My Favorite Things Scene Builder. I stamped them all on my linen textured white card panel using a light grey ink. The extra grass I drew myself. I then colored the panel with pencils, and used mineral oil to blend them.

I then trimmed the panel and stamped the sentiment, from My Favorite Things Friendly Foxes. I then adhered this panel over a kraft cardbase.

With this card I’m joining the following challenges –

Global Design Project challenge #279: Animal

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge #399: Any Occasion

Hop over to the Seize the Birthday challenge blog to see more shades of greens from our talented DT and our Surprise Party Guest Carol Mayne! And thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

#919 – Hearty Hugs and Kisses

Hello and welcome! Its second month of the year, where we celebrate love, but with a new challenge up at the Seize the Birthday challenge, we celebrate birthdays! However, the Topping for this month, selected by our charming leader Nancy, is ‘Hearts‘! So, maybe we can mix things up a little bit too! However, if you are not for the topping, you can just stick with our usual “Anything Goes” birthday! The choice is yours!

And here’s what I made –

I started with making the hearts background. I had a couple of ideas, but I wanted something colorful. Winnie & Walter, which I am naming Seeing Hearts (it’s very similar to their actual Seeing Hearts stencil), which I received for free when they closed shop (:() I aligned this stencil on a white card panel and used distress oxide inks and a few pigment inks to add color in rainbow order to each of the little hearts, taking care to not place colors next to each other. I then set this aside to dry.

I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to use this panel directly on the card or go for another background. Finally I decided to go with one of the bright cardstocks that I have. This one is kind of a bright yellow ocher color (yeah, I suck at naming colors, though not using them 😉 !!). I stamped the plaid using The Stamp Market Striped stamp set in black ink. I then trimmed the hearts panel..one strip of hearts on each side..and then foam mounted it on the card base.

Finally the sentiment. I had this leftover piece, which I didn’t use on another project, which used the Neat & Tangled Journaling Alphas dies to die cut and some grey watercoloring on it (yes, watercolored die cut, not inked!). I thought it suited it, but then once I mounted the hearts on the yellow background, felt that it was not showing up as much. So I watercolored over around 3/4th of the pieces with black, left it to dry and then adhered that on my card. The second half of the sentiment comes from Concord & 9th Cuddles & Hugs, for which I used the same cardstock as my card base, trimmed it and then foam mounted it.

And that’s my card! I am also joining the following challenges –

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge: Love/Hearts

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Love is in the Air

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge #398: Birthdays

CrafTangles February challenge: Love

AAA Birthday challenge #22: A Large Sentiment

Stop over the Seize the Birthday blog for more wonderful, heartful inspiration from the rest of our design team and of course, from Carol Mayne, who is our Surprise Party Guest starting today for the next two months, too!

Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

#911 – Flurries of Happiness

Hello and welcome to the very first challenge of Seize the Birthday for the new year!! Following tradition, we have a new topping for you to work with. This time, our wonderful teammate Barbara was the one to choose ‘Snowy Background’ as the topping. If you’re not a toppings kinda person, well…..you can just stick with our usual “Anything Goes”Birthday! The choice is yours!

And here’s what I made –

I’ve started trying to create my own backgrounds while watercoloring, and the topping felt like a good start. So, I just thought of going for it!

The cute little foxie is from My Favorite Things Sending Sweet Celebration Wishes, and I modified its birthday hat into a snow cap and added a muffler around its neck to help it with the cold weather. The rest of the image is drawn and watercolored.

I used Gansai Tambi watercolors with CrafTangles watercolor paper to create the entire scene. Finally, I stamped the sentiment from Paper Smooches Winter Sampler stamp set at the bottom in black ink. I then trimmed the panel a bit more and mounted it on a grey card base.

And that finished my card! And I’m joining the following challenges –

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Something New

My Favorite Things Color Challenge #156

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge #396: Make Your Mark

Look for more inspirational and innovative cards from the rest of our DT and our Party Guest Julie Peddicord at the Seize the Birthday challenge blog! And don’t forget to play along and add a few more birthday cards to your stash! 🙂

Thank you so much for stopping by!