Tuesday Morning Sketches #709

 Hello!  Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you had a nice long holiday weekend.  The latest sketch is up at Tuesday Morning Sketches.  It's another easy going sketch that can either be kept simple or really dressed up.  Debbie does such a job with sketches.

My card features some lovely papers that were part of the Simon Says Stamp card kit I got a couple of months ago.  The topiary is a die set from Spellbinders.  The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp.

This card just makes my heart happy.  I think it's so sweet.

Please join us at the TMS blog and be sure to leave some love for the team.

Color My Heart Color Dare #550

 Hello!  Thank you for your visit.  This week's Color My Heart Color Dare #550 is up.

My card features Melon, Sage, Pine and a whisper of Wisteria.  The dies are from the Rawr Add-On set from i-Crafter, the trees are from the Message in a Bottle die set from Tonic Studios and the volcano I free handed.

This card was a blast to make!  I used a few colors of Distress Oxide inks to create my sky, added the free-handed volcano and then the rest of die cut elements.  This is going to a special little boy who's turning 3 in a few months.  

Hope you to see you at the challenge blog.

Tuesday Morning Sketches #708

 Hello friends.  Thank you stopping by.   The latest sketch is up at Tuesday Morning Sketches and it's another fun one!

Big sentiments are on trend right now so I thought it would be fun to incorporate that into a sketch.  But what happens if you don't have really big sentiments?  You make them bigger!  My card features the Hugs die and sentiments set from Pink & Main.  

Firstly, I used the sentiment stamp and my Misti to stamp hugs in light and dark inks.  I die cut the hugs sentiment a few times and then glued them together to add just a little dimension.  And then finally added the "sending" and "& kisses" stamping them in black ink.  I also stamped a little greenery from a stamp set by Spellbinders and die cut some flowers making little floral swaps.  I finished off the card with some Nuvo pearl drops and iridescent sequins. 

Overall, this was a very easy, very quick card to make and I really had a lot of making it. 

I hope you've been inspired and will join us for this week's challenge.  See you over at the TMS blog and be sure to leave the team some love and kindness.

Tuesday Morning Sketches #707

 Hello!  Thank you for coming by - I appreciate your visit.  The latest sketch is up at Tuesday Morning Sketches and it's such a fun sketch.  Super easy elements.  This is a good go-to sketch when you need something quick.

My card features this month's Stamp of the Month kit from Tonic Studios.  This one was too cute for me to to pass up and I'm not even sharing all of it's adorable-ness!  

The paper is also from Tonic Studios from another kit.  But just look at this little hungry caterpillar chomping at those tender leaves.  He's got to build up his strength so he can become a beautiful butterfly!  

I colored the stamped images using Zig Real Brush markers and blended the colors with a waterbrush.  The background is lightly washed in blue.  Then I die cut the images out using the coordinating dies and the branch which is a die that's included but doesn't have a stamp.  Then I added the sentiment.  I know it's in the wrong the place. This is what I get for trying to make my card thinking I know the sketch, I drew it!  Ha!  

Well, I know you'll do a better job following the sketch.  But you know, just have fun.  Thanks for stopping by, I hope to see you at TMS and please leave some love for the team.

Color My Heart Color Dare #548

 Hello!  Thank you for your visit.  This week's Color My Heart Color Dare #548 challenge is to use Pewter plus one other color.

My card features pewter plus peach.

I do admit I drew some inspiration from Pinterest for this card.  I saw a gray card with white embossing and was like "YESSS."  The look is so striking, so dramatic. I rarely heat emboss anymore and I don't know why.  I love the look.  It's so much fun to do.  And I even bought myself a pair of Hot Hand tongs to hold onto things while using the heat gun so I don't burn myself. These are so cute, available in lots of colors and for $3.99 - heck ya!

Back to the card, the image and dies are from Altenew.  I don't think you buy them anymore, they were part of the collaboration class they did with Spellbinders a few months ago.

I hope you'll join the challenge!  See you there.

Tuesday Morning Sketches #706

 Hello!  Thank you for stopping by.  I appreciate your visit.  The latest sketch is up - this week's sketch is by Debbie.  It's has great elements.

Remember, a shape is a shape and they can shift.  My card features Tonic Studios craft kit Delightful Daisies.  This set creates an A2 gatefold card and has some interchangeable focal points.  The color palette that was included in the kit are more fall like colors so I didn't use them.  I wanted this feel like my all time favorite flower the Gerbera daisy.

I used some left over paper from the pack that bought to use in Kendra's 15 card challenge that I never finished.  The paper is Echo Park - A New Day.  The die set creates the card base, side panels and the center focal point.  Also the sentiment in the center.  The leaves are from an old Spellbinders small die KOM - these were the only ones big enough for this bloom.

This photo is to show the gatefold opening.  Isn't this fun!  I love how this turned out and the colors are so bright and happy!  I also hope that you see how shapes have shifted.  The rectangle piece is the cloud panel, the circle is still there with the round bloom and the sentiment and the fishtails have shifted to leaves.  Sketches are jumping off points.  So plug your nose and dive in feet first.  Have fun!

Tuesday Morning Sketches #705

 Hello!  Thank you for stopping by.  The latest sketch is up at Tuesday Morning Sketches and I think it's a lovely sketch.

You all know that I became obsessed with my Essential Arches dies from Spellbinders.  Well, I'm still obsessed and still playing with them.  My card also features Dendrobium Orchids dies from Altenew.  O is for orchids - this is the next letter in the alphabet that just got mailed.

This is a tri-fold card.  The front is cut out using the Essential Arches die and then I hot foiled a sentiment onto some acetate that can be heat embossed.  The foil is this lovely shade of purple.  I also embossed the card to give a small amount of texture and then using some dies from the Clocks & Cogs collection from Tonic Studios and lacey border die from Crafter's Companion I decorated the front.  My intent was to make this look like the orchids were under a glass dome so I added a couple of drops of Crystal Drops for the handle.  This didn't work out so well, it looks like I made a mistake.

Then you open the card - this is where I adhered the orchids to a piece of foiled and inked poly-glaze sheet from Gina K.  I foiled it in the same purple, so you know it's the foil made for hot foiling and not right for this - but it turned out so cool!  After I foiled it, I covered it up with black ink and then buffed it.  It looks so neat!!

The orchids, I smooshed on ink colors starting out darker and gradually getting lighter, onto some Bristol Smooth card stock.  Let that dry and then die cut the pieces.  I got a couple of them wrong, but who can tell?!  This layer will open to the right to reveal the inside for personalization.

 Here's a close up of that hot foiled sentiment.  It's so hard to photograph foiled things!

I hope my card inspires you and that I'll see you over at the TMS blog.  Be sure to leave some love for the team!

Birthstone Challenge May to June

 Hello!  It's that time again for another challenge at Birthstone Challenge.  This challenge will run from May 1st to June 15th.  Birthstones are Emeralds and Pearls.  Your project can feature one or the other or both, but must be dominate in your project.  As always, it's anything goes.

So here's another installment in my art journal.  I really wanted aspired to make a flower from alcohol ink but I didn't quite get there.  So I scrapped the idea, pulled out some glittery alcohol ink card stock and made this....

I am totally in love with page.  My dominant color is the emerald color but it screamed that it needed some spots of teal to really bring out the ethereal emerald green.  I noticed that the only part of the card stock I used that was still glittery was where the ink didn't go.  Note - don't use pearlescent alcohol ink on glittery card stock.  It defeats the purpose of both.  But still - I love love LOVE this page.  I added some random stamping to the background.  The lacey piece is from die from Tonic Studios as well as the bee.  The butterfly is from Spellbinders.  I did add a touch of "pearls" using Dream Drops from Nuvo.  I also used some Crystal Drops on the bee.  The words were random stickers that I put together from Tim Holtz sticker book called Clippings sticker book.

Please join us at Birthstone Challenges.  Leave the team some love and again, thank you for visiting my blog.  Leave a comment so I know you were here.