CAS Watercolour August 2019 - COLORFUL BUTTERFLIES

Hello friends.  I am happy to be hosting this months challenge at CAS Watercolour and we are looking for COLORFUL BUTTERFLIES.  

Butterflies come in so many colors, but we usually see only one or two colors on the butterflies.  This month I would like to see more than one color on your butterfly...in fact the sky is the limit, so use as many colors as your heart desires and let's flood the gallery with COLOR!

I hadn't used my Brusho's in a while, so I added Cobalt Blue, Purple, & Leaf Green to one panel, and Fuchsia & Orange on another panel and then spritzed with lots of water!  Before I added the Brusho's though, I used my Versamark pad and a SSS Outline Butterflies background stamp, and then heat embossed with white.  Once I added the Brusho's and water the outlines of the butterflies showed through.  Here's the 1st one...

I used just a portion of the colored panel and framed it out using MFT's Peek-A-Boo Stitched Rectangle Die.  Here's a closer up so you can see the design and color better:

Aren't the blues, greens, purples, and a touch of yellow (it's part of the Leaf Green Brusho's) pretty together?!  The sentiment is from PTI's Bitty Butterflies as is the tiny butterflies I added for a little dimension.

Here's the card using the orange & fuchsia Brusho's together...I love the way this one came out too!  

Here's another close up so you can see the colors better...I just LOVE orange and pink together!!  This sentiment is also from PTI's Bitty Butterflies and the small die cut butterfly is from Gina Marie Designs.

So now it's your turn to create some COLORFUL BUTTERFLIES!  Check out all the beautiful inspiration from the DT and our special GD Amy, and then play along right HERE.  Remember to keep your card CAS and to use some form of Watercolouring.  This challenge is open till the 24th.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Tag You're It Challenge - #93

Hello friends.  I'm honored to have been asked again to be GD for the Tag You're It Challenge, and look at the FUN inspiration photo they've given us to work with for the next two weeks:

For a bookworm like me, this is a perfect challenge, and I knew right away what I wanted to do!  My granddaughter Addy will be starting kindergarten in another month and she LOVES books too, so I thought a set of bookmarks would be a fitting send-off for school this Fall!

I used PTI's Basic Bookmark Dies and an unbranded stamp set from our local dollar store to create this fun little bookmark with the books and bespectacled little worm.  I colored the worm with my Copics and also the ribbon marker, and then left the rest of the design black & white.  There were 3 different worms in the set, so I made 3 different (but the same) bookmarks:

The sentiments also came with the set.  They're very simple but I really like how they turned out and I think my granddaughter will love them too!  The worms are all pop dotted for dimension, and I used red, blue, and green embroidery floss for the tassels.

How does the inspiration photo inspire YOU??!!  Think of the readers and bookworms in your life, and then play along right HERE.  And don't forget to check out all the FABULOUS inspiration from the DT too...

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

12 Kits Of Occasions July 2019 - Best Summer Ever

Hello friends.  It's the end of another month and that means it's time for the 12 Kits Of Occasions post where Marybeth is our hostess this month, and we're celebrating the Best Summer Ever!!

Look at all the fun papers (Echo Park), die cuts, images, and sweet sentiments Marybeth gave us to work with!!  And doesn't Lindsey do such a fabulous job of photographing all these goodies for us each month?!!  Most of my cards this month are EXTREMELY SIMPLE as a nod to Marybeth, who in my humble opinion is the Queen of elegant CAS cards.  Lots of people can do CAS, but Marybeth makes CAS always look like perfection!  It's hard to explain, but I am always blown away how BEAUTIFUL her cards are and yet still so simple!  Anyway, let's get on with it shall we??!!

I used the white frame (from the tulip die cut) and backed it with some of the Echo Park DSP, and then simply added the die cut HELLO and the ice cream cone.  A little bit of pink baker's twine finished off this card.  Definitely feels like Summer, doesn't it?!!

This card was so simple to put together as Marybeth did all the work having stamped and die cut the flowers (Filled In Florals by Concord & 9th) and Mason jar (Just Mason Around by The Greetery).

I did a little bit of ink blending on this Cool Treats (Concord & 9th) and then added to a background that I dry embossed and added more of that fun Echo Park DSP to.  I doubled up on the pop dots that I added to the center back of the ice cream treat to give it some dimension...looks good enough to eat, doesn't it?!

I think this is probably my favorite card...it's a bit larger than a normal A2 card (6" across) so that I could fit the whole sentiment A Flamingo A Day Keeps The Winter Away on the card.  It was part of the DSP and I just trimmed a strip to fit along the bottom of my card and then stamped a Flamingo from PTI's Some Like It Hot stamp set.  Marybeth had also added some really cool Flamingo washi tape with our kits and I added that to the inside...

Isn't that just too cute?!!

I just LOVED this Garden Poppy Stitched Frame die cut (Poppystamps) that Marybeth included in her kit, and did just a simple blended background using Abandoned Coral, Spiced Marmalade, & Wild Honey DOX inks.  The sentiment is from SSS's Sketched Flowers.

And last but not least, I had to make a shaker with the lovely sequin mix Marybeth included in the kit!  I ended up using a Copic on the rinds of the watermelon slices in the DSP so that it matched the color of the sequins better, but otherwise, this was another really quick and simple card.

And here they are all together!  Such a FUN kit Marybeth!!  I truly had a blast playing with all the goodies and cannot wait to see what all my teamies came up with using the same items!  You can check out what the rest of the DT came up with and a list of all the supplies we used right HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Rudolph Days Challenge - July 2019

Hello friends.  Playing along with the July Rudolph Days Challenge today and sharing a card I made a few weeks back when Michele and I got together to do Christmas cards in July.  I never finished this card because I had used my MISTI to stamp opposite corners of the Mistletoe, but for some reason when I flipped my cardstock, the 2nd image didn't line up and I almost threw the piece away.  I was looking at it again this weekend and got to thinking that maybe if I cut the image in half and just used the good side, it might be salvageable.  Here's what I came up with:

The image is from Altenew's Majestic Mistletoe and I used Altenew's Green Fields ink cubes for the Mistletoe and Gina K's Cherry Red ink for the berries.  Before attaching my half panel to the card base, I ran it though the big shot with SU!'s Subtle embossing folder to give some texture.  Here's a closer up so you can see the texture better...

After adding my stamped panel to the card base, I added a thin strip of Real Red cardstock, and then finished with the sentiment (also Majestic Mistletoe), a few gold sequins, and some gold cording at the top.  Pretty CAS but considering it almost ended up in the trash, I really like the way it turned out!

How is YOUR Christmas card stash coming along??  I'm getting there, and challenges like July Rudolph Days help me stay on track.  This challenge is open from the 25th - 31st, so play along and get a head start on those Christmas cards!!

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Tag You're It Challenge #92

Hello friends.  On a bit of a Christmas kick lately (the weather has been SOOOOO HOT lately that it actually feels good to be making Christmas cards and tags!!), and the current Tag You're It Challenge has a BEAUTIFUL Christmas inspiration photo!!

Isn't it a beautiful photo with all the greenery and berries...so FUN and FESTIVE!!  I used a Penny Black stamp (Christmas Arrangement) and came up with this vintage looking Christmas tag...

I stamped my tag (MFT) with the PB image in black and then heat embossed in clear, and then water colored the leaves, berries, and pinecone.  I cut a 2nd tag from kraft (to mimic the color of the basket in the inspiration photo) and stamped it with a Hero Arts stamp (Vintage Christmas Post).  I sponged the edges of both tags and also splattered both with Soft Suede ink before sticking them together.  I finished by adding a die cut JOY from PTI's Bold Borders: Flurries and a wooden snowflake (SU!).  I did add some WOS to the snowflake and pinecone, and also added a couple Rainstones (PTI) and some brown gingham ribbon and twine.

You can check out all the FABULOUS tags from the DT and then play along right HERE.  

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #15 - Festive Things With Wings

Hello friends.  The current Christmas Kickstart Challenge is looking for FESTIVE THINGS WITH WINGS this time around.

I used a sweet little stamp called Tweet Holiday from the Your Next Stamp Company and came up with this card...

I stamped my image in black and heat embossed in clear, and then water colored the sweet little birdies and branch with inks that I smooshed into an acrylic block and then picked up the color with my Aqua Painter.  Once everything was dry I added Dazzling Diamonds (SU!) to the largest and smallest birds hats.  I die cut a red frame using PTI's Pierced Feature Frames and added to a white card base with the image and also added some red & white bakers twine.  The sentiment is from the same stamp set.

Lots of FUN and FESTIVE winged things to see for inspiration, so check them out and get started on those Christmas cards!  HOT weather is a perfect time to stay inside and make Christmas cards and you'll be so happy that you're ahead come December!  Check it all out and play along with the Christmas Kickstart Challenge right HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Twofer Challenge #18 - GARDEN

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Twofer Challenge where the prompt this month is GARDEN.

I do not have much of a green thumb outside (my hubby takes care of the little we do have!), but I do have LOTS of stamps that could be used for a GARDEN theme!  I ended up choosing a really old wood block stamp from Endless Creations (not even sure if they're still in business!) and came up with a encouragement card and a sympathy card...

Let's start with the encouragement card:

For my 1st card I used a technique that was one of the very 1st I ever learned...using markers (SU!) and coloring directly onto the stamp, and then misting with water before stamping on my cardstock.  The only thing I wish I would have done different with this was taking the red rubber stamp off the block and using my MISTI so that I could have fixed the lower right hand side where the leaves didn't stamp too well!  Oh well, I still like it!!  I added a sentiment from PTI's Flower Favorites which I think is pretty fitting for a garden card, and then finished by adhering my stamped panel to a Rich Razzleberry card base.

For my sympathy card I blended Abandoned Coral, Spiced Marmalade, & Wild Honey Distress Oxide Inks and then used the same stamp but stamped it in black for a silhouette look, and then added a sentiment from SSS's Sketched Flowers stamp set.  I adhered the panel to a cream colored card base to finish off this simple card.

Darnell and the DT have SO many GORGEOUS inspiration examples for you to see, so check them all out and then play along right HERE.  You can play until the 24th.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!