Botanical Sketch Birthday Card

Today I needed to create a birthday card for my sister-in-law's 65th birthday. I was in the mood for a little painting and I thought the Botanical Sketch from Tim Holtz would be wonderful for the front of her card.

I used my MISTI to stamp with Ranger Archival Ink onto watercolor paper. I heat set it and then proceeded to painstakingly paint it, using an Aqua Pen and several reinkers. It was truly a labor of love!

I stamped the sentiment from Butterfly Basics using the Archival ink. Because I wanted the colors to really pop, I chose to adhere it to a thin Basic Black matte using Fuse Fast Adhesive. I adhered the matted stamp to a Bermuda Bay card base using Dimensionals.

For the inside of the card I created a matte from the now retired Naturals White card stock. I used a fern stamp from Butterfly Basics to stamp with Old Olive around the edges of the matte. I stamped the sentiment using the Archival ink and then inked the edges of the matte in Old Olive and Mossy Meadow.

My only regret is that I somehow got a blob of ink where I shouldn't have but I think she will understand!
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A Little Wine

The card I have for you today uses a mix of products. It is a special card that I designed for my husband for our anniversary.

I knew that I wanted to use my Wine & Cheese stamp set from TPC Studio (no longer seems to be available) and also use my Mini Bricks stencil from Crafters Workshop so that I could create three dimensional bricks with Molding Paste.

I started by using my Staedtler Flex Curve ruler to form an arch on a piece of Watercolor paper. I traced this to use as an outline for stamping.

Using my MISTI, I first stamped a clump of grapes and then stamped grapevines around the top of the arch, using Jet Black Ranger Archival Ink. I used archival ink because I wanted to watercolor.


After stamping, I used my ruler again on a piece of Sahara Sand card stock. Then I used my Molding Paste to add some bricks to the page. I set this aside to dry overnight. I did not want to use my Heat Tool with this because it would bubble.

Meanwhile, after heat setting my stamped images, I used my Derwent Inktense Pencils and a water brush for dipping into water as I worked, to color in the grapes and the grapevines.

Next, I stamped a wine bottle and two glasses on watercolor paper and also colored them in the same way. I fussy cut these.

I stamped the sentiment on watercolor paper and die cut it using one of the Apothecary Accents framelits. I inked the edge using Rich Razzleberry ink.

Once my bricks were dry, I used sponge daubers and Smoky Slate, Sahara Sand, Crumb Cake and Tip Top Taupe to color them.

I trimmed my arch for the grapevines and adhered it with Dimensionals to the matte with the bricks. This was adhered to a thin Rich Razzleberry Matte and then to a Mossy Meadow card base using Fuse Fast adhesive.

I used more dimensionals to attach the wine bottle, glasses, and sentiment to the front of the card. I accented the highlights on the bottle, the glass stems and the grapes with my Wink of Stella pen.

After regretting not inking the arch that the grapevines were on, I carefully inked it, using Sahara Sand and Crumb Cake inks, once the card was made by carefully masking areas as needed. I also "dirtied up" the white background so it didn't look so white.

Showing the dimension.

I was pleased with how this all came together and it is quite close to the "vision" I had for this card!

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Remarkable You and a Mixed Media Technique

I hope you all are enjoying this wonderful summer! My husband and I have been enjoying spending time with our granddaughter, Raine. She's growing up so fast but she is such a total delight!

I've snuck in a few photos of her to show you below!

Though I thought that when she was napping (and she is a GREAT napper) I would have time to make some cards, it appeared that Grandma sometimes needed a nap then, too!

Regardless, I was able to put together a card today and dabble with a mixed media technique.
I started by creating a watercolor background using four reinkers–Rich Razzleberry, Blackberry Bliss, Coastal Cabana and Bermuda Bay. I simply wet my paper well with a spray bottle and then dabbed on color. I dried with my heat tool and added a bit more where I thought it was needed and then dried it completely.

Next, I chose to use the stripes mask from the Dots and Stripes Masks set. I adhered my watercolored matte to my craft matte and then adhered the mask over it.

I added a few drops of Bermuda Bay reinker to some Golden Gel Medium Light Molding Paste and mixed it well using an old gift card. I then proceeded to wipe the molding paste from bottom to top of the mask over the watercolored matte, being sure to swipe the excess paste from the matte. I then lifted the mask straight up and off of the watercolor and set it aside to dry.

Meanwhile, I used my MISTI to stamp the flower from the Remarkable You stamp set with Versamark onto both a piece of Blackberry Bliss and a piece of Bermuda Bay card stock. I heat embossed both with Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder and then fussy cut them. They were adhered to the watercolor matte with Dimensionals.

The sentiment was also stamped with Versamark and heat embossed. It was die cut using the Lots of Labels Framelits and then trimmed down slightly.

Once it was completely dry, I trimmed up the watercolor matte and wrapped a length of Gold Sequin Trim around it and then adhered the sentiment on top, using Dimensionals.

A piece of paper from the Bohemian Designer Series papers was adhered to a Bermuda Bay card base using Snail Adhesive and then the watercolor matte was adhered on top using Dimensionals.

I love how the use of the Molding Paste turned out! Because it was only thinly applied, some of the watercolored background showed through, making it look kind of like a two-toned ombré stripe! It gives a nice dimensionality to the matte as well.

I'm looking forward to more experiments with Molding Paste on future cards so stay tuned! Let me know in the comments below if you have tried Molding Paste in your card making.


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Indescribable Gift Meets Butterfly Basics

Inspiration may come from several different sources–a technique, a product, a design or a color combination.

Because color is very important to me, I am constantly in search of new resources to inspire me in this area. I found a wonderful resource in the magazine, Color Made Easy from Better Homes and Gardens.

It was easy to translate the color swatches in the magazine to the Stampin' Up colors to come up with even more fresh color combos to use in card making!


For my card today, I was inspired by this page:

I translated the color combo from BHG to the Stampin' Up colors of Cucumber Crush, Melon Mambo and Whisper White.

I am really enjoying using the Stampin' Blender Pen with my reinkers to give a watercolor look to my stamped images! However, my card today caused me a bit of grief.

I actually colored my stamped image twice; the first time, I stamped the sentiment over the colored stamp only to find out it was not completely legible :(

The second time I colored it, I thought I would have to color it a third time because I got some ink on the white parts!

Luckily, I utilized a method from Jennifer McGuire to get rid of my mistake. I used a craft knife to scrape lightly over the errant ink area and then blended the paper fibres a bit using a white eraser. That method, paired with a vellum cover-up saved my bacon!

The card itself was pretty simple to create. Using my MISTI, I stamped the flowers from the Indescribable Gift stamp set using Tuxedo Black Stazon ink on Watercolor Paper. After a quick pass under my Heat Tool to set the ink, I used Melon Mambo, Cucumber Crush and Soft Suede reinkers with my Blender Pen to color in the stamp.

I used a die from the Circles Collection Framelits to cut out the colored stamp as well as a same sized circle from Vellum.

Using both the die cut and the original vellum piece, I placed both in my MISTI and stamped the sentiment from Butterfly Basics using the Stazon ink again. Using the original piece of vellum with the die cut allowed me to make sure the round die cut did not move while I was stamping it.
I used tiny amounts of Snail Adhesive on the colored sections of the stamped image to attach the vellum piece over top.

I used a non Stampin' Up embossing folder–Christmas Vine by Craft Concepts–to emboss the Cucumber Crush matte. I did this because I needed a larger embossing folder to emboss the matte. This matte was then adhered to a Whisper White matte.

I then angled strips of Melon Mambo stitched ribbon across the matte, securing on the back with Sticky Strip. This completed matte was then attached to a Melon Mambo matte that had been previously adhered to a Whisper White Thick card stock card base, using Fuse Fast Adhesive.

The circular stamped piece was adhered onto the card front using Dimensionals. A RV09 Copic Marker was used to color five rhinestones and they were adhered to the vellum matte.

The Bitty Butterfly Punch was used to cut a butterfly from Melon Mambo card stock and then I used my Wink of Stella pen to glimmer it up a bit! I also inked the edges of the butterfly using Rose Red and a Sponge Dauber.

Finally, the butterfly was adhered to the card front using a dab of Crystal Effects.

Close-up showing the effect of the Wink of Stella pen.

What have you watercolored using the Blender Pen? Leave me a link in a comment below!


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Gift From The Garden In Bold, Bright Colors

As I have mentioned in past posts, if I have any spare time while working at Walmart, I amuse myself by making lists of potential color combos and drawing sketches for card ideas.

We've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to do much of this but there was a bit of a lull the other day so I had a chance to jot a few things down. Yesterday's card, in fact, was actually inspired by my careful examination of a potato chip bag! The color scheme was perfect and I knew I had to use it!

Though yesterday I completed my three-part "gardening" series, today's card also employs a gardening theme but the color scheme is one I thought of while working at Walmart.

I started by embossing a Whisper White matte with the new Brick Wall embossing folder. I have been wanting to use that one for so long!

I used sponge daubers to color in the bricks using Cajun Craze and Delightful Dijon and I inked the edges using Chocolate Chip. The matte was adhered to a Cajun Craze card base using Dimensionals.

The color I chose to complement the brick wall was one of our new In Colors, Cucumber Crush. Using my MISTI I stamped both the sentiment and the three plants on Whisper White card stock and then die cut them using two different sets of Framelits–Project Life Cards & Labels and Lots Of Labels. I inked the edges of the die cuts using the same ink.

Using a few swirls of Linen Thread to form a circle, I wrapped the circle with some Gold Metallic Thread. I kept the ends from unravelling by using a couple of drops of Crystal Effects. The "wreath" was adhered behind the sentiment die cut and then the sentiment and the plant die cuts were adhered to the card front using Dimensionals.

To complete the card, I would have used my Blendability Markers but I had returned them to Stampin Up. Instead, I used a YR23 Copic Marker to color some rhinestones and then affixed them to each die cut.

So, do you think of the color scheme? Drop me a note below!

My love for bold, bright colors was definitiely satisfied by creating this card! I will look forward to using the Brick Wall folder again as it was a pleasure to color it.


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New Floor and Grateful For You

My husband puts up with a LOT. I can be very moody at times. And demanding. And selfish. But somehow I lucked out and he is always there for me.

A couple of years ago, after our daughter moved out, I took over her old bedroom upstairs and claimed it as my craft room. Eventually, I persuaded him to make it into a REAL craft room and he did a fabulous job of creating a large work table, another counter with cabinets and a smaller counter with cabinets that I use as my cutting and Big Shot area.

Then after Christmas this year, he installed new lighting fixtures for me as well as mounting a picture ledge on the wall above my work table so I could display the cards that I made.

In April, he decided that it was time to replace all the carpets throughout the house as well as linoleum in the two upstairs bathrooms and a new shower for the ensuite bathroom. Our house was turned upside down as furniture was moved from one room to another as the carpeted areas were being done.

My craft room had existing carpet (being a bedroom in an earlier life) but I persuaded Bob that bare floors would work better for me in a craft room so he agreed to put in laminate flooring for me.

Craft room before new floors.

As much as I was looking forward to the new floors, I was beside myself thinking about the huge job of moving everything out of the room so he could do the floors and then moving everything back. I was sure it would take over a week until I was back in my favorite spot crafting again. You know how a simple job always seems to become more complicated once it's started? That is what I was expecting to happen.

But my fears were not realized after all!

Sunday night we had moved everything out of the room in preparation for the new floor. Monday was the first day of Bob's summer holidays and he spent it installing my floor! He started around 9:00 am and finished laying the flooring about 3:30 pm. We were able to move everything back into my room that night!

The beginning of the new floor.

Almost finished!

So this is what my craft room looks like now:

View from the doorway–look at that floor!

My chandelier in the corner over my Silhouette Cameo & printer.

My wonderful large work table with picture ledge for my cards over top of it.

Punch storage on the wall by the door.

My cutting and Big Shot work station complete with Ott light.

Storage with my rolling platform for my two boxes of dies on the floor in front.

Shows new lighting over my work table as well as my picture ledge for my cards.

New light over window work area.

To show Bob my appreciation, I made him a special card for his efforts.

I started by embossing a Basic Black matte with the Arrows Embossing Folder. I then used my Embossing Buddy to give a good coating to the embossed piece. I then used my Brayer and Versamark ink to ink up the matte. I heat embossed it using Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder to give it a two-tone look. I adhered the matte to a Basic Black card base using Dimensionals.

Next, I cut a 4 1/8 x just under 1 1/2" piece of Tempting Turquoise and used the Triple Banner Punch to flag one end. I then used my MISTI to stamp the sentiment from the For All Things stamp set in Versamark and heat embossed it using White Stampin' Emboss Powder.
I adhered the banner to the matte using Fuse Fast Adhesive.

Using Tempting Turquoise and MISTI, I stamped two flowers on Whisper White card stock, one from Flower Shop and one from Petite Petals. I used both the Pansy and the Petite Petals Punches to cut out the flowers.

I used a few glue dots to serve as an anchor for some Whisper White Baker's Twine on the left side of the banner and then used a Dimensional to adhere the larger flower on top. The smaller flower was adhered next, using Multipurpose Liquid Glue. I used a black Sharpie to color a White Perfect Accent and placed it in the centre of the flower.

The final touch was to add a little Wink of Stella to the flower petals!

I did not add a matte to the inside of the card because I planned to write in it using my White gel pen.

I'm not sure you can see the two-tone effect well in the pictures but the shine of the embossed areas on the black really add to the texture of the card.

I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog today. Drop me a comment below!


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Gardening With Market Fresh: Part Three

Today is the third and final part of my "gardening" series. If you missed them here are Gardening With Market Fresh: Part One and Gardening With Market Fresh: Part Two. It is fitting that my third post deals with a celebration: Lettuce Celebrate!

Using my MISTI and Jet Black Stazon ink I stamped the image from the Market Fresh stamp set on Watercolor paper. I did not need as many colors of reinkers for this image. I used Pear Pizzazz and Mossy Meadow for the lettuce and Real Red and Cherry Cobbler for the banner, blending them with my Blender pen.

I purposely chose red for the banner. Since red and green are complementary colors, using the two together provides the most impact.

I used the Ovals Collection Framelits to cut the stamped image and a Cherry Cobbler matte. The stamped image was adhered to the matte using Dimensionals.

I chose the lovely vegetable printed paper from the Farmers Market DSP pack and mounted it on the same size matte of Real Red to give it stability. The ovals were adhered to the matte using Fuse Fast adhesive and then a bow of Wild Wasabi Seam Binding was tied around it.

The matte was adhered to the Real Red card base using Dimensionals.

Because this was a celebratory card, I added a few red and green sequins to the top of the card and, like with the two previous cards, I added a touch of Wink of Stella to the lettuce to make it look fresh!

So, are you liking the Market Fresh stamp set? Pairing it with the Farmers Market DSP is a no-brainer in my books and I look forward to using both again soon!

I hope you've enjoyed my three part "gardening" series. Leave me a comment below–I'd love to hear from you!

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Gardening With Market Fresh: Part Two

Today I continue my series on "gardening" by using the Market Fresh stamp set. If you missed it, you can view Gardening With Market Fresh: Part One.

While, Part One of my series used grapes as the focal image, my second card uses strawberries.

I started by using my MISTI to stamp my image with Jet Black Stazon ink on Watercolor paper. I then used my Blender pen and reinkers to color the image. I chose to use the now retired Raspberry Ripple rather than Real Red for the berries and for the shadows, I used Cherry Cobbler. The leaves used Old Olive and Mossy Meadow and the banner used Daffodil Delight with Crushed Curry for the shadows.

I used the Circles Collection Framelits to cut both the stamped image and a Cherry Cobbler matte. The stamped image was adhered to the matte using Fuse Fast adhesive.

I chose a black striped paper from the Farmers Market DSP pack and adhered it to a Cherry Cobbler matte of the same size to give it stability. A length of Cherry Cobbler Sheer Linen Ribbon was adhered across the middle of the matte. The matte was adhered to a Cherry Cobbler card base using Dimensionals.

On the back of the matte for the berries, I placed several glue dots and then adhered and shaped a length of Crushed Curry 1/8" Ribbon. The matte was then adhered to the card front using Dimensionals.

As with the first card, I used my Wink of Stella marker to make the berries look fresh and juicy! Check back tomorrow for the third part of my "gardening" series.

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Gardening With Market Fresh: Part One

Anyone that knows me well knows that I am not interested in gardening; I hate to get my hands dirty unless it's with craft supplies! However, as soon as I saw the Farmer's Market Designer Series Paper and the Market Fresh stamp set, I knew I wanted to create with them.

Using my MISTI and Jet Black Stazon Ink, I stamped the image of the grapes on Watercolor paper. I used my Blender pen and reinkers to color the image.

For the grapes I used Perfect Plum and Elegant Eggplant, leaves were Old Olive and Mossy Meadow, stem was Crumb Cake and the banner was Pumpkin Pie and Tangerine Tango. The darker inks were used in the shadow areas of the stamped image to provide depth.

I used the Window Frames Collection Framelits to cut out both the stamped image and a matte from Pumpkin Pie card stock. The matte was embossed using the Decorative Dots Embossing Folder. I inked the edges of the matte with Blackberry Bliss and adhered the stamped image to it using Fuse Fast adhesive.

I cut a matte from a Blackberry Bliss gingham paper in the Farmer's Market DSP pack and adhered it to a Blackberry Bliss matte of the same size to give it stability. I wrapped Mossy Meadow Thick Baker's Twine around the matte and then adhered the matte to a Pumpkin Pie card base using Dimensionals. Lastly, the image on its matte was mounted to the card front using Dimensionals.

The finishing touch for this card was to use my Wink of Stella pen to make the grapes look like they were fresh with dew. I wish you could see them in real life because they really look impressive with the glimmer on them but a photo does not capture the true look of the glimmer.

I think they look good enough to eat! What do you think? Leave me a comment below!

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How Do I Spell Fun? C-O-L-O-R B-U-R-S-T-S!

There is nothing like working with a new product to get your creative juices fired up!

I recently purchased Ken Oliver's Color Bursts from Rubbernecker.com and was really pleased with the speed of their delivery! I got stung at another online store before buying at Rubbernecker and had to submit a claim with Paypal but they came through for me with flying colors and got my payment returned to me! If you want to learn more about Color Bursts you can visit Ken's Facebook page and there are a few YouTube videos worth watching as well!

Basically, the Color Bursts are powdered watercolors and they come in little squeeze containers. You basically squeeze them on your paper and then spritz with water or spritz with water and then squeeze them on. Pretty simple! But there is a whole lot more you can do with them if you use a paintbrush, stencils, etc.

They can be a bit messy, though, so you may want to use them in a spray booth of some sort (I use an old shoe box) because the powder can really get into a lot of places! Trying to wipe the powder up with a wet cloth will activate the watercolors and then you will get a bunch of colorful streaks to clean up! (Ask me how I know?!)

I set out to create some Thank You cards for my stamping group and the cards below are what I created.

Basically, I used Lawn Fawn Large Stitched Rectangle Stackables to cut out my watercolor mattes. I then used my MISTI to stamp the sentiment, from the Another Thank You stamp set, with Versamark and heat embossed with White Stampin' Emboss Powder.

Working with one matte at a time, I spritzed the matte with water and then squeezed on the inks of my choice. I would add more ink and spritz again as needed till I was satisfied with my creation. Sometimes I picked up the matte and allowed the inks to run; sometimes I wiped off too much ink. I used my heat tool to dry the matte and sometimes added more water/ink after doing so.

I adhered each watercolor piece to a Basic Black matte and then onto a Whisper White Thick card stock card base.

Have you tried working with Color Bursts yet? I'm sure you would enjoy them.

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