Awesome Day!

At Summerfest – an annual vegan conference usually held in Johnstown PA – I have the privilege of working alongside some of the most wonderful people I have ever known.  My usual job centers around Registration where I get to work with Roz, a  remarkable young woman who really is one of the world’s truly irreplaceable souls.  As my husband’s health remains a little on the iffy side, unfortunately, I wasn’t  able to attend this year.  

I missed Roz as much as I missed the conference . . .

The background is one of those startling revelations that lurk within the stamping world and then pop up every now and then to surprise us all.  I used three distinct flower shapes for the background and I defy any of my readers to be able to actually pick out even one!  These were solid images which sort of morphed into becoming used as shadow stamps, so they wound up as soft areas of color rather than recognizable flowers.  I like the result, even though it wasn’t what I was after, and will probably drive myself crazy trying to make it happen again for other cards in future . . .

Cardstock:    Generic textured White, American Crafts Bright Pink,

                          Watercolor paper

Stamps:         Hero Azalea Blossom, Rubber Stampede Periwinkle Blossom,

                          Cosmos Blossom, Chicken Wire, Raindrops on Roses

                          Texture, The Stamp Bug Squiggles, Simon Says

                          Tilted Banners Hope your day is awesome!”

Inks:                Sea Shells Tropical Raspberry, Sea Brights Bikini Pink,

                           Adirondack Wild Plum, ColorBox Frost White

Emb Powder:  Judikins Opaque White, Stamp Zia White Sparkle

Dies:               Memory Box Prim Poppy, Simon Says Tilted Banners

Doo Dads:      Perfect Pearls spray mist

Wishing you . . .

This one was for my niece’s birthday in June – we’re on opposite coasts, hence the non-traditional text for her birthday card.  She collects wonderful palm tree images and loves Hawaii, so this stamp seemed tailor made for her . . .

For the background, I smooshed the two Distress pads on a wavy-edged acrylic block, spritzed twice, and laid it down on watercolor paper.  I loved the resulting texture but knew the stamped image would never show up against it, so I simply sponged the same two colors on a watercolor scrap and then stamped.  Before attaching the image with foam dots, I traced around the background with a stylus for a little added dimension and then cut it out freehand – really not difficult or time-consuming to do.  Of course it’s not perfect, but I’m hoping that counts for a little added charm . . . yes?   Say yes . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Jacaranda, Watercolor paper, Neenah Solar White

Stamps:        Great Impressions Palm Trees/Hut, all text from Simon

   Says Sketchy Banners

Inks:               Distress Stormy Sky, Antique Linen, Hero Black

Dies:              Spellbinders Classic Squares Large, Simon Says

   Sketchy Banner Greetings, Impression Obsession

   Tiny Flowers

Doo Dads:    Gelly Roll Clear Star pen               

A Day to Celebrate

Thanks to the recent Water Coloring for Stampers class from Online Card Classes, I have completely lost my fear of water coloring!  You will find me happily splashing about with my brushes and paint pots every day.  Here’s one of my maiden voyages from a class session early in the series . . .

Yes, we’ve got a long ways to go, but I am enjoying every single minute of the trip!  My itinerary includes more to come, so brace yourselves and hang tight:  this is not over with by a long shot . . .

Cardstock:              Watercolor paper, generic Turquoise, Textured

                                    White

Stamps:                   Stamp La Jolla Satin Flower Square, Hero “Day

                                    to Celebrate”

Inks:                           Distress Peacock Feathers, Dusty Concord,

                                     Mustard Seed, Wink of Stella Gold

Emb Powder:           Vippies Transcendence

Dies:                          Spellbinders Lacy Squares, W+9 Banner Trio

Emb Folder:             Cheery Lynn Burble

Doo Dads:                Gold mini beads, Viva Paper Pen Gold

Wishing the Best

 Tried a little artsy smudging on this one . . . not really sure I succeeded . . .

I sorta do, and I sorta don’t.  I plan to try this again and maybe next time, some new perspective will help me figure out how I could have improved on this one.  I’m thinking a lighter hand with the smudging for starters . . .

Cardstock:            Generic textured Blue, Burgundy, Beckett Iceberg

Stamps:                 Stacy Stamps Ivy Geraniums, Simon Says Tilted Banner 
                                     Sayings “Wishing you . . .”

Inks:                       ColorBox Gold, Distress Aged Mahogany, Mustard

                                   Seed, Peeled Paint, Faded Jeans

Emb Powder:         Ranger Detail Gold                         

Doo Dads:              Gold stickers, bow

Sparkle

I don’t know what it is about bicycle images that always brings a smile to my face . . .

. . . maybe it’s the happy memories of my own bike-riding childhood?  Then again, maybe not:  my first and only bike was a two ton, fat-tired behemoth that took a great deal of effort to propel downhill, let alone on the flat.  Going uphill was absolutely out of the question.  Still, I have a nostalgic grin on my face – maybe I should go borrow a bike somewhere and climb on for a ride?  But this time, I’ll take one with gears, please . . .

Cardstock:              Marcos Jute, Wausau Firecracker Red, Generic

                                   Oatmeal
Stamps:                    Hero Joy Ride, Envelope Pattern, Viva Las Vegas
                                    “Don’t let anyone . . .”
Inks:                          Distress Brushed Corduroy, Memento Tuxedo Black
Colored Pencils:     Prisma Scarlet Lake
Dies:                        Simon Says Sketchy Banner Greetings
Impress Plate:        Dies Direct Cement
Doo Dads:               Crystals

Hope

My dear friend Sandy has been wallowing through some heavy trials lately – both the financial kind and some of the emotional variety as well, especially with the death of her beloved dog Maggie.  She was in need of a more supportive kind of birthday card than the usual, so I came up with this one . . .

She loves African art, so I paired an African carved border strip from Magenta with a couple of feathers I still had on my worktable from my current feather fixation.  Along with some gently wise and timeless words from Emily Dickinson, I think she’ll be happy to get this . . .

Cardstock:   Paper Cut Bark Variety Pack       

Stamps:        Magenta African Carvings, Serendipity Hope, The

                           Artful Stamper Leaf Flourish

Inks:               ColorBox Chalk Dark Brown, Hero Black, Adirondack Espresso,

                           various Brown-sprayed cardstock from my Scrap Stash

Dies:              Spellbinders Feathers on the Wind           

Doo Dads:    Wink of Stella Gold, Tattered Angels Gold Glimmer Mist        

Soar, Discover, Fly

Were I to write down my Top Ten Tools for Stamping, color sprays would have to be up high on the list . . .

 . . . quick, easy, economical, and so far, fail-proof.  I’ve yet to come up with bad results.  Plus, with an easy-to-make spray booth (made from a cardboard box with one end cut off), the job is nowhere as messy as it sounds.  Other than wiping off the sprayer, cleanup is non-existent!  Love it . . .   

Cardstock:   Generic Black, textured White, watercolor paper         

Stamps:        Close to My Heart Feathers, Starving Artistamps

                           Mini Words            

Inks:               ColorBox Black, Stamp Zia Color Wash Malachite,

                           Sapphire, Obsidian

Emb Powder:   Vippies Transcendence, Judikins Opaque White

Dies:              Lil Inkers Stitched Mats: Rectangle         

It's Your Day!

Today is my middle brother’s birthday and for the background, I used this wonderful stamp of an old Almanac page.  It shows the actual month and year of his birth.  What a serendipitous find that was!  The dates below the heading may be too small to see, but the listing for the 4^th shows that he was born on a Wednesday . . .

I used one of Tim’s stencils to get the aged/splotchy look for the page.  It was the maiden voyage for my new mini ink pads and applicators and I am ever so glad I invested in these wonderful, smaller-sized tools.  They are so much easier to use in small spaces . . .

Cardstock:               Bazzill Bon Bon, Paper Cut White Matte, Marcos

                                      White Linen

Stamps:                    Above the Mark Almanac Page, Creative Catalyst

                                      Herringbone Border,  Stampin’ Up It’s Your Day

Inks:                           Hero Black, Distress Antique Linen, Gathered Twigs

Emb Powder:            Judikins Detail Black

Dies:                          Spellbinders A2 Curved Matting Basics A, Ribbon

                                       Buckles, Shoot!, Die-Versions “TH” from Hint

                                       of Lime die

Stencil:                      Tim Holtz Speckles

Doo Dads:                 Black Jute, Gelly Roll Clear Star pen