It's Your Day

This one started out in my head and actually turned out to be pretty much true to my vision.  That almost never happens, so I'm enjoying this . . .

I had a wonderful rainbow-colored piece left over from a previous project and it was just waiting to be loved.  For some reason, I thought it would be fun to make a fence out of it, so things just sort of grew from there.  The balloons were an afterthought and I hope they make the recipient smile . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Splash, Strathmore #90 Watercolor paper

Stamps:        Stampin’ Up Pendant Park Set, Rubber Stampede Tree Frame,

                           Lil Inker Balloon Builders, Hero ‘s Your Day”

Inks:               Hero Black, ColorBox Black, Distress Barn Door, Spiced

                           Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, Faded Jeans

Emb Powder:   WOW Clear Matte Dull, Judikins Detail Black, Stamp

                                Zia Black Sparkle

Dies:              Impression Obsession Fence, Lil Inker Balloon Builders

Take A Bow

And the fun with dried die powders continues ever onward . . .

Although lighter, more subtle coloration is easily possible, I absolutely love saturated colors, and these powders make it so easy to get them!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Pauly Poo, The Paper Cut Watercolor paper

Stamps:        Stampendous Agapanthus Cluster, Viva Las Vegas

                           “Take a Bow”

Inks:               Lindy’s Stamp Gang Magicals: Mango Mania, Caribbean

                           Blue, ColorBox Black, Distress Peacock Feathers, Salty

                           Ocean, ColorBox Black

Emb Powder:   Judikins Detail Black

Dies:              Lil Inkers Stitched Rectangles, Stampendous Fleur

                           de Lis Squares

Doo Dads:    Turquoise Jute, Tulip Heat Fix Black nailheads

It's Your Day

This was an experiment in color.  I had read that if you lay down color in rainbow order, you'll never have to deal with muddy results from having two non-compatible colors adjacent to each other.  This is very basic, beginner information and as an Art Minor in school, I marvel that I somehow never picked this up.  But better late than never . . . so I began with dark blue upper left and continued right with green, yellow, and on down with orange and red . . .

It was where the green encountered the red just above the butterfly that I could see trouble looming ahead, so I backed off before things got irreversible.  It was a good lesson!  Memorizing the color-coded acronym ROY G BIV (my new BFF!) has made my coloring choices so much easier to plan.  It stands for Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet:  lovely colors, and very neighborly when used in that order . . .

Cardstock:   The Paper Cut Watercolor paper, White Matte Coat,

                           Bazzill White,

Stamps:        Tin Can Mail Script Background, Impression Obsession

                           Lace Butterfly, Hero Arts Silhouette Spray, Memory Box

                           Dandelion, Stampin’ Up border from Chalk Lines set

Inks:               Distress Chipped Sapphire, Mowed Lawn, Mustard Seed,

                           Wild Honey, Barn Door, Hero Black, ColorBox Black,

                           Stampin’ Up White Chalk Marker

Emb Powder:  WOW Clear Matte Dull

Dies:              Papertrey Ink Stitching Lines

Doo Dads:    Black Floss, Past Time Stamps Multi Ultra Fine Glitter

Happy Father's Day

Text, texture, Kraft, feathers and stripes:  what's not to love?

A truly happy and most blessed Father's Day to fathers everywhere – be they in our hearts or in our lives . . .

Cardstock:   Strathmore Soft White, Generic Textured Brown

Stamps:        Unknown text background Love Definition, Clearly

                           Besotted Diagonal Stripes, Local King Feather Pleasure,

                           Studio G “Happy Father’s Day”

Inks:               ColorBox Cream White, Distress Brushed Corduroy, Walnut

                           Stain, Black Soot, VersaMark Watermark

Emb Powder:   Stampendous Ivory Pearl, Bear Rubber Melded Metallic,

                               Ranger UTEE Black

Dies:              Local King Feather Pleasure

Emb Folder: Spellbinders Bricks and Bark       

With Sympathy

One of the happy discoveries I've made during my current fixation with color sprays has been finding a wonderful watercolor paper to use . . .

  . . . thanks to my dear friend and stamping buddy Carol, I've become hooked on #90 watercolor paper.  I have a nice selection of various heavyweight watercolor papers, but I like the #90 the best.  It doesn't warp!  Once in awhile it may curve a bit, but it is very easy to flatten it, either by hand or with an iron.  But I mostly don't have to bother. 

Another advantage is that it is quite inexpensive compared to top of the line papers.  And because it is thinner, it dries much quicker.  Also, at #90, it even makes a great card base.  Watercolor paper is never a pure white so if I've used it for my card front layer, it's a hard color to match with other white cardstocks.  Using the #90 as my card base solves the problem!  Yes, I know I'm picky . . .

Cardstock:   The Paper Cut Eames White

Stamps:        Hero Etched Flower with Stems, Endless Creations

                           “With Sympathy"

Inks:               ColorBox Cream White, Prima Color Bloom Spray Lime

                           Wedge, Antique Gold

Emb Powder:  Stampendous Ivory Pearl

Dies:              My Favorite Things Rectangle Frames

With Deepest Sympathy

My stash contains two large boxes of color sprays, most of which were suffering from a lack of loving attention.  Probably because I'd never made up a Color Sample Chart so I'd know what to expect when I aimed and shot.  So I made the chart on both white and Kraft cardstocks and am now happily spraying my way across one card front after another . . .

It's amazing what a wonderful creative jumpstart you can get from simply revisiting your stash and having happy reunions with long-forgotten friends . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Cocoa, Purple, Strathmore #90 Watercolor paper

Stamps:        Great Impressions Japanese Blossoms

Inks:               Lindy’s Stamp Gang: Moon Shadow Mist Violaceous Violet,

                           Silhouette Silver, Starburst Stains French Lilac Violet, Ancient

                           Page Chocolate, Distress Brushed Corduroy, Dusty Concord

Emb Powder:   WOW Clear Matte Dull, Stampendous Shabby White,

                                  Vippies Transcendence

Dies:              Memory Box Butterflies Kaleidoscope, Moonlight

Doo Dads:    Wink of Stella Gold

With Sympathy

Grey and cream are such a serene combination for a condolence card . . .

 . . . but a little bit of color doesn't hurt.  The tulip and leaves were painted with Peerless watercolors after embossing the flower in a pearl white embossing powder.  I don't know why I did that, but I do like the result.  I'll try it on darker cardstock next time for a completely different look . . .

Cardstock:   Generic Grey, Neenah Natural White

Stamps:        Impression Obsession Greenery, Magenta Tulip, Endless

                           Creations “With Sympathy”

Inks:               ColorBox Cream White, VersaMark

Emb Powder:   Stampendous Ivory Pearl, Judikins Pastel, Vippies

                            Transcendence

Dies:              Tim Holtz Lace, Spellbinders Mega Classic Scalloped Ovals

                           Small, Long Classic Scalloped Rectangles Large

Watercolors:    Peerless Tea Rose Pink, Olive Green

Thinking of You

This is actually a Sympathy card . . .

 . . . when is there a better time to say  "I'm thinking of you"?

White on White is a current trend and I hope it lasts forever.  The Clean and Simple style is one I really admire, but sometimes it seems too bare to me.  I want something with a little more textural interest added to the mix.  My frequent solution is to die cut a frame from another piece of the same cardstock I've used for the background, run it through an embossing folder and layer it over the card front.  The result is added texture, yet still with a Clean and Simple feel . . . works for me!

Cardstock:   Generic Watercolor paper

Stamps:        Hero Newspaper Tulips, Stamp Pad “Thinking of you”

Inks:               Distress Spun Sugar, Tattered Rose, Worn Lipstick,

                           ColorBox Cream White

Emb Powder:   Stampendous Ivory Pearl, Shabby White

Dies:              Spellbinders Petite Ovals Small, Curved Matting

                           Basics A, Tim Holtz Tattered Banners

Impression Plate:   Cheery Lynn Burble

Doo Dads:    1/8” Cream ribbon

With Deepest Sympathy

I was recently blessed with a twenty card commission from a friend of ours:  she wants ten Sympathy cards and ten Birthday cards, so you're going to be seeing plenty of both over the next few weeks.  This one features more of those fantastic dried ink powders called "Magicals" from Lindy's Stamp Gang HERE  . . .

 As far as I know, there are only two companies selling dried ink powders:  I Brake for Stamps' Bister line – which I've used on previous posts, and this line of Magicals by Lindy's.  Both are superb and I am using both of them equally.  The Bister line colors tend to be darker, very rich but more subdued, and are absolutely perfect for distressed styles, simple, or vintage images.  The Magicals line has many more colors – everything from pastel to intense – and work well with any style you use.

This background was done with just a few taps of the powder-tipped dry brush for each color, and then misted.  The lovely dark-to-light variations within each color would be impossible for me to create on my own but both lines of powders have this elegant, serendipitous feature built right in.  How I love art tools that make me look good!

Cardstock:   Generic Watercolor Paper, Bazzill Kachina

Stamps:        Alias Smith & Rowe “With Deepest Sympathy”,

                           Art Tour Dotty Snow

Inks:               Lindy’s Stamp Gang Magicals: Mango Mania, Merci Beaucoup

                           Mint, Distress Cracked Pistachio

Emb Powder:   B’Muse Mint Jelly Metallic, Stamp Oasis Heat & Stick Powder

Dies:              Mama Elephant Femme Frames, Spellbinders Labels Twenty

                           Three, Memory Box Butterflies Pippi, Isabella

Doo Dads:    USArt Quest glitter Blue Topaz