Thank You

When Josephine, a very dear friend, went home to England for a visit recently, she came across a handful of rubber stamps her sister had owned.  She brought them back and gifted me with them.  Inspired by Beatrix Potter, this adorable image of her popular "Hunca Munca" mouse character was one of them . . .

I used a couple of quilted motifs to set off the warm and cozy image of the mouse gathering her tulips.  "Cute" stamps are not usually my style, but my heart really warmed to this one, enhanced no doubt by the loving generosity of my friend.

Cardstock:   Co-Ordinations Nostalgic Greys pack, The Paper Cut White

                           Matte Coate, Generic Pink

Stamps:        PSX Hunca Munca Mouse

Inks:               Memento Tuxedo Black

Dies:              Lil Inker Stitched Mats: Squares, Wplus9 Quilt Cuts 2, Frantic

                           Stamper Alternating Diagonals, Savvy Thank You Cursive

Markers:        Copic R81 Rose Pink, RV13 Tender Pink, YG 67 Moss,

                           BG13 Mint Green, E84 Khaki, T1 Toner Gray 1,

                           W2 Warm Gray 2

Doo Dads:    Kaiser Pearls Blush

Blossom of Love

As many frame stamps and frame dies that I have, I never seem to have the correct size of one that will work seamlessly with the other . . .

 Solution?  Matting!   The blue matting I used here covered up a narrow space of open real estate on both inner sides of the frame.  The top and bottom were perfect, but had the sides been left as they were, it would have looked pretty careless.  Repeating the color of the blossoms with the matting turned out to be the best solution . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Bon Bon, Jacaranda, Beckett Candlelight

Stamps:        Stacy November Spider Mum, Red Rubber “Harvest a

                           blossom . . .”

Inks:               Archival Potting Soil, Wink of Stella Clear

Emb Powder:   Unknown Blue Verdigris

Dies:              DieNamics Chalkboard Frame Builder, La La Land

                           Stitched Ribbon

Pencils:         Derwent Inktense Fern, Iris Blue

Emb Folder: Darice Basket Weave

Doo Dads:    Gold Dragonfly charm

Gathered In

Gina K's Charcoal Brown cardstock is the color by which all other browns are measured, in my opinion.  A true dark chocolate without a whiff of red, this rich color makes other colors really pop . . .

I helped the pop factor along by using foam dots to elevate the upper ends of the wheat stalk, pumpkin, squash and the leaves.  Although there is a lot of dark in this layout, I think the bright veggies counterbalance that and create a warm, cozy feel. 

One happy discovery was finding out how Copic markers react with the cardstock I used for the veggies:  The Paper Cut's White Matte Coate.  I found that the coating made the Copics stay wetter longer so blending was easier.  But even more fun was observing  the interaction between the coating and the ink:  this produced a watercolored effect, complete with darker margins and lovely streaks.  These may be hard to see on screen, but in real life, they're quite obvious.  Previously, I wasn't happy with this cardstock, but I'm going to give it a second chance with my Copics . . .

May each of you have a wonderfully glorious and gratitude-filled Thanksgiving Day!

Cardstock:   Gina K Charcoal Brown, Neenah Desert Storm, The Paper

                           Cut Matte Coate White

Stamps:        Stampin’ Up Truly Grateful, Impression Obsession

                           “All is safely . . .”

Inks:               Gina K Charcoal Brown

Markers:        Copic Napoli Yellow, Apricot, Marine Green, Pecan,

                           Tuscan Orange, Stampin’ Up Daffodil Delight

Emb Powder:   PSX Ochre Tapestry, Distress Walnut Stain

Dies:              Avery Elle Wonky Stitches, Impression Obsession Wheat,

                           Essentials by Ellen Gourd-jus, Spellbinders Long Classic

                           Scalloped Rectangles Large

Emb Folder: Spellbinders Horsehair      

Thanks So Much

One of these days, I'd like to start making my own wood cut stamps.  They have a charm all their own and I think that the results will be pretty forgiving, even for an amateur like me . . .

 Until that day comes, I'm happy that a number of companies have produced wonderful wood cut images for us to choose from . . .

Texture was added with the mosaic background and also with some gold mini beads added to the center of the lower flower.  I haven't seen these tiny beads used lately – hopefully, they'll come back into favor as I think they have a lot to offer . . .

Cardstock:              Marcos Antique Linen, Beckett Candlelight, Generic 

                                     Red, Green

Stamps:                   Art Accents Woodcut Sunflower, Stampin' Up Thanks

Inks:                           Kaleidacolor Autumn Leaves

Emb Powder:          Vippies Transcendence

Punches:                  McGill Labels                                    

Emb Folder:             Cuttlebug Mesh

Doo Dads:                Antique Copper brads, gold mini beads               

Thank You

I'm not a fan of Winter.  Therefore, I love to use Spring and Summer colors throughout the cold and blustery days of dreary winters.  They are great reminders of the lovely weather to come . . .

 Some green lattice, crisp white, and bright pinks come together on this card to add a little gentle cheer to those difficult days of single digit temperatures.

Cardstock:              Beckett Candlelight, Generic Dark Green

Stamps:                   Hero A Real Long Stemmed Wildflower, Savvy

                                       Thank You Trail

Inks:                         ColorBox Queue Chalk Warm Red, Rouge, Rose

                                       Coral, Ancient Page Pine

Emb Powder:          Vippies Transcendence

Punch:                      EK Success corner punch

Doo Dads:                Green grosgrain ribbon, copper butterfly charm

Garden

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, images of food seem quite appropriate . . .

Of course, no one stops at a few stalks of asparagus on this day of world class food-a-thons . . . but fresh asparagus with a lovely ranch dressing is sure a great place to start!

Cardstock:              Bazzill Yam, Leapfrog, Rain Forest, Beckett Candlelight

Stamps:                   PSX Asparagus, So She Stamps "Garden"

Inks:                         Hero Black, Distress Peeled Paint, Wild Honey

Punches:                 Fiskars Edge Punch Swirling Leaves

Doo Dads:               Fibers

Enjoy the journey

This card is for my very dear friend Carol Chiaramonte whose birthday is today!  A few years ago, she gifted me with a collection of cigar labels gleaned by her mother Priscilla who worked in a cigar factory for many years.  It was time to put a few of them to use . . .

Much like postage stamps, cigar labels are miniature works of art, and it was fun to play with them for this layout.  I thought the two reclining figures at the bottom left looked like they were taking their ease under the shade of the palm tree.  But, while I had envisioned different results for the stamped background, the images came out a lot more subdued than I had wanted.  So we'll just call it a watermark and step briskly along . . .

Cardstock:   Marcos #110 Jute, Neenah Desert Storm

Stamps:        Stampin’ Up Balmy Breezes set, The Moon Rose Script

                           Background, Making Memories “Enjoy the Journey”

Inks:               Distress Brushed Corduroy, Frayed Burlap, Peeled Paint,

                           Archival Leaf Green

Emb Powder:   Vippie’s Transcendence

Dies:              Mama Elephant Femme Frames,  

Emb Folder: Darice Crackle

Doo Dads:    Cigar Labels

Thank You

Wendy Vecchi's art has fascinated me for many years.  It's warm, witty, and highly creative.  Her work draws me in and always makes me happy . . .

Tim Holtz' Grunge paper made a big splash several years ago but I've not heard so much about it lately.  Good thing I stocked up, as I love working with it.  Flexible, ink-able, easily cut with scissors, it provides dimension without excessive bulk.  On this card, I added a little Distress Rock Candy for some subtle glimmer . . .

Cardstock:              Generic textured Cream, Tim Holtz Grunge Paper

Stamps:                   Wendy Vecchi Art-fully Said (background, flower,

                                       and corner), Stampin' Place Vertical Thank You

Inks:                           ColorBox Black, Distress Dusty Concord, Spiced

                                       Marmalade, Peeled Paint

Emb Powder:          Judikins Detail Black

Doo Dads:                Black brads, Antique Brass snap, Distress Rock Candy