Happy

When I wanted to watercolor the flowers with something richly hued and metallic, my Twinkling Waters came to mind.  I've not used them in a good while and so it was time to break them out of hiding and get going . . .

I have to laugh when I look back and remember how afraid of watercoloring I was.  One really good class was all it took to encourage me to give it a try.  The rubber stamping world is filled with countless ways to obtain a watercolor look.  It's well worth it to pull on your explorer's boots and give it a try!

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Hanko Echizen Gold           

Stamps:       Yvonne Albritton Wild Roses

Inks:             ColorBox Gold

Waterclrs:    H₂O’s Gold Dust, Mallard Green, Key Lime, Rich Cobalt,

                     Wisteria

Dies:            Mama Elephant Femme Frames, Avery Elle Sentimental

                     Too: Happy         

Emb Fldr:     Taylored Expressions Burlap

Doo Dads:    Tulip Glitter Gold      

Laugh, Learn, Live

I had a yen to use my Life Changing Blending Brushes with a stencil, so that's what I did here . . .

The "Life Changing" name is definitely not an exaggeration - the color goes on smoothly and evenly and while these flowers are too small to show much variation, blending is so very easy on larger images.  I can't imagine going back to any of the other methods I used to struggle with in applying color.

Cardstock:   Bazzill Classic Red, Nicole #100 Bristol Smooth         

Stamps:       Starving Artist Positive Words: Laugh, Learn, Live

Inks:             Distress Barn Door, Mustard Seed, Faded Jeans,

                     Dusty Concord, Mowed Lawn, Hero Black

Emb Pwdr:   Vippies Transcendence

Dies:            Altenew Dotted Starburst Debossing Cover Die,

                     DieNamics Vertical Stitched Strip                      

Stencil:        Delta Flower Basics

Doo Dads:    Inkssentials Enamel Accents Black        

Fun

Black, white, Kraft, and a little color . . .

This one made me think of an old photo with a few selectively tinted highlights.  The embossed background is an argyle pattern that works well for a guy card.  Hopefully, the camera will catch the "golf ball" I made with raised enamel.  My golfing friend Richard is gonna love his birthday card this year!

Cardstock:   Marco’s Jute, Nicole Black, Strathmore Ultimate White           

Stamps:       Magenta Golfer and Caddy

Inks:             Gina K Amalgam Black

Colorants:    Inktense Amber, Iris Blue

Waterclrs:    Zig Real Brush Pale Pink

Dies:            Recollections Word Fetti: Fun, Gina Marie Stitched 

                     Rounded Squares

Emb Fldr:     Darice Wire Fence

Doo Dads:    Inkssentials Enamel Accents White        

It's Your Day

The alcohol ink background was too pretty to cut down, so I kept all of it . . .

After placing a silhouette image of a tree over it, I decided that it looked a little like abundant greenery with the sun peeking through the branches.

Corona's stifling quarantine has enhanced my imagination like nothing else.  As Thomas Edison may once have said, "Reality can be beaten with enough imagination".

Cardstock:   Bazzill Simon, Yellow,  Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink Cardstock         

Stamps:       Stampin’ Up It’s Your Day

Inks:             Gina K Charcoal Brown

Colorants:    Adirondack Alcohol Ink Bottle, Meadow, Butterscotch,

                     Denim

Emb Pwdr:   BMuse Devil's Food Delight

Dies:            DieNamics Single Stitched Line Rectangle Frame,

                     Rounded Rectangle Frame                

Doo Dads:    Nuvo Glitter Gloss   

Wild Thing

1. Africa is a land of intense colors

2. I have an intensely colored piece of Tyvek

3. My friend Sandy is a long time fan of all things African

ERGO, everything I needed to make her birthday card . . .

Perhaps a little over the top, but then so's Sandy - which is why she's so lovable.  The inside message reads, "Let the adventure begin!

          Happy Birthday, dear friend!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Santillo, USPS Tyvek mailing envelope, Nicole

                     #100 Bristol Smooth         

Stamps:       Hanko #9 Africa

Inks:             Encore Copper

Colorants:    Lumiere Super Copper, Pearl Blue

Emb Pwdr:   BMuse True Copper

Dies:            Sue Wilson African Adventure, Gina Marie Stitched

                     Rounded Squares       

Tall Vase

Having decided to break out of the A2-sized card rut I've been in for most of my twenty years of stamping, I took the plunge and invested in two styles of the new Slimline dies: Scalloped, and Embossed Edge.  WOW!  What a freeing thing it is to go large . . .

The vase is actually the body of a primitive spirit god image that my friend Carol gifted me with.  I decided I'd get more use out of him if I lopped off his head and turned him into an art deco vase.  So with her permission, I performed the bloodless surgery and this is my first attempt at playing with the result.

This is one of those cards that didn't turn out at all as I'd planned.  And because there is so much black, it's probably best viewed in real life.  Nonetheless, I can see myself having a lot of fun with these new Slimline proportions!

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Nicole Black 

Stamps:       Unknown “Tall Vase”

Inks:             ColorBox Gold

Emb Pwdr:   Ranger Gold

Dies:            Kat Scrappiness Nesting Slimline: Embossed Edge,

                     Stitched Scallop, Impression Obsession Branch with

                     Leaves, Hero Paper Layering Plant & Stand           

Doo Dads:    Mark Richards Metals Gold            

A Happy Hello

Normally, I don't use many pre-printed papers, but when my friend Carol gifted me with a pack of absolutely gorgeous floral beauties, I couldn't resist . . .

I had fun with the coloring on the flowers, applying the colors first and then blending with a water brush.  On some of the flowers, I worked the water brush a little too long and it began to rough up the paper.  The results were blooms with a slightly textured surface.   It looks really neat in real life!

Cardstock:   Halcraft White, Strathmore Ultimate White, Graphic 45

                     Floral Collection     

Stamps:       Stacy Stamps Tulips, Simon Says Sketchy Banner

                     Greetings

Inks:             ColorBox Gold, VersaFine Olympia Green

Colorants:    Derwent Inktense various colors

Waterclrs:    Zig Real Brush various colors

Emb Pwdr:   Ranger Gold, WOW Ultra High Metallic Gold Rich

Dies:            Studio Katia Darling Ribbon & Dotted Frames, DieNamics

                     Stitched Mini Scalloped Rectangles, Impression

                     Obsession Flags                      

Doo Dads:   Gold cord      

Forest Sunset

The background on this one is the result of another fun session with Tyvek . . .

A previous post has described how to work with Tyvek so I'll just mention how you can manage the extreme texture if it gets to be too much for a card front:  simply roll it through your die cutting machine with just the upper and lower plates.  This will lower any excessive bubbles but will leave you with plenty of texture.  You'll have lots of wrinkles and crinkles and the Tyvek will still have raised areas that will be in better proportion for a card front, even if you mount it to a piece of cardstock for extra body.

Cardstock:   Bazzill Raven, Stardream Copper, Nicole Black, USPS

                     Tyvek Mailing Envelope      

Colorants:    Lumiere Crimson. Metallic Bronze

Dies:            Memory Box Timberland Collage, Impression Obsession

                     Three Deer Trio, DieVersions Noodles Font