Splashes of Watercolor

Are you ready for another Red Hot Mommas Blog Stroll??  I’ve just loved these strolls and hope you’re having just as much fun as I am!  Let’s get started!

We’ve got 5 new sets that are being released today.  Cute, cute, cute!!  I just know you’re gonna love them as much as we all do!!  You’ll need to head on over to the Rubbernecker Blog to check out photos of all the new sets and get all the details on how you can win one of them!  And then you’ll need to stroll along to check out all the exciting new samples from all the designers.

I’m working with the Baby Inchies (429) again today.  I just love them!  There are 24 adorable images in this set, and I really had a hard time deciding which ones to use!  I ended up going with the tiny animals for this child’s birthday card.  The sentiment is from a previous release, Birthday Borders (438) and the Screen background (452) was used on the bashful blue layer.  Oh, and the basic colors are from the Color Challenge CC220 at Splitcoaststampers this week.

Now to get down to business:

Stroll along with the Rubbernecker Red Hot Mommas.  The Stroll starts at the Rubbernecker Stamps Blog where you will find the rules on how to win one of the sets being revealed.  If you haven’t started at the Rubbernecker Stamps Blog, you should go there now in order not to miss anything!   Here is my phrase clue for a chance to win:  and Bears  To find the next clue, stroll over to Candy’s Blog.

Thanks for visiting me again today.  Have fun on the stroll and good luck!

• Stamps: Baby Inchies (429), Birthday Borders (438), Screen background (452)
  
• Paper: white, pumpkin pie, chocolate chip, bashful blue, Sassafras  Sunshine Lollipops
• Ink: Memento - tuxedo black & rich cocoa, Ranger Distress - frayed burlap
  
• Other: circle and long scallop rectangle Nestabilities dies, 1″ and 1 1/4″ circle punches, ink blending tool, foam tape, May Arts ribbon,Copic markers:

Items available at Rubbernecker Stamps

Today is Joy’s birthday!  You all know Joy from eclectic paperie  and Our Craft Lounge  fame!

Her friends, Cambria and Daisy, have rounded up a bunch of her friends to post “Kona” birthday cards today in honor of this special day!

This new little sea turtle named Kona from Our Craft Lounge  is just adorable and I understand he’s one of Joy’s favorites.

Joy, I hope you have a super happy, marvelous day!

• Stamps: digital image of Kona from Our Craft Lounge
• Paper: white, kraft, Basic Grey - Marrakech & Recess
• Ink: Versafine - onyx black (sentiment)
• Other: Labels One Nestabilities die, buttons, linen thread, wonder tape, foam tape, Copic markers:

It’s Wacky Wednesday!!  And I’ve got babies on the brain and on my card!  My family was at my house for part of the holiday weekend and I got to hold my new granddaughter quite a bit.  Such a sweet little bundle!

It just so happens that Rubbernecker Stamps has more new releases coming out tomorrow!  I’ve used one of the images from a new set called Baby Inchies (429).   Do you think you could guess what the theme is???  And how I came to choose this set to use??

Kittie is our hostess of the Wacky Wednesday challenge this week and our task is to use frames.   Since I knew I’d use one of the little dresses I thought this heart chipboard frame would be just perfect!  I coated it with cameo coral craft ink and covered it with Glamour Dust.

The image background is sponged lightly with barely banana ink and the little dress was stamped and colored a second time, cut out and popped up on a tiny piece of foam tape.

I punched out the hearts and glued them together then stamped the sentiment from Fashion Icons (456).  The ribbon is May Arts and the floral paper is velvet and from the S.E.I. Chick-A-Dee collection.

You NEED to check out the Rubbernecker blog for all the details of Kittie’s challenge.  There you’ll also find links to all the designers’ blogs with their fabulous creations and sneak peeks at what’s coming tomorrow!

I’ll meet you back here then for more fun!

• Stamps: Baby Inchies (429), Fashion Icons (456) - sentiment
  
• Paper: white, barely banana, cameo coral, S.E.I. velvet paper - Chick-A-Dee collection
  
• Ink: Memento - tuxedo black (image), Versafine - onyx black (sentiment), barely banana, cameo coral craft
  
• Other: SU chipboard heart frame, DecoArt Glamour Dust, sponge dauber, Martha Stewart heart punch, May Arts ribbon, foam tape, wonder tape, Copic markers:

Items available at Rubbernecker Stamps

This week Tammy is our hostess for the Color Throwdown challenge.  I knew she was basing her colors on the Basic Grey Wisteria papers, but I don’t have those (yet), so I found this to definitely be a challenge.

I pulled out my SU cardstock of these 3 colors and seeing them together, I was reminded of a night sky.  Immediately this little baby Bella bundle swinging on a star came to mind.  The result:

I did end up using some Basic Grey paper, but it was from Lilykate not Wisteria.  To create the illusion of tiny distant stars, I held just the brush tip of my Copic blender pen to the sky until some of the color had disappeared. 

The curved rectangle Nestabilities die that I used for the eggplant mat was just a little too large for this tent card design to be able to fit into a standard envelope.  But it was large enough so that if I removed some of it, the image would still be matted sufficiently.  So I just punched the bottom of it with my Fiskars threading water border punch.

You should definitely check out the fantastic creations that our talented design team has come up with.  I’m sure you’ll be inspired:

~ 

And check out the details of the challenge over on the Color Throwdown  blog, so you can play along with us!

Thanks for checking in with me!  In a little bit I’ll be back with today’s Wacky Wednesday challenge and a peek at what’s to come in a new release tomorrow!!

• Stamps: Baby Bella Hanging Bundle - Stamping Bella
• Paper: Prism white, barely banana, elegant eggplant, bordering blue, Basic Grey Lilykate
• Ink: Memento - tuxedo black (image), Versafine - onyx black (sentiment)
• Other: white gel pen, yellow metallic gelly roll pen, curved rectangles Mega Nestabilities, Fiskars threading water punch, SU large & small oval punches, CB swiss dots folder, rick rack, rhinestone stickers, foam tape, Copic markers:

Do you remember (and maybe somewhere they still have these) the photos that ask what’s different about this photo?  Well, can you guess what’s different about this card from any other card that I’ve ever done?

I’ve finally learned to do something that I never thought I could!  I’ve learned to download, resize, compose an arrangement, and print digital images to use on a card!!  I can’t believe I haven’t tried this before!  It was so much fun…..after I got over my intense fear of the unknown!!

There are 4 separate digital images here.  They are all from a great new (to me) site called Angels Landing.  Using Word, I inserted each of the images I wanted to use into a new document.  I resized each of the images next.  Then I placed the little bear where I wanted him to print on the cardstock, and added the tiny bird to sit at his feet.  Next I placed the sentiment banner.    Finally I placed 2 flower images and another little bird image elsewhere in the document because I knew I wanted to print, color and cut these out to be popped up from the main image.

I had also worried about whether the ink from my printer would smear when I colored the images with my Copic markers.  But on the advice of digital whiz Tami Mayberry, I used photo ink to print with, and I had no problem whatsoever with smearing!  I also got some great tips from Judi , the creative genius behind Angels Landing before I got started.  Thank you so much, ladies!

This was so much fun and I love learning new things, so I know I’ll definitely be playing with these digi images some more!  And how could you not LOVE this darling little bear and bird?  You get so many images with each set too!  What a deal!!

Thanks so much for stopping by at the start of your holiday weekend.  I’m planning on spending a lot of time outdoors in the yard and at the pool with the grandkids.  I can’t wait!  Have a great weekend and please take a moment to remember the men and women who have fallen in order for us to be able to enjoy our wonderful freedom.  

• Stamps: NONE
• Digital Images: Mini Bears & Birds, Simply Flowers - Angels Landing
• Paper: white, We R Memory Keepers - Nonsense - Silly Sally
• Ink: NONE
• Other: Labels One Nestabilities die, ribbon, cropadile, foam tape, Copic markers:

Today is another Wacky Wednesday over at the Rubbernecker blog!  Be sure to check out the great challenge that Candy has presented us with….using inchies in our design.

It’s also the monthly Dirty Dozen (past and present) design challenge at Splitcoaststampers.  This month Christine has asked us to use watercoloring in a design that is based on water.

I chose to use my water to make lemonade!  What better refreshment for those hot days of summer out by the pool or at the beach?  (Well, besides a cold Bud, of course!)

My inchie lemons and the long tall glass of cool lemonade are watercolored.  The lemons are punched with a 1″ square punch and matted on black cardstock.  After I colored the lemonade and cut it out, I used Ranger Glossy Accents on the ice cubes for a really “cool” effect.

I used my Top Note die to cut out the S.E.I. linen.  The sentiment is stamped on it using black StazOn ink.

We’d love for you to play along with us in the Wacky Wednesday challenge.  You could win a 40% gift certificate to use at Rubbernecker!  Check it out!  And while you’re there, link up to the blogs of the other design team members for some “cool” inspiration!

If you’d like to see all the other cards for the Dirty Dozen designers challenge you can go here:

DCH2O0509

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Hope to see you really soon!

• Stamps: Lemonade (367-10), Lemon (367-09), Make Lemonade sentiment (367-07)
  
• Paper: black, Prism - Candle Glow Light, watercolor paper, Basic Grey Urban Prairie Hayfield
• Ink: StazOn black, Ranger Distress reinkers - mustard seed, broken china
  
• Other: Top Note die, s.e.i. linen assortment - excursion collection - mineral, 1″ square punch, water brush, Ranger Glossy Accents, foam tape

Items available at Rubbernecker Stamp Co.

It’s my week to host the Color Throwdown challenge!  I’ve been wanting to use this beautiful Amy Butler patterned paper, so I decided now was a great time!

The colors I chose to coordinate with the paper are:  Lavender Lace, Old Olive (or Certainly Celery), and Elegant Eggplant.

And here’s my card for today:

I hope you’ll play along with us!  It’s simple.  Use these colors (or whatever you have that is close) to create a card or project.  Upload it to your blog and/or online gallery (please use keyword CTD43), then enter the DIRECT LINK TO YOUR CARD into the Mister Linky section of today’s post on the Color Throwdown blog.  Easy!

I can’t wait to see what you come up with!  For more inspiration, check out the design team’s creations here:

• Barbara Anders
• Cathy Indelicato
• Danielle Kennedy
• LeAnne Pugliese
• Tammy Hershberger

Please stop back by in a little bit for this week’s Wacky Wednesday challenge card!

• Stamps: Wildflower Silhouettes (466)
  
• Paper: white, lavender lace, certainly celery, elegant eggplant, Amy Butler DP - K & Company
  
• Ink: elegant eggplant, SU markers - certainly celery, always artichoke,lavender lace, elegant eggplant
  
• Other: corner rounder punch,Labels One Nestabilities die, crocheted flower, buttons, cotton thread, ribbon, C1 Copic marker, foam tape, wonder tape

Items available at Rubbernecker Stamp Co.

I could hardly believe it when I saw that my dear friend Joan Ervin was chosen as the Featured Stamper this week at Splitcoaststampers!  Not the fact that she was chosen, mind you.  She’s a true artist and an incredible paper crafter as well as being a sweet, kind and funny lady!  She definitely deserves to have been chosen!  What I couldn’t believe is the fact that she’s never been the Featured Stamper before now!!  What’s up with that???   LOL!!

So THIS is the card of Joan’s that I chose to CASE.  I love the beautiful highly-contrasting colors and I love the simplicity of the card.  Joan can make even a simple layout of a card look elegant, well thought-out, and beautiful!  Thanks for all your inspiration, Joan!

I kept my card simple as well, adding only the 2 flowers and a ribbon.  But I couldn’t help myself!  I just had to add a button too!  I know that Joan would understand!!!

The stamp set used is Floral Silhouette (467), a new set from Rubbernecker.

Thanks for stopping by today!  We’ve had a rather dreary, rainy day here in South Carolina.  I’m hoping tomorrow will be brighter!  Have a great week, y’all!

• Stamps: Floral Silhouette (467)
• Paper: black, cool caribbean, Basic Grey Urban Prairie Meadow, {note}worthy spiral notebook - Making Memories
• Ink: Adirondack - stream, aqua
• Other: Prima flower, Heidi Swapp flower, 3/4″ circle punch, button, black DMC floss, May Arts ribbon, wonder tape

Items available at Rubbernecker Stamp Co.

I’ll be heading out the door in a few minutes to my oldest grandson’s 9th birthday party, but I wanted to show you how he’ll receive his video game gift.

I wanted a robot theme so The Botz Family stamp set from Our Craft Lounge paired with Cosmo Cricket Cogsmo Mr. Robotico paper just fit perfectly.

Where’s the patterned paper, you ask?  I’m getting to that!

I couldn’t decide how I wanted to decorate the gift bag, and I waited until the last minute, so I didn’t want to get too fancy.  I ended up spending most of my time designing the card (and finding tiny gears – for which I have George to thank!).  Finally I just decided to add a clear envelope to the front of the bag and slip the card it.  Instant decorated bag!  Well, not quite instant, but you know what I mean!

I love the addition of the Tim Holtz Ideology swivel clasp and the jumbo eyelets!

And here’s the inside of the card:

The loop at the top of the card is so that he can easily pull the card from the envelope.

Well, gotta go!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

• Stamps: The Botz Family - Our Craft Lounge, Make A Wish - Gina K (inside sentiment)
• Paper: white, Island Mist Dark - Prism, certainly celery, riding hood red, Cogsmo Mr. Robotico - Cosmo Cricket
  
• Ink: Memento - tuxedo black (images), Versafine - onyx black (sentiments)
  
• Other: gift bag, Tim Holtz Ideology swivel clasp, jumbo eyelets, small eyelet, deckled rectangle & circle Nestabilities dies, 3/4 ” circle punch, CB folders -Swiss Dots, Spots & Dots, clear envelope, Cropadile, Copic markers:

Who’s ready for another Red Hot Mommas Blog Stroll??  Remember all the fun we had last time??  Well then, let’s do it again!

We’ve got 6 new sets that are being released today.  Such fresh and fun sets!!  I just know you’re gonna love them as much as we all do!!  You’ll need to head on over to the Rubbernecker Blog to check out photos of all the new sets and get all the details on how you can win one of them!  And then you’ll need to stroll along to check out all the exciting new samples from all the designers.

I’ve chosen to try my hand at using Scraps & Scuffs (461).  Of course, no one does grunge anywhere near as well as Sherry does, so please keep in mind that this is just my feeble attempt at being grungy!

I started by stamping a couple of the images directly on my patterned paper using Versamark and clear embossing them.  Then I spread on some Ranger Distress ink in Tea Dye and Frayed Burlap using my ink blending tool.  The last step to making the background was to stamp more images using the Tea Dye ink and clear embossing them.  Custom made background!!

I used my large deckle rectangle dies to cut the raised panels and left side edges, leaving the dies on while I sponged on some more Tea Dye ink.  I stamped some more of the “stains” on the card base and on the lighter side panel.  The coffee cup and sentiment are from the previous new release, Coffee & Tea Inchies (424).

NOW…..on to the STROLL…..

Stroll along with the Rubbernecker Red Hot Mommas.  The Stroll starts at the Rubbernecker Stamps Blog where you will find the rules on how to win one of the sets being revealed.  If you haven’t started at the Rubbernecker Stamps Blog, you should go there now in order not to miss anything!   Here is my phrase clue for a chance to win:  Scraps and  To find the next clue, stroll over to Candy’s Blog.

Thanks for visiting today for this very exciting event!  Have fun on the stroll!

• Stamps: Scraps & Scuffs (461), Coffee & Tea Inchies (424)
  
• Paper: Prism - Suede Brown Light, Tawny Medium, Island Mist Dark; 7 Gypsies - Nottinghill
• Ink: Versamark, Ranger Distress - Tea Dye, Frayed Burlap, Broken China
  
• Other: clear EP, ribbon slide brad (the Paper Studio), ink blending tool, ribbons, large deckle rectangles dies, copper brads

Items available at Rubbernecker Stamp Co.