Splashes of Watercolor

My grandson Will just graduated from preschool. You know, it seems to me that he was just born yesterday! He is his mom’s youngest, so she’s mourning the passing of his “babyhood”.   And she started to talk about having another baby.  I definitely had to talk her out of that one rather quickly!!  But not to worry; it didn’t take much convincing!

As I was trying to decide on the paper to use to make his card, I came across some scraps that I thought would work well for a little boy. You know, the super-star theme. As I was making it, I realized it was the same paper I had used for one of my December 2007 Dirty Dozen designs. Here’s a link to that post (if you’re an SCS fan club member): Trinket Boxes

So I pulled the box out of storage and put some money in it to go along with the card. The bag is just a plain white lunch bag with Cuttlebug Concentric stars glued to it.

And here’s a picture of Will receiving his diploma from his teacher, Miss Anna ~

Thanks for visiting and letting me share this with you!

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Stamps: Graduate - Inkadinkado, Foursquare and Lined Paper backgrounder - Cornish Heritage Farms, You Rock! - A Muse

Paper: white, DCWV Rock Star mat stack, Basic Grey Mellow 6×6 pad

Inks: Palette Hybrid Noir, black StazOn, ruby red

Accessories: silver sheeting, spiral punch, Copic markers, Cuttlebug, Concentric Stars die

Here is another one of my design team submissions for the Jacksonbelle Embellishments design team:

This card is a little different for me - no coloring! But I did have a lot of fun making it! So what if I didn’t get to color, I did paint! Can you see where I painted a linen colored acrylic over the patterned paper before I stamped the Sweet Friend sentiment? I absolutely LOVE this sentiment from the Inkadinkado Chelsea Sentiments stamp set. Isn’t that the coolest font?

The branch from the Basic Grey Grow a Garden stamp set was stamped in Versamark and then I embossed with Timber EP. The large butterfly and the bird were each stamped on colored cardstock, then cut out and attached with glue dots.

I sewed around the edges of all the layers and don’t you just love how this beautiful May Arts ribbon has the stitching on the edges too and coordinates so perfectly?  I stamped the Grid Paper backgrounder on both of the flowers before attaching them so that the ends of the ribbon look like leaves.

Thanks for stopping by to check out my card! Be sure to check back in tomorrow for a chance to win some BLOG CANDY!!!

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Stamps: Grow A Garden - Basic Grey, Chelsea Sentiments - Inkadinkado, Grid Paper backgrounder - Cornish Heritage Farms

Paper: river rock, Cosmo Cricket 8×8 Fleuriste paper pad

Ink: Versamark, Versafine Onyx black, Ranger Distress - tea dye

Accessories: Heidi Swapp flower, Martha Stewart flower punch, May Arts ribbon, heat gun, Timber EP, sponge dauber, sewing machine, rhinestone brad, black gelly roll pen, acrylic paint - linen, paint brush, glue dots

***All items in orange are from Jacksonbelle Embellishments

I created this card for the Wednesday backgrounder challenge at Cornish Heritage Farms - to use 2 or more backgrounders.  Lo and behold!  It also fits today’s Ways to Use It challenge WT163 at Splitcoast- to use scissors!

I used the Grid Paper backgrounder and the Weathered Wood backgrounder, which I believe is now retired.  Both of these are stamped with river rock ink on the river rock back panel.  The Weathered Wood was also stamped on the sentiment panel and both are used on the flowers.  To stamp the flowers I layed the Weathered Wood rubber side up, inked a corner of it with Ranger Distress frayed burlap, then layed the coral colored flower face down where I inked, and pressed.  I did the same with the green flower using the Grid Paper backgrounder.

As for using the scissors, I cut out the narrow sentiment panel after I inked and clear embossed the sentiment from the Art of Framing set from CHF.  Then I distressed all around the edges with my scissors and sponged them with frayed burlap ink and a sponge dauber.   The edges of the large main panel are also distressed with scissors and inked as well.

I’m not sure if you can tell that the bottom half of the card is covered on the diagonal with Cosmo Cricket Fleuriste paper (from Jacksonbelle Embellishments).  I love that paper!!  I overstamped both layers with the largest stem from my Stampin’ Up! Garden Silhouettes on the left side in Ranger brushed corduroy ink and clear embossed.  Then I stamped the smaller stem randomly with frayed burlap ink.

The twill was distressed slightly by rubbing over the edges with the sponge dauber and frayed burlap.  I tied a small length of hemp twine around the twill and frayed the ends.  The flowers were attached with glue dots and mounting tape (the green one).  I tied pieces of linen thread through the button holes and attached these to the flowers with glue dots.

Wow!  That was a lot of jabber!  Sorry if it was too much information!

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit!

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Stamps: The Art of Framing and Grid Paper & Weathered Wood backgrounders from Cornish Heritage Farms,  Garden Silhouettes from Stampin’ Up!

Paper: always artichoke, river rock, Fleuriste by Cosmo Cricket

Ink: river rock, Adirondack pesto, Ranger Distress frayed burlap & brushed corduroy

Accessories: sponge dauber, paper snips, 3/4″ twill, Imaginisce Bitty Blossoms, clear EP, heat gun, hemp twine, buttons, linen thread, glue dots, mounting tape

This is my really late entry for the color challenge CC160 on SCS. The colors are creamy caramel, mellow moss, apricot appeal, and cameo coral. Never would have put them together on my own!

This is going to be a short post because I’ve got to get some sleep to be at work very early in the morning. Here’s my card:

And here’s a close up so you can see the dimension of it. (click to see it larger) Riley’s head, cupcake and coffee cup are popped up above the main image.

Thanks for stopping by tonight! I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow!

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Stamps: Coffee Riley - Hanna Stamps, Grid Paper Backgrounder - Cornish Heritage Farms, Relax… - A Muse

Paper: mellow moss, cameo coral, apricot appeal, Basic Grey Mellow 6×6 pad

Inks: Versafine Onyx Black, mellow moss

Accessories: SU markers: caramel, cocoa, apricot, mustard, moss, artichoke, coral, ruby red; white gel pen, Cuttlebug, rectangle Nestabilities, ribbon, glue dots, Ranger Glossy Accents, mounting tape

After my last post, I needed to make a really happy card. Would you say I succeeded??

It’s definitely colorful and it makes me happy!!

This image is a new stamp from Stamping Bella. I just love the whimsical happy feeling it conveys! Hence the name!!

I stamped it in Brilliance Graphite Black and just started playing with my Copic markers. I chose several cardstock colors that would coordinate with the image and then couldn’t decide between them, so I decided to use them all! LOL!

The lavender and pumpkin layers were stamped with the Aida background stamp and then the pumpkin piece was run through the Cuttlebug using the Spots & Dots folder. The caribbean layer was stamped with the Grid Paper backgrounder from Cornish Heritage Farms. Have I mentioned how much I love this stamp???? Only about a hundred times probably!

I wrapped the ribbon around the pumpkin layer, added the flowers and cute shaped buttons, and highlighted all the flower images with a metallic gelly roll pen. The sun is popped up above the main image layer.

Oh, and this card uses this week’s sketch challenge SC166 on Splitcoaststampers.

Thanks for visiting today!

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Stamps: Happy Forest - Stamping Bella, Aida - SU, Grid Paper backgrounder - Cornish Heritage Farms

Paper: white, black, lavender lace, pumpkin pie, cool caribbean, Basic Grey Mellow 6×6 pad

Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black, lavender lace, pumpkin pie, cool caribbean

Accessories: Copic markers, Cuttlebug, Spots & Dots folder, rectangle Nestabilities, Imaginisce Bitty Blossoms, ribbon, buttons, linen thread, glue dots, mounting tape, metallic gelly roll pen

I love today’s Way to Use It challenge WT155 to use music as an inspiration - posted by Michele for Julia this morning.  Alas, I work during the day, so I’m never able to play along with the challenges on the day they’re posted.   I finished this card over the weekend for last week’s challenge.

I used a stamp that I really love but haven’t had the courage to use before now.  I guess I needed the push to produce a card with a “window” for Julia’s Ways to Use it Challenge WT154 on Splitcoast.  This does count, doesn’t it?

The stamp is from Rubber Romance - directly from the maker’s Etsy store, and I fell in love with it the first time I saw it.  I think it’s the foreign cafe or Charleston garden atmosphere that I’m really in love with and the stamp just provided that.

Of course I had to watercolor it!  It was meant to be watercolored surely!  I distressed the edges and layered it on ruby red cardstock.  The so saffron layer was lightly stamped with the Grid Paper backgrounder from Cornish Heritage Farms.  I LOVE it and am SO glad that Lisa designed it!  The flourish and corner stamps are also from Cornish Heritage Farms, from the Rubbage Bin collection.  More amazing stamps!

I finished the card off with some hodgepodge hardware from Stampin’ Up! and a wide brown organdy ribbon.

I hope you like it and thanks for stopping by to visit today!

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Stamps: The Courtyard - Rubber Romance, Grid Paper backgrounder - Cornish Heritage Farms, The Art of Framing from the Rubbage Bin collection - Cornish Heritage Farms

Paper: watercolor paper, ruby red, so saffron, Screen Door Darling Stripe - My Mind’s Eye

Ink: Palette Hybrid Burnt Umber, close to cocoa, creamy caramel, going gray, old olive, always artichoke, really rust, pumpkin pie, ruby red, so saffron, blue bayou, soft sky

Accessories: waterbrush, Hodgepodge hardware - antique brass, ribbon

This is actually the second card I made for Beate’s sketch challenge WSC36.  On the first one, I made the second layer too large so it didn’t fit the sketch after all!  Phooey!  But things have a way of working out, because I really like this card better and it gave me a chance to do more stamping!  Nothing wrong with that!

I love the expression on this chick’s face!  This is another stamp from my Bird Assortment set from Inkadinkado.  I stamped her on white cardstock and colored her in with Copic markers.  I used my rectangle plain and scallop Nestabilities dies to cut out the image and the groovy guava mat.

The pretty patterned paper was on sale at Target.  It’s from an 8×8 assortment called Splendor and it’s by Rhonna Farrer for Autumn Leaves.  I cut along the right side with large scallop scissors.  The card base is the new Aqua Mist color from Papertrey Ink.  It matched the patterned paper perfectly!  I stamped my Grid Paper backgrounder on it using PTI Aqua Mist ink.

I cut a small slice on the fold of the card using my craft knife to run my groovy guava ribbon through and then threaded both ends of the ribbon through my flower and tied it in a knot.  Then the main image layer was attached with mounting tape.  Easy!

Hope you like it!  Thanks for stopping by today!

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Stamps: Bird Assortment - Inkadinkado, Grid Paper backgrounder - Cornish Heritage Farms

Paper: white, groovy guava, aqua mist (PTI), Splendor - by Rhonna Farrer for Autumn Leaves

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Aqua Mist

Accessories: scallop scissors, Copic markers, craft knife, Nestabilities rectangle dies, Cuttlebug, flower, ribbon, gelly roll pen, mounting tape

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Now here’s the card I originally made:

Stamps: Spring is Here - Studio G

Paper: white, certainly celery, Basic Grey Lilykate 6×6 pad

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black

Accessories: Copic Markers, Nestabilities rectangle dies, Cuttlebug, ribbon, flower, cropadile, eyelet, glue, mounting tape

I always have such good intentions when it comes to participating in the weekly challenges on Splitcoaststampers.  But somehow everything else seems to get in the way and demand that my time be spent elsewhere.  Well, this week I decided to make some time to join in the fun. 

This card is for the color challenge CC154 to use orchid opulence, certainly celery, and pumpkin pie.  Now my first thought when I read what the colors were, was “Yuck!”  I’ll need sunglasses to be able to work with those colors!  I’m still not saying this is going to be one of my new favorite combinations, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.  The card also was made to fit the sketch challenge SC164.  Roxie chose a card of Leslie Miller’s this week.  Since Leslie is one of my all-time favorite stamping heroes, I just couldn’t not participate! 

I just got this great Inkadinkado stamp set and couldn’t wait to use it.  The birds are a real “hoot” (pun intended!) and the sayings are just as great!  I was going to use the stamp from the Foursquare set of the Kim Hughes collection from Cornish Heritage Farms to have the bird sit in, then I got the idea to make a bird cage out of it.  So I scalloped the bottom edge and doodled it, then drew a half circle at the top and cut that out.  Doesn’t it look like a bird cage?   Maybe just a little?

The branches on the orchid layer were stamped in Versamark.  You probably can’t see it in the larger photo, but the patterned paper is glittery and I added some sparkle to the bird using a metallic gelly roll pen.  Here’s a close up: (click to make it larger)

Thanks for visiting!  Please come back soon!

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Stamps: Bird Assortment from Inkadinkado, Foursquare - the Kim Hughes collection from Cornish Heritage Farms

Paper:  white, orchid opulence, certainly celery, pumpkin pie, DCWV Pocket Full of Posies matstack

Ink: Versamark, Versafine Onyx black

Accessories: Copic markers, Pigma Micron pen, flower, 1-1/4″ circle punch, ticket corner punch, A Muse ribbon, Dew Drop (from Ellen Hutson’s store), rhinestones, metallic gelly roll pen, mounting tape

These are valentine gifts for the boys.  My grandsons, that is!  It’s really hard to do sweet and pretty for a 7 and 5 year old.  Luckily, they don’t mind as long as there’s some sparkle and some candy with it!

I made each of them a “Why I Love You” coaster book (inspired by Sharon’s book here) and a little peek-a-boo candy box, using a river rock and purely pomegranate color theme.  Not too frilly, but with enough bling.  Just enough sparkle!  The third candy box is for their mom. (She also got some candy flowers!)

The first page in the book is made with acetate.

The star and small lined stamps are from the Foursquare set of the Kim Hughes collection at Cornish Heritage Farms and the “You Make My Heart Smile” is from the Rubbernecker Stamp Oasis sentiments section.  The “You Rock” and “You’re Cool” stamps in the following photos are from A Muse.  All the other stamps used are from the $1 bin at Michael’s.  The blue lined image was stamped in SU Cool Caribbean and the “I Love You” and the hearts on the acetate were stamped with red StazOn.  All the other stamping was done with Palette Hybrid Burnt Umber ink.  

The small acrylic frames with the boys’ photos in them are from the clearance aisle at Hobby Lobby.  I painted them with Ranger Distress Crackle Paint in the Peeled Paint color and then stamped on them with the Burnt Umber ink.  The crackle paint didn’t want to stick to the acrylic very well so I ended up spraying it with 2 coats of Krylon matte sealant spray.  That seemed to work just fine to keep the paint from peeling, although I do like the semi-peeled look!  And look how well the Peeled Paint color matches the SU river rock.  Cool!

This is Hunter:

And this is Will:

The boxes were filled with Valentine colored M&M’s.  Yum!  They were a big hit!

I’m not going to list all the ingredients and the recipe for these projects.  This post is already extra long!  If you have any questions, please email me.

Thanks for visiting  and have a Happy Valentine’s day!

I started out to make a card using staples for the Ways to Use It Challenge.  I never made it that far.  The sketch really caught my eye this week so I headed in that direction instead.  Can you believe this is the first time my Fabulous Flowers has been inked??  I know, what’s wrong with me?

I stamped it in Versamark on the pale lime patterned paper 3 times and embossed it with clear EP, then cut out the different layers.  I rubbed Adirondack Lettuce ink over all the layers to add depth between the petals. 

Both the soft sky and the white layers are textured papers and really look nice next to the slickness of the embossed petals. 

I stamped the phrase at the bottom of the white layer in Adirondack Espresso and the swirl from Cornish Heritage Farm’s new stamp set The Art of Framing at the top after stamping it off once on scrap paper.  I didn’t quite line it up right at the top of the card so to keep it from looking like it was just floating, I stitched a line at the top.  Then I stitched along both edges of the Basic Grey paper and in random lines down the left side of the card.

I just realized that I made it sound like the rest of the stitching was a result of my mistake on the scroll at the top, but in reality I had already planned on making the random stitches on the side.  I probably wouldn’t have thought to correct my mistake that way if the plan wasn’t already in place and the brown thread wasn’t already in the machine!

Thanks for visiting!  Please come back!

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Stamps: Fabulous Flowers, Absolutely Fabulous - SU, The Art of Framing - the Rummage Bin collection from Cornish Heritage Farms

Paper: white linen - Marco Papers, soft sky textured cardstock, Basic Grey Periphery 6×6 pad, Baby Flourish - Star Fish Dreams

Ink: Versamark, Adirondack Lettuce & Espresso

Accessories: clear EP, sewing machine, Dew Drops, mounting tape, glue dots