Botanical Builder Birthday

Today's card is a bright and cheerful card...at least I think it is. :)  I made it for my daughter since she isn't going to be around when it's her birthday and I want to send it with her.  I decided to look through some blog challenges that I follow to help me out since I haven't played with many lately.  The bright colors from the challenge colorQ caught my eye and the sketch challenge at Create With Connie and Mary was just the type of layout I was looking for.

I used colors as close to the ones listed as I could.  I never had Poppy Parade because I was just getting into Stampin' Up! when they had that color.  I used Watermelon Wonder instead since it seems to be pretty close.  I did have Lucky Limeade once upon a time, but I don't have anymore of the card stock left so I used Pear Pizzazz.  I sure wouldn't mind if Stampin' Up! brought these two colors back if they revamp their colors again.

This is the fun sketch that I used from Create with Connie and Mary.  I have to admit I like a sketch that has a little something to it, but not too much to it and this one is just right!

After I finished the card I realized I can't give it to my daughter!  Why?  Because she doesn't care for white cards! lol  She likes cards nice and dark.  I think I'm going to use all of the same colors except the white and create something similar with a black background instead.  

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

I would love to be your demonstrator! If you like what you see and want to order anything just click on any of the products that I've listed at the bottom of my blog or click on the "Shop Now" tab at the top of my blog. Any of them will take you directly to my website! If you have questions feel free to contact me. Just click "Contact Me" at the top of my blog . If you're thinking of becoming a demonstrator click "Join My Team". I'd love to have you join me!

Awesomely Artistic Birthday

This morning I've been staying toasty warm in my basement by the wood stove after the snow storm that decided to hit Michigan.  I thought I'd wake up to it still snowing like crazy, but so far just dark and gloomy clouds off to the south.  We'll see if we get more or not.  Since it's just above freezing and is only supposed to warm up it won't last for long, but it's sure going to leave a mess behind!  That mess always makes way to spring...eventually!  And that's what this card reminds me of.  Not of the mess, but spring! Not sure why I chose just blue and green for this card, but that's what popped into my mind while I was creating it.  I hope my friend didn't mind the colors. :)  

I started by embossing the bundle of flowers in white, then filling them in with color.  I stamped the green fern piece in three spots, then stamped over them with VersaMark and embossed them in white.  I stamped the sentiment, then did a watercolor wash over the card, most of it in blue.  Wherever you see the green I managed to pull it out of the leaves a little since I needed to put some color in between the flowers and leaves too.

Oh, I forgot to add that I used liquid frisket on the top of my card before I did the watercolor wash.  When I rubbed it all off, it left a few splotches of white here and there.  I thought I had put more on than that, but I think it turned out fine.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

I would love to be your demonstrator! If you like what you see and want to order anything just click on any of the products that I've listed at the bottom of my blog or click on the "Shop Now" tab at the top of my blog. Any of them will take you directly to my website! If you have questions feel free to contact me. Just click "Contact Me" at the top of my blog . If you're thinking of becoming a demonstrator click "Join My Team". I'd love to have you join me!

Supplies used on this card:

Remarkable You!

Happy Monday, Everyone!  Today I have a short post of a very simple 3x3 card you can make using the stamp set Remarkable You.  I needed a quick thank you for my upline since she was generous enough to let me borrow her thinlits and framelits for my February stamp a stacks.

I stamped the flower using Archival Basic Black ink, cut it out and sponged the whole flower with Crushed Curry, then sponged the tips with Watermelon Wonder.  One last bit of sponging on the stem using Garden Green.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

I would love to be your demonstrator! If you like what you see and want to order anything just click on any of the products that I've listed at the bottom of my blog or click on the "Shop Now" tab at the top of my blog. Any of them will take you directly to my website! If you have questions feel free to contact me. Just click "Contact Me" at the top of my blog . If you're thinking of becoming a demonstrator click "Join My Team". I'd love to have you join me!

Supplies used on this card:

Lovely as a Tree in Watercolor

Today's post is just about me playing around with a bit of water coloring.  I haven't used the set Lovely as a Tree much lately and thought I would try a scene with it.  It's not very colorful, but it's pretty clean and simple.  

I was really trying to work on my trees' shadows and the sun and sky.  The sun is not bright at all and that's what I was going for.  The shadows also aren't very dark, but I kind of like the look of that.  The middle tree's shadow didn't turn out at all so that's where I stuck my sentiment. :)  

Since I thought it was a little boring and too light when I made it I added the candy dots for just a little extra something.  At first I was just going to dump it, but thought I'd sleep on it first and try to  make something out of the next day.  I'm glad I did because it's really growing on me. :)

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

I would love to be your demonstrator! If you like what you see and want to order anything just click on any of the products that I've listed at the bottom of my blog or click on the "Shop Now" tab at the top of my blog. Any of them will take you directly to my website! If you have questions feel free to contact me. Just click "Contact Me" at the top of my blog . If you're thinking of becoming a demonstrator click "Join My Team". I'd love to have you join me!

Supplies used on this card:

Picture Perfect Roses

Today's card is for Try Stampin' or Not on Tuesday's sketch challenge #258.  Usually when I have a sketch like this where I have enough room to create a scene I do, but this time I wanted to put flowers on my card.  Why?  Because the theme is Love is in the Air and I wanted to use my new set Picture Perfect! :)  The set has two and three step stamping to give your images more color and dimension. :)

Here is the sketch for this time around.  Make sure you visit the Try Stampin' blog HERE to see all the other great cards created using this sketch.  We'd love to have you play along too!

I didn't do banners on the bottom because they didn't seem right with the flowers.  Instead I used a scallop edge border punch and put pearls on each scallop.  You can't tell it in the picture, but the bottom flower and three of the leaves are cut out and popped up.  Basically that's because I stamped the wrong flower first!  I started with the top flower, then stamped the two on each side of it after I cut out the flower so I could cover it up and make it look like the side flowers were under the top flower.  Just save your cutout of the flower and you have it every time you need to use it instead needing to stamp and cut one out each time.  Does that even make sense? I hope so! lol

Thanks for looking and have a great day!
Sara

I would love to be your demonstrator! If you like what you see and want to order anything just click on any of the products that I've listed at the bottom of my blog or click on the "Shop Now" tab at the top of my blog. Any of them will take you directly to my website! If you have questions feel free to contact me. Just click "Contact Me" at the top of my blog . If you're thinking of becoming a demonstrator click "Join My Team". I'd love to have you join me!

Supplies used on this card:

Retired Supplies:  3/8" Taffeta Ribbon Whisper White,
Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad & Scallop Edge Border Punch

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Joyful Christmas

Today I have a couple of Christmas cards to show you that were inspired by the colors over at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown challenge...blue, cream and gold.  I didn't use the bright blue because I don't have a color quite like that so I pulled out my Island Indigo since I haven't used it in a while.  I also looked through all of my Christmas stamps and decided to use the retired set Joyful Christmas.  I haven't used it in a while either and thought the colors and set would make a couple of nice Christmas cards.

I was going to make two of the same cards, but after making the first one I had another idea pop into my head so it's two different cards using the same colors.  They were pretty simple to make other than the fussy cutting and even that didn't take too long.  I stamped 3 leaves on Island Indigo with VersaMark, covered them in gold embossing powder, used my heat gun and cut them out.  I did the same with the "flower" petals on Very Vanilla.  I colored my pearls with a Blendabilities marker that happened to be just the color I needed (not sure what color it actually was though!).  I attached the flower with dimensionals and the leaves with glue dots. 

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Sara

I would love to be your demonstrator! If you like what you see and want to order anything just click on any of the products that I've listed at the bottom of my blog or click on the "Shop Now" tab at the top of my blog. Any of them will take you directly to my website! If you have questions feel free to contact me. Just click "Contact Me" at the top of my blog . If you're thinking of becoming a demonstrator click "Join My Team". I'd love to have you join me!

Supplies used on this card:

Retired set:  Joyful Tidings

Retired Blendibilities Marker

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Serene Silhouettes in the Night Sky

I made today's card just because.  That's right!  Just because I saw a picture that inspired me.  I loved the stars in the sky and the colors blended together in the picture along with the silhouette of one main tree and some bushes so that's what I tried to recreate with this card.  I have no idea what I'll use it for yet.  Guess I'll just have to wait for the right occasion to come along.

  

I started by flicking liquid frisket on a piece of white card stock and waited for it to dry.  Ha ha...I definitely did NOT wait...I used the low setting on my heat gun and dried it very fast!  Then I used my brayer to add the colors of the sky.  I started with Crushed Curry on the bottom and brought it about half way up.  Then from the top I brayered Watermelon Wonder, Real Red, Blackberry Bliss and finally Elegant Eggplant making sure to not go down as far as the last color so none of the colors were covered up.  Then I stamped the tree and "bushes" (really the top of the tree) using the Basic Black Archival Stampin' Pad.  This is the first time I used this ink pad other than at convention in July and I have to say I was impressed!!  It went on dark and evenly and that's exactly what I was looking for. The last bit of color was at the bottom that needed to be filled in nice and dark.  I used a sponge and started to rub it back and forth (same ink as the tree and bushes).  I found that it went on better when I just dabbed it with the sponge repeatedly.  

The very last thing I did before layering it and putting it on the card base was to rub off all of the frisket.  I had to make sure my ink was dry.  If it's not it will smear into all the nice white stars. :(  I usually use the edge of my sleeve since my fingers are oily and that smears it too (granted I usually have an old sweatshirt on when I'm doing this!).  I just carefully rub it off, then lightly run my fingers over it to see if I missed any spots. 

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

I would love to be your demonstrator! If you like what you see and want to order anything just click on any of the products that I've listed at the bottom of my blog or click on the "Shop Now" tab at the top of my blog. Any of them will take you directly to my website! If you have questions feel free to contact me. Just click "Contact Me" at the top of my blog . If you're thinking of becoming a demonstrator click "Join My Team". I'd love to have you join me!

Supplies used on this card:

Liquid Frisket

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog