Best Thoughts Birthday - Stampin' Up!

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!  I made today's card for a friend's birthday. :)  She really likes Mickey Mouse and the color orange.  I didn't have any Mickey stuff, so I went with orange this time.  And of course this card was inspired by Try Stampin' or Not on Tuesday's sketch challenge #264.

This is the fun sketch we worked with this time.  And if you have time make sure you head over to Try Stampin' on Tuesday HERE to check out the great cards made by the design team.  If you get a chance to play along we'd love to see what you create!

Crushed Curry

Watermelon Wonder

Wild Wasabi

As you can see I used a flower instead of the circle for my focal point.  I water colored in the whole hydrangea using Crushed Curry.  Then I added Watermelon Wonder.  When they mixed together it made the flower appear orange and that's exactly what I wanted. :)  I used Wild Wasabi for the leaves and stem and called it good to go. 

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:

Candy dots made with card stock and Crystal Effects

Remarkable You - Stampin' Up!

Today's card is more watercolor painting.  I really enjoy doing it, but have a lot to learn!  I really don't know much about it, but enjoy seeing what others do on their cards.  I've just tried to do what I see them do and hope it turns out.  I just started watching videos on it and hope to keep doing that and learn as I watch and play with watercolors. 

Today's card was inspired by four colors and is a challenge from my Stampin' Up! upline (I don't think they call them upline anymore, but I don't remember what the title is so I'll stick with that for now :).  No matter what her title is she's awesome!

Calypso Coral

Crushed Curry

Mint Macaron

Marina Mist

To color this I started by stamping the flowers in Smokey Slate (can't see it can you...that's the idea!)  I want to see the image, but have it disappear as I color it in.  I actually stamped off on scrap paper one time, them stamped it onto watercolor paper.  I usually start by coloring the object in my painting, but after watching a video I started with the background (I think I'll stick with my way for now!).  I started by wetting all of the paper except the flowers!  Then I picked up some Mint Macaron and used that color closest to the flowers.  I made sure I kept the paper wet and added Marina Mist except I started on the outside and moved in so it got lighter as I moved in and blended with the Mint Macaron.  I could totally be doing this wrong, but that's what works for me right now and until I learn more that's what I'll stick with. :)  Once the blue and green were dry (and I sped up that process using the low setting on my heat gun) I started with the flowers...one at a time.  First I painted the spadix (the inner yellow part...and, yes, I had to look up what it was called!)  That was simple. :)  Next I outlined where I wanted Calypso Coral by getting it slightly damp, then I added the color.  Before that started to dry I pulled out the color where I wanted it, got the rest of the flower wet and added the yellow so the colors would bleed together.  Simple, right?  Nope, not really!  At least not for me!  Like I said this is all a work in progress, but I enjoy creating what I can with watercolor painting. :)

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:

SU! watercolor paper is not big enough to create a full card 

so I use bigger pieces from a craft store in my area. 

I also created my own candy dots using the cupcake builder punch and crystal effects

Watercolored Wetlands - Stampin' Up!

Today's card is a CAS birthday card with a bit of watercolor on it.  I wanted to use a stamp from Wetlands, so I created the scene in watercolor, stamped the birds in the water, then added a touch of shadows.  This was originally on a much bigger piece of watercolor paper, but you never know (or at least I never know!) how my finished card is going to turn out.

For this card I decided to cut off a bunch of what I painted and make it square and "frame" it.  I used the square framelits to make the frame.  The sky seemed a bit empty so I drew a few birds in it.  That seemed to finish off the picture for me. :)

These are the colors I used to create my scene.

Basic Black

Pacific Point

Bermuda Bay

Lost Lagoon

Mint Macaron

Soft Sky

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:

Watercolor Paper from craft store (SU! paper is not big enough to use for a card base)

The Open Sea Birthday - Stampin' Up!

Today's card is inspired by Try Stampin' or Not on Tuesday's sketch challenge.  Since I need a masculine card for my stamp a stacks this month I used it just for that.  Sorry, no St. Patrick's theme.  That's the extra part of the challenge you can do if you want to though! :)

Here's the sketch we're playing with this time around.  Click HERE to check out the other fun cards created by the design team using this sketch.  If you get a chance make sure you play along.  We'd love to see what you create! :)

Here's the colors I used for this card.  Pretty simple huh?!

Basic Black

Smoky Slate

Just a couple more pics of what I did.  I inked the "journal" stamp with Smoky Slate, stamped it on a piece of scrap paper, then onto the banner (I wanted it nice and light).  Then I stamped the world stamp with Smoky Slate and stamped directly onto the banner so it is darker.  Last I stamped the ship using Tuxedo Black.  I sponged around the edges of the grey banner with Smoky Slate, and around the edges of the little strip that says Happy Birthday too.  I stamped Happy Birthday with Tuxedo Black.  I also embossed the front of the card base with the World Traveler embossing folder, then I sponged in a circular motion a little bit of Smoky Slate over the world map to make it pop a bit.  

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:

Simple Traveler - Stampin' Up!

Today I have a CAS card for you that was inspired by Freshly Made Sketches #227.   I knew when I saw the squares exactly what technique I wanted to do.  I just had to figure out what stamps I wanted to use.  

Since I'm short on masculine cards right now I used the set Traveler and just two colors...Soft Suede and Very Vanilla.  Easy, right? :)

Soft Suede

I stamped the ship first, then the train and added the tiny "happy birthday" just above the smoke coming out of the train. I used the honeycomb embossing folder on the strip of Soft Suede that's on the side of the card.  

A close up showing that I popped the train piece so it didn't look funny overlapping the other square piece.

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:

Sponged Scenery

How about some sponging today?  Today's cards are all about that.  I demo'd this card at our Red Hot Stampers meeting last night.  I actually had the ladies sponge right along with me and then we each made up our own card. These are what each of us created.  They did a great job didn't they! :)

If you'd like to give it a try I've added a picture tutorial at the end of this post. :)

Those of you who have followed my blog for awhile might think I've already made this card....you'd be kinda right! ;)  Click HERE to find out what card I'm talking about.  I was going to make this one again and demo it, but thought instead that I'd use the same colors and idea, but change it up a little.  Plus I broke my woodgrain embossing folder in half from using it so much and for some crazy reason I thought the framelits I used were retired. :(  Guess I need to keep up on that!  Either way I'm glad I tried something a little different and that I got to do a little sponging again...ok, a LOT of sponging again.  Since I had a sample card, two sponged sample pieces and I sponged one there with everyone else I ended up with four cards myself.

Here's the color combo I used on my card.  How fun is this!  My Stampin' Blog added the ability to show color combos.  I'll have to check it out a little more, but I quickly added this into my blog in no time! :)

Hello Honey

Lost Lagoon

Mossy Meadow

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:

Step by Step Picture Tutorial

I started by cutting a piece of  Whisper White card stock using the second largest die from Lots of Labels.  You can use any shape you want really.  I originally made something similar to this with a different die (there's a link to that card earlier in this post).  I added a sticky note to cover about the bottom third of the shape.  Make sure it's straight when you put it on or your horizon won't look quite right!

Starting with a sponge (I use sponges like the one shown) and Lost Lagoon ink, dab ink onto the top of your piece of card stock to create the sky.  Make sure you dab off your card stock first just in case the ink on your sponge is pretty dark.  Also make sure you do not jab your nails into the sponge when you're doing this.  It will make blobs in your sponging and you don't want that!  I dabbed straight up and down onto the card stock to get this look, starting at the top and moving my way down.  I repeat it always starting at the top and moving downward until I'm happy with how dark it is.   

In this picture I've added more Lost Lagoon.  I pulled it down farther by sponging lower each time I add more ink.

Next start sponging with Hello Honey.  I worked my way up with this color, meaning I started sponging by the sticky note and moved up as I sponged.  

Using a piece of thin scrap paper punch a 3/4" circle and place it where you would like the sun to be.  If you look closely you can see that I have a little area at the bottom that is over the sticky note.  I want it to look like the sun is partially below the horizon.

Using Hello Honey again dab a bunch of ink into the circle.

Yes, it will look really dark against the yellow you sponged.

To blend the sun in just repeat what you did when you first sponged on the Hello Honey.  It makes it a little darker and blends it together well. 

If you want (and I did), add a little more Lost Lagoon to "blend" the colors in a little better.  I say "blend" because you don't really want to mix these two colors or you'll end up with a green sky! lol  I did it to pull the colors a little closer together.  Pull off the sticky note and this is what you'll see...

Time to put the sticky note back on.  You want to cover up what you just sponged.  I placed it over the yellow with just a smidgen of the yellow showing.  You don't want a gap between the water and they sky.  Not sure if you can see it or not, but there's a very small darker strip of yellow.  Now you need to sponge Lost Lagoon again for the water.  I rubbed it back and forth this time instead of dabbing it.

Keep adding more ink and rubbing it back and forth until it's as dark as you want it.

Pull off your sticky strip and see what you've done so far! :)

Now it's time to use Mossy Meadow to finish off your scene.  Ink up your sponge and once again dabbing the color onto your scene.  I didn't put it on super dark, just dark enough so I can see where I want to stamp my grassy area.  

I stamped the wheat from the set Wetlands a few times.  To add the grass you can use any grass stamp that you have, but I just turned the wheat stamp around and used the bottom of the stamp to add in my grass everywhere.  That way I only have one stamp to clean. :)

The last thing I do is add in more green with my sponge.  This time I rubbed the sponge in small circles.  I did it a few times to cover up each of the individual pieces of grass that can be seen in the picture above.  This just softens the look of it...and then you're done! :)  I hope  you enjoyed doing some sponging.  It will definitely get your fingers dirty, but it's worth it in the end.

Picture Perfect Birthday

Today I have a pretty card for you using a fun sketch from Try Stampin' or Not on Tuesday.  I took a little bit of liberty on it and didn't put the horizontal strip.  Instead I used the bird's beak/bill and wings as the strip and his tail feathers as the banner.

Here is the sketch from Try Stampin' on Tuesday.  Make sure you check out all the other great cards made using this sketch HERE.  We'd love to have you play along if you get a chance!

I thought the background looked a little plain with the two colors and nothing else so I used a retired embossing folder that I thought would add too it.  I'm happy with it how it turned out and hope you enjoy it too.

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!