Snowy Scene

There are stamps that become beloved and you just have to find one more thing to do with them. This Hero Arts wooden stamp is one. I just feel peaceful and happy looking at this little scene.  With CASology inspiration word Grey, I tried inking it up with some CTMH Whisper ink...but I'd done that before, and it just looked blah.  Next I tried a white pigment ink on Slate card stock, but it just wasn't very crisp, so I put some Hero Arts white embossing powder on it and yay! Added a skinny white mat, and popped with dimensional tape on a Slate card stock base.  I love the slightly bumpy texture that looks like snow. The sentiment from Pretty Pink Posh was embossed as well.
I doubt our Pacific Northwest Christmas will be white - it's usually pretty grey!  But a person can dream...so also linking to CAS-ual Fridays #189 "Dreaming of a White Christmas," and CAS on Sunday #123.

Pencils and Heat Embossing

One of my absolute favorite crafters is Yana Smakula.  She is an amazing artist that inspires me!  In this video post  http://www.yanasmakula.com/?p=60617she explained her process for creating a very dramatic image.  I had to try it.
I stamped my image (Avery Elle - Merry Flowers) in Whisper ink on Whisper gray card stock (Close to My Heart) and then colored the image with Prisma pencils.  Then I treated the paper with anti-static powder and heat embossed in Hero Arts white. Yana suggested using the Misti to be sure your image is aligned perfectly, but I had forgotten to begin that way...so I had to carefully position my Versamark inked block after coloring. The first one worked perfectly, the other is slightly offset. But I'm still thrilled with the result!
I shaded around the image with a very light gray Copic to create a bit of dimension. The sentiment (W Plus 9 Christmas Greetings) was also heat embossed.  I mounted the panel on a white, top-fold card base. And then decided to add some Nuvo Crystal  'snow dots'.   Thank you Yana! I love this technique. The white embossing stays clean, no smudges and it really looks awesome.

Linking to Use Your Stuff #290 Challenge - Heat Embossing

 

Jingle All the Way

Stamp and Cuts set "Jingle all the Way" from Hero Arts set used today, with Echo Park I Love Winter paper.  I used colored pencils, Wink of Stella, some Nuvo drops, and a white jell pen.  The sentiment was heat embossed with Hero Arts white.

 

 

Linked to CAS(E) This Sketch #247

Mouse Thanksgiving FTL#41

One last bit of Thanksgiving fun.  I just love these little Lawn Fawn mice!  I used a Simon Says die, cross stitching added with a die from My Favorite Things. Acorn, wheat, and sentiment from Papertrey. Paper is BoBunny, and card base and inks from Close To My Heart. A many products card! 

Thanks to Clean & Simple for the Fall To Layout Sketch

Autumn Leaves FMS #312

Finishing up my Thanksgiving cards today. I used a new stamp + die set from Hampton Art. The first step was to heat emboss with Hero Arts white on some Kraft card stock. I colored with watercolor pencils and lightly blended with a water brush.  The corner paper is BoBunny, the sentiment is two layers for a little extra dimension - used a Savvy die.

Always appreciate a great sketch to help me know what to do!  Today's inspiration was at
Freshly Made Sketches.  Clean and crisp - just the way I like it.

Paper Play

Paper Play Sketches #50 inspired me today. 

 

I used some Authentique paper and a new stamp/die set "Happy, Happy, Happy" from Lawn Fawn. The tab was part of a EK label punch. The ivory panel was cut with the Simon Says stitched rectangle, and popped up with foam on the card base. Bling from the stash.

 

 

AHSC for my return

Returning to my craft table after a long time away recovering from a total knee replacement.  It had some complications, and LOTS of physical therapy.  But I'm here to report that the therapy team was awesome and now I am better than I've been in decades.  The recovery coincided with a gorgeous summer and a yard that had been seriously neglected. So back to hiking woodsy trails, weeding and mowing, playing with the grandchildren...and now back to my craft room.

Seems just right that my first card back is for Atlantic Hearts!  I had so much fun playing along with their great sketches and later being on their design team for a year.  Their blog has grown and I am thrilled to see all the wonderful cards posted there each week.

Recently one of my grandsons asked the 2 1/2 year old granddaughter, "Are you cute?" Her reply had us all laughing: "NO! I am adorable." 

So my entry this week is for AHSC #227   http://atlanticheartschallenge.blogspot.com/

 

 

Products used:

Spots & Dots embossing folder (Provo Craft)

Georgie Papers and card stock (CTMH, retired)

Juniper twine (CTMH)

White Opal Liquid Pearls  (Ranger)

Hoppy Easter

This is the first of my Easter cards this year, inspired by Addicted to Stamps and a sketch at Sunday Stamps.  Experimenting with creating water color plaids provided me with a few sheets of pastel plaid.  A piece of one was used here for the banner. The stamped image is from a retired Close To My Heart set, Sensational Season, and was colored with Zig Clean Color brushes. The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamps, My Kind of Peep. The stitched circle is a SSS die, and was popped with foam.

 

I am linking to: Addicted to Stamps #143- Pastel Colours

 

and Sunday Stamps, #148 Sketch

 

Daisy Friend

Lovely sketch over at My Time to Craft, Sketchy Time Challenge #341
So I pulled out an old Close To My Heart set - a wood set that I just can't let get away...such simple fun.  I stamped on glossy paper and used Copics to color. I fussy cut and popped up one daisy with foam tape.

Inside sentiment

 

 

Happy Everything

Two challenges today with this cheerful one-layer card. 
Check out the sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch #212 and the
Use a Stencil Challenge at Just Us Girls #384



I used a brand new (to me) sticky stencil from Inkadinkado, Distress inks with the mini blending tool(salty ocean, tumbled glass, spiced marmalade), and a sentiment from Close To My Heart (Finding the Words).  Pretty Pink Posh sequins for some sparkle.

Summer Festival Memories

Last summer I had the opportunity to be in Japan for 10 weeks.  I stayed with my son who works there teaching English at a kindergarten.  It was such a pleasure to be with those children and to be part of the Kids Garden school for that time.  The last day of their first semester was July 19th, and they celebrate the start of their summer break with a festival - food, dancing and traditional dress.  They strung lanterns across the play yard. I even performed a dance with the children and we all had special fans.  It was a magical evening.  

These sweet dies are from Frantic Stamper Inc. I have used lots of lovely papers from Japan to create my scene. I sent this card to the school yesterday to let them know how often I think of them and thank them for sharing such special times with me.

 

Seattle Landmark

  CASology week 239 challenge!
There is a bit of tension between Tacoma and Seattle. It's the kind of thing that can develop between siblings.  I moved from New York to Seattle, and then to Tacoma a few years later.  Tacoma is a much smaller town, but has all the wonderful PNW stuff: waterfront beaches, shipping port, huge park and zoo, several world class museums, University of Puget Sound, vibrant community theatre, symphony, excellent restaurants. Our landmark is the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (once 'Galluping Gerty' of 1940- recently featured on Rachel Maddow). But since I have no stamp for that, I've invoked the more famous regional one.


The Space Needle and heart/sun are from Impress. The sentiment is from Papertrey, Doodlie Do.
I used Distress Inks to blend and a Sakura Gel pen for the silvery raindrops. Yesterday we had snow, rain, sunshine, hail, and then more snow...all in one day.  We've got it all here in the beautiful, sometimes surprising, Pacific Northwest♥

 

 

 

Lucky

It's been a busy month and a happy one.  I am indeed lucky to have great friends and many things that keep me involved.  Crafting has been on-going, but blogging has fallen far behind.  So I am happy today to share my latest set of cards and link them to DragonflyJourneys #87 to play along with their St. Patrick's Day 'Lucky Charms' theme.  All the cards were paper quilted with 1" squares, and then dry embossed with several different kinds of folders to give the quilted appearance and texture. I just love paper quilting!!  I am having trouble with Paint and my camera....so colors do not look as vibrant as they actually are.

A thin strip of shiny gold paper added at the bottom, and the sentiment edged with metallic gold marker.detail of the card above

 

HERO

                        Today I have the honor of being the Guest Designer at CASology for Week 235!

 

This week's theme is HERO

 

 

 

My card used CTMH stamps from the Home of the Brave set (now retired). Inks used are Sweet Leaf, Slate and Black. Stitched die from Simon Says Stamp.

 

There are many beautiful creations from the CASology Design Team. It's really fun to see all the ways the cue is interpreted!  Go be inspired at CASology.

 

 

XXOO

The blogs are giving me the help I need to create my Valentine greetings!  Curtain Call inspiration made me think of a favorite set, A Game (CTMH, retired).  My grandsons adore tic/tac/toe and we made whole game booklets using this stamp, and a travel version also.  A little heart change-up, and it's a Valentine ♥