FUN WATERCOLORING WITH AQUA PAINTER

I've had a few sets of Art Impressions Watercolor Stamps for many months--maybe a year.  I don't know why I didn't work with them more when I first got them--they just got put away.  Sometimes crafters/stampers spend more time on "getting and having" rather than using all that we have.  It might sound better to put it this way . . . by the time what we thought we had to have arrives, we forget why we thought we had to have it so we find a place to put it.  That happens to you, too, right? Anyway . . . over the weekend, I decided to give the little stamps some love--and now I think I'm in love.  Just for the record . . . I am not an artist, nor do I claim to be, and I know that the card I'm sharing today won't wow a lot of people, but I am quite proud of it.  

Those pinkish-purple flowers?  They're my favorite to work with, and I can see (now) that some staggered height might be more pleasing to the eye.  I still have a lot to learn, but a few little stamps, markers, watercolor paper, and my Aqua Painter made for some stamping fun and creativity.  In case you don't know about the watercolor stamps, the images that I used (assorted flowers and grass) are intended to be inked with markers, stamped 4 or 5 times in the same area, and then tapped with a wet brush (I used my Aqua Painter) so the finished project looks like a watercolor painting rather than a stamped work of art.  It's a really forgiving process and quite enjoyable.  There might be some Stampin' Up! images suitable for this watercolor technique, and I intend to look into that.  :-)

MASCULINE SYMPATHY CARDS

We all know that masculine cards can be challenging, and masculine sympathy cards even more so.  It seemed kind of unique that I found myself needing to make two of them over the weekend.  Wood Textures designer paper, Lovely as a Tree stamp set, and Tailored Tag punch to the rescue!

If I don't love a card, it doesn't leave my house.  In the case of sympathy cards, I always make them as needed--it's kind of a ritual that lets me truly give my time, thoughts, and prayers for the recipients. 

Once I had a design in mind for these cards, they were rather quick to make.  Doesn't the punched designer paper make a great background?  After the punched shapes were adhered to a piece of cardstock and the excess trimmed from the edges, I embossed the layer with the Pinewood Planks embossing folder.  Other Stampin' Up! products used include 3/4" Circle and Classic Label punch, and the brand new Itty Bitty Greetings stamp set.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAMPBELL!!!

Today is my great-nephew's 9th birthday and, since he's a fantastic player on a traveling baseball team, it seemed appropriate to make this card for him:

The quality of the photo is quite poor (taken at night), but I was in a rush to get the card in the mail since it had money in it that Campbell would need for his shopping trip with his Nana tomorrow.

I printed the picture of the jersey onto cardstock, scored the cardstock near the top of the jersey so it could fold into a shaped card, and then I fussy cut around the body and sleeves.  Since I wanted the jersey to look complete, I printed another one to fussy cut and adhere on top.  The other images (bat, "9", and the glove with ball) were printed onto cardstock and fussy cut.  I used Foam Adhesive Strips to adhere the "9" to the card, and the sentiment is from Stampin' Up!'s Tabs for Everything stamp set.  

Happy Birthday, Campbell

"UNDER THE SEA" FRAMELITS

It's hard to believe that I haven't spent much time (yet) playing with new Stampin' Up! products that I pre-ordered from the brand new catalog--and it's kind of sad since I paid extra to receive the box of happiness in two days.  I would have expected myself to immediately start creating with some of the new stamp sets, designer paper, and punches, but the new ink pads were the first thing that I pulled out of the box.  I'm sure you've been seeing them all over the web--that's where I first saw them, too--and they are a stamper's dream!  I love them!  But . . . new stamp pads have nothing to do with the card that I'm sharing today.  It features the brand new Under the Sea Framelits dies.

How do I feel about this product?  It. is. fantastic!!!!!  Those little fish . . . so cute!  There is a coordinating Sea of Textures stamp set but, as you can see, it's easy to create an interesting card using only the dies.  After the school of fish were cut into the cardstock, I used sponges to give an underwater colored background with Soft Sky (I'm having trouble letting this color go), Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, and Pacific Point.  A strip of Pineapple Punch cardstock was placed behind the fish, and I used Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Sea Foam (lightly sponged with Coastal Cabana ink), Whisper White, and Calypso Coral for the die-cut shapes.  Glitter & Clear Epoxy Shapes were placed near the top to mimic bubbles, although they don't show up too well in my photo.  And there you have it . . . a simple, colorful, and fun little note card.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

My mail carrier probably wonders why I send so many cards near Mother's Day.  Surely I don't know that many people having birthdays and since they're all addressed to women, they must be Mother's Day cards.  She might think that I was literally raised by a village of special mothers.  The truth is . . . I send a lot of cards.  Some of the cards that I send are to friends of my mother's (some were even friends with my grandmother), and some of the women that are on my mailing list I have known for as long as I can remember.  It's great to hear that the cards are so well-received.  I think people don't send cards as often as they used to, but the joy of getting a greeting card in the mail cannot be duplicated with an email or a verbal claim after a holiday or occasion such as, "I thought of you on _____________ (your birthday or other occasion)!"  Following are some of the Mother's Day cards that I made.  I loved these cards!  They were actually fun to make, and Stampin' Up!'s Stamparatus tool made the stamping a very, very quick process.  The Petal Garden designer paper was a perfect feminine choice, don't you think?

For my mother, I made an easel card (literally, with strips of cardstock), and the focal point was a cut from one of the Graceful Glass Designer Vellum papers (a new product available next month) that I colored with Stampin' Blends.  

I wish all mothers a very happy and blessed Mother's Day!

"SHARE WHAT YOU LOVE" SYMPATHY CARD

Never fun to make, but sympathy cards always deserve a special bit of my time, thought, and reflection.  

This card features a foil-dotted vellum overlay and gorgeous papers from Stampin' Up!'s Share What You Love designer paper.  I like the simplistic design with just a couple of embellishments.  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRYSON!

Today is my nephew's 23rd birthday.  Oh, to be 23 years old again.  There are some things that I wouldn't want to repeat, but it sure would be nice if there was a "take me back" button that we could press--just for a day or two--every now and then.  My 23rd year was one of those that I call my "blur phase", and that phase was a long one.  Ha!  There have been quite a few conversations with my mother and sister that have left me wondering where I was during a certain time and/or why I have no recollection of whatever the event or situation was, so I started calling those times my blur phase.  It's kind of like someone asking you to remember a day when you were 3 years old . . . the memory just isn't there.

Anyway . . . it's Bryson's birthday, and I want to share the card that I made for him.  I tried to make it a design with which he could identify, and I was so pleased when I got a text from him that read, "Thanks for my card!  It's so me!!!"  

It's not the best photo, but this was the best of many that I took!  I have thoroughly enjoyed Stampin' Up!'s True Gentleman designer paper!  I feel like I've used it a lot, but I still have a generous supply.  It's really one of the best masculine collections I've had the opportunity to work with, and I love it.

Shout it with me . . . HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRYSON!!!!

APRIL CLASS SWAPS

Today I want to share the swaps from my April class.  I chose another sketch, and it was #491 from mojomonday.blogspot.com.  Following is a picture of the sketch and the swaps:

Debbie created a background for one of her layers using

Brusho Crystal Colour.  Doesn't it look great?!?!

And this is the card that I created:

I think all of the swaps are great!  From the color combinations to the assorted embossed textures, it's always fun to see the variety that comes from a sketch.