Stitched Blooms

Once again, I'm reaching for these Stitched Blooms dies that MFT just released in their recent card kit.  LOVE them!  Spoiler alert: You will see them again on my Color Throwdown card on Wednesday!  I used the sketch for My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge and CASEd the colors that Jodi Collins used on her DT sample for the release of these dies (you can check it out HERE).

The cardstock colors are all from the card kit as well: Tickled Pink, Ripe Raspberry, Green Room, Kraft and Smooth White.  The sentiment is from PTI's Direct Messages stamp set with matching banner die.  Enamel dots are by the Paper Studio.

Quote from 365 Days of Wonder:

 APR 30 - "To each, his own is beautiful."

                    --Latin Proverb

Sunday Stamps

I created this simple design for the Sunday Stamps challenge which is a color challenge.  I sponged 3 different inks over Altenew's Gradient Stripes background stamp then stamped it onto PTI's Vintage Cream cardstock.  The stamps are from MFT's Sweet Succulents set with matching dies and were colored in with an Aquapainter.

Thanks so much for stopping by...

Quote from 365 Days of Wonder:

APR 29 - "Don't wait until you know who you are to get started."

                      --Austin Kleon 

PTI April Blog Hop

Check out this lovely inspiration photo for the April Blog Hop on the Papertrey Ink blog!  Who can resist the aqua/pink/white color palette with touches of gold?!  Not me!  My mother and MIL are no longer living, so I'm not needing any Mother's Day cards for my personal use, however, I got requests from co-workers for cards, so this is my first creation.

It was the perfect excuse to try out this new Shape Shifters: Square 1 Die from the PTI April release...love it! I paired it with their Beautiful Berries: Spring stamp/die set and the sentiment is a mix of the Wet Paint 'happy' die and the white embossed 'mother's day' stamp which I cut apart from their Blooming Button Bits set. The card base is Aqua Mist by PTI.  I incorporated some gold by using sequins.  

Helpful hint with white embossing: No matter how hard I try to prep the CS by using a chalk buddy and then I often take a brush to clear some stray flecks of powder off the paper, I will often find a tiny fleck that gets inadvertently embossed where it shouldn't be.  The trick is to take a black gel pen and lightly cover the white fleck.  So simple, yet it took me awhile to figure that out - lol!

Thanks so much for stopping by...

Color Throwdown

This week, yours truly is hosting the Color Throwdown Challenge! Pretty in pink and covered in flowers, Peggy Porschen Parlour may well be the cutest café in London. Opened in 2011, the parlour serves a large variety of cakes, cookies, and teas.  Though I've never visited, I fell in love with their beautiful entrance as I was browsing online for color inspiration photos.  I hope you'll enjoy this week's pastel palette of pink, lavender, green and light gray!

For my card sample, I did a CASE of one of my earlier cards this year.  These flowers and sentiment die from WPlus9 and are so much fun to use to create your own patterned background!  Here's my enabler's list...
STAMPS: No One Else (WPlus9).
PAPER: White (PTI), Pear Pizzazz (SU).
INK: Little Piggy, Blossomberry, Mojito, Silver Lining - dye inks by WPlus9.
DIES: Mix and Mat: Postal Die (PTI), No One Else (WPlus9).

To play along with us, please go to the Color Throwdown Challenge blog for all the details!  For more inspiration from the rest of the design team and our talented guest designer for April, click on their links below:
Amy Rohl 
Amy Rysavy
Barbara Anders   
Broni Holcombe
Jodi Collins 
Lisa Henke
Lori Tecler
Lynn Put  
Vickie Zimmer 
Wanda Cullen (you are here) 
Hannelie Bester- April Guest Designer 

I want to say a special THANK YOU to Hannelie for agreeing to guest design with us this month!  She has had some fabulous cards for our inspiration! 

Just Us Girls

It's Color Week at the Just Us Girls Challenge blog and we've been asked to use prominently purple on our project. This isn't a color I gravitate toward often, but when I do use it, I like it - especially if it's paired with green!  I've been asked to create some Mother's Day cards for coworkers, so this old Siberian Iris stamp set - designed by Marcella Hawley for the former Flourishes stamp company - had a couple of sentiments that fit the bill.  

The inside has "Happy Mother's Day" stamped in Cockleshell ink by WPlus9 - the same ink I used for the Plaid Background stamp by Concord and 9th.  By the way...this plaid stamp is large and the only way you will get adequate inking is to repeatedly stamp it using a MISTI.  The image was colored with Copics.  Some of my favorite enamel dots are these flat black dots by Richard Garay (there are also white and gray dots in the same package).  I wish more companies went with flat rather than glossy dots (sorry...got off on a tangent there).  

Quote from 365 Days of Wonder:

APR 24 - "Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny."

                         --Carl Schurz

 

 

Inspired By All The Little Things

Hi everyone! Are you ready for the weekend? There's a great inspiration photo for the new Inspired By All The Little Things challenge and we'd love to have you play along with us!  I was inspired by the colors and the free-flowing icing and confetti which led me to splattering and watercoloring the background on my card.

I used distress inks - Wilted Violet, Peacock Feathers and Picked Raspberry - to watercolor the die cut popsicles.  I layered scrap pieces of cardstock behind them.  The patterned paper is from the Sugar Shoppe 6x6 pad by Doodlebug Design.  Stamps are from Reverse Confetti's Let's Chill stamp set with matching dies.

Quote from 365 Days of Wonder: 

APR 21 - "We love the things we love for what they are."              --Robert Frost

Rose Flurries

I'm joining in with two challenges: Freshly Made Sketches and The Card Concept which has a delightful inspiration photo! I die cut all the florals and leaves then painted them with Zig Clean Color brush markers.  I already had the background painted and it was on my leftover pile waiting to be rescued.  The light blue dress background inspired me to use this watercolored panel as a backdrop to the double circles and Rose Flurries 3D dies (Altenew).

 
In hindsight, I'm wishing I had used black instead of Raspberry

Fizz CS for the narrow matted layer.  The sentiment is from Altenew's Hibiscus Bouquet stamp set. A trio of dew drops were adhered using SU fine tip glue pen. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Quote from 365 Days of Wonder:

APR 19 - "Even the toughest dogs can be afraid of vacuums."        --Anna

Sending Hugs

**Scroll on down for my Color Throwdown entry** 

I created this card for two different challenges: Just Us Girls (it's trend week and black and white stripes are the trendy element we're asked to use) and Sunday Stamps Challenge (sketch).   I'm a huge fan of adding stripes to my cards, so this was a must do challenge!

I am FINALLY using this freebie gift stamp that came with my last

Reverse Confetti order!  Isn't that combination of fonts the best?!  I thought these funky florals from RC's Blooms 'n Buds stamp set with matching dies would be pair up nicely with the bold sentiment.  

INKS: Bumblebee, Iced Aqua, Aqua, Parakeet, Lime Green, Magenta - dye inks by Reverse Confetti; Versafine Onyx Black.

Color Throwdown

Hello everyone! It's Wednesday and that means there's a new Color Throwdown Challenge happening! Vickie is our hostess this week and has chosen red, green and white...a classic combo that really pops - especially with a little added black as a neutral. 

I knew right away I wanted to do some Copic coloring on this great floral image by Marcella Hawley - Tulips For Friends - from the former Flourishes company.  There is a current variation of the same image at Power Poppy that you can see HERE.

This word sentiment die by My Favorite Things is one of my all-time favorites!  I layered white over black so it would be more distinctive with this shadowed look.  The Plaid Background stamp by Concord and 9th was stamped about 5 times using Last Leaf dye ink by WPlus9 and a MISTI. This stamp is difficult to get good coverage with only one stamping, so a MISTI tool is a must!
  
To play along with us, please go to the Color Throwdown Challenge blog for all the details!  For more inspiration from the rest of the design team and our talented guest designer for April, click on their links below:
Amy Rohl 
Amy Rysavy
Barbara Anders   
Broni Holcombe
Jodi Collins 
Lisa Henke
Lori Tecler
Lynn Put  
Vickie Zimmer 
Wanda Cullen (you are here) 
Hannelie Bester- April Guest Designer 

Quote from 365 Days of Wonder: 

APR 18 - "The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature."

                    --Joseph Campbell 

Oh Baby

I've got a clean and simple card for the current Fusion Card Challenge. I used both the sketch and the inspiration photo - going with the baby theme and the neutral polka dotted wall for my main inspiration!  I just love this gray and white nursery with the pop of aqua!

I used paper, stamps and dies from Reverse Confetti, except for the stitched circle dies from My Favorite Things.  The patterned paper is from RC's Every Little Bit 6x6 pad and I used their Iced Aqua cardstock (one of my fave shades of blue).

DIES: Double Edge Scallop Border, Shakers 'n Frames (tiny stars), Stamped Note (hearts), and Cute as a Button (onesie).

Quote from 365 Days of Wonder: 

APR 17 - "Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best."

                   --Henry van Dyke

CAS(E) This Sketch

 A quick and easy card for the new CAS(E) This Sketch challenge! I tweaked the elements a bit and it was so crazy simple to put together. I embossed the Ornate Background stamp by Simon Says Stamp on WPlus9's Dove Grey cardstock using Pool Party embossing powder.  The Square Thanks die is by Reverse Confetti. If I did it again, I would use a darker EP as this doesn't have the dramatic impact I was looking for.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Quote from 365 Days of Wonder:

APR 13 - "The universe is what you illustrated it to be."

                                                                           --Rory

Life

Hope you're having a great day! It's my birthday, so I'm planning a little retail therapy and will enjoy the warmer temperatures...finally! I made this card last evening and am adding this quick post for Freshly Made Sketches and Paper Players challenges.  I pulled out this older PTI set - Life - and stamped the images in

Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant and Tranquil Tide ink by SU.  I really love this layout and hope to use it again!

Quote from 365 Days of Wonder:
APR 12 - "The world is good-natured to people who are good-natured." 
    --William Makepeace Thackeray