Blurred Lines

Less is More is looking for an Out of Focus image and this Penny Black stamp fit the bill. Used Memento markers for the coloring of the image. Sprayed watercolor paper and applied the colored stamp to it several times to get the blurry effect, blotting off the excess moisture in between. The sentiment is from Gina K Designs. Mounted on an A2 cardbase of the same watercolor paper.

Spring Garden

I'm inspired by Time Out's word challenge,  "If you have a garden and a library you have everything you need".  Since I've been out in my garden a lot due to social isolation and been reading because I have the time, this quote means a great deal to me. 

Stamped The Stamp Market's diamond shaped background. Handcut the center diamonds and backed the resulting aperture with pink vellum. Diecut the handcut diamond shape with a Pink Fresh label die and changed the orientation before adhering it to the background. Layered Copic colored Pink Fresh diecut flowers through the resulting slits to create the bouquet. The The, oh so, appropriate sentiment is from Altenew then diecut with a Simon Says' die.

Ratty Cheer

 Day of the Month Card Club is celebrating "World Rat Day" just now. Though I'm not fond of these vermin, Katzelkraft's rat stamp set is a favorite of mine. So with their Trash Can and of the miracle of masking, I stamped these two critters and the bin. Watercolored them, and after drying, used an older MFT stencil to create the alley's brick wall with Inktense pencils. Dried that and watecolore the grimey pavement. The sentiment is from Purple Onion stamped on a Waffle Flower die. Not sure the little guy really trusts his happy pal but everyone needs a bit of encouragement at the moment. Be safe and social distanced, folks.

Friendship

Today, I thrilled to be Guest Designing for AAA Card Club game 163.

 

Stamped this lovely Pink Fresh sentiment and those sweet birds in VersaFine ink. Ink blended in blue and yellow to create a gradient. Spattered the same colors sparingly over the card. 

Figured we could all do with some time in the fresh air, during this difficult time. 

Hopefully you are all doing well and  like the card. I'll be thinking about you while we practice social distancing. Be careful, you all.

Thanks to the folks at AAA Cards for allowing me this opportunity. I really appreciate it.

Easter Exhaustion

After dyeing all the eggs and hiding them in the field, this exhausted bunny was so tired that he couldn't finish his lunch of carrots. His assistants keep chirping at him to wake up and hide the last, huge egg but he's too comfortable to stir.
The Copic colored images and sentiment are from Miss Ink Stamps an unused stamp I've had for a year or more, i.e., NBUS. Kitchen Sink provided the field background. The clouds from MFT. Linking it to the NBUS challenge and Show & Share.
Hope your Easter is safe and sound.
    

Hello Sweet Pea

Notice my pal, Michele (icardeveryone), had already played with CAS Watercolor with her favorite Spring flower, tulips, so decided to use mine on this card:

Of course, I used Altenew Sweet Peas watercolored with Tombow markers. After it dried, stamped an Altenew sentiment and attached it to an A2 landscape card. 

Hoping all of you are weathering this quarantine well and maintaining social distancing. Be healthy and happy.

Spring or Autumn Blooms

It's tough out there right now so I decided to use happy, sunny yellow as the base of this card for The Flower Challenge. Once again to depict either a spring or autumn card, I use Altenew florals. Stamped then watercolored and, once dry, fussy cut them out. Diecut copper foil cardstock with a Memory Box die to create a fancy circle frame. Attached it then arranged the flowers on the card with foam tape.

Christmas Music

CAS Christmas wants favorite Christmas songs/carols...this is from mine (can you guess which one it is?).  Neat & Tangled provided the lyrics and Honey Bee the music note. Simple gold embossed them on a watercolor cardstock panel and use Nuvo Shimmer Powder and water over it.

Once dry, added a gold mirror frame and the card was done. Other than the drying time, it was quick and easy. Good for mass production.

Here for You

On this gloomy day, needed something cheery so chose to work with my favorite color combo. yellow/grey,  and AAA Cards' current game. Since I was under time constraints, I chose a Funky Fossil stencil and Nuvo Glacier paste. Applied grey paste for the flower's center and set it aside to dry. Manipulated the Honey Bee sentiment around the flower's petals using the stencil in my MISTI as a guide and stamped in grey. Once the center was dry, applied the yellow paste and set that aside to dry. Not including the drying time of the paste or the cleaning of the stencil, this card took less than 15 minutes. I call that quick.
Stay safe, crafters.

Waving from a Distance

This brother and sister are practicing isolation with their pup. Waving at you for the Less is More one-layer no sentiment challenge. Used a Waffle Flower stamp set which I colored with pencils. Masked the scene and brushed on a little atmosphere.
Hope you're staying safe and washing your hands frequently.

Go Fly a Kite

This is CASology's fun challenge. Something we can do within social distance guidelines. Fly that kite or, in this case, all of them. Stamped these kites and clouds from The Cat's Pajamas (sent from a sweet friend) on a masked panel and watercolored  them rainbow style. Stamped the sentiment and a black line under it. Done. Really CAS. Stay well my friends.

Something Fresh

Today's card is for all those heroes...medical staffs, grocery workers, food deliverers...who are helping us get through this Covid-19 pandemic. From the bottom of my heart, THANKS!
Used all Altenew products and their current Inspiration Challenge colors to create this card. First, stamping the floral background, then, the focal point. It's colored in Wisteria, Iceberg and Firefly inks, stacked 3 times with diecuts and attached on a vellum panel with the "thanks" frame diecut in white. That panel is popped up on the stamped background and mounted on an A2 top folding cardbase.
Thanks to all those who are trying to make our lives easier. I couldn't be more grateful.

For Sandie

Why the purple?. First, it's a lovely color and, second, purple represents Epilepsy, which you can read about here. Time Out's team leader, Sandie, has Epilepsy and so their challenge this time is Lot or Little Purple.
I chose a LOT of purple to stamp/diecut these layered Altenew anemones and leaves. Then stamped a Concord & 9th sentiment an A2 panel, cut it diagonally and added a black strip. Attached Honey Bee patterned  paper to a card base and glued a flower and a leaf on it. Foam mounted the diagonally cut panel to the cardbase. Arranged the second flower and leaves on it to frame the sentiment.
There is lots of inspiration on Time Out's site and prizes to be had if you play. You can also learn something about this disease and how it effects those who have it. In the meantime, wash your hands and stay healthy.

Hot Tea and a Book

Playing with CASology's "Tea" challenge using an older Waffle Flower stamp set. Colored it with Copics and added an MFT oval frame diecut also Copic colored to dress it up a bit. Attached a tiny hand cut tea bag to finish the scene and that's it. Stay safe and healthy, my friends.

Miss You

Hope everyone is self-isolating or social distancing properly so we can beat the virus down. These two critters are missing all of you, big time. They are from Clearly Besotted and are Copic colored. As you can see, they're waiting patiently for all this to be over. Linking to AAA Cards for their Along the Edge game.

Bunny Twofer

Twofer Card Challenge wants Spring Animals...aren't they all? Anyway, bunnys came to mind instantly...mine are from an older Art Impressions set which appears to be discontinued. Stamped a bunch of the bunnys front and back, Copic colored them and fussy cut them out.

 

Used a Mama Elephant die to make a gatefold (literally) card.  Created the background with an MFT cloud stencil and a Kitchen Sink layering set for the rolling hills. Added some additonal grass with MFT's stencil and a few flowers with some paste and white gel pen. Attached the bunnys, front and back to the top of the gate (do bunnys climb...oh well, the whole card is a fantasy). Stamped the sentiment, cut it into a strip and laced it through the fence stiles to keep the card closed.

Stamped, white heat embossed and watercolored the Simon Says Easter Egg background stamp. While it dried, diecut 3 white and 1 black Simon Says "happy" and "Easter" words. Stacked them with the black, offset on the bottom. Fussy cut the, now dried, background and attached it to a dark grey cardbase. (What would I ever do without grey.) Cut a slit in the background with a craft knife to accommodate a bunny head and arranged the rest of them and the sentiment on the card.  Done.

Not My Circus

Today we're playing with Less Is More's color challenge... red, raspberry and grey. Chose to use some new EBE products, expecially this darling elephant. The ovals are alternated in red and rasperry though the photographer struggled to differentiate the colors.
    

Erin Go Bragh

Are you feeling lucky? Happy St. Patrick's Day.
I'm playing with CAS Watercolor today...can you guess the theme? The background is a combination of  a Brutus Monroe stencil and a Stamp Market stamp. This leprechaun image is really Charlie Chaplin from Kindred Stamps but I altered him a bit.  Watercolored  the EBE pot 'o gold  with Altenew metallics and the little guy with Mijello Mission paints. Handwrote the sub-sentiment before adding the diecuts which I think are both retired.

Martini Anyone?

Most anyone who has a cat or dog recognizes the dreaded cone that is attached to our fur babies when they have an issue. I've often thought it was designed by a bartender and, apparently, this little guy thinks so, too. Anyhoo, it a good one for the Day of the Month Card Club where it's also their 1st Blog Birthday. 

It's an older unmarked stamp set but it fit so well with the "National  Puppy Day" theme I couldn't resist it. No unusual techniques were used in the design of this card. Also linking this to the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers-Booze theme. 

For those who follow me, my mojo is returning by dribs and dabs since our bout with the flu (NOT Covid-19)...we both are beginning to feel human again. Thanks for all your kindness and care.

Update: The stamp set is from Skipping Stones but I've been told they may be out of business.

Happy Birthday, Time Out

Many happy returns of the day to Time Out Challenges...so happy to help celebrate their 6th Birthday with this card.

So I DecoFoiled a background with rainbow colored foil (wished it showed up better in the photo). Cut Simon Says' circle sentiment and number dies to make it personal. Attached the cut panel and circle to a black cardbase with foam tape then fit the teeny-weeny positive pieces back into the letters (fiddley is a nice word for it). Stamped the "th" into the appropriate aperture and called it done. Happy, Happy Birthday, Time Out and thanks for providing me with tons of fun the last few years.