Shaggy!

Happy week, Bloggin' Buddies!

Today's card was made for our nephew who prides himself on his shaggy beard. He's a good-looking guy, but.....

I just happened to find this historic photo at an estate sale a couple of weeks ago and decided it would be perfect. Masculine cards, especially for a younger man, are so darn difficult to make and this photo did the trick!

I think it is hilarious and so appropriate. The woodgrain cardstock adds to the antique look. The stamps are from Paper Smooches, "He Said, She Said", "Word Salad" and "Fun and Flirty" (inside - Hope your day is AWESOME).

Take care, thanks so much for the visit and have a good one,

Buzzard Boy

Hello, Bloggin' Buddies!

I used to do lots of challenges, but I've been busy doing my own thing and practicing my water coloring. But challenges are good for me. They tend to cause me to stretch my limits and try something I wouldn't normally do. Sometimes the results are less than good (and you've seen those!), but once in awhile the result makes me super-happy.

I have to tell you, I LOVE this card. It was so much fun to watercolor and adding the white pen really made it pop. That is what the challenge is all about - Watercolor and White Pen by Art Impressions.











The stamp is their Buzzard Set" #4194. The sentiment inside is "Happy birthday from the blue bird of happiness". Fun?!

I painted this with my Zig Clear Color markers and added pin feathers, head warts and a glimmer on the beak with a white gel pen. I love this woodgrain yardstick - it has such great texture.

Thanks so much for the visit! I urge you try a challenge every now and then - you'll be surprised. I
thought I'd attach a little shot of our Easter "Bunny Bocce" fun with the family. Don't we wear our ears well? Ha!

Spring Tags

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!

It sure feels like Spring and Easter is here. I have been playing with an adorable new set by Neat and Tangled in conjunction with Simon Says Stamp. It is called "Cute Chicks".

The amazing blogger Emily Leiphart from Art From the the Heart did a wonderful video on masking these little guys to form the perfect parade. Check it out.

I colored the sweet images with my Copic markers, masked with Inkadinkado stamping masking paper and used some sequins from my stash.

I decided to avoid bunnies this year, so I have used this set and some florals for my Easter cards.

Hope you have a great week - keep springing! Thanks for the visit,

Happy Easter!

Hello, Bloggin' Buddies!

As soon as we return from our ZUMBA class this morning we will be hustling around getting ready to host our little family for Easter. We are looking forward to it and love sharing this special time.

For today's card I went through some old flower stamps with a new eye for watercoloring. This Hero Arts stamp, "Sketched Tulips", is from 2004 - well before we even thought of watercoloring cards. But it is just perfect for it! I made a real effort to keep these flat for mailing, so I used an embedded die-cut technique with Simon Says Stamp stitched rectangle dies. The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp's "Rejoice" set.


Last night I even put together some quick nameplates just for the fun of it using the bunny from "Abby's Spring Showers" by Simon Says Stamp. I added some tiny pom-poms for the puffy tails. It took virtually no time and the kids will get a kick out of it. Plus, there will be no fighting about who sits where - ha!

If it is something you celebrate, I wish you a happy Easter. Enjoy your weekend and thanks for the visit,

EVERYONE is Irish Today!

Hello, Blogging' Buddies!

Even though my name is, I am not Irish. But it sure seems like everyone is on St. Patrick's Day.

I have some cousins who are Irish, so I try to make them a card every year. This year's was a fun one (easy, too) that I made with an image I cut from an old high school yearbook that I bought at an estate sale. She doesn't look too happy, does she? Guess she couldn't find that pot of gold.

I added the photo to a manilla tag and  distressed them both with some green ink. A little Celtic patterned paper, a bow and a "fun foam" glittery shamrock and I was good to go.

Thanks for the visit and don't drink too much green beer!

More Inspirational Fun with Julie!

Happy Sunday, Bloggin' Buddies!

I am still on a creative high after spending a day learning great things (& being entertained) by the super-amazing Julie Ebersole. She is a designer for Essentials by Ellen and her blog is Paper Trufflez, just in case you've been living under a rock. I have been a fan for so many years!

Twice a year she comes to an adorable store called The Paper Garden Boutique in Sacramento to teach classes. This is my second year - I KNEW there was a reason we moved here!

Yesterday's classes were beyond fantastic! In the morning we made 10 - count 'em, ten! - fun one-layer cards. That is what I need, as I get so tired of adding extra postage to all my thick creations.

In the afternoon we made 6 more cards. These had some more intricate techniques, some involving foil, the Fuse Tool, watercolor, etc.

I have provided photos of all but 2 of the cards. I had trouble finding some natural light this afternoon - it is a dark and rainy day here in California.

I love every single card! My hubby always laughs at me because as soon as I get home I have to head to my craft room and finish, correct mistakes, and add my own personal touches to all the cards I've made. It was a long day.

These three are my favorite ones, even though I don't consider myself a real "flower" person. Aren't they delicious and they are so "Julie". The one on the right includes a flower cut from black fun foam!

Anyway, I'm still flying high. What a spectacular day. I learned some things, met some nice ladies, had fun with my card-making friend Mary, had fun shopping in Steph's wonderful store (if you are in northern CA, visit!) and I feel so enriched by Julie's talents.

Thanks for the visit and have a great week!

Throw Back Thursday

Hello, Bloggin' Buddies:

Isn't amazing how trends come and go in cardmaking? There were brass stencils, buttons, chalkboard techniques, old-style glitters and so many more - now long gone.

Then there are some that left and returned, like shaker cards. Maybe I should have saved those old supplies (and my "granny" glasses from the 1960's)!

Recently I was going through all of my supplies - a true Spring Clean - preparing for the annual "Used Stamp Sale" at my LSS.

I uncovered a forgotten faux letterpress embossing folder.

I couldn't help myself, I had to give it one last shot.

I love the rich look and texture. Keeping with the vintage look, I added a silver button and a sweet retired Hero Arts sentiment.

Remind me - why did this technique get lost in the past? I love it!

Guess I'll go hop in my "flower power" mini-van and head to the park for some groovy fun from the past.

Watercoloring the Ai Way!

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!

I recently took a class at my LSS, and I have been watching the great videos on the Art Impressions (Ai) website (look in the "Get Inspired" section for the YouTube videos), about using some Ai stamps with markers for a delightful watercolor look. Check it out and you will be amazed.

For this card I used the Ai "Flowering Mailbox" stamp and some of the foliage stamps, Distress Markers along with a paintbrush and water. The color from the stamped image is "pulled" into the image and the stamped lines are softened with a wet brush. Such fun!

The sentiment is from "Sentiments and Quotes" from Altenew. Several embellishments/die cuts are from my stash.

I know this technique takes some practice and I hope to spend more time with it, but for now I'm happy to have an alternative to traditional watercoloring.

This is going into the current Ai Challenge, "House and Home". There is plenty of time for you to play along.

Have a great week and thanks for the visit!