I {heart} Hearts!

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!

Yes, I do. Most of my life I've loved hearts. I used to own way too many and I used them everywhere.......now, although I still love them, I've settled to using them (lots) on cards and wearing them as jewelry.

I wanted to put together another card for the current "Where Creativity Meets C9" challenge which is watercolor.

I just got my first shipment of the Concord & 9th new release and I am just tickled pink! They are such a great company. I haven't had a chance yet to do more than catalog and organize my new products, but I did use a sentiment from the amazing new "Birthday Stacks" stamp and dies set for this card. I heat-embossed it onto back cardstock with liquid platinum embossing powder.

I chose the wooded heart from the "Cozy Up" stamp set and used my Zig Clear Color Markers to watercolor it. It is mounted with some Fun Foam for added dimension. I added some sparkle with Wink of Stella and used a woodgrain Sizzix embossing folder for the back piece of the card.

I can't wait to play with and share with you projects I make from this latest release. I already have my second shopping list started.......maybe I should be drafting up an addition to my craft room!

Take care and have a wonderful weekend. I appreciate the visit.

A New Year filled with Creative Potential!

Happy New Year, Bloggin' Buddies!

I hope that all of your holidays were filled with loving memories and that you are once again ready to get inky! I thrive on my "normal" routine, so I am READY.

Here is a little gem to start the year with a sparkle. I made this card for a dear friend who shares my love of mermaids. The sentiment is from Reverse Confetti's "Shine from Within" set. Love it!

The mermaid is an older stamp from Unity designed by Suzi Blu called "Elena Seaside". I watercolored her in an ombre style with Zig Clear Color Markers and a water brush and I added lots of Wink of Stella and Stickles for extra sparkle. Super-artsy, eh? She is mounted on a panel that was watercolored using an emboss-resist technique for which the Impression Obsession "Shells" background stamp was used. Cold press watercolor paper was used for stamping both pieces.

I think this card represents a perfect tone for my New Year - I plan to try to keep it in mind every single day.

Thanks for the visit and welcome to 2018,

Sparkle on!

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!

I have made some progress on my Halloween cards but I don't want to post them until they reach their recipients. Maybe late next week.

I have a wonderful young friend who shares my love of mermaids. She is super-creative and has an Etsy shop where she sells her sparkly and Disney-inspired creations. This is the special card I made for her.

The mermaid is an older Unity stamp by Suzi Blu called "Elena Seaside". I love her unique style. I used Zig clear color markers to watercolor her and added sparkle with Wink of Stella and Stickels.

The sentiment ("Shine from Within") is one I finding myself reaching for more and more (the world needs all the sparkle possible!) by Reverse Confetti (I used it recently here).

The background is Distress Ink watercolored onto a panel I heat-embossed with the "Shells" background stamp by Impression Obsession layered on top of some DCWV glitter paper.

Thanks for the visit and have a weekend full of sparkle and joy,

Easy Does It!

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!

I haven't been feeling up to par for a couple of weeks and we have been busy with family activities. It is just these kind of times when I reach for my Zig Watercolor Markers and some Simon Says Stamp Suzy's Sizzling Series Water Color Paintable Prints.

After the first one I realized that I needed to do more than just mount the print on a card base. I played around with some ideas, wanting to keep it simple so as not to detract from the watercoloring. I like the second one better.

I added sequins to these after the photos were taken (I had to hurry to catch the natural light!).

Coloring these is fun and relaxing and it is something you can pick up and set down and return to later. I am not fond of all of the designs in the package, but I can just turn those over and use them for regular watercolor panels.

Take good care and have a great week! Thanks for the kind visit,

SaveSave

Rainbow

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies:

The past couple of weeks have been tough, eh? So much sadness in our country's news.

I made this card as a small tribute to those who were lost in the Orlando massacre (and for a couple of dear friends).

I used one of the panels from Simon Says Stamp Suzy's watercolor paintable prints. I watercolored it with Zig Clean Color Markers, Wink of Stella and glitter pens. The colors are much more vibrant in person!

This is the first time I have played with Decco Foil and, NO, I do not have a laminating machine or a laser printer!

I simply used Score Tape and sandwiched the strip in a couple layers of typing paper and ran it through my die cutter (with a new, unscratched top plate). It worked beautifully and it added just the rainbow kick I sought.

I raised the panel with Fun Foam.

Wishing that your dreams do come true, especially those for love, peace and understanding.

Thanks for the visit,

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!

Bowl of Cherries

Hello, Bloggin' Buddies!

Today I have a card I made with the cutest ever stamp set from Stampin' Up called "Giggle Greetings" I got this from my friend and SU Demonstrator, Dottie Macken. There are four different images in the set and they are just ripe for watercoloring - I used my Zig Clean Color Markers and an aqua brush.

To add to the "homespun" look I used a stitched die from Simon Says Stamp, some vintage patterned papers, a doily and some twine (all from my stash).


For quite awhile I resisted getting these markers because I had several different watercoloring mediums, but I must say that I totally love them. The brushes are good quality and the colors are so vibrant. I also like that they are so portable. You can purchase them individually to see if they are something you like.

Hope you are having a great week - thanks for the visit!