Wink, wink.....

Happy Friday, Bloggin' Buddies!

As I have shared with you, I am making a real effort to loosen up a bit and develop a more artsy style for some of my work. One of my huge source of inspirations is a neat gal I "met" years ago in the card-making blogland, Cheiron Brandon. She has so much talent and I love visiting her blog to see what excitement she is up to.

I recently took a class in, and have been playing with, Wink of Luna pens. These are water-based brush/pens with lots of intense color and glimmer. They are sisters to the Wink of Stella pens that many of us have been using. What a punch of fun!

I made this card to send to Cheiron just to let her know how much I appreciate all she shares and how much she inspires. The background is Wink of Luna on wet watercolor paper with images stamped on dictionary paper and directly on the dried background. The sentiment is from Altenew (Label Love - one of my current favorites).

I plan to continue to work on this new style (but I will also keep my oldies!) and explore more with this fun product.

Thanks for the visit and have a tremendous and creative weekend!

Last Minute Mix-Up!

Hello, Bloggin' Buddies!

The current Essentials by Ellen Mix It Up Challenge  is to mix products from Essentials by Ellen and Impression Obsession. I knew I had some IO products, but I didn't get to looking for them until this morning! So, I am getting this in under the wire.

This card uses the cutest mermaid stamp (IO "Layla & Ginger" by Claudia Tenorio-Pearl) - and you all know what a mermaid gal I am. She is colored with Copics and has a touch of Wink of Stella for some glimmer.

I have paired her with Essentials by Ellen's "Wold Garden" dies by the amazing Julie Ebersole for my coral and seaweed (yes, liberties taken!). I colored the elements with Distress Ink and added lots of sparkle with Stickles. The fun bubble paper is from Cosmo Cricket's 6 x 6 pad called "Salt Air"

This is kind of over the top, but it is for a very special young Mermaid Princess and it had to be special.

As Julie herself says, "Happy Mundane"! Thanks for the visit!

Grateful

Hello, Bloggers!

Hope you are doing well and getting ready for the weekend.

Today's card is my acknowledgement that fall is really on it's way. Every year I approach this time of year kicking and screaming. I am a summer/tropical gal and don't like to see the days getting shorter and cooler and the leaves turning.

Anyway, I used a new Paper Smooches set for this card - Blossoming Buds and used my Copics to give them some fall colors. I used the coordinating dies called Blossom Icons. I am getting into these watercolor backgrounds! There is Wink of Stella on the flowers, but it isn't too visible.

This is my final entry into the current Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge "Anything Goes"

Take good care, thanks for the visit and have a wonderful weekend.

To the Moon.....

Good morning, Bloggin' Buddies!

Yesterday I made this card for a fellow who is recovering from surgery. I love this Paper Smooches set. I used the "Space Dies" to cut the stars from the background so the amazing gold foil paper shows through (sorry about the reflected light - it is super-shiny!). The stamp set is "Space Cadet". I colored the cute images with Copic pens.

Gotta dash and get this in the mail!

I will submit this to the current paper Smooches SPARKS challenge "Anything Goes". You still have time to play.

Thanks for the visit!

Hey, Chickie!

Hi bloggin' Buddies!

Today's card is one I put together for a special friend using Paper Smooches stamps. I plan to submit it to the current Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge, "Anything Goes".

I am struggling with a new Mac. The computer is great, but many of my favorite old programs weren't compatible, so I am having some troubles - excuse me!

I did some watercoloring with my Gansai Tambi paints and cut the shape out with Die-Namics Zig Zag Stitched Ovals. Everything else is paper Smooches  - "Chubby Chums" and "He Said She Said".

Thanks for the visit!

Color-Full

Happy weekend, Bloggin' Buddies!

We just returned from a visit to California's Sierra Nevada mountains. It was beautiful - lots of streams, trees, lakes and waterfalls and we were with some great folks. A perfect conclusion to summer.

The card I have today is yet another of the "less controlled" designs that I have been working on. The background is watercolor (Gansai Tambi) over a white-embossed Hero Arts background stamp ("Looped Flower"). I have never been a "yellow person", but I wanted to give it a try.

The sentiment is heat-embossed on vellum and is from MFT "Bold Statements" and the tiny heart is from Memory Box Stitched Layers.

This is headed to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge which is "Make it Colorful". Check it out and play along!

Have a wonderful weekend. In the US we are celebrating labor with a national holiday on Monday.
Thanks for the visit!

Anything Goes!

Happy Sunday, Bloggin' Buddies!

Today I took on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge "Anything Goes" using Hero Arts products. I've been making lots of artsy-type cards lately (stretching my creativity) so today I took a refreshing break and just made a fun and happy card with an old Hero Arts stamp (Happy Cat, C4331), some texture and some super-bright and happy colors.

I triple-cut and layered the "happy" using Papertrey Ink's "Wet Paint" die to make it really pop. The flower is an old die cut I had in my stash.

Hope your weekend is a knock-out! Enjoy what is left of summer - I sure am! Thanks for the visit,

So Excited!

Hello, bloggin' Buddies:

I have a quick post today to share with you a card I made for our neighbor. She is really into gardening (which I am not, BTW) and likes a good chuckle. This is a stamp set from one of my favorite companies, Art Impressions.

I colored her with Copics (sorry I couldn't get a quality photo), used Nestibilities and My Favorite Things (Gerbera Daisies) dies and paper and twine from my stash.

This is headed for the current Art Impressions challenge which is "Anything Goes".

Thanks for the visit and have a deluxe day!

Outside My Comfort Zone

Happy Monday, Bloggin' Buddies!

I tend to be very controlled and precise when making cards - perhaps it is a result of my training, education and career. That isn't a bad thing, but I have been trying to get out of that zone and try some more "fluid" and "artsy" techniques.

To that end I recently took a class where we learned to use watercolor pencils with floral stencils. It wasn't easy for me, but the more I did the more I loved it.

This is one of results that I have saved - there are several that I did not. I used a Penny Black stencil, a random background stamp (stamped with Distress Ink), and some Gesso (applied with fingertips). Since I was already on the edge I decided to use a vellum panel (that stuff has always intimidated me) for my sentiment (Simon Says Stamp). I added some Pearl Pen dots for some dimension.

I plan to keep playing with this technique and continue to find ways to challenge myself creatively.
Have a great week and thanks for the visit!

Another for School

Happy Saturday, Bloggin' Buddies:

I have another "Back to School" card to share with you. No challenges or anything, I just got what I thought was a funny idea. Doesn't that little guy look so guilty? Ha! He is one of my favorite critters from Paper Smooches. The apple is paper-pieced with an older Hero Arts stamp. The "bite" was made with a scalloped oval Spellbinders die. I made the sentiment on my computer (also an Apple).

Anyway, it is the time of year when so many folks I know are getting excited about fall. Count me out - this tropical gal gets into a sad funk with the pending end of summer.

Have a great weekend and thanks for the visit!