Use Your Wings

 I'm joining in with the July CAS Mix Up challenge today.  The challenge this month is Watercolor and the theme is 'Things with Wings'.

My thing with wings is the dragonfly made using Curio Summer Findings from the Greetery.  My water coloring is the wings as well as the blue background.  I smooshed Dox inks in Speckled Egg and Spiced Marmalade (one at a time!)  onto my craft mat, spritzed with water and then smooshed panels of water color paper, one into each color.  I hope that counts as using watercoloring!

I used Pin Point Rings from Poppy Stamps to emboss the circles and a Small Talk Sticker for the sentiment.

Linking to:

CAS Mix Up

 

 

Less is More

Wishing everyone in the USA a Happy 4th of July!

My vase is a cute little woodpecker filled with Blanket Flowers from my garden.  

I thought they looked bright like fireworks!  

I change his topper every week using whatever is blooming.

The eagle is a die and stamp set from Papertrey Ink.

Paper: Water color paper - Canson Cold Press, white - PTI
Ink: Ranger Distress Oxide Speckled Egg and Spiced Marmalade.
Accessories: Curio: Summer Findings Dies- The Greetery, Pinpoint Rings Emboss - Poppy Stamps, craft mat, water mister, Small Talk Stickers - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology, black Copic.

July CAS Christmas Card Challenge

 Today the July CAS Christmas Card Challenge has been posted!  Barb is our creative hostess this month and she would like to see Santa on our clean and simple designs!

Here is my no layer, stamping right on the card base, clean and simple design for the challenge!

I used another retired set from Waltzingmouse for this CAS card called Jolly Old Elf.  All of his pieces are stamped separately, the hat is one stamp, the face/vest another, the hands/pants/leg stamp and the boots stamp.  There are other options for each piece in the set too - and they can each be stamped in different colors.

I love this sentiment with the pause in it.  I added the line with a black 01 Micron pen to give Santa a grounding and to accent the pause in the sentiment between 'been.....' and '.....good' - like there might have been a '....bad' option as well! 

(there is not a '...bad' stamp in the set however! So everyone gets on his good list! Santa wants to stay positive!)

So let's see all of your Santa's on your clean and simple designs linked up over at CAS Christmas Card Challenge where you will find lots of inspiration from the team.

Stamps:  Joly Old Elf - Waltzingmouse (retired)

Ink:  Obsidian, Ruby Red - Altenew

Paper:  White - Papertrey Ink

Accessories:  black 01 Micron Pen - Pigma, ruler

June Card Chain Challenge Reveal

 Today is the day that all of the cards exchanged for the June Card Chain Challenge are revealed.  

This month I sent a card to Joanne in CA and I received a card from Imke in Germany!

You can learn all about signing up for this fun monthly international card exchange here.

Here's the card I sent to Joanne.

 I used the June suggested colors, the sketch and the Friendship Theme.  

You only have to choose one of the design suggestions: colors, sketch, theme or Product/Techniques - or you can use all of them!

There's still time to sign up for the July exchange (July 6th deadline) - check it out here.

Stamps:  Just Sentiments: Summer, Splits: Best Wishes (retired) - Papertrey Ink

Paper:  Tropical Teal, Terrecotta Tile, Fine Linen - PTI, Water color paper - Canson Cold press, DP Hello Sunshine - Taylored Expressions.

Ink:  Tropical Teal - Papertrey Ink.

Accessories:  Skinny Strips dies - Taylored Expressions, Splits: Best Wishes Die (retired) - PTI

Happy Birthday to Loll!

 Today is Loll Thompson's birthday and many of her friends that are on or have been on her Design Teams are posting birthday cards in her honor.  If you know Loll, then you know she is a very kind, thoughtful and compassionate person, always thinking of others and reaching out when they need a friend.

Here is the card I made for Loll and hopefully she has already received it.

I sponged the background using torn strips of computer paper as a mask and Distress Inks and finger sponge daubers.

As the card says -  I'm wishing you blue skies and sunny days for your birthday Loll!

Linking my card to:

Seize the Birthday

Summer activity - hiking in the mountains

Stamps: Blue Skies - Inkadinkadoo 

Paper: White, Bright Buttercup - PTI

Ink:  Obsidian - Altenew, Ranger Distress Mustard Seed, Broken China and Mowed Lawn.

Accessories:  Small Sun Die - Lil Inker Designs, torn strips of computer paper, finger sponge daubers.

Tree of Dreams Birthday

 I have such a big stash of Lavinia stamps I decided to sit down and use some today!

First, I laid a large circle mask over the 5"x5" panel and used a blender brush to color inside it with Distress Dried Marigold.  I removed that mask and laid down a smaller circle mask over the bottom edge of the big circle and used the same blender brush to color it again with Dried Marigold making it a little darker for contrast.

I stamped the Tree of Dreams off the bottom and side edges a bit.  I stamped the Fairy Charm heart off a branch and the Orchard Grass around the bottom of the tree.

Then I laid the Swiss Dot Stencil over the panel and used a blender brush to add Dried Marigold.  

To finish my card, I stamped the happy birthday.

I'm linking my card to:

The Paper Players

Seize the Birthday

fav technique - stenciling

Stamps: Tree of Dreams, Orchard Grass, Fairy Charms - Lavina, Sentiment Suite: Birthday - The Greetery
Paper: Mulitfarious Smooth - Lavinia
Ink: Obsidian - Altenew, Ranger Distress Dried Marigold
Accessories: Circle Masks - Lavinia, blending brush, Swiss Dot Stencil - Frantic Stamper, stamp positioner.

June CAS Christmas Reminder - Wreath

I'm here with my reminder card for the CAS Christmas June Challenge which is Wreath.

My wreath is cut from water color paper and the berries and bow are cut from Red Hots and Pale Rose Bazzill papers.  I used Tim Holtz/Sizzix Wreath and Snowflake Thinlits die.  I popped the wreath up on foam dots over the white card base.

You have until 6/24 to share your Clean and Simple Wreath card over at CAS Christmas!

Paper: Watercolor - Canson Cold Press, Pale Rose, Red Hots - Bazzill
Accessories: Wreath and Snowflake Thinlits die - Tim Holtz/Sizzix, foam dots.

Stencil Butter Sympathy

 I was excited to see that Loll started up the CAS Mix Up challenges after a 3 month hiatus.  Loll is the hostess this month and her challenge is to use pastes or gels through a stencil.

I have lots of pastes and gels that I don't use very often (!).  Never the less, I recently purchased some new Stencil Butter (mostly because the name sounded good enough to spread on toast!)

So that's what I pulled out to use for this challenge - Chartreuse Stencil Butter and Turquoise Stencil Butter.  I started with the Turquoise - spreading it over just part of the stencil with a palette knife and then tried to spread the Chartreuse over the open bits - of course the colors got blended a bit - but I love how it ended up! The stencil is Flower Mask from Lavinia.

I added the layered die cut sympathy and some Majestic Crystals.

The challenge is open until 6/24 and you'll find it here.

Paper:  Water color - Canson Cold Press, White, True Black - PTI.

Accessories:  Chartreuse and Turquoise Stencil Butters - The Crafters Workshop, Flower Mask Stencil - Lavinia, palette knife, Majestic Crystals - Prima.