Best Wishes

Hello and welcome back,

Today I am sharing the second card from my masculine card class held last Saturday.

I used a stamp set that really covers a few different means of travel, and this set is so versatile and perfect for the guy cards that seem to be so hard to design. Below are two close-ups of those gray triangular pieces. Using VersaMark, I stamped the images that are a compliment to the ship theme.

Supplies used on this card:
Stamps - Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Collection - Travel Ways, Simple Sayings (Sentiment)
Ink - India Ink, VersaMark
Card stock - Black, White, Dark Gray, Brown
Dies - Spellbinders -Circles S4-114, S4-116
Bakers Twine

I am submitting this card to the following challenges:

• Cardz 4 Guyz  - Monochrome For Guyz (#8 )
• Craft Room Challenge - Age of Aquarius - All things water based (#9 )
• Just Inspirational Challenges  - Anything Goes (#25 )
• LEJ Designs  -challenge #85 Anything Goes (#184 )
• Sweet Stamps - challenge # 153 Anything Goes (#48 )
• Through The Craft Room Door - Always Anything Goes (#88 )
• Digi Sketch Challenge - Sketch* and/or Theme: For Men (#14 )
• Imagination Crafts - (January) Anything Goes (#49 )
• Make it Monday -  Always Anything Goes (#160 )
• My Craft Creations - Always Anything Goes (#29)
• Ooh La La Creations - A Man Card (#21 )

Rain or Shine

Hi there,
Boy I can't believe it's Thursday already. Today is the beginning of the Weekly Challenge over at Art Impressions. This weeks theme, rain or shine.

I saw golfers at the course the other day and it was really early in the morning and I was thinking they will golf at anytime unless it's raining. So, that thought stuck in my mind and here is the card I came up with for this weeks theme.

Aren't these two a hoot!!??!!. Well here they are, on the 18th green, getting ready to putt.

It's raining here as I write this post. Guess these two won't be golfing any today.LOL

Hope you have a great day.

Supplies used:
Art Impressions Stamps - Golfers  T3475
Copic Markers - E33, R29, RV13, RV06, V05, RV21, G94, G99, G82, Y17, BG10, BV000, BV08, BV20, C-1
Silver Gel Pen, Black Spica Pen, White Gel Pen
Card stock - Green CS, Yellow CS, White CS
Ink - India Ink Black, Fresco Leviticus Lime, Giovanni's Garden, Cortez Sun, Golden Parchment
Brayer

That is it for today

See you soon, I'm off to Akron to the Adventures In Stamping Convention this weekend. Have a great weekend.

Barbara

The Wall and Flowers

Hi Everyone,
It's Wednesday and that means its time to showcase another card  using Art Impressions stamps.
I was looking at some of my handmade flowers and that's how this card came to be. I picked out the flowers, picked card stock colors that complimented the flowers and then I chose the wall/flowers stamp. The colors I used in the stamped image are colors similar to the colors I used in the handmade flowers.

I added glitter to the stamped image by using a glue pen, (that's the squiggles you see on the stamped image square) and I added glitter to the flowers as well.These flowers would look great with spring colors as well. I'm getting ready to make more flowers so I will be using spring colors for the upcoming season.

Supplies used:
Art Impressions Stamp - Wall/Flowers H1383
Paper/Card Stock - white cs, green cs, orange  cs, sherbet orange cs, brown cs, designer paper
Inks used - Distressed Ink Vintage Photo, India Ink Black
Sparkle N Sprinkle Glitter - Sparkling Snow, Orange Surprise, Copper Penny
Copic Markers - RV21, R37, R85, C-0, C-2, G82, YG41, YR04, YG45, E25, E43, E51

Thanks for stopping in today

A Child's Card

Hi Everyone,
Today I have two posts for you, this one is for Art Impressions Weekly Challenge, and the other post is for the  Sparkle N Sprinkle Deco Divas - Love is in the Air Blog Hop. So please check out my other post, if you have time. There are prizes to be awarded on the Blog Hop.

The Art Impressions Weekly Challenge theme this week is: Card for a child/ children.I thought I would make a card for a toddler.

This little cutie is adorable. She is called Little Dress Up Girl. I used a few Copic's to color her, added a frame to the crown ovals and a little bling and some ribbon and the card is just about done. Next I attached some vine ribbon and some pretty little pink flowers and it's finished.

Supplies Used:
Art Impressions - Little Dress Up Girl  H940
Ink - India Ink Black
Copic Markers - RV14, RV21, RV06, RV13, G21, G00, Y000
Spica Glitter Pen - Lemon
Spellbinders Dies - Crown Ovals  S4-303, Classic Ovals S4-112
May Arts - Vine Ribbon
Embellishments - Ribbon Rose, Rhinestones - Michaels

Well that is it for this post. Please try to check out the other post for today as well (it's the Sparkle N Sprinkle Deco Divas - Love is in the Air Blog Hop)

A Window into Watercolor

Hi Everyone,
Tomorrow I will have 2 posts. I will have my normal Thursday Art Impressions Weekly Challenge post and I will also have a Sparkle N Sprinkle Deco Diva's Love is in the Air Blog Hop post. So I hope to see you back here tomorrow to get more inspiration and to possibly win blog hop prizes.

Today is my regular Wednesday Art Impressions post and I decided to do a watercolor project. Since I  picked up a few new dies last week, the one I used on this card seemed to be the perfect die to use for the scene I made.

Here is the watercolor panel I made, the wheelbarrow, from the In My Garden set.

After I finished this A-2 panel I decided to use a Window die to highlight the scene from the window. I also used a Sizzix embossing folder to give the card front that brick look.

Here is a peak inside the card to see the scene

And finally if you flip the scene page you have an area to write a note or stamp a verse.

Supplies used:
Stamps - Wheelbarrow from In My Garden 3545, AA1283, AA3017, AA3384, AA1368, A1371, AA1370,C3493,
Marvy Pads and Markers - Jungle Green, Brown, Silver Gray, Violet, Salvia Blue, Rose Marie
Die - Poppystamps - Grand Madison Window
India Ink Black - Used to stamp the Wheelbarrow
Ribbon

I really like the watercolor series of stamps that Art Impressions offers. Click here to check them all out.

Thanks for stopping in today, hope to see you soon.

Heated Pearls

Hi Everyone,
This week over at Art Impressions, the weekly challenge theme is......a new technique to myself or to the design team.

Well I don't know how new this is to the team members, but I decided to use this technique and to show you all. This is a very easy look to achieve, you just need Elmer's Glue and Pearl Ex or Perfect Pearls or any shimmery powder and a stipple brush.

First spread glue all over CS panel and then sprinkle the glue with 2-3 colors of powder. Next stipple the glue and powder all over the panel. Now, get your heat tool out and heat it. It will bubble up, and that is the look you are trying to achieve.

Here is a closer pic of the actual technique.

card.

I applied the glue to black CS and it looks so much better than using a white CS.I thought this background would be a great accent to the Dahlia Flower stamped image I chose for this card.

Supplies used:

Stamps - Art Impressions  Dahlia P3343

PearlEx - Gold, Copper

Paper/Card stock - Black CS, Copper CS, Deep Red Shimmer CS

Ink - India Ink Black

Coloring used on Flower - Metallic Cream Chalks (Pebbles)

Sizzix  Die - Tim Holtz Alterations Flourishes

Ribbon

Well, I hope you like the look, and you've got to try this, because this technique is so easy do. Hmmm....I wonder what this would look like with a white pearl and a silver powder, and a Christmas stamped image, maybe a snowman or a snowy scene.

See you all soon,

Christmas and Paper Piercing

Hi Everyone
Today's creation came out  better than yesterdays. (Yea!!) This week's challenge at Art Impressions is...
paper piercing using Christmas stamps.

Supplies used:
Art Impressions Stamps - Roley Penguin  K3053, Mini Poinsettia  G2766
Ink - India Ink - Black, Fresco Chalk Ink - Mona Rouge
Copic Markers - R29, R46, R37, Y35
Silver Ribbon
Card Stock/Paper - Red CS, Green Core'dinations CS, Designer papers(2)
Paper Piercer

Thanks for stopping in and I will see you soon,

Letters to Santa

Hi Everyone,

Did you all have a great Thanksgiving?? I sure did. Now it's time to get those cards and letters out to friends and family and of course to Santa.

This is the cutest stamp of some forest critters getting their cards out in the mail. I used silver mirror card stock and it really is like a mirror, sorry for the glare on the card, it's reflecting me taking the picture. The mirror CS is just too much like a mirror. So next time I will have to remember that, if I ever use it again. Maybe I will look around for a dull silver instead.  This card posed other problems but this is what I wound up with and I am still not super happy with it. The first go at this card had a totally different background and it felt too busy for the image. Oh well. 

Please stop in tomorrow for a look at the the next Art Impressions Weekly Challenge theme. 

Supplies used:
Art Impressions Christmas Mailbox - U1530
Copic markers: R00, R14, R29G94, YG67, O, C-2, C-5, YR65, W7, E25, E71,B21, B24, B32,  B95,BG10, BG72,  V04, V09, V17,
Ink - India Ink
Paper/Card Stock - Mirror CS, Green CS, Designer CS
Corner Rounder
Just Imagine Crafts/Kreations - Holly Punch 914 (used on the Corners)
Spellbinders Big Scalloped Rectangles LG - S4-255
Sparkle N Sprinkle Glitter - Fire Engine Red G1007, Sparkling Snow G1003

Thanks for stopping in today, see you soon

Happy Birthday

Hi Everyone,
Well today is Thursday and you know what that means?? It's the beginning of the Weekly Art Impressions Challenge . Each Thursday Art Impressions introduces a new challenge. The theme this week is A Card for a Young Boy. And as I tried to figure out what Art Impressions image I was going to use, I remembered that I had a carousel horse and all kids love to go to the amusement park to ride the rides. I used a Happy Birthday sentiment, and covered it with a semi-transparent glitter - Sparkling Snow. I thought this card would be too cute for a a young boy.

Supplies used:

Carousel Horse -T1255 Art Impressions

Happy Birthday sentiment - G669 Art Impressions

Sparkling Snow Glitter - G1003

Copic Markers - YG45, B28, E15, E43, Y35, R29

Spica Pens (by Copic) - Olive, Buttermilk

Card stock/Paper - Designer Paper, White CS, Yellow CS

Embellishments-Gold Acrylic Stone 

Frame - Spellbinders S5-012

Hope you are inspired and I will see you soon.

The Snowman's coming

Well we have just reached the fall season and where I live they are calling for some pretty cold temps at
night within the next few days. You know what that means, ole man winter is coming quicker that we want him to. So here is a card that will remind you of the upcoming winter weather.

Even though winter brings snow, you have to admit, snowmen are so adorable.

Check out this guy. He is one of the sets in the Mouthful collection.

Click here to see the complete snowman set.

Supplies used:

Gray/Blue speckled CS

Holographic Paper

Silver CS

White CS

Designer Paper (Scarf and Hatband)

Glitter

Microbeads

Ink - India Dye ink, Fresco Chalk Ink - Indigo Velvet

Copic Markers: C1, R29, E33, E43, B24

Thanks for stopping in,

Barbara

It's the Fall Season

Hi Stampers,
I want to share a card that I think shows the colors of fall. I used one of the Flower Fairies Friends sets from Crafters' Companion. I used Lavender. She is beautiful however I wanted to use the beautiful fall colors, so I cut off the sprig of lavender that she usually holds in her hands and replaced it with a beautiful leaf. I used a combination of Copic Markers and Fresco Inks to color the fairy.

This card will be entered in the following:
Crafters' Companion September Challenge
Crazy4Challenges C4C104

Cardstock Used: Rich Brown CS, Orange CS, Sage Green and Sherbert Orange Coordinations CS

Inks used: Distress ink, Fresco Inks India Ink

Spellbinders Die: Assorted Leaves  S4-076, Labels Twenty Two S4-346

Sizzix Tim Holtx Alterations Bigz Die -Elegant Flourishes - 656639

Punch - Martha Stewart -Branch

A Favorite Art Impressions stamp

Hi Stampers,
Today I want to share with you one of my favorite stamps from Art Impressions.Of course it's really hard to pick just one stamp from Art Impressions and call it your favorite, cause if you are like me, you like them all.  But I do really like this one.

Supplies used: 

Art Impressions Stamps - Birdhouses P3377,Small Vine  BB2061, Daisy Bunch AA3017.

Copic Markers 

Fresco Inks: Giovanni's Garden, Venetian Sunrise, Sistine Sky

India Ink Black
Spellbinder Dies: Labels One  S4-161
Cardstock: Blue Shimmer CS 2 shades blue, Coordinations, Cream CS

Make sure to stop over at the Art Impressions blog to check out their new weekly challenge. They are always a lot of fun and you might win a $10.00 gift certificate to the Art Impressions store.

Thanks for stopping by today,

Hello everyone,
I just received this elephant stamp (U2285) and I wanted to use it right away because this is such a cool stamp. I love elephants and would love to go on a real safari to see these huge animals in their own environment. But in the meantime, I guess I will have to go to the zoo, instead. However since the Cincinnati Zoo is one of the best zoo's in the US, that will be a great adventure all by itself.

OK, here is the card that was created with that elephant stamp as the focal point.

Products used:

Art Impressions Stamps - Elephant U2285, Adventure F2563

Ink - India Ink Black

Spellbinders Dies - Ironworks Accents S5-058

Card stock/Paper - Background -Designer paper, Cream CS
Glitter

Well that's it for today. Stop back tomorrow for my design for the Art Impressions Challenge for the week.

Life is a Patchwork

Hi Stampers,
Today I thought I'd use the Sewing Shoppe set I had on hand. It is from the Doorways series. So I get it out stamp it up and oh no, no actual doorway. What is a stamper to do.... make a brick wall!!! So now the window is attached to the brick wall and you have to imagine the door is around the corner. (LOL) So here is my creation. Don't forget, in stamping, there are no mistakes, just opportunities. Guess I will need to get that doorway to have on hand for the next card.

 By the way, Art Impressions has a great selection of stamp sets in the doorway series. Check them out here. And make sure you get the door,it's a separate set.

Recipe:
Sewing Shoppe  - 3514
Wood Planter C3493
Copic Markers used:
YR09,Y11,Y17,E33,E43,E47,G99,YG45,B21,B95,BG10,V04,RV21,C-1,0.
Spica -Silver
Prismacolor Pencil, Ocre Brulee (Brick Wall)
Ink: India Ink
Card stock: White CS, Core'dinations, Brown CS
Ribbon
Corner Punch


Thanks for stopping in today. Tomorrow will be the Sparkle N Sprinkle blog hop. I hope you can join us for ideas and prizes

Another Thank You ......

Hi there stampers,

I am back with another Thank You card using those great Crafter's Companion stamps.

I used the fairy from the Almond Blossom set. If you are a fairy lover, as I am, Crafter's Companion has a wonderful selection of fairy stamps.The "Thank You" sentiment is in the Buttercup Fairy set. 


The Almond Blossom Fairy is delivering the Thank You's with a handful of Almond Blossoms. This card is sure to make someone's day.


Card Recipe:

Stamps used: Almond Blossom Fairy, Thank You (from the Buttercup Fairy set)

Cardstock: Core'dinations, Blue CS, White CS

Glitter/Embossing Powders used:Sparkle N Sprinkle - Glitter Shimmering Sea G1082, Clear Detail Embossing Powder EP 280

Copic Markers:

BG10 Dress

R02 Dress & Flowers

YG67 Flower Stem

Y11 Flower Inside

Inks: VersaMark & Fresco Chalk- Ink Botticelli Blush, India Ink

Spellbinders Die - Lacey Squares S4-295

Embossing Folder - Couture Creations - Royality

Lace

Thanks for stopping by today

Barbara

Another Thank You card

Hi Stampers,
I have been asked to be the guest designer over at the Crafter's Companion blog for the month of August. (I was a guest designer back in May too.) This company has a great stamp selection and some wonderful tools as well. And make sure you look at their extensive fairy line. Check out their products here.
The card I have for you today is a Thank You card. And you know we all need these kind of cards from time to time.

These Fairies have really stolen my heart. I love them. I thought the Wild Cherry Blossom Fairy would look so cute along side a medallion from a paintable wallpaper panel. Since the medallion had a circle in it I added more circles using the rick rack circles. 
What better way to say thank you than to have the Fairies deliver the message.


Wild Cherry Blossom Card Recipe:

Stamps used:Cherry Blossom Fairy, Thank You (from the Buttercup Fairy set)

Cardstock: DCWV (Pink colored CS), White CS, Paintable Wallpaper - Leaf Medallion

Vellum added to wings to give added dimension & interest

Copic Markers & Spica (made by Copic):

R85, RV21 Dress & Inside Flower

E77 Flower Branch

YG03,YG06 Leaves on Paintable Wallpaper, Flower Stems

RV21 Border on Paintable Wallpaper

Spica Sand - Hair

Spica Lemon Inside Flowers

Spellbinders Tags - S4-235

Glitter- Sparkle N Sprinkle - Carnation G1028

Quickutz- Rick Rack Circles

Ink -India Ink

Paintable Wallpaper

Thanks for stopping by,

Barbara

July Sketch Challenge - Crafter's Companion

Hi Everyone,
Crafter's Companion Sketch Challenge for July was just calling my name. So I  decided on the papers, color scheme and the ribbon to use.

Here is the sketch:

                     



                                         And here is my design:










Card Recipe:
Stamps: Crafter's Companion,  from the set of Flower Fairies Friends - Buttercup
Designer papers: K & Co.
Dies:QuicKutz Nesting Rick Rack Circles
Ribbon: Michaels
Ink: India Ink (My favorite permanent ink)
Copic Markers:Y06, Y11, Y15, Y38, YG41, YG45, YR61,

Thanks so much for stopping by,