Hero Arts Lily pond

I saw this die by Hero Arts and had to get it because I have a little pond with fish and besides that, it just looked like a fun die. I sponged a light blue circle with a darker blue ink around the edges and Copics to color the fish and lily pads.

The base is a 5" x 5" card and the cut out border is by Impression Obsession.  

My little pond in my backyard last year

My mom's has HUGE kois!

Challenge I am playing in:

Simon Says Anything Goes

Butterflies and Trellises

A couple more butterfly cards I made from my time sitting and coloring butterflies last week.  I added the Memory Box trellis - just playing around to see how I could use it.  I left the cards blank for now.

I painted both butterflies with Wink of Stella twice for some shimmer...quite hard to catch in the photograph!

Challenges I am playing in:

Simon Says Add Some Shimmer

He has made everything

To make this super bright and cheery card, I made a water color wash background with my Koi watercolors.  I then toned it down just a bit by placing the MFT Polka Dot background die cut on top.  I added the verse and leaves from Verve for my focal point and a Hero Art butterfly. 

Challenges I am playing in:

Word Art Wednesday

Virginia's View #22 All About Colors

Simon Says Animal Magic 

Obtain Mercy and Find Grace

It's been a while since I stamped and inked up Hero Arts butterflies so I sat down and stamped and colored away.  You'll see several more cards featuring them in the near future! 

Today I used it on the Mojo Monday sketch with Verve's  New Mercies.  I also used a Momenta clock die cut in the background with some leftover DCWV Old World Stack paper.

Thank you so much for looking!

Challenges I am playing in:

Word Art Wednesday

MojoMonday 452

Simon Says Animal Magic 

and here's a picture of my one my furbabies:

Wait for the Lord

I haven't had a chance to play along with Mojo Monday lately - it's always great how the layouts inspire me and challenge me!  And after a week of winter weather, I'm done - I'm ready for spring, flowers, and butterflies again!  :)

For the background, I stamped the foliage with Versamark and sponged on some shimmering chalks (new to me!).  Instead of adding a square layer in the background, I opted instead to make a square cutout using the IO border cutout several times.  

Supplies:

Verve New Mercies

Hero Arts Butterflies

Impression Obsession Square Cutout Border 

Challenges I am playing in:

Mojo Monday 429

Word Art Wednesday

Simon Says Something New

CCNS99: Teacher thanks

Are you ready for school to start?  I am!  I love school supply shopping - getting organized - cooler weather - it's all great!  It also means thinking about ways to thank teachers because I truly appreciate them teaching my kids.  I don't want to make the same cards as I did previously so I'm doing a makeover on a favorite from the last school year.

I started with a stitched edge rectangle made with MFT Blueprint 13 and ran it through with a Darice ruler embossing folder.  Because teachers are worth gold, I added a medallion by trimming the Spellbinders Mary Border Strip die cut made with the golden foil sheet from the SB Precious Metals Craft Foil collection.  I popped up a fussy cut a Hero Arts (set of 4) apple colored with Copics and a white gel pen using small Joy! foam pads.  I also brushed a generous coating with the Wink of Stella Glitter Pen all over the apple (before adding the white dots!)

I then tried a new-to-me method of embossing.  I had seen it done several times.  It's one of those techniques that sits in the back of my head that I say I will try someday... "some day" finally arrived! I first die cut my Lawn Fawn Scripty Thanks out of black card stock.  Then I pressed my watermark ink pad onto it and covered it with clear embossing powder.  After I heat set that, I repeated the process again and achieved this wonderful glossy enamel look.  Now I wonder why I waited so long to try this!

I added some wood veneer from Studio Calico to finish my card.  I hope you like it and try a technique that you've been meaning to!

Challenges I am playing in:

Hero Arts Makeover Challenge

Lawnscaping Challenge: Embossing

Simon Says Back to School

CAS Music

Hello!  I've about 5 minutes to post this but card didn't take much longer than that, I guess it's just that kind of day!

I used the acetate smoosh method again for my watercolor effect background using Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers, and Squeezed Lemonade.  The gorgeous purple and green was what happened when the color overlapped.  I then die cut Memory Box Virtuoso Music out of watercolor paper also and added a purple (so hard to photograph properly) butterfly from Hero Arts generously brushed with Wink of Stella Glitter Pen.   

I wish I could play the piano beautifully - but I'll settle for making cards with music!  :)

Challenges I am playing in:

CASology:  Music

A Blog Named Hero: CAS

Teacher Appreciation

This past week was teacher appreciation week.  And I am SO thankful for my boys' teachers.  They do so much and I'm just amazed at the amount of time and love they pour into the kids.  I made this CAS card into sets to give to teachers.  I love this stitched square from MFT and paired with Lawn Fawn's Scripty Thanks and Hero Arts apple, it makes for a simple yet striking card.  The apple was colored with Copics, brushed with Wink of Stella glitter pen, and white gel pen. I fussy cutted it out and popped it up with a foam tab to add dimension to the card.  

Challenges I am playing in:
CASology:  Shape
Word ArtWednesday

New Mercies

I had a fun time playing with my youngest yesterday.  He wanted to play with watercolors but I couldn't find my spritzer so we tried something else.  I grabbed some cups, our food coloring and some dishwashing liquid... and a straw!  He blew bubbles into the cups until they overflowed onto the watercolor paper.  We only used the four basic colors (red, blue, green, and yellow) and I loved the results...and they looked even better once it dried.  Just let the bubbles pop on their own and dry naturally.  It was fascinating to watch the colors move as the bubbles pop.

Once dried, I used MFT Blueprint 13 large stitched rectangle to trim it down.  I added some Hero Arts butterflies and the Fancy Flourish from Cheery Lynn.  The sentiment is from Verve's New Mercies set.  I brushed my butterflies with my Wink of Stella Glitter Pen and added clear dew drops.  Since I already had the butterflies colored and cut from previous projects, this card took only 5 minutes to put together.  

I just love this background!  The effect is just stunning.  Good thing I have 4 boy to put to work!  :)  Hope you like it and get a chance to play too!

Challenges I am playing in:

Simon Says Make Your Own Background (or use your kids')

Word Art Wednesday

Virginia's View Challenge #14:  Layers and Dimensions

Hi there

Hi, again!  I had to chance to ink up some of my favorite butterflies earlier this week.  And with these, I never ink just one.  I actually fill up a whole sheet of cardstock, color them with Copics - really fast, right outside the lines, and sit and watch TV with my husband while I fussy cut all of them.  Then I have a whole selection of sizes and colors for later.  Here I put together some for a very quick card with lots of foam tape.

I used Spellbinders A2 Matting Basics A to cut out a frame so that I could pop up my base layers.  I also brushed all the butterflies with my Wink of Stella Glitter Pen and the the butterflies are also popped up.  

Challenges I am playing in:

CAS(E) this Sketch #114

Simon Says Things That Fly

A Blog Named Hero Bright and Bold

Hi there

The kids finally have school this week!  Woohoo!  So I had a bit of free time to play today and I made a very quick card inspired by Ardyth's card this week for CASology: Monochrome.  I used the Spellinders A2 Curved Borders to create my negative space and sponged distress inks Peacock Feathers and Salty Ocean for both the background and butterfly.  I fussy cut the small Hero Arts butterfly out and added some wire for the antennas and popped it up on my card with small Joy! foam pads.  I brushed the butterfly with my Wink of Stella Glitter Pen and outlined it with my Sakura Star Dust pen also.  Finally I used a small sentiment from Verve Happy Hello to complete my card.  Thanks for looking!

Challenges I am playing in:

CASology: Monochrome

A Blog Named Hero:  Small Scale

Fabulous Thanks

I saw this cool flourish stamp at Michaels yesterday and could not resist.  I'm so weak in the craft store!  But if I use the stamp for a good cause, then it's okay right? For the HYCCT challenge at SCS to use 2 different medium and a thank you card, I did a watercolor wash with blues and greens.  After it dried, I embossed in silver this gorgeous Fabulous stamp from Hero Arts.  I then went back and sponged in some Salty Ocean so that the silver could stand out more.  My thanks sentiment is a masked one from Verve's Better Together set.  

Recipe:

Stamps:  Verve Better Together and Hero Arts Fabulous

Inks:  Watercolors and Salty Ocean Distress Ink

Accessories:  Sequins and Wow Silver embossing powder

Challenges I am playing in:

Simon Says Anything Goes

HYCCT1427:  Thanks x 2

Watercolor Thanks

There are some stamp sets that I just keep them on my desk because I use them all the time.  Then there are those that I rarely, if ever, use them and they are tucked away in a box somewhere or I let my kids play with them.  Today I combined both of them...

I have a hard time coming up with designs using individual letters so I'm excited to see all the entries to A Blog Named Hero Spell it Out Challenge.  And I decided I should really play along. I used IO Funtime Large Letters to spell out "thanks." I wanted a large bold word embossed in black in the middle and a watercolor rainbow wash behind it.  I couldn't decide if I wanted the butterflies clear embossed in the background or popped up on top so I did both. Which one do you like better?

Recipe:

Stamps:  Hero Arts Antique Butteflies and Impression Obssession Funtime Large Letters

Accessories: Watercolors, embossing powders, Sakura Star Dust pen, rhinestones

Challenges I am playing in:

A Blog Named Hero Spell it Out Challenge.

Simon Says Make Your Own Background

Ombre

I'm so thankful to be able to play along in some challenges again!  It really does get the mojo going.  The challenge at A Blog Name Hero is to incorporate ombre into a card.  I thought a nice sky using the sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch this week would work well.  But then I decided that a die cut featuring some Tim Holtz Peacock Feathers and Squeezed Lemonade would make a nice contrast... it didn't look as I quite imagined until I added another die cut as a white shadow.  So two layers of ombre in differing directions with a bright butterfly (ombre too!) made a nice centered layer I thought.

After I had die-cut my leaves out, I thought the negative was too pretty to toss so I made another card using it:

Recipe:

Stamps:  Hero Arts Antique Butterflies and SU! Perfectly Penned

Dies:  Memory Box Fresh Foliage, Spellbinders A2 Matting Basics, and Standard Ovals

Inks:  Tim Holtz Tumbled Grass, Peacock Feathers, and Squeezed Lemonade

Thanks for looking!

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

I have some great news to share:  I'm joining Classy Cards 'n Such Design Team!  I've had such great fun being a guest designer this month and am honored that Beverly has asked me to stay on.

On to this week's challenge:  Today I want to share with you a baby card I made that didn't use the normal pastel color palette.  But this verse is one I always associate with new precious bundles of joy.  Everything about babies are just about perfect - those beautiful eyes, cute nose, toothless grins, and oh, baby feet!  Yes, they are definitely wonderfully and divinely made.  

For my background, I used the Texture Wave stencil from Classy Cards 'n Such.  I sponged it using Tim Holtz Peacock Feathers, Squeezed Lemonade and Broken China.  I cut a couple of Memory Box Vivienne Butterfly to go behind the window I made with the Spellbinders A2 Matting Basics.  I embossed the verse in white on vellum to place in my frame.  I love the look of vellum and this window is one of the easiest way I've found to use it without worrying that the adhesive is showing.  The 1/8 Scor-tape is perfect for gluing the vellum onto the frame (and anything else detailed). And what's a baby card without a few buttons?  

I also used the Sakura Star Dust pen to trace my butterfly and added a pink mini rose bud to the center of the butterfly.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Verve Wonderfully Made and Hero Arts Antique Butterflies

Dies:  MB Vivienne Butterfly and Spellbinders A2 Matting Basics

Inks:  Tim Holtz Peacock Feathers, Squeezed Lemonade and Broken China

Accesories:  Memory Box Texture Wave Stencil, Pink Mini Rose Buds,and Sakura Star Dust pen 

And remember, you can use the code DIANAN-10 (All caps, no spaces) to get 10% off your purchase.  I hope you can play along with this week's CCNS38 Baby card challenge!

Other Challenges I am Playing in:

Word Art Wednesday

Simon Says Anything Goes

Get Well Soon

Another watercolor wash and butterfly card.  :)  This color combination is definitely out of my comfort zone.

This is based on Hero Art's Spring Sketch Challenge Sketch #3.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Hero Arts Antique Butterflies, SU! Thoughts and Prayers

Ink:  SU! Galore Green and Sage Shadow

Paper:  Watercolor and Recollection White

Accessories:  Circle and corner punches and wire