Elegant Sympathy Card

Sympathy cards...nobody wants to have to make them.  But, sadly, there are times when we need to send them.  I believe that when a person gets a home-made sympathy card, they feel your love and concern in a special way.  They know you took the time and cared enough to make them a special card in their time of grief.  It's like an extra hug for a friend, and something they can look at any time they want.

 

For my focal piece on this card, I chose this flower stamp from Impression-Obsession, F8739.  I inked the stamp with antique linen distress ink, and stamped it onto Strathmore mixed media paper.  

I used Tombow markers to watercolor the flower using the no-line method.  When dry, I fussy-cut the flower and put it aside.

For the card, I used Tim Holtz distress inks in shabby shutters and peeled paint, and sponged them on with my ink blending tool.  I stamped some background images with clear stamps from the Impression-Obsession CL124 Solid Florals set.  

The sympathy verse is from I-O's clear set CL114 Sympathy Sentiments, and I embossed it in gold.  

I added some gold fibers to the flower, and some tiny gold beads to the center, and adhered it to the card with foam tape.  Some sparkling crystals from Studio Katia finish off my card today.

I am entering my card in the Impression-Obsession challenge (friendship flowers).  I am also adding it to the The Daily Marker 30 Day Color Challenge.

Thank you for stopping in today.  I do appreciate you taking time from your day to visit.  Your comments always warm my heart.  

Blessings,

Van Gogh Kitty

Good morning!  Just stopping in for a moment to share my Technique Junkies blog post.  
Today's project is actually a set of three cards from the stamp Van Gogh Kitty , from the Technique Junkies February Release.

Full details on how I created these cards, supplies, and other information, can be found on my Technique Junkies blogpost HERE.

Don't forget to use the code TJ10Lynda to get 10% off any regularly priced stamp at Techique Junkies!

I will return later today with more inspiration on this snow-laden day.  For now, grab a cuppa, and head on over to Technique Junkies blog, and see more new inspiration from my design team friends there. 
Thanks for stopping in.  I always enjoy your visits and appreciate your encouraging comments.

Be blessed,

Enjoy The Sweet Things Challenge Card

One of my favorite stamp sets for making summer-time cards is this sweet 'Refreshments' set from Impression-Obsession Stamps (WP270).  It is a clear stamp set, and has lots of images and a couple of verses.  It's so fun to stamp and color.

I made my card for the Impression-Obsession Card Challenge .  The theme there is to use summer or hot colors, so out came my yellows and oranges and pinks, oh my!  They work so well with this set, and these images sure do scream 'summer.'

I started with a white A2 card, and brushed the entire card with yellow distress ink (Tim Holtz distress inks), using my Clarity brushes.  When that was dry, I used a solid circle mask to reserve the yellow spotlight for my image, and commenced to brush on hot pink and orange inks around it.  This made a lovely spotlight for my image, which I stamped with India Ink black, and colored with Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils.  I stamped one of the other images and colored and fussy-cut the little balls, and added them with foam tape to the card.

Using my Misti to ensure a good image, I stamped the verse in black.  I added some sequins, and brushed the tiny drink umbrellas with my Spectrum Noir clear sparkle pen for a bit of glitter.

That's it.  Kept it simple and fun.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  See you soon!

Blessings,

lynda



 

Birthday Card With Altenew Lotus Stamps

This amazing stamp set is the Majestic Bloom set by Altenew Stamps.  I love the variety of views in this set, and the scripts.  I made this card for their challenge, based on the inspiration picture below.

I used watercolor paper, and stamped the images using my Misty and Ranger archival ink.  I use the Misty when I stamp on watercolor paper, as the paper is generally rather 'toothy.' The bumpy texture makes it challenging to get a smoothly stamped image.  With my Misty, I can over-stamp it as many times as I like.  How did we ever do without our amazing tools?....especially this one!

Back to my card....  I painted the images using my Tombow markers and a watercolor brush.  When the panel was dry, I touched it up with colored pencils, adding some shading, depth, and highlights.  I added the verse (from the same stamp set).  With my Clarity brush, I added some picked raspberry distress ink to the background, gradually going from dark to light, fading it out as I went up the card.  I can't resist spatters, so added a tiny spattering intermittently.  

Some Pretty Pink Posh clear drops, and Darice baker's twine finish off the panel, which I adhered to a pink A2 card base.

I am adding my card to these challenges:

Altenew Inspiration Challenge 




Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday Challenge  - April showers bring May flowers.

It's a glorious day today, with sunshine and warmish temps.....so, I'm off to play in my garden.  I'm itching to finish cleaning out my flower beds, do some mulching, and move and thin some plants.

I hope you have some time to do what it is you love today.

Blessings,

lynda

 

Penny Black Bouquet of Good Wishes Card

It's another rainy day.....ALL day again.  We have already broken the record for rain amounts, and it shows no signs of letting up in the near future.  I want to see the sunshine!  

I can't work in my garden.  Sooo....it's a good day to clean create....

My daffodils are getting drowned out, so I thought I would stamp some flowers to color and create an indoor garden of brightly colored cards to cheer us.

Stamps:  All stamps are Penny Black - Flower Gala 40-437, script background, Good wishes Gratitude 30-105
Other:  Dies:  Curly cue border - Penny Black; Oval frame - Spellbinders; Paint - Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolors; Clarity stencil brush; Tim Holtz distress ink; Brilliance ink pad.

I stamped the flowers onto watercolor paper, and embossed with gold.  I used my Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolors to paint them, then fussy-cut them.  I added a strip of purple card stock to a white card base, then stamped the background stamp with Galaxy Gold Brilliance ink.  I stamped the good wishes verse with distress ink on a white scrap, brushed some ink on the edges, then added it to the bottom right of the card front.

The frame and flowers I attached with foam tape for dimension and interest, and glued the border die right onto the card front.  A quick brush along the edges of the card with some distress ink finish off the card.

I hope the rain stops soon, and the second half of the quote "April showers bring May flowers" arrives.  Since we had flowers in April, I think Mother Nature got a little confused.  

I will be adding my card to these challenges:

Make My Monday Challenge - April showers bring May flowers

The Paper Players Challenge - Tic Tac Toe

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Spring or Easter

Simon Says Work It Wednesday - April showers bring May flowers

TGIF!!!!  Enjoy your weekend!  

Blessings,

Lynda

Altenew Anniversary Card

Today was one of those days where it rained all day long.  Downpour!  We had a slight threat of a tornado, which is rare indeed for upstate New York!  Thankfully, it did not materialize, although we had some high winds.

So, what does one do when it rains all day?  Why, we play with our stamping supplies and make cards, of course!  And that is precisely what I did.  That is, after I did some Zentangle.  See my previous post if you would like to see a tangle I did for a sweet lady to help her through some very difficult days.

Annnd....here is my rainy day card-making result......

I used Altenew's Vintage Roses stamp set and watercolor paper.  I inked the pink roses with Tim Holtz distress inks, using the lighter pink on the base, and darker pinks on the two other layers.  I added some water with a paint brush between layers, varying the drying times between.  I was going for a hazy, watery look.   I did the same with the orchid rose, but I had to use my Tombow markers, as I had no ink colors in the distress ink line that I wanted for this one.  I just played around with the color and water until I achieved the desired painterly look. Ditto with the leaves, only back to distress inks for those.

The happy anniversary verse is from the same clear stamp set by Altenew.  I cut it in half, and layered it so that it would fit my card better.

I used the same colors for the background, wetting the card stock, then dropping in color and manipulating it to create a back drop for the flowers.  Next, I added some spatters of ink.  When dry, I attached it to a pink card, and added a strip of black and white striped patterned paper along the left edge to balance the black and give it some interest.

Some black Inkssentials Enamel Dots, and some Pretty Pink Posh clear droplets finish it off.

I am adding my card to these challenges:
 
Altenew Blog Challenge - Inspiration picture 



Addicted to Stamps Challenge  - Clean and simple

Make My Monday Challenge - May flowers

The Paper Players Challenge - Tic Tac Toe (pink, green, leaves)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything goes

Well, it's still raining.  It's going to be a soggy week, so I hope the payoff is lots of bright, new flowers and green gardens!

Thanks for stopping in today.  

Blessings,

lynda