Wishing Happiest Birthday Card

We were one of the fortunate almost half of the Rochester NY area residents with power today, after 81 mile per hour winds tore through upstate New York yesterday.  Prayers go out for all those who did not fare so well.

I walked around the neighborhood to survey the damage, then came home and decided to watercolor.  I made this birthday card....

The stamp is from Altenew's Best Mom clear set.  I watercolored it using Tim Holtz distress inks, then fussy-cut the edge and foam mounted it to the background.  I created the background on a matte coated card stock panel.  I rubbed some distress inks onto my craft mat, using spun sugar, picked raspberry, tumbled glass and salty ocean.  Next, I spritzed the mat with water, and rolled my acrylic brayer through, then onto the matte card stock.  I repeated until I achieved the look I desired.  Then I cleaned off my craft mat, and applied some gold pigment from my Fine Tec metallic watercolor paints, and rolled that onto the panel.  It shows up far more in real life.  When dry, I stamped some Penny Black images (letter background and twirls) on it, then spattered with the picked raspberry.  
Some strips of patterned paper and a narrow strip of white dyed with my ink pad to match the card along the left edge balance the composition.  The 'wishing' dye is Simon Says Stamp, and the birthday phrase is from their coordinating set Sending and Wishing.
I am adding my card to these challenges:

The Daily Marker - 30 day color challenge

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Make your own background

The Flower Challenge - Anything goes

Allsorts Challenge - Spring inspiration 

Thanks so much for stopping in today.  Stay warm and safe.  Hope to see you back here tomorrow.

Blessings,

lynda
 

Impression-Obsession Challenge Card

Today's card is for the Impression-Obsession Challenge - Fun with flowers.  I decided to keep it clean and simple, and one layer.  I used several Impression-Obsession stamps, including Berry Branch, Solid Berry Sprig, Kahlil Gibran Quote, Butterfly Bliss, and Ornate Borders.  
Other materials:
Tim Holtz distress inks
Clarity stencil brush
Stencil from my stash

 I created the background first by brushing lightly over the stencil with my distress inks and Clarity stencil brush.  Then I colored the stamps with distress inks directly from the mini ink pads, and stamped them over the background.  I added the ornate border along the left edge to balance the images, and to give the impression of a layer. 
I know these are berry stamps, but I thought they looked like flowers, and could be used as such.  Hopefully the fine folks at IO agree.  

Thanks for visiting.  Hope to see you tomorrow.

Blessings,

lynda

 

Stamped Card On Canvas Paper

Just popping in with a quick post tonight.  I will be back tomorrow, but now it's getting late, and I want to get this up on the blog before I go to bed.

 Materials:
Canvas paper
Copic markers
Vellum paper
Gold fine cording
Want 2 Scrap self adhesive pearls
Card stock
Penny Black cling stamp Bejeweled 40-452
Various Penny Black stamps for background
Impression-Obsession die DIE234-M

I inked the floral stamp (Bejeweled) with Tim Holtz distress ink in antique linen, and stamped it onto a canvas paper panel, then heat set it.  Using Copic markers, I colored the image, heating between layers, and reapplying colors and blending until I was happy with the look.

Next, I added color to the background with my Copics, and smudged and blended, then stamped images in the background for a collage-type/tapestry look.

I added the die over a piece of vellum so it would stand out and not get lost in the image, attached that to the panel, and tied some fine gold cord around and made a bow.  I attached  the whole shebang to a brown A2 card, added some pearls, and that was that.

I am adding my card to these challenges:

Penny Black at Allsorts -- Anything goes

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Bright and cheery colors

The Flower Challenge - Anything goes

Stampin Royalty - Favorite technique

The Daily Marker - 30 Day Color Challenge

My birthday was today, so I had a busy day being spoiled by my hubby.  We went to the movies, out to dinner, to Starbucks, and a relaxing evening at home.  

I had read The Shack a few years ago, and thought then what a great book it would make.  Well, the movie released yesterday, finally, and that was # 1 on my birthday list.  It followed the book closely, and I personally think the cinematography was brilliant.  I recommend it.

Thanks so much for stopping in.  Hope to see you back here tomorrow.   

Blessings,

lynda

 
 

Early Easter Card Making

I decided to get a start on some Easter cards for our church card ministry today.  I know it's only the first Sunday in Lent, but some people like to pick up their holiday cards early, so I want to be sure they are available for them when they want them. 

 

The stamps I used are from the Impression-Obsession clear set #MC73 Easter Lily.  It is an older stamp I've had in my stash, and have always liked it.

I began by smooshing inks onto a watercolor panel.  I do this by rubbing inks from my Ranger distress mini pads onto a piece of acrylic, then spritzing with water, then placing the ink side of this acrylic onto my watercolor panel.  I repeat this process until I achieve the look I desire.  There are many tutorials online for this technique.  Just do a Google search for ink smooshing technique, and you will find some.

After my panel was dry (ok, so I didn't wait, I used a heat tool), I stamped the flower image three times in the right corner with my black India Ink pad, then added the rejoice twice.  That's it....really quick and easy.  

I just layered it onto a piece of black card stock, then used craft foam to adhere it onto a dark pink card, which I had embossed using the We Are Memory Keepers quilt embossing plate.  A few sequins finish off my card.

I am adding my card to these challenges:

Impression-Obsession Challenge - Fun with flowers

Allsorts Challenge - Spring inspiration

The Flower Challenge - Anything goes 

The Daily Marker  - 30 Day Color Challenge

That's it.  I am feeling a bit better from my week-long saga of the stomach bug.  I'm still a bit wobbly and gurgly, but coming along ok, and hope to be back in full swing soon.  Working on Easter cards is giving me something to focus on, and I am enjoying the nice, bright spring colors.  

It's my birthday tomorrow, and hubby and I are going to see The Shack.  Since I've read the book a few years ago, I have been waiting for a movie about it.  I'm looking forward to it.  It will be good just to get out of the house after being indoors all week!  

Thanks so much for stopping in today.  

Blessings,

lynda  

A Zentangle Journal Page

Day six into a nasty stomach bug, and I'm just beginning to see a faint light at the tunnel's end.  I spent much of the day water coloring panels that I had stamped, since I'm still not up to much of anything involving, well, any kind of compositional creativity, or thinking, or....moving much from the couch!

So I decided to finish a page that I had started in my Zentangle journal.  I tangled the page a while back, and started coloring it with Faber Castell Polychromos colored pencils when our grand girls were here during the February break.  They love to tangle with Nana, and do very well!

It's difficult to get a good picture, as the journal is a large sketch book, and to get the entire picture, I could not get a close picture.  I decided on rainbow colors.  The tangles are Flowerly and Meringue, with some circles here and there.  It was a fun tangle project, and kept me occupied for a while this afternoon.  

I am adding this page to the The Daily Marker 30 Day Color Challenge.  I missed days one and two, due to the aforementioned bug, but I posted a set of cards yesterday, and this today.  Hopefully I will be able to participate the rest of the days.

Thank you for visiting.  I hope to see you tomorrow!

Blessings,

lynda

Send A Smile For Kids Cards

A while ago, I posted about a charitable blog called Send A Smile 4 Kids, who collects donated handmade cards to be distributed to children while they are inpatient at children's hospitals.  I suggested this project to my card crop group, and we have collected several cards, which I will be mailing out as soon as this nasty stomach bug stops invading my intestines!

I finally finished four birthday cards for this cause, even though the current call is for spring and/or non-religious Easter cards.  I had these all stamped up and mostly colored when I realized they are not asking for birthday cards.  But I am sending them anyways, because, well, I'm sure they can use them!  I will make some others that fit the category before I send those from the group out, however.

So, here are my cards.  I used the Simon Says Stamp Birthday Farm Animals clear stamp set, and colored each with Polychromos colored pencils.  I added a simple frame around each with my black micron pen.

 Aren't these birthday animals just so adorable?  I love them, and know they're sure to bring a smile to these kids!

Here is a link to the Send A Smile 4 Kids blog.  


Hope you get an opportunity to visit the blog and check out all the wonderful things these ladies are doing.

I am adding my cards to the The Daily Marker 30 Day Color Challenge, and, since they fit the themes, to these other challenges:
Seize The Birthday Challenge - Anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Flickr Challenge - Color something 

Addicted to Stamps - Anything goes

Cas-ual Fridays Challenge - One layer

Thank you for visiting.  I hope you have managed to escape this dreaded stomach bug.  I'm behind in the Daily Marker challenge because of it....but finally able to stay with it long enough to get these cards finished and posted.  

Hope to see you back here soon.

Blessings,

lynda