Cards That Never End...

Do you make a card that never ends?  You know...you have an idea for a simple card in your head and you go to work on it.  But it doesn't just translate to paper the way you see it in your head....know what I mean?  So you stamp your image on white paper, wait for it to dry and then watercolor it...and cut it into a mat shape smaller than your card base.  Then you decide that doesn't look right so you corner round it.  Nope...that isn't going to do so then you decide to cut around the image leaving a little bit of white.  Doesn't quite work so you cut it again on the image line.  Then you remember you bought some new dies from Simon Says Stamp that are way cool postage stamp dies.  You get the correct sizes and proceed to cut them out.  You adhere your image to the smaller one and it just looks so plain so you think...ok, how about some embossing?  So you spend some time looking through your dozens of embossing folders and pick the one you always use anyway...the Swiss Dots.  So you emboss....and then you realize you debossed.  Not a huge problem, right?  You can just turn it over.  Not this gal...you don't like the way the die looks backwards because the edges of the die don't look uniform with the other die cut you've made.  You know how metal dies give that curved edge...well, it has to be curving the right way!  So you go get more paper and do another mat which you have to cut out with the dies and then emboss.  Then you assemble you card.  And you realize you need some Wink of Stella glitter on your flowers.  And the bunny nose.  And ears....and the stems of the flowers.....and after you have meticulously applied all of that....well then you decide the whole dang image needs it.  Oh....and I forgot about the part where I had stamped my greeting directly on the pink piece before embossing and then didn't like the way that looked either.  And of course stamping on the white banner took a couple of tries because it wasn't straight and if there is something that bugs the OCD in me it's when something isn't straight! LOL!!!!

And then you hate the card.  LOL!!!!

Not really....I don't hate it.  But what should have been fast and easy was NOT fast...maybe easy....but not fast.  

If you are bored to tears by my narrative.  I get it.

So instead of 4 Easter cards I only made 2.  And this is the bugger that took so long!

I used Distress Markers to water color.  The stamped ink is Simon Says Stamp as are the two colored cardstocks.  The stamps I used were from Mark's Finest Papers and were a gift from a friend.

I've entered this in the A Blog Named Hero: Challenge #42: Layer Cake.

And that's it for today!

Happy Crafting!

Flat is Phat!

OK, I am way cool...admit it.  Here I am...a grandmother of two....using the word PHAT like I know what it means.  Well, I do....do you?  Of course I had to GOOGLE it but it means Pretty Hot and Tempting.  HAHA!

So my card today is quite flat....a great one for mailing....but it is also pretty PHAT if you want my oh so honest opinion.  BTW, my husband's pet peeve is when people say "Well, to be honest with you...".  He always wants to say..."what the heck?!  Are you usually NOT honest?"  LOL...

Ok, I digress....back to my perfectly Phat and Flat card.
Here it is:

 I did some non traditional colors for Christmas starting with a blue background.  I used some blue distress ink (Salty Ocean) to color a piece of plain ol' white cardstock.  Then I stamped it with a Hero Arts background stamp (with the dots...can't recall the name of it right now)....and then stamped it again with some white Close to My Heart white pigment ink.  Don't touch it, Susan!  It take s awhile to dry!
Then I stamped with the fabulous Tim Holtz blueprint toy soldier stamp from his new Christmas set and some Ranger ink onto the background.  Stamped him again to color with some Distress markers Used my aqua pen to give the watercolor look...cut him out and smacked him down on the background.  I added some gold stickles and there ya go...Phat and Flat!
Oh, and the other thing I did before I commenced stamping was to spritz the paper with some Pearl Glimmer Mist to give it a little sheen.  You can see said sheen in the photo below.

I stamped the bottom with a Hero Arts sentiment stamp and viola....done!  I really love how different a look this is for me....and it was very fun to do!

Happy Crafting!!!

Birthday Wishes

I recently joined the stamp club at The Stamps of Life.  Stephanie Barnard, the owner and designer of The Stamps of Life creates some very cute images.  The monthly set for October is called Postage2Stamp and can be seen HERE.  One of the stamps is of a cute little puppy which looks so much like my Isabella.

Isn't she sweet?  (NOT...she's a holy terror!)....LOL!
Anyway, back to stamping.  I made this little birthday card for my friend Melissa who had a birthday yesterday.

 The dotted paper is BoBunny.  I used Memento and Stampin' Up inks and colored the little puppy in with some Tim Holtz Distress markers.  A die will be coming out in the shape of the postage stamp later in the month (Stephanie releases new stamp sets on the 1st and 7th of the month with new dies on the 20th).  I cut the postage stamp out and then used a little 1/4 inch round punch to punch out the little rounded edges.  It's not perfect but I'm happy with the way it turned out...but yes, I will be ordering that die! This way of cutting is a little too labor intensive! :)

Here's a closeup of the cute little puppy.  I just love her. 

Happy Crafting!!!

Watercoloring with Distress Markers

I was going through the closet in my craft room a while back sorting through some old Stampin' Up stamps I had and came across the FIRST EVER stamp set I bought!  My friend had dragged me kicking and screaming to a Stampin' Up party.  I was determined I was NOT GOING TO GET INTO STAMPING!  I just thought it was way too messy and I never could seem to stamp properly with the little stamps I'd picked up at Target or Walmart.  Well, of course with some demonstration of proper technique I got it and became a huge fan of stamping and a huge collector, as well!  I still have some old sets of SU stamps that I just can't part with....and I've kept this set because it was my "FIRST EVER"!  It was called Forever Friends and I got it in 2002.  Ten years ago!  Wow!
Anyway, I remember this cute image and pulled it out and thought it would be great for watercoloring with the new set of Tim Holtz Distress Markers I recently received.

I love the way it turned out....and I learned a few things....like REMEMBER TO USE WATERCOLOR PAPER. 

I forgot after I got going and so I had a little bending of the paper but it flattened out nicely.  Still, the watercolor paper would have been a bit easier to work with.  It was fun using the markers and blending and shading with them.  I was pretty happy with my first time result.
The pink paper and ribbon is Raspberry Fizz from Paper Trey Ink.  The sentiment is from Lawn Fawn.  And I used a little Glossy Accents on the little birds.

Happy Crafting!

They Are Here!

I had ordered the set of Tim Holtz/Ranger Ink Distress Markers quite a while ago but, of course, like anything new or good...they were on backorder!  For a long time, I might add!  But they finally came!  Woohoo....37 lucious colors that coordinate with the Distress Inks and Stains line.  Water based...the tips don't contaminate when you touch one pen with another color ink....these are really great!

Here they are in their oh-so-cool canister (it is all about the packaging!)...

And here they are on their side with the top off so you can see the lucious colors:

But I am not allowed to play with them until I clean up my craft room.  Ho-hum.....
Rules, rules, rules!

Happy Crafting!