January Card Swap

It's time to share my cards again that I made for a swap I belong to. We took the month of December off. These are the first cards I've made since November. I didn't even get Christmas cards out this year. I started them and just never finished. I've played around with different mediums and created some backgrounds but that's about all I've managed to do. I really felt like I was struggling when I was making these cards for the swap. I'm hoping that getting back to it each month will get me going. I've even thought I should participate in a few cards challenges thinking that might help to get my creative juice flowing again. 

For this card I used Kuretake watercolors. I watched a video series by Justine Hovey on watercolor and tried this technique. I used a background stamp from Hero Arts called Hexagon Background CG517. I heat embossed with white embossing powder. Sentiment is from PrintWorks F2545.

I used Dyan Reaveley's paints for this card with a stencil by Stampin' Up called Happy Patterns. I love these paints and have nothing but wonderful things to say about them! Sentiment is by Hero Arts C4482. The below also uses her paints. Stencil is from Hero Arts called Petals Pair and sentiment is from PrintWorks E2627.

This card uses a Hero Arts background stamp called Floating Flowers CG124. I again used Kuretake watercolors. I know this looks pink but I actually used red. I think when I rolled my paper towels over it while it was wet it really made it lighten up. Sentiment by PrintWorks D3613.

Now it's time to get started on the cards for February! Thanks for stopping by!

Holly Jolly Christmas - Anything Goes Christmas Challenge

What it difference it makes when I can take a photo by natural light....and not even with any sun out! I've had the worst time lately trying to get decent photos of the cards I'm creating. It's been so gray and depressing out. I have to get the photos on the weekend since it's dark before I leave for work and almost dark when I get home. I do try to take some in a couple of different areas in the house at night but they definitely don't turn out as good as this one. Being off work today made it a great day to take photos!

Today's card is being linked up to the Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge. This challenge is an "Anything goes Christmas challenge". Those are my favorites. I do like sketch and/or color combination challenges, but I also like challenges where you have a theme and can just do whatever works for you. I do tend to stay away from challenges that require the use of a certain brand of stamp or having to use digital images. 

For this card I used a stamp that I've had for quite awhile. It's called Dad's Truck and is made by Printworks. A few years back my late husband and I stopped in a store called The Stamp Shoppe in Schofield, WI which is where I found it. I remember loving the large selection of ribbon that this store carried. I used Tim Holtz distress ink in black soot on the stamp, spritzed it with water and then stamped onto watercolor cardstock. For the greenery I diecut one of the Tim Holtz dies from the Holiday Greens set, cut it apart and adhered it to the back of the truck with glossy accents. The bow is something I had in my stash. Base cardstock is from PaperTrey Ink. The watercolor cardstock is matted with paper from Colorbok and the patterned paper is Silent Night by October Afternoon. The headlights are glitter dots by Dress It up. For my sentiment I used a stamp set from Hero Arts called A Very Merry Christmas. 

Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge

Take time to stop by and check out all the beautiful cards that everyone has created.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Sunshine Inspired

Today my eye caught this bicycle stamp sitting on my shelf. It kind of reminds me of my moms bike that my daughter has. Even though it was a little brisk out, it was nice to have the sunshine streaming through the windows. We have alot of snow on the ground from our storm earlier this week, but I couldn't help but think of how nice it will be to take a bike ride. Spring is coming isn't it?

The base cardstock is actually a light yellow. The photo makes it look beige.

Products used for this card:

PTI in Lemon Tart, Patterned Paper from BoBunny - Avocado Dot, Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Vintage Photo, Clear Embossing Powder, Printworks - Bike With Basket - JB3925, EK Success Binding Edge Punch, Ribbon from American Crafts, Stampendous! Dot Sparklers, Hero Arts Clings - CG276 - Things.

Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Card

I make a zillion cards, but I'm never good at sending them out. And, when I do they're usually late. I'm making an exception and finished this card today for a family member, that shall remain unnamed, even though they probably won't be checking out my blog.

The past week wasn't a good one for me. I didn't participate in any challenges and I would have liked to. I have been having issues with my back for the last month or so and in the past two weeks it has gotten progressively worse. Bad to the point that I am in constant pain and can barely sit, stand or walk and don't sleep well. I did get some new medication, but I am totally loopy when I take it and don't really feel like I'm with the program. I can only hope it gets better from here on out. I'll be starting therapy next week, so we'll see what happens.

For this card I used a kraft cardstock for the card base and a silver metallic cardstock for the bumper and windows. It's hard to tell that in the picture. I also used pop dots for the Birthday Wishes and the bumper to add more dimension to the card. For the black background, I just scored the white cardstock and inked it. This is such a fun stamp!

I love my new card frog! Thanks goes to Micaela, the owner of Paper Studio, the local scrapbook store where I work, because she picked it up for me when she bought some for the store. I always see cards displayed on these and had no idea where people found them, let alone what they were previously used for.

Products Used For This Card: Bazzill Cardstock in Kraft, White and Red, Dress It Up Glitter Dots in Ruby Slipper, Dad's Truck Stamp by Printworks, Cork Paper, Black Sparkle Embossing Powder, Eyelets, Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black, Black Diamond Stickles, May Arts Ribbon, Hero Arts Stamps "Birthday Messages" CL139.

Truckin' Toward Christmas

When I saw this stamp, I knew I had to have it! I don't own many rubber stamps at all and there are some very cool ones out there. I've really only been making cards for a little over a year and have only purchased clear stamps. When I bought this one, there was also another one of a bicycle that I wanted. My hubby told me to go ahead a get it, but I said no, I will next time. Hindsight being 20/20, now I wish I would of gone ahead and picked it up.

Years ago when I lived in Kentucky, my Uncle had an old Ford pickup truck and I just adored that old beat up thing. This stamp reminds of it.

I haven't used markers very much at all, so my coloring is probably something to be desired and something I need to brush up on. I mostly do more paper piecing and just stamping. These were my first attempts at using this stamp. On the green and blue truck I used black sparkle embossing powder and on the red one I just stamped it. I think I like the embossed outline best.

I see alot of possibilities for using this stamp, so maybe the cost of it will be worth it in the long run.

For now, I'm going to play around with it and make a few more Christmas cards. Later I'm going to use it for some birthday cards. I think it's a fun one for male and female alike.

Supplies used: Dad's Truck Rubberstamp from Printworks, Hero Arts Stamps "Holiday Sayings" CL343, Marvy LePlume Markers in Light Green, Red & Manganese Blue, Black Sparkle Embossing Powder, Graphic 45 paper Typography from the Commuique Collection, Deck The Halls from the Christmas Past Collection and Christmas Day paper from the Merry & Bright Collection by We R Memory Keepers, Glitter Dots by Dress It Up, Ribbon, Machine Stitching.