April Swap Cards

I was a little behind in getting my cards out this month! Instead of mailing them on the 15th, mine didn't go in the mail until the 17th. I'm a poky card maker so I had to step it up a bit to get them finished. Generally I don't wait this long but I started a new job on April 4th and I haven't had a lot of creative time. I've been too exhausted at night to do much. By the time I get home it feels as though my head is going to explode from everything I'm learning during the day. It's going to get better, but for now that's the way it is. 

For the card above I used a Hero Arts Clings stamp called Leaf & Floral background. I heat embossed the design and then watercolored with distress inks. I can't remember which colors I used for this card. The sentiment is a Penny Black slapstick/cling stamp from the Life's Messages set. 

The card below does use a background that I had in my stash that I made a few weeks ago when I had my Gelli Arts plate out. When you are using that it's a good idea to make a lot of backgrounds because it's a messy project. I used Dyan Reaveley Dylusions paint in Cut Grass for the background. I used cork from the DCWV Cork Solids Mat Stack for the field grasses. This die is from Die-Namites. Sentiment is from Stampin' Up called World of Dreams.

This next card was stamped with a Hero Arts Reversed Flowers & Leaves background and heat embossed with white embossing powder. I then took three distress crayons in picked raspberry, mustard seed and twisted citron and used my finger to rub them in on the background. The sentiment is from The Right Words stamp set from Dylusions. I heat embossed it and then used a Spellbinders die to cut it. 

My last card was a little bit of a struggle. I'm still learning how to stamp flowers. I'm getting better, but I'm not where I want to be yet. I used this card by Yana Smakulav as the inspiration for mine. The stamp set is by Hero Arts called You're So Lovely. I used Altenew crisp inks in coral berry, ruby red, frayed leaf and evergreen.

I hope my swap partners like the cards I've sent them. Thanks for stopping by!

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!

Thinking Of You

  

I love working with Perfect Pearls but I always forget about them! I stamped this background the Hero Arts Clings Leaf & Floral background stamp (CG405) using Versamark. I picked out four colors of Perfect Pearls and brushed them over the design. I read somewhere that you can take a Swiffer cloth and rub it over the top after you brush off the excess powder. It worked pretty well. I also sprayed it with Plaid clear acrylic matte sealer. The sentiment is also from Hero Arts from an older set called Everyday Sayings (CL342). I have to remember to use Perfect Pearls more often!

 

It was hard to get a good photo of this card. For the sentiment I heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Thank You

No card for a challenge today. I used the same cling stamp from Hero Arts called Leaf and Floral Background that I used on this card. The only difference is that this time I used white embossing powder. On the first card I used clear embossing powder even though it looks like I used white. For the background I used patterned paper from BasicGrey. I really love this stamp and know that I will be using it over and over. The look is so different depending on what patterned paper you use behind it. Even coloring the background with distress ink like I did on the first card make it such a versatile stamp.

For the sentiment I used another Hero Arts stamp from the You're So Kind set. For the first time I used a Kraft Dye Ink that I bought from PaperTrey Ink. I've never used kraft ink before and it reminds me of how much it looks like you just stamped with versamark ink on kraft cardstock like I did with this card.

I added some bling from My Mind's Eye and inked around the edges with Tim Holtz Vintage Photo ink. Love how this card turned out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Thanks

I love these large cling background stamps! I've got several from Hero Arts and October Afternoon. I've pulled them all out and decided to create some cards with them. I have so many stamps that I've collected and have never used. I've challenged myself to get them out and start playing with them!

For this card it looks like I've used white embossing powder, but I didn't. I took a pieced of Tim Holtz watercolor paper and stamped the Hero Arts Leaf and Floral background stamp with versamark ink. I then heat embossed the image with clear embossing powder. For the colors I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink in peeled paint, dusty concord and rusty hinge. The sentiment is a die from Simon Says Stamp. I love these word dies and am planning on buying more of them. The bow is tied using three different colors of American Crafts twine.

Such an easy and fun way to create a card! Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!