A Successful Sunday With Cards for Some Challenges

 Hello everyone!! Just popping in to post a couple of cards I created for some challenges. 

I had a bit of time today to create. My mojo has been a bit spotty and my energy low so I have not been getting into my craft room as of late. It doesn't help that I really need TO CLEAN because it sure is a mess!!!

For my first card, I used this weeks sketch from the Paper Craft Crew for my card. Please excuse the photo. I could not fix the lighting on it no matter how hard I tried!

Below is the sketch that inspired me. 

I was a little bit liberal with the elements on my card because they wound up being a bit bigger then what is represented in the sketch.

I literally used elements that were previously stamped or die cut for other projects to put this card together.

The flowers are from Altenew and Paper Trey Ink, the circle is from MFT, the envelope was cut from a die from Mama Elephant and the sentiment was from Hello Bluebird. 

This was one of the EASIEST cards I have created in a long time and will be sent out tomorrow to a member of the Union I belong to.

My second card I created using this weeks The Color Throwdown #619 and Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #297.

I knew when I saw the badge for the Color Throwdown that I wanted to use my new Tall Tree dies I bought from The Stamp Market and my Skinny Postage Frames from PTI. These were some of my new toys I bought to try to get my mojo going!!

I created the blue background on this with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink and watered down white acrylic paint.

The sentiment is from a stamp set that was gifted to me from Stamplorations.

I absolutely LOVE how this card came out!!! 

My next card was inspired by this weeks Freshly Made Sketches #461 and once again, I used the Color Throwdown colors. 

This card was one I originally designed for The Color Throwdown but I liked the one above better.

I used some paper from my scrap drawer for the background and the greenery is from The Greetery.

The poinsettia is from the Layered Poinsettia from Spellbinders. I used Copic markers to shade it in BUT as I was doing it, I failed to do a color test with my background paper. I wound up having to fix my mistake by using more colors than I wanted so it is more blue than white.

The middle of the flower got muddled too because I was impatient for the Silver Stickles to dry. They were supposed to resemble the tiny flower in the middle of the poinsettia but when I was doing my layers, I didn't let the previous one dry enough!!! 

I will fix it by layering some more over it once the first layer dries.

My last card I created using the Inspired By Challenge #150 and the sketch as my inspiration.

I used a Santa image from Simple Stories Simple Vintage North Pole Collection. 

I keep buying these darn pre made die cuts and never use them but this image was PERFECT for this challenge. 

I actually altered the die cut by cutting some things off this side that just didn't go with this aesthetic. I also covered the fur and hat with a Scrapbook.com Clear Glitter Marker and the hat with some Glossy Accents. 

The snowflakes are from a huge amount I die cut last winter and the sentiment is from Uniko Stamps.

Well, I think that is enough from me today. I thank you for taking your time to stop by and I hope you have a FABULOUS night!!

Your Birthstone is a Coffee Bean-Coffee Lovers Blog Hop Day 4

 Happy Monday!! 

Just popping in with a coffee card with some CAS-ual Fridays Stamps coffee themed products using this weeks CASE this Sketch Challenge #397 as inspiration.

I created this for the Coffee Lover's Fall/Winter Blog Hop. 

It is hard to tell but I started off my card by using the Coffee Bean Stencil to dry emboss coffee beans on a piece of white cardstock. I then adhered the cardstock over a white, top folding A2 card base.  

I then used the Coffee Cup Fri-dies to die cut four small coffee cups out of scraps of pattern paper. I temporarily adhered them to the paper and stamped the sentiment using the Cup Refills stamp set. 

I then used the CASE this Sketch #397 as my guide to adhere the coffee cups down. This sketch was PERFECT for these coffee cups!!

I used Ranger Ground Espresso Distress Ink to shade the "coffee" inside the cups and topped it off with some Glossy Accents and my card was DONE. 

All the coffee themed products are on sale over at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps until November 13, 2020. Use my code NORASENTME to get an extra 15% off your total order, including sale items!!

That is all from me today. I hope you all have a FABULOUS day!!

A Christmas Card for Freshly Made Sketch Challenge #460

 Hello everyone!! It has been an echo chamber here lately. I have not had a ton of energy to create these days. Between stressing about work, the election and the increase in Covid in the schools, my mojo has flown out the window. Does anyone else have a hard time creating when they are stressed?

It also doesn't help that my crown is disintegrating on a tooth and I have been experiencing terrible tooth pain. I am having a temporary crown put on the tooth on Tuesday and I cannot wait!! I never thought I would be excited to go to the dentist!!!

This morning I had a great walk and some snuggles with my neighbor's dog so I sat down to my desk to see if I could get some of my creative juices flowing. I watched a video Jennifer McGuire posted on using embossing folders so I tried the technique in my own way.

I used a Richard Garay embossing folder with some Ranger Pine Needle and Evergreen Bough Distress ink for the banner. I then used the same colors with an Altenew Watercolor Stripes stencil on a piece of Neenah Solar White cardstock that I had cut down to an A2, top folding card. 

The Altenew Brilliant Baubles were stamped with Ranger Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick, and Abandoned Coral Oxide Ink. 

I used Versmark Ink and Ranger Gold Embossing Powder to heat emboss the gold accents on the ornaments. I then used some Scrapbook.com Double Sided Roll Adhesive to pop up the ornaments on the embossed banner.  I had been using the big rolls of 3M tape but they have made it so sticky that it tears my paper if I don't get it just right the first time. 

I die cut the CAS-ual Fridays "Merry" from some Tonic Gold Mirrored Gloss cardstock. This was a leftover on my desk and I knew I had to use it on this card!! 

The embossed sentiment is from MFT's Snow Globe Sentiments (retired)-one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES for Christmas sentiment stamp sets. I added a tiny bit of Gold Stickles for some sparkle on areas of the ornaments. 

This card was inspired by this week's Freshly Made Sketch Challenge #460. I am so glad that I was able to play this week!

I used the die cut and the sentiment strip in lieu of the sentiment strip that spanned the top of the sketch. 

Well, that is all from me tonight. I want to thank you for taking the time to stop by. Have a FABULOUS evening!!

Sending Hugs and Happy Thoughts with CAS-Fridays Stamps

 Happy Monday everyone!!  I hope you all had a FABULOUS weekend!!!

Today I am on the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Blog with a fun card using the Everyday Dragonflies stamp set that I collaborated on with Michele. Below is a sneak peek of my card.

To see how I created this card and for some fun tips, please hop on over to the POST to see step-by-step instructions!

I thank you for taking the time to stop by!! Have a great day!!

Day 3 Homework

 Happy Wednesday!! Just popping in with my projects from Day 3 homework for my Watercolor Christmas Class. I like these cards a bit better BUT I will never just be able to do a one layer anything I have decided.

My first card was a card with some simple trees. 

Again, I got a little heavy handed on my trees with the paint. They were lighter but I kept trying to blend and then this is what happened. 

Since I spent so much time on them, I decided that even if I didn't love them, I was making a card anyway. I created a gold frame from some gold foil cardstock using the Waffle Flower Frame dies.

I also heat embossed a sentiment from PTI at the bottom.

There was another cards I was supposed to do with a different technique with trees BUT the masking medium I used was a disaster so I threw it away.

My third card was to create an ornament without any masking. This was actually kind of fun. The watercolor did not blend like I wanted BUT it came out way better than my other cards from the first two days.

I chose to adde a silver piece of mirrored cardstock for the top of the ornament and some silver thread as a bow.

The heat embossed sentiment is from Mama Elephant.

I actually thought that this card technique was relaxing. I liked trying to keep the paint within the circle and I did slowly layer the color down. Not perfect but getting better!!!

That is all from me today. I thank you for taking the time to stop by!! Have a FABULOUS day!!

FaLaLaLa Card at CAS-ual Fridays

 Happy Monday everyone!! Today I am on the CAS-ual Fridays Blog with a Christmas card using some old and some new products. Below is a sneak peek of my project:

Hop on over to my POST see the complete card and the directions on how I created it!!!

Thank you for stopping by!! Have a FABULOUS day!!!

Holiday Card Homework Day 1 and Day 2

 Happy Sunday!! Just popping in with some cards that I created for the Holiday Watercolor Class that I am taking. Let me tell you-I am EPICALLY failing at this class. I SUCK at watercolor. 

Here are a few things I have learned:

1) I am not patient enough to watercolor. I took a watercolor class in college 20 years ago and thought I enjoyed it, I learned then that I was not really patient enough for the medium. It takes too long to let things dry and I have too heavy a hand with it.

2) I used the wrong kind of watercolor paper. I have a ton of different brands and used the cheapest I had. Wrong move!! The color does not soak into the paper that well.

3) I should have used the real watercolor I have. I have tubes of good watercolor but was just too lazy to squeeze it out and use. I also need to invest in some better brushes and dedicate them strictly to watercolor.

4) Frisket + Me = DISASTER!! I remember hating using frisket when I was in school. The one I have must have been bad or again, I used too heavy of a hand. When I went to erase it, it left a STAIN on my cards. This was so annoying because these cards took a lot of time for me to make!!

The first three cards are homework from Day 1 of the class.

My first card I like BUT the color is way to dark and the ribbon is not straight. This was the first card I did so I give myself a pass on it being perfect.

I am actually showing it extra large so you can see all the fun mistakes!! I chose to use stamped greetings as the class is strictly watercolor. My handwriting is HORRIBLE.

My second card I "stacked" presents. I like this one a bit better BUT if you notice the top present, some of the green soaked through the bottom. I chose to create a card with it anyway.

If someone doesn't like it, are they really going to tell me? It is a handmade card!!!

Again, I embossed a simple sentiment to match the red card base that I mounted the watercolor panel on.

My last card that I created for day one of the class is a tree that I masked off with tape. I then added some sequins as "ornaments" when I was finished.

I used the golds in the "Starry Colors" Gansai Tambi watercolor and I was a bit heavy handed.

I need to learn to do just a light coat, let it dry, and do another. I get too impatient, though!!

I also had to cut down the card panels and do a bit of "doctoring" because I tore the background of the paper when I took the tape off the edges. Some cards were worse than others.

Day 2 Homework:

I only have one card for the second day of the class. My first two cards were EPIC fails. I used the Frisket on them and it stained when I took it off. I didn't even bother to photograph them but just threw them away. However, the second technique I did was a masking with tape and the card did come out.

I am going to admit two things here-this paint is NOT strictly watercolor but Twinkling H2O's. You cannot tell from the photograph but it has a shimmer to it when put in the light.

The sequins that I added were not part of the class. They are covering up some boo boos that leaked through!!!

I like this technique but again, would try it with a lighter hand next time. Not sure I would use that green again either. It is a bit too "earthy" for me.

Well, that is all from me tonight. I did cards for Day 3 too but have not edited one of them to post. I still have to watch the video for Day 4 but ran out of steam when some of my cards sucked so bad. 

All in all, this class has been a lot of fun and I have learned a TON. I just need to practice some patience and all will be well. I also need to buy some better frisket and lower tack tape!!!

Have a fabulous night!!!