Water Colored Orchids

I'm on  water coloring kick.

(I create cards in kicks..in case you haven't noticed)

My favorite images to water color are flowers...

so...my current kick includes...water coloring....

and flowers.

Today I'm sharing 4 orchid cards that are similar...but different.

Same image ...

("Orchids"....by Sheena Douglass...for Crafter's Companion)

Different color palettes...

Different sentiments.

Al of the images were heat embossed 

some in gold...

some in white.

The sentiments and quotes are from various companies...

Penny Black...Papermakeup...Honeybee...CTMH

Each of he first 3 images were water colored with an assortment of Altenew Crisp Ink Pads.

Altenew Ink pads are almost always my go-to ink pads when I'm water coloring with ink.

The colors are so beautiful...vibrant...and they interact nicely with water.

This sentiment is by Honey Bee stamps.

Each of the matted water colored images...on all 4 cards...

were positioned with a large piece of fun foam...

for a nice sturdy lift and added dimension.

White embossing is always nice...and works well with lots of colors.

A favorite quote stamp...from a favorite stamp company that is no longer in business.

(I miss Paper Makeup Stamps)

I also heat embossed in gold..

for this card...I used a pretty embossing folder to add texture to the purple metallic card stock.

I love the sentiment's scripty brush stroke style font

("Brushed Blossom" by Concord and 9th)

and the Altnew purple ink colors worked beautifully on this card...

For this gold heat embossed card....I chose a pretty sentiment by CTMH

(I've had this stamp set for MANY years....sorry I forgot to check the name of the set)

This time...I didn't use ink to"paint"...

Instead...I opted to use water color pencils (Spectrum Noir Aquablend)

Now, I should tell you how and why I chose this Orchid stamp to create some cards with

The truth is...it was in a pile of stamps that I pulled aside to sell..

when go doing a little stamp de-stashing.

It was on my studio desk for about a month

I looked at it almost everyday during the last few weeks...

and then... the other day I decided to ink it up...

and created the 4 cards that I've shared here today.

And now??...Guess what??

It's no longer in the "sell/de-stash" pile.

I'm keeping this lovely stamp set!

Thanks for visiting today, my crafty and creative friends.

I hope that you stop by tomorrow 

to see where my paint brush takes me next!

Have a wonderful Friday!

Michelle. 

Embossed and Water Colored Hyacinths

A while ago...I purchased an Ann Griffin kit.

I have lots of AG dies...

But can't say that I buy AG stamps or card making kits.

This kit interested me though, because it contained  coloring cards of beautiful floral images.

Very nice to have.

But...

for me..the real attraction of the kit was the stamps that accompanied the coloring cards

Because...

The stamps are the same floral images that are on the coloring cards.

Once you use the large supply of coloring cards..

You can stamp out more of the image with the stamps...

until your little card making heart is content.

I had some time to open the kit the other day...

and thought that I'd use the stamps 

(I'll save the coloring cards for when I am away on vacation...

They'll be easy to pack...and fun to color with pencils)

I chose to use the hyacinth stamp first.

I stamped the images with VersaMark ink...

then heat embossed the images with gold embossing powder.

I water colored each image with a combination of Altenew Crisp Ink colors ...and Zig markers.

I chose complementary prints for each card...

and matted the images and prints with metallic card stock.

The sentiments are from Penny Black's Snippets stamp set

I chose a metallic stripe print for this card...

The foiling on the print looks nice with the gold embossing on the image.

I went with a yellow/orange background for this card...

to complement that butterfly colors.

The hyacinth on the left stamps out with much more inked areas...

so it's got much more gold embossing on each card.

(Which means less area for water coloring)

I'm always partial to green...

So it's not a surprise that I chose a green print for one of the cards..

If you like the look of heat embossing...and water coloring

You'll like the stamped images you can create with this Anna Griffin Kit

You can see , in this photo, that there are lots of embossed areas...

and lots of little areas to water color...mix colors...and create some water colored magic.

This kit has quite a few stamps that are all nicely sized for creating A2 cards.

I've already got a few more stamped out...embossed..and ready to be water colored..

A nice little card making project to keep me happy and busy for a few days!

I'll be sure to share them here, when the cards are completed.

Thanks for visiting today!

Have a wonderful day!

Michelle.

For the Guys

My card "stash" is always in need of cards for guys.

I've this great little stamp set by Creative Visions that I haven't had the chance to ink up yet...

and so I thought that I'd create a short stack of some birthday cards for guys.

(Special guys!)

I wanted to use some beautiful LCI Wood Grain card stock for the cards.

And as I always do...I kept the card very CAS (Clean And Simple)

This Creative Visions stamp set ..."His Birthday"

has multiple sentiment stamps that are perfect for personalizing a card.

Here's what I whipped up with this great stamp set...

I used my MISTI for all of the stamping for each card.

I stamped the tree line in a deep green ink....

I then used Clarity Stencil Brushes to ink the ground area in front of the trees...

as well as the sun....and the sky.

Next, I positioned the two sentiment pieces...and stamped them with dark brown ink.

The largest card stock layer is the LCI Wood Grain card stock that I mentioned above.

(I love this wood grain textured card stock...it's beautiful)

I also used two LCI metallic colors to mat the image...which adds a little bit of shimmer to this card.

Once the image layer was matted...I positioned it on the card front using fun foam.

This "His Birthday" stamp set is ideal for creating cards 

for special guys...

The Grandfather...Dad...Brother and Uncle stamps are perfect for personalizing a card.

Once again...

a fun stamp set to use...

and for me...

these were fun cards to create!

(I'm actually going to create a few more of this card...with a little twist

(Different sentiments...not as personalized...because this is a great guy-card...in general)

Thanks for stopping by today, my crafty and creative friends...

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Michelle.

Cuppa Cactus

Hello my crafty and creative friends!

Today I'm sharing a sweet little card created with a new-to-me stamp & die set...
(and new at Newton's Nook)

Cuppa Cactus...from Newton's Nook

I also have an impromptu  tutorial that will walk you through creating this card...

In case you decide to create one of your own!
(Because it was impromptu..an afterthought...
There are a few photos missing that I would have otherwise included...
(Next time...I won't be so impromptu 😉)

I stamped the images with Momento Tuxedo Black Ink...using my MISTI.

Each image was colored with Copics and then die cut with the accompanying die set
using my Big Shot

I had a sketch in mind...

and so I got out MFT's Stitched Arched Stax dies....

Green card stock for matting...

and a sheet of 12 x 12 paper that has a slight water color look.

I also used...ATG adhesive... and Sook Wang adhesive and some fun foam. 

The Happy Birthday sentiment is from Tim Holtz's Crazy Talk stamp set.

I created 3 of this card...

and have 6 more images colored ...on stand-by....and ready to be used to create cards
this weekend. 

Play...so here we go...

a little impromptu card making tutorial

After the images were colored and die cut I set them aside.

I cut & scored the A2 white base cards and inked some yellow...green and rose colored ink 

on the center of the front of the card base using sponge tipped daubers 

(Inking seen in the photo above)

I matted the water color look paper on a green mat layer using ATG adhesive.

Then, I used the second to largest Stitched Arched die & my Big Shot to die cut the "window"

on the layered card stock and "print", paying attention to centering the die.

Next, I used the largest die in the set to die cut a window in a piece of self adhesive fun foam

that was cut approx 1/4 inch smaller than the card stock/print paper layer.

I used the large arch die so that the edges wouldn't show

when it was placed behind the cards tock and "print" layer

I peeled away the paper on the adhesive side of the fun foam

Then..I added strips of Sook Wang adhesive tape to the sticky side of the fun foam

(The fun foam is self -adhesive...but in the past I've found that sometimes...

it needs a little bit of extra adhesive...

so I've made a habit of always adding some Scor Tape/Sook Wang adhesive tape

when using fun foam .

Once the fun foam had the extra adhesive...

I attached it to the back of the card stock/print/die cut layer

After the fun foam was secured to the card stock...I attached the entire piece to the card front

Like this...

I wanted the ink daubering to be a bit splotchy...

I wasn't trying for a smooth ink covered look...

Next...

I put a small piece or Sook Wang adhesive on the back of each colored image

Then attached the fun foam to the back of the images....sticky side down

When the fun foam was attached to the images...

I added a small piece of adhesive tape, to an extra strong hold.

(Same thing that I did with the fun foam in the photo above)

Next I created the matted sentiment banners.
Once the sentiment was stamped and the banner was cut to size...
and the tails at each end as cut by hand..
I added some light inking to the sentient piece.
Then..I turned each banner over...
and attached a thin strip of fun foam...using the adhesive tape ...as I did before.
I attached the fun foam...sticky side down...to the banners.

After the fun foam strip was attached to each banner...
I added a small piece of adhesive tape to the top of the fun foam (non sticky side)

Then it was time to position the colored images and matted sentiment banners
to complete each card

After the images were positioned..I released that I wanted some stability 

behind the small cactus that extends off of the large cactus in the image on the left...

So, I used tweezers to add a small foam dimensional behind that portion of the image.

(Very easy to do with tweezers)

Creating 3 of this card was very enjoyable...

I chose Happy Birthday for all 3 cards because this is the category of cards 

that I seem to always need more of.

(I'm not sure what the card sketch or sentiment will be on the next 3 Cuppa Cactus cards)

Thank for stopping by today...

Wishing yo a wonderful Saturday!

Michelle.

PS

I wanted to show you one last photo...

One of these two guys (photo below) didn't cut well with the die..

My die positioning was a bit off.

I really didn't want to throw away the image after spending time coloring it.

So...I trimmed the bottom edge..where the cutting was "off" a bit...

then trimmed one of the second image so that it also was trimmed on the bottom.

This made both images look alike as far as the bottom edges went 

(Had I not trimmed them..the white edges would have been uneven...not matched... on both)

By trimming both to look alike ...removing all of the white border...at the bottom edges...

they matched..

and I was able to use them for a card...

(*Sometimes...a "goof" can be salvaged 😃)

And...that's a good thing!

SaveSaveSaveSave

Spring Daisies

I've been having a bit of a reunion in my studio these last few days!

I haven't been creating cards with any of my Altenew stamps for a while.

No particular reason other than I've been creating with "other" stamps...

some new...and some for special card requests.
I also haven't bene creating anything with yellow lately...
So...I decided to create some cards combining both...
Altenew stamping...and yellow

When I went through my "Altenew drawer" the other day

I pulled out some sets that caught my eye...

and now...I am enjoying creating cards with them!

Yes!...I am on an little Altenew kick!

In my card making life..I go on kicks ..

I will color with Copics for weeks on end..

The I'll color with pencils for a while..blending with baby oil...

Then I'll move onto water coloring...for weeks on end.

Then layered stamping for a while..

Me and "kicks" work well together...

Probably because I am a very focused and obsessively organized person, in general.

Now...I'm on Day 2 of my little Altenew "kick"...

and so I've created a dozen cards with the Spring Daisy stamp set.

I decided to create them in yellow tones...

simply because I haven't made many yellow cards lately.
I embossed the yellow mat layer with the Swiss Dots embossing folder
I used a  Mudra stamp set...Brushed Sentiment...for the birthday cards
and
a favorite...and very old ...Close to My Heart stamp set..for the Thinking of You cards..
I chose an assortment of Altenew Crisp Ink colors
for the daisies ...the leaves and the sentiments.
The scalloped layer was cut with and MFT Mini Scalloped Rectangle STAX die.
I added a few crystal clear sequins to finish teach card

I am always in need of birthday cards...
My stash never seems to have enough
So...I created 10 of this birthday card...
Embossing the yellow mat layer and using fun foam for positioning the smaller daisy
adds some nice dimension and texture to this card
I also stamped one daisy in a deep yellow..
and one in a sightly lighter yellow to add some color variation.

In this photo...you can see the "lift" created by positioning the smaller daisy
(on the left)
with fun foam

I created 12 cards with the daisies...
most are the birthday cards (above)
But I also created a few of this Thinking of You card
Same sketch...same matting...same embossing ...the same finishing details...
but...I switched up the sentiment.

It's been fun reuniting with some of my Altenew stamps.
I've got many more that I'll find time to create with soon.
Their floral sets....particularly their layered stamping sets
are always favorites of mine to create cards with.

Thanks for visiting today, my crafty and creative friends.
Have a wonderful Friday!
Michelle.

Altenew's Majestic Bloom...a Few Different Ways

I was browsing through my collection of Altenew stamps...

and realized that I hadn't used my Majestic Bloom stamp set in a very long time...

so...I took out the stamp sett...the dies...some Altenew ink pads...some card stock...

and I sat down to create 12 cards...

Each with the Majestic Bloom stamp set...

Same sketch...

but with a few different color palettes and sentiments.

I cut out some medium sized scalloped rectangles with MFT's Mini Scalloped Rectangle STAX die

I chose to use an assortment of LCI card stock

(Metallics and textured wood grain)

and an assortment of sentiments and quotes 

(NOTE: Some sentiments are by Papermakeup....which is no longer in business) .

To embellish each card...I added a few Tonic Nuvo Jewel Drops to each card

a

And..now...

I've got a few photos to share of each card version!

My birthday card stash is always in need of cards..

so.. I created 7 of this card

Sentient: Penned Birthday by Stampendous

Base mat layer: LCI Metallic Ebony Card Stock

The metallic card stock brings lots of shimmer to this card.

Each flower on each card is popped up on fun foam for a nice sturdy lift and added dimension.

(I am loving the Jewel Drops...and how they dry clear...but with a hint of color)

and...here's another card created with the black metallic card stock...

I created one of this card......This sentiment is by Papermakeup

I miss that company...and their beautiful quote and sentiment stamps

This sentiment seemed ideal for this card

I also created one of this card (with this sentiment)

with the wood grain textured card stock (shown below)

(I forgot to take a photo of that one)

This is the LCI GMund Urban Brasilia Wood Grain card stock that I just mentioned above...

with a beautiful quote by Impression Obsession

I LOVE this awesome LCI Textured Wood Grain card stock...

The texture is really nice ...the color is awesome...and the 113 lb weight is fantastic! 

(I have this card stock in a few different colors...I can't choose a favorite...because they're all terrific!

For the last few cards...

I switched up the color palette and created 2 of this card..

mainly because (sadly)...I know many many people who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

I thought that this card...in this color palette...with this beautiful sentiment

would be a nice card to send to someone with this diagnosis.
This sentiment is by Impression Obsession

You've probably figured this out already...

So I don't think that I need to tell you that I had a GREAT time creating this stack of 12 cards 

with this beautiful layering stamp & die set...

along with lots of beautiful quotes and sentiments...

and some wonderful LCI card stock.

I've already taken another Altenew stamp set out of my "Altenew Stamp drawer"...

and I'm looking forward to creating another stack of cards with it

when I'm in the studio later today...or tomorrow.

Thanks for visiting today, my crafty and creative friends!

Have a great day!

Michelle.

Digging into Some Goodies from Creative Vision Stamps!

YAY!

I FINALLY had some time to get my crafty little hands 

on some new-to-me goodies from Creative Vision Stamps  

that have been sitting at the end of my studio worktable for about month!

(Some for stamping....and some for foiling)

One stamp, in particular, caught my eye...

"Enjoy Your Retirement"(Creative Vision Stamps)

So I chose it for the first of what will be a few Creative Visions projects!

I chose to color the image with Copic Markers....

and added a speech bubble die cut from

Hero Arts "Everything Smiles" Stamp and Cut set

I added a little bit of twine...did lots of matting...

and chose an Avocado print by PTI (Papertrey Ink) to complement the colored image

and I used Stampin Up solid card stock for matting

(Here's what I did....In case you're thinking of creating a similar card of your own)

I colored the image with Copic markers 

and then die cut it with a stitch rectangle die.

I used the die as a stencil 

and added background color with Clarity Stencil Brushes and ink pads.

(Using the die as a stencil allowed me to add background color 

while creating an keeping a clean crisp white edge. 

For matting...I chose a card stock color that picked up the gecko's colors nicely... 

and also complemented the avocado colored dotted print.

I stamped one sentiment for the die cut speech bubble..and inked the bubble a little bit

then stamped..trimmed and matted the second sentiment..and inked it as well. 

I punched small holes at each end of the sentiment and embellished it with some raw linen thread.

I positioned the image layer...speech bubble and sentiment with fun foam

for added dimension

and..

Wha-la....

I created 3 of this card with this adorable image! 

I really can't recall when I last created a Retirement card...

so it was nice to create 3 of this card...to add to my card stash 

The image is cute....and was fun to color...

and I enjoyed creating a sketch around this little guy as the focal image.

I still have some more Creative Vision  goodies that I NEED to use for the first time...

The tough part is deciding which I'd like to use next!

Thanks for visiting today, my crafty and creative friends!

Have a beautiful Sunday!

Michelle.

Using a Foiled Coloring Sheet to Create a Few Cards

I was tidying up the studio a few evenings ago

and came across some Colorista goodies that I have had for a while..

but haven't had the time to un-box...or try.

I had lots of Crafter's Companion Colorista Markers and Coloring books...

Some of the books have foiled sheets...and they caught my eye.

I also had a new Impression Obsession Sentiment stamp (Beautiful People)

 that I've been wanting to use...

So I got that out as well...

I chose a page from one of the books that had a print that was smaller 

and would be card-making-friendly.

(Some of the prints are very large...and wouldn't work well for card making.)

After cleaning and tidying the studio...

it was really nice...and relaxing... to sit down for a little while to color. 

After I had the page colored

I cut it into three equal side strips to create 3 cards

The foiling on the coloring sheets is beautiful

and adds just a little bit of sparkle to each card.

I chose LCI's Violet Metallic Card Stock to mat the flower strip and the sentiment.

The base mat is LCI's Wedding White Metallic Card Stock

There's lots of soft shimmer on this card with the foiling and the metallic card stock...which is nice.

I popped the sentiment up on fun foam for some added dimensions...

and finished the card with one simple small rhinestone  

positioned within the scroll of the letter "B" in "Beautiful"

I'm a true-blue CAS (Clean And Simple) card maker..

and THIS card is true to that style!

It was fun to create a few cards with a coloring sheet..

The Colorista Pads are really nice...

The paper quality is great...nice and hefty...

and there's no smudging of the images when colored with the Colorista markers..

The foiling is really nice...and resists the marker color so it shines nicely.

As a card maker...I do wish that all of the pages in the book

were smaller prints...more useful for card making.

I'm glad that I have all of these great Crafter's Companion Colorista goodies in my studio-stash

and it's nice to know that sometimes..I can just choose a page to color...

and incorporate the finished page into some card making.

Thanks for visiting today, my crafty and creative friends ...

Have a wonderful Saturday!

Michelle.

Card Recipe: Coloring Sheets + Ink + Markers + H20 + a Little Bit of Sparkle

I've had a few pads of Papertrey Ink Coloring Sheets and Watercolor Sheets for a while.

Some are for watercoloring...

and some are generic "coloring sheets".

I purchased them thinking that they would be easy to take along 

when I travel...take a vacation...

or when I might feel like just sitting down to color...

without getting out stamps....and ink...etc

Last night...

I just felt like coloring.

So... I got out one of the Coloring Sheet Pads...and Copic markers...

and I colored the beautiful floral image.

BUT...

I wasn't liking the grey background color of the coloring sheet.

So...

I got out some Distress Oxide ink pads...

and added some color...

and..

Spritzed a little bit of water on the colored and inked sheet..

and...

This is what I wound up with!

(Gotta love those Distress Oxide Ink pads!)

and 

I noticed something!

The card took on an Autumn look as soon as I inked up the background.

I added a sentiment from the Scripty Greetings stamp set (by The Ton).

To finish the card...I added some Nuvo Jewel Drops

and splattered a bit of white ink over the card front with a paint brush.

I chose LCI Metallic card stock for the orange and brown matting layers.

(More Autumn-y colors!)

I enjoyed creating this (unexpected Autumn-y) card...

so I decided to create another with a different image from the Coloring Sheet pad.

Again..

the grey background wasn't thrilling me at all.

So..I inked it up..spritzed it...

and brought the background to life!

When the sheet had dried...

I took a clear Wink of Stella brush marker and splattered it over the entire panel

by tapping it onto my index finger while moving over the colored sheet.

I didn't add too much...

just enough to add some sparkle.

I added a pretty Papertrey Ink Mini Stamp set sentiment.

I chose LCI metallic card stock colors that complemented the colored image sheet.

for matting.

and...positioned the image ayer with one matting layer with fun foam 

for added dimension.

(Next time I will probably use white ink for the sentiment...

maybe...I'm not 100% sure)

You can see the Wink of Stella here...

and the sentiment 

I have to say...

I was thrown by the grey background on the coloring sheets in the pad..

BUT...

as soon as I inked each one up...spritzed..and embellished...and put the card together...

I was really happy with the end result.

and...

I'm really glad that I ordered a few different pads 

for future card making..

at home...or on the road!

Thanks for visiting today, my crafty and creative friends.

I hope that todays cards have inspired you to think outside of the box...

and step away form the obvious.

As I always say...

What's the worst thing that might happen?

Nothing really...except for needing to throw a piece of paper into the trash!

Sometimes...the fun is in the trying!

Have a great day!

Michelle.

Daffodils and Beautiful Sentiments

Today is Day 3, here at my blog, of sharing a few cards 

created with the final floral corner stamp images 

from my stack of what started out a 145 stamped and colored images.

If you've stopped by yesterday and the day before to see the other corner image cards....

Thank YOU!

If you missed the other 2 days...take a peek at them after you make your way through this blog post...

The corner tulips are so pretty...

you want want to miss seeing them

Both of today's cards were created with Our daily Bread Designs Daffodil Corner stamp.

I chose two beautiful sentiments..

One from Penny Black's Heartfelt stamp set...

and one from Papertrey Ink's Tucked In: Thinking of You 

I used some gold thread on each card

and chose color palettes that complemented the floral images nicely.

All of the matting was done with metallic card stock

I just love this sentiment stamp.

It's one of two stamps in this  Papertrey Ink Mini stamp set...

and they're both beautiful

The mention of sunshine...and the yellow in the daffodils 

led me to choose deep yellow tones for the print and matting colors.

The image layer was positioned with fun foam  after it was matted.

The gold thread adds a little bit of sparkle.

Penny Black's Heartfelt stamp set includes this stamp.

This is one of my favorite sentiment stamps

I've used it over and over and over again.

The words are so beautiful.

I have a few of this sentiment stamp....by other companies...

but this one is my favorite because I like the mixing of 2 font styles...

The green tones on this card go nicely with the colored daffodils

 and are very soft and subtle as compared to the first card (above).

Both color palettes go well with the daffodil colors.

Every time I create cards with Our Daily Bread's Corner stamps...

I find myself liking them more and more..

I'm kind of sad, actually, knowing that the daffodils 

are the last of the corner flower images in my handy stack of 145 stamped and colored images.

Now..I'll go through the images that remain in the dwindling stack

to choose which I'll use to create my next little batch of cards.

Thanks for visiting today.

Have a fantastic day!

Michelle

Sympathy Cards with Yellow Tulips

Hello my crafty and creative friends...

Yes!...I am still working my way through my handy stack of 145 stamped and colored images!

and...that means that I'm back today with a few more cards 

created with Our Daily Bread Designs Tulip Corner stamp.

Yesterday's cards were created with the same stamp ...

but the tulips were pink.

Today..

I am sharing 2 sympathy cards created with the same stamped image...

both colored with Copic markers...to create yellow tulips.

The sentiment is from Concord & 9th's Brushed Blossom stamp set

The cards are similar....(color palette...sentiment...embellishment)
but slightly different...(the print paper & matting card stock )

Here's the first card...

The background paper has a doily-like print on it

All of the matting was done with metallic card stock.

and...

I finished the card with a few strands of knotted silver thread.

(I usually don't embellish sympathy cards.)

The second card has the same sketch....silver thread...and sentiment.

The background print is a barn wood print.

I used a lighter shade of green for both matting layers .

I'm really glad that I chose to stamp the sentiment with green ink

because it goes so nicely with the color palette of both cards.

And by the way....I absolutely love this font!

It seems like I am always replenishing my sympathy card stash...

so it made sense that I create 2 sympathy cards with the yellow tulips 

from my stack of 145 stamped and colored images. 

As always...

Thanks for visiting today...

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow to see a few more cards 

created with a different floral corner stamp!

Have a great day!

Michelle. 

Pink Tulips

I'm still working on my stack of 145 stamped and colored images...

I'm not exactly sure..

but I am thinking that there might be about 25...or 30  images left in the dwindling stack.

I pulled out some beautiful corner floral images from the stack...

all by Our Daily Bread Designs Tulip Corner (stamp)

Today I have 3 cards to share with you

and will have a few more during the next few days....
all with corner florals

I chose to create 3 cards with the pink tulip colored images.

The images were all colored with Copic markers.

I used LCI metallic card stock for matting...

and chose coordinating prints from an assortment of printed paper collections.

The sentiments are from Penny Black's Heartfelt stamp set

As always...

my card making style is very CAS

I created one thank you card...

and two birthday cards...

one with silver thread....

and one without...

This one....is the "without" version...

This is such an enjoyable image to color and create cards with...

I love that it's not a very busy image...and that it's a corner floral....

Probably because I like creating cards that have sentiments and quotes as a focal point.

I also enjoyed going through my drawers of sentiment stamps

to choose sentiments that seemed perfect for each of today's cards.

(I love the font used for "fabulous" with this sentiment)

and....a little bit of knotted fine silver thread for this one....

I switched up the color palette a bit for the Thank You card...

I've got the ame pink tulips...

but with green matting and a nice soft green print.

I chose to NOT add any brushed ink to the background...

The crisp look of the pink tulips against the white background 

felt "right" and very pleasing to my very CAS eye.

I've got some yellow tulips...and some daffodils 

that are colored and waiting to be made into cards.

and will share one...or the other...tomorrow.

Thanks for visiting today...

and don't forget to stop by tomorrow 

to see what I've got up my sleeve for the other corner florals.

Have a wonderful Sunday my crafty and creative friends!

Michelle.

BIG Wet Kisses

I've finally gotten back to using the last few colored images 

from my BIG Stack of 145 Stamped and Colored Images.

(I got sidetracked for a while working on other card projects 

and had abandoned my stack of colored images.)

This time...I pulled out a group of really cute fish images

from a Sparkle N Sprinkle stamp set called Big Wet Kisses

The sentiment was chosen from Concord & 9th's Love You. Mean It stamp set

I colored the images with Copic markers.

I also decided to do some inking with Ranger's Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink

on some great green LCI Card Stock....

as opposed to the usual white card stock that I use most often when inking.

The image layer is matted in a beautiful deep turquoise-like card stock..also from LCI.

(A favorite of mine)

Here's the Distress inking...on the green card stock...after being spritzed with water.

(I created 4 panels...to create 4 cards)

I was very pleased with how the ink looked on the green card stock.

I trimmed the images to a squared shape..and matted each image panel

The Concord & 9th Sentiment is ideal for this image, I think!

and...

The Distress Ink background is EXACTLY what I had in mind 

when this card existed only in my crafty little head.

*Not sure if you can see them...

but there's a sprinkling of Nuvo Jewel Drops on the inked area of the card

I really enjoyed creating each of today's cards...

The image was fun to color...and I really enjoyed creating the inked background...

(and...YES!...Distress OXIDE Inks ARE THAT GOOD!)

I'm thinking that I will revisit this stamp/card when Valentine's Day rolls around
to create a few of this card with a different color palette.

Thanks for visiting today my crafty and creative friends...

Have a super Saturday!

Michelle