Birthday Kids

Before I got ready to put away my Stampin Up KIDS at PLAY stamp set

I had to pair two of the stamps up with a great balloon stamp that I have

to create a few more cards.

I chose the boy stamp and the girl stamp

and added the balloon image from Papertrey Ink's DRESS UP DOLLS BIRTHDAY stamp set

I colored the image with Copic markers...

chose the Happy Birthday sentiment from the CRAZY TALK (Tim Holtz) stamp set...

chose card stock colors for matting and layering

and finished each card with Nuvo Jewel Drops.

and...

this is what I came up with.

I rarely use primary colors when creating cards...

so...for this card...the little boy card

I thought that I'd use primaries...for a change.

I have been searching for a stamp with a great bunch of balloons...(exactly like this one)

for  VERY long time.

I am so happy to have found the ideal balloon stamp recently...

and as even happier to pair it up with images from the KIDS at PLAY stamp set

to create today's cards!

I created a second card...a little girl version...

same sketch..same layout...same elements ...

with a different color palette.

I've enjoyed creating cards with this "oldie but goodie" stamp set

that has been part of my stamp collection for almost 20 years!

and...

I was even happier to add the balloon image to both cards

to create 2 birthday cards that I had envisioned in my mind...

but had never had the "right" balloon image to use.

I'm guessing that this balloon image is going to be one of those stamps

that I use often.

It's definitely a keeper!

Thanks for visiting today my crafty and creative friends!

Wishing you a fantastic day...

Michelle.

Words of Encouragement

Back in 2004 when I was diagnosed with my first cancer..

I was very much alone.

I was in my 40's...with a small child...

I had just become a widow the year before my first cancer diagnosis. 

But while I was alone in the so called "cancer club"...

(and the young widow club)

There was always thankfulness for the fact that cancer wasn't part of the lives of  

people that I knew...

loved...

and cared about.

Since then..

I have journeyed through life with a diagnosis of 3 different cancers...

and sadly...

I find that I am no longer "alone"

SO many people that I know...

both family...and friends...

have dealt with a cancer diagnosis as well.

Lately, I find myself needing to create get well cards...

and cards that offer support...encouragement and comfort

more often.

I know how much cards..and phone calls have meant to me over the last years...

and how each one contributed to keeping me afloat when life sometimes felt overwhelming.

So while it's always fun to make beautiful cards...

cute cards...

fun cards...

I now make sure to take time to create cards 

that can be sent to someone who is coping with a serious health issue...

in hopes that something as simple as a card will keep their inner light shining.

With all of this being said...

Today...

I'm sharing a card created with a Paper Trey Ink coloring sheet.

(The sheet is a water coloring sheet...but I colored the image with Copics instead.)

I paired the beautiful floral colored image with a wonderful new-to-me sentiment set 

that I just received in a paper Trey Ink order.

I am hooked on their mini stamp sets

and as soon as I saw the QUOTE: RIGHT MOMENT STAMP SET

I knew that it would be ideal for many of the support and encouragement cards that I create.

Here's the card that I created with the coloring sheet and this wonderful sentiment set.

I immediately fell in love with this wonderful mini stamp set

The coloring sheet image is large enough to cover the entire front of an A2 card

But...I trimmed it down a bit because I wanted to mat it....

I used a deep pink card stock for matting.

To finish the card...I added a few crystal sequins.

For the sentiment:I put together 4 of the stamps in the mini set 

to create the sentiment as you see it on this card.

In the end...I was very happy with the card...and the versatility of the mini stamp set.

I have been hooked on Paper Trey ink's mini sets for a long time...

My collection is always growing...and I now have a nice big collection.

I'm not embarrassed to say that am always stalking the PTI web site 

to see if there are any new minis available.

I keep all of my minis in a drawer right next to the studio work table 

because they are usually my "go-to" sentiment stamps.

This card will be sent to a friend who is coping with cancer right now.

But one day soon...I'll take time to create a few more cards with this sentiment..

simply because it's beautiful...and ideal for letting someone know that you're thinking of them...

and to offer them a little bit of encouragement...

a bit of hope....some inspiration...

and a sprinkling of love.

Thanks for visiting today, my crafty and creative friends!

Wishing you a wonderful day!

Michelle.

Same Kids....Different Sentiment

When I shared a card a few days ago...

created with Stampin Up's KIDS at PLAY stamp set

I mentioned that I had stamped out a few extra images to create a few more cards with.

Today..

I am sharing another card with the same image.

But...

within the last few days...

I received an order that I had placed at Papertrey Ink that included a sentiment stamp 

that I thought would be ideal for today's stamped image!

Once again...

I used Copic markers to color this adorable image.

I brushed some color onto the image piece with Clarity Stencil brushes and ink.

The dotted background print is also by PTI (Papertrey Ink.)

I matted the image and the print with a light green LCI metallic card stock.

The PTI sentiment stamp is called ...QUOTED: The Most Stamp Set

I was so happy to pair this sentiment with this image!

They seem perfect for each other!

This PTI order had perfect timing with it's arrival!

Just in time for me to use this particular stamp with this image!

I still have a few more images for this stamp set stamped out...

and waiting to become a card.

This "oldie" stamp set will always be a favorite of mine

and..

I've enjoyed creating using it again this past week.

Thanks for visiting today my crafty and creative friends!

Wishing you a beautiful day!

Michelle.

Little Surprises

Sometimes..

when I tidy up the studio...

I find little treasures...little surprises....

A forgotten stamp set...

a new-to-me supply item that I ordered with the intent of giving it  try...

or a colored image that never made it onto a card front.

This time...I found a colored image 

(an extra..from a card project that I did a while ago)

so...

I took the opportunity to add a sentiment to the colored image...

The stamped image is form Penny Black's GENTLE DAY stamp set

(a stamp set that I use often..and love...a lot)

I chose a sentiment from CTMH's GRACIOUS GREETINGS

(a stamp set that I have had for a VERY long time)

I chose a background print that worked well with the colored image...

I added some green metallic LCI card stock for matting..

and..I finished the  card with one small rhinestone for a little bit of sparkle.

This is what I whipped up...

I love the large scripty font style of the sentiment set...

Each of the stamps in this set are beautiful...and have always been favorites of mine.

The simple floral image..background print and metallic matting came together nicely 

and kept this card very CAS...which is my true style of card making

and always makes me smile.

It was fun finding the colored image 

and being able to put together a card in just a few minutes (literally).

My studio is in a state of disarray right now...

and is in need of some serious cleaning...tidying...and sorting out

and I am wondering (aka hoping) to find a few more hidden treasures like this one.

Wish me luck with the studio tidying that is on my agenda for weekend.

If you don't see me around my blog...or FB on Monday

please send in the troops to search for me...

I will be in there...somewhere...beneath the rubel and chaos!

Have a fabulous Friday my crafty and creative friends.

Thanks for visiting today.

Michelle.

An Oldie to Make You Smile

Sometimes...

I like to go through my older stamp sets...

Sets that I've had for a very VERY long time...

Love a lot...

and will, most likely...NEVER part with.

I browse through them...

and pull out a set or two that I haven't used in a very very long time...

and then...  I create a few cards

I always find that I enjoy using the set (again) as much as I did in the past

an..

 I'm reminded of WHY I never parted with the stamp set.

Today, I'm sharing a card created with Stampin Up's KIDS AT PLAY stamp set.

A set that was retired in the late 90's...

which should tell you how long I have had it for!

(HINT: Decades)

For me...This set is definitely a "keeper"

Isn't this stamp set adorable?!

CAS is my true style of card making...

so today's card is...of course...very CAS.

I chose the stamp that has both the boy and girl together on one stamp...

Used Copic markers for coloring 

Some PTI dotted print paper..

and  a beige tone (LCI) metallic card stock for matting.

The sentiment is from the Hero Arts HELLO Stamp and Die Set.

I just love this image...and the look on the little girls face.

and...

This sentiment seemed ideal for this sweet card.

While I had this stamp set out...I stamped out a few extra images..

and will create cards with them soon...

(Gotta color them first )

If you've got an oldie but goodie stamp set that you know you will never part with...

How about getting it out today to create a card or two!

You'll be reminded of why you loved the set...and why you have held onto it for so long.

Go on now....

Do it!

Thanks for visiting today my crafty and creative friends!

Wishing you a fabulous day!

Michelle.

Princess Maia

I've enjoyed coloring Prima's Princess Maia image in the past...

so I thought that I'd get out my Copic markers...

stamp Princess Maia out...

and enjoy come relaxing coloring time.

The stamped image is large..

almost the size of an A2 card...

so I kept it simple...

using a deep purple metallic card stock for matting..

and finishing the card with a few Nuvo Jewel Drops.

and...

this is what I wound up with..

Maia is beautiful..

but for me..it's all about the beautiful flowers that are woven into her hair.

I really enjoyed coloring the flowers...

In the end....I had accomplished what I set out to do...

Relax.

Color.

Create a card.

and....for me..

THAT'S  creative time well spent!

Thanks for visiting today my crafty and creative friends..

Have a wonderful Wednesday...

and I hope that you carve out some relaxing creative time for yourself today!

Michelle.

Beautiful Flowers ...and a Prayer

I've had Our Daily Bread Designs "Serenity Prayer" stamp for a very long time

but have never created a card with it.

So I thought that it was time to finally ink it up!

I got out a package of Papertrey Ink's Water Coloring sheets...

chose one that caught my eye and colored it with Copic markers. 

(instead of water closing it)

I chose 2 metallic card stock colors for some double matting..

(a light green and a deep purple)

I stamped the prayer ...

added a few clear droplets...

and wha-la!

I had a card!

Now that I've finally used the prayer stamp...

I want to create a stack of cards with it..

(The prayer is beautiful...and I love the font style, as well)

Why have I waited for so long to use this stamp?
(Why do I wait so long use many of my stamps??)

The coloring sheets are great to have on hand 

for days when I have limited creative time.

I'm glad that I have them in my stash

and

This particular design seemed ideal for the Serenity Prayer stamp.

Thanks for visiting today, my crafty and creative friends!

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Michelle.

A Baptism Card...Embossed 2 Ways

It's been almost 2 weeks since I've spent time in my studio...

or shared a card here at my blog!

This cutie has been keeping me (VERY) busy.

Jackson...our rescue puppy...

 has been with us for almost 6 weeks now

and we are totally smitten with him.

This little guy... 27 lbs of busy puppy... keeps me on my toes! 

I did manage to get myself into my studio, though

and it felt great to spend to have some creative time.

A friend asked if I could create a baptism card...for a baby girl.

So I put that little card project at the top of my card making list.

I got out Stampin Up's ALL GOD'S GRACE stamp set

Taylored Expressions MY REDEEMER LIVES stamp set

some IVORY and LIGHT PINK METALLIC CARD STOCK... 

VELLUM PAPER

A VERSA MARK INK PAD...

GOLD EMBOSSING POWDER...and my HEAT GUN

 MFT's MINI SCALLOPED STAX DIE SET...

and..

an embossing folder.

And...this is what I cam up with...

A Baptism card for a little baby girl..

with lots of texture and dimension.

I started out by stamping the cross with Versamark Ink 

then heat embossing with Gold EP.

Then hand cut the cross close to the EP outline.

Next,  I cut embossed the scalloped rectangle and the vellum layer.

The sentiment was stamped next...then matted,

I used fun foam, cut to size..to position the scalloped rectangle

and small foam dimensionals to position the embossed cross...and sentiment piece.

I love all of the texture and dimension on this card

When the card was complete..

I sent a photo to the friend who had requested it...and she loved it!

(Which made me happy)

It felt great to spend some time in the studio after 2 weeks of not creating a card!

As Jackson gets bigger...and past his puppy teething phase

He'll be my studio-buddy.

But for now...his studio visits are limited 

because there's just too much within his reach...

that is appealing to his desire to explore...

and CHEW!

Thanks for visiting today!

Wishing you a wonderful day!

Michelle.

Pretty Peonies

I've got a quickie blog post today...

Here's the scoop:

I have a great little Coloring Sheet pack from Papertrey Ink called: Peonies on Parade

The pages are water coloring pages.
But...because I am curious and am always eager to try something "new"...

I wanted to try Copic Markers on one of the pages....to see how the image would look

So I did a little experiment...

and..

I liked the outcome.

So...

I created a card with the Copic colored water color sheet image.

I matted the colored image with black card stock

and...added a Happy Birthday sentiment...(Stampendous: Penned Happy Birthday)

I matted with sentiment piece with the same black card stock

and positioned it with fun foam for some added dimension.

To finish the card I added a single rhinestone over the "i"..in "Birthday"...

In the end...

This is what I wound up with...

So...now I know...

I know that the water color sheets work well with Copics.

(I'm glad that I experimented)

I also know that this was a fun CAS card to create!

Have a great day my crafty and creative friends.

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle.

A Simple Flower and a Scripture Quote

I had a little bit of time to create a few cards....

(emphasis on "a little bit of time")

and also wanted to create a few inspirational cards...

So I put together a little flower image (Altenew: You Make Me Happy)

and a scripture stamp (Our Daily Bread Designs: Bookmarks -Scripture )

I combined the two stamps...along with some Copic coloring...

a little bit of ink splattering...and some LCI metallic card stock for matting

 to create a few of the card that I am sharing today.

This CAS card was fun to create...

and perfect for a day when I didn't have a lot of time to spend in the studio.

I've created many cards, in the past, with this little Aletnew 2 x 3 stamp set

but had never used the Scripture stamp before..

I wanted to keep the background simple...

so I just added a little bit of light blue ink splattering

and finished the card with green and deep purple metallic card stock matting.

I'm happy with my decision to put these 2 stamped images together

to create an inspirational card.

This is one of those cards that brings me to saying:

"Every card doesn't need to be a big whoop-la & extravaganza"

Sometimes...less is more...

Especially for CAS card makers...like me!

Thanks for visiting today, my crafty and creative friends.

Have a super day!

Michelle.

Water Colored Peony Garden...and a "Different" Kind of Embossing Powder

I have a little organizer that I keep next to the studio work table

that holds stamped and heat embossed images  that were extras...from prior projects.

Sometimes...I go through the organizer to check out it's contents.

I always find some great goodies...

This time...

I came across one lonesome heat embossed PEONY GARDEN image. 

*Peony Garden is a 6 x 6 background stamp...by The Ton Stamps.

So I took it out of the organizer...and sat down to enjoy some water coloring time.

*I used an assortment of ink pads and a water brush to water color this image

and matted it with a deep plum metallic... and beautiful gold metallic card stock.

When I heat embossed this image (ages ago)...

I used WOW Ultra High Gold Embossing Powder.

Ultra High is much different than fine detail EP...

It's chunkier...a more granular-like consistency...

and the heated results are thicker...and it's not smooth..

(like the results of using Ultra Fine Detail EP)

I like the look of Ultra High EP for certain projects...

and I think that this Peony Garden stamped image is ideal for Ultra High EP.

Wanna see?

I love the texture after the Ultra High EP is heated.

I also love this gorgeous image!

(in the past I have created A2 cards...like this one...with the Peony garden stamp

by cropping it down to size.

And..

at other times..I have created 5x5 cards...using almost the entire image.
Today's card is an A2 sized card

I'm so glad that I took a peek inside of that little organizer...

and found this ready-to-go image waiting to be water colored!

(I wish that there were a few more waiting for me!)

If you haven't tried Ultra High Embossing Powder...

give to a try...

It's totally different than Fine Detail EP...

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

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Michelle.

Water Colored Chrysanthemum Trio

Every so often I need to surround myself with some Catherine Scanlon stamps.

This week was one of those weeks.

So...

I went through my Catherine Scanlon drawer in the studio...

and pulled out the CHRYSANTHEMUM TRIO stamp...

I stamped the images with Versamark Ink... onto Spectrum Noir AQUA card stock.

Then.. heat embossed each image with Sparkle N Sprinkle gold embossing powder...

I got out my ZIG markers...

some LCI metallic card stock for matting...

and a few sentiment stamps by Close to My Heart

(which I have had for about 10 years...and love...a lot!)

And then...

I enjoyed creating 3 water colored cards.

I am a HUGE lover of Catherine Scanlon Designs stamps

and thoroughly enjoyed water coloring  this image... 3 x's!

I chose to create this orange...coral and yellow version

and added a Thank You sentiment...

as well as some beautiful gold and orange metallic card stock for matting.

Next..a blue tone version...

I was very happy with how the gold embossing looked with the blue water coloring 

and green water colored background.

I chose deep blue and green metallic card stock colors for matting.

And the last version...

a pink and purple version.

I chose purple and deep pink metallic card stock for matting on this card.

I also love the large scripty style of this sentiment.

I love the look of gold heat embossing when water coloring...

and I think that this stamped CHRYSANTHEMUM TRIO image looks great 

when heat embossed in gold!

So...I'm a happy girl now..
I've had my little "fix" of Catherine Scanlon stamping and water coloring

BUT...

it won't be long before I crave the opportunity to create some more cards 

with another Catherine Scanlon Designs stamp

Her floral images are jaw-dropping-gorgeous and perfect for water coloring
and they're at the top of my list of faves.

If you want to check out Catherine's stamp designs...

You can see lots of her stamps HERE

at the Art Gone Wild web site.

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

Have a spectacular Saturday!

Michelle

Milestones & Moments...Water Colored

I'm aways in my creative happy place when I am water coloring.

After a week of Copic coloring...I was ready to switch it up.

So... I got out my water coloring supplies...

and I got busy settling in... to do what I love most!
Some water coloring!

I created 2 cards with Sheena Douglass' Milestones & Moments stamp.

I used Spectrum Noir AQUA card stock.

and...

heat embossed each stamped image with black embossing powder prior to painting.

All of the color was obtained from ink pads.

I LOVE the magical way that ink and water move together...

blend together...

and eventually dry...

always revealing new and wonderful colors!

I chose LCI Metallic card stock colors that complemented the painted images

 for very narrow matting. 

I also chose 2 wonderful IO (Impression Obsession) sentiments to finish each card.

It's easy to see what I love this image...

and why it's so enjoyable to paint and create cards with.

There's so much terrific deal...and lots of opportunity to add color.

This sentiment is kinda unique, I think...

It's a bit on the dark side...yet a bit inspiring.

I double matted the image layer with black...and burgundy metallics.

The second version has black...and green metallic matting...

and a really nice sentiment that I have used countless times before.

I really love this image...

I love everything about it...

the shrubs and flowers along the front of the cottage are perfect 

for adding a pop of bright color!

Did I mention that I LOVE this image??

I could have sat for hours..painting a stack of this image...

But..my time in the studio is limited lately...

YES!

You guessed it...

Jackson...our rescue puppy....is keeping me VERY busy.

(Emphasis on V E R Y....and B U S Y)

Ay-yi-yi...

I am exxxxxhausted....

(He is NOT a stellar potty training candidate...so I am constantly trying to walk him...
to avoid an accident form happening in the house.)

I don't think that I have gone in and out of the house 

or up and down the front porch steps during the 25 years of time of living in this house...

as I have during these last few weeks!

I should wear my FIT BIT now...

I'd have no problem logging in LOTS of steps!

But..this little guy is a sweetheart and I am totally cuckoo in love with him.

So while I am exhausted..and can't find time to create too many cards...
or do much of anything, for that matter!

I adore him and am thrilled that he is part of our family!

Thanks for visiting today...

(I'm keeping my paintbrushes out...

and plan on doing some more water coloring...

so be sure to stop by tomorrow to see what I've got up my sleeve!)

I'll say Ciao now..

because I am off to....

(Go ahead...take a guess...)

Yep...You guessed it!

I am off now to WALK JACKSON!

Have a great day my friends!

Michelle.