Birthday for a friend who loves Cows!

My daughter's Mother in Law is a cow lover!  She is also an amazing woman who raised four fantastic people and adopted my daughter immediately when Kristen fell in love with her oldest son.  They have a wonderful relationship (I am so grateful!).

I bought the stamp set from the newest Seasonal catalog from CTMH called Wild & Puny - basically just for the cow!  I do like the image of a chameleon, and another of a llama - anyway, this is the card I made for Cindy!  

Alcohol Ink workshop

I attended an alcohol ink workshop at an art place in Brainerd recently - I had some alcohol inks but wasn't sure I was using them correctly!  I learned some tips and tricks!  This was made using half of a piece of Yupo paper that I had been playing around with in class.  I heat embossed the butterflies to vellum and put that over the Yupo alcohol ink design to soften it a bit!  

I had two of the focal images already stamped on my desk and never made into cards.  Since I was trying to clean up in here - I decided to make something with them.  The first one was very simple but I really love the look!  The design papers from CTMH come with a "zip strip" on one edge - I cut the front piece for the card from that, then double-mats and it was done!  

The second card I put onto an ombre design paper and used a piece of rose gold vellum on one edge.  Wow!  Both cards have already gone to friends.

CTMH older Stamp of The Month

It's embarrassing how I can't wait to get a stamp set, but then it takes me months to get ink on it!  Good grief!

This was fun.  The flowers were colored with watercolor pencils - the water inside the jar was too - and a heavy hand added the color to the string around the jar!  I used a gold gel pen to add the "ring" near the top of the jar.  CTMH design papers and glimmer tape (oops! the Coral color is a little crooked - why do these things show up so well in a photo?).  I left the sentiments off - I'll add those to the inside when the time comes for them to fly away.  

Anniversary

This anniversary card is almost a one layer card.  I decided to "indent" the sides a little bit - so I did some masking with post-it notes.  I first stamped the background script in a very light color (Mink).  Then I stamped the doily with Espresso ink on both sides - stopping in the middle (with the post-it notes).  The sentiment banner ties them together and it is lifted on foam adhesive tape.  

It really was simple but I think it looks so elegant!  

Keeping you in Earnest Prayer

I believe I R&D's this card from Debbie Hughes - Lime Doodle.  She is very talented and her card is perfection!  My card is my first attempt at this technique!  Enuf said. 

I used a flower stencil - and sprayed the back of it with "Pixie Spray".  This gives it a tacky but repositionable adhesion.  What it means is that you can watercolor directly through the stencil without worrying that the stencil will move around!  Brilliant!  I used the old technique of picking ink directly off the ink pad with a watercolor brush (the plastic kind that holds water).  There are at least two colors on the flowers and two on the leaves.  I splattered some ink over the page (the yellow color) and then picked out some iridescent sequins to adhere.  The sentiment was added to a gray design paper and trimmed down.  

This card was signed by the entire family"up north" and sent to Kris. Kris is my husband's sister in law, married to his youngest brother. She is entering hospice care and we needed her to know we are with her.  

My only regret on making this card is that I should have created a card front 1/4 size smaller than the base card.  Then I could have smoothed out the wrinkles somewhat by mounting the piece onto foam tape.  

New CTMH Craft On papers

The Craft On papers are wonderful!  This is the back side of the diagonal blue stripe I used on the last card.  I had a little stash of colored images on my desk and was trying to clean up - it seemed best to just make cards!  So, I'm always in need of a thank you card, or a birthday card, or a sympathy card - well, I set to work!  

I'm pretty happy with how this simple card turned out!