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!

Party Balloons

The CTMH stamp set is current, and it's called Party Balloons!  I got the thin cuts for this also, because I do have trouble cutting perfect circles! This was a rip-off from the image in the new Seasonal Expressions catalog.  Of course, I didn't make it exactly the same, I just tried!  LOL

Ink colors are Pear, Carolina, Nectarine, and Blossom.  The stars were done with Canary.  The design paper is from Craft On.  

Alcohol Pearl ink background

I HAD to try to create this card after seeing the one Debby Hughes / Lime Doodle made here.  I bought the Ranger set of Sublime, Tranquil (used here) and Intrigue (green, blue and pink).   I also bought alcohol blending solution but I've heard somewhere that a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and methanol / ethanol works too.  I'll try it and report back!  I bought some Yupo paper - it looks like photo paper, does anyone know if photo paper works also?  I used a brush to put blending solution of a portion of the Yupo paper.  I dropped the Tranquil and Sublime inks onto the pre-wetted area and then used a straw to blow it around a bit. You can also tip back and forth to make the colors run.  The Yupo paper made two cards when I cut it in half.  

Debby had decided to use white embossed vellum.  I didn't have her stamp set but used one of a flower arrangement that had open lines from CTMH.  It was a 35 Yr. Anniversary special and I don't believe it's still available so I won't look up the name of it.  

After heat embossing (from the backside!) I let it cool, then fussy cut it out.  I made a small sentiment tag from Pear cardstock and adhered it with foam adhesive tape. As I said before, I made two.  How nice to have two pretty cards ready at hand!  

Using up some more leftovers!

I'm tired - I need to go to sleep!  It took me five minutes to get the photos arranged properly.  {{deep sigh}}

I used leftover butterflies from the Open Stamping, and colored them with the only markers I have currently in MN.  Arizona must have a PLETHORA of markers because there is drought here!  LOL  Anyway, I think they turned out okay.  The last little photo is the corner of the envelope.  I used Raspberry ink. (love it!).

Personal update - my sinus infection is better but not gone.  I've returned to Yoga and am getting much stronger - it is very exciting!

I cleaned my studio today (don't ask!) and am enjoying knowing where things are located again!  All in all, life is good!

Using leftovers!

Some of you may remember this card - sorta. I couldn't find the stamp set when I set down to use up the leftovers cards that I had prepped for a gathering.  So, I wound up improvising!  Voila!  A happy birthday card here.  And there's more . . .

What a happy little accident!  

Sympathy card - three ways

I sent this card to the daughter and family.  The stamp set is from Papertray Ink (PTI).  It's more complicated than I realized - but it does work rather well.  

In this try I had some trouble with the leaves.  But it just makes it look more watercolored or something - the overall effect is still great.  I sent this one as a thank you to the person who took us to/from the airport.

This one is possibly my favorite even though it was the first one.  I made this one a variation by extending the leaves on the right hand side.  This variation was encouraged by a blob of yellow ink on the card front that I needed to hide.  Inside the sentiment is "Be Brave".  I absolutely love the large silk ribbon.  

Next Open Stamping technique

I'm using the stamp of the month for April for the Open Stamping on 4/28.  This will be the last one before I travel up to Minnesota.  I'm hoping to see my friends one more time before I go!  

I stamped and heat embossed on vellum for the butterflies.  Then I colored them with the Shin Han (alcohol) markers and cut them out.  They were adhered to the card front with just a sliver of tape adhesive under the center of the body so that the wings could be lifted.  The stamp set also had a nifty, small diagonal stripe border that I stamped in three different colors.  I added a small twine to cover up the small gap between the Blossom and Sugarplum borders.  The thanks is also in the same stamp set and I used Bluebird, but will use Carolina next time since it's just a little softer.  

Hope you like it!  

We were in a death-watch for several weeks and finally went to the funeral (Steve performed with the Bishop of New Hampshire).  It was a very close friend of Steve's (50+ years) and his family was there.  I feel so close to his widow, Susanne.  She is one of those people who make you feel instantly loved.  Our time together this visit was short, but we packed in a lot of story telling and as much laughter as possible.  

As always, it's good to be home.

Kitty sitters thank you note

The children across the street agreed to be my kitty sitters over the 6 days we were gone for a funeral.  I made a quick card with a fluffy image of a cat - and tucked some money inside for them.  I wrote the card as if I was Bilbo (my kitty) so it's really very cute!  

Stamps are from CTMH, but the gingham paper is Doodlebug.  

Case of Laurel Seabrook and an attempt at a new technique

I don't know if you've heard, but Arizona had quite a storm over the weekend past and we got lots of snow - even on the lower elevation mountains that surround the "Valley of the Sun".  They were magically beautiful!  

Laurel Seabrook made several cards with a new CTMH hostess set that has this cute bear!  I tried to copy - but I was also thinking I wanted to do a technique where you use the Hot Shot to emboss a template.  I did it with a cloud template - but it didn't really show up over the beautiful Carolina blue cardstock (lighter side).  Then, I decided to add Frosted Lace Stickles to the depressions of the clouds (i.e. inside).  That almost worked.  Not knowing how to adhere everything and not have all that adhesive showing, I came up with the stitched rectangle frame (new from CTMH).  The stitched hills are from the decorative borders set of thin cuts.  Got SNOW? is what everyone in AZ was asking each other over the weekend!  LOL

Superstition Mountains just East of Mesa, AZ  2/23/2019

CASE of one of Anna Wight's cards

Anna Wight is an artist that I MUCH admire!  I decided to try to case her card with this little chickadee (my favorite bird).  First, I die cut a branch with a small bird sitting on it.  I cut the bird off - since I planned to stamp the Chickadee.  Then I colored both the leaves and branches with my Shin Han alcohol markers.  I will probably turn it over and color both sides next time just to help get all the edges covered.  After it was dry (a minute) I went back over the leaves with a center vein. 

The Chickadee was stamped with Intense Black (hybrid) ink.  I am getting to prefer this one over Momento (can you believe it?!)  After it was dry I used watercolor pencils to add the golden and brown colors to the birdie.  I found one scrap of music paper in a basket (deep!) and used it for the background.  I have beautiful music stamps for backgrounds, but after checking Evernote, I realized that they are in MN.  So, going on, I used saddle brown CTMH ink to age the paper a bit, glued the branch and leaves directly to the design paper and popped the bird up on 3M adhesive foam tape.  The button and twine are "signature" embellishments of Anna's but she is much better than I am at getting the proportions right!  I'm blaming this one on my disabled hand!

The hand story - I've had increasing pain in my left hand.  No biggie, right?  Wrong.  I'm left handed.  So when I finally got fed up with it, I went to the doctor who took x-rays and sent me to Physical Therapy.  They did all sorts of measurements, declared me officially ambidextrous (praise God!) and put my left hand in a splint.  I can do most things, but I found it very hard to tie the little twine into anything!  So, no small bows or knots for me for awhile.  Next steps, joint injection with cortisone, then twice more maybe, then surgery.  (Ugh!)

Don't abuse your hands.  When they are tired, take a break.  Believe me - I totally underestimated how much I use them!

New Cactus stamps

I used this card to teach some techniques at our last Open Stamping day (Jan. 24th).  

1.  I used a piece of printer paper to do an un-even (hilly?) tear and use the paper to mask the card so I could add Cashmere ink with a dauber brush.

2.  I used another brush to add Canary yellow to the upper right hand corner (sun?) and carried it out across the card a bit.  

3.  I stamped the cacti with the new archival black CTMH ink.

4.  I colored both cacti with the lighter Shin-Han alcohol ink marker, and when that color was dry, I went over the spines of the sahuaro with the next darker green.  For the prickly pear, I made little doodle circles all over the cactus giving it a mottled look.  

5.  The flower was stamped in Raspberry (the May Arts ribbon is Raspberry and Green).

6.  I stamped a potted Aloe on the envelope and just colored the cactus - then stamped Just Saying Aloe.  Very fun!  

In Arizona (where I live most of the time) we can't really have too many cactus/desert plant stamps!  LOL

A "romantic" Valentine

This card was made with a Valentine stamp that I got but had never used!  I inked the large rose bouquet with the archival black ink from CTMH.  It's a new one - a hybrid ink of dye and alcohol ink.  It's good for watercoloring!  I must have messed around too long with the inked stamp before applying it to the paper because the inked image was pretty light!  I figured, well, let's play and see how it looks!  Golly - I like it!  I also used the new CTMH watercolor pencils.  They have a very pale pink that is dreamy.  I used it here, but mostly blended it in with the next darker pink so the only places you can really see it is on the outside edges of the largest rose.  Cardstock was Sweet Leaf and Pixie.  

Hope you had a nice Valentines Day.  

I'm taking a chance that my beloved won't look at my blog any time soon!  I made this for his valentine card.  I love kitties, he doesn't.  So I needed to make it a kitty card just to poke him!  He will scowl - but I'll probably get a kiss anyway!  I'm not sure you can tell but the card is stamped all on the white layer and then two kitties (last two) are fussy cut and popped up!  The sentiment was from a retired CTMH February word puzzle, and the hearts are from a current hostess set in the Seasonal Expressions catalog.  I used Raspberry ink and Pixie cardstock.  Wish me luck!

Thank you notes

This is a 3 1/2" x 3 3/4" card made with CTMH inks and cardstock.  The cone flower is from Technique Tuesday and is called Echinacea.  I've used this stamp a LOT - it's so pretty (and these are my favorite flowers!).  I used a glassine paper bag for the envelope for these cards - a little awkward and I'm betting the post office didn't love me.  I might make the next ones with my envelope maker thingie.  

A post Christmas Thank You card

So this time I didn't color under the filigree.  I lifted the church on foam adhesive and kept the colors simple (except the red doors - Episcopal churches are "supposed" to have red doors).  The Thank You is stamped in Chocolate (outline of the church is, too).  Fairly simple!  

A Sympathy Card

This card was created with a retired CTMH stamp for the sentiment and two die cuts from LaLaLand.  The crescent moon shape caught my eye in early December (I was thinking Christmas cards - hahaha!) and I just got around to using it last week.  I used the "stencil" from the cut for a mask to stipple a light yellow ink (CTMH Buttercup) on.  The card base and filigree crescent moon are cut from a very heavy, creamy color cardstock that I had used to make my wedding invitations 7+ years ago and had some leftover!  The sentiment is Chocolate ink.  The star is buttercup rubbed over a white glitter paper punched star.  

So, not exactly CAS, but not as detailed as I usually get!  Hope you like it!  

What keeps me so busy?

This is one of the reasons I've been so busy - I spend at least one morning a week protesting with Indivisible Phoenix.  

My daughter and son-in-law came to visit (yes, I know that she is not holding Brian, but rather my cat - Mr. Bilbo Baggins).  Kristen made a friend for life with Bilbo - he loves to be brushed!  We went on many adventures and enjoyed our week together!  

This handsome man is my husband, Steve.  He got a solid milk-chocolate Walleye in his stocking this year and he thinks it's the best gift he's ever gotten!   

My sweet "kids".  Brian is a Medical Physicist (PhD level) and Kristen teaches middle-school (Masters degree) so I guess neither of them are kids, but they will always be that for me.  LOVE them to the Moon and Back!  

So, I believe that's the end of the "after New Year cards".  Hope you'll enjoy getting back to seasonal projects!  LOL

More post Christmas cards.

These two cards were so much fun!  I used a small-ish paper doily cut in half, a pretty mat from red or green design paper, and the focal image from Simon Says Stamps of three darling fur-babies!  I had so much fun coloring them, and adding the cute scarf.  Again, I was trying to build up some stash to address my holiday card issue!  

An OLD CTMH stamp!

I simply HAD TO HAVE this stamp set when it first came out (many years ago!) and it got FIRST ink on it just recently.  (deep sigh).  I really love how the cards came out.  I made two stampings for each card - one in green and one in red.  If I'd been really talented I might have been able to cut-paste the sections without needing to have a "throw-away" on the side.  But anyway - my first thought was to pop the opposite colors up on foam tape, but then thinking about mailing them made me reconsider.  I adhered them flat and popped the whole panel up with a slim foam tape.  I really like the touch of gold at the side.  That was left-over from an autumn paper pack.  It works! 

Another

This one is called a "Cathedral Windows card".  I used it for the early December technique card and prepped a lot more than who showed up! So, I got to make up the rest of the cards and use them for my own holiday greetings!  I changed the sentiment from Merry Christmas to Peace Love Joy after the new year - but the rest is the same.  This year I was so overwhelmed during the holidays that I only got about half of my Advent/Christmas cards out before New Year.  The other half - well, they were late.  Oops!

More Christmas cards

I'm so far behind on posting - but I do have more cards to share!  I made some last minute cards AFTER Christmas but before Epiphany - so does that count?  This one is a shaker card made with a wreath!  I really love how it turned out!  And truly - it was very easy to put together!  The stamp for the wreath is a retired CTMH that came with a matching thin cut die.  I used Nuvo drops to add the red "berries".  Paper is from the Tis' The Season paper pack (now also retired!).