UPDATE ON MY WEEK!!

I hope you are all doing well and have settled into your new situations. I have to admit that this past week was better than the two weeks prior. I made it a priority to either text or call my family. Several of them FaceTimed with me. I also calledSome of my neighbors and texted with several as well. I also walked most of the week. Had a couple of not so nice days that I couldn’t.

I made a few cards out of my leftovers box and will post the pictures and describe them before I close this post. I had an order for a few cards that I completed and she purchased all 25 of them. She displays my cards in her store. In order to keep it simple she pays me for them up front so that she doesn’t have the headache of keeping track of them.

I also made some backgrounds on watercolor paper using watercolor pencils then using a brush dipped in water to blend the stripes making a very pretty rainbow background.

I used an outline cross die from Simon Says Stamp and inlayed the flowers and leaves that it cut out.

These two were colored with colored pencils and gambol. Then mounted inside an oval/circle before attaching to my card base. I apologize for the quality of the photo. Much prettier in person.

This post is quite long but I hope you enjoyed it! I am so happy that my creative juices have returned and I am having fun again!

Until Next Time, Sharon

Hello Everyone!

During this uncertain time I feel it is important to reach out to as many as I can so I have decided to get back to my blog in hopes to help some of you who may be struggling as we Socially distance ourselves or self quarantine ourselves. Whatever your situation is I hope you are surviving and have the basic you need.

As you know I am an avid card maker and sen cards to my family and freinds for birthdays and holidays. Well the past couple of weeks I have lost my mojo and find myself sitting at my work table staring at a piece of paper with nothing on it. This morning on FB a card maker I follow posted something that got my attention. Her name is Darnell and you can find her at djkardkreations.com if you want to read her full article. Basically, she went to her box filled with unfinished cards and embellishments. She calls her box BOB (Box O’ Bits). She completed 73 cards and her box is empty. I decided after reading her blog this morning I would do the same thing and see where it takes me over the next week or so. This morning I found in mine 2 completed cards that only needed a sentiment. I will post them along with 2 3×4 watercolor cards that were preprinted that I colored. They are not completed cards yet. I will share them again when they are completed.

Now to get the photos uploaded and this posted. This blog and I have a love/hate relationship so hopefully I can get it done without losing this whole post like I have several times today.

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The two on the left were copic pen colored and today I added the “May God bless your day” from Simon Says Stamp Tiny Words of Faith. The other cards I did this morning. I will complete the cards and post them in a few days. Until next time, Sharon

Valentine post.

Jennifer McGuire is one of my favorite card makers and I watch every video she put out there.  Today was especially fun and I had to try it.  I had used dies to make impressions before but adding the White Pigment Ink was new to me.  Of course like she said you can also add darker ink to.  I used GinaK Ink for this one.  My card idea came from Pinterest.  The card I cased is  by Charlet Mallett you can search for her on Pinterest.  I only used the Tag, the sentiment, and the hearts that she used along with the colors of cardstock.  She used paper to make her ribbons and I used ribbon. She used stamps and an embossing folder on the Kraft cardstock.  I used a Tim Holtz die for the embossing.  Hope you liked my card.

Untl next time!

Wow Didn’t Realize It Had Been So Long!!!

A whole year and a half sine I posted.  Can’t believe it has been so long.  Anyway one of my goals for 2019 is to post more often.  My plan is to post at least once a month and hopefully work up to once a week.  Since January is nearly over I have a Valentine to post today.

Baby Shower card!

My my daughter ask me to make a baby shower card for her.  The theme for the baby boy is Wilderness so the above card is what I came up with.  I am so excited about the finished card.  I sponged Distress Oxcide Ink for the sky and the grass.  Used SU’s Lively as a Tree set for the trees and fussy cut the baby deer and water colored it in Crumb Cake.  Die cut a couple of tiny butterflies and stamped the sentiment from  Catherine Pooler designs Hello Set.   It did take me two tries to get it right.  I was almost finished and a huge drop of water landed in the wrong place when I was trying to get it to look like clouds.  When I did it over I used a cloud embossing folder and then cut  few clouds out of it for my clouds.

Until next time.

Card for a Casual Friday challenge

 

I heat embossed this Heartfelt Sun Kissed background stamp in white embossing powder on Tim Holtz Distress watercolor cardstock.  I used the smooth side.  Then I put Catherine Pooler  Something Blue, Aquaini and Flirty Fuchia ink directly on my craft mat spritzed water on the ink and the cardstock.  I used a brush to add the ink where I wanted it and dried it between adding the ink.  When dry I used the label dies to cut out an area of the background which was glued to a white CS base.  The label diecut were then added back in and the small solid piece was cut from white CS and stamped with my sentiment.

Taking an Online Class

I am really enjoying the sparkle and Shine class over at Online Classes that Jennifer McGuire and a Kristina Werner teach.  This is the card I made for the  first dayof the class.  I should say this the only one I can share. I had many starts and this is the only finished card.  My waste basket is quite full.  For me it is going to take a lot of practice.  Of course I have lifetime access to the class so I will be able to do just that.  On the bottom card I used a die that cut out strips of card stock then used a sheet of sticky double sided paper from Elizabeth Craft to back it.  I then used some red and silver glitter to fill in the cut outs.  It is rather messy but using a coffee filter to catch the glitter helps and also used a piece of a swifter dust cloth is really handy to clean up any stray glitter and to wipe off the card as well.   I then peeled the backing off and put it on a side fold card base.  I cut the Happy Birthday out of Silver glitter paper and black paper.  Giving it a shadow and making it stand out better.

I will be posting each days cards so that you can see them all.

Until next time!

Sharon

Sympathy Card

This morning I needed to make a sympathy card for a dear friend.  These are probably the hardest cards for most of us to make.  I find it hard but also sweet to make them because I think of the person who has passed away and the person I am sending the card to.

I had several false starts with this one.  I found this adorable Hibiscus flower stamp from The Stamp Doctor this weekend at my Local Stamp Shop.  I thought I would watercolor it so I started out white embossing it then realized I hadn’t embossed on watercolor paper and the white paper was too white.  Finally I heat embossed using Liquid Platinum by Ranger on SU Basic Grey cardstock.  I cut the top layer down to 4×5 1/4 used versa mark ink on the edges of the card base and heat embossed the edges in Liquid Platinum then attached the top layer Tombow Mono Permanent tape runner.  The inside was stamped with versa mark and heat embossed in the same Liquid Platinum.  The envelope was stamped with the Sentiment and heat embossed as well.

Thank You card!

This Morning I saw a Thank You card on Pinterest that got my creative juices flowing.  I fell in love with the colors Christine Thomas used as well as the layout.  So I pulled out a piece of SU dsp out along with some white 110 lb c/s, a small piece of black and white dsp and a piece of lighter weight white c/s.  I grabbed my Catherine Pooler ink pads in Grass Skirt, Lime Rickey and Aquatini and went direct to paper with it.  Sprayed a bit of water and used a baby wipe to move the ink a bit.  Stamped the Thank You from Stamp of Approval set Still Smiling and a flower and leaves and butterfly also from that set.  Mixed water and CP Midnight ink pad and splashed some drops.  Used Spectrom Sparkle in clear to add a bit of shine to the flower, leaves and butterfly.  Then added a few sequins.  Layered the SU dsp on my base card, then a piece of black &a white on top at an angle.  The last piece was angled the opposite direction.  The flap on the envelope is covered in the SU dsp and the flower and leaves was stamped on the front of the envelope.  At the last minute I stamped the butterfly on the inside lower left corner in Aquatini.

it has been snowing and raining here for the past 2 1/2 days.  Lots of badly needed moisture here on the front range of Colorado.  Great day to make cards but very anxious to see sunshine.

Mixed Media

My first attempt at using Mixed Media to decorate a frame.  I did this to donate it to a fund raiser for the Adult Daycare my husband attended for nearly 3 years.  He had dementia and his going there helped me have some time for me.  He passed away on  October 6, 2014.  I received an invitation to the fundraiser and since it is not in my budget I ask if I could donate some art to the Silent Auction.  I also donated a box of 8 cards I had made.

A friend whose husband attended with mine and I took the items to the Adult Daycare yesterday.  It has been 3 years since my husband has been there and a bit longer since my friends husband attended.  We were shocked when the workers remembered us.  They have several pictures of our husbands on the walls and recalled special things about them.  So happy I could donate something!