Sending You A Big Hug

Today is my birthday.  I had not planned to spend it being stuck in the house but given it is the safest place for me to be during this trying time, I made a card to send to one of my grandsons.

First, I stenciled the grid onto the card base using my blender brushes.  I really like the way it looks with the brighter color I used on the feathers.  It was a simple card to put together and with mail nicely with no extra postage required.  I always like that.

I've entered my card into the following challenges.  For all the challenge details, click the image(s) below.

Thanks for stopping by,

Marsha

Product Used

Mini Delight: Strength stamp set from Altenew

Simple Strips Background stamp from Taylored Expressions

Salt Water Taffy and Cookie Monster ink pad from Taylored Expressions

Jet Black ink pad from Altenew

Whisper White cardstock from Stampin' Up!

Simple Strips Die from Taylored Expressions

Wavy Grid Stencil from Altenew

Cookie Monster Enamel Dots from Taylored Expressions

WWC264 - Helen's Challenge: All About Occasions

Hello and welcome to the next installment of the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  This week Helen is hosting our All About Occasions challenge.  It's the last challenge of the month and that means I'm sharing a new Christmas card with you. 

Stamp Set: Holiday Florals, Mini Strips Holiday (Taylored Expressions)

Ink: Milk Chocolate, Jet Black (Altenew); Sweet Basil, Guava (Taylored Expressions)

Cardstock: Pear Pizzaz,  Vellum, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!); Glittered Cardstock (The Paper Studio)

Dies: Holiday Florals Die (Taylored Expressions)

Other: Pearl Basic Jewels (Stampin' Up!)

For all of our challenge details and to share your project, visit the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge by clicking the image below.  You'll see all the great projects from our Watercooler Artists.  We’d love to have you take the challenge and link your project.  You have until Monday, March 30th at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time to link up your project.

Thanks for stopping by,

Marsha

WWC263 - Tristan's Challenge: Anything Goes With a Masculine Twist

Wednesday is back and that means it's time for a new challenge at the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  This week Tristan is hosting our Anything Goes With a Masculine Twist challenge.

I love this silhouette die.  I'm thinking you could even cut it apart and use the deer separately.  Hmmm?  Looks like I'm going to have to give that a try.

Stamp Set: Mini Strips Holiday (Taylored Expressions)

Ink: Jet Black (Altenew)

Cardstock: Basic Black
Patterned Paper:  Perennial Essence Designer Series Paper (Stampin' Up!)

Dies: Winter Deer (Sizzix)

For all of our challenge details and to share your project, visit the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge by clicking the image below.  You'll see all the great projects from our Watercooler Artists.  We’d love to have you take the challenge and link your project.  You have until Monday, March 23rd at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time to link up your project.

Thanks for stopping by,

Marsha

WWC262 - Marsha's Challenge: All About Occasions

It's Wednesday and you know what that means.  It's time for a new challenge at of the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  This week Marsha is hosting our All About Occasions challenge.

I like to have a stash of just a note or thinking of you cards on hand so whenever I think of someone, I already have a card made that I can send.  Many times there doesn't have to be a specific reason for sending a card other than you just might brighten that person's day without even knowing it.

This one was made using one of the panel cards from Taylored Expressions.  They are pre-printed panels that you can color on the borders and stamp.  What I like is that you can actually foil over the border and add just a bit of shine to the card.  They are the perfect for adding to a card base.

Stamp Set: Bubble Greetings (Taylored Expressions)

Ink: Oreo Premium Hybrid (Taylored Expressions)

Cardstock: Cookie Monster, Boxed in Basics (Taylored Expressions)

Other: Cookie Monster Enamel Dots (Taylored Expressions); Copic Markers

For all of our challenge details and to share your project, visit the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge by clicking the image below.  You'll see all the great projects from our Watercooler Artists.  We’d love to have you take the challenge and link your project.  You have until Monday, March 16th at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time to link up your project.

Thanks for stopping by,

Marsha

Llama Birthday

So, what do you do when you wake up early?  I usually grab a book and read while the house is still quiet but this morning it was a make a card morning.  I had such fun making this cute llama birthday card.

To add more texture, I used the Bubbles Embossing Folder on the layer of Blushing Bride and the Subtles Embossing Folder on the banners cut from Shaded Spruce.  For the party hat, I stamped the hat image on some Shaded Spruce cardstock, then on some Soft Sea Foam cardstock.  I fussy cut the part of the darker hat and added the pieces to the lighter layer.  For the finishing touch, I used a Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen to add some shimmer to the hat but it doesn't show up well in the photo. 

Isn't that llama just the cutest!  I used my Prismacolor Colored Pencils to color it.  Yes, there is a white pencil.  

I've entered my card into the following challenges.  For all the challenge details, click the image below.

Thanks for stopping by,

Marsha

Products Used

Look Who's Talking stamp set and Look Who's Talking Dies from Taylored Expressions

Shaded Spruce ink from Stampin' Up!

Oreo Premium Hybrid ink from Taylored Expressions

Blushing Bride, Shaded Spruce and Soft Sea Foam cardstock from Stampin' Up!

Modern Label Punch from Stampin' Up!

Icy Sparkle Crystals by Studio Katia

Bubbles Embossing Folder from Taylored Expressions

Subtles Embossing Folder from Stampin' Up!

Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen

Birthday Balloons

Another day has come and gone here in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  It was a beautiful one.  My craft desk sits right under the window and I love looking out on those mountains as I create.

Clean and simple was the order of the day for the CAS(E) this Sketch Challenge.  I combined their sketch with the colors from the Color Throwdown Challenge.  I think they played well together.

I stamped the balloons from the Wish Big Stamp & Die Combo from Taylored Expressions.  Then, I fussy cut those balloons as the only dies in the set are for the words.  I hand drew the strings to the balloons.  Free hand is not my forte.  The word happy was stamped in Poppy Seed and cut with the die in the set.  For the finishing touch, I added to Drip Drops (yes, that is what they are called) to the happy.

The Drip Drops are iridescent but in this photo they look like they are clear.  They add just the right amount to sparkle.  I think I'm going to be using them often.

I played along with the following challenges.  For all the challenge details, click the image(s) below.

CAS(E) this Sketch

Color Throwdown

Thanks for stopping by,

Marsha

Products Used

Wish Big Stamp & Die Combo by Taylored Expressions

Candy Corn, Pink Champagne, Poppy Seed and Sprinkles ink from Taylored Expressions

Whisper White and Whisper White Thick from Stampin' Up!

Drip Drops from Taylored Expressions

Happy Birthday

Okay, it's getting late and I have to be up early in the morning as I'm having breakfast out with my youngest son which means I'm going to keep this post a short one.  It's been a long day and I'm ready to shut everything down and enjoy some quiet time.

Using the sketch from the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge, I created this masculine birthday card.  I always have need for plenty of cards for guys.  I love how this one came together.  I stayed with the light and dark layers in the sketch and this is the result.  I embossed both of the layers but you can't see it on the patterned paper. 

Here's another view of the card, which shows off the embossing done with the Hammered Metal Embossing Folder from Stampin' Up!  The patterned paper was embossed using the Subtles Embossing Folder also from Stampin' Up!

The sketch I used is from the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.  For all the challenge details, click the image below.

Thanks for stopping by,

Marsha

Products Used

Taylored Expressions

Poppy Seed ink

Earl Grey, Poppy Seed, Cherry Pop cardstock

Cherry Pop Enamel Dots

Oreo Enamel Dots

Stampin' Up!

Party with Cake stamp set

Subtles Embossing Folder

Hammered Metal Embossing Folder

Friends Like You

With a headache plaguing my whole day long, I wasn't sure I would make it to the craft desk today.  But late this afternoon, it went away and I was able to get this pretty pair of flowers done for a couple of my favorite challenges.  Given it's getting late and I'm so ready to call it a night due to headaches take a lot out of me but I'm so thankful it didn't get to be migraine strong.

Taking a wee bit of artistic license, I made my poppies purple instead of the more traditional red.   I heat embossed the flowers using Gold Embossing Powder by Ranger, then watercolored them using my Liquid Watercolors from Taylored Expressions.  To a card base of Whisper White I added a layer of Gold Glitter Paper, then a layer of Gorgeous Grape and then the layer with the flowers.  The sentiment was in my stash so I added it to a layer of Gorgeous Grape cardstock.  For the finishing touch, I added some Icy Sparkle Crystals by Studio Katia.  

Here is an angled view of the card which shows some of the shimmer I added to the flowers.  It really doesn't show up very well in the photo but does look nice on the card itself.

I have linked my card up to the following challenges:

The Paper Players

Sunday Stamps

Thanks for stopping by,

Marsha

Product Used

Build-A-Flower:  Poppy Stamp Set by Altenew

Simple Strips-Friendship Stamp Set by Taylored Expressions

Jelly Donut, Lemon Meringue, Peapod Liquid Watercolor by Taylored Expressions

Gorgeous Grape, Gold Glitter Paper, Whisper White Cardstock by Stampin' Up!

Mixed Media Vellum Surface Paper by Strathmore

Simple Strips Die by Taylored Expressions

Icy Sparkle Crystals by Studio Katia

WWC261 - Kath's Challenge: Anything Goes With a Feminine Twist

It's time for a new challenge at the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  This week Kath is hosting our Anything Goes With a Feminine Twist challenge.

This was one of the panels already done that was in my stash and I thought it would be perfect to showcase this great little die.  Simple and so pretty.

Stamp Set: Everything Is Rosy (Stampin' Up!)

Ink: Ice Berg, Jet Black (Altenew)

Cardstock: Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)

Dies: Posh Vases, Silhouette Stems 4 (Taylored Expressions)

Other:  Pearl Basic Jewels (Stampin' Up!); Copic Markers 

For all of our challenge details and to share your project, visit the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge by clicking the image below.  You'll see all the great projects from our Watercooler Artists.  We’d love to have you take the challenge and link your project.  You have until Monday, March 9th at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time to link up your project.

Thanks for stopping by,

Marsha