Watercolor Flowers

I used watercolors with a stencil to create this one-layer card.  Because the flowers are a stencil and not a stamp, the overall effect is softer.

In this photo you can see the shading of the various colors that I blended:

In this photo you can see the shimmer of the paint, although you lose the detail of the colors:

Materials:
Yasutomo shimmer water color paints;
water brush
STAMPlorations Happy Flowers stencil
STAMPlorations sentiment stamp from Fond Expressions set
Memento Tuxedo black ink

Stamps and Stencils:  Time Flies due Sept. 2 (London time) mixed media

Inkspirational Challenge:  #90 Designers Choice:  One Layer Card due Sept. 11

STAMPlorations August Challenge:  Theme, Sketch or Both  must use stamps

 


STAMPlorations Anything Goes Challenge--never-ending, must use STAMPlorations products as focus #468

My Day With Finn

Yesterday I had a fabulous experience at The Paper Boutique in Springfield, IL.  I was so looking forward to spending the day with Anna Dubrowska, aka Finnabair, from Prima, and she did not disappoint!!!!!  Such a delightful young woman!  And sooooo very talented!!!!!!  Thank you to Corrine, store owner, for bringing Finn here!

We started with a blank canvas and a boat load of embellishments.  We brought a photo.  I chose the one taken of me at my 65th birthday celebration in Napa, CA.  I have quite a collection of old photos of my ancestors and toyed with the idea of using one of those.  Then I thought,  one day I'll be one of those ancestors in an old photo so I decided to stick myself on a canvas.

From this.....

To this....

Finn is an excellent instructor and offers a well paced class with a demonstration and easy to understand tutorial for each component of the project.  I learned soooo much!!!!!  It was wonderful to work in such a stress-free, comfortable environment!

And, of course, we ended the day with a group photo (provided by The Paper Boutique).

A Boy and His Dog

A totally digital ATC:

Materials:

Gecko Galz digital image of boy and dog from free August 2015 collage sheet found in August newsletter, cropped and converted to png file
Gecko Galz frame cropped from Circus digital collage sheet.
computer software to add shadowing and title

Entering:

Gecko Galz August Customer Challenge:  Life is a Circus x

Luna Girl Moonbeams Challenge:  Animals x

My Latest UPA Column: Chipboard Dollie

For the month of August at the Unruly PaperArts blogozine, our theme is Chip off the Old Block: creative contributors will present a wide variety of techniques to use on chipboard and specialty cardboard, such as corrugated, matt board, etc.

There are so many things to do with chipboard.  One of them is to cover them with paper!  As a papercrafter, this is the direction I took for my current UPA column which you can find HERE.

I purchased from Red Lead Paperworks the chipboard doll collection and began creating my project.

If you are visiting from UPA, here is the supply list:

Other Materials:

Large chipboard dress and precut dotted turquoise paper dress glued together with USArtQuest Perfect Paper Adhesive Matte.  Edged with Versa Magic Chalk Ink.

Pinafore--gesso followed by Ranger Tim Holtz Picket Fence Distress Stain
STAMPlorations ARTlorations Hearts All Over Stencil with Ranger Tea Dye Distress Ink
Dylusions stencil for alphabet row
Red Lead Paperworks stencil for word DREAM
STAMPlorations Trendy Butterflies stamp set
STAMPlorations Mixed Media Grunge stamp set
Memento Rose Bud dye ink pad
cotton ball ink applicator for dots
thread for buttons from kit
pink trim from stash

Small chipboard dress painted with Dina Wakley Media heavy body turquoise actylic paint. WOW glitter embossing powder, heat embossed.  Covered with second coat of paint.
pink half pearls and ribbon from stash
Red Lead label stamp on scrap of chipboard, cut to fit
clothes pins and hanger from kit

To learn about my oopsie moment, please read my UPA column HERE.

Studio 490 Art Parts Spool Set (Wendy Vecchi-Stampers Anonymous)
ProArt Gesso
Folk Art Bubblegum Acrylic Paint
Dina Wakley Media heavy body turquoise actylic paint
Tim Holtz idea-ology Postale Tissue Wrap
Spellbinders Nestabilities Standard Circles Dies
drywall tape painted pink (scrap from previous project when used as stencil)
pink flowers and pearls from stash
tiny pink clothes pin with turquoise heart from stash
glue gun

Face and Hair Red Lead Paperworks Vintage Elements 126 collage sheet (included in kit)
Copics E00, E31, E35, E50, RV02, RV32
Ribbons from Red Lead Paperworks (ribbons they tie onto the bags of goodies I order)
Shoes from kit

I would like to enter this dollie in the monthly STAMPlorations ARTplorations contest for August.  

Here are a couple of additional photos of the pinafore for the contest:

ARTplorations Hearts All Over Stencil

STAMPlorations Mixed Media Grunge and Trendy Butterflies stamps

I'd also like to enter the dollie here:

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #321 photo  and embellishments prompt--lots of embellishments on this dollie  Due August 8 x


Country View Crafts August Challenge:  Summertime   To me summertime means wearing a nice summer frock while chasing butterflies, looking at the clouds, and dreaming away the hours.

That Craft Place Challenge:  Mixed Media Anything Goes due August 15 x

Anything But a Card: Celebration -- final challenge, due Sept 8  Celebrate a glorious new day! Due September 6

A Couple of Manly Cards

This month of August at the Unruly PaperArts blogozine, our Reader Art Quest theme is Manly.

I made a couple of birthday cards for the guys in our family.  I hope you will be inspired to enter a manly themed creation for this month's RAQ HERE.

This first card is for the musician in the family.  I used a music embossing folder and Graphic 45 papers.  Happy Birthday sentiment stamp from Avery Elle.

I'd like to enter this card in these challenges:
The Male Room:  Challenge #15 Spots and Stripes X
Cards4Guyz Challenge #81 Something Beginning with T:  Tuxedo, Top hat and Tails Winner!
Fashionable Stamping Challenge:  All About the Men x
Sister Act:  Challenge #117 Anything Goes  Winner!

The second card is for the craft beer afficionado in the family.

Digital paper and mug from Pixel Scrappers, made by Marisa Lerin.   I printed the mug twice.  After fussy cutting the mug, I edged with Vintage Photo Ranger Distress Ink marker.  I covered the suds with Marvy Liquid Applique, then used the heat tool to puff up the suds. The mug is on an Action Wobble Spring.

I used a 12.x12 piece of scrapbook cardstock to make a custom-sized card with a flap to hold a cash gift.  You can see the side view of the beer mug attached to the Action Wobble Spring.

The inside digital images of the glasses and the sentiment are from Southern Sass Graphics (an Etsy shop).  I colored the beer with Ranger Wild Honey Distress Ink Marker

I'd like to enter this card in these challenges:

City Crafter Challenge #272 Create a Masculine Birthday Card x
The Cheerful Stamp Pad Challenge #117 Anything Goes x