Running With Scissors…

This is the card I would have shared yesterday if my blog had not crashed.  Oops!  I made it to go along with Laura’s focus on Crystal Clear Cardstock which she wrote about on the Flourishes Newsletter.  It’s a great post with pretty samples and good information…you can see it here.

I didn’t do anything particularly brilliant with my clear cardstock.  I was determined to use up some bits and pieces — designer paper scraps with a hole already cut, and an image already stamped and waiting to be colored.  I sandwiched the clear cardstock between layers and stamped “for you” in Stazon ink.  I added the scalloped frame, lacy borders, and polka dot ribbon to try to cheer up the colors.  The ribbon slide is one of Flourishes new Finishishing Touches embellishments, from the Stunning Slides package.  Oh, I love them all and I’ll be using them alot!  Good thing there are 18 slides in a package…  They’re lightweight and rather low profile, too, so they don’t add much bulk to the card front.

  The thumbnail is a peek at the inside of the card.  You can click on it for a larger view.  It’s not the whole inside, just a cropped out view of the stamp and sentiment.  I colored the DIY Topiary rose tree with Prismacolor markers on watercolor paper, cut it out, and adhered it to the vanilla cardstock which lines the inside of the card.  To determine proper placement of the rose tree in the window, I closed the card — with the hole already cut in the card front, but additional layers not yet added — and traced the hole in a light pencil line onto the vanilla lining.  That showed me where the window would be.  After the rose tree was glued in place, I erased the line.

In addition to Laura’s wonderfully creative samples, you’ll love Christine’s Clearly Strutting beautifully colored peacock, and Cindy’s lovely rose card with rhinestone centers in her floral brads.  Faith has shared two cards with the new BasicGrey Wisteria paper and added touches of clear cardstock and the new Mini Messages metal tags.  And wait till you see Julie’s gold embossed and delicately colored Nasturtiums on embossed vellum and clear cardstock — wow!  Brace yourself for Latisha’s stunning clear card, decorated in plum and black.  I just about fell over!

Let’s all have ourselves a happy and restful weekend, now, and savor every moment of it.  Monday will come all too soon, or maybe not soon enough, depending upon your perspective.  I’m wishing you whatever your heart desires.  Take care!

Stamps:  DIY Topiary, Daffodils (for you sentiment), Flourished Words (inside)  Paper:  Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral, Crystal Clear Cardstock, Very Vanilla, Wild Asparagus double-sided designer paper  Ink:  Palette Umber, Timber Brown Stazon, Prismacolor markers for coloring  Accessories:  Ribbon, ribbon slide from Flourishes new Stunning Slides collection (Finishing Touches), brad, SU! photo corner punch, Martha Stewart lace border punch, Spellbinders circle dies

Hello!  Today I decided to bring out my new Nasturtiums for a little stamping enjoyment.  I wanted this card to be very clean and fresh in appearance, so I used lots of white and not too much clutter in the design.  My flowers are stamped on watercolor paper and colored with Prismacolor markers.

See the pretty gold flower brad?  Today, Flourishes is previewing Finishing Touches, a wonderful line of absolutely lovely card jewelry which will be available in the store this Friday, May 29.  Oh, my goodness — gold, silver, and copper fancies in many gorgeous shapes and sizes.   They’ve put together some nice little packages to choose from.  Click on the following thumbnail for a sampling of the Beautiful Brads collection:

Aren’t they pretty?  There’s also a Stunning Slides package, Finishing Florals, Mini Messages, and two different Pretty Pins collections.  I love them all!  Stacy, Julie, and Laura are sharing samples using these new embellishments today, too.  Very fun!  Have yourself a wonderful day, and I’ll see you again soon!

Stamps:  Nasturtiums (from Flourishes)  Paper:  Certainly Celery, Apricot Appeal, watercolor, Neenah Classic Solar White, retired Stampin’ Up! designer paper  Ink:  Palette Umber, Prismacolor markers for coloring  Accessories:  Ribbon, flower brad, Spellbinders oval dies, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Every now and then I’m in the mood for something bright, fun, and a little bit funky, so that’s what I’m sharing today in a card made with my Impression Obsession Smell The Coffee set.  Naturally, I’m so pokey slow about getting back around to this set again that I can no longer link to it directly in the store where I purchased it (Stamper’s Dream), but I see lots of fun new items there now, including new stamps from Impression Obsession.

I did the coloring with Prismacolor markers and used BasicGrey Phoebe paper and other items from my incredibly fun and sizeable stamp room stash to dress it up.  I tell myself all the time to get busy and use up all those papers and embellishments, wear out that rubber and photopolymer, and then I spend all afternoon putting one card together and I’m reminded, once again, why I don’t produce more than I do.  I swear, I’ll get better at this someday!

I hope all my stamping friends worldwide have had an enjoyable weekend.  Here in the US we’re observing Memorial Day, but the sentiment is meaningful to folks everywhere.  We acknowledge with respect and gratitude every degree of sacrifice that has been made in service to our country, and we dedicate this day particularly to those we have loved and hold forever in our hearts.  It’s not just any old three day weekend…it’s time to say “thank you”, “I miss you”, and “I’ll remember you, always”.  Take care, and thank you so much for sharing your time with me.

Stamps:  Smell the Coffee by Impression Obsession  Paper:  Tempting Turquoise, Wheat Grass (by Memory Box), Whisper White, BasicGrey Phoebe designer paper  Ink:  Adirondack Pitch Black, Prismacolor markers for coloring  Accessories:  Offray ribbon, Prima Sprites flower, flower brad, Spellbinders curved rectangles dies, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Flourishes is focusing on piercing today.  So where is the piercing, you wonder?  No, your eyes do not deceive you…there is no piercing on my card.  I got involved in the design of this card and left no room for piercing.  I didn’t want to add it “just because”, so here it is…sans piercing.

You’ll find piercing galore, however, on the Flourishes Newsletter as Christine shares her ideas for incorporating piercing into a card’s design.  She’ll show you everything I certainly didn’t know about using Spellbinders Piercabilities.  Treat your eyes to some “pretty” and visit her there, and then hop on over to the other designers who are sharing their pierced creations as well:    Cindy, Faith, Julie, Laura, and Stacy.

I’ve made a birthday card today, and as you may have guessed, it’s for someone who likes purple, glitter, flowers, and fancy.  I jumped at the chance to use my pretty Sweet Violets again, which covered the purple, flowers and fancy.  All I had to do was add the glitter… and some scallops, ribbon, pearls, fancy corners and luscious designer paper.  The border punch is by Martha Stewart, and the corner punch is something really old by Family Treasures, probably no longer sold except, perhaps on eBay.  The Sweet Violets, Euphoria designer paper, watercolor paper, pearls and Quickie Glue Pen for applying the glitter are all from Flourishes.

The violets are colored with Prismacolor markers.  I just love how they blend on this paper with no bleeding outside the lines.  Copics would work the same, I imagine.  After I finished the marker coloring, I watercolored some soft amethyst shading around the image.  The watercoloring works great in conjunction with the alcohol-based markers because water will not cause the alcohol inks to bleed.

Why, then, did I not simply watercolor the whole image?  I guess the answer is…just because it was fun – reason enough, since I so love to color.  But, also, there’s a subtle difference in the outcome of the coloring.  It looks watercolored, but the blending is very smooth and some may find it easier to control.  There must be a reason why so many folks prefer Copics or Prismacolor markers over watercolors.  The only thing about my use of Prismacolor markers that dismays me is my inability to achieve that soft shading (glow, aura, halo) around the image.  For the time being, this method is working for me, but I’ll continue to figure on a way to do a soft glow with the markers.  I have an idea I’d like to try, and if it pans out I’ll be sure and let you know.

Leaf colors:  Green Tea, Dark Olive  Flower colors:  Violet Mist, Violet

I also made liberal use of the colorless blender to create highlights and soften edges.

I don’t know at what point one becomes an expert with alcohol markers.  I keep learning and trying new things, and maybe some of it will be useful to the folks who are learning right along with me.  Take care, and have a happy Memorial Day weekend!

Stamps:  Sweet Violets  Paper:  Pink Pirouette, Almost Amethyst, watercolor, BasicGrey Euphoria designer paper  Ink:  Palette Umber, Almost Amethyst, Prismacolor markers (colors listed above)  Accessories:  SU! ribbon, Kaiser flat-backed pearls, Martha Stewart border punch, old Family Treasures corner punch, Quickie Glue Pen, fine glitter, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Hello, and happy Wednesday!  Today I’m sharing a couple of cards that were very quick to put together after I’d spent a long time coloring the flowers.  They’ve been tucked away in a baggie for quite a while and I finally turned them into cards over the weekend.  When I first got my Prismacolor markers I stamped out quite a few of these flowers so I could practice coloring.  It was a learning experience, so please excuse my beginner’s efforts. 

This Chatterbox designer paper came as close as anything I had for picking up the colors of the flowers and leaves, and the Ballet Blue provided high contrast to set everything off.  I stamped the blue with my Linen background stamp, which added more depth of color as well as some faux texture.  I love that stamp!  They certainly did make some colorful cards!  The cut out flowers and the ric rac print in the designer paper seemed like plenty of “dress up”, so I added no ribbon or hardware.  Consequently, they’re easy mailers, so here they are for One Stamp Wednesday — no extra postage required.

All ingredients are summed up in the recipe below.  Thank you so much for visiting today.  I know how busy everyone’s lives are, so it touches me that you make time to drop in to say “hello”.  Have a good day!

Stamps:  Bud Basics, Happy Harmony, Linen (all retired Stampin’ Up!)  Paper:  Ballet Blue, Cranberry Crisp, White, Chatterbox designer paper  Ink:  Palette Noir, Prismacolor markers  Accessories:  Spellbinders oval dies, SU! eyelet border punch, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

As has been the case for the last couple of years, the weekends are often followed by a garden post.  Why break with tradition?  When the weather is so gloriously beautiful, and we aren’t off enjoying the great outdoors elsewhere, I’ll be in the garden.

I spent a good part of Saturday shopping for flowers.  Oh my!  I haven’t indulged myself so deliciously in ages, as my mature, closely planted garden has little room for newcomers.  I always plant several pots of annuals, which allows variety from year to year but, for the most part, the perennial beds remain unchanged.  This year, however, I decided to completely redo one of the beds, hoping to plant something the deer find distasteful.  Frankly, at the moment I’m exhausted but, before I plant myself on the couch for the evening, I thought I’d share a few photos I took this weekend.

I don’t know how many times I’ve photographed this azalea and maple tree, but they truly are some of my garden favorites.  And to think, the maple tree will blaze on like this until it drops its leaves with autumn’s chill.  Aren’t those colors beautiful?  This is a view from my Adirondack chair where I like to sit (and sometimes nap) in the afternoons. 

Before I headed out on my shopping spree I wandered through the garden, enjoying the spring blooms.  It’s a favorite time of day…everything fresh with dew…so quiet in the neighborhood, with the birdsong true and sweet, almost echoing through the trees.

Johnny Jump Ups:

Deciduous azalea:

And these are a few of the annuals that came home with me, starting with Osteospermum (pardon the fly):

Gazania:

And, finally, these petunias.  They’re mixed with red verbena and the color combination is so pretty:

There are a lot more, but that’s probably enough flower photos for one day.  I’ll be back soon with something stamped.  I hope you had a wonderful weekend, too.  Thanks for visiting my garden!

I have another topiary card to share today.  This one is along more feminine lines, but I wanted to keep it simple and a little bit sweet.  Gingham and a button, scalloped corners and lots of white with an easy layout were what I was feeling at the time, though this rose tree could take on an elegant look just as well.

I had a rose tree like this at one time, but when we moved it to our new home (in 1990) it reverted to root stock.  I was surprised when it died away and came back as a bush with small, burgundy blooms.  I still have this blue pot, though…

To color this image, I used Prismacolor markers on watercolor paper.  I was happy to find the paper very suitable for this medium – easy to blend, and virtually no bleeding outside the lines.  I stamped it in Palette Umber and didn’t seem to have a problem with the ink smearing, which usually does happen when I use Palette inks with alcohol markers.  It’s hit or miss with Palette and alcohol markers, it seems.  What made me most happy about the watercolor paper/alcohol marker combination was that I was able to give the image a soft watercolor wash, or glow, with a soft grounding at the base of the pot.  I’ve not been able to do this quite satisfactorily with the markers alone.  The watercolor paper allowed the best of both mediums, without either interfering with the other.  Just a little experiment that worked out well.  Happy day!

If you’re of a mind to do a little shopping, the May releases are now available in the Flourishes store and everything in the store is available at a 10% discount until May 21.  Remember to use the promo code rsc99 at checkout to receive the discount.  Here are quick links to all the newly released stamp sets:  DIY Topiaries, A Man’s View, Nasturtiums

I’ve got to run now…it’s been a busy week.  I’m planting flowers this weekend while the weather holds.  I hope you enjoy a beautiful weekend, as well.  I’ll see you again Monday!  Take care!

Stamps:  DIY Topiaries, Sweet Violets (sentiment)  Paper:  Textured white from Wal-Mart, CTMH Cranberry & Dutch Blue, watercolor  Ink:  Palette Umber, Bashful Blue, Going Gray, Prismacolor markers for coloring  Accessories:  Ribbon, button, linen thread, McGill scallop corner punch (old), crimper, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Day 3 of Flourishes’ previews is all for the guys with this set called A Man’s View, created by Lauren Pope.

The set has images and sentiments appropriate for Father’s Day, but this card wound up going to a friend’s dad for his birthday.  Isn’t that a familiar pose?  Actually, it could be me at this very moment but, rather than a TV in front of me, I’ve got my computer in my lap.

I colored this with Prismacolor markers and kept it relatively unadorned — just a little bit of hardware and some masculine papers to coordinate with the colors in the image.  To get a look at some of the other features of the set, please visit:    Christine, Cindy, Faith, Julie, Latisha, Laura, and Stacy.

Remember:  

• Check out the His & Her’s Challenge.  There’s still time to participate, if you play today, and have a chance at winning all three of Flourishes’ May releases.
• Join us for the Release Party Friday night, May 15, 8 - 10 pm central.
• Visit the Flourishes Newsletter today if you’d like to win this set.  Leave a comment here to get your name in the drawing.
• Now through May 21 everything in the Flourishes store is 10% off.  Use this promotional code at checkout:  rsc99
• All the new releases will be available in the store after the release party.

Thank you so much for your interest and the time you took to visit with me this week.  Are you ready for the weekend?  I hope you find some time to kick back and relax.  Enjoy!

Stamps:  A Man’s View  Paper:  Buckaroo Blue, white cardstock, retired Stampin’ Up! Treehouse designer paper  Ink:  Ranger Distress Walnut Stain, Prismacolor markers for coloring  Accessories:  Hardware, ribbon, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Day 2 of Flourishes’ previews brings my favorite of this month’s releases — DIY Topiaries.  I feel as drawn to the warmth and comfort of this set as I do the gaiety and charm of Sweet Peas, Sweet Violets, and our latest floral, Nasturtiums.  I like a lot of green in the garden for the way it sets off the flower colors and creates a tranquil, calming sanctuary…a cushion into which I sink gratefully to ease the weight of everyday concerns.

You can do it yourself any number of ways with the many beautifully illustrated pots and topiaries this set provides.  It’s extremely versatile, with both foliage and floral images.  I needed a masculine thank you so I went all foliage with this card.  I struggle with masculine cards, but the His & Her’s challenge brought about an epiphany for me:  Just set out to make a feminine card, but exchange every feminine element with a masculine element.  I know that sounds almost too elementary, but I’ll be darned if it doesn’t work.  Why did I have such a mental block about that till now?  Picture this card exactly as is, but with a floral image, sweet and delicate designer papers, a filigree brad, silk, satin, or organdy ribbon tied in a bow — see it?

Important info:  If you get a chance, please do check out the His & Her’s Challenge.  There’s still time to participate and have a chance at winning all three of Flourishes’ May releases.  The winner will be announced at the Release Party Friday night, May 15.  The party starts at 8 pm central and winds up around 10 pm.  And please, see the DIY Topiaries post on the Flourishes Newsletter.  Leave a comment there to enter a drawing for the Topiaries set.  A winner for each set is drawn daily.

Also:  Flourishes is having a Spring Sale!  Now through May 21 everything in the store is 10% off.  Use this promotional code at checkout:  rsc99

Now… If you’ve seen the work of my fellow Flourishes designers before, you know they’ve got some heart-stopping beauties to share with you.  I’m anxious for you to see what more can be done with this set!  I do have other cards ready to share later but, for now, please visit:    Christine, Cindy, Faith, Julie, Latisha, Laura, and Stacy.

I’d love for you to join me tomorrow for Preview Day 3.  Till then, have a happy day!

Stamps:  DIY Topiaries (to be released May 15 pm), sentiment from Thank You  Paper:  Really Rust card base, watercolor, Garden Green, Wild Wasabi, retired Stampin’ Up! Apple Cider designer paper  Ink:  Palette Umber, various SU! inks for watercoloring  Accessories:  Ribbon, brad

It’s time for Flourishes’ May release previews, and today I’d like to share a card made with an image and sentiment from a new Marcella Hawley botanical — Nasturtiums.  This is one of three new sets which will be available Friday night, May 15, after the release party.

I so look forward every month to Marcella’s latest art for Flourishes, as she speaks right to my gardener’s heart.  Nasturtiums are familiar flowers which grow easily from seed and thrive in poor garden soil with very little attention.  We usually see the cheerful red and yellow blooms climbing a wall or sprawling along the ground, but over the years new colors have emerged, and I chose one of those in a deep burgundy shade for my card today.

The image is watercolored with inks to coordinate with this BasicGrey Perhaps designer paper.  The marigold mat, flower centers, and ribbon add just a little bit of ”pop”.

Release-related things to remember:

1)  The His & Hers pre-release challenge is still open till Friday night.  Participation in that challenge will place your name in a drawing for all three of Flourishes’ May releases.  A winner will be drawn and announced at the release party.

2)  Each day of the previews, there is a drawing for the set being previewed that day — you know… like blog candy.  Everyone likes blog candy, don’t they?  Winners will be drawn daily, so be sure to leave a comment on the Nasturtiums preview today.

3)  The Release Party happens Friday night, May 15, 8 - 10 pm central at the Flourishes Forum on Splitcoaststampers.  More previews, games, and prizes are part of the activities.  We’d love to see you there!

Each of the Flourishes designers is sharing their perspective on this pretty botanical today.  I love seeing all the different looks that come from the same set in the hands of various stampers.  I hope you’ll enjoy visiting:   Christine, Cindy, Faith, Julie, Latisha, Laura, and Stacy

Tomorrow I’ll have another preview, and I hope you’ll join me then.  Thanks so much for stopping in today!

Stamps:  Nasturtiums (to be released Friday night)  Paper:  Bravo Burgundy textured, watercolor, Marigold Morning, BasicGrey Perhaps designer paper  Ink:  Palette Umber, Garden Green, Bravo Burgundy, SU! inks for watercoloring  Accessories:  Double-sided satin ribbon, Scotch brand foam mounting tape