French Lilac

I don't know about you, but I just love the smell of a lilac bush! I think they might be blooming around this time, but I am not sure, because we don't have them here in Hawaii (at least I haven't seen any). Lavender/purple is my mom's favorite color, so when I saw this beautiful French Lilac image from Power Poppy, I knew I wanted to make it into a card for my mom's birthday. Power Poppy has both clear and digital stamps, with awesome detail, and they come with beautiful sentiments! I colored it with copic markers, the V09, V06, V04, V01, V000 group for the flowers and used G28, G07, and YG03 for the leaves. I used just a couple of the E markers for the stem. I added a small sheer lilac ribbon around the stem - it was a really light color so I lightly went over it with my V04 marker to make it show up better against the background; and it allowed me to enter my card in Power Poppy's Blog Challenge!!! I used an RV000 marker to color the background of the image, except for the area of the sentiment. I used my Silhouette Cameo to diecut around the image and a lattice background and added a paper with lilacs on it behind the lattice diecut. I then added four little pearl hearts in each corner of the image. Take a look and let me know what you think!

Have a beautiful Spring day!

Flowers In Watering Can

There are SO MANY great digital stamps these days and many artists have a certain style that you can see throughout all of their images. However, Illustrations by T has a diverse group of images that can feed all your moods! I'll just let you click on the link and you can check out her line of images. For this post, I am using a free image that she offered those of us in her FB group, Flowers in Watering Can. She gave us fourteen different color swatches to choose from, and asked us to color up the image and enter it for a chance to win 2 of her images FREE! AWESOME! So here is my image, made into a card. I used the Citron Breeze color swatch. Take a look and enjoy!

Have a wonderful Spring Day!

Valentine Derek

Maybe you've noticed in some of my previous posts that I participate in the Outlawz Challenges Progressive Freebie. It is a monthly challenge that involves an image sent to you every month - FREE! You have until the end of the month to use that image in a project. Many times I am working on it up until the last day of the month because, well, it has just been one of those months - lol! But this month I was able to finish my card early - YAY! And I really like the way it turned out, it was super-fun to put together. The image is Valentine Derek from Doctor Digi. But who said it has to be a Valentine-themed card??? I colored the image with copic markers; paper-pieced his tuxedo from some pineapple print paper and cut out 4 extra bowties to layer on top of his one bowtie just to give it some depth; printed my message on vellum and placed it behind a diecut photo frame; added a little bow I made from a shear ribbon to the candy box, and added a diecut hibiscus to go with the background paper. Take a look and let me know if it doesn't make you want to SMILE!

Doesn't this make you want to run out and get a box of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts? Have a great day!

Graduation Boy

Have you every heard of Saturated Canary? Years ago Krista Smith created these amazing images under her business name of Saturated Canary. Unfortunately, she closed that line, but has since opened a new line on Etsy! The image I used for my nephew's graduation card is from Krista's Saturated Canary line. My nephew's school colors and black and gold. I used copic markers (W's for the cap and gown, YR's and E's for the hair, Y's and E's for the shoes, B's for the jeans) to color the image and then used a sketch layout from The Outlawz Challenges Wednesday Sketch Challenge. Every month I participate in the Outlawz Progressive Freebie Challenge. But I was having trouble deciding how to use all the graduation papers and embellishments I had so I turned to their Wednesday Sketch Challenge and gave it a try! It really helped!! Take a look at my card:

Have a Grand Day!

Thank You Tulip Block

I've been trying to get ahead on some cards lately. Sometimes I procrastinate and end up in a bind to get all of them done, and then I don't really have time to do some other crafts that I enjoy. So, here is an anniversary card I just finished for my sister and her husband. I used a Bugaboo Stamps image called Thank You Tulip Block. This week's Catch A Bug challenge is to use this photo as an inspiration:

Even though the original image says "Thank You" on it, I enlarged the image so I could just use the tulips and butterfly. I colored the image with spring colors: the tulips with some BG copic markers and then put dots on the petals with these same BG colors; the leaves with G's and YG's; the butterfly with RV's and BV's (for a pink and purple combo). Then I used a white gel pen to place more dots on the tulip petals. Lastly I made it into a shaker card. Did you know the one thing you need to remember when making a shaker card is to put the transparent piece down BEFORE you put the foam adhesive pieces on it? Well, I found out the hard way - so I carefully had to remove all the foam pieces, add the transparent piece with it's own double stick tape and then the foam pieces (two layers to make enough room for all the beads, glitter and sequins!). I diecut a little scallop frame for the window, covered a heart with deco-foil and then added my sentiment on a heart on top of that - Whew, done! Take a look and let me know what you think! And I have to mention the coloring classes from Kit and Clowder - they are awesome!

Have an amazing and colorful Spring!

Hurricane Harvey

I used this image for one of my great-nephew's birthday card last December and thought I would use it again for another great-nephew's birthday card this year - lol! Two toddler boys in the family, 6 months apart - whew! The image is from Mo's Digital Pencil and is called Hurricane Harvey (PERFECT for a toddler boy!) and it even comes with the sentiment. My great-nephew loves dinosaurs, too, which made this an even more perfect image for him - I added a diecut dinosaur and put a little googly eye on him. I used some lego paper I had on hand to cut out three little flags and diecut a couple of cars to add also. I used copic markers to color the image, including the wall behind the boy. I take the coloring classes from Kit and Clowder, so you learn something from every class that you can apply to other projects, which is wonderful! She even has a few free classes available for you to get started, so check it out! Here is my card:

I hope you enjoy my card! Have a Wild & Wonderful Day!

Hydrangeas

Happy Easter! I hope everyone is having great weather for this holiday.
For my Mother's Day card this year I thought I would color the Hydrangeas from Kit and Clowder's Nature class. There are so many different types on flowers in the class and I am working my way through them, slowly - lol! I just love hydrangeas - growing up we called them "snowball flowers" or "snowball bushes" and mostly had the white ones. For Alyce's class she has you color them in different blues using copic markers and they are really pretty! I used a pretty ribbon in the back, mica chips on the table covering and added some stick-on letters with jewels. I just hope I have done them justice and that my mom likes her card.

Have a Blessed Happy Easter!