Our Beautiful World - Bird

Our Beautiful World is a challenge blog for everyday photographers to share pictures from around the world.  This week's word prompt is Bird.  I have to admit to a lifestyle that doesn't photograph many live birds, so I couldn't think of anything to contribute.  I did remember my son, when he was a young toddler and would look the sky to find airplanes.  Often he would mix up birds and planes, calling them both airplanes in his mangled early English.  This brought to mind these double winged planes we saw at the opening of the Fiesta Bowl parade earlier this month.

These planes are "birds" of a kind as they flew together in formation giving us a short show before the start of the parade.  I snapped these photos waiting to see my gorgeous daughter, Katie, march with her high school band.

It was a beautiful day here in Phoenix and the planes gave us quite a show.  How about you join us with pictures of your own bird(s)?

A Happy Birthday Gift Set

Today I'm stopping in with a gift bag and a card made by Brandy.  I believe the purse was die cut using the Cricut, but the embellishments are all all Brandy.  The flowers came from a pre-made set, but Brandy inked them to get them to the color she desired to match her card.

The card is a simple image using Simply Gorjuss' The Hatter stamp which was inked onto a piece of cardstock and colored using the watercolor medium.  Her hair is simply fantastic, don't you think?  The poppies at her feet are all hand drawn by Brandy to tie to the image and the gift box.  A simple Happy Birthday sentiment stamped on the bottom and the card is done

Brandy is taking the Online Card Classess Watercolor for Cardmakers Intermediate Techniques class.  It's not too late to join the fun.  This card was made before she completed her lessons, but reports say she's enjoying the class!

Brandy linked up to the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge: Simon Says Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday's Challenge #218 Anything Goes

Fun Cuts: Alphabet Challenge - J is for Jewels

Come join the fun.

Gorguss Girl - The Hatter

Brandy is participating in the Online Card Classes Watercolor for Cardmakers: Intermediate Techniques.  I thought I would share another card that is hand colored.  This time, I'm the one coloring the image (stamped with the Simply Gorjuss The Hatter stamp in black Archival ink onto watercolor paper) using my Derwent Inktense pencils.  I simply love how these pencils activate in water and then blend with each other.  In this case, I used by 12 pc. set and combined brown with the orange pencil to create variation in the orange color.  Surprisingly, this image was colored without the background paper being thought of.  Actually, the image was colored while working out of town last fall.  I'm just now pairing it with the stamped and shaped Heartfelt Creations flowers and bits of swirls and ferns from the die cut pile.    I think she's quite lovely, don't you.

I'm linkin to the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge: Simon Says Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday's Challenge #218 Anything Goes

Hop on over to see what everyone has been sharing.

A Card to Make You Sparkle and Shine

Brandy is participating in the Online Card Classes Watercolor for Cardmakers: Intermediate Techniques.  Since I had missed posting this card she made a while back, I thought it might be fitting.  Brandy colored the image and applied glittery elements to thsi card which she ultimately donated to an online card drive in order to cheer someone's day.  I think this card is simply fantastic, don't you?

Our Beautiful World - Bright

The word prompt over at Our Beautiful World is Bright.   I immediately thought of this series of photos taken on Oahu, Hawaii last June.  I was palying around with the camera settings in the afternoon as the sun was setting over the water.

My kids, who enjoy just being together - sometimes!

Depending upon your monitor, you might be able to see the bright sunlight as it catches on the wave crashing against the man made berm.  It was beautiful despite the cloudy skies.

Why don't you join the fun over at Our Beautiful World and show us what is bright in your part of this beautiful world?

Thank You Card Set

I picked up a few Rubbernecker watercolor layering stamps recently.  These are so simple to use and make such wonderful creations.  This first set of cards was made using Distress Inks and the Wildflowers in the Breeze stamp set.  I used watercolor paper as the base and applied a light brush stroke to the background in Hickory Smoke and Shaded Lilac.  This soft background is perfect to highlight the focal image of the flowers.

The leaves were stamped with a combination of Peeled Paint and Shabby Shutters while the flowers include Worn Lipstick, Barn Door and Shaded Lilac.  I couldn't find a good match for  the coordinating strips so I super saturated a left over strip of watercolor paper with Shaded Lilac - ink pad directly to the paper and quickly sprinkled clear embossing powder over the color.  When I heated the powder,this rich, shiny color emerged.  Perfect.  The shiny made me want to pair it with something glittery.  I had some silver, glitter embossing powder and used more scraps to create a glitter paper using Embossing ink.  I trimmed these pieces to make small strips to edge my image.

All in all, I'm so pleased that I'm going to make some more of these for gifts. Stay tuned!

Wanna Getaway?

Throughout the fall and winter I had a couple of opportunities to travel for work.  What is a crafty girl to do?  I simply packed my 12 pc. Intense pencils, a watercolor brush and some pre-stamped images and had a crafty time in the hotel room after work was done.  I'm finally getting around to making cards from these image.  This card is the first.

This image was stamped in Archival black ink onto watercolor paper using my Gorjuss Getaway stamp set.  I will say that some of the coloring imperfections are a result of the poor lighting in most hotel rooms.  Still, pairing this image with some Making Memories (old!) paper flowers with pearl centers and patterned paper from the stash really works to let our 'lil Miss take center stage of this card.  There are improvements I'd make looking back, but she's wonderful just as she is too.

Arianna Blooms for the Bathroom Decorations

I was futzing around this weekend, attempting to decorate my extra bath.  I had purchased a wall hanging and the space just seemed to call out for something extra.  I decided to make up these flowers to decorate.  I used black Archival Ink and white pigment ink to stamp using my Heartfelt Creations Arianna Blooms stamp and then cut out using the coordinating die.  I used a deep purple and a light lilac cardstock base for each.  Some of the centers are a ball of Art Institue black glitter which is ever so sparkly and some are black die cut centers from the coordinating die set.

I then cut these swirls out of black, sticky backed vinyl with my Cricut.  I used a bit of transfer paper to position them onto the painted wall.  We then hung them on the wall and the plaque with some re-positionable glue dots.  As usual, I made a bunch extra that I didn't use.  Now the question is whether I save them assuming that the humidity natural to the bathroom will make them age prenaturally or do I use up those extras knowing I can always make more if the need arises.  It is such a tough decision!  Guess I'll keep them for a short time, judge the replacement timing and then use those extras up.

What home projects have you been working on lately?  Any way to incorporate your crafting into the decorations?

Our Beautiful World - Blue

Our Beautiful World's word prompt this week is Blue.  I immediately thought of these photos of the Chihuly blown glass exhibit in the Desert Botanical Garden here in Phoenix.  These photos are nearly 2 years old now, but they still incite a sense of wonder to me.  The color changes as the sun sets and the exhibit is lit by flood lamps.

Of course, we have such beautiful blue skies that it is also fun to watch the color of the sky change as the day moves from morning to afternoon to dusk and ultimately to night in these photos.

Near the entrance is this mesmerizing sculpture in blue.  There is so much of interest to see in this sculpture that you could not stop watching for a long time.  Again,l the series of photos from morning to afternoon to dusk is represented here.

But I couldn't miss an opportunity to show the blue that makes my heart proud.  This past year, my son Timothy in his cap and gown graduating from Chandler High School, home of the Wolves, whose colors are blue and white.

This is my take on blue.  What does the word prompt inspire in you?  Come join the fun over at Our Beautiful World.

More Little Birdies to Brighten Your Day

Maybe it is the new year, maybe it is just how adorable the Heartfelt Creations Birds and Blooms stamp and die set is.  Either way, I decided to put that pile of colored and die cut pieces into a card set.   I also decided that some of the patterned paper from the stash needed to find it's way into cards.  So I went shopping in the Scrapbox.  Look what I found!

I really like how the coloring on the birds can make them look so very different from card to card.  The oval die cut was made using my Heartfelt Creations Eyelet Oval die.  The set comes with the pieces to cut an open frame like the blue cards or a solid frame like the green cards.  Fantastic!

With the new year, I'm hoping you are finding your crafty way.  I suggest "going shopping" in your supplies.  You will be pleased with what you find and the creations are no less spectacular if the paper is stored well.

Happy Birthday Tweety Bird!

 I had a need for a quick birthday card so I swooped in to grab some birds and this branch from a pile of pre-colored and cut pieces.  The paper in the background comes from a decades old paper pad that has been lingering in the stash.  I hate to say it, but this only consumed 1/2 of two different sheets - enough to make more cards!

Still, I'm so pleased with the color match on this card - it really turned out.  All the coloring was accomplished with some Pallette paper, Prima Oil Pastels and a watercolor brush.  I simply colored the crayons onto the pallette paper and used water to pick up and distribute the color.  Isn't it fantastic?

A short and sweet sentiment on the inside to finish this card off.  It was a ton of fun to make, even on short notice.  What's been hanging around too long in your craft room that needs to be converted to a beautiful card?