Thanks As In a Bunch of Flowers

Brandy sent me this photo a while back and it got lost in the sea of pictures since we've both had a prolific month of crafting.  This card was too big a stunner not to share with you here.  The card front was made by clear embossing red cardstock using Heartfelt Creations Vintage Floret stamp.  Brandy hand cuts each flower since she finds the fussy cutting to be relaxing.  This adds a certain neatness to the look of the flower.  The flowers are shaped using a technique similar to that used in this video, though I'm not sure Brandy uses glue dots to make the shape happen.  Behind the flowers is leaves stamped with Heartfelt Creations Classic Leaf stamp onto green paper. In this case, she die cut the image using the coordinating die.  A few drops of VivaDecor Pearl Pens create these fabulous embellishments and the card is practically finished.

Brandy made the envelope so that she could make it dimensional to prevent her flowers from being crushed.  This image is to show you how the space allows the flowers to retain their shape.  Of course, this envelope was hand delivered making this design useful.  Still, with Christmas coming up, this is a grand idea, don't you think.

Here's the card all tied up and read for delivery.  Fantastic don't you think!?!

I'm going to link up to Jennifer McGuire's Sharing Handmade Kindness challenge and the SSS Wednesday Challenge Simon Says Thanks/Thanksgiving.

Prima Oil Pastel Watercolor Crayons

I've been playing around with my Prima Oil Pastel crayons.  This water soluble oil pastel media is so creamy and the colors so wonderful, I just couldn't stop creating images.  I used the technique found in this video for reach of these stamped images.  The leaves were stamped using my Heartfelt Creations Classic Leaf stamp.    The rose is a wood stamp from way back.

Fail - Used too much water on the brush to fill in the gaps

My Heartfelt Creations Delicate Asters stamp provided the detail for these images.  Since this is not a solid stamp, I finished the look with a waterbrush and some water - filling the centers of the petals in with the oil pastel transferred to the page.  It's a different look that I'm sure to explore some more.












One shouldn't end on a disappointing note, but these wings stamps just didn't retain the fine detail in the stamped image.  They are lovely in their own right, but I'm not sure they worked out the way I'd like.  Just proof that I need to keep on experimenting with my new tool.  As so I shall.  If I end up making these into anything, I'll share that with you here as well.  Hope all is well in your world as we look forward to November being here.  Isn't time flying by?

Saying Goodbye Again

We've had a rash of retirements at my workplace.  This isn't because the place is so hard to work at- although we are growing greatly.  It is largely because there is a group of individuals who have been employed for decades and they now see that they can have a life outside of the workplace.  Once I made the first few cards, I was cornered as the card maker.  Darn!  (healthy sarcasm, if you can't hear it)

Here's the details on this lovely:

• The flowers were made using my Heartfelt Creations Arianna Blooms die on white cardstock.  I colored the flowers with Worn Lipstick and Scattered Straw Distress Ink and then spritzed with water to create this cool look.  The centers are Heart of Gold prills.  
• The leaves were cut using my Heartfelt Creations Classic Leaf die and colored with Peeled Paint Distress Ink spritzed with water as well.  
• The lace was cut out of white cardstock which I had colored with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink (also spritzed with water to blend the color) using my Our Daily Bread Designs Beautiful Borders die.  
• I printed the sentiment out on the computer and cut with my Timeless Rectangles die.  While the cut was still in the die, I used a dauber to color the edges of the frame with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink.
• A corner punch and some foam squares finish out the card front nicely.

Inside I couldn't resist the opportunity to place one final flower.  They are too precious.

I will hope that Flory enjoys her well-deserved retirement.  We'll miss her cheerful willingness, but know this is the next, best thing for her.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge: Pastels

Word Art Wednesday's Challenge #177: Family Friendly Challenge

Shabby Tea Room's Week #248: Beautiful Blooms

Come join the fun or just stop by to view some pretty inspiring projects!

A Golden Birthday

I've mentioned before that my family celebrates your golden birthday.  This is the birthday where your age matches the day of the month you were born.  My son, Tim, approached me to make a card for his good friend, Jessica, as she was celebrating her golden birthday.  His actual request was to have me help him make a card.  I guess I was too enthusiastic, because I made this with little help from the man.

Here's the details:

• The flowers are stamped using my Heartfelt Creations Arianna Blooms.  The gold is embossing powder and the white is white ink.  Both are stamped onto vellum and die cut using the matching dies.  
• The butterfly is made the same with my Prickly Pear Mini-Butterflies stamp and die set.     
• The leaf was die cut using my Heartfelt Creations Classic Leaf die which I then pressed into my embossing ink pad and heat embossed several layers of gold embossing powder.  I did this by sprinkling the first layer on the wet embossing ink and then heated to melt the powder.  While the powder was still wet, I pressed the image into the leftover powder on my workbench.  Powder clings to the hot image and I heated it up again.  There is probably 4 layers of embossing powder on this image.  The image tends to get very warm, so do this carefully!
• I gold embossed the swirl pattern onto the kraft paper that I had applied white ink to with a dauber.  I first inked through a stencil, but the shape was all wrong so I just kept rubbing the image, smearing the color until it became nondescript.  I also embossed the swirl 2 or 3 times to make the image more shiny and thicker.
• The edges of the kraft paper were embossed by rubbing the edge on my embossing ink pad and sprinkling with gold embossing powder.  I repeated this layer 3 or 4 times and am really pleased with the final look.
• The sentiment was printed out using my computer and printer at home.

I stamped and embossed more gold on the inside.  After my son shyly grinned when I showed him the card, he produced two boxes and asked me to wrap his gifts to Jessica as well.  What is a mom to do?  Certainly the days of asking for my help are limited, so I wrapped them up with some more shiny gold ribbon.  Needless to say, I receive a smiling thank you as he whisked them away, rushing out the door to go to dinner to celebrate.

I'm going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Inspiration Journal's Spring Blooms, what's more spring that butterflies and flowers?

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

and Word Art Wednesday's Challenge #176 Anything Goes

Christmas Birthday Card

Stopping by to share a quick card I threw together for my husband's father.  His birthday is the 26th of December.  In the rush before Christmas, I put together this card so that we could deliver his birthday gift at a lunch that day.  I can barely believe it was three weeks ago- what??  I used a scrap of patterned paper to coordinate with some kraft paper.  The leaves are made using my Heartfelt
Creations Classic Leaf stamps.  A simple man card that works.  I've now spent two years creating cards rather than buying them.  If you knew how many supplies I have, you'd know it is a crime for me to buy a store bought card.  Not because there is anything wrong with them, but because I've too many supplies!

I'm hoping your 2015 craftiness is alive and kicking.  I've got a few projects in mind...

Like Clockwork

I picked up a paper pack of Authentique Grace collection- 8 x 8 double sided patterned papers, coordinating tags and other embellishments, and word/alphabet stickers.  It was in the clearance bin of my local LSS.  I can't imagine why.  Still, my good fortune. 

I thought I'd join in with Simon Says Stamp's Tick Tock Challenge.  I recently had the great fortune to help out Heartfelt Creations at a local stamp show.  They needed register help and so I work Saturday and Sunday to help fellow crafty addicts purchase more products than we need.  As a result, I was able to pick up the March release of Heartfelt Creations Once Upon a Time stamp and die set before it's release.  The vintage clock was stamped with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  It created a very antique feel as the water based ink "beaded" a bit before stamping the image.  I die cut the clocks out and then layered various pieces (the die cuts +10 clocks with one pass of the die) using foam squares.  The leaf was cut using Heartfelt Creations Classic Leaf die.  All papers are from the collection and are edged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  The sentiment was stamped using Our Daily Bread Designs Ornate Border Sentiments. 

I'm linking this up over at the challenge.  There's only a little time left, but come join the fun!

Creative Chemistry 102: Colored Crackle

This technique uses the Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint.  The shapes were die cut out of Grungeboard.  In this case, one of the Heartfelt Creations Vintage Floret flowers and a leaf from the Classic Leaf dies.  A thin coat of Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint is applied.  Once completely dry, Distress Paint in various colors are daubed onto the crackles.  I really don't like the result, but that could have to do with the colors of paint that I have, none of the bright colors.  I thought the paint would have a richer brown color but the result ended up being this dull color of brown.  Some improvement occurred then Distress Ink is applied to the image with an ink blending tool.

Water was spritzed on the piece and the Distress ink soaked into and defined the crackles more effectively. 

Still, this will take me some time to play and figure out how to effectively use this technique.  That may not happen as I don't know that I plan to purchase much more of the Distress Paint

Goodies arrived today

Brandy and I placed an order with Heartfelt Creations.  It arrived today.  Girlfriend time this weekend!!!