A Painted Garden Using Embossed Resist.

     Today's card is for my dear friend and neighbor.  I had purchased the stamp Flower Bird Garden by Hero Arts a number of months ago and hadn't even opened it yet. I thought it would be perfect for Linda, because she always has beautiful flowers around her house and I often visit while she gardens and I sometimes help pull weeds. We also water each others plants when the other travels ;- ) I was feeling a bit artistic, so I stamped it with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink and clear embossed it. Then I hand painted in the flowers and hummingbirds with Distress Inks. Yes, I did get out my Field Guide to do the painting on the hummingbirds ;- ) I colored in the light color washes first then added the darker details with a fine brush after it dried a bit. I created an embossed border with Cuttlebug's Frills Embossing Borders, then hand cut a pennant shape for the sentiment. The sentiment is from Clear Stamps (stamped with Marvey Brush markers)  and the shape was inked with Tumbled Glass.

     On the inside, I used a PhotoShop brush from Japanese Brush Pack 3 by darkgarden, to stamp the branch with the bird. You can find the brush set free here . The font for the text is LDJ Jilligraphy from Lettering Delights. You can find the link to Lettering Delights on my side bar.

     I zoomed to finish this up before her birthday because I've had a crazy week. I did get it delivered tonight though, phew!

Entered in the Sunday CAS Challenge at The Outlawz. Join us for the 1000 member Party going on this week!


     Many blogs are reminding you to schedule your mammogram, I'd like to remind you to have a colonoscopy, if you have a family history of colon cancer or are over 50. It's a screening test that can prevent cancer, though no one likes to think about the actual procedure >.< I finally had mine done and my husband goes next week, so if the shoe fits... so to speak ;- ) It can save your life or the life of someone you love <3 I have scheduled my mammogram too ;- ) 

It's finally feeling like fall here, and Free PhotoShop Brush links

     It's finally feeling like fall and I can't wait for the next few days when it gets warmer again ;- ) It's suppose to return to the mid to upper 70's maybe even 80, so much nicer, then these lows in the 30's. The weather however, caused me to come up with today's card, which is a Thinking of You card. The papers are from Four Seasons Paper Value Pack by The Paper Studio. I came up with the idea for the card, while lying in bed early one morning. I didn't expect the image to be so big, but then I didn't have the stamps with me, ha ha. Since the image is so large, the card is 8 inches by 5 inches. I used a Hero Arts stamp for the tall pumpkin and a Stampabilities stamp for the rounder one. This is actually the first time that I masked while stamping and also the first time I colored an image by painting it with Distress Inks. The I went over some of the details with a colored pencil and some with a brown glitter gel pen from Sakura. I really liked how it turned out.  The sentiment is stamped with Clear Stamps Greetings and Mementos ink, adding a couple of Hero Arts gems. On the bottom panel, I added some popped up embellishments, that I had left over from when I use to do the Youth bulletin board and don't know whose they are.

     I've made this card for my aunt, whose eyesight has deteriorated due to diabetes, so the digital sentiment on the inside is quite large and I will include a personal letter as well. The font is Lobster Two Bold which was designed by Pablo Impallari and can be found at Font Squirrel for free here. The pumpkin graphic is actually a very cool PhotoShop brush called Fall Preview Sabordes. Which is a free preview that includes 5 brushes designed by Michael Murdock of Sabor Designs, that are actually sketches. You can find them at Brusheesy here. The full set (20 brushes) are available for $5. The leaves are also found at Brusheesy and include 50 brushes (leaves) from hawksmont and you can find them here (also free.) I had some other great finds, but didn't use them here ;- )

     So, it took a bit before I got this posted, because I was trying out some new things and checking out some videos. It's hard to balance actually creating with an end product in mind and creating with just experimenting and trying new techniques, but no actual output achieved, other than getting messy. Sometimes, I just like to get messy and learn something new, but it's not for show, oh, no! It's often for the circular file, ha ha, at least for now.
     Thanks for stopping by and checking out my newest card. Please leave a comment if you have time. Even if it's just to say Hi, I like to know you were here. It energizes me. Have a glorious weekend.

The Big Three-0 and window box visitors.

     Well, as promised today's card is for my friend's son's thirtieth birthday, though I still don't see how that is possible, since we were babies 30 years ago. He must be adopted ;- ) Anyway, I embossed and sanded the Core'dinations cardstock using  the Cuttlebug embossing folder. I cut out the "30" from AC metallic cardstock, using the  Cricut Plantin Schoolbook Cart and the Gypsy, so that I could size the width and height separately and popped it up on the card. The sentiment is from Clear Stamps and is embossed with sterling silver embossing powder. I really got creative to make the label. I used the gypsy to resize what was suppose to be the mat from the "Families are Forever" card on the Cricut Just Because Cards cart. It would be button 34, the one with the tree swing in the handbook. I turned off the keep proportions lock and changed the proportions to .6 inches wide by 2.5 inches long. I added a brad and popped it up. The edges are inked with Ranger Distress Fired Brick.

     On the inside, the sentiment is done digitally in Print Shop. The fonts are LD Thankful and LD Dabble both from Lettering Delights. They have great fonts and dingbats, as well as SVG's and graphics. If you sign-up for their e-mails, you get 9 fonts free. You can check them out here, through my affiliate link or by clicking the link in my sidebar. I then added stickers from American Traditional Designs Party Icons, that I get at Hobby Lobby. The Happy Birthday pattern paper is also from Hobby Lobby.

     I think the inside looks kind of like a celebration ;- ) 

The other day I shared some roses, so today I thought I'd share some visitors to my flowers with you.

 Notice the center of it's back. How feathery it is. Click on photo to enlarge.

 Look at that face \. ./

     Thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment, so that I know that you were here ;- ) Have a blessed day!

Tiny Dancer!

     This card was made for the progressive challenge at Crafter's Digital Art Center (CDAC - find them here)  with the freebie image by WhoopsieDaisy Digital Stamps.  I colored the stamp using Photoshop Elements. I've never colored anything using Elements before and I like how she turned out. The scalloped mat is Core'dinations and the pattern paper is from Basic Grey's Wisteria Stack.  I colored the ribbon with a Copic because I didn't have any dark enough (the color matches better than it appears in the photo, sorry the camera I usually use is in Finland with my husband.) This was the first time I tried to make a pleated ribbon (another first, this is also my first challenge ;- ) All of the tutorials I've seen have you use a hot glue gun, but I decided to try it with Aileen's Tacky glue and it worked fine. The flower is from Creative Charms, just love them.  I stamped the sentiment with Dusty Concord from Ranger and a stamp from Clear Stamps.

     I haven't finished the inside like I usually do, because I'm not sure whom I'm giving this card to. I have a friend whose birthday is coming up, that this card would be great for (ok, now that's the 2nd time I dangled a preposition, it's beginning to annoy me), but I had a different card in mind for her, before I had to finish this image for the challenge. So, maybe I'll just finish this card up for her.

     What would I do differently? Well, I meant to corner round the card, but put the ribbon on the pattern paper, before I remembered and couldn't do it then. I think that would look nice with the ruffles and the flowers. I also thought this image might look nice on a round scalloped card.

     Thanks for stopping by and spending some time with me. Please, leave a comment so that I know you were here. Take some time to be creative today! Have a wonder-filled day.

A day at the beach!

     Today's card is for a friend's daughter, who went to school with my son from Kindergarten through 8th grade. She turned 19 on Friday and my son turned 20 on Saturday. Us moms have become great friends, we are very much alike, and they have also remained friends. I knew she had plans to go with friends to spend the weekend at the beach, so that was how I themed, my card. The weather forecast may have other plans however, so I began to hope my card wouldn't make her sad >.<

     I used Cricut's Life's a Beach cart and cut the card option for the lifeguard chair image.  Knowing I'd see, at least her parents for my son's birthday, I made a large card 7 x 11.75 (before folding). I then used the Gypsy to make a layer from the lifeguard chair image. The proportion weren't correct, so I used a separate layer and de-selected the keep proportions key. I then sized the height and width separately through trial and error until it matched up with the one from the card option (6.10 width and 6.5 height). I used Scattered Straw Distress Stickles to simulate sand and tried to make the lifeguard chair look a bit realistic, with some sand on it as well. I edged the brown part of the chair with copics.  I embossed the red layer of the umbrella with swiss dots and popped it up in the center, gluing down the sides and top edges. I added red and white twine from My Mind's Eye. The pattern background paper is Neptunes Wrath by Reminisce that I picked up at Archiver (it's 2-sided as you will see from the inside photo. ) The label was cut from Just Because Cards. It's the Shift key of the main key for the "Corny" card, believe it or not, but I liked the shape and thought it would make a good label. It's used as a vertical panel on the card, so I just turned it and cut it, at I believe, 2.5 inches. It's stamped with Clear Stamps in Mementos and I added two red brads.

     The sentiment on the inside was done digitally and the fonts are Beach and Handwriting- Dakota. I cut the beach ball and the sandals both from Life's a Beach. The red on the beach ball was embossed using Tim Holts's Fades Folder Regal Flourishes. The pattern paper was a scrap and I'm afraid I don't know what it is. I almost didn't have enough and was worried, because I loved it for the base of the sandals.

     I like how this card turned out. I'm not sure about the sand on the chair steps or not, but I didn't like the starkness of it either. I love the look of the pattern paper and the sandals. So, all in all I'm happy with it.

     I hope you got a chance to snap up some deals at Menards this weekend. I meant to post about them (with the rebate, which is a store credit, basically you could get Cricut mats and carts for under $5), but with my son's birthday, I'm sorry I just didn't get it posted ;- ( I did get 2 sets of mats and 3 carts though. I figured we would use the store checks to buy driveway and deck sealant. I thought the sale was only for 2 days, but the coupon says it was for a whole 3 days.

     Thanks for stopping by and I'll try to better better about posting info like the sale, when I know it. Please, leave a comment so that I know you stopped by. It really means a lot to know you were here. Have a creativity filled week.

Summer wedding

     If the days are longer, how come there isn't enough time to do all of the summer things I like to do? What about lazy, summer days? They seem to be busy, busy, busy and there always seems to be more that I wanted to get done. Today's card fought with me on design and papers and elements, but finally... I won, ha! I used digital stamps on the front and inside. That was my starting point. I've had the files for awhile, unfortunately the only thing it said was PINweddingcouple. I couldn't find it with a search and I don't know where I got them so, I'm afraid I can't properly give credit for these lovely images. I cut the image with nesties, inked it with Concord Distress ink, added clear glitter gel pen (flower centers and the word LOVE) and matted it with pearlized black Bazzill card stock. All the pattern papers are Basic Grey Wisteria. I took light lavender card stock and stamped it with flower stamps using Perfect Medium and brushed it with pearl Perfect Pearls, to give it some interest (I also added so Perfect Pearls to the oval with the Bride and Groom and gave the plain card stock a slightly pearlized finish - it doesn't really show in the photo). I stamped ribbon from Michaels with Fresh Snow ink from Paper Trey, the sentiment is from Clear Stamps and added flower brads from Recollections topped with black pearls.

Click photo to enlarge

     On the inside, is the second image and more papers from the Wisteria collection. I used Photo Shop to edit both images using replace color to make the image more purple (it was originally greyish-brown). I added the text here as well. I used a new font, for me, called Black Rose. This is the script font that the names are in. It is a bit fancy for the more modern look of the card, but I liked it and wanted to use it anyway ;- ) It is a free font and you can find it by doing an internet search. The other font is Brush Script MT which is a standard font.

Click photo to enlarge

     What would I do differently? I'm probably too close to this one now to answer that >.<  I am going to enjoy the wedding though ;- )

     Thanks so much for stopping by, using up some of your precious summer time. Please leave a comment before you run on to picnicking,  swimming, sailing, smelling the flowers and just enjoying the day with you kids. Your comments do mean a lot to me.