Watercolor with distress inks

The challenge in our Stamping group was to watercolor an image using our distress ink pads.  I applied the ink to my craft mat, you can use your blocks you use for stamping too, then took my water brush and picked up the ink and started water coloring.  This is going to my sister in laws long time guy friend, we think of him as our brother in law they have been together so long.

Stampendous -- Cape Hatteras Light, NC stamp colored w/ distress inks
Distress inks -- Mustard seed, weathered wood, tumbled glass, bundled sage, frayed burlap, hickory smoke, rusty hinge forest moss
Spellbinders -- Labels eight die
Stamps of life -- minis 4 circles sentiment stamp set

Hope your enjoying a lovely Sunday, we have hit 70 degrees, but it is quite windy and the sun has left us as we are to get rain this afternoon into evening.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by,

Connie
Dires  -seed, tumled gass, samps of life -- minis4 circles stamp set

Dies R Us Red Challenge

It is funny because I don't do many red cards and here I am with two in a row, last time I used punches this time I am using dies.  Over at Dies R Us they are doing a challenge using the color red and your dies, I have almost run out of time it ends in a couple days but I finally got it in, you can read about it HERE on their blog .  This is going out to another lady in our card making group.

The flowers I cut from red but wanted to add a little something with them so I cut some feathers out of mulberry paper, and tucked it all in my die cut border to ground them, along with adding a die cut tag also!

I did not have any red gems, so I colored my clear ones with red marker but they came out very light even though I used my darkest red.

Crate paper -- DIY shop paper
Spellbinders -- Asters & poppies, A2 curved borders one dies
Taylored Expressions -- Fine Feathers and Designer mini tags die and many mini occasions sentiment stamp
Mulberry paper
American crafts -- twine
Craftaroo -- rhinestones colored w/markers

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today, I appreciate you letting me know you did,
Have a wonderful weekend,

Connie

Heart Flowers

I had seen a few cards around Valentines that used hearts as flowers and I thought that was so pretty and a cute idea, so this is my take on that, although this is not a valentine card this is a birthday card for one of the older ladies in my cardmaking group that I have known for over 10 years, she reminds me of my mom.  Her Birthday falls on the 29th of February so it is special when she can actually celebrate it on the day as she can this year :)

I stitched the hearts by hand to the paper, a few cards  I saw did double layers of hearts but I opted for just a single heart on each stem. This is a great way to use those scraps we have too.

Crate paper -- DIY Shop paper
Martha Stewart -- Heart, border and butterfly punches
Spellbinders -- Labels trio die
Gina Marie stamps -- Birthday words sentiment stamp
Recollections -- pearls
Offray -- Ribbon

Yesterday's snow storm came in quite hard but by mid day it started to warm up and the sun came out and all the snow melted, they had canceled school because we were to get 5-7 inches but by evening it was almost all gone so we were able to have bible study last night.  Because of the wet heavy snow and such high winds there were a lot of down wires and quite a few people were without power, the church even lost power but luckily we just had a bit of flickering of our lights but no loss power.  I hope all of you in the storms path fared well through the storm too.  I heard of the terrible tornado's and am praying for all those effected.

Thanks so much for stopping by again today,

Connie

Cozy Birthday

My nephew hunts and fishes, I have done so many deer cards for him that I was running out of ideas and then I came across this antler die my hubby had purchased for his art and I remembered he had bought the fire and logs dies at different times when they were on sale at our Local stamp store, and this little scene was born.  I have done this before trying to make the sentiment look like it is in a picture frame this time on a mantel, I colored the outside of the die with brown marker. I shaped the mantel so that it had a little ledge on it to support the frame.

I cut down a piece of brick embossing folder to make the fireplace, I inked a background piece of cardstock (sorry I forgot to write down the colors I used) and added the cut out shapes and layered the fire and logs on top then put it behind the embossed piece.

Tim Holtz -- brick embossing folder
Poppystamps -- Warm and cozy fire and fireplace logs dies
Memory Box -- Curved Antlers dies
My mind's eye -- Lost and found 2 papers
Spellbinders -- classic scalloped sq small die
Taylored Expressions -- Many mini occasions sentiment stamp

I am sharing today's post with Stephanie's Roses of Inspiration link up , always so much inspiration over there it is like visiting Pinterest :)  I have met so many sweet bloggers from her link up's, thank you Stephanie for hosting this each week!

I hope you are staying warm and cozy wherever you are, we had a very hard frost this morning and they are telling us snow is on the way tonight into tomorrow, the amounts keep changing as the days go by, hoping for a small amount.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today, and leaving a little comment to let me know you did,  Have a wonderful day,

Connie

Dahlia Flower

I went by a pattern in my Cardmaker - Beautiful Blooms magazine to make my card. If you have the magazine it is on pages 32-33. This magazine is full of all kinds of flowers to make. HERE is a link to it if you are curious about it.

I save a picture of all the cards I have made for people so that I don't send two of the same type card or image, I went back and looked and I had made this card before back in 2008 for my girlfriend, today's card went to my Secret sister for the reveal.

Here is a picture of the card I made back in 2008:  Hopefully I am better at my picture taking now :)

And here is the card I made now:

I decided to do them as buds opening, not a whole flower.  Hand stitched the stems with floss and added some punch leaves that I scored some veins with my stylus.  The background is a burlap embossing folder, so this card had a lot of texture to it.

I found THIS video on how to make the flower so you don't have to go out and buy a magazine.  I am not sure what size circle I used for my flowers but I don't think it was as small as this girl used, but I think she has great instructions.

Taylored Expressions -- Burlap embossing folder
Teresa Collins -- He said she said papers
Martha Stewart -- Leaf  and tag punches
Spellbinders -- classic circle lg. die
Offray ribbon
ODBD -- Mini tag sentiments stamp

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today and I hope you have a blessed Sunday!

Connie