O Holy Night

I made this card a little while ago but I was so hoping to get more made but my crafting time has gone to making cards for those alone at this time, so I didn't manage to get anymore than one made, well I did make another but let's just say the technique I tried on that one using my color burst metallics was so bad it went right in the trash.

I used my distress inks to make the background, I first made a mask for the light using a sticky note and a round die, I place the opening of the die where I wanted the star to be on the card and sponged my ink in the center, then I took the piece that I had cut out and put it over the circle and did my blue sponging all around, this took a long time to do, so I was trying to think of a quicker way to make the card, but never got to that.  After inking I embossed my image on top lining up the star with the circle I sponged, and embossed it with my black embossing powder, I do like how it turned out though.

Stampendous - Manger Scene stamp, embossed w/black powder
Distress inks - Fossilized Amber, Tumbled glass and faded jeans for background

I know some of you are saying I don't want to think of Christmas right now, so I am sharing the first spring pictures I took back on March 22nd.

We came across these deer up on a hill, they didn't seem to mind too much that we were there.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and say Hi,

Connie

Encouragement

I came across this set that I hadn't used yet and it had some nice sentiments that I thought would work at this time.  I went with watercoloring the first one and then on the second one moving the arrangement around a little and coloring with my alcohol markers.

 I used 140 lb. cold press paper w/Daniel Smith watercolors in the first card. I embossed the stamp first with Antique gold embossing powder. I scribbled some Spectrum Aqua marker onto my palette, and using my water brush I painted the color onto my background.

My Sentiments Exactly - Floral Encouragement Cards stamp set w/Daniel Smith watercolor
Altenew - Antique gold embossing powder
Spectrum Aqua pen for background
Spellbinders - Lattice Rectangle die
Craftaroo - clear gems

The bud in this set is a separate stamp so I changed it around but I do like it with the sentiment, I used the same marker that I used on the rose to color over the word Brighten.

My Sentiments Exactly - Floral Encouragement Cards stamp set, colored w/markers
Spellbinders - Decorative Labels 28
Sassafras - Mix and Mend paper
Wink of stella on Rose
Crafter's companion - Pretty borders stamp

I took the last few days to just have a break from my usual day to day work except for dishes, so now I need to get back in the swing of things, sometimes it is good to just take a break from everything.

Hope your week is off to a good start,
Hugs,
Connie

Think Spring

I missed posting yesterday, after our on line church service, we cooked out, steak on the grill with baked potato and salad, YUM!  I had taped on our DVR the very first Fixer Upper, neither one of us had seen it on the DIY network,  we still have to watch the other one and then they had a show on their new network and what to expect, I am looking forward to seeing it.

Anyway after that we went for a long drive up the Mississippi River, we hadn't done that in awhile, there was a good amount of traffic, especially those out on their motorcycles , but everywhere we stopped everyone was keeping a big distance from one another and we were able to stop places where we were the only ones, which is quite unusual.  The towns along there that are normally so full of people were so quite with hardly anyone around, it was so strange looking.  We finished the day watching a pretty sunset, we were both exhausted when we got home, but was very good to get out.
I haven't looked at the pictures yet, if any turned out I will try to share, I haven't shared any of the blooming trees or anything that I have taken.

Now to my cards, I was having a hard time thinking of what to do for those in our church and I found these set of Library cards that Esther had given me for every season and thought I needed to use one for them.  She had already stamped the sentiment and the flower, I added the punched dragonfly, I matted it all on a die cut, and added some ribbon and a flower.

Library card
EKSuccess - Dragonfly punch
Lawn Fawn - Fancy Scalloped Rectangle die
Papertrey ink - Hodge Podge paper
Prima - Forever flowers
Brad
Wink of Stella clear sparkle pen on wings and stamped flower

My next card I used a combo of a stamp set with an umbrella die I haven't used yet, the die set comes with different die centers you can use for the pattern in your umbrella. I used a silver pen to color the handle of the umbrella.  I added a punched border and some liquid pearls to the center of the flowers.

Autumn Leaves - Wellies n Brellas stamp set
Spellbinders - Umbrella trio die
g.c.d. - homespun chic paper
Martha Stewart - border punch
Liquid Pearls - Mint green (flower centers)

Thanks for taking the time to stop by today and hope you have a good week to come!

Hugs,
Connie

Spring Blooms

Over at Power Poppy they are having a Color Cues challenge.  I used Marcella's Rose Digital for this challenge.  You have to use the colors Warm yellow, soft blue and bright green.  I went with a yellow rose, the leaves green and the shadow around it in the blue.

The sentiment came from another of her sets but this one is a clear stamp set that I have.

Power Poppy - Rose digital stamp, colored w/markers sentiment from Lavender stamp set
Spellbinders - Labels eight die
PPD - Stitched Curved Coved Rectangles die
Signature Collection - Homespun paper
Sequins

Well I planted some green pepper plants in my garden on Wednesday, then I decided to go ahead and plant all my seeds in my planters on my deck.  I planted Spinach, Romaine Lettuce and Beans.  We have had quite a bit of rain ever since, there has been some dry moments here and there, but a good amount of rain, I am just wondering what all that is going to do to my seeds, the pepper plants seem to look good for now.  We are supposed to get a break on Sunday and Monday, so hopefully they get some chance to dry out a little bit and get some good sun.

I hope you all are staying well and have a creative weekend!

Hugs,
Connie

Triple Stamping

It was my turn this week to have the challenge in my stamp group and I saw This Card HERE and thought it was so pretty.  Now I have seen where you layering your papers on top of one another and stamp but never seen them offset like this and I just had to give it a try, and I finally got around to doing it last night. 

I forgot when stamping the dragonfly and sentiment with these leaves that I need to allow for the matting of each layer after stamping, so I barely got in the other side of the wings and my sentiment is right on the edge but I liked how it turned out.  Instead of doing a silhouette image I used one that I colored first and then did my ink shading afterwards.

Inkadinkado - Beauty stems from here stamp set, colored w/markers
Sentiment stamp unknown
Carta bella - Alphabet junction paper
Distress inks for shading - Old paper, antique linen and frayed burlap

I would like to try this again with a silhouette stamp too.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop in today,
Hugs,
Connie