CAS-ual Fridays Challenge 136 - Watercolor Love

Good Morning!  Today I am back to tell you about a brand new challenge going on over at CAS-ual Fridays Challenge blog! 

This month's theme is Watercolor Love and if you have followed me for a while, you know this challenge is right up my alley!  You can go big and bold or soft and subtle but no matter your style, watercolors always add the perfect touch to cards.

Here is the card I created:

First, I traced the HeartBoard Fri-Die onto watercolor paper so I had a general idea of the size of the biggest heart.  Then I used a clean brush and applied water to the entire area within and around the heart.  Next, I dabbed pink watercolor paint randomly within the heart and just let the water move it around.  Once it was dry, I used the die again to cut out the hearts, then I adhered them together on the front of the card.  The simple sentiments are from Love Notes.

I just love how this card turned out.  It can't get any more clean and simple than this, right?  :)  I hope you'll play along with us this month and I can't wait to see what you create!


Don't forget that Fri-Dies are 20% off right now until February 1st!  Be sure to check them out!!

That's it for me today!  Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Scrapbook Steals Feature!

**Please click HERE if you are looking for my Paper Girls Challenge Post!**

Good morning!  Today I have the pleasure of being featured over at the ScrapbookSteals blog!  I got to play with today's steal, which are super fun Kaisercraft Beyond the Page signs.  I got to play with the #relax and #me signs.

For the first one, I wanted to make a decor piece for my craft room.  I tend to take life a little too seriously at times, so this would be the perfect reminder to just take a step back and breathe.  I decided to paint it with a teal color, then go over it with white, then distress it.

Instead of just painting over the teal with the white, I decided to try a crackle finish using plain 'ol Elmers glue.  I didn't put a thick enough coat on, though, so the crackle wasn't as obvious as I would have liked.  Once the whole thing was dry, I took a fine sand paper and hand distressed some of the front and edges.  When I was finished, I tied a bit of burlap string to the pound sign.  You know how if you want to remember something, you tie a string around your finger?  That was the effect I was going for with the burlap string.  So in essence, this sign says "Remember to Relax."  :)

For the second sign, I thought it would be fun to show all of the things that make me, me.  My family, friends and hobby all add happiness to my life, so I wanted to make them the stars of this project.

To get the tiny pictures, I created three different collages in Picasa, then sized them to 4x6.  Once I had those printed, I cut the pictures out of the printed 4x6 photos.  It took about 50 pictures to cover the front of this sign.

I used Mod Podge to adhere the pictures to the sign.  Once they were dry, I used an exacto knife to cut around the edges of the sign.  That way, nothing had to be too perfect when I put it on, because the edges were going to get cut off anyway.  I also used a little sander to sand some of the corners where the knife wouldn't reach.  Then I covered the entire front with more Mod Podge to seal everything and prevent the pictures from falling off.

I love how this turned out.  I can see my girls, my family, my friends and even some of my favorite crafty projects when I look at this.  My heart is full.  <3 p="">   
Thanks for stopping by today!

Until next time...

Paper Girls Challenge #72 - Cork

**Please click HERE if you are looking for my ScrapbookSteals Feature!**

Happy Monday!  Today I am back with this week's Paper Girls Challenge.  The theme?  Cork.  Cork has been one of my favorite trends as of late.  It's up there with wood veneers, sequins and enamel dots.  :)

Here is a layout I made more than a year ago, but never shared.

I made this layout right after we adopted our cute little puppy, Brody.  He was curled up in a tiny ball under my craft desk sleeping.  Gosh, he was a cutie!  ANYway, I used cork alphas and embellishments on this layout. 

And since I can't seem to make anything without enamel dots, I thought it would be fun to splatter some Mister Huey's ink and then throw some into the fun mix.  I love how it all turned out!

That is all for today!  I can't wait to see what you create for this challenge!

Until next time...

Runway Inspired Challenge #75

Happy Monday, everyone!  I've got a sickie home from school today so I thought I'd take some time to play with a challenge.  Today I am playing along with Runway Inspired Challenge #75.  Here is the inspiration photo:

And here is the card I made:

I was inspired by the bright pink fabric and the silver detail at the top of the dress.  First, I embossed this beautiful pattern using Versamark and my favorite silver embossing powder.  Then I stamped the sentiment onto the small strip of paper and then backed it with grey cardstock.  Next, I took a scrap piece of super thick cardstock and stamped it directly with Versamark and then covered it with the same embossing powder.  Then I die cut the "sparkle" sentiment and adhered it to the strip using Glossy Accents.

I am not one to be super flashy, so this card is very different for me, but I just love how this turned out.   

That is all for today!  Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

A Sketch and Color Challenge!

Hello, all!  I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!  I have gotten my card making groove back after a couple month hiatus and decided to play along with some challenges.  I have missed participating in them, so I am excited to be back! 

Here are my prompts:

And here is the card I made:

I didn't have the exact colors on hand, but I had very similar Stampin' Up! colors that I used instead...and I love how they blended together!  I started by cutting a piece of watercolor paper with a die, then wetting it with a clean brush and water.  Then I stamped the ink pad directly onto a large stamp block that was big enough to fit all four colors.  I then took another clean, wet brush and dabbed on some of the ink color.  The wet background allowed the ink to flow and move.  It dried with the look of a sunrise and made me so happy.  I thought I would convey that feeling with the Avery Elle sentiment I used.  I also used minimal embellishments because I didn't want to cover up the watercolor panel any more than I already had.  I just love how this card turned out! 

That is all for today!  I will be back soon with more of what I have been making lately!

Until next time...

The Paper Girls Challenge #71

Good Morning!  I've been keeping a little secret under my sleeve.  This post is my first as a Paper Girls Challenge design team member!  I am excited to be a part of this challenge and to play along with these challenges. 

So let's get started!  This week's challenge theme is sparkle and shine!  Get out your glitter, shiny sequins and the like and make a pretty project with them!

Here is the card I made for this challenge:

And here is a close up:

First, I stamped my Tiny Triangles background stamp using Versamark and then heat embossed it using clear powder that had silver glitter in it.  Once I heat set that, I blended Picked Raspberry and Peacock Feathers distress ink and then used a clean paint brush to splatter water around the front of the card.  I adhered a strip of glitter tape onto the side of the card base, then adhered the card front on top.  I stamped the sentiment onto a strip of cardstock and backed it with foam tape.  Before I placed it on the card, I took some silver string and gathered it where I wanted it on the card, then used the foam tape from the sentiment strip to keep it in place.

This was a super fast card to throw together and I love how it turned out!

That's all I have for you today!  I hope you'll play along with this weeks challenge!

Until next time...

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge 135

Long time no see, friends!!  I have severely neglected my blog the past few months but that will change...today is my first post as a DT member for the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge blog!  We are all ready for our first challenge of 2015 and I am excited to show you all what I have been up to.  Here is the first challenge:

And here is what I cooked up:

You will have to excuse the super crummy picture.  In the last month, we have only had about 10 days with sunlight.  It's been very bizarre...I'm not even in Seattle!  ;)

Anyway, for this card I used the Four Petal Set Fri-Dies and a sentiment from the Beanstalks set.  First, I stamped the sentiment.  Then once I cut the flowers out, I popped black brads through the centers and then used glue dots to adhere them to the card.  Then I placed some black sequins around them using Glossy Accents. 

That is all for today!  I hope you will all come over to play with us this month! 

Until next time...