Orchids and Watercolours

I had a lovely day yesterday crafting with my friends. We may have different styles, but we all agree on one thing. We LOVE dies ! It was so much fun to see all the new dies my friend had added since the last time we got together. She has a lot of  Cheery Lynn dies that I don`t have, so I just had to cut some to bring home. It got me thinking about some of my dies that I haven`t used in a while. It`s been ages since I used my Cheery Lynn Orchid die (B280 ), it is such a showy flower that it doesn`t take much to make a nice card with it, and this die makes flowers that can go in a regular envelope ( YAY !!! )

I used Peerless watercolour paints to make my background. I painted the orchids with Twinkling H2O`s for the purple and pearl Perfect Pearls for the white. I find it easiest to assemble the orchids by glueing the petals to a small paper circle. It isn`t necessary to use a circle, but I have a special talent for glueing things to myself and it helps me stay unstuck! ;D
The sentiment is from the Simon Says Stamp Summer Garden set.
I`m entering these challenges :
Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge : http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/?p=2452
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge; http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/simon-says-anything-goes-13/

Tulips in the Window

Everything outside is covered in a deep layer of snow. I think it's beautiful, but apparently everyone else is ready for Spring and what says Spring more than Tulips?
For some reason I'm amused by the idea of photographing this Spring card with a snow background.

I used Impression Obsession's CAC Wood Grain  background (CC034) and stamped it on a pale grey cardstock with VersaMark ink. I heat embossed with clear powder and then drew lines with a pencil and then smudged them with an eraser. I cut the IO Large Window with Box (DIE103-ZZ )  and cut out a rectangle in the wood grain  cardstock behind it. I used foam tape on the back of the window and then I used a cotton eyelet fabric as a curtain. 

I used double foam tape to raise the box, and filled it with the following:

Leafy Branch DIE055-N

Grass Border DIE060-I

Leaves and Stems DIE150-D

Tulips DIE147-A

I coloured the Tulips with Distress markers and a water brush and rounded them a McGill stylus. 

I cut the sentiment ( Greetings DIE174-W )from layers of 110lb cardstock and topped it with a gold layer. I  finished by adding a butterfly from the small Butterflies set (DIE 046-A).

I mounted the whole front on a top-folded A2 card in a pretty blue colour. I finished the inside with a piece of white cardstock cut with Labels Eight and added some greenery and tulips. This helps balance out the weight of the card front.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Impression Obsession's Happy Birthday challenge  

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge: No Rules                                                                                           Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge ; Anything Goes                                                            

A Little Sunshine

I'm still in such a major papercrafting funk that if it wasn't for the IO challenge and the fact I have a bunch of IO products that I haven't even taken out of their packages yet (and I got them months ago) I wouldn't even be sitting at my desk let alone making a card. I do adore IO dies, so I lay them out on my desk hoping to find inspiration. The IO Watering Can is what caught my eye and I decided it was time to get it together and try to make a card for the "It Must Be Love" challenge.

I used a journaling card cut from Simple Stories paper for the background with a strip of aqua paper from MME. I used a Glaze pen to accent the word 'sunshine'. I attached the watering can to a canvas heart shape  sticker and then filled the can with flowers and leaves cut with IO dies. I put seed beads in the centres of the flowers and added some sequins and an IO Butterfly. The watering can is covered with Glossy Accents.

Here are the Impression Obsession dies I used :
Watering Can DIE 155-A
Small Butterflies DIE046-A
Leafy Branch DIE055-N
Stems and Leaves DIE150-D
Tiny Flowers DIE140-D

I'd like to add a big Thank-You to Sasha and Jeanne for their quick response to my little problem. There is a very good reason why I am such a huge fan of Impression Obsession. It's not just their products that make it my favourite company !!!!!!

Sparkle and Shine II

Here's my second card for the Impression Obsession Challenge Sparkle and Shine.

It's a shaker card with lots of shiny sequins in the shaker. The sentiment is from the IO All Occasions II clear stamp set and the gorgeous heart is cut with the IO Floral Heart die ( DIE054-S).

Sparkle and Shine

Just stopping in with a couple of Valentine's Day cards. I haven't been doing any paper crafting lately, but I needed a couple of cards for a my little Niece and Nephew. I did a pop up box card for my nephew's fourth B'Day and he loved it, so I thought I'd do another.

I used Impression Obsession All Occasion II clear stamp set for the sentiments on the hearts that were cut from card stock that was stamped with IO's C-A-C Lace stamp (CC052). I also used the IO Leafy Branch die. It's back behind the sparkly Cupid. The cupid is an old Making Memories sticker, and I think that both the red glittered heart and the pink one are also from Making Memeriors. The tag paper and all the main papers are old Fancy Pants ones and the cute Valentine images are from a 6x6 Authentique paper pad.
 I am entering this in the IO Sparkle and Shine challenge :
http://mitrafriant.typepad.com/impression_obsession_news/2015/01/new-impression-obsession-challenge-sparkle-shine.html