Forever Friends

Just popping in to post a card for the Impression Obsession challenge, "Forever Friends". I used one of the sweetest dies I have ever seen. It's called Girl with Easter Basket (DIE260-I ), and it is fun to paper-piece. Instead of the Easter eggs that come with the die, I used IO's Tulip Set (DIE147-A), and Tiny Flowers (DIE140-D) to make a flower bouquet. I used the "hello" die from IO's Greetings set (DIE174-W) for the sentiment.

Thanks for looking!

Watercolour Sunflower

I've been taking another Online Card Class. I find these classes really help when I am uninspired by crafting. This class is Watercolor For Cardmakers - Intermediate Techniques. I have really enjoyed this class, but I still have the same problems*sigh*. I keep accidentally getting stray drops of water falling on my paintings and messing them up. I don't think clumsy can be fixed with a class.
I love paint and I absolutely am not deterred that most of my paintings are a total flop. Onward and upward!!
Most of the paintings that I did for this class were on premade thank-you cards I bought at Michaels. They are not made with watercolour paper, but the paper works really well ( I have no idea why).
This Sunflower is the only one that I liked that I did on watercolour paper.

This is done on Arches cold-pressed 140lb paper. I used a combination of Color Bursts (used as paint), and W&N Cotman water color from tubes. The sentiment stamp is by MFT. I heat embossed the sentiment with purple to go with the purple I used in the sunflower, although it's hard to tell in the photo. I die cut the paper with a die from SSS that does a stitched edge.
Here is a photo of some of the Thanks cards I did.

Getting Inky

I have seen such pretty cards made with silhouette stamps, so I got one from Impression Obsession (D5553) to try out that style myself. I have been making fewer cards lately, but I can certainly see myself making more of these. So easy!

The top and bottom of the card were masked off, and I used clear embossing powder to do some of the images, before adding Distress inks in two blues. I used Broken China Distress ink to do a soft inking and then a dark blue Versafine ink. The sentiment is from the lovely IO sympathy set ( CL114).
I was inspired by a card somewhat similar to this on Pinterest, but I can't find the original, only the person who pinned it from somewhere else, This is an old style though, around since before I started card making. I like the simplicity of it for sympathy cards.
This card is for the IO Challenge Flower Power.

Mirror Mirror !

I haven't been doing anything crafty for ages. I am much more into dog training now that I found some sports that my very shy dog can do with confidence. I want to get her far along in her Scent Detection training before the new puppy arrives.
I was trying (not very successfully ) to clean off my desk, and I found my new Impression Obsession Floral Frame stamp again. Rather than put it away, I added to the mess and dug out more stuff to make this card.
I am absolutely thrilled with how the wood grain piece turned out. Even my DH says it looks like a piece of wood veneer!

This photo is rather deceptive. It looks like either the floral frame is stamped right on the background, or that I was skilled (and crazy) enough to fussy cut the whole thing. I have to admit that I got the effect I wanted!
The background was stamped using Impression Obsessions Woodgrain Cover-a-card (CC034) on Bristol with a combo of Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain and then painted over with a wash of Gathered Twigs re-inker. The floral frame was heated imbossed in white, painted with Twinks and that background was painted to match the woodgrain. Only the outer edge was fussy cut. The black frame was covered in Glossy Accents and the centre was cut out so I could put a piece of silver paper in to look like a mirror. Some of the flowers I restamped and raised up.
The sentiment is also from IO. It's called "Always Believe" ( C17024).

I'm entering this in the IO Spring Colours Challenge.

Love You More

We are having a horrible rainstorm today but I have new stamps from Impression Obsession to play with, so some migraine drugs and a nap and I got a card for the challenge done. This time the IO challenge was "Love You More". I had been trying to get my Christmas cards done and almost forgot about the challenge, but my new stamps were on my desk just waiting for ink.
IO makes a heck of a lot of stamps and it was so hard to narrow down my never-ending wish list ! I thought the Floral Frame (L16054) would be fun to paint and it was!

I used Spun Sugar Distress ink on my stamp, but used a black Pitt Big Brush pen on the frame section of the stamp and it worked perfectly. I used my Distress markers and a paint brush to watercolour the flowers.The word stamp is another one of my new stamps and it fits perfectly in the frame. That stamp is called Live Every Moment (C5533) and I think it is lovely. I just added some Washi tape down the side and some Stickles to finish the card. Nice and flat for mailing!

IO- Season's Greetings

My friend loaned me her IO Poinsettia Wreath stamp ages ago, and I finally stamped with it about a day or so before she dropped by and picked it up. So I didn't do much with it :(

I just used watercolour paint, stickles and the IO Small Bow die (DIE057-AA).
Can't seem to control my urge to use watercolours! My husband passes by very quickly when he sees that green Kuretake box!
This is for the Impression Obsession Season's Greetings challenge.
Hope everyone had lots of fun shopping the IO sale. I know I sure did !!!

Say Something Nice #2

Here's my second card for the JustRite Say Something Nice Challenge.

I used the following JustRite Stamps:
Black-Eyed Susan Vintage Labels Two  (floral image)
Grand Sentiments (Dear Friend)
Ticking Stripe Background Stamp
Burlap Background Stamp

This is the other image from the Black-eyed Susan set and I painted a few of these. What you can't see is that I painted over the top with Shimmer Spritz then covered the image with TH Distress Glaze. OMG! I love that stuff! Now I don't have to worry about the paintings getting wet ( me spilling stuff) and getting ruined. I also added some distress Stickles to the flower centers. (My other card had no sparkle, I can only control myself for so long! )
You also can't really see the Burlap B'Ground stamp, I used Antique linen ink for it. I just wanted it to tone down the white. It's hard to tell from the photo but the card is not as bright in person, so I was really pleased with the way that stamp worked.
Thanks for looking, and please join in the next JustRite challenge!