It is finally, really and truly sweater-weather here. Up until now, we have been more “long sleeve t-shirt weather” in Georgia. We are preparing for snow and ice this weekend and when that happens we see a run on grocery stores and people tuck in – we do NOT want to get on the roads as we are simply not prepared nor are we particularly good at it 🙂
Today I have 2 projects to share; some clean and simple cards and an art journal page using the new Sweet N Sassy Stamp stamp set… Sweater Weather ha – right?!
First, I have a couple of clean and simple cards using one of the elements from Sweater Weather and part of a sentiment from another new set called Snowy Hello – I used a stamp shape die and positioned the image and sentiment to look like a fun winter postage stamp.
My second project is an art journal page in my mini art journal. I used an embossing folder to add some texture. I added a little glitter embossing powder and some snowflake sequins for a fun touch. I colored my sweater with Polychromos pencils. I added sentiment blocks and then outlined it with a navy Stabilo water pencil. It makes me smile out loud – I love it!
Happy Day After Thanksgiving! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of family and fun! I am still trying to recover from all that food haha! Today I have a simple pocket card for you. I dug through my stash of backgrounds and then took them up a notch by simply adding the new Script Background stamp (from Sweet N Sassy Stamps)in a coordinating color. I also created a note card to go into the pocket and gave it the same “subtle” treatment and also added an image from the Wonder of Wonders set. I colored the faces, hands, and heart and let the rest blend into the background.Â
I think this will be a unique card for someone who needs some love and encouragement but what do you think?
So October is over. How did that happen? This has been a really tough month. I lost a cousin to covid and my mom got it a week later. It was pretty stressful to say the least and my creative juices just got up an walked out the door. In order to keep my stress at bay this month, I found myself doing a lot of coloring. Then all of a sudden the month was almost over and I had a stack of colored images mostly from Warm Winter Friends – I also got the dies for these and it was so so simple to get them all cut out. I won’t replace my fussy cutting (which is also relaxing somehow) but it sure will supplement it.
I dug through my basket of backgrounds and paper and found inspiration for all of my sweet friends. I turned on some Hallmark Christmas movies and got a batch of cards that I really love but what do you think?
My First Warm Winter Friend is the owl. I had a background with a tree made from dots (Texture Tiles 8) I added a gift under the tree and a sentiment from Christmas Wordfetti. This one is pretty fun.
My second friend is a sweet bunny. I found an embossed/watercolor background using Folk-art Snowflakes and a piece with a circle and a piece I could use as a hill and a banner for my sentiment… This one is so sweet!
My third card uses 2 friends (a fox and a deer). I found a stamped sentiment in my stash from Winter Hugs that I thought would be perfect for a die cut hill and some snowy digi paper I found. I think this is my favorite
Finally, I had a colored poinsettia left on my desk so I created a circle focal with the poinsettia and a sentiment from Christmas Wordfetti. The background was created with a discontinued stamp set but it was in my stash so it had to be used right??
WOW! It took me all month to make these but I am really loving them and can’t wait to send them out to some special friends! I hope you were inspired. If all you have time or creativity for today is coloring, just color! You will find that when you are ready to create, it is really nice to have pieces in your stash to support your ideas!
I am so sad that Bugaboo stamps has closed down! I had already created this acrd for the August ATG challenge though so decided to post it anyway…
I have a clean and simple card using a super cute embossing folder that I haven’t pulled out in a long while and I am not really sure why not? I mean what is sweeter than a smile embossing? Maybe this sweet block by Bugaboo called Someone’s Reason! I colored it up with Copics and cut it out and popped it on fun foam before putting it on my embossed panel – soooo sweet!
I don’t know about you guys but lately I have been seeing some adorable hand painted signs and tiered tray decorations. My sister decorates her tray for all the seasons. She cuts out the image on a silhouette and “weeds” out the image to leave a stencil of sorts then adheres that to her wood piece and paints through the stencil…NOPE! That is too much work for me!
This weekend we celebrated her birthday and I decided to see if I could create a few mini signs for her tray using stamps…YES! That is more my speed!
I took scrap wood blocks from another left over project (They were about 3″X4″.) I also painted onto a wood slice tag I had. You can use any wood pieces you have. I painted them with chalk paint. When it dried, I sanded it for a smooth surface and the corners for a distress look (Paint a under layer of darker color if you want darker distressed edges.) Then with STAZON inks, I stamped firmly only my block. I let it sit for a a little longer than I would with paper then pulled it off – it really stuck down so don’t be surprised if you have to pull it with a little strength (but be gentle :))
That is it. It turned out precious! And it didn’t require all those steps – I just dug through my stash of stamps and saw them with brand new eyes! It was awesome to have new uses for them. I have a stack of them on my desk now begging to be used on the next “Sign”. Yay – this project was a win twice! And with Christmas being just down the road, it may be a great gift idea too. Hmmmm…
For my first project, I found a little piece of scrap wood (3″x4″x1″ thick). I painted an under layer of black chalk paint, then when that dried, I painted a layer of white chalk paint. When that dried, I sanded the edges for a distressed look, wiped it down then using Jet Black STAZON, I stamped a sentiment from My Thoughts of You from Sweet N Sassy Stamps (all of the sentiments would have worked for this project but My sister is my best friend and this one seemed most perfect!) This is so simple but so awesome! I love it on the tray!
For my next projects, I created a little pumpkin from a 3″ scrap of 2×2. I painted it up in shades of orange. I drilled a hole in the top and added a dowel for the stem. THEN I created a SIMPLE monogram wood slice sign using an alphabet stamp called County Fair Alpha
Then I painted a scrap of wood (3″x4″ – 1″ thick). I painted it with java chalk paint then when that dried I painted another layer with sheepskin chalk paint, then when it dried I sanded it for a distress looked and glued down a copic colored, fussy cut digi stamp from Sweet Sassy called Autumn Gnome. I stamped sentiments from Fall Remix: Rhubarb’s Harvest with Timber Brown STAZON. For this one, since I had the cut out digi, I added a layer of matte Mod Podge.
I hope you were inspired! I have challenged the Technique Lovers to try this as this week’s TLC challenge at SplitCoast Stampers. Come join the fun!
Today I have three Thank You cards using this months “stamp of the month” free with a $60 purchase. It is called (wait for it…) Thank You (haha!)Â
This set it so fun. There are chunky thank yous and scripty thank yous. They go with so many card designs. For my projects, I pulled some backgrounds together and mostly let the sentiment carry the card. I am pretty happy to have some thank you cards in my stash that are versatile too!
1st – I created a abstract back ground using copics to color the heat embossed my sentiment on black with white embossing powder.
2nd – I used the Background Builder Stripe set to create a fun black and white background, heat embossed my sentiment on black with white embossing powder and mounted everything on red for a pop of color.
3rd – I had a left over chick from March’s Hoppy Spring set and I used it as an accent to a background using the Chicken Wire Stencil (right…). Then I stamped my sentiment onto the background.Â
I hope you are inspired – this set is seriously worth it! It will be one I go to again and again!
Catch the Bug is going to two month long challenges. Today we have the first and it is an Anything Goes Challenge. I have a clean and simple birthday card for you inspiration.
I combined the sentiment and image from Stella Facebook Birthday and printed it out on lightweight watercolor paper. Then I smooshed some Distress Oxides on top to add color without having to color. It was hard not to pull out my color pencils or Copics but ultimately I love that I was able to create a fun card in a relatively short amount of time. I just had to die cut the layer and adhere them together.
What do you think?
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you were inspired! Now its your turn to try to create something clean and simple without spending a lot of time!
Today’s card is a one layer card on watercolor card.
I used one of the leaf stems from the Botanical Branches set to create a curved frame for the big sentiment from My Thoughts of You. I did a little ink smooshing with Distress Oxides then I colored in the image with colored pencils for some color pop. This set is so perfect for clean and simple and awesome!
Thanks for stopping by – I hope you are inspired to create a one layer card! Lyn
In the continuing saga of “use your stuff!” I pulled an embossing folder today. In all fairness , there is really only a yearly need at best for this one but it has been a year or more so it is time!!
I colored up Deacon – Grad Diploma with Copics, fussy cut him, and added him on top of my graduation hats embossed panel. I used washi tape before I embossed to create the stripes so it would look like it blended into the panel. I added a simple congratulations sentiment and it is going in the mail 🙂 I love it when my cards don’t become another part of my stash – what about you?
I hope you are inspired to join in the sketch challenge with us and have fun!!
Today I have a simple water color project. I stamped one of the Botanical Branches several times with various colors of Distress Ink then I “water colored in the leaves” with those same inks. I spritzed the page and let the ink bleed a bit then I pressed a paper towel to dry it some. I split the panel and inserted a sentiment strip from Be Encouraged in the middle of the pieces to make the stems look longer.
This was really simple but the results are so pretty – I love it! I hope you are inspired today!
My Purple House 