Make It Monday -Fan Brush Trees

It has been ages since I've done a MIM challenge - but I couldn't resist this one!  Winter trees are my favorite Christmas card image,  I love to use watercolors when I can.  AND I actually own 2 fan brushes!!  The fan brush makes it easy to create a dappled effect for trees and grasses.  

Used PTI Enchanted Evening for the mat and card.  The sentiment come from "Ways to Say - Merry Christmas,

Some glitter makes the snow come alive. Loved making this!  

One more Christmas card done!                                                                            

Stamp Affaire #8 - a second bronze challenge

Another Bronze Anniversary challenge. This time I decided to make my own "bronze". 

I used a combination of orange zest and dark chocolate inks on white cardstock, from which I had die-cut the filigreed Mix and Match Scollops.  I sponged on Versamark and then dusted with gold Perfect Pearls, since I didn't have bronze.  Actually, it turned out pretty well!

Stamp Affaire #8 - Bronze

Yay!  No brown!!!

The focus of this challenge was bronze and we had metallic bronze paper on hand!

It looked awful plain when I first finished, but leave it to Barb to figure out that we needed to add a bit of bling to ours. This was easy and fun --and we have time to grab a bite of lunch before the next challenge starts.

Stamp Affaire #7 - Another Wool Challenge

Well we were supposed to make "cookies" out of felt for this one. I opted to make mine with Copic pens and PTI's Friendship Jar.  Some gingham and old fashioned wallpaper seemed to go well with the Halloween cookies!

Stamp Affaire #8 - Wool

Here we go again- another day of Stamp Affaire!  This morning's first challenge involved using some fall leaves made of two pieces of wool felt, stitched together..

Our sewing needles wouldn't go through the felt, so we "stitched" ours with copic markers. I loved the fall theme of Heather Nichol's design. 

Stamp Affaire - #6 Iron

I can not make another brown card!

This challenge was to create something resembling rusted iron. 

Our texture paste wasn't working anyway so I went off on my own and opted for something that would look like oxidized copper instead. 

At least it's colorful!  I blended several inks - Orange Zest, Hawwaiian Shores, Tropical Teal, and dusted here and there with gold Perfect Pearls.

Stamp Affaire - Wood #2

I LOVE color!!!  So when the second challenge involved wood and autumn leaves and wood, 

I went to town!

I used Zig watercolor pens on dampened cardstock. The rest came together in a snap. 

Stamp Affaire #5 - Wood

This time the challenge was wood - I didn't have a piece balsa wood so I just used a wood theme and did inlaid piecing with a double die-cut.  Melissa Phillips came to the rescue again with a sweet saying that fits between the branches. It needed something for a pop of color and a bluebird seemed to fit in perfectly .   

Stamp Affaire - #4 Another Linen challenge

The original idea for a card using linen was to use a die cut embroidery hoop. 

But as I started working on this little piece of linen, I began to remember the afternoons spent as a young girl over at one of the professor's wives living room having tea and the most delicious cucumber sandwiches and learning all the embroidery stitches.  It just seemed right to make a little sampler, happily remembering those sweet days. 

Stamp Affaire #4 - Linen

,k

This challenge was to use linen to wrap  package, Japanese style.

This was really fun to make - I used some simple flowers and leaves --

Simplicity is beauty!

Stamp Affaire - Second Leather Challenge

At first I really did not think this technique of creating a leather look would work at all - 4 layers of tissue paper ans a glue solution plus 2 layers of a coverplate design to bring out texture  

But it actually worked.

This reminded me of an ancient manuscript containing wise sayings, so I went to my favorites Melissa Phillips sayings from "Choose Joy". I really liked how this one turned out!

Thanks Nicole Heady!

Stamp Affaire #3. Leather

Wow! A totally new technique!  Ashleley Newell did a challenge for us on turning cardstock into leather.  Barb and I agreed that this is something we're definitely adding to our repertoires. 

Perfect for a mssquline card. I used an old-fashioned script for the Happy Birthday sentiment. 

Stamp Affaire #2 - Cotton

"

So each challenge is about using a specific type of material in your creation. 

This time it was cotton.

The idea that came to me was how people use cotton for snow on a mantlepiece

Christmas display.  This looks a lot better in person. 

Stamp Affaire - Paper challenge

Ahhhhhhh.  I got this up in just a few minutes. Making progress!

A glass of wine and yummy cheese and crackers and some Chilis California Flatbread.

And a decent card this time too!

The challenge was to use a tassel and a bow made from teensy paper strips. 

Stamp Affaire starts off with a Grrrrr

Oh my goodness!!! I can tell it has been ages since I uploaded anything to my Blog.  

It took lots of gnashing of teeth and things not uploading and my dear friend Barb's help to get this going!!  

Here goes two days of marathon stamping and uploading!  May the rest be smoother sailing. 

I think I'll get a glass of wine before I go to the next challenge which Barb is already almost finished with.... I don't even like this card much but at least it's a start.

2016 PTI Re-visited

Painted Petals was one of my PTI favorites from 2016!  

2016 was also the year of the MISTI, a card-making tool that makes stamping

an image on paper or a die cut so much more accurate.  It certainly was a help in 

making this card -- I also added some Copic brushstrokes and used a .005 Micron pen 

to add a bit more detail.

PTI - re-visiting 2014

I think the butterflies from "Life Is Beautiful"  are the prettiest 

of all the stamps and dies about butterflies I've ever seen. It  certainly was 

one of my favorites from 2014!

This is a very simple card - I made the background with heat embossing and 

gave it to a friend who was in fear that she would have to undergo 

radiation therapy a 2nd time.  

Revisiting 2012 with PTI

Another Anniversary challenge from PTI - And getting to the time when I really began 

to get into making my own greeting cards!  

I've used "Sentiment Signs" many times over the past 5 years.  

I was also inspired by the primitive paint concept that Keeway Tsao 

used on her example and it was fun to use my Zig watercolor pens to create a 

confetti look.  Can't help but feel energized when I take a look at the finished card!

PTI Anniversary - 2011

While I don't own any of the sets that were revisited today, I was inspired by the

"Year of Flowers".  I picked the more recent "Flower Favorites" to make my card.

I LOVE, love, love the color yellow and there never seems to be enough  chances to use it, 

especially with the new Bright Buttercup ink that came out this year. --And the daisies 

were a perfect reason to use this new ink with a touch of Summer Sunrise ink.

The rest just fell together.  A touch of Copic pens here and there.

PTI Anniversary - 2010

I was so excited when I saw the challenge today because I actually owned 

a stamp set that was featured!  I think that these sweet peas were one

of the very first PTI sets I acquired and I made a birthday card for my daughter Katie 

with it.  This is another card. in the style of Melissa Phillips. 

 Her sentiment from "Choose Joy" fits perfectly

PTI 2009 Revisited

2009 Revisited -  

I confess I wasn't introduced to the world of card-making 

until 2 or 3 years after 2009.  My inspiration for this anniversary challenge

 came from Amber's card, "Fruitful".

I used a more recent set of fruity stamps and dies called "Still Life: Summer" 

and the lattice work from the Garden Gate kit.  This was fun to make and

lots of yummy colors!

2008 Revisited on PTI

Continuing the fun of scrambling to put together another card for PTI's 10th anniversary challenge!

My inspiration today is a Melissa Phillips creation.  

My best friend and card-making pal and I have a saying:  "It's a Melissa card!"  For me, this means that I pushed myself beyond a single layer to multiple layers, extra embellishments, and sweetness.  For me, a Melissa card is an extra special card!

2007 Inspiration

Today's challenge was to create a card inspired by some of the stamps released in 2007.

My inspiration came from a Dawn McVey creation based on Spiral Bouquet.  I really liked her

layout and used some images from Embellished Elegance.

My Most Favorite Card PTI 10th Anniversary

PTI is celebrating their 10th anniversary and today's challenge is for us to post a favorite card.

I have a lot of favorites that decorate my studio shelf but I think one of my favorites of all is one I made for a Stamp Affaire challenge a year or two ago  I LOVE lots and lots of color, but this is an all-white card, made with three different PTI die sets.  The idea for the design came together in a flash and it stays a favorite because it's so different from my usual love of colors.  I've made many copies of it since,  It's perfect for a wedding day or anniversary.