Spring

So, I am sitting here with 10 cards in front of me that I have created over the last couple months, but not photographed or scanned.  I have a nice scanner/printer sitting beside me to do the task.  So now, just so that this post doesn't look totally naked I will stop and scan one.

The pattern paper is a small pack I bought on sale at Impress Stamps.  The check is the back side of the floral.  Stamp is Studio G from Michaels, flowers were also on sale at Impress.  I like the sringy'ness of it.  Design inspired by May/June Paper Crafts Magazine.   

Life has just been crazy around here.  With spring and all the landscape projects with multiple flats of annuals and cutting away the old spent tulips and daffs, with the purchase and moving and setting in of a new home for the community,  other legal actions within, the every day management "stuff" I hardly have time to sit down and stamp.  Then with Dave being sick all last week that threw an extra wrinkle in the plans.  So, I will post my cards when I can and really appreciate those of you that keep coming back and checking my blog, to find the same old page still sitting here.  So I will try and heat it up a little bit here now.

Now, Card a Day for 2010 has turned in to a Card when I Can in 2010, but I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth yet.

Day 69-82

This was a terribly busy week, ending in a near catastrophy, but hopefully next week will be better.

I finally got back to making some cards today.  I did 13 today, and a couple of these were from earlier.

I really like the geat enbossed ones.  They go so fast and I think they are really pretty.

Top left is the latest Unity Stamp of the Month set. 

I don't like this one, but thought I'd post it anyway.  It is one of the CardMaker Card club cards.  I am going to cancel my membership in this one.  I found out that I really don't like quilling too.

I think I missed one of the red heat embossed cards, since I see two of the same kind. 

Card a Day 68

Only 5 days late, but better late than... you know the rest.  It's been an incredibly stressful week and it felt good to be stamping again.  Even though I did wake up at 5 this morning, and unable to go back to sleep, but then went back to bed at 7 and slept until 8:30, so guess that made up for it.

The stamps are Heidi Grace.  I bought this set on clearance and almost gave it away, glad I didn't.  Background paper is DCWV.  Picture came from Stamping Matilda (Godelieve).  I spent a good amount of time this morning just browsing her blog and getting lots of inspiration.  If you ever need inspiration, go there, she is fantastic!

The die cut background is one that I actually miss-stamped on the lower corner, but you know that stampers and paper crafters never throw anything away!  We just repurpose it.

Day 67

If Friday is TGIF, what does that make Monday?  WTHM?  Can you tell it's been one of those days?  It's a good thing I did my card last night.

I didn't realize until I photographed this card, but I put the embossed vellum on upside down.  It doesn't look bad, just 'different'.  The bird has rock candy distress crackle on him. 

Day 65 abd 66

I had this card done last night, but was too tired to photograph it and post.  Started it the day before by making the flowers with flower soft and they had to dry.  The vase is stamped and cut out and the stems go under the pop dots.  I'm not real happy with the colors, but I was so tired I didn't feel like re-doing it.

This is my Sunday card and I'm happy with it.  It has flower soft on the grass.  With the sentiment it reminds me of Paul Harvey's "the rest of the story."  It is intended to be a wedding card, but I think with the house and the heart on the door, it's like after the wedding, they are home and the grass is growing and they are still happy.

House stamp is Unity, sentiment and sun are CTMH, different sets.  Roof was colored with watercolor pencils and water.

TGIF Day 64

I certainly am glad that it is Friday.  It hasn't been a bad week though, so I'm not complaining.  I am just looking forward to a weekend of rest before the big week coming up.  We made a bid on a home for the community and it was accepted.  Dave started preparing the lot today and I started doing the permit stuff and finding movers etc.  Next week we meet with the movers to find out how hard it is going to be to move.... it will be hard.  Then submit the paperwork.  Get bids on painting.  It must be painted immediately as it is PINK.  And not just a light shade of pink, but a very very pink.  Then find some carpenters to build decks and do the skirting.  Fortunately we have several carpenters/painters right here in the community to draw from.  Have to locate a truck so that we can haul out the shrubs and cherry tree that are in front of the home to be moved that we have to take out. 

Ok, so enough of that, here is my card for the day.

I've been wanting to do the bird with this particular stamp.  Then thought about using the script background.

Then I decided to do a third layer of heat embossing with the leaf.  I kind of like it.

Day 63

I had to do another with Flower Soft.  I really love this stuff.  I don't have a lot of stamps that will work well with it, so will be looking at buying stamps with another eye now.  I have had this one for a long time and really like it.  It's a woody, but I think it would be nice if it was acrylic and you could bend the stem a little bit.  Guess that will be the next one...haha.

I was so anxious to use the Flower Soft though, that I didn't ink the paper first.  I know... I know.. you don't HAVE to have it inked, I just prefer iet to stark white.  But I think I like it this way anyhow, I think it highlights the flowers a little better.  Flower stamp is Rubber Stamped, sentiment CTM, flourish T.H. Stampers Anonymous.

Day 62

My new found love... Flower soft!  I love this stuff.  I think you'll be seeing a lot of it here o my blog.  Only have three colors so far.  The Scrapbook Nook, the ONLY scrap store in the area just started carrying it.  They also just got copics, and I'm still thinking about them.

Stamp is Unity.  Corner was cut (painfully) from my Cuddlebug.  Background was inked with T.H. new distress ink color Victorian Velvet.  I know that it is just a "color" but in real life it actually looks velvety.

Day 61

Yes, I'm still playing with paper, besides saving money!  haha.  The second half of my Orange phase.  Stamp is February Unity Stamp.

It's Orange...Day 60

My first 'on-time' card in some time now, and it's quite orange, along with tomorrow's card.  I got a couple of lovely orange papers at Ben Franklins and thought this resist technique card worked well with it.  Distress inks are Shabby Shutters and Dried Marigold.  Stamp is Rubber Stampede and is heat embossed with clear EP.  The card based is inked with Shabby Shutters also, but hard to see in the scan.

Day 58 and 59

Woo Hoo!  I caught up!  It was looking somewhat doubtful for a while.

It's a green sort of day today.    Had fun doing these guys with the Unity Stamps.

Top one is inspired by the new Paper Craftgs Magazine, Bottom one from the Unity Blog.  Argile paper is from the Card Mazagize kit, the other paper is Lasting Impressions that I got on sale at Ben Franklins Friday.

Day 56 and 57

I did this one yesterday but then didn't have a chance to post it.  Stamp is Unity and Close to My Heart.  Papers are DCWV.

This was a real challenge, but a fun technique.  After a little trial and error, this was the process:  Cut a piece of canvas, fray the edges.  At this point you should cut the hole with a Spellbinders (or other) die.  Then ink the canvas with distress inks and mist with water to blend the colors better.  Then run the canvas through the Cuttlebug with an embossing envelope and let dry (or use heat gun).  Stamp the image on a second piece of cardstock and attach to card base, and then attach canvas with strong adhesive.  Though the scan doesn't show the depth, I punched the dragonfly and attached it to the canvas with glue dots.

The canvas is really hard to cut with the die.  I had to do it several times with several shims to finally get it through.  But I really like the results. 

This photo shows the dimension a little better, but not the embossing.  The dragon fly was punched from a piece of cs that I had done early while playing with different techniques that was masked and heat embossed.  Again, it looks much 'cooler' IRL.

Days 53-54-55

So again I missed a couple days, but I'm back.  I saw a tutorial for this technique on Splitcoast Stampers.  It is embossed with the CB, but as you see, the center is flat so that it can be stamped. 

I joined the Cards Magazine Kit club and got my first kit today.  It's ok, nothing to shout about really.  I'll probably cancel after a couple of them.  This is a couple careds that I made with them.  Not what the directions tell you to do, but I always have to go a LITTLE out of the box...haha.

The green one looks crooked but it really isn't... I promise... it's the scan.

Day 52

I decided this morning I was going to clean my tables before I made any more cards.  It's getting hard to find anything under the piles.

But I didn't make it.  Had other stuff to do today, but did get about another foot to work on.  Then got some inspiration tonight for another card, so maybe I'll work on the room again tomorrow.

It's not perfectly aligned on the page, but this was my third attempt.  The flower is stamped directly on the cs front, then masked, heat embossed and inked a couple times.  The inspiration came from one of Michelle Zindorf's cards.

Day 49-50-51

A few round cards I did today. 

Day 48

I got a new scanner.  I think it does a much nicer view than my pictures do.  I'm not very "artsy" when it comes to photographing cards anyway.  I like the way this little guy turned out.  I didn't know that I wanted to put the bird on it when I started, I just knew that I wanted to put a flourish someplace.  Tried to stamp the flourish onto the pattern paper but it is a glossy finish and wouldn't take the ink.  Will try that on another one. 

Day 47

Not doing too well with getting caught up, but i'll get there, I promise!   I like to stamp too much NOT to do it. This jet lag has been a killer. Here's my card for today.  Background is second generation and inked with Mulled Lavender DI.

The background and ribbon are stamped with the same stamp set as the sentiment. 

Card a Day 45-46

The flower is stamped into polymer clay, baked and colored with Smooch Inks. 

The sentiment is stamped in polymer and painted with alcohol inks.

Card a Day 42-43-44

I really like the way this one turned out. The picture really doesn't do it justice.  The butterflies are cut and embossed with CB dies/folder, and distress inked.  The Weathered Wood ink was the perfect match for the pattern paper.  Stamps are Unity and unnamed acrylic.

 

This was inspired by this month's Paper Crafts Magazine.  I seem to be getting lots of inspiration from it this month.  Tree base are Unity stamps.  Circles cut with CM cutter and dotted lines with Inkabilities pen.  Thanks is CTMH.

Background is masked and ink distressed.  Tree stamp is Rubber Stampede, Thanks is CTMH.

Card a Day 40-41

The inspiration for this card came from the new Paper Crafts.  The background trees are heat embossed with clear E.P. and then the paper is distressed inked with T.H. Shabby Shutters.  The tree is Unity.  I stamped the trunk in brown, then the leaves on different colored CS.  I'll do anything to keep from having to color in a stamp!  haha.  Leaves are individual cut out and adhered. 

This is a new stamp I picked up last week on sale in Florida.  It is Inkadinkado.  I really love it.  Paper is DCWV.

We came home from our trip to these daffodils in bloom.  There is actually more blooming here than there was in Florida!  Just had to add some flowers now that it's fake spring.