Pinks and Reds plus some Browns

I wanted to use the great color combination from Colour Q to create a card so I also went to the retro sketch for my idea.

 The colors are a wonderful combination of pinks with some deep brown. The label shape is cut with the Cricut, I just cut one side of that off to help fit the sketch. That patterned paper is from Authentique.

 The main focus is a great stamp from Hero Arts. What a neat way to say thanks to a friend.

Here is the Colour Q combo.

 

 Here is the retro sketch that I used.

 For this card I also used some "new to me" Hero Arts stamps.

I took the easy way to color the flower, I gave the image a generous spray of some Adirondac Red Pepper spray. The smaller flowers were colored with Copic markers. I just love that notebook paper stamp, I can see that I will use it often. 

                                       

 And for the browns, I used the amazing color combination from Dynamic Duos plus it fits the Simon Says Stamp "anything goes" challenge! I pulled out some more Hero Arts stamps and a great Fluid Chalk stamp pad for the soft background.

 The doily piece is a LifeStyles die cut, the "love you" is cut with the Cricut and the heart is a Hero Arts stamp with matching die cut shape.  The heart makes this fit the Addicted to CAS challenge.

Here is the Dynamic Duos combo.

 

My card also fits the Addicted to CAS challenge to use a heart. Since I love to use a heart somewhere on a card, I had to use this challenge!

 

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Sweet little bugs

I just received this new adorable little stamp set from Taylored Expressions and of course, had to put it to use.

 I am in love with the trend of "jars" and these little bugs that come in this set are the perfect match for a Valentine's day card.  I wanted to use the Dynamic Duos color combination this week and that fit my theme perfectly plus I used the CAS-ual Fridays challenge for Long and Short. I cut some of the papers shorter to place on top of the longer background paper so I thought that fit the theme.

 The jar stamp has a matching die too, not to mention the really cute sentiments in the set.  The pretty circle shape is my favorite Spellbinders Nestablities die! My Mind's Eye papers from a mini pad.

 Here is the Dynamic Duos challenge.

And the CAS-ual Fridays challenge.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Old stamps - New stamps

A Blog Named Hero gave a challenge this week to pull out any of our older Hero Arts stamps. Can I tell you this made me sooooo happy!

I went right to my Hero Arts drawer and pulled out this wonderful vine background stamp. This maybe is my all time favorite and it made me so sad to find they had discontinued it. I also went to the retro sketch for this week for the layout of my card.

 

The flower is also an older stamp. It comes with a pattern on it but since my ink was so wet, you can't see that pattern. I inked the flower with a Distress Stain and spritzed it with water. I stamped the vine with white ink and embossed it with white embossing powder and then rubbed it with a Clearsnap Chalk stamp pad in a great tan color. I love how the chalk stamp pads look for this and the embossed image acted as a resist to that ink. The leaf is cut with the Cricut. This also fits the Addicted to CAS challenge to use embossing. My card uses heat embossing and a little piece of dry embossing.

 

 

Here is the retro sketch.

 

 

Here is the A Blog Named Hero challenge.

Here is the Addicted to CAS challenge.

 

 

This quick little card uses some paper tapes. I did it to fit the Simon Says Stamp challenge to use Washi Tapes.

 

I have always loved alphabet stamps and so I needed to show off my newest set. It is from Hero Arts. Can I say I love it and I can see I will be using it often. The letters come solid and ouline. My paper tapes all came from Queen & CO, I so love her selection. The little wooden pieces are from Studio Calico, they just seem to fit about anywhere.

Here is the link to Simon Says Stamping challenge.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Blue Flowers and a VW bus

I loved the color combination for The Play Date Cafe for this week and just had to use it even if I am too late to submit it there.  The CASology challenge is BLUE so it does fit there too.

 

 The leaf sprig is cut with the Cricut Cindy Loo cartridge.  

 I just had to add that red button even though that isn't one of the colors. It just seemed like the perfect way to finish off those neat Hero Art flowers. I used the die that goes with the flower stamps. If you haven't use the Hero Arts dies, you have too. They are the easiest to line up and use. 

 Here is the wonderful The Play Date Cafe challenge. 

Here is the CASology challenge.

 I also need to share this adorable little VW bug! It is a stamp from Printworks. 

I thought the color combination was great for a masculine card.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Lovin' My Stamps

It seems anymore I am picking up a stamp for about any project I am working on and I love it.  I guess there is a degree of creativity that comes with stamping that I enjoy.

 For my first card that I want to share, I am using the Black/White with a Splash of color challenge at Simon Says Stamp Challenge.  

 Not only is it a Simon Says stamp challenge but this adorable house and the cloud are exclusive Simon Says stamps. I stamped the house with white ink and embossed it with white embossing powder then I colored it in with a black Copic. I didn't do a great job of coloring because the next step was to take a black spray from Studio Calico and I gave it a good covering of the spray. The embossed lines acted as a resist, the result is so cool. The yellow background is done with the Tweed Hero Arts background stamp, inked with Distress Stain and then sprayed with water. The label shape is cut with the Cricut.

 Next up, I am using the color combination from Colour Q.  The combo seems to lend to a boyish theme but I wanted it to have a girlish theme so I pulled out this adorable Paper Smooches stamp. 

 The blue cardstock with the embossed letters is done with a PaperTrey, Inc impression plate. I took the cheater way of using this cute stamp by stamping it on kraft cardstock with white ink and embossing it with white. This way it only needs a tiny amount of coloring, really just some light gray shadow. 

 Here is the Colour Q combo.

 And for my final card, I wanted to use the CAS(E) this sketch.  It is meant to be simple so that is always a fun challenge for me. 

 The flowers are stamps from Avery Elle Stamps and the sentiment is from the same Simon Says set as the house. The label is cut with the Cricut. 

This is the CAS(E) this sketch.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Pretty shapes

Both of the cards I want to share today include some pretty cool shapes.

 

This first one uses a wooden doily shape from Maya Road plus I used the retro sketch for the layout of my card.

 

 

The black strips are cut from the Tweed background stamp by Hero Arts. I mentioned the other day that I could probably use this stamp somehow on every card I make, I love it so much. I did spray the wooden piece with some gold Heidi Swapp spray, a Broken China Chalkboard spray and I inked the edges with a brown stamp pad.

Here is the retro sketch.

 

  

                              

 This card uses my brand new My Favorite Things snowflake die. It cut like butter!!! I used the Dynamic Duos color combination for it although it is a pretty subtle color combo and I also used the CAS-ology challenge for a WINTER theme. We don't get snow but I can still use snowflakes on cards.

 

 

I have this wonderful, chunky glitter from Impress Rubber Stamps. I coated portions of my snowflake with Glossy Accents by Ranger and then poured on the glitter. The white dots are Liquid Pearls. The pink is a stamp pad that I rubbed over the woodgrain embossed portion.

Here is the Dynamic Duos combo.

Here is the CASology challenge.

 

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Kangaroos and Hot Air Balloons

Both of these things are fun and both are part of my post for today.

 I pulled out a Paper Smooches stamp for this card. I got my inspiration for a kraft colored image from this blog, her projects are just plain adorable! I thought a good fit was the retro sketch for this week.

 The red heart is actually colored with some wonderful, Adirondac color wash in Red Pepper. It is such a yummy red.

 Here is the retro sketch.

 This also fits the Paper Smooches Sparks Anything Goes challenge.

 This card uses a couple of my brand new Hero Arts stamps so that makes it fit the Simon Says Stamp challenge for NEW.  The map background paper is from Crate paper.

 I stamped the Tweed background stamp first with black ink and then stamped the balloon stamp over that. It made the balloon have a great pattern. The circle ring is cut with the Kreaxions circle cutter, the best circle cutter out there!!!

Here is the Simon Says Stamp challenge for something NEW.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)