Happy Card - Happy Colors

I just had to sneak in a card for the Colour Q challenge. 

 I have been wanting to color this cute A Day for Daisies clown image for awhile and I was pretty sure this color combination was going to work.  I love working with digital images because I get to size them to fit what I want to do with them and I can print them out as many times as I want. 

 This cute clown caught my eye, maybe because of all of those hearts!!! I colored her in with Copic markers.  I did very little shading because I wanted to colors to be bright and vivid.  Each heart is coated with Glossy Accents.  I tried to turn the card to the side to show off the shine.  The corners were accented with a dot stencil and some stamp pad inks.  The "happy" word die is from Clearly Besotted, love their style.

 Here is the color combination for Colour Q.
And for a fun photo...

Seems that wearing lizards on our shirt is a new style around our house!!!

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

First AAA DT card

Let the fun begin! I was asked recently if I wanted to be a part of the AAA Cards team and since I am over the moon in love with challenges, I knew right away I wanted to play along with the team.  This week is my first card, being part of the team.

 It was so much fun to approach this challenge because of the little bit different angle.  Looking at the inspiration photo, I see a kitty cat, a book or newspaper and some yarn or string.  

 I knew I didn't have anything kitty cat related so that really was my first challenge!!! I did the next best thing and turned to A Day for Daisies shop for a digital image.  I love using digital images because I can print them out as many times as I want and in the sizes that I need.  I colored it with Copic markers.  This adorable image has the cutest little kitties and some yarn or string. The cloud die cuts are from Paper Smooches.  

 I stamped the newspaper image piece, making it into an banner.  A colorful piece of paper tape added some great interest.  Do you love that background!? I created it with a Tim Holtz stencil and some Ranger Distress Stains, Mustard Seed and Squeezed Lemonade.  The stencil and the Distress Stains are available at Blue Moon Scrapbooking. Be sure to check out this online store with it's great prices and selection. 

 I also wanted to create a card for the Addicted to CAS Texture challenge.  

 I used only a portion of a stencil and the Ranger Emboss It Dauber - embossing liquid in a dauber bottle.  I then embossed that with white embossing powder.  To add the color, I smashed down a pink Distress Stain onto the paper over the embossed design.  I love the little splatter that comes with the smashed ink.  The sentiment is from Mama Elephant.

Can you see the texture and the coloring?  That pretty flower and the leaves are stamps and matching dies from Wplus9 Designs. The center is Distress Glitter in pink. 

This also fits a new-to-me challenge blog, Inkspirational Word Prompt.  

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

It's all about backgrounds

I wanted to share two cards in this post, both using some online challenges. 

 First off, I used the CAS(e) this sketch challenge.  The sketch is simple and, what I love about that, open to some great interpretations.  I started out creating a neat background with a Crafters Workshop stencil and some Distress Stain on Tim Holtz watercolor paper.  That bottom border piece is a die from My Favorite Things.

 My main element is a digital image from A Day for Daisies.  What I love about using these is that I get to pick the size of the image.  I printed it out and gave it some subtle coloring with Copic markers and then cut it out.  The sentiment is from a set by Neat and Tangled.

 Here is the CAS(e) this sketch challenge.  

 And, for more about backgrounds, I wanted to play with the Lawnscaping challenge to create your own background.  I LOVE the trend to use feather images and die cuts.  It is one trend I want to stay around for awhile.  I particularly like the Lawn Fawn feather stamps and matching dies because the image is the outline of the feather meaning I get to create the design of the feather.  

 I started out with some Heidi Swapp gold spray.  This just might be one of my most favorite newer products.  It is the best gold and can be used as a spray or you can use drops of it.  I created a grungy background with the gold and then stamped the smaller of the feathers randomly all over that.  I did emboss the black ink because it makes that a little more vivid and intense.  I finished the card off with some cut feathers and a sentiment that is also from Lawn Fawn.  

 I added little drops of a purple Distress Stain and a great blue Heidi Swapp spray, using that in drops.  

Here is the Lawnscaping challenge.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

The little birdie says Hello!

I had so much fun with this card!

 I used the Freshly Made sketch as my launching pad.  I felt the sky was really the limit with this great sketch.  I started with one of my embossing folders, the bubble background. I made sure to not emboss the entire front of the card.  This embossed piece was then accented with a spray of two different colors of ink. 

 My main focal piece is a little birdie digital image from A Day for Daisies.  After I printed it out, I added some real simple coloring. The little dots were added with a stencil.  The doily looking piece is a Martha Stewart anywhere punch. I punched it once and then cut that out. I added it to my card, going "off the page".  That makes it fit the CAS-UAL Friday challenge.  The word "hello" is a Paper Smooches die cut.

Here is the Freshly Made sketch.

Here is the CAS-UAL Fridays challenge.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Sunbursts and Balloons

I can't remember when I had more fun creating a card!!!!

 I wanted to use the CAS(e) this Sketch for the inspiration for my card.  I picked up my sunburst stamp from Hero Arts and all I did was to use my new Mustard Seed Distress Paint.  I love how the paint looks when stamped, there is a little bit of dimension to the image.

 I stamped that image five times to go along with the sketch and then used some tiny little Recollections buttons to the middles of that image.  The die cut word "thanks" is from Paper Smooches. 

 Here is the CAS(e) this Sketch.

 And I also wanted to create this fun card.  I used a really cute digital image from A Day for Daisies.  After I sized it and printed it out, I colored it with Copic markers.   That die cut word is from Paper Smooches.

I coated each balloon with Glossy Accents and the sprinkled on some fine glitter.  The glitter almost looks funny in this photo, but it looks pretty cool in real life. This goes along with the Addicted to CAS glitter challenge.

Here is the Addicted to CAS challenge.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Two little fishes

I so enjoy using adorable digital stamps or images.  A Day for Daisies is such a fun place to find some really cute images to use on cards. 

 I picked out this one so I could create a card to go along with the Addicted to CAS challenge of Water and the CAS-ology challenge for Cool.  Along with those two challenges, I colored the image to go along with the Colour Q combo. 

I really like that with digital images, I can print them out in the size I want for my particular project.  After I colored this one, I masked the two fish so I could spritz on some blue spray for the water.  The gorgeous die in the background is a brand new die I just picked up from Cherry Lynn Designs.

Here is the Colour Q combo.

Here is the CAS-ology challenge.

Here is the Addicted to CAS challenge.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Dies and Digi's

First off, I have to tell you about some dies.

 Sizzix is the sponsor for Card Positioning Systems sketch blog this week. I picked a die and stamp set from Sizzix and Stephanie Barnard. I have a new love!!!! This set has a number of slightly different shapes that are designed to stack on top of each other or use separately. They are so easy to use.

 I used a border stamp and a sentiment stamp and three different label shapes. See how fun these labels stack?

 Here is the CPS sketch

 Next up, I used an adorable digital stamp on a card to go along with The Play Date Cafe color combo and  I used the retro sketch for the layout. 

 This super cute little girl wiht her bunny and balloon is a digital stamp by A Day for Daisies. I just love using digital stamps. I printed her out in the size I wanted and then colored her with Copic markers. The doily is by Martha Stewart and the zig zag stamp is by Paper Smooches.

 I paper pieced the balloon with a piece of digital paper I had printed out. AND...see my irridescent sequins? I just thought the look of the card and the little girl just needed that finishing touch.

 Here is The Play Date Cafe color combo for this week.

The retro sketch I used.

And guess what???? I picked this tomato today! The first one of the season to get ripe. I also ate a couple apricots and I need to pick blackberries! How fun.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Birthdays, Babies and BIkes

First off, our Easter weekend was wonderful. We went to church on Saturday night, that is different but helps give more space at church for others on Sunday. The service was amazing, something I would not want to miss. So, then, today we did our traditional plastic egg hunt in our backyard and then a dinosaur birthday party for a little four year old. Wait until I show you the cake!!! I'll do that soon. Our weather was amazing for all of these festivities and now to clean up from our fun!

Let's start off with birthdays. 

 This is this weeks sketch for Unscripted sketches and it is their anniversay celebration so I thought a birthday card would be fitting.

 I thought the pink, black and white was a fun color combo to go along with this cute birthday cake stamp by Hero Arts.

 The white dots are done using another Hero Arts stamp as is the pink swirl background.  I also gave it a little spray with some Chalkboard spray in pink.

 And, not onto celebrating babies. 

 This adorable girly little baby dress is a digital stamp by A Day for Daisies. I printed it on white cardstock and colored it with Copic markers by I also stamped it with a dictionary background stamp by Hero Arts for some added interest. The sentiment is a stamp by Pink Persimmon. The white doily is a Spellbinders Nestabilities.

 And for "Bikes", this cute bicycle is a stamp by Hero Arts, the papers by October Afternoon. 

The postcard is also a stamp by Hero Arts.  After it was stamped, I added alot of distressing with stamp pads and sprays.  The little pink flowers are Liquid Pearls.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Color challenges galore

I found two color challenges that made me bring out more papers and stamps.

Here is a glimpse of the first challenge.

 It is the Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger for this week.  This challenge isn't really all about the colors but I did pull them out for my card.

 I knew I wanted to do something with that yummy blue gingham and I remembered how much I love stamping a gingham pattern. I used some hearts by Wplus9 Designs and an embossing folder by Sizzix.  I love the simple, stunning contrast of the gingham ribbon and that great white embossed paper.

 Next up is the Colour Q combo.  This piece just says SPRING!

I also used a sketch from Freshly Made, I just turned it on it's side.

I used a digital stamp by A Day for Daisies.  It was simply printed on white cardstock and then colorsed with Copic markers.

 It is a little hard to see in the photo, but I added some Glossy Accents to the top lip of each bottle to help them look like glass. The letters are new to me stickers that I found at Michael's.

Here is a good view of the colors and shading on the flowers and leaves.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)