Succulents and Cactus

My newest passion includes succulents and cactus, plants I tended to ignore before but I have fallen in love with how easy they are to grow.  

 With that said, I knew I needed this new stamp and matching die set from My Favorite Things.  It was fun to make my creation fit in with the Color Throwdown challenge.  

 I used Strathmore watercolor paper for my background and for my plants and pots, pairing that with Zig Clear Color markers and a few Distress Inks.  

Here is the Color Throwdown challenge.

It also fits the Simon Says Wednesday challenge of anything goes and using Ranger Products because I can't hardly create without Ranger products!!!
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

A different watercolor look

I took a workshop using the Zig Clean Color Real Brush and so I needed to give them a try.  Using the CAS(e) this Sketch was good inspiration.

 The sketch is so simple and I thought this set of Paper Smooches stamps was good for the pens and the sketch. 

 There wasn't much to add color to but it was fun.  The keep with the sketch I added dots to the card with a Tim Holtz stencil and some Distress Stain.  I couldn't leave all of that white space so I added some design with an embossing folder.  

Here is the CAS(e) this Sketch.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Paint and Stencils

I love experimenting and so my card for today is a result of some of that and it fits the Freshly Made sketch. 

 I took plain white craft paint and with my finger, spread that over a dot stencil on white cardstock.  I left that to thoroughly dry and then colored it with some Distress Stains.  I also spritzed it with water because I was using watercolor paper and the water helps the inks to blend. The paint acted as a resist to the red color.  I just needed to take a clean cloth and wipe off the excess color. 

 That neat pointed circle is a Spellbinders die, see the added embossed line and the sentiment is from Printworks.  

Here is the Freshly Made sketch.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Flowery Get Well wishes

I am playing along with the CAS(e) this sketch for this week with my card.  

 I love playing around with colors and supplies so the background piece for my card is the result of one of the playing sessions.  This piece had been sitting on my desk for some time and I knew I could make it fit with the sketch very nicely.  The die cut words are from Paper Smooches, I just cut them twice. 

 I started with a small piece of watercolor paper. This was spritzed with water and then I ran three colors of Distress Stain directly to the paper. I spritzed it again with water so the colors would run together.  When this was dry, I stamped the flower in black and embossed it with clear embossing powder.  

Here is the CAS(e) this sketch.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

How do you use a flower stamp?

I so love this set of clear stamps that I got from Avery Elle so of course I try to think of new ways to use the various flowers in the set. 

 I put two of the flowers to use on this card and I knew I wanted to use the wonderful color combo from The Play Date Café.  I had a little bit of trouble finding stamp pads that were the exact colors but I think I came pretty close and I love the result.

 I just kept stamping the larger flower over and over not inking the stamp everytime so some of the shades are a little lighter.  I did a little bit of accent with one of the tiny flowers.  The sentiment is also from Avery Elle.

 Here is the yummy The Play Date Café combo.

It also fits the CASology challenge for the theme of "BLOOM".

And, see what we did this week!! Got some corn planted for the fun of watching it grow.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Creating weekend

This last weekend held all kinds of things including lots of interruptions to my creating time but I still managed to complete two cards! Always makes me feel good.

 First of all, I wanted to use the newest retro sketch. I pulled out some new Hero Arts stamps and actually turned the sketch to make the sketch and the stamps work together. I stamped the little building scene twice inking them each time with Distress Stain and then a spritz of water. First time I stamped the scene on textured cardstock and cut out the buildings, next time I stamped the stamp directly to my white background paper that is X-Press Copic marker paper. Each paper took the ink a little bit differently.

 I stamped this sentiment that I thought fit pretty fun with white ink and embossed that with white embossing powder. Then I sprayed this piece that is on white cardstock with a black Studio Calico black spray and rubbed it with black, Fluid chalk stamp pad. I love the chalkboard look to the finished paper.  It is a pretty different look then if I had done the same stamping on black cardstock.

 I wanted to show that the top layer is not all of the way glued down. I added some Liquid Pearls to some of the windows making it look like the lights are on.

Here is the retro sketch.

Here is what it looks like turned.

 Next up I wanted to use the amazing color combination at Colour Q.  The background piece that is cut with the Cricut is colored with some Distress Stains then stamped over with the Looped Circle background stamp by Hero Arts.

 I stamped the Hero Arts flower with white ink and embossed with white embossing powder then sprayed it with a yellow Chalkboard ink and added some yellow Distress Stain. It is finished with a clear button that has twine tied in it. This card also works for the A Blog Named Hero challenge to make your own embellisment.

Here is the Colour Q combo.

Here is the A Blog Named Hero challenge.

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)

Black Christmas Trees and Angel Snow Ladies

I am having so much fun creating cards around the themes of the season.

 This first one uses the retro sketch for this week and some really neat WOW stamps I recently won.

 I was a winner of this great stamp set by WOW from Gina Lideros blog.  I wanted my image to be on the simple side so I just stamped it with black ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder. Next came maybe my new most favorite supply, some Heidi Swapp Gold spray. Can you tell how amazing that gold is? I even sprayed it on that little strip of black cardstock.

 I wanted to show off a Kreaxions 4-in-1 punch so I used it on the corners of my square piece of cardstock that I had already embossed with a Cuttlebug embossing folder. This was also rubbed with some brown and some green stamp pad ink.

 Here is the retro sketch.

 Now for my adorable little Snow Lady, a Printworks stamp.  I just love how girly she is.  She also fits the Simon Says Stamp blog, Snowflakes challenge and the CASology SPARKLE challenge.

 Another new purchase that I am loving is some Rock Candy Ranger Sticklers. LOVING the glittery look. The hat was coated with Glossy Accents.

 This snowflake is cut with the Cricut and another example of the Rock Candy Sticklers. I thought the little heart she is holding looked something like a Bauble to go along with the Addicted to CAS challenge.

 This is the Addicted to CAS challenge.

CASology Sparkle challenge.
And for a couple cute photos...

 We picked up this adorable Santa advent calendar at Ikea and my youngest grandson has had so much fun opening a box each day. He was getting mad that Christmas wasn't here since we said it was Christmas time, so this helps him, I hope!

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

The colors of fall

While my post today holds fall leaves and fall colors everywhere, we are actually in a heatwave here!!! We are pretty sure it is still summer.

 First up I played along with the color combination at Colour Q.  I used "FALL" as my theme since these colors fit so perfectly. 

 The sentiment piece is cut with my Cricut.  The leaf is a Tim Holtz stamp that I inked with two different colors of Distress Stain.  I applied the stain directly to the stamp. 

 This is the Colour Q combo. 

 This also fits with the Cas-ual Fridays challenge to use your own blog banner as inspiration. Since mine is a photo of some leaves that I took, I thought this fit really well.  PLUS - this fits the "leaf inspiration" challenge at Simon Says Stamp & Show. 

 Next up, my Card Positioning Systems card for this week.

 Again, I used a set of leaves from Tim Holtz.  The set comes with larger leaves and smaller ones.  This card uses the smaller ones, again inked with Distress Stains applied directly to the stamps.

Here is the CPS sketch.  This card also fits the same Cas-ual Fridays challenge and the same Simon Says Stamp & Show challenge.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)