Sending Happy Thoughts

Playing with inks, my favorite!!!

 To create my background, I used a stencil and a few different Distress Ink colors to make my card fit the Color Throwdown challenge.  

A finishing touch was to cut the word "hello" in gold metallic paper, I love that pop of bling.   

  The leaf wreath is a stamp by Altenew.  I stamped that with white and embossed it with white on watercolor paper then when I added the inks, the embossed lines acted as a resist. 

Here is the Color Throwdown challenge.

It fits the Sketch Saturday sketch.

And the Just Us Girls, Bold Letters challenge with the Metallic gold word.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Completely Wild About You

I pulled out this adorable stamp set from my stash, the set is from Wplus9 with matching dies. 

 I used two online challenges for my inspiration.  The CAS on Friday challenge is "Baby" and also Clean and Simple so I used quick and easy techniques.  A messy background with Distress Inks is always quick and I like that I can use colors that I want.  The giraffe was quickly colored with Copic markers, the balloon got its cute pattern from a stencil and they both have a matching die meaning I was able to cut them out quickly.  

 I didn't want just a solid color for my balloon so I thought using a stencil added some fun.  

 Is this guy simply cute!!!!

 Here is the Just Us Girls challenge.

Here is the CAS on Friday challenge.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Browns and Blacks

I love online challenge blogs because I can find myself going in a direction in crafting that I hadn't planned on, out of my box so to say.

 The Color Throwdown Challenge for this week was a simple black, brown, white.  I thought that would be easy until I started working on it.  This might be my third attempt!!! I stamped a Simon Says Stamp background stamp in white on watercolor paper, embossed it with white embossing powder and then just blotted a brown Distress Stain all over that, letting the ink sit in puddles as it dried.  I love this "resist" technique especially with the white lines.  

 The large "thank you" die is by Altenew and the leaves are from Paper Smooches.  I covered the leaves with Nuvo Crystal Glaze. I love how easy it is to spread this liquid and how evenly it dries with a great crystal shine.  The black dots are Nuvo Crystal Drops.  I purchased both from Simon Says Stamp and they might be my new obsession.  

 Here is the Color Throwdown challenge.

And the Just Us Girls challenge.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost0
instagram lrbeeson

All the Golden LOVE

Valentine's Day has to be one of the easiest and most fun holidays to create cards for, who doesn't love hearts of any color? 

 My card is actually very simple and good thing is it goes along with a few online challenges. 

 My current love is to work with watercolor paper and watercolor techniques.  This background is just plain some simple shades of red Distress Stain.  That sweet little wreath is a stamp and matching die from Simon Says Stamp and that gorgeous gold word is also a die from Simon Says Stamp cut from gold metallic paper.  

 How about these colors, Color Throwdown.

 My card also fits the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge of It Must Be Love.

It also fits the Simon Says Stamp Flickr challenge.

And the Just Us Girls, LOVE challenge.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

You are my happy place

I'm sharing a few things I madly love, some hearts and the cutest little puppy dog stamp. 

 The puppy stamp is by Reverse Confetti, a favorite stamp company of mine and another fav on this card is the use of embossing paste. I so love the texture that the paste adds. The tag is a die that is also by Reverse Confetti and how about the watercolor look with the Distress Stains.  

This close up view gives you a better idea of how neat the embossing paste looks, I added it with the use of a dot stencil. My card fits a few online challenges, I love the inspiration that comes from using challenges.  

 This Addicted to CAS Pets challenge.

 The Just Us Girls Dogs challenge.

 This sweet The Card Concept challenge.

Plus the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Summertime Dreams

The challenge at Simon Says Monday blog is Summer Fun.  

 The sentiment on this bookmark says it all as far as I'm concerned.  Summer is a whole lot of things but I can sure dream of the island breezes.  I created a bookmark just for summer time reading. That sentiment is a stamp from Printworks Rubber Stamps.  The flower and leaves are stamps from Altenew.

 For the background on my piece, I first used embossing paste with a stencil to create this gorgeous pattern and then washed over a few different colors of Distress Stain mixing those inks with water so that the inks ran and created a watercolor look.  I so love a watercolor background because it is always irregular and unpredictable yet always wonderful.  

 Here is the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

 This also fits the Just Us Girls watercolor challenge.

I have become rather obsessed lately with photography so I thought I'd share a few photos.  

Getting up close and personal with some Hummingbirds. 

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

One Red Heart

If I had my way I would create using hearts all year long.

 But, of course, Valentines Day is the time when hearts are everywhere plus the card I want to share fits a few online challenges.  I started out with this great heart background die from Simon Says Stamp.  I cut it from watercolor paper and then colored it with yellow/gold with some Distress Stain and Heidi Swapp Color Shine.  With this die you can leave all of the cut out hearts, you can remove some of them or all of them.  I opted to take out some and leave some. 

 I know my color combo is rather unexpected for Valentines Day but I loved that it ended up a little bit out of the ordinary  I created a background with Distress Stains.  When these are added to watercolor paper and spritzed with water, the look is always a little bit of a surprise.  I cut the die from Silver Glitter cardstock so that I could add a few hearts into my background die and then I added one red heart with foam tape.  The sentiment is from Paper Smooches.  

 This fits the Just Us Girls "heart" challenge.

 It fits the Inkspiration Photo challenge because of the subtle colors and the heart.

And it fits the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of "hearts".
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Metallic Gold and Flowers

 I wanted to use the CAS(e) this sketch plus some subtle shades of yellows and golds.  I created my background with Distress Stain Tarnished Bronze and some Heidi Swapp Gold Color Shine spray with a stencil.  I love creating a messy look and then to stand back and see what happens as it dries.  This made just the perfect background for my Altenew flower and leaves.  

 After I stamped the flower and leaves with black ink, I added color with with the same Distress Stain Tarnished Bronze.  These were then cut out with the matching dies.  The "hello" is a die from Lawn Fawn, I cut the word out of black cardstock and then coated it with Glossy Accents.  

Here is the CAS(e) this sketch.

And the Just Us Girls Metallics challenge.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Congrats to You

Taking a little time to play along with a couple online challenges.

 Altenew stamps has a color challenge and Just Us Girls has a watercolor challenge.  So I reached for my newest Altenew stamp set.  I randomly stamped two of the flowers on my watercolor paper and then did some "messy" coloring by dabbing Distress Stains directly to the paper after spritzing the paper with a little bit of water first.  

 The Distress Stains and water bleed and run for a great watercoloring look.  The dots were created with a Tim Holtz stencil.  

Here's the Alternew November challenge.

Here's the Just Us Girls watercolor challenge.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Just Us Girls Photo Week

My last week to play along with the Just Us Girls team as their guest, it has been so fun.

 This weeks challenge to a photo inspiration challenge.

 I sat and looked at the photo for awhile and then decided the first thing that caught my eye was the orange chairs, then the touch of blue, then all of the white.  

I had this adorable chair stamp from Gourmet Rubber Stamps plus the sentiment stamp and the word block stamp.  I went with a very easy and quick way to color the chair, with some Distress Stains for a watercolor look.  The little group of flowers is a stamp from Printworks also colored with a watercolor style.

Be sure to check out what the rest of the Just Us Girls team created to go along with the photo and take some time to play along.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Time for another Just Us Girls challenge

Plus my time as a guest at Just Us Girls.

 The challenge this week is colors.  I was also so inspired by that yummy lollipop and those fun colors.

 Because the inspiration photo looks so much like a party, I went with a birthday theme.  

 To use some of the colors, I used a paint brush swipe stamp from Avery Elle and just inked it several times with Distress Ink.  I first stamped the words "happy birthday" using white ink and white embossing powder.  The embossed lines acted as a resist as I stamped the inks over that making the words pop out.  I wanted a very simple look but I did need to add a balloon which is a stamp from Simon Says Stamp.  

Be sure to check out the rest of the teams cards at Just Us Girls and play along too.

This also fits the Curtain Call challenge of Celebrate.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)