Shades of Green

Another reason to use some Distress Stains. 

 I found two online challenges to use an Ombre color combo, Virginia's View and The Friday Mashup.  Of course, I reached for my Distress Stains to create my look. 

 I stamped this amazing doily image from Mama Elephant using white ink and white embossing powder on watercolor paper.  After I spritzed this lightly with water, I started with the lightest shade of green Distress Stain and then added the medium shade and then the darker shade.  The water helped these shades of ink to flow together a little bit.  That middle small doily design was stamped the same way and colored with the darkest green.  I punched that out with a circle and added it to my card with foam tape.  

 This fits the current Virginia's View Challenge for Ombre.

The Friday Mashup challenge is also about Ombre.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Rain is a comin'- Newest AAA Card challenge

 We are expecting rain where I live so the newest AAA Card challenge is so appropriate. 

 I knew exactly what I wanted to use for this challenge, this super cute stamp set from Pink Paislee and it has a matching umbrella die.  In order to keep it on the simple side, I stamped the sentiment and the clouds on my watercolor paper with white ink and embossed them with white embossing powder.  The embossed images then acted as a resist when I added the various Distress Stain inks.  

I just love the way these Distress Stains react with water for a resulting watercolor look.  You can see in this close up how the embossed images resist the inks.  For the umbrella, I stamped it the same way on another piece of watercolor paper and then added ink to it then cut it out with the matching die.  I added it with foam tape. I love that this dimension adds a little bit of interest.  

Be sure to check out what the other team members created and take the time to play along with us at AAA Cards for the Rain challenge.

This also fits the Inkspiratonal Sprinkle challenge.

And the Paper Players Spring challenge.

Plus it fits Virginia's View challenge for All Things Embossed.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Simple Goodness

I started out with a very simple background using a stencil and some Distress Stain.

 I gave it some spritzes of Heidi Swapp Color Shine gold and left it all to dry.  I just picked up that medallion stamp on a recent visit to the Paper Source store. I just stamped it twice, both of the images going off of the paper.  I loved the stunning simplicity.  

 That adorable sentiment is from a set by Studio Calico.   It is so simple too and packs a big punch.  I used some Gold Silk that I picked up from Fun Stampers Journey.  It is in a bottle like nail polish.  It was so easy to add the gold accents to the medallion images with the brush end.  

I am adding this to Virginia's View challenge for a Clean Slate.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Snowy Trees

We don't get snow where I live but I sure love to create things about snow.

 Here I used some Tim Holtz trees stamped in white and embossed with white. They then acted as a resist to the addition of blue inks added on watercolor paper.

 I stamped a few snowflakes here and there with the same blue inks.  The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp.

This card goes along with the CAS-ology SNOW challenge.

This also fits the Virginia's View Distressed challenge.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Silvery snowflake

A snowflake on a card can be several colors but it just seems that metallic silver is just right plus that fits the Virginia View's challenge.

 The snowflake is a die from Simon Says Stamp. I love how dainty it is.  And that sentiment is from a set by My Favorite Things. 

 I started out with a very simple background.  Just a few colors of Distress Stain applied to some watercolor paper.  I did add a few drops of Heidi Swapp gold Color Shine.  I love the subtle way the inks mingle.  I used two layers for the snowflake, thinking that made it stand out a little bit more. 

Here is the Virginia's View challenge, All Things Metallic.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Gotta LOVE the color Red

This post is all about my favorite color - RED!

 Plus, it is about one of my favorite flower stamp sets from Altenew Stamps.  I used a sketch from retro sketches.  This weeks challenge was to pick a sketch from their past sketches.  I also used Virginia's View challenge to use Clean and Simple and Simon Says Wednesday challenge to use a watercolor technique.  I started out with a piece of watercolor paper as it comes from the pad of paper.  I like to keep the binding edge on some of the papers as I cut each piece to the sizes I want to use.  I think it is such a fun accent.  

 I wanted to use the flower stamps in a very simple way, stamping them directly to my paper meaning I didn't need to cut them out.  I only used two of the steps in creating the flowers and I used a wonderful Distress Stamp pad in Festive Berries. I just love that these inks give the look of having colored the images with watercolor.  I did block off a portion of my paper and stamped around that then when I removed the mask piece, I drew thin black lines with a pen then stamped the sentiment in that blocked off area.  This sentiment set from Winnie and Walter is so neat because of all of the little words that come with the big words so you can create your own greeting.  

 Here is the retro sketch I picked.

 Here is the Virginia's View challenge.

Here is the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Garland of flowers

My card for today uses the Fusion Challenge.  I like that you can either use the sketch or the inspiration photo of both.  I decided that I would go with the inspiration photo.

 I saw that that pretty golden yellow scarf around the neck could be translated as a flower wreath or garland and I knew that this stamp and matching die from Wplus9 Designs would fit my vision just right.   

 I kept the wreath very simple by stamping it in just one color and then added a tiny bit of contrast with the little stamped flowers.  So I could get the look of that brick wall, I took out a new stencil I have from Wendi Vecchi and created a brick looking background.  I sponged two colors over the stencil and then also stamped a "writing" stamp here and there to look like the writing on the mannequin body.

Here is the Fusion challenge.

Plus by using the stencil I could add my card to Virginia's View to use stencils.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)