Canine birthday wishes...

Today's card is made using Freshly Made Sketches.   I had planned to make a masculine card with this cute canine, but the longer I looked at the glasses, I couldn't resist adding rhinestones. and then I just had to color the toe nails.   My niece has her own business, Doggie Diva and I think this would be a perfect card to send her.   I used a Men are From Mars downloadable image and paper that came free with the April 2018 Making Cards and Papercraft Magazine.    The entire card base is cut from a a piece of 11 x 8 1/2 covered in polka dots.  It makes an interesting look, and is easier than covering the front of a plain card with a piece of DSP.   I added an Island Indigo panel at the bottom and on top of that I added a stamped piece.of white cs, covered with 2nd generation Island Indigo paw prints.   

I then popped the doggie which I had fussy cut, so that the paws come out over the panel.

The Happy Birthday sentiment is from the current SU book, Perennial Birthday.    Thanks so much, for stopping by...have a good week-end!   Kathy

Candy Cane Christmas...

A few weeks ago I found this candy cane digital stamp at Power Poppy by Marcella Hawley.   I downloaded planning on using it in the future for a Merry Monday Christmas Challenge.   So here it is for their last challenge--create a rustic card.   I always enjoyed visiting this site whether I joined in the challenge or not.  In second grade I made a card with a candy cane on it...I was so happy a couple of months ago when I was going through some old papers of mine and my mothers to find this card.  I'm not sure if one of the earliest cards I ever made is rustic, but it is definitely "vintage" since it was made 58 years ago! (pictures below)  I decided to use the CASE challenge at Global Design Project.   I like the layering of the inspiration card and it served as a guide to the assembling of my card. I fussy cut the image that I printed on cs, and then I started using red colored pencils to color the candy cane, but it just wasn't vibrant enough so I colored over the pencil coloring with my SU real red marker...The bow is lot more vibrant and almost looks velvety.   Perhaps having a coat of colored pencil under the stripes of the canes made them come out more of the real red color.   Because the image is printed, it does blend in some of the black of the detailing.  I used Gumball green for the leaves.  I colored pink pearls for the red berries with a sharpie.  I added some die cut twigs from natural which I painted with wink of stella for a glittery glow.  I added nuvo shimmer to the green leaves.  These details don't really show well in the picture.   I plan on making more of these!       Thanks for stopping by,   Kathy

hello dahlia...

Wanting to tackle the Tuesday Morning Sketch for this week,  I rummaged through my stash box and found a dahlia and leaf I hadn't colored and a "hello" that a friend gave me when she cleaned out her stash...I took a doily that I had used for a bridal shower and scallop-circle cut the center of it.  I backed it with a plain white scallop the same size out of cs so that it wouldn't show the dots on the panel.   I printed a free downloadable paper that was a purple grey with cream dots on it, it matched the hello.   I decided to color the dahlia and leaf with colored pencils in pinks and greens..  I then took a purple grey sharpie and colored 3 Su pearls.   With the beautiful DSP out there I probably won't fool with downloading paper too much...it was a bit of hassle, I probably just don't know what I'm doing!    I also linked to Simon Says Wednesday Challenge.   Thanks for stopping by,   Kathy

wonderful friend...

Combining two challenges I made my card, using Melon Mambo, Lemon Lime Twist and Mint Macaroon.  Both Challenges were tough for me, but definitely taught me much...like "what not to do."   I used my stamparatus to get crisp images and a crisp sentiment.   I am loving this new toy.  But I stamped the dots using a block for the most part.  The stamp sets were Color Me Happy (Su last year when blender pens came out) and Dragon Fly Dreams (SU current) Thanks for  topping by.    Kathy

Paper Craft Crew Card Sketch
Sundaystamps.blogspot.com

Thanks - Sea of Textures...

I've seen so many adorable cards with this SU set, that I borrowed it from my SU Demonstrator-friend.  I can think of lots friends that I might would send this card to, especially someone, who without being asked, notices that you need help!      The colors are the colors of the Tranquil Textures DSP (SU)  I inked the octopus using sponges, in Fresh Fig, Tranquil Tide and Mint Macaroon.  I die cut the octopus and fussy-cut the sea weed.   The rhinestones are the Octopus' breathing bubbles.    Thanks for looking, have a restful afternoon and a good week.   Kathy

CAS(E) this sketch!

Psalm 16.11

My no-stamping card, using a Bible Verse downloaded from Word Art Wednesday is made using the Tuesday Morning Sketch for this week.   I love doing "paper" cards.  For this one I used a piece from a pad I bought at AC Moore Love by Nicole--not sure the name of this pad.  To cover the unevenness of the layering ovals I added punch matted butterflies.  I think black small plaid always looks good with neutrals and of course with melon mambo.   Thanks for looking,      Kathy

"Pink" Lots of Lavender...

Spamparatus from SU, the newest toy in my arsenal...played a role in the making of this card.  The latest sketch from Freshly Made Sketches provided a great design for using the "Lots of Lavender" stamp set that I had gotten back during Sale A Bration.  I had a lot of trouble judging where to put the shading stamps after I stamped the outline of this bouquet..   Very frustrating.    The stamparatus is wonderful...To use the bouquet I needed to turn the sketch vertically.   I stamped the bouquet on the white panel and used a lavender pad for the shading and I didn't like it...so to cover up my first stamped bouquet I stamped a second one, fusy cut and popped.   I also did a little research and found that lavender plants also bloom in pink and a pink and lavender plant as well.   So I used powder pink (SU) and colored in with a lavender colored pencil.  The sentiment is a very old "Happy Birthday" set from CTMH.   I have used the vertical Happy Birthday before and usually I never got on first go round...and I didn't nail it on the first go round with this one either.  But you just press again with the Stamparatus and it fixes it.  It also gives even stamping to outline images.   In the interest of full disclosure I am not a demonstrator for SU, but one of my good friends is and I love the products.  But I also love other companies as well.   Thanks for stopping in!     have a great week-end...

Kathy

Other supplies:  Lemon lime twist ink and cs (SU)

                         pearls (SU)

                         black colored pencil (bow)

                         Nuvo Shimmer glitter pen

Spec-tacular BOGO...

Yesterday my daughter went with me to assist in the choosing of new eye glasses. I just hate doing that, we finally picked a bluish animal print with bling on them.  I think they will work great, but trust me they were not having a BOGO sale!   Today's card was inspired by all the pretty choices...I  received free a cute new Father's Day set with a magazine I had bought at Barnes and Nobles. It has such a "cute" eye glasses die cut. Since,  I couldn't squeeze 10 pairs of "spectacles" on the top of the card  I decide to cut solid cs eye glasses and put the patterned glasses in front...hopefully it shows...hence the BOGO.   I had mulled over this sketch for awhile and decided to give it a try!

Thanks for stopping by!  

What and How:

Challenges:  CAS(E) this sketch!

Painted Autumn Papers SU 2017 with accompany colors

SU rhinestones

watercolor paper

thinking of you..dots

What kind of stamper am I?  Do I have a "style?"  How about "One Thing leads To Another"  For the last year or so, I've given up trying to figure out where to put things on my card, in favor of "sketch challenges" as well as other challenges.   For today's card I started with a piece of white cardstock which I stamped black dots on.  I followed the sketch closely and added the little stamped black dotted flowers as embellishment.  I still struggle with white space.   I may have over-dotted it, but I like it and "art" is what we make it!  I am also linking this to "Global Design Projects." Their theme this week is Love It, Live It, Share It.  I love the challenges that help me grow as a card marker, and I try to do something each day toward a goal of 1 or 2 challenges a week, that's the live it part.  Finally, I started this blog to share what I love.  I am persuaded that my love of colors and shapes and textures and all things stamping is part of my core, in my DNA.   This is one of the reasons that I have chosen John 15:5 as my  verse to share with you (in blog title).  God as my creator made me and has given me abilities and in Him (Christ Jesus) I can do much and apart from Him I can do nothing.  I know this to be true, because I lack confidence in ways you would never believe!   Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate comments!    Kathy

What and How:
CHALLENGES:  GLOBAL DESIGN PROJECT
                            FAB FRIDAY CHALLENGE

polka dot circle: stamp "Color Me Happy" FSJ May bloom box
flower dots stamp "Petite Petals" SU retired
sentiment stamp:  "Heartland" SU hostess 2017-2018
Embossing Folder:  CTMH
Punch:  "Petite Petals" SU retired
Punch: scallop SU retired
Die: Stiched shapes SU
Dies: scallop and circle ?
Enameled Dots:  "Flamingo" CTMH  retired
CS:  white daisy, black, pear  CTMH

With Love...

Blog chit-chat is interesting, while I love reading all the things many of you put...I'm stymied with what I might share that you would  find interesting.  Here is my attempt...I was once asked what flower do I think I am most like.  Hmm..well I'm not a gardener but my mom use to have a garden where she grew green beans and when I was young she encouraged "made me" pull weeds...I'm not sure whether I honestly couldn't tell the difference or I just wanted to bug her, but I was constantly asking is this a bean or a morning glory.  The very young plants looked so much alike.  Because we wanted the beans "to produce" food, we needed to pull the morning glories out.  A few years ago, before stamping, I took a flower arranging class at a local tech school. I became somewhat fascinated with morning glories and have read in some articles that they bloom in the morning and fade in the afternoon...hence the name morning glory.  I have made a couple of floral arrangements using silk morning glories, once of which was a bridal bouquet.  They are gorgeous and while I've seen them in mostly lavender and blue--I'm going out on a limb and coloring this one Calypso Coral! What flower am I?   I am a "morning glory",  I have a history of starting a project and then fading before it's finished.  My yard sales were always so popular.  I am happy to report that my card making hobby has been perking along for over 15 years and I still love playing with all the trappings and learning new techniques.  It is so much fun and therapeutic.   Thanks for stopping by and comments are so welcome!   Kathy

WHAT and How

Challenges:    Sunday Stamps  and  Paper Player's Challenge

Stamps:  Banner, retired CTMH
              Sentiment, FSJ  Tag Elements
              Morning Glory, FSJ  "Love Life" April 2018 Bloom Box

Techniques:  Using Daubers applied ink to image, followed that with colored pencils to deepen the textue of                      the image, then fussy cut.   Both sentiment and morning glory popped on banner.
                    White panel embossed with SU seaside

Accessories:  natural string, FSJ and lemon-lime twist sequins, SU

Just Because...

Hello card friends...for today's card I created the "Just Because" (FSJ) first because I thought it's size would make a good centerpiece.  I then worked around it using Perennial Birthday (SU) stamps to create a simple swag. Using markers (SU) I colored the stamps and then stamped and fussy cut.  Using colored pencils I colored some of the images.  I finished off with Nuvo glitter brush.  I then created what I consider a "twig" look with natural thread (FSJ) and finished it off with rhinestones (SU).  The longer I looked at it the more I realized that it might look better with black rhinestones...so I used a black sharpie and colored the rhinestones.  You still get a shimmer of sparkle.  I would be interested to know what anyone thinks...which one is best?   I always enjoy the sketches over at Freshly Made Sketches and this one was very challenging.  I am also linking to Word Art Wednesday Challenge, if you haven't checked them out, please do, their Bible verses are very beautiful and I have used several for my card marking.  Overall I am very pleased with the card!     Thanks for stopping in,   Kathy

SSS June 2018 Kit #3 thanks...

For some reason, I'm really enamored with the SSS June Kit of the Month, featuring a lovely "floral swag" in the Beautiful Flowers stamp set....I'm still a coward when it comes to diving in the water color samples that were included with the kit.   The card I've made is pretty simple,  I used "colored pencils, and the sentiment is from CTMH (very retired).  I had already stamped the Rt side of the watercolor panel when I decided to add the sentiment, I must admit I was a little nervous realizing I had only one chance to get it right!   I then stamped the flowers on the Lt side of a watercolor paper panel and "fussy" cut it and added to the Lt side of the card with pop dots.  The rose across the bottom doesn't show very well, but popping it up really turned out well.  Also I added Nuvo Shimmer on the flowers...that too adds so much.  In keeping with the "sketch" I  finished it off with 3 SU  rhinestones where the sentiment appears.     It was fun and I learned some "new" things.   Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful week!  Kathy

Freshly Made Sketches
SSS June 2018 Monthly Kit

Jeremiah 33.3

Though not exactly the colors of the sketch, I do like how cheerful this card is.  The Bible verse is from Verve and I think it is retired.   The houndstooth stamp is CTMH and is definitely retired.   It was fun making the card.   This is my first time to play along at CAS Colours & Sketches.   I am also linking to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and Word Art Wednesday....both of these sites are worth checking out!   Thanks for visiting!

Kathy