Summer Fun

We've been a busy family with lots of summer adventures...

On a warm hot afternoon, my 10-yr old daughter asked for something to do.
"Mom, what's the challenge image this month?"
       (re:  From the Heart Stamps' "Free Stamp of the Month Challenge"

She immediately wanted to make a card and so I printed the different versions of the "Inner Tube Birdbrain" digistamp.  

Note: We missed participating in the June SOTM challenge, so I just headed to Faith's FTHS store and purchased this fun cutie!

After raiding my paper stash, L. set to work coloring with her promarkers and designing 2 cards in a flash..
"Ok mom, it's ready to post"

That was 3 weeks ago...

 I decided to finally sit down and try making one myself this week.
After looking at the FTHS sketch challenge (#114) and the ColorThrowDown Challenge (ctd353), I'd found some additional inspiration.

I know that blue is not technically a "neutral" but I hope this still works for the color challenge. I didn't want the bird to be floating in purple, green, yellow or tan/brown "water" (ewww, yuck).
Also, I really wanted needed to set them as cut-outs on some other background to hide any mishaps with the water coloring.  ;)

I tried to use both the Sketch and the Twist from the FTHS challenge.
 
Yikes! Watercolor was even harder than I  thought.  *see below.

In place of the washi tape, I used twine. My daughter thinks it looks like the lane buoys at the pool (yes, we've spent a LOT of time in swimming lessons lately).

I like the end results, but it was quite the learning experience trying out a new medium for the first time.


*I've had a set of FC Aquarelle pencils for a while but never really tried using them on a specific project.
I knew I should try printing on some watercolor paper. I assumed laser printing would be less disastrous than inkjet... but I should have loaded the paper in to the printer with the smooth side receiving the images. I ended up having to trace over some lines with a pen after I smudged them with the watercolors. My first attempts were also hideous due to too much water. I turned that page over and water-colored the "background" while adding some SmoochSpritz just for fun.
On the next try, I learned to let everything dry between colors and that seemed to lessen the bleed-through effect.

Entering my card in the following Challenges:
July From the Heart Stamps SOTM challenge
FTHS I Heart Sketches challenges#114
Color ThrowDown Challenge #353

Sweet Spring

We've been enjoying fairly nice weather the past week or so.
Which means we were out and about, rather than being inside...so my creative time took to gardening and not cards. 
I remedied that this afternoon.  :)

Here is my entry for the May Stamp of the Month challenge over at From the Heart Stamps.


I love this sweet image: "Apple Blossom Birds" that Faith created this month. It really is so versatile and can be used for "just thinking of you," Mother's day, or even birthday cards
 


I also incorporated this week's FTHS sketch challenge #110 into my card.

It was such a fun sketch and I even used the "twist" thanks to a little help from Color ThrowDown challenge#344. 
My twist of "three things" is the color palette trio: pretty coral pink, pale yellow and spring green. 

Isn't that such a happy, gorgeous color palette.  It just makes me smile.

I colored the image with my Copic markers. It's been a while since I've used them and I needed some practice.  :)  I'm pretty happy with the results.


Entries for the following challenges:
FTHS May Stamp of the Month challenge
FTHS Sketch Challenge#110
ColorThrowdown Challenge #344

Crazy Friends

I've had the wonderful chance to spend time with my lovely friends lately.
We always have a FAB-U-LOUS time in our own crazy way.  : )

So I used our adventures and laughs as inspiration for my entry in the April SOTM FromTheHeartStamps monthly challenge.

The star of the show this month is the adorable Hamlet PigWit Being Shy.

But of course he's needs a friend, so I added PigWit Cheer. (She's a cutie too)!

It's funny how some things just work really well together...When I saw the following wordart from Ginger'sHouse
("LIFE is all about finding people who are your kind of Crazy") I knew exactly what I wanted to convey on my card. A shy friend & an outgoing friend who will cheer you on to great adventures.

**Ginger has AWESOME wordart that just makes me giggle. Love her quirky sense of humor...I guess that makes my humor quirky, too!  ;)

This weeks sketch challenge#107 at FTHS was another great source of ideas...

I used both the sketch and the twist: No designer paper.  :) Such a fun challenge.

The scalloped pieces and the other elements were cut with my trusty Silhouette Cameo.
I used the Cameo's "print and cut" feature to print/cut the Piggies on pink cardstock . I then shaded them with my FaberCastell pencils and gamsol.

Lastly, I took color palette inspiration from Color Throwdown's Challenge#340

Aren't those just gorgeous Spring colors that go perfectly with sweet little piggies?? I think so.


Thanks for taking a peek at my latest creation! I hope to get back in the creative mode more often.


Entries for the following challenges:
FTHS April Stamp of the Month challenge
FTHS Sketch Challenge#107
ColorThrowdown Challenge #340

3 views of 1 sketch

I was reading through blog posts this morning and when I saw this week's challenge for Freshly Made Sketches, I knew it was time to make some cards!

I opened up my Silhouette Cameo design software and imported the sketch along with some favorite Sassy Cheryl's colored illustrations.  These are just awesome colored digistamps...especially when I don't have the time to sit and color leisurely.

Here are the 3 versions I made from this sketch (love it).  I just wish I had turned the sentiments a little better.  *The sentiments are from Sassy Cheryls too.

 

Entry for:

Sassy Cheryl's Neighborhood -April Challenge

Fresh Made Sketches #181 challenge

Hey, how are ya??

I actually made 2 cards this week. (Don't faint from shock)
I guess that one of the benefits with waiting for kids at Driver's Ed. = lots of coloring time.  :)

**Note: the lighting is horrible in this picture.
I will try another one tomorrow if we get some sunshine.




It is colored with my Faber-Castell pencils. I am still on a learning curve with them, but they sure are fun to use.
The results look better in real-life than in this photo.



This is my unusual take on March's Stamp of the Month at FTHS: Easter Trio

I fussy cut each of the panel images and then layered each of the images.
The beauty of digital stamps is that they allow you to play with scale. Obviously, I printed this several time with different sizes and then used what worked.  :)

The daffodils and Easter Egg are flat on the card.
I used pop-dots and raised the Bunny and the banner on the card.
I like how the images worked together.

The sketch inspiration for this card came from the Freshly Made Sketches challenge #179.
I rotated it so it would work with my "collage" of images.  : )

It was a lot of fun to create with the combo of this CAS sketch and the awesome FTHS digistamps.


**The fun wordart is from Paulette at CreatewithTLC





Entry for the following Challenges:
From the Heart March SOTM challenge
Freshly Made Sketches #179 challenge

Happy Bird-day! (too)

I keep saying that one of these days, I'm going to make a stock-pile of birthday cards to have on hand.

The problem is, that I like to have the recipient in mind when I create...LOL

Here is my most recent creation.

It features the adorable digistamp "Ladybug Liftoff" by Faith Skrdla (From The Heart Stamps).
I enlarged and cut out some of the flowers as an embellishment.

As the design inspiration, I used this week's FTHS "I heart Sketches" Challenge sketch #102.

The design paper (from my stash) and the image were cut using my Cameo of course. I love that machine!!  : )

















Entry for the following Challenges:
FTH I heart sketches #102 challenge

Counting...the things I love about you.

Quick post of my card for the February SOTM challenge with FromTheHeart Stamps.

 

Another wonderfully fun digi-stamp this month by Faith:  Loves Me Birdbrain.

I also used this week's sketch challenge as inspiration.  I used my FC colored pencils per the "Twist"...but I left off the extra flourishes (tags).  I needed this to be CAS for the recipient.   :)



*Normally I post the sketch photo but it's not uploading right now...I'll add it in later I guess.
**YAY...all fixed...the sketch finally uploaded.  :)


Entry for the following Challenges:
From the Heart February SOTM challenge
FTH I heart sketches #98 challenge

Warm winter

This is not my first card of the year. Or even my first project for that matter...
It IS my first blog post of 2015!


I'm so thankful that the foggy morning burned off and left a beautiful, sunny day to take photos. 


I colored this entirely with my brand-new Faber-Castell pencils. This time I decided to try blending with gamsol.

It's a pretty cute job and I'm sure I'm the only one fixating on the few "oopsie" moments.* LOL.

*like I just realized the buttons weren't colored. That is fixed now...




This is my card for the January "Stamp of the Month" at FTHS: Little Snowman.


Isn't this such a cute little guy (or girl).

As you can see, the cute sentiment comes with the digi-stamp.

I also used the weekly sketch challenge (FTH I Heart Sketches Challenge#95) for this card.

May February bring even more blessings and warm thoughts than January has...  Cozy days to count your blessings.

Entry for the following challenges:
From the Heart January SOTM challenge
FTH I heart sketches #95 challenge