Quick and Simple

One of my favorite types of cards are Clean and Simple...yet sometimes I find myself getting carried away with the details. Today was a beautiful day here as our family came together to celebrate the wedding of my sweet niece. Its crazy how time flies! She was just a baby when I married my sweet companion over 22 years ago.
Unfortunately, I suffer from back pain mixed with some arthritis and fibromyalgia. Today was one of those days where my back was in severe pain and it was hard to enjoy the day and accomplish all the things I needed too. I needed to make her a card quick to go along with her gift...so I used Lawn Fawn's set "Penelope's Blossoms". This set is just amazingly beautiful when embossed and makes a quick and elegant card. I used a teal card base and then emobssed the florals and sentiment with silver embossing powder to match her wedding colors of silver and teal. Since these are my favorite colors as well...it was easy to love the results!
Its days like these that I am so grateful for amazing stamp companies, like Lawn Fawn, that make my life easier.

Enjoy!

Online Card Class Homework Day 3/4

The card I'm going to share with you today is patterned off of a card made by the amazingly talented Jennifer McGuire. She calls this technique "Creative Watercolor Stamping"

I take my image from Hero Arts and color it with my distress markers and then slighly wet them down before i bring them to the Tim Holtz watercolor paper.

Then with a lot of work and prayer....I use water and more distress ink to make the image come to life!

I also distressed the paper and added the sentiment from a Winnie and Walter set and inked it with Simon Says Stamp Dark Chocolate ink.

What do you think? Not bad for a first try....but can't wait to see how good I can become with practice!

Enjoy!

~Debbie

Online Card Class Days 1 and 2

Oh my goodness.....I am officially addicted to watercolor on my card making. Can I just tell you there isn't enough time in the day to make all that I want to make! I'm not just talking about homework for the techniques that I've learned but all the other ideas creaping around in this brain of mine (I really need to get an art journal to write them all down and experiment in .....because as old as I'm getting....I'm forgetting them before they hit the card), not to mention my bad back and fibromyalgia acting up before I can even get going each day!

So ....that being said, I was able to crank out a few cards for the first couple days of homework. 

This first one obviously is a wash of color in the background in a rainbow effect usign shades from yellow to purple. I wrote the sentiment "Smile" with a versamark marker and clear embossed it before I did any watercolring though, and then after the color dried...I iron-off embossed the sentiment to make it a one layer card. Jennifer McGuire has a few videos explaining this process ...I will add a link to one of them for you HERE!

This second card was inspired by the lesson taught from the always amazing Laura Bassen. IT was donw using distress inks on a small acryllic block with some water and stamping them in a pattern. THen of course the fun star and sentiment are from Hero Arts latest release and some Doodlebug springtime enamel dots finish it off!

This fun card was the result of the lesson taught by Jennifer McGuire using liquid masking on your stamped image before adding the water color This flower and sentiment is from another new set from Hero Arts! I gotta say, I love their latest release and  you'll see me use many stamps from it in the near future! There also is a newsprint background stamped in black and white behind the water color image that is also from Hero Arts...and the Pearls were just regular ones from Michaels that I colored black with my copic marker.

This last card was sooooo easy and fun to do! I absolutely love the effect and will be trying it out many a times with different embossing folders. It was done using distress inks and water on a folder and that is all folks!! The sentiment is again, another Hero Arts one and the hexagon enamels dots are from Basic Grey and went along with the background perfectly! I also threw in some polkadotted ribbon that matched from my stash...that I believe was from Michaels as well.

Well my friends, I hope you enjoyed looking at all the fun I've created just from the first two days. We are on day 5 and I still have so many things I want to create, but with a wedding in the familly this week, Dr appts, and making dinner for a family in my neighborhood who just had twins....I may not get to it as fast as my little heart desires! Wish me luck :)

Hugs!

~Debbie

Water Colors and Mother's Day

Today I made a beautiful card for my Mom using some new watercolors that I purchased from my local Hobby Lobby yesterday. I did the entire background with the watercolors as per our first day of homework in the Online Card Class I'm participating in. I also used a large die from Simon Says Stamp over the top which I just cut out on my Vagabond with Neenah Solar White 80lb card stock. I then copic colored the heart to match the background and added some clear Wink of Stella over it to add some shimmer. After adding a few enamel dots and hearts for extra color and dimention...my card was complete! 

Hope my Momma loves it as much as I do :)

Watercolor Practice

Tomorrow is the first day for the newest online card class "Watercolor for Card Makers"....

I have been very busy the last few weeks but have had a chance to practice my water coloring on a few cards and I just wanted to take a moment to share them with you quick! 

Here's the first one where I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks: 

The next one was done using Hero Arts water color wheel for the background: 

And the last one I used two different types of watercolor...Leow Cornell Simply Water Color Art Cakes and Pearlescent Water Color Paint Cakes. I found both these water color sets on Amazon and  I am in love!

If you get a chance to take the class too...please leave me a comment! I'd love to see what water color creations you've made :)

HUGS!

~Debbie

Easter Week

Hey....I just wanted to take a minute and share a few of the Easter cards that I created over the last week or so.

Crafting has been slow around here...lots to do when you're a single mom....or at least a temporary one :). Last week was Spring Break so I tried to get some housework done and spend time with my kiddos.....but, I did get a chance to make a few cards.

Here's the first one:

This fun card was made using the "Honey Bunny" set from Mama Elephant. The images and sentiments in this set are just adorable and I have to say...this set is and will probably stay one of my favorites!

Here's the second:

I just adore this "Pure Innocence" sent from MFT called "One Sweet Chic." I tried my hand at paper piecing oart if her outfit and her matching hair bow. I just love how this one turned out :).

This one I made for a good friend of mine: 

This set is also going to be an all time favorite! Its brand new from Avery Elle and is called "Storybook" These adorable images were drawn by the amazing Heather Campbell (you can find her blog at parkermolly.blogspot.com) and they are just precious! I know I will be reaching for them over and over again!

This last card isn't an Easter card but I just adore it as well. This cute set is from Tiddly Inks and is called "Flying High." I've had this for quite sometime but never did stamp it out. I'm so glad I finally did....I just think it is so fun and a great way to tell someone you're there for them!

Well friends...I hope you have an amazing Easter weekend and find sometime to get some crafting in! I myself will be busy with a Birthday party full of 8 year old girls...and Easter...should be fun and exhausting!

*Hugs*

~Debbie

You are my Anchor

I made this adorable card with my sweet husband in mind. Although he is far away most of the year...he is close to my heart always! He is the anchor that keeps me grounded even when we are apart! This adorable set from Lawn Fawn says it perfectly and these fun printed papers from Echo Park's 6x6 Splendid Sunshine collection just bring these cute images to life! I love love love the colors teal and yellow together!

Who is the anchor in your life? Please leave me a comment and let me know who your anchor is and why. Also, there is still a giveaway challenge running from my last post...please check it out below :).

Hugs!

~Debbie