rose garden sympathy

It's hard to see the Wink of Stella that these roses were painted with. I used SU's Rose Garden, Timeless Textures and reinkers for these cards.

my friend (hand-lettered, sketched)

Excuse my funny blurs (below) but I didn't want to show my already filled in comments to the whole wide world! I used some of SU's stamps on here. From Butterfly Basics. I still keep coming back to that fern image. 

It's okay (hand-lettered)

Artist's pens, SU's watercolor pencils, eversharp and eraser! That's all, folks. You can easily do it, too!

I Fall for You

praying for you (hand-lettered)

Another example of a hand-lettered and sketched greeting card. I used the stars from SU's Moon Baby stamp set.

Sisters (hand-drawn)

 

My friend Kayla creates the most beautiful hand drawn and lettered cards and other artistry. I decided to try my own hand at it. You see, sometimes I'm not well enough to work very long in my craft room. With watercolor paper or even just sketch paper, I can settle in my recliner and idly doodle, needing very little "stuff". Here is one card I came up with this last weekend. It's so difficult to photograph glitter, but maybe you get the idea on those flowers (top). 

 

dragonflies

Stampin' Up has done it again! Designed the most wonderfully perfectly eye-poppingly delicious stamp and die Dragonfly Dreams bundle. I can't get enough of it and so I keep on and on using these dragonflies On EVERYTHING!! The card (above) has a water color background and if you look closely you can see I used Wink of Stella on the dragonfly as well as the Congrats. (Below) Is an example on a single layer direct-to-paper design with an embossed dragonfly and then masking and sponging.

my shoulder is yours

I absolutely love that sentiment. This card was a combination of embossing, stamping, sponging, masking, coloring, and anything you can think of! I love using Timeless Textures for the edges and subtle hints of background design.

more sunshine and caring

These two cards utilize the Sunshine Sayings bundle (at a 10% savings). I'm just really really loving what all you can create using these dies and stamps together.

love 'n sunshine

The Sunshine Sayings bundle, at 10% off, will get you these two cards!! 

ice cream anyone?

Sprinkles of Life is a fun fun fun stamp set with coordinating punch that I don't use nearly often enough. Here's a really simple and quick card made from Sprinkles. You could dress it up with string or ribbon or buttons or candy dots or ANYTHING!! I left it clean and simple today.

Sleigh ride dies...lakeside scene

Perchance you snagged that Sleigh Ride Die during the holiday season and wish you could use it for other seasons, well, here's a nice little accident that happened to me that shows you that yes indeed! You CAN use it for any and every season. I had always planned on doing an oceany beachy scene with these cute li'l houses, but instead it turned into a lake. A quite northern looking lake in fact. And it had smears and ink dots in all the wrong place so out came the creative instincts along with a few dies from SU and a different Christmas set that had evergreen trees and lo and behold! I covered those messes with more trees and a hello! WOW! I didn't know it would be something I'd actually like!

reason for the season (Christmas series tutorial)

OKAY!! Here's the card you've been waiting for! A card that is a single layer and can be mailed with NO EXTRA POSTAGE! Trust the "emboss resist technique" to provide you this fantastic card! I'm often surprised how complete you can make a card when you create this way.

  

 First cut 10 white card bases 5 1/2" by 8 1/2".

 

Now fold them in half!

We are using three Stampin Up stamp sets for this card: Reason for the Season from this year's Holiday Catty, Gorgeous Grunge from the Annual and Ornamental Pines from last year's Holiday Catalogue.

Clear emboss the poinsettia and sentiment from Reason for the Season as well as the dotty image from Gorgeous Grunge. There is no rule for where these dots go, but if you look carefully at the pictures (especially of the finished card, you'll get the idea.)

Using Stampin' Write markers in Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze and Cherry Cobbler, color in the center and first round of petals (above and below)  Wipe off the excess ink from the embossed edge.

 

 Sponge Cherry Cobbler and Garden Green strategically over the card front. Wipe off excess ink.

With Garden Green stamp those same dots from Gorgeous Grunge, the pine image from Ornamental Pines as well as the Poinsettia image from Reason for the Season around the edge of card. Wipe off excess ink AGAIN!!

It may be that no one will notice this little detail, but a good quality card usually has hidden details that you notice later...or only if you study it well. Take a Gray marker and make shadows along the petals where they'd be naturally shadowed. Makes it look 3-D.

Look at that, my dear! Check out those gorgeous cards! All 10 of them! And below is the single card...all finished! What do you think? Easy, huh??!!