BUTTERFLY FLUTTER

This card incorporates the Memory Box Butterfly stencil set, which includes "Butterfly Flutter" (#88560) and "Butterfly Delicate Butterflies" (#88561):

To make this card, I stenciled the "Butterfly Flutter" stencil onto a piece of 4x5.25" white cardstock. I used Distress Inks in "Peeled Paint", "Peacock Feathers", "Salty Ocean" and "Mustard Seed". For the detail of the butterflies, I inserted the "Butterfly Delicate Butterflies" stencil inside the "Butterfly Flutter" stencil so that I knew where my detail would be. I then used the same colors of Distress Inks which darkened the main part of the butterfly and made the details look lighter. For a few of the circles, I colored the inside with "Spiced Marmalade" Distress Ink. Then, I distressed the edges of this white piece with "Salty Ocean" Distress Ink and adhered it to a bright yellow 4.25x5.5" piece of cardstock. This was then glued to my white cardbase. The sentiment banner was made using Simon Says Stamp's "Tilted Banner Sayings" and coordinating die. For the final touch, I added some coordinating gems.

To purchase the Memory Box stencils used here, as well as other high quality craft items, please visit www.thefruitofmyhands.com  for excellent prices and top-notch customer service!

BIRDS ON A BRANCH

I was playing with a couple more Memory Box dies and came up with this card:

For this A2 card, I die cut the branch out of wood veneer paper using the Memory Box "Woodland Branch" die (#98187). The birds were cut out of red cardstock using the Memory Box "Resting Birds" die (#98527). To assemble the card, I "washed" the front of my card with a watercolor wash using Distress Inks to make it look like the sky. I cut an oval out of the center of a 4.25X5.5" piece of white woodgrain paper and attached it to the front of the card with foam tape. Then, the branch and birds were adhered to the card front. A simple sentiment could easily be added to the card (I'd put it in the bottom right corner), or the card can be left plain.

To purchase the Memory Box dies used here, as well as other high quality craft items, please visit www.thefruitofmyhands.com  for excellent prices and top-notch customer service!

WATERCOLOR CARD....AGAIN!

This card uses the same stamp as in my previous watercolor cards. I had forgotten that I had pre-stamped the image on a piece of watercolor paper and it was just SHOUTING to be colored in! So here's another card:

I have to say that I really, really like this one. I was a bit more patient with the drying and was able to accomplish a deeper intensity in the color of the center of the flower. I had made too many smudges on the watercolor paper, so I cut out the image, leaving a small white border. This was then glued onto a 4.25"x5.5" piece of white woodgrain paper and adhered to my A2 size card base. The sentiment (Hero Arts #CL173) was inked with Tuxedo Black Memento ink.

Thanks for looking!!

THANKFUL FOR YOU

Here's another card I made using the same glitter technique as demonstrated in Jennifer McGuire's video here.

For this card, I used the Memory Box die "Perky Poppies". Memory Box has some absolutely gorgeous dies that incorporate poppies.  To purchase the Memory Box die used here, as well as other high quality craft items, please visit www.thefruitofmyhands.com  for excellent prices and top-notch customer service!

YOU'RE SPECTACULAR

This card and video by Jennifer McGuire was my inspiration for this card. At one time, glitter would have been my absolute last choice of medium to use when creating a card. However, I was so impressed with Jennifer's card and the look of the fine glitter on a die cut that I thought I'd give it a try. So here's my card:

I apologize for the poor lighting in the picture. I made this card for my niece in celebration of her college graduation and I had to get it in the mail. It was night time, so I tried to rig up a cheap light box. This was the best I could do.

I used the same technique as Jennifer did in her video. The die I used was Memory Box's "Blissful Butterfly" die. To purchase the Memory Box die used here, as well as other high quality craft items, please visit www.thefruitofmyhands.com  for excellent prices and top-notch customer service!

BOUNTIFUL SUNFLOWER

Poppy Stamps just came out with a beautifully incredible die set called "Bountiful Sunflower" (#'s 1006 and 1007). Of all the dies I own, this has to be my favorite. Here's my first card with this die set:

To make this A2 size card, I cut the dies out of watercolor paper, then colored it using Distress Inks stamped on my craft mat, then diluted with a water-dipped brush.

I can't wait to play with this die set some more!!!

To purchase the Poppy Stamps die set used here, as well as other high quality craft items, please visit www.thefruitofmyhands.com  
for excellent prices and top-notch customer service!

MEMORY BOX DIE & STENCIL

Memory Box has come out with some amazing stencils and dies that can be easily incorporated together. Here's my card:

And...here's how I did it:
First I cut a piece of white cardstock 4"x5.25". I used the Memory Box "Garden Umbel" stencil (#88512) and colored it with a light color Distress Ink ("Antique Linen"). I only used portions of the stencil. Then, I swiped "Broken China" Distress Ink over the whole surface of the card front to make it look like a sky. The very edges of this piece were distressed with "Salty Ocean" Distress Ink. This was then adhered to a 4.25"x5.5" piece of kraft cardstock, then adhered to my A2 size white card base.

Next, I cut the flower out of white cardstock using the Memory Box "Graceful Silhouette" die and colored it in with Copic markers. This was then adhered to my card front.

To finish the card, I stamped the sentiment in black ink and added a few adhesive-backed gems.

To purchase the Memory Box die and stencil used here, as well as other high quality craft items, please visit www.thefruitofmyhands.com  
for excellent prices and top-notch customer service!

WATERCOLOR CARDS

The Online Card Class "Watercolor for Card Makers" was an excellent class - as are all the other classes offered online here. Be sure and check them out!!

The technique I used on these cards was part of a lesson on "Faux Hand-Painting" where you ink a stamp with a light color of Distress Ink, then "paint" the image with watercolor paints. (I used Distress Inks). I practiced the technique a few times with the same stamped image and felt comfortable enough to use each image on a card. I'm finding that I still need more practice to get used to the amount of ink and water, as well as drying times!! I'm not a very patient person, so I try to speed things up a bit by using a heat gun. Anyhoo....here's the cards I made using this technique in the order that I did them:

CARD #1

This card was my first attempt. I was pleased with the colors used, but I wasn't as pleased with the flower. The petals looked more like a bunch of blobs. Still, I felt it was worthy enough to make into a card! ;-)

CARD #2

This second card is actually my favorite. I used a different stamp for the flower and I liked the results better. This is one where I dried it with a heat gun in between each step. I actually like the "feathery" look of the flower petals!

CARD #3

I chose to make the flower a little more purplish for my third attempt. It turned out okay, but I didn't allow the petals to dry completely before painting the neighboring petal, so my watercolor "bled" onto the other petals (see the top right corner). Still, I thought it was salvageable!!

CARD #4

For attempt #4, I decided to use more purples and blues for the flower. The color combination is really pretty, but I wished I had made the center of the petals a little bit darker.  It's still a pretty "painting"! (My son actually picked this one as his favorite.)

I am absolutely loving using these watercolor techniques and plan on doing a whole lot more practicing.....actually playing!!!

Thanks for taking a look!

WISH BIG

This is another card I made using a technique from Day 1 of the Online Card Class called "Watercoloring for Cardmakers". If you're interested in the class, you can check it out here!

Here's the card:

For this card, I took a 4"x5.25" piece of watercolor paper and "washed it" with clear water to allow the applied watercolors to blend more freely. Then I applied Distress Inks, mixed with water, and allowed them to "bleed" over the paper. The colors I used were Frayed Burlap and Broken China. When the colors were still wet, I layed the Memory Box "Textured Mesh" stencil over the paper and taped the edges down to hold it against the paper. The stencil kept rising in the middle, so I put an object of weight in the middle to hold the stencil flat. Once dry, I lifted the stencil and it created a really cool background affect.

I cut the Memory Box "Starry Wreath" out of a very thin wood veneer (as well as the strip across the bottom) and glued it to the card. The sentiment stamp was inked with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and stamped onto the watercolor background. Three silver stars were added for the final touch!

To purchase the Memory Box die used here, as well as other high quality craft items, please visit www.thefruitofmyhands.com  
for excellent prices and top-notch customer service!

HI THERE!!

Today is the first day of a new Online Card Class titled "Watercolor for Cardmakers". I absolutely love the look of watercolor, but am a little lacking in the creative side of it in relation to cardmaking. Just from the first day, I can tell this class is going to be EXCELLENT!!

Here's the first card I made:

I used Distress Inks stamped on an acrylic block, then spritzed with water to create the striped affect. Each color was stamped with the ink pad onto an acrylic block individually, spritzed with water, then pressed onto the watercolor paper with the colors slightly overlapping. Each color was allowed to dry before applying the next color. (I cheated and used my heat gun!),The colors of Distress Ink I used are:  Pickled Raspberry, Shaded Lilac, Squeezed Lemonade, Mowed Lawn, and Salty Ocean (from bottom to top).

The butterfly and sentiment stamps were inked with black ink and stamped over the watercolor background when it was completely dry.

If you're interested in any of these Online Card Classes, check them out here!