Feather Card -- for Scrapyland Challenge Blog

Woohoo!  It's time for a new challenge on the Scrapyland Challenge blog. Every 2 weeks, an Anything Goes challenge starts, as long as you use a die that's sold in the Scrapyland Store.  Scrapyland carries dies from over 55 manufacturers, so there are a lot of dies to shop for in the incredible store!

I made this Anything goes card, using Impression Obsession dies:

There are 3 feathers in this Impression Obsession Feathers die set, and I used 2 different ones on this card.  The stitched frame die is from Memory Box. It is one of the Wrapped Stitched Frames.  

I used 3 shades of Distress Oxide Inks, blended together, on the background.  You can see them in this picture.   I also used one of my other favorite products -- Stick It. 

Scrapyland Challenge Blog -- there are 2 winners for every challenge, and both winners get a $10 gift certificate to the Scrapyland Store.  Get creative and link up!  I'd love to see what you create! 

I'd like to enter this in the following challenges:
D.L. Art -- June Linky Party
Lemon Shortbread -- ATG
We Love 2 Create -- AT Mixed Media Goes

Hello Friend -- for Pickled Potpourri

Skunks, flowers, and a dragonfly.  This one digital stamp has it all! I found this super cute stamp set in the Pickled Potpourri Online Store, along with a wonderful sentiment, found in another great set.

The digital stamp set is Shy Skunks, colored with Copic markers. 

Here's the image, when I got it colored:

I used some metallic gel pens on the dragonfly and decided not to color the skunk.  I though she was perfect just the way she was!

Here's the Shy Skunk made into a card, with the addition of one of the sentiments from the Forever Friends digital stamp set...

Pickled Potpourri Products used on this card:

Shy Skunks

Forever Friends

I hope you enjoyed today's Shy Skunk!

Shy Skunks Sneak Peek -- for Pickled Potpourri

Hello, crafty friends!  I'm posting today on the Pickled Potpourri blog.  You'll find my full post here on Friday, but I wanted to give you a sneak peek today.  Here it is 😀

Sunflower Mini Gram -- for Pickled Potpourri

Hello, everyone!  I hope you are finding time to enjoy the summer. We've had a cool, rainy summer, but the flowers are beautiful!  Just like the flowers on this Sunflower Mini Gram from Pickled Potpourri Designs.

I printed the Sunflower Mini Gram on yellow paper, then used color pencils to color the designs on it. 

Here, I'm just getting started:

I love sunflowers, so this was very fun for me to color up!

All I need to do is write message on the other side, fold it in 3rds, seal the Sunflower Mini Gram, and it's done!

Pickled Potpourri has so many fun designs in their store, at very reasonable prices.  Please check it out for yourself!  Do you prefer rubber stamps?  Check out Red Rubber Designs instead. 

Sunflower Sneak Peek

Hello, and happy Tuesday!  I'm on the Pickled Potpourri blog today with a Sunflower Mini Gram.  I'd love it if you'd check it out and leave a comment.

Here's a sneak peek of it all:

Watercolor Botanicals -- for Pickled Potpourri

I seem to be reaching for different watercolor mediums these days. I have a short tutorial to share, using Spectrum Noir watercolor pencils and a fairly dry paintbrush. 

I have two cards, both featuring Pickled Potpourri Grand Botanicals digi stamp. 

Here's the first one, using the Grand Botanical digi stamp, Rose Sentiments and free Robyn digital papers, all from Pickled Potpourri.

Here's how a did this:

Step one.  I started with the lightest color, 

then, I added a second, similar shade

last, the third color, which I blended slightly with a damp paintbrush

I made the leaves with 3 shades of green and some purple for contrast.

Then, I did the same thing again, using shades of violet on the flower.  I fussy cut both flowers and all the leaves.  Then, I started creating cards.

Another card, using the same Grand Botanical digital stamp, Rose Sentiments, and free Robyn digital papers

Two cards, same products, but the look very different.  I love how that happens!  I hope you enjoyed your visit to the blog today and will come back often!

Grand Botanicals Sneak Peek -- for Pickled Potpourri

Happy Tuesday, everyone!  I'm on the Pickled Potpourri blog with two cards, a watercolor tutorial and some gorgeous products to showcase!

Hop on over to the Pickled Potpourri blog to see the whole card and the tutorial.  I'd love a comment to know you've been there!

Botanical Thank You -- for Pickled Potpourri

Hello, and happy Friday!  June already.  Wow! 

I've been working on thank you cards and using watercolor mediums.  I have a card to share with you today using the fabulous Pickled Potpourri Botanical Minis and artist crayons.  I also used some digital papers from the Pickled Potpourri shop for the designer papers in the background.
  

Here's a close up of the image.  This is one of 4 that comes in the Botanical Minis digital set. The sentiment is one of many beautiful ones in the Rose Sentiment Digital Set. 

The papers I used were Pickled Potpourri Distressed Black & White.

Botanical Minis

Distressed Black & White papers

Rose Sentiment Digital Set

I hope this card inspires you to try the fantastic digis  and papers at Pickled Potpourris Designs.  There is truly something for everyone in the store.  

Botanical Thank You Sneak Peek -- for Pickled Potpourri

Greetings, fellow stamp lovers.  I'm on the Pickled Potpourri blog today with a beautiful botanical thank you card.  I'm giving you a sneak peek here, hoping you'll jump over to the Pickled potpourri blog to see the rest of the card.  I'll be back here on Friday with the full post.

Thanks for stopping by!  See you Friday!

A Watercolor Thank You -- for Pickled Potpourri

Happy Friday, everyone!  I'm posting today for Pickled Potpourri.  I discovered their digital stamps when using them for a challenge blog and loved them (and their reasonable price!) so begged to be on the team!  Here I am today with my first official card and a tutorial.
First, a view of the finished card:

I used Pickled Potpourri's Dahlia digital stamp for this card.  The 'thank you' sentiment is part of the Rose Sentiments set.

Here's how I colored the Dahlia digital stamp:

I started by adding the colors I wanted to use on a palette.  I used watercolor crayons. These are the colors I used on the flower petals.  I used a fairly dry brush. I tend to dip my brush, then pinch it with my fingers before using it. 

Here's those 3 colors blended on one flower...

all three flowers completed:

I worked on shading each of them a bit differently.

Last, I needed to finish the stems and leaves.  I used the same technique:

Here's one more view of the finished card:

There you have it!  This Dahlia digital stamp was perfect to practice my watercoloring technique with.  It's pretty no fail, and very fun!  Check it out for yourself!

The card was cut out on my Silhouette Cameo, with a file I found in the Silhouette Design Store.  The flowers are from my stash.  They started out white and I inked them with a couple colors of Tim Holtz distress inks. 

I'll be back later in the month with another Pickled Potpourri post.  Yeehaw! 

A Watercolor Sneak Peek -- for Pickled Potpourri

Happy Tuesday, everyone!  Are we more than half-way through this month already?  

I am on the Pickled Potpourri blog today.  This is a new design team for me.  I discovered their digital stamps and papers when working with them for a challenge blog.  I liked them so much, and the prices are so reasonable, I begged to be on the design team! 

I'm going to give you a sneak of what's on the Pickled Potpourri blog today so you'll head over there to see the tutorial and full card.  I've been playing with watercolor crayons and having fun!  Please leave a comment there so I know you visited.  Thanks!

Dahlia Digital Stamp

You Touch My Heart -- for Path of Positivity

Greetings, and happy Monday!  It is a very happy Monday for me as I return to work.  I've been off for 5 months, battling cancer and recovering from chemotherapy.  I'm so happy I'm feeling good enough to return to the job I love and to the people I love at the nursing home!

It's time for a little mid-month inspiration at the Path of Positivity Challenge Blog. The theme this month is "Present, not Perfect".  We want you to step out of your comfort zone a bit and try something you wouldn't normally try.  For me this month, I've been experimenting with different types of watercolors.  

One of our sponsors this month is Pickled Potpourri Designs.  I used one of the 4 images in the Botanical Minis set and watercolor crayons to create this:

I only had 12 watercolor crayons.  They were Neocolor II, from Caran D'ache.  I really liked how easily they blended and dissolved with water.  I put them on a palette, then used a fairly dry paint brush to paint the image.   The sentiment is also from Pickled Potpourri. 

I'm really enjoying the theme, 'Present, not Perfect' this month.  It has given me license to try new things and not worry if they don't turn out as great as I'd like them to.  How else to we grow, if we don't challenge ourselves to new adventures?  I hope you'll join us at Path of Positivity Challenge Blog, and try something new, too.  You have until June 4. 

Happy Birthday -- for Path of Positivity

It's time for a little mid-month inspiration on the Path of Positivity Challenge blog.  The theme this month is 'Grace'.

We have 2 sponsors this month...

Decosse's Dynamite Doodles

Pickled Potpourri

I used an image from Pickled Potpourri and papers from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles to create this:

There are few things on earth that define grace better than flowers.  To me, they are grace -- beauty, tenacity, variety.  This digi, from Pickled Potpourri,  is called 'Tulip', and I colored it with Copic markers.  Designer papers, from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles Flower Power paper pack. 

I used a variety of dies from Craftin' Desert Divas  and Spellbinders to create the card base and card. The birthday sentiment is from Close To My Heart.

I hope you find time to join our 'Grace' challenge this month at Path of Positivity Challenge blog.   We have great prizes from our sponsors, and I'd love to see what you create!

Grace -- for Path of Positivity

It's the first Monday of the month, so we're starting a new challenge at Path of Positivity Challenge Blog.   Our theme this month is 'Grace'.

We have two sponsors this month -- 

Pickled Potpourri

and 

Decosse's Dynamite Doodles

I used a tulip image from Pickled Potpourri Designs to create this: 

I colored Tulip with Polychromos pencils on Kraft paper.  The quote is from Auguste Rodin, and is computer generated.    Dies for this card are from Lawn Fawn.  Ribbon is from 3 Girl JAM.  The button is from my stash.  Designer papers are Basic Grey - Serenade, 6x6 pad. 

Grace -- spring flowers, poking through the cold winter ground, somehow surviving the bleakest of weather and shortest of days.  Surely this is a miracle we witness every year, and a gift from God. Grace.

I hope you join us this month for our 'Grace' challenge at Path of Positivity this month.  I'd love to see your interpretation of this theme, and what you make. 

Believe -- for Path of Positivity Challenge Blog

It's Monday, and time for a new challenge at the Path of Positivity Challenge Blog.  Our theme this month is "Believe".  Earlier in the month, I chose a more religious view of this theme.  For today, I took a more secular angle...

The images are from one of this month's sponsors, Pickled Potpourri Designs.  This is Jingle Jolly, and it includes both Santa and his reindeer. I colored them with Copic markers. The sentiment is computer generated.

Designer papers for this card are from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles.  They are part of her "Santa is Coming" collection.  

No matter what you believe, may this Christmas bring you some peace and joy.

I hope you can join us yet this month for our challenge at Path of Positivity.  The theme is "Believe".