Have a Paw-some Christmas! for the 12 Months of Christmas

June 1? Really?  That means it's time for a new challenge at the 12 Months of Christmas Link Up.  It also means I have 1 more card ready for this year's Christmas card stash!  This month's guest sponsor is Imagine That! Digistamp.  Always, Decosse's Dynamite Doodles made fantastic papers for us to work with.  This month's optional theme is "Fur, Fluff, Feathers, or Fins".  Enter a card that fits the category to be eligible for the prize from this month's guest sponsor.  Enter 2 cards to be eligible for the papers from Lisa.

Here's my Fur, Fluff, Feathers, and Fins inspiration.  Being a dog lover, I concentrated on the fur, of course! 😊

I used a pre-colored image of the Imagine That! Digistamp's set, Happy Howl-idays.  The sentiment is part of the set.  The Paw-some papers used on this card are designed by Decosse's Dynamite Doodles, just for this Fur, Fluff, Feathers, or Fins challenge.

Happy Howl-idays digi stamp set

Sponsors for this challenge:

The challenge at The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up runs all month, so you have plenty of time to get something made.  Just remember, Christmas is coming!

Happy Bird Day! for MHKDesigns June Challenge

My mother-in-law celebrated her birthday yesterday.  She loves birds.  She's one of those fanatics that travels the world to add birds to her life list.  So, I made this card for her birthday, and for the new challenge that starts today at MHKDesigns. 

This card uses several sets found in the MHKDesigns Etsy Shop: 
Sea Creatures Digital Stamp Set  and Serene Seaside Patterned Digital Papers.

I colored the bird from the Sea Creatures set with Caran D'ache Neocolor II artist's crayons and a paint brush. 

Sets used on this card:

Sea Creatures Digital Stamp Set

Serene Seaside Patterned Digi Papers

MHKDesigns challenges are always anything goes, if you use an MHKDesigns image.  If you choose to use something else, here's a mood board for inspiration: 

The challenge runs all month, so you have lots of time to join the fun!  There's great prizes to win, and I'd love to see what you make!

Birdies on a Swing -- for Great Impressions Stamps

Do you like to swing?  Did you enjoy it as a child?  Sometimes I watch birds and squirrels sitting on branches, swinging in the breeze and it looks like FUN!  Great Impressions Stamps has a great rubber stamp, Two Birdies on a Swing (G486) that is so, so cute!  I just had to color it up!

I stamped G486 Two Birdies on a Swing onto watercolor paper, then used watercolor pencils and a paint brush to color the Two Birdies.  The Hello sentiment (A138) is also from Great Impressions Stamps.  It's one of my favorite sentiments as it's a great size, it can be used for many occasions, and it stamps so cleanly! 

The frames were created with Lawn Fawn dies using Lawn Fawn plaid papers.  The flower was cut out on my Silhouette Cameo.  The label for the sentiment is a die from Paper Wishes. 

Have you entered this month's challenge at Great Impressions Stamps yet?  It's nearly over for May, but a new one starts on Sunday, June 4.  Join us!

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!

Miss You -- for Crafty Sentiments Designs

Hello, and happy Tuesday, fellow crafters!  I am the hostess this week at Crafty Sentiments Challenge Blog.  Challenges are weekly, and this week's theme is always a favorite -- Anything Goes!  Join in on the fun!

I used the adorable rubber stamp, "Patsy and Gizmo Hiding" to create this:

I colored Patsy & Gizmo Hiding with Copic markers, then used dies by Lawn Fawn (scalloped rectangle) and Top Dog dies to create the card base.  The flowers were from my stash. 

I hope you join us this week for our 'Anything Goes' challenge at Crafty Sentiments Challenge Blog.  There's also a challenge each month in our Crafty Sentiments Facebook group. 

Thinking of You with Roses -- for Imagine That! Digistamps

Woohoo!  It's the weekend!  I made it through my first week back to work with flying colors.  I've been off for 5 months fighting cancer and undergoing chemo treatments.  I knew my heart was ready to return to my job at the nursing home, but I wasn't sure about my body.  It seems my body is ready, too.  I'm feeling great!

It's also time for some mid-month inspiration at the Imagine That! Digistamp's Creative Playground.  This month's freebie is the "Pretty Petunias" set, and it lives up to it's name!  You'll want to play along, just for a chance to win it!

I used another gorgeous flower digital stamp set from the Imagine That! Digistamp store,  the Rose Blessings set, and the Sentimental Thoughts digital set, to create this: 

I printed the Rose Blessings image onto watercolor paper, then used Lyra Rembrandt watercolor pencils to color the rose.  The designer papers backing the Rose Blessings image are digital.  They are also by Imagine That! Digistamps -- the Romance set 1 digital papers.  I used a couple die sets from Spellbinders Paper Arts to create the shaped card.  The crinkle ribbon is from 3 Girl JAM.

Imagine That! Digistamp products used on this card:

 Rose Blessings

Romance set 1

Sentimental Thoughts

I hope you join us this month the Imagine That! Digistamp Creative Playground challenge.  You have until June 2 to link up.  Use an Imagine That! Digistamp image to win the great Pretty Petunias set for free! 

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!