So in my last posting...

...I said I would explain why and how I made the last card and show my others!

I am trying to relieve space in my craft room and this past week it meant going through my embossing folders.

There were some that went right to Ronald MacDonald house, some to my stamping group, most I kept, but there were a handful I just wasn't sure of and decided to hold them until I had a challenge where I could play with them and decide if they were keepers.

This morning I woke up early and pulled out some watercolor paper and a tree folder by Darice.

I embossed two of them using the watercolor paper and my BigKick.

It was pretty on it's own because of the textured paper but I am making Autumn cards and wanted to add color.

The first one I lightly colored with Distress inks gathered twigs, wild honey, peeled paint, fired brick, antique linen and rusty hinge.

Then added water with a watercolor brush to pull out the color.

The result...

Now don't get me wrong, I liked it...but I wanted a little less color, not quite so bold.

So I pulled out my Derwent Inktense pencils and colored around the stems, leaves and trunk...

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge...Anything Goes

This was definitely the one I wanted to enter in the challenge.

I trimmed it down, stamped the "happy fall" (unknown company) using Adirondack mushroom ink, and taped it to the front of the watercolor base card.

Now it's your turn to decide...

which do you like better?

Leave a comment so I know if I entered the right one!

Tried something new...

...with something old.

Color Throwdown 453

I will go into more detail on how and why I did this in another post but here is how...

The base card is water color paper single card that I ran through the BigKick with a Cuttlebug leaf embossing folder.

Using my Derwent Inktense pencils I colored the leaves, then water colored them.

I use the excess on the brush to splatter.

On green checkered card stock using MFT's "friend" die I cut a negavtive image and added it to the bottom of the DRY card.

My favorite songs are usually hymns...

...such as the case with this card.

The challenge is your favorite song and the first one that popped into my mind was "It Is Well With My Soul".

I always loved this hymn for the tune but on 9/11 one of the widows wrote about this hymn so it has even more meaning now.

Little Red Wagon Challenge 404...Sing, sing a song!

The base card is white linen card stock which I sponged around the edges with Distress Oxide peeled paint ink.

The main image is also using another piece of linen.

I sponged the peeled paint over the top and using the edge of the round sponging tool I tried to make it appear as grass.

On the bottom I sponged Distress oxide broken china ink.

I spritzed it, counted to ten, laid a paper towel over it and pulled off some of the ink.

Once it was dry I stamped the verse from The Craft's Meow using Distress ink broken china.

Though it's not a crisp look, I really didn't want it to be!

The main image was taped to the card front.

On yet another piece of the linen I sponged a bunch of peeled paint, let it dry, then die cut it using the Spellbinders cattails die.

I sponged the die cut with more peeled paint then attached it with Tombo Mono Glue allowing part of the die cut to come off the edge of the card, then I trimmed that piece off with scissors.

Another thank you...

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge 252...Make Your Mark

This is a single layer card of white card stock.

I wanted to see how the Distress Oxides worked on the card stock you can get at Michael's in the packages.

I sponged the fossilized amber first, then added the broken china and peeled paint.

I wanted the feel of a misty sunrise so I spritzed it with water and counted to ten.

I count to ten to give the water a chance to pull up the color, it just seems to work better.

I laid the paper towel on top and off came the ink.

To finish the card I stamped the 'thank you" from Stampin' Up's "another thank you" using StazOn jet black ink and my Misti, I stamped it twice for a clear look.

Library summer reading programs...

If you have children or grandchildren one of the best things to do with them is the library.

Am I partial? 

YES!

Every summer I would take my boys all around the county to different libraries in different towns.

I ended up working the last ten years of my working life in the library system and saw a wonderful program introduced called "Summer Reading Programs".

This is where the kids can sign up to read a certain amount of books or hours and win prizes!

The memory of that and the very rainy Summer we have had lead me to create this "Summertime card"...

Come and Get It Challenge...Summertime

The base card is yellow checked card stock.

The window is Tim Holtz Sizzix's "window & window box" die using white card stock.

I trimmed a piece of "rainy" paper for outside the "window" and glued them to the base card.

On white card stock I stamped the girl and books from MFT Stamps "our story" set using StazOn jet black ink and colored them Faber-Castell PITT artist pens.

I trimmed her out and layered the girl & the books and to the front of the card.

Please consider the library when the kids need to unplug or the outdoors are too hot or too wet.

Actually, anytime is a good time to go to the library!