unseasonable.

I've been working on fall and winter cards all week - wonderful fun stuff but nothing I can post... so I thought I'd take a break, find a few challenges to play with, and post something unseasonable just for fun. I can do that. My blog.

I honestly don't think this little mouse has seen ink yet. He is from a sweet little clear set called Peace on Earth that I picked up at Impression Obsession. The image is watercolored using a combination of watercolor pencils, crayons, and reinkers mixed with Shimmerz. I used a gold gel pen on the ornament hanger. The charm on the ribbon says "hope" - doesn't show up well in the photo. My card meets these challenges:
Our Creative Corner: Keep your cool color challenge (greens and blues)
Paper Garden Projects' Fourth Friday Fun Challenge: projects that make us feel cooler
Daring Cardmakers: Ice & Snow

Thanks for stopping by!

P.S. I learned something just now, so I'll share it, and your inner nerd can have warm fuzzies like mine. Be enlightened!

“Seasonable” means “appropriate to the season.” In North America hot summer days are seasonable. Untypical weather is unseasonable. “Seasonal” is used to label something that changes with the season. Holiday sales in December and visits to water parks are seasonal, not seasonable. However, “Unseasonal” is not a standard form. When it is used, the writer usually means “unseasonable.”

Vintage Bicycle

Gotta squeak in one more entry for the Moxie Fab "I want to ride my bicycle" challenge before I head to bed... I got inspired by Skippy Designs' etsy store and her beautiful vintage bicycle prints, plus this cross stitch kit by Dimensions, and this was the result of my playtime.

All stamps are from Impression Obsession.

The focal image is done on photo paper. I used a 'direct to paper' technique to lay down a base of Sahara Sand chalk ink, then stamped the bicycle image in Memento London Fog ink and quickly wiped it away with a tissue. Where the 2 ink types overlap, the ink is removed (if you're fast enough!), leaving a negative image. "Home" is stamped with the same process.

I stamped the flower bouquet over the basket and colored it and other open areas of the bicycle using Neopiko markers. Staying with the same set, I used the small Christmas tree (hee hee!) to fill in a grassy area at the bottom of the scene. I added texture to the wall with a couple of other stamps: Stone Path & How Do I Love Thee. The bicycle, flowers, tree, and sentiment are all part of a clear set called Riding Pretty and the word "home" comes from a clear set called Typestacks Family. Here's the full bicycle set:

I got the little 5"x6" frame at a recent yard sale and it was perfect - I'm keeping this one!!

more tags

A few more tags I have in my etsy store.... These are watercolored using Derwent WC pencils, Lyra watercolor crayons and a waterbrush, and measure about 3" square. Strawberry stamps: Flourishes

Frog stamp: My Heart Stamps for You

Rose stamp: Heartfelt Creations (They are celebrating a new release - check it out!)

I have had my nose to my desk all weekend working on CHA samples...nothing I can share yet, but some very fun stuff coming! Look for sneak peeks next month! In the meantime, I will have some fun samples to share from another company.... can you guess which one?

Also.....I see my hit counter is approaching 188888 hits.... a totally meaningless number, but I just would like to see all those 8's lined up.... sooo... if you happen to be my 188888th visitor, show me some proof and I will send you something in the mail, just for fun!

Jasper and life stuff.

Is it Friday already? Not sure where my week went... it wasn't incredibly busy...stamping-wise, though, I've been working for a few days on projects I can't share with you yet - an upcoming guest-designer gig, and a new stamp release from Impression Obsession that will be revealed at CHA! Fun stuff all around... but secrets.

I can share this card now - this was one I had made specifically for publication as part of a set of 3. None of them made that particular cut, but I have to wait to share the other 2. This little cutie is Jasper with Butterflies, and he's colored with Prismacolor pencils. The background panel uses 2 different Cover-a-Card stamps: Swirls and Woodgrain.

The lace border at the bottom is actually the edge of a round paper doily - I cut off about an inch around the edge, and then 'straightened' it along the edge of my panel, tucking and pleating as I went. I don't have any fancy border punches, and I still haven't gone lace hunting in town, so this was a fun little discovery. Oh! Speaking of discoveries - yesterday when we were in town we passed a new store (didn't stop, had all the kids with us...) called House of Hwang Hobby House... not sure what all they stock, but with my crafty radar vision I did see lots of rolls of ribbon on an actual display rack near the front (not in grimy bins in a glass case). So there's hope! Next time I'll check it out.

Alrighty, here are the Prismacolors I used above:

...and I am off to my other desk to color some more! Cheers ------

Teacup topiary

I love tea images, and any image of 'something' in a teacup just makes me smile. This image is from Impression Obsession, one of Alesa Baker's designs. It's called Tea Leaf Topiary. I used Prismacolor pencils to color it in - the colors I used are below. I added some dots of white acrylic paint to the cup and tree with a small stylus.
I'm putting the close-up picture first so you can maybe see the background paper that I created - this is the background technique I referred to last week, where I used photo paper and a combination of inks with the Cover-a-Card stamps. I have every intention of posting a tutorial, but I need to retake my pictures - they're just not all that great. It'll happen. Someday!

Here's the full card - for this background I used the Tapestry Cover-a-Card on photo paper - I inked the paper first with chalk ink, then stamped the Tapestry with Memento ink and burnished the piece with a tissue. In the places where the inks overlap, the image rubs away. Cool, huh? I stamped the Small CAC over the whole piece in grey ink.

I've been a bit reclusive the last week or so - needing some 'retreat' and 'me' time, I guess. Today I made more tags for my etsy store, as all the first batch sold! Woohoo!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

tags on etsy

Spent some time yesterday filling up my etsy shop - here are some sets of watercolored tags I posted - the stamps I used are from Heartfelt Creations. Speaking of my etsy shop - I made my first multi-item sale this weekend!

These border stamps from Heartfelt Creations are about 7 inches long, so I stamped them along the edge of a piece of watercolor paper, 8" x 4", watercolored the entire image, then cut the piece in 4.

These tags are intended for gift enclosures, scrapbook journaling, or a quick encouraging note!

Here's a close-up on some detail areas. I love the texture in this paper!
Hope you have a great weekend!

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Color challenge - Red

Time again for a challenge from the Impression Obsession team - today we're sharing our red cards! I had a few ideas but settled on this fun Candy Jars image from Leigh Hannan - it's so much fun to color.

I used Prismacolor pencils, and the colors I used are below. I used diluted acrylic paint to add some highlights to the glass jars, too. My background panel is Basic Grey cardstock (Boxer collection) stamped with the Thick & Thin Cover-a-Card, and sponged around the edges.

Did you know that you can enter these challenges too, using your Impression Obsession stamps? See the I.O. blog for all the details - you might even win a $25 gift certificate!! We'd love to have you join us. Be sure to check out the other designers' blogs for inspiration - their links are to the left!

Cafe Fleur

I'm home! Hubby and I spent the weekend away at a new hotel just outside town - it was nice to get away and just relax together after several very busy months of running in opposite directions... this was also a celebration of our 10th anniversary which passed us by 2 weeks ago! Nice to be back too - sort of... Our school is on break now so on one hand there's more time for hanging out, and for neglected projects... on the other hand I function much better with a routine, and that is lacking at the moment.

In celebration of our celebration, a quiet cafe scene.... This is one of those cards that was weeks in the making - not because of complexity but for lack of free time to finish it...! This is Cafe Fleur from Auntie Amy's - the scene is watercolored with a combination of pencils, markers, and reinkers. Love that bicycle too!

The decorative paper features the technique I referred to in my last post, and my next post will be a bit of a tutorial on this 'reverse resist' technique, using a combination of inks on photo paper. The rose stamp I used on that panel is from Impression Obsession.

On to my busy day - I have some new stamp artwork to polish up , and I'm also in the middle of reorganizing and integrating past design team stamps into the rest of my collection. Isn't half the fun of crafting organizing and reorganizing?

Challenges:

Moxie Fab World: I want to ride my bicycle
Daring Cardmakers: The World is your Oyster

new

Got some sneak peeks for you from a technique I've been playing with using Cover-a-Card stamps from Impression Obsession... I'll post a tutorial...... someday! Speaking of I.O., there are new stamps to be seen - take a look here! Botanical silhouettes, distressed backgrounds, corner flourishes, and some sweet cupcakes!

sand between her toes

I fell in love with this stamp when I saw it at Auntie Amy's... it's part of a 'cube' set - a set of 4 stamps this size, with a beach theme. I just love this pensive position, and can you see her toes in the sand? Too much.

The scene is colored with Prismacolor pencils... and I promise I wrote down which colors I used... but it's been several weeks since I colored this image, and that little note is buried somewhere on my desk. Sorry about that! If I ever find it I'll put that info in. I compiled a few matching scraps from different projects, and layered them across my card base... this is Japanese textured cardstock I found locally - they're starting to get some more fancy stuff lately, which makes shopping trips fun. The coconut shell button is also a local find.

My scalloped border is literally that - a row of scallop shells that slightly overlap. That stamp and the sentiment are from Flourishes.

All for now - need a shower and plan for the day!

House Mouse Challenge: Goodbye/Farewell

Here's my entry for the House Mouse Challenge this time around - the challenge was to use a House Mouse, Happy Hoppers, or Gruffies stamp to create a Goodbye or Farewell card. We just said 'farewell' to some of our co-workers, so this is a theme that's been on my mind. I paired the House Mouse image with a smARTworks sentiment. The scene is a combination of markers, watercoloring, and 'faux watercoloring' with chalk inks. I used a Sakura glitter pen on the dragonfly's wings, and blended with a waterbrush. Love that little bit of sparkle!

Thanks for visiting!

relaxing day

I love this Riding Pretty set from Impression Obsession - such a fun one to play with. Not sure what got into me with the pink, but there it is. My first bicycle was this color actually... in fact all this bicycle needs is a banana seat and a sissy bar to make it perfect. Hee hee!! Anyone else have that bike? When I hit junior high I had to have a bicycle that was different from everyone else so my second bicycle was a purple beach cruiser. Loved that thing. When everyone else had white keds, mine were red plaid... that's just how I was then. Maybe still, huh...!

Alrighty, card details for you. I combined several sets here...couldn't stand to have that bicycle standing alone (where is the kickstand?!), so I leaned it up against Garden Fence. I stamped the fence first with Sand ink, then stamped the bicycle over the top - I didn't bother to mask, since the background ink was so much lighter, and I knew I was going to use bold colors to color the bicycle. I watercolored with Derwent watercolor pencils, and also used markers for the more narrow areas on the bicycle. The grass is a leaf stamp from the Wreaths and Garlands clear set. I filled the basket up with Baby Pink Flower Soft. The sentiment can be found here.

For the sky, I used a scalloped circle as a mask, swiped Sea Breeze chalk ink onto the card using a direct-to-paper technique, then misted and lightly 'finger painted' the area until I had a mottled cloudy look instead of sharp outlines. The ribbon is grosgrain - I heated it lightly with my heat gun, alternating sides, until it rippled slightly. Kind of makes it look like it could be waving in the wind.

Thought this would be appropriate for the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly - Fun Fun Fun
smARTword Challenge - Ribbon
Our Creative Corner - Summer Inspiration
Everybody Art Challenge - Summer
Pink Elephant - Bright Fun Colors
Creative Belli Blog - sketch challenge (sort of a loose interpretation....but...)
Moxie Fab World - I want to ride my bicycle

Thanks for stopping by - have a great weekend!

etsy

Thought I'd brave the etsy world.....see my little preview widget to the left? For now I just have some unmounted stamps for sale, but I'll get cards in there eventually. Someday! Here's a direct link to my humble store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/mamadini

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Let's go to the beach!

Our challenge this week is to create a card with a beach or nautical theme... I love a quiet beach scene, so I decided to feature this Leigh Hannan palm tree on a lonely island, sort of a "wish I were here" moment for me after this last crazy week!

Card details: I stamped the palm tree on watercolor paper, then masked off the sand and sky areas. I rubbed Sea Breeze chalk ink (Versamagic) across the water and then stamped the Woodgrain Cover-a-Card to add some wave texture, using Ocean Depth ink. Heh...even my ink names fit the challenge!

I masked the water off, and colored the sky using Lemon Yellow Impress dye ink (direct-to-paper). I punched out a circle to use as a mask for the sun, and then used Vermillion ink (also from Impress) to fill in the sky (direct-to-paper for the clouds, with stippling for texture).

I stamped the tree on a piece of textured cardstock, and trimmed out each leaf, then highlighted with a Prismacolor pencil - there is foam tape behind each leaf, and they're anchored by Dew Drop coconuts. The water's edge was done with white acrylic paint, which I spread and textured with my finger.

For the background panel I used 2 different Cover-a-Card stamps - Doodle Flower and Medallion. The panel started as pastel green cardstock, which I sponged and then stamped with Ocean Depth ink.

Did you know that you can enter these challenges too, using your Impression Obsession stamps? See the I.O. blog for all the details - you might even win a $25 gift certificate!! We'd love to have you join us. Be sure to check out the other designers' blogs for inspiration - their links are to the left!

P.S. Additional challenges were met here:

Our Creative Corner, Everybody Art Challenge, Papertake Weekly Challenge - summer card

And now, back to our show.....

Just for fun, here's a strawberry template to share, that I worked out when I finally had time to stamp last week.... feel free to use it for your personal projects, but please refer people to this post to download it instead of posting it to your own blog. Thanks! I used it for a card template, but it would make a cute applique or smaller cardstock or felt embellishment as well. Here are 2 cards I made with the template - both use scraps from my stash and a few simple embellishments. The sentiment is from Impression Obsession. If you do use the template, leave a comment so I can see your project too! Have fun!

Just Because

Because I adore this couple, and because I'm just so tickled to see my flowers in their pictures....