OLW21 Inspired By Nature

Another fabulous challenge by Susan this week. I'm a little late to the party because I was out of town and am still rushing to get caught up.

This butterfly stamp from Inkadinkado jumped off the shelf and insisted on coming home with me on a recent shopping trip. For someone who is not particularly crazy for butterfly stamps, I certainly have amassed quite a collection.

The coloring (Copics) is not my best. The prototype actually looks better. This one needs more blending, but it was either use this or skip the challenge. My husband expects dinner when he comes home from work. LOL

Thank you for the visit. I hope to spend lots of time in my stamp room in the next few days. I absolutely go through withdrawal after being away from it so long.

Hugs,

Colleen

It's Your Day!

A real quick post - limited internet access. Shoe stamps by Hero Arts. I'll have to get back to you if you want the manufacturer of the the sentiment stamp. Copics utilized for coloring. Apologies for the hit and run.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs,

Colleen

More of the Same.... Almost

I like love the card from the previous post, so decided to make a few more but with some variations. I need to make some card sets for Christmas gifts, and these may fit the bill. Sentiment used on the middle card is from River City Rubber Works, the bottom card is from A Muse. I used Stampin' Up! kraft card stock for the card bases, except for the one I screwed up and salvaged it by adding it to a white base.

Now . . . do you see the reverse grid background stamped on these? Isn't it just awesome?!! I have been on the hunt forevah for just such a stamp with no luck so my friend, Carol, made it for me! Can you believe it?! Carved that sucker with her two bare hands, I tell ya! And it is absolutely perfect! It measures a whopping 6x6 (swoon), all the lines are exactly measured and straight, and it stamps beautifully. I am still speechless. Talk about priceless . . . Consider this fair warning - you'll be seeing a lot of cards using this background. Mucho thanks, Carol! You're the bestest.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hugs,
Colleen

OLW20 Three Plus One

More evidence of my recent A Muse splurge (see post below) and again inspired by the fab Julie Ebersole. I embossed the Queen Anne's Lace with white embossing powder . . . don't you just love how white looks on kraft?! The leaves are also from A Muse and stamped in PTI Ripe Avocado. The sentiment is Savvy . . . a previous splurge . . . 'nuf said.

Thanks for the visit.

Hugs,

Colleen

A Muse Goodies

Inspired by Julie Ebersole during the A Muse release a few months ago, I invested in some A Muse goodness and tried today to channel the great Julie HRR (Her Royal Rubberness). Using Memento inks, this is what I came up with. As much as I'm drawn lately to CAS designs, I think the card with the layer of PTI Orange Zest debossed with PTI's Canvas impressions plate is my favorite.  What do you think? I hope Julie HRR would approve.

Thank you for your visit today.

Hugs,

Colleen

Surprised and Honored!

I had the most wonderful surprise this morning! Bonnie Klass honored me with the One Lovely Blog Award. How sweet is that?!  Now the pressure is really on . . . to live up to that. Thank you Bonnie.

I do have a card to share with you today. I confess to being a little on the fence about this one . . . I've had this patterned paper from 7 Gypsies on my desk staring at me now for weeks, so I decided to get out "Sew Artsy" from Hero Arts and make it earn its keep. A little faux stitching and Copic enhancement and voila! The addition of ribbon just didn't work for me. I think all the CAS style I've been cultivating lately is starting to take root LOL

Thank you for stopping by today.

Hugs,

Colleen

OLW19 Black and White with a Spot of Color

Another great challenge this week over at Simplicity's blog. I went looking through my stamp stash for something with polka dots and found this butterfly stamp from Michael's $1 bin begging for ink. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Round and Round anniversary set and the tiny magenta gemstones that don't show up well in the photo are from Hero Arts.

Thanks for the visit today. Have a good 'un.

Hugs,
Colleen

FOUR Posts In One Week and the "Followers" Widget Added

I'm so on the ball this week . . . four card posts, and I added the "Followers" widget to my sidebar. I'm starting to feel like a real blogger. Any day now someone will share the secret handshake with me lol 

I may have mentioned before that I have a few birthdays and anniversaries in September, so today's card is for an upcoming birthday. I colored this Kim Hughes owl with Copics and then took the white crayon still laying on my desk from the crayon resist technique used below to soften some of the browns a bit. I like the result. You just can't go back to the Copics after adding colored pencils or crayons or it will ruin the nib of the Copic. I used pop dots to layer the party hat and an additional layer for the pom pom. IRL it's very dimensional. The branch is a piece of a limb from a Spellbinders die.

As for the "Followers" widget . . .  I'm not exactly sure how it works, but apparently some people use is to keep track of blogs they visit regularly. Anyway, I'm on board, so come along. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs,
Colleen

It's All About the Presents

Happy Labor Day to my US blog readers! I hope you have a wonderful day with more fun than "labor".

The card I'm sharing today uses a stamp I purchased at Stampaway in August from Stacy's Stamps. It is unmounted and, I don't know about you, but I tend to forget about my unmounted rubber when looking for inspiration, so I decided to ink this up before putting it away. I colored it with Copics and added a coordinating loop of satin ribbon. The sentiment is from Morning Star and is also a new Stampaway acquisition.

Thank you for stopping by.

Hugs,
Colleen

Heartfelt Wishes

Not a lot of stamping on this card -just the sentiment from Impress Stamps. The vase is a punch and the flower from an old Zip-ee cut die.
Thanks so much for stopping by. Your visits encourage me to be a better blogger ; D
Hugs,
Colleen

OLW18 I Caved

For me, it seems like Christmas '09 was not that long ago. And while the stores eagerly anticipate the coming holiday season and begin merchandising earlier and earlier, I am in denial. I hasten pass the shelves in stores brimming with glitz and color, quickly skip over blog posts reminding me that I should begin making cards now to avoid the inevitable rush to come, and refuse to be lured into purchasing even one sheet of Christmas paper or adding another stamp to my already bulging stash. Yet, when Susan offered up her latest challenge - to use a tree - my first thought was a Christmas tree . . . sigh. It's a conspiracy I tell ya!
This tree image is from Northwoods, and I used the crayon resist technique with Forest Moss Distress ink applied with a sponge. The sentiment is from Hero Arts, one of a set of three, as I recall. The crayon ended up a bit shiny, so I added some Rock Candy Stickles for a bit of snowy sparkle. I'm very pleased with the result and can now return to my blissful state of denial. It was 90+ degrees here today for goodness sakes.

Thanks for stopping by.

Respectfully submitted,
Colleen