Dylusions Seascape with Ryn Bubbles Stamp

Good morning sweet visitor. Warm welcomes to all but especially to a new follower, Maureen of Mau's Place. I had been seeing links to this lovely blog as I swooped around some other blogs; followed a link, paid a visit, and found a new friend. What a joy! Please give yourself a treat, and check out Mau's Place. Now if I just knew how to do all that fancy-schmancy stuff Miz Darnell has started doing of late, where she not only provides the links to her new buddies, but also posts a picture, I'd try to do that too! It's such a sweet touch to add for her new friends!  And if you don't know our Darnell, well...you're missing out on your blogging experience. She's not only a skilled cardster, but she's funny too, and what a vocabulary. She of the NBUS word. (Don't tell me you don't know what NBUS stands for? Gosh, you'd better visit Darnell!) I always leave her place after some good chuckles and inspiration. Thanks Darnell for all you do!

One other tidbit: If you notice in the sidebar, our favorite Miss Pixie - of Crafty Snippets Playground fame - created a button for us--Keys to the Playground! Check it out, and do come & visit in the Playground when you can. You'll enjoy it, I promise.

Anyhoo, we are meeting some old high school buddies for lunch in a few minutes; then I have to zip back home, brush my teeth super well, and head to the dentist. At best I will be having a crown...at worst - I may need a root canal.

So here goes with an experimental card that started with no idea beyond using a previously created Dylusions background.

 



- Dylusions blue sprays, think there may have been one of the purple sprays too. This was created quite a while back.

- the wonderful Ryn Water Droplets Stamp* was added after stamping the sea scape stamp*, which also had a few bubbles, but not as many as I wanted.  (EDIT:  sorry - it was Rising Bubbles. Both were on my desk, but until I cleaned stamps that evening I was mistaken in which I had used! ..Fish scene is Fish Friends by Artful Stamper.)

- fish & plants colored with Spicas & gelly roll pens. Wink of Stella pen over places for added glitz.

- Die-Versions Whisper die Sweet Seahorse die cut from a snippet of turquoise-teal that was just the right size to fit the die. Smooshed into a Versamark ink pad, then sprinkled Ranger Snowflakes sparkle EP over it. The turquoise-teal color just didn't look 'right' after I placed it against the card, so I played with the EP. IRL it sparkles very nicely, but I don't like the white look against the blue. I had hoped some of the paper color might come through the EP, but -- it didn't! Remember I said I was experimenting!

Yesterday I received an order from Joggles, and had some of the Wink of Stella pens (not the brush tip, but a marker tip). I think I'm going to like these pens. Again, I had some fast shipping, so that made me happy!

Ya'll enjoy the day, and hope if any of you are where the storms are wreaking such havoc, that you are staying warm and not having to shovel too much snow. Thanks for stopping by, and many big Hugs!

*If you're interested I can provide the stamp manufacturer.

Lawn Fawn Tweet Tweet Birds

Good evening. This post was intended to be done earlier this morning, but we had errands, came home, had to go back out again. Finally convinced DH that he needs to get this recurring back problem seen to, so that was our afternoon errand. It started misting rain on our first outing, temps started to drop as well. By the time we did the late afternoon doctor apt, it felt quite raw. Now we're back inside, where it's cozy & warm; shouldn't have to leave the house tomorrow. Oh happy day!

Let me say welcome to Rhonda at Bumblebee Creations for becoming my latest follower.  Hope you'll find time to zip over for a visit & say Hello and enjoy some pretty cards.

Here's a card to share this evening:

- image is a tiny clear set by Lawn Fawn (and this is my first LF stamp). I saw this somewhere and the bitty birds just made me laugh, so I bought it. It's really a very tiny stamp set, like what you'd see in Michael's or some such place, but this one came from a stamp store, so it didn't have a Mike's price tag either!! I thought a bit before I purchased it, but it just made me smile, so I succumbed to temptation. Stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black on Xpress paper, colored with copics (of course!).
Got some 3D Crystal Lacquer at the past Saturday stamp adventure. Applied with a very tiny tip onto the ear muffs, some of the yellow hat and a bit on the green scarf & leaves. I added some extra leaves for dimension. This stuff gives a very nice hard shine. Easier to work with than the Glossy Accents, as it is better controlled with the tiny metal tip.

- Fiskar small size cloud punch for the clouds, which were embossed with one of the C/B dotty folders, then edged with Colorbox Fluid Chalk Azurite (blue). The background had been sponged with Memento Sky blue, corners edged with the Danube Blue.

- Amuse bird die cut (a snippet), edged around with the Danube Blue; perched red cardinal is part of a new Taylored Expression set I ordered (Birch Tree Accessories). This site had super fast shipping too - Just sayin'. Used a tiny snippet of the red velvet paper - I mean it was tin-EE! Both birds are on pop dots.

- Navy blue textured Bazzill card base (also from the snippet box), different Washi tape stripes. Taylored Expressions die Pockets & Pages - January script using another red velvet snippet to cut winter.  Red mat was also a snippet, diecut with the S/B Superelipse.

EK Success border punch on snippet of red paper to hide the uneven washi tape edges that I didn't get very straight when I was placing them on the card.

Here's a picture of the way this card was photographed using Cornelia's idea of a lightbox. It was a very gray day but think the picture turned out ok, even allowing for my poor photo skills.

The white posterboard weight card pieces are just leaned against the box. May do a more accurate trimming & then paste into place. I've just been experimenting to see if this idea would work for me. I think it has!!

Thanks for your visit, and hope if you are in the path of these storms that are moving across the country, that you can be cozy & warm, your power stays on, and that you don't have to go out in any of the bad stuff. Hugs.

Floral - bits of this n that

Hi & hope all my USA friends are happy with the way the Superbowl went. DH watched bits of it. I'm not a sports enthusiast; get annoyed with how the singer does our National Anthem; that so many of the players don't seem to realize how to stand to show respect while it is being sung - so I end up fussing at the television. Better I just leave the room.

Let me welcome Irish Cherokee as a new follower. He & his wife, Jill, are new to blogging & both have some fabulous cards & posts for you to enjoy. My DH was making cards for a while, then got away from it. I mentioned Irish & Jill & their enjoyed hobby...all he said was "Good for them". Hmmm...Since he spent his Saturday chauffeuring us to the stamp show, walking around & waiting, then went back out to get pizza & salad for our supper -  I can't get too aggravated him.

Speaking of the stamp show: Had the nicest event happen. I kept seeing this person walking around the different vendors and thinking "Do I know her from somewhere?". We never made eye contact and I don't know if she had been seeing me as well. After going through all the vendor booths that I really wanted to visit, I was thirsty, so got a soda and sat down at a table in the food court to rest my sore feet. This lady walked up to a table 3 or 4 distant from ours, with some friends, and we did make eye contact. Thankfully her name popped into my tired brain and I said "Are you Sheila?" about the same time as she said "Are you Mary?". Bear in mind, we were reading each other's lips, as we were not close enough to hear what the other was saying! We both nodded "Yessss" and she came round to our table -  & oh, long lost friends. How exciting to meet a fellow blogger face-to-face. Even more wonderful to realize that she is just as pretty & sweet in person as she appears to come across on her blog. Now that was one _Big_ plus to my trip. Oddly enough, after realizing Sheila is in the Atlanta area, I had nearly left a comment asking if she'd be at the show, perhaps we could meet. Wasn't sure until the last minute, we'd actually go, so I didn't. Talk about happenstance & small world. Sheila has a lovely blog, so if you have a minute, please check out her nifty projects.

OK, enough blah, blah...here's the card, and it really is bits & pieces of snippets / leftover things. I also tried to adapt the lightbox that Cornelia  showed how to make. I used a clear plastic organizational bin, lined it with white poster board weight card stock, set an Ott light to the side. The photo was taken after the evening dusk. I did adust the camera light setting to fluorescent. Might play around with that some more. On the whole I was pleased with the card & photo.

 

 

- MS small doily stamped with Memento Desert Sand - I don't know how long ago. Been on my desk being pushed around for ever so long. It's raised with dimensional tape atop another snippet from one of the C/B embossing plus folders, (the hard plastic kind that also had cutouts ..believe this one might have been from Lace Door). I used some DI Antique Linen to soften the white of each piece.

 

- border was part of a 12x12 that was on the snippets pile - used a Fiskars ribbon border punch - which became hard to see once the MS punched trim (also a snippet) was added behind the stripe border.

 

- Cheery Lyn butterfly diecut from vellum, pressed into a Versamark pad, then poured DI Antique Linen EP over & heat set from underneath. When that color finished I did the Versamark bit again, then poured some Ranger Christmas Green over the Antique Linen but didn't completely cover. I liked the look. I don't work with vellum much, and really need to do more.

 

After all was done, I used Viva Décor Glitter Gold pearls to add some decorating. Started with corners on the white rectangle corners. Then added to the MS border trim points. After telling myself, don't get carried away and add too much, mess up something, I blopped some drops onto the doily & butterfly, and made myself set the card down & leave it alone.

 

Now I have used a ton of snippets on this one, but since I'm behind in visiting & commenting, I'm embarrassed to submit it to Pixies Snippet Playground Week 110, cause Miss might send me to stand in the corner! But I would suggest if you have any snippety cards, that you take a visit over & join in the fun. See that pretty easel holding my card? Well, Miss Pixie always has some good stuff for prizes, so you might be a winner too, if Mr. RanGen should select your card as he did one of mine.

 

Gosh I got chatty today. Sorry, I'm trying to stop that! But I had a lot to say...ok? Anyway, thanks for your visit, and I promise, I WILL get back round to see what you're up to! Sunday was catch up Saturday stuff and I was tired from all the shopping fun. Oh yeah, I did find some goodies! Lots of new dies & paper (these were BARGAINS! I did so need more!) and a few stamps. Bye. Hugs too.



Christmas Card Club - Hearts or Red Challenge

Hello and today it was my turn to select a theme for our bi-monthly Christmas Card Club Challenge. Since the month of February has just started, and thinking that February is usually associated with Valentine's day, my first thought was hearts. Well, this is a Christmas Club, so yep, needed to be Christmas-y too, so I picked Red as well.

The image I thought about for my card is a cute little Mulberry Wood Lovebird stamp, {kinda  romantic for the Hearts part of the theme  :-) } & I used Red!

- Mulberry Wood - A Christmas gift, and there's a sentiment to stamp inside that reads "All I Want for Christmas is You". You know who will get this one! Used a white snippet, colored with copics, touches of clear Wink of Stella, and hand cut the image. Applied brushable glue to fur areas and  some Sparkle n Sprinkle Twinkling Clouds over the glue. (there's a sad story below the specs*). 

- Cheery Lynn English Tea Party Doily (DL101) diecut from textured red Bazzill, edged with Viva Inca Gold, which was also dabbed along the holly leaves.

- Cheery Lynn Holly Flourish (B148) diecut from a green snippet which was just large enough with  creative placement. Cut the flourish so it could be placed as shown.

- Dylusions background using green family with just a bit of turquoise & yellow spritzed around on the paper.

- EK Success border punch from 6x6 Kaisercraft Be Merry Collection.

- Elizabeth Craft Joy sentiment from a snippet left from cutting the doily.