spotlight on watercolors and bleach

If you're interested in my attempt at giving texture to watercolors using bleach, I'm up over at the STAMPlorations blog today with a Spotlight describing my epic fail and how I managed to make cards out of it anyway.

STAMPlorations inspiration #143

And welcome to Tuesday's inspiration from the STAMPlorations inspiration team! You know the routine, we're all featuring stamps from one of our talented stamp designers.

Today we're using Becca's Big Grins stamps. From now until July 17 you can get Big Grins stamps at 10% off in the STAMPlorations store, Sweet and Sassy Mom is available at 20% off!

In keeping with my self-imposed constraint to use up PP this month, I grabbed me some buttercups and stamped on patterned paper, like I did here.

Here's a shot showing the beauty of the gold embossing with some sunshine on it!

Buttercups and Butterflies

So easy. Choose a paper that compliments your stamp image (in this case feminine stripes). I heat embossed in gold to add to the pretty factor. And added a crinkled seam binding (remember that stuff?) bow to up the feminine feel.

If you're interested, here is another card using the same stamp set.

I'd love it if you use my STAMPGIRLMARIA discount on top, if you decide to pick up any of Becca's stamps. Or anything on your wish list. You might win yourself a $10 GC to the store if you leave a comment on the inspiration post. Off you go...

I'm off to hookup at:
Craft Stamper - Take it Make it July (STAMPlorations is sponsoring this month!)
The Flower Challenge - Embossing

the heart desires beachy challenge - take two

Ahhh summer! And how about that touch of Wilted Violet ;)

I had to play along with The Heart Desires challenge #14, not only cuz I missed last month's but cuz it's the store's first anniversary so all the more reason to join the fun. Aren't their challenge mood boards gorgeous?

Well my first inclination was to pull out some digi papers and layer away. You can see my cards made with the papers in yesterday's post.

I had also watercolored some seashells with my Gansai Tambi but they didn't "work" with my digi paper cards, so I turned them into two additional cards. 

Stenciled some Distress Inks through ARTplorations Bubbles stencil then heat embossed Say it Big - Dream the Impossible.

The second seashell I'd given some touches of  ochre and violet, so I decided to let it shine all by itself on a card.

Stamped the image and sentiment from Beach Therapy, added some grungy dots in a nod to a sandy beach and then adhered the watercolored and fussy cut seashell.

Clean and simple. But kinda dreamy beachy, eh?

I'm playing at:
Cards und More Shop - Anything Goes Summer
Craft Stamper - Take it Make it July
Addicted to CAS - Summer

the heart desires beachy challenge - take one

Ahhh summer! I realize it's only true in my hemisphere. But doesn't this mood board just scream summertime? And oh that touch of Wilted Violet ;)

I had to play along with The Heart Desires challenge #14, not only cuz I missed last month's but cuz it's the store's first anniversary so all the more reason to join the fun. Their challenge mood boards are always gorgeous, don't you agree?

Well my first inclination was to pull out some Lilypad digi papers which I discovered through Kate L. I thought the color scheme kinda fit. Though beachy it's not.

(I also watercolored some seashells with my Gansai Tambi but they didn't "work" with my digi papers, so I turned them into two additional cards you'll see tomorrow.)

Decided to channel my inner Kate and play around with PP and layers.

On my first card I just started die cutting some panels.... big print, neutral print...

Added a strip of washi, a piece of die cut vellum, some die cut stems and a circle and then topped it all off with a heat-embossed-on-vellum seashell and "hugs" cut from cardstock I'd swiped some Wilted Violet Distress Oxide onto.

And needing a sympathy card I layered a stripe cover die cut from woodgrain cardstock over the darkest PP from the pack.

Added a single white stem and a heat embossed sentiment on ripped vellum. I've only partially adhered the die cuts so there is movement to the design. I really like how the artsy PP works paired with the graphic white stripes. Did I capture the striped-beach-towel-summery-feeling?

crazy double stitched rectangle die

 polka dot cover plate die

slender leaves die

circle die

hugs die

Herbology digi paper

seashell

striped cover plate die

sympathy sentiment stamp

I'm hooking these cards up at Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Die Cuts. Thanks for visiting. Hope you're enjoying your weekend. We had a lovely summery one. And beer!

freestyle collage - a CASE of myself

DS's girlfriend just celebrated her graduation and a card was in order. I decided to CASE myself and do a freestyle collage on this one cuz horses are a huge part of this gal's life. And I love my little horse hoofprint stamp!

Pulled out a Heidi Swapp watercolor themed 6x6 PP and die cut Technique Tuesday "Say It -hello" and Memory Box Parker Alphabet "abi"(which is short for Abitur, the A levels) from PPs. Die cut Papertrey Cloud from the creme colored cardbase and then stamped and masked the rest.

Used Viva Decor Rose. Technique Tuesday Alphabet. And my no name horse hoofprints (from Aldi). BTW, the triangle pattern on the vellum snippet is Kaisercraft Texture Triangle. It's great for adding that "little extra touch". Added the date stamp to personalize the card even more.

I did photograph this one flat too, but ended up liking the stand up image better. Seems to show the dimension better... What do you think?

I'm playing at:
Pinspirational - #194 (gave me a push in the color direction)

Time Out - Celebrations (graduation)
Inkspirational - Rural (cuz... hoofprints!)
Creative with Stamps - Celebrate

Hope you had a great 4th of July weekend. We're finally enjoying some nice summer weather here in my neck of Germany. Hope it continues! Thanks for visiting.

STAMPlorations inspiration #142

Welcome to another Tuesday inspiration from the STAMPlorations inspiration team where all the team members feature stamps from one of our talented stamp designers.

Today we're using Shirley's The Bees Knees stamps. Since our birthday sale is still going on, all stamps are 15% off (with an extra 20% off when you use my discount code STAMPGIRLMARIA).

Do you own enough patterned paper to last til the next century? I decided to have a go at my stash this month, so I pulled out Shirley's perfume bottles and looked for a romantic PP to stamp on. I'll be stamping on PP for all my inspiration posts this month. Stay tuned.

To keep things subtle but add some texture, I heat embossed the image and the tiny flower bunches. Added the sentiment on vellum. To attract attention to the perfume bottle, I gave it a very light watercoloring with metallic bronze. Maybe you can see the sparkle?

Parfumerie, Bloom Happy

I had more fun heat embossing and watercoloring with these perfume bottles here if you're looking for more inspiration...

You could win yourself a $10 GC to the store by leaving a comment on the July inspiration posts. Check out today's post here. So happy you stopped by today :)

it's red, white and blue for the inspiration

Popping in to share the results of my latest crafting session. Thanks to two guys who share a birthday on July 3rd and my lightbulb moment to use red and blue to spice up the design in a nod to America's birthday these two cards were born.

Both were going to be the same design, but then I decided to skip the stamping on the bottom for the second one (on the right). But to give it a bit more balance I stamped the mailbox image in the lower right corner.

I chose to use STAMPlorations Country Rustic for some good, down home Americana images. I had thought I would give the images touches of red and blue watercolor originally, but then decided to pull out some stars from Winnie and Walter Big Bang Confetti and added red and blue that way.

Cuz I liked the idea so much and there are two casual weddings happening this week in Michigan I decided to carry my design idea over to two wedding cards too!

Liking the plentiful white space, I used STAMPlorations Newlyweds and Newyweds extras from The Bee's Knees line along with a sentiment from The Birds and the Blooms. After deciding that I might have been heavy handed with the stars on the first one, I went a little lighter on the second.

Do you have a favorite? What do you think about the flat photography trend - I've decided to give it a try. Saves me having to plop myself down on the floor in between the dining room table and the floor length window to shoot my cards on the dining room chair every time. I'm getting too old for that ;)

I'm playing in a couple places with my patriotic cards:
Penny Black and More - For the Boys
Cards in Envy - Red, White and Blue
#ppmoodboard - July 4th
Curtain Call - Red, White and Blue