Well February flew right by! It is time for the March STAMPlorations CAS Card Challenge where Anything CAS Goes and an optional color twist: CORAL PINK.

Here is my card:

I love this Sketched Rose image and it is fun to watercolor. I stamped it with Versafine Onyx Black onto smooth water color paper. I used Altenew's Coral Berry ink to paint the rose and my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers to color the leaves and stem.  The stamped tag and sentiment are from the Bloom Happy stamp set. I cut out the tag and adhered it with foam tape. Two enamel dots were added for interest.

I hope you join us this month at the STAMPlorations CAS Card Challenge. Here are the guidelines:

• Players can link up to 3 CAS cards.
• Players can enter a CAS card with or without the optional color twist.
• Non-STAMPlorations products are OK
• To qualify for the prize, players must display challenge graphic and link back to the challenge post (blogs only)
• Prizes: $15 GC for the winner (voted by the team); $5 GC to three (3) randomly picked players

Thanks for coming by!

Spring Happy Birthday

I know in some parts of the US it seems like winter is just starting with the blizzards happening as I write this post. But in my part of the country, the San Francisco area, it has been rather warm after all the rain we received and the bulbs are all blooming as well as our golden poppies. So it is looking like spring here and that is what the CAS Watercolor Card challenge is all about this month. Below is my reminder sample for the challenge:

This card was inspired by a card created by Michelle Lupton which you can see here (scroll down a bit).  I white embossed the My Favorite Things Rose background image on the smooth side of a Tim Holtz Water Color card. I used my Zig Clean Color Brush pens in various shades of pink, red, yellow and orange to paint the panel. I used my PaperTrey dies to cut a piece of white card stock into the two pieces and with foam tape adhered it to the painted panel. That was then adhered to a card base. The sentiment is from PaperTrey.

I am looking forward to seeing your creations in our gallery!  Thanks for coming by!

CAS Watercolor Card Challenge - November Mid Month Reminder - TEXT

I am back again for the mid month reminder and sample for the CAS Watercolor Card Challenge for November. Here is my sample:

These Penny Black brush images are so easy to make a watercolored card. I colored the image with distress markers and the MISTI. I used 2 colors of purple and 2 colors of green, one color at a time, misted with water and stamped. Each layer was still damp when I stamped over it so the colors would blend.  I used some MME patterned paper for the text and blended distress ink to match the flower. The border of the card front was cut with a Penny Black border die.

Thanks for coming by!

Happy Birthday

This is my second submission for the new challenge blog - The Flower Challenge - Anything Goes.

I used Distress markers and Distress ink cubes to try to make a layered colored look to the flowers and leaves. After coloring onto the stamp with the distress inks I spritzed with a bit of water and stamped. Once dry, I colored over the leaves and flowers with Distress markers in the same colors.

I am also entering this to the CAS Watercolor Card Challenge - Autumn Colors:

 to ATCAS - Watercolor:

to Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Fall/Autumn

and to Penny Black and More Challenge - Autumn

Thanks for coming by!

The Flower Challenge!

There is a new challenge in blogland: the Flower Challenge:

Their first challenge is Anything Goes With Florals.

Here is my first submission:

I used poppy flowers from Altenew, stamped them with Weathered Wood distress ink and water colored them with distress inks.

Thanks for coming by!

Playing with Altenew - Majestic Blooms

I went to visit my stamping friends Sheri and Georgia in Omaha for a week in Sept and we played a lot with our Altenew stamps and inks. Below is a card I made using the Majestic Blooms set. I used Zig Clean Color Brush pens to water color the line art image:

I used two step stamping leaves from the Vintage Flowers set. The sentiment is from Penny Black.

Thanks for coming by!

Expressive Florals and Leaves

This is my attempt at expressive florals and leaves from the Online Card Class - Intermediate Watercoloring. I have trouble getting my stems thin enough. This is the first time I used watercolor paint in tubes.
Thanks for coming by!

Love is in the Air

Here are two more Valentines that I created to send to hospitalized children. This first one was inspired by some challenges on SCS - the inspiration challenge and the Featured Stamper challenge. The elephant is from WPlus9, the heart balloons are from Newton's Nook and the sentiment is from WoodwareUSA. This was water colored with water color pencils and an aquabrush.  I traced a heart die and then stamped little hearts within the heart lines and then drew the strings with a Micron pen and a ruler.

I am submitting this card to the Wednesday Simon Says Stamp challenge - Create with Critters:

The Hugs and Kisses card is another pre-printed water color panel from the Love Notes collection from Simon Says Stamps.
















Thanks for coming by!

Owl Be Yours Forever

More valentines for hospitalized children using the pre-printed Love Notes from Simon Says Stamp.

I am submitting the owl valentine to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - Create with Critters:

Thanks for coming by!

You're Foxy!

I purchased a package of Suzy's pre-printed Love Notes from Simon Says Stamp to water color and make valentines for hospitalized children. These are really fun to color and make a quick valentine.

I am submitting the first one to the Wednesday Simon Says Stamp challenge - Create with Critters:

Thanks for coming by!

Watercolored Poppies

This card was created for the SCS sketch challenge.  I used my Koi water colors to paint these Penny Black poppies.
Thanks for coming by!

ATSM#111 - For Marie

There is a special challenge today at Addicted to Stamps and More.  The challenge is anything goes with a twist.  The twist is to make a get well or thinking of you card for Marie of BaileyRosy.  Marie is on the ATCAS design team also and I wanted to let her know that I am thinking of her and wishing her well and to get well very soon!

The Penny Black poppies are watercolored and the sentiment is from Hero Arts.
Thanks for coming by!

For You

This was created for the SCS Queen for the Day challenge and for the Featured Stamper challenge.  I stamped the Penny Black poppy image with Antique Linen distress ink and then watercolored the poppies with the wet on wet technique.  I used watercolor pencils for the stems and buds.  The sentiment is from Avery Elle.

I am submitting this to Crazy for CAS challenge #51 - Watercoloring.

Thanks for coming by!

Some Watercolored Cards

This was created for the SCS color challenge this week.  I used the Art Impressions set with Distress markers and paint brushes.

This was for the CAS SCS challenge - also a color challenge.  I used the Baleek technique on the card front - brayered Certainly Celery on the inside of the embossing folder, then ran the card front in the folder through the Big Shot.  This card has an oval window already cut out.  The inside is the water colored flowers.

This card was also created for the SCS CAS color challenge.  I used this 4 step stamp set from Rubbernecker and colored the stamps with Hero Arts Shadow inks and Distress Inks, misted them with water, then stamped.  I used my scor-pal to create embossed sunrays and ran an ink pad over them.

This last card is a case of the SCS Featured Stamper's card.  I used my watercolor paints with the wet on wet technique.  The flowers are from Hero Arts and the sentiment is from Avery Elle.  I added clear rhinestones as embellishments.

Thanks for coming by!

HYCCT - Thanks a Bunch

This HYCCT challenge was to make a tall card.  First thing I thought of was the SU! Pleasant Poppies stamp.  I colored this with Inktense water color pencils and an aquabrush.  The sentiment is from Repeat Impressions.
Thanks for coming by!

SCS VSN Weekend

This weekend is Virtual Stamp Night (VSN)at SCS.  There are challenges posted every hour starting Friday afternoon through Saturday night.  You need to create your card according to the challenge criteria within 45 minutes.  If I keep then CAS I have a chance to meet the 45 minutes!  Since I had the colors already out while I was making my last card I used them for this card.  For this challenge we were supposed to case a card from luvlee's gallery.  I cased Sending Caring Thoughts.
Since I used the Play Date Cafe colors again I am submitting this to that challenge:

I also used a banner for my image so I am submitting this to the Cas-ual Friday Challenge:

I stamped the Flourishes image on PaperTrey white card stock and watercolored the flowers with SU! Taken With Teal and Marvelous Magenta ink and a water brush.  The card front was embossed with a Cuttlebug Embossing folder so the banner would stand out.

Thanks for coming by!

So Grateful

I created this for several challenges - the SCS Featured Stamper #292 - Angela R; the OLW104 - one layer card with Gratitude theme; Less is More - One Layer Card with Foliage theme.  All images are from paperTrey but from three different sets.  I stamped the images and sentiment with Memento Rich Cocoa ink and colored the images with water color pencils and an aquabrush.  I outlines a bit of the image with a warm gray Copic marker and added a base with a colored pencil.
Thanks for coming by!

Poppies for Shellie

This is for the SCS Featured Stamper challenge - this week the FS is Shellied.  I cased Shellie's California Poppy Sympathy card.  I kept it to one layer and stamped the Cornish Heritage Farms image with Versafine Onyx Black onto a  Fabriano Mediovalis watercolor card.  The poppies are colored with water color pencils and an aquabrush.  The "poppies" sentiment is from There She Goes.
Thanks for coming by!

Woodware USA Challenge #33 - Patriotic Card or Colors

Welcome to WoodwareUSA's challenge for this week.  We were challenged to make patriotic cards, or use patriotic colors on our cards.  I decided to go with the colors since I needed an anniversary card for a friend whose anniversary is on the 4th of July.  The image and sentiment are from the WoodwareUSA Tulips set.  I water colored the image with water color pencils and an aquabrush and cut it out with my Nestabilities. 
Now it is your turn to play.  Just create a new card using the challenge guidelines and link it directly to InLinkz on the WoodwareUSA blog.  If you use woodware stamps you will be entered twice for a chance to win a stamp set!  For more inspiration go to the WoodwareUSA blog to see what the other DT members created!
Thanks for coming by!
Supplies: Stamps - WoodwareUSA; Paper - Mark's Finest Paper, SEI; Ink - Versafine Onyx Black; Misc - Water color pencils, Aquabrush, Nestablities, Dimensionals

Sweet 'N Sassy Sweet Peek - Helping Hands

Welcome to a Sweet Peek of Sweet 'N Sassy's Helping Hands stamps set, one of the sets from the upcoming July release.  This image is one complete image and is really fun to watercolor.  I used a previous week's sketch from the Sweet Stop, the Sweet 'N Sassy sketch blog. 
For more Sweet Peeks of the Helping Hands stamp set, go to the Sweet 'N Sassy blog and click on the links of the other designers to see their cards.  There will be Sweet Peeks for the next 6 days and then the release party will be on June 30th starting at 8 pm EST.  Please go to the Sweet 'N Sassy blog for all of the details!
Thanks for coming by!
Supplies: Stamps - Sweet 'N Sassy Helping Hands; Paper - Bazzill, Water color paper, Patterned Paper - unknown; Ink - Versafine Onyx Black; Misc - Water color pencils, Aquabrush, K&Co 3D Flower