Color Throwdown Sunflower

Hi Friends

Today we're going to play with the Color Throwdown folks.  This weeks challenge is to use the colors of Pacific Point, Crushed Curry, and Old Olive.  Here is the inspiration picture... you can click here to view their fabulous samples.



As soon as I saw this inspiration photo, I guess the idea of a sunflower got hard wired into my brain and I just couldn't think of any other flower to use.  Fortunately, one of my favorite sets is by Flourishes Stamps, called 'sunflowers'.  Here is my card

As I've been saying in my previous blogs, I am trying to do more CAS cards (clean and simple) but, somehow, this card just needed to have some more detail so I went to a sketch I've had for some time and matched my colors with a strip of DSP from SU's Print Poetry mini stack.  

I colored the sunflower with my Copics and added a candy dot from the brights collection in Pacific Point to kind of balance the blues.  I love the sentiment which reads...

"Turn your face to the sun

and the shadows fall behind you"

I hope you like my sunny card ... it reminds me of a trip we took to Colorado one late summer and all the sunflowers were blooming in this one particular field.  We passed by it several times that day visiting friends and I noticed each time the sunflowers had their faces in a different direction... each time facing the sun!  

Thanks for stopping by ... come back soon!

{{hugs}}

Christmas Wishes

Hi Friends

Today I want to share a clean and simple card with you.   The challenge this week over at Merry Monday is to make a card with a wreath.  And, the challenge presented by the Paper Players is a sketch so I combined the two and will enter this card into both.  

     

For no particular reason, I chose to do my wreath in blues and silver.  Here it is....

I used an old combination set by Sizzix (Hero Arts) because it also has framelits with it.  As it turns out, I didn't end up using the framelits but did use the three snowflake stamps to form my wreath.  If this set has a name, I can't find it... but, if you are interested the #657781 is in the corner and perhaps you can find it that way.   

My colors are Pacific Point and Coastal Cabana on whisper white with rhinestones for a little bling.  I also used my snowflake embossing folder for the first layer.  The sentiment is from Verve's 'Ornamental Christmas'.

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit...

{{hugs}}

Bokeh Technique

Hi Friends

Here is my card for the Friday Mashup.  This week the challenge was to create a card using the Bokeh Technique... huh? I had not heard of it... but, when I saw the video I realized I have seen lots of cards using this background... I just didn't know the name.  Here is the technique video from Dawn Woleslagel.  I decided to give it a try. Here is my finished card...

Check out the other samples from the Mashup website Here.  I took pictures along the way to show you how it is done....it's a fun background technique.  Ok, let's get started... oops, my assistant has other ideas.  As soon as I finished taping the watercolor paper to the cardboard, "someone" decided that he wanted to nap right there!

I went downstairs for another cup of coffee and he followed me down to the kitchen.  Aha, now I can get started.  Um, he also followed me back up to the craft room - well, he is my assistant after all.  Can you see that the first panel is wet??  Oh Bailey... you're so cute.

He finally snuggled up against the windows and I was able to get going.   These are the acrylics that I used ...  I'm thinking watercolors would be better but I don't have any ... just put a dab on a styrofoam plate since you want it very 'watery'.

After your work is thoroughly dry, prepare a stencil using your punches.  I used circles, but any shape would be interesting.  SU's whisper white craft ink works very well.

After you've dabbed all the white spots, you can finish your card.  I chose SU's Pleasant Poppies and then colored them with my markers, letting the background colors show through.  Then I added a few pearls and sequins to provide a little sparkle. 

I'm pretty happy with the way these turned out but I think I like the blue one best, so that is the one I am entering into the challenge.  I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial.

Come back soon,

{{hugs}}

Merry Mojo

Hi Friends

Yesterday I made this card for Merry Monday using Julee's sketch from Mojo Monday... so it is being entered into both challenges.  For Merry Monday (click Here to see other samples) we were asked to do a card using the colors of gold, silver, and black... so very elegant ... but this was a bit of a challenge for me.

And here is Julee's wonderful sketch.  Click Here to visit Verve's Mojo Monday.

And, here is what I came up with....

I kept my design pretty true to the sketch.  I had all sorts of paper combinations, images, dies, punches (you name it) all over my desk but, in the end, I wound up using gold and silver foil paper with basic black and my new Flower Fair framelits... these are the framelits that "normally" go with the new Flower Patch stamp set... who knew?  Another use for the framelits... yay.  I cut double layers of the flower and popped it all up with dimensionals. I also ran the silver paper through the Big Shot using my snowflake embossing folder.  The ribbon is from my stash and the little sentiment is from Verve's Ornamental Christmas.  

I hope you like my card ... I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out but, honestly, I wasn't too sure as it 'morphed' through its stages.

Tomorrow I'm off to my friend Gail's for a stamp-a-stack.  I'll be back Monday with pictures!!!

Thanks for taking a look...

{{hugs}}

Plum Blueberries

Hi Friends

Today I want to share a simple card with you that I made for The Color Throwdown.  This week Cindy Lawrence challenged us to create a card using the colors of Pale Plum, Pear Pizzazz, and Night of Navy.

Don't those little blueberry cups look yummy?  Click HERE to see all the design team samples.  I chose to approach this challenge by celebrating the colors with a one-layer CAS card.  I was so happy to see that my Pale Plum Stampin' Spot (remember those?) was still inky... it's close to dry but still had a little life left.

I used the following stamp sets...

Work of Art
Flowering Flourishes
Papillon Potpourri
Wetlands (sentiment)

That's it for today - a clean and simple card.  I'm happy with the way it turned out.

                                                  Thanks for visiting today

                                                             {{hugs}}

Got wine?

Hi Friends

I had fun creating all the travel blogs, but now it's nice to get back to cards!  Yesterday I went with my friend Ro to a card making party in Fallbrook.  We had 4 cards to make, but I only finished 3 - lots of chit chat.  It was really fun and love what we created, especially all the details.

I'm not sure which is my favorite, but this is sure a contender!!!

I hesitate to mention how many of my friends would relate to this one :-).  It is a 'Girlfriend' stamp by Art Impressions ("Wine Tasters set") and Ro lent me the sentiment inside, from another Girlfriends stamp,  which is perfect.  I love coloring with my Copics as I find it so relaxing - almost as good as wine!

Next we did this adorable card-post-it note holder with lots of cut outs and pop ups

I love this stamp set!  It is from one of my favorites, Penny Black, and is called "Flowers Sweet".  We colored two of these images, did a lot of fussy cutting and layered the flower... not sure you can see all the dimension.

Next was this sweet little Teddy Bear Girl from Crafters Companion "Smile"... isn't she cute?

We had a fun afternoon with our coloring and card making.  Hope these bring a smile to your face too.

Thanks for visiting

{{hugs}}

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Alps - July 19 & 20 - Liechtenstein & Neuschwanstein, Germany

Today we left Switzerland (*sob*) for Vaduz, Liechtenstein.  Liechtenstein is the smallest yet the richest country in the world and the only country to lie entirely in the Alps. It is known as a principality as it is a constitutional monarchy headed by a prince.  Many cultivated fields and small farms characterize its landscape both in the south and in the north . The country has a strong financial sector located in the capital, Vaduz, and has been identified as a tax haven. It is a member of the European Free Trade Association and part of the European Economic Area and the Schengen Area, but not of the European Union.

                       ok, there's your geography/demographic/history lesson... now here are the pictures...

                                   This is the castle in Liechtenstein which is owned by the Dukes of Urach

This is a little model of the castle 

Street scenes in Vaduz

Parliament Building

A Parliament 'mock' meeting with our group

Typical Liechtenstein fare for lunch

After lunch we boarded this little tram/train for a tour of the neighborhood and local vineyards

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Leaving Liechtenstein we head back to Germany where our last day will be a visit to Neuschwanstein Castle

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Neuschwanstein is a nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as an homage to Richard Wagner. Ludwig paid for the palace out of his personal fortune and by means of extensive borrowing, rather than Bavarian public funds.

If you don't recognize it by name, it is the 'fairy tale castle' that inspired the Cinderella Castles of Disneyland and Disneyworld.  I don't take credit for this photo, but it's gorgeous!  Ludwig never lived in this castle but I certainly would!!!

transportation up to the entrance

Some of the inside rooms ... ornate would be an understatement

This is Hohenschwangau which Kind Ludwig II also built - it is in the village of Schwangau (where we boarded the horse and carriage)

Scenes around the village of Schwangau

Our last glimpse of the castle ... as we were leaving it began pouring rain. 

Or, maybe those were my tears since our trip is now over.  Tonight we had our farewell dinner together and said all our goodbyes.

I hope you've enjoyed travelling with us ... it has been fun putting this together to share with you.

{{hugs}}