Encouraging Leaves

Hello!

I'm playing along with the Just Add Ink Challenge this week. I did lots of water coloring for both the background and the leaves.  My son has just started his last full semester of college and will be graduating in May.  It has been a long road to say the least, but I thought a bit of encouragement was appropriate for his first day of classes.

I selected the Blueberry, Bermuda Bay and Daffodil colors.

I started with a piece of watercolor paper and my beloved Ken Oliver Colorbursts.  I simply did a wash of the two different shades of blue; first wash was wet on wet and the second, I did wet on dry to get some hard edges.  Once that was dry, I die cut it with my SSS Outlined Clustered Leaves Die.  I also die cut it in white cs.
A second sheet of water color paper was given a wash of yellow paint.  Once that was dry, I worked on the placement of my leaves. Next, I stamped the encouraging sentiment from the Sweet n Sassy Stamps Set, Inspirational Word Art 1 in Versafine Black Ink.
Lastly, I splattered white and black acrylic paint on the entire card.

Add a Subway gift card on the inside and you are done!

Thanks for stopping by~

Lee Ann

A Freshly Made Sketch by Me!

Hello, Hello!

We are back with a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches and this week I have the honor of being your hostess.

I had lots of fun with this, creating a huge bunch of balloons for my piggy friend.   Here is the sketch~

I started by stenciling a light cloud background.  Next, Lots and lots of balloons from the Lots of Love Stamp Set were stamped and fussy cut out.  The balloons in the back were masked and stamped, then fussy cut en masse.  The balloons in the front were stamped in smaller clusters.  Piggy was stamped and colored with Copics and fussy cut as well.
All was added to my skewed panel, popping Piggy and the balloons in front up on dimensional adhesive.
I used my MISTI to stamp the sentiment in Versafine Black Ink on colored cardstock.  The circular sentiment is from the set Scripty Thoughts.
I am linking up to Just Add Ink, where they are celebrating 10 years of challenges!  This week, all we need to do is link up a celebratory card, but I was so inspired by the colors in their inspirational photo that I used them here.  Congrats, JAI!
I am also linking up to Addicted to Stamps and More for their 'Holiday' Challenge. My holiday of choice is Valentine's Day  AND linking up to The Mod Squad Challenge where they want us to use our animal stamps! 


Check out the inspiration from the rest of the talented team!  Hope to see you in the gallery! 

Lee Ann 

Soaring!

Hello, Hello!

Surprise!  Another Valentine!

I am building quite a stash as Valentine cards are very popular at work!

I really love this set- Lots of Love from Sweet n Sassy Stamps.  I don't even know how many cards I have made with it already!  This has to be one of my faves.  This is actually two separate images- the dancing pig and the balloons, which the sloth is holding, lol.

I started with sponging a cloud filled sky and die cut the panel with the Zig Zag Stitched Rectangle from SugarPea Designs.  The pig was colored with copics and fussy cut out and the bow tie was paper pieced.  The balloons were stamped 4 times and fussy cut out.  All was adhered to the panel using dimensional adhesive.
I am linking up to Double D Challenges for their balloon challenge~

I am also linking up to Inkspirational Challenges, where their word prompt is 'Fauna'. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week!

Lee Ann

Some Inspirational Color

Hello All and Happy Saturday!

I am hosting a challenge in the Sweet n Sassy Stamps VIP FB group and it is a color challenge based on some gorgeous inspiration.  We are having a Stamp-A-Thon today and would love for you to join us!  Participate, and you could have a chance to win a $50 gift voucher to the SNSS store. 

I love the fresh, spring colors even though the inspiration is anything but spring! 

I love these colors, though I did have a hard time getting close to the actual yellow that seems to have a touch of green in it. 
I stamped the flower image, from the Birds and Blooms Stamp Set, in Versafine Black Ink on watercolor paper and colored with Daniel Smith Watercolors. The background was stamped with the Wood Backgrounds Stamp set. 
I used a sketch from the Fusion Card Challenge. 

The card was assembled and a sentiment added using the  Scripty Thoughts Stamp Set.  A few sequins finish it off.

Thanks for stopping by; hope you join us!

Lee Ann

Freshly Made Sketches Gets Watercolored

Hello and welcome back to another sketch from Freshly Made Sketches!
For the Sweet n Sassy Stamps New Release Blog Hop, go HERE.  

Today's sketch is compliments of the talented Jacquie.  She makes any card look easy!  I love her clean, CAS style.

And here is your sketch.  As you can see, I flipped it.

I started with my bird, from the Singing Praises Stamp Set, stamping it in Versafine Black on watercolor paper.  I then used those oh so loved Ken Oliver Color Bursts to watercolor him.  I fussy cut the bird out when thoroughly dry.
The background panel was done with a stamp from the Birds and Blooms Stamp Set; I stamped it twice in Versafine Black on watercolored paper, then colored it lightly with the Color Bursts.
I added a sentiment from Mason Jar Bouquet Stamp set.
Check out the rest of the team's inspiration on the blog; they always amaze me with their talent!



Thanks for stopping by, hope your week is a crafty one!

Lee Ann 

Sweet n Sassy Stamps New Release Review!

Hello All!

Happy New Year and Welcome to the January Sweet n Sassy Stamps Blog Hop.  We are excited to share creations with this month's fabulous sets.  Hop along with us for a chance to win a $10 gift code to the Sweet n Sassy Store!  Just leave a comment on each of the blogs in the hop, the more blogs you comment on, the greater your chances of winning.  Winners will be announced on 1/22/20 on the snss blog.

I have a set of Valentine's cards.  I have been intrigued with the 'same but different' idea lately, so made 4 similar but different cards.  It was easy to make 4 different Valentine's cards with this adorable set, Lots of Love.  I also kept the same color combo for each card. 

First up, Sending You All My Love~

I stamped the hearts from the Tea For Two Stamp Set in Versamark on a piece of watercolor paper.  I then heat embossed it in white.  Next, use Ken Oliver Color Bursts in Alizarin Crimson And paint a wash of color around the hearts, adding more to the right side of the hearts.
Next, stamp the adorable dachsie in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and color the dog with Copics.  Then fussy cut out.  Die cut a 'You' from kraft paper (sss) and stamp 'sending' from the Lots of Love stamp set and 'all my love' from the new Love Wordfetti Stamp Set in Versafine Black ink. Pop the dog up on dimensional tape.

Next up, Valentine Cat~

The kitty is colored with Copics on Neenah Solar White cs and fussy cut out.  White ink is sponged through a stencil from Stamplorations on the kraft card base.  The sentiment is from Lots of Love as well and is stamped in Versafine Black Ink for a dark, crisp image.
I am linking this card up to the Wednesday Simon Says Stamp Challenge- 'Stencil'. 

Love~

This card gave me fits.  I had the hardest time pulling it all together.  Chalking it up to lack of mojo.

This image was colored with Copics and fussy cut out.  I wanted him sitting on something and I remembered I had these letter dies that I had not used in ages.  I die cut the letters from red cs and adhered them to the white card base.  Then adhered the sloth to the card as well.  The 'hugs and kisses' and 'with all my heart' are both from the Love Wordfetti Stamp Set.
I am linking him up to Inspirational- 'Fauna'.

Lastly, the dancing pig, lol!

The pig was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, directly on the kraft cs, and then colored with Prismacolor Pencils.  Enabler Alert- The 72 set of Prismacolor Pencils is a great price right now at Dick Blick (73% off list!); add to that free shipping on orders over $35. You're welcome!!   Once colored, I went over the black lines with a Pigma Micron Pen to darken them back up.  I would have stamped the image again, but I wasn't thinking and had already removed the stamp from my MISTI.   The sentiment is from the Lots of Love stamp set and was stamped in Versafine Black ink.  I added a dark brown strip of cs and some Valentine patterned paper down the side of the card front.
Thanks for sticking with me if you have gotten this far!

Here is your Hop List~
Sweet n Sassy Stamps Blog
Julee Tilman
Ceal Pritchett
Diane Zechman
Esther Asbury
Karen Decknick
Lee Ann Barrett - You are HERE!
Lyn Tomlin
Sheri Gilson

Valentine Bouquet

Hello! 

I have been wanting to ink up this Impression Obsession image for some time, but time is such a funny thing!  It is called Shabby Chic Bouquet. 

I wanted to practice no line coloring, and this was quite the image to practice on!  a bit of a challenge, but I was up for it.  I stamped the image in Memento Desert Sand ink onto Arches Watercolor paper.  I am one to always try to cut corners $$, but I have to say, that just does not work with watercolor paper.  It really does make all the difference. 
The rest is just no line coloring with my Daniel Smith Watercolors.  I am pretty happy with how it turned out.  I used a sentiment from the Sweet Celebration Stamp Set, which happens to be in the clearance section.  It is a longer sentiment, but I cut it apart to get the 'I Love You' and be able to stamp it multiple times. 
Impression Obsession's current challenge is 'Love is in the Air'.

I am also linking up to Casology's 'Repeat' Challenge~

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed week! 

Lee Ann