Catching Up on Coloring

Hello! 

I have had a busy few days and have missed out on coloring for Kathy Racoosin's The Daily Marker 30 Day coloring challenge.  So today was a bit of catch up plus playing in a couple of challenges.  I ended up with an extremely CAS card for me. 

I masked an oval as well as my butterfly from Unity Stamps and then sponged in Smoky Slate ink.  Afterwards, with the magic of the MISTI, I stamped my butterfly image in Momento Tuxedo Black ink followed by coloring with Copics.  Added the sentiment and die cut with a MFT die.  Finished it off with sequins. 

The sketch is from this weeks CASE this Sketch Challenge~

Colors are from The Paper Players~

Love these colors! 

Thanks for stopping by,

Lee Ann 

Let Them Eat Cake!

Hello Everyone!

I needed a card for a dear friend who was given a surprise 60th birthday party.
I used an oldie but goodie image from MFT~

She is colored with Copics and fussy cut out.  I used a sketch from Julee Tilman's MOJO Monday Sketch Challenge.

I am also linking up to Seize the Birthday- Anything Goes~

Sentiments are Concord and 9th, scalloped Rectangle Die is MFT, bling is from Studio Katia.

Have a wonderful weekend~!

Lee Ann 

Watercolored Holly

Hello Again!

Have you been participating in Kathy Racoosin's coloring challenge?  I snuck in a couple of projects this weekend.  Coloring is my favorite thing to do and there just is not enough time in the day for it!  I am making a special effort to join in as often as I can this month.  You can find details on the 30 day challenge HERE, on Kathy's blog.

I fell in love with this Ellen Hutson holly as soon as I saw it.  It is just gorgeous!  Love the script sentiments as well. 
I used Arches watercolor paper and started out with Gina K Amalgam black ink, followed by a base of watercolor using Inktense Pencils.  Once I had a few layers of color down, I switched over to Arteza brush pens as I was not getting the deep color that I wanted.  Annnnd now it is a little too deep, lol.  I added details with Prismacolor Pencils.  The background was done with the Arteza brushes.  I used white gel pen and then Crystal Effects on some of the holly berries. 
The sketch I used is from Freshly Made Sketches~

I learned several things in doing this card.  First, if you are watercoloring an image with smooth leaves, do not use cold press paper.  When using colored pencils, avoid cold press paper.  Lastly, do not overwork your image! We keep doing to practice, practice, practice, right?

I still love how this turned out! 

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed week!

Lee Ann 

Thankful

Thankful. 
I love that the month of November focuses on this word and all of the things we can each be thankful for.  Right now as my parents go through some major medical issues, I am very thankful for them.  This card is headed their way (my Mom loves everything fall and fall colors). 

Not only do I love this card because it is for my parents, I love it because it is a mixture of many old things- Old SU dsp, recycled cardstock from cards that were disassembled, a sentiment gifted to me by me friend, Giovana, and an old image the was stamped with a stamp that was shared with me via mail many years back.  Every now and again I LOVE to try to use stuff that is lying around. That is this card.  :D 
I am linking up to
The Paper Players-

And also Cupcake Inspirations-

And Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday Challenge for October- "Give Thanks"

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week!

Lee Ann 

Monochromatic and Neutral

Hello All,

I have been catching up on life lately but made some time to color last night.

I I started by masking off a rectangle on my card front.  Then, using my MISTI, I stamped these birds, one of my favorite Unity images.  I also stamped a mask for the birds.  I applied the mask over my stamped birds and then stamped a textured stamp from Unity over the taped off rectangle.  Lastly, I sponged some Crumb Cake ink around the edges of the masked rectangle.
The mask was removed and the tape that was used to make the rectangle was removed.  I put my card back in the MISTI and stamped the birds again, so they would hang out beyond the sponged rectangle.
Now it was time to color; I used my trusty Copics for this and then stamped a sentiment from a Unity Kit of the Month.  Sequins and some tiny dabs of my white gel pen finish off the card .  I spotted a DT call on FB the other day and thought it looked unique and fun so, I am linking up to the DT call at The Rainbow Challenge.  I love the look of monochromatic cards as well as the challenge of it.  Mynn, my style tends to be clean and elegant,but I will try anything!

I am also linking up to Addicted to CAS which is One Layer Card.
I used the inspiration at CAS-usal Fridays~

I am also linking up to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge- 'Anything Goes'.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

Lee Ann

Altenew Fall Florals

Hello Everyone!

I made some time to stamp today, despite all of the chores staring at me.  I already felt the rustiness of not crafting setting in!  I like my final card, but boy, did it take forever to get here!

I was inspired by some challenges~ Altenew's monthly challenge, as well as the sketch at Sunday Stamps.

My card base and the 'love' die cut are Early Espresso Brown, although it is hard to see it in the photo.  I promise it is not black.  I started with a wood grain textured cardstock and painted a light orange stripe along what would be the right side of my card panel.
Next, I stamped the florals and leaves from Altenew's Focus on You Stamp Set.  I then colored with Copics and fussy cut out. The word 'You' is a part of the set.  I stamped it in Early Espresso.
I die cut a square from vellum and then die cut the Altenew 'Love'- once in Early Espresso and 3 times in white, then stacked and glued them together.  A few brown splatters and sequins finish the card. 

Also linking up to the Cupcake Challenge~

Inkspirational- Use Vellum

And 'Die Cut Divas'~ Halloween or Autumn


Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed week!

Lee Ann 

A Butterfly Tribute

Hello, Everyone.

Today's blog post really starts at Stamplorations. This is a tribute to a fellow crafter, Melissa Lane as well as a celebration of her life.  On October 2, Melissa (https://honeybeelane.wordpress.com) passed away. She was a talented cardmaker/crafter/artist, a mother of 4, wife, and servant of Jesus. Melissa loved to garden and she loved photography. Her favorite color was red, and she loved butterflies -- so much so that many of the cards and other projects she made had butterflies in them.
This special link up is in honor of her; you are welcome to add to her butterfly gallery by linking your card up HERE. 

My card started with a Heidi Swapp butterfly stencil.  I traced it on cardstock and then stamped floral images from Simon Says Stamp, Beautiful Flowers stamp set.  The flowers were colored with Copics.  The stenciled butterfly was hand cut out and then I also hand cut a black background for the butterfly to help everything pop.  The stamped card base uses a leaf image from Altenew's Garden Treasures Stamp Set. The leaves are stamped with Distress Oxide Ink.  The sentiment is from Sweet n Sassy Stamps The Future stamp set. 
I did not know Melissa personally, but I have come to learn how tight knit the crafting/stamping community is and when one of our members is gone, a hole is definitely left behind.  If you would like to link up a card to her butterfly gallery, you are welcome to do so.  You can use any products you want.  Details are on the Stamplorations blog 

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed week!

Lee Ann