Geraniums for Mom

Hello All!

Wow. Not only is May fast approaching, but so is Mother's Day.  I needed a card for my Mom, so I used a stamp I just bought from Unity, Wild Geranium.
I can remember all of the geraniums my mom planted every summer.  She still plants them at their
home in Florida.  I guess geraniums are pretty nostalgic for me.

This is definitely not my usual M.O.  It is loose (translate sloppy) coloring, a non white, distressed background and a long and narrow card.  I also tried a new cardstock with my Arteza watercolor brush pens- Bristol cardstock.  I was really impressed with how it held up.  Not only did I use the brush markers with it, but also a waterbrush.  And, I did lots of spritzing and wetting of the cardstock as well.
The sentiment is heat embossed on vellum. I embellished with a tiny strip of black cardstock and dp as well as sequins.  Lastly, I spritzed with some shimmer spray.
I am linking up to Wednesday's Simon Says Stamp Challenge, 'Anything Goes'
as well as Addicted to Stamps and More- 'Holiday'.

Thanks for stopping by!

Lee Ann

Wednesday and a New Freshly Made Sketch!

Hello and Happy Wednesday!

This week's sketch from Freshly Made Sketches is from our super talented Kim!  She can make any sketch look like it was a breeze to put together.

I went with a lot more layers than I usually do, starting with a couple of images from Lesia Zgharda Design.  The fern is stamped in Memento black and colored with Prismacolors.  The flowers and leaves are stamped with Memento Desert Sand ink and colored with Copics and highlighted with Prismacolors.  Both images were fussy cut out.  I used white and navy cardstock for the circle and strip element and backed it all with some printed paper.  My sentiment is a die cut from Avery Elle.

I used the colors from Sunday Stamps.

Pop over the the Freshly Made Sketches blog to see what the rest of the talented team has for you.

Thanks for stopping by!

Lee Ann 

Last Color Throwdown for April!

Hi All!

Well, can you believe it?  It is the last Wednesday of April already and that means that this is my last post for The Color Throwdown!

Yes, so I went bright with this card!

 I would say these are happy colors!  I started with the fun image from Art Impressions Sunny Shades Stamp Set and then added a background that was first watercolored, then did some stencil monoprinting using a Tim Holtz stencil and Distress inks.  I embossed my sentiment on black cardstock and added it to a patterned paper background, die cut with Sugar Pea Designs Zig Zag Stitched Rectangle Dies.   Check out what the rest of this talented team has to share then link up your project! 

Amy Rohl

Amy Rysavy

BarbaraAnders 

Broni Holcombe

JodiCollins

Lisa Henke

Lori Tecler

Lynn Put

Vickie Zimmer

Wanda Cullen

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a blessed week !

Lee Ann 
 

Of Bunnies and Bears

Hello!

The Impression Obsession Challenge this week sounded like fun, but after looking through my stash, I realized I did not have any bunny images.  So what's a girl to do???
Improvise of course!  I was itching to ink up this adorable Impression Obsession bear, Big Bear.  So I came up with the idea to add some bunny ears to my bear.  And the sentiment; I needed a quirky sentiment.  Weird is  Side Effect of Awesome fit the bill perfectly!

Not gonna lie!  I love how this turned out!
He was easy to do no line coloring with- Copics were used.

B

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a blessed week!

Lee Ann 

Growing in Unity Day 5

Hello!

Well, that week went by super fast!  Thank you all for visiting my blog and leaving such kind comments all week long. A huge thank you to Angela, Whitney and everyone at Unity Stamp Co. for giving me this opportunity! Commenting on my GIU posts this week gives you chances (1 per day) to win 25 stamps from Unity Stamp Co. 
 This last card evolved over time.  I colored the bowls, which are from the July '17 It's Going to Be Beautiful KOTM, for one of Kathy Racoosin's 30 day coloring challenge events.  I wasn't sure what I would do with them at that time, so I tucked them away for future use.

As I started to work on my GIU cards, I started pulling bits and pieces out and played around with them.  That included these bowls and this mixed media background that I did last summer with a gel plate and acrylic paints.
The blue in the bowls and the blue acrylic paint really seemed to coordinate.  Once fussy cut out, I loved the almost primitive look to the bowls and background as a whole.  The mixed media background panel was cut with a scalloped rectangle die.  The bowls and the scalloped frame were popped up on dimensionals.
The sentiment, from the set, Butterfly Endearment,  was heat embossed in black as it did not stamp well in versamark alone on the acrylic background.
I used the sketch from Fab Friday~

I am also linking up to The Paper Players for their color challenge this week.

Thank you all again for your love and support this week!  Good luck to all in winning the free stamps!  Winner will be announced in the Unity Show and Tell FB group and on my blog.

Lee Ann  :D

Growing In Unity- 1 image 3 Ways

Hello, Hello!

It is already Day 4 of Growing in Unity.  The week is flying by.  Don't forget to leave a comment on this blog post for a chance to win 25 Unity stamps.  For more chances to win, comment on each of my GIU blog posts for this week.
Today I am featuring one of my favorite Unity Stamps, You Are Forever Beautiful, buy Angie Blom.
 Angie is so talented; from florals to her Angie girls, bunnies to Butterflies, Angie's images are outstanding.
I decided to show you 3 ways to use this stamp (as I could not settle on any one way to use it), starting with the easiest and ending with the most involved.

I got out my Alcohol Ink Lift Ink and an alcohol ink panel that I had in my stash.

Using my MISTI, I stamped the image with the Lift Ink several times.  Easy Peasy!  I added a sentiment from the Lily Blossom set in gray ink and then die cut the panel with a scalloped rectangle die and popped the outer frame up with dimensional tape.  Once again, I used sequins to finish the card.  I was inspired by the book at The Library Challenge.  I love the rich yet subtle colors of the cover.

Next up, I stamped the image in Versafine ink on water color paper and did some loose watercoloring.

I used my Arteza watercolor pens for this which made it super easy.  As you can see, aside from the sentiment, everything else is the same as the first card.  The sentiment is from Another Name for Love.  I had a heck of a time photographing this card.  Sorry for the two pictures.
I am linking this card up to Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge- Beautiful Blooms

Lastly, I did quite a bit of masking for this card, making it my most involved card.

I used a sketch from Sketch Saturday for this card.  I simply turned the sketch upside down.

I really love how this turned out. I masked the lower portion of the image off each time I stamped.  The sentiment panel hides all of the 'unfinished' images.  The images are colored with Copics and the sentiment, which is from the Girl Truly Sentiment Set, is heat embossed in gold. I embellished the card with gold thread, and of course, sequins.

That's it for me today; I really appreciate you stopping by, and I appreciate all your support through commenting on my blog posts and in the Unity Show and Tell group.  Stampers are the best!

Lee Ann

Magnolias for Mom with Freshly Made Sketches

Hello, Hello!

We have a new sketch up at Freshly Made Sketches, this one having been designed by the uber talented Linda!  If you are looking for my Growing in Unity post, go HERE. 
 I really struggled with this sketch as I just ran out of MOJO.  This card ended up being my third card attempted for the sketch and only happened because I was just playing and not TRYING to make something fit in the sketch.  Please tell me I am not the only one this happens to!!!!

Here is this week's sketch.

Twigs stamped in Grout Gray ink represent the two narrow strips in the sketch.
 I have been really struggling with no line coloring but lately I am starting to make some positive progress.  I think it is partly because I have found an ink I like using for this technique. Memento Desert Sand works well for me.
The Mangnolia flower and leaves from Altenew's  Magnolias for Her were stamped in the Desert Sand ink and then colored with Copics.  I fussy cut them out then tried various different backgrounds until I settled on the above.  I drew/colored a branch for the flower and leaves and then colored in the blue sky background.  It did not look 'finished' until I framed the panel with scalloped edging.
I was inspired by Altenew's inspiration photo challenge this month.

To say this card morphed from one look to another multiple times would be an understatement, lol! In the end, I love how it turned out!

I am entering this in Just Us Girls challenge, 'Off the edge'.  This is one of my favorite looks!

 I am also linking up to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge- Spring Mood Board.  

 Please check out the amazing inspiration on the Freshly Made Sketches blog; these girls are always at the top of their game!  Then create a project and link up to the challenge!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lee Ann

Growing in Unity Day 3 and The Color Throwdown

Hello!
It is Day 3 of Growing in Unity with Unity Stamp Co. AND it is Wednesday and time for another color palette from The Color Throwdown!  

This week's Color Throwdown palette is soooo vivid!

This card was just plain fun to make.  I really love my florals, but I do have a thing for birds as well!
I started with the bird from the April '17 Be My Bird KOTM.  I am excited to say that he is colored using the no-line coloring technique!  Copics have been the death of me with this technique!  Once he was colored, I added details with Prismacolor pencils then fussy cut him out.
The floral background stamp is from this same KOTM.  I stamped it in yellow 3 times on the card front, creating that artistic triangle of elements.  Once the background was done, I stamped the bird and branch in light brown.  I added shading to the branches with a dark brown Prismacolor pencil.  I also stamped bits of branches over the other floral images.  Lastly, I glued the bird over the image already stamped on the card front.
The sentiment is from the Finally Here stamp set.  I heat embossed it in gold on vellum and wrapped it around the card front.  Sequins and a strip of patterned paper finish off this card.

Don't forget to comment for your chance to win 25 stamps from Unity Stamp Co.!  Comment each day for 5 chances to win!

Check out the Color Throwdown Team's projects to see how they used these colors!

Amy Rohl

Amy Rysavy

Barbara Anders

Broni Holcombe

Jodi Collins

Lisa Henke

Lori Tecler

Lynn Put

Vickie Zimmer

Wanda Cullen

I am linking up to Addicted to Stamps and More- Make Your Mark

Thanks for visiting and have a great Wednesday!  See You Tomorrow!

Lee Ann  

CAS Poppy

Hey All!

The week is flying by!  Sharing a card that I made for a few challenges (seem to be on a challenge kick lately).  I started with the sketch at CASE This Sketch.

I water colored my poppy from Sweet n' Sassy Stamps using Ken Oliver Colorbursts.  I added some detail with Prismacolor pencils.  Lastly, I fussy cut the flower out. 
I loved it against the mono print I made using my gel plate and acrylic paints.  The poppy is a little bit orangier than it appears in the photo- tomato red, actually.

I am also linking up to CAS Watercolour Challenge - Poppy. 


That's it for me 'til tomorrow!  Busy day tomorrow with my third GIU post , FMS and Colorthrowdown.  See you then!

Lee Ann

Day Two of Growing in Unity

Hello Again!

Today is my Growing in Unity Day 2 and  I have a fairly simply mixed media card to share with you using one of my favorite masculine Unity Stamp Co. stamps, Slowly Turning Classic by Tierra Jackson.  Don't forget to comment for your chance to win!

The image was stamped on patterned paper and colored with Copics.  I framed it with a Polaroid die cut and distressed the die cut a bit to make it look aged.  I could not settle on a backdrop for the image, so I got out my Gel Press and acrylic paints to make some masculine backgrounds.
I really love how the backgrounds turned out and this one, with the bit of blue peeking through, seemed perfect for my focal image.
Don't forget to comment for your chance to win 25 stamps from Unity Stamp Co.!  Comment all 5 days for 5 chances to win!  If you missed yesterday's post, go HERE. 

See you tomorrow!

Lee Ann 

Growing in Unity Week!

Hello!

I am thrilled to be able to participate in Unity Stamp Co's Growing in Unity program again.  I am excited to share projects with some of my favorite stamps from Unity!  I will be posting each day this week, Monday through Friday.  Leave a comment on my Growing in Unity blog posts for a chance to win 25 stamps from Unity Stamp Co.! Leave a comment each day for 5 chances to win! 

Today's card uses a newer Unity stamp, Flowers Aplenty, by Angie Blom. 

I wanted to do something a bit different.  While rainbow coloring in general is pretty trendy right now, coloring across a large image in rainbow fashion seemed rather novel.  I used Copics for the coloring.  To make the colors pop even more, I fussy cut out the inside of the frame and mounted the whole thing on a black card base.  The sentiment, from the KOTM, When You Smile- Jan 2017- is heat embossed in white.  Pretty simple!
I am linking up to Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge- Beautiful Blooms

Thanks for stopping by and celebrating this week with me!
See you tomorrtow!

Lee Ann  

Flowers and a Few Challenges

Hello and Happy Friday All!

As the weather warms, spring fever is starting to set in.  Summer vacation is just around the corner!
But first, a weekend!
 I am finally making progress on no line coloring.  I find watercoloring MUCH easier than no line coloring with Copics.  I inked up this gorgeous rose image- Rambling Rose- from Impression Obsession, using Memento Desert Sand ink.  I water colored it with Ken Oliver Colorbursts and added a few splatters with them as well.  The sentiment is from Impression Obsession's The Skinny sentiment stamp set.
I practiced using complimentary colors for shadows.  I got a bit carried away on the center rose.  Oops. 

I am linking up to Impression Obsession's challenge, Birthday Wishes

I am also linking up to The Card Concept, where I was inspired by this gorgeous photo~
I don't think this is a specific style- somewhere between CAS and elegant!

Also linking up to Watercooler Wednesday- Occasions
And lastly, Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge- No Designer Paper.

That's it for me!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lee Ann 

A FMS Sketch and Color Throwdown

Hello, Hello!

Time seems to be zooming by; it is the second Wednesday of April already!  One of my favorite things about Wednesdays are all of the new challenges that start.
This week's colors at The Color Throwdown are everything spring.  I used the fabulous Freshly Made Sketches sketch, courtesy of Jen M. She makes every card look easy peasy!  And today, Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge has a 'No Designer Paper' challenge. 

Here is your FMS sketch~

And here are your Color Throwdown colors~

Well, both the sketch and the colors were a delight to work with!  The colors shouted florals to me, so it was just a matter of which florals to use.  I settled on Altenew's Garden Treasure and Beautiful Day stamp sets.
I stamped the leaves in a light Memento ink and the large flower on watercolor paper using Versafine black ink.  Then, in an attempt to do some loose watercoloring, I used my Ken Oliver Colorbursts and a couple of water brushes to color the images.   I also die cut an Altenew heart and watercolored it.
The smaller flowers were stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with Copics.  These flowers were fussy cut, while the larger images were die cut.  I love the work of Erum Tasneem and tried a version of a watercolored background panel similar to her style.  I actually really love how it turned out!
OK, head on over to both challenge blogs- Freshly Made Sketches and Color Throwdown- to play along!  Check out the other CT team members with their amazing creations!

Amy Rohl

Amy Rysavy

Barbara Anders

Broni Holcombe

Jodi Collins

Lisa Henke

Lori Tecler

Lynn Put

Vickie Zimmer

Wanda Cullen

I am linking up to Double D Challenge, which has a beautiful inspiration photo.

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed week!

Lee Ann 

A Spring Celebration with Stamplorations!

Hello, Hello!

Welcome to Day 3 of Stamplorations' Spring Fling 12 Days of Giveaway Event.  Each day you have a chance to win Stamplorations prizes by commenting on the day's bloggers, starting out at the Stamplorations Blog.   Commenting on all days/blogs ends April 19th.  Winners will be announced on the Stamplorations blog on April 22nd.
Everyone's a winner when they shop in April as all products in the Spring Fling section will be 25% off automatically!

My card today features several Stamplorations products.  I stamped the floral image from Blossom Sprays #2 a couple of times and colored with Copics.  These were then fussy cut out, the reason being, I added texture to the background by debossing with the Bloom Boldly Artplorations Stencil.
The hummingbird from the The Birds and The Blooms Stamp Set was colored with Copics and fussy cut out as well.  I ended up stamping the head a second time as I did not like how the first turned out.  This gives the bird a 3D look as I popped the body up on top of the head portion.
Lastly, I embossed a sentiment from Best Mom Ever on vellum and wrapped it around the card front.  I added a few sequins and Wink of Stella to the hummingbird.
Ready to hop? These are the prizes you have a chance to win when you comment on The Stamplorations blog and the daily bloggers' blogs~

Day 1 - $15 gift certificate

Day 2 - Choice of 3 in-stock 3x5 stamp sets ($21 value)

Day 3 - $25 gift code

Day 4 - Choice of 3 Sanna Lippert Designs stencils ($15 value)

Day 5 - Choice of 1 in-stock 4x6 Dee's Artsy Impressions stamp set ($15 value)

Day 6 - Choice of 1 cover plate die ($25 value)

Day 7 - Choice of 1 in-stock 4x6 The Bee's Knees stamp set ($15 value)

Day 8 - Choice of 1 in-stock Big Grins by Becca Cruger stamp set ($15 value)

Day 9 - Choice of 3 in-stock CUTplorations word/phrase dies (up to $30 value)

Day 10 - Choice of 1 4x8 stamp set ($20 value)

Day 11 - Choice of 1 in-stock 4x6 Shery Russ Designs stamp set ($15 value)

Day 12 - $15 gift certificate

Day 17 (extra prize) - three winners of $10 gift codes

Pretty nice, Right?! 
Head on over to the Stamplorations Blog to start hopping! 

I am linking up to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog- 'animal antics'. 

Thanks for stopping in! 

Lee Ann

Freshly Made Sketches Meets Color Throwdown

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to the first Freshly Made Sketches sketch of April- Yes!  April!  And, I am honored to
guest design at The Color Throwdown this month.  If you are looking for the Stamplorations Spring fling 12 Days of Giveaway blog post, click HERE.  So without further ado, here is my card for the sketch and color palette~

 I was itching to ink up this adorable mouse from Unity Stamp Co.  The FMS sketch this week is from the amazingly talented Jen T!~

 And here is the super fun color palette from The Color Throwdown~

 My image is colored with Copics and layers and fish tail banner were die cut with MFT dies.

This project was like the aligning of the stars, lol- everything came together simply and quickly (which does not happen often for me!).
Check out all of the fantastic inspiration from the incredibly talented Freshly Made Sketches DT, and then check out all of the fantastic inspiration from the equally talented DT at The Color Throwdown!

Amy Rohl

Amy Rysavy

Barbara Anders

Broni Holcombe

Jodi Collins

Lisa Henke

Lori Tecler

Lynn Put

Vickie Zimmer

Wanda Cullen

That's it for now; pop in later this morning for the Stamplorations Spring Fling event!

Thanks all!

Lee Ann  

The Rainbow Card Challenge is Turning Pink!

Hello Everyone! 

Woo Hoo!  Spring has Sprung! Or it least it was supposed to; We were in the 30s again last night
here in St Louis. Temps are not going to get in the way of the fact that it is April! 
I love April; everything starts to green and bloom.  And the days are longer; and eventually the temps
will be warmer! 
This month, The Rainbow Card Challenge is turning PINK!  Pink flowers were the first thing to come to mind, although I found this challenge to be difficult, only because my first card was the WRONG color! I thought our next challenge was green and had a card ready for that.  When I realized my mistake, boy was it hard to switch gears! 

I chose to work with one of my favorite stamps from Unity Stamp Co. and alcohol inks. 
I stamped the image, Single Flower Miracle, in Memento Black and colored it with Copics, fussy cut
out and set aside. 
Using Yupo paper, I added two different ink alcohol inks and some blending solution to make my background.  I planned on adding gold foiling to the ink areas that were still tacky, but by the time I found my gold foil, most of the ink was no longer tacky.
Using the sketch from MOJO Monday, I added a vellum square and white frame within that square to ground my image and die cut sentiment.  

Sequins and some Wink of Stella on the flowers finishes the card. 
Now it is your turn!  Check out the inspiration from the rest of the talented team and then join us by linking up your pink card HERE! 

Thanks for stopping my and have a blessed week and April!

Lee Ann