Ginko Leaves

Hello All!

Are there certain images that you are drawn to?  I know that there are ones that I 'just have to have'.  This beauty, Ginko Spray, from Impression Obsession was one of those images.  There is something about these leaves...

I decided to use this image for a neutral birthday card for the Impression Obsession Challenge, Birthday Wishes.  

Yes, this is quite abstract compared to my usual, but I felt the need to do something different.  I will most certainly get around to coloring this beauty with Copics at some point, but for today, it is all done with Distress inks, even the embossing.
I started with good old fashioned smooshing.  I used Evergreen Bough, Cracked Pistachio, Crushed Olive, Iced Spruce and Pine Needles Distress Inks.  I smooshed these colors, one or two at a time, onto my Ranger craft sheet, spritzed with water, and them pressed the Tim Holtz Watercolor Card into the droplets of ink.  I dried in between layers and did some water splattering along the way.
When I had a panel I liked, I stamped the image, Ginko Spray, using my MISTI (as I would be stamping it multiple times in the same place) with Pine Needles Distress Ink.  I painted with more Pine Needles Distress Ink that I had smooshed onto my mat.  I spattered more water onto the panel and stamped the image again for crisper lines.  I repeated this multiple times until I had a desired image and panel.  To make the outline image pop more, I stamped in Pine Needles Distress Ink and the heat embossed with Wow clear embossing powder.  Yes, I really did heat emboss with just distress ink.  You have to move fast and it isn't perfect, but it gave me the imperfect look I wanted.
The sentiment, from the The Skinny Stamp Set.  It was heat embossed with using Versafine Onyx Black Ink and Wow Clear embossing powder.
The card was finished with a few sequins- Lucky Shamrock from Simon Says Stamp.

I am linking up to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge- Anything Goes
In addition, I am linking up to Addicted to CAS- One Layer,
and also Festive Friday; I have used CAS design, One Layer Card, Monochromatic card, and birthday theme

For additional shopping links, see below.
Thanks for stopping by,

Lee Ann

Simon Says Stamp-
 Pine Needles Distress Ink
Evergreen Bough Distress Ink
Crushed Olive Distress Ink 
Cracked Pistachio Distress Ink
Iced Spruce Distress Ink
Mini Distress Ink Storage Tin 
Ranger Non Stick Craft Sheet 
Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer
Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Cardstock

Summer Colored Bouquet

Hello, Hello! 

I had the pleasure of having a crafty day with a friend and one of the things we did was follow along with a Tim Holtz video and play with Distress Spray Stain.  This card was a result of that playing.

I think this background panel was more of a 'mop up' panel, but I love how it turned out; the paper is Canson mixed media paper.  I used Picked Raspberry, Wild Honey and Barn Door spray stains.  Initially, I thought a simple gold embossed image would look great on the background; I used Gina K's Fine Gold Detail Embossing Powder and this bouquet from the Sweet n Sassy Stamps Set, Mason Jar Bouquet.  It did not turn out as I envisioned, so I carefully added some simple Copic coloring to the bouquet.  Voila~!  Now I loved it.  I simple sentiment from the Encouraging Thoughts Stamp Set, also heat embossed in gold, was added, along with a few gold sequins. 
I am linking up to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge; Anything Goes as well as

Krafty Chicks Challenge- All Occasions 

Thanks for stopping by!

Lee Ann 

More Flowers

Hello All!

Not gonna lie.  I cannot get enough of this Dazzling Dahlia.  It is so gorgeous and calls out to be colored every which way!  I am using colors from this month's Flower Challenge, navy and one other color.

I was inspired by Yana Smakula and Kathy Raccosin to color my background dark.  So with the Flower Challenge being colors Navy and one other color, navy it was!
The images were stamped on Neenah Solar White cs and then the entire card is colored with Copics.  The sentiment, which is from the Precious Poppies Stamp Set, was heat embossed in Detail Gold Embossing Powder from Gina K.  The flowers were given some wonderful sparkle with a Zig Clear Wink of Stella Brush Pen.  A few sequins finish it off.

Thats it for me, thanks for stopping by!

Lee Ann 

Celebrating Dad

Hello All!

Here in the US, tomorrow is Father's Day.  My dad is far from me, and I miss him much.  This is the card that I sent him.  The sentiments in this stamp set are very poignant and perfect for Dad.

I started with a monoprint background that I had been hoarding.  It was perfect for this sentiment and the Time Well Spent Stamp Set from Sweet n Sassy Stamps.
I used my Gel Press plate and acrylic paints, along with the Tim Holtz Clockwork Stencil.
The watch is 3D, basically like a shaker without the shaker bits. I did not think my dad would appreciate shaker bits!  The image was stamped in Versamark ink and then heat embossed with antique gold ep.  I used a circle die to die cut out the clock face.  Then I stamped the clock again, this time in Versafine Black ink.  Both watches watches were fussy cut out; next a piece of acetate and dimensional adhesive was sandwiched between the two watch pieces.

The sentiment was stamped with Versafine Onyx Black ink and embellished with a strip of blue cardstock.

I am linking up to the Mix it Up Challenge- Anything Goes.  

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

Lee Ann 

Celebrating June Sweet n Sassy Stamps Release!

Hello and welcome to another Sweet n Sassy Stamps Celebration Hop!
It is amazing how fast these months are flying by; here we are, already mid-June.  We have some wonderful inspiration for you, all made with the incredible June release! Hope along and leave a little love for the designers linked below and you may be the winner of a Sweet n Sassy Stamps voucher to the SNSS online store!  Winner will be announced on the SNSS blog on Wednesday, June 24. 
How could I not use my most favorite new stamp for the hop??  The gorgeous, huuuuge, Dazzling Dahlia Stamp Set.  Did I mention how huuuuge this stamp is??

This stamp is simply gorgeous!  I went to my trusty Copic markers for this first card. I stamped the image in Memento Desert Sand ink on Neenah Solar White CS and did some no line coloring.  The sentiment is from the Sentimental Mash Up Stamp Set and is stamped in Vesafine Onyx Black ink.  I added a bit of Sakura white gel pen highlights to the flower center and Studio Katia Clear Round drops to finish the card. 

Can you guess what was used to color the flower on this card?

If you said alcohol inks, you are correct!  I was inspired by Sandy Allnock to try this.  I started with a piece of Yupo paper and some Ranger Alcohol inks.  My initial plan was to start with an inked panel but that did not work so well.  As I was removing the ink with alcohol, towards the end I was left with a pinky peachy background, which I loved.  I decided this would be my starting point.
I carefully heat embossed the image in Brutus Monroe Raven Embossing Powder.  Then, using a Wild Plum colored alcohol ink, alcohol and a cheap paint brush, I brushed in some color.  I also splattered on some alcohol to the whole piece for some texture.  Once I was happy with the flower, I chose a section of the flower to fussy cut out and drew a line across the card front.  This was then fussy cut away.
For the background, I clear embossed the leaves onto a black panel.

The sentiment, from the Happy Irises Stamp Set,  was heat embossed on vellum with rose gold embossing powder.  It really complimented the pinky peachy alcohol ink color. I finished this card off with some black rainbow jewels from Kat Scrappiness, gifted to me by Esther Asbury!

The last card is colored with water colors~

Some cards are just tough to photograph and this is one of them.  I really could not capture the color in this card, probably because of the gold paper and gold embossing.  I used Daniel Smith Watercolors for this card.  Stamped in Versafine Black ink on Arches Watercolor Paper.  The sentiment is from the Begin Again Stamp Set. 

Check out all of the amazing inspiration on the hop and don't forget to comment!

Sweet n Sassy Blog
Julee Tilman
Ceal Pritchett
Diane Zechman
Esther Asbury
Jane Bosi
Karen Decknick
Lee Ann Barrett- You are HERE!
Lyn Tomlin
Sheri Gilson 

Thanks for stopping by!

Lee Ann

Other Retailers for products used~

Sweet n Sassy Stamps Sentiment Mash Up from Simon Says Stamp
Sweet n Sassy Stamps Happy Irises Stamp Set from Simon Says Stamp
Versafine Onyx Black Ink from Simon Says Stamp
Sweet n Sassy Stamps Begin Again Stamp Set from Simon Says Stamp
Arches 140# cold press watercolor paper from Simon Says Stamp
Copic Markers from Dick Blick Art Supplies
Sakura white Gel pen from Dick Blick Art Supplies
Ranger Alcohol Inks from Dick Blick Art Supplies

Home

Hello All! 

Bible Journaling has turned out to be very cathartic for me.  Even when I have no crafty MOJO, if I get into the scripture, creating happens.  Over the last couple of weeks, life hit a little bump in the road for me as well as for our country as a whole.  When things can look so bleak in our world, it is a good time to remember that this is not our permanent home. 

Are you excited about our home in heaven?  I know I am!  No more sorrow, no more tears.  Sounds pretty good to me already!  Hebrews 13:14 tells us that this world is not our permanent home.  We are temporary guests here.  To document this, I used my Arteza Brush Pens to paint a typical American rural scene and used the new God Bless America Stamp set from Sweet n Sassy Stamps for the title, along with the School Days Alpha Stamp Set.  Way Maker Stamp Set was used for the words 'is' and 'the'. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful and blessed week!

Lee Ann 

Cheery Rainbows

Hello All!

I know I have been MIA for a bit.  I have had some things come up that have caused me to pause life for a few.  Also have had some thinking in general to do.  The desire to craft has been pretty MIA as well, but the other day I wanted to play and this was the result.

This sweet little rainbow is the easiest thing to color, so cardmaking is a snap.  It is from the Way Maker Stamp Set from Sweet n Sassy Stamps. I added sparkle with a Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush.

The sentiment, from the Encouraging Thoughts Stamp Set, was heat embossed with Brutus Monroe White Embossing Powder and popped up on dimensional adhesive.
I used the sketch from Fab Friday~

 I am also linking up to The Paper Players~

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed week!



Lee Ann 

Inking Up Old Rubber!

Hello All! 

You may have noticed that I have not been around much.  I am taking a sort of crafty break, although I do still have some commitments.  I won a challenge at Retro Rubber Card Challenge and was invited to be a guest there.  This go around the challenge is 'Summer'! 

The idea behind this challenge is to get your older stamps out and get them inky.  I think we all like playing with the shiny, new toys!  The stamps you use must be older than a year and you must tell the ages of the stamps. 

So you are probably wondering about the summer theme.  Well, I am not a beach girl.  Summer to me is going to the mountains.  I can't get enough of them!  If you time it right, you get to take in views of moutain meadows, full of wild flowers, like this Colorado Columbine. 
My stamps are old...the Columbine- from Gina K Designs- is probably at least 6 years old and is from a set which is called Stately Flowers.  The set is now a clear set but mine is good ol' red rubber.   The Gingham-it is a background stamp from Divinity Designs.  I bought it when it was still Our Daily Bread Designs, probably 5 or 6 years ago.
My sentiment is from a Sweet n Sassy Stamps set called Encouraging Thoughts.  I absolutely love the font used for this set.  
I used the sketch from Fusion~ ironically, the challenge is 'beach' there!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lee Ann