A Thrill of Hope

Hello All!  

I hope your Thanksgiving was relaxing, and spent with the people you love.  Now the chaos of the Christmas season officially begins!  I really need to up my Christmas card game; we have less than a month to go!  

As much as I do not like ink blending (I love the look, just not the process), I challenged myself to do just that for this silhouette style card.  

I used one stamp set- A Thrill of Hope- from Sweet n Sassy Stamps; you can save 20% on this set now through 11/30!  It is perfect for Christmas cards.  I sponged Distress Inks on Bristol cardstock.   The colors I used were Picked Raspberry, Seedless Preserves and Chipped Sapphire.  

So this is pretty self explanatory; blended the three distress ink colors with a Tim Holtz Blending Tool, used my MISTI to stamp the trees on the left, then the deer, and then the tree on the right.  The moon was stamped on white cs and fussy cut out.  I used a black Sharpie to color in the foreground.  And if you are a Sharpie fanatic, Dick Blick has this amazing steal- Sharpie Ultimate Pack, set of 45 for- wait for it- $34.09!!!

 The sentiment was stamped and then I spattered snow onto the card with watered down white acrylic paint.  All images were stamped with Versafine Onyx Black ink.  

Also, I linked up to a really great bargain on the MISTI tool.  My Sweet Petunia has a newer model, but they still have the original version in stock and it is only $30.00!  

And if you are still in Black Friday Weekend/Shop Small Shops mode, Simon Says Stamp has Saturday deals- spend $50 or more and get free shipping.  Spend $5 or more and Save $5.  

I used colors based on the cues from the Festive Friday Challenge- I used blue and purple.  I also used snowflakes and trees. 

I am also linking up to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, Anything Goes,
as well as The ABC Christmas Challenge; this month's challenge is Winter Wonderland.    

Lastly, this card is inspiration for the There's a Stamp for That Challenge over on Facebook.  It is a great challenge because you get to pick between two or three options each challenge.  Challenges run for two weeks.  You should check it out;  we would love to see you!   

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed weekend!  

Lee Ann  

Vintage Hello

Happy Weekend All!!!!  

Phew!  This weekend could not come fast enough.  I think I am just excited about Thanksgiving week.  I plan on eating and crafting, 😄.  I think it is a pretty good plan!  

Today I am sharing a card made with an old but new set from Sweet n Sassy Stamps.  Not sure what it is about this old phone image, but I love it.  

These are so simple and yet striking with their contrasting black and white and pop of color.  They are from a set that has been released from the vault, Keep In Touch Stamp Set.  

Did I say how simple these were?  Stamped, cut out (I happened to have the old dies from back when snss carried dies) and popped up on the card panel.  The fun, oversized speech bubble is the Stitched Speech Border Die from IO Stamps.  This is a great set because there are actually two dies- your 'speech' can come from the right or the left!  

The sentiments are also in the same set, Keep In Touch.  The first sentiment was stamped in a great, rich black, IO Black ink, which is hybrid.  Great for Copics, great for water color!  

The second sentiment is stamped in Hero Arts Unicorn White Pigment Ink and then heat embossed with Brutus Monroe Alabaster Ultra Fine Embossing Powder.  

Through November 26, you can save on sentiment sets and silhouette stamp sets from Sweet n Sassy Stamps, including this Keep In Touch Stamp Set.  Win Win!

I am linking up to The Krafty Chicks Challenge- CAS cards, 

as well as Time Out Challenges- these cards are super quick! 

That's it for me!  Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Lee Ann  

Sweet n Sassy Stamps Turns 13 and November Blog Hop!

 Hello Everyone!  

A huuuuge CONGRATULATIONS to Korin and Sweet n Sassy Stamps as the company turns 13 this year!  We have been celebrating all month long.  How fitting is it that the November release have lots of fabulous birthday stamp sets!  Hop along with us for lots of inspiration and leave comments along the way for your chance to win a $25 gift voucher to the Sweet n Sassy Stamps Store.  Winner will be announced November 25th on the snss blog.  

I started out with the fabulous Make a Wish Stamp Set~ 

I love the timeless birthday images in the set and they are perfect for both women and men.  Makes those difficult to make masculine cards a little bit easier.  Here I stamped the icing in Inkon3 Fade Out No Line Coloring Ink, masked it off and then stamped the cupcake/wrapper in Fade Out Ink. The cupcake was then colored with Copics.  the cherry from the Summer Fruits Stamp Set was also stamped in Fade Out Ink and colored with Copics.  Everything was fussy cut out.  I trimmed the bottom of the cherry off and glued it to the top of the cupcake, giving it the appearance if being set into the icing.  I made it nice and shiny with Glossy Accents.  

The Happy BDay sentiment from the Make a Wish Stamp Set was stamped in Versamark ink on kraft cs;  I die cut a tag from the cs with the IO Stitched Tag Die.  

I created a mixed media background using red watercolors, a stencil and clear embossing paste.  I die cut a large circle out of this and used it for a background and to ground my tag.  Lastly, I added a 'tag' to my 'tag', lol.  I used the Celebrate sentiment from the Lots of Love Stamp Set, stamped it in black and cut out a rectangle.  I gave my 'tag' a finished edge by using a Border Stitching Die.  

Next up, I made a card that works  nicely for men!  

I stamped the slice of cake in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored it with Copics.  Next, I stamped the small candle, masked it off and stamped it again, repeating this until I had a cluster of candles.  I fussy cut the candles out, trimmed the bottom off and adhered them to the slice of cake, giving the appearance of them being stuck in the cake.  I have had this background in my stash for ages- the numbers and colors were absolutely perfect for the image.  I grounded the slice of cake with a black circle, then stamped the sentiment, which is from the fabulous Humorous Birthday Innies Stamp Set.  A few black and white sequins finish off the card.  

My last card uses the oh so fun A Little Snarky Stamp Set.  

Again, I pulled a stenciled background that I have had in my stash to make this card.  She was colored with Copics and fussy cut out.  I popped her up on dimensional tape and added a snarky sentiment.  3 sequins add a bit of shine.  

That's it for me!  Check out all of the other inspiration from the rest of the team.  Enjoy!

Sweet n Sassy Blog

Julee Tilman

Ceal Pritchett

Diane Zechman

Esther Asbury

Jane Bosi

Karen Decknick

Lee Ann Barrett-You are here!

Lynn Tomlin

Michelle Hale

Sheri Gilson

Thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy all of the inspiration!

Lee Ann  

Christmas Poinsettias

 Hello, Hello!  

Today I am revisiting the gorgeous Poinsettia Greetings Stamp Set.  This is a favorite of mine that I reach for again and again.  

I like to make my parents a special card for Christmas so given the popularity of the slimline card, I decided to go that route.  I used two shades of red Ken Oliver Color Bursts to color this monochromatic card.

I started out with a 10 x 4 inch piece of Canson Watercolor Paper.  I spritzed it with water and sprinkled on some Alizerin Crimson Color Burst Water Color Powder.  I used a large brush to move the color around and add water where needed.  I also sopped up some of the color with a paper towel as I did not want it too dark.  

Next, using my MISTI, I Stamped the poinsettias 3 times using Impression Obsession's fabulous Black Hybrid Ink Pad.  It is perfect for watercoloring.  You can color with Copics with it as well, though I have not tried that, yet.  I then painted them all, using the Alizerin Crimson as well as Cadmium Scarlet color bursts.  A little mixture of black, blue and purple color bursts was used for the shadows.  The panel was then cut down for a 8.5 x 4inch card.  

When the flowers were dried, I used Winsor and Newton white gouache that was watered down to make splatters.  The flower centers were filled in with a Uniball Signo white gel pen.  

The sentiment is from the Holiday Greetings Stamp Set.  I used the IO Black hybrid ink pad for it, giving it a deep rich black color.   Both the sentiment and the image panel were matted with shiny gold wrapping paper.  Some sequins finish it off.

I am linking up to Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, Happy Holidays!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a blessed week!

Lee Ann  

Season's Greetings

 Hello!  

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, -I know, I cannot believe it either- I am working on lots of Christmas cards.  

The Christmas season is here, all! 

I used the Sweet n Sassy Stamps Christmas Pine Stamp Set for this card, stamping in various shades of distress inks on Arches watercolor paper.  Before stamping, I spritzed the inked stamp with water. 

 I stamped the ornament from the Deck the Halls Stamp Set. and painted it with distress inks and Ken Oliver Color Bursts.  The sentiment and wreath on the ornament is from the super fun Vintage Van Stamp Set.  The sentiment, from the Holiday Greetings Stamp Set, wreath and ornament are all heat embossed with Gina K fine detail Gold Embossing Powder.  

This week's challenge at There's a Stamp for That is Christmas, Winter Holiday or embossing.  We hope you will join us over in the FB group!  

I am linking up to the Krafty Chicks Challenge- Christmas, as well as Double D Challenge, Pine Trees/Pine cones

Thanks for stopping by!  

Lee Ann  

Jolly Christmas Cup

 Hello!  

I am thrilled to be participating in the Fall/Winter Coffee Lover's Blog Hop.  A HUGE thanks to Amy Tsuruta for organizing this biannual hop.  

I had so much fun with this card!  I combined a couple of stamp sets to get my gnome in a cup.   

I started with the In This Together Stamp Set from Sweet  n Sassy Stamps.  I masked out the flowers in the cup and stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Once the cup was stamped, I masked it off and stamped the jolly, light untangling gnome from the Christmas Gnomes Stamp Set inside the cup.  Everything was colored with Copics.  

I am linking up to Festive Friday; I used a sentiment, stencil, patterned paper and baker's twine (ribbon).  Also linking up to Krafty Chicks Challenge.  

Thanks so much for stopping by and enjoy the hop!

Lee Ann  

Other Products from Simon Says Stamp~

In This Together Stamp Set by Sweet n Sassy Stamps
Christmas Gnomes Stamp Set
Simon Says Stamp Moonshine sequins
Copic Sketch Markers

Products from Dick Blick~

Copic Sketch Markers

Impression Obsession Old is New

 Hello!  

Christmas is coming and Christmas card crafting is in full swing.  

I am using an older Impression Obsession Stamp, Snowy Branch Cardinal, that I found while perusing the store.  I love birds in general and this cardinal is just gorgeous!  You can see lots more inspiration from the design team using older stamps on the IO blog.  

The cardinal is colored with Copics and then fussy cut out.  I found a background in my stash, it's either distress inks (smooshing) or Ken Oliver colorbursts.  I thought it made a gorgeous background, so using the Cute Scalloped Rectangle dies, I die cut my background.  For added dimension, I used a falling snow embossing folder for the background mat and then added white branches, using the  Bare Branch die.  The beautiful 'Peace Script' sentiment finishes the card.  

Be sure to check out the rest of the inspiration over on the IO blog. 

Have a fabulous day! 

Lee Ann  

Over the River and Through the Woods

 Hello and Happy November!  

I don't know about you, but I am super excited for Thanksgiving.  Tradition is my jam so a full turkey dinner even if it is just for two is always on the menu. 
 And speaking of tradition, do you have certain songs that you associate with holidays?  How about Over the River and Through the Woods?  Oh my, that song is Thanksgiving to a t!  
This image and scene reminds me of that song;  Travelling to grandmother's house, which we always did as kids.  So many memories!  

I used the fabulous Vintage Van Stamp Set-gotta love the pumpkins!  I used distress inks and Ken Oliver Colorburst Watercolors to color the scene.  The van is stamped in Versafine Onyx Black ink.  The trees were done using the Scene Silhouettes -Trees Stamp Set, inked them up with distress inks and then spritzed with water before stamping onto Arches Watercolor Paper.  Sentiment is from the Fall Remix-Autumn Splendor Stamp Set.  Did you notice the license plate?!

I am entering in the Paper Players Challenge, Turkey Time.  

As well as Tic Tac Toe Challenge~
I have used Everything but the wreath in the tic tac toe squares.  

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week!

Lee Ann  

Other product links~

Simon Says Stamp

Arches Watercolor Paper 

Vintage Van Stamp Set