Birthday Blue Bird

 Hello Hello! 

I hope all of the moms out there had a lovely weekend.  My mom celebrated both Mother's Day and her birthday.  I can never have too many feminine birthday cards, and my mom happens to be a bird lover.

What's this???  Patterned paper you say???  Every now and then I take a look at the huge stash of patterned paper I have and decide I need to make a dent in it.  Not sure if using 1 sheet is making a dent, but...

I have so many 'favorite' stamp sets; sometimes it just depends on the day and the mood I am in!  But this set from Sweet n Sassy Stamps, designed by Nina B., will always be at the top of my list!  Singing Praises can be colored so many ways and if you are into realism, her birds are just spot on.  

I opted to get the watercolors out for this card.  I went with my Arteza Watercolor Brush Pens.  Sometimes I feel like my stamp lines get a bit muddy with watercoloring, even with using waterproof ink.  This time I stamped the image in InkOn3's No Line Coloring FadeOut Ink using my MISTI and then watercolored.  I really did not know where I was going with it and ended up with a variety of pastels on the bird.  These colors were carried over into the flowers as well.  

After my image was totally dry, I placed the image back in the MISTI and stamped with Versafine Onyx Black Ink.  I love the crisp lines that I ended up with.  My simple sentiment is from the Birthday Wordfetti Stamp Set.  I gave the flowers white centers with a white gel pen and added a few Simon Says Stamp Moonshine Sequins.  

It is Customer Appreciation Month over at Sweet n Sassy Stamps and all of Nina B.'s stamps are on sale this week!  It's a great time to pick up the stamps you have been eyeing! 

I am linking up to Just Us Girls for their latest challenge~

And Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog- 'Feminine'

And also linking up to Addicted to Stamps and More for their 'Any Occasion' challenge

And the Mix It Up Challenge, 'Layering'.

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed week everyone!

Lee Ann  

Butterfly Trio

 Happy Monday All!  

Sounds like the sun is shining in many parts of the country, which is a great thing considering our weather of last week!  It is bright and sunny in the midwest and things are melting!

I  have a quick share today for the There's a Stamp For That Challenge over on FB.  Of the 3 options, I worked with the sketch.  Took me a while as my mojo went bye bye, but it is returning so here is my card.  I have used the sketch, compliments of Freshly Made Sketches.  We hope you will join us!

Here is the sketch I used~

As you can see, I rotated and flipped the sketch.  I watercolored some delicate butterflies from Impression Obsession, Butterfly Trio.  The images were stamped on Arches watercolor paper with IO black ink.  I used Arteza Watercolor Brush Pens to color them. 

After fussy cutting the butterflies out, I stamped them onto kraft paper, for a tone on tone background.  I found a piece of scrap paper that I used for the strip across the bottom.  The butterflies were adhered to the card and a sentiment, Happy Special Birthday, was stamped in IO Black ink.  A few sequins finish it off. 

I am linking up to Addicted to Stamps and More for the Any Occasion Challenge. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a sunny, warm week!

Lee Ann  

Celebrating Sweet n Sassy Stamps July Release!

Hello Everyone!
Welcome to the Sweet n Sassy Stamps July Release Hop!  I know I say this every month, but wow!  This month's stamps are amazing!  Hop along with us for lots of inspiration and leave a little comment love on each blog for a chance to win a gift voucher to the Sweet n Sassy Stamps store.

I used the newest sketch from Freshly Made Sketches for my card.  See below for the sketch.  My colors are from The Paper Players.

The set is the new Flower Garden Stamp Set.
I stamped the image multiple times in Scattered Straw Distress Ink on Arches 100% cotton water color paper.  Then I spritzed the stamped panel with water, using my Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer; this allowed the ink to move around for a soft, muted and blurred background.
Next, I used the same Arches watercolor paper and my MISTI and stamped the image in Salty Ocean Distress Ink. I used a water color brush and clear water to move the ink around on the flower and let it dry, then stamped over the image again and repeated this process until I was happy with the image.  I did this two more times for a total of three flowers and then fussy cut all of them out.
The flowers were arranged and adhered to the yellow panel, some of them popped up with dimensional tape.  The 'Hello' is from the True Beauty Stamp Set and is stamped in Altenew's Moon Rock ink.
The panel was embellished with a bit of vellum in the upper right corner and a light grey cs on the lower left corner and then adhered to a white panel which was then mounted to a 4.25 x 4.25 grey card base.  A few Simon Says Stamp Moonshine Sequins and a twine bow finish it off.

This next card uses another image in the same stamp set, Flower Garden.  The bird comes from the set, Birds and Blooms.  The bird was stamped in Versafine Onyx Black ink on watercolor paper and then colored with Arteza Brush Pens.

The floral branches are actually one of the floral images from the Flower Garden Stamp Set; I masked out the leaves and colored the stems brown instead of green.  Once colored, I fussy cut the flowers out.
To assemble, I used a MOJO Monday sketch and a distress ink panel I had in my stash.  My coral panel is debossed with the Dotted Swirls Debossing Cover Die.   A white square panel and a light blue cs circle ground the bird.  The bird and branches are popped up on dimensional adhesive.  My sentiment is from the Sympathy Morning Glories Stamp Set.  Some sequins from Buttons Galore and More and Lucy's Cards finish off the card.

Here is your Freshly Made Sketch for the week~

Blog Hop List~

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

Comment by July 21 for a chance to win!

Need more places to shop?  See links below.  Enjoy!

Lee Ann

Simon Says Stamp
Flower Garden Stamp Set
Sympathy Morning Glories Stamp Set
Birds and Blooms Stamp Set 
True Beauty Stamp Set
MISTI Stamping Tool
Versafine Onyx Black Ink Pad
Memento Tuxedo Black Ink Pad
Dotted Swirls Debossed Die
Copic Sketch Markers

Dick Blick Art Materials
Copic Sketch Markers
Arches cold press 100% cotton 9 x 12 watercolor pad

Ranger Ink
Tim Holtz Scattered Straw Distress Ink
Tim Holtz Salty Ocean Distress Ink
Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer

Sweet Strawberry

Hello All!

I am back again with another Strawberries post.  This is one of the new releases from Divinity Designs.

My strawberry image was stamped on Bristol cs using Versafine Onyx Black ink.  The image was then colored with Arteza Watercolor Brush Pens.
The panel was then matted with a rectangle die cut using a Pierced Rectangle Die.
My card front was matted with patterned paper from the Pretty Pink Peonies Paper Pad.  I added a narrow white panel along the left hand side and edged it with parts of a die cut from the Delicate Doily Die.  A few sequins finish it off!
I am linking up to The Card Concept Challenge, where I was inspired by the colors.

Thanks for stopping by!

Lee Ann 

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 

In a Field of Flowers

Hello All! 

Hope you are doing well.  This whole stay- at - home thing is starting to feel normal.  I thing it will feel strange when things get back to 'normal'.  Whatever that is.  But regardless, I am getting lots done around the house.  And when it rains?  I am crafting!
Today's card is a union of two unlikely stamp sets~

I cannot take credit for this general idea.  The ever talented, Jill Foster, came up with the idea of combining a more formal floral with a contemporary critter stamp. 
This just takes a bit of time, patience and masking.  I started by getting a general idea of where I wanted things.  The chick, from the Springtime Stamp Set from Sweet n Sassy Stamps, was stamped in Versafine Black ink on Bristol cs. 
The chick was masked and I started stamping the Irises from the Happy Irises Stamp Set by Sweet n Sassy Stamps.  As I went along, I needed to mask some of the irises as well. 
Once everything was stamped, I colored everything with Arteza  Real Brush Pens.  Boy, do these pens give you a vibrant color!  I did not pay much attention to lighting and shadows, etc., I just tried to get a lot of variation in colors. 
I filled in the background with green brush pens; it is not as scribbly looking in real life- the editing seemed to intensify that.  :( 
The sentiment is from the Sweet Little Lamb Stamp Set. 
I am linking up to~

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge- 'Flower Power'
Addicted to Stamps and More- 'Anything Goes'
Addicted to CAS- Animal

Thanks for stopping by! 

Lee Ann 

Floral for Freshly Made Sketches

Hello All!

We have a new sketch up from Amy; a great basic sketch with lots of room to play!

I wanted to use this beautiful Impression Obsession flower, Just Rosy; it was the perfect size to nest in the Impression Obsession Tea Cocoa die. The sentiment is apparently discontinued as I am not finding it on the website.   I am linking up to Impression Obsession's current challenge, 'Pour One On'.   Enabler Alert!!!  Impression Obsession has a sale right now, 25% off their entire site!  They have an amazing selection of stamps and dies!  The flower and cup combo was a perfect element for the circle on the sketch~

My colors are from Just Us Girls~

I got out my Arteza Real Brush Pens to color my Just Rosy floral that was stamped on  Canson Watercolor Paper in Memento Desert Sand Ink,  and then fussy cut the flower out.  The Tea Cocoa cup was die cut on white paper and watercolored with a mix of green and blue colors.
The background was done with the same Arteza Brush Pens; I scribbled some color onto a craft mat and then picked it up with a large wet watercolor brush and brushed it on the background.  I let it dry and then repeated with a different color.  Lastly, I splattered the background with watered down black acrylic paint.
 I'm also linking up to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, 'Anything Goes'.
That's it for me.  Stop by the blog and check out the amazing inspiration from the rest of the team!

Lee Ann  

Birthday Balloons

Hello All!  Happy Weekend!

Today I am playing along in a couple of challenges.  The first is Time Out Challenges~

Their challenge is an inspired by words challenge~

I focused on the words birthday and confetti.  The water color paper panel was first given a light wash of yellow water color paint, being sure to get some drips.  I used the new Birthday Borders Stamp Set from Sweet n Sassy Stamps.  I did some masking to get the large bunch of balloons at the top of the card.  The images are stamped in Versafine Onyx Black ink  and then colored with my Arteza Real Brush Pens.  I splattered with Ken Oliver Color Bursts and added strings. 
The sentiment is from the Sentimental Mash Up Stamp Set. 
I am also linking up to the Addicted to Stamps and More Anything Goes challenge and
Seize the Birthday~

That's it for me, thanks for stopping by and have a blessed weekend!

Lee Ann

Freshly Made Sketches for Christmas

Hello All!

Sorry to be absent last week, but the brain cells were not all firing as life got nutty!
We have a great Freshly Made Sketches sketch this week from Jen Brum; Jen is a master at using lots of color, yet keeping her cards clean.  

This is a versatile sketch to work with!

I started with a poinsettia from the Poinsettia set of 4.  It was heat already heat embossed in black as I pulled it from my unused 'stuff' pile.  I colored it with Arteza Real Brush Pens using burgundy, red, orange and pink.  Because of my poor lighting, you cannot see the variations in the color- much better irl.  Save 10% on the Poinsettia set of 4 at TJ with code TJ10LeeAnn. 
I paired the image with a print from my gel plate.  The sentiment is from Impression Obsession- Warmest Christmas Wishes- and was stamped in Versafine Black ink.  I made the mistake of letting it sit a while to dry on the acrylic paint from the print.  Instead of staying put and drying, it started to wick on the acrylic paint print.  I quickly added some clear ep to it and heat embossed it. 
That's it for me! 
Pop over to the FMS blog to see the rest of the fabulous inspiration, then paly along!  Hope to see you in the gallery! 

Lee Ann

Freshly Made Sketches and Florals

Hello Hello!
Well, here we are in the month of July, ready to celebrate the birth of our nation (if you live in the states).  Where did June go, lol?!?
We have a new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches; Jen is starting us off this month
with a great sketch, one that I know I will return to again and again.  

I was completely lacking in MOJO, so I actually dug out some images that I had previously watercolored with my Arteza Brush Pens. Arteza has a sale going on right now-20% off- so if you were thinking about checking them out, you might want to head over there.

 These Altenew images from the Crown Bloom Stamp set worked perfectly for this sketch.
I sponged the background with Lawn Fawn Merman ink and a A Colorful Life Designs stencil, Currents.
Next, I die cut a large circle and then a circle frame, slightly smaller that the first.  Everything was adhered to the card front with dimensional tape being used for the flower and leaf.
Lastly, 'love' was die cut 3 times and stacked on each other (Altenew brand).  It was adhered to the front of the card with dimensional tape as well.
I am linking up to Watercooler Wednesday's Feminine Anything Goes Challenge,
As well as Inkspirational's challenge-

And The Paper Players tic tac toe- flower/yellow/die cut

Check out the blog for more inspiration.  These ladies always inspire me.

Thanks for stopping!

Lee Ann 

Floral for Freshly Made Sketches

Hello Everyone!

It's time for a new sketch from Freshly Made Sketches!  Jen Mitchell has a great one for us- there is so much you could do with this; I had a hard time deciding what stamp set to use!

I settled on a Hero Arts stamp set, Dahlia Stamp and Cut, for my image.

Here is your fabby sketch!

The flower is colored with Arteza Real Brush Pens. My white panel has a very light stenciled image using an Altenew stencil and Gina K Designs Moonlit Fog ink.  The sentiment is a retired Honey Bee Designs stamp.  

I am linking up to this month's The Flower Challenge- 'Pink and Gray'.

As well as The Card Concept, with this gorgeous inspiration photo~

I was inspired by the gorgeous pink blooms and the black and white table linens.  My card is clean and layered.

Check out the Freshly Made Sketches blog for all of the fabulous inspiration from the team .  We hope you play along!

Lee Ann

More Cacti

Hi All!

Yeah for weekends!  This weekend I am playing with my new Arteza Brush Pens.  So far, I am really liking them.  There were some great colors for this Impression Obsession Prickly Pear Cactus stamp.

I clear heat embossed the image on Fabriano watercolor paper and then played with the brush pens.
The sentiment is from Impression Obsession's Grunge Map stamp set.
I am playing along in the Impression Obsession Challenge this week, which is 'Pink and Green'.

The sketch is from Tuesday Morning Sketches.

Thanks for visiting and have a blessed weekend!

Lee Ann