Bluebird

Hello and Happy February! 

Aren't you glad to be done with the month of January?!  February sounds like spring is right around the corner, and I am ready for the birds.  I love hearing them sing.  We have a pair of blue birds that visit often and I love watching as they sit on the deck railing. 

I am still trying to get out of my comfort zone and played with more new dies, this time the Honey Bee Stamps Spring Birds Lovely Layered Dies.    It's been a minute since I did something grungy; and yes, I needed to make a bluebird.

 I was inspired by a couple of stand out crafty ladies- Jennifer McGuire and Debby Hughes.  The bird parts were die cut out and sponged with Distress Ink.  I assembled the bird and set him aside.  The background was done using a piece a Mixed Media Paper and Distress Ink again.  

Using white acrylic ink and some leftover distress ink, I added splatters to the background and to the bird. 

When the panel was to my liking, I die cut a circle from the panel and then die cut a circle from a piece of Gmund Savannah cardstock and inset it into the background panel negative space circle.  The Altenew Mid Century Frame Die was die cut from white cs and layered over the circle die. 

I popped up the bird on scrap cs and adhered it over the circle.  The sentiment is from the SnSS Stamp set, Song Birds.  I made a sentiment strip and then added a bit of glitz by swiping the edges of the strip with Delicata Golden Glitz Ink.  A few SSS Moonshine Sequins finish the card.  

I am linking up to~

As You See It Challenge- my latest purchase is these bird dies from Honey Bee Stamps

Cut It Up Challenge- This Makes Me Happy

Word Art Wednesday- Anything Goes

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Lee Ann  

Supplies used in today's project(s)

3M Scotch ATG Advanced Tape Glider SSS	Simon Says Stamp Assorted Moonshine Sequins SSS
EK Success Cutter Bee Scissors SSS | scrpbk	Tonic Craft Guillotine Trimmer SSS
Distress Ink Pad, Salty Ocean SSS | scrpbk	Distress Ink Pad, Rusty Hinge SSS | scrpbk
Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer SSS	Gina K Connect Glue SSS | scrpbk
Canson Mixed Media Paper Blick	Versafine Claire Ink Nocturne SSS | scrpbk
MISTI SSS	SnSS Songbirds Stamp Set SSS | SnSS
Honeybee Stamps Spring Birds Lovely Layered Dies scrpbk	Altenew Midcentury Frame Die scrpbk
Delicata Gold Glitz Pigment Ink SSS | scrpbk

Freshly Made Sketches- the Last Sketch of 2019!

Hello All! 
Can you believe we are already talking about 2020???  I am not sure where the year went; they somehow seem to be flying by at a faster and faster rate each year. 
Our last sketch of the year is from Amy.  Amy has added skewed panels to her sketch and they just about put me on tilt!  I like everything even and lined up, so skewed panels have always been something I avoided.  But a challenge is a challenge and I did it!

 Here is your sketch for the next 3 weeks~

I made this very easy on myself as I pulled out a gel print I had made over the summer and a watercolored image I made, oh, sometime around last Valentine's Day! 
The image is from Honey Bee Stamps.  It is stamped on watercolor paper and colored with my well loved Ken Oliver Color Bursts.   The Color Bursts are currently 48% off of list price at Dick Blick; this is the cheapest I have ever seen them.  I am not sure of the colors I used anymore, as I did this almost a year ago.  I keep my Powders in a palette like this one.  You don't need tons of powder in the pans as the powder is very concentrated. 
The background was done on a gel press plate, using Shimmerz Well Blue Me Down Coloringz and Vibez Jeni B Blue.  I also used a Tim Holtz Stencil.
Well, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here as it is currently snowing, with about 5 inches already on the ground.  We hope you find time during this busy holiday season to take time for yourself and play along with us at Freshly Made Sketches!  Maybe you can share some of your new Christmas goodies! 

Lee Ann 

Gorgeous inspiration from The Challenge!

Hi Everyone! 

I am off exploring the mountains again, but the challenges continue at The Challenge!  This week's inspiration is just stunning! 

As this image practically screamed to use florals,  decided to use my brand new Honey Bee Stamps, Country Blooms Stamp Set and Happy Everything for the sentiment~

This is actually a mixed media piece; I used a chicken wire stencil (or honey comb, whichever you want to call it) for the background and colored in the negative space with a white Prismacolor pencil.  The pencil resists the watercoloring that I did next.  I like the almost bokeh effect that I got.
Check out all of he amazing inspiration- just gorgeous stuff- over at The Challenge. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope to see you in the gallery!

Lee Ann  :)