Tulip of Thanks

Hello Crafty Friends,

Hi everyone! Today I'm sharing one of my favorite digi stamp sets from MHKDesigns. The Tulip of Thanks has to be one of the most elegant sets! Here is my card for today, enjoy.

Using color to create a sense of depth. 

MHKDesigns vintage images work so well with each other.
I invite you to check out her Etsy store and see for yourself
the versatility of stamp sets and variety of digital papers she has to offer.

Enlarging the tulip becomes the dominate image and placing it in the foreground.
The tulip behind main image is lighter showing it to be in the background. 

Left: showing detail of the detail this stamp provide. Notes the hints of gold for an even more elegant look.  Right: Showing the gold foiled sentiment yet the tulip still steals the show. 

I am also entering this card into The Card Concept challenge. 

Challenges Entered:
The Card Concept: #56- Sweet Tea



There is a lot more to discover at MHKDesigns Etsy Shop! Stop on over and see what we have to offer. I promise you will be inspired as our Design Team was inspired to create such beautiful cards. Keep stopping by to see more inspiration. Until then take care.

All the best,

Supplies Used:

Tulip of Thanks

Congratulations! Grads!

Hello Everyone,

Another Monday means another challenge at Make My Monday. The theme for this week is 'Graduation'. Here is my card for today, enjoy!

Bold sentiment dominates with the congratulations stamped background

Showing a bit more detail of the graduation strip.

Thank you for joining me once again.. I encourage you to join us at Make My Monday for this weeks challenge. See you there and am looking forward to see how you interpret our inspiration photo. Until then take care.

All the best,
Shawna

Red Lobster

Hello Readers,

For today I am playing along with Create with Connie and Mary. Their sketch was a fantastic challenge. Here is my card for today, enjoy!

Very seaworthy card. Watercolor panels, 'worn' entry log, and red lobster
have all the signs of the Cape Cod style.

The bottom panel is torn to represent water or waves. 

Detail showing the lobster. He was stamped using red dye ink
and then colored using PrismaColor pencils.
I think cutting around this lobster is beyond 'fussy' cutting. Took a long time
but I think the outcome was worth the work.

Challenges Entered:

Create with Connie and Mary: CCMC407- Sketch

When I was 36 my life changed. It started with dinner, shrimp alfredo with angel hair pasta. yum! Thirty minutes after dinner I went for a run; it was then I started wheeze and feel very dizzy. I am already diagnosed with asthma and had my inhaler with me. I used it 5-6 times with no relief. Thought I would make my way back home and cool down on our front yard. My son came up to me and said I had a mosquito bite on my face. Strange... It was late August they are usually gone by that time. No sooner did he say that my lips started to swell and those mosquito bits started popping up all over my face. My neighbor, friend, and nurse lives across the street from me and asked what was going on. She said I may be allergic to shrimp. WHAT? So I go my allergist and she confirms that yes I am VERY allergic to anything with a fin. So disappointing. 

I know this may sound strange but I was actually sad that I couldn't eat seafood anymore. I mean really sad... I love shrimp, crab, orange roughy, salmon, but especially lobster. I am over it now and have gone on with my life fish free. No biggie. But it just caught me off guard to be seriously sad about SEAFOOD! What gives? I don't know maybe my feeling was a bit 'fishy'. 

Well now that my pitty party is over I would like to say thank you so much for stopping by and hearing me cry (for today is National Whining Day). I hope you enjoyed your visit and I invite you to come back for a more uplifting post. Until then take care and see you soon.

All the best,
Shawna

It's all Black & White

Hello Everybody!

I am so proud to announce that I am the guest designer for City Crafters Challenge Blog. What a joy to be guest for such a talented team! Their theme for this week is Black & White with a touch of gold. Here is my card for today, enjoy!

I learned this technique from Make it Monday blog. It is called two toned
stamping and it is remarkably easy. click here for the link for a how-to

Guest Designer for
City Crafter Challenge Blog:
Challenge week: #313~Black and White

The background happy birthday stamp serves as just that, a background.
while the '29 again' sentiment steals the show.

29 again! I thought this would be a perfect birthday card sentiment for all my
40+ friends and family.

I added my touch of gold using the confetti that is 'blown' out of the horn. 

My son had his first piano recital tonight. He did great for having 'lots of jigjaws' (a new word I learned today meaning 'jitters'). Of course mom forgot a dish-to-pass AND more importantly his music book. UGH! One of these days I will get it completely right. Right?

All that aside I do encourage you to try the two toned stamping technique. I like it because it packs a punch for very little work. Check out their blog and you will be amazed how easy this is to achieve. 

So that is it for me! I want to give a huge thank you to City Crafter Challenge Blog for having me this week as your guest. I am truly touched.

And thank you so much for stopping by my little byte of the internet. If you aren't already a follower I invite you to consider it. I share designs, techniques, and thoughts about well.... whatever is on my mind. So, join me as we all embark on our crafting journey together at TheGrandStampede. Until next time, take care everyone.

All the best,
Shawna

Heroes and Flappers

Hello Everyone,

PINspirational has a new challenge for the next two weeks. For this post I have two cards to display from two fantastic sponsors. Before I show the PINspirational challenge here are my cards for tonight. Enjoy!

The Roaring 20's! Images that come to mind are speakeasies, prohibition,
and of course, those lovely and daring Flappers.

Sponsor for this image:
SLS-Lines

The deep blue bokah background is fun and reminds me of a party.

Sparkle is adorning her dress.
The sentiment is perfect for this card

_____________________AND____________________

A fantastic encouragement card.

Sponsor for this image:
Melonheadz Illustrating

Girl power on a starry night.

_______________________________________________

PINspirational:
Challenge #166

Challenges Entered:
Cards in Envy: Deep Blue

Well that should do it for me. I am off to bed. Have a great night everyone and thank you so much for stopping by my little byte of the internet. I do hope you will join us at PINspirational. It should be fun! Until then take care and happy crafting.

All the best,
Shawna

Roses in the Garden

Hello Everyone,

Another Monday means another challenge at Make My Monday. The theme for this week is 'In the Garden'. Here is my card for today, enjoy!

This card was for a woman who just turned 95! I thought the soft roses
and subtle background would be a perfect card for this youngster. 

___________________________________________

This week's theme:

Added reinkers to wet shimmer paper and let the water do the rest.

Thank you for joining me once again.. I encourage you to join us at Make My Monday for this weeks challenge. See you there and am looking forward to see how you interpret our inspiration photo. Until then take care.

All the best,
Shawna

MHKDesigns May/June Challenge

Hello Everyone,

I am here to announce there is a new challenge starting today at MHKDesigns Blog! As usual we are using an anything goes approach to our challenge. Here is my card for today, enjoy!

The pear image is from the 'Fruit Borders' set.
I took the image and broke it up into individual elements using a photo editing software
then rearranged them to create an entirely new scene. 

 ____________________________________________________

Check out all of MHKDesigns digital stamps
where Vintage Images Meet Modern Sentiments.

MHKDesigns Blog

introduces a new monthly challenge
for May/June. Here is your inspiration.

__________________________________________________________

Inspiration for the tattered notebook look comes
from the inspiration photo.

the sentiment follows the line of the images. Very subtle color palette
proved to be much harder to achieve then originally thought.

Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope to see you at MHKDesigns blog and join our monthly challenge. No worries if you don't have any MHKDesign product yet, you can still play along. We will see you this month and looking forward to see what you create. Until then, take care.

All the best,


Supplies Used:

     

Fruit Borders

Perfect Poppies

Wild Thanks

Hello All,

For today I am playing along with The Paper Players and Creative with Stamps. The theme for both challenge is to design a CAS style card. So here is my card for today, enjoy.

CAS style thank you card. 

The vertical greeting seems to fit with the long giraffe image.
Adding the black border joins the giraffe and sentiment together.

Detail of the giraffe and leaves. So cute!

Challenges Entered:
The Paper Players: PP295- 'Wild Thing' CAS Challenge
Creative with Stamps: Challenge #2: CAS Cards 

  

Friday!! Yippee! I am looking forward to the coming weekend.. Why?.. It is supposed to be beautiful this weekend. Time to get out the camper and get it going for summer... So fun!!

Well that should do it for me.. Thank you for stopping by little corner of the internet. Until next time take care and happy crafting. 

All the best,
Shawna 

Triangulation

Hello Again,

This is my second card for today and do hope you enjoy it. For today I am playing along with Inspired by All The Little Things, CAS(E) this Sketch, and Just Us Girls challenge blogs. So let's get to it.. Here is my card for today, enjoy.

Triangle stencil, black and white ink, and some acrylic paint
are materials I used for the background.

Triangles from CTS sketch work beautifully with ATLT photo inspiration.

 Details showing the layered sentiment and a touch of golden bling. 

Challenges Entered:
Inspired by All The Little Things: #15- Photo Inspiration
CAS(E) this Sketch: CTS173
Just Us Girls: Trend Week #343- Vellum


     


Our family was sitting at the dinner table one night talking about our favorite shapes. My daughter posed the question to me. I had to think about this one because, as adults, you don't commonly think of your favorite shape. After some thought I came up with circle (no surprise to Monika Reeck) because there aren't any sharp angles. The question then went to my son who is eight. 
'Triangle!' he said
 I ask 'Why?' 
Because it is a whole lot better then being a square!' (Not knowing the slang for being a square). 

Well that should do it for me. I am going to walk the dog till my feet fall off! Thank you for joining me again! Take care all and happy days!

All the best,
Shawna