Bright and Bold

Hello Readers,

For today I will be playing along with Addicted to CAS, Seize the Birthday, and Virginia's View Challenge. 

And a big shout out to Becca Cruger from The Damsel of Distress on her 30th birthday! From one Leo to another I wish you a very happy birthday!  She is celebrating with a card linkup party and thought I would join in the fun!

As the title suggests this card is bright, bold, and beautiful. Here is my card for today, enjoy!

I really like the black splatters around all this color.
The word 'birthday' was heat embossed in white and then resisted
with the addition of watercolor.

Bright and cheery Happy Birthday.
Many friends and family have Summer birthdays.
So better to be prepared than sorry.

I used the faux bleaching technique again.
This time in the word 'Happy'.

 Challenges Entered:
Addicted to CAS: Challenge #92- Stripes
Virginia's View Challenge: #22- Summer Challenge
Seize the Birthday: Bold and Bright
Becca's Birthday Linkup Card Party


   

Celebrating Becca's 30th!

Bright and cheery is a good feeling, isn't it? I believe this card creates a sense of happiness. Why? Well the color of course and all the white space surrounding it makes the color shine even more brightly. I know exactly who I am going to give this to (wink, wink). This someone shines with brightness and cheer. This card could not be more perfect.

Thank you so much for stopping by today my corner of the internet. I really do appreciate it.. So until next time take care and happy, cheerful crafting to you all.

All the best,
Shawna 

Be Still

Hello Readers,

For today I am playing along with The Color Throwdown, Virginia's View Challenge and The Paper Players. Oh, was this card fun to make! I'll let you be the judge; here is my card for today, enjoy!

Collage of colors inspired by The Color Throwdown.
Using the masking technique to stamp the flowers around the sentiment block.

Each block is colored differently from the block adject to it.
And again using the masking technique around the border 

Detail of watercoloring.

Leaving the centers of the flower white gives it a sense of openness.

Challenges Entered:

The Color Throwdown: ctd402

The Paper Players: PP304

Virginia's View Challenge: #22- All About Colors

     

The children's program at our church is called Children in Worship. This program is a different way to worship and learn. Instead of just hearing stories they interact with stories in the form of props and play. Personal worship is also very important and of course singing. One hymn they sing is 'Be Still and Know that I am God'. I think I might have to follow their lead and try to be still more often. We shall see what becomes of it.

Well that should do it for me! I want to thank you all for your visit and reading my stories. So fun to share my life's moments with all of you. So until next time, take care and happy crafting!

All the best,

Shawna

At the Bottom of the Sea

Hello Readers,

I have been meaning to submit this card for a long time but well... life happens. No better time then the present!! For today I am submitting this card for Virginia's View Challenge: Theme- Layers.

Entering Challenge:
Virginia's View Challenge #14

Well here is my 'Bottom of the Sea' card!! I hope you like it as much as I liked making it.

The sand dollar gives the card texture as
does the dry embossed sentiment

The sentiment is part of a bigger embossing folder
All I did was tear out the 'thanks'. The tear creates yet another
form of texture.

The playful shells and sea stars contrast beautifully with
the abstract sponged sea horses.

Detailed photo showing the complexity of this card.
However it all works cohesively because of the soft color and
neutral color palette. 

From the soft colors of the background to the sand paper sand dollar (say that three times fast). This card screams dimension and layers yet the soft color palette seems pleasing to the eye as it smoothly moves around the composition. There is a lot going on here, so I added a teal border in the background to anchor your eye which lets everything work together!!

Okay, ready... This is how I did it!

1. Cut and scored my white CS base to 4.25" x 5.5"
2. Placed my stencil over the card stock and sponged over it using teal, mauve, and lavender.
3. Stamped some dark brown shells directly on the CS base.
4. Added a teal border to anchor all the objects that will be placed on it later.
5. Stamped the other shells on a separate sheet of paper. Fussy cut then added it to the card. 
6. Die cut sea-stars and sea horses (see below) then sponged the edges. added it to the card.
7. Using a very fine grit sand paper I punched out the sand dollar, then distressed it a brown color. Set aside.
8. Inked up the embossing folder then dry embossed; transferring the ink onto the paper. 
9. Carefully tore out the 'Thanks' and added it to the card. 
10. Wrapped salmon colored twine around the card a few times then tied it in a bow then adhered the sand-dollar.

Die cut by Cuttlebug
Seashells and Seahorses

I actually ended up giving this card away to a friend.. She adores sea horses so I couldn't resist giving it to someone who would enjoy it.. 

A little fact about me, when I was a little girl my sister won some sea horses at the local fair.  She placed them down where I proceeded to gulp them down. Apparently they were very small but it was big enough to give my parents a fright.

Alright it is time for bed but just wanted to share this with you today.. I hope everyone has a great day and thank you so much for stopping by! Don't forget to leave a comment good, great, or otherwise. See you soon!!

All the best,

Shawna

Colorful Hibiscus.

Aloha everyone!

Tonight's card will be entered in the CAS-ology challenge with the cue card: tropical. I have also decided to join the Mod Squad Challenge and Virginia View Challenge.

Entering Challenge CAS-ologyCue card: Tropical

Entering Challenge Mod Squad Challenge: Flowers

Entering Challenge Virginia's View #13- Everything Embossed

To me, nothing says tropical like a larger then life hibiscus. This flower shimmers with pinks, purples, whites, yellows, and greens from Perfect Pearls by Ranger. I hope you like it as much I liked making it.

This card shimmers with Perfect Pearls painted
inside the white embossed hibiscus.

Stamped the flower again on the purple background
and used dimensional adhesive for the color hibiscus.
Lots of dimension without the bulk.

The sentiment 'Mahalo' is a Hawaiian
word used when thanking someone.

This card took a lot of experimentation. I have never worked with Perfect Pearls before and thought this project would be perfect for me to see what all the fuss was about. Well now I understand, and just love how it turned out. Anyone who has worked with this medium understands that the picture doesn't do it justice on how it just shines! It is truly an amazing product.

So this is how I did it:

1. stamped this jumbo hibiscus stamp on purple CS and heat embossed it white. 
2. Then colored the flower with Perfect Pearls and water. What fun!
3. Then did a little fussy cutting around the hibiscus and set it aside.
4. Stamped the same flower image on the same color paper but in black. 
5. Traced a die cut and cut out the scallop and mounted it on another shade of purple paper and outlined the scallop.
6. Mounted it on white CS leaving the some of the white exposed.
7. Stamped the sentiment, die cut it oval, then added pink pearls. Adhered it to the card.

This card really surprised me in the fact that I couldn't believe how it turned out.  I was just expecting to fiddle around with Perfect Pearls but when all was said and done I came up with this shimmering gem of a card.

That is all for now I hope you enjoyed this post.. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.. I really enjoy what you have to say.

Aloha everyone! (meaning both hello and goodbye)

All the best,
Shawna

Clean Slate

Hello All!

Well I think I have decided to make a New Years resolution and that is to join a few challenges! I have found Virginia's View Challenge particularly interesting..
Lots of white space and one layer cards are something I am trying to improve on.

So I decided to use Wetlands Stamp Set by Stampin' Up! and By the Sea 2 from Gina K. Designs. I am not sure where the sentiment came from but it is an absolute favorite!

Used some distressed ink and masking technique there we have it a single layer with lots of white! I was having so much fun with it I made a set of three. Enjoy and see you soon!

 Wetlands 

Card Size: 4.25"x5.5"

Wetlands Trio

Card Size: 4.25"x5.5"

Entering Challenge