Inspired by Winter Watercolor

This week's Make it Monday video at Papertrey Ink was created by Ashley Cannon Newell and it's entitled Winter Watercolor. It's an awesome video that inspires you to try your hand at watercoloring and stamping a winter scene...she made it look so easy and fun!

Here is my card, using most of the same sets as Ashley, and her positioning of stamped trees as my guide...

Used many Tim Holtz Distress Inks in blue, green, and gray, along with watercolor brushes in different sizes. The stamp sets are Enchanted Forest, trees from Winter Village, and a sentiment from O'Tannenbaum.

 I didn't have gesso, so I used white gouache mixed with water. So much fun!

PTI Make it Monday... 2018 a la carte

This week's Papertrey Ink's Make it Monday is their yearly a la carte post, when they feature all of the MIMs from the year, and you choose a technique that you didn't get a chance to try. I chose Stephanie Gold's MIM #331: Creating Mixed Background Texture.

I used Floral Fantasy: Christmas stamps and dies, and the Hexagon Cover Plate to create my card.

Stamped leaves from the set in three shades of grey at the top, then added some Nuvo Drops, and the bottom hexagon piece.

Embossed the deer in white on white cardstock, then sponged Wilted Violet and Hickory Smoke Distress Inks over the top. Added a sentiment and grey, violet, and hot pink flowers and branches from the set, with some tiny clear sequins, over the tag. A bit of twine in a bow and finished! 

Love the light airy feel of Stephanie's designs!

Make it Monday: Envelope Bag

Lexi had a really fun Make it Monday called Creating Envelope Bags from Patterned Paper.
I used patterned paper from the Tinsel & Tags and Chicken Scratch Gingham collections.

Another fun stamped image from my get together with Michelle Leone and Karen Walker, the sweet "Arctic Fox." I made the gingham frame with 2 stitched rectangle dies, then added the little stitched element from Mix & Mat: Berry Bough.

I added a Rustic Wreath with some Nuvo Drop berries, a tag stamped with sentiments from Tinsel & Tags, and a white paper bow.

This little bag will be perfect for one of my great nieces this Christmas 🎄!

Warm & Fuzzy

Playing along with Dawn's "Make it Monday #341: Painted Brushstroke Backgrounds for Papertrey Ink. This week we were to make brushstrokes of paint for a background!

PTI Design Team Member Michelle Leone had Karen Walker and I come over for another get together!  We are so lucky that we live close to each other. Michelle made us a fantastic set of snacks, coffee,and then the most delicious lunch! We all talked about our favorite crafty things and shared supplies. I made them take a selfie...

I didn't get to order PTI's Warm & Fuzzy yet, so I stamped and cut some pieces. SO cute, and can't wait for the dies to come back in stock to order them!

My background paint is acrylic paints in shades of aqua, pink, and white. It's funny because Michelle told us how she sometimes takes pictures while making a card, to "see" what it looks like in a different way. After my photo, I really think the red striped sock should be in the middle, but I didn't want to ruin it by pulling it off! Maybe when I get my own Warm & Fuzzy set, I'll make a new one😊.

I ran a piece of vellum through with the Picnic Plaid Cover Plate for the piece behind the sentiment, then added some heart brads for stocking "hooks."

Thanks again to Michelle for being the most gracious and generous hostess, and to Karen for keeping us giggling and sharing her ideas and supplies! I always leave with so much inspiration.. and a REALLY long shopping list!

Make it Monday: Banner-ific!

Michelle Leone challenged us to make a banner-ific creation for Papertrey Ink's Make it Monday Challenge this week. I made one using a PTI Banner die and the adorable new penguin set "Warmer Together."

 Stamped and die cut the penguins and added some Crystal Snow glitter on their bodies. Stamped a sentiment from the set in Stazon Ink, as I was going to add water to the background...

Cut the banners, did a color wash in blues and grays with my Zig Clear Color Markers, then ran them through my Cuttlebug with a Sizzix Snowfall embossing folder. (Also splashed them with some watered down white paint.)

Cut snowflakes using PTI's "Silver White Winters" dies, then strung up the banner with silver sparkle baker's twine. 

 Such a sweet idea for holiday decor, thanks for the inspiration  Michelle!

Make it Monday:Patterned Frames

This week's Make it Monday Challenge at Papertrey Ink is to use patterned paper and dies to make a fancy frame. I chose last year's Mix & Mat die set featuring the snow and evergreen frame along with paper from the Wonderland Make it Market kit.

Added a scene inside with Winter Village and a sentiment from Holiday Button Bits, and the corners are decorated with a bow and greenery from Tinsel & Tags

So fun to make scenes with images from Betsy Veldman's sets!

Die Cut Stencils

Playing along with Papertrey Ink's Make it Monday! This week Melissa Phillips challenged us to make a stencil out of a die cut negative. I used the snowy dots from Mix & Mat: Berries and Boughs to make a bubbly ocean scene.

I used Salt Air:Flora, fish from Salt Air:Fauna, Salt Air:Sentiments, and the Sand Swatch set stamped in blues and grey.

Colored in the stencil dots with ombre shades of Tim Holtz Distress Inks.

Last some Wink of Stella Pen to glitter up the scene, such a fun technique!

Make it Monday: Lots of Dots

Michelle Leone had a fabulous PTI "Make it Monday" this week in which she added colorful dots to her card by using Nuvo Drops on a stamped image! Since I purchased "Butterfly Blooms" AND Nuvo Drops after using them at Michelle's house, I used them again for this technique...

I heat embossed the butterfly in white on watercolor paper, then used my Zig Clean Color Watercolor Markers to color it. The background is made with the Lace Bouquet stamp set, also embossed in white. I sponged some Distress Inks over the background to add soft color to highlight the lace images.

I used Crystal Nuvo Drops to color the butterfly, then added a sentiment from Butterfly Blooms and a few clear sequins.  Nuvo Drops are VERY addicting! Once you buy one bottle, you want all of the colors! Thanks to my "play date" with Michelle and Karen Walker, I have quite a few bottles now 😊!!

Cascading Flip Flops

Stephanie Gold posted such a fun Make it Monday video at Papertrey Ink this week called "Cascading Die Cuts". I couldn't wait to play along! Here is my summer-inspired card with the "Flippin' Out" stamp set and dies!

Underneath each flip flop, I stamped the Sand Swatch Mini Background in Kraft ink on Kraft paper

.

So much fun and looks authentic every time I use this image with Kraft ink and paper. These bright  flip flop colors are faves of mine from AMuse Studio...Cobalt, Margarita, and Berry with some lovely Mango Fresh Ink from Impress!

Make it Monday:Spot Color Word Die Cuts

This week, Betsy Veldman had the coolest technique for Make it Monday that I had to try out! It's called Spot Color Word Die Cuts seen HERE. You stamp an image in black, die cut the word out of the center and color only the word, then place it back in the image that's left uncolored (and don't forget to keep the little die cut leftovers and put them back uncolored, too!)

I used the Friends 'til the End stamp set and Wonderful Words: Hello for my die.

I colored the "hello" die cut word with pink, yellow, and aqua Copics, then added the Friend" sentiment heat-embossed in black.

Added some translucent and jewel Nuvo Drops in a rainbow of colors! An eye-catching technique that can be done relatively quickly, SO fun!

Make it Monday: Graffiti Word Art

Playing along with Lexi Daly's fun Graffiti Word Art Challenge for Make it Monday at Papertrey Ink. She challenged us to ink up and stamp our die cuts to make our designs.

Here is my card featuring the Headline Alphabet dies and part of a sentiment from Think Big Favorites #1.

I used Watercolor Wonder and the confetti image from Birthday Style to create my background. I cut the letters from black and white cardstock to give them a shadow effect.

Then I added splatters of watered down acrylic paint in pink, black, and white all over, and even smeared it here and there with a paper towel when it went on too thick.

What a fun way to get inky on a Saturday! Thanks for the inspiring technique, Lexi!

Make it Monday: Stitched Stems

Playing along with Michelle Leone's  Make it Monday at Papertrey Ink! She had the sweetest technique called "Stitched Stems" in which you use a paper piercer and thread to stitch stems to combine with stamped flower images, sooo cute!

I used "Butterfly Blooms" with flowers and a sentiment from "Bloom and Grow," and the
"flight dots" from "Baby Button Bits." There is more to this story...I made the butterfly at Michelle Leone's house!!!  She lives about 10 minutes from me, and she hosted a little get together for Karen Walker and me! We had the best time chatting (and snacking, and tea-ing), and managed a bit of stamping.

Michelle shared some of the embossing thread she used in her video, and it got me thinking that I wanted to see the butterfly from last month's new set "Butterfly Blooms." She showed Karen and I her gorgeous sample card from the release last month, and then we got talking about Nuvo Drops (we were easily distracted)! Michelle die cut us some butterflies, and I twisted Karen's arm to play along with the Nuvo Drops to color the dots.

When I got home, my plan was to use a Sakura Clear Glaze pen on the black butterfly outline (Michelle had heat embossed hers with black powder and it was amazing!), but alas, I had thrown it away because it dried up!  So I used a Sakura Stardust Glitter pen instead :). I wanted black and white paper and this newsprint paper's headlines summed up our afternoon perfectly :).

This get together was so much fun, but may turn costly! I left with a shopping list on a post-it...Butterfly Blooms, a Bit More Butterfly Blooms, more Corner Adorner stamps and Shape Shifter dies, Nuvo Drops in lots of colors, a stamp shammy for cleaning, new watercolors by Gansai, and an Instant Pot for cooking!

Thanks so much to Michelle and Karen for making my dreary Rochester, New York, Saturday afternoon (while we awaited an ice storm in April!)...bloom!

Make it Monday: Outline Images

Playing along with Stephanie Gold's Make it Monday at Papertrey Ink. This week, she challenged us to make a card using outline and shadow images, but in a different way to make an abstract pattern. I used the "Color Pop Floral" Make It Market mini kit for my background.

I  stamped and used the stencils in the kit for my background flowers and leaves. Then I die cut a circle, added some vellum on the back, and heat embossed a sentiment from "Sentiment Staples: Birthday."

Stenciled and die cut some more flowers to match, then a few little Glossy Accent details to finish my card. It's kind of retro springy, and I think I like it!

Inspired by the Color Wheel

This week at Papertrey Ink, Lexi Daly's Make it Monday feature was to make a project inspired by the color wheel!  I heard wheel, and immediately thought of Betsy's "County Fair" Make it Market Kit!

My colors might not match up like the wheel, but I got shades of the rainbow in there!

I splattered a piece of black cardstock with watered down white acrylic paint for my night sky.

Die cut my ferris wheel, stamped the little seats in an array of colors, added some Wink of Stella pen, and then some fun rhinestone "stars."  The "Enjoy" die cut sentiment is also from "County Fair," and the bottom sentiment is from the new set, "Sentiment Staples: Birthday."

What a fun challenge! Thanks for stopping by!

Make it Monday: Mask and Stack

Betsy Veldman had the sweetest technique for Papertrey Ink's "Make it Monday" this week! She called it "Mask and Stack."  You repeat an open image by stamping, masking over the top with post-it notes cut with coordinating dies, sponge around the images, and then color them in!

Surprisingly, I don't have many "cute critter" stamps and dies from PTI, so I used this citrus slice from "Still Life: Summer" and additional images from "Hello Sunshine."

I stamped the citrus images, then while masked, sponged the top of the card with Tim Holtz "Squeezed Lemonade" ink, then stamped the rays from "Hello Sunshine" in a darker yellow.

My sentiment started to smear when I added the rays!  So I stamped it again on a separate white piece of cardstock, cut it with the same citrus die, and placed it over the top.  Accident averted!

Changed my citrus slices to oranges, limes, and lemons with the help of Copics!  Dotted the center with Stickles, then also colored over the images with a Wink of Stella pen for some sparkle.

I have never been good at masking, but Betsy made it look so easy!  Need to buy some cute critter images so I can try this again soon.  Would be perfect birthday party cards!

Make It Monday: Frames

This week at the Papertrey Ink blog, Laurie Schmidlin challenged us to frame our images and sentiments.  She even showed ways to combine open dies to cut a unique frame!  I took a frame die and combined it with a stitched rectangle die to make a little shaker tag...

I used flowers from Petite Pots and a sentiment from Bloom and Grow.  Added some iridescent sequins to catch some of the colors in the flowers. Plus a little gingham is always the right touch on a spring tag!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

PTI's Make It Monday: Stencil Embossed Backgrounds

This week's Make It Monday for Papertrey Ink is by Melissa Phillips.  She challenged us to create a heat embossed background using a stencil!  SO fun!

 I needed a little color in my life, so I paired a Woodgrain Stencil background with Dawn McVey's Gran's Garden stamp set!

I clear embossed the stencil with Versamark ink on white paper.  Then used one of Melissa's other MIM techniques, I got out Gelatos, and smudged a background on PTI's Linen Cardstock using a dry paper towel.  I also embossed that piece with PTI's Woodgrain Impression plate. Love how the colors blend so softly!

Added some details on the stamped and die cut flowers with some Liquid Pearls and Glossy Accents.  A few small clear sequins to help catch the shine on the background :).

The sentiment is from Beautiful Berries: Spring.  Celebrating some color and a bit of warmth in the midst of negative temperatures and 10-12 inches of the white stuff that fell pretty quickly overnight on Friday!  My poor girls are going stir crazy on this 3-day weekend, but I sure have been getting a lot of stamping time.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Make it Monday Review: Faux Stained Glass

For this week's Make it Monday at Papertrey Ink, we were to revisit a technique from 2017 that we may have missed.  I chose #307, Laurie Schmidlin's Faux Stained Glass technique, using Copic markers, the Hexagon Cover Plate die, and vellum.

I used the stamp set "In the Meadow" to make a snowy winter scene.

Die cute the pieces and stamped a sentiment on vellum, then heat embossed it with white powder.  Splattered some snow on the tree using white acrylic paint.

What I learned...I think I would be better off with lighter colors!   I also should have only added 1 layer of coloring, because I tended to try to fix the streaks by adding more color, which seemed to make it worse! 

Such a fun technique!  Will definitely try this one again :)!  Thanks, Laurie!