TTC16 - Inspiration Challenge

There's a new challenge up at the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog - this time we're using our markers to create projects inspired by the picture below. We hope you'll join the fun!

For my card, I used the Kites2Fly set from The Stamps of Life. We're so grateful to them for sponsoring our challenges this month!I used very few colors this time, and used the same colors to layer over each other to create texture in the kite panels. The twine I used is from the Twinery.These are the Touch Twin markers that I used:You can visit the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog for all the details if you'd like to play! Don't have a blog? That's OK. Just post to any online gallery with the keywords TTC16 and touchtwin and link up at the challenge blog. Have fun!

Really Reasonable Ribbon

I'm so honored to be the guest blogger over at Really Reasonable Ribbon today! RRR has wonderful service and so many beautiful ribbon choices (click here for a peek at the ones I ordered, in case you missed that post!).
I finally inked up these stamps from Innovative Stamp Creations... I usually stay pretty close to my favorite companies, and it's a rare day that I'm drawn outside that list, but this card by Julie Warner made me NEED this stamp from the Friendship II set! ISC's stamps come in deeply-etched, untrimmed red rubber, ready to trim and mount with your system of choice. They have lots of beautiful images to choose from, but the beach ones are my favorite. (The sentiment is from Impression Obsession.)
I used ShinHan watercolors to color the image - I'm pretty new to tube watercolors, and I love these! I added some texture to the sand by masking the girl, ocean, and sky, and flicking a wet, paint-loaded brush over the area.

I love the feminine touch of this Sheer Ruffle Edge ribbon from May Arts........ ♥

My second card is more masculine... I thought the rustic look of the Jute Ribbon would be a good pairing with this boat image (On the Shore).

At home I like to use coconut buttons because they're sort of unique to the tropics... I didn't bring any with me, so I made a faux coconut button out of die-cut cardstock... it's 2 circles covered with a layer of Crystal Lacquer.

Will you pop over and leave me some love at the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog? I'm sharing another card over there!

Skipping Stones Sketch Challenge

It's been a fun month guesting with the team - is it really over already?!! Thanks to Heather and the rest of the designers for having me along! Here's this week's sketch for the Skipping Stones Design challenge:

...and my card:I loved working with this sketch! These papers from Memory Box and Echo Park worked so perfectly with the bird theme. I used the branch stamps from the 2 new sets to create a background, inking and misting the stamps before stamping them to my watercolor paper. To tell you the truth, I think that panel may be upside-down...!

I used a marker to color my seam binding to match... the dies I used are my designs (the eyelet border is from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps and the label is actually the bottom end of a cross die from ODBD).
I sent this card to a sweet lady who cut and highlighted my hair at no cost, just as a ministry she has to missionary ladies! I don't normally curl my hair, but here's a fun self-portrait while the kids were playing at the park... Remember to pop over to the SSD blog to see what the rest of the team has created! Thanks for stopping by to visit me!

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Flower Power

The Impression Obsession team's challenge today is to create a floral project! I decided to do something a little different for this challenge - I had some of these Dahlias watercolored up and thought that sections of this image would be beautiful in a pendant.

 I purchased my supplies from Sun And Moon Craft Kits... there are great instructions for creating your own pendants on their site, but stay tuned for a tutorial here in the future!I'll be selling these one-of-a-kind necklaces through my blog here, so if you're interested, take a peek!

Be sure to check out these other designers' blogs for inspiration -
Daniela @ For the First Time
Jeanne @ Inky Paws
Jenny @ One Krafty Kat
Julie @ Out to Impress
Laura @ Laura's Stamp Art Journal
Vicki @ Summerthyme Studio

Remember you can enter these challenges too, using your Impression Obsession stamps! See the I.O. blog for all the details - you might even win a $25 gift certificate!! We'd love to have you join us.

Skipping Stones Sketch Challenge

Here's my sketch for this week's challenge over at Skipping Stones - I hope you'll play along! You can find the details at the Skipping Stones Blog.I used the rose stamp from the newly released Heartsong 2 set - I stamped the image in Memento Rich Cocoa ink, stamping off each time so the ink would be lighter. I colored the panel with Touch Twin Markers.The rolled rose was made using the same stamped rose -I cut in a spiral from the outside edge to the center then rolled the paper around a small stylus.Pop on over to the SSD site to see what the rest of the team has created! There are incentives for joining us, too... but you can't win if you don't play along!

Have a great week!

TTC15 - In the Neighborhood

There's a new challenge up at the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog - this time we're using our markers to create projects with a neighborhood theme. We hope you'll join the fun! The whole team is working with the same stamp set from The Stamps of Life today (Houses4us)... we are so thankful to them for sponsoring our challenges this month!!

Here's my card... I love the simplicity of these houses - they'd be great for a mixed media project or pieced with patterned papers... but today, they're colored with Touch markers. I love coloring houses with blue doors - in our first house overseas, all the doors were this turquoise blue.


These are the Touch Twin markers I used:

You can visit the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog for all the details if you'd like to play! Don't have a blog? That's OK. Just post to any online gallery with the keywords TTC15 and touchtwin and link up at the challenge blog. Have fun!

Skipping Stones blog candy winner

And the winner of the newly released Heartsong 2 set is.......................

Debbie!!

Please send me an email with your mailing information so I can get these stamps off to you! Congratulations!!

I'll be attending the North Idaho Rubber Stamp and Paper Arts Show today with my mom and daughter - looking forward to that! Hopefully I'll have pictures to share soon. :) Have a great weekend!

Waste not time...

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to make a challenge entry for a trade show vendor challenge... this is the project I submitted! All stamps are from Impression Obsession. The only prompt given was the quote:

"Let go. Let fly. Forget.

You’ve listened long enough.

Now strike your note." -Seamus Heaney

I have a really limited amount of stamps with me while we are away from home, so I chose this Butterflies stamp from the latest release and stamped it several times on watercolor paper. All my coloring was done with ShinHan watercolors - these are the only colors I have right now, so I had some fun with blending:

Here's my finished project closed - I had hoped the sides of the gatefold card would interlock a little more, but the card didn't want to stay closed on its own.

I used the sentiment "Dost Thou Love" inside - I didn't plan for the word 'love' to show through this opening, but it's sort of cool that way!!


I splattered and dotted some watercolor paints on the panels, and also added some texture by tapping the panels onto an inked Cover-a-Card Graph Paper stamp. Here's a look at the dimension of the butterflies...It's fun to do something different once in a while!

Skipping Stones Sketch Challenge & Hop

Welcome to the Skipping Stones Design new release hop!! If you're a regular reader of my blog and just happened upon my section of the hop, you may want to start back at the Skipping Stones Design blog - The entire hop order is there and you never know where you might find blog candy up for grabs.... You can always refer to the list there, too, if you get lost... and they have some special offers this week, too. If you're already hopping and you've just come from Katie's blog, you're doing just fine!

Here's the sketch the team is working with this week...Here's my card -I used a floral stamp from one of the new releases. The flowers are stamped in Adirondack Willow ink, and colored with Polychromos pencils on Inchie Plus Squares from Inchie Arts.Here's a close-up on the flowers:
Aren't the new releases great? If you like what you've seen using the Heartsong 2 set, then you're in luck - Heather has given me a set of stamps to give away! I'll draw a winner from the comments on this post, so be sure to leave a comment for me if you'd like to win. Comments will close Friday at midnight EST, and the winner will be announced on Saturday, April 14th. Good luck to you!

After you leave a commet here, you'll be hopping on to JoAnn's blog - I hope you enjoy the hop!

SNSS April release hop

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is celebrating their new stamp release today with a fun blog hop, and I have some designs in the mix! So excited to finally share them with you here. If you just happened on the blog hop because you're a regular reader of my blog, and you'd like to view the entire hop, you can start back at the Sweet 'n Sassy Blog - you'll find a full list of participants there, and all the details you need. If you're already hopping and you arrived here from DJ's blog, you're doing just fine.The set I designed for this month is called Graceful Lily - the main image is this vintage lily collage, and all the verses and sentiments are about God's grace. There are sentiments for every occasion, but all of them are meant to encourage believers to hold to the grace that is ours in the Lord.
I stamped the image in brown ink and painted it using Shinhan watercolors - the colors are so vibrant!The oval is pretty close to the dimension of Spellbinders oval dies - here's a tutorial for cutting 'outside the die'. I trimmed around the curve of each flower and the larger leaf, and embossed from the back of the panel to add some dimension.Here's a peek at the inside - the patterned panel is a piece of embellishment packaging... the arched panel on the card front is recycled packaging too (it was from a digital thermometer, but it was on my stamping desk, and the shape appealed to me...).

After you leave a comment here you'll be hopping on to Kim Singdahlsen's blog! Hope you are enjoying the hop!

P.S. If you like my stamp designs, stop by and 'like' dkdesigns on Facebook!

Here's the full list of Design Divas (and our special April Guest) sharing their creativity with you today:

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog

Korin Sutherland

Jessica Fick

Mary Faus

DJ Rants

Dina Kowal

Kim Singdahlsen

Melisa Waldorf 

Monika Davis

Cathy McCauley

Holly McMillen

Kim Schofield

Giovana Smith

Bridget Finlay

Taylor Usry

Make plans to join us tonight over in our member company forums on Splitcoaststampers for our New Release Party!  We'll have full reveals of each fabulous stamp set, fellowship and chatter with friends, fun challenges, and more!  Also.....did you know today is Korin's birthday?!  Isn't that fun?  To celebrate, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps will be giving away a $34 gift certificate to the store.  l you have to do is leave Korin some birthday wishes over on this photo on the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Facebook page. 

Impression Obsession April Release

The Impression Obsession team is showcasing some newly released stamps for you today! Instead of saving all the goodness for CHA releases, Impression Obsession will be doing some smaller stamp releases monthly. By the way, did you know that Impression Obsession has a new website?!! It has some neat new features, like card samples with the stamp images - you'll have to check it out if you haven't yet.

If you'd like to create a card to go with our theme for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate, take a peek over at the IO Blog for all the details!

This is Jill, another new release from Claudia Tenorio Pearl! This little beachy image colored up so easily with watercolors, and some Sand Ultrafine Flower Soft adds such fun dimension. I was playing with some border dies from Quickutz, and also used a doily die from Cheery Lynn.

Be sure to check out these other designers' blogs for inspiration -

Daniela @ For the First Time
Jeanne @ Inky Paws
Jenny @ One Krafty Kat
Julie @ Out to Impress
Laura @ Laura's Stamp Art Journal
Vicki @ Summerthyme Studio