Marvelous Possibilities

  Mother's day seems to be the perfect time for making floral cards, so that was my focus this past week.  I was so sorry to see Stippled Blossoms stamp set on the retired list, so I decided I needed to put it to use now.  I have to admit that the photo does not do this justice, as the colors seem a little off in the sunlight, but when I was making it all looked right.  I loved the color challenge at Inspired by Stamping #93 , so I used Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Wisteria Wonder, and Blackberry Bliss.  The background paper is from Park Lane DSP, and it is Blackberry Bliss.  The Card Concept #34 had an inspirational picture, and I loved the floral tag in the photo, so I used that idea for my card.  The Friday Mashup Challenge #207 was to use their sketch and your Favorite Retiring Stamp set.   I have saved so many photos of cards I like with Stippled Blossoms, but I am  not very good with 2-step stamping, and I seldom get the beautiful...

 My card with a Trillium in the woods I love, love, love crafting at my trailer.  As I was leaving today, I saw my first Trillium (Wisconsin state flower) in bloom, so I snapped a photo with my card.  We had commented on Friday that the woods are still bare, hardly a bud on the trees, and the plants just popping out their heads.  It got so wonderfully warm with temps in the 80's this weekend, and what happened over the next 3 days was amazing in the woods. Over the winter we bought a new trailer (slightly used 2013 model), and we moved it up to our campgrounds in Wisconsin 2 weeks ago.  We spent that weekend cleaning out our old trailer, and moving into the new.  I compiled a long list of things we would need to organized our new space.  It was almost like moving into a new apartment (not as much work as a home, and space is limited.)  So this weekend I came back with a trunk full of organizational supplies, and got everything put into order....

I find inspiration for cards in lots of strange places.  Last week I was working my part-time job as a sample lady at Target, and I saw a woman wearing a very interesting shirt, and I thought "when I get home, I am going to make a card like that shirt!"  My friend came over to stamp with me that evening, and I told her about my inspiration.  I wanted to try a new technique that I had seen recently to make a watercolored background to stamp on.  I tried over and over to do the watercolor technique, without much success, and with much disappointment.  In the end, I grabbed my sponges and went to work sponging around the background in the soft pastel tones I wanted.  I used Pretty In Pink, Wisteria Wonder, Certainly Celery, and Daffodil Delight.  After sponging all over the paper, I stamped over it with Basic Black using the Stippled Blossom stamp set.  I then cut up the paper for the background on my card.  It really did turn out just like th...

Working on another card for Mothers Day, but decided to leave this one a little more generic so it could be used for other occasions, too.  I gave this card lots of "love" and attention with a bouquet hand-stamped from Stippled Blossoms, and hand-cut before I arranged them on the oval frame.  The embossed brocade background, along with the roses reminded me of the wallpaper in the house I lived in as a child.  We rented the house for about 10 years, and my mother hated the pink roses in the wallpaper that she could not change.  She could paint all around them, but she was still stuck with those big pink roses.  The layout I found from CAS - Colour and Sketch Challenge  #22, and the colors are from Color Throwdown #239 , the Addicted to CAS challenge #11  was to use "flowers", and the SUO challenge #69  was for "anything Sizzix", and I used my Big Shot for embossing and cutting the ovals.  I can hardly wait to head for the fl...

I am trying my hand at another clean and simple type of card today.  I say an idea, and just thought I would give it a try.  I love the color combination form the Just Us Girls Challenge 172 to use lime green, white, and gray.  Yes, that band is gray, but my camera and/or lighting gives everything a blue hue.  (I've got to get a decent light box, and trying to make do with what I have.  At least now I have a new camera, which is a good start.)  I used the stamps for Stippled Blossom, and stamped first with Basic Gray, and then with the Lucky Limeade.  Kind of a weird combination, but I liked the effect.  I added the Basic Gray band with the eyelet edges cut with my edgelits.  I then stamped Thanks from the new Vintage Verses available in the SaleABration products.  I did the gray on gray and like that look, too.  I added a few rhinestones to the flowers because I felt like I needed something dimensional.  I am so used to l...

I have been working on cards for an upcoming craft sale, and today I was making some wedding cards.  I was looking for something other than the white on white variety of wedding cards.  My nephew recently married at Como Park Conservatory, and he wore shorts and a white shirt, and she was in a white summer dress with a bright colored bouquet.  A fancy schmancy wedding card would just not fit the bill for that wedding.  I decided to make a bright floral card, and I was inspired by the color challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments to use Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery and Not Quite Navy, and this is the card I made.  I also chose the layout from another challenge at  Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge at Techno Stamper .    This is the first time I pulled out my new stamp set Stippled Blossoms, and I found it a bit of a challenge.  I have a hard time with 2 step stamping, and I am always tempted to pull out the o...