All Aboard for a Happy Birthday!

It's that time of year where I make a card for our uncle who loves photography and trains! Subtle right?

I don't have any fancy polaroid dies so I made do with my rectangles and squares! Sometimes you have to think about what you have and how you can use it.  I think it works.

Ingredients:
Card size - 8 1/2 in x 5 1/2 in;
Cardstock - Recollections: Kraft, White;
Stamps - Clear Dollar Stamps - Railroad Memories;
Ink - Memento - Tuxedo Black;
Color - Copics to match patterned paper;
Accessories - American Craft patterned paper

Golden start to married life...

 If you follow my blog you know I try to use invites and interests as a jumping off point for my card design for an event.  Well the invite for this wedding was actually silver with subtle hearts at the top. I looked for an appropriate silver in my local Michael's and couldn't find what I wanted so I went with Delicata gold.  Isn't it yummy?  I lined up the stamp in my MISTI so it would stamp in the middle of the cardbase and then I stamped and inked and stamped and inked and stamped and inked and stamped and ink and if you look at the closeup you can see there is dimension to the image! Knocked it out of the park we have a homerun!

Ingredients:
Card size - 5 1/2 in x 5 1/2 in;
Cardstock - Recollections: 110lb and 65lb white;
Stamp - Gina K Designs: Always & Forever;
Ink - Delicata: Gold;
Accessories - Spellbinders Nestabilities Heart; Dotted Swiss embossing folder; 3M foam tape

Hippity Hoppity it's Spring and lots of bunnies!

So my Easter cards this year were an attempt a no line watercoloring.  I still have a bit of work to do but they were fun to do!

I think the blue ones turned out best and then the creamy brown ones.

The pink ones seem to look slightly demented!!

Now I just want to cuddle up to the lavender bunnies.

Extreme group shot!!! Had to do it at this angle to get them all in!

Ingredients:
Cardstock - Recollections: Kraft; Artist Loft Watercolor paper;
Stamp - CC Designs: Dragon Doodle Lucky Rabbit; Hero Arts: Celebrate Everyday;
Ink - Memento (I forgot exact colors);
Color - Derwent watercolour pencils

Painting with Lindsay the Frugalcrafter - Orchid

Another one of my attempts to paint along with Lindsay, the Frugalcrafter.  Here is the tutorial and inspiration video and/or blog.  There is plenty of critical eye issues with this.  The blooms aren't quite round enough in the focal orchid.  The color mix is a little too garish compared to the original.  Yada yada yada... 

But you know what, I am happy with it, I painted this with Koi watercolors and Derwent watercolor pencils around midnight in my basement craft area with somewhat crappy lighting even with my task light and the husband's puzzle light.  Seriously, I'm lucky this even looks like a flower!!!  

Thanks Lindsay for the inspiration to try and try again!  I'm thinking this might be my Mother's Day card for my own US based mother.

Ingredients
Inspiration - Lindsay, The Frugalcrafter youtube - Orchid Watercolor Full Length;
Card Size - 5" × 6-7/8"(127 mm × 175 mm);
Card stock - Strathmore Watercolor Greeting Cards;
Color - Koi Watercolor; Derwent Watercolour pencils;

Going to move some things around

I find that I am limiting my sharing because of the ban issues.  I don't want that to be the focus of my blog or to be reminded of negativity every time I visit my blog so I am going to attempt to move those posts to another page.  I don't want them deleted, I just don't want to see them when I want to share card ideas with crafty friends who don't know and/or aren't interested in what has happened.  I'm ok with that.  The information should be on another page if they want to look and it shouldn't be in their face if they just aren't interested.

Moving forward isn't about burning a bridge, it is about acknowledging that path is no longer available and to go forward with peace and love.  Thanks for all the support during this, it has meant the world.

Banned forever for citing FCC rules on Splitcoaststampers!

As my previous requests for clarification had been ignored I really didn't expect anything yesterday when I sent off a request to "Contact Us" on Splitcoaststampers, so imagine my surprise when this arrived and I have thus asked for further explanation.  I honestly don't expect to be reinstated but it is rather ridiculous that they don't see that they are being bullies by only allowing certain favored people to speak freely.  This is the response and my response and I have only taken out my email address.  I'm all about honesty and integrity in communication.

Now we have to ask ourselves why Administrators on Splitcoaststampers don't want Forum Members to know about FCC rules?  

Splitcoast ban update - from 2 years to Never

Yup! That's right folks. Because I commented that there are consumer protection laws and that I personally put more stock in a customer review than a person who is gifted a product I was banned for 2 years which has since increased to "Never".

I did use "contact us" and asked for an explanation as I obviously haven't posted on Splitcoastampers.  I'm not holding my breath.  

And I will repeat myself that I am a very happy owner of MISTI and firmly support the product and those that use it.  The only person that has been personally slighted and harmed by any of this seemingly deliberate misunderstanding is me. 

I am bemused but not sad, and just thought that people following the saga deserved an update.  I bear no ill will as life is too short for such pettiness.  I will however always be amused by protestations of any altruistic behavior when some can't forgive a simple misunderstanding.

A Mad Tea Time Birthday!

So my goddaughter's birthday required a special card as she became a teenager!  I had noticed at Christmas that she was hinting toward an Alice in Wonderland themed birthday so when I found this image at Saturated Canary I just had to work with it.  I took the color theme from Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" and the overall eclectic appearance of the Mad Hatter.

Once I finished coloring her I decided I needed to card it up and where would I put the sentiment?  Again I took inspiration from one of the close up Mad Hatter movie poster which had hats repeated in the background. I decided to repeat "Happy Birthday".  So I masked my image with rubber cement, or thought I had, and let it dry. Then I airbrushed in the greens and pinks.  After that I used my MISTI to repeatedly stamp over the image to get the background completely confident that I had masked my image.

I rubbed off the mask and I should have taken a picture.  She had "Happy Birthday" written all over her in the strangest of places!  Luckily I had already printed off a second image so I colored in the image again and fussy cut for dimension.  I probably should act like that dimension was all planned but I really think it is important to acknowledge how to save your work and when to call it quits.  I was ready to declare this a successful save when I dropped the pen I was edging the 2nd piece with and left a blemish on her face.  YIKES! Will the disasters ever stop?!  Thus she gained a pearl beauty mark!  Of course this is just between us and if anyone asks it was all planned! 

Ingredients:

Card Size - 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 in

Cardstock - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Smooth; Recollections: Black;

Stamps - Saturated Canary: Teacups; Kitchen Sink Stamps: 3 Step Daisy;

Ink - Memento: Tuxedo Black;

Color - Copics; Dr Ph Marten's Bombay India Ink: white;

Accessories - Glossy Accents; stickles; rhinestones; pearl.

Mothering Sunday 2015

This card was a get it done card and I'm happy with it but I'm not going to pretend I reinvented the wheel with it or anything.  I went with traditional flower for an English Mothering Sunday, the daffodil and a small greeting (I think from Hero Arts).  I think if I did this card over I might bring the image a bit further up and to the right on the card.

This is actually the second card I used my MISTI on.  I didn't get a very good impression of the sentiment and restamped it.  It isn't perfect because my card moved and now I have bought magnets that are working well!

Ingredients:
Card Size - 5" × 6-7/8"(127 mm × 175 mm)
Card stock - Strathmore Watercolor Greeting Cards
Stamps - Gina K Designs: Sending Sunshine; Hero Arts: Celebrate Everyday;
Ink - Versamark;
Color - Koi Watercolor;
Accessories - Gold embossing powder.