I'm so excited to be guest designing this fortnight for Try It on Tuesday Hello Spring challenge.  Thank you, thank you, for the opportunity.

Normally I enjoy working in my garden but I just want to hunker down in my nest this year, although I am feeling a bit more energetic now that my daffies are up and the sun comes out more regularly. Pacific Northwest rain and winter blahs are no joke.

I'm entering this in Simon Says Monday Easter/Spring, Fab n Funky #516 Flowers, TIME OUT #185 Inspired by Words

VLV images from Plate 1459

Distress Oxide Weathered Wood, Mowed Lawn

Distress Oxide Spray Cracked Pistachio, Speckled Egg

Distress Ink Kitsch Flamingo

Tim Mini Brick and Lines Stencils

Crafty Individuals Wild Flowers and Ferns Silhouette

PaperArtsy Eclectica Tracy Scott 24

Visible Image Two Tone Stencil

Black Glaze pen

Liquitex Cadmium Yellow Acrylic Paint

All/Most Cards:

Insert satisfied sigh.  My first of the 52 ATC set are done . . . I think.  I didn't start out with a plan for these beyond there being 52 of them so I thought I would pick up one of the Tim Holtz Tiny Sentiment Strip Sticker books to help me along.

The sentiments are a bit too sappy--not quite the word--hmm.  Essentially they're too touchy feely positive trite for me so I'm using some as they are but also some with Toni edits.

CARD 1: Tim Holtz Resist Spray, Tim Holtz Life's Possibilities, Visible Image Alice in Wonderland Rabbit, That's Crafty Cog Clock stencil, Visible Image Two Tone Stencil, Ranger Tim Holtz Clear Rock Candy Crackle Paste

CARD 2:  Visible Image Oz Tin Man, Ranger Watering Can Embossing Powder, Clear, Gold and Silver Wink of Stella, Seth Apter Barbed Wire Stencil, Tim Holtz Gearhead dies

CARD 3: Indigo Blu Steampunk, MFT Rays Stencil, Tim Holtz Bouquet Stencil

CARD 4:  Visible Image Creative Chaos, Memory Box Butterflies, Tim Holtz Sizzix Alphanumeric Tiny Type Lower dies, Tim Holtz Dot Fade Stencil

This week on the Topflight Stamps blog we're playing around with Gelli plates.  Come get inspired!

I'll be back with you next week. Until then, why don't you check out the new products that have come into the TFS shop!  You can shop your heart out using this 12% off coupon!

Leonardo and I are over on the Topflight Stamps blog with this one. Never be afraid to try new things but don't be a dumbass about it.

Be sure to check out the latest in the store. You can shop your heart out using this 12% off coupon!

I'm over on the Topflight Stamps Blog today!

I'm over on the Doodlebugs blog today. I'm so excited I might explode!

I'm wrapping up my first month at Whimsy Stamps using the January release Speckled Heart Stencil again. I love that it has the border around the heart.  It was so easy to use multiple Distress Oxide colors without masking!


After I sponged, I die cut the Thanks die using one of my acrylic pour pulls.


It coordinates beautifully with the DO purples, don't you think?


Lastly I glued the Thanks diecut down and then added a bit of bling with the Sparkletz Crystal Hearts. Isn't it cool how they change color depending on the light reflection?


The Details: Whimsy Stamps Speckled Heart Stencil, Sparkletz Crystal Hearts, and Thanks die, Distress Oxides, Liquitex Acrylic Paints

I sponged the base lavender panel with Distress Oxide to create a bit of an ombre pattern before embossing sentiments from A Boy's Dream. I used Ranger Super Fine Detail White Embossing Powder which is my absolute fav. Be sure if you're using it over Oxides, you allow the Oxides to dry so the powder doesn't stick to it.  Been there, done that!

I used the below Copics to color up the images before adhering them. I love this combo, don't you?!



The Details: Whimsy Stamps A Boy's Dream, Speckled Heart Stencil, Wonky Windows, Ranger Super Fine Detail White Embossing, Copics, Liquitex Acrylic Paints, Dreamweaver Glossy White Embossing Paste, Versamark

Here I'm using a Gelli print as raindrops.  I loved the print as it turned out but it had a lot going on as you can see from the snippets so I selectively die cut my fav bits. I also like the purples against the lemongrass paper, an unusual choice for me.

I started by stamping the silhouette and sentiment--this comes from a TH set that I'd had so long without using it that I put it in this summer's garage sale.  Good thing it didn't sell!  Next I stenciled some vertical lines using Distress Oxide. Glue on those raindrops then trim to size = fab!

I'm entering this in Shopping Our Stash #366 Silhouettes, Simon Says Wednesday Distress It

The Details:  Tim Holtz Life's Possibilities, vertical lines stencil, dotty stencil, TCW Rain stencil, Liquitex Acrylic Paints, Versafine Onyx Black, Flavours Gourmet Lemongrass cardstock, Distress Oxide Wilted Violet

Another Gelli print card. A bit of brick and crumpled up plastic worked wonders.  I used PaperArtsy Seth Apter Fresco Chalk Paints Set 1 alonge with some copper shimmer paint although I couldn't capture the shimmer with the camera.  I also added some Distress Crackle Paint through a stencil to create additional subtle flowers and texture.  Oh!  And I got some of the Tim Holtz Botantical Layers so used one of the flowers from that.  I was surprised how sturdy those are.  Very cool.


The Details:  PaperArtsy Seth Apter Fresco Chalk Paints Set 1, TCW Brick Stencil, Tim Holtz Botanical Layers, Ranger Clear Rock Candy Crackle Paint, PTI Choose Joy sentiment

Some of the recent Gelli prints aren't particularly suited as backgrounds for my style of cards but used as accents, they rock.  I used one to cut out the flowers here.  Reminder to future self:  use either 80lb or deli paper for the prints as the 140lb used here was a pain to fussy cut.  I used the Copic airbrush to create a quick background with a great fade.  So much easier than sponging for me.

I'm entering this in CAS Mix Up August, AAA CAS #121 Friendship




The Details:  Ranger Dyan Reaveley Everything's Rosy, Simon Says Stamp Uplifting Thoughts, Memory Box Dancing Butterflies, Copics (YG01 and 03), Doodlebug Washi, Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Archival Jet Black, Clarity Chrysanthemum Stencil, Liquitex Acrylics

I saw that over at CAS Mix Up that one of the ingredients for August is a stencil monoprint which I now have plenty of after last weekend's mega Gelli plate experiment. Woo hoo!

This is the second print or whatever's that called.  The leaves were completed free of paint so I was able to reuse the stencil and sponge Distress Oxides there. I love the effect, especially after I spattered water. There's just something about all the dotty goodness that makes me happy dance!

I'm also entering this in Simon Says Wednesday Make Your Own Background

I'm up on the Topflight Stamps blog today with another Gelli print background card. Sing your heart out!


The Details:  Katzelkraft The Fat Cats 6, PaperArtsy Seth Apter Fresco Chalk Paints Set 1, MFT Brick Stencil, Stamporations Noteworthy and Wonky Stitches Rectangle die, Tim Holtz Dotty Stencil, Hero Arts Unicorn Pigment Ink, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink, Paper Studio Washi

Have you heard of using Press n' Seal with your dies?  It makes these cards so much easier!

No surprise that I borrowed this SU set from Tonya.  She's like having my own crafty store--LOL.  We're drawing ever closer to the SU party.  Time is flying!  Again, if you care to use it, the hostess code is 9HZBDHKP which you enter in a new field under the special offers section of the online order shopping bag.  Thanks!
On the first card I diecut the SU Rose out of a smooshed watercolored panel, stuck the Press n' Seal to the front then carefully peeled off the rose outline before gluing down the remaining pieces in one go.  I did the same with an extra set of leaves (this time out of a Gelli-print) and part of a rose.  I then embossed the sentiment.  I wish you could feel the texture--the smoothness of the white, the slight dryness of the acrylic paint and the slickness of the sentiment.  It's so cool!

The Details:  SU Rose Garden Thinlits and Rose Wonder sentiment, Liquitex Basics acrylic paint, Distress Inks, VersaMark, Ranger gold embossing powder, Tim Holtz watercolor paper, Recollections 110lb white cardstock

I'm entering this in Loll's and Bonnie's inaugarul CAS Mix Up challenge, Mixed Media Mojo Spring with the Optional Twist of Watercoloring

On the second card I stamped the rose then colored it with Copics and a white watercolor pencil for highlights.  Before using the rose die, I mounted the yellow rose on Scor-Tape so I could just peel it off and mount on a piece of plain cardstock.  I quickly fussy cut that out.  I then cut out the leaves and positioned them.  I used the PnS to keep the leaves and rose together so I could glue it down as I had arranged it.  Lovely.  For the black stripes, I cut strips of 3/4" cardstock and adhered them to the card front.  The sentiment is embossed.

The Details:  SU Rose Garden Thinlits, Rose Wonder, Stampin' Up Sale-a-Bration Botanicals for You, VersaMark, Stampendous detail fine white embossing powder, Recollections 110lb white and black cardstock, Memory Box Botanical Stem, Bazzill green linen cardstock, Hammermill 80lb color copy cardstock

I'm entering this in Seize the Birthday Anything Goes, Little Tangles #66 Ombre 

Rose Wonder

Rose Garden Thinlets