Rocking Horse

Giddy up, partners!!!

Yay, I finally need a Welcome Baby card! Don't wooden rocking horses bring back nostalgic memories? Handmade wooden rocking horses are a true work of love and heart!

The rocking horse image below warmed my heart and made me smile. I hope you like it, too. It's in a stamp set that is on super sale right now at Paper Smooches for just (ready?) $6.50!!! They have quite a bit on sale right now. Just click on the "sale" link -- dies start at $2.15! Lots of stamp sets are under $8.00. I just missed the February card challenge but enjoyed coloring this cutie in neutrals and as CAS as possible (for me).


Stamp Set: Knick Knacks by Paper Smooches
Cardstock: GKD 120# white and Neenah Desert Sand
Ink: Memento Tan
Wonky and Stitched Dies by Gina Marie; Heart die by Paper Smooches
Prismacolor and Crayola Color Pencils
Sakura Clear Sparkle Gel Pen, Glossy Accents, Score Tool (for the wood floor) Gold Mirror card, plain twine, craft foam & Scor Tape

Mahalo for coming by the blog!ra

Miss You Baaaaah-dly!

Aloha,

Here is a little fun - mountain goat way up on top of a mountain. I wanted to use a sentiment "High" for high up on the mountains, but you never know how someone might interpret that, so I stuck with "Hi." It was fun drawing the triangle mountains and making this a twilight time of a card. I will enter this into the Paper Smooches September Animals Challenge.

I would like to enter it into the September 2017 30 Day Coloring at The Daily Marker. Whenever Kathy Racoosin holds these 30-day Coloring Challenges, I try really hard to play, even if just for a few days of the month ☺

Stamp Set: Paper Smooches "Green Acres"
Cardstock: GKD White, Bazzill Black
Inks: Copic Markers for coloring; Memento for stamping and drawing; Versafine for sentiment
Stickles Diamond Glitter; Studio B Glitter in Yellow
Glossy Accents
Corner Rounder

Thank you for stopping by!

Wishing you and yours a blessed day, night and week ♥

Long Rainbow Showers

Aloha dear friends!

Here is a quick card, a little extra long to make the rainbow large (use a ruler and extend the rainbow for however long you wish it to be).. It's 6-1/2" x 4" so I'll make the envelope soon.

The stamps are by Paper Smooches and then sketched the little bitty heart rain drops. The inside has a crazy dancing bird with the sentiment "Live like it's SPRING every day!" For the sentiment on the front, color each letter with a Memento marker and stamp using the MISTI. Clean and move on to the next color/letter until you have a rainbow of colors. The rain drops have glossy accents over them.

Entered into: PAPER SMOOCHES "SHOWERS" challenge.


Stamp Sets: "Luminous Spring" for the front of the card and "My Peeps" for the bird inside, all by Paper Smooches
Cardstock: GKD Red & White
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, and Memento Markers for coloring; Prismacolor Pencils for the heart raindrops, pink cheeks, and cloud shadows
Wink of Stella Clear on rainbow, raindrops, and bird inside
Glossy Accents over the raindrops
Corner Rounder for the card base corners

Thank you for visiting, leaving some love, and encouraging me on ♥ Aloha!

Arctic Anniversary

Aloha!

Still trying to catch up on anniversary cards here. This one gives me shivers lol! I used a silver thread to tie all the fish catch together and onto his fishing pole for their anniversary dinner. They are having extra hot lattes to warm them up. I used two embossing folders on a piece of shimmer vellum for the background: snow flakes for the top part and ocean waves for the bottom. Lots of fussy cutting, sketching the iceberg, edging all the pieces with Memento black marker.

To be entered into the Paper Smooches Winter Card Challenge for December. 

It's also Day 4 (but I'm on Day 3) of the Coffee Loving Cardmaker Winter Blog Hop and this will be entered into that, too. #winter2016clh

Stamp Sets: "Chilly Chums (penguins)," "Sentiment Sampler," and "Surf 'n Turf (all the fish and sea horse)" both by Paper Smooches; "Kelly's Seattle" by Hero Arts (for the coffee cups)

Cardstock: GKD 120# base white, Neenah 80# white, Shimmer Vellum, SU silver
Inks: /GKD Black Onyx (for the solid blacks of the penguins); Memento Bahama Blue, Summer Sky, Sweet Plum and Angel Pink blended (1st layer behind the vellum), Memento markers and Sakura Metallic Gel Pens for coloring images, Copic Marker B000 for the ice berg shadow; E35 fishing pole
Embossing Folders: Darice Snowflakes, SB Waves
Silver Metallic Thread (fishing line)
Diamond Stickles (for the sparkly ice, water, snowflakes)
Glossy Accents (over everyone's eyeballs and penguin feet)
PPP clear sequins 4 and 6 mm
Fiskar's Star Punch; DMC Silver Thread (fishing pole and fish)
Liquid Applique on puff hat ball with Stickles over that
Pink Rhinestone; Adhesive Foam in black, Dries Clear Adhesive, Scor Tape
Oh, and a cut off toothpick (un-used) colored with a Copic E35 for his fishing pole :D

Mahalo for stopping by!

With Aloha ♥

Sunset Thanks

Aloha again (twice in one day)!

I started this and the previous card yesterday. Yesterday was embossing day and today is distress ink coloring day. This is also an emboss resist and I considered adding it to the previous post but Blogger does funny things if you combine posts.

Same technique, stamp set, inks but without adding markers or glossy accents, same challenge Paper Smooches "Give Thanks!" 

Stamp Set: "Botanicals 1" by Paper Smooches
Die "Thanks" Paper Smooches
Cardstock: GKD 120# 80# white; AC Black
Inks: Distress Inks "Squeezed Lemonade, Fossilized Amber, Wild Honey, Fired Brick"
Ranger Detailed Black EP, VersaMark pad and marker (dots)

Mahalo for making the trip over to my blog!!

With aloha ♥

Dragonfly Night

Aloha all,

And look at that, another week gone by. I hope yours was a great one and here's to the next one!

This is a nighttime sky cause I love astronomy, meteor showers, planet watching, and any kind of cool sky sights! Paper Smooches Challenge is "Giving Thanks!" I am thankful for every moment and all of the creations around us ♥

Using the Emboss Resist technique is a great deal of fun for me :) It's fast, usually easy (sometimes not) and you never know exactly how the blended inks will look when you're done.

I used the VersaMark marker to add the black dots, embossed, splattered water drops, and then used Sakura metallic gel pens for different star colors. Every once in a while we can see a twinkle of green, blue, yellow, reds so I made sure to add a couple of those stars and even a shooting star. I covered the black embossed parts and sentiment with Glossy Accents. I did the bottom half of the sentiment with purple and the top of it with blue perfect pearls (before the Glossy Accents). You can't really see the two colors on sentiment like IRL.


Stamp Set: "Botanicals #1" by Paper Smooches
Die: "Thanks" by Paper Smooches
Cardstock: GKD 120# and 80# white; AC black
Inks: Distress Inks "Tumbled Glass, Blueprint Sketch, Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord and Black Soot"
Perfect Pearls Interference Blue and Violet (Interference pearls looks esp brighter on dark cardstock - this is black)
VersaMark, Ranger Detailed Black EP, Glossy Accents, Signo White Gel Pen, Sakura Metallic Gel Pens, Dries Clear Adhesive

And thank you for stopping by!

With aloha ♥

PS. Celebrate!

Aloha dear friends!!!

I'm sorry for not commenting on your cards much this week or even being on FaceBook or any place. S-t-r-e-s-s  O-v-e-r-l-o-a-d. I have had to stop adulting for a few days. Coloring and painting are in order for a while.

This card is going into the Paper Smooches Color Inspiration Challenge aka Fall Color Study for October. These are not my go-to colors so it's definitely a challenge. Here is a picture of the colors:

Using watercolors, I painted a blend of these colors, then die cut out shapes. For the flower and sentiment (for anniversary card) upper right, I used Copic Markers. What you cannot see is the VersaMark Dazzle flower images stamped all over the white card base (you have to tilt the card to see it). You also cannot see that I covered the hearts and the centers of the flowers with Glossy Accents. I also let the watercolors dry, then sprayed a layer of Perfect Pearls "Pearl" all over it and let it dry again. The inside has another flower image colored and fussy cut with a mini plum-colored heart ♥ I outlined all the fussy cutting and die cuts with either black, pink or purple markers, you know, the teensy details :D

Stamp Sets: "Best Buds" (the flowers and sentiment), and "Botanicals #1" (watermarking the front)

Cardstock: GKD 120# white, Neenah 80# white, AC dark mauve

Strathmore Watercolor 300 Series

Gansai Tambi Watercolors

Copic Markers; Memento black, purple and pink markers for edging die cuts

VersaMark Dazzle (for watermarking the card background)

SU Pennant Dies

SU Triple Heart Punch (the hearts are punched from the watercolor portion); corner rounder

Glossy Accents; Perfect Pearls spray (in Pearl); Foam Squares in white and in clear

Mahalo so much for stopping by!

Please be patient with me to start adulting again ♥

I'm Back

Sort of :)

Aloha! How is your world? Ours is stressful with a chance of more tension. But we are kicking and moving forward.

Paper Smooches is having an Anything GOES! challenge for September. I made a thank you card for one of many friends and family that are helping us out with remodeling this house and looking for a home on the mainland (we are going back to Oregon). This process is going to take a while and I'm going to need to make a bunch of thank you cards!!! Where would any of us be without friends!?! I am doing a little bit of coloring here and there, trying to find some moments of tranquility. I hope your weekend is productive, serene, and filled with happiness!


Stamp Set: Wicked Nauticool by Paper Smooches
Cardstock by GKD 120# base white, Neenah 80# white (coloring) and AC (blue)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Copic Markers
Silver Tinsel embossing powder by Ranger; VersaMark
SB Circle Die
SB "Need a Rope" embossing folder
SU Twine
Glossy Accents; Wink of Stella Clear

Thank you very much for visiting

& leaving some love!!!

With aloha ♥

Rabbit Ears

Aloha friends!


This is a card for one of our grandsons who is a high achiever in school and after school fun activities. Remember tv's with old rabbit ear antennas? You had to move them every which way to get a few channels between 1-13 and maybe some UHFs if you had any? Well, our grandson is only in 7th grade and he is not going to have a clue what this card means -- lol!!!!

The inside says "For this very important message!" Remember how the commercials would follow before you could watch the rest of you show? Then I wrote about how proud we are of him.

The whole image took me back to the early 70s and that is why I drew in some quirky patterned wall paper and yes, SHAG CARPET LOL! The tv dials are Perfect Pearls, the screen is covered with Crystal Lacquer, I drew in an electrical cord and then crisscrossed metallic gel pen for the sound cover under the dials. Finally I drew in some static electricity up above his ears!


Stamp Sets: "Boob Tubes" and "A Little Lovin'" both by Paper Smooches
Cardstock: GKD 120# white, Neenah 80# white, and AC light yellow
Dies: MFT stitched rectangles; Gina Marie Inverted Scallop Rectangles; SB Conversation Stitched Bubbles #2
Inks: Memento markers and pads; Copic Markers; Sakura Metallic Clear Gel Pen
Fun foam, Scor Tape, 3D Crystal Lacquer, Perfect Pearls "Baby Blue," KaiserCraft Olive rhinestones, Ranger Clear embossing powder, Dries Clear, Signo White Gel Pen

Many thanks for stopping in & sharing some love!

With aloha ♥

Leeward Layers with Wacky Wabbit

Aloha there, yet again! Yes, I'm back for the third post in one day. Mark that on your calendars please.

Layers. Lots of layers. Mine has turned out to be laughable, leeward (or the side opposite the endless waves here in island living) layers. You see, I didn't want to have 10-20 layers of everything on top of my card. So I did some flat layers. Cut some scrap paper into hill shapes, then use them as masks to ink some colors and "make" hills and a garden. As you sponge the hills and sky onto the card, it sorta looks like a layered look, right? No? Yes? YOU betcha! "I gotta be ME! I GOTTA be ME!" (If you are unfamiliar with that song from the 60s, well, I cannot help you.)

When I saw this stamp set, I had a deep belly laugh. All I could see was a bunny stealing away, munching on someone's beautiful garden of delights. So after stamping, coloring and fussy cutting all the images out, I cut slits into the basic layer and slid those veggies in, like they are growing out of the dirt. See the mouthful missing on the middle carrot? Bunny did it. He is laughing and high-tailing it out of there.

Everything is fussy cut and popped up with foam: bunny, veggies, trees, house, clouds (die cut). I drew cultivation lines across the center hill and used Copic Cool Grays to create shadows all over.

Can't believe I am able to enter a card into a challenge. It's been a long, long, long, time. But Paper Smooches Layering Challenge this one is for you ♥


Three Paper Smooches stamp sets: "Green Thumb," "Bitty Bungalows" and "Squeaky Clean" (I used the "dust bunny" from Squeaky Clean LOL. The other bunny I had from PS would have been like a Godzilla Bunny but that is an idea for a different card)
MFT cloud dies
Cardstock: GKD 120# white and Neenah 80# Solar White
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Bamboo Leaves, New Sprout, Summer Sky, Rich Cocoa
Copic Markers
Lots of adhesive foam squares, some doubled up to give more height and dimension
Wink of Stella, Signo white gel pen for highlights, Perfect Pearls "Buttercup" and "Ruby Red" (for the stones lining the rock walkway, the apples in the trees and flowers in window boxes)

Run bunny run. See bunny run? Run bunny run!

As always, I thank you sincerely

for stopping by and leaving some love ♥

Black and White and Red All Over?

Nope. Not a newspaper!

Aloha ♥ !!!

I love that joke, even if it's still corny. Paper Smooches April Challenge is to create something that is Black and White with a POP of color. Zebras! With a red heart!

This card is fairly simple, aside from continuing to try and produce a "mirror image" using a piece of acetate. After stamping with black ink onto acetate, I have to be very careful not to shake too much in order to lay the acetate onto the card next to the image, then gently press it into the card. The trick to evening out both images to look similar is to use a black marker all over both. It also smooths out any jagged edges because I am a shaker :)

Then use a marker to sketch out some grass/ground. To finish I used 3D Crystal Lacquer to round up and sparkle the stripey heart & eye balls ♥

Stamp Sets: "Zoo Crew" and "Sentiment Sampler" by Paper Smooches
Inks: GKD Black Onyx and VersaFine Onyx Black; SU Rose Red; Memento Black & Pink Markers
Cardstock: GKD Black Onyx, Red Hot, Pure White
Embossing Folder: "Stripes" by SU
Dies: MFT "Stitched Ovals" and "Pierced Ovals"
3D Crystal Lacquer & Scor Tape

I wish you well and a very enjoyable week.

Aloha dear friends!!!

I Only Have Eyes For You

Do you love that song? Yes? I DO!

I used a sheet of acetate to create a mirror image of the bird. Just stamp your image onto acetate. I used my homemade stamp press tool to add as much ink as I could to the acetate. Then I pressed the acetate to the card. If you see any missed spots, simply use a black marker (I use a black Copic or black Memento marker as they are compatible with Copic marker coloring) to fill in the line image.

Looking at these two birds, well, I guess not too many other birds would have eyes for them. I colored them kinda kooky cause I don't know. Maybe I should have stopped before I went nuts with the Blender Pen.

They "used to be" a fairly decent shade of colors before the dots and lines got added :) Once again, I've gone too far. But can you FIND the BIG DIPPER? It's upside down. Maybe these are strange unknown birds in Tasmania :D Anywhooo! I do love nighttime scenes just to shake it up a bit.

I'll try to enter this into the Paper Smooches "Fun And Cute" Challenge this month!

Stamp Sets: Paper Smooches "Chubby Chums" and "Bold Buzz Words"
Dies: MFT Pierced Tags
Cardstock GKD 120# and 80# Pure Luxury White
Distress Inks: Broken China, Seedless Preserves, Walnut Stain
Memento Ink: Rich Cocoa (around the sentiment); VersaFine Black (sentiment)
Ranger Silver Embossing Powder (moon); Red Tinsel EP (little heart), Clear EP (sentiment)
Stickles Silver Glitter Glue (stars)
3D Crystal Lacquer (eyeballs, beaks, moon, stars, heart)
Silver Cord GKD (love her silver and gold cord)
Signo Gel Pen, Copic Markers, Blender Pen
Cropadile Corner Chomper; SU 1-inch round paper punch

Thankee very much for stopping by

leaving some love

big hugs right back atcha ♥

Nighttime Blizzard with Paper Smooches

Aloha friends,

I hope each of you and your loved ones are well!!! I've been meaning to finish my card up for the Paper Smooches challenge and it's running down to the wire tonight. It's taken about a week to finish this. It was like "If it can go wrong, it will." And it did, a lot. But finished!

Paper Smooches has some new dies and stamps being released, as well as a very inspiring blog hop. You can see the blog hop list, as well as the challenge that ends (gulp) tonight, here: Paper Smooches Hop and Challenge


Stamp Set: "Swanky Snow Dudes" by Paper Smooches
Die: "Friend" cursive, and "Stitched Dies" (curved hill) by Paper Smooches

Embossing Folder: Snowflakes by Cuddlebug
Cardstock: Gina K. Designs (white and navy), Anna Griffin gold mirror finish
Inks: Memento
Markers: Copics, mostly BG family
Diamond Stickles, Opal Perfect Pearls, adhesive foam, golden yellow rhinestone, Multi Medium Matte adhesive, Scor Tape

Thank you so much for viewing and commenting ♥ !!!

I love you MOOOOOoooooo!

Today's card uses images from Paper Smooches "Green Acres." I started humming that song from the 60s TV show in my head. I would like to enter this into the Paper Smooches April Sketch Challenge.

Card Recipe-

Paper Smooches "Green Acres" stamp set

Memento Inks & sponge daubers

Copic Markers

Fiskars small cloud punch

Pigma Micron Pen (border around the sentiment)

Ruffle ribbon by SU

Dotted ribbon by Bo Bunny

Cardstock Gina K. Designs

Wink of Stella Clear glitter brush

Adhesive Pop Dots & Scor Tape

Many many thanks for stopping by

and sharing some love

for my cards ♥ Aloha!

Zoo Crew Bookmarks for Paper Smooches Challenge

Hi friends,

I had to break out of the A2 card syndrome :) and made five bookmarks for little ones we know. The images are so CUTE!!!! I hope to play with them again soon - I love their eye balls!!

The coloring is simple, with just a touch of shading on and under the animals.. On the giraffe, I made it look like he just ate 1/2 of a bract of leaves - I'm having too much fun. I didn't want to draw rocks with the camel, so drew a pyramid with a ruler and Pigma Micron Pen behind the camel. The pyramids are made of rock, I think?  I made all their tails, ears or mouths look like they are shaking, chewing or twitching. To finish off the bookmarks, I made some red hearts float up from each character.

Entered into: Paper Smooches Anything Goes Challenge

Stamp Set: Paper Smooches "Zoo Crew"
Colored with Copic Markers
Signo White Gel Pen, Wink of Stella (clear), Sakura Red glitter pen
Memento Inks
Adhesive Foam Tape
Cropadile Punch, silver eyelets, Twine Memory Keepers

Aloha and thank you for commenting on

these little bookmarks!