Avery Elle Rainbow Challenge, Paper Tole

Aloha friends!

Less than ONE week to go and I get my arm out of this cast - Hoootie Hoooot! I feel so excited to get this thingey off and wash my arm and hand thoroughly - ahhhhhhhhhh, can't wait. Ok, onward to the challenge!!

I am branching out! This week I am trying to create a card the Avery Elle Challenge which you can see by clicking on the link (and may be the image, but I'm still learning how to use their link up):

Avery Elle IHeartU Rainbow Challenge!!

♥ Paper Tole Technique ♥

Recipe:

Avery Elle "Thanks a Bunch" Stamp Set for the front, and "Laurels" Stamp Set for the Interior

Cardstock: Gina K. Designs, Pure Luxury "Red Hot" and 80# White Layering

Watercolor Paper: Strathmore 140# Cold Press

Watercolor Paint: Koi

Epsom Salts (sprinkled over the wet rainbow background)

Pretty Pink Posh (clear sequins)

Black Onyx Ink by Gina K. Designs

Stickles Glitter Glue "Fruit Punch" (a dab inside each clear sequin)

Liquid Pearls "Gold" (the metallic 'button' tie on the flower tag)

Adhesive Pop Dots (to create the multi layer flower 'tole' technique)

Multi Medium Matte (to secure sequins and adhesive pop dots to card and flowers)

Scor Tape (adheres the watercolor layer and interior card layer to card

Tombow Markers (to color the flowers, leaves and dot stamps prior to stamping, card interior)

Wink of Stella in "Glitter Black" (to add the sparkle to the flower bouquet)

Angle Eater Corner Rounder 1/4 inch

I started by covering the edges of the watercolor paper with some painter's tape to create the white frame. I loaded the paper with water, then layered the rainbow colors, allowing them to blend on their own with the water. 

Sprinkled with lots of Epsom Salt while wet. Laid the layer under the sun until the paints and salts were dried, then brushed all the excess salts off. (In real life, you can still see the crystallized salts on the watercolor background, which adds a glistening, frosty layer over the watercolored rainbow!)

While layer was drying, I stamped the flowers twice  and the leaves once on 80# white cardstock, then fussy cut all of it out. Adhere first layer of bouquet to card. Add each additional flower with adhesive foam squares and Aileen's Clear Glue (extra durable hold) over the original flower bouquet. Stamp and fussy cut the tag out with sentiment inside the tag. Use foam squares and glue to adhere to card. Adhere Sequins to layer with Multi Matte Medium by Ranger, adding a touch of Fruit Punch Stickles to center of clear sequins. Paint the Wink of Stella Black Glitter over the bouquet for sparkle and shine! Round the corners and use Scor Tape to adhere layer to front of card.

Card Interior: Use Memento markers (the pastel colors) to color one of the flowers and dots in Avery Elle" "Laurels" Stamp Set. Cover the white cardstock in a shower of pale rainbow colors with these stamps. Finally, color up one of the leafy branches and stamp that around. Round the corners and adhere to card with Scor Tape.

The pastel colors are light enough so that a note can be written over the panel!

Close Up of Paper Tole Technique:

Thank you for looking and for leaving me your 

sweet comments ♥

With Aloha

Bargello Anyone?

When I first heard this technique, I didn't know if it was a food, a drink, or a game! The Bargello Technique is featured this week by Judy at this week's challenge at STAMPTV!

Stamp Set: "Enjoy the Sunshine" by Gina K. Designs
Designer Paper: "Hello Sunshine" by Gina K. Designs; Pure Luxury 120# white card base, Red Hot layering weight, Neenah Solar White cardstock
Inks: Versafine Black, Copic Markers
Paper Punches: Scallop and Round, 1-1/2" each; hand cut the fish tail sentiment
Embellishments: 3D Crystal Lacquer (over the red of the strawberries); red rhinestones; baker's twine
Multi Matte Medium (adhesive), Glue Stick, Scor Tape

Here is a technique that Beate Johns created for us at Splitcoast Stampers: Bargello Technique. 

Thank you for visiting, for commenting, for all 

your encouragement!!!

♥

Quilted Card

Aloha,

This card is made for Sharyn's Stitch It Up Challenge at StampTV. I would like to give credit to Dawn McVey at Papertrey Ink for the design which you can watch at YouTube:

Quilted Cards by PTI

Recipe:

Cut pattern papers (4-5 different papers) into 1-1/2 inch squares. Lay them out diagonally on your card if you wish, leaving a 'blank' square space here and there. Use dry adhesive (to prevent buckling) to adhere your squares to your card.

When you are done adhering your design to the card stock or onto a layering panel, turn it over and trim all the papers that stick out from the card with some scissors. Now run it through an embossing folder that has a pattern resembling quilting - it can be circles, squares, flowers, snowflakes - anything with a small, continuous pattern. It helps to give the quilted card dimension just like a real quilt.

Embellish as desired. I used a ruler and a Memento marker in Bamboo, the bullet side not brush side of the marker, and drew double stitch lines into the white spaces. I glued small, clear rhinestones into all the corners of the quilt pieces. What's a spring quilt without butterflies fluttering around the design? Wanting gold butterflies, I used direct to paper method and dragged the Delicata gold ink pad across white cardstock, both sides. Then I punched the butterflies out, bent them, and used rolled up sticky dots to adhere them to the quilted card.

Products:

Stamp Set: Gina K. Designs "Spring Blessings"
Pattern Paper: GKD "Shabby Spring"
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder from set of four, "Preserves"
Martha Stewart butterflies punch, precolored with Delicata Gold ink first
Clear Rhinestones
Spellbinders Ribbon Banner die
Memento Bamboo marker to add faux stitches
"Dries Clear" glue (behind rhinestones), Foam Adhesive Tape (behind quilted layer), Rolled glue dots (behind butterflies.

Thank you dear friends!

I really appreciate your comments ♥

The Spotlight Technique

It's a great week when you can muster up strength to play in two challenges!

Judy is hosting the challenge at Gina K. Designs MIUM Challenge I See Spots!

Stamped the iris image from Warm with Love by Theresa Momber, and the sentiment from Stately Flowers 8 by Melanie Muenchinger, using Memento blue for the faux stitching and the sentiment.

I used a few Copic Markers to color the spotlight image. Just stamp two identical images on white card stock. I colored one image with Copic markers. Then I took a 1-1/4 inch round paper punch and punched a portion of the colored image out. Next take a contrasting cardstock (purple) and punch a circle with a 2-1/2 inch punch.to form a frame around the spotlighted feature. For more dimension, I poured a round dome of 3D Crystal Lacquer over the top of the color image. I truly love this iris image and IT'S SPRING!!!!!

I took the little fern stamp from the Warm With Love set and made a background on yellow card using the Tuxedo blue marker as the ink to tie it in. Finished with three sequins in pale blue, deep blue and golden yellow.

Thank you dear ones, for taking the time to stop by

and leave me encouraging words 

from your hearts. 

♥

A 50th Wedding Anniversary!

Aloha dear friends,

I've been absent for a while as I recharged my inner batteries, and completed a pretty large card project over the past few weeks. I'll post some pictures of those soon.

Our daughter's in-laws are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this week. I just found out last week so had to get crackin' on this.

The design of the card is a center step. The main, focal image center panel measures 5" x 7." I used an entire 8-1/2" x 11" piece of 120# GKD white cardstock for the folded support stand.

The gold shimmer panel, pattern paper, tole flowers and butterfly are from Anna Griffin. I also used one of her embossing folders, "Peony," on the main gold panel and the bottom third of the white main panel. Gold satin ribbon from SU. Pearls and rhinestones from Want2Scrap.

I downloaded a beautiful font and just typed away, then printed it, centering the information on 80# white GKD cardstock. The little 'x' punches on the bottom front panel is a Martha Stewart punch.

All the flowers, bird and butterfly were too pale in color for me. Using Copic markers, I re-colored all the embellishments (some parts were a baby blue, and clashed with the card) using the darkest of each color family, then blending to the lightest. Then I used Wink of Stella clear all over the flower petals, the butterfly and the bird. The elements are all popped using adhesive foam. Finally, I took a butterfly pin and put some glass pearls and gold beads on it, pierced the bow, but more beads on and a bugle bead to cover the point of the pin. Glossy Accents holds the beads in place and covered the orange rhinestones on the top left flower to make sure they don't fall off. The last step was to bend the butterfly wings into soft semi circles, then cover the butterfly with a coat of glossy Mod Podge to stiffen it for its ride to California ♥

This is one of the biggest cards I've ever attempted but I really liked the freedom to work on a larger space compared to being confined to the smaller, A2 work area. I made this as easily as possible - no template, no special cuts. I winged the mountain valley folds and it works. We are including a pound of freshly roasted 100% Kona coffee as a gift.

          

Side view:  

As you can see, it's just a couple of simple folds and the main focal panel rests / adheres to the back mountain fold. You can do it!!! Do some specialty folded cards. It will reawaken your mojo ♥

As always, thank you so very much for stopping by.

Aloha friends!

I finally made a little box for the big card!

Yay for little victories!

Remember that flamboyant card I made a couple weeks ago? Me neither. But I didn't have an envelope that size or deep enough to house it in. This is kind of an uglyful picture because I am not a photographer and barely a card maker. However, it does look a little better than this IRL.

It's distressed (and I hope, not distressing), but maybe you can see the dark Paris Night sky ink I sponged all over the corners. Believe me, it's really distressed IRL. Wait til you see the inside.

Box top: (Anna Griffin dies, Heartfelt Creations Fleur de lis dies, pearls and sequins) with tiny scallop edging which you cannot see in this picture.

The next photo is the inside of the upper lid, which looks the same as the inside of the bottom of the box (without scallop edging). I used pattern dp, embossed it, crinkled it up, sponged more Paris Night sky ink all over, then Delicata Silver ink over the embossed areas.

And finally, maybe you remember the elongated gatefold card as it looks placed inside it's box (ribbons Scor taped to back, wrap around to tie in bows. There are two shimmery pearl cardstock hearts over the centers of the ribbons on the back of the bottom box). 

Whew. That was a time consuming card & box, but

someone will be happy to get it....I hope!

Aloha, my friends ♥

An Oval Sea

Hi friends. Hoping your day has been good, and if not, let's hope for a better tomorrow.

This is a Three-Paged Card! It has a sea view through an oval aperture window. The third page has the sentiment and room for message. This is the tenth of ten cards to give to the doctor who will get these to the shop who sells them for me. We give them 10 at a time, and they've been patiently waiting for months for this group of ten.

Recipe:

Stamp set Aloha by Theresa Momber for Gina K. Designs
Cardstock 120# white by GKD; Blue shimmer paper that was on sale and not in original pkg; Neenah     Solar White for the sponged ocean scene.
Light Lime half backed pearls by Kaiser Craft
Spellbinder dies: Petite Ovals, Opulent Ovals (embossed the blue layer with this)
Fiskars corner punch/embosser
Memory Box turtle die (covered w/Versamark and then heat embossed 2-3 coats UTEE)
Martha Stewart score board (scored around the scenery)
Gold cord bow by GKD
Inks Gkd and Memento, Versamark, Delicatta Gold
Masking tape (masked the ocean horizon)
Wink of Stella clear (on ocean)
Scor Tape (for adhering the second page only to the top end of the third page of the card, and for attached the sponged scene onto GKD cardstock)
Glue dots (to hold turtle on), Monoadhesive (to adhere blue layer to front), Aileene's Clear Tacky Glue (also holds the turtle on, as well as behind the lime pearls for extra hold)
White gel pen (Signo) to draw on the waves
Black #2 micron pen to draw on the birds


I used mini sponge daubers to sponge the scene with Memento inks, using a piece of masking tape to create the horizon line.

The turtle was die cut, sponged with colors of green, touched up with Gliteratta Gold ink for sparkle, then Versamarked both sides, and heat embossed with 2 or 3 coats of UTEE. It's how I make charms for cards :D

The Opulent Oval was used as an embossing plate of sorts through the Big Shot.

Below is Page 2, adhered to the top of the back page with Scor Tape, scored to create the 

EZ fold up crease. Can you see the sparkles from Wink of Stella clear on the ocean? 

And finally, the 3rd and last page of this card. The envelope matches this third page.

Thank you sweet friends, for stopping by and checking out this latest card ♥

Easel Thank You with Post-It Note Pads

MIUM Challenge at StampTV, STV14MON24
(click HERE to see the challenge)

Tricia is hostessing the challenge at StampTV this week, and I am so very glad to be able to play along. We need to pop up at least one flower, so both the daisy tops are fussy cut and popped.

This is an easel card made for my nurse care manager. She works very hard to ensure all her patients try to get care and answers and I appreciate her even with all the red tape and brick walls that somehow find their way into our healthcare system.

I made the box big enough for two pads of Post It notes so a pink one is on the bottom and blue on the top. Behind the front panel is a decorative hidden panel with a note and images for the recipient.

This is the video I watched to remind me of the measurements, then I tweaked some of the layer sizes & box---

Easel Card

Stamp Sets: Birds & Blossoms by Theresa Momber for Gina K. Designs, and Assorted Greetings, also by GKD.
Cardstock and Designer Paper by GKD, Pure Luxury and Shabby Chic Spring
Spellbinder Circle and Scalloped Circle dies
SU Modern Label punch
Fiskars Scallop edge punch
Corner Rounder punch
Inks: Memento & Copic Markers
Sakura Clear, Gold, Aqua and Orange glitter pens; Wink of Stella in clear
Teal organdy ribbon, teal pearls and amber rhinestones from Want2Scrap, adhesive pop dots, lots of Scor Tape, two "Post-It" note pads in pink and blue

Thank you for stopping by!!!

60s Aloha, rubber cement resist technique!

Something about this card reminds me of the 60s.

And ok, the card before this I cried all the way through, thinking about out dog, and tearing pieces off here and there and doing stuff over again. I think I'm through with this card now. I consider it....not very prettiful.

In the watercolor class, Day #2, Jennifer McGuire showed how to use Rubber Cement as a resist medium.

I took the rubber cement and dripped the word "Aloha" and let it dry over night. The next day, one of our cats had stepped on this panel, along with two others I had made and she wore three "snow shoes" all at once, trying to shake each one off her feet - it was so funny to watch. Ok, I gave in and peeled each one off so she could run away. All was well.

I took this panel and using water paints I first laid a layer of water across it. Then I dabbled some red and yellow water paint to it and let it swirl around and do its thing.  Let that dry.

For the background, I scored two waves across the top using the Crafter's Companion board, then pierced a line between the waves and a straight line across the bottom. I used Copics to color a crochet thread pink and yellow, then hand sewed the pierced holes. I added a few daisy type punched flowers, with rhinestones in the middles and sequins around the card.


Hey - no stamps sets or ink colors to name - wow!

Rubber Cement Resist Watercolor

Mahalo nui loa for stopping by to look 

Peachy Floral Thank You (2-Step Stamping)

Hi sweet friends,

I recently made a card using the 2-step method. 2-step is a fast technique to create an image with depth without having to pull out all your paints or markers. You just stamp the main or foundation image with one color, then stamp the secondary or highlight of that image over it.

I used Stampin' Up Million & One for the elegant thank you sentiment. For the 2-step flowers and leaves, I used Stippled Blossoms by Stampin' Up. The bases of the flowers and leaves are stamped with a darker color. Then the top layers are stamped with a lighter color. The flowers and leaves have a similar stamp in the set, but just parts of it to give the entire image depth.

I touched the centers of the flowers with some Stickles Diamonds for the glitter, then 3 sequins in the same color group at this flowers.

Thank you, always, for stopping by and leaving such encouraging comments ♥

Watercolor Swatches for Class

Hi friends,

How are you all doing?

I am taking an online watercolor class (yay)!

COME JOIN US AT Watercolor for Cardmakers

This is a preclass assignment to create some swatches of products we have - pencils, gelatos (gel sticks), paint palette.

Thank you for coming by :)

Spring Blocks

Aloha friends,

This card is for StampTV's challenge to use blocks of color hosted by Laurie Schmidin. You can see it HERE :)

Yesterday I watched a fairly easy technique by Darlene DeVries that you can watch by clicking this LINK. However, she used water based markers by Stampin' Up and I used Distress Inks. She sprinkled some water drops over her blocks and I spritzed Perfect Pearls and water all over mine. You can tell I LOVE LOVE LOVE shimmer LOL.

After measuring the focal image layer into four equal parts, stamp your images in VersaMark and heat emboss with black embossing powder. Then I took a small makeup sponge and loaded it with Distress ink. I used four blue or bluish colors of ink as I don't have a lot to pick from. Just stick with the same color group if you want a similar monotone finish. It's ok to overlap colors on the edges. When you're done coloring your four blocks, just sprinkle or spritz water all over it if you use water based color, or alcohol if you use alcohol based color. Easy, huh? Then I used a heat tool to hurry up the drying process, layered it, stamped the sentiment and added some punched butterflies and bling, rounded a couple corners. I did cover the butterflies with VersaMark and dipped into Perfect Pearls blues. Thank you so much for stopping by my place!

Stamp set: Summer Blooms mini set by Gina K. Designs
Black Rhinestone Flourishes: Recollections
Homemade Shimmer Spray: Mix about 2 tsp Perfect Pearls "pearl" with about 2 oz plain water and shake and spray :)

With aloha, and thank you for taking a peek!!!

Swim with Us :)

Ready to snorkel or dive? How about just swim in warm ocean, look down and see all the pretty colors of fishies?

These cards were very hard and challenging for me to make. They took a full two days.

Stamp Set:  Under the Sea by Theresa Momber for GKD
Inks: Gelatos (blues, greens, and yellows)
Shimmer: Perfect Pearl spray (background or ocean water) and Wink of Stella clear (over the fish).
Bubble bling: Robin's Nest blue and clear dew drops
Bling scattered on sand: Taylored Expressions Mini Mini crystals
Paper Punch: Photo Corners, Modern Label, Word Window by Stampin' Up
Cardstock: Flourishes Black, Georgia Pacific white 80#
Vellum: Grafix confetti
Paper piercer, copper brads by GKD, Aileen's Clear Tacky Glue, Mono adhesive
Memento marker in gray


The funnest part of the cards were 1) creating the backgrounds, and 2) coloring/fussy cutting the fish and turtles.

Briefly, I scribbled Gelatos all onto my craft sheet, then spritzed several times with Perfect Pearls mixed with water. Doing this gives me the option of not having to buy all the gelatos in metallics, which are a real temptation! Then I took the white card layers and placed them onto the wet gelatos, gently swirling to make sure I covered all the paper.

I stamped the fish and turtles with Memento Tuxedo Black, then colored them all with Copics. After I glued them to the 'water,' I brushed the Wink of Stella clear all over them to give them quite a shimmer.

I made up the sentiments on the laptop, then printed on vellum, cut and adhered to the card outside and inside. I used some fun fonts, so that's why the first letters look goofy. I drew in some swaying sea weed with the Memento Gray Marker. The yellows in the ocean kind of looks like that in real life when the sun filters through the shallow water :)

Card One

Card Two

Thank you dear friends for stopping by to take a look!!

A Whiter Shade of Pale Pink - White Chalk on Craft Card

My venture into craft cardstock (GKD) and white inks. I used Gina K. Design's Premium Pigment White. That is some creamy dreamy ink!! It's very easy to stamp with. I heat set it just in case it wanted to smear (we'll have none of that).

After I was done stamping I felt the flowers needed something else. So I sponged in a tiny bit of pink ink to the centers, added rhinestones to highlight the sentiment, then the butterfly (from Shari in Canada - thank you).

Stamp Set: Hello Sunshine by GKD

Thank you dear friends for stopping by!!!

Ancient Voyages - Distressing Edges and Colors, a Masculine Card

I wanted to make a masculine card that felt like an Old World ocean log book entry. I used a stamp set from Stampin' Up called "The Open Sea." The large circle in the bottom left is a world map, but it didn't turn out too well. I distressed all the pieces and added some Delicata Gold inks to the muted colors of Memento inks. Four copper nail heads hold down the picture of the ship, a micro rhinestone in black centers the Compass Rose, and I used some Metallic Rub On pastes to tone down the bright golds of the Anchor hanging from the twine. The background was a dark wood grain, but after I got done with it, no one knows what it was LOL!!!!

Finally, I typed up a sentiment to appear like a log entry by Captain Cook :) who visited the Bay below where we live, Kealakekua on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Then I distressed it, rolled the edges to look more like a scroll.

Thank you for stopping by ♥

Thank you for stopping by - I appreciate you!

Beach Wishes, That You Were Here!

Here is another beach scene, but this one during the day. I used the same Flourishes Beach Life stamp set by Flourishes. This will be entered into the Flourishes Timeless Tuesdays Challenge #261 by Ally.

Masking: The landscape was masked so that I could create the sandy hill, sky and ocean.

This is the first time I used rain drops from The Robin's Nest and I am IN LOVE. Can't wait to try them in an underwater sea scene as bubbles!

I looked up some sea-going flags, and here in Hawai'i, I found one that has a cocktail drink on it LOL -- that's how I created this one and stuck it in the sand for the sentiment :)

I kept this card simple, and the products used are basically the same as last night's card on home page below this post. Very best wishes to all!

This is the inside and back of envelope

Thank you very much for stopping by!!!!

A Crescent Moon - Masking Techniques

Hi, friends,

Here is a sponged nighttime ocean scene with a crescent moon. It's made for Flourishes Timeless Tuesdays #261

First I cut a circle from Post It note, then reinserted it into the punch until only a slice of the circle would be cut out = crescent moon.

I also placed a mask from Post It over the ocean so that I could sponge the night sky. Then I removed the Post It that covered the ocean and placed it over the sky to keep the straight horizon line. I stamped and cut out the palm trees on paper, and held it into place as I sponged over the ocean. Then I removed the masked palm trees, and stamped those into the ocean. Finally I sponged the sand, added stars with a gel pen, then smoothed Wink of Stella over the whole sky, ocean, sand and palm tree... so yep, I covered the image with mini sparkles :D

I love the bullet nibs on Memento markers. I used them to add color and details to the palm trees, the sail boat that looks like a rock, and added some dots into the sand. I used the white gel pen to add highlights in the ocean and trees, then quickly smudged it off to blunt the vibrancy of its stark white color.

Stamp Set: "Beach Life" by Flourishes {Lauren Pope}
Inks and markers: Memento
Rhinestone flourishes: Recollections
Rhinestone tear drops and round: Want2Scrap
Cardstock: Gina K. Designs 120# Pure Luxury White
Layer: Bazzill navy, pattern paper was preprinted but I embossed with Argyle EF by Cuttlebug
Spellbinder Dies: Petite Ovals Large #5 (counting from center out) and Opulent Ovals, largest oval

The inside is also stamped with Flourishes beach stamps, gently sponged in light blues, sentiment by Victor Hugo.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Vellum Garden

Hi Friends,

Yay, I broke in the vellum - there's cheering in the house! For Sean's Mod Squad Challenge.

I embossed a sheet with a floral embossing folder, then colored the back side or the 'de'bossed (indented) side with some Copic markers.

Here are a few things I learned today:

• Use moderate colors (too light will not show up at all, too dark looks overwhelming)
• If you make a boo boo with an alcohol marker, use regular rubbing alcohol on a q-tip or get out your blending pen to pull off the color easily
• After much anxiety-producing research about how to adhere vellum to cardstock, I took a deep breath and used dabs of 3D Crystal Lacquer. I even added a thin line along the edges of the sheet - as you can see, you can barely see any of it although I did use larger dabs of it behind the centers of the flowers.
• Adhesive pearls stick really well to vellum so I didn't add adhesive first like I usually do for extra holding power.
• If your CAT should sit down on your vellum sentiment, be aware that YOU MAY NOT FIND IT AGAIN... (I'll add it some day if I find it)

If I learn anything else about vellum, I'll be sure to add. And here is the card - remember, it's my first time so don't expect advanced anything :D

Thank you dear ones for each and every sweet as honey comment ♥

Blue Summer

Donna Phelan is guest hostessing at Stamp TV - hurray Donna! She requested a shabby chic creation, including decorating the interior of a card and the envelope.

Hi there friends ♥ I'll be honest and just say this took me all week to work on, and I hope many of you know what that's like. I cannot complete a card as quickly as most people so just call me SNAIL lol. For anyone who may have questions how I completed any of the parts of this card, I will need to break the card explanation out into sections so please bear with me. Feel free to skip all this :D

First, the sentiment:
I stamped the label with brown ink, then cut it out with SB Nesties Labels #14. I sponged some blue ink on the inside of the oval, then used Copic blues and tans to create a shabby transition color on the flourished scroll at the top and bottom of the label design.

I stamped the sentiment with brown ink, cut and embossed it with SB Fancy Tags, then sponged around the sentiment with the same blue as the background behind it. Then I added deep blue Copic color to plain pearls, then placed around the sentiment.

Second, the cut outs:
I stamped Melanie's flower, masked it, then stamped the leaves on both sides. I colored it with Copic markers and left a little white space for highlights. I used a Basic Grey gold glitter "Candy" button for the center of the flower. {fussy cut out and pop dotted}

Then I stamped the hummingbird with brown ink but colored it with some Perfect Pearls blue, gold and green, mixed with plain water paint brushed on. It really shimmers!!! I placed a tiny micro black rhinestone for his eye. {fussy cut out and pop dotted}

Third, the background:
The double bow in deep blue satin is centered with a beautiful vintage button by Tim Holtz Idea-ology "Accoutrements Fanciful." (Doesn't it look totally VINTAGE!!!)

The rhinestone fleur de lis in two corners are by Nina Brackett for Want2Scrap, "Mardi Gras."

Card base by Gina K. Designs, 120# Pure Luxury white.
Polka dot background in pale blue is from a cardmaking magazine that included some very adorable papers in it.

The final touch:
I took the Wink of Stella clear glitter brush and covered the blue flower and leaves, the brown/blue scrolled areas on the label, the pearls, and then the hummingbird and flower center on the envelope back. LOL -- this card shimmers 360 degrees!

Thank you kindly for stopping by!!!

I appreciate each and every one of you ♥

Crossing the Bar

This is a sponged sunset scene with a poem tucked in with the poem Crossing the Bar. Remember that one? It's so touching -- here it is, by Tennyson ~

Crossing the Bar
BY ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON

Sunset and evening star,

      And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar,

      When I put out to sea,

   But such a tide as moving seems asleep,

      Too full for sound and foam,

When that which drew from out the boundless deep

      Turns again home.

   Twilight and evening bell,

      And after that the dark!

And may there be no sadness of farewell,

      When I embark;

   For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place

      The flood may bear me far,

I hope to see my Pilot face to face

      When I have crost the bar.

It's for a dear friend's husband who lost his best friend recently. Most of us know what that feels like.

Stamp Set: Aloha by Theresa Momber for Gina K. Designs

Inks: Memento (black ink by Gina K. Designs)

Thank you for coming by !!!!