Fresh picked for You

Have I ever mentioned how much I love 'The Greetery" stamps and dies?  Every release just keeps on getting better and better!  Betsy is amazing!

My card today is using - Just Mason around stamps & die set, Botanicuts Pine Bough die, Summer sketches stamp and die set.

When I bought the summer sketches set last spring, I sat one afternoon and created a variety of these branches using different colours.  I have used a couple of them, the rest I just tucked away for a later time.  Well I pulled them out again, along with some pine bough and the mason jar.

The one thing I love about The Greetery is that most of the stamps are multiple stamping, which gives it a more realistic look.  The mason jar has 3 steps in creating this.  I used distress oxide pumice stone for the first layer, by sponging the ink onto the stamp rather than ink pad to stamp.  This gives it a softer look.  2nd layer was stamped using pumice stone again, this time I went ink pad  to stamp and then used my dauber sponge to even out the ink, then the last layer I used hickory smoke.  I then stamped the twine using rusty hinge.

The pine boughs were cut using white cardstock, then I applied ink to them using distress oxide, bundled sage, pine needles and peeled paint.

Background was done by adding distress oxide ink (more mustard, rusty hinge)  to my craft mat, spritzed and then pounced the canson water coloured paper into it, heat setting it between adding more colour.  I then sponged the edges using rusty hinge.  I also splattered the background using a couple of the colours.

The floral branches were done months ago, so not sure on the colours I used.

To finish off I added some gold sequins, added Nuvo glimmer to the floral branches, and popped up the mason jar.

Thank you for the visit.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Pauline

Hope your day is amazing

Hello everyone.  Hope you had a good weekend.  It was spring like weather here, lots of sun, breezy - a bit cold on Saturday, but yesterday was beautiful.  It won't last long as we are in for colder temperatures mid week with snow.

Today, I have another watercoloured image to share with you.

This is Peony Spray from Altenew, with matching die.

I stamped it with Intense Black from Simon Says Stamps, then water coloured using Prima Paints - Decandent Pies (guava meringue, apple and keylime) and also from the Woodlands set - foxberry and deep moss). Once coloured, I then took similar colours of my Polychromos pencils and added shading.

For the background I took Prima paints guava merinque and apple and water down quite a bit to make a wash using the same colours that is in the flower.  I heat set to dry, then splattered with ink.

I stamped the sentiment using Black Versafine - sentiment is from Altenew - Fresh Freesia set.

My card base is a peachy shimmer card stock.

To finish off, I added some sequins, and Nuvo shimmer to the flower for a bit of sparkle.

I hope you have an amazing day!

Pauline

In Sympathy

I'm slowly getting my mojo back.  After making Valentine cards, I've just been in a creative mood.  I've seen so many beautiful cards lately that are water coloured, so thought I would try it again.  I get very intimated when water colouring, never seem to be happy with the outcome.  Maybe I worry about it to much and just need to go with the outcome. So with that said I just jumped in and water coloured an image.

I'm using a stamp from Hero Arts - Florals  CM260, and here is my card.

Embossed image with white EP, onto Canson 104lb. I used Prima paints to water colour - Pastel Dreams, Woodlands and Decadent Pie sets.

I trimmed down the image using an MFT stitched rectangle die, then layered it onto a soft pink c/s.  I embossed the sentiment (which comes with the set) onto some heavy vellum (PTI) with white EP, wrapped the ends around the layer.

Added some enamel dots to finish this off.


Thanks for visiting today.

Pauline

Lots of love

Hello and Happy Monday.  I'm off work today as in Ontario we are celebrating Family Day. 

I have one more Valentine card to share, I hope you don't mind, as I know you're probably getting tired of seeing so many. 

I made this one for my co-worker.   When I showed her the cute little envelope stamp and die set from The Greetery, she asked if I could make her one for her husband.

All stamps and dies are from The Greetery. I used PTI ink - spring rain, and weathervane (second generation stamping) to create my background using various stamps.

Envelope was embossed with detail platinum embossing powder.  The liner of the envelope was stamped in weathervane, and the hearts were stamped in PTI - pure poppy. The little tag that has lots of love stamped on it, is just tucked inside the envelope as she wanted to write a message on the back, but the envelope itself is popped up on foam tape.

It was a quick card to create once I got going on it.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Wishing you a fabulous Monday!
I have a watercoloured card to share with you later this week. Stay tuned!

Pauline

Supplies:
Stamps and matching dies  - Pretty postmarks, Signed & Sealed, Signed & sealed with a kiss
dies -The Greetery - Postal Frame dies & Inside & out berry branch.
Ink - PTI - weathervane, pure poppy, spring rain, Versafine - black
Paper - SSS - Fog, PTI Smokey Shadow, Cougar White
Misc - enamel dots

Love - to my sweetheart

Hello, I'm back today to share another Valentine card, but I guess you could also use this for an Anniversary card as well.

I don't normally make a lot of Valentine cards, but this year for some reason I've made a few.

The made the heart background with SSS heart stencil and paste onto some SSS fog c/s.  Once dried I added my flag banner and hearts cut from scrap papers.

The love word was cut from black c/s layered onto a piece of vellum. Sentiment was stamped onto a piece of dp using black versafine, and popped up.

I added some hearts, sequins, rhinestone and a wooden heart to finish this off.

Supplies:
Stamp - The Greetery - Sentiment Suite - Love

Dies - SSS - Love, Spellbinder - Hearts, SSS - Flag, Memory Box - Mini heart collection
Paper -  SSS - Fog, Cougar White, MME- Love me, Glitz - pretty in pink, black
Misc - SSS - Tumbling Heart Stencil, sequins, rhinestone, wooden heart, Wendy Vecchi embossing paste

Wishing you a wonderful Valentines Day tomorrow! Have a great weekend!

Pauline

Miss you

Today's card is super easy! I need to make more of these types in different colours with different sentiments.

I'm using Simon Says Stamps Stencil Peony.  The stencil measures 6x6, which comes in handy for a variety of card sizes. I taped my stencil down over my white c/s and applied distress oxide inks: bundled sage, mowed lawn, salty ocean, dusty concord using my life changing brushes. 

Once my peony's were completed I cut it down to fit onto my blue scallop layer.

The sentiment die is also from SSS.  I love that it comes with the sentiment and the shadow die, which in my case I cut the shadow from vellum and the words from the blue c/s.  ( I only had a couple of pieces left and don't have the wrapper, but I think it is SU Baja Breeze, not 100% sure though).

For finishing touches I added some clear sequins and a Nuvo water droplet gem.

Have a wonderful day! See you soon,

Pauline

Winter birding

Hello everyone.  Hope your having a good Friday! It's snowing here today, feels like -12 with the wind chill, brrrrrr, just cold!

I have a few cards but haven't taken pictures yet, so thought this was a good time to share some of my bird photography.

Last Saturday, Bill and I were up and on the road at 3:30 am to drive 5 hrs to see a certain bird.  This bird normally lives in British Columbia, so he is way off track.  He has been up in Haliburton since mid Dec and is still surviving our winters, eating lots so that's good.

As we were within 1/2 hour of our destination, we are driving along, I noticed lots of marshy areas, and then I noticed something on a dead tree trunk.  Bill had already driven past by the time I said 'stop'.  He started to back up, but there were a couple of cars coming behind us, so we drove up to turn around.  Came back and noticed it was a GGO (Great Gray Owl)! Wow, so excited!!!!!

Here is my picture: (you can click on the pictures to enlarge them)
Isn't he beautiful??

After spending about 15 minutes with him, he flew into the open marsh area further in, too far for pictures. 

Which leads us to our destination.  When we first got there, there was one gentleman waiting for this bird to show himself, we just chatted a bit and about 5 min later in flew lots of Blue Jays and then the Varied Thrush.

He seemed a bit timid, but eventually he came down far enough into the center of the pine tree, in an open area for us to take some pictures.  This is a lifer for me.  Another one crossed off my list! Gorgeous colours!

That's it for today.  I do have some more pictures of back yard birds over the last month, I will share these with you at a later time.

Enjoy your weekend.  I appreciate your visit.

Pauline

Sending sweet thoughts

Hello everyone, I hope you had a good weekend. 

Today I have another Valentine card to share.  Although, I guess you could use this for a 'thinking of you' or a birthday as well. 

I started with a piece of Tim Holtz watercolour paper.  I smooshed distress inks onto my craft mat, spritz with water and then laid my paper onto it, picked it up and heat set.  I continued to do this until I was happy with the outcome.

I then cut two of the heart frames and glued them together.  I kept some of the hearts to add back into the negative areas once the card was completed.

For the center heart, I cut the solid heart from aqua mist c/s, and then the leafy floral overlay from some valentine designer paper from Cosmo Cricket. The sentiment I used is actually a little verse from Ink to Paper.  I masked off the a portion of it, as I only wanted to use "sending you sweet thoughts', and stamped using black versafine.

Once everything was together, I placed a small amount of glue into the negative spots on the heart frame and added the hearts here and there.  I also added some sequins and a heart rhinestone.

I love how this turned out.  I might just have to make another one using different distress inks.

I appreciate your visit, have a fabulous day!

Supplies:
Stamps - Ink to Paper - Inside Greetings: Valentine
Die:  Papertrey Ink - Bold Borders - Love die, Memory Box - Cupid Heart, Serafina Heart
Paper - Tim Holtz distress watercolour, white, PTI - aqua mist, Cosmo Cricket DP
Ink - black versafine,  Distress Oxide - peacock feathers, salty ocean, cracked pistashio, twisted citron, picked raspberry, spice marmalade
Misc - sequins, heart gem, foam tape

Pauline