A couple thank you cards! Because you can never have enough on hand. I’m experimenting with how I like to color my stamped images, and figuring out what my preferences are, and how to do all that blending stuff. I’m doing my best to avoid all the copic stuff (budget reasons), and instead, using waterbased markers, watercolor pencils, and the like. I also have a very small stash of distress inks, and distress inks are always fun. 

So anyways, here’s the first card!

Flower close-up (I used Memento Ink and my American Crafts stamp markers and paper pieced it):

The sentiment with the scalloped border patterned paper:

Supplies (sentiment not listed):

Here is the second card. I heat embossed a background stamp in clear for the background; I then white embossed a flower with a couple leaves and colored it with distress inks and a dabber. That was super fun.

I am really loving the this background stamp and how subtle it is!

Supplies (Lawn Fawn sentiment not listed):

It’s been a crazy week… both kids sick, one of them also with pink eye AND an ear infection, the other is waking up a bazillion times at night because of a stuffy nose, I now have thrush, which is quite painful… the only one not on medication is my husband. At least he’s good for writing Rx’s for us. Anyways, this card took nearly a week to make, because I would steal 10 minutes here and there just to escape. I’m really liking it. Simple, feminine, cute. Loving the sentiment and the lightness that the font brings to the card.

Click on any of the photos for a close-up shot:

A close up of the flowers:

A close up of the subtle clear embossing on the side. It’s a little hard to see, you can only see it when the light reflects off of it. But I like the subtle part of it, and the vertical line it creates to break up the card a bit.

Forever Flower Card
Paper:  Cardstock from my stash
Stamp: Paper Smooches Pretty Phrases; Recollections Freedom Flowers
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark Watermark Clear
Accessories:  Martha Stewart Embossing Powder, clear; Staedtler Ergosoft Watercolor Pencils, EK BrusH2O Pen Medium Tip; Martha Stewart Lilac Dimensional Pearl Stickers; Martha Stewart Pastel Mini-Pearl Stickers; Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents

One thing I have to say about this new card making thing I’m doing — it is a craft that requires a billion different tools and equipment just to make 1 little thing. The start up cost has been a lot more than I expected/anticipated. I suppose this also applies to scrapbooking. There are a billion different things you can do on your paper layout, and a billion different ways to do just 1 thing. My newbie brain is still trying to figure it all out. This is drastically different and vastly more complicated than a craft like knitting. Where you only need three simple things: 1) a pair of needles, 2) the pattern, 3) your yarn. All the rest is not really necessary.

In anycase, I am having a BLAST!! I have a few showers coming up, so here are a couple cards I made:

Showering Hearts Card
Paper: Lawn Fawn Bright Side 6×6 papers; Hero Arts layering paper, Carnation
Stamp: Simon Says Stamp Sunnier Days; Lawn Fawn Plus One
Ink: Versamark Ink; Hero Arts Shadow Ink in Stonewash & Bubblegum
Punch: American Crafts Knock Outs Border Punches, Basic Scallop
Other: Martha Stewart Embossing Powder, Dove

Bun In Oven Card
Paper: Lawn Fawn Bright Side 6×6 papers; Hero Arts layering paper, Lilac
Stamp: Lawn Fawn Plus One
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Distress Ink Pumice Stone
Other: Staedtler Ergosoft Aquarell Watercolor Pencils; EK BrusH20 Pen Medium Tip

A lot of my materials were from Simon Says Stamp’s April 2012 Card Kit. There is so much fun stuff in this kit. The Showering Hearts Card was pretty much a direct replica of Kristina Werner’s card. The only thing I wish this kit had, was a sentiment in the stamp set that had something to do with shower parties. It was mostly about showers in regards to encouragement on a rainy/bad day. Other than that, papers are super cute and fun. I have plans for the chevron acetate in there, the green plaid ribbon, the flowers, the purple washi tape… the list goes on…