HLS November Watercolour Challenge - With a Twist of "Get Well"

A "get well" card can have almost any image.  That makes them very versatile.  All they should really have in common is that they should be "up beat".  You don't want to depress the very person for whom you're making a get well card, do you?

I fell in love with the Lilypad Lake stamp set when I first saw it.  The images lend themselves to all sorts of cards.  In this case I've used the heron and the lilypad for my get well card.  I stamped the image onto a piece of Shimmery White cardstock using pigment black ink for the heron and the Antique Linen Distress ink for the lilypad.  I knew I'd be watercolouring over them and didn't want my inks to run.  The heron was easy.  I used my clear Sakura Glaze pen to entirely cover the white of the heron.  Then I coloured the lilypad and flower using my Stampin' Up! Blends.  I also used the Sakura Glaze pen to create ripple lines where I intended to have water.

Once all that was totally dry, I want to work with my watercolour inks.  I used Pacific Point and Coastal Cabana for the water, applying it across the paper with a broad brush.  Then I used the same brush (cleaned) to apply the Flirty Flamingo and Crushed Curry across the sky.  I sprayed the card with my Ink Blending Solution to move some of the colours around and then added a bit more of the Coastal Cabana and Flirty Flamingo in places.  Again, I sprayed it with my Ink Blending Solution, moving the colours into each other more and, while the inks were still "mobile", moved some of the Crushed Curry and Flirty Flamingo into the water, like a reflection.

I've never tried this technique before but LOVE the results.  Of course the Shimmery White cardstock added a certain something to the whole as well.  It didn't take long for everything to dry and then I took a soft tissue and "cleaned" the heron and lilies.  Once I attached it to a base of Call Me Clover cardstock, I just stamped the sentiment from the Beautiful You set and the card was done.

Our winner for this challenge will receive a $20 coupon to spend at the shop! Check out all the details HERE.

IF YOU USE STAMPS BY HAPPY LITTLE STAMPERS AND YOU ARE OUR RANDOM WINNER, YOUR PRIZE WILL BE DOUBLED!

Hope you'll pop over to see what my Team Mates have created and come join us this month at our Happy Little Stampers November Watercolour Challenge with the optional twist of "get well".

HLS October ATC Challenge - Optional Twist Holidays

At the moment when I think of holidays, I think Christmas.  Of course that has a lot to do with the snow we've had off and on since the first week of September.  Early, yes.  Wanted, definitely not.  Under the circumstances, given my ambivalence, the So Santa stamp set was the perfect way for me to go with this challenge.  After all, how often do you see Santa with a surfboard and tropical drink in hand?

I simply love these images.  They were fun to colour and I did a bit of editing to the stamp, making spots, to get that look of Santa in shorts and an apron with those cookies in hand.  For both ATCs I've added a palm tree from a sun Inkadinkadoo set called Flamingo Fun.  All the colouring was done with my alcohol inks, the Stampin' Up! Blends.  I love the bright colours and "beachy" feel.  This is what Santa loves to do for his holidays.

Our winner for this challenge will receive a $20 coupon to spend at the shop! Check out all the details HERE.

IF YOU USE STAMPS BY HAPPY LITTLE STAMPERS AND YOU ARE OUR RANDOM WINNER, YOUR PRIZE WILL BE DOUBLED!

Hope you will pop over and see what my Team Mates have created and come join us this month for our ATC October Challenge with its theme of "Holiday".

HLS October Anything Goes With Dies - Hallowe'en

I had such fun using my Brushos for this incredible background when I was creating my Hallowe'en card.  The colours I used were the Moss Green for the bottom and the Gamboge for the top.  I love the way they turned out and worked together, don't you?  They make the perfect atmosphere for the wonderful Hallowe'en dies which I used.

My base is the new Mango Medley cardstock and that incredible Designer Paper is from the Toil & Trouble Suite.  Since my scene of die-cuts includes the headstones, the ghosts seemed somehow appropriate.  After using my Brushos and letting the paper dry, I mounted it on a piece of Old Olive cardstock.  The dies for this scene, including the wonderful witch flying overhead, are from a retired set called Halloween Scenes Edgelits Dies.

Our winner for this challenge will receive a $20 coupon to spend at the shop! Check out all the details HERE.

IF YOU USE STAMPS BY HAPPY LITTLE STAMPERS AND YOU ARE OUR RANDOM WINNER, YOUR PRIZE WILL BE DOUBLED!

Hope you'll pop over to see what my Team Mates have created and come join us this month at our Happy Little Stampers October Anything Goes With Dies Challenge.

HLS October Christmas Challenge - With a Twist of "Ribbon"

I don't use a lot of ribbon.  Oh, I buy it because it looks so great in the catalogue or on the shelf, but when push comes to shove, I always love my cards with little or no additional embellishment.  Once in a while I use ribbon.  It's just not a regular "thing".  So you can imagine how I felt when I realized that the twist for this challenge would be "Ribbon".  I had a lot of ideas but the one which finally stuck was to really make the card "all about ribbon".  I kinda like it.  How about you?

This is an incredible ribbon.  It's retired now and I will admit that I didn't use it much on cards (it just seemed rather overwhelming) but it is flat out gorgeous.  You can see how pretty it looks but believe me, it feels sumptuous, too, with that silky, satin softness and all.  This ribbon is 3.2 cm wide (1 1/4") and it dominates the card.  I kept the background simple with that diagonal designer paper and also  kept the sentiment simple, adding it to a stitched tag stamped with Real Red ink and tied to the large ribbon with a skinny 3.2 mm wide (1/8") diagonal striped red and white ribbon.

Our winner for this challenge will receive a $20 coupon to spend at the shop! Check out all the details HERE.

IF YOU USE STAMPS BY HAPPY LITTLE STAMPERS AND YOU ARE OUR RANDOM WINNER, YOUR PRIZE WILL BE DOUBLED!

Hope you'll pop over to see what my Team Mates have created and come join us this month at our Happy Little Stampers October Christmas Challenge with the optional twist of Ribbon.