Lucky find at Marshalls!

Hello,
I am enjoying my summer. I love the three days weekends. (yes, I am teaching summer school again...uuggh) BUT! I am determined to get some crafting done! I decided that I was getting a bit disorganized, and I needed to cut white card panels and have them on hand ready to go. I needed a container of course? What do I store them in?

Jennifer McGuire recommended more clear storage bins. Why not run to Marshalls, and take a look around!  I may just find the perfect thing?! Well, I did! Take a look!

I found what I think was a storage container for the cupboard for gravy packets. It fits perfectly for card bases....three different sizes too! I used red cardstock to separate my watercolor paper from my Neenah Solar white cardstock. Then I cut thick craft dividers a bit taller so I can label each size. 

In my head, the back section is the card base size. The middle section is the dark mat size. and the front section is the light panel size. A majority of the cards I create are A2 size. I do other sizes once in a while, square mostly, but I try to stick with A2.

I am switching my storage from this way. Man, that was 2014?! Time flies in the craft room!

I may have to run back and purchase another one for my birthday and sentiment panels for the inside of the card. hmmmm. It was only $5.99!

Thanks for stopping by, I would love a comment! It would make my day!

I adore Rubbernecker Stamps!

Do you have a company of stamps that just make you feel good? I do. I adore Rubbernecker Stamps. They are foolproof! They are designed with a watercolor feel, so even the most horrible stamped image comes out beautiful every time! I mean it!

I was dog sitting for a good friend of mine, and I brought a pile of pre-cut watercolor paper and this rubbernecker stamp set. I had more fun combining colors and stamping dozens of images to see the effect I got. They all came out beautifully. Here are a few of the images I finally got a chance to match with a background and mounted on folded card stock. Take a look:

 I took the time to re-set up my indoor light box in the corner of my craft room. I experimented with different colored backgrounds and tons of lighting. I STILL prefer my outdoor photos, but some days I am just not able to get outside due to temperature, or inclement weather. I turned up my exposure on my camera and brighten these photos up with my Microsoft Picture Manager. They still seem dark to me. What do you think? Huh.....so much to learn about this card making/paper craft obsession of mine!!  :)

Please leave a comment, it makes my day to hear from you!

Me and my MISTI...

Hello again!
I finally got some time to get creating with my MISTI. Man, I love the security that I won't mess up, when I use my MISTI. I am using stamps I could never use before (because I would have to stamp multiple times to get a clear image) with it. Take a look:

These dragonflies are gorgeous! Such detail. I stamped each of them twice to make them nice and dark. Even the sentiment came out well! I think this is one of my most favorite cards of all time.  :)

I totally forgot about this cute little butterfly. I actually did something I have NEVER done before. I UNMOUNTED a stamp. I pulled this stamp off its wood and used it with my MISTI. Now I am not sure how to store this newly unmounted stamp. It is still sticky from the glue. I guess I'll need to do some cyber research and see how others store theirs. I love rediscovering old stamps. Any suggestions?

Thanks for stopping by!

10 Ways to Watercolor - Love this!

I really enjoyed watching this today, and wanted to share it with you! Enjoy!

Watercolor Stamping: Christmas Ornaments!

I love this video, I only wish I had this talent!

Distressing Technique with Watercoloring

Hello again,
I am a post-o-holic this month! I have so much to share. I think I have more time to post then ever before. I have yet another creation to tell you about! This will be my 95th post on my blog. I think I will need to have some give-a-ways for my 100th post!

I love the look of watercolor with distress. I think they were made for each other. I am running low on twine, it adds a great touch to the bottom of the card.

My Peerless Water color set arrived!

Ok, I gave in. 
     I have seen so many card making videos using the Peerless water colors, I just had to buy them. Being a frugal crafter, I wanted to "try them" before "investing in them". With the basic set not having many colors, and the bonus set costing too much plus shipping, I hesitated. 
     Then I went on Etsy.com, and found "Peerless Watercolor "mini" Travel Palette 3/4" squares of peerless on 4.5" x 6 " palette" sold by "Oliveme Artsie" for only $15! Perfect, I get to try before investing, and I have 40 colors to play with! It arrived in less than week. So, what do I paint first? Here is my first attempt:

It's true, the colors are SO vibrant, and they pop from the page. My Happy birthday is a bit askew, but its all good. In the background I filled in with a copic marker. I am excited to use these A LOT!  lol. 
Thanks for stopping by!

Featured: With Gratitude

Happy Thursday!
     I had the itching to play with my embossing powders. I honestly was just playing around when I looked up again, the card was complete!

      I love the fiber I used. It is the perfect embellishment for this simple card. I bought a whole box of fibers when I was a scrapbooker. I didn't know at the time that I would be an avid card maker down the road. I think EVERY card maker needs fibers. I hardly ever see other blogs with cards using fibers. So, I am spreading the word....use FIBERS EVERYONE! or not....mine will stand out that way! :) Enjoy!

Featured: Set of Matching Water color Cards

What a beautiful day!
     It is gorgeous outside, summer is here. I am keeping busy this summer with all my current passions. Card making, teaching, playing Skyrim, going to the gym and losing at Texas Hold 'em. Yeah, I am a strange bird. God didn't know what to do when he made me other than scratch his head and ponder.

     I have been looking forward to this weekend. Stampfest is having a conference in Orlando this Saturday and Sunday. I have not spent a penny on any craft supplies in 4 weeks to save up for the day! (big grin)

     I got inspired by Darlene to play with a watercolor set on watercolor paper. I know my creations have no similarity to hers, but the premise of water coloring technique is my inspiration. Take a look.

     I know, I know, I have no sentiment on them. I just couldn't decide on one...or many or ...where to put them. So I left them without one. I just simply couldn't decide. I tied twine around the base of each to give more detail. These pictures don't do them justice. I followed the same technique as Darlene in her video, if you want to watch it, click here.

     I will let you know how the conference goes! I am sure I will have tons of new toys to play with! Enjoy, and see you soon.

Featured Set: Watercolor Petals by Hero Arts

Hello again,
I absolutely love the stamp sets I purchased from JoAnn's! I have only had time to play with one or two sets so far. I did run out of WHITE cardstock and had to place an order for Neenah Solar White Cardstock. Love that stuff. I bit the bullet and purchased a WHOLE ream from Ellen Hutson. Great site! I will be purchasing from her again. I even saved 10% by using a coupon code. (yahoo!)

Anyway, lets get to the cards, take a look!

Feel free to double click on the pictures to get a better look. I love my low-tack masking tape. I used all distress inks with the exception of the brown/orange one. I used a cat's eye pigment ink set I had. I don't own a brown/orange distress pad...yet. (keyword: YET...lol) I took thread and tied a bow on each card, with exception of the green one.