I love tags!!

Hello and Merry Christmas!!

I love tags and I love making them. For cards, gifts or to hang on the tree. Simon Says Stamp has a challenge this week for tags. Here is my first one but I hope I get time to make a few more before this challenge is over.

I used a Ranger #8 manila tag. I started off with the stripes stencil. I swiped it with Iced Spruce misted with water, and placed my tag on top. One dry I did the same thing with Evergreen bough.
The Feathered wing die is one of my absolute favorites! I used water color paper to cut it out Evergreen bough to color it, spritzed with water. Used Gathered twig for the brown and Festive Berry for the Red.

Merry Christmas!!

Office Decor

I found a great quote for my office and decided to use my Silhouette to make it. Then I decided I can change it out with the seasons/holidays. I also plan to enter it into the Simon Say's Stamp Monday Challenge.


Here is the current Christmas theme:
I used the Sizzix/Tim Holtz Feathered Wing Die for this .....

And this is the everyday quote made with my Silhouette.....

I struggled a bit trying to get a picture without a ton of glare, hence the angle.

Thanks for stopping by!

Merry Christmas!!

Hugs!!!

More watercolor fun

Just playing around with, again Distress Inks and Markers. I'm trying to decide if I want to invest in more traditional watercolor paints. For now I'm happy playing with what I have.

For this one I stamped using Antique Linen for a no line watercolor effect. I then came in with Distress Markers. I used Abandoned Coral for the flower, Fossilized Amber for the center with some tea dye and Twisted Citron with Crushed Olive for the stem.

Thanks again for stopping by!
Hugs!!
Karen

Watercolor....

I decided to take another online card class.  This one was "Watercolor; exploring mediums".  I always get so much out of the card classes. Like I had NO idea there were so many types of watercolor paper, and liquid masking .... who knew. So much to play with and so much to try. Here are just a couple of my first attempts. 

The first card is using Ranger/Tim Holtz watercolor paper and Distress inks. I LOVE distress inks and like how this turned out. Also on this card is my new stamp from Simon Say's Stamp " Many Thanks."

These 2 cards are done with Bazzill cardstock.....why you ask?? Well sometimes I have things laying around that I cut on my silhouette for when I need a quick and easy card and this happened to be what was on the mat. I used Gelato's....for the very first time. Talk about creamy!!! These are fun and I can't wait to play with them again. After I blended the colors onto the surface I laid a mask I also created on my silhouette and with a baby wipe went in and removed a little color. The stencil is lighter than I wanted....I probably should have done this step sooner but it had been several hours before I went back and did it. 

I highly recommend this class!! Hope to post more samples as I get time to play with all I learned.

Hugs!
Karen

Simon Says Monday Challenge

This week's Monday blog challenge is "Love this technique". I thought about this a while and realized I Love so many technique's and I just couldn't pick!  So I decided to do a technique that I do love but haven't done in a looong time.

So here it is.....

I used Ranger alcohol inks. I applied Carmel, Cranberry and Terra-Cotta inks to my craft sheet with a little blending solution and swiped glossy cardstock through it.  I used Staz On ink to stamp my leaf and sentiment.

I'm so ready for fall......how about you??

Hugs!!

Karen

Hero Arts Makeover Challenge

I have been so out of the loop lately but I did see the awesome new Hero Art's Web site!!! WOW super fun and all the same great products and ideas.

The  Challenge was to take a card you had previously created and give it a make over. Fun right!!!

Here is my original card followed by 2 new cards I created.

 This first card (above) was created using the Hero Arts Lg. Lotus background stamped and embossed with white embossing powder. Next I went over it with Ranger Distress Stains. At the time the stains had just come out and were in the original dauber type bottle.

This next card was created using the Hero Arts Lg Lotus stencil. I have been playing with different types of texture mediums lately and the one on top was done with 3-D modeling paste in a mat finish. I then used the Ranger distress stains in the spray bottle. Colors; Peacock Feathers, Twisted Citron, Mermaid Lagoon.

For the last card, I used a Gel Texture paste, glossy and added the distress stains to it before I applied it to the stencil. I also used a texture tool to create the lines.

Super fun challenge and if you happen to be here, thanks for stopping by.
Hugs!!
Karen

Creating w/ my Silhouette Part 2

Well here is another project I've been wanting to do for some time. I had been eyeing all the fun knobs at Hobby Lobby and needed some place to organize my necklaces. So this is what I came up with. Super simple too.

I used "Folk Art" Home Decor Chalk Paint. I first applied the color "Sheep skin" and once that was good and dry I applied my vinyl shape, " Bracket Swirly".  Next I applied the "Cascade/teal" color of chalk paint and when it was tacky I used a cloth to rub some of the paint off so the "white/sheep skin" would show through. Once it was pretty much dry I peeled the vinyl off. Hope this will inspire you to create something too and share it with the rest of us!!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Hugs!

Karen

Getting crafty w/ my silhouette Part 1

Hey there,

I know I don't have much activity on my blog these days, but I'm hoping to change all that!!
Here is a banner I made for a friends daughter's graduation. It was such a cute idea and so simple. Just a few embroidery hoops, letters cut on the silhouette "font SNF Dear Miss Rose" and some tule.

This banner has 14, 10' hoops. We strung it between the patio awning. 

This would also be fun as a monogram on a gallery wall, or at the holidays with "Joy" or "Peace" over the mantel.

We also created some fun center pieces. Using a scalloped circle cut on the silhouette and punched out photos.

I would love to hear any other ideas you might have for these fun embroidery hoops!!

Hope you have a blessed week!!

Hugs!!!

Karen

One layered card ....

Hello there!

"A Blog Named Hero" is hosting a One Layer challenge so I thought I would jump in and give it a go.  You would think this is easy, it's a one layered card.....but noooo, for some of us it's a struggle! I wanted to add bits of this, a button there ect, I mean really would those little accents be a deal breaker?? Well I took the challenge literally and this is what I came up with.  To see all the others click Here 

I used Tim Holtz distress ink on watercolor paper, Picked Raspberry, Salty Ocean and Abandon Coral. I then dabbed and spritzed a little pearlized water. Next I used a Hero Art's floral stamp and sentiment. I wanted to try to give the flower a little dimension so I used a white color pencil to add some highlights. 

Thanks for a fun challenge, and thanks for looking!!
 I have missed getting my craft on, it's good to be back!!
Hugs!!

Happy Saturday!!!

I have enjoyed a day of playing in my craft room!! Feeling blessed to be able to have a day at home to do that. Here are a few quick and easy cards I made for the Simon Say's Stamp Wednesday Challenge.  http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge

This card was done using Hero Arts Hydrangea. I stamped on watercolor paper and then painted using Tim Holtz distress inks: Peacock Feathers, Crushed Olive and Forest Moss. I died the ribbon also with Peacock Feathers.

This one is stamped again on watercolor paper and painted with Rip Persimmon, and Abandoned Coral.

Thanks for stopping by!!
Hugs!!

Hero Arts Flicker Group

Yesterday I participated in a "scramble" over at the Hero Arts Flicker group. So much fun! I had to create a new flicker account so I could re-join the group. I some how got locked out of my old account (screen name Born2scrap775 Karen). Luckily it's still there and I was able to see all my old cards so that was nice.

"Today’s challenge is all about favorites…your favorite technique, color, stamps, dies, and of course since I am hosting a few of mine as well. Cat Craig"

Here are the 2 cards I created for the challenge:
I chose to focus on watercolor since I had just purchased some new Tim Holtz Water color paper.
It has a nice heavy texture. I also used Distress Inks: Squeezed Lemonade, Crushed Olives, Forest Moss, Chipped Saphire, Peacock Feathers.
The sentiment is cut from my Silhouette and then colored with black copic markers.

This card is using one of my favorite Hero Art's stamps, 3 Ferns. Using the fun bright colors gave it a very different feel than how I normally use it.

If you made it here to my blog thanks for coming. I hope to be more active in the days and weeks ahead!!
Hugs!!!

It's been a loooong time

Well it's been a super long time since I've posted anything here. But I have been getting my craft on again so I thought I would see if my blog was still here.  Looks like it is so I'm giving it a go. Let's see if I can remember how to do this.  It's my hope to get things posted here more for a place to share with friends and to keep for myself. But also to possibly join some fun crafty challenges again. I have missed this creative escape.

These are 2 pieces I just did for a wall I'm working on in my daughter's room. The first is a small black canvas that I put buttons on in the shape of a heart. I used my silhouette to create a template. 

The second is a frame my friends husband made me out of pallet wood. The backing is spray painted  black.  I used white vinyl for the words from one of my favorite song's "oceans".  The first time I used this frame was for The nativity also shown. It was cut out of card stock that I tacked down to make a temporary holiday decor piece. All items are cut from my Silhouette Cameo. 

  

If your here again.....thanks for looking!! 

I hope to post more and visit more in the coming days and weeks a head.