This month's Rounds & Rectangles Swap is a "summer vacation" postcard. Hmmmmmm . . . Luckily, I just received my monthly Hero Arts Club package featuring the dock and jumping swimmers. After cutting the card stock to the correct size, I made a mask with the dock die cut. With the mask in place, I stamped the jellyfish stamp with VersaMark ink and embossed with white embossing powder. Using the school of fish stencil, I inked over the embossed design with VersaFine Clair using

I know I don't use my Magenta Stamps as often as I'd like to. Every one of their stamps is beautifully and artfully designed; and the quality of the rubber is the best. I'm so fortunate to have been introduced to Magenta's line of stamps and other art supplies in my beginning days of stamping. Birthday card 5" wide & 6.5 high This is a Christmas poinsettia stamp that I used as a non-seasonal flower. All of the watercoloring is done on Strathmore 140 lb. hot press watercolor p

After an extended absence, I'm back. It's been snowing what seems like forever, and I'm using some of this quiet time to catch up on a massive backlog of cards to make for family and friends. My cousin's birthday was this last Thursday. I wanted to make a card that followed his outdoor activities with a little humor thrown in. I stamped the forest background onto white card stock using the VersaFine Clair Morning Mist. It was then trimmed down to fit behind the oval frame of

Okay, after I looked at yesterday's card again today, I decided it wasn't very good at all! So I re-did it. Sorry to be repetitive but I think it's all worth it in the end. Hopefully, we'll all learn taking that second or third look might result in a much improved card design. I still used the Soft Finish card stock but used it as a stamp panel on an A2 card base. The bear was stamped in the lower left of the card with the same colors. The bow was stamped with Teal Zeal the f

My nephew is expecting his second son any day, any hour. His wife is going to the doctor tomorrow and they may find themselves with a new addition to the family before they return home . . . who knows! All I know is I cannot wait to meet Reed when he chooses to make his debut. Reed also has a big brother, Jack, who is 5 years old and is quite anxious for everything to happen. While I've been waiting to hear, I made this card. When I saw this stamp in the current Stampin' Up!

While working the Elizabeth Craft Designs' booth at the Scrapbook Expo in Puyallup last weekend, I was totally taken with a card that was on display. The die design is from Joset van de Burgt and the card stock is ECD's new Soft Finish Card Stock. This card stock has such a subtle texture to it; when Distress Inks are applied, the paper takes on a velvet-looking finish. Of course, I had to buy the die and the card stock. The Soft Finish Card Stock comes in two weights. Using

I belong to RubberMoon's MoonMail Club. For the low monthly subscription fee, we are sent a stamp that is designed just for Moonies, along with an extra goodie or two. RubberMoon and Inchie Arts work together very closely and I usually enjoy one of their Art Square Boards, i.e., inchies, twinchies, Art Swatch, etc. You can click on this link to read all about joining the MoonMail Club: https://rubbermoon.com/pages/moonmail-club. Some Moonies swap Moon creativity with that mo

Yesterday was my husband's birthday. He's not a flashy person; he likes most everything to be of simple lines and color. We went to Seattle to enjoy dinner with his son, so I decided this card would be the perfect one for him, thanks to Altenew Stamps. On a piece of Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Card Stock, I stamped the image with VersaMark using my MISTI. I heat embossed with white embossing powder. With the small distress ink pads, I applied two colors of Distress Inks; I

I hope all of you enjoyed the Fourth of July Celebration with your family and friends. We were fairly low-key since we'd hosted a birthday dinner party of 15 for my husband the night before. The view from our deck took in many, many fireworks displays all over the skies, nearby and afar. It was awesome! My stepson's birthday is today; he celebrates his 44th birthday. The number "44" is a favorite number in the family. His sister's first boyfriend was on the football team and

I pulled out my Zig Clean Color Real Brush water-based pens to use with the Penny Black "Bouquets" Clear stamp set. It became a little addictive, I couldn't stop! You'll see another card tomorrow using another one of the bouquets in the stamp set. Today's card will go to a friend who celebrates her 70th birthday with a drop-in reception later this afternoon. Using the MISTI, I stamped the image onto 140 lb. cold press watercolor card stock with archival ink. I left the stamp

The last couple of days have been a blur. For different reasons, the rest of this week becomes even more of a blur with 4 birthdays and 2 graduations, all celebrated on Friday and Saturday. Whew! The first graduation card for a celebration I missed this last Saturday is a very simple card for an amazing young lady. She changed her major and just graduated, with a job!, in elementary special education. Excited doesn't begin to describe how anxious she is for the new school yea

It's been a fun and a dramatic weekend. With two of my high school girlfriends, we saw Motown, The Musical, in Seattle . . . fabulous music, even more fabulous singing talent. Then I drove to Olympia/Tumwater for my 45th high school reunion; it's true, you see them as you remember them in school and not what they look like now. Sunday started out slowly and then I was horrified to see the television news about the mass shooting in Orlando. And I continued my ongoing prayers f

This quote says it all about my blog. If I waited for perfection, it wouldn't happen. When I started this blog, I just wanted to share with you what I'm doing and what I like. In trying to post most every day, it does become a challenge to create something for each day. My desire is to not always stay within the comfortable box and but rather leap outside it. Whether or not it's perfect is not the point; the deed is that I've traveled outside the ordinary and known to somethi

I'm upright and mobile. I'm comfortable in my home. All of this is a good thing! Yesterday I learned that a very good friend's wife is enduring a traumatic medical condition under the top-notch care of Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. Today, I learn that one of the attendant's at Hannah's grooming salon has lost her home to a fire; luckily, their 12 year-old son spent the night with his grandma and was not in the area where the fire caused the most damage. Please look aroun

The weather has been absolutely scorching. Yesterday it was in the 90's and today it hit 90 again! I am ever so thankful that we have air conditioning in our home. This will be a very short post because this heat has just worn me out, and I've had quite a day. You're probably very tired of hearing me rave about the Pen and Ink stamps by Josephine Kimberling. But I'm not tired of using the stamps, over and over and over again. I needed to make a birthday card very quickly; of

What a blur these past couple of days have been. Today was much more calm, and it was a great day because it started with a class using new art board cut-outs from Inchie Arts. There were 3 of us who totally enjoyed Lisa Lee's class. She's teaching it again at Art 'n Soul in Lacey, WA on Saturday, July 9. If you're not signed up for this class, you're going to want to. Are these not the cutest cards? Inchie Arts is packaging the cut-out shapes, and RubberMoon has the new stam

The new feather stamp from Magenta has been sitting on my work table, awaiting its turn. I bumped it up a few spots because I couldn't wait it out any longer. Cut 2 of the 4 dies of Tim Holtz Sizzix die set to use as stencils. Applied StazOn ink with dauber. Stamped feathers with Memento ink using the MISTI. Colored with Magenta's Nuance. Stamped sentiment using the MISTI with VersaFine. With scrap of faux leather card stock, cut a frame using Memory Box Stitched Rectangle La

It's a holiday weekend. My weekend started with a road trip to Long Beach, WA for a garage sale; it was a bit far to drive since it was a little more than 100 miles away from home. It was a fun time because I enjoyed the company of my sister-in-law and another good friend in the car, and I was able to see a long-time family friend that I hadn't seen for almost 2 years. The views from her home are spectacular since they live on the ocean beach. When I returned home, my husband

It's been such a short time since I remember Els first demo'ing at CHA with the micro fine glitter and Shimmer Sheetz! Both her son, Mark, and her daughter, Josette, were there helping out and seemed so young. Now, the Elizabeth Craft Designs product line is extensive and quite popular. I bought a few things at the consumer show I attended in Anaheim, and I've just now taken some of the ECD goodness out of the bag! Adhered adhesive sheet 3.5" X 3.5" to the same size piece of

More time in the studio today to clean up my workspace, as best I could. Then I was ready to make something with this Impression Obsession stamp designed by Dina Kowal. I've always thought that this silhouette of a young girl with an umbrella is so sweet. I had this piece of left-over watercolor card stock that had been colored with one of Magenta's Nuance watercolor powders. I stamped the image with Memento ink. Then I die-cut around the image with the raindrops die. The sta