Spring Time

Hi everyone!  Around this time of year, I find myself yearning for spring.  The winters here are long and quiet, with most of the birds having left to go south, to warmer climates.  So I thought I'd make myself happy scrapping some memories of spring weather, and at the same time, show you that the Life Isn't Perfect collection can also be used for happy layouts!  

I chose the background paper because it had a happy feel to me, it tied in with all the water in my photos, and the colours remind me of spring here in Alberta.

To start, I knew I was going to be doing a mixed media layout, so I painted clear gesso over the whole sheet, in case I should want to add any pastes or paints.  (In the end I chose not to.)  Then I took out some new Distress Oxide sprays that I've been dying to use and sprayed them on a piece of water colour paper.  The colours I used were Wilted Violet, Cracked Pistachio, and Fossilized Amber.

This took several layers of spraying and drying, but once I was happy with it I tore it into strips about 1 inch wide and glued it on the patterned paper.  (I did this while the back of the paper was still slightly damp, to make the tearing easier.)

As I work on a project I quite often take a picture of it during the process to see if it is looking the way I'd hoped it would.  In the collage below, I was second guessing myself about whether I should add the daffodil image, but after comparing the two photos side by side, I decided it was a yes!

Another thing I do when I first start working with a paper collection, is to make myself a chart of Copic colours that I feel coordinate with the collection.  Then if I choose to colour an image, as I did with the daffodils, I will have colours that go well with the paper collection.  It's nothing fancy, but it sure helps!

The image that I coloured is a digital stamp by Power Poppy called "Dancing with Daffodils" and let me tell you... I am dancing when spring finally arrives here!!

I love birds, and the wonderful thing about spring here, is the sound of the massive flocks singing their way back to Alberta, where they will nest and raise their babies.  It felt appropriate for me to embellish my layout with some beautiful birds that I created from a kit by gluing layers together and popping them up between each layer with foam tape.  Wild Whisper's wood veneer pieces made a perfect accent for them.  The Spring Time title was created using the Back to Basics Capital Letters  stamp set and stamping with Fossilized Amber Distress Oxide ink.

This glimpse of my other bird embellishment, shows you all the layers that are used to create it.

I think I have pretty "hardy" grandchildren, don't you agree!!  They are playing at one of the playgrounds in town and that big yellow thing in the photos is a slide.  I'm pretty sure that after sitting in an ice cold puddle, a big cup of hot chocolate was next on the agenda!!

Here's looking forward to a happy spring for us all... with lots of puddles to jump in, water to splash, and birds singing in the trees!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Linda

Oh... and a reminder... you have until 11:59 MST time tomorrow night (Feb 28th) to enter Wild Whisper's February challenge.  Go here and join the Wild Whisper Community for lots of inspiration and encouragement.  THEN, go here to enter the challenge.  You don't need to use Wild Whisper products, but if you DO, you receive two entries into the draw.  The prize is a stamp set and package of ephemera... a GREAT way to start your collection of Wild Whisper goodies, if you haven't already!!

Sparkle in the Shade with Power Poppy

Hi everyone,

Power Poppy inspired me this month with their Creative Confetti Challenge.  

"Create with just one color in many different "shades" - then, add a little sparkle to the final creation!" Julie said…  so I did!!

My starting point was this pretty piece of paper from Wild Whisper Designs' Christmas Comfort line.

I pulled the colours from the blue side and used one of the digital images from 

Power Poppy's "Merriest Berries" set.

I love this set and can't wait to colour up the candy cane one as well!

To add some dimension to the berries, I coated them in Nuvo Glitter Accents "Snowfall" which made them beautifully sparkly.  It is such a pretty glitter glue and dries very quickly.

I can't believe it's already the end of the month.  I'm just getting my entry in on time! 

Be sure and check out the challenges at Power Poppy.  They are a lot of fun!

Outside in the bushes, I'm starting to hear the rustle of spooks and ghouls... 

they will soon be arriving!  

Enjoy All Hallows Eve and thank you for stopping by.

Linda

Guest Designer - Power Poppy Stamps

Hi everyone! 

This is an exciting day for me as I have been invited to be a Guest Designer for the day, for Power Poppy stamps “Hues to Use” weekly colour inspiration.  As an avid gardener, I just cannot get enough of designer, Marcella’s, beautiful images of flowers and nature.

This was the color scheme I was given to work with for this week.

I was immediately in love with the earth colour palette and since Father’s Day was on the horizon, I chose to make a card for my dad using Leaping Trout.

When I start a project for a challenge like “Hues to Use”, I look at my digital images and pick one that would look good with the chosen colours.  Then I go to my stash of patterned paper and pull out colours in those same hues.  Finally, I sit down with my Copic markers and pick out ones that I feel go well with the paper.  The paper collection that I used for this card is an older one by Authentique, called “Strong.”

I wanted to frame the trout and make it the focal point on my card, so I added the Wreath:  Birch and Evergreens digital set and manipulated it on my computer to make it a rectangle instead of a square.

I am lucky to have a family who loves my cards and likes to keep them on display, so I chose this “fun fold” style for the base of my card as it sits nicely on the counter and looks pretty.  I first saw it on Berit Rosenfeldt’s blog where she shares the instructions on how to make it HERE.  This is Berit's card below.

It looks complicated, but it's just one card tucked and glued inside a "Z" fold card.

Here’s a close-up where you can see I added a little sparkle to the splashing water.

Here is a glimpse of the inside when it is unfolded and laying flat.  The Nature quote is included with Leaping Trout digital stamp set, and “Have a FinTastic Father’s Day” can be found in the Fly Guy digital set.

Be sure and check out “Hues to Use” every Tuesday.  It’s a great way to kick start your mojo if it’s in hiding!

Now for some HAPPY news...Right now, until the end of the month, Power Poppy Clear and Digital Stamps are 25% off!  AND new digital stamps have been added to the collection!  Does it get any better than that???  I think not!

Thanks for stopping by and sharing my wonderful day with me today!

Linda

Sending Love

Hi there!

I had such fun making Valentines for my granchildren this year.  For Emily's, I started with        Power Poppy's "Hues to Use" challenge.... LOVE those colours!!  Emily's favorite colour is blue... so I had to throw a little of that in too.  :)

The stamp I used is a digital set of Power Poppy's called Va-Va-Valentines.

Included in the set are some really pretty sentiments.

This set is a real deal.... for only $6 US you get 6 different images (for a limited time only).  So helpful to me when I was making 3 cards!  This next one was for Austin.                                      

And last but not least, my little Greyson's valentine.

Aren't Marcella's images adorable!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Linda

Countryside Bouquet

Hi everyone,

September is birthday month in our family, so I'm back today with another birthday card!  This one's for my daughter, and I chose to use Power Poppy's beautiful Countryside Bouquet digital image.

To get started I used the autumn inspired "Hues to Use" on Power Poppy's blog.  

For glittering the scalloped border, I used a product that was new to me... Nuvo's Glitter Accents "Fresh Snowfall".  I really like it.  It was easy to apply and dried within seconds.... no more smeared glitter... that makes me smile!

The ribbon and the gold foil sentiments that I use on the front and the inside,

are from Close to my Heart, as is the "Happy Birthday" stamp.

A little closer look at the flowers... coz who can't get enough of flowers... right???  I love digital images...  I always know where to find them on my computer and you can size them to whatever size you need.

The dies that I used to make the card are an old Blueprint set #6 by My Favorite Things.  The gorgeous paper, that was a pure please to coordinte with, is from Blue Fern... Wanderlust.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  Do check out Popper Poppy's "Hues to Use" if you're stuck and need some colours to get you going!  There's a new set every week!

Enjoy the Autumn, it's a beautiful time of year!

Linda

Sweet Treats

Hi there,

Yesterday, I shared a fun Christmas gift that I made for a friend, and today I'm putting it together with a card and entering it in Power Poppy's challenge this month "Sweet Treats"

When I first saw Power Poppy's stamps, I was smitten!  They have the loveliest images!  This little tree in a tea cup is from a set called Cozy Cupfuls and it is just darling.

I used paper from Close to my Heart called "Oh Deer" and waterpainted the image with coordinating inks:  Juniper, Sea Glass, Fern, Whisper, Desert Sand and Ruby.

Finishing touches are a glittery silver bow, diamond stickles on the tree bulbs, and Bitty Sparkles here and there.  The card and mats are a set from Papertrey Ink called the Noted: Scalloped A2 Die Collection.

The inside sentiment comes from a different Power Poppy stamp set "Poinsettia".  It was stamped in Delicata "Golden Glitz".

On the envelope I stamped another image from the "Cozy Cupfuls" set in Delicata "Golden Glitz".

You still have time to enter the Power Poppy Challenge as it goes until Dec 31st., and you don't need to have a Power Poppy stamp to enter.  (They do have digital images available for sale though if you should want to use one of these sweeties for the challenge!)

Thanks for stopping by today.  Especially with the big day drawing ever closer!  If I listen carefully enough I think I can hear the sound of rustling wrapping paper being taped together all around the world!

Linda