I continue to play with Zig markers and love the range of colors and how well they blend using a water brush.  The purple themed card is for the Card Concept CC#70 Purple Haze challenge.  I usde an old favorite stamp from Stampendous and used a variety of Zig markers to color the flower.  I fancy cut it, added accents with a white pen and shiny gel pen.  A stencil distress ink background, a banner sentiment and a twine bundle behind the cut flower finish the card layout.   I used foam tape behind the flower to pop it up.  A happy hello card!

I am still playing with gel printing and created a mixed media page using acrylic paints,  circles stamped using paint and rubber stamped black circles. I love the bright colors.  I also created another gelli printed page and then copied it onto Avery circle labels.  Now I can use the labels for my signature on the back of my cards and add coordinated snazzy interest to my envelopes.

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to attend a watercolor/journaling class at Bella Arts with Catherine Scanlon.  I learned so many new techniques and and ideas.  It was fabulous.  So I have been trying my hand at water coloring using the new Art Gone Wild stamps and a few I had in my stamp archives.  I had this rose stamp from Stampa Rose from 2002 and never really used.  I continued to use my Zig watercolor markers to paint and blend using a water.  I love the vibrant colors and blending of the markers.  Here are my samples.

I worked on a baby card for a new baby girl.  The baby stamp was from the Whimsy Stamps  collection  titled Cradled By The Moon.  I stamped the image using Memento ink on Neenah paper. I colored the image with Copic markers The layout is a sketch for the My Favorite Things Wednesday challenge #MFTWSC324.  I added a piece of lace for the angled edge layout.  A few glittery accents finish the card.

A simple picture frame was upgraded to a one of a kind memory keeper using a navigational map of local water ways.  I added starfish to the corners to complete the look. Looking forward to warmer days and salty beach days.

I had the chance to dedicate time to work on my Easter cards.  I was inspired by a Pinterest post and I set to work to plan how I was going to select my supplies.  The current #Sugar Pea Designer Challenge 29  #SPDMI29 for the month of March is a match to my card.  The flowers are placed inside a die cut circle, a word sentiment on an embossed ivory card base.  I added #nuvo pearl drops to each flower center.  I like the way it came out and the different shades of purple I used.

Creating different projects using different mediums challenging me as a crafter as I am always looking for new ideas to stretch me as a paper crafter. I created several canvas boards that featured birds.  I used a  paper lunch bag cut into strips for the nest.  The bird was a stamp that I distressed and added a wing.  I taught a class at Scrapbook Cove in town that was very similar last year and it was a big hit. 

I like to submit my cards or crafts to crafting submissions when I can.  The photo is a card for the color challenge for My Favorite Things #64 Color Challenge- lemon chiffon, blue yonder, gray and black.  I used a die from Impression Obsession, a thanks die cut from Lawn Fawn and a background stamp from My Favorite Things.  I added a tiny twine bow to each feather, glossy accents drops to the feathers and to the die cut thanks.  Simple lay out and thank you cards are always helpful to have on hand.

Even though celebrating high school and college graduations is months away, I was asked to prepare samples for a my favorite craft store, Scrapbook Cove for a class I would teach in April.  I created several samples which include a Z fold card, a four circle gift card holder and a go to project of a mini shopping bag.  I researched local school colors so people in the class can customize their paper projects.  The background printed paper is an original designed paper.  Congrats 2017!

I like creating cards and projects using birds and nests.  I finally found this set of scribble birds at Michael’s recently and have been experimenting using a set of Derwent watercolor pencils to color the bird and background.  I used Archival permanent black ink and stamped onto watercolor paper or an old dictionary page.  The vibrant colors on the pencils create a colorful stamped image.  These happy bird cards are my welcome to spring cards.