A Prom Card?

"Mom, can you make a card...?" Of course the answer is yes even before I know the occasion. To add to my glee, she says, "You can use the dresses you colored for the 30 Day Coloring Challenge." What? She remembered? Good thing I did a few of those. 

"It's a thank you card for the parents who organized the party bus for prom. It needs to be big enough for all of us to sign it. Nothing fancy.", she says. I stare at her, incredulous, that she would even add that last remark. But, oh my gosh, I love my hobby! Try finding a prom thank you card at a Hallmark store!

Party dress by Inkadinkado; line of dresses by Stampin' Up;
thanks die cut by Simon Says Stamp

My daughter is in the red dress. These girls went to the 8th grade dance together, too. 

This is most of the group and the reason
they rented a party bus to take them to dinner and the dance. 

That she asked me to make the card and knew I had parts for it already completed makes up for the fact that she never reads my blog. :-)

Way to Go, Go, Go, Card

Whew! I'm glad it's March. Along with coloring daily in February, I was working toward the Jazzercise 30 Classes in 35 Days Challenge. It ended on March 6 and I made the goal with a day to spare. Yay! I earned the cute tank top!

I was back in class today and had the chance to work out with the newest instructor at Roswell Jazzercise. While we were pliéing and lunging at the top of the aerobic curve, I was creating a card in my head (it takes my mind off the heavy breathing), because new instructors deserve a big fat "You Go, Girl!" for making it through training. 

I used a brayer and the Berry Blaze Kaleidacolor rainbow ink pad for the background color,
then used white embossing powder over white pigment ink for the sentiments. 

Whether it is a long walk solo or dancing with a group of women, nothing makes more room for creative ideas in my head, than my body leaving the craft room. 

Coloring Cards

Coloring is not easy for me, nor is it the stress relieving antidote all those coloring book publishers would have me believe. If it's not a tree or a flower, I have to think a lot about what colors I want to put where. And the shadows! The shadows are tricky little details that I really want in the correct spot. So... for the past 30 days I have been coloring and participating in the 30 Day Coloring Challenge put on by Kathy Racoosin at The Daily Marker. 

Every day in February I would check out the #thedailymarker30day on Instagram and see what I could learn from all the talented colorists and card makers out there. I have watched YouTube tutorials and read blog posts. I practiced shading; I blended chalks; I mixed up dye inks and watercolor paints; and I layered on color with colored pencils. (I have no skill with markers!)

Poppies by Unity Stamp Co. and sentiment by Hero Arts. 

Stars by Stampin' Up and sentiment by Stampabilities. 

Butterfly and sentiment by Rubbernecker Stamps and poppy by Unity Stamp Co. 

Dresses and buttons by Stampin' Up.

The challenge was only to color every day, but during the last week I made sure to complete a card each day. I am very proud of what I've done and learned. It wasn't easy, but the time spent coloring was worth it. Now, I can relax...until the next challenge.  

Cat Cards

“The smallest feline is a masterpiece.” Leonardo da Vinci  

“What greater gift than the love of a cat.” Charles Dickens

“There are two means of refuge from the misery of life — music and cats.” 

Albert Schweitzer

“No matter how much the cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens. ” 

Abraham Lincoln

The stamp and paper are from Washi Accents in Atlanta.

 

I could not resist the background paper to finish this simple card.

The cat is from Magenta Style stamps.  

I do not own a cat, but I enjoy making cards for the several cat lovers I know. Because I do not have my own words to describe life with cats, I chose to share words from great minds. For this blog, I guess you could say "the cat's got my tongue". 

Process of a Card

Inspiration or intention. It's what drives the creative process. Sometimes I need to make a birthday card, and sometimes I want to try a new technique. Today's post is all about inspiration. On Sunday one of my cards was featured on Kathy Racoosin's blog The Daily Marker. Thank you, Kathy! She highlighted so many beautiful cards from her fourth 30 Day Coloring Challenge, that I am inspired to keep coloring every day, try a few more new techniques, and when I can, put some extra time into making special cards.  

I colored these leaves with the intention of them being the background for the flowers –
like greenery in a floral arrangement. I added other leaves, too, but ended up not liking the background, so I cut out the blue and green ones. 

I heat embossed the flowers with clear powder on watercolor paper,
and I used a water brush with my watercolor pencils to color them.
I added the blue background to make the outline easier to see when I cut them out.
Plus I was just having fun with the water brush! 

Because I saw several pretty cards with details and layers on The Daily Marker blog,
I was inspired to spend some time getting this one to look just right.

Stamp Credits: leaves by Impression Obsession; flowers by Stamp It!; flower pot by Stampin' Up. 

Gyotaku Card Almost

Gyotaku is the Japanese name for "fish rubbing" or the art of fish printing. The surface of the fish is covered with ink or paint. A piece of paper is then placed over this inked surface and gently rubbed, thus transferring the ink from the raised surfaces of the scales and fins. The earliest known example dates from 1862 when a Japanese lord had prints made to preserve the image of several prize catches. This stamp image by Fred B. Mullett is what a Gyotaku print would look like.

When I met my husband he had a full size Gyotaku of a red drum fish framed and hanging in his living room. It's hanging in our living room now. Why am I telling you this? Today is his birthday and this card touches on just about all his "favorites": It's (sort of) a Gyotaku; it's a rockfish (which he used to fish for in Virginia every December); it's on paper I bought at the Japanese festival in St. Louis (his home town); and I made it. 

Happy Birthday, dear Robert, happy birthday to you!

Local King Turtle Card

 Three more days. That's all. This weekend I will be at the Heirlooms Production craft show in Lawrenceville, Georgia working with Local King Rubber Stamps. For two days I will be telling and showing people how much fun it is to create cards with their unique stamp sets, dies, and backgrounds. The images are crisp with a single color ink, but they transform when colors are blended. No two stamped images look the same. Love it! 

Watch Local King Rubber Stamp's Youtube video on coloring with markers. 

The matte coated paper from Marco's Paper takes color well
and gives the images a nice finish. 

  

The matching die set is in my future.  I just know it.