May Arts Ties it Together

This week it's time once again for one of our most popular blog collaborations!  It's time for us lucky girls on the Stampendous design team to play with our friends at May Arts Ribbon!  May Arts Ribbon is the best of the best!  

If you've never crafted with May Arts Ribbon you are in for a treat!  Be sure to play along this week because we have prizes!  We'll be offering three prize packages of a brand new, Jumbo Cling Stampendous Flower Stamp Set, a Jumbo Perfectly Clear Handle and YOUR CHOICE of one spool of any May Arts Ribbon!  It doesn't get much better than that!  To win just leave a comment on the Stampendous blog, the May Arts Blog and the blogs of each designer playing each day (which means I would love it if you left a little love for me on this post).  Every comment is another chance to win!  Be sure that you’re also a fan of our Facebook Page and the May Arts Facebook Page as well! 

Today I'm sharing a card I made that features the super adorable House-Mouse Designs® Hummingbird Feeder stamp which I colored with Prismacolor pencils.  That fantastic Ric-Rac is by May Arts.  How fun!

Stop by again on Friday when we'll all be hopping in a fun Stampendous/May Arts Blog Hop.  You won't want to miss all the creative inspiration!  Don't forget to leave a comment so you'll be in the running for one of the great prize packages!

Thanks for stopping by today - take time to get inky!

Daffodil Girl Missing You

Today's the day!!!!  It's Stampendous release day at Michaels stores!  All of the new products should be on the shelves today!  Just wait till you see all the new Stampendous goodies!  You'll want to get them all inky!   So much fun!  

The card I'm sharing today uses the Stampendous Daffodil Girl stamp and a sentiment from the Happy Messages set.  I colored this with watercolor pencils.  What a fun image to work with!

To celebrate the new release, I will be giving away a fun Stampendous prize package to one lucky winner!  Just leave a comment here before May 17th and you will be in the running!  

Now it's time for me to get going and it's time for you to run to Michaels to check out all of the new Stampendous products!  Thanks for stopping by, hope all is well in your corner of the world. 

Take time to get inky today!

Garden Beauty

I don't know about you, but I am so ready for Spring!  Here in the Chicago area, we've had a recent cold spell again and I have to tell you I am done with Winter!  I am ready to get my inky fingers good and dirty!  I'm looking forward to getting outside and planting flowers and making the yard pretty again.

In the meantime, I dreamt of gardening while I created this card using the Stampendous Garden Beauty stamp set.  I thought the image was so pretty that I decided to not color it in completely, just a bit of watercolor crayons did the trick on this one.  I'm really please with the results. 

I hope you'll take time to get inky today, and if it's nice in your neck of the woods, I hope you'll get your inky fingers in the dirt.

recipe:  stamps: Stampendous Garden Beauty; Tsukineko Rich Cocoa ink; Watercolor Crayons, H2O Pen; cardstock: Core-dinations Asparagus, Bazzill Kraft

Just A Little Note

This morning I awoke to the sweet sounds of singing birds....could this mean Spring is coming?  I sure hope so!  I, for one, am ready!  You too? 

This card was inspired by the birds I heard this morning.  I love this cute little Chickadee and couldn't wait to get him inky!  I've always loved the look of Musical Score, so this stamp had to find it's way to my stamp table - I have a feeling I'll give it a good workout!  My new favorite ink color is Tsukineko London Fog - I think it's perfect for a muted background.  I was able to fit the Just a Note sentiment onto the bird image using my Stamp-a-ma-jig. (an invaluable tool!)  Add a ribbon and a few dots of Diamond Glaze and....VOILA!

I colored this image with my watercolor crayons.  It's the first time I've used them in FOREVER and I forgot how much fun it is to just kind of wash color over your image.  I'll be playing with them again soon!

recipe:  stamps:  Stampendous! Chickadee, Music Score, Just a Note;  paper: The Paper Co.;  ink: Tsukinkeo Tuxedo Black, London Fog; watercolor crayons; H2O pen/brush; Diamond Glaze; JoAnn's ribbon; Stamp-a-ma-jig

Bouquet for a Friend

Here's the last card I have to show you that I made for this week's Stampendous Saturday Sketch Challenge.  I love the three butterflies getting ready to land on the flowers.  I "blinged" up the butterflies a bit by adding Crystal Stickles to the edges.  This card came together quickly since I already had the image stamped and almost completely colored.  (tip for the day:  when you have a stamp already inky, stamp a few extra images and store them with the stamp set for later use!  I keep my clear stamps in the original packages and keep a few extra stamped images in the packages just waiting for when I need to make a card quickly!)

Hope you're having a good day!  Take time to get inky!

recipe: stamps:  Stampendous Spring Sprigs, Party Invite; DCWV Pastel Matstack, Latte Stack; Prismacolor Pencils, Goo-Gone, Tortillons; Tsukineko Tuxedo Black Ink, Pretty Petunia; Sakura Clear Star Pen; Martha Stewart Butterfly Punch; Crystal Stickles

Rainy Day Changito

Edited to Add:  Beginner's Luck!  This card was one of the two that was chosen as winners of this week's Sketch Challenge!  I'm so excited!

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again! I love Changito! This little guy just makes me happy! He is so much fun to get good and inky!

I made this card for this week's Saturday Stampendous Sketch Challenge. It's my first attempt at this, and I am really excited to be a part of it. This week's sketch requires that you incorporate a transparency. This was the first card that came to mind, and I have to tell you it actually turned out almost exactly how I pictured it in my mind's eye. That never happens.

If you've never checked out the adorable Changito, you really should take a look at www.stampendous.com. They have a whole line of beautiful stamps and so many cute ones, too. Everytime I look at their beautiful catalog, I see another one or two or three that I HAVE to have! At the top of my wishlist currently is Changito Baker, Biker Bee, Changito Fireworks and the adorable Patriotic Pair. I also NEED the "gor-juss" Cling Music Score stamp. I have so many ideas for that stamp. It is so elegant!

OK- enough of my rambling. Thanks for stopping by today, I'll be back later with the other card I've created for the Stampendous Sketch Challenge.

Edited to Add: The second photo shown above is the inside of my card. I've never decorate the insides before, but have noticed that so many stampers are doing this now. (I love to look at the galleries on SplitCoast Stampers for inspiration!) So, for the first time I decorated the inside, and it was so much fun - just seems like the perfect finishing touch!

recipe: stamps: Stampendous Rainy Day Changito, DCWV Glitter Mat Stack, Water Paper ?; Ink Tsukineko Graphite Black; Prismacolor Pencils, Goo-Gone, Tortillons; Ribbon: JoAnn's; Sakura Star Glaze Pen, Fiskars Border Punch, Grafix Clear Craft Plastic

Spring Window Box

I don't know about you, but I am so ready for Spring! Here in the Chicago area we are having a cold snap - BRR! If you ask me it's time for warmer weather and beautiful Spring flowers. I guess in the meantime, this card will have to do. I entered this card in this month's Hero Arts Challenge. I am a huge fan of Hero Arts stamps, and would love to win a shopping spree and increase my stamp collection. Fingers crossed!

If I were to make this card again, I think I would add stamped or patterned paper inside the window to look like curtains. But for this card, I wanted the flowers to be the focal point.

Thanks for stopping by, sorry I've been so lax about posting. I really need to get my act together. I've uploaded a few more photos to the computer, so hopefully I'll post again soon!

Take time to be creative today!

recipe: stamps: Hero Arts Happy Day Animals, Hero Arts Sending Happy Thoughts, Hero Arts Flourish Background, Hero Arts Hello Circles; paper: The Paper Co, Halcraft Card; Tsukineko Graphite Black Ink, VersaMark Watermark Ink; Prismacolor Pencils, Goo-Gone, Tortillons; Crystal Stickles