What's on My Kitchen Counter

Wedding card inspired by the current Aurora Wings Wedding Challenge (I used the Aurora Wings Hydrangea 2 image).  The greeting is form DRS Designs called To Have and To Hold .  I was inspired by this week's color challenge on SCS - CC532 - Old Olive, Vanilla and Coastal Cabana.  I printed the main image 5 times, colored it with water colors and SU!'s Coastal Cabana and Old Olive alcohol markers.  Then I added some Stickles and SU! Dazzling Diamonds because weddings are always better with sparkles.  I used a stylus to curve out the image, and then cut out a few extra layers for the top flower and the little bloom on the bottom. I did a color wash on the bg panel with some of left over paints mixed together.  My oldest daughter had hydrangeas in her wedding and this so reminds me of the beautiful day 2 years ago.  Hope I get invited to another wedding soon so I can find a home for this pretty card. Hugz!

The new DRS Designs Challenge is  easy as 1-2-3   (use 1 of something, 2 of something and 3 of something - can be 1 image, 2 layers, 3 colors or 1 greeting, 2 embellishments, 3 die cuts).  What an easy challenge!  I used 1 greeting, 2 flowers (look close on the top right of my sentiment panel), and 3 butterflies. I stamped the Brush Birthday Greeting (love that font) for my sentiment, and I used the Single Flying Butterfly  for my butterflies.  I had fun with my background.  I splattered watercolors on my papers with a paint brush, stamped one of the images on the Four Flower Background  using my green watercolor paint, and then stamped the Lines O'Plenty Background using Versamark and embossing with white embossing powder. I love how the background came out.  Hope you will join us in the challenge. Hugz!

I have been playing with Brushos water color crystals and embossing to make some fun backgrounds. I love how this one came out: For the base, I took a mat and sprinkled on three colors of Brushos.  I then sprayed them with water and smashed my paper into the crystals.  I then let it dry and embossed the Raindrop Background with white embossing powder and Versamark. For the top panel, I used the same color mixture, but I smashed my paper into the mixture several times until it all blended and covered the paper.  I embossed the Dancing in the Rain greeting and the Umbrella images on the same panel.  Next I fussy cut the umbrella, added Stickles to make it look like it was shimmering in the rain, and then I popped it up on the corner.  A fun card to make!

Made this card for the Featured Stamper Challenge on SCS this weekend.  You can check out Brenda's card I cased HERE .  I loved how she used tissue paper and burlap.  I skipped the tissue paper and changed my images and colors.  My images are from SU! This one was one of the many thank you cards I made this weekend using the colors of my daughter's wedding.  I made a lot of papers and some had more brown and some had more pink but they all came out super interesting.  I used the Inspiration and MIX challenges on SCS for some extra inspiration on this one.  Used four mediums as that was the MIX challenge.  My mediums are water color, Stickles, Ink, and gel pen.  I had a very relaxing weekend - hope you did as well. Hugz

The DRS Designs Challenge this week is a color challenge.  Participants are asked to use some of the colors below in their creations: This challenge made me think of the Polka Dot Flower Trio stamp so I used it.  I combined it with the Single Flying Butterfly image and the Oval Stained Glass image. The new Butterfly Kisses Greeting (I see it is on sale 30% right now). You should check out what the other DRS Designs DT members created with these lovely colors (click HERE to see).  Hope your week is going well!  Hugz

The photographer, Milly Photography, shared a few more pictures with us today.  Love them!      

Since Christmas, we have had so much going on in our lives!  Grandchildren on the way and my youngest daughter's wedding took over our lives.  The wedding was yesterday and I wanted to share a couple of pictures.  She had a wonderful photographer - I can't wait to see all the pictures!!! Here is a candid shot someone took before the wedding that I just love: It was a wonderful weekend and the happy couple are on their way to Key West now.  Thanks for dropping by!  Hugz

I just discovered a fun challenge site called Send a Smile for Kids .  They are a "charitable blog created for the purpose of collecting donated handmade cards to be distributed to children while they are inpatients at Children's Hospitals" around the country (they have a long list on the blog).  The challenges run every other week are focused on cards for the kids or cards for the kids to give to their loved ones. Card donation is optional but very appreciated.  I found this challenge because DRS Designs is one of the sponsors for the current challenge - they are providing a $10 gift certificate to the store for one lucky winner.  The current challenge is anything goes so I made a card that could be used for lots of occasions,. I wanted it to be fun, fun, fun so I tested it on a three year old kid and a 56 year old kid and they both smiled big - mission accomplished.      I made my background circle by wetting some Tim Holtz watercolor paper all over wit

This week's DRS Designs Challenge Theme is Birds & Bees .  How fun is that?  Since the DRS Bitsy Bee  is one of my favorite images, I stamped a bunch of them, fussy cut them,  and formed a "B" with them.  Next, I added a little part of the Its Spring...Be Happy ! sentiment - I trimmed off all but the very end.  Super easy - the only hard part was waiting for the Stickles on their wings to dry. Today, I have last minute preparations for Allie's wedding on Saturday.  She tried on the dress after alterations last night and I felt like I was going to bust from  pride.  She looked like a princess!  Hope you will join us in the DRS Challenge this week - bring on birds and bees! Hugz

  I have seen some very Beautiful Backgrounds in the DRS Designs Challenge this past week!  My favorite is still Karin's background made with lettuce - check it out on the link to the challenge.  Since there is one more day of the challenge, I thought I would play along again (you still have time today but I think it ends at 6:00).  I made my background using some distress inks swiped on a mat, a spritz of water, and then a smash of the paper unto the mixture.  I used the new Love Birds Branch (413H) (it works perfectly for an anniversary card) and I paired it with the Medium Script Anniversary Sentiment (784E) and the Single birdhouse (406D) stamps.  Inside I did a similar bg, cut a circle of plain white paper, and stamped the love you to the moon sentiment. Hubby and I actually were married twice.  We planned a wedding in Gatlinburg in June, but we wanted to go on a trip together before then.  Our preacher encouraged us too get married first to cut down on rumors an

Cool backgrounds are all the rage in card crafting and that has inspired this week's challenge at DRS Designs .  I highly recommend you check out what the other design team members have come up with - there is even a background made with the end piece of some romaine lettuce! I made my backgrounds by mixing up some watercolors, painting them on with a large flat brush and them dabbing them all over with a paper towel.  The base background was left plain after watercoloring, but on the image panel background, I stamped Rain Drop Background (1012H) and Interlocking Flower Background (813H).  I colored in my flowers with Alcohol Markers and added a little Leonard image ( Leonard Pig's Dance of Joy   - 718D). The outside sentiment is Dancing in the Rain (392F) and inside it says May the Sun Shine Bright on You Today (417E) and I used another Leonard image and the left over pieces from the backgrounds on the front.  Super fun challenge, hope you will join us! Hugz