What's on My Kitchen Counter

Fun card to show you using the SU! Best Catch set.  The colors are from the SCS Weekly Color Challenge (CC736) - Balmy Blue, Coastal Cabana, and Tranquil Tide. The sketch is from Global Design Project -  #GDP186. To make the card, I painted on some stripes in the three colors, then did a panel using a splattering technique.  The images were stamped, fussy cut, and popped up with foam tape. Super fun challenges. Hugz

It's Graduation Season already.  Some years we have a lot of grads in our friends and family circle and some years we don't have any.  This year we have a bunch!  I am so glad DRS Designs came out with a bunch of new Graduation images and greetings.  On this card, I am using the new Hats Off Grad Greeting . I did an ink, spray, smoosh bg in yellow for the base.  Then I stamped a few of the hats from Congratulations Graduation image and sponged them with the same yellow ink from the base. They were too yellow so I used a Sharpie to color in the hat base and the top button with black.  After fussy cutting the hats, I attached them with foam tape so they look like they are floating.   Now I have 5 more Grad cards to do quick - I may make more like this one but in blue and red. Many hugz, Nancy

A few fun cards to share with you today. My first card is made with the SU! Tea Together set.  I have a small collection of teapots so I had to get this set (a little of one of my teapots is in the upper left corner).  I made the bg by doing watercolor stripes across the page.  Next I stamped the images and colored them with a watercolor brush and some ink.  Splattered on some watercolors when I was done.  I went over the images with a thin Sharpie because the inks faded the lines out. On my next card, I used Rooted in Nature and Strong and Beautiful. The background evolved on this one.  I started with a watercolor wash, then paint flecks, then some white acrylic paint smooshed in, then stamps, then gel medium flecks, then sprinkle of Dazzling Diamonds (SU!).  The colors and ideas were from two inspiration photos in the SCS Inspiration Challenge (a diamond ring and some red leaves). Hope you had a nice Easter.  Our family had a wonderful time, and I ate way to much! Hugz

This week's Technique Lovers challenge at SCS was sunrises and sunsets.  The Global Design Project color challenge is monochromatic ( #GDP185.) .  So I combined the two and made two cards - one a sunrise and one a sunset or both sunrises or both sunsets - however you like to think of them. Both cards are made using the SU! set Rooted in Nature.  For this one I used the thinking of you sentiment and the pine trees. Masking and sponging around a circle ad a paper across the bottom section.  I thought some extra rays would make it look more like sunrise but not so sure it worked - I am still going with this is a sunrise. For this second card, I used a different Rooted in Nature tree.  I stamped it three times and drew in a hammock.  A different sentiment in the set was used as well, but I masked off the bottom part of it.  I used a white gel pen to add in some thin clouds and some dots in the ground to make it look like a bit of grass or something.  This is my sunset card.

Hello friends, This past weekend, I made myself stay at home to knock out a sinus infection.  I got in some naps, but also a little relaxing crafting time.  I find fussy cutting really relaxes me because I have to focus on the image and nothing else - no worrying about anyone or anything other than not cutting through the image.  This creation was a lot of fussy cutting but it was really relaxing and lots of fun to see it come together: To make this card, I stamped the DRS Open Leaf Branch image ($5 to $10 in the store depending on your mount style).  I stamped the image 30 times, colored them with Arteza Brush pens, and then fussy cut them (each branch has a lot of little branches so I cut them off individually).  To get the square wreath shape, I cut a square and then but out the middle so that I had a thin frame to arrange the leaves.  I thought the background should stay white to really make the wreath pop,  I embossed the top panel to look like shiplap (I am a big fan of s

Hello friends! Today, I am all ears! Bunny ears, that is.  My two cards are made with the DRS Designs Bunny Ears stamp.  This stamp is super cute and ranges from $3.05 to $6.10 in the store depending on if you get it unmounted, cling, or mounted on a wood base.  I get unmounted and use them in my MISTI. I used THIS  wreath tutorial  by Dina at Splitcoaststampers to create the base wreath for my two cards.  It was super easy and I love the results! I did the first card CAS.  I did a layer of ears, colored them up with my new Arteza Brush Pens, did some doodling, added some Stickles, and then topped it off with some pearls one of my Grandsons had drug out of the craft room (they are smart boys!). My second card started with the same base of bunny ears, but I just kept adding layers of ears and eggs and doodles.  Hubby thinks it looks like Easter blew up on this one, but I think that is a good thing - lol! I also added in some Open Leaf Branch twigs ($5 unmounted and so versat