Everyday Card using Watercolor Technique

Hey there! Tonight I was inspired to pull out some products/techniques I haven't used in awhile. Here is a card I made this evening using some oldies but goodies!

I began by choosing some nice solid image rubber stamps - in this case, Three Silhouettes by Hero Arts. I mixed some inks (wild honey, milled lavender and victorian velvet) with some water from a mini mister. I stamped all three stamps in a random pattern onto smooth white cardstock cut to 3.75 x 5.25". Once I covered the entire paper, I used a paintbrush to splatter the  three ink mixtures from my craft mat. When I was finished, it looked like this:

I used an ink blending tool to cover the entire paper with antique linen distress ink. I LOVE the look of this ink blended over the light lavender color!

Next, to add the dramatic flair I wanted to acheive, I pulled some HUGE Heidi Swapp flowers out of my stash. I've had them for awhile - checked the copyright date to find 2002. :) About time I put them to use! Though I was seeking drama, the flower was actually TOO large to fit, so I trimmed it in have with some precision scissors. I adhered it down smoothly using my ATG. The flower was the perfect addition to my feminine card...it's so fun pulling out older products and putting them to use! I added some Rock Candy distress stickles to the petals for a muted sparkle.

On top of the flower I wanted a sentiment. I chose "lovely" from Hero Arts' Heyday Sentiments. I stamped it  on white cardstock using Jenni Bowlin's Malted Milk ink. I trimmed it into a half banner and blended some more antique linen ink on top. Finally, I used some Buttercup Liquid Pearls to make random and various sized pearls around the sentiment and center of the flower.

I had a lot of fun working with the watercolor technique I hadn't tried in awhile, and some products that had gotten dusty. Thank you so much for reading along with me!

Happy crafting! I hope you create something beautiful today.
xoxo
Emily

Vintage Lady Thank You Card {Hero Arts + Lawn Fawn}

Hello there! Here is a thank-you card I put together last night. My mom's coworker sent me a sweet Vera Bradley (one of my favorite things!) key fob and it completely brightened my week. 

I began with a pre-cut, pre-scored kraft A2-sized card. I stamped a Hero Arts wood mount stamp* using my Stamp-a-ma-jig and Memento Rich Cocoa ink. The stamp-a-ma-jig made it super easy to line up the lady just as I wanted her.

Next I used the same ink to stamp some Lawn Fawn stamps onto Sweet Blush cardstock. The banner is from Home Sweet Home, and the sentiment is a freebie that Lawn Fawn sent to me when I ordered from them. (!) I cut out the banner using my Cutterbee scissors and popped it up on foam adhesive.

Finally, I wrapped the card length-wise with 3-4 layers of pink Doodlebug baker's twine. The whole process was stress-free, fun, and I love the final look. Hurray! I love when that happens. :)

Thanks SO much for reading. Please comment if you have any questions or requests.

xoxo,

Emily

* I don't know the actual name of this stamp. It is by Hero Arts, and is a wood mount stamp. The image of the lady in it is also included in a HA Acrylic set, called "Sew Stylish".

Mini Album: Olive the Kitten

Hello there! I'm on Spring Break from preschool, and along with household projects, I've been squeezing in some craft time. :-D

I've done some most of the work on this mini album of our kitten, Olive. I'm a self-professed Crazy Cat Lady, and couldn't resist documenting her first months with this itty-bitty Maya Road album.

Often times it's easy to say, "here's what I used to create this", and supply a bulleted list of products. Really, for this I used a TON of different products - I pulled out lots of different brands and themes all to attain the hodge-podge look I wanted to achieve. Here are most of them:

* various 6x6 patterned papers from: Cosmo Cricket (Matilda, Odds & Ends, Material Girl); American Crafts (Dear Lizzy Neapolitan); Lawn Fawn (Dewey Decimal); Sassafrass (Count Me In);  Basic Grey (Picalilly).
* Buttons (October Afternoon)
* Papertrey Ink perfect match cardstocks (Aqua Mist, Lemon Tart, Hibiscus Burst)
* various premium ribbons by American Crafts
* Element stickers from: Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic, Maggie Holmes for Crate Paper, Basic Grey
* various pearls, gems and sequins from my stash
* tools: Crop a Dile; Corner Chomper (3/8"); QuikStik; Cutterbee scissors; ATG; This to That dot adhesive; foam dot adhesive; Memento London Fog pen.

Thanks so much for reading/watching! I thank you, and Olive thanks you. ;)
xoxo
Emily

Craft Haul + favorite things

Hello there! I hope everyone is keeping safe and warm. We are expecting a nasty snow/ice storm here in Indiana.

I've been finding lots of good craft items lately, but have been doing a really poor job of sharing my finds with blog readers and youtube subscribers. So...I decided to make a quick video last night!

Items seen in this video...

From Lawn Fawn:

* 'merci' stamp and samples from Pink Lemonade and Daphne's Closet paper collections (freebies)
* Year Three
* Happy Easter
* Home Sweet Home
* Here's the Scoop
* Daphne's Closet 6x6 Petite Paper Pack

From The Beary Scrap:

* pink/blue flower washi tape
* Tea Towel and Bowl of Cherry washi tapes from October Afternoon's Farm Girl collection
* Foil tiny alpha stickers and large tags from Dear Lizzy 5th & Frolic collection
* Studio Calico Schoolhouse tiny alpha stickers
* 8x8 Farm Girl paper collection from october Afternoon

Thanks for reading/watching! :)

xoxo,

Emily

Valentine using Mister Hueys & Dear Lizzy embellishments

Hello, valentines!

My husband and I celebrated our FIRST MARRIED VALENTINE'S DAY last weekend - out of town at a Cheesecake Factory, and of course some pitstops at Archiver's, Target, and so on... :)

Here is the card I made for my husband! I began by misting some white cardstock with the Dewey Mister Huey and the Chevron mask. I tied some grey baker's twine from Jillybean Soup around it into a bow, and used my ATG to adhere it to some Papertrey Ink Lavender Moon cardstock. I tilted a polaroid sticker from the Dear Lizzy Neapolitan sticker book, and added clear gemstones. I wanted them to have a sort of cascading look, so I used 4 or 5 different sizes, with the largest at the top and mixing them around with the itty bitties down at the bottom. I love it when you come up with a design idea in your head, make it come to life, and actually like the way it turns out!

I also made Valentine's for my mom and dad, but already delivered them, so I have no pictures. :( Dropped the ball! Maybe a #laterblog... I think I just made that term up.

Thanks for reading, and happy, HAPPY Valentine's day to you!