Is It Spring Yet Challenge

I can't think of more appropriate words, can you?  Yes, "Is It Spring Yet?" is the name of the IO challenge today.  IO is offering a $25 Gift Certificate to be won in a drawing on Friday, 9 p.m., that can be used in their online store.  All you have to do is enter a card following the rules posted in the sidebar at the IO blog site.  You can find them by going HERE!

This was a fairly easy card to create.  All of the stamps are NEW for SPRING, except the Dots.  The NEW STAMPS can be veiwed  HERE.

I created the background using using the Mega Mount^TM, and Cover-A-Cards^TM, Large Dots inked with Memento Dandelion ink, and Wallpaper inked with Mica Gloss Green on White cardstock.  It was mounted on a yellow ochre cardstock. It sure didn't look like that after I took the picture.  LOLOL

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE MEGA MOUNT USED WITH THE LARGE 5.75" STAMPS YOU CAN VIEW IT HERE.  *Note - I happen to stamp on enough cardstock to take the whole stamp.  I like the leftovers for the inside and envelope. etc.

Then I stamped Alesa Baker's Delicate Daffodils on White Cardstock, painted them with Twinkling H2O's, and then I cut them out.

I stamped Alesa Baker's Lovely Tomorrows on White cardstock, used one of my Circle dies by Spellbinders as a stencil, cut it out, and then edged it with the Mica Gloss Green.  I die cut the white Spellbinders pendant and slipped the circle with the words into it.

I mounted the daffodils on the pendant with 3D pop-ups,  mounted the pendant on the background with 3D pop-ups, tied the May Arts bow with the Bow-Easy and mounted it with glue dots, mounted 3mm pearls on the pendant, used gold cord through the heart buttons and mounted with glue dots!  Done

As a finishing touch to the card,  I edged the inside of the card and evelope with remnants from the background.  Then I stamped one of the daffodils inside on the left and on the lower left side of the envelope and painted with the watercolors too.

Now check out the DT members creations on their blogs below for more beautiful cards created with the NEW SPRING stamps too:

Daniela Dobson
Deborah March
Dina Kowal
Jeanne Streiff
Jenny Gropp
Julie Koerber
Kathy Menzies
Laura Fulcher

Supplies:
Image: Impression Obsession - Cover-A-Card^TM Large Dots and Wallpaper; Lovely Tomorrows
Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth cardstock, yellow ocher cardstock
Inks: Memento Dandelion, Mica Gloss Green, Twinkling H2O's Dandelion, Sunburst, Buttercup, Warm Pecan
Accessories: Niji Waterbrush, Glossy Accents, Spellbinders Circles and Heart Renaissance Pendant, 3MM pearl stickers, May Arts Ribbon, Bow-Easy, 3 faux mother of pearl heart buttons; gold cord.

I keep hoping I will get caught up enough to start doing some different stamps more often and maybe some tutorials too.  It has been too long.  Thanks for stopping by to look and share all!!

 Shirley

Thankful For Sweet Violets!

I guess I should be thankful my computer is still alive and breathing. I can't tell you how many times I have loaded and unloaded certain programs. I honestly think stamping and painting helped me maintain my sanity. Enough already~!

The stamp for this card is Sweet Violets from Flourishes. In case you haven't seen this set I am going to post it here because I think it was designed to cover the desires of any stamper.

I couldn't believe it when I received it. I was in love with the largest stamp, but take a look at what else is there. A lot of smaller images that can be used for inside, the envelope, or even a background. Also, I really like the brackets to use around the words, if you choose to use them.......and the words are all so perfect to cover just about any occasion. I think they may be out of the set just now, but I know they will be getting more. So on to my card:

The image was stamped with Brilliance Galaxy Gold and then painted with Twinkling H2O's. I cut it out using an X-Acto knife. Stickles Yellow glitter glue was also used for the center of the flowers. I wasn't really happy with the way this turned out and will do this again soon I hope with better results. I'm going to blame it on my computer problems. Ha!

The die cut background is a piece of Neenah Classic Laid (It has a rough finish to it) Solar White cardstock put through the Cuttlebug using the largest Spellbinders Labels Four die. I embossed it and then used the die and an X-Acto knife to quickly cut around the outer edges. It made it a little bigger and if you look close you can see the double ridge from the embossing and not cutting it like a normal die.

The background is another Flourish stamp called Vintage Wallpaper. I stamped it with Clearsnap Mica Magic Purple (*Don't get rid of your Mica Magic refills. See below) on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth cardstock. The corners were done with the SU Ticket Corner Punch. That was mounted on Neenah Classic Laid Super White cardstock.

The ribbon is from Michaels and I wanted to give it a Vintage look, so after tying the bow I heated it with my heat gun. I did the same to the ribbon I mounted beneath the die cut.

Supplies:
Stamps: Flourishes Sweet Violets and Vintage Wallpaper
Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest and Classic Laid Solar White
Inks: Brilliance Galaxy Gold and Twinkling H2O's (Still 40% off all of their products)
Accessories: Spellbinders, Ribbon from Michaels, Rangers Stickles Yellow, Mark Richards 3 and 5mm Pearls

*A word about Mica Magic pads and reinkers. The pads dried out really fast and I think that is why ClearSnap quit selling them. The colors are fantastic though and I think there are two new products now using the reinker under different names and maybe a little different. ClearSnap is now selling, what looks like the refill ink, but in a nail polish looking bottle and called Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink. I have the Moonlight and the Gold Lame, but haven't had the chance to use them yet. Check them out. Also Judikins is now selling a product named Mica Gloss, which also look a lot like the Micas, and look at the video below to see what they are doing with them:

So that's all for now! Tomorrow I will be calling my computer buffs at HP to ask them to put my computer back the way it was when they fixed it last week. LOLOL and me too! If anyone with Windows XP had problems with the most recent update of Flash Player, tell me how you fixed it if you can. :-O Yikes! They still don't have the wrinkles out of the newest Internet Explorer and I went back to the other. Thanks for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share.

 

 Shirley