Celebrating STAMPloration Shery's New Colouring Book...

Hello,

I'm back to share with you a 'hot off the presses' duo of images that are part of a new addition to incredibly-and-multi-talented Shery Russ's STAMPlorations line-up of products: a colouring book titled Coloring Blooms (Do you think Shery would mind if I called it Colouring Blooms? The Canadian in me 'needs' that *u*).  Amazing, isn't it, that she's managed to accomplish this publication on top of her STAMPlorations tasks and being mom-extraordinaire to her darling little Kat. Dynamo...a full-fledged dynamo!

Copies of this fabulous book, with images designed for artists of all types, are available here (for US customers) as well as at Amazon.  Along with news of her book's launch, she also offered us a chance to download and colour one of her fabulous pages in celebration of National Colouring Book Day (I learned something new! Adding August 2 to my 'important dates' list).

I took her up this wonderfully generous invitation and coloured two copies...

This first version happened Friday evening while waiting for my husband to return from his annual epic bike ride (Montana - Going to the Sun Road/Logan's Pass.  Crazy long...seriously crazy).  Prismacolour pencils in pink (two shades), yellow and green.  Let's say I was kept pleasantly occupied while he was away...

My second page sees a return of my long-neglected Chameleon markers....I 'kind' of remember how to use them *grin*  Need to give them a bit more love...soon...

Please be sure to check out Shery's book. If this sampler is any indication: WOW!  I'm totally intrigued to see what the remaining 34 pages hold...

Thank you, Shery, for the 'sneak peek,' into the newest addition to the STAMPlorations family! So. Much. Fun!  You asked us to 'just colour' for now...excited to find out what you have up your sleeve for Phase 2.  I'm ready (and just in case, I have another page waiting some attention...).

Thank you for spending part of your day with me; your visit brings me joy!

*Water* x Two...CASology Week #209~Watercolour, Just Us Girls Challenge #355~Word Week: Water, STAMPlorations August 2016 CAS Card Challenge~Anything Goes and Anything Goes Challenge, Colour Throwdown #404, Less Is More #288~Blue and Brown

Hello,

We're watching Olympics today; the women's road cycling race, specifically. One of our Canadian racers competing today as well in the time trial scheduled for later in the week, is a gal I taught many years ago - Tara Whitten. Cheering her on loudly!

I imagine that many of you are also watching the Games, so I'll be quick and pretty much babble-free.

Two cards today, both with 'water' as their key theme:

Card 1: I used my Zigs (I know...flabbergasting that we had yet another bonding moment!) to watercolour the pretty Daisy Border from STAMPlorations...

Card 2. Thank you for indulging me with yet another play date with my marvelous layering seahorse set. I promise I'll put them away....at least for a while!  The 'water' connection: the sea creatures, the 'bubbles', the water-splatter in the little "ocean" inked sentiment strip.

My layout comes from  Freshly Made Sketches #248, a reversed and *slightly* adapted version...

 The galleries I'm heading to:

Both cards: CASology Week #209~Watercolour
 

Just Us Girls Challenge #355~Word Week: Water

Daisy Border:  STAMPlorations August 2016 CAS Card Challenge~Anything Goes

and Anything Goes Challenge

Seahorse Card:  Colour Throwdown #404 (I don't have a full-fledged aqua ink, so I kept what I had as close to that shade as I could...)

Less Is More #288~Blue and Brown

Off to watch the race finale. Alas, our Canadian women aren't in medal contention, but I'm applauding those who are; this is one challenging, sketchy race course (as evidenced by the number of crashes in the men's race, yesterday! Yikes!)...

Thank you so much for spending part of your day with me; your visit brings me joy!

Sweet Succulent...Tag, You're It Challenge #53 (Featured Artist:Michele Ferguson)

Hello and welcome to Tag, You're It Challenge #53, where our Featured Artist is our sweet, talented, popular, amazing Michele Ferguson from icardeveryone fame.

 Michele Ferguson

Guest Featured Artist 

Such a pretty bookmark tag, isn't it? Long and lean, polka-dot embossed, hosting a lovely floral arrangement and a little 'surprise' on the second tag!  You must check it out! Delicate and classy! 

I'll wait here while you visit Michele's tag, Lin's tag (our talented GD) and my team-mates's tags, to see their marvelous translations ....la la la la...

Guest Designer, Lin Brandyberry

Donna

Erin

Jeanne

Kara Lynne

Anja

Marybeth

You're back...and dazzled right?  Right!  So much pretty to be found all in one spot.

No doubt you also noticed (and were, perhaps a bit bewildered, as a result), that all the tags featured charming flowers in some fashion. Except for mine.  Because my floral arranging abilities are mightily miniscule, as is my collection of little floral images, I adapted....

Please say hello to my cute cactus in a pot (My Favourite Things) that is - shock and amazement - watercoloured with my Zig markers.  We finally, finally had a bonding  moment *grin*

My translation reflects Michele's in having:

• a key image as the star of the stage (with little flowers, even), 
• similar colours, 
• polka-dots - behind the cactus they're stenciled with Delicata Ink gold and embossed on the second
• no sentiment, and
• double .tags.

Yes, a bit of a departure in some ways, but fingers crossed you see the relationship (distant cousins, perhaps?).  My sweet succulent makes me smile; hope it has the same effect on you.  Now, I need to find a real cactus to attach it to, and give someone a gift....

Your turn!  How will Michele's tag inspire you?

Looking forward to seeing your artistry in the Tag, You're It gallery!

Thank you for spending part of your day with me; your visit brings me joy!

Happy Birthday....Guest Designer for STAMPlorations CAS Card Challenge~Anything CAS Goes (optional colour twist: Gold)

Hello,

Mega-watt smiling and incredibly thrilled to be joining incredibly talented Shery Russ and her amazing STAMPlorations team as a Guest Designer

for STAMPlorations August 2016 CAS Card Challenge~Anything CAS Goes (optional colour twist: GOLD)

This challenge is right up my alley, especially since I had brand-spanking-new STAMPlorations products awaiting a debut. And oh my stars!  These new-comers to my collection and, indeed, newcomers to the STAMPlorations family - Word Die: Birthday, Crazy Double Running Stitch Rectangle Running Dies, Dots All Over stencil - by-passed being 'smitten with' and 'crushing over' and went straight to 'love'!  Serious LOVE!     

For my first card, I stenciled with inks, inspired by the palette colours below, to create a light background for the fabulous Birthday die, cut from gold shimmer paper....

Source

The shimmery paper is a bit challenging to photograph, so we have Pose 1 and

Pose 2.

The Birthday die cut is marvelous; its size and the font (so easy to cut and layer) truly do make it the star of the stage.  The running-stitch on the rectangle panel adds such a special touch. I'm looking forward to using the other two sizes that come in the set.

I liked the first card so much that another *had* to be made.  Delicata Gold ink for the stenciling and a shimmery teal cardstock for the sentiment..

This stencil, die and set of rectangle panels will be receiving plenty of attention! Plenty, I say!

For more marvelous CAS inspiration cards, some with the optional twist of gold, head over to the STAMPlorations site and check out the team's creations.  Dazzle guaranteed!

Now: your turn!  Looking forward to seeing your CAS creations in the gallery!

THANK YOU ever so much, Shery and the team, for inviting me to play along with you for this challenge! Such an honour!

Also sharing at:

AAA Cards #70~Stitching

STAMPlorations Anything Goes Challenge

Thank you for spending part of your day with me; your visit brings me joy!

Strike Up the Band...CAS(E) this Sketch #183, ColourQ Challenge #353, STAMPlorations Anything Goes Challenge, Seize the Birthday~Anything Goes

Hello,

I'm popping in quickly as we're off for a late-afternoon trip to the 'big city' to return a car radio that we forgot to leave behind after the bike races on Monday.  The promise of a trip to Costco was all the incentive needed to tag along; so too is the gloomy weather.  I'm still willing to trade our cool temperatures and daily/nightly thunderstorms for some of the heat I hear many of you are experiencing.  I'll fan the clouds your way while we drive down the highway...

Anyway, I decided to pair CAS(E) this Sketch #183~

with ColourQ Challenge #353~

(Side note: Isn't this tank top from Gymboree adorable!  My niece would look 

soooooo morecute in that! Perhaps Aunty c needs to go shopping *grin*...)

with the result being this....a marching bunny from MFT's Strike up the Band, conducting his way along a colourful STAMPlorations mixed media set splatter/brush stroke background.

My white panel shows a pink tint in the photo! Grrrr... I though this side-pose would  look better but the tinge still appears.  Sighhhh...Oh well: let's just 'pretend' you see only the white (which it is).  I love these bunnies....

That's it...and I'm off...

Also sharing at:

STAMPlorations Anything Goes Challenge

Seize the Birthday~Anything Goes

Thank you for spending part of your day with me; your visit brings me joy!

You Can Do Anything...Addicted to Stamps and More #205~Photo

Hello!

Today, my DT and I invite you to Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #205~Photo Inspiration. A pretty background for a powerful message....

As much as I find water-colour lovely, the 'act' of water-colouring continues to elude me. Yes, some 'hits' have come along, but still winding up with too many misses. Learning as I go though, and that's the bonus, even though I have a happy, tummy-filled-to-bursting Mr. Recycle Bin.  Again!  He is so on a diet!

I decided to take my cue from the inspiration photo's message and *do what I love*, which is die cutting.  My background is a series of strips cut from teal-ish paint chip samples, paired with my sentiment from Neat and Tangled, cut three times for dimension, which is hard to see in the photo..  Done!  No mess; no fuss; no stress.  Happy me!  (Hmmm...maybe if I read this sentiment repeatedly, I will conquer my water-colouring issues *grin*)

For plenty of amazing interpretations of this pretty inspiration  image, head over to see the DT's takes on the ATSM blog.  Afterwards, come play along with us!  This week, we're sponsored by

Website: http://www.drsdesigns.com

Prize: $10.00 gift certificate

Looking forward to seeing your artistry in the gallery!

Thank you for spending part of your day with me; your visit brings me joy!

Serendipity Stamps Challenge Blog #58~Add Fabric

Hello...and Happy August 1st~

Today, I'm delighted to welcome you to the Serendipity Stamps Challenge Blog!  On the first of the month we post a new challenge with a central theme. The design team provides samples for inspiration at the beginning, and then again at the half way point of the challenge, but you get a whole month to join us!  The only 'rule' is that you use at least one Serendipity Stamp image on your creation. The incentive is an opportunity to win some goodies from Serendipity Stamps. Intrigued? I hope so!!

Let's get rolling with August's Serendipity Stamps Challenge Blog #58~Add Fabric

GASP! My initial reaction to this theme, because I am sooooo not a 'materials girl' *grin* in any way! The only 'fabric' I have is designated for cross-stitching, with nothing extra to spare. Ribbons and bows...oh my stars! Those are about as out-of-my-league as water-colouring is!  Needle and thread? HA!  Aside from cross-stitch supplies, my 'sewing kit' is one of those hotel-room freebies from way back. Buttons lost are...well, buttons lost!  

After much pondering (and frazzlement!), I remembered that our little town is home to a popular quilting store - Sugar Pine - that attracts quilters from far and wide. I'm quilting clueless, but if I was going to find fabric, that was the place.  Off I went, and a couple dollars later, I had some remnants in hand.  

You have to promise not to laugh at my treatment of my little fabric scraps: a die cut piece of cardboard, covered with a strategically-folded (sort of) piece of material (adhered with tape runner), and sandwiched with another piece of cardstock in the back, to keep things in place.  My 'background' thus created, I added my Serendipity Thanks die, cut from shimmer cardstock, to complement the shimmer in the design...

Since that worked out well, I used another scrap to create a second card, this time using the Dream die cut from shimmery navy cardstock...

Now that I have a 'remnants stash" to play with; *fabric fashioning*  will be happening again soon! 

Please be sure to visit my amazing DT, who I know will dazzle you with their inspirations:

Jeanne Jachna

Jenny Gropp

Julie Warner

Karen Amidon

Marybeth Lopez

Miriam Napier

Patti Kehl

Vickie Zimmer

Want to add some exponential cuteness to your collection? If so, check out the stamp of the month (50% off) for August: Lamb with Heart. I'm sure you'll agree:  A-DOR-A-BLE!!

Your turn!

How will 'fabric' play a role in your project?

What Serendipity Stamp will you feature?

Looking forward to seeing your creativity in the gallery!

Be sure to link up at the challenge blog by Midnight US EST August 29 

Thank you for spending part of your day with me; your visit brings me joy!