a bowl of cherries

Howdy, and welcome.  I am super excited today to share with you some happy news and a card!  I recently won the challenge over @ Tic Tac Toe Challenge and was given the opportunity to be a guest designer!  How fabulous is that, right!  So, without any delay let's get to their current challenge #tttc046!

right column: fruit, watercolor, free

Now, before you get discouraged, here are some ideas.  For the 'fruit', you could add apple(s) and create a Teacher Appreciation card.  Or lemon(s)/lime(s) for a Summer themed card.  Or add a pineapple for a Hostess card.  For the 'Free', simply add your favorite item: machine stitching, a button, sequins, a paper straw, etc.  The list is almost endless.  Don't forget to use what's in your stash, and most importantly have fun!  This Tic Tac Toe card, really does lean towards a Summer theme.  I can't wait to see what you create.  Here is what I made:

Recipe:  my card, is a typical A2 size greeting card.  (4 1/4" x 5 1/2").  

FRUIT: cherries, WATERCOLOR: color wash on watercolor paper, FREE: machine stitching, button, seam binding, and lace.

The base of the card is made with Crumb Cake card stock by Stampin' Up!, due to their lovely heavy weight card stock.  The main panel is made from a linen plaid card stock by Paper Trey Ink.  I love this soft color!  I added a piece of 6" lace over the main panel.  I 'attached' the lace with some machine stitching along three sides.  I did a quick, purposefully sloppy double border stitch.  I love adding machine stitching to my crafts.  I think it adds a homespun look/feel.  

I adhered a 4" paper doily to the right side of the card.  I simply folded the over-hang around the main panel.  I machine stitched a strip of pale blue seam binding along the lover third of the card to help anchor the seam binding to the card front.  I tied a double-loop bow, and tied a 'swirl' red button to the center of the bow with some gold twine.  This 'fancy' button reminded me of a cherry with its imprinted design.  {smile}

The sentiment is stamped and heat embossed on a scrap piece of white card stock.  I rounded one end, and pointed the other end.  I thought this shape looked like one of those garden/plant markers.    Super sweet, right? {smile}

I made my own embroidery hoop.  I used a die to cut the shape.  I used a scrap piece of wood veneer 'paper'.  I just love this stuff.  But my shock is dwindling.  {frown}. For the inside of the hoop, I took a scrap piece of watercolor paper and stamped my bowl in Versa Mark ink, and added white detail embossing powder.  I used Versa Mark ink to stamp the cherries, and added deep red embossing powder.  I heated the paper, and my bowl of cherries came to life!  I misted the water color paper heavily with water, and then washed it with a pale blue color.  I wanted the cherries to pop! and the bowl to have some contrast, to showcase the bowls design.  I used a fine tip brown marker to create the cherry stems.  (hand drawn)

The final touch was the trio of wood grain printed sequins.  I felt that they helped tie the wood-grain hoop to the card.  I adhered the main panel of this card to the card front with foam tape.

I believe that if you repeat elements/colors, it helps tie that element to your card.  The color I washed the watercolor paper with, matches the seam binding.  The red in the cherries is repeated with the same color of the button.  The wood grain of the hoop is repeated with the sequins.  The white doily and card base are repeated in the plain paper.

I hope that you join this beautifully talented group of ladies over @ the Tic Tac Toe Challenge.  Just let them know which row you are using on their tic tac toe card, and don't forget to have FUN!  Create something beautiful to share with us, but to also share with your family and friends!  Trust me, they will appreciate your efforts in creating something handmade!

Watercolor Steampumk

Happy Saturday.  I hope you have had a chance to craft.  If not, I hope you carve out some time tomorrow.  Nothing renews the soul like unleashing your inner artist!

I sell my hand-crafted items in my Etsy shop, and at local craft fairs.  From time to time, I stumble upon an Etsy shop that I make purchases from.  And today, I want to share with you a digital file I purchased a week or so ago.   Aurora Wings, has coloring digital files for grown-ups.  {smile} I really do love to water color, so it was a lot of fun to sit and color this image. {smile}  I am also entering this card in a few challenges.

The crafty gals over @ Sugar Creek Hollow have a fun challenge this time:  Word Play; you need to have a sentiment on your project.  

The wonderful ladies over @ Craft Hoarders Anonymous Challenge Blog would like you to use all the pretty flowers you have been hoarding/collecting.
And finally, the talented ladies over @ Just Us GirlS have trend challenge this week: watercolor!

and here is my card

The card base is soft suede card stock by Stampin' Up!.  The first blue layer is a light blue texture heavy card stock that I purchased from a big box store.  The text paper is from Paper Studios.  I matted the text paper with soft suede card stock.  I used a scrap of G45 french country pattern paper for the scallop.  The scallop shape was cut with the Tasteful Trims die by Stampin' Up!

I wrapped the scallop trimmed pattern paper, a piece of pool party seam binding, and crochet trim around the front of the card.  I made a simple stitch with my sewing machine.  I tied a multi-loop bow with the same seam binding, and adhered the bow to the card front with my hot glue gun.

I printed my digital file onto whisper white card stock by Stampin' Up!.  I used my retired watercolor crayons and an aqua painter (both by Stampin' Up!) to water color the image.

I added some scrap pieces of Glisten pattern paper from Authentique, to the bottom edge of my matted watercolor piece.  I adhered this main piece to the card front with foam tape.

I created a tattered blossom with the tattered pinecone die by Tim Holtz.  I added some glitter to the petal tips.  I used a pale blue card stock for the leaves.  I used a die to cut the leaves.  Then I sponged soft suede classic ink, to the leaf tips.

I made a small tag to hold my sentiment: you mean the world to me   This sentiment is from the One Person stamp set by Verve.

Due to the bulk of the blossom, this greeting card will not fit in an A2 size envelope, so I decorated a large glassine bag.  I used some of the same papers and the same sentiment to decorate the bag.  

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you have been inspired to watercolor, join a challenge, or simply create something!