When I was little, my favorite flowers were poppies and bachelor buttons.  I loved them because of how different they looked and how wild and beautiful they were.  I still love both of those flowers today but have added daisies to the mix.  So when I found these poppy stamps from Rubbernecker I just had to have them!

I stamped the image on rustic cream cardstock and then used my trusty old old old chalk to color them.  I liked the little flowers in the dsp and thought it would pair well with both the image and the rustic cream paper.  My apologies to you – I must have been color blind when I grabbed the brown button and twine.  I thought it would go well with the paper, and it does, I just think I should have used black.  That is what I get for looking at my card the next day!

I am using the sketch from Retro Sketches today and instead of using a separate piece for the sentiment, I just added the sentiment to the card front.  I liked that it fit so perfectly!

What are your favorite flowers?  Please leave me a comment and let me know!  With May Day tomorrow, are you planning any May Day baskets?  I’m not but I sure loved them when I was a kid!!

Don’t forget about the Retro Rubber challenge – it’s anything goes!  And that means – hey, link up your card right HERE because you qualify for the challenge (of course, the stamps need to be older than a year!).

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:  CS:  PTI rustic cream and SU! print poetry dsp.  Stamps:  Rubbernecker poppies and Paper Smooches sentiment sampler.  Other:  Memento black, chalk, button and twine.

Today is a quick post!  I am playing along with and just squeezing in at the last second the Reverse Confetti sketch.

I am using papers from the SU! all abloom stack with a little pistachio pudding and blushing bride thrown in.

I think I followed the concept of the sketch but substituted the flamingo for the card front.  I like this little flamingo!  A few banners in a variety of dsp gives the flamingo somewhere to land!

Don’t forget to join the Retro Rubber challenge – it’s anything goes and that means anything goes!!  Click HERE to link up your gorgeous project!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Be sure to pop in tomorrow!

Supplies:  CS:  PTI white.  SU! all abloom dsp, blushing bride, and pistachio pudding.  Stamps/Dies:  RC fabulous flamingo stamp and die, wonky die, and banner die.  PTI linen impression plate.  Other:  mossy meadow ribbon, memento black ink.

Hello and welcome to the Retro Rubber Challenge!  Challenge #13 is anything goes!  I LOVE it!  It can be the hardest and easiest challenge all rolled into one!  With this challenge, our design teams will be combining and will post our projects on the first week of each project with a reminder for the second.  I plan to continue playing along with projects for both weeks!  The challenge due dates will remain the same – the second Friday of the challenge.

So let’s get to it!  Just remember to use stamps older than one year!  My card combines a few challenges – RRBC, My Favorite Things color challenge, and the sketch from CAS(E) this sketch.

Today’s card really is easy peasy!  I stamped the flower in elegant eggplant, daffodil delight, and garden green.  I added a sentiment in black.  I added a bit of embossing from the SU! spring flowers embossing folder and chalked it up in purple to bring out the embossing.  A little bling and some layering and I was finished.

This card ended up a bit more simple than I had planned but I love the overall look that the little bit of embossing adds to it!

Now, it’s your turn – get out your stamping stuff and make up a card.  Anything goes!!  Link up to the Retro Rubber blog HERE.

Other challenges:

Thanks for stopping by today!  Be sure to stop in tomorrow!

Supplies:  CS:  PTI white, SU! wisteria wonder and so saffron.  Inks:  SU! markers – elegant eggplant, daffodil delight, and garden green.  Memento black.  Other:  SU! spring flowers embossing folder.  Stamp from stash.  SU! pendent park stamp.  Chalk, rhinestones and SU! candy dots.

Happy Monday everyone!  We had a nice cool and rainy weekend.  And we definitely need the moisture here (just like a lot of places!).  Today’s card uses the sketch from Fab Friday and the theme from the Card Concept.  When I started making this card, I was planning to use all greys and silvers.  Then I decided to add some pink and realized that I could play with the Card Concept challenge. 

I am using Papertrey Ink soft stone cardstock for the entire project.  The card front was made using the SU! Dictionary background stamp inked up in versamark ink and then heat embossed with silver embossing powder.  I cut the piece down a bit to match the sketch. 

I added some washi to white CS and then die cut the flag using My Favorite Things fishtail stax dies.  Originally I ran the card front thru the PTI linen impression plate but at the last moment cut that down to add the embossed image to it.  I added a strip of washi and the button/twine and layered everything up.  When all was said and done, this ended up as a nice clean and layered card.

Thank you for stopping by today!  Be sure to stop by tomorrow – a new Retro Rubber challenge starts and it’s anything goes!!

Supplies:  CS:  PTI soft stone.  Stamps:  SU! Dictionary.  Dies:  MFT fishtail stax and PTI linen impression plate.  Other:  Silver embossing powder, washi, twine and button from stash.

Happy Friday!  Today is my last post as guest designer for The Friday Mashup!  It has been a lot of fun and I want to thank Holly and all the wonderful ladies for the invite and welcome to their group!

Here is the challenge for this week:

• Create a project using “polka dots” 
• Create a project with “umbrellas". 
• or Mash it Up! and create a card using “umbrellas and polka dots”

Well, I had plenty of polka dots but no umbrellas!  And I wanted to mash up the challenge today with a polka dotted umbrella!  Thank heavens for internet shopping!

I started off by putting a bit of texture on the card front with the PTI linen impression plate.  After that, I die cut the image in blushing bride and in the polka dot dsp and then layered the dots on the blushing bride.  I lightly chalked some blue on the card front for a puddle.  You can see the puddle in real life but not so much in the photo!  I added the sentiment in memento black and I was done.

A clean and simple card for my final FM post!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I am off Saturday and Sunday but will be back on Monday!  Have a great weekend!

Supplies:  CS:  PTI white and distressed dots.  SU! blushing bride.  Stamps/dies:  WPLUS9 pretty patches umbrella and die.  Other:  Memento black and chalk.

Hello all!  Today I am posting two cards – both I did with watercolor.  For the first card, I used the technique that I described on Monday.  I just added more watercolor to the paper for the background.

The second card I made using distress ink pads and an acrylic block.  I took my acrylic block and smooshed it on the ink pad.  Then I used a spritzer full of water to spritz the block.  This will cause the ink to pool a bit on the block.  I pressed the block directly onto dry watercolor paper and used a paper towel to soak up any extra ink that I didn’t want on the paper.  I repeated this process with two more colors.

I have seen this technique used before but I kind of altered it a bit.  I used the whole block which left a distinct shape and I used dry watercolor paper.  Now, I couldn’t remember at the time whether I needed to have the paper a bit wet or not but once I put that block down, the decision was made.

Then I randomly flicked some ink onto the paper.  I stamped the sentiment in memento black once the paper was dry and then layered it up.

I will be entering one of these cards into the SugarPea Designs sketch challenge.  Ironically the Pals Paper Arts has the same sketch.  So I may enter the other card in that.  I guess that break didn't last too long!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Be sure to pop in tomorrow, it will be my last guest designer post with The Friday Mashup.

Don’t forget about the Retro Rubber challenge – Hey! Brad! – click HERE to link up your creation!

Supplies:  CS:  PTI kraft, SU! gumball green, early espresso, island indigo and watercolor paper.  Stamps:  SU! wetlands and another thank you.  Other:  distress inks.  SU! early espresso embossing powder.  PTI linen impression plate.  Memento black ink.  Pearls.

It’s Wednesday!  Yay, we are quickly advancing on Friday!  Today is a short and sweet card.  Easy to make and recreate.  In fact, I made these for my stamp club.

I started off with the punny produce pears stamp set from WPLUS9.  They have great stamps and I am slowly adding to my stash from this company.

I stamped the image in memento black and then added the sentiment.  I ran the card front thru my cuttlebug using the Papertrey Ink linen impression plate.  I chalked up the image using my old, old, old chalks that I bought from Stampin’ Up! years ago.

I added a few pearls and layered up on a piece of SU! certainly celery cardstock.  This is a color I really miss and wish SU! would bring it back.

That’s it for today.  Hey, did you forget that if you have some brads and make a card, you can link it up HERE to the Retro Rubber Hey! Brad! Challenge?  Well, now you know!

Thanks for stopping in today!  Be sure to pop by tomorrow.  I have another watercolor project and on Friday, I have my last guest designer post for The Friday Mashup.

Happy Wednesday!

Supplies:  CS: Papertrey Ink white.  SU! certainly celery.  Stamps:  WPLUS9 punny produce pears.  Other:  memento black, ink, pearls, and Papertrey Ink linen impression plate.

Today starts the second week of the current Retro Rubber challenge.  Hey Brad!  Dig out your brads and make a card (using stamps older than one year) and link up to our challenge!

This card was solely inspired by the fantastic fish brads.  Love them!  I believe I received them as a birthday gift.  Plus I am a huge fan of Finding Nemo.  I just can’t help myself!

So I used these wavy dies from Reverse Confetti (RC) to make the ocean waves.  Then I stamped the sentiment from some alphabet stamps from my stash.  I punched some holes and added my brads.  I wanted to make sure that I had one lone swimmer who was trying to catch up.  Just keep swimming!

I hope you enjoy the whimsy of this card!  Be sure to break out your own brads, whip up a card, and link it up HERE to the challenge!  You have until Friday to enter!

Thank you for stopping in today!

Supplies:  CS:  Papertrey ink white.  SU! coastal cabana, Bermuda bay and pool party (notice the ocean theme in the colors!).  Other:  brads and memento black ink.  Reverse Confetti doin’ the wave dies.  Alpha stamp set.

Happy Monday!  I got a chance to do some watercoloring this weekend and am enjoying practicing and creating with watercolors.  I signed up for the online watercolor classes through Kristina Werner quite a while ago.  Only $25 and lifetime access to the lessons.  It is a handy tool to have in your arsenal!

Today I am playing along with three challenges – I did not set out to do this – I made my project and then was scoping out some challenges and came across three that happened to work with this card.  So I will be linking up with The Curtain Call (bouquet), The Paper Players (CAS watercolor) and SugarPea Designs (celebrate spring).

I will try to be better in the future to explain some of the techniques that I use when I make my cards.  (Thanks Deb! And thank you for the stamp set!).  I started off with the Stampin’ Up! (SU!) butterfly basics stamp set.  I stamped the image on watercolor paper and then heat embossed with white embossing powder.

I taped the paper to a hard surface and then broke out my distress ink markers.  Whether I use the markers or the ink pads, I color/smoosh them onto a clear block so that I can pick up the color with my paintbrush.

I liberally brushed clean water over the heat embossed image.  (Something important to remember is wherever the water goes, so goes the color!) Then, using a small paintbrush (I pick the size according to the area I need to paint), I wet it and then dab in the ink on the acrylic block.  After that I paint the area and repeat as necessary with either the same color or new colors.  I add clean water to the paper as needed if it gets too dry.  This is not a perfect science, and if you are like me, I like a nice clean image.  But with watercolor I have learned to go with the flow! (pun intended!)  And it’s OK to go outside the lines!  In this case, because I used white embossing powder, I needed to go outside the lines to be able to see the image. 

For the sentiment, I watercolored a large enough space to be able to stamp the sentiment.  I used my heat tool to dry after I was done.  You could let this dry naturally but I wanted to complete my project.  After drying, I stamped the sentiment in memento black ink.  I added a few small pearls and then layered everything.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Tomorrow I post my project for the Retro Rubber Challenge blog.  If you have brads (and really, shouldn’t you?), then create a card and link up HERE to the challenge!

Supplies:  CS:  SU! watercolor paper and tangelo twist.  Papertrey Ink kraft.  Stamps:  SU! butterfly basics and herb expressions.  Other:  Distress inks, memento black, white embossing powder, and pearls.

Hello all!  Happy Friday and welcome to a new challenge with The Friday Mashup!

The challenge is:

• Create a project using the "Sketch". 
• Create a project with “the bouncing brayer technique". 
• or Mash it Up! and create a card using the “sketch and the bouncing brayer technique”

The bouncing brayer technique is quite fun – you can visit the tutorial for more information – IF you do the bouncing brayer! 

[Click here: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/bouncing_brayer/]

I was so busy remembering to use the brayer, I forgot all about the technique!  Do you ever do that?  So this card is based on the sketch with a great brayer plaid background!

I used coastal cabana and Bermuda bay as my main colors with a bit of crumbcake thrown in for good measure.  I used the brayer to make the plaid on PTI white.  I ran pieces of the Bermuda bay and coastal cabana thru the PTI picnic plaid impression plate so that I could cut all my pieces out of the embossed paper with the exception of the crumbcake.

I put everything together and added a piece of twine, linen thread, and rhinestones.  I added the sentiment (in the wrong place!) and I was done.  Call me a rebel (or someone who can’t follow directions!) with this project!!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I am off for the weekend but will be back on Monday with some new projects!  Happy weekend all!

Supplies:  CS:  PTI white.  SU! coastal cabana, Bermuda bay and crumbcake.  Inks:  SU! coastal cabana, Bermuda bay and memento black.  Stamps/dies:  PTI simple stars.  RC wonky double scallop border.  PTI picnic plaid impression plate and PTI sketchy stars.  Other:  brayer, linen thread, Bermuda bay twine, rhinestones.