Splashes of Watercolor

Top 5 - Taylored Expressions Last Card Standing!

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Up a Tree
Forever and Always
Cardinals of Winter

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Hey, everyone!  I 'm super excited to tell you that I've been chosen as one of the Top 5 in the Taylored Expressions Last Card Standing competition!!  I'm truly humbled since all the entries are absolutely spectacular!

Woo hoo!!!

It's all up to you now, folks.  The winner is chosen by public vote, so if you feel inclined to do so, please head on over to the Splitcoaststampers Top 5 Forum post and cast your vote!

Thanks so much!

Round 2 - Taylored Expressions Last Card Standing

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The Round 2 theme is FRIENDSHIP.

My daughter is my best friend and we share an intense love of the ocean and all things beach-related.  (No surprise to anyone who's been to my blog before!)  So it was easy for me to choose The Places You'll Go stamp set to use for my card.

The image is stamped on patterned paper from the 6x6 Bundle Collection: Fresh from Authentique, and colored with Copic markers.  I used a Labels Eighteen die to cut the frame in another piece of patterned paper and to also cut the red frame (from more Fresh paper).  The blue patterned layer is stitched around the edges and popped up on foam mounting tape.

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I stamped the image onto white cardstock and cut it using a Big Scallop Oval die.  I also sponged some Soft Sky ink onto it before removing the die.  It's popped up on foam mounting tape too.

Finally I tied on some Crumb Cake ribbon and topped it with a vintage button and a sailor's knot tied with PTI button twine.

That's it!

Wish me luck in making it through to the next round!!  (And thanks!!)  You can see all the entries for this round HERE.

 

Say It With Flowers!

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Ok, guys!  Don't fall out!  This is my 2nd post of the day…quite a rare occurrence!

I'm still playing along in the Splitcoaststampers Dare to Get Dirty challenges.  If you are wondering what all the fun, games and chatting is about, you can check it out HERE !

This card uses the Our Craft Lounge stamp set called Say It Big.  I love this mix of fonts!

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I made my flowers following THIS TUTORIAL and using the Bitty Blossoms dies from Spellbinders.  The only difference in the flowers is that the larger one has the added set of outer petals.

Please come on over and join us in the festivities!

 

Merry! with Candy

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Are you playing along in the Splitcoaststampers Dare to Get Dirty challenges?  What fun!

If you are wondering what all the fun, games and chatting is about, you can check it out HERE!

I've used the A Day For Daisies image called Candy Elf B for my card today.  Isn't he adorable?

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I colored him with my Copic markers, dotted some Ranger Star Dust Stickles all around him and made the candy look like it's wrapped in cellophane by using some Ranger Glossy Accents.

I didn't have the right color ribbon to coordinate with this cutie, so I used my B00 Copic marker to color some white ribbon.  That worked perfectly!

I hope you'll join in on the festivities! 

Quack, quack! - Color Throwdown #187

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Hey there!

It's time for another Color Throwdown challenge.  Are you ready?

This week our hostess is the incredibly talented (and sweet) Joan!  And she's chosen a combo of beautiful colors:

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Don't you love it?  I do!

I wanted to play along in a couple of other challenges too.  I've found myself really looking forward to Saturdays and the new retrosketch.  This week they have another great one:

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Also the Thursday Ways to Use It challenge at Splitcoaststampers for this week (ending today) is called "Crazy for Coloring".  That fits me to a "T", so I thought I'd enter that as well.

So enough of the talk, here's my card for all 3 challenges:

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I love that duck!  This is going to friend who will get a big kick out of it, I'm sure!

We would love for you to play along in the Color Throwdown challenge with us.  Just create a paper-crafted card or project using the colors for this week ( or some very similar) and upload a direct link to today's CTD blog post.    You're going to love seeing all the fresh new creations of the design team!  Check them out:

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That's it for today!  Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by.  I hope you'll come back Friday for another great new A Day For Daisies release!

Sweet Life - SC317

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Since I had my Life is Sweet set from Our Craft Lounge out yesterday, I thought I'd just color up another of the cute images and play along in the sketch challenge at Splitcoaststampers for this week.

This one was fun!  I had a hard time leaving the card base just plain "vanilla" though.  So I inked up the edges with just a tiny bit of  "chocolate" and "strawberry"!

Enjoy!

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Thanks so much for visiting!

• Stamps: Life is Sweet (Our Craft Lounge)
• Paper: vintage cream (PTI), chocolate chip, Kitschy Kitchen 6x6 (Melissa Frances)
• Ink: Memento - tuxedo black, Ranger Distress - antique linen, spun sugar, Ranger archival - coffee, Copic markers 
• Other: ink blending tool, ribbon, glitter brad, foam tape

Sweet Cupcake Sketch

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Hi y'all!  As our year is winding down to an end, I wanted to get one more card posted.  I'll be visiting my Mom this weekend and won't be home to ring in the new year, but I wanted to say that I hope you all have something fun and safe planned!

I decided to play along with the Splitcoaststampers sketch challenge (SC313) this week.  It's a great basic sketch, but of course I took a few liberties with it to customize it just a bit!

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The cupcake is from the Life is Sweet set from Our Craft Lounge.  I colored it with Copic markers and popped it up on foam tape.  I also stamped one of the sentiments from the set as a background on the scalloped circle layer.

The flower is simply another scalloped circle, cut into a spiral and rolled into the flower shape.  The flower center is a rolled ribbon topped with Star Dust Stickles.  And I die cut the leaves from felt.

Thanks for visiting with me!  I hope you all have a Happy New Year, filled with love and hope and peace!!

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• Stamps: Life is Sweet (Our Craft Lounge)
• Paper: black, white, Olivia & Stella Ruby (Basic Grey), Cowabunga "Beach Bum" (My Mind's Eye)
• Ink: Memento - tuxedo black, Ranger Distress - black soot
• Other: scallop circle Nestabilities, Ranger Matte Accents, ribbon, In Bloom leaves die (PTI), felt, sponge dauber, Star Dust Stickles, foam tape, Copic markers:

Everyone Deserves

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Happy Halloween, everyone!  Did your city or town celebrate last night or will it be tonight?  We had a few trick-or-treaters last night, because there are a lot of parents who don’t want their kids out on a school night, but I’m afraid we’ll have them tonight too.  Hope my candy stash holds up!

I’ve got a definitely-NOT Halloween card for you today.

I used the Our Craft Lounge DT sketch for this week – OCLDT37 - and also decided to play along with the Ways to Use it challenge at Splitcoaststampers – WT294 - which was to use a frame.

Here’s the OCL sketch:

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And here's my card:

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Ok, so I didn't follow the sketch exactly, but it's close!

I used 3 frames.  The gray one was made using long rectangle and long scallop rectangle Nestabilities dies.  The black one around the sentiment is actually a stamp from the set I’m using today, Butterfly Kisses from Our Craft Lounge.  The third one is the double frame I drew around the book page background layer.

 Hope you like it!  It was a fun card to make and I just HAD to use some more gesso and paint after a little taste of it using it on the Suzi Blu project from Friday.

Thanks for visiting!  I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Happy Halloween again!

• Stamps: Butterfly Kisses (Our Craft Lounge)
• Paper: basic gray, Seaside (October Afternoon), page from an old book
• Ink: Versafine onyx black, gesso & landscape green (Claudine Hellmuth Studio line), wheatfields Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels), Ranger Distress  weathered wood
• Other:  foam brush, sponge dauber, long rectangle & long scallop rectangle Nestabilities, lacey circles Nestabilities, swiss dots Cuttlebug folder, ribbon, brads, artist’s pen, straight edge, Scor-Tape, foam mounting tape

Changing Colors

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I actually finished this card on World Card Making Day, but was so busy all weekend that I didn't have a chance to publish it until now. 

I used the Splitcoaststampers sketch challenge SC300 and also the Copic Creations challenge #36,to use orange.

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I was playing around, trying with my Copic markers to achieve the look of leaves changing colors in fall.  Of course these great trees from the Tweet Trees set from Our Craft Lounge are not realistic, so I wasn't trying so much for accuracy as I was for the "feel" of autumn.

I used a gradient coloring and then over-laid dots of various colors.  Here's a closeup:

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This was fun!  I'm looking forward to playing around a little more!

Thanks for stopping by to take a look!  Have a great week!

• Stamps: Tweet Trees (Our Craft Lounge)
  
• Paper: white, pumpkin pie, blue bayou, chocolate chip, old olive, Nutmeg mini deck (Cosmo Cricket)
  
• Ink: Memento tuxedo black, baja breeze, Ranger Distress crushed olive
  
• Other: oval & big scalloped oval Nestabilities, sponge daubers, Just My Type embossing border folder (Cuttlebug), button (PTI), hemp twine, foam mounting tape
  

Fall Friend - Just For Fun® color challenge 24

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Woo hoo!  It's Just For Fun® Friday!  AND I'm not working today because I'm going to CKC in Charlotte, NC!  I'm so excited!

But first I've got to show you my Just For Fun® challenge card.  Here are the colors for the week:

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My first thought was fall!  Even though I'm not ready for the warm weather to leave, I really do love the colors and images of autumn.

I tried another Faux Postage card, this time using the Maple Leaf Frame and template. I think it looks pretty darn cool with these colors!  And I'm in love with the Fern stamp in the background!

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The swirl is grungeboard from the Tim Holtz Idea-ology line.  It was rubbed with Ranger Distress aged mahogany ink then dabbed with scattered straw ink.  Both the green layer and the leaf are popped up on foam tape.

The buttons qualify this to be entered into the WT283 challenge at Splitcoaststampers  to use buttons.  I love to use buttons!!

We sure hope you'll play along with us!  There are more of you playing each week and that's what makes it so much fun!  Please check out the design team members creations:

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Just For Fun® Blog
Broni Holcombe (that's me)
Beth Moore
Glenda Brooks
Kat Tucker
Margarita Ybarra
Roni Johnson
Sandy Sandrus
Sherry Cheever
Starla Nelson
Terre Fry

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I hope you all have a great weekend!  Now I'm going shopping!!!

• Stamps: Maple Leaf Frame & faux postage Template (G3448), Fern (F2642), Background Block (RB7001), Friend(s) (C3119) (Just For Fun® Rubber Stamps)
  
• Paper: lemon tart (PTI), old olive, cherry cobbler, Brenda Walton Madeline (K & Company)
  
• Ink: Ranger Archival jet black, Ranger Distress crushed olive, scattered straw, antique linen, aged mahogany
  
• Other: clear ep, stipple brushes, decorative edge scissors, sponge daubers, swirls elements grungeboard (Tim Holtz Idea-ology), foam tape, ribbon, buttons & twine (PTI)