Sending You Sunny Smiles

This is the latest digi image by Bugaboo Stamps. Perfect for summer!! Sentiment by Hero Arts

Tuesday Morning Sketches - Sketch #505

Happy Father's Day

For this card, I used the Tim Holtz Lift Off ink.

Cardz 4 Guyz - Beside the Sea
Cute Card Thursday - Masculine
Moving along with the Times - Monochrome color

Stamp by Stampabilities

Happy Birthday Linda

Unicorn Challenge - Challenge #43

Dies by Sizzix

Triple Stamping on the Back to Basics and Beyond challenge

This week on Back to Basics and Beyond, we are going to try Triple Stamping. I wasn't sure what this was until I looked it up on Pinterest. I found a tutorial on this blog. I thought this wedding stamp would be perfect by Unity Stamps. I added a little bit of pink to her dress just to add a bit of color. The main card itself, I used a glitter silver cardstock by Paper Studio.

I can't wait to see your Triple Stamping card at Back to Basics and Beyond.

Stamp by Unity Stamp Company

Cut out 3 pieces of cardstock
5 1/2 x 4 1/4
4 3/4 x 3 1/2
4 x 2 1/2

With the pieces together,
stamp your image(s) all
at the same time on all 3
pieces of cardstock

Color image before inserting your
colored cardstock

Your color cardstock will be:

5 x 3 3/4
4 1/4 x 2 3/4

Enjoy the wonders of the season

It's never too early to start on your Christmas cards, right? I go back to my favorite snowman time after time.And my favorite technique - paper piecing!  My favorite trio!

Jingle Belles - Text
Christmas Kickstart - Christmas Kids
A Place to Start - My Favorite Technique (Paper Piecing)

Stamps by Purple Onion
Colored with Tombow markers
Stickles glitter

Celebrate You

For the background, I took a credit card and swiped acrylic paint onto my jelly plate and I got this great effect. I saw it on Jennifer McGuire's blog.

Cardz 4 Galz - Graduation
If You Give a Crafter a Cookie - Graduation

Die cut by Impression Obsession
Sentiment by Stampabilities

Back from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

We just got back from a trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic with our daughter and her boyfriend. We had a great time. We had a direct flight out of Charlotte, NC and it took us only 3 1/2 hours to get there. Customs was easy to get through and the hotel was only 25 minutes away from the airport so that was a plus. Punta Cana is not known for its tasty food so that was our main complaint. Everything is very bland and all of the desserts at this all inclusive resort tasted exactly the same. I mean, how can a strawberry torte taste like an apple pie? I don't get it. LOL

We "lived" under these little huts for the week. There was always a breeze blowing, yet
by the pool it was really really hot. We stayed at Secrets Royal Beach.

Yoga on the beach was a treat!

I would go out to the beach each morning
at 8 am to get a seat on the front row.  We were
able to stick a towel down then go eat
breakfast and come back.

Our hotel was so beautiful. The grounds
were immaculate and the people who
worked there work so hard each and
every day. I was told by one of the
members on the entertainment team that
they put in 15 HOUR days for 11 days, then
they are off for only 3 days and they do it
all again the next week. They average $3
an hour, that's it. 

At night, it was even prettier all lit up

We took these floats with us we found on
Amazon. They were wonderful. They
folded up flat in our suitcases and you
can either sit on them or lay on them.

4 of us on the beach

Chris had to photo bomb Charlie and me
LOL

They had a foam party twice in the pool

My view at the pool. If you look
hard, you can see Charlie in
the background on his raft. The hotel
had a lazy river that moved
VERY SLOW and it took him a
whole hour to go around the
whole thing!

One evening before dinner

My fave pic of Ms Emily

My fave pic of Emily and me 

All 4 of us before dinner

Happy Summer (even though its not quite summer yet)

Summer is still a whole month away and it's going to be near 100 today in the Carolina's. I made this watermelon card watching this you tube video. If you haven't watched any of  Emma Lefebvre's videos on watercoloring, you are missing out. She explains them so easy and I have been trying several paintings that she has done and I am having fun! Nothing says "summer" more than watermelon in my eyes! :)

Cut It Up - Picnic
Fun Friday - School's Out for Summer

Watermelons painted free-hand
Sentiment by Amuse Studio
Wonky Stitches Die by Gina Marie Designs

Congratulations baby boy!

It's been awhile since a new baby came into our family and we are welcoming a baby boy in mid July, my husband's great-grandson!

Here's the card I made. I paper pieced the onesie and wrote Congratulations along the side of it.

Craft Rocket - Newborn

Stamp by Clearsnap

It's not everyday one gets to feed a flamingo

I went to Florida for Mother's Day and my sister and I decided to go to Sarasota and spend a few hours at the Jungle Gardens where you can feed the flamingos. It was built in 1939 so it's been around for a long, long time. They had other big birds, baby alligators, big alligators, and other critters.

Shrink Plastic Challenge with Back to Basics and Beyond

The challenge this week at Back to Basics and Beyond is Shrink Plastic. When was the last time you played with Shrink Plastic? I have to say it's been YEARS for me and I was excited to see this challenge at BBB this week. I used my heat gun to heat the fish and the octopus and I had to hold it down using tweezers. It took me a few tries to get it right but I love how the card came out.  For the card itself, I used my Oxide inks for the background and splashed some water droplets on it. I watercolored the whale and I have him sticking out of the water a bit. For the shrinky dinks, I stamped directly onto the white shrink plastic with Staz-On ink and let that dry a bit before coloring them with copic markers. I let that dry and then heat set with my heat gun. They started to shrivel up right away and it took less than a minute to get them the size I wanted. If they curl up and you don't think they are going to flatten back out, just keep heating it and it eventually flattens out. It will be really hot right after but a few minutes once they cool off, then they are ready to adhere to your card.

I would love to see your cards with shrink plastic on them. Come on over to BBB and enter the challenge!!

Stamps by Memory Box
Birds by Repeat Impressions
Sentiment from internet
Shrinky Dinks charms

We've got the best kids! Mother's Day 2019

Happy Anniversary to my BFF

28 years ago today we said "I do" on Magen's Bay in St. Thomas.

May 14, 1991

Happy Birthday

I heat embossed the flowers and the sentiment. I love this set by Concord & 9th. It was on sale recently at Joann's with free shipping so I had to buy it. I used my zig watercolor markers and some water to color the image.

The Flower Challenge - Embossing heat/dry
Addicted-to-Stamps - Flowers
Dare 2B Artzy - Flowers
Crazy 4 Challenges - Flowers

Flowers by Concord & 9th
Sentiment by Amuse Stamps

Just to let you know. I miss You

How cute is this pig and the little "chicks" with their glasses on? I watercolored them with  my Koi watercolors.

Sweet Stampers - Animals

Stamps by Stamping Bella

Pink flowers

Allsorts - Pretty in Pink
My Time to Craft - CAS
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Flowers

Hope Your Day is Super Duper

Just Us Girls - Movement

Stamps by Stampin Up Waterfront
Sentiment and Die by Lawn Fawn

Hope your Days are Bright Again Soon

I'm sending this to a friend who's having back surgery today.

Kraftin' Kimmie - Rainbow/Bright Colors

Rainbow and Sentiment by Concord & 9th
Llama by Whipper Snapper

May you be comforted by the outpouring of love surrounding you

Check out this video by Lidia - its called Duoprinting with Chlorophyll and it is so easy!!! This is from a Boxwood plant in my yard.

Just Add Ink - Sympathy

Sentiment by Technique Junkies

Happy Birthday Lighthouse card

I played with my Alcohol inks and my Alcohol Lift- Ink pad to get the background on this card. I made this card for our son's 24th birthday which was Thursday this week. I watched Jennifer McGuire's tutorial how she did hers and you can find it here.

Through the Purple Haze - I've Got the Blues

Lighthouse by Stampabilities