Where are the flowers?

It won't be long before spring has sprung in Texas. Hopefully the winter rains will give our beautiful bluebonnets the boost they need to flower this spring. If not, there are always stamps for coloring and sharing. Texana Designs has a new Bluebonnet Frame designed by Joyce Meyer. I decided to fill my frame with bluebonnets so I paper pieced the same bluebonnet twice and popped the middle one for a little dimension.

I have been playing with my favorite gel pens - Sakura Stardust Pens. I found instructions for blending the colors with a water pen. It's amazing what a little blending will do. And the mica stardust is simply stunning!



I used it here on a stamp from Holly Berry House. You can see the real deal at Stamp Salado. If you want me to show you how to blend the stardust pens, come make Easter Cards with us on April 8, 2012.

Happy Heart Day

This was a fun card full of several firsts. I finally got my hands on the Framelits by Sizzix and Hero Arts. There are stamps and coordinating wafer dies. With all firsts, there are things I would do differently next time. I was in a bit of a hurry and didn't secure the die to the paper (a little tape on the edge of the die and onto the scrap paper would have helped keep things more centered). When I ran the paper through the Vagabond, the wafer die slipped a little, but that's okay. Next time will be better (not perfect, just better).

Next I was trying to figure out what to put in the oval. I thought a big 1 4 would be sweet for valentines day, but I couldn't get motivated to do that. After sleeping on it, I decided to try the string art Spirelli technique. I really like the way it turned out!

I think I'll post this one on the Catered Crop Challenge "I Heart Recipe Swap". Jump over there and check out all the hearts.

Here's my product list:

Sizzix/Hero Arts Framelits – Happy Birthday Cupcake Set
Martha Stewart Garden Trellis Deep Edge Punch
BoBunny 6” x 6” Paper Pad – Crazy Love
Stamp – Texana Designs – Happy Heart Day
Stampendous Dots & Gems – Gold & Red
Smooch – Siren & Snickerdoodle
Versamark & Brown Embossing Powder
Spirelli made with Precious Metal Effects Floss - Gold

Holly Berry House Layed Kilkenny Crosses

Look at the fun I've been having. I love the different looks of this card depending on the colors of paper and embossing powder and number of layers. Okay, I didn't really have to make this many, but I get a little bit obsessive when designing a class. I want to be able to demonstrate the best cards, but sometimes the colors just don't do what I am hoping. Individually each card is beautiful, but when you look at all of them together, you can see the differences. With all of the embossing and detail cutting, I've been able to make the simple card in 30 - 45 minutes. The more detailed card with 5 or 6 layers and no glitter will take me 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. If you want to further enhance the beauty of the cross you can add time for coloring with Sakura Stardust Pens or by adding glitter.

On Saturday, February 25th, I will be teaching a class at Stamp Salado using the Holly Berry small Kilkenny Cross. This beautiful cross is so very versatile. You can make it with a few layers or many layers. You can mat and frame it or create a beautiful card. It will make a fabulous Easter card or a heartfelt sympathy card. Contact Stamp Salado to sign up today at 254-947-8848. Below are the two actual cards we will make in the class. Be sure to bring pop dots and detail scissors in your basic class supply kit.

Another Double Heart Card

Here is another card I created using Wright Papers and Texana Designs Stamps. You can see the actual card at Stamp Salado sometime next week and pick up a pack of Kraft Glassine. Here's a YouTube with Tim Holtz demonstrating the Kraft Glassine at CHA Winter 2011.

Catered Crop Recipe Swap - Newsprint

Texana Designs is sponsoring the Catered Crop challenge and I wanna play! You can play too - click for more detail. This week's theme is "newsprint".

Here is my first challenge submittion:

Stamps:
Texana Designs - TX023 Barbed Wire Heart,
TX031 Texas Cities, and TX044 Love ya with all my Texas heart
Cardstock:
White & Red
Patterned Paper:
Doodlebug Designs - Beetle Black It's About Time
and Reminisce - Set the Table
Versamark Ink
Black & White Embossing Powders
Martha Stewart Border Punch - Cherished

pssstttt.... Linda I just HAD to borrow your idea of paper piecing this heart. I would have never thought of that!!! You go girl!

A Texas Heartfelt Thank You

I'm having so much fun designing for Texana Designs that a big ol' thank you card seemed perfect. I'm looking forward to crafting with a great team of ladies.

Stay tuned...

Kraft Glassine Hearts & Wright Design Papers

Finally I pulled out the pad of Kraft Glassine that I bought at Stamp Salado some time ago. I noticed Stamp Salado is offering a class using this product. I also viewed the Tim Holtz video again and started creating leather looking hearts using the Texana Designs & Jam'n Stamps. I love using these stamps on the great Texas themed paper from Wright Designs.