WWC307 - Heidi's Challenge: Anything Goes With a Feminine Twist

 After getting an amazing sentiment stamp made by Stampendous, I began checking my (way too many) stamps to see what image would fit.  Sometimes oldies are the best.  I combined two of my favourite Stampin' Up! sets and did some free-style drawing to wind up with a card that I love.  I hope you love it, too.  

I love this image from the Beautiful You set.  It is definitely my favourite, although I love the other images, too.  In order to make the image fit the sentiment, I added a puddle at her feet and then sketched two boots to fit her feet.  Since this is a very stylish girl, I had to ensure that her hat matched those boots, right?  And then I sketched in a little jacket since the rain is seldom warm.  All the colours I used to watercolour my image are from Stampin' Up!  We have Daffodil Delight for her hat, crinoline and boots, then her jacket is a combination of Basic Black and Smoky Slate.   That pretty dress is the lovely, bright Poppy Parade, the puddle and raindrops are Balmy Blue and then the sentiment is Pacific Point.

I'm not sure if you can tell from this angle that I covered the puddle with some Shimmering Crystal Effects.  After all, puddles are shiny, aren't they, even in the rain.  The raindrops are from the Weather Together stamp set.

For the inside, I cut a broad stitched frame from a piece of Balmy Blue cardstock and then stamped the remainder of the sentiment inside.  Then I went on a hunt for a boot stamp.  Believe me, with all the stamps I've accumulated, I knew I had a stamp which would be perfect.  And I was right.  This image is from the Craft Consortium Farm Meadow.  I love the style and went wild with the colours, of course adding polka dots to make them perfect. 

Have fun checking out our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and I hope you'll link your creation before the deadline on Monday, February 8th, 2021.

I've also entered my card in the following challenges:

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #138 - Anything Goes

Addicted to CAS Challenge #190 - Pattern

WWC292 - Dawn's Challenge: Anything Goes With a Feminine Twist

Who doesn't like hedgehogs?  They're so adorably innocent looking, aren't they?  They look more like a "Gund" than an actual animal.  Well, this week I'm using a sweet image from the Craft Consortium Little Fawn and friends stamp set as well as the sentiment from the Stampendous Peeking Friends set.

For a change I used a base of Blushing Bride.  It compliments the colours in my images as well as adds a bit of a feminine flair, doesn't it?  

For my stamping, I used a piece of Mixed Media paper.  After using my stamping platform to get all the images set up and stamped in black, I  used my Derwent Watercolour pencils and Aqua Painter to colour the images and also to anchor them with some grass.  After distressing the perimeter of the paper, I adhered it to the base.  I don't often use embellishments, but the scene just seemed to call for some pink heart sequins.  They finish it off nicely, don't they?

Have fun checking out our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and I hope you'll link your creation before the deadline on Monday, October 12th.   

I've also entered my card in the following challenges:

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #130 - Anything Goes

The Paper Players Challenge PP511 - A Theme from Claire, Fall Critters

WWC257 - Heidi's Challenge: Anything Goes With a Feminine Twist

Yay, it's my turn as a host for our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge!  This week it's Anything Goes With a Feminine Twist.  Such fun!  With Valentine's Day looming closer and closer, guess what type of card I've made this week.

I've used a base of Heavy Whisper White cardstock for this card.  Then I added a layer of gorgeous (retired) Lovely Lipstick Foil followed by another layer of Whisper White cardstock.  That finaly layer of white, however, went through some heavy changes before becoming part of the card.  For that stunning heart, I used one of the Gina Marie dies.  I love that the flower cuts at the same time as all those intersecting lines and only the petals can be curled up to bring more attention to it.

Of course I not only curled up those petals, but also covered them with a layer of the sparkly Wink of Stella.  For the centre of the flower, I added a retired Dahlia embellishment to which I added a few spots of silver with my Silver Liquid Pearls.

I used a sentiment from the Altenew Dotted Blooms set and heat embossed it with Silver Embossing Powder.  The arrow is from another Gina Marie die set and is cut from the Lovely Lipstick foil.

As a finishing touch, I used another Gina Marie die: the "Love" in that beautiful script.  I think it's perfect cut out of the Silver foil to balance the Silver embossing, don't you?

I love the way these colours work together and also how perfectly the dies came together as well.  I hope you do, too.

We also have some awesome samples by the other Watercooler Artists for you to check out over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've linked this card up to the following challenges:

Shopping Our Stash Weekly Challenge #413 - My Heart is on Fire

Crafting Happiness Challenge #34 - Anything Goes Twist Heart

Make My Monday Challenge #115 - I Heart You

Double D Challenges: Hearts Challenge

WWC250 - Helen's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

I love the wonderful images which Bonnie Krebs draws for Art Impressions.  I own enough stamps sets with her images that choosing one for a card becomes increasingly difficult.  This set, however, the Woodland Holiday, reflects the season and allows me to use one of my favourite woodland animals, the fox.  Of course I haven't been delighted with the sight of a fox quite like this during my hikes, but one can hope, right?

For my base I used the Heavy Whisper White.  Then I added a matte of Highland Heather and, of course, the stamped piece.  I kept it clean and simple by stamping the image and sentiment and adding watercolours.  The only embellishment is a bit of Shimmery Crystal Effects gloss over the holly berries and silver bell.  I love the results and hope you do, too.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've entered my card into the following challenges: 

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #108 - Anything Goes

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #61 - Anything Christmas Goes

WWC241 - Dawn's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Ooooh!  It's a feminine challenge at the Watercooler this week and Dawn is our host.  I decided to combine that awesome Pressed Petals Specialty Designer Series paper with the terrific Wonderful Moments stamp set.

Doesn't that combination look wonderful?  I used a base of Heavy Whisper White and, after fussy cutting carefully around the inside of the floral wreath image on that pretty wood-grain paper, I was ready for the image which would be featured inside the wreath. 

I took a piece of Whisper White cardstock and, after using my Basic Black Stampin' Marker to ink up everything but the bouquet and ribbon at the back of the dress, I stamped the "bride".  My intention was to simplify the dress and also to have her hold some balloons rather than the bouquet.  I used my Stampin' Blends to colour the image.  The dress is Rococo Rose while the hair is a combination of Crumb Cake and Daffodil Delight.  Her skin is Ivory and the balloons are Daffodil Delight and, again, Rococo Rose.  Then I covered the image and stamped the dots from the stamp set (confetti?) as my background. 

I love the way she fits into the cut out of the wreath, don't you?  And the banner finishes off my card perfectly.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #103 - Anything Goes

{PIN}spirational Challenges #248 - Photo Inspiration

WWC237 - Michelle's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Yay!  Michelle is hosting our awesome Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge and I am finally going to put ink to the adorable octopus image from the Sea of Textures bundle.  Over the months I've reached for it many times, but each time found myself doing something completely different.  This time the gorgeous Perennial Essence Designer Series Paper inspired me to use the octopus.

Look at the wonderful colours in the background.  Isn't it just perfect as an undersea cavern?  Of course my octopus is sporting rather unique colours since I stamped the image using Melon Mambo and then coloured the white portion of the underneath using my Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Blends.  Who knew those colours would compliment each other so well?  And don't you just love those sparkling black rhinestone eyes?

I used a base of Heavy Whisper White and then added a layer of the Highland Heather cardstock before adding the Perennial Essence DSP.  The netting in the background is cut from the retired Galvanized Metal foil using the matching Under the Sea dies.

In this close-up you can see those sparkling eyes so much better.  I love all the colours and I believe Madame Octopus is quite pleased with the ones I chose for her.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #101 - Anything Goes

Get Creative Challenges #84 - Anything Goes

WWC233 - Karen's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Oh my goodness, we're having a Feminine challenge this week and I've decided to finally introduce ink to my Beautiful Day stamp set.  Am I ever lucky that it hasn't retired since I bought it!  Strange how one can buy something and then keep passing it by instead of using it.  Has that ever happened to you?

I've used a base of Heavy Very Vanilla.  I had thought to use the Heavy Whisper White but the Watercolour Paper onto which I stamped the butterfly image had too much cream in it.  The Very Vanilla compliments it far better.  There was quite a "journey" for this butterfly image.  First, after cutting my piece of Watercolour Paper, I heat embossed a generic piece of music onto it using my Clear embossing powder.  I didn't want it to appear on the paper except where the watercolours were repelled by the embossing.

After having heat embossed the music, I stamped the butterfly image from the Beautiful Day set using my black StazOn.  I don't often use the StazOn because of the smell, but for this image, I wanted the black to stay on the heat embossed notes rather than be repelled by them.  After that dried, I spritzed the paper with water.  Then I took my four new In-Color re-inkers and, one by one put a drop of ink onto the wings, helped it spread with my AquaPainter, and, by the fourth colour, had my finished image.  Beginning at the top of the right wing and moving clockwise, I used the following inks:  Pretty Peacock, Seaside Spray, Terracotta Tile, and Rococo Rose.

I used a matte of Basic Black and then attached it askew onto the base using my Foam Adhesive Strips.  Finally, I stamped the sentiment in black ink and the card was done.  I love the watercolour effect and the whimsy of the musical notes, don't you?

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

The CAS Watercolour Card Challenge - August 2019 Butterflies

Seize the Birthday Challenge #171 - Anything Goes with optional twist of flowers

MOO-MANIA #197 - Butterflies

WWC219 - Heidi's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

It's strange how things work out.  When I first saw the Varied Vases bundle, it didn't impress me.  The images all seemed so small.  I wasn't a fan.  And then, on a whim, I bought it.  What can I say?  I've fallen in love.  Sometimes "small" makes a big impact.

I used a base of the Heavy Whisper White.  Then I layered a piece of Mossy Meadow and a piece of Mint Macaron.  The Mint Macaron was embossed using the gorgeous Subtle 3-D embossing folder.  Now someone else would have taken the easy road and just cut out a piece of Whisper White using the scalloped Oval die.  But someone like me doesn't realize there is an easier way and so I wound up cutting out a scalloped oval from the Mossy Meadow layer as well as the Mint Macaron layer.  That allowed the Heavy Whisper White to show through and thus created a white border around the pretty leafy Floral Romance Specialty Designer series paper.

I stamped the little vase using Mossy Meadow ink and then cut it out using the matching Vases Builder Punch.  Then I stamped the gorgeous orchid after inking up the stamp with my Mossy Meadow and Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Markers.  After I "huffed" the stamp, I managed a very nice image on a scrap of Whisper White.  I used the Flirty Flamingo ink pad to stamp the colour into the outlined orchid.  Then I proceeded to fussy cut the flowers and stem.  I used the punch to cut out the orchid leaf from a scrap of Mossy Meadow.

Assembly was simple.  I used dimensionals to adhere the vase and orchids to give the card more depth.  To finish up I stamped "Birthday Wishes" at the bottom right of the card using Mossy Meadow ink.  I love the results, don't you?

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

International Art & Soul #57 - Anything Birthday

Crafting From the Heart #242 - Anything Goes

The crafty Addicts Challenge 60 - Anything Goes

Seize the Birthday #164 - Texture

WWC211 - Kath's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

This week's Watercooler Wednesday challenge is an "Anything Goes" with a feminine twist.  Fun?  Of course it is, especially with that gorgeous Botanical Butterfly Designer Series Paper which I got through my Sale-a-bration credits.  Oh...and there is a huge surprise inside.

My base is Basic Black and then I've simply added a layer of the Botanical Butterfly DSP.  The paper I've used is so elegant with its black and white design, isn't it?  I love those butterflies!  Beside using one piece for the front of my card, I also fussy cut one butterfly from a small leftover piece.  The way I've designed the card, I also had the opportunity to finally use the dies from the Celebrate You thinlits.

What looks like a narrow panel with a butterfly and die-cut "YOU" is actually a belly-band, holding the card together.  I've posted a close up of the butterfly because it is actually covered on both sides with a layer of clear Nuvo crystal drops.  The result is a butterfly that appears to be plastic rather than paper.  The awesome part is that the antennae (yes, I fussy-cut those, too) are nice and strong.

And this is the surprise inside:

I've used the retired Petal Passion Designer Series Paper because its simple black and white design is perfect for this card.  Each of those coloured butterflies is from the Botanical Butterfly DSP and, yes, each one has been fussy-cut.  Sometimes I wonder if I'm a glutton for punishment.  The "Happy Day" die cut on the top panel is actually the wonderful Happy Birthday thinlits die with the "birth" missing.

I love how this Twist Pop Up card turned out, don't you?  

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

"Just Us Girls" Challenge #477 - Word Week (Birthday)

Inkspirational Challenge #181 - Use Your Stash

WWC207 - Helen's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

I love our feminine challenge!  The best part, in my opinion, is that it's an "anything goes" challenge so, as long as I stick to a feminine theme, I can do anything.  This time I decided to give some love to the gorgeous Sale-a-bration Botanical Butterfly Designer Series Paper, among other products.

I began with a base of the Heavy Whisper White, followed by a layer of Basic Black which I first cut along the right side using  one of the border framelit dies from the Be Mine Stitched Framelits dies.  Just for fun I also rounded the upper and lower corners on that side using my Detailed Trio punch.  Then I added another layer, this time the lovely Highland Heather.

For the "main image" I turned to the Sale-a-bration Botanical Butterfly DSP.  I decided to cut a piece of the black and white butterfly print.  Then I chose a beautifully coloured butterfly from another sheet and fussy cut that to be glued on top of one of the black and white butterflies.  I only glued it along the centre so that the wings appear to be ready to take off at any moment.  As you can see, that coloured butterfly is what helped me to choose the colours for this card.

Along the lower border I decided to use the open, connected hearts die, also from the Be Mine Stitched Framelits dies.  I first cut a piece of the Sale-a-bration Grapefruit Grove Foil and then cut a piece of the Highland Heather cardstock.  When I attached the openwork hearts, I did so at a slant so that there would be room for a heat-embossed white sentiment.  Then I proceeded to glue in the hearts cut from the Highland Heather.  I left one heart open and glued in the appropriate Grapefruit Grove Foil heart.

I wasn't completely happy with the card at this point.  It seemed to empty between the butterflies.  So I took the small random dots stamp from the Wonderful Romance stamp set and proceeded to fill in the white using Grapefruit Grove ink.  I think that was just what the card needed, don't you?

Remember, you can get the Grapefruit Grove Foil and/or the Botanical Butterfly DSP free with qualifying purchases from Stampin' Up! until March 31st.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've also entered this creation in the following challenges:

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #86 - Anything Goes

Try It On Tuesday Challenge - Romance

Crafting By Designs - Anything Goes

Double "D" Challenges - Hearts

WWC202 - Dawn's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Happy New Year, everyone.  I'm excited to show off the card which I created for Dawn's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge.  It's a fun (and easy to do) double easel card.

I created this card after seeing Rick Adkins' lovely double easel card.  I love special folds and this one is showy but, oh, so easy.  If you want the instructions and measurements, they're all over on Rick's post.

I have to admit that I've fallen madly and deeply in love with the Floral Romance Suite.  For this card I used some of the gorgeous Floral Romance Specialty Designer Series paper.  The leafy background is a normal, two sided print while the design in the foreground is only printed on one side and is vellum.  Set against the white background, the colours really shine.  I cut the twig and leaves with the Wonderful Floral Framelits dies and love the way they emboss the veins of the leaves so deeply.

Of course I had to use the new Nine Lives set.  I still have the cat punch which goes with this stamp set and love that I can stamp so many types of cats.  Don't you just love the orange tabby?  He's happily sitting on some of the logs which I cut from the Wood Textures Designer Series paper.  After all, he doesn't want to be hidden behind the front easel.

I hope you'll check out the awesome creations by the other Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge blog.

And, of course, enjoy the wonderful creation by our January 2019 Guest Designer, Sandie Munro.

WWC199 - Tristan's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Oh, I had such fun with my card!  I used the Seasonal Wreath embossing folder for the first time and added the sweet mice from the Sweet Storybook stamp set.  Don't you love it?

Of course my plans for the card forced me to do a whole lot of additional work.  You see, I wanted to use the Softly Falling embossing folder for my background, to give the card a wintery feel.  That meant I had to give us either the Softly Falling or the Seasonal Wreath since it's rather difficult to use two embossing folders without winding up with a mess.  But then I thought, why not fussy cut the embossed wreath?  Now that I've done it, I love it, but I freely admit there were some rather strong words said during the cutting, which wound up being fussy, indeed.

Once the wreath had been cut, I took a small paint brush and the Frost White Shimmer Paint.  I carefully painted the entire wreath and put it aside to dry.  While it was drying, I stamped the two little mice and then realized that, for placement on the wreath, I would have to fussy cut them rather than use the die from the bundle.  A small setback but at least they were easily cut out.  By this time the wreath was dry and so I took the Soft Sea Foam ink pad, forced some ink into the lid, and proceeded to colour the twigs in the wreath using my AquaPainter.  Because I painted over the Frost White Shimmer Paint, the pale green has a real shimmer to it.  I love it!

So, with my base of Heavy Whisper White and a matte of Soft Sea Foam, I took a piece of Whisper White and embossed it using the Softly Falling embossing folder.  I adhered that to the matte and then glued on the wreath, being careful to simply glue the edges so that the depth of the embossing wasn't affected.  Then I used Dimensional foam to attach the little mice.  I held my breath while stamping the sentiment (from a retired set) but luckily it stamped cleanly.  A trio of little Faceted Dots and my card was done.

I hope you'll check out the awesome creations by the other Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge blog.

I've also entered this creation in the following challenges:

Cards in Envy:  The Spirit of Christmas Challenge

Papercraft Challenges #26 - Wintertime 

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #42 - Anything Christmas Goes

Crafty Creations Challenge#379 - Anything Goes

WWC195 - Charlotte's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Oh, I love our Feminine challenges, don't you?  It's such fun to figure out what to make and to try new things.  After all, cards don't have to be frilly or full of flowers to be feminine.  They can be clean and simple, like my card:

First let me say that I am madly in love with the sweet House Mouse images.  I am amazed at the detail in Ellen Jareckie's little mice.  For this card I used the Strawberry Wish stamp which is a 2015 release.  I loved the image so much that I didn't want any clutter to take away from it.  Colouring sweet little "Mudpie" and that lovely strawberry was pure pleasure.  I used my watercolour pencils and AquaPainter.  To finish, I added just a bit of shadow around the bottom using my Smoky Slate ink and AquaPainter.

For my sentiment I wanted something simple but feminine.  The beautiful script in the sentiment from the Happy Little Stampers Dandelion Wishes stamp set was perfect and so I stamped it in black.  I mounted the image onto a narrow black matte and then onto a base of the Heavy Whisper White.  And I love it!

I hope you'll check out the awesome creations by the other Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge blog.

I've also entered this creation in the following challenges:

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #80 - Anything Goes

Retro Rubber Challenge #99 - Anything Goes

House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge #278 - Anything Goes

Crafty Creations Challenge #377 - Anything Goes

WWC186 - Marsha's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

I'm so glad that our challenge this week is a Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge!  I had an idea for a card which will be perfect for this challenge.

I haven't used any of the gorgeous designer vellum panels from the Graceful Glass Suite for months.  When I came across this panel with those beautiful irises, I knew I had to use it for a card.  And why not add the butterflies and sentiment from the Painted Glass stamp set as well, since they can so easily be cut out with the matching Stained Glass Thinlits dies.

This was a perfect opportunity to use the lovely new colour, Highland Heather.  Not only did I use the cardstock for the mattes, but I also used the colour in my new Stampin' Blends for the vellum and in my Stampin' Markers for the butterfly.  And lest I forget, I dragged a piece of the dainty Polka Dot Tulle ribbon across my stamp pad to change it from white to Highland Heather as well.

Since I didn't want the leave the white area beside the vellum panel plain, I decided to use the Hexagon embossing folder for only half that piece of Whisper White.  It makes a perfect spot for those butterflies to land, doesn't it?

I hope you'll be joining us by linking up your awesome creations before Monday, September 10th at 5 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time.  To see the wonderful creations by our Watercooler Artists, check out our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge blog.

WWC181 - Kath's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

This week Kath Ricks is host for our Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge.  I had a lot of fun creating my card, despite a few set-backs.  I hope you will enjoy it, too.

The set-backs?  Well, I've been house/dog-sitting for the past two weeks and only have a certain amount of paper and stamps with me.  I've gone back home to add to the pile several times, but that still means if I wind up changing course during the creative process, I reach for something I don't happen to have here.  I suppose that just adds to the challenge, right?

I decided to use the Beautiful You stamp set believe I love those images so much.  This time I decided to use the dancer holding hands with a mirror image of the same dancer.  Once I had completed my stamping, I fussy cut the images and then proceeded to colour them.  I had some of the new Stampin' Markers with me as well as my Neutrals collection.  And so my images are all in Poppy Parade and Smoky Slate.  The skin tone is my "go to" Blush Blossom marker.

I glued the dancers onto a piece of Basic Black cardstock cut with a gorgeous Gina Marie Design die and then onto a retired piece of DSP for which I can't recall the name at the moment.   I attached that onto a piece of Poppy Parade and finally onto a base of Basic Black.  To dress up the black, I scattered tiny black and silver sequins.

While it really doesn't look like it in the photo, that gorgeous sentiment is actually heat-embossed using Silver embossing powder.  

I hope you'll joining us by linking up your awesome creations before Monday, August 6th at 5 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time.   To see the wonderful creations by our Watercooler Artists, check out our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge blog.

I've also entered this card in the following challenges:

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #73 - Anything Goes

Crafty Creations Challenge #371 - Anything Goes

WWC173 - Tenia's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

This week Tenia Nelson is hosting our popular Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge and, of course, you know that I love this particular challenge.  A lot of my stamps are more "girly" than neutral and so I most frequently create cards with a feminine touch.

At the moment I'm going through a huge sorting job.  What am I sorting?  I've decided that I am borderline "hoarder" with my retired stamps and so I have instructed myself to be more realistic and actually keep only those stamp sets which I know I will use.  What good are a whole lot of "oh, but I love it stamps" when they're not being used?

This stamp set which I've used, Indescribable Gift, is one that I'm on the fence about.  In its lifetime with me I've used it perhaps four or five times.  Each time I love it and love colouring it and make promises about using it more often (which I consequently break).  Again, when I used it this time I began to fall in love again.  I think, however, it's with the act of colouring and not necessarily with the stamp set.  And so this is my "goodbye" play with this particular stamp set.

Aren't the blossoms stunning, watercoloured with the gorgeous new Lovely Lipstick ink?  And the leaves, too, with the combination of Tranquil Tide and Granny Apple Green inks?  The new colour refresh which Stampin' Up! introduced with the new Annual Catalogue really is exciting and refreshing.  Certainly, I'll miss several of the retired colours but, oh, how beautiful the new colours are which replaced them!

I've layered the Tranquil Tide with Whisper White for my background.  The fun stamped textures are from the Artisan Textures stamp set and used the Tranquil Tide and Granny Apple Green inks.  For the off-kilter square in which I've stamped my image, I used a matte of Lovely Lipstick.  The textures behind and around the blossom are also from the Artisan Textures set and were stamped with the Balmy Blue (off-stamped once).

So "goodbye" to this lovely stamp set and "hello" to our challenge.  I hope you'll check out the awesome samples created by our wonderful Watercooler Artists at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge blog.

WWC160 - Heidi's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

It's my turn to host the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge this week.  What fun!  The challenge this week is our popular Feminine "Anything Goes" challenge.  I can think of so many possibilities!

I decided to make a Birthday card using the Beautiful You stamp set as well as the Charming Cafe bundle.  I wanted to create this card in the "Z" fold style and also wanted to have the image of the girl swing out when the card opened.  After a bit of planning and some detailed work, it came together beautifully.

I used the Memento Tuxedo Black ink to stamp all my images as well as the sentiments.  That made it possible for me to use both watercolouring and alcohol colouring techniques without any smudging.  For the image of the girl, I pencilled in a line where my fold would go and carefully centered her on that line.  Then I took my craft knife and cut around the image from the top middle of the umbrella to the bottom of her shoes, along the side facing into the card.  That allowed her to swing out as the card opened.

For the inside image, of the cafe, I used both the base for stamping and a second piece of Whisper White.  First I stamped the image of the table and chairs on the second piece of Whisper White.  Then I used the framelit for the table and chairs to cut those out, after which I used the square topped framelit with the table and chairs at the bottom to cut out the remainder of the "window".   After colouring my images, I attached the die-cut  Whisper White to the base using Foam Adhesive Strips to create dimension.  I also attached the table and chairs with the foam strips.

Unfortunately, the added depth of the inside of the card made closing it virtually impossible.  To fix that, I scored a second line along the score line I had made at 4 1/4", thus giving it a 1/8" fold, and the card closed perfectly.  It still fits into a normal envelope as well.  Bonus!

I'm dedicating this card to my Mum, whose birthday it is today, March 7th.  I miss her every day and know she would have loved a simple little card like this.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful cards created by our Watercooler Artists at the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I'm also entering my card into the Seize the Birthday:  Anything Goes Challenge

I've also entered my card into the Addicted to Stamps & More #181 - Make Your Mark