Not Your Mama's Stencils

I remember my first set of stencils years ago.  It was the alphabet - that's it- the alphabet!  Now there are so many wonderful choices out there.  And, there are so many different mediums to try with them.  With a good friend's birthday coming up, I thought I would give these stencils a try.  I also located my stippling brush which I had not used in many moons.  I wanted a little different effect (or degrees of solidity) and this method can be pretty forgiving which is a bonus!

This picture is a little blurry *sorry*.  I used two spray stencils from Heidi Swapp that I had picked up a while ago from Michaels (at 40% off, of course).  The Guava and Grape ink is from Stephanie Barnard's line of Colorbox ink pads.  The colors in her line are so vivid and the pads are smooth and juicy.  She also has a line of cardstock now that matches the ink colors perfectly.  Love that!

Here's the finished project...thanks for stopping by!

Pawsitive Update #2

Dogs need ice cream too, right?  I am going to try this from Tesh.com today.

Dog Ice Cream

3 ripe bananas
32 ounces plain yogurt
1 cup peanut butter

Blend, pour the mixture into ice trays, freeze.

Think I will have to use a muffin tin instead of an ice cube tray (at Sadee's request).

 

Sweet & Sour Lemonade

Grab a cold glass of lemonade and thanks for stopping by!

As a member of The Stamps of Life Club, I really get excited the first week of every month.  I know that a new, fun stamp set will be waiting for me in my mailbox.  The June 2013 stamps from Stamps of Life called "lemonade2drink" and "morelemonade2stamp" made me thirsty!  Here are two cards I designed while sipping lemonade in the 80 degree heat last night.  Fortunately, I didn't knock my glass over like I usually do when I'm reaching for my acrylic blocks.  Hmmmm...I should probably move them... 

 

After stamping and cutting out my lemon slices, I decided they would make great flowers.  I added a little bling and ta da!  For the subtle background, I stamped the half lemon slices with VersaMark watermark ink and heat embossed with JudiKins clear detail embossing powder.  "Sour" you today?

 

I love the chunky ice cubes in this stamp set.  They give you chills when you use them!  The glass and lemon slices were stamped on watercolor paper and colored with Inktense pencils (my latest favorite product of the week).  The inside of this card reads, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."   I really hope it perks up a good friend of mine that's struggling with a few lemons right now.

Cheers!

Pawsitive Note:  Family - Sometimes, you do get to choose them - Check out your local dog rescue!

Pawsitive Update #1

Here goes...the first Pawsitive Update on my cardmaking team.  Well, the pool party was a bust.  Duct tape just couldn't stand up to four anxious, furry swimmers.  Meet Cody  -  he wouldn't give up the fun - even when the water had drained out an hour earlier.  We'll definitely be pool shopping this weekend.

As a side note, Cody was a rescue 5-1/2 years ago.  He's a lovable, pigeon-toed, yellow lab that had been in four different homes by the time he was 5 months old.  I'm so lucky he chose me for his forever home and encourage anyone considering a new furry friend to check into your local rescue organizations.  It's a good thing.

Some Like It Hot?

It's 95 degrees outside and maybe 95 degrees inside as well.  The perfect way to spend time in weather like this is to make cards, right?  So, I retreated to my craft room, plugged in the fan and set out to create cards for family and friends for the 4th of July.  A fan?  Not such a good idea in a craft room with cardstock and my fur kids spread out everywhere.  Needless to say, the fan was turned off.

I had picked up some great double-sided cardstock called Stars & Stripes by Doodlebug.  The colors were vibrant and inspired me to make cards for this holiday...a first for me.  In my stash I also had a great stamp by Rosie's Roadshow that was perfect for practicing my Copic coloring.

I finished a total of three cards today.  I would have kept going but that fan had to come back on!  Not to mention all the fur kids' panting was making it difficult to concentrate and steaming up my glasses.  Time to grab the puppies, go outside, fill up the kiddie pool, and be cool.  Happy 4th of July!