Dream Catching You

Hey hey! I'm up at the Clever Dexter Challenge today. We're keeping the theme going all month: SOMETHING NEW.

Our awesome sponsor, Joy Clair Deigns, has some truly lovely images to use for your cards and craft projects. This dream catcher was too beautiful to pass up. I knew I would be using some watercolors, so I made sure to use my craft iron to really dry and set the ink. I did use a little photo editing to create the center banner by copying and pasting some of the images from the digital stamp along side the sentiment.

TIP: Use the same markers you're using to color your image and color a strip of paper for a perfect match. That's my secret for the 2 green borders around my sentiment :)

Prize from Our Sponsor:

The WINNER this month will receive your choice of 2 Digital Stamp Sets from Joy Clair Designs.

Cleverly Concocted Challenge Rules

The challenge runs from January 1 to January 31

Please read the challenge rules for more details.

Our mandatory theme for this month is SOMETHING NEW (whatever that means to you)

We would love to see you use our OPTIONAL color palette (shown below) but its not mandatory to qualify for our prize.

White, Blue, Yellow, Orange, and Green

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see your creation in our gallery this month! Don't forget to tag us in your Instagram posts so we can check out your awesomeness! #cleverdexter, #cleverdexterchallenge, @cleverdexter

xoxo Deidre

Supplies:

Digital Stamps: Joy Clair Designs Floral Catcher
Copic markers: YR02, YR04, YR07, B00, B02, Y00, Y02, Y06, Y08, G43, G46, Y13, Y15, Y17
Watercolor: Lindy's Stamp - Gang Blue Hawaiian Blue
Sequins: Simon Says Stamp - Assorted Moonshine

Have FAITH with CASology

We're keeping the FAITH at CASology for this 2-week challenge.

This doesn't have to be a religious topic only- the DT came up with some great cards!

I finally got a chance to use a couple of pretty awesome stamps sets from Concord & 9th, "Faith and Love" and "Hello Lovely". The sentiments are from the first set and the flowers are from the latter. A huge shout out to Concord & 9th for putting the how-to instructions for the flowers on their website. I'm a little spatially challenged, so I sometimes struggle with layering stamps :)

I used all Distress Oxides for this card (except the sentiment)- Mustard Seed, Fossilized Amber, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick, Lucky Clover, and Evergreen Bough. The sentiment was done with Vintage Sepia VersaFine ink, a perfect brown when you don't want the harshness of black ink! I dotted the flower centers with some White Blizzard Nuvo Glitter Drops and that was a CAS design all wrapped up.

Be sure to check out the other DT inspirations!

Deidre Payne

Jacquie Southas

Janet Ribet

Jen Wills

Joyce Mehrberg

Karen Haman

Melissa Chipperfield

Milka Gubo

Nancy Elrick

Sue Symens

Sponsor: STAMPlorations

I'm joining along at CAS(E) this Sketch #348 and Inspired by... #97 

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo DEIDRE

Keep CALM at CASology

This week we're tapping into our inner Zen.

I was amazed by the interpretations by the DT of this cue card

and can't wait to see what you create!

I wanted to use a floating lotus blossom. The water is so peaceful to me. I had the perfect stamp set from STAMPlorations (Lotus Love). I stamped the lotus flower first, then masked it off so that I could stamp the lily pad. I colored everything in using Zig Clean Color brush pens and did some watercoloring. The sentiments that I used on this card were from Simon Says Stamp (One With Nature). The last little step I did was to sponge on some Blueprint Sketch Distress Oxide ink around the bottom.

Time to float over to the DT blogs and see what they created

Bharati Nayuda
Jacquie Southas
Janet Ribet 
Jen Wills
Joyce Mehrberg
Karen Haman
Marcie Sharp
Melissa Chipperfield
Rachel Bergfeld
Sue Symens

Guest Designer: Shona

I'm also joining at Time Out Challenges #136 and Hanstamped Sentiments Inspiration Challenge#316.

Don't forget - our summer challenges are 2 weeks long! Thanks for stopping by.

xoxo Deidre

BOUQUET of Love at CASology

Happy CASology Tuesday!

This week we have a cue card that screams for all things floral.

I'm addicted to this stamp set by Simon Says Stamp! I recently did 50 wedding invitation (blog post coming soon) using this image and I love love love it. I wanted to use some different colors from the normal V-day (which if you remember, I don't celebrate lol). This is a combo or Tumbled Glass and Mermaid Lagoon Distress Inks and May Green and Yellow Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens. To keep it all one layer, I did a little bit of masking of the flower bouquet to build up the sentiment at the bottom of the card.

Check out the flowery love from the rest of the DT too!

Bharati Nayuda
Jacquie Southas
Janet Ribet 
Jen Wills
Joyce Mehrberg
Karen Haman
Marcie Sharp
Melissa Chipperfield
Rachel Bergfeld
Sue Symens

Guest Designer: Lynda

I'm also joining up at 

AAA Cards #133 & CAS(E) this Sketch! #307

 

Can't wait to see your cards in the gallery! You have until Monday at 9AM CST to join.

Have a crafty week :)

Deidre

Life's Landmarks with CASology

It's CASology Tuesday and our new cue card is: LANDMARK.

Blame it on the phase I'm in right now in my life, but I immediately 

thought about accomplishments as landmarks and a card to celebrate them.

I watercolored some white cardstock and die cut it using the Ellen Hutson Bold Blossoms dies. I arranged them on some vellum, heat embossed my sentiment, and coated the flowers in some Wink of Stella. Lots of white space with pops of color...and very little stamping lol!

The rest of the DT has some great inspiration for you this week too! And please say hi to our guest designer!

Deidre Payne (that’s me)

Hannelie Bester

Hazel Hodgkins

Jacquie Southas

Janet Ribet

Jen Wills

Joyce Mehrberg

Judy Marino

Kymona Tracey

Melissa Chipperfield

Rachel Bergfeld

Sherrie Mannion

Guest Designer: Wendy

I'm also playing along at AAA Cards #85 Oscar Red Carpet.

Thanks for stopping by and saying hi!

Deidre

Loose Watercoloring and a Hello

Just a quick share here today.

I'm a lover of all stamps floral! I tell myself to look away when I see new releases, but alas, I fail lol, especially when there's a sale. This Concord & 9th set "Hello Lovely" is fabulous and when I opened the package, I immediately thought about all the ways I could color this set...so many mediums, so little time :) I went with my Peerless watercolors and some very loose coloring. I loved the results!

I've found my new favorite white pen too! It's a water-based Sharpie with an extra-fine point...you should definitely give it a try if you're a dot-maker, doodler, or just like adding extra lines to your images and art journal pages.

I'm entering a new challenge with my new stamp set: Where Creativity Meets C9 #5 

Thanks for popping in today and have a happy Friyay!

xoxo Deidre

Happy Art Flowers with Precious Remembrance Shop

Time to use your imagination a bit! I’m super excited to share my third post as Guest Designer for Precious Remembrance Shop's new release of the Happy Art Stamp Set...and this card is full of flowers that I made using these super artsy stamps. Yes, flowers!!
The stamp set, in case you've missed it:

My card

I was playing with these stamps and had a total “wowsers” moment.

If I use the large ink splat with the small splatter on the inside, it looks like a flower!

To make them:

1. Ink the large splat really well with the lighter color, then tap the darker color around the edges only of the stamp and stamp onto your paper. Repeat with your color combos. I used Distress Inks in Spun Sugar/Picked Raspberry; Peacock Feathers/Evergreen Bough, and Twisted Citron/Lucky Clover.
2. Lighten the center by lifting some of the color from the paper: use a water brush with just plain water, then dab with a paper towel. This is why I used Distress Inks, but optional :)
3. Ink the small splatter stamp with a good, rich black ink (like Versamark) and stamp in the center of each flower.
4. Stamp the solid and open triangles  from the set and sponge ink into the corners.
5. Spice it up with some Liquid Pearls dotted in the center of each flower!

The sentiment is also from Precious Remembrance Shop’s, New Day Stamp Set.

I love abstract thinking, and I really hope you enjoyed stretching this stamp set with me!

I'm also playing along with:
RetroSketches: RS#211
The Card Concept: #53 (I totally went Clean & Layered with the colors and flowers)

xoxo Deidre

Washi what we did at CASology!

One of my most fabulous friends: "Wiki tape?? Wacky tape?? Widget tape??"

Me: "No; washi tape (LOL)!"

Regardless of what you call it, CASology is gonna challenge you to use it...and give you some inspiration to crash your stash and finally use it to do more than hold dies in place or tape down your watercolor paper---guilty as charged :)

I'm an addict for anything floral and this Mondo Magnolia die from Essentials by Ellen Hutson is totally gorgeous!

This card was super easy to make too.

• Pick out 3 different washi tape patterns and use to cover 3 pieces of cardstock that you're going to die cut (1 for each layer of the flower).
• Run each layer through  your die cutting machine.
• Adhere the largest layer directly to the card base.
• Add 2 layers of foam tape to the middle layer.
• Add 4 layers of foam tape to the center. 

Dimension, dimension, dimension, but still CAS!! The sentiment is from the matching stamp set. I loved this mix of patterns!

Crafty tip:
Intentionally offset each row of tape as you add it to the paper so the design on each layer doesn't appear so matchy-matchy (best demonstrated here with the yellow and white chevron washi).

The DT has really "rolled out" some awesome inspirations that will surely "stick" with you! 

Head on over to their blogs and show them some love.

Ardyth Percy-Robb

Deidre Payne (you're here)

Hannelie Bester

Hazel Hodgkins

Jacquie Southas

Jen Wills

Joyce Mehrberg

Judy Marino

Kimono Tracey

Melissa Chipperfield

Sherrie Mannion
Tracey McNeely

Let's see your funkiest, prettiest, underused washi designs! Have a great day :)

I'm also playing along at Addicted to CAS 

xoxo Deidre