Christmas Cards and a DT Call

This is only like THE MOST WONDERFUL time of the year!

I love the Christmas season...the energy, the shopping, the weather, the food :)

And, I have a brother who was born on Christmas Day (love you Nate).

I'm not only making cards, but also sharing them in hopes of joining a new DT. 

This week's inspiration is from Freshly Made Sketches 367.

My favorite holiday icon is the snowman, so I couldn't help but color this little guy.

He's from The Alleyway Stamps (no longer in business, sad face).

I dry embossed some snowflakes in vellum and added more 

to the background with clear versa mark ink.

I painted over the Copic coloring on his earmuffs and scarf with Nuevo glitter drops 

(a new favorite thing I'm doing).

In case you missed my Christmas card last week on Instagram (I was on vacay in the Cozumel), here's a non-traditional color combo that I love, also using FMS as an inspiration!

Hope you're enjoying your holiday season and thanks for stopping by!

xoxo Deidre

OH CHRISTMAS! Precious Remembrance Shop Holiday Release

The absolute best season for DIYers is right around the corner--the holiday season!

Today, Precious Remembrance Shop is bringing you an awesome blog hop

for the new release of the bold, fun, fabulously graphic {Oh Christmas} Stamp Set!

I immediately wanted to pair up the three stars with the "merry & bright" sentiment in the set. I heat embossed the sentiment, which is actually an outline only, then colored it in with a white paint pen. Then it was on to some offset stamping of the stars--white ink first, then a rainbow of colors layered over top. This lets the color really pop on kraft cardstock! I watercolored a strip of paper (don't you just love finding a great use for your scraps) in the same colors as the stars and adhered it to each side of the main panel.

I wanted everything to be "bright", so I coated everything with a thin layer of Diamond Stickles!! Love love love the effect :)

We have a "merry" gang of crafters lined up to give you some holiday inspiration and showcase this new stamp set! If you didn't arrive here from Sue's blog, you can start at the PRS blog and hop your way through :)

Precious Remembrance Shop

Judy Marino

Melissa Chipperfield

Sue Lelli

Deidre Payne (that's me)

Stephanie Gold (Guest Designer)

Lisa Elton

And of course, PRS has an awesome Giveaway!!

Simply leave a comment on the shop's blog post and each designer's blog and let us know your thoughts about our newest set! Good luck  :)

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• One lucky winner of the stamp set will be chosen randomly. 
• To keep updated with our projects, join us on our Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram
• Giveaway is open until Saturday Sept. 10, 2016  at Midnight EST

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I'm also playing along at The Card Concept: 57 (mixed media) and Freshly Made Sketches: 253

Let's get a jump on those holiday crafts!! Thanks for stopping by :)

xoxo Deidre

Finally! Happy Time Crafting

You know those days (or weeks) where you're thrown every curve ball in the book? Yeah, well I finally starting knockin 'em out of the park and got the well needed time to make stuff lol :)

The new stamp set from Precious Remembrance Shop perfectly described my mood and created a card I'm really happy to submit for a few challenges this week.

Yep, happy stamping and happy crafting :) The feather dies are from Simon Says Stamp and the little stars and hearts sequin-esque embellishments are from my local big box Michael's.

The color combo came from Fusion Card Challenge this week and the layout was inspired by Freshly Made Sketches #230. You won't believe how awesome this mix of brands and products worked out together!

Ink: Peacock Feathers & Picked Raspberry Distress Ink for the stamping

Embossing Powders: Ranger Turquoise & Magenta

Staples: colored with Pitt Big Brush pens #129 Pink Madder Lake & #154 Light Cobalt Turquoise

I hope your week is off to an awesome start...and you get some happy stamping and crafting time!

xoxo Deidre

Watercolor for Freshly Made Sketches #226

Freshly Made Sketches has a new sketch up and I was so inspired by the floral element and decorative strip across the card that I had to jump in and play along. I was asked to make a birthday card for a friend's grandmother. Here's my take on the sketch and my final card:

I am so in love with these Essentials by Ellen dies and I thought they made the perfect birthday card! If you haven't used Peerless Watercolors...get you some! OMG! They blend beautifully and are so portable and easy to work with. 

To make this card:

1. Place the blossoms die cuts on the watercolor paper (no adhesive) and use plain water to trace the outside of them so you have an idea of where to drop in the color. Set those flowers aside.
2. Add multiple layers of watercolor paint, patiently letting them dry between layers....sike, using a heat tool to dry them :) This is really loose painting, dabbing the color from a larger round #10 brush into the wet areas.
3. Adhere the blossoms to their respective areas. Note: I didn't die cut any leaves, but by dropping in green between the blossoms, I was able to achieve the look of foliage...such a magician one can be with paint :)
4. Stamp and emboss the birthday sentiment on a strip of vellum and you're all set to mat it onto a card base. Oh yeah, it's me, so don't forget the splatters!

Look at the dimension you can create with just 2 layers of die cut watercolor paper!

 

As always, thank you so much for stopping by!

xoxo Deidre

Sunshine Wishes in Watercolor

I signed up for Watercolor for Cardmakers: Intermediate Techniques from Online Card Classes, logged in to every class and watched all the videos, read numerous comments and forum posts, and I'm still terrified. The only thing I've managed to do is swatch my 7 lonely tubes of Winsor & Newton watercolor paints and complete the glazing chart. I haven't even started on my stash of Distress Inks and Peerless Watercolors. 

That said, I love the Arches watercolor paper...pricey yes, but totally worth it! This card is inspired by the Freshly Made Sketches challenge this week and made for a friend's grandfather that is battling pancreatic cancer....cancer sucks, by the way.

This was a great way to participate in Kathy Racoosin's 30 Day Coloring Challenge too! Thanks for stopping by have a happy Saturday!

xoxo Deidre