Happy Birthday, Buddy! #WorldWatercolorMonth

Yesterday was my son’s birthday so of course I wanted to make a special card for him.  He enjoys our city’s sports teams, even when they aren’t having a greatest season.  I did a quick sketch and decided to watercolor it, but because I had no reference photo I maybe got just a little lost along the way.  However, I’m sure he will love it almost as much as he loves baseball, football, hockey, basketball, and now soccer.  Happy birthday, Buddy!

 

World Watercolor Month has only a week left. Time flies when we’re having fun!  Remember, we are raising awareness for the Dreaming Zebra Foundation and the Art Room Aid project sponsored by Dick Blick with hopes of bringing art supplies and teaching to children who otherwise would not have exposure to the enriching world of art. Please consider a donation today!

World Watercolor Month 2016

 

 

 

For a Loyal Baseball Fan

This is a quick post to wish my son a very happy birthday. Because he and his wife are avid fans of the Reds baseball team, this card is just perfect for him. With Cincinnati hosting the All-Star game, they thoroughly enjoyed all the special events, getting autographs, and watching baseball.  I hope it doesn’t look too juvenile, but oh well, he will always be my kid  no matter how old he is. I just don’t understand how my kids continue to get older, but I do not 😉

Baseball Birthday Card

Happy Birthday, Buddy!  I hope you have a great day celebrating!

Ford Country

I actually made these cards a few years ago but just came across the pictures while transferring my old computer to a new one. The designs are kind of “sneezy,” and even though I hopefully have better design skills now, they are still fun cards.  The strips on the left side of the cards are actually a shiny mirrored paper, but they picked up reflections from my clothing, etc. and look a little wonky, so you will have to use your imagination that they are super shiny chrome!

United We ‘Stang

Mustang Country

Ford – A True Classic

F-150

F-150 Ford Trucks

These cards are a little different than what I usually make, but I spotted these awesome Ford stickers at Stamping Buddies, an independently owned stamp store in town. The owner, Pam, is really good at stocking things other than the usual findings at the big box stores, so each visit to Stamping Buddies makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop! Of course I also had to buy these Ford stickers because my dad started working at Ford in his teens and worked there until he retired! We are definitely a Ford family – I learned to drive back in the 1970s in a Cougar, then moved to a huge Galaxy 500. I figure if you can drive a Galaxy 500, you can drive anything! But I digress. Do you remember what kind of car you first learned to drive?

Stampaway USA – 2014

One of my favorite crafty weekends of the year – Stampaway USA. Folks from all around the world – yes, around the WORLD – attend classes all week long and then shop at the big show on Saturday. It started for Judy and me with three card classes on Friday in Sharonville. The first class taught Stampscapes for Men. These cards are made with a variety of landscape rubber stamps and a variety of inks and inking techniques. Wow, are these ever strikingly beautiful.

Stampscapes Card #1 – Class taught by Janet Winkle – Stampaway USA 2014

Stampscapes Card #2 – Stampaway USA 2014

Stampscapes Card #3 – Stampaway USA 2013

Next we took a class by Inky Antics and learned different various weaving and folding techniques, like these giraffe and mouse mitten cards. Fun!

Inky Antics Woven Card – Stampaway USA 2014

Iris Folded Christmas Card – Stampaway USA 2014

In the third class we made cards with lots of creative folding and some with working mechanisms. I still have to finish up a few of them because we ran out of time; hopefully I will get to do that this week sometime.

The Stamp Doctor’s Booth – Stampaway USA 2014

Stamps by Judith & Heather’s Booth – Stampaway USA 2014

Saturday was the big vendor exhibit and sale at the Sharonville Convention Center. Judy was happy with some new stamps and her favorite Wink of Stella glitter pens in various colors. I know she will enjoy adding some glittery accents to her pretty cards. I bought some stamps and papers and can’t wait to get to play with all of them. One set is called the Art Impressions Watercolor stamp set and features a Tuscan village on a hillside. I have played with it just a little and hope to get the technique perfected in a week or two. Here is a first attempt. Thanks for stopping by!

Art Impressions Tuscan Village stamp set – 1st attempt

Cards for Dads, cont.

Here is my second installment of Father’s Day cards I made for OWH.

Dad Card – Service Station Attendant

I actually remember when service station attendants actually existed and it brings back such a nostalgic feeling. I can almost smell the gasoline and motor oil. The tire track stamp and diamond plate embossing folder went along perfectly with the theme. The stamps are by Tim Holtz and the embossing folder is from Sizzix.

Father’s Day Card – Car Theme

To continue the car theme (kind of near and dear to my heart since my own dad worked at Ford for many, many years), I used a car stamp – which I am SURE must be a Ford – with lots of gears and bolt stamps. I mimicked the gear shape in the two circular pieces and got a little more “mileage” out of the tire track stamp (pun intended). The car stamp is from a set called Dude, which was designed by OWH’s founder Sandy Allnock and is produced by Hero Arts.  Gear shape pieces are from Cricut’s Elegant Edges cartridge.

Dad Card – Fore My Dad

This golf card will hit a hole in one for many dads out there. I don’t remember who made the golfer stamp but the saying is from Unity Stamps.

This card uses Stampin Up’s Lovely as a Tree stamped in light gray, and I thought the masculine color combination set it off nicely.

Anyhero Card – Off the Charts by Stampin Up

Included in each box sent to OWH we include “anyhero” cards. These cards have thank you notes written inside and are dispersed to the military folks who sacrifice and work so hard to keep us safe and free. A big thank you to Judy for writing out half of the anyhero cards and saving my poor hand from aching. The stamp is from a retired Stampin Up set called Off the Chart, so I thought the eyeglasses at the top of the chart set it off just right. The glasses were made with my Cricut cartridge called Nifty Fifties.

Box of Father’s Day Cards for OWH

Lastly, here is what a box of 278 cards and envelopes looks like just before it is taped up and taken to the post office.

Now I am off to start a brand new batch. Thanks for looking and putting up with all my puns!

Happy Father’s Day (a few months early)

It may seem odd that I am posting Father’s Day cards so soon, but the OWH deadline for them is the end of April. I had a personal goal to make an entire box of Father’s Day/Dad cards this year and can honestly say that I enjoyed focusing on less-frilly, manly cards. I tried to cover an array of themes so a serviceperson could pick out just the right one to suit his or her father.

 

Father’s Day Card – Tools

 

The tool stamps are from Technique Tuesday and the Embossing Folder is from Tim Holtz.  I used the three brads at the bottom of the image to look like nail heads.  The word stamps are from Hero Arts.

 

Father’s Day Card – Baseball

The baseball-themed card was appropriately created on Opening Day.  The stamps are from a retired set from Stampin Up called Good Sport. Again, the word stamps are by Hero Arts.

Father’s Day Card – Bowtie in Blue and Green

This card and the next are simply matched papers with the bowties cut from rounded triangles and another little image from my Cricut George cartridge.  I am not sure of the manufacturer of the stamp because I bought it at a used stamp sale many years ago.  I sure have gotten a lot of use out of it over the years.

Father’s Day Card – Bowtie in Orange

 

Father’s Day Card – Bold Colors

The theme of this card, if you can call it a theme, is strong and bold.  All of these papers came in one set and were meant to coordinate and contrast with each other.

 

Father’s Day Card – By the Tide from Stampin Up

 

I like the monochromatic feel of this card.  Even though few colors are used, there is interest in the zigzag embossed paper and vivid blue focal point.  I’m not crazy about the lobster stamp but it surely fits in with the theme.

 

These cards filled up a little over one-half of the box.  I’ll share the others with you later this week.  Happy Monday!

Giddyup!

OWH recently requested some western themed cards so today I am sharing more horse cards made with my Inkadinkado stamps.

Howdy horse card

Horse card with horseshoe and leather, denim, and bandana paper

Horse card with Cricut cowboy hat, twine

Barn window card

To enhance the western theme, I used a variety of patterned papers to imitate textures like wood, leather, denim, and bandanas.  Some of the papers are so realistic that they look close to the real thing.