Beauty of the Season

Did you know that this is a stamp that YOU can pre-order from the Holiday Catalog? It's true! If you absolutely can't wait until August 28th, and you just HAVE to get something from the new catty, Beauty of the Season just might hold you over until it's all available!

The Cardinal was stamped on Watercolor Paper with StazOn Jet Black. After moistening the paper with an Aqua Painter, a Lost Lagoon wash was applied. While the background was drying, the bird was painted using Real Red. Baked Brown Sugar was used on the branches, and Real Red again on the berries. I did find I lost some of the detail on the face when I stamped it, and the eye kind of disappeared. So I took a black Sharpie to the smallest size of Basic Pearls and added a beady little eye! I swear, it looks like it's looking at me!

I need to work on my watercoloring skills a bit. Unfortunately, I didn't wait long enough for the sky background to dry before I started painting the branches and berries, so the ink ran a bit. Although that can be a lovely effect for some projects, it wasn't really the effect I was going for here. Oh well, live and learn. (Patience is a virtue - something I'm still working on, lol.)

 STAMPS: Beauty of the Season, Good Greetings
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Brushed Gold, Real Red, Watercolor Paper
INK: StazOn Jet Black, Real Red, Lost Lagoon, Daffodil Delight
ACCESSORIES: Aqua Painter, Gold Basic Metal Buttons, Real Red 1/4" Cotton Ribbon

Gotta Brag (Just a Little)

When I got back from Convention, my grandkids were in town visiting their daddy (our son). So Grandma Cindy and Papa Tom had them over for our traditional "Build Your Own Pizza" night and a movie and sleep over.  They also each made a card, and they turned out awesome!

Taylor, age 13, has been into scrapbooking and cardmaking for a while, and it shows. She's a natural, with a great eye for layout and color. Her marker-to-stamp technique turned out well.  This was done without any guidance from Grandma!

Trent, age 11, chose to stamp his in black and color it with the markers.  I like the variety in the three brads he chose to embellish the side. He definitely wanted to use the Big Shot to add texture to the background, which I think is a clear indication that he is MY grandson!