Rainbow Folk Hummingbird

Hello everyone!  Well, I didn't get to do as much in my stamp room this week as I'd hoped.  Sometimes there are just too many other things that come up... you know how that goes.  The week is not over, but the rest of the days are full.  However, I did manage to color something and, gosh, it sure does look bright.

 

The stamp set is Pinkfresh Folk Hummingbird -- just something I came across and loved when I was scrolling through the Pinkfresh site.  I stamped the flowers directly, but the hummingbird was cut with the coordinating die and popped up.  The flowers were watercolored with Stampin' Up! inks and the bird was colored with Tombow markers and my homemade blender solution.

The frame is just two Tombow marker colors -- a lime green and sort of a tropical blue scribbled onto a large acrylic block, spritzed with water, and then the frame was smooshed into it repeatedly.

I made this card with a number of challenges in mind:

• Double D - Birds.  Can be birds, bird nests, birdhouses, bird cages.  Bird stamps and dies are one of my many weaknesses.
• Colorful Options - Pretty Pink.  I tried to use more pink, but it just didn't look right, so I'm hoping my hummingbird represents a rainbow of color, which is the other option.
• Four Seasons - May Spring Challenge.  I believe this looks like spring.
• NBUS Challenge #38.  First time to ink up this Folk Hummingbird set.  Thank you for the challenge, Darnell!

I'm not good at playing multiple challenges, so this is a lot for me.

I sure do appreciate your visit and comments.  I know blogger has been eating a lot of comments lately and that's a sad thing because we all want to know when our friends stop by.  Wishing you good health and happiness!

Stamps:  Pinkfresh Folk Hummingbird  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb hot press watercolor, other white for card base  Ink:  Palette Noir (image), Memento Tuxedo Black (sentiment)  Coloring:  SU inks for watercolored flowers, Tombow markers and homemade blender for bird  Other:  Die-namics Stitched Rectangle Frames, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Wildflower Bunch

Welcome to a new week here at Running With Scissors!  I hope all the lovely mothers out there received the special treatment you deserve on Mother's Day.  It was a very nice day at the Miller house and I was not neglected.  I even got extra smooches from Wally and LuLu.

I'm hoping to play in some challenges this week.  Today's card is for the Four Seasons May Challenge which is "Anything Goes Spring".  There's a mood board which you can see further down, and it inspired me to finally color this never-been-used Deep Red Wildflower Bunch.  I don't know if these can be considered spring flowers, but they sure are pretty!

I chose Copics on Neenah white for the coloring as I felt it would be easier with the detail.  There's a lot of sketchy shading in this stamp, which is one of the things that makes it so pretty once colored, but it can be hard to follow if the image is not crisply stamped.  Memento Tuxedo Black on Neenah super smooth white gives a nice, crisp image.

I'm not sure a close up photo is value added, but an extra dose of pretty can't hurt... so here you go:

I mixed up different dies which are all listed in the recipe.  The circle is popped up.  The white fence in the inspiration photo led me to the white die cuts.  I have a weakness for lattice so I used one of my old favorites.

Four Seasons May Challenge - Anything goes spring

NBUS Challenge #38 -- My Wildflower Bunch is a first time use.  I believe it's been in the basket less than a year, so not as long as many of my other poor, neglected NBUS.

Enjoy yourselves this week and I hope you find plenty of reasons to smile.  Sending hugs to all!

Stamps:  Deep Red Wildflower Bunch, Lawn Fawn Wavy Sayings  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 80 & 110 lb, years old CTMH Summer Cloud Blue  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black  Coloring:  Copics  Other:  Joy Crafts Square Frame, Memory Box Stitched Circle Layers, Lawn Cuts Fancy Wavy Banners, Scotch branch foam mounting tape

California Poppies

Friday greetings, friends!  Today's card will wrap up the Rubbernecker for this week.  Next week, if stamping happens (and I'm pretty sure it will) I'll do something different.  However, I still have another week of Rubbernecker to share later.  I know!  I let things pile up, but this idea of sorting my NBUS by company and staying focused on one company at a time has really helped make a difference in the overflow of those baskets.

Today I'm using Poppies, which was another clearance item.  I did not have any sweet little poppies like this so was happy to add them to my collection.  They're  colored very simply with Tombow markers and blender.  The sentiment is also Rubbernecker, but one I've had for many years.

I did outside the box die cutting, then popped up and tied the ribbon.  Feeling good about using that ribbon.  No big bulky bow to hinder mailing, so this works for me.  The card base is vanilla on vanilla, with the layer partially embossed.

I'll be sharing my poppies at Darnell's NBUS Challenge #38 again today.  Pretty sure I'll never run out of NBUS no matter how hard I try!

I'll also share again at Can You Handle The Pressure?  I did not use the optional "pastels" twist, but the embossing is a prominent part of the card.  I really appreciate how this challenge has nudged me toward my embossing folders more often.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Enjoy your weekend!

Stamps:  Rubbernecker Poppies, RN Just Because sentiment  Paper:  Arches 140 lb hot press watercolor, Cougar 100 lb vanilla, pale green Bazzill  Ink:  Palette Noir  Coloring:  Tombows and blender pen  Other:  Gingham ribbon, linen thread, Cuttlebug Birds and Swirls embossing folder, miscellaneous rectangle die, foam mounting tape

Fox with Hearts and Flowers

They say "to plant a tree is to believe in tomorrow", and I figure the same goes for making Valentines in May.  Purple Valentine hugs.

Continuing with the Rubbernecker cards, I'm using another of the fox critters I colored in April.  It was their first time out of the package and before I put the set away I colored the whole bunch with Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits.  The heart paper is 110 lb printed cardstock, a nice weight for a simple card, and I had just the right shade of purple for the die.

Inside is a friendship sentiment from the Fox set, with the addition of a Valentine sentiment from an older SU set.  I decorated with more of the heart paper.

No challenges today.  Just me stamping.  I gave the foxes a good run and I'm happy about that.  Flowers coming Friday.  I hope to see you then!

Stamps:  Rubbernecker Fox Set, SU Holiday Wishes (Valentine sentiment inside)  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White for coloring, Park Lane 110 lb printed cardstock, Memory Box Wisteria  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black  Coloring:  Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol odorless mineral spirits  Dies & other:  Poppy Scribble Daisy Heart Frame, Poppy Hugs Heart

Pastel Bird

Hi!  I'm back with another week of Rubbernecker.  I've seriously been having fun with these stamps.  Honestly, what gets into us that makes us wait so long to use our purchases?  You might be the rare person who gets right on them, but I know I'm not alone in my habits.  I'm trying to change my ways.

Today my Rubbernecker is in the sentiment and the dreamy background.  I've had the sentiment and leaves for a while, but the flower is relatively new and not used till now.  I don't do much with silhouette stamps, so I danced around this one for a while and then I found my way.

The background is the Versamark resist technique.  I stamped on glossy white cardstock with Versamark ink, let it set for a day while I was busy doing other things, then came back and blended the inks over top.  The pastel shades gave me a very soft and delicate background for the Memory Box Serene Bird and Branch, which is also being used for the first time.  Colors and other details are listed in the recipe below my signature.

Two challenges today:

Can You Handle the Pressure?  Card must use an embossing folder, and their optional twist this time is pastels.  I embossed the entire Blush Blossom card with a Wicker Weave folder, then swiped the front with a white pigment pad to make the color even more soft and sweet.

I'm also sharing at Darnell's NBUS challenge #38 because my Rubbernecker flower and the bird & branch die set are first time use.

I'll be back soon.  Happy crafting!

Stamps:  Rubbernecker Smiles and Thinks of You sentiment, Silhouette Flower #4, Rubbernecker Leaves (name?)  Paper:  Glossy white, textured semi-gloss white, SU Blush Blossom, Neenah 110 lb white for bird and branch  Ink:  Versamark, SU Certainly Celery, Apricot Appeal, Cameo Coral, white pigment ink (to lighten card base), Memento Tuxedo Black for sentiment  Dies:  Memory Box Serene Bird and Branch, Spellbinders Hemstitch Rectangles (image panel), Taylored Expressions Stitched Rectangle Stacklets  Other:  Cuttlebug Wicker Weave embossing folder, gold cord

Cozy Christmas Cottage

Hello all!  I know you're just dying to see another Christmas card, aren't you?  Okay, maybe not, but I saw the Double D Challenge asking for buildings and wanted to play, so did the wise thing and made another Christmas card for my box.  The days scoot by so quickly and the next thing you know I realized if I don't post it this week I'll be too late.  I have to say this one was pretty fun.

Ordinarily I try to follow the inspiration board more closely, but not so much this time.  My little house is a building.  That's about it.  The whimsical scene was created with several dies, none of which are new, but I'll list them further down.  I was concerned about the weight with the layers, but when all was said and done it came in under an ounce, even with the envelope and cover sheet -- yay!

Double D Challenge:  Buildings

I have to rush off now.  Honestly, things come up out of the blue and I never know what to expect.  We've got the sewer guy coming today (in fact I just heard him pull up), the ant man finally called to schedule, and Rich has the kitchen and dining room pulled apart to install new baseboards.  When it rains it pours!  Enjoy your day!

Dies:  Poppystamps Boddington Cottage, Stitched Landscapes, Stitched Majestic Mountains, Impression Obsession Christmas Icons (snowman) and Small Snowflake Set

White Stag

Hooray, I finally made some Christmas cards!  I set all other stamping aside so I could make a batch of relatively simple cards inspired by the Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge.  Their board is all gold and silver and we're not required to follow it, but I chose to do so.

There's lots of white and shine on these cards.  I textured the card base with an embossing folder, layered an old timey Spellbinders mat over that.  The wreath is a layer of silver and a layer of gold with the stag a glossy white over black to help him stand out.  A single gold gem for accent.  The wreath is rather plain, but when you're making multiples...

The inside is finished with a gold embossed sentiment and a silver deer.

I made six of these cards.  It's a start!

Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge... and their beautiful mood board:

I was afraid I might not get this posted in time for the challenge because it's so easy to get distracted when the sun shines.  We had three sunny days and I thoroughly enjoyed them!

Wishing you a good day.  Till soon...

 

Stamps:  Woodware Framed Trees sentiment front, Power Poppy Heavenly Peace Dove sentiment inside  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 80 lb, silver and gold mirror cardstock, glossy white, black  Ink:  Versamark  Dies:  Cottage Cutz Majestic Deer, Sizzix Funky Wreaths, Spellbinders Fancy Framed Tags One, Spellbinders Labels Twenty Eight, Dee's Distinctively Deer 2 (inside)  Other:  Sizzix Lumber 3D embossing folder, gold gems, Ranger Princess Gold embossing powder

Coffee

Hi!  I've got one more Rubbernecker card this week.  I know... enough already... but I did enjoy myself.  I even have more RN cards for later, but at the moment I'm working on something else.  Not sure how well that's going...

So... today it's a coffee card.  The sentiment is new to me, but probably not new to Rubbernecker.  The coffee cup stamp is also Rubbernecker, but an oldie and I don't even know the name of it.  I don't know why I thought I needed the coffee sentiment seeing as how I have practically zero coffee stamps, but I like this one.  It sounds like an Irish blessing.

The stamps are embossed with copper EP.  The caramel background was dry embossed and then swiped over with a white pigment ink pad.  It reminds me of the swirls in a fancy latte by a skilled barista.  A border of ancient designer paper, a hand cut glitter mat, and some Nuvo pearl drops finish it off.

That's all for this week.  Oh, wait... one last thing:

Still as precious as ever.  Love to all.

Stamps:  Rubbernecker May Your Coffee sentiment and Rubbernecker coffee cups (name unknown)  Paper:  Neenah 110 lb, SU Creamy Caramel & Purely Pomegranate, copper glitter cardstock, old SU designer paper, vanilla card base not visible  Ink:  Versamark, white pigment  Coloring:  Copics  Other:  Copper embossing powder, Nuvo Crystal Drops - Rhubarb Crumble, Cuttlebug Musical Flourish embossing folder

Brushed Flowers

Hi there!  I have more Rubbernecker today, but a complete about face in style from Monday's card.  I've long been a fan of the RN Brushed Flowers but I think they're all being discontinued.  I think.  Honestly, I have a hard time with the Rubbernecker site as the categories and the search field don't always seem to jive.  Maybe it's just me.

Anyway, I found these Brushed Flowers in the clearance category back in January.  They're easy to color and work nicely for clean and simple cards.  I masked and sponged a corner of each image panel, then stamped the flower image lightly for a background effect.  Coloring was done with Copics.

Cool colors on the first card.  The hello die is also Copic colored.  I added little dots of white acrylic paint to the flower centers.

Warm colors for this one.  Actually, both flowers are colored almost exactly as shown on the stamp packages.  It makes for easy color choices.

The inside of each card is finished in a similar fashion with this sentiment, which is also a never-been-used Rubbernecker stamp.

There's more info regarding colors, etc. in the recipe below.

Once again I'm taking my Rubbernecker cards over to the NBUS Challenge #37 where Darnell has provided us with a good reminder to keep plugging away at all our never been used schtuff.  Thanks, Darnell!

I will try to get back here by Friday.  I always have the best intentions, but once I get on with my day it's hard to get back to the computer.  I'm sure you know how it is.  Take care of yourselves and have a beautiful day!

Stamps:  Rubbnecker Brushed Flower #1 and Brushed Flower #4  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White, SU Almost Amethyst and More Mustard  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Almost Amethyst, So Saffron, More Mustard  Coloring:  Copics  Other:  SU Subtle 3D embossing folder, Paper Smooches Hello Words

Fox Friends

Monday greetings, friends!

How about something fun today?  I'm always organizing and reorganizing my stamps... the truth is, I simply enjoy being in my room whether I'm creating or organizing or just looking out the window.  In this case I was looking through my NBUS baskets and I took a notion to bag them up by company.  That led to card making and and some real quality time with my Rubbernecker stamps.

These critters are from a set called Fox.  I can't help but smile at them.  They're colored with Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol odorless mineral spirits.  There are matching dies which I did not buy because I could see how easy they are to cut out.  The frame is put together with parts from my card parts drawer.  I hand drew the dotted butterfly flight trail and added the blue dots to the background with an oldie SU stamp.  Everything is listed below.

I'm sharing at Darnell's NBUS Challenge #37 (never before used schtuff).

More Rubbernecker coming this week.  I have lots in that bag and I just kept pulling from it.  We had a good time together.  Wishing you a beautiful day!

Stamps:  Rubbernecker Fox Set, SU Itty Bitty Backgrounds  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White, Echo Park Happy Summer designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Brocade Blue  Coloring:  Prismacolor pencils with Gamsol odorless mineral spirits  Dies & other:  Impression Obsession All-In-One Frames-Square

Easter Bunny

Hi again!  Sharing one of very few Easter cards I made this year.  When I realized how I was struggling with them I decided to call it good enough.  This stamp is not an Easter image but, hey, it's a bunny and it's a pretty thing with all the flowers.  Add an Easter sentiment and it works, I think.

I watercolored with Twinkling H2O's, added sequins and a scalloped edge.  There are dots of white acrylic paint in the flowers.  A simple enough card, but the coloring took forever with the Twinks on such a detailed image.

I'll be playing along in Double D's Easter Challenge today.
Also, the bunny stamp is fresh out of the package so I'll join the rest of the NBUSers in Darnell's NBUS Challenge #37.

Thanks bunches for stopping by today.  I'll see you again soon!

Stamps:  Creative Expressions Running Free  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb hot press watercolor, 49 and Market Sage designer paper  Ink:  Palette Noir  Coloring:  Watercolor with Twinkling H2Ox  Other:  Sequins, SU Subtle embossing folder, Impression Obsession Easter Joy die, Spellbinders A2 Curved Borders One, Sue Wilson Pierced Flags

Wisteria

Hi there!  I made a card "just because".  Isn't that the best reason?  I saw a picture of wisteria recently and it reminded me of this Beeswax Small Wisteria stamp I've had in my collection since 2014.  Not the first time I've used it, but it's been a while.  I was surprised to see there is still a Beeswax site with this stamp available.

The wisteria is stamped in Memento London Fog and colored with Copics.  I wanted a no-line look but it wasn't easy to see the detail.  Very frustrating and I almost scrapped it.  In the end I'm glad I persevered.

  

Before commencing with the coloring I loosely masked the wisteria and stamped the brick wall (another old stamp).  I hate to tell you how poorly that turned out.  No matter how many times I stamped I couldn't get the bricks anywhere near the wisteria.  Finally, I removed the mask and stamped the brick wall one more time right over top of the wisteria.  Thank goodness for the MISTI. 

The frame is popped up.  The Bird Scroll corner was gilded by pressing in my Versamark pad and then embossing with Ranger Queen's Gold.  The sentiment was gold embossed as well.  The photo below shows more of the golden shine.

Spring is coming along beautifully here, but you know how fickle she can be -- warm and sunny one day, cold and wet the next.  However, I'm looking out my windows and seeing blooms and fresh greens no matter the weather, and that is a happy sight!  Wishing you a happy spring, too!

Stamps:  Beeswax Small Wisteria, Son Light Impressions (Cornish Heritage Farms) Brick Wall Backgrounder, Hero Arts Flowers are Poetry  Paper:  Neenah 80 & 110 lb white, SU Perfect Plum textured  Ink:  Memento London Fog & Toffee Crunch, Versamark  Coloring:  Copics  Dies:  Spellbinders Hemstitch Rectangles, Bird Scrolls, misc rectangle for sentiment  Other:  Ranger Queen's Gold embossing powder, foam mounting tape