Virginia's View Challenge #2--STENCILS

Virginia has done it again--chose a fun, trendy theme for her second challenge--STENCILS!

I'm entering these just under the wire. The first is a simple stenciled sunburst

from My Favorite Things, paired with the fun sentiment from Mama Elephant for

Studio Calico. And although you can't see it in the photo, I added a bit of glimmer
on the rays with a Wink of Stella pen.

My second card uses the stencil stamping with water technique.

I shared a pictorial on how to stamp a stencil with water here, and the awesome

Laura Bassen shared a video here. After the piece was dry, I gold embossed

the Winnie and Walter sentiment, and added a few gold stars.

You have a few more days to enter Virginia's challenge.

Go here to see the awesome gallery and link up your card(s).

InLinkz.com

Virginia's View

There's a new challenge blog in town and it's a fun one by my dear friend

who needs no introduction: Virginia Lu! Here is her first challenge and it's an inky one.

Her link up gallery has filled up so quickly! I think everyone is jumping on the 

watercolor bandwagon so I did, too.

A while back, Joni Andaya shared how she watercolored some flowers

and I was mesmerized! I grabbed my trusty Crayola watercolor set and tried it.

Okay, so it's not ex-ACTLY the same as Joni's but boy, was it fun!

I meant to stop at a certain point but since the paper was wet, I just kept painting.

I trimmed off a piece--I think I could make two cards!--and attached it to a piece of
green cardstock and added the Winnie and Walter sentiment after it was completely dry.

I've seen some other watercoloring techniques that I've wanted to try

and Virginia's challenge is a good time to do that!

If you're feeling inky, join Virginia's challenge. Link up your card here
and peruse the gallery, too.  So much colorful inspiration!

(ETA: I'm linking this card to Winnie and Walter's Join in to Win
since I used their awesome sentiment...again!) 

And you have until midnight, tonight to leave a comment here
for a spot in Clean and Simple 3 that starts on Monday, March 10.
I will choose a random winner and get you registered for class.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Yes, Virginia....I'm Inspired!

My blogging friend Virginia Lu has a challenge on her blog, based on the cool photos of her son and his friends with their colorful cello cases. (David has the blue cello case, second from the right.) The challenge is to create a card using the photos as inspiration.

Here's my take on the photo. I used Papertrey Ink's ricrac border die and die cut several colors of cardstock. At first I was going to go with a blue/green theme, but decided at the last moment to add the buttons for a punch of color. The sentiment is from Paper Smooches.

Entering this challenge made me realize how lucky we are to have color in our world and our everyday lives, and maybe we take colors for granted, sometimes.

If you're inspired by the photos, say "yes" to Virginia and join her challenge! You have until June 13th to enter and the prize up for grabs is a copy of Card Creations Vol. 10 and some extra goodies, too.

I hope you have a colorful week! Thanks so much for stopping by.

SUPPLIES:

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Happy Birthday, Virginia!

My blogging friend Virginia Lu will be celebrating her (ahem!) "21st" birthday next month, and I'd like to share a card that I created for her, along with a little background on our friendship.

I first met Virginia several years ago in the Hero Arts Flickr group. What amazed me back then was that she kept using a single stamp (Hero Arts' Background Scallop Circle) in so many different ways. She formed umbrellas, apologizes for not having any heart stamps and then whips up a batch of hearts! Amazing!

Over the years, she has blossomed into an awesome, creative cardmaker and has been scooped up by numerous design teams and her work is always being noticed and recognized. And she just had her first card published and I'm sure there will be many, many more!

She continues to amaze me daily with her creativity, wit, and charm. If you aren't already a follower of her blog, then head over there and meet her! She's a super wife and mom, a worldwide traveler and a gourmet cook to boot. 

For Virginia's card, I white embossed Hero Arts' Circle Lace and added some felt roses and leaves. The sentiment was embossed and attached with dimensional adhesive.

If you'd like to celebrate Virginia's birthday, become a follower of her blog and create a card to mark this special occasion. Wish her a Happy Birthday and link your creation here and Virginia will offer some generous prizes to random entrants.

Happy 50th Birthday, dear Virginia! I know you'll continue to amaze and inspire us with your creativity and your talent. I wish that I could send you 50 real roses, but this card will have to suffice for now. Here's wishing you a fabulous day, today and EVERY day!♥

Stamps: Hero Arts

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink

Ink: Versamark, Ranger distress ink

Dies: My Favorite Things mini roses Die-namics

Other: Detail white embossing powder, felt, pearls, corner chomper, dimensional adhesive