It's time for a Christmas Card, No Fooling.

 It's time for a new Splitcoaststampers Fan Club Christmas Challenge, no fooling!

I can't share how this fits the challenge but I can tell you what I used and that this Large Layered Bow is my favorite!  I love that it doesn't require folding down the center to attach all of the layers like on some die-cut bows.  With the Layered Bow die-cut set, you simply stack the layers and glue them together.  The bow also comes in a small size.  The background was super easy.  I ink blended the background then heat embossed the Holiday Words background stamp.    

Thanks so much for stopping by!  

You're an Inspiration - Support for Ukraine Hop

Hello and welcome to the Stamping Village Blog Hop to help support Ukraine! 

As creative people, it's only natural for us to celebrate others with our art.  We are just as eager to comfort when there is sadness, loss, and need. Today's HOP is brought to you by the Stamping Village companies, additional companies, and artists in support of the Ukrainian people. The war has touched us in many ways and feels even more personal as our creative friend Yana lives in Western Ukraine. Make sure to Hop all the company and artist links below for special details as many of them are making donations. 

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This card is extra special because the alcohol ink layer was created at one of Lydia's last Retreats before the pandemic began. The die set used is Butterfly & Scallop Frame Die from Impression Obsession.  To hold the Inspiration sentiment strip in place I used the Sticky Mat inside the MISTI. 

I used two MISTIs for this project.  First, I did a little paper piecing.  I stamped the Have a Big Heart from Impression Obsession with the  Original MISTI onto cardstock and then a second time directly onto patterned paper.  After paper piecing the heart, I stamped Stay Strong using MINI MISTI.  The other tool I utilized while creating this card was the MIS-T-Ruler.

Next on the hop is Dare 2B Artzy!  I have the entire hop linked below so come back anytime you lose your place!

Lydia Fiedler / Splitcoaststampers

My Sweet Petunia 

Ceal

Judy

Angie (you are here)

Dare 2B Artzy
Tasnim Ahmed
LDRS Creative
Pink and Main
Lawn Fawn
Hero Arts
Pink Fresh Studio
Concord & Ninth
Avery Elle

Jennifer McGuire
Erin Lee Creative
Ink Blot Shop
Simon Says Stamp
Gina K. Designs

Studio Katia

Thank you so much for hopping along with us!

Trees and a Flower for Watercolor Wednesday

Hello! 

It's Wednesday so I am playing with Watercolor!

This week I am sharing last week's work and a card for the Art Nudge as well as this week's Watercolor Wednesday.  There was just too much happening last week to get in my post! 

First, this week's Watercolor Wednesday Challenge was chosen by Brenda.  This is SO much fun and I can't believe how easy it is.  I was worried when I saw the photo of the challenge but it's so easy. I also added a bit of dappled sky from Brenda's Watercolor Wednesday #13 Challenge.

The sentiment is Quiet Places.  

I found last week's Watercolor Wednesday a bit tricky.  It was all about perspective.  

This week's Art Nudge #92 is a beautiful field of flowers.  I have selected to highlight just one flower by stamping the Cactus Flower over a watercolor wash.  Next, I highlighted petals.  I added the Sweet Thoughts sentiment.  I created a border for the card with the fabulous Tiny Dots background stamp and added a Trim die-cut and some sequins.  

I hope you enjoyed my adventures with Watercolor!

Thank you so much for stopping by!  

 

This and That for Old is New!

Hello and welcome to this month's Impression Obsession Old is New!  

Impression Obsession released so many fabulous images and sentiments in recent months that I only went back a few months for today's "old".  

First up is this gorgeous flowered mug.  I had fun choosing a bright color combo and set to work with a little bit of masking on the "table".  

Here is what I used:

Tiny Squares background stamp

Sweetheart Rose cup

Mother's Day Sayings

Next, I took a piece of patterned paper that looks like distress ink and stamped the beautiful Stitched Doily onto the paper.  Stamping on patterned paper is a great shortcut on a busy day!  Next, I added the sentiment When Words Fall Short and the Pet Sympathy Image.  Words always fall short at a time of loss.   

Next is a fun sentiment for all of us Pinterest followers!  

I inked the Rainbow Scales bg stamp and spritzed it with water before stamping it on cardstock.  The sentiment is Pinterest Projects and the cute houses are Row Houses.   

Lastly for today.  How about a fun New Home card?

I stamped the wonderful Marble Texture stamp in pink!  Pink marble, oh my!  I stamped the New Home on top of the marble and the Key inside the oval cut-out.  

Welcome to your new home!

Make sure to stop by the Impression Obsession Blog to take a look at the DT Old is New inspiration projects!  

I hope you enjoyed the projects today!  Thanks for stopping by.

So Sweet

Hello!  This week our Featured Stamper at SCS is Cindy!  I always enjoy coming across her cards.  I had to play along when I saw her adorable valentine in the gallery.  If you want to check out her cute inspiration head HERE to my SCS Gallery and follow the link.

This was fun to color and because of its large size I really didn't need to do anything extra to it.  I used Chocolate Heart Box and a sentiment from the Chocolate Lovers set.  

You're so sweet for stopping by and I thank you! 

 

Global

Hi!  This weekend we are connecting with one another for Virtual Stamp Night at Splitcoaststampers.  

With current events as they are, I am thinking globally. I don't have access to network news but still, recent images of our earth and its people are tugging at my heart.  

Here is what I used:

Earth Boy

Earth Girl

Big Sun

Cloud Border

Earth Day (sentiment)

Wishing you a wonderful day on earth!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

 

A Little Birdie...

Hello!  It's time for a new Free 4 All Challenge at SCS.  This week we are free as a bird and we would love it if you joined us!  

I have become a huge fan of Cover-A-Card stamps.  I love that I can stamp them in any color I wish and never run out as happens with a stack of patterned paper.

Here is what I used today:

Bird See

Hanging Birdhouse

A Little Birdie

Tiny Vines

Mother's Day Flowers (leaves)

I would love to know if you have a backyard feeder for birds and what comes to visit.

We have a feeder in the back and we attract House Finches, Cardinals, the Titmouse, Chickadees, occasionally an Oriole, and Yellow Finches, as well as the four-footed breed, also known as squirrels!  :) 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

Succulents, fireworks, & a Slimline for March Team Favorites Hop & Giveaway

Welcome to the Impression Obsession March Team Favorites Hop! Today the Impression Obsession Designers are sharing favorite projects from this month’s release with a hop!  A hop means prizes so check below for all the details!

I surprised myself by how much I enjoyed coloring succulents this past month! The background was stamped with the Sweet Succulents Background Stamp. It pretty much makes a card all by itself!  All I added was a Happy Cactus sentiment on a Pinked Stitched Sentiment Banner.  

Sweet Succulents

Happy Cactus

Pinked Stitched Sentiment Banner

Another background stamp topped my favorites list this month; it's Night Fireworks. I just love how the background can be inked with various inks and the fireworks stay nice and sharp!  I added words from the Hero Words Die Set and a heart from the Layered Heart Die Set. 

Night Fireworks

Hero Words Die

Layered Heart Die Set

This is a fabulous image that makes life super simple when you want to make a card on the go!

Wildflower Hoop

Scalloped Stitched Circles

There are so many more that are my favorites this month but I figured I better bring it to a close so I chose this fun Slimline.  The background is the Slimline Brush and then I stamped the Slimline Jump over the top.  The sentiment is the Life is Good Die set. I can imagine using the brush stroke for so many different backgrounds and the jumpers would be great for reunions, graduations, birthdays, and more!  

Slimline Brush

Life is Good

Slimline Jump

We will be giving away THREE Impression Obsession Grab Bags - so the more you comment through our Favorites Hop the more chances to win! Comments will be open until Tuesday, March 29th at 8pm CT. All winners will be announced on Wednesday, March 30th  on the Impression Obsession Blog.

IO Stamps Blog
Laura Williams
Susan Wymer
Angela Bode
Anna Wight
Dina Kowal
Giovana Smith
Jeanne Streiff

Laura Fulcher

Little Sweeties & Giveaway

 Hello!  

Today over on Instagram, My Sweet Petunia and Ink Blot Shop are collaborating for a fun hop with a Giveaway!  

I had a blast using the adorable Little Sweeties, Get Grounded, and the new Alignment Guides by Ink Blot Shop along with my trusty MISTI!

For this mini slimline I used the straight ground stamp from Get Grounded and I manipulated it into curves to form a landscape.  I simply placed the stamp on the MISTI lid and then formed the clear stamp into the hilly shapes.  I love using clear stamps and a MISTI in this way. The adorable girl is one of seven in the Little Sweeties set.

I used a little masking magic and the MISTI to create this fun scene with both the Get Grounded and Little Sweeties set.  I am also falling in love with the Alignment Guides.  After creating my scene I placed the grid over my card and easily aligned the sentiment.  The grids are not made from a thin clear acetate so they stay in place!  They also wipe off easily and don't crumple or crease!

Lastly, I made a cute tag.  Once again I loved using the alignment guide!  

Thanks for stopping by and make sure to check out the hop on Instagram!  

IO Theme Day - Think Green

Hello!  Welcome to Theme Day at Impression Obsession.  This month we are celebrating green!

For the background of this card, I used the Stipple Background stamp.  I think this stamp creates such a fun background and can be used for more than just sewing cards.  I like it for maps or hiking trails!

Stipple 

Please Come Back

Stitched Tag #6

Pin Cushion

Trims

It looks like I have a bit of a sad theme happening for Green Day.  

Sad Pup

Life is Boring

Double Diagonal BG

Banner

Thanks for stopping by today!  Don't forget to head over to the Impression Obsession Blog to see all the green projects the team created!

Fathers

Hello!  Today over at the SCS F4ALL Challenge we are celebrating moms and dads.  Neither of the sentiments in this post fit my family but I know they will strike a chord with many families.  

Interestingly, I created this first card before the Ukrainian crisis, I just liked the color combo.  I will try and put away the heaviness of my heart for just a moment as I mention how cute the Necktie & Tie clips are!  It comes with several "tie clips" including this fun fish!  I also enjoyed using the Dress background stamp for the pattern on the tie and the background layers. 

Featured Items:

Best Father (sentiment)

Dress Pattern 1

Necktie & Tie Clips

Nails & Screw Heads

I adore the new tools Die set!  Just right for all the handymen and handywomen in our lives!  

Featured Items:

Inherited (sentiment)

Wooden Toolbox

Hand Tools

The Impression Obsession March Release Hop & Giveaway is open for comments until the 15th!  If you would like to head over there for a chance to win here are the links: Day 1

         Day 2

If you would like to just head over to see all the new items in the store click HERE.

Blue for a Beautiful Friend

 Hello! I am over on the MISTI Blog today featuring this Super Sweet Succulent.  I ordered this image, especially for a watercolor project, and thought this would be a great time to use it.  I did a Google search for succulents and found that there are blue ones!  How fun is that?  I placed watercolor paper in the MISTI and stamped the succulent image with Fade Out ink. I used the Sticky Mat to hold the watercolor paper in place while stamping several times for a clear impression.  Then, I used the wet-on-wet technique for the pure fun of watching water and paint do their thing.  I added a bit of splatter, a few pearls, and a sentiment.  

The last thing I do on my cards is to add a watermark or signature to the back.  I am thrilled to have a dedicated Mini MISTI for my watermark stamp! I leave the stamp in the Mini MISTI which is a huge time saver. I won't talk about how many times I stamped it crookedly when it was wood mounted!   

For more info on the March Release, you can visit Day 1 HERE and Day 2 HERE.  

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Today's Featured Products

    

        

                   

Perhaps Not

 Hello! This week we are painting feathers for Watercolor Wednesday at SCS. Or are we? After putting this on my blog and looking at it, perhaps I painted a stalk of wheat instead? Regardless of what I painted, I do like the color combo, the flow of blue, and the splatters.  After the painting dried, I adhered it to the card base. Then I placed the entire card into my Mini MISTI to stamp the sentiment. The sentiment is from a sweet new clear set called, Happy Cactus.   

Everyone is welcome to join us for Watercolor Wednesday at Splitcoaststampers, and we would love to see you there! 

Alignment TIP: Adhere the layer to be stamped with a sentiment to the card base. Then place the entire card in the Mini MISTI and align sentiment. This helps ensure straight sentiments in the event there is a slight misalignment when gluing card base and layer.

Over at Impression Obsession, we are in the middle of the March Release Hop & Giveaway so if you would like to head over there for a chance to win here are the links: Day 1

         Day 2

If you would like to just head over to the store to see all the new items in the store click HERE.

Today's Featured Items:

         

Blooming with Day 2 of the Impression Obsession March Release

2nd Day

 Welcome to the Impression Obsession March 2022 Release Celebration!

This month's Impression Obsession Release is blooming with all things summer! BBQ items, Father's Day sentiments & tools, blooms of all types, and much more are in the store with no waiting!  

I selected several blooms to share with you today.

First, Happy Everything!  If you love this little succulent, I encourage you to head to the store.  There are five new succulents in little pots along with several other succulent stamps!

Succulent Elegance Flower

Happy Cactus 

Tag with Lace

Next, I had fun with the Happy Cactus set. This is a fun and versatile set that provides plenty of images to create numerous one-of-a-kind projects.  To finish off the card I added the new Banner.

Lastly, I combined the Spread Kindness stamp with the Banner Die.  The Banner Die is a set of 9 dies; a full banner and 8 single flag dies for layering multicolored flags easily.

Also new this month, IO Ink Cubes!

Each day, March 7th & 8th you can find a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog (link to blog). We will be giving away THREE Impression Obsession $25 gift certificates for the event - so the more you comment through our Release Celebration the more chances to win!

All comments for each of the event days will be open until Tuesday, March 15th at 8pm CT All winners will be announced on Wednesday, March 15h on the Impression Obsession Blog.

IO Stamps Blog

Laura Williams

Susan Wymer

Angela Bode

Anna Wight

Dina Kowal

Giovana Smith

Jeanne Streiff

Laura Fulcher

Thanks so much for stopping by!  

Summer Fun - IO March Release Celebration & Giveaway

 Welcome to the Impression Obsession March 2022 Release Celebration!

This month the Impression Obsession Release is sizzling with spring and summer goodness!

First, a fun ketchup pun card.  The Ketchup & Mustard die set comes with two bottle dies and two lid rings.  The sentiment is from BBQ Time and the ketchup splat is Paint Splotch 1.  

Next, is a mini slimline featuring the new Grill Utensils die set.  I dabbed a hint of smoke on the background by stamping ink on acetate spritzed with water.  Then I tapped the watery ink onto the cardstock.  I love the technique as it allows more control over where the watery ink lands.  The hotdog is from the Campfire & Frank die set.  The sentiment is from BBQ Time.  Lastly, I made a little border strip from the Tiny Dots background.

Lastly, we need a BBQ Grill for that hot dog, right?  I made my grill into a Green Egg grill. :)  I can't eat items from a BBQ grill so we are not Green Egg people but it was fun to create this card. 

Big Sun

BBQ Time

Grill

Grass Border

Each day, March 7th & 8th you can find a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog. We will be giving away THREE Impression Obsession $25 gift certificates for the event - so the more you comment through our Release Celebration the more chances to win!

All comments for each of the event days will be open until Tuesday, March 15th at 8pm CT All winners will be announced on Wednesday, March 15h on the Impression Obsession Blog.

The new stamps are available now! You can find them all HERE 

IO Stamps Blog

Laura Williams

Susan Wymer

Angela Bode

Anna Wight

Dina Kowal

Giovana Smith

Jeanne Streiff

Laura Fulcher

Thanks for stopping by and make sure to come back tomorrow for day two!