Always Hope ... and a Challenge!

Hope springs eternal!  Right?  Today ... I'm not so sure I'm feeling it though.  Big, blowy winds have shown up from the West and have smacked me right in the nose - the allergy nose.  Lots of people here in Texas know this plague, so I know I'm not alone in this.  But yes, I am alone here in the stampy zone as required by current pandemic rulings.  😉

Instead of 2-step stamping, my card has 2-step stenciling!  I love using Ranger's Wendy Vecchi 7" Make Art Stay-tion as my work surface for stenciling.  Just right in size for table space, and wipes clean with anything damp!  Then I used small Ranger Detailed Blending Tools to color in Distress Oxide Peeled Paint + Wilted Violet.  

  Such an easy card!  1.) Stencil background.  2.) Stamp sentiment & die cut.  3.)  Die cut or trim out strips.  4.)  Layer & affix all as shown!

I created this for the 2nd week of Technique Junkies' WWDB challenges.  The theme is 'get well', but TJ's "Always Hope" is the closest sentiment I have that will work.  I love the way the 'Seedlings' stencil  (A Colorful Life Designs) pairs with the sentiment & theme!

Stay well & healthy!  Please excuse me while I check my Puffs tissues inventory.   

Inky (((hugs))),

Whirlpool of Feelings?

It's obvious that as we continue our battle to defeat the Covid19 pandemic, we have been experiencing a remarkably wide range of emotions.  Some days it seems the news seems to make us feel that daylight & hope are nearly close enough to touch.  Other days, it feels as though we're sinking into the sands of time, doesn't it?   

The thing I'm missing most is being able to just spend time with friends & family ... in person.  My heart is yearning to travel back to my little hometown right now to share laughs & hugs with friends I've known all my life.   This Crazy Cats image seems to be expressing my feelings perfectly!

Just to add some creative fun, I used A Colorful Life Designs' new 'Whirlpool' stencil with Ranger's Texture Paste - Translucent Matte onto a saved watercolor background.  

 Being an afternoon/evening stamper, I allowed the design to dry overnight before coming back to finishing up the actual card.  I love that the subtle colors of the background show through the texture paste, even a bit more than caught in my photos.  

Hopefully the sun will be warming us up here tomorrow.  I've got lots of bushes still waiting for me to seriously cut them down to size before the heat of Summer locks me back inside.   ;)

Stay safe and well, m'friends!

Inky (((hugs))),

Products used:

STAMPS:  Crazy Cats (Stampers Anonymous), Poppy Friendship (Inky Antics)

INKS:  Distress Oxides, VersaFine Clair Nocturne

PAPERS:  watercolor, Gina K Wild Lilac, Neenah

ACCESSORIES:  "Whirlpool" stencil by A Colorful Life Designs, 

No Stamps, No Ink!

What's up with this?  No stamps?  No inks?  It's one of those off-beat times for everyone, I'm sure.  Today, my card is stenciled with acrylic paint!

The April release at A Colorful Life Designs includes a variety of text stencils.  The new 'Wonderful' stencil is all about encouragement!   Surely a welcome statement to share with so many people you're missing right now!  

  

The card's style was inspired by the Mix375 challenge at SCS, to used white ink on blue c/s, i.e. faux blueprint.  I need a new white pigment pad & reinker, so I gave it a try with a watercolor brush and a bottle of white acrylic paint.  Thank goodness for Pixie spray keeping all the cut edges secure while I brushed the paint on.  

The challenge included adding drawn white lines with a white pen, so I tried.  Now I remember why I typically just add white lines & such in much smaller bits!  lol

You're welcome to use my discount code, BevFan10, when shopping for stencils at A Colorful Life Designs!  

In other news, I "attacked" some hedge-type bushes this morning, as I was desperate to soak up the brand new sunshine blessing Texas today.  All the previous gray added to the current stay-at-home style of living has felt a bit oppressive!  Now that I'm appropriately pink-skinned and whooped, I can allow self to be inside.  My teeny progress toward trimming down & removing said bushes indicates that this will be a very long project.  Oh. My. Goodness.

Hope you find your own style of sunshine during these closed-in days.  Be well, my friends!

Inky (((hugs))),

Products used:  

INKS:  white Signo pen

PAPERS:  Blueberry, silver/white stripes printed paper

ACCESSORIES:  ‘Wonderful’ stencil by A Colorful Life Designs, white acrylic paint, small paint brush

Positive Thinking!

Yes, we will get through this together!  

The new 'Stay Positive' stencil from A Colorful Life Designs makes it so quick & easy to share a smile via mail with all of those friends we're missing.  I used a simple subscription postcard from a magazine as a mask while adding inks to the arrows, allowing me to color all of the sky blues, then the sand, then the red arrows.  A simple swipe with my damp shammy picked up left-over ink from the stencil before repositioning.

Sequins bring in a little shine, but then I wanted just a smidge more.  Just because.  So I opted for tone-on-tone doodling around the edge.  Did you notice?  No stamping on this one.  Just inks and my smallest blending brushes!

The card base was cut 7" X 6.5", then scored to create a 3.5" X 6.5" card.  

I welcome you to use my code, BevFan10, when shopping for your stencils at A Colorful Life Designs!

Stay well, m'friends!  Remember that all of this hand-washing calls for frequent self-pampering with your fave hand or body lotions.  Ahhhhhh!

Inky (((hugs))),

Products used:
INKS:  Ranger Distress Inks Barn Door + Frayed Burlap, Sahara
PAPERS:  Poppy, Sky, Sahara
ACCESSORIES:  'Think Positive' stencil by A Colorful Life Designs, Life Changing Blender Brushes (Picket Fence Studios), sequins, Gina K Connect Glue