Z moonglow

Another Zindorf inspired card ... her tutorial is excellent. However, I managed to substitute different colors and use cheap cardstock from Walmart so her gorgeous sunset on the lake is more of a moonglow in a hazy sky. But I am happy. I am not a fan of square cards since I feel I need a square envelope and the post office is not a fan of square envelopes.

Designed to Delight ...

These owls were free at Designed2Delight. If you go there and get a set of owls for yourself, tell her Cat sent you and I will get another free image! Can't beat the price.

The sketch is from Splitcoast and was a bit complex but I like how it turned out.

Juliet's turn ...

This would have been the next challenge ... but I complained so THIS is what I got instead ...
This is one scary rabbit man. Fortunately as is my habit, I made several backgrounds and can play with doing something different as well. And yes, I cheated. The tutorial has you stamp right on the cardstock and color right on the cardstock. Then you versamark and clear emboss over it before doing the background. I cheated. I made the background. I made the rabbit .. and I taped 'em together.
Here is a look at Juliet's interpretation.
Now I am going back to the Owl challenge. You know, the one I complained about ... that one.

Tuesday is Teapot day

Mothermark at Splitcoast provides a picture of a teapot every Tuesday along with a story for everyone to play along. Today's teapot is a man in the moon, so this card was a natural followup. To read the stories and tomfoolerie, please go to splitcoast and check out the teapot gallery at MMTPT79 ... yup, this is week 79 of the challenges!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NISE!

I was going to publish your card here for all the world to see since I don't know your new address and don't trust the Bay City Post office to find you. But then I sealed the envelope before I scanned it!

HOPE YOU HAVE a wonderful day and the start of an even better year.

Big hugs and culver sundaes to you!

It only took 6 hours ...

This card took about 6 hours ... honestly, 6 hours. It is based on a tutorial by Michelle Zindorf seen here ... and while my finished result looks very different, I sure learned a lot along the way ...
1. You cannot substitute kaleidoscope embossing powder for clear embossing powder. It has a texture that catches the strands on your cotton ball which you are using because you don't have a sponge.
2. You cannot store white embossing powder in a hot closet over the summer and expect it to work. It doesn't. When you heat it, it clumps, then burns to the lovely golden brown you see here.
3. If you start with a piece that is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2, and expect to add borders, duhhh, your card will not fit in an envelope that is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2.
4. If you make enough mistakes, you can still be proud of your final piece and say, HEY ... look how I creatively changed the original.

That said, ... I do like Michelle's much more. Oh well.

Here's the next challenge ... and mine is turning out VERY dark. Maybe this is because I am substituting the colors of ink pads I have which are considerably darker. Guessing a star in the sky and I would have the sky at twilight - but then last time I added an evening star to a card that got too dark, it only looked worse ...

Marker tapping

This is such an easy technique. Hold 2 markers in your hand, loosely, and tap tap tap on paper. Sure looked like raindrops to me! Since it is POURING outside, seems appropriate for the day.

Juliet 2 ... me 2 ...

and the competition goes on, or the friendly challenges, yeah, that is what they are. Juliet created a gorgeous sunset and then went and did a sunrise as well in a different colorway. You can go see her cards here ... I on the other hand, started 4 different cards using the tutorial and came up with 3 that just didn't make it. I am kind of pleased with this one ... and planning to frame it and put it in my stamp room --- probably with the saying that Juliet shared from a Tim Holtz stamp ... creativity is
allowing yourself
to make mistakes
art is knowing
which ones to keep

Juliet's challenge

It was my turn to pick a card and this one really makes me think of Clearwater Beach. We drove across the state and down the coast and got to the gulf just as the sun slipped below the horizon. Everything they say about a sunset over the ocean is true, we live on the sunrise side and the sun kind of pops up with not a lot of fanfare. But the setting sun, and the noise and conch shell blowing on the beach, and dolphins breaking the surface of the water as they dove ... now that was a day to remember. And ... the sky was JUST THIS PINK !!!
For the whole tutorial, visit this blog... I am so lucky, I am going to take a class with Michelle in February.

... the competition goes on, or the friendly challenges, yeah, that is what they are. Juliet created a gorgeous sunset and then went and did a sunrise as well in a different colorway. You can go see her cards here ... I on the other hand, started 4 different cards using the tutorial and came up with 3 that just didn't make it. I am kind of pleased with this one ... and planning to frame it and put it in my stamp room --- probably with the saying that Juliet shared from a Tim Holtz stamp
... creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes art is knowing which ones to keep ( or in my case which ones to use as a background for a crazy octopus drawing ! Clearly I am more on the creative side than the artistic one.)

the OTHER Zindorf attempt ...

Here's the one I sent to Juliet ... since the background was the size of a business size envelope, the whole thing kept growing and growing. I ended up using a really pretty file folder as the card base!

Featured Stamper Nicole

I drew the froggy guy ... I think I overdid it on the brads. Featured stamper card is here

Steve co
coffee gatefold cat