Nesting Robins

Hello!  You've got Colleen here for an Anything Goes week at Topflight Stamps!  Considering we're in springtime, I have birds and nests on my mind.  I needed a New Home card for someone special, so I pulled out Visible Image "Christmas Robin" stamps as well as PaperArtsy Alison Bomber "House & Home" stamp set.  On a scrap of cardstock, I used Versafine Clair ink in Fallen Leaves to stamp the birds (mom and baby), then fussy-cut them out.  I had some punched leaves from my stash to snuggle around them to create a nest vibe.  I used Versafine Onyx Black ink to stamp the sentiment and add it toward the top of the card.  It's a quote from Laura Ingalls Wilder: "Home is the nicest word there is."  I also added some pearls as "eggs" in the nest.  These are from Hunkydory.  One of my fave accents!  

Supplies From Topflight Stamps:

Visible Image Christmas Robin

PaperArtsy - Alison Bomber - House & Home Edition

Versafine Clair - Fallen Leaves

Versafine Onyx Black

Hunkydory Pearls

Thanks so much for joining me today!

Morning Glory Sympathy

Hi friends!  I'm so enjoying my time as a guest designer this month at Creative Worship Stamps. 😊 I made a morning glory sympathy card using several shades of blue Distress Ink Sprays on a white background panel.  I spritzed randomly, then followed up with spritzes of water to smooth out the colors.  Once dry, I used a MISTI tool to stamp the morning glory bouquet from Sympathy Morning Glories in Versafine Onyx Black ink onto the blue panel. Without removing the panel from the MISTI, I then used some acrylic paints in shades of blues and greens to paint the flowers and leaves.  The paint was thinned out a bit with water to make it sheerer and easier to maneuver.  And when that was dry, I re-stamped the morning glory bouquet with the black ink again to bring the image back to life.  A small sentiment from the same stamp set was stamped on a tag, and I added a twine bow from my stash. 

Morning glories are one of my favorite flowers (hydrangeas are #1 in my book).  Since my kids were little, we've grown them in our backyard.  One of the core memories for my daughters is when we'd go out in late summer / early fall and begin harvesting the seeds of the morning glories.  The seeds are in little pouches with dry husks around them, and the seeds are so smooth.  We would pluck the pouches and put several into our palms, and roll them around a bit and blow away the dry husks / chaff, leaving you with just the seeds.  Totally reminds me of God's Word.  Matthew 3:12 AMP: His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear out His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat (believers) into His barn (kingdom), but He will burn up the chaff (the unrepentant) with unquenchable fire.”

Supplies From Creative Worship Stamps:

Sympathy Morning Glories

MISTI Tool

Thanks for coming by today, I so appreciate your visit!

Field Notes

As a guest designer for the month of April at Creative Worship Stamps, I've had so much fun playing with the beautiful stamps, dies, and stencils found in their store.  This card I'm sharing today is one of my faves, if I may say so.  I love the crisp black and white of the botanical images against a shimmery aged postage background.

On the Postage Stamp Cover Plate, I first inked up the entire thing with a light colored Distress Ink.  Then I sprayed it with Distress Mica Stain Spray in Unravelled, to give it a beautiful glimmer.  This was matted with black cardstock before going onto the white card base.  Images from Vintage Nature Elements and Going Postal stamped on white cardstock, die-cut or fussy-cut, were added here and there amidst the panel.  I stamped a postmark from Going Postal on the bottom portion, and a script stamp from that same set along the right portions under the mushroom.

Supplies From Creative Worship Stamps:

Postage Stamp Cover Plate Die Set

Vintage Nature Elements dies

Vintage Nature Elements

Going Postal

Ephesians 6:14 NIV

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

Thanks for your visit today!

God bless you!

Rosehips for Spring

Happy lovely Thursday to you all!  For our Mother / Springtime themes this week at Topflight Stamps, I've got a pop of color for spring to share with you.  I got to play with the main image from PaperArtsy / Alison Bomber's Rosehip stamp set by using a watercoloring technique.  On watercolor paper I stamped the rosehips image with Versafine Onyx Black ink.  On a clear acrylic stamping block, I smeared some Lavinia Soft Cygnet dye ink and spritzed it with water.  I painted this on the whole panel (except the image) in several stages, to get deepening color in some areas.  Then I painted the image using a few hues of Distress dye inks, plus Lavinia Pixie Green and Truffle dye inks.  I used a couple other stamps from the Rosehips set:  a postage stamp (top right corner) and the sentiments (springtime / rise and put on your foliage), all of these stamped on a scrap piece of white cardstock and properly distressed to look aged.  On the top right and bottom left corners of the watercolor panel, I used the Versafine Onyx Black ink to stamp Chou & Flowers Brittany Text.  

Supplies Used From Topflight Stamps:

PaperArtsy - Alison Bomber - Rosehips

Chou & Flowers - Brittany Text

Lavinia Dye Ink - Soft Cygnet

Lavinia Dye Ink - Pixie Green

Lavinia Dye Ink - Truffle

Lavinia Chalk Paint - Snow White

Versafine Onyx Black ink

Thanks for taking a peek!

Hope you have a beautiful day!

Plum Christmas

Hi there!  I made a simple Christmas card using shades of lavender and plum.  Love this color for Christmas, it's different and unexpected.  I cut a tree out of plum glitter paper by DCWV and laid it atop a pretty digital printable that has lots of antique engraving flourishes.  The tree die is called "Christmas Tree" by Papertrey Ink.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink too, from the "Silent Night" stamp set.

Oh Christmas Tree!

O, Christmas Tree, o, Christmas Tree
How steadfast are your branches!
Your boughs are green in summer's clime
And through the snows of wintertime
O, Christmas Tree, o, Christmas Tree
How steadfast are your branches!

Have a beautiful day!

Shabby Chic Butterfly

Hello everyone!  I've got a shabby chic butterfly card to share with you today as a guest designer for Creative Worship Stamps this month. I stuck with shades of pink and lilac to accompany this pretty butterfly from Botanical Collages, which was stamped on a fancy die cut.  On top of the butterfly, I used a sentiment from Song Birds in black, double-stamped with a MISTI so it could be dark enough to be seen.  Additional touches from my stash:  vintage lace from my 101 year old aunt (she was a seamstress), a matte gold leather-like flower, and pearls.

Supplies From Creative Worship Stamps:

Botanical Collages

Song Birds

MISTI Tool

Job 12:10

In his hand is the life of every creature

and the breath of all mankind.

Thank you for coming by, I so appreciate it!

God bless you!

Sparrow & Branches

Hello all!  Today's card I made as guest designer at Creative Worship Stamps focuses on a sweet sparrow, nestling in branches.  The background was inspired by the packaging that comes from CWS products!  It's white with tiny blue dots on it, and I put a piece to use here, pairing it with the Damask Pattern Stencil and shades of blue Distress Ink.  A bird from More Than Sparrows was stamped on white cardstock, fussy cut, and colored with alcohol markers.  Same goes for the leafy fronds from Beautiful Branches stamp set.  The sentiment is 3D, using the With Love Word Die set.  I die cut five of each word from black cardstock, and stacked them together.  Really pops off the card!

Supplies From Creative Worship Stamps:

Beautiful Branches stamps

Damask Pattern Stencil

More Than Sparrows stamps

With Love Word Die set

Matthew 10:29-31 NASB

Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

Thanks for dropping by!

God bless you!

Feline Better

Hello everyone!  This week we've got Anything Goes at Topflight Stamps!  I had such fun with these cute kitties from Visible Image "That Lovin' Feline".  I used a paper piecing technique with Craft Consortium Leather Bound pages, stamping each kitty with Versafine Onyx Black ink and then fussy-cutting them out and setting them aside.  On the background of the card base, I used Lavinia's Mysticals Mist in Spring Moss.  Once I spritzed the card, I used spritzes of water to help the color move around.  SO COOL.  There is a copper metallic element in this color, and it moved toward the edges of my card.  (click on each image for a larger look at what I mean)

When the card base was dry, I arranged the kitties, along with their mousie toy and a bird friend, along a "carpet" made with a piece of fabric I had on hand.  It was actually the selvage edge of the fabric, and frayed quite beautifully!  The small hearts and sentiment are also from the same Feline set. 

Supplies from Topflight Stamps:

Lavinia Mysticals Mist Spray - Spring Moss

Visible Image - That Lovin' Feline

Versafine Onyx Black ink

Thanks so much for your visit today!