The Majestic Grey Wolf…

My family has always had a tender place in our hearts for Wolves – there is just something about these majestic creations of the wild that we love and admire. When I first saw Whimsy’s newest Dove Art release, Wolf Head, I had to have it.

Then I saw and was inspired by Bev Rochester’s handsomely finished article on the Whimsy Blog page of September 7^th.  My stamp arrived yesterday and, of course, I could hardly wait to get going. The gentleman who will receive this over the weekend will be celebrating his 86^th birthday.

If you want more information regarding the Grey or Timber Wolf, there is an interesting article on https://animalcorner.co.uk/animals/grey-wolf/ .

Materials:

Whimsy Stamps, DA1124

Concord & 9, Woven Background

Ranger’s Distress Oxide, Black Soot and Hickory Smoke

Cardstock by Neenah and Elizabeth Craft

PrismaColor Pencils – Black, Yellow and Pumpkin.

I had a great time making this card. Hope it might give you an idea about making masculine celebration cards.

Till next time, May God Bless You…

Poppy Flower– 

Thank you for stopping by today. As you may know, during the past few weeks, I have been refreshing my card-craft supplies and have fallen in love the the Dove Art stamp collection through Whimsy Stamps.The stamp used for this article is called the Himalayan Poppy, DA1013. The Himalayan Poppy is, in reality, blue! (See descriptive notes at the end.)

However, having never seen the Himalayan, I went with the poppy colors I am more use to seeing, an off red/orange.

For this project, I used:
                                                                                                  

White Card Stock – from Staples (top layer and base card)

Middle layer – Neenah's Stardream Collection - Onyx 105lb.

Inked Impression: Memento Tuxedo Black – no embossing

Prismacolor Colored Pencils – start lightly applying the color, then, build up to a deeper intensity, then using a blender stick, blend:

·         Canary Yellow

·         Crimson Red
·         Goldenrod
·         Green Ochre
·         Marine Green
·         Raspberry
·         White

Hope you will give this a try - just relax and have some fun.

Till later,
God Bless




Special Note: 
The Himalayan Blue poppy flower, Meconopsis, is one of the most prized in the poppy flower family for its true blue colored blooms. This member of the poppy flower family is particularly sensitive to temperature changes and therefore can be difficult to grow. Found mostly in the Scottish highlands and Himalayas, they have been successfully grown in Alaska and coastal Washington. Their optimum temperature range is 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Old Water Mill…  

This summer has been a time of reorganization for my craft areas (that seems to be a continual chore) and expanding upon some of my creative goals. During my “reorganization,” I realized that I have a large collection of inks, paints and colored pencils that I have not used in a while. So, I set a new goal … utilize those products.

Recently, I started collecting some of the beautiful Dove Art stamps from Whimsy Stamps. (See my July 31^st posting). The Water Mill (DA104) is one of my latest additions. Did you know that the use of Water Mills goes back long before the rise of Rome?

Materials –

Whimsy Stamps: The Water Mill (DA 104)

Elizabeth Craft Designs: Soft Finish: White and  Dark Chocolate

Dies: Dashing Squares

Chameleon Pencils:  Avocado and Spanish Olive

Rembrant Polycolor: Olive Green and Brown Ochre

Faber-Castell’s Pitt Pastel: 151 Helioblue-Reddish, 165 Juniper Green, 179 Bistre. 185 Naples Yellow, 273 Warm Grey IV

Prismcolor: Limepeel, Green Ochre, Cool Grey 90%, Orange Mineral, Blue Slate and Dark Green

Memento: Tuxedo Black

Krylon: Workable Fixatif (1306)

US Art Supply: Artist Blending Stump

Hope you will stop by again.

Till  next time – God Bless

The Same but Different…

Those of you who know me, know how I love creating dimensional flowers. But I have to be honest with you. In the beginning, I did not think I would ever be able to create anything that looked even close to a flower. I watched and studied the videos and tried to determine what I would need to make it work with just one hand. After searching on line, I ordered a few dies from Susan’s Garden (from Sizzix and Elizabeth Crafts) and Heartfelt Creations. I struggled and tossed out probably my first 2 dozen attempts. I do not like feeling defeated.

This quest for creating was about the same time I discovered the advantages of the alcohol- based Chameleon Pens.  In their August 2016 Newsletter, they featured an article by flower designer, Susan Tierney Cockburn (Susan’s Garden). That article really impressed me beyond anything.  I cannot explain why but it did. My flowers were becoming my passion.

I am still excited to create flowers from quality papers. However, a year ago, I discover the art of 0.6mm foamiran. I fell in love with that little softer and more realistic creation. There are actually times the foamiran feels like a real petal. Like the paper, the foam accepts a variety of coloration mediums. The shaping process is a little different but the assembly is similar. 

For me, I have found that I need the various metal dies to create the petals. I tried to master hand cutting but I will not go there!  I now have a nice collection of name brand dies and unbranded dies. Because of my physical situation, it is easier for me to work with the medium to larger designed dies.

The flowers shown on the two cards in this article, were actually cut with the same larger 4pc die set. I used white and an ivory colored 0.6mm foamiran for each then blended sage on the one’s petals and teal on the other.

If you would like more instruction regarding the process, just leave a message and I’ll send you more detail.

Well, it is almost time for Easter, so I had better get going and creating!

Till later my friend,

May God Bless You and Yours.