IO Challenge- Splashes of Color

Greetings everyone!  Today's challenge is all about "splashes of color."  How do you interpret splashes of color?  For me, it meant watercolor.  What is the watercolor I have been using a lot lately?  The Ken Oliver Color Burst Powders.  I have been playing around with them a lot lately, so I thought I would share something I had made with them.  Heads up...tomorrow I will be participating in a blog hop between IO and Ken Oliver, so I will have more to show you then.

For this card, I started with a 140lb watercolor paper, spritzed it with water, and then sprinkled it with Ultramarine Blue and Pthalo Green powders.  Hint- a little goes a LONG way.  You need so much less powder than you think.  I spritzed the paper again to let the colors blend and then let the paper dry.  Once the paper was dry, I splattered some water onto the paper here and there to get a splattered effect on my background.  I let the background dry completely (this takes a long time) and then embossed the Cosmo Silhouette (H16156) and saying from the Everyday Words (CL636) clear set in white embossing powder. 

I hope you will visit the other designers to see their interpredation of "splashes of color."

Anna Wight
Daniela Dobson
Dina Kowal
Jeanne Streiff
Jenny Gropp
Karen Amidon
Kittie Caracciolo
Laura Fulcher
Vicki Garrett

IO Challenge- Happy Birthday to You

I love birthday challenges.  After all, who doesn't need lots of birthday card ideas?  I think I make birthday cards more than anything else.

For my card, I made a shaker card using one of the balloons from the Balloon die set (DIE359-R) and added my sentiment from the Greetings Top Edgers die set (DIE234-M).

I thought the white backround was a little too plain, so I stamped the Swirls and Stars Cover a Card background (CC054) onto the white paper with Versamark ink and embossed it with an irridescent embossing powder.  Here is a close up:

Need more birthday inspiration?  Be sure to visit the other designers:

Anna Wight
Daniela Dobson
Dina Kowal
Jeanne Streiff
Jenny Gropp
Karen Amidon
Kittie Caracciolo
Laura Fulcher
Vicki Garrett

IO Challenge- Friends Forever

Aren't cards for friends wonderful?  You can never thank friends enough for the role they play in our lives.

For my card today, most of the work is in creating the background.  You could customize it to be your favorite colors or to personalize it for the friend who is receiving the card.  I decided to use colors that reminded me of a sunset.

I started with white glossy paper and then brayered it with some of my favorite Distress Inks.  I let it dry completely and then embossed the brand new Grunge Cross Cover a Card Background (CC230) with black embossing powder.  You can't tell it from the picture, but the embossing gave the background a nice glossy, raised sheen.  One of the things I like about making your own background papers with embossing powder is that you can customize the look and it is much cheaper than buying patterned papers with glossy elements.

To finish the card, I added and the Holding Hands image (D13399) and So Glad (A13411) saying.

Need more "Friends Forever" inspiration?  Be sure to visit the other designers:

Anna Wight
Daniela Dobson
Dina Kowal
Jeanne Streiff
Jenny Gropp
Karen Amidon
Laura Fulcher
Vicki Garrett

10 in 10 Valentine Class this Weekend

Greetings friends.  A few of you have asked me if I was doing a 10 in 10 Valentine class this year.  Well, I am, and it is this Saturday at Angela's Happy Stamper.

If you had an overdose of being home last weekend, why not come out and join me in making 10 quick and easy Valentine cards?  You will leave with 10 completed projects along with envelopes.  I purposly design the cards so that they could be given to a friend, relative, or spouse.

For the card above, I used some of the latest dies and stamps from Memory Box.  The cup and saying are from the Bunny Tea Time stamp set and I combined it with the Glorious hearts and Grosgrain Ribbons dies.  The stamp set has super-cute bunnies in it that I will be using in an upcoming bunny class, but for now, I wanted to focus on things that would pair well with a real teabag.

If you want to find more info about Saturday's class you can find it here- 10 in 10 Valentine

IO Challenge- Flower Power

Oh how I appreciate the latest IO theme.  I want to think about flowers and sunshine and Spring.  I live in the DC area and they are telling us we are going to be slammed with snow this weekend.  My reality is figuring out how to shovel myself out of it all, but my happy mental place is thinking about flowers.

For my card today, I used Colorburst powders to create a multi-colored watercolor background.  I added a couple of extra drops of water to the background to give it a splattered look.  Once the background was completely dry, I embossed the flower (Cosmo Stem G1657) and saying (from clear set (CL636 Everyday words) with white powder. 

I colored the petals and stem of the flower with Prismacolor pencils since they are opaque and would cover up my purple background.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  I'm thinking about flowers and sunshine soon for all of us!

Don't forget to check out the other designers:

Anna Wight
Daniela Dobson
Dina Kowal
Jeanne Streiff
Jenny Gropp
Karen Amidon
Kittie Caracciolo
Laura Fulcher
Vicki Garrett

IO New Release Blog Hop- Day 5

Welcome to the Impression Obsession Spring Release Blog Hop- Day 5!

We have some beautiful new stamps to share AND a Gift Certificates to give away!

The hop will run for 5 days (1/4/16 - 1/8/16 with a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog each day at 6am EST. Visit our fabulous IO Design Team’s blogs (only one comment per blog please) for a chance to win a $25 Gift Certificate! The more blogs you visit … the better chance you will have to win!!! 

And we have a bonus... on the last day of the hop TWO winners will be chosen. One for Friday and one random winner from sometime during the week. So if you miss a day make sure and go back and comment!

Comment entries will be open until 9pm CT on Sunday January 10th and all winners will be announced Monday January 11th. Good luck!

All of the new stamps you'll be seeing on the hop are available NOW!

For today's card, I decided to do a brayered background.  It is one of my favorite things to do to really highlight stamps I use in landscapes.  I started with glossy paper, brayered on some blues and greens and then let the paper dry completely.  I gave it a little extra time to dry because I wanted to emboss my foreground plants with black embossing powder, and I didn't want the powder to stick to the background ink.

Items used:
Words from clear set- CL636 Everyday Words
Wispy Grass J16198

Don't forget to visit the other designers in the hop!

 

Anna Wight
Daniela Dobson
Dina Kowal
Jeanne Streiff
Jenny Gropp
Karen Amidon
Laura Fulcher
Vicki Garrett

IO Blog Hop New Release- Day 4/ Spring Colors

 

Welcome to the Impression Obsession Spring Release Blog Hop- Day 4!

We have some beautiful new stamps to share AND a Gift Certificates to give away!

The hop will run for 5 days (1/4/16 - 1/8/16 with a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog each day at 6am EST. Visit our fabulous IO Design Team’s blogs (only one comment per blog please) for a chance to win a $25 Gift Certificate! The more blogs you visit … the better chance you will have to win!!! 

And we have a bonus... on the last day of the hop TWO winners will be chosen. One for Friday and one random winner from sometime during the week. So if you miss a day make sure and go back and comment!

Comment entries will be open until 9pm CT on Sunday January 10th and all winners will be announced Monday January 11th. Good luck!

All of the new stamps you'll be seeing on the hop are available NOW!

For today's card, I added in the challenge of using Spring colors.  I didn't want to go the traditional route with pinks and yellows, so I decided to go with greens and a chocolate colored bunny.  

I absolutely LOVE this new bunny image.  It is so realistic looking.  I stamped it in brown Versafine ink and then sponged it with some brown Pan Pastel chalk.  It was super-easy, and I really liked the finished look.  I will be teaching a "Bunny" class at Angela's Happy Stamper, and this is definitely going to be one of the cards.

Items used:
 Rabbit Face G16179
Somebunny Special B5431
Cover a Card Floral Lines CC089

Don't forget to visit the other designers!  

Anna Wight
Daniela Dobson
Dina Kowal
Jeanne Streiff
Jenny Gropp
Kittie Caracciolo
Laura Fulcher
Vicki Garrett

IO New Release Blog Hop- Day 3

Welcome to the Impression Obsession Spring Release Blog Hop- Day 2!

We have some beautiful new stamps to share AND a Gift Certificates to give away!

The hop will run for 5 days (1/4/16 - 1/8/16 with a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog each day at 6am EST. Visit our fabulous IO Design Team’s blogs (only one comment per blog please) for a chance to win a $25 Gift Certificate! The more blogs you visit … the better chance you will have to win!!! 

And we have a bonus... on the last day of the hop TWO winners will be chosen. One for Friday and one random winner from sometime during the week. So if you miss a day make sure and go back and comment!

Comment entries will be open until 9pm CT on Sunday January 10th and all winners will be announced Monday January 11th. Good luck!

All of the new stamps you'll be seeing on the hop are available NOW!

Yesterday I showed you one of the new IO sentiments as well as one of the new Cover a Card backgrounds.  Today I am going to do it again.  I have been motivated to work with both lately.

For my card, I stamped the Cover a Card background onto heavy, 140lb watercolor paper with black Versafine ink.  I then spritzed the paper with water and added some Peerless watercolors to the top and let the colors blend with each other. 

Items used:
Plaid Cover a Card CC233
Saying- You are Capable E17108

Don't forget to visit the others in the hop!

Anna Wight
Daniela Dobson
Dina Kowal
Jeanne Streiff
Jenny Gropp
Karen Amidon
Kittie Caracciolo
Laura Fulcher
Vicki Garrett

IO New Release- Day 2

Welcome to the Impression Obsession Spring Release Blog Hop- Day 2!

We have some beautiful new stamps to share AND a Gift Certificates to give away!

The hop will run for 5 days (1/4/16 - 1/8/16 with a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog each day at 6am EST. Visit our fabulous IO Design Team’s blogs (only one comment per blog please) for a chance to win a $25 Gift Certificate! The more blogs you visit … the better chance you will have to win!!! 

And we have a bonus... on the last day of the hop TWO winners will be chosen. One for Friday and one random winner from sometime during the week. So if you miss a day make sure and go back and comment!

Comment entries will be open until 9pm CT on Sunday January 10th and all winners will be announced Monday January 11th. Good luck!

All of the new stamps you'll be seeing on the hop are available NOW!

For my card, I stamped one of the new Cover a Card backgrounds onto blue cardstock with blue ink to create a monochromatic look.  The background is called "Herb Leaves," but if it isn't stamped in green, you can pretty much use it for anything you want since it creates a nice mottled background.  I then added the series of birds and saying in black ink.  I really like the saying and think it would work well as an encouragement card.

Items used:
Saying- Time to Fly E17104
Birds on a Branch- F16147

Today's Blog Hop participants:

Anna Wight
Dina Kowal
Jeanne Streiff
Jenny Gropp
Karen Amidon
Kittie Caracciolo
Laura Fulcher
Vicki Garrett

 

IO New Release Blog Hop- Day 1

Welcome to the Impression Obsession Spring Release Blog Hop!

We have some beautiful new stamps to share AND a Gift Certificates to give away!

The hop will run for 5 days (1/4/16 - 1/8/16 with a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog each day at 6am EST. Visit our fabulous IO Design Team’s blogs (only one comment per blog please) for a chance to win a $25 Gift Certificate! The more blogs you visit … the better chance you will have to win!!! 

And we have a bonus... on the last day of the hop TWO winners will be chosen. One for Friday and one random winner from sometime during the week. So if you miss a day make sure and go back and comment!

Comment entries will be open until 9pm CT on Sunday January 10th and all winners will be announced Monday January 11th. Good luck!

All of the new stamps you'll be seeing on the hop are available NOW!

For my card, I stamped the butterfly and saying in black ink on cream cardstock.  I masked the butterfly and saying and then added Pan Pastels to the paper.  I then took one of the new Cover a card backgrounds and stamped over everything in brown ink.  I removed the masks, added a bit more Pan Pastels here and there and then colored my butterfly with colored pencils.

Items Used:
New Cover a Card- Vintage Honeycomb CC231
Butterfly G16153
Saying- What If D13445

Today's hop participants:

Anna Wight
Dina Kowal
Jeanne Streiff
Jenny Gropp
Karen Amidon
Kittie Caracciolo
Laura Fulcher
Vicki Garrett