2022: Paper Smooches Get Well [card #143]

Hello again, sweet friends! 

It's been awhile since I posted... I'm creating but have been busy with different things. 

I'm also struggling with social media/blogging. It's not the same anymore. Companies only want you to create for them if you have a huge following or if you get the most clicks and/or likes on your posts. I never started crafting for approval or to be liked but that's where everything is headed. You also have to have a YouTube Chanel (I do... but it took me 24 hours or more to make a video! I don't have time for that anymore.) and you have to post reels and stories and blah blah blah. It's too much! 

I want to craft and share because I love what I do... I want to share with my friends because I think they will be inspired and share what they make after seeing my creation... I want to go back to 2012, or even 2015. I miss the "old" crafting world ❤️ 

That being said... I pulled out my OLD Paper Smooches stamps to make this get well card. **NOTE: Just because a stamp or die is "retired" doesn't mean I can't still use it! Honestly- some companies come out with too many images and designs that I want or think I need and by the time they get to my house I've already ordered the next month's release, never to use what I bought previously. To help me with overspending and never using items, I'm just going to shop my stash and use what I have right now. #retired #retiredstamps #stillgood

This card was a custom card for a friend who's client broke her ankle. I love the watercolor design- not perfect but I'm working on "waiting" for the paint to dry. LOL 😂 I also LOVE my PS stamps/dies. I miss Kim and PS lots <3 

That's it for me today.

THANKS so much for stopping by!    

Be blessed ❤️

Sav

Supplies Sympathy Friend: 

Paper: watercolor paper

Inks: The Stamp Market watercolors 

Stamps/dies: Paper Smooches Tiny Hearts dies (retired), Well Wishes stamps (retired)

Accessories: Nuvo Crystal Drops, Stickles red glitter

Card #143 (I've made several cards since I last posted... taking photos/editing them takes a lot of time too....sorry for not posting them)

Technique Tuesday: Birthday Celebration and Promo [cards #50-54,61,63]

Hello, friends! 

I'm super excited to be back today sharing MORE Technique Tuesday creations!!! 

I love being challenged to create using certain products and a theme or design style. It really helps me get into my creative flow! Sometimes I think outside the box, and sometimes I follow the theme exactly the way it was presented. Either way- I enjoy "specifics" that aid in pushing my creativity 😉 

The challenge/request: TT is celebrating BIRTHDAYS! And they have offered up a wonderful code for your purchase: 

25% off your ENTIRE purchase using code HAPPYBDAY 

Free shipping on orders over $75

Sale runs from March 20-27

Now is your chance to get so many wonderful Technique Tuesday goodies--- they have sooooooo many birthday collections HERE!! Head over to their shop NOW!!! **Wait--- finish reading my post and then head over there😉 

Thanks for continuing to read my post:) Back to the challenge of creating birthday projects--- this was a much needed challenge for me as we have 14 different birthdays and celebrations during the month of March! I was blessed to get the Happy Hummingbirds stamps and matching dies for my creations. I couldn't be happier with how each card turned out. I created a mixture of designs- watercolor is a main feature, but I also did CAS and layered. I love love love each of these designs! 

You might notice that I mix and match stamp/die sets for these creations- that's a favorite technique of mine!! I also use the Bowl Bouquet stamps and the Iris stamps/dies. 

Techniques: watercoloring, dry embossing, stamping, layering, CAS

Techniques: embossing, stamping, layering, CAS

Techniques: watercoloring, stamping, layering, mixing and matching stamps/dies

Techniques: watercoloring, embossing, stamping, layering, patterned paper, mixing and matching stamps/dies

I hope you are inspired by these TT birthday cards-- you can NEVER have too many birthday cards in your stash:) It literally is ALWAYS someone's birthday. LOL! 

Be sure to check out the BIRTHDAY collection of stamps and dies, as well as bundles, HERE on the Technique Tuesday website! And don't forget about their SALE!!! 

THANKS so much for stopping by! 

Be blessed ❤️

Sav

Technique Tuesday: Watercolor Christmas cards

Hello, friends! 

I'm super excited to be back today sharing MORE Technique Tuesday creations!!! 

I love being challenged to create using certain products and a theme or design style. It really helps me get into my creative flow! Sometimes I think outside the box, and sometimes I follow the theme exactly the way it was presented. Either way- I enjoy "specifics" that aid in pushing my creativity 😉 

The challenge/request: TT requested watercolor Christmas cards. Sounds easy and the ideas started to flow quickly! That was until I realized I wasn't doing the challenge or request correctly 🤦🏼‍♀️ I had forgotten to use watercoloring! LOL Don't worry! I completed the challenge, and I really love how everything turned out:) 

The first few creations use the TT Sweater Weather die. I went really simple with this first card **NOTE: Simple doesn't always mean easy! LOL! I embossed the die multiple times on a piece of watercolored paper, and a reflective silver Washi tape, dainty thread and bow, as well as a sentiment and confetti pieces added just the right finishing touches to this card. It's simple yet packed with detail all from that die! 

This card is perfect for mass producing with different watercolored backgrounds or as holiday Thank Yous or even as a smaller version too. Honestly, this die and card design could be used for just about any occasion with a flip of the colors and sentiments! I love it! 

Techniques: watercoloring, dry embossing, stamping, layering, CAS

The next two cards are a combo. One uses the scraps from the previous design, which is another thing I love- using up scraps for all projects:)

Both cards use the TT Sweater Weather die as the main design. I paper pieced the die image after running it through a die cut machine multiple times on the card base. 

Q: Where's the watercoloring element?

A: It might be hard to see in the first card, but the little green pieces from the die were watercolored. I used the scrap from this watercolored piece of paper for my next card! 

Techniques: watercoloring, die cutting, stamping, embossing, layering

Here's the scrap! I love how this card turned out-- all that gold and green together with a maroon bow! BEAUTIFUL! This color combo and design makes me think of fancy holiday parties and gatherings! 

Techniques: watercoloring, die cutting, layering, CAS, using scraps

I went with a silhouette design next. The perfect stamp bundle for this creation is the TT Nativity Silhouettes and Christ is Born sets! Another simple card for the win! The hardest part of this design was creating the watercolored background! LOL! I just couldn't get the navy-black color I wanted. I tried multiple times. This piece probably dried three or four times before getting just the right color for the night sky. #worththewait 

You might think that masking the sentiment and nativity scene so that I could emboss with two different colors would be the hardest part- but not for me! One of my favorite techniques is masking sentiments/images:) 

Techniques: watercoloring, stamping, masking, embossing, CAS

And finally, I wanted to finish with a fun & cute design (which is really my style-- however, I went with a CAS + one layered fun & cute card.... which is NOT my style! LOL!). I used the TT Hello Winter stamp set- perfect for fun & cute! 

There are three steps for this card: stamping, embossing, and coloring. Super EASY! I did add a some fluffy elements to the boots and jacket so it wasn't sooooooo one layered:) LOL! 

As soon as I sent this photo to Trav (for his approval), he responded with "You say that all the time!" I live in Florida, and I'm honestly COLD almost ALL the time (our thermostat is set to 78* most of the year)!!! 

Techniques: watercoloring, stamping, embossing, CAS, one layer

I hope this helps you get into the holiday spirit--- Christmas will be here before you know it! 

Be sure to check out the Christmas & Winter Collection of stamps and dies, as well as bundles, HERE on the Technique Tuesday website!

THANKS so much for stopping by! 

Be blessed ❤️

Sav

first try rejects and the final project after try #2

Hello, friends! 

I have soooooooooooo many projects to share... and I've come up with a quick way to share them all within a few posts. You might be seeing lots of different designs (and not a lot of details) per post to make it easier on me! LOL! 

Today I'm sharing a project that I created in April for a sweet and dear friend, Kim! I love celebrating her birthday and this year she turned 50. That meant I needed to make a super special birthday card. 

I had a few ideas that included watercoloring a piece of paper one solid color. I tried this with a teal and navy (you can see them in the watercolor bin). I thought that I could then add colors to the areas where the flowers would be... but that didn't work out at all! #totalfail I set those two papers aside and started again focusing on watercoloring after I die cut the paper with the design first. I posted about it HERE on Instagram. 

HERE's stage two. It's looking much better than my first attempt! 

I finished this card and absolutely loved the design! Best fail ever! I think Kim enjoyed it too. My mom loved it so much that she requested I make another one just like it. *It was hard to replicate but I did it for my mom! LOL! 

Supplies: The Stamp Market watercolor palette, Just Add Flowers stamp set, Floral Cuts cover die

So what did I do with the first try rejects? Well... I used them for another project two weeks later! It took me that long to figure out what I wanted to do with them. The papers were watercolored teal and navy with different hues and markings. I wanted that to stand out and so I used them on a CAS white card base with a few die cuts and sentiments. EASY! And to be honest, I love how they turned out! Rejects aren't really rejects unless you throw it away. #lifelesson 

This "Thank You" card was created for a sweet couple that became family to me during Covid. They took private aqua fitness classes from me to stay active before they moved back home to WI. I knew the husband loved flowers (his wife's name is Rose! LOL!), so I made a simple white embossed flower bouquet the focal point of this card design. 

Supplies: The Stamp Market watercolor palette, Framed Floral, Gorgeous Greetings, Emboss ink

The navy rejected paper was big enough to make two cards! I love the bold navy with the white background.

Supplies: The Stamp Market watercolor palette, Botanical Print, Botanical Beauty die, Palm Leaf die, Navy/Slate paper and ink

I never throw anything away, and it's a good thing! These cards are some of my favorite! And I learned that rejections are not always bad; good can still come from it. 

That's it for me today. I will be sharing more soon! THANKS so much for stopping by!    

Be blessed ❤️

Sav 

Welcome🍍

It's sooooooooooooooooooo good to be back in the studio! 

I found some time this weekend to play with some watercolors. I have a special watercolored card that I will share on Friday this week- it's for one of my very very special friend's birthday! I don't want her to see it before she gets it in the mail. Stay tuned for the reveal:) 

Not sure why this photo is blurry! :( 

This card was super easy to whip up! I saw a pineapple embossing folder at JoAnns yesterday (only $2.50 plus 20% off!) and knew it would be perfect to create a card to welcome our new neighbors, as well as celebrate our friends and family who just moved/bought a new place.  

Instructions: emboss watercolor paper, add watercolors to pineapple images, add striped washi tape to side of card (channeling my inner Samantha Mann), attach embossed/colored paper to base, die cut sentiment and stamp coordinating sentiment, attach both sentiments to card base. DONE! Simple and fun! 

That's it for me today. Don't forget to stop by on Friday- I have another card to share. It took me around 3 hours to complete but it was totally worth it! LOL! 

THANKS so much for stopping by! 

Be blessed ❤️

Sav

Supplies: 

Paper: watercolor paper, The Stamp Market Greenery

Inks: ICT Memento Wedding Dress, The Stamp Market Color Crush Watercolor Palette Pans

Stamps/dies: Paper Smooches Welcome dies and The Welcome Wagon stamp set

Other: Place & Time Pineapple/Summer embossing folder; NeocolorII Crayons Ocre, Golden Yellow, Emerald Green

ps... if you are interested in purchasing my cards, you can check them out on my Facebook Page: Savannahland2ForSale!!! Click HERE for the photo album of the cards for sale:) 

Paper Smooches SPARKS: May Anything Goes (wk1) challenge

Hello, friends:}

Today we start another weekly challenge over at Paper Smooches SPARKS blog!! Another Anything Goes challenge starts today!   

That's right--you get to create ANYTHING you want (as long as you use Paper Smooches stamps)!! This is the BEST challenge ever!!!

Our church has been super blessed with fresh fruit from a local fruit/veggie market. To show our appreciation and gratitude, I created this simple card for them. 

I used simple supplies- ink from IMAGINE Crafts, watercolor paper, and the PS Cute Fruit set and Fruit People and Thanks Word dies. This card is definitely CAS but it's full of love and gratefulness! LOVE! 

That's it for me today--but be sure to stop by the other Paper Smooches SPARKS DT members' blogs and leave them some love. 

Katie

Larissa

Lori

Lynn

And don't forget to stop by the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog for more details. This challenge ends May 9th. Hope you join in the fun--- this is the EASIEST challenge ever!!!!!!!!

THANKS so much for stopping by! Be blessed:}

Paper Smooches SPARKS: April Anything Goes (wk3) challenge

Hello, friends:} 

Today we start another weekly challenge over at Paper Smooches SPARKS blog!! Another Anything Goes challenge starts today!   

That's right--you get to create ANYTHING you want (as long as you use Paper Smooches stamps)!! This is the BEST challenge ever!!!

I've created a super simple card today that focused on using the NEW PS Positive Strokes Two set and my gelatos (which have been sitting in my closet since I've joined the Imagine Crafts team! LOL!).

To be honest, I was creating this for a special feature on the PS blog for Tuesday this week, but I felt that the brush stroke images were a but distorted. So I figured that I would use it for today's post instead:) 

Not sure I like this photo... so I had to take another:)

I used the NEW PS Ruffle Pleats die, along with my Religious Words dies and The Welcome Wagon stamp set. I combined metallic paper with my watercoloring paper and some from Chickaniddy Crafts. LOOOOOOOOOOVE how this turned out:)

That's it for me today--but be sure to stop by the other Paper Smooches SPARKS DT members' blogs and leave them some love. 

Katie

Larissa

Lori

Lynn

And don't forget to stop by the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog for more details. This challenge ends April 25th. Hope you join in the fun--- this is the EASIEST challenge ever!!!!!!!!

THANKS so much for stopping by! Be blessed:}

Paper Smooches SPARKS February Picture Perfect challenge

Hello, friends:}

Today we start another weekly challenge over at Paper Smooches SPARKS blog!! This week is a Picture Perfect challenge.  

This week we are inspired by the following picture:

Picture: Credit

I love this photo-- there's so much to be inspired by and so many details! I love the flowers and the gold and that's where my inspiration came from. 

I created a simple Easter card using the Paper Smooches Easter Blessings and Blossoming Buds stamp sets. I used lots of Imagine Crafts Memento inks to create a watercolor look for the flowers. Super easy! 

The only thing NOT easy about this card is taking a photo of that gold paper! OY! It looks orange in this photo... and in the other 100 photos... it looked black! It's soon much prettier in person! 

That's it for me today--but be sure to stop by the other Paper Smooches SPARKS DT members' blogs and leave them some love. 

Katie

Larissa

Lori

Lynn

And don't forget to stop by the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog for more details. This challenge ends February 14th. I cannot wait to see what you make--I actually can't wait to see what you are inspired by in this photo!!

THANKS so much for stopping by! Be blessed:}