Wildflowers

Hey, I'm a wildflower, growin' in the sunshine,
soakin' up the way of life I was raised in,
runnin' barefoot bloomin' in a summer shower,
ponytail dancin' I can't help it.

I-I'm a wildflower.
~Janedear Girls

Welcome to the second day of The Craft's Meow May Previews! Today we have a another absolutely lovely set designed by Nina B., called Wildflowers.

There are two flower images in this set (among other fabulous items) and I used the outlined version. I stamped in brown and then outlined choice areas in white gel pen. I colored the insides with marker. Finally, I accented the flowers with a few dots of Enamel Accents. The card was finished with a bow of embroidery floss and a touch of embossed dots.

There are some new designers showcasing their stuff for The Craft's Meow. Please be sure to stop by for a visit at the Blog and the Designer's Blogs. You've got a chance to win this beautiful set for free!

He Leadeth Me

He leadeth me, O blessed thought!

O words with heavenly comfort fraught!

Whate'er I do, where'er I be

Still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.

Today marks the first day of The Craft's Meow May Previews! Today we have a lovely set debuting called Lovely Hymns Two, designed by Nina B.

I decided to make the sentiment from Beautiful Hymns Two shine by accenting it with some My Mind's Eye Rub-ons and patterned paper. I really like the versatility of the this set, it goes with just about anything I have in my stash. The sentiment and flowers are actually adhered with foam adhesive onto a patterned paper panel, and where the two meet I tied strung some May Arts Burlap String and tied a bow.

There are some new designers showcasing their stuff for The Craft's Meow. Please be sure to stop by for a visit at the Blog and the Designer's Blogs. You've got a chance to win this beautiful set for free!

Patterns

Today we have TWO sneak peeks of CAS-ual Fridays Stamps for the May Release!

This first card features a few patterns from Zigs & Zags. Love the different sizes as well as patterns included in this set, and stamping them makes for quick cards too! (I also added a sentiment from WTF.)

The second set today features many houndstooth patterns, another perfect set for the guys in your life, or the trendy gals too! Here I embossed the medium houndstooth pattern in blue onto black paper, then adhered the strip to a white card based, added a red strip of washi tape and finished with a sentiment included in the set.

Please stop by the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Blog to see more projects featuring this set, and find out how you could win one of your very own!

Tech Talk

**Please scroll down for my Artful Delight post,
where I've got two cards featuring a cool technique!**

The other day my dear old Mac (and when I say old, I mean old like in old age) lost one of its Control keys. Looks like a big gaping hole. Rest in Peace, Control Key. Good thing that Mac users don't often use the Control Key...

Have you enjoyed the past couple of sneaks for the May Release at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps? Today's set is called Tech Talk and what a cool concept! There are many images and sentiments to mix and match in this set, perfectly masculine yet still universal too. I stamped a few of the stamps with white ink and then after they thoroughly dried, shaded a them with marker to add dimension. This panel was then adhered to the card base with dimensional adhesive (after affixing some washi tape to the base and stamping the sentient.)

Please stop by the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Blog to see more projects featuring this set, and find out how you could win one of your very own!

Perennials

This year I'm finally getting into the perennials. Take the time to care for them twice a year and they come up year after year after year. I planted some lilies, dahlias, irises and hostas. Here's wishing me luck!

Included in this month's Artful Delight May Card Kit are some sketchy rub on transfers from the Amy Tangerine line. I went clean and simple and adhered them onto a card base (the cardstock came from the kit too!) and then colored them in with a Copic Marker. Much to my delight, only certain areas took the ink, and it lent to even more sketchy, colored, look! The sentiment is from the stamp set included in this month's kit.

Here's another version. I used a cotton swap to apply white ink to the clouds and Copics for the sun. (The sentiment is from a Lawn Fawn set I already had in my stash.)

Artful Delight offers a monthly card sketch and a scrapbook sketch challenge, details are here...try your hand for a chance to win a kit!

Yellow Brick Road

"Follow the yellow brick road, follow the yellow brick road
Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow-brick road
Follow the yellow-brick, follow the yellow-brick
Follow the yellow-brick road
You're off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
You'll find he is a Whiz of a Wiz is ever a Wiz there was
If ever, oh ever, a Wiz there was the Wizard of Oz is one because
Because, because, because, because, because
Because of the wonderful things he does
You're off to see the wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz!"

Welcome back to Day Two of the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps May Release. Today we are featuring BrickWorks, a really fun background building sets with awesome sentiments. I stamped one of the patterns with white ink on an angle onto yellow card stock then came back with a second stamp and gray ink. I finished the card with a sentiment strip. Love the ode to the Yellow Brick Road for a graduation card...

Please stop by the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Blog to see more projects featuring this set, and find out how you could win one of your very own!

Frankly

“Now, at the end of the road, there was nothing left of that girl. Hunger and hard labor, fear and constant strain, the terrors of war and the terrors of Reconstruction had taken away all warmth and youth and softness. About the core of her being, a shell of hardness had formed and, little by little, layer by layer, the shell had thickened during the endless months.”
~Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind

{Funny how reading those few lines many, many times and many, many years ago really had no personal meaning, but now, they mean the world.}

Woo hoo! Today starts the sneaks at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps for the May Release, and this month the stamps are outstanding (well, really, they are every month). There are some really fun quotes in this set, aptly called Frankly. The other gals have showcased my favorite large stamp, but I decided to feature the graphic stamp included in the set and created some long stemmed poppies.

Please stop by the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Blog to see more projects featuring this set, and find out how you could win one of your very own!

Logos

I'm tickled and honored to be a guest over at Paper Crafter's Library Blog today, where I have featured this card and two others inspired by corporate logos. Gosh darn, I had a lot of fun creating...being able to mix Graphic Design with card making! Please stop on over, learn about this card and see my other two creations!

Somehow, Some Survive

Somehow, some survive all that and,
like a flower opening after a storm,
they slowly begin to remember

[what] they lost in a different way...

~Mark Rickerby

What an amazing May Card Kit offered by Artful Delight...I think I say that every month I get my hands on the kit. I was heavily inspired by the masterful works of Cristina, particularily this card of her's. I sprayed some of the mist included in the kit onto white cardstock and then die cut it, along with die cutting the yellow cardstock panel too. I adhered these among some layers and finished the card with a button and stamped sentiment, both from the kit.

Be Still, My Soul

 

Be still, my soul. The Lord is on thy side, in every change, He faithful will remain.
What a beautiful saying to go along with a field of beautiful blooms.

The Craft's Meow Design Team Members are hosting a Flower Hop for the month of May. If you are following the hop, you should have arrived from Julie Ranae's blog. Otherwise, you can start at the beginning at The Craft's Meow!

My card today features a sentiment from Beautiful Hymns and a series of stamped blooms from Beautiful Spring. I used the masking technique for the blooms, and chose to highlight only one bloom next to the sentiment with full color, the others just got an outline wash of light marker.

I do hope you enjoy hopping along today to see all the beautiful May Flowers. There is even a prize for one lucky commenter, chosen from a random comment on one of the design team member's hop post. A TCM stamp set of your choice! Please be sure to leave an original comment when you are hopping!

Thanks for stopping, and your next visit is to Lin Brandyberry's blog!