A Wish for a Friend

Our weather has been so nice this month that it's been hard to stay indoors.  And certain spring gardening and lawn chores that normally wait until April needed to be done in March (I've even mowed the grass already).  But I sat still long enough last night to make this card to send to a friend whose mother is in the hospital.  That's a stressful enough situation, but imagine that your mother lives thousands of miles away in another country.  There's not a whole lot you can do except worry and hope for good news.

I used some lovely patterned papers by 7 Gypsies to frame this fun image of two friends by Oxford Impressions.  The stars are from the Spellbinders Moroccan Accents set.  I hope this card will bring some joy to my friend's day when she receives it.


Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Brown cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by 7 Gypsies; white cardstock from Oxford Impressions; main image from Oxford Impressions; sentiment from Stampin' Up; walnut stain distress ink; Memento tuxedo black ink; deckle-edge scissors; EK Success border punch; oval and scalloped oval punch from Stampin' Up; Moroccan Accents Shapeabilities; copper brads from Michaels; pop-dots.

My First Watercolor Painting

Ever get the itch to try something new?  Well, I decided I want to learn how to paint with watercolors.  Through a local artists' group, I found a woman who offers weekly classes in all mediums.  I spent my first class practicing flat and graduated washes, and this week, in my second class, I completed an entire painting!

The original painting is 21 x 7 inches, so this picture shows just one half of it.  It's a winter scene using a lovely color called Payne's Gray (I would call it "midnight blue").  The snow crystals in the background were created by sprinkling margarita salt on the wet paint.  You mean there's another use for margarita salt?  I'll have to stock up.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous day.

Softball Team Tags

As I mentioned previously, my dad plays on a softball team at their winter home in Arizona.  His team lost only one game this year and finished in first place in their division.  On top of that, they beat their arch rivals to win the division tournament!  My folks were so excited, they called me with the news before they even left the ball park that day.  (It's just like having a kid in Little League again.)

In honor of their achievement, I decided to create a tag for each guy on the team.  I colored the main image with pencils, but to save time I scanned it and printed duplicates.  However, I did hand-stamp all of the backgrounds.  Since I assembly-lined the process, it didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would to make all 17 tags.

Each tag will be tied to a couple of boxes of Cracker Jack.  I can't wait to hear the guys' reactions when they receive their "goodies."  What a fun way to celebrate their great season!

Thanks for popping in!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Blue cardstock by Bazzill; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; baseball-themed rubber stamps from Artistic Outpost; alphabet stamps by Hero Arts; Stazon black ink; pumice stone and aged mahogany distress ink; Memento Paris dusk dye ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; burgundy ribbon from Michaels.