Goodbye, Farewell - April Blog Hop with NC Demos

Welcome to the April NC Demos Blog Hop.   If you just arrived from Melissa's blog, isn't her Kleenex box cool?!!

Our theme this month gave us a lot of leeway.  We could choose cards that feature the retiring products, Mother's Day cards or Feminine cards.  My choice was retiring products.  I lost about 18 stamp sets not to mention several thinlits and punches.  Many of them did not surprise me since they had been around a while but I am still going to miss many of them! 

The first few cards I used a new technique that I had never done before - the Whitewash Technique.  There are several You-Tube videos that you can find to show the technique.  Basically, you stamp and emboss the image.  Next paint the image with the white re-inker (I used Aqua Brush.)  After that dries, add a little color to the image with a marker.  Then use your blender pen or Aqua Brush and blend the colors.  After it dries, you can go back and add a little more color as needed.

My first card uses Swallowtail stamp for the butterfly.  I also used the retiring DSP Typeset and the sentiment from And Many More (which is a great set for sentiments.)

The next two cards are made with Vivid Vases, a single stamp.

On this card, I also used the Curvy Corner Trio Punch which I love!

 This beauty uses three retiring stamp sets - Trust God, Everything Eleanor and the single stamp, Blended Blooms as well as the retiring Candy Dots.

Next I did a couple of cards using the blending technique with my sponges using Serene Silhouettes.

Next it was time for a little watercoloring.  I spritzed my Shimmery White cardstock with water and then using my Aqua Brush, colored Melon Mambo, Tangelo Twist and Daffodil Delight all over the card.  I cut another piece of cardstock using the Hexagon Hive Thinlit and adhere it on top of the watercolored piece.  The sentiment is from Feels Good.

 This is one of the cards we made in Stamp Club this month using the single stamp, Blooms for You.  The "seize the cake" sentiment is from the retiring set, Something to Say.

This final card also uses Blooms For You, Everything Eleanor (sentiment) and the Decorative Dots embossing folder.  This is one of the cards I made from pieces of the Paper Pumpkin April kit.

Hope you enjoyed my portion of the blog hop.  Continue along heading to Laurie Meir's blog next.

Below is a list of all the participants and their links:

Jo Anne Hewins

Michelle Irinyi

Melissa Kerman

Sharon Maranich

Laurie Meier

Sue Root

Karel Standish

Pam Staples

Frances Wagner

Thanks for stopping by!

Rain, Rain Go Away!

(OOPS - thought I posted this last night!)

Rain, rain go away!!  I think we are going to float away.  I have never seen so much rain.  This whole summer has been a rain out.  Ashley is coming to visit Thursday night so I hope the rain clears out the week she is here.  I know we'll have fun anyway - we always do - but she wants to go out on the boat a few times while she's here and a few dry days would help that plan.

Marianne and I  headed down to CKC Friday morning.  I was signed up for a Button Farm Mini Album class at 11:30 and she was able to sign up for an SEI class at the same time.  After class, we called our hotel shuttle man and had him take us to Mertz Heart and Soul for lunch.  YUM!  I had catfish and veggies and it was so good!  We decided that will be a yearly tradition from now on.  After lunch, we did a little shopping in the vendor mall before heading to our next class.  We took a Creative Keepsakes class making a destination mini album.  I hope to use mine for my New Zealand trip or maybe my cruise. Marianne decided to make hers for her sister in law who is just returned from London and Paris.  Marianne was one step ahead of me and brought us small bottles of Moscato wine which we drank while having our own scrapping party in the hotel lobby.  We were able to spread out and work on the albums from our earlier classes.  Saturday we had an 8:30 class so we were up bright and early to catch our shuttle over to the convention center again.  We took a morning class, did some more shopping before our last class. 

Sonny and I went to the movies on Sunday to see The Butler.  It was really good and I highly recommend it.  It is based on a true story of Cecil Gaines who served eight presidents during his tenure as a butler at the White House.  No matter your politics, it makes you understand how far this country has come to have a black president.

Last Thursday and this Tuesday are my Stamp Club days.  Here are a couple of the cards we are making this month.

 This is a great man's card, don't you think?  I love it!  I CASE'd it from the very talented Kathryn Lovell.  We did this card at a recent shoebox swap and I thought it would be great using the DSP, Sweater Weather.

 This was also a CASE from Dawn Griffith.  She has a video on her website that shows how to make this card.  I love it!

Stamp Club

These are the cards we made this week in Stamp Club.

Oh Whale

I just love this little guy!  I used the DSP from Sale-a-bration (Sycamore Street) to make the waves.  I die cut them using the Tasteful Trim Die and the Big Shot.  The white square was embossed with the Cloudy Day folder.  Stamp the whale with Midnight Muse ink and cut him out with the Embosslit and the Big Shot.  We added a little bit of Dazzling Details glitter to the wave on the main card.

Swallowtail Butterfly

The butterfly is stamped in Crumb Cake lightly (stamp off once).  Use Early Espresso and Primrose Petals markers to color the sentiment from Feels Good.  The small vanilla strip on the side of the card is stamped with the Papillion Potpourri stamp set using Primrose and Garden Green ink.  The small Primrose Petals card stock is embossed with the Needlepoint Border Embossing Folder from the mini catalog.


SAB - Feeling Sentimental

This card was embossed (Crumb Cake) with the Fancy Fan embossing folder and then sponged with Espresso ink.   Stamp the images from Feeling Sentimental onto vanilla card stock and punch out with the 1 1/2" Square Punch.  Mat the images with 1 3/8" squares of Early Espresso.  I cut the "Celebrate" piece by hand and put Neutrals brads on the ends.


Oh Hello

This was a great technique that I taught the girls on this card.  Use the Delicate Details Lace Tape on the card and sponge it with Marina Mist ink.  Remove the Lace Tape and you have "faux lace tape."  It just looks like there is a piece of lace tape there! 

Swallowtail Beauties

I guess I've complained about the cold enough!  We are starting to warm up.  Sunday, noon and it is 30 degrees with the sun shining.  By Tuesday or Wednesday, it is supposed to be in the 60s!!  Whoooo Whooo!!  Sonny is obsessed since our trip to Alaska with their weather this time of year.  Every day he tells me what the temps are going to be in Fairbanks.  Today I think he told me the high was supposed to be something like minus 40 degrees. I can't even imagine what that feels like.  Guess I won't complain about NC's highs and lows!

Despite the cold outside, I have been warm inside and working away with my new toys!  One of the stamp sets I didn't think I would get was the huge Swallowtail Butterfly single stamp.  I kept seeing some really pretty samples using it so I caved.  I am so glad I did.  I just love the cards I made with it this weekend.  What do you think?  Which one is your favorite? 

This one I stamped the butterfly on Whisper White card stock with Versamark and then sprinkled Melon Mambo embossing folder all over and heated it up.  Just gorgeous!  The little "thank you" uses the stamp, Pretty Petites and the small Label Punch (both items FREE in the Sale-a-bration catalog!

This butterfly was stamped on Naturals Ivory card stock with Versamark.  I sprinkled Classy Copper (retired) embossing powder over the little guy and heated him up.  Then I used my daubers to daub Baja Breeze and More Mustard on the wings.  Just daub the ink on lightly - you can always go back and add more.  Very lightly, in the background, I stamped the swirl stamp from Everything Eleanor.  (I'm not sure if "daub" is a word but you know what I mean!)

My final beauty is this black and white Swallowtail.  Make sure you remember to wipe the cardstock with the Embossing Buddy before stamping!!  I stamped the butterfly with Whisper White Craft ink (which is now retired BUT you can use Versamark and get the same effect.)  Next I sprinkled White embossing powder all over and heat set it.  I don't know if you can see it, but I used the Needlepoint Border embossing folder from the Spring Mini (pg. 5) on the Pool Party card stock.  The sentiment comes from one of my favorite sets, Word Play.

Last night Sonny and I went to the movies.  You've probably figured out by now that going to the movies is one of our favorite things to do.  Sonny had not seen Lincoln and I have been wanting to see Silver Lining Playbook and knew that was not his kind of movie.  So my movie stated at 7:05 and his at 7:15 so it worked out completely - except we couldn't share popcorn, which we don't do anyway!!  Truth be told, I usually pop my popcorn at home and take it in with me in my purse - much less calories!!  I really enjoyed my movie.  I wasn't too sure at first - it started rather slow and was kind of bizarre at first, but by the end I had a big smile on my face and was rooting for Bradley Cooper.  I don't think it will win the Academy Award but it was entertaining.