Another lighthouse card

For the next week or so, I'll be highlighting more cards that I made by pairing digital images (most of them free) with free word art from the ever-talented and generous Bethany.



I love this lighthouse image (a digital from River City Rubber Works), and I'm thrilled that I bought it. It was worth all 100 pennies! :) This sentiment was another free Word Art by Bethany.

I printed and colored this image much the same as my other lighthouse cards, but I got it too close to the edge of the paper, so I couldn't use the Labels 8 Nestabilities like I had planned to. Instead, I cropped this one into a rectangle and made this simply-laid-out card.

The black circles are not brads. They are simply circles I drew on with a black marker.

It's a simple card, but I love it!

Lighthouse cards

Here are two more of my digital image/word art pairings made into cards. The lighthouse is one of the few digital images I've purchased, and I bought it when it was 50% off at River City Rubber Works. Both of the word arts are freebies from Bethany.





They are exactly the same, except for the sentiment. I printed them onto blue cardstock and colored the light, rocks, dirt and grass with my BIC markers. I used a white watercolor pencil (direct to paper, after dipping it in water) to color the lighthouse and other building. Then I used Stardust embossing powder on the water to make it sparkle. After I mounted it onto the shaped card, I added silver Stickles around the edges.

If you're wondering how I added that embossing powder to a digital image, it's really quite simple. I applied liquid glycerine lightly with a paintbrush, added the embossing powder, and heat-set it. The glycerine makes it stick. I understand you can also buy refills for the VersaMark pads and use the refill bottle exactly the same way, but I had glycerine on hand. A little bit goes a long way!

A quick share!

Okay, here's a really quick post with some of what I wanted to share! I've been playing around with some digital images (especially the free ones) and combining them with some free word art I got from this wonderfully talented (and generous lady), Bethany.

I came up with this 5x7" ocean-themed notecard set to give to the evangelist's wife that is visiting this week. She was raised around here, so she shares a love for the ocean. I wanted to make them with a high-end, by-the-ocean boutique feel. I used some nice thick cardstock with texture, and I really LOVE how they turned out. These are something you really need to see in person to appreciate. But since I can only show you pictures, here they are:



This first picture doesn't look too great small. Click on it to see the detail better. The footprints were from a free PhotoShop brush, and the sentiment (as all of these did) came from Bethany. I added glittery embossing powder to the footprints.



This sand dollar came from Arthur's Free Clip Art site. The glittery embossing powder gave it a lovely effect, with no coloring needed!



This sea horse also came from Arthur's Free Clip Art. I simply colored in the seaweed and added glittery embossing powder to make the sea horse stand out.



This lighthouse image came from a free PhotoShop brush called SS Beach Sketches. Since lighthouses are usually white anyway, it didn't require much coloring, either.



And lastly, this starfish came from the same PhotoShop brush set (SS Beach Sketches). I added glittery embossing powder to the starfish, and I really liked the effect.

I'm working on tons more word art/digital image pairings, so maybe you'll see more of them in the near future. I'd love to offer to share them, but I don't think I'll be able to since they're not my original works. However, feel free to go collect the word art and digital images yourself and pair them up. :)

Look what I got today!

While I was finishing up homeschool for the day, the doorbell rang and I knew it was Fed Ex with the first set of Nestabilities I was expecting. I was so excited, I couldn't wait for my son to finish his work. [At least we agreed on one thing today!]

Then my husband checked the mail a half hour later, and there was the second set of Nestabilities I was expecting, as well as a thank you gift of dew drops (I assume that's what they are since I've never seen any in real life), a nice thank you note, and a coupon for a future order. That order came from SecondChildhoodCreations, in case you're interested.

Then after my husband left to get his hair cut, someone rang the doorbell. It was too early to be the evangelist we're expecting tonight, so I wasn't sure I wanted to answer the door. (I rarely answer it when my husband isn't home.) When I peeked out the window, though, I saw a lady standing there with a bouquet of flowers. I recognized the Jeep from the local florist, so I opened the door.



See what my Secret Sister sent me? Isn't it beautiful? It's also perfect timing, since our company arrives tonight. We'll have a nice, fresh floral arrangement to enjoy this week! :)

I'm not sure how much I'll get to post this week, but I have a few things I'm just dying to share. So we'll see if I can sneak in an extra minute here and there between homeschooling, entertaining and church. :)

Just a Note Cardinal

Supplies: free digital image (Arthur's Free Clip Art) colored with my BIC markers, sentiment (Studio G); papers (Provo Craft??); ribbon (Big Lots); rhinestone ($1 Tree); Nestabilities Labels 8

I just love free digital images, in case you haven't noticed yet. This cardinal is one of my favorite finds to date. Would you believe that Stampin Up has a very similar cardinal in one of their stamp sets? At over $20 for a set, I'd say this free digital image has them beat by a long shot -- at least in my book!

I was completely inspired by this card that uses the Stampin Up stamp. She made it into a bluejay, which gives me a few more ideas for this lovely bird! :)

Floral Timepiece

Supplies: rose stamp ($1 Tree), clock stamp (Kelly Panacci), sentiment (Tim Holtz); paper (unknown); EK Success fleur de lis border punch; Cuttlebug Textiles embossing folder; rhinestones ($1 Tree) colored with my BIC markers.

I wanted to use this clock stamp set that I haven't gotten to use yet, so I turned to Splitcoaststampers for inspiration. Stampin Up has a similar clock in their "Sense of Time" set, so I browsed the gallery for that stamp set and found this beauty. I loved the way she used the flower in the background of the clock, so I did something similar.

Edited to add a title - Oops! :)

A "Crabby" Welcome

Supplies: free digital image (Arthur's Free Clip Art); sentiment (Studio G); paper (unknown, Recollections); Fiskars border punch; Nestabilities Labels 8; plastic beads (Michaels $1 section), stardust embossing powder.

Since we live near the ocean, I like to have welcome cards for my guests that reflect an ocean theme. This free digital crab image is perfect!

I really like how the stardust embossing powder gives the "sand" a glittery effect without flaking off.