HB, Ervin

Once again it is time to send a card to hubby's twin brother.  He is a retired farmer, and wheat was one of the local crops, so I wanted this image for his card - thanks, Aastha for the supply you sent.  I used watercolor pencils and an aqua pen to create the bg.
Sketch/inspiration:   Stamplorations
For a special man:  Sweet Stampin
Sentiment:   Aud Sentiments
For a man:   DLArt
                      Aloha Friday
Watercolors:    AAA Cards  

CAS in red, white, blue

I placed a full sized red layer under the top of the card, to cover the back of the embossing, and to show through the punched edge (Fiskars).  Embossing - Cuttlebug stylized flowers; butterfly die - Cheery Lynn; 7Gypsies sentiment, glitter on the tiny flower topped with a gem; blue cs for the mat and the butterfly.
CHALLENGES:  
Sketch:   Share Joy
Red, white, blue:    Cheery Lynn
Birthday:      Allsorts 
                       AAA Cards
                       Polkadoodle 
                       Dies R Us  
                       Star Stampz
Flowers:        Pink Gem Challenge
Embossing:   Crafting for all Seasons
Glitter:      Sparkle n Sprinkle 
Wings:    Crafty Calendar
                       

Easter Blessings - to friends

We will send cards to a few friends from church - those who have been ill.  This features digis from Eureka stamps, colored with chalk pencils,  I added branches from Cheery Lynn dies, and Making Memories flowers.
Sketch #2:           VLV Sketches
Easter:                 AAA cards
                             Crafting-with-Dragonflies
                             Crafters Cafe  
                              Crafty Enjoyments
Color:                  Cupcake Inspirations
B = Blessings:     DRS Designs 
For a friend:       Suzypantssmarty   
Any:                     Cheery Lynn Designs
                              Creativec Craft Cottage 

Easter Blessings - Eureka DT #185

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This week the challenge at Eureka Stamps is "Easter".  You may enter up to 3 times before 6 pm EDT on Sunday.  We hope you will join us!  Eureka has a great line of traditional stamps and digis.  The digis for Easter include this "Lily Cross" and several similar ones, as well as other styles of Easter images and many sentiments, including the one I used.  If you enter using a digital image from Eureka, your chances of winning increase greatly.   I am including spring challenges because for me, spring means the Easter season.  Each time I see this image I think of the hymn "The Old Rugged Cross."  I think it is a Johnny Cash version that goes through my mind.
CHALLENGES ENTERED:
Sketch:        Cheerful Sketches
Use green:   Patties Creations
Easter:         Allsorts
                      Cuttlebug Mania
                      Pink Gem Challenge
                      Jo's Scrapshack
                      DLArt
                      AAA cards 
                      Deep Ocean
                      Inky Chicks  
                      Kitty Bee Aloha challenge
Spring:         Creative Knockouts
                      Fan-tastic Tuesday
Song:            Scribbles Designs
Any:              Corrosive Challenges
                       Our-Crafty-Corner
                       Word Art Wednesday         

Pink Thinking of you

I will give this to a friend from church.  I embossed a bit of the bg piece with Cuttlebug's textile, and lightly distressed it.  The main pink layer is embossed with the Darice butterfly folder.  I used a bit of pink chalk to create a background for the Cuttlebug sentiment, and added a shaded Bobbin ribbon.
Sketch:     Share Joy
Pink:         In the Pink
Spring:      Cuttlebug Mania
Embossing: AAA Cards

Far outside of my comfort zone

I pretty much avoid CAS cards- but I saw the challenge to case VIcki Dutchr, and I wanted to try.  This is a very old cuttlebug embossing folder - which I colored with Twinkling H20's/  I think that they are my favorite coloring medium - though I do not use them very often - probably because my color selection is not that great.  (I use an aqua brush.)  I have at least 4 different shades of blues and aquas as well as Forest green for the stems and leaves.  (The blotches are not present IRL - LOL!)  I added tiny black crystals for the flower centers, and the stencil is Tim Holz.  The Blessings die (Cheery Lynn, available at Joan's Garden) is my new favoarite die.  I like it because it is a simple way to express this sentiment - and useful for such a variety of occasions;  I also like that it is available in two sizes - and positionable in a way that a stamped sentiment may not work.
Inspired by Vicki:  http://www.aaacards.blogspot.co.uk/
Several colors, with stencil and texture, with die from Joan's Garden):  http://www.joanstouch.com/
Old (embossing folder) and new(die):  http://hobbycutzchallenges.blogspot.com/
Favorite die (see above):  http://asyoulikeitchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/
Something new (die):  http://www.drsdesignsblog.blogspot.com/