Big Fish

Hello! Today is my dad's birthday and this is the card I made for him. I used images from Gone Fishing and Follow Your Dreams. 

 I started by stamping the cattails, from Follow Your Dreams, using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copics, starting with E29. The background size is 2 1/2 by 4 inches.

I used YG95 on the foliage. 

Then added YG97 to shade. 

After coloring, I heat embossed the image with clear embossing powder to resist the sponging. I used a Versa Marker to color in the image with clear ink so the embossing powder would stick. After embossing I sponged Memento Summer Sky ink. 

Then sponged Memento Danube Blue ink. 

I masked to sky with a sticky note and sponged more Danube Blue.

Using the water grass, from Follow Your Dreams, I stamped several times with Memento Bamboo Leaves ink. 

I stamped the fish, from Gone Fishing on a scrap of Pure Luxury White, and used Copics to color, starting with YG93. 

Added YG91.

Added C3. 

Added C1. 

Added YG02 and used my blender pen to soften the color a bit. After coloring I cut out the fish. 

I stamped the fish on my background so the water drops would be there and adhered the cut out fish with Pop Dots. I added some ripples to the water with my white gel pen and B21 & B23 Copics. 

I added the sentiment, from Follow Your Dreams to the background and layered with Pure Luxury In The Navy and Fresh Asparagus. The card base is Pure Luxury Chocolate Brown and sized at 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 inches.


Thanks for visiting. I hope you have a fabulous day!

Spooky Branch

Happy Monday to you! Today's card uses images from my new set, Celebrate The Season. 

I cut a piece of Pure Luxury White card stock to 5 by 3 3/4 inches and sponged Memento Cantaloupe ink in the center. 

Sponged  bit of Memento Tangelo just above the Cantaloupe. 

Then sponged Memento Grape Jelly at the top and down the edges. 

Sponged Memento Bamboo Leaves at the bottom. 

Then sponged Memento Tuxedo Black around all the edges.

I stamped the bare branch, from Celebrate The Season, using Stazon Jet Black, then stamped the owl. 

I inked up the pumpkin silhouette with Memento Tangelo and used a Memento Bamboo Leaves marker to ink up the stem and leaves. Then I stamped on a piece of Pure Luxury White and cut it out. 

The sentiment is from Fanciful Fall. I stamped it on a scrap of Pure Luxury White and adhered it with Pop Dots. The pumpkin was also adhered with Pop Dots. I added three brads to the corner and layered with Pure Luxury Black Onyx. The card base is Pure Luxury Vibrant Purple.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a beautiful day!

The Big Hike

*Warning, this is a non-stamping post*  This past Monday we finally did our big hike to Half Dome in Yosemite. Mike and I went, along with his two cousins. I didn't do the final 400 ft. cable ascent up the dome, but did make the rest of the round trip.This was by far the toughest (and scariest) hike I've ever done, but also the most beautiful. I have a few pictures, but the photos just don't do it justice.

From our starting point in Curry Village in the Yosemite Valley, we traveled over 20 miles round trip and gained over 4800 feet in elevation. Mike and his cousin, who did the cables, gained 5200 feet in elevation. There were hundreds of granite steps like the ones above. That is me at the bottom of the photo trying to get my short leg up over the step.

These stairs were endless! 

Looking back at some of the stairs. 

Here is a photo of the first falls we came to, Vernal Falls. 

After we got to the top of Vernal Falls, we got to rest and hike on a bit semi level terrain. 

Then we got a look at Nevada Falls. 

And then hundreds more granite steps to get to the top of Nevada Falls. 

Thank goodness we got to another easy section on our way through Little Yosemite Valley.  That didn't last long and it was back to climbing, climbing and more climbing.

A view of Half Dome from Little Yosemite Valley. 

Eventually we broke through some trees and got our first close up look at the dome. The top bulge is Half Dome and the lower bulge is Sub Dome. I only made it just past Sub Dome. My fear of heights kicked in hard when I tried to go up the cables of Half Dome and I decided to chicken out.

Here is a look at Half Dome just as we were about to crest Sub Dome. 

Here is a look at the cable ascent of Half Dome. It was so freaky steep. So was Sub Dome, for that matter, but at least there were steps for most of that part. The cables were just too much for me to overcome my fear of heights. It's life or death on this part, no room for error whatsoever. If you slip and fall it's all over. I went up a  short way and just didn't feel strong or confident of my ability to do it. I waited below with one of Mike's cousins, while he and another cousin went up. 

After Mike  and his cousin got back down from the cables (and I could breath a sigh of relief) it was time to head back down Sub Dome. Here is a look down. I'm in the lower right corner of this photo and you can see two tiny little people closer to the center, but still right of the tree. That is where we were headed. This part was so steep, I just had to keep my head down and only look a little way in front of myself. 

Looking back at Sub Dome and Half Dome. If you click on the photo, you can see a larger version and just make out the cables and some of the steps of Sub Dome.

 A pretty shot along the trail of the Merced River.

One more panoramic shot on our way out. I don't know what the peak in the front is, but we hiked around the backside of it and crossed over those falls. You can see Half Dome in the distance on the left.

I'm not happy to have failed on the cables, so I'm going to have to go back and try again next year. I will take a safety harness with me next time (and I'll insist my husband use one too), so hopefully that will help me overcome my fear of heights, so I can make it up the cables. Guess I better start training.

Thanks for the visit. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Beacon of Light

Hello! My card today used a lighthouse from By The Sea and sentiment from Sending Sunshine.

I stamped the lighthouse on a Pure Luxury White background, cut to 2 1/4 by 3 3/4 inches, using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I colored with Copics, starting with N5. 

Added N3. 

Added N1 and used my blender pen to smooth out the highlights.

I used Y21 and Y000 to add a light shining from the lighthouse.

For the bluffs the lighthouse rests on, I started with N7.

Added N5.

Then filled in with N3.

I colored in the image completely with a VersaMarker pen so my embossing powder would stick, then heat embossed with clear embossing powder.

 

I used a sticky note to mask the bottom and sponged Memento Cantaloupe ink using my Sponge Dauber. I just got some of these smaller sponge daubers and really like them to be able to sponged smaller areas like doing this sun.

I used another small sponge dauber to add some Memento Rose Bud ink.

Then back to my normal Jumbo Sponge Dauber to sponge Memento Lulu Lavender for the sky.

I cut a thin pie shaped from a sticky note to mask an area for the lamp shine. Then sponged Memento Grape Jelly ink.

I moved the mask to cover the sky and sponged Memento Grape Jelly, darker than the sky, for the sea.

I used an opaque white gel pen to add some ripples to the water. Then I layered with Pure Luxury Black Onyx and White. The white is cut to 3 3/4 by 5. The card base is Pure Luxury Vibrant Purple. I used my Scor-Pal to score the white layer after stamping the sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a fantastic day.