Where Ideas Take Flight

First, let me tell you about a brand new website that I am very excited about. It is called Spotted Canary....where ideas take flight. It is a resource community to give you ideas and projects and you can share your own ideas. Sounds cool, huh? I have contributed to it, so if you see a project attributed to "Renaissance Crafter"....that is me. You know how a "Renaissance Man" knows about and is interested in many different things? Well, I am interested in a lot of crafts....from papercrafting, scrapbooking, photography, sewing, knitting, painting....the list goes on and on, so that is why that is my name on the site. Be sure and click on the name above and check it out. Let me know what you think. It has just recently gone live, so it will continue to get better and better! You can create your own "Craft Spot" where you invite friends, message others, etc. I am still learning my way around on it.

I have created artwork for Inkadinkado for almost two years now. Most months, you can see something on the Inka website that I made....I just got my "assignment" today so I was excited to get started. After I finished the card I made, I decided to go ahead and make cards out of the extra photos I had printed. The first one (above) is a photo I took in Savannah, GA. Who knows, there might be a candy box Forrest Gump left behind somewhere near that park bench. I took that photo in the morning when the sun was low and it was illuminating the spanish moss. I added some stamping with an Inkadinkado stamp and some ribbon, and I have a card ready to go.

This next one is the Minnehaha Falls near Lake Rabun in NE Georgia. It is one of our favorite waterfalls in the area of the cabin. This would make a great manly card or card for someone who likes to hike.

This garden gate is in the backyard of my friend, Miriam's house. She has a gorgeous backyard with lots of hydrangeas and ferns and hostas, etc. Notice how I used the Curvy Cutter to cut a half circle at the top of the card to replicate the gate....easy peezy!

Don't forget to check out Spotted Canary!

Tulip Magnolia

I love photography and enjoy using my photos in my cards. When I saw this tulip magnolia stamp, I thought of this photo I took at Arlington Cemetery earlier this spring. It is a somber card, but would make a nice sympathy card. I used the Curvy Cutter, but did not cut the full oval, stopping when I came to the stamped image. I like that overlap that helps connect the stamped image with the photo. I colored the stamped image with Copics.

Bouquet of violets

I just love this violet stamp. It reminds me of early spring at the cabin. I also like the detail of the stems....it is all so very delicate and works great with wc crayons. You can probably tell that ovals are my favorite shape also. The opening was cut with Curvy Cutter and the Happy Birthday message is on a Spellbinders die. The little flowers were already embossed on the paper.

I use my coupons for cardstock at Archivers by first choosing some print paper that is in their clearance section and then I choose solid cardstock to go with it. That way, when I come home, I have all the colors I need.

I used some Stickles glitter glue in the centers of the violets (love those!) and my deckle edge paper cutter to cut the hard to cut embossed paper that feels like handmade paper.

Get Well Daisy

I used the same rustic paper for this Get Well card as the barn. This daisy was done with watercolor crayons....I guess it is really some type of sunflower rather than a daisy. I love this Martha Stewart border punch. It is one of my favorites! I used EK Success Curvy Cutter for cutting the ovals.....I really like using those and my Coluzzles are feeling a little ignored now that I have discovered these great tools. I have it in circles, ovals and rounded squares. There is one where you can do different shapes, but I have only seen that one once.