A few Challenge cards

 On Sunday's the featured stamper challenge happens, and I came across this cool card from 
Lori seen here. I just loved everything about it, the tall shape, the pops of the red lady bugs, the fringy grass. So, to make changes, I switched all the stamps and moved the red from the bugs to the blooms and I intended to make a one layer card but, after I cut my cardbase I realized the printed paper I had stamped and colored was 1/4" an inch too short. ( I didn't want a mat) so, since I wanted a card that would fit into a regular business envelope, I decided to pull out my Martha Stewart fringe scissors and a scrap to add to the bottom. the ribbon is one from Micheal's a while back. This card finished at 4 1/4 x 9" when it was done, the coloring was done with polychromos & prisma pencils.

 On monday the try a new technique was to double stack your stencils so your biggest background window is the lightest color of ink and the stencil over that gets a darker color.
which looked really cool in the samples shared ( there is a tutorial here) and so, when I got home and looked at my stencils, most of them do not have big hole patterns. I tend to collect the skinny detailed texture ones so, these roses had some of the biggest window holes I could find. which for a few moments made me think I "need" more stencils but, the truth is I don't really use them enough to "need" more stencils. (yet haha) and I do like how this turned out. the sentiment is from an Impression Obesssion set with a pair of stick people and one of them is holding the others back stick)
its name is "my friend".

now this was just a funny thing, I am still sorting stamps and this fish stained glass window ( IO) was on the table to be sorted and the Clean and Simple challenge this week is to do something round. and so, I colored this on a sheet of Neenah (smooth) white cardstock with some zig clean brush and spectrum aqua marker and added a little bit of crystal stickles to the fins and then. ( I had been sorting stamps) evidently I got some ink on my hand and didn't notice until the fish was colored and the card base ( this started out as a one layer card) had this smear. so, I set it aside and Tuesday I came home and cut the circle out with a Memory box stitched circle die and tucked in the Hero Arts sentiment. this one is A2 in real life.
Every year I think this is the year I am going to be one of those bloggers who does each card it's own blog post, and every year it never happens... and somewhere I read maybe yesterday that one of the days this week was the day people throw in the towel on their new years resolutions and I laughed and laughed. Thank for stopping by.