Stamp-A-Faire, 2016 edition!

Helllooooo!!!

Boy, it seems like the year flies by. It feels like just a month or two ago that my friend and I were celebrating Papertrey's Stamp-A-Faire in my craft room last summer, and now here it is over and done with for 2016! We had planned to get together again this year, but my little miss caught the plague that took down her brother last week. *insert sobbing face here!* So, our SAF plans were curtailed by a sickly toddler. Boo. 

My mom came over to visit, though, and so I was able to get a few of the challenges done. 

The day started with the Master Color Recipe Challenge, so that's where I'll begin:

And my version:

I used:
Forget Me Not (LOVE that set!) and dies

Spring Rain, Blueberry Sky, Lavender Moon, and Green Parakeet

A1 Noted Dies

I die cut a frame from a piece of 3 3/4x5 in card stock using the oval die from the A1 Noted collection, then stamped and die cut some of the lovely forget me nots from the stamp set of the same name. I blended a little Spring Rain ink on the card base using my Clarity Stencil Brushes, then used Blueberry Sky ink to stamp the sentiment over the coordinating white die cut, which was layered three times for dimension. 

Next, Gilded in Gold with Danielle. 

I die cut the Garden Garland leaf die from Heidi Swapp toner paper, then ran it through my Minc machine with gold foil to achieve the "gilded" look, and I used the same technique for my "M" die cut (from the Bookprint Alphabet). I die cut the flowers from the same die set using Pale Peony and White card stock, and a little stitched fishtail banner from the KIS Frames dies. 

I had some Martha Stewart gold acrylic paint (I totally spaced on buying the liquid gilding), so I used a paintbrush and dotted some in a speckly-ombre pattern on my card base. Not my favorite card that I've ever made, but it will suffice.

Next up, Floral Impressionism with Melissa. 

I used Bold Blossoms for the blooms on this one, along with Pale Peony, Sweet Blush, and Berry Sorbet inks. To achieve the stripes, I die cut my Horizontal Stripes cover plate from Post It paper, then used it as a mask with my Clarity Stencil Brushes to create some ombre stripes on my Pale Peony card base using Pale Peony ink. The stitched oval is from the A1 Noted dies, while the die cut is Big Basics:Thinking of You. Another card that is not my favorite, but I enjoyed the challenge of a new technique.

Now, to my favorite project from this weekend's festivities. This one fits in with the Watercolor Like a Master Challenge and the Masterpiece Inspirations Challenge. I chose this inspiration photo from which to work (though to be honest, I could have easily chosen a number of them. Stunning inspiration pieces):

And here was my rendition:

I used the Friendship Jar Floral Fillers set to create a watercolored bouquet. It definitely was a loooot messier and free-er than my normal precisely colored and shaded watercoloring, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. 

I was very inspired by the pretty vase, and the mason jar was as close as I could come within my PTI stamps haha! I chose a color pallette of Lovely Lady, Pale Peony, Melon Berry, Sweet Blush, Mint Julep, and Aqua Mist. I am really quite happy with how this came out, especially the jar. After I had muddied and spread color around and gone back and tried to make the flowers more precise and then muddied them again (ha!), I heat embossed the "for you" from Calligraphy Classics in gold embossing powder, then added a strip of antique gold glitter paper along the side, which I then mounted on an Aqua Mist card base. 

 I had hoped to get a few more challenges in today, but things just never go as you plan when you have a toddler or two getting into everything... I am so glad that I did end up being able to do the few challenges, though! Definitely am grateful for a hubby who understands my hobby/obsession and who lets me play (though I am having to give up an afternoon for him to go golfing this week... blah.) I can't wait to look at everybody else's projects!! Thank you, PTI, for sponsoring another super fun Stamp A Faire! I'm already looking forward to next year! :)