Possitive Affirmation Magnet

This is how I'm attacking the day today...Today will be the best day ever! Every now and again I need a little motivation and positive affirmation...

I designed this one for the Zazzle store and I keep one right by my computer.



Inspirational Butterfly Quote Note Card

"If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies..." I like this because it reminds me that change is good. I design a lot of cards, bookmarks, and magnets using this.

When I worked on this card I used a torn piece of watercolor paper that I'd done a watercolor wash on, added some punched butterflies, and the saying that I'd printed on some handmade paper.

Teapot Note Cards

I just added these to my Artfire store. These were printed from an original watercolor that I did last year. I have a thing for teapots and I actually have a small collection that always serves as great inspiration

Thinking About Leaf Prints As The Season Changes

With fall just around the corner I can't help but think off all the fun things to do with leaves. I always get a kick out of making leaf prints and then using them for cards -- this is also a neat activity to do with kids. All you need are leaves that have fallen from the trees, some acrylic paint (washable paint if you're working with the kids), and paper.

Once you've found a leaf that you want to use to make your print, just paint the front of it and then press it down on your paper. The amount of paint that you use will determine how detailed your print will be -- play around with it until you find the look that you want. When I did this one I decided to use green and yellow paint on my leaf, and then I did a watercolor wash over it when it was dry.

Mini Abstract Art For Cards

Sometimes abstract pieces will add just the right amount of movement and color that you're looking for when you're working on a card. I created this mini abstract painting using water colors and acrylics. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it until I pulled out this fluorescent white card blank with the gold deckle edge -- then I knew exactly where it was going -- and 'Abstract Splash' ended up on a card and in my Etsy store.

Punched Water Color Flowers

I had some left over paper that I had done a water color wash on for another piece, and I couldn't bear to throw the paper away because I liked the way the colors had blended together. So I decided to salvage the scraps by using a flower punch to punch some flowers that I could use for a flower pot design that had been floating around in my head.

I used handmade paper for the background, some type of construction tape (I have no idea what it's called -- I just liked the way it looked) for the flower pot, and added the punched flowers above the pot to finish it off.

So I was happy... I was able to make a card and put the left over paper to some good use.

Creating Cards on Water Color Paper

Sometimes when I paint a mini painting directly onto a water color paper card blank I like to add small embellishments to the painting to add another dimension to the card. On this card I used water colors to paint the flowers and then I added the paper butterfly as a way of incorporating another element.

Layering Handmade Papers To Create Interesting Effects

Layering handmade papers can create very interesting effects. Most times when we think of layering we focus on the background of the piece. In this case I decided to do a watercolor wash for the background and then layer the papers to create the figures in the piece, giving them some depth and dimension.