Paint A Little Peace - Seasons Givings Blog Hop & Giveaway

For seven years, I've participated in my friend Latisha's amazingly generous Seasons Givings blog hop. This hop is just a way for bloggers to say thank you to their audience. All of you who bless us with comments throughout the year deserve a little gift as we transition to a new year, and that's exactly what you're going to get.

So stay tuned after my card details to see my prize and how you can win it, along with a long list of other bloggers and companies doing gratitude giveaways tonight. This hop isn't sponsored or paid - it's just a bunch of people saying thank you in their own way.

If you're NOT a blogger, please know how much I look forward to the notification that I have a comment on my blog. It's absolutely the high point of each day to think that someone took the time to stop by here, read and interact with me. It's internet magic.

And even if you don't comment - just your eyes on my little cards is a gift to me, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I needed a little down time during the holidays - I didn't get much this year, and so I thought I'd watercolor an image I bought this summer but haven't used yet - this stunning stamp.

Fun fact - their stamps are white rubber, and the rubber is sparkly. It's the little things.

Anyway, their packaging has a colored version of the stamp image, and I loved theirs so much that I really just recreated it. First, I stamped it in Fadeout Ink, and then I watercolored it with Daniel Smith Watercolor.

It looks like it's stamped in black ink, right? But look at the moon - it's not!

After it was painted with Daniel Smith Watercolor, I took this teeny weeny paintbrush and added what looks like black details with Payne's Grey. I had just received this STUNNING Fox watercolor palette from this Etsy shop and it was perfect for mixing the right saturation of Payne's Grey plus it made me happy to look at. I'll show you other palettes from her shop below. But without this tiny brush I couldn't have made it look so precise.

The sentiment is from this set, and it's stamped in my MISTI in Nocturne.

Carabelle Studio EN BORD DE MER Cling... [ SSS ] Clear Stamps- My Anchor - Gina K Designs [ GNK | SSS ] Bundle Stamps and Dies- Layered... [ GNK ] Сeramic watercolor palette FOX... [ ETS ] Watercolor Palette, Sea Turtle... [ ETS ] Fadeout No Line coloring Detail Ink [ INK ] VersaFine Clair Ink Pad, Nocturne -... [ ELH | SSS ] Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors [ BLIC ] 05457-1000 - Blick Masterstroke... [ BLIC ] Escoda Versatil Brushes, Travel Round... [ UTR | BLIC | INK ] Da Vinci Cosmotop Sable Mix F Brushes... [ BLIC | ELH ] Fabriano Extra White Cold Press... [ BLIC ] MISTI Stamping Tool [ MSW | HA | SSS | ELH | MFT | UNT ] Lawn Fawn STAMP SHAMMY Cleaner LF1045 [ SSS | ELH | CST | ART ] Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -... [ BLIC ] Nesting Porcelain Bowls - BLICK art... [ BLIC ] My Favorite Watercolor Sketchbook [ UTR ] Tombow MONO MULTI Liquid Glue Two... [ SSS | MFT ] LightView 2in1 LED Magnifier for... [ BRG ] Xyron ADHESIVE ERASER 23675 [ SSS | ART | AMZUS ] Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC [ ELH | SSS ] Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue [ ART | BLIC | ELH ] XL Stamp Storage Pockets [ ELH ] Essentials by Ellen Storage... [ ELH ] Die Storage - Clear Storage Pockets... [ CHC ] Retail Store - Gina K Designs [ GNK ]

So here are just two of these stunning handmade palettes. I love mine SO much. First - the turtle.

Now - the fox.

Her products are packaged beautifully, with postcards featuring some Instagram users' watercolor paintings that are just beautiful. She ships fast and you get beautiful Russian postage stamps on your package. So happy that this was part of my 2018.

If you love watercolor - consider joining my Daniel Smith Watercolor Split Group on Facebook. I split tubes of Daniel Smith Watercolor so that cardmakers can afford to have the highest quality artist watercolors for a very reasonable price. Just one tip - you need to answer all three questions when you click to join or I can't approve you. International members welcome - just please note that international shipping is not included in the split price, but US shipping is. Here's what a typical split looks like - I have the entire Daniel Smith line grouped into eight "splits" - if you get all 8 you'll have the full line for about 20% of the price you'd pay buying full tubes. So join us!

Now if you're here for the Seasons Givings blog hop - WELCOME! You have the opportunity to win lots of prizes, including here at my blog.

I will be giving one lucky reader this STUNNING stamp & die bundle from one of my favorite humans - Gina K. This is a gorgeous layering floral that's an all-year set and you will get that and the matching dies. Gina has been in my life for more than ten years now, and I'm grateful for her friendship, generosity and outstanding sense of humor. It's people like this that make our industry unique, and I encourage you if you're not already a customer to shop with this awesome small business woman - in person at her retail store in Wisconsin, or on her website. Here's what the bundle looks like:

For your chance to win this bundle, leave me a comment telling me what you're looking forward to in 2019 - with your crafting, your personal life, trips you're taking - anything goes!

I will post the winner on Friday the 4th. You can be in the US or international - this is a thank you gift, so no restrictions. Thank you for being here.

Now speaking of ten years of things - my friends at Stamp 'n Storage are celebrating their ten year anniversary with a SALE. I remember their first ad on Splitcoast, and how the owner got to quit his engineering job after the word spread about their amazing organizational tools. I have their ink pad holders, cardstock holders, my ink mini warchest, their marker caddy and magnet cards. They are always coming out with new, fun ways to organize your crafting supplies, and they are fantastic humans. I so enjoyed their Texas roadshow in New Braunfels - that's where I bought my Ink Warchest you can read about here. I use their products every day. So feel free to click here to enjoy 10% off their entire store - if your New Year's resolution is to be more organized - you're in luck!

To get MORE inspiration and more opportunities at squillions of prizes, check out this list of bloggers participating in this blog hop.

Lawn Fawn
Scrapbook and Cards Today Magazine

Hero Arts

My Favorite Things
Reverse Confetti
My Sweet Petunia

Picket Fence Stamps
Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L
Ink Blot Shop
Indigo Jade Art
Sunny Studio Stamps
Paper House Productions
Kraftin Kimmie Stamps
The Stamp Simply Ribbon Store
Newton's Nook Designs
Latisha Yoast

Lydia Fiedler
Lori Craig
Dina Kowal

Nichol Spohr
Chari Moss

Jenn Shurkus

Vera Yates

Ashley Newell
Beth Pingry
Giovana Smith
Dana Joy
Heather Hoffman
Margie Higuchi
Mindy Eggen
Julie Tilman
Cindy Lawrence
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Kelly Latevola
Emily Midgett
Ilina Crouse
Emily Leiphart
Kristi Goulet
Debi Adams
Tracey McNeeley
Wanda Guess
Ashley Harris
Tracey McLennon
Janine Tinklenberg
Amy Rysavy
Caly Person
Marcie Sharp
Mary-Ann Coulter
Amy Tsuruta
Tricia Barber
Shemaine Smith
Christine Meyer
Lisa Henke
Shellye McDaniel
Kathy Schweinfurth
Yvonne Van Der Grijp
Lynette Kaufmann
Laura Williams
Dana Tatar
Cheiron Brandon
Patti Gilliam
Gracie Chavez
Carisa Zglobicki
Debbie Seyer
Mariana Grigsby
Michelle Woerner
Deborah Saaranen
Lisa Stein

Thanks for being here, and all my wishes for a safe, healthy and peaceful New Year. I'm grateful for you.

Loveyameanitbye.

A Praying Fox

My friend Angela saw something in a stamp that I had to adopt. I love this adorable fox stamp set, and I thought this little guy looked sort of sassy, but Angela thought that he could also look like he had his eyes closed to pray, so she paired him with this same sentiment. That was too perfect not to recreate.

Towards the end of the year I try to include sympathy cards in my classes, so we made this card in my November class. We used the Life Changing Blender Brushes and this stencil, and brushed on Key Lime, Lucky Clover and Wild Dandelion ink for a background panel. I die cut a little circle of Kraft cardstock to sit the fox on, and colored him with Copic Markers after cutting him with the matching dies.

I also don't shy away from bright colors like this on sympathy cards - you want someone who needs a sympathy card to see something that makes their eyes happy, so don't feel like everything has to be muted. My dining room table is covered with beautiful sympathy cards with rich color and I'm happy every time I see them. Thank you to all of you who have sent me cards - it means a lot to me.

Like A Crafty Fox - Picket Fence Studios [ PFS ] Like A Crafty Fox Coordinating Die... [ PFS ] Picket Fence Studios WAYS TO SAY GET... [ SSS ] Big Fronds Stencil [ CLD ] Life Changing Blender Brush 2-Pack -... [ PFS ] GKD Color Companions Ink Pad- Lucky... [ GNK | SSS ] GKD Color Companions Ink Pad- Key... [ GNK | SSS ] GKD Color Companions Ink Pad- Wild... [ GNK | SSS ] Copic 12 Bold BASIC SKETCH MARKER SET... [ SSS ] MISTI Stamping Tool [ MSW | SSS | ELH | MFT | HA | UNT ] Heavy Base Weight Card Stock- White -... [ GNK ] Heavy Base Weight Card Stock- Kraft -... [ GNK ] Heavy Base Weight Card Stock- White [ GNK ] Absorber - Synthetic Cleaning Cloth [ AMZUS ] Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -... [ BLIC ] LightView 2in1 LED Magnifier for... [ BRG ] Mudder 10 Pack White Buffer Sanding... [ AMZUS ] Xyron ADHESIVE ERASER 23675 [ SSS | ART | AMZUS ] Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC [ ELH | SSS ] Tombow MONO MULTI Liquid Glue Two... [ SSS | ART | BLIC | ELH ] Ink Off Cloth [ INK ] Essentials by Ellen Storage... [ ELH ] Die Storage - Clear Storage Pockets... [ CHC ] XL Stamp Storage Pockets [ ELH ]

Loveyameanitbye.