Botanical Bunch

Hello friends.  Quite awhile back I ordered the Botanical Bunch stamp set from WPlus9, and then it sat there.  And sat there!  Ever get a stamp set and then wonder "why did I order this"?  Finally sat it in the middle of my desk and told myself I had to make something with it, and I'm glad I did, as I really like what I came up with!  I think I tend to "over think" some sets too much, when just keeping it very simple can make a really lovely card.  Take a look:

I basically just used black, gray, and white with a pop of color in my sentiment banner.  Hard to see in my photo, but the center flower bouquet is embossed in black, so IRL it has a pretty shine to it. I thought about coloring in the flowers, but again, sometimes just keeping things very simple can make it more striking! 

Thanks so much for stopping by today...I love it when you do! :0)

Papertrey Ink June 2015 Blog Hop

Hello friends.  It's the 25th, and that means it's time for Papertrey Ink's monthly Blog Hop...yeah!!  I took my cue from the colors and stripes of this months inspiration photo, and came up with a birthday card and matching cupcake holder.  Take a look:

I started with a Smoky Slate card base and one of the stripes from Plaid Builder, and then used Versamark and clear embossing powder to give the stripes a bit of shine.  My cream colored layer also has stripes that I made by scoring with my paper trimmer and score blade.  The flowers are from the Friendly Flower stamp set and Orange Zest, Canyon Clay, Fine Linen, and Simply Chartreuse inks.  I used the medium size starburst from Funky Florals for the centers of the flowers, and also added an enamel dot to the centers of each.  The top flower was also molded a bit with my stylus to make it "pop" out a bit more.  I also used the condensation trick on the leaves with Glossy Accents...love that look!  And of course I had to play with my new Favor It: Cupcake Box Die and Enclosed: Cupcake stamp set to match my card...really fun to make, easy to assemble, and will make a nice birthday combo for one of my friends! :0)

 
I really, REALLY love these shoes and think my granddaughter Addy would look fabulous in them! :0)

You can check out all the entries right here.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have fun blog hopping!  :0)

Make it Monday #215 - Bringing the Inside Out

Hello friends.  Danielle Flanders shows us how to bring the inside of your card to the outside in this weeks Make it Monday challenge.  I had new goodies to play with and used my Shaker Shapes: Balloon Dies for my card.  Take a look:

I didn't use my dies to make a shaker card this time (but I will soon!), but rather used the die as a stencil to color in my balloons and to cut one opening on the front of the card to see the inside.  I used Pool Party, Certainly Celery, and Orange Zest inks and sponge daubers to color my balloons, and then used matching cardstock to cut out the confetti and "hooray!".  The balloon strings and bows are from Birthday Style, and the "Happy Birthday" is from Keep it Simple: Birthday. 

You can check out Danielle's cute card and video right here.

Thanks so much for stopping by today...I love it when you do! :0)

Merry Monday #163 - Use Red & White

Hello friends.  This week at Merry Monday, we are being asked to use red and white on our Christmas cards.  My card is probably one of the simplest cards I have ever made, although it didn't start out that way.  I had all kinds of white trees, snow slopes, and snowflakes cut out to go along with my red sledder and sentiment, but no matter how I rearranged all the pieces, it just never came out like I pictured it in my head!  After pitching all the pieces but the red sledder, the light bulb suddenly went on and this is what I came up with:

Can't get much more simple than this, can it?!!  I simply curved my sentiment (PTI's In the Meadow) on my stamping block to mimic a hill and stamped it in Real Red ink.  I pop dotted my sledder (PTI's In the Meadow) on the base of the hill and added a couple mini white stars that were left over from the snowflakes that I didn't use from the first card.  So while it is definitely a CAS card, I wouldn't call my version a "quick" card. :0)  Either way though, I really like how it turned out!  Makes me think of an Ardyth card! :0)
  


Wouldn't you love to sit down to Christmas dinner at this table all decorated in red and white?  Join in and play along...you can find all the info and inspiration right here.

Thanks so much for stopping by...I love it when you do! :0)

Vintage Bookmark

Hello friends.  Are you a book lover?  I have been a book lover since I very first learned to read, and ALWAYS have a book going!  I love to use bookmarks too, and it just hit me the other day that I have been using a "Christmas" bookmark since last fall, and I should probably "update" it!  So instead of a card today, here's a bookmark:

Isn't it prettyful (as my middle daughter used to say)??  I used PTI's Bookmark Die #3 to cut out my bookmark, and then lay a torn piece of paper over the top while I stamped the bottom half with SU!'s En Francais background stamp in Soft Suede ink.  Flipping the torn paper over and covering the bottom half of the bookmark, I used VersaMark and Hero Arts Leafy Vines background stamp, and then embossed with white embossing powder.  Next I used Tea Dye Distress Ink to make the Leafy Vines image "pop" and to edge around the bottom half of the bookmark.  I'm really into butterflies right now (along with many millions of others I think!!), so added a gold die cut butterfly from Memory Box (Vivienne Butterfly).  I also added a few gold sequins and some seam binding ribbon and gold cord to finish off my new bookmark.  May sound a bit detailed, but it was really quick and easy to do!

Edited to Add:  I'm linking this post up to the CCCB (City Crafters Challenge Blog) where they are asking for gold die cuts on your project.  Thanks for the info Kara Lynne!

Thanks so much for stopping by today...I love it when you do! :0) 

Need a QUICK Card??

Hello friends.  Need a quick card idea?  I mean a really QUICK card idea?  Here it is!

Doesn't get much easier or quicker than this friends.  A 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 square of DSP on a white cardbase, and a stamped and punched out flower from SU!'s Flower Shop, finished with a button, twine, and a sentiment (PTI's Keep it Simple: Birthday).  And it would be so easy to change out the sentiment to a "thank you", "thinking of you", etc.  So there you have it...a really quick card!! :0)

Thanks so much for stopping by today...I love it when you do! :0) 

Condensation Jar

Hello friends.  Just a quick post today as I have LOTS of strawberries to clean and make into jam and freeze!  Last weeks Make it Monday challenge had shown a jar with flowers, and condensation on the jar.  The only jar stamp I had at that time was a very small one, and was all out of proportion to all my flower stamps.  Had gone to Michael's for something, and of course I had to look in the stamp isle, and low and behold...a jar stamp! :0)  So a week late, here's a jar card with condensation:

And yes, PTI's Flower Favorites was still on my desk, so that's what I used to fill my jar with. :0)  My tag is Fillable Frames: #9 (PTI) and the sentiment is SU!.  Quick and easy, and I think I have the condensation technique with Glossy Accents down! :0)

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!! :0)

Make it Monday #214 - Stamping with Neutrals

Hello friends.  This weeks Make it Monday challenge is all about putting the spotlight on neutrals, and Dawn McVey does a great video on different ways to achieve this.  I chose to use a soft gray and the Cover Plate: Quatrefoil Die for my background.  Take a look:

I used the die to create a stencil and then lightly sponged with Smoky Slate ink, and I love the way it turned out!  I stamped and fussy cut the flowers from Delightful Dahlia Additions, using Scarlet Jewel, Autumn Rose, & Sweet Blush inks and my MISTI to line up the flowers.  The sentiment is from Think Big Favorites: #22.  A few rainstones finished off my card.

If you'd like to play along, or even just check out some beautiful cards, you can see it all right here.

Thanks so much for stopping by today...I love it when you do! :0)

Merry Monday #162 - Tag, you're It!

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Merry Monday challenge today, and this week we are being asked to use a tag on our card.  I used a Tag Sale #4 die (PTI) for my tag and a Unity stamp (IB-785 Snowballs for Sale) for the image on my tag.  Take a look:

Isn't this little guy with his tongue sticking out to catch the snowflakes adorable?!!  I used my Copics to color him (R29, B000, C3, & E13), except for his cheeks, where I used some pink chalk.  The stamp comes with a sentiment that says "Snowballs 10cents", but for this card I chose to use the SU! "be very merry".  I used PTI's Cover Plate: Circle Die in Real Red cardstock for my background as it reminded me of snowballs.  A snowflake from PTI's Fancy Flakes cut out of holographic silver cardstock (Michael's) was added along with a red seam binding ribbon, bakers twine, and a few silver sequins to finish off my card.  Oh, and LOTS of glitter! :0)



You can check out all the info to play along and see all the great cards from the DT (they are always awesome cards, but I think the DT really out did themselves this week!!!) and the other players right here.

Thanks so much for stopping by today...I love it when you do! :0)

Quilted: Summer Card Set

Hello friends.  Have a very photo heavy post today, sharing a card set I made for a friend who has her own quilting shop and makes the most beautiful quilts!  I used PTI's Quilted: Summer stamp and die set, and pretty much CASE'd Betsy Veldman's card, but just changed up the colors.  Take a look:

The stamp set is great and has all individual stamps for the dotted, gingham, and flowered triangles...great way to color coordinate your quilt blocks with any color pattern you want!  Here's the Happy Birthday and Thank you ones:

I made 2 of each card and then packaged them all in one of the clear acetate boxes the stamp sets come in, and finished it off with a bow and a tag.  I'm thinking my friend is going to be quite tickled when she sees this...what do you think?

Thanks so much for stopping by today...I love it when you do! :0)

Simple Thanks

Hello friends.  Just a simple thank you card to share today.  Had some newsprint still laying out on my desk (if you are getting the idea that my stamping desk is messy, it is!!) from the Merry Monday challenge last week, and needed some thank you's for a card order, and that's how this card came to be.  Take a look:

My lighting for this card wasn't the greatest, but the flower (SU!'s Blooming with Kindness) is not very dark as I wanted it to be subtle.  I used a TH Distress Ink (Shaded Lilac), and the color matches almost perfect to SU!'s retired Almost Amethyst cardstock that I used for the card base.  (I so wish someone would come back with colors like Lovely Lilac and Almost Amethyst again...I love purples and no one has PRETTY shades of it out there!!)  I cut out a little strip of the newsprint DSP (SU!) towards the bottom so the black layer of cardstock would show through...kind of a tribute to Maile Belles as that is so something she would do! :0)  My sentiment is from PTI's Keep it Simple: Thank You stamp set.  A few sequins and some seam binding ribbon and bakers twine finished off my card.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and have a wonderful weekend! :0)

Make it Monday #213 - Cool Condensation Effects

Hello friends.  Playing along with Betsy Veldman and her "cool condensation effects" challenge over at Papertrey Ink's Make it Monday.  My card started out SO different than what it ended up to be (think different stamp set, different colors), in fact the only thing the same is the smooshed water colored background!  Anyway, I left the water jar behind, picked a different stamp set, and really like how my card came out!  Take a look:

 
I used a couple of distress ink colors for my backgrounds (Festive Berries and Spun Sugar), and then used Ocean Tides ink for the greenery (Meadow Greens) and the Festive Berries distress ink for the flower.  I had to hold myself back when it came to adding the little dew drops with the Glossy Accents...they look so cool that I could have easily covered the whole card with them!  But anyway, a little bakers twine and a tag (Tiny Tags) finished off my card.

You can check out Betsy's cards and video right here to play along.

Thanks so much for stopping by today...I love it when you do!! :0)

Merry Monday #161 - Sparkle, Bling, & Shine

Hello friends.  Playing along with the challenge over at Merry Monday this week, and it's all about Sparkle, Bling, & Shine!  Had lots of ideas floating around in my head, but what I ended up with is a little bit of understated sparkle, bling, & shine...but I really, really like it!  Take a look:

I am still in love with last years Ornamental Pine stamp set (SU!) and can't seem to get enough of it!  After stamping the pine branch, I softened it up a little by using one of my green gelato's.  Next I stamped the pinecones in Early Espresso ink and then lightly re-stamped them with Versamark and gold embossing powder.  My sentiment is PTI's Sparkle & Shine: Holiday Additions that I also embossed in gold and the die cut which was cut out with gold mirror cardstock.  It's a little hard to see (if you click on the 2nd photo to enlarge, it shows up better), but I also used a pinpoint roller glue pen to add very small dots of glue to the pine branches and then added Dazzling Diamonds glitter (SU!).  They are such tiny dots, but add such sparkle to the card!  I finished with a few sequins to add some bling. :0)

   

                                                        

 

Check out everything you need to know to play along and also see all the amazing cards from the DT and players right here.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today...I love it when you do! :0)

Flower Favorites #2

Hello friends.  Just a quick post today, but wanted to share another card I made with the Flower Favorites stamp set (PTI).  I mentioned before that one of my favorite things about this stamp set is the little ladybug that sits so perfectly on the flower stems, and since the stamp set was still sitting out, I came up with this quick and very simple card:

Don't these flowers and little ladybug just make you smile and think of Summer?!  And I think Summer is finally coming to Michigan this week!!  I'm so excited as we've been in an extremely rainy period for the past 6 weeks or so, so we're due some nice sunny weather! :0)  Hello Honey, Old Olive, and Baked Brown Sugar were the inks I used for this card, and a little bit of Cherry Cobbler for the ladybug.  The "hello" is from WPlus9's Hand Lettered Hello, and the large dotted DSP is from The Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby).

Thanks so much for stopping by today...I love it when you do! :0)