Make it Monday #259 - Ombre Cluster Stamping

Hello friends.  This weeks Make it Monday is all about ombre cluster stamping and Dawn McVey has a great video and lovely card showing us exactly how to do it!  I actually have 2 cards to share with you as after I finished my first card I realized it wasn't really ombre or cluster stamping.  In my defense, I was just really excited to use my new Alphabet Soup background stamp, and while I did use the ombre technique on that stamp, I didn't want to totally cover it up with a lot of clustering!  You'll see what I mean.........

I actually love how this card turned out, I just don't think 3 leaves constitutes a "cluster"!  I had cut out 9 leaves total, but using them all covered up my cool ombre background...grrrrr! 

So I tried again and left the background off and used a different stamp set.....

I used the Snowflake Sparkle stamp set and clustered my snowflakes using Enchanted Evening, Blueberry Sky, & Spring Rain inks to create my ombre effect.  Die cut and pop dotted one of the medium size snowflakes just to bring a little more dimension to the card.  I added some dazzling diamonds to the pop dotted snowflake too which adds a nice little touch of sparkle to the card too!  While I know this is more what Dawn had in mind when she created the challenge, I think I still like my bright Fall card better...what do you think?

**Special Note**  Wanted to remind you that BIRGIT, PATTI and I had our monthly challenge on Monday using the Tiny Town houses, and would love for you to come take a look!  Patti even emailed Betsy Veldman to come take a look at what we had done with her dies, and she not only did, but left each of us comments!  Been walking on cloud 9 ever since!!  But anyway, if you have a few extra minutes, take a peek at our posts to see all the different ideas and ways to use the Tiny Town house dies...just click on the highlighted links.

You also have till Sunday night to play along with this weeks Make it Monday Challenge, so check out Dawn's video and fabulous card and play along!

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

August 2016 Tiny Town Challenge with Birgit & Patti

Hello friends.  BIRGIT, PATTI, and I are SO excited to share our posts with you today...using Papertrey Ink's Tiny Town series.  Birgit and I are also SO excited that Patti, of Stationery Styles is going to be joining us with our monthly challenges from now on, and I promise you, you won't be disappointed!  Patti has been doing a lot of work with Penny Black stamps lately, so if you like Penny Black (and who doesn't?!!), make sure you take some time to scroll down through her blog and check out her awesome creations! 

And now for our Tiny Town challenge!  I have 5 little houses to share with you, so sit back, enjoy, and hopefully I (and Birgit and Patti!) will have inspired you to get those dies out and create some of your own little houses! 

My first house is the Sweet Shoppe and I just love how this one turned out using a brick embossing folder (The Paper Studio) and a little bit of sponging with Smoky Slate ink.  Just enough to give it that old fashioned look!  I really like how the yellow and black awning coordinate with the window and door frames, and of course the pop of yellow for the flowers too!  Here's a little bit closer up so you can see the bricks better:

Next up is the Tiny Town: Church

I scored along all four sides of the church so it resembles an older wood sided building.  I stamped the grass and flowers from Garden Variety stamp set, and the tree's (which you can see somewhat better in this next photo) are from the Summer Hills stamp set.

I love the gold steeple I added with gold mirror cardstock, and I also added some pink tissue paper inside the church to give it that extra Spring time glow.  Wouldn't it be a lovely little church for a country wedding?!  :0)

Next up is the Tiny Town: School

Birgit graciously cut out the school front and windows and doors for me since I do not have this set (yet!).  I used my brick embossing folder on this building too, but instead of actually embossing it, I inked up the inside of the folder with Real Red ink and then placed the building pieces inside and just closed and pressed all over.  I love the way this came out too...just like an old fashioned one room brick school house!  I also embossed the little bell in silver before pop dotting it to the bell tower.  Wouldn't this make such a cute gift for a teacher with a little treat or gift card inside?!

Next up is the Tiny Town: Bait Shop.  I can hear all you PTI fans going "Wait, I didn't know there was a Bait Shop!"  There really isn't but........

I used the Tiny Town: Basic Building and SU!'s Hardwood background stamp with Soft Suede ink to give the building an aged look and added darker brown window and door trim, along with a few Tim Holtz Pine tree's, a bear from PTI's Warmest Wishes set, and a little banner sign that I hand wrote on, and last but not least, a little fish from PTI's Keep Swimming set.  I am totally in love with how this one turned out!  :0)

Lastly, I have a little Christmas house for you.  Once again, I just used the Tiny Town: Basic Building and the awning from the Tiny Town: Sweet Shoppe and came up with this:

Same construction as the others, just used red and green in the flower boxes, and glittered up all the window frames and the white portions of the awning.  Looking back, I wish I would have scored the house (like I did the church) before I assembled it to give a bit more detail to the building, but once assembled it's just too late!  Oh well, next time!

Wish I would have had time to do a haunted house or a country house (like Betsy did), but it's been a crazy busy month!  However, there is still time before Halloween, so you just may see one or two yet...keep checking back!  :0)

Don't forget to check out BIRGIT and PATTI's blogs, as I just know they are going to blow you away with their creativity!  I already think Birgit is the Queen of die cuts, and totally knows how to put everything together that will just make your jaw drop!  And Patti is so talented in all areas that is just blows my mind, and am just so happy that she has decided to join us each month!  Don't forget to leave a comment, as you just never know when we might be offering a special prize, and also because we all just LOVE hearing from each one of you!

Thank you again for stopping by today and I hope we have left you with the urge to get your own Tiny Town house dies out and get creative with them!  :0)

   

colourQ #356 and NBUS#7 Challenges

Hello friends.  Kind of a late post for me, but really wanted to play along with the latest colourQ challenge since I've had the ink pads out since last Wednesday, and since I was also using "virgin rubber" as Darnell would say, I also wanted to link up to her latest NBUS#7 challenge.

The colors this past week at the colourQ challenge were Melon Mambo, Blackberry Bliss, Old Olive, Soft Sky, and of course white...never would have thought of putting these colors together but I have to admit that I really like them!  I'm a big fan of Catherine Pooler and her Stamp of Approval box sets, and of course I've had to have them all (5 box sets so far!), but then a lot of times they sit there...and sit there!!  Hence, a lot of NBUS!  Thank you Darnell for helping me to get this stuff out and use it!!  One of the things that sold me most about the 4th box set (almost 6 months ago) was the Geobuilders stamp set, so why did it take me SOOOO long to get it out and use it?!!  Loved playing with it today though...so much fun!!  The sentiment and the butterfly are both from the Butterfly Notes stamp set that were in the last box set.  So other than the ink and the sequins, this card is all NBUS!!  CAS and I really like how it turned out!!  :0)

 

You have until tomorrow night to play along with the ColourQ Challenge and until September 5th to play along with Darnell and her NBUS#7 Challenge. 

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

 

Papertrey Ink August 2016 Blog Hop

Hello friends.  It's the 25th and that means it's time for Papertrey Ink's monthly blog hop!  I loved the colors in this months inspiration photo, and used those for my starting point.

I love the softer peach color along with the more earth tones, and decided to start my card with the water color "smooshing" technique.  It came out as a perfect base for the rest of my card...take a look:

The little bit of dark blue you see in the photo I used for my sentiment from Dawn's New Every Morning set...love that sentiment!!  After stamping the sentiment in Enchanted Evening, I added one of the frames from the Pretty Frame Cover Plate and then added the leaves and flowers from Kay's new Stylized Autumn set.  I inked them up with Melon Berry and Kraft inks and then used my Aqua Painter over them to give them a bit of a water colored look to match the background.  I also used some Canyon Clay ink to add splatters to the background and the leaves.  I've been on a real sequin kick lately and thought about adding them to this card too, but then decided it really was finished just the way it is!

Can't wait to see how everyone else interpreted the inspiration photo this month...always fun to see how differently (and sometimes the same!) we see things!  You can check it all out right HERE.

**Special Note**  If you are a fan of the Tiny Town series, I would like to invite you back here on Monday, August 29 to see what Birgit and Patti and I have done with them for our monthly challenge.  LOTS of great inspiration, so remember to come back and check us out!  :0)

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

Make It Monday #258 - Cover Plate Tags

Hello friends.  The challenge this week at Make It Monday is a fun one where Laurie shows us how to use our cover plate dies along with our tag dies to create a fun design.  I used PTI's Butterfly Cover Plate and the Tag Sale #10 die to create a colorful tag.  I blended a piece of card stock with Picked Raspberry and Spiced Marmalade distress inks, and then cut with the butterfly cover plate.  Had to take a picture first before I cut it into a tag because it was so pretty:

This would have made a nice card just like it was!  But I did cut it with my tag die and glued it to a black tag and came up with this:

I really love how this came out!  Kind of reminds me of the Lisa Frank designs my girls all enjoyed when they were young.  (Yes I know, I'm dating myself!!)  I finished it with a simple embossed sentiment in white from the Tiny Tags stamp set and used some baker's twine at the top.

Make sure you check out Laurie's great video and cute, cute tags and then play along.  You can find all the info right HERE.

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

Miles in Winter

Hello friends.  Been a while since I made a Christmas card and I have to tell you that I've missed it!  NOT the actual snow or anything, just the making of Christmas cards! 

So many of you have heard me mention before that I have a love/hate relationship with Zig markers.  Most people absolutely LOVE them!  I want to love them, but...I just really struggle with them.  I would so much rather play with my Copics!  But anyway, decided it was time to get them out again and practice.  This first picture shows my image colored in mostly all Zigs:

I used an image by Stampingbella called Miles in WINTER.  I like the way bits and pieces of this turned out, but there are areas I really do not like...like the squirrel on his hat and his coat.  So I tried again, and this time used Copics and Zigs and actually finished it off into a card. 

I did the squirrel, coat, and his face with Copics this time, and then the rest is colored with Zigs.  Oh and the little branch he is carrying is colored with a Copic marker.  I guess I'm learning, but still feel like I have miles (no pun intended!) to go! 

I am adding this card to the Summer link up over at MERRY MONDAY's .  Couple more weeks to play along with the Summer link up (Merry Monday goes back to it's weekly challenges starting Monday, Sept. 5), so if you miss making Christmas cards like I did this Summer, you can still play in this challenge!!  :0)

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

Every Leaf Speaks....

Hello friends.  I am definitely in a Fall feeling frame of mind lately, even though it is still HOT and HUMID here in Michigan!  Having a couple friends over this afternoon to stamp (we take turns hosting) and this is one of the cards we're going to make:

I started with a piece of Bristol Smooth cardstock and lightly inked up a Heidi Swap background stamp in Crumb Cake ink.  Next I stamped my sentiment from SU!'s Lighthearted Leaves in Soft Suede ink.  My leaf is a HA (N2091 Mountain Aspen) stamp that I've had forever (wood mounted if that tells ya anything!!), and I embossed it using copper embossing powder.  Here is a closer up view so you can see the shine of the copper:

I used some Pure Poppy ink (PTI) and my Aqua Pen to water color the leaf.  Some simple finishing touches with twine and a small circle punch, and some layering finished off this card.  And because I've had this Fall DSP forever, I decided matching envelopes would be fun:

I opted to keep the colored side on the inside of the envelope so as not to drive the postal carriers nuts!  I have seen people use the design on the outside though and then just use white address labels for the name and address...I guess whatever floats your boat!!  :0)

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

  

Create Along With Us - August 2016

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Create Along With Us challenge this week over at Papertrey Ink, and I was blown away (like I am every month!) by all the beautiful cards and projects.  Once again, Kay Miller's use of color  is what really gets to me and I just had to "try" to CASE her little Autumn themed fox card.

 

 

I love her water colored background and then all the bright colored leaves and flower too, with that cute little fox all nestled in.  Since I don't have a fox stamp (yet!), I got to thinking about what I could use, and started thinking about the Some Like It Hot set.  Now I do realize that this is a Summer and not Fall set, but my crazy brain started wondering what a Flamingo would look like in Fall colors...and well, here you go:

 



 

I used Peerless water colors to create my background (Orange Yellow, Japonica Scarlet, & Royal Crimson for the splattering).  The leaves (Songbirds) were die cut and water colored with the same colors as the background and also some Pure Poppy & Green Parakeet.  The Flamingo was stamped in Melon Berry and Orange Zest, which I thought were appropriate colors after sitting out in the sun all Summer!  His legs I inked up in Berry Sorbet.  For the flowers, I used Harvest Gold and Summer Sunrise on one and Orange Zest and Canyon Clay on the other, and then used an Aqua pen on both to give them a more water colored look.  My sentiment comes from the Winter Hills set, and I finished with a few sequins.  Not sure I created a Fall looking card like Kay's, but I love the colors I used, and hey, it is still Summer and stinkin HOT and HUMID where I live!

 

LOTS of inspiration this past month at PTI, so if your mojo's lagging behind (mine's been in a bit of a slump this past month!), head on over to Nichole's blog and check out all the beauty there...you sure to find something to inspire you and make you want to play along!

 

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

 

   

ColourQ Challenge #354 and Tag You're It! Challenge #53

Hello friends.  Playing along with a couple challenges today and came up with a tag/bookmark using the colors in ColourQ's latest challenge and using Michele Ferguson's inspiration for the latest Tag You're It challenge.  Take a look:

I used PTI's Basic Bookmark #2 die to cut out my tag, and then stenciled softly using Smoky Slate ink and PTI's Garden Gate stencil.  I added a die cut leaf branch from PTI's Songbird set in Basic Gray cardstock and flowers from PTI's Forget Me Not set, stamped in Cool Caribbean ink.  The sentiment is from PTI's Choose Joy set.  A few light blue sequins and a tassel from white and turquoise embroidery floss finished up my tag/bookmark.  I also added some shimmer to the flowers that you can see better in this closeup:

 
Getting in just under the wire on both of these challenges, but if you're quick, you can still play along!  To play with the Colour Q challenge, check it all out right HERE.  To play with the Tag You're It challenge, you can find all the info right HERE.

         

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

Double D Challenge - I LOVE Polka Dots!

Hello friends.  I love polka dots!  I mean I really do LOVE polka dots!!  So I had to play again before the challenge ends over at the Double D.  I think this inspiration board is enough to make everyone want to play...I love it!!

So I pulled out some more polka dot DSP (PTI) and one of my favorite Lily of the Valley stamps, and came up with a card and a tag!  Take a look:

I paper pieced the hat and sleeper on this little cutie with some mini red and white polka dot DSP (Pure Poppy by PTI), and then colored his sweet little face and blanket with my Copics.  The little tag is from PTI's Tiny Tags stamp and die set.  I'm not very consistent with finishing the insides of my cards, but this was a simple way to do the inside:

Just a skinny strip of the large polka dot DSP and the outline of the stamp made for a simple but cute finishing touch on the inside.

And because I had stamped 2 images (in case I goofed on one!), I figured I better color up the 2nd one, and came up with this:

I colored it the same, but used Harvest Gold mini and large dotted DSP (PTI) for the paper piecing on this little cutie!  I used a Casual Fridays die for the tag and the sentiment is from PTI's Boutique Borders: Baby Stamp Set.  Quick and easy and will look adorable attached to a baby gift!

You have until midnight on August 14th to play along, so get out your polka dot papers and stamps and play with the gals over at the Double D Challenge. 

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

Make It Monday #257 - Sentiment Strip Grounding

Hello friends.  This week Lexi is sharing tips for using a sentiment to ground your stamped images on the Make It Monday challenge.  I made a very simple card using the new Make It Market: Garden Gate stamp set...take a look:

  
I get a little overwhelmed with some of these larger kits, so this challenge seemed like a great place to start and use just a few of the elements from the Make It Market: Garden Gate set.  Of course I had to start with one of the new stencils in the kit, and lightly sponged on some Amethyst Allure through the stencil.  I used New Leaf, Amethyst Allure, & Royal Velvet for my flowers and die cut them and pop dotted them over my sentiment strip.  My sentiment is from the Enclosed: Leaf Stamp Set and is stamped with Royal Velvet ink.  A few sequins finished up this quick and simple card, and now I think I'm ready to take on more of the Garden Gate kit!!  :0)

Still time to play along, so check out Lexi's fabulous cards and video, and then play along.  You can check it all out right HERE. 

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

CAS Mix Up August 2016 Challenge

Hello friends.  It's been so hot and muggy here that I just had to make a Fall card!  Not that I'm wishing Summer away, because I am definitely not a Winter fan...well except for Christmas cards!  But anyway, playing along with the latest challenge over at CAS Mix Up where we are being asked to use sprays on our cards.  So using PTI's Leave It Be stamp set, this is what I came up with:

I am loving this color combination!  I saw it on a floral card on Pinterest and thought it would look great using leaves too.  I used Taken with Teal, Honey Mustard, Baked Brown Sugar, & Cajun Craze.  My sentiment is from Clearly Besotted's Autumn Flowers.  I also die cut the top layer using a Lil Inkers Stitched Rectangle die.  It's hard to see in this photo, but I sprayed the top layer with Imagine Crafts Sheer Shimmer Spritz...you can see it a little better in this close-up:

IRL this whole card sparkles, so between the colors and all that shimmer, I really like how this card came out!

I used stamping for the leaves, Sheer Shimmer Spritz for the spray, and die cutting for my top layer.

LOTS of time yet to play along with this challenge, so check out the beautiful inspiration pieces by the DT and play along...you can find all the information you need right HERE.

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

Double D Challenge - I LOVE Polka Dots!

Hello friends.  A brand new challenge over at the Double D, and this time it's polka dots!  And I love polka dots...fun, fun, fun!!

And is this not a FUN inspiration board or what?!  Love it!!  Wanted to play with my new Some Like It Hot stamp set (PTI), and used some polka dot DSP too.  Take a look:

I stamped my flamingo with SU!'s new in color called Flirty Flamingo, and then found dotted paper that matched perfectly from an older Pebbles Garden Party paper pad.  The flowers were stamped in Strawberry Slush, Melon Mambo, and Tangelo Twist, with stamping off to create the lighter shades.  The sentiment is from WPlus9's Hand Lettered Hello stamp set.  A fun, bright, and easy (other than fussy cutting the flamingo!) card and I'm happy with the way it turned out!

Think I might need to play this challenge again as polka dots are just too much fun...kinda like gingham!!  :0)  So anyway, if you like polka dots, come play along with the Double D Challenge , and make sure you stop by and see all the inspiration over there too...lots of fabulous cards!!  :0)

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