Merry Monday #288 - NO STAMPING

Hello friends.  Deanne is our hostess this week at Merry Monday and she would like you to create a Christmas card with NO STAMPING!!

Yep, NO STAMPING!!  That means "dies" to me and I'm definitely OK with that!!  :0)  And I had just happened to receive two new dies from AliExpress that were perfect for this challenge, and I came up with this:

This was really a very easy CAS card to make!  I started with a white card base, and then added a white die cut plaid background...at least I think it's supposed to be a plaid background die!  Next I die cut the Merry Christmas from Cherry Cobbler cs and then die cut a 2nd time with Gumball Green cs for the holly leaves.  After attaching the leaves and berries on the inside of the circle, I added Glossy Accents to them to make them shine and really stand out!

After the leaves and berries dried, I finished my card by simply adding some Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine (SU!) to the top.  Easy peasy and I love how it turned out!!

There is LOTS of FABULOUS inspiration from the DT to get you started this week, so check it all out and then play along with us...we can't wait to see what YOU come up with without using any stamping!  Check it all out right HERE.

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

Color Throwdown #490

Hello friends.  This week's challenge at Color Throwdown has the most beautiful Spring like colors and I just couldn't resist playing along with this one!!

Wouldn't you love to have a sip of tea and a cookie or scone at the Peggy Porschen Parlour in London?!  I love all the flowers and the little bicycle outside of this sweet café...so girly and just sweet, sweet, sweet!  The colors of pink, lavender, green, & gray were just too tempting to not play along this week!

Melissa Phillips had done a series of 3 cards HERE using PTI's DOODLIE-DO stamp set and I had been wanting to CASE her 3rd card where she paper-pieced it...LOVE this technique and it seemed perfect for this color challenge!

I used PTI's DSP Bitty Big paper packs in Sweet Blush, Lilac Grace, & Green Parakeet along with matching inks, and some Smoky Slate ink for my grays.

 

Lots of layering, fussy cutting, and sponging going on for this card, but I love the Spring like and feminine feel to this delicate card, which is exactly the feeling I got from the inspiration photo!

Still time to play along, so check out the BEAUTIFUL cards from the DT and then try your hand using these lovely colors!  You can check it all out right HERE.

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

Make It Monday #320 - Spot Color Word Diecuts

Hello friends.  This week's Make It Monday challenge is a fun one brought to us by the very talented Betsy Veldman, where she shows us how to spotlight a word diecut on our cards.  You can check out her beautiful card and video right HERE.

It definitely works a lot easier to use a larger and wider word die cut, but I chose to use one of the medium size word dies from the BIG HUGS set.

After stamping my image from What The Doodle: Tea Time I diecut the "hugs" from the center of the tea cup, popped it out and colored it using some of my Copic markers.  I tried to use colors that somewhat matched my good china (that I never hardly use anymore...sigh), and then used it as one of my props when taking my photographs...trying to be a little more intentional about my photography after reading Lexi's tips and tricks post the other day!  Because I was aiming for more of a CAS card, I used a Gina Marie Designs die to diecut around the tea cup for a little more interest, and then added the sentiments on the top and bottom of the card.  

I matted my card to a layer of Raspberry Fizz cs and then mounted to a white card base.  I finished off the card with a few iridescent sequins and some baker's twine.

There is still plenty of time to play along with this challenge, so check out Betsy's lovely card and video right HERE.

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

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop April 2018

Hello friends.  Playing along with this week's monthly Blog Hop over at Papertrey Ink, where the inspiration photo is absolutely lovely!!

I love tea (especially Peppermint Tea!!) and I would like it even better in one of these beautiful tea cups!!  This whole photo makes me think "vintage", so that was my starting point for my card.

I started by die cutting my tea cups using the Fancy Tea Cup die with Bitty Big DSP in Aqua Mist and Pale Peony and also some gold mirror cardstock.  I distressed them all using some Vintage Photo DOX ink.  For my background layer I used a piece of PTI's Linen cardstock and then did a technique that was from a MIM challenge a year or two ago where you used a stiff bristle brush and lightly swiped color made from a combination of white acrylic paint, a little water, and re-inker (Aqua Mist).  You can see it a little bit better in the following photo:

Once my background was dry I used a Heidi Swapp background stamp with the Vintage Photo DOX ink to give my card even more of a vintage feel.  The little gold frame is from the Cover Plate: Pretty Frame Die.  I finished with a small piece of narrow seam binding ribbon and a little tag from Stemmed Statements.

This was also my first try using tips from Lexi Daly who did a really great post on Flat Photography and just using a few simple items to make your photographs more interesting.  I really like how my 1st photo came out and will definitely be incorporating more of her design tips into my photography!!

This challenge was such a fun one and I can't wait to hop along and see how every one else was inspired...I just know there's going to be some absolute beauties stemming from the lovely inspiration photo!!  If you want to hop along, you can check it all out right HERE.

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

Merry Monday #287

Hello friends.  Colleen is hosting this week's Merry Monday challenge and she has a fabulous inspiration photo to inspire us this week!

I just loved the colors from this photo and the sweet home-y feeling it brings, so that was my starting point for my card this week!

I loved the pinks, reds, and greens in the inspiration photo, and used Catherine Poolers dies from the Winterhaven set to cut out my houses, church, and trees, and also the snowy slopes.  My background was blended using Salty Ocean, Faded Jeans, and Stormy Sky Distress Inks and then I splattered some water to add the look of snow falling.  My sentiment is from PTI's Think Big Favorites: #20.

What will YOU find to inspire you from this weeks inspiration photo??  Let us help you get a head start on those Christmas cards...just head on over to the Merry Monday blog and check out all the fabulous inspiration from the DT and then play along with us!  You can find all the info you need right HERE.

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

Color Throwdown #489

Hello friends.  One of my favorite fruits is strawberries, so when the inspiration photo came up for the new Color Throwdown challenge showing strawberries, I knew I had to play along!

Doesn't some strawberry lemonade sound good right now?!  Fresh strawberries in Michigan don't come out till June, so I've still got a few months to go yet, but I sure can dream when I see photo's like this!  And of course make a card...

I used PTI's Strawberry Patch stamp set to stamp my image and inked it up with GinaK's Red Velvet and Jelly Bean Green inks.  And just a tiny dot of yellow in the centers of the flowers...sorry, I just HAD to!!  My DSP is PTI's Bitty Big Pure Poppy and I finished off this sweet little card with some iridescent sequins and a narrow red seam binding ribbon.

You have until Monday (4/23) to play along with this challenge, so check out all the beautiful cards from the DT and then get your red and green inks and papers out and play along!  You can find all the information to play right HERE.

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

Make It Monday #319 - Graffiti Word Art

Hello friends.  Lexi Daly is up with this week's Make It Monday challenge, and it definitely was  a challenge for me this week!  When I first watched the video I thought I just wouldn't play this week...not really my thing!  I like "pretty" and "flowers" and "cute"...NOT graphic art.  But the more I thought about it, it bugged me that I was taking that kind of attitude and not even willing to go outside my comfort zone!  I grew up just a couple blocks from the train tracks, and I started remembering that a lot of the spray painted graffiti on the box cars were not just "words", but there were some flowers too...I especially remember there being Hibiscus's painted on some of the cars!  So that was my starting point for this week's card.

 I used Wet Paint and stamped in black first, and then die cut the word "happy" and blended over it with Tropical Teal, Bright Buttercup, Berry Sorbet, & New Leaf inks.  I also did a little splattering with Tropical Teal and then covered the die cut with Glossy Accents.  The Harvest Gold splatters are using a stamp from SU!'s Gorgeous Grunge.  I thought about using the larger flower or a grouping of the smaller flower from Some Like It Hot, but decided to keep it just to the one small flower so I didn't take away from the Graffiti.

 
I finished by adding some black splatters, a few colored enamel dots, some bakers twine, and layered to a piece of Berry Sorbet cs and then mounted to a white card base.

Thank you Lexi for getting me out of my comfort zone and trying something different, and also bringing back some fun childhood memories...this really was a FUN challenge!!  Still time to play along, so check out Lexi's video and card right HERE and then try your hand at it!!  :0)

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

Twofer Challenge #4 - PETS

Hello friends.  This month Darnell has a FUN challenge for us at the Twofer Challenge where the key word is PETS!

I wish I had a fun and exciting and exotic pet that I could dazzle you all with this month, but alas, we are just a plain old DOG loving family!  We've had our share of hamsters (in fact, Peanut looked a lot like Hammy...maybe they're like 537,000,000,000,000,000th cousins??), turtles, birds (we had two Cockatiels...Lulu was our first and I killed him.  We didn't know she was a he until after we'd named him.  But anyway, I cleaned my oven and asphyxiated him...I mean, who knew?!!  I felt awful and cried for days!!  Then came Pearl and Pearl didn't like anyone but my husband...she was a MEAN bird but I still cried when she got sick and the specialized vet all the way over in Timbuktu said she needed to be put down!), and then finally came the dogs.  Brinkley was our first and he's 13 years old now and still the love of our lives.  Then came Daisy who is really our middle daughters dog, but when she moved out, she didn't want her anymore, so guess who ended up with her?!  Brinkley is a Cockapoo and Daisy is part goat/part cat.  Actually the vet says part Brittany Spaniel and part something...who knows?!

So anyway, on to the cards!

I used the little (Beagle??) pup from MFT's Lucky Dog for both of my cards.

I wasn't specifically trying to make a black & white card here...more trying to convey a "DIRT-y" card!  It is still the season of snow and mud here in Michigan, so Daisy who is almost all white, usually comes in looking quite gray, hence the coloring for this card!  I started with MFT's Cloud stencil and used Smoky Slate ink to create most of my background.  Next I added a PTI fence die cut that I embossed with a hardwood ef, and then stamped some grass from PTI's Daydreamer stamp set on both sides and then a small dotted SU! stamp in the center to look like dirt that had been dug up.  I also added some dirt to the center pup that looks like she's trying to dig her way from under the fence!  The sentiment is also from PTI's Lucky Dog.

My 2nd card uses the same pup, but I colored him in with my Copics and had him leaning out of the window where he is throwing his bones down.  Thought this would make a cute "Thinking of You" card!

And because you stuck with me this long, you at least deserve to see a picture of the 2 trouble makers that live with us!

They're patiently (well ok, maybe not patiently) waiting for me to open the slider and give them a treat for being such good dogs...which neither of them really are but we still say they are and spoil them terribly!  Yes, they are both LOVED very much!!  :0)

This challenge is open till the 24th, so check out the FABULOUS cards from the DT and all the great cards already in the gallery, and then play along.  You can check it all out right HERE.

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

CAS Watercolour April 2018 Reminder

Hello friends.  Just a friendly little reminder that you have until the 24th to play along with us here at CAS Watercolour and that this month's theme is BIRDS.

I have a super easy CAS card to share with you today.

I used a small scrap (literally!!) of cardstock that I had watercoloured using Lindy's Magical Powders (Tibetan Poppy Teal & Witch's Potion Purple) to die cut my 5 little birdies (AliExpress).  I mounted them to a A2 size card base and then added a top layer that I had die cut with MFT's Rectangle Peek-a-Boo Window.  My sentiment comes from MFT's I'm Tweet On You stamp set and the little musical notes are from MFT's Strike Up The Band stamp set.  The beauty in this simple card is definitely the Lindy's Magicals that just shimmer and shine IRL.

There is LOT'S of wonderful inspiration for you from the rest of the DT and in the gallery too, so check it out and play along with us.  You can find all the information you need for your CAS BIRD card right HERE.

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

Merry Monday #286 - Use A Verse On Your Card

Hello friends.  Sue is our hostess this week at Merry Monday and she would like to see you use a verse on your Christmas cards.

I used a sentiment/verse from Penny Black's Yuletide Wishes that I have always loved and stamped it as the focal point of my card.

  I started by blending Wilted Violet, Salty Ocean, & Faded Jeans DOX inks onto my cardstock (the Wilted Violet really is there...it's just not showing up too well in my photo!) and then used the ghosting technique where I spritzed my Memory Box stencil Winter Flurry Frame quite liberally with water and then laid it over my blended piece with a couple heavy books on top of it and then left it for about a half hour.  I love using this technique where the water soaks up the color and leaves a shadowed look from your stencil.  Next I used a Gina Marie Designs die to cut all the tiny stars out, and then after stamping my verse, backed this piece with a piece of gold mirror cardstock so all my stars would be gold and shiny.  A simple white card base finished off my card.

We can't wait to see what YOU come up with this week, so check through your stamps or even computer generate a verse or sentiment you really like to use at Christmas, and add it to your card.  There is LOTS of BEAUTIFUL inspiration from the rest of the DT to get you inspired, so check it out and play along with us!  You can find all the info you need right HERE.   

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

Make It Monday #318 - Simple Stitched Stems

Hello friends.  Michelle Leone has her very 1st Make It Monday video up this week on Papertrey Ink's site, and she shows how just adding some simple stitched stems can really take your card up another notch!  You can watch her fun and informative video, and check out her BEAUTIFUL card right HERE.

I opted to make a Mother's Day card like Michelle, as it will be here before we know it and then I'll be all set!  Last week someone had used the Daydreamer stamp set on a card and that reminded me that I hadn't used that set in quite a long time, and that it would be perfect for this weeks challenge!

I stamped the 3 different flowers from the Daydreamer set on a Basic Bookmark #2 die cut, and then stitched the stems with some green embroidery floss I had.  My mom loves purples and yellows, so I die cut another bookmark in the Amethyst Allure Bitty Big DSP and attached both with a seam binding ribbon to a card base that I stenciled with the Cover Plate: Quatrefoil and Harvest Gold ink, and a little strip of the striped DSP.  The bird is from Brushed Birds, the sentiment is from Butterfly Blooms (on a die cut banner from Quilted: Winter), and the butterfly that I embossed in white and used Frantage Shabby White Embossing Enamel on is from A Bit More: Butterfly Blooms.  The die cut vellum leaves that I added glitter to the edges of are from a Poppystamps die called Massa Leaf.

This was a fun little project and I'm excited to be ahead of the game for Mother's Day, so THANK YOU Michelle!!  There's still time to play along with this challenge and you can check it all out right HERE. 

Edited To Add:  I would also like to add this card to the Inspired By All The Little Things challenge...my little row of flowers will fit well with the current (#83) inspiration photo challenge.  (Don't you just love it when your card works for more than one challenge?!!)

You can check out all the BEAUTIFUL cards from the DT using this inspiration photo right HERE and then play along...this challenge is still open for another week.

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

CAS Mix Up April 2018 - Rubber Band Technique

Hello friends.  Playing along with this month's challenge over at CAS Mix Up where the challenge is to do the RUBBER BAND Technique.

This was a really FUN technique once I got the hang of it!  I have 3 cards to share with you today...my first try is just ok, but I really like how my 2nd and 3rd tries came out!

 I used Versamark on my rubber bands to make my background on this first try, and while it's not terrible, it just didn't thrill me!  The leaf is from PTI's Leave It Be stamp set, and the sentiment from PTI's Keep It Simple: Thank You.  The dry embossed background was from my sweet friend Bonnie.  Again, not a terrible card and I will definitely use it, but I like how my next 2 came out much better!

 
I used GinaK's Jelly Bean Green ink on thicker rubber bands and stamped it multiple times for my background on this card.  The stamp is from Alesa Baker Designs (Impression Obsession F8726) and I just simply stamped it in black over the background and then used a wonky stitched die frame (Gina Marie Designs) to cut it out.  I layered it with a piece of Pear Pizazz cardstock and mounted to a white card base.  The sentiment is from PTI's Winter Woods.

For my last card I used the same thicker rubber bands and stamped multiple times again, but used 2 colors of ink...GinaK's Jelly Bean Green and Ocean Mist.  Used another silhouette stamp from Impression Obsession...this one is from Tara Caldwell (F16147).  I used a larger wonky stitched die frame (Gina Marie Designs) this time and simply mounted to my white card base.  The sentiment on this one is also from PTI's Winter Woods.  These cards were so simple and easy to create and I just LOVE how they turned out!!  FUN, FUN technique!!

There's still quite a bit of time to play along with this challenge, so check out all the FABULOUS cards from the DT, and then play along!  You can find it all right HERE.

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

Merry Monday #285 - Use A Ribbon On Your Card

Hello friends.  This week Nina is hosting our Merry Monday challenge, and she would like to see you use a RIBBON on your Christmas card.

There was a time in my stamping life where I added ribbon and bows to EVERY card I made...kind of gotten away from that, but every once in awhile it really does add a nice touch to a card!  

I've been kind of hooked on Lindy's Magicals and Finetec Pearls lately as I just LOVE the shimmer and shine they give, but I can't photograph them for the life of me!!  So anyway, try to imagine my card with LOTS of shimmer and shine!!

I started by embossing the image from PTI's Botanical Blocks III in silver onto Basic Gray (SU!) cardstock and then coloring the flower with Autumn Maple Crimson (Lindy's Magicals) and the leaves with green Finetec Pearls.  I mounted this layer to a layer of Smokey Slate cs that I stamped with SU!'s retired En Francais background stamp and a layer of white cs.  These were mounted to a piece of Cherry Cobbler cs that I dry embossed with a retired SU! Poinsettia ef.  I added a piece of seam binding ribbon along with a Tiny Tag from PTI.  LOT'S of layers on this card, but I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out!

We hope you'll take time to play along with us this week...you will be so happy you did come Nov./Dec. when you have a stack of Christmas cards ready to go!  So add a RIBBON to your card this week and play along with us right HERE.  If you need more inspiration, just check out what the rest of the DT came up with HERE!   

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