12 Kits January 2019 - Good Fortune

Hello friends.  Welcome to the 12 Kits Of Occasions January edition where Jeanne is our hostess and she sent out a FABULOUS kit she has named Good Fortune!  Here's a photo of all the goodies we got to play with this month:

I had so much FUN with this kit that it was hard to stop at just 5 cards, but I didn't want to use up all my supplies so I can CASE cards from the other gals!!  So sit back and enjoy some Good Fortune!!

I started with a quick and easy card using some of the DSP and die cuts (MFT's Good Fortune) Jeanne included in the kit...isn't it just so bright and colorful?!

Another easy one where I backed the die cut kimono (Tutti Designs) with a piece of the DSP and then added a strip of vellum and a stacked die cut "hello" from PTI's Wet Paint collection.

My 3rd card uses one of the little gals from Ellen Hutson's So Matcha set and I colored her with some Copics and added her to a water colored background and then popped a die cut oval frame over that before adding her to a embossed Pale Peony background that was included in the kit.  Hard to see in my photo, but I used a glitter jewel pen on the sash, trim, and umbrella, so this card has some gold sparkle going on.

My 4th card is probably my favorite, but I see I'm not the only one who had the idea of making a Koi pond with some of the fish from the DSP (see Birgit's post also...great minds are thinking alike!!).  This card really shimmers and shines IRL because I made the background using Lindy's Magicals in Tibetan Poppy Teal!!

Here's a close up so you can see some of that shimmer!!

My last card used a couple more of those little ladies from the So Matcha set along with a beautiful die cut called Cloudy Moon from Hero Arts.  I backed the opening with a piece of the DSP (the DSP is all from Photoplay/Paper Crane) with the cherry blossoms and then colored the ladies with my Copics, and then used some WOS on their trim and sashes for some more shine.

And here's a photo of all of them...such a fun, FUN kit to play with this month...thanks so much Jeanne!!  We also have a new member this month...the wonderful KARA of Kara Lynne's Card Designs, so make sure you check out her post and give her some welcoming love!  Also make sure you check out what all the DT came up with using this FABULOUS kit, and Jeanne also invited 4 special guests to join us this month too, so there is LOTS to see!!  You can check it all out right HERE.

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

Paper Pumpkin Valentine Treats

Hello friends.  Just a quick post today to show you a cute project I worked on over the weekend using Stampin' Up's Paper Pumpkin January kit.

The kit came with everything to make 24 of these cute little pillow box treat holders for Valentine's Day...I'll be stuffing each one with a package of Valentine fruit snacks and a sucker for my granddaughter Addy's pre-school class party.  Aren't the Kangaroo and those Chameleon's just adorable?!  There were enough of the scalloped circles and hearts, and the Kangaroo's and Chameleon's leftover to make 24 matching Valentine cards for Addy to give her class mates too.

I used the Quilted: Winter tag die (PTI) to cut out 24 of the tags in white and then added the leftover supplies from the kit to make these sweet Valentines that she can sign her name to on the back and then pass out along with the pillow box treats!  These were so much FUN to make and really make me look like a great Nana...gotta LOVE that!!  :0)

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

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop Jan. 2019

Hello friends.  It's the 25th and that means it's time for Papertrey Ink's monthly Blog Hop!  Here's the inspiration photo we were given:

Pretty modern and sophisticated cake, huh??!!  When I started reading the little blurb about the photo you could have blown me away with a feather to find out this is a baby shower cake!!  I must be getting older than I thought friends...I always thought baby shower cakes were supposed to be pastels and cute!  Don't get me wrong...this cake is absolutely BEAUTIFUL...I just thought it was a wedding or anniversary cake!  Shows what I know!!

I decided to go with the black & white patterns and the light blue and peachy pink colors, the little bit of gold, and the tassels, and came up with this:

Since I'm still trying to ramp up my birthday card stash, that dictated what kind of card I made and I just went to town using all these wonderful colors!  I started with a black card base and added a Bold Borders: Polka Dots die cut in white and then added flowers from the Botanical Bounty set stamped in Berry Sorbet, Sweet Blush, Spring Rain, Blueberry Sky, and several shades of greens for the leaves.

I did some ink blending with a sponge dauber on the flowers and LOVE the way they turned out!  To mimic the bit of gold trim on the cake I die cut the "happy" from the Bold Borders: Flare die and then added the white banner with "birthday" stamped on it from the Wet Paint stamp set.

I loved the tassels on the cake but just couldn't bring myself to use brown like they did in the inspiration photo.  I used white crochet thread to make the tassels and I really like the celebratory look they add to the card.  I do think this might have to be a hand delivered card though...the tassels are a little thick to go through the mail!

I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone else interpreted this inspiration photo and whether or not I'm the only one who didn't go in a baby shower direction!  Haha!!  You can check out all the details and play along right HERE.

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

Make It Monday #348 - LOTSA LETTERS

Hello friends.  This week Michelle Leone has a fun VIDEO for the Make It Monday challenge, showing us how to use LOTSA colorful letters on our cards.

I pulled out a couple of oldies but a goodies from Heather Nichols called Heart Squared and Wonderful Words: Love to come up with this "Love You" card.

I started by stamping the Heart Squared in Hawaiian Shores and then added the 3 die cut LOVE in Pure Poppy, Hawaiian Shores, & Raspberry Fizz.  I still had the Farmer's Market Florals sitting out on my desk so I stamped up a couple flowers and leaves using Lovely Lady, Raspberry Fizz, Pure Poppy, and Hawaiian Shores inks and arranged them over the Heart Squared.

 
You can just see a little of the sparkle on the one leaf in this close up...I added WOS to the leaf centers along with a few iridescent sequins to add some sparkle and shine to my card.  I matted the card with a layer of Hawaiian Shores cs and then added to a white card base and finished off with some white crochet thread at the top.  I apologize for the poor lighting...my middle love looks like it was cut out of Hawaiian Shores, but the flowers and Heart Squared all look like they were stamped in Aqua Mist...grrrrrr!  They really are all the same color IRL!!

Check out Michelle's beautiful cards and video right HERE and then play along.  :0)

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

The Flower Challenge #28

Hello friends.  Playing with a NEW TO ME challenge today called The Flower Challenge (yup, right up my alley!!) and I love the simple PINK and GREY colors for this challenge!

I received a new stamp set for Christmas (thanks Sue!!) by Gina K called Just A Little and I think it worked perfectly for this challenge!

I stamped the image in Versafine Black Onyx and then embossed with clear...I like to do this to make sure there will be no bleeding of color when I use my Copics.  I colored the leaves in with C1, C3, & C5 Copics and colored the flower in with R81 & R83 Copics.  Here's a closer up:

  
The sentiment is also from the Just A Little stamp set (LOVE the font of the "just"!!) and I finished off the card by layering it with a piece of Basic Gray cs (SU!) and mounted to a white card base.  I also added a few iridescent sequins to add just a touch of shine.

Lots of BEAUTIFUL cards from the DT and in the gallery to inspire you, and this challenge goes till the 26th.  You can check it all out and play along right HERE.

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

Twofer Challenge #12 - BIRDS

Hello friends.  This months Twofer Challenge is all about BIRDS, and boy oh boy do I wish I was a SNOWBIRD!!  You know...those folks that live in the northern states but spend their Winters in Florida or Arizona, or any place that's warmer than the low 20's!!  And into the single digits next week....grrrrrrrr!

Good thing the new MFT Tweet Friends stamp set makes me think of warmer days so I could come up with a couple cards!!

I decided on a birthday card (because my stash is seriously low!) and a Valentine's Day card using these sweet little feathered friends.

Both birds were water colored with my Zigs and an Aqua Painter, and then this sweet little bluebird was mounted to a zig zaggy piece of DSP (PTI) and framed out with an AliExpress die.  The sentiment comes from MFT's I'm Tweet On You set and the music notes are from the Tweet Friends set.  Easy peasy and CAS and I love how it turned out!!

Had some left over Bokeh scraps, so I used the pink and red piece for the starting point of my Valentine card.  A simple heart and arrow die cut (MFT), the same birdie from the Tweet Friends set but water colored in pinks and just a hint of red, and a sentiment from PTI's Heart Squared set finished off my 2nd easy peasy and CAS card!  Can you tell I really like CAS?!

Check out all the FABULOUS inspiration from Darnell, the DT, and special GD, and then play along right HERE.  The challenge is open till the 24th.

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

CAS Watercolour Jan. 2019 - Reminder

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still a week left to play along with us at CAS Watercolour and our hostess Susan is looking for Winter themed water colored cards.

I was lucky enough to win a gift certificate to Serendipity Stamps this past month and had fun shopping for some new stamps, including this small but FUN mitten stamp!

Don't those just look like the softest and coziest mittens ever?!  I stamped them in Versafine Black Onyx and then embossed them in clear, and then went to work water coloring them with my Zigs and Aqua Painter.

I added a Penny Black Snowflake Frame that I added foam tape to the back of over the mittens and then added a die cut snowflake from MFT to add a little something, something but without taking away from the CAS look.  My sentiment is from PTI's O'Tannenbaum set.

This challenge is open till the 24th.  Check out the lovely cards from the DT and our special Guest Designer Janet for more WINTER inspiration, and then play along with us right HERE.

Edited To Add:  I am also entering this card to a NEW challenge called Christmas Kickstart Challenge.  Their 2nd challenge is called Bundle Up, so my pair of warm and snuggly mittens works perfectly!  You can check out this new challenge right HERE.     

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

CAS Mix Up January 2019 - Bokeh

Hello friends.  Playing along with this month's challenge over at CAS Mix Up and they are looking for cards using the BOKEH technique.

I had not used the Bokeh technique in a while, but it all came back pretty quickly when I watched one of the video's that's listed on the CAS Mix Up site HERE.  I used a couple shades of green ink (Gina K) to blend my background and then added my Bokeh using Hero Arts Unicorn pigment ink with a Color Box Art Screens stencil.  Here's what it looked like before I made it into a card:

I almost didn't want to make it into a card it turned out so pretty!  But I did and came up with this:

I used SSS's Circle of Leaves die to die cut my top layer and then added a piece of foam with the same size circle cut out of it to the back so that my die cut leaves wouldn't lay flush against the Bokeh background.  Here's a closer up so you can see more detail:

I love the dimension you get by popping it up a little and it also keeps from covering up too much of the Bokeh background.  I finished with a simple birthday sentiment from a an older (2005) SU! set called Sincere Salutations.

Make sure you check out all the GORGEOUS inspiration from the DT and their special GD and then play along right HERE.  This challenge is open till the 24th.

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

CAS Christmas Jan. 2019 - Blue and Silver

Hello friends.  I'm playing along with this month's CAS Christmas challenge where they are looking for BLUE and SILVER.

When I was playing along with the CAS Stencil challenge last week I ended up making a card that would fit for this month's Christmas challenge with Blue and Silver.  Take a look:

I used a TCW stencil called Aspen Trees and several different shades of blue inks from Gina K.  I used my sponge daubers and started with the lightest color and then worked my way from the outside in leaving the center lighter to look like moonlight was filtering through the grove of trees.  I framed it with a white frame (PTI's Pierced Feature Frames) and then added stars (Gina Marie Designs) and the "Joy" die cut sentiment (PTI's Bold Borders: Flurries with a really soft finish silver cs that was gifted to me by Darnell.  Here's a closer look:

I just love the way this card came out...CAS, elegant, and oh so pretty!  Most people are pretty tired of Christmas cards by now, but I love making them all year round, and I'm even happier when I have a completed stash ready to go in the beginning of December!

Join in the FUN and play along with this month's challenge...you can check out all the inspiration from Loll and the DT HERE.  This challenge is open till the 24th.

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

Make It Monday #347 - Winter Watercolor

Hello friends.  I'm playing along with Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday challenge where Ashely shows us some great tips to make a Winter Watercolor card.  You can check out Ashley's GORGEOUS card and video right HERE.

I didn't stray too far from Ashley's card and used the tree's from the Enchanted Forrest set and came up with this:

I started just like Ashley did with Spring Rain and Blueberry Sky re-inkers and water colored the background.  Once that was dry I stamped the tree's using Ocean Tides, Pinefeather, and Cocoa Bean inks.  I didn't have any gesso so I used white acrylic paint to add the snow to the tree branches and the shadows beneath the tree's.  I also splattered some of the white paint to look like falling snow.  Here's a closer up so you can see better:

I stamped my sentiment from the O' Tannenbaum set and then framed out my Winter scene using the largest Pierced Feature Frames: Ovals in white and then added that to a piece of Bitty Big DSP in Blueberry Sky.  I mounted that all to a top folding white card base and then finished off with a piece of Rustic Jute Twine and a few enamel dots in light blue.  Oh, and did you notice the little bunny peeking out from the side of the oval frame (In The Meadow die)?

This was such a FUN challenge for me and Ashley's video really was filled with wonderful water coloring tips!  Check it out HERE and then play along!

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

CAS Stencil Jan. 2019 - Sponging

Hello friends.  There's a new challenge in town brought to us by Loll and her FABULOUS DT called CAS Stencil.  They're starting us out simple with SPONGING and you can check it all out right HERE to play along!

I love stenciling so of course it was hard to nail it down to just one stencil...so I have 2 cards to share today!

For my 1st card I used Altenew's Elegant Swirls stencil with pink and orange Gina K inks.  I cut my A2 size piece in half and made another card just like this one but with a "Thinking of You" sentiment on it.  I used PTI's Pierced Feature Frames dies to die cut the frame and added a simple white Daisy die cut from Penny Black called Bashful.  Here's a closer up:

The Daisy didn't seem to stand out from my background real well, so I put a dimensional at the top and then curved the petals a bit and then it showed up better.  I added a black sentiment strip that I embossed with the Happy Birthday and pop dotted this as well.  A simple light pink enamel heart finished off my CAS card.

My 2nd card was a really QACAS card where I used a stencil from AliExpress that had 4 different flower stencils all on one template, and I inked up this one with the crazy petals in yellows, oranges, and a little red (all Gina K inks again).  I die cut it with MFT's Peek-A-Boo Rectangle die and then sprayed it quite liberally with Sheer Shimmer Sparkle Spritz.  Here's a closer up so you can see some of the sparkle:

I only sprayed the small stenciled square and not the whole card, so IRL it really stands out!  I kept my sentiment VERY simple and used a really old wooden stamp from a company called Mostly Hearts and I'm not sure if they're even in business anymore.

Amazing what some ink, a sponge dauber, and a stencil can produce, isn't it?!  I love all the CAS challenges, but I think this one is really going to be a lot of FUN for me!  Check out all the FABULOUS inspiration from Loll and the DT right HERE and then play along...the challenge is open till the 24th.

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