12 Kits of Occasions August 2020 - Simple Leaves

Hello friends.  Well it's the end of another month and time for a new 12 Kits of Occasions post.  This month our hostess is Marybeth and she has sent us all a FABULOUS kit full of Simple Leaves!

Aren't all the colors in this photo so pretty??!!  While not your typical earth-toned Fall colors, I just love the bright, cheery colors Marybeth included in her fun and whimsical kit!  And I really love, LOVE the DSP that she included in her kit from MFT's Woodgrain Whimsy 6 x 6 pad.  All simple elements that are exactly Marybeth's style, and I had no problem coming up with 6 simple cards to share with you today, so let's get started!

The leaves from Concord & 9th's Uplifting Thoughts were already stamped for us, so all I had to do was add the die cut letters (Altenew's Caps Bold Alphabet) that I ran through an embossing folder (SU!'s Subtle) first so that they would stand out a bit more, and then add the single die cut bloom (Altenew's Golden Garden) and a few clear rainstones (PTI) to my Sea Glass card base.

Isn't this embossed Magnificent Sunflower (MB) image so pretty?!  Once again I kept it very simple so as not to detract from the image, and just layered with a piece of kraft and the yellow woodgrain dsp on a white card base (I did use The Greetery's Crimped Frame Die on the dsp).  I added a piece of yellow gingham ribbon and a die cut flag (Gina K) from kraft cs that I stamped my greeting on (The Greetery).

This CAS card uses the outline die cut (The Stamp Market's Just Vine) on the piece of Soft Stone cs that Marybeth die cut with MB's Wrapped Stitch Rectangles.  I added the sentiment from IO (C14672) and then mounted to a white card base that I dry embossed using a FSJ embossing folder.  Hard to tell, but the ef is all leaves.  A few clear gems from Lucy's Little Gem's finished off this card.

Aren't these Large Leaves from The Stamp Market so cool??!!  I popped out all the pieces from the one and glued them to the solid leaf for some added texture on this card and then adhered them to the embossed panel (MB's Chrysanthemum Field).  I used more of the Woodgrain Whimsy dsp, some twine, and a sentiment from Clearly Besotted's Autumn Flowers (sorry it looks so dark on my photo...shows up much better IRL!).

This is probably my busiest card, using another of the already stamped panels along with more of the Large Leaves and also the die cut "thanks" (PTI's Still Life Summer) and Petite Eucalyptus.  I added a little white bow and some clear sequins to finish of this one.

My last card is another simple one using the Intricate Leaf Square (MB) and die cut "enjoy" (PTI) on another piece of the Woodgrain Whimsy dsp.  I added some SU! gold & twine trim and attached to a white card base and was finished!

And here they are all together!  And now I can't wait to hop along to see what all my teamies came up with using this GORGEOUS kit (thank you, THANK YOU Marybeth!!)...hop along with me right HERE to check it all out! 

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

MFT's Wednesday Sketch Challenge #503

Hello friends.  Getting in at the tail end of MFT's Wednesday Sketch Challenge with a thank you card for a sweet friend who shared some of her garden goodies with my husband and I.

 And here's what I came up with using the Sweet Summertime stamp set...

Isn't she just the cutest eating her slice of watermelon??!!  I colored her up using my Copics and pop dotted her to a square layer that I stenciled some clouds on .

 I matted my cloud layer with a piece of red cs to coordinate with my sentiment banner (also from the Sweet Summertime set) and then added a couple bumblebee's buzzing around from the Bundles of Love stamp set in place of the circles in the sketch.  Quick and easy card and will convey our thanks for all the yummy goodies from my friends garden (green peppers, green onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, and cantaloupe)!

Not much time left to play along, but you can see all the great inspiration right HERE.

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

Hopping On The Slimline Bandwagon

Hello friends.  Have you joined in on the SLIMLINE bandwagon yet??  I had done a couple after first seeing them in blogland, but then STAMPLORATIONS came out with SLIMLINE STENCILS and had such a great deal on them (Buy 5 and get a 6th one FREE and then some other promotion that I missed but they sent me a 7th stencil FREE because of it...GREAT deal and super FAST shipping!!) that I just HAD to order a few! 

So I went a little crazy creating my backgrounds and then turning them into cards, so sit back and relax as this post is a little picture heavy!!

I used the BURST stencil with gray ink for the background on my first card, and then added the watering can from The Greetery's Sprinkled With Kindness and also the Sunflowers from The Greetery's BotaniCuts: Sunflower.  The die cut "happy" and birthday are also from The Greetery.

My 2nd card uses the FLAIR stencil...

I stenciled the background in ombre style with green ink and then added my flowers and leaves from Gina K's Love & Kindness stamp set.  The sentiment is from The Greetery's Birthday Blooms.

 I loved the whimsical look of this background stencil (Bubble Dance) and decided to pair it with The Greetery's Top Down Day stamp and die set. 

This is another FUN background stencil called Wavy Dots and I apologize that my photos don't capture better what I did with this card.  Because the rainbow background is so busy, I didn't want to add too much to it.  I decided to use an alphabet die set that I've had for ages and never used because the letters were SO big that all I could fit on a standard A2 size card was "HI", and that just didn't cut it for me!  But now on a long slimline card, these bigger dies worked beautifully and I die cut 3 of each letter (two in white and one from the top of the background layer) for added dimension.

I'm hoping you can see the "HELLO" a bit better in this photo?  Anyhoo, this card will definitely bring a smile to someone's face...if it doesn't blind them first, right?!!

This Christmas one is one of my favorites and uses the Beyond The Trees stencil.  I simply blended with Salty Ocean Distress Ink and then added a die cut sentiment in silver cs from Creative Expressions and a few die cut cardinals from PTI's In The Meadow die collection.  It doesn't show up in my photo, but I also sprayed this card with silver glimmer mist, so it really sparkles IRL!

My last card is a mini slimline tri-fold  (6 x 10 1/2 and scored at 3 1/2 and 7) and this was so much FUN to make! 

This cute little caroling mouse is from SU!'s Merry Mice set and the dsp is also SU!  The snowflake is from PTI's Fancy Flakes die set and the die cut windows use MFT's Peek-A-Boo Rectangle die. 

I'm adding my very 1st card to the current challenge over at The Double D Challenge where they are looking for SUNFLOWERS!

Thanks so much for sticking with me through this loooooong post, and I hope you all get on the slimline bandwagon as these cards are so much fun to make and fit in a regular business size envelope and only require ONE stamp!  Have a great weekend everyone!!

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

The Flower Challenge #47 - ADD SPARKLE

Hello friends.  Playing along with The Flower Challenge today and they are looking for SPARKLE on our flowers!

The only sparkle I've ever been able to capture with my camera is Faber Castell's Glass Bead Glitter Gel...probably because the sparkle can be seen from here to the ends of the earth and there's just no missing it!  I hadn't used my Glass Bead Glitter Gel in probably over a year, and when I opened it up it was getting a little hard, but I added some water and was good to go!  Here's what I came up with... (might want to put your sunglasses on at this point!!)

Little bright, huh??!!  I used my favorite TCW stencil (Mini Joyful Sunflower) and added my inks, and then keeping the stencil in place, added the Glass Bead Glitter Gel.  (If you've never used this before, make sure you remove your stencil right after applying the gel and wash with warm water and soap.  If you let it dry on the stencil (or your applicators) it will NOT come off!  I learned that the hard way!!)  Then comes the hard part in waiting for it to dry!  It looks pretty dry after an hour, but really takes a good 12 hours for your cardstock to dry all the way through!

Can you see all that SPARKLE??!!  Kinda hard to miss, isn't it?!!  I finished my card with a layer of Early Espresso cs and a white card base, along with some twine and a sentiment banner that was embossed in white (The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Think of You).

So many BEAUTIFUL cards from the DT for inspiration, and you can check it all out and play along right HERE.

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

Christmas Kickstart #36 - Birds at Christmas

Hello friends.  I am honored to be a Guest Elf at the Christmas Kickstart Challenge and the prompt is to use a BIRD on your Christmas card.

I had a brand new stamp set to use for this challenge after being enabled by my sweet friend Loll...it's called Cozy Cupfuls by Marcella Hawley (Power Poppy) and I couldn't resist the little Cardinal image!

I actually did a little surgery on my stamp and snipped off the 2nd Cardinal on the stamp...it's photopolymer so easy to cut off  but still able to use the full image whenever I want.  I inked it up with Versafine Black Onyx and then heat embossed in clear so I could Copic color the image in one of my favorite Christmas color combinations.  I used the smallest of the Crimped Frame Dies from The Greetery on my image and then layered with a piece of Aqua Mist cs, and then added a piece of craft foam behind that before layering to a embossed snowflake layer (Darice), another Aqua Mist layer, and a white card base.  A little bit of jute twine and a few clear sequins (PPP) finished off my sweet little card.

You can check out the inspiration from Jo right HERE and then play along with us!  This challenge is open till the end of the month, so play along with us and get a head start (if you haven't already!) on those Christmas cards...December will be here before you know it!  Just sayin...

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

CAS Christmas Reminder - 12 Days of Christmas

Hello friends.  Just a quick reminder that there's still time to play along with us at CAS Christmas where this month Susan is our hostess and she's looking for cards with the theme of The 12 Days of Christmas.

I have a simple little card using the chicks from SU!'s Hey, Chick stamp set...

Can you tell which day from the song that my card is based on?  I used a tiny oval flower center die to cut out my red berets, and added a sliver of black cs for the little tassels...do you think the red berets are festive looking for my 3 French Hens??  I also added a few gold embossed stars (The Greetery) to make my card a little more Christmas looking.

I left a sentiment off my whimsical card hoping that the theme of The 12 Days of Christmas would be pretty obvious, but will add a greeting to the inside.

Lot's of really CUTE inspiration from the DT, so check it all out right HERE and play along with us!  This challenge is open till the 24th.

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

Christmas Kickstart #35 - Snow Is Falling

Hello friends.  The challenge over at Christmas Kickstart is looking for FALLING SNOW this time around!

I don't think there's going to be any snow falling in my neck of the woods right now as the temps are in the mid 80's this week and 90 by the weekend, but I had no problem creating a snowy scene for this challenge!!

I started by blending Stormy Sky and Faded Jeans Distress Inks on to my background and then added a snowflake stencil (The Greetery - Frosty Flakes) just to the top of my background.  (I left the bottom third of my panel white for my snow banks.)  For a little more FALLING SNOW I splattered some plain water and also some white acrylic paint.  Next I stamped a tree line using Impression Obsession's H7786 with Versafine Black Onyx ink.

To finish I die cut from PTI's In The Meadow a sleigh and horse in black and a little cardinal in red for a pop of color.  The sentiment is from Sue Wilson (CEDME067) and was die cut from plain white cardstock.  Added my panel to a white top folding card base and was finished.  Pretty simple really but I love the way it turned out!  And another one done for the stash!!  :0)

You can play along too right HERE and get a head start on those Christmas cards!

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

Twofer Challenge #30 - SUN/MOON

Hello friends.  It's a new month and a new challenge over at The Twofer Challenge, and this month we're looking for 2 DIFFERENT CARDS FOR 2 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS USING 2 DIFFERENT LAYOUTS and the prompt SUN/MOON.

So it's your choice this month...2 cards using the same SUN stamp, die cut, or stencil, or 2 cards using the same MOON stamp, die cut, or stencil.  Or maybe a card with a SUN and a card with a MOON that both use the same stamp, die cut, or stencil??  The choice is yours and we can't wait to see what YOU come up with!!

Figured I'd better show you this photo first so you understand what I did!  I die cut a small circle out and used it as a mask for my MOON card, and used the piece with the circle opening as a stencil for my SUN card.  Take a look:

Using that same circle I made a Christmas card with a MOON behind the tree's on the left, and that circle also worked as a SUN for my Hello Summer card.

I started this card with my mask (MOON) in place and then blended Bundled Sage, Speckled Egg, Stormy Sky, & Faded Jeans Distress Inks for my background.  I also added some water droplets and some white splattered paint to mimic the look of snow.  Once everything dried, I removed my mask and had a nice little MOON on my background!  Next I added a couple die cut hills (PTI's In The Meadow dies) and 3 die cut tree's from Penny Black's Tall Tree's dies.  My sentiment is from Penny Blacks Merry Delight stamp set.

For my Hello Summer card I started by blending some yellow and orange inks through the circle die cut for my SUN, and then used MFT's Cloud Stencil for some clouds at the top and then flipped the same stencil upside down to make some waves for the water.  I added a torn strip of kraft cardstock to the bottom of the card for a sandy beach area.  I don't know how well you can see it, but I added PTI's Sun & Surf Stencil Collection over the top of my card and inked it up with Versamark and then removed the stencil and heat set it with clear embossing powder.  You can definitely see the rays at the bottom on the sandy beach area, but the rest of the card really shines IRL!!

Had to have this sweet little Pure Innocence girl (MFT - Sunny Days Ahead) because of the unicorn floaty ring...you may remember that my 5 year old granddaughter LOVES unicorns and I knew she would get a kick out of this image!!  I cut a slit into my top wave so I was able to slide my little die cut girl in and make it look like she is jumping in and out of the waves! 

This challenge is open till the 24th, and we can't wait to see what YOU come up with using the prompt SUN/MOON!  Check out all the great inspiration from the DT and our Special GD's right HERE.  Have fun and remember to make your cards different...2 different designs please!  :0)

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

CAS Mix Up Oct. 2020 - BEACH

Hello friends.  Playing along with the new challenge this month at CAS Mix Up where Loll is the hostess and she is looking for WATER COLORED cards using the theme of BEACH.

And here's what I came up with...

I started by taping off all my edges to leave a nice white border around my card and then water colored using Antique Linen, Tumbled Glass, & Salty Ocean Distress Inks.  Once dry I stamped my lighthouse and birds using Gina K's By The Sea 1 stamp set.

I finished by adding my sentiment which is a die cut and stamping using PTI's Inspired: Hope.  Quick and easy and will be a perfect encouragement card!

This challenge is open till the 24th and you can check out all the fabulous inspiration from the DT and play along right HERE.

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