12 Kits of Occasions - Sept. 2020 - Light Houses

Hello friends.  It's the end of another month and time for another 12 Kits of Occasions post.  This month our hostess is the sweet Kim and she chose LIGHTHOUSES as her theme for the month.  Kim sent out a FABULOUS kit that included all the following:

Having grown up in Michigan, I'm very familiar with lighthouses and water, so Kim's kit was a real treat for me and I came up with 5 very simple but FUN cards to share with you today.  Let's get started...

I fell in LOVE with these sweet little Koala Bear images Kim included in the kit from Create A Smile stamp company called All Hands On Deck (this is a new stamp company to me and boy do they have some CUTE stamp sets!).  All the colorful papers Kim included in the kit were so bright and cheery that I just had to make a shaker card!  I colored the image with my Copics and then added a piece of the dsp and some colorful sequins from my stash to create this sweet little card that will more than likely go to my grandson.  The die cut frame is from PTI's Pierced Feature Frames.

My 2nd card uses a medley of the different images Kim sent in her kit and I created a Double Z Fold card to showcase them all.  Here's a look at the card opened up:

Sorry about the lighting on this one...I do ok with flat lay photography, but when I have to stand a card up, my lighting goes bonkers!  Someday I'll figure it out!!  I did use my own anchor die cut (SSS) because it was a little bigger than the one Kim included and I had a bigger space to fill.  I also used a sentiment from one of my Catherine Pooler sets called Vitamin Sea.  

 Another one of those sweet Koala bears that I colored with Copics and then pop dotted to a small background that I ink blended and stamped a few seagulls from a Gina K set.  LOVE the "yoho" sentiment!!

I loved all the seagulls Kim included too, and this little guy with his kerchief just cracked me up!  I always think of the Disney movie Finding Nemo where the seagulls are always saying "mine, mine, mine!"  Too funny!!  Anyway, used a few strips of the dsp and some enamel dots along with the sentiment and seagull for a pretty CAS card.

My last card is another one of those silly seagulls and I just love his sailors cap perched jauntily on his head.  Used a wonky stitched frame and some more of the polka dotted dsp Kim included to make another CAS and easy card.

And here they are all together!  This was such a fun kit to create with Kim...thank you SOOOO much!!  And I still have leftover pieces so I can CASE my teamies when I see what they did with this same kit...YAY!!  Make sure you check out Kim's post and her Special GD Joyce's post, and all the rest of the DT's posts too right HERE.  You're bound to be enchanted by this last bit of Summer from all of us!!  :0)

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

Christmas Kickstart #38 - WHITE on WHITE

Hello friends.  Getting in under the wire here, but had to play along with the Christmas Kickstart Challenge where they are looking for WHITE on WHITE cards.

I used a couple Penny Black dies and an embossing folder to come up with this WHITE on WHITE card...

I started by embossing the background with an older Darice snowflake embossing folder, and then added a Penny Black die (tree border) and another Penny Black die (polar bears).  The Polar Bears have foam adhesive behind them to add a little more dimension from the snow hills.

Lastly I added Dazzling Diamonds Glitter (SU!) to the tree edges and the ground the Polar Bears are walking on.  I left a sentiment off to keep the whole card white.  

You can check out Jo and her Guest Elf Linda W. FABULOUS cards right HERE, and if you're really quick, you can even play along!  :0)

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

Happy 75th Nancy!

Hello friends.  I'm playing along in a little celebration (HERE) to wish the very sweet Nancy Littrell of Scandinancy Creates  a very HAPPY 75th BIRTHDAY!!

I thought it was only fitting since Nancy "enabled" me to buy a bunch of the new slimline stencils from STAMPlorations that I use one for her birthday card!  You can see others I made using these new slimline stencils right HERE.  

 

I used the BOUQUET slimline stencil and thought about using Autumn colors since technically it is Fall now, but the weather in Michigan this past week has been sunny and in the mid to upper 70's, and since this is a MILESTONE birthday for Nancy, I decided to go all out colorful!!  I used a little bit of Pixie Spray on the backside of the stencil since there are so many fine lines and small spaces to help hold it in place, and then went to work using various colors of Gina K inks and my icrafters ink blending brushes (I love these finger tip blending brushes...they look like sponge daubers and fit on the tip of your pointer finger, but the brush part is like the Picket Fence Life Changing brushes...you can find them at SSS HERE.  They're a little pricey, but they blend like a dream and I love the control I have with them on the end of my finger!!).  

 
I used a birthday greeting from Gina K's Natural Silhouettes stamp set, and then added a thin black layer and adhered both to a top folding slimline card base.

So happy, happy birthday Nancy, and I hope you enjoy your special day and get spoiled by your family!  If any of you would like to see all of Nancy's special cards, you can check them out through a link on Loll's blog right HERE and also play along if you'd like to wish Nancy a Happy Birthday!!

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

Color Hues Challenge #2 - Navy & Turquoise

Hello friends.  I'm playing along with a new challenge today!  It's called the Color Hues Challenge and they are looking for cards with Navy & Turquoise.

Here's what I came up with...

I used SU!'s Night of Navy, Bermuda Bay, & Costal Cabana inks along with stamps and dies from SU!'s Forever Fern set to create my card.  The embossed piece in the background is also from this Forever Fern set...love the texture it brings to the background!

LOVE this color combination...looks so pretty against the stark white!!  My sentiment is from Gina K's Natural Silhouettes stamp set.

Lots of BEAUTIFUL cards from the DT to get you inspired, so check it all out right HERE and play along.  Color challenges are SO fun and I'm thinking this new challenge is one I'm going to be playing in often! :0)

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

CAS Mix Up Sept. 2020 - Embossing With Dies

Hello friends.  Getting in under the wire with the CAS Mix Up Challenge this month, but I do have a couple cards to share with you.

The first card I'm going to share is actually my 2nd card, as I messed up with my 1st one...don't you hate it when that happens?!!  I salvaged it though and it was just too pretty not to show it to you...just doesn't really fit the challenge now!  But anyway, on to my 2nd card first...

  I used SSS's Holly & Pine Frame Die with my rubber mat to emboss the frame onto my white card panel.  I purposely embossed it off center to add a little interest since I knew this was going to be a very CAS card.  My sentiment was stamped in red using PTI's Christmas Blessings stamp set, and because I was using my MISTI, I was able to stamp over it again in Versamark and heat set it with clear embossing powder.  I matted this layer to a piece of Real Red cs and then adhered to a white card base.  Very simple, but I  didn't want to detract from the embossing as it's soooo pretty and busy enough all on it's own!

Now for my first card that I goofed on...

I wish I could tell you made this die, but I don't have the packaging and I thought for sure it was Pinkfresh Studios, but can't find it in their products.  I've checked Memory Box, Poppystamps, & SSS, but with no luck!  If anyone knows, PLEASE let me know...thanks!  But anyway, I started by using the die and my rubber mat to emboss the image on a piece of white cardstock (so far, so good!) and then used some Fine Tec Iridescent Watercolors to paint the inside of the leaves.  Then I tried to paint the berries...simple, right??  My red circles looked like blobs and I was disgusted!  This is where I stopped and went on to my 2nd card that I showed you first.  After looking at my mess for awhile, I decided to actually die cut the image rather than dry embossing again, and then pressed it into an Old Olive ink pad.  I carefully glued this over the embossed panel with the pretty inner painted leaves and yucky red blobs.  I used the die to die cut again from red glitter cardstock and cut off the red berries and glued them over over the blobs, and voila...it actually looked pretty!  Here's a close up where you can still see a bit of the dry embossing underneath...

I finished it off by using a Lil Inkers stitched rectangle die, added some gold twine (SU!) and a Tiny Tag (PTI), and attached to a white card base.  Are you still with me??  I know...loooong story for such a small card!  But anyway, I liked how it turned out in the end, and even though it doesn't really show any dry embossing which this challenge is all about, it was just too pretty not to show you!

There are lots of videos showing how to emboss with dies and lots of BEAUTIFUL cards from the DT on their site right HERE, so check it out and play along if you have time...this challenge is open till the 24th.
  

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

The Flower Challenge #48 - BROWN & PINK

Hello friends.  Playing along with The Flower Challenge where this month it's a color challenge and they would like us to use BROWNS and PINKS.

I wasn't too sure about this color combination at first, but have to say after seeing all the BEAUTIFUL inspiration from the DT, the color palette kinda grew on me!  I have two cards to share as I couldn't decide which one I liked better, although I think I'm leaning more to the first one I'm going to show you!  I made a slimline card using one of STAMPlorations new slimline stencils called Peeking Sunflowers.  Take a look...

 

Please excuse the photo on an angle...hard to photograph these loooong cards!!  I used Vintage Photo, Worn Lipstick, & Picked Raspberry DOX inks for my Sunflowers and the sentiment is from Penny Black's Inspirational Sentiments.  Pretty simple but I do like the way it turned out!!

My 2nd card uses Altenew's Floral Art stamp set and SU!'s Soft Suede ink and Concord & 9th's Ballet Slipper & Honeysuckle inks.  I stamped the panel first, and then used Gina K's Master Layouts 2 dies to die cut the individual rectangles all from the one stamped panel and then layered with Soft Suede cardstock, making sure to line each panel up.  The sentiment banner is from The Greetery Sentiment Suite: Thinking of You set.  I love the colors of this one and the sort of wallpapery look to the card, but still think the 1st one might be my favorite!  What do YOU think??

There's still time to play along with this challenge, so check out all the inspiration from the DT and play along right HERE.

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

CAS Christmas Reminder - CHRISTMAS TREE

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still a week left to play along with us at the CAS Christmas Challenge where our hostess is Colleen and she is looking for CHRISTMAS TREES on your cards.

So how about a little miniature Christmas tree this time around??

Isn't this image from Marcella Hawley (Cozy Cupfuls) soooooo sweet?!!  I saw Loll do a card with this image (HERE) and had to go right out buy the stamp set!  I just love the little vintage tea cup and the little miniature tree sitting in it!  I water colored the image with my Aquapainter and Just Jade, Pretty Peacock, and Antique Linen inks, and then added a tiny bit of shimmery gold with a gel pen that unfortunately does not show up in my photos!  I used an oval die cut mat over my image to keep with the vintage feeling of this card and the sentiment is also from the Cozy Cupfuls stamp set.

This challenge is open till the 24th and we'd love to see YOU in the gallery!  Check out all the beautiful inspiration from the DT and our Special GD and then play along with us right HERE.  We'd love to have you start those Christmas cards by playing along with us...Christmas will be here before you know it!!

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

Inspired By #141 - Tweet Tea

Hello friends.  After seeing the sweet inspiration photo at the current Inspired By Challenge, I had to play along!

Isn't that just the "tweetest" image??!!  (Sorry, couldn't resist!)  Of course I was inspired by the tea cups, the birdie, the greenery, and the flowers and colors!  Here's what I came up with...

I used one of my all time favorite PTI dies (Fancy Tea Cup) and DSP from an older Spellbinders 6 x 6 pad called You're My Type to make my 3 tea cups, and the greenery is a die cut from Poppystamps called Leafy Sprig.  The little birdie is from a Gina K set called Natural Silhouettes and was stamped with Misty Moonlight ink (SU!).  I also used a SU! embossing folder (Tufted) for my background and then finished off with a Tiny Tag from PTI for my sentiment and a few sequins.

Check out all the BEAUTIFUL cards from the DT HERE and then play along...there's still a few days left before the challenge ends!

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

Twofer Challenge #31 - TREES

Hello friends.  It's time for another Twofer Challenge and this month the prompt is TREES.

Here's what I came up with using an older SU! set called Sheltering Tree...

Using the same TREE stamp I made a Fall/Thank You card and a Christmas card.

I have been wanting to try my hand at this style of card for awhile now where you stamp the TREES all around the edge of your card so it looks like you're looking up through the center of a group of TREES.  I started by stamping the TREE bases first in dark brown ink, and then used the 2nd stamp for the leaves using yellow, orange, & red inks on each tree...working my way around like I was stamping a wreath!  I used a little bit of blue ink in the very center for my sky and then added my die cut grateful sentiment (PTI's Counting My Blessings) in the middle.

My Christmas card uses the same TREE stamped on a gray card panel, and then I used white pigment ink on the leaf stamp and for the ground stamp.  I added a red cardinal for a pop of color (PTI's In The Meadow dies) and the sentiment is from Penny Black's Yuletide Wishes stamp set.  I matted the light gray panel to a darker gray panel and adhered both to a top folding white card base.  This was a pretty easy card to make but I love the way it turned out!!

Check out all the great inspiration from the DT and our Special GD's this month right HERE.  We can't wait to see what YOU come up with using the TREE prompt.  This challenge is open till the 24th.

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

Christmas Kickstart #37 - Festive Furbabies

Hello friends.  Another fun challenge over at Christmas Kickstart where Jo and her elf Gail are looking for Festive Furbabies on our Christmas cards!

I hadn't used my MFT's Deck the Howls set in quite awhile, so I colored up a couple of the images to come up with a twofer for this challenge!  Here is the 1st one...

This little bruiser reminds me of our youngest daughter's puppy Vinny, so guess who this Christmas card is going to??!  I colored him up with my Copics and then added him to a die cut frame from SSS called Holiday Frames.  My card base was dry embossed with a Darice snowflake ef, and then I popped up the frame on foam tape strips, and added Vinny.  And some red & white bakers twine.

And this little guy reminded me of one of our middle daughter's miniature Dachsund's named Beamer.  Her 2nd mini dox named Royce was stamped on the inside so he doesn't feel left out at Christmas!  I didn't pop up the frame on this one but did add an extra layer of red cs behind the embossed layer.

And here are both cards together!  Quick and easy and fun and 2 of our 3 daughter's Christmas cards are done...YAY!!  Make sure you check out the great inspiration from Jo and Gail right HERE and then play along to make sure you get those cards done before December...it really will be here before you know it!!

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

Playing Cards

Hello friends.  This post is just basically a continuation of my Playing For Fun posts that I've been doing the past few months, and I just decided to change the name to Playing Cards like my sweet friend Michele calls it.  So a very heavy picture post again this month...if you have any questions about any of the products or techniques I used, just give me a shout, so I don't make this post any longer than it needs to be!

So first up...

These first three cards use a technique from Jennifer McGuire (HERE) called Easy Distress & Water technique.  Lots of fun and sooo easy to do with outline image background stamps, Distress Inks, embossing powder, and water.  Check it out!!

A while back I tried a Kathy Racoosin technique she calls Print Making Coloring and I failed miserably!  Some of my friends from the CAS teams got together via ZOOM recently to play with the technique and after seeing all their lovely cards I decided to try again!  I wouldn't say I failed this time, but it definitely didn't come out looking like Kathy's or Bonnie's or Loll's or Darnell's or Christine's or Susan's either!  Oh well, I still like the card!

This card came about after watching a Gina K live and blending with Fall colors.  Most of my favorite colors are earth tones, so I really liked the way my blended colors, the masking, and the silhouettes turned out on this CAS card.

If you follow me on IG, you may have seen this card already, but decided to include it anyways because I just really like how it turned out!  One of the new dies to come out from The Greetery's release last week was Shiplap Dies.  I got to thinking maybe I could make my own using a woodgrain background stamp I have (SU!) that I cut into 1" strips and pieced together like Shiplap.  Next time I try this again I won't do any piecing in the center as your main focal image covers it up, but I still like the look!  Love the watering can in the bright red too...this card is definitely ready for Fall!

This is just a simple water colored card I made with Altenews Paint-A-Flower: Calla Lily...our youngest daughter is named Calla, so of course I had to make a card as soon as I got the stamp set.  And yes, I did mail it to our daughter!!

This last card is from another Gina K live where she showed the rubber band technique.  I don't know why, but I'm always amazed by how FUN the backgrounds turn out, and this one was no exception! 

So now you are all caught up on how I've been occupying myself this last month...I'm so grateful for this hobby that keeps me busy and of course for all the wonderful friends I've made since I first started stamping!  Take care my friends and thanks for sticking it out with me for another loooooong post!

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