Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge #18

Hello friends.  Nothing like waiting to the last minute to play along with a challenge, but time got away from me and I just couldn't resist the mood board for the Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge...I mean, take a look at all the wonderful BLACK & WHITE!!

 

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

I started with a piece of black & white plaid paper from SU!'s Plaid Tidings DSP on a white card base, and then built my scene using dies from the ECD Reindeer (#1408) set.  I cut everything from black cardstock first, and then because it didn't show up as much as I'd wanted (I was thinking silhouette for this scene), I also cut everything out again in white and offset it under the black die cuts.

My sentiment was heat embossed with white on the black snow hill using PTI's Stylish Sentiments: Holiday, and I finished with a few Trinity Stamps Crystal Ball Dewdrop Baubles.  Oh, I almost forgot...my white snowman is a die cut from PTI's In The Meadow die set...couldn't leave out a snowman after the fabulous ones showcased in the mood board!!  Pretty easy card, but I love the way it turned out!!

I'd love to tell you, you have lots of time to play along with this challenge, but it ends tonight!  You can still check it all out right HERE for lots of beautiful black & white inspiration though, and get started on your Christmas card stash...it will be here before you know it!!

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

Playing Cards with Michele - June 2022

Hello friends.  Had another play date with my sweet friend Michele a couple of weeks ago, although I think we did more talking than playing this time around!  Sometimes friends just need to talk and catch up and listen, and if there's one thing I've learned from the past 2 years, it's not to take any friendship for granted, and the value of an in person hug!  So talk we did, but never fear, we did do some stamping too!  And eating!  I've mentioned before that Michele used to be a caterer and is a FABULOUS cook!  We met at her house this time and she prepared egg drop soup, egg rolls, and Chinese Almond cookies...all homemade and absolutely delicious!!  Loved it all and HAD to have the cookie recipe...I think it's going to be one of my all time favorites!!

I brought to Michele's one of my new items from The Greetery called It's A Wrap: Posy Pocket die, and we decided this would be the item we both made cards with to share with you all.  My first two cards are kind of mirror images using the positive and negative from the Frosted Frames die set (The Greetery) with the posy pocket wrap.  Take a look:

I'm loving how "vintage looking" these both came out!

This first card uses the Seed Catalog Background stamp with the Frosted Frames dies and then decorated with the posy wrap filled with the Plucked Dies (the Dandelions) and the BotaniCuts: Pussy Willow Dies.  The posy wrap was stamped with the Windowpane Plaid Background stamp before I die cut it.  All my coloring on the dandelions and pussy willows were done with DOX inks and splattered with dark brown ink.  The little tag is from PTI's Tiny Tags stamp and die set.  Everything else on this card is from The Greetery.  

My 2nd card uses all the same stamps and dies, but just the reverse of the first card.  I did add a bit of glitter to the dandelions in this card for a bit of sparkle and shine.

My next card is pretty busy and BRIGHT, but I think it's my favorite!!  Michele and I both have a love of pink & orange together, and she gifted me with a pad of dsp from PTI that's all pinks and oranges...I absolutely LOVE it!!  Thanks so much Michele!!  Anyway, I used one of the dsp's to cut my posy wrap from and filled it with blooms and oranges from PFS's Citrus Blooms stamp and die and stencil set.  

 My oranges all have Glossy Accents added to them, and the leaves have WOS on them, so this whole wrap is filled with shimmer and shine!  My background is also from PFS (Lemon Lush) and I also used The Greetery's Postal Frame Die behind the stamped background.  My sentiment is from The Greetery's Lemon Blossom stamp set and I heat embossed it on black and fussy cut around it.  I finished this card with a few Disco Ball sequins from Gina K.

My last card, I promise!!  Another sweet friend (Lisa) had recently gifted me with a few die cut wraps from Simply Graphic (Flower Wrap) because I was falling in love with her cards using this die cut wrap (this was before I had The Greetery one!) and was feeling a little left out!  Aren't stamping friends the greatest?!!  (Thank you again Lisa!!)  Anyway, Lisa had made a card HERE that I just had to CASE since I also had the Impression Obsession Hollyhocks dies.  I used an Altenew Basic Plaid 3D embossing folder for my background and then added the wrap filled with my pink & purple Hollyhocks (Copic colored).  Hard to see in my photo but I used WOS on my flowers, so they really sparkle IRL!  My die cut sentiment is from MB's Just A Note Posh Script die, and I added a few of the Trinity Stamps Crystal Ball Dewdrop Baubles to finish off my card.

If you've stuck with me this long, thank you, thank you!!  I know it was a long post, but...  I'm so excited to see what Michele did with these posy wraps, so join me in hopping over to her site right HERE and check it out...I am never disappointed and you won't be either!  Thank you again Michele for hosting our get together, and most of all for your sweet friendship...I am blessed!! 

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

Happy Birthday Loll

Hello friends.  It's a special day today...it's Loll's (Stamping with Loll) birthday, and we're celebrating with a few of her friends.  Well, ok, LOTS of her friends!!  Loll runs the CAS teams, so if you know her and play along with her challenges, make sure you stop by to wish her a HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY today!

Awhile back, Loll sent me a PPP Peonies stencil, and I thought it was only fitting to use this stencil to make her a birthday card.  I'm not a real fan of the regular size slimline cards (too big for me), but I do LOVE the mini slimline card size (6 1/2 x 6 1/4 scored in half on the 6 1/2 side), and this stencil worked beautifully for this size card!

  I used the stencil to make a background for my card, plus one extra flower and leaves to use for decoration, and then die cut my background layers and the center layers using Gina K's Master Layouts #7.  My background was lightly ink blended with the leftover pink ink on my blending brush, and then I added a bit more pink ink for the decorative pink flower and just a touch of orange ink for the center of the flower...I know Loll is like me in that she loves pinks and oranges together!!  

 My sentiment was hot foiled using silver Prism foil and Spellbinders February 2022 Glimmer of the Month Anytime Glimmer Sentiments.  I finished off my card with just a touch of bling using Gina K's Disco Ball Sequins and a black glaze pen for the center dots in the flower.

I hope you know how special you are to ALL of us Loll, and that you have a wonderful birthday filled with everything you hold most dear.  And cake!!  Happy, happy birthday my dear friend!!  

 

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

Christmas Kickstart #63 - PAWS

Hello friends.  Just a quick post today...playing with the Christmas Kickstart Challenge where they are looking for PAWS on our Christmas cards.

And here's my QACAS card for this challenge...

Isn't this just the sweetest little image?!  It's an Anita Jeram image from Colorado Craft Co. called Stockings Mini and I've colored it up with my Copics.  I'm not fond of mice in real life, but this little guy can leave PAW prints anywhere he wants as he's just too cute wanting to add his striped stocking on the branch next to his little birdie friend!!

 I added a Scalloped Circle Die (PFS) to frame out my little scene, and then added a bit of glitter to the branches and ground for snow, and a light blending of Turquoise Sea ink (Gina K) in the background.  The sentiment was stamped in Cherry Cobbler ink (SU!) and comes from the Stockings Mini stamp set also.

This challenge is open till the end of this month, so if you're like me and woefully behind on your Christmas card stash, check out what Dotty Jo and her elf Di have for inspiration and then play along right HERE.   

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

Double D Challenge - Beach Time

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Double D BEACH TIME challenge today.  Lot's of inspiration going on with their mood board...take a look!

I had been playing with a new Gina K stencil called Lush Leaves and trying to create a kind of Coleus leaf look with both greens and pinkish red, but when I finished, it looked more tropical to me, so I just let it sit on my desk for a couple days while I tried to figure out what to do with it.  After looking at the mood board, I thought maybe I could add something to the leaves to make it look even more tropical or beachy to fit in with the challenge, and was looking through my stamps and dies and came upon these NBUS dies from PTI (Feathered Friends #12) that I've had for ages, and figured I'd give it a try.  Here's what I came up with...

  I cut my flamingo from white cardstock and then used Picked Raspberry DOX ink to color him up.  I know flamingos are more of a coral/peach color, but I wanted him (or is it a her??) to match with the pink I used in my stenciled leaves.  

 I used a cream colored card base, then added a layer of Magenta Madness cs die cut with The Greetery's Postal Frame Die.  Before die cutting my stenciled layer (with Gina K's ML#2) I splattered the piece with a liberal dose of water...I love how reactive water is to Distress Inks!  I popped my flamingo up with a bit of foam tape and added a circle die cut (Gina k's ML#7) for my sentiment from MFT's Sunny Days Ahead.  To finish I added a few Crystal Ball Dewdrop Baubles from Trinity Stamps...love how shiny and iridescent these little gems are!!

Lot's of FABULOUS inspiration from the DT over at Double D, so check it out and welcome SUMMER in!!  It's definitely Summertime in my neck of the woods...we've had quite a few days already in the 90's, and we're just not used to that kind of heat here in Michigan!  But I'm not complaining because it sure beats Winter that goes on and on and on here!!  

Also going to add this card to Darnell's NBUS Challenge, since my flamingo is making her/his long awaited debut!

 

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

Color Hues #43 - BLUE & GREEN

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Color Hues Challenge today and using the colors BLUE and GREEN.

I had a new stencil that worked perfectly for this challenge...take a look:

I used Gina K's new stencil called Lush Leaves and ink blended Salty Ocean and Mowed Lawn Distress Inks over my piece of white cardstock.  LOVE how the colors blend together!!  I also used Gina K's Master Layouts #7 dies to turn my stenciled layer into a mini slimline card...I think this is one of my most used die sets lately as I am totally in love with the mini slimline size!

 I stamped a small feather from another of Gina K's new stamp sets called Fancy Feathers in the same Salty Ocean and Mowed Lawn Distress Inks, and then stamped my sentiment (Gina K - It's All You) in black over the feather, before cutting it out with a circle die from the ML#7 die set.  I added a few Mermaids Tail sequins (also Gina K) and a piece of black & white twine to finish off my card.

Lots of FABULOUS inspiration in BLUE & GREEN for you to check out from the DT right HERE.  This challenge is open till the 28th until 9:00AM.

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

CAS Christmas June 2022 - WREATH Reminder Post

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still time to play along with us at the CAS Christmas Challenge, where our  hostess Linda is looking for a WREATH on our CAS Christmas cards.

My WREATH comes from an older SU! set called Feeling of Christmas, and because I loved the greens and purple I used on my first card, I stuck with the same color palette here:

I used Soft Succulent for the first inked layer of the wreath, and then Evening Evergreen for the leaf layer.  I used a couple of Copics (BV08 & BV17) to color in the berries.

My bow (The Greetery - Fit To Be Tied) was die cut three times (for dimension) from Elegant Eggplant cs, and then I put a few coats of WOS on the bow for some shimmer & shine.  The sentiment is from the Feeling of Christmas stamp set also.  I matted this layer with a piece of Elegant Eggplant cs and then adhered both to a top folding white card base.

We hope you'll dig out those WREATH stamps (or dies or stencils) and play along with us right HERE.  This challenge is open till the 24th.

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

June CAS Mix Up Challenge

Hello friends.  The CAS Mix Up Challenge is back and I am SO happy!  Loll is hosting this month's challenge and she would like to see us use pastes or gels through a STENCIL on our CAS cards.

I had FUN with this one using an older Gina K stencil (Snowflake Mandala) and NOT making it a Christmas card.  Take a look...

Rather than the blues and turquoises I usually use with this stencil, I blended rainbow inks (Gina K inks) on an angle starting at the top left through the stencil.  Leaving the stencil in place, I said a quick prayer that my Glass Bead Gel would still be good (it was getting a bit stiff so I nuked it for 10 seconds and said another prayer, and it worked!!) and worked quickly to spread it over the stencil and ink blended piece.  I removed the stencil (and washed it right away...a MUST do!!) and then of course the hard part of waiting for it to dry!

Once my layer was dry, I trimmed it down just a bit (4" x 5 1/4") and adhered it to a top folding white card base.  For my sentiment I used Honey Bee's Bitty Buzzwords stamps and dies to die cut the word "hugs" and emboss in white on a black strip the words "SENDING YOU".  I used a little bit of foam tape behind the sentiment strip for a little dimension, and the card was done.  My colors are a bit brighter in my photos than they are in real life...they're more pastel and soft, and I'm really pleased with the way this card came out!  It will definitely brighten up someone's day!!

Make sure you check out all the FABULOUS inspiration from the DT right HERE and then play along...this challenge is open till the 24th.

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

The Flower Challenge #69 - BLUE & YELLOW

Hello friends.  Playing along with The Flower Challenge today, and they are doing a COLOR challenge this time around...BLUE & YELLOW to show continued support for the people of Ukraine.

I used a new Altenew embossing folder/stencil combo called Vintage Lace to make my card using the colors...take look:

I used the stencils first, using shades of yellow ink (PFS) for the flowers and green (Gina K) for the leaves.  The center of the small flower is blue.

 Once my stenciling was complete, I lined up my panel inside the embossing folder and it embossed not only the flower, but the background too...kind of a 2 in 1 deal!  I trimmed this layer down to a 3 3/4" x 5" piece and matted it with a blue layer, and then attached both to a top folding white card base.  My "hugs" sentiment was cut from the same blue cs I matted my stenciled & embossed layer with, using Honey Bee's Bitty Buzzword Dies.  I would love to tell you this was a quick card, but I did so many re-do's I lost count!  Got ink outside the design on the 1st one, didn't line up the embossing folder to the stenciled part right on the 2nd try, smeared the ink using a baby wipe over the front before putting it into the embossing folder so the cardstock wouldn't crack on the 3rd try, and then was finally successful (mostly) with the 4th try.  I guess perseverance really does pay off!!

Make sure you check out all the lovely inspiration using the BLUE & YELLOW color combination from the DT, and then play along right HERE.  This challenge is open till the 25th at 5:00PM.

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

Double D Challenge - WHITE with ONE other color ONLY

Hello friends.  Today I'm playing along with the current Double D Challenge where they want us to use WHITE and only ONE other color!

I decided to use TURQUOISE along with WHITE for my card(s), and I hope I haven't blown it, but I did use black also as a neutral.  I had so much fun using a new Gina K set called The Best Things In Life and also Spellbinders Glimmer of the Month kit (Stitched Glimmer Butterflies), that I made 3 cards and couldn't decide on which one to use here, so I'm showing you all 3!  Here's the first one...

 I started by inking up the circle Morning Glory stamp with different shades of turquoise inks (all Gina K) to give an ombre effect, and then die cut the circle and inlaid it into a white panel that I used the Subtle Embossing Folder (SU!) on.  I layered this with a piece of Ocean Mist cs and a white card base.  You can see faintly on the inner wings of the die cut butterfly that I foiled the lines with a turquoise foil (Spellbinders)...it's really shiny in real life!  The sentiment which comes with the The Best Things In Life stamp set, was heat embossed in white on a black cs strip and adhered with foam tape.  I finished the card with a few PFS silver metallic pearls.

  My 2nd card uses the full butterfly from the Spellbinders Stitched Glimmer Butterflies set, and I added a 2nd black die cut butterfly underneath the top one to add more dimension and a feeling of flight.

I stamped the same sentiment as the first card repeatedly on a white die cut circle (backed with a black scalloped circle by SU!) for my butterfly to land on.  My embossed background is a new embossing folder from Gina K called Tapestry.  

My last card is a little more graphic and uses strips of Gina's different turquoise cardstocks on a white layer, and then was stamped with the other main image from The Best Things In Life stamp set.  Very, VERY simple, but love the way this one turned out too!

So, do you have a favorite??  I love all 3 and can't decide if I like one better than the other two.  Let me know what you think.  Make sure you check out all the awesome inspiration from the talented DT right HERE and then play along.  This challenge is open till Sunday, June 12 at 8PM. 

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

Color Hues #42 - YELLOW & BLACK

Hello friends.  I'm playing along with the gals over at the Color Hues Challenge today, and they are looking for YELLOW & BLACK this time around.

My first thought was bees when I saw this color combination, but I had a new stamp, stencil, & die set from Pinkfresh Studios that I really want to play with, so.......

I used the Botanical Bunch stencils first with 4 different shades of yellow for the flowers, and then black & gray for the leaves.  Once I finished stenciling, I used the coordinating stamp with black ink to outline all the flowers and leaves, and then used the die to cut it all out.

I used foam tape behind the image before adhering to a layer that I used the Stitched Diamonds cover plate die on (PFS), and then adhered both to a black layer and a white card base.  The "just a note" sentiment comes with the stamp set and was embossed in white on a black strip and then adhered with foam tape also.  Some black & white twine and a bit of glitter in the flower centers finished off my card.

You can check out all the FABULOUS inspiration in YELLOW & BLACK from the talented DT right HERE to play along.

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

CAS Christmas June 2022 - WREATH

Hello friends.  Welcome back to CAS Christmas ..we're SO excited to be back with you and helping you get those Christmas cards done in time!  Linda is our hostess this month, and her challenge is to use a WREATH on your card.  

 

 In the past year I have fallen in LOVE with all the wonderful layering stencils that are out there, and today I'm using Pinkfresh Studio's Thrill of Hope wreath stencils for my card.  Take a look:

I am loving the simplicity of this wreath and used just 2 green inks (SU!'s Evening Evergreen & Soft Succulent) and Elegant Eggplant ink for the berries.

My sentiment was foiled using Spellbinders JOY Glimmer Plate and Aura foil...I'm loving the different colors this Aura foil gives depending on the light!  I matted this layer with a panel of Elegant Eggplant cs and adhered both to a top folding white card base.  Very simple but I'm thrilled with the way this card came out!!

Make sure you check out all the wonderful inspiration the rest of the DT has to share with you, and also welcome our newest DT member Lisa Elton (My Paper Tales).  You can play along with us until the 24th right HERE.

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