Christmas in July with Michele

Hello friends.  Michele and I had a playdate last week where we decided to make Christmas cards, and Michele had a bunch of Tim Holtz she wanted to play with, so we die cut all 673 pieces and came up with some FUN Christmas cards to share with you today!  And yes, we had all the hugs, laughter and good food too!! (Michele makes the absolute best egg rolls...out of this world delicious!!) 

The first one we die cut was all the pieces for the Santa, and while it seemed like there were over a 100 pieces to this cute little guy, I think in reality it was a few less than that.  But not by much!!  Haha!  But anyway, here's what I came up with...

 Isn't he a cutie?!  I cut mine all out of white cardstock except for the black pieces, so I had some coloring to do with my Copics.  My background used SB's Hexi Snowflake embossing folder and a scrap piece of dsp from SU!, and the sentiment was die cut from black cs using Waffle Flower's Merry Christmas Print Die.  I used a wobbler behind Santa for a little interactive movement and then finished with a few Disco Ball sequins (Gina K).

This card uses the Deck The Halls die set from Tim and I did use colored cardstock with a little bit of shading using ink and blending brushes.  Once I had all the pieces glued together, I mounted them to a white panel that I embossed using SSS's Holiday Greenery embossing folder and a edger die from PTI (To The Point Edger's II).  The scrap of dsp at the bottom is from SU! and is a dark green and not black like my photo shows.

Here's a close up so you can see some of the details better.  For my sentiment I used PTI's Tiny Tags die and stamp set and attached it with a piece of twine.  I really like the way this one came out!!

My 3rd card from Tim uses the Delightful Deer dies, and I think these two are having a little Christmas time romance!  They were die cut from kraft and white cardstock and I used a bit of Walnut Stain Distress Ink to add some blending around the edges of the two.  I embossed a die cut circle using SSS's Forest Border embossing folder and added the deer over top of it.

You can see the embossing a bit better in this close up.  I also made this card using a book binding fold where you score 1" from the left hand fold and then glue it down from the inside, so the card opens up like a book.  (Hope that makes sense?!) I used Evening Evergreen cs and a coordinating scrap of dsp from SU! to add borders to this card.  There didn't seem to be a good place to add a sentiment on the outside, so I'll just add it to the inside.  I finished with a few wooden stars that I've had for ages from SU!.

My last card is VERY simple but I'm absolutely loving all the SPARKLE from a piece of gold glitter cs (SU!).  The tree is from a Waffle Flower Sneak Peek Kit (Retro Christmas Tree) that I won a few weeks back and hadn't had a chance to play with it yet.  The tree was stenciled and then die cut, and then I used the same die to cut out the gold glitter cs piece and offset it just a bit so you could see even more of all that sparkle.  I placed it on a white embossed background using that same Spellbinder's Hexi Snowflake embossing folder that I used on my Santa card.  The die for the star and the sentiment strip were also included in the kit.  I did add some sparkling gems for the background from PFS.  

Four more cards for my Christmas stash and I'm so happy about that, as I haven't been keeping up like I have in past years!  Thanks for getting me motivated Michele, and of course for sharing all your goodies with me, the wonderful lunch, and most of all the continued friendship...I am such a lucky girl!!  Make sure you check out what Michele did with these Tim Holtz dies...she never disappoints and always amazes me with her talent and creativity!  And now I'm off for a look see!!  Blessings my friends!    

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

Here Come the Snowmen

Hello friends.  Having with a little Christmas in July today, and playing with a new Waffle Flower Postage Collage Snowman stencil set.  Once I started, I couldn't seem to stop, so I have 4 cards to share with you today.  Here's the first one...

 I did some pretty traditional coloring by stenciling the background first with a couple shades of blue ink and then adding the 2nd stencil which added the nose, arms, and buttons.  I also added some white acrylic paint splatters for the look of snow.  I decided to cut the snowmen apart and make even more of a collage by adhering them to a background that I embossed with a new Spellbinders embossing folder called Hexi Snowflake.  To finish I matted with a black layer and a white card base, and then added a die cut sentiment from Waffle Flower and a few iridescent gems from PFS.  

I had a leftover image when I cut the collage apart and made a simple card using another snowflake embossing folder for the background (SSS's Filigree Snowflakes) and a strip sentiment from Gina K and a few silver gems (PFS).  Can't really see it from the photo, but I sprayed the embossed panel with Sheer Shimmer Mist, so the card has a lovely sparkle to it.

For my 3rd card I kept the collage intact and inked the background up using medium and dark Orchid inks from Gina K, and also sprayed the layer with Sheer Shimmer Mist to give the allover card lots of sparkle and shine.  My small round sentiment comes from Waffle Flowers North Pole coordinating set and I finished with a few Disco Ball Sequins (Gina K) and some black & white twine.  

My last card turned out to be my favorite with very non traditional colors in pinks and greens.  A little bit of extra stamping on this one using the North Pole set and a card base stenciled with the air mail stencil that comes with one of the basic stencil sets from Waffle Flower.  The sentiment is also a part of the North Pole set and was embossed in white on a strip of black cs and raised with a bit of foam tape.  More Disco Ball sequins and glitter finished this bright and fun card.

Going to add all of these cards to Darnell's NBUS Challenge as everything used here is never before used!  

Also going to add my first card to the Peace On Earth Challenge where I was inspired by the shades of BLUE in their beautiful mood board.

Thanks for sticking with me on another long post and hope you enjoyed all these cute snowmen!  I'm thrilled to be adding another 4 cards to my Christmas stash too...it really will be here before we know it!  (Although the temps outside would beg to differ...been a warm summer here in West Michigan this year!!)  Take care and stay cool!

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

Color Hues #91 - RED & GREEN

Hello friends.  Time for another challenge here at Color Hues and our hostess Sheri would like to see RED & GREEN on our cards.  

Looks just like Christmas, doesn't it?!  And being July and all, that's the first place my mind went to, but...  Yep, I had just received a new press plate from Altenew in the mail and had to give it a play!  So no Christmas here today, but a CAS pretty floral using the Billowing Flower press plate.

After pressing the flower and sentiment in black ink, I proceeded to color in the flower with R24, R29, & R89 Copics and the leaves with G40 & G24 Copics.  I also snuck some Y17 in the flower center...shhhhhh, don't tell!!  It still needed something, so I used Altenew's Organic Linen 3D embossing folder on my panel.  I love the way it looked, but noticed that I completely took away the letter press look by embossing over it...grrrrrr!!  Not one of my best moves, but I still think it looks pretty!

I finished by adding a Real Red (SU!) panel and then attached to a white top folding card base.  A few Disco Ball sequins (Gina K) were added for a touch of sparkle & shine.  

The DT and our Special GD have some beautiful inspiration to get you started and you can see it all right HERE.  This challenge is open till Monday, July 29th @ 9:00AM.  We can't wait to see what YOU come up with using RED & GREEN!

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

The Flower Challenge #93 - Reminder

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still time to play along with us at The Flower Challenge where we're looking for BIRTHDAY CARDS this month.

I played with an older Altenew set called Celebrate Us and some Catherine Pooler inks and came up with this...

These are pretty simple flowers compared to how elaborate some Altenew flowers can be, but I really like the simplicity of them!  I used Sweet 16 and Pixie Dust inks for the flowers and Green Tea and just a touch of Eucalyptus inks for the leaves.  I fussy cut them out and then added them (with foam tape) to a panel of white that I embossed using an older SU! folder called Tasteful Textile.  I added a torn strip of colored cs beneath the embossed panel and added both to a top folding card base.

I finished with a letterpress sentiment from Spellbinders A Little Message Sentiments along with some PFS purple gems and a piece of black & white bakers twine.  

The DT has some lovely, lovely inspiration to get you started and you can find them all right HERE.  This challenge is open till Thursday, July 25th @ 9:00AM.

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

BLOOM WITH KINDNESS

Hello friends.  Today I'm playing along with the Stencil Fun Challenge using a new (to me) stencil, stamp & die set from Altenew called Dynamic Duo: Wildflower Bouquet.

 There is an optional twist with this challenge to use shades of blue, and I do have one flower that should qualify for that, so take a look...

I started with a piece of heavy weight vellum and used an Altenew embossing folder called Daisies and attached to my white card base.  (This is one of those 3D embossing folders, and the first 2 times I embossed the vellum it ripped, so I finally remembered to mist the vellum on the front and back before running it through my machine...geesh, you'd think I've been doing this craft long enough that I would have remembered that!!) Next I did my stenciling using Gina K inks in pinks, blues, yellows, orchids, & greens.  Next I used the coordinating stamps for the flower centers and my polychromo pencils to add some extra detail (mostly to the leaves).

 I die cut the blooms with the coordinating die and also layered a couple more underneath to give a bit of sturdiness to the bouquet before adding foam strips to the back and adhering over the dry embossed vellum.  I finished with the bold sentiment from the set and a few Disco Ball sequins from Gina K.  Next time I think I will die cut the bouquet first before stenciling, but all in all, I'm pretty pleased with the way this colorful bouquet turned out.

You can check out all the wonderful inspiration from the DT right HERE and then play along until Saturday, August 3rd.
 

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

Pinkfresh Studio's CREATE & CONNECT 2024

Hello friends.  Not playing in any challenges today...just wanted to share what I've been working on this past week.  I had signed up for Pinkfresh Studio's Create & Connect (HOT FOIL & PRESS PLATES) back in February, and the 4 classes were held a week ago Saturday on the 29th.  Since signing up for the class our youngest daughter has taken on a job that requires working on the weekends and her daycare isn't open on the weekends...yep, Nana & Papa to the rescue!  I mean, who could say no to a face like this??

I sure couldn't!!  But anyway, back to the classes.  There were 4 classes and each an hour and a half long, and because I couldn't watch them live (on youtube), I watched the replays this past week.  I have done other Create & Connect events and they move really quickly, so you have to be really prepared and have all your homework done for each class ahead of time.  If you get behind, it's hard to catch up (for me at least!).  I'm not a fast crafter either, so these classes have always been a challenge!  Watching the replays on my own worked so much better for me as I was able to go at my own pace, and it was just so much more relaxing...I loved it!

This whole event was centered around hot foiling and letter press techniques, and I learned a lot of great tips from the 4 instructors...Heather Hoffman, Carissa Wiley, Emily Midgett, & Lea Lawson.  Heather was up first and she titled her class Elegant Stationery and here are the cards we made...

The 1st card was the middle one and that involved hot foiling on patterned paper. The card on the right involved letter press and pictures just don't do this card justice...it is soooo pretty IRL!  The card on the left was a bonus card that we could do on our own.  The one tip I learned from Heather that I loved was when inking up your better press plates, ink cubes work the best and also using a light circular motion rather than the twist & turn method gives a much more consistent inking.  

 This 2nd class was taught by Carissa Wiley and she called it the Floral Arch Frame class.  We started with the card on the left which is once again using the letter press plates and multiple colors of ink.  We ink blended a solid arch in light pink and then added a vellum arch that we inked up with the press plate and white pigment ink...so delicate and beautiful!  The 2nd card was hot foiled and a fun fancy fold, and the card on the right was once again done with the better press plates.  This last card is pretty washed out looking, but the background pressed leaves are a bright green (C&9th Sprout) and then peony is inked with both peach & pink inks...another beauty IRL!!

  The 3rd class was taught by Emily Midgett and called Fresh Blooms.  The card on the right was the first one we did and involves the letter press plates and gradient ink blending. Emily taught us a really cool (and easy) way to get our press plates right where we want them but it's way too hard to explain in words...it involves turning the chase over (upside down) and then pressing into the platten, which probable makes no sense at all unless you physically see it in person!  It's definitely a tip I'll remember though!  The middle card was shown as a full size slimline card, but I'm not a fan of that size, so I made mine a mini slimline card.  It used hot foiling with the Honeysuckle press plate.  The card on the left was one we could do on our own and I just really liked the combination of the blue and turquoise inks blended together over the press plate.

   The last class was taught by Lea Lawson and was called Multi Color Letterpress.  The 1st card we made was the middle one and we used an alignment guide (printed on acetate) with our better press system so we would know where to use which colors on the leaves and flowers.  Really cool technique!  The card on the left used the same press plate but we hot foiled it instead of pressing it.  The card is actually a shaker card, but since the card is standing upright, all the shaker bits are at the bottom of the card.  The card on the right was one we could do on our own and involved hot foiling the press plates and then using stencils and rainbow inks.  Another one that is much prettier in person!!

All the supplies (press plates, stencils, pre-printed and foiled sentiments & dies) were included in this kit other than the cardstock, foil and some of the ribbon or twine that I used on a few of the cards.  I didn't mention the names of any of the press plates or stencils we used as Pinkfresh has said that they will NOT be releasing any of these products down the road like they usually do with their events...everything in this kit is exclusive to this event.  Hot foiling and press plates have really become popular lately, so they will be releasing many new products in the coming months/years.  It was a fun, FUN event and I'm so glad it worked out for me to do it at my own pace as I totally enjoyed working at my own speed (slow!) and just really enjoying the ride without having to worry about keeping caught up!  Thanks for sticking with me through this loooong post...I appreciate it!  Happy Monday everyone!

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

The Flower Challenge #93 - Birthday Card

Hello friends.  Happy July and welcome back to another Flower Challenge.  This month we are looking for BIRTHDAY CARDS with FLOWERS of course!

 We all need BIRTHDAY CARDS, and with the exception of Christmas cards, I think birthday cards are what I make most of, so this was an easy and fun challenge for me!  I used an older and well loved die set from Honey Bee called Lovely Layers Wildflowers and came up with this CAS birthday card...

I die cut 2 of the 3 wildflowers included in this set in white and Cherry Cobbler cs and then blended DOX inks around the edges and insides, and the leaves.  (Also did a bit of water splattering on the leaves...love that look!!)  I adhered my flowers to an embossed background using Spellbinders Geo Screen embossing folder, and then added Spellbinders Sealed Twine to give the look of a wax seal.

 I did some simple matting with a layer of black and a white card base and then finished with a few Disco Ball Sequins (Gina K).  

We have lots of beautiful birthday inspiration HERE to get you started if you need ideas.  We can't wait to see YOU in the gallery with all your lovely floral BIRTHDAY cards this month.  This challenge is open till Thursday, July 25th @ 9:00AM.

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

Color Hues #90 - WHITE & AQUA

Hello friends.  Welcome to July and another fun Color Hues Challenge!  Nancy is our hostess for the next 2 weeks and she would like to see WHITE & AQUA on our cards!

I hemmed and hawed over this one and I'm not even sure why, as the color pairing is SO pretty!  I ended up making a Christmas card and although it's very simple, I really like the way it turned out!  Take a look...

I love these Nordic Bears from Poppystamps and die cut them from white, Ocean Mist, & Blue Lagoon cardstock (Gina K).  I die cut a Snowflakes (PFS) background and layered it over a Blue Lagoon card base, and then added a frame made from PFS's Diagonal Stitched Rectangle die set.

The bears were added with foam tape for a bit of dimension, and then I finished with some clear gems from PFS in the snowflake centers and a bit of black & white twine at the top to balance out the black & white pre-printed sentiment strip (Gina K).  Easy peasy and I think those cute bears steal the show!!  Should have made more than one, dang it!!  Oh well, easy enough to replicate!  Hardest part of this card was poking out all the little bits from the snowflake background!

Make sure you check out all the awesome WHITE & AQUA cards from the DT and our Special GD Nance for inspiration right HERE and then play along with us!  We'd love to see YOU in the gallery!!  This challenge is open till Sunday, July 14th @ 9:00AM.WHITE

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