Double D - Get Ready for WINTER #2

Hello friends.  I'm pulling a Michele and doing a 2nd helpings of the challenge at Double D because I just received a gift from Diane & Darlene for winning the random.org drawing a while back and the die was just the perfect one to use for WINTER!!

The die they sent me was a Cottage Cutz Arctic Polar Bear & Cub and it was just too cute not to use right away!  I combined it with a technique that Bonnie Klass showed on a card HERE that I absolutely fell in LOVE with and had to try!  Not sure mine came out quite as well as hers, but I still really liked it and will definitely try it again!  Here's what I came up with...

Aren't those Polar bears just ADORABLE?!!  I started by making the background using residual ink from my green, blue, pink & purple blending brushes and a piece of acetate to blend against different angles with the different colors.  I was trying for a kind of northern lights look.

After the ink blending I added a couple torn strips of white cardstock for snowbanks and added glitter to the torn edges.  My sentiment is a very old PTI one called Think Big Favorites #20 and I still love using it every year!  I added foam tape behind the bears for some added dimension and called it good.

Still a couple days left to play along in this challenge, and you can find all the details and more inspiration from the DT right HERE.  A very big THANK YOU to Diane & Darlene for their generous gift and for all the work they put into running so many successful challenges...I honestly don't know how they keep track of it all!  This challenge is open till Sunday, Dec. 1st @ 8:00PM.   

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

Double D - Get Ready for WINTER

Hello friends.  Playing along with the gals over at the Double D Challenge where they are looking for WINTER themed cards.

I was inspired by the photo on the bottom right with all the snowflakes, and from the sounds of it, my neck of the woods is going to be covered with lake effect snow starting Thursday night and lasting almost through all of next week...YIKES!!  But anyway, I made a shaker card using some different snowflake products to come up with this card...

I started with a white panel and stamped HA's Snowflake Background in Smokey Slate ink and then ink blended around the edges with residual ink from my turquoise blending brush.  I cut apart one of those clear envelopes and folded the edges to the back of the panel on the two sides and bottom and left the top open so I could fill it with clear sequins and some turquoise star sequins I've had for forever!  Then I sealed the top to the back and then adhered it to a top folding white card base.

I added a SSS Shimmer Snowflake die cut (actually two of them for a bit of dimension) that my sweet friend Michele cut out for me to the center of the card and then added my strip sentiment that was white embossed on black cs to the center of the snowflake.  I love making these kinds of shaker cards because there's nothing for the shaker bits to get caught up on and they move so much more freely.  A pretty quick and easy card to make and that's what I need at this point to get those last few done!

You can check out what the DT came up with for this mood board/challenge and all the cards already in the gallery right HERE.  This challenge is open till Sunday, Dec. 1st @ 8:00PM.  

And for all of you celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, I wish each and everyone of you a wonderful day with family and friends and more blessings than you can count!

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

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!

Hello friends.  No challenges today...just wanted to play with a new set from this past release at PTI that's all about angels.  I have 2 cards to share with you using the Angelic Sentiments Die and then 3 angel ornaments made from the Build-An-Angel die set.

This card started with an Old Olive card base and then a layer of Old Olive that was die cut using PTI's Border Bling: Joy Frame.  I used Old Olive ink to darken up the edges of the frame and then attached to the card base.  Next I die cut two Magnolia Wreath (The Greetery) from white cardstock and ink blended them with Peeled Paint & Rustic Wilderness DOX inks.  I also added a bit of splattering with white & gold acrylic paints before off setting them (to make the wreath fuller) and attaching it to my card base.

 The angel was die cut from white and then die cut again from gold sparkle cardstock and placed behind the white one.  The JOY was also die cut from the same gold sparkle cardstock and comes with JOY frame set from PTI.  Really pleased with the way this one turned out!!

I basically copied my first card but used Boho Blue cardstock and ink on this 2nd card.  I did use a retired Script background stamp from SU! in the center of the JOY frame, but the wreath and angel covered most of it up.

You can see the script background a bit better in this close up.  I backed this 2nd angel with silver sparkly cardstock and also added foam squares behind her skirt for a bit of dimension and also curled up her white wings a bit so you could see the silver wings behind it.  The sentiment comes from PTI's Angelic Sentiments.  I think I like the green card better, but still like this blue one too.

Next up I created a trio of angel ornaments to hang on our Christmas tree using the Build-An-Angel die set after seeing the idea from Lin Brandyberry's post HERE.  I used SSS's Stylized Mandala Stencil on a piece of white cs cut to 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" and stenciled one piece in light pink, one in aqua, and one in light gray and then cut 2 angels from each piece so I could have a front and a back.  

I die cut the halo in silver glitter cs and also cut pieces of the glitter cs to go under the skirt and show through the die cut design.  The wings were die cut with silver mirror cs.

The die set comes with different angel wings and I used the ones that look like leaves (to me!) on this aqua angel.  These were so easy to make and I think I'm going to make a few more to add as tags to Christmas gifts.  Thanks so much for sticking with me on this looooong post and hope you all have a great day!!

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

Berries Abound

Hello friends.  Definitely feels like Fall today with much cooler temps and rain in my neck of the woods.  Guess that means it's a good day to stay inside and play!  My sweet friend Michele lent me her 3D Berries Abound stencil, embossing folder, & die from Penny Black and I've been having a great time playing with this set and my DOX inks.  

I had so much fun blending through the stencils with the DOX inks and then because they are so water reactive, did a little splattering too!

I used the embossing folder first and then die cut, before adhering to another embossed panel using SSS's Holiday Greenery ef.  Some twine and a pre-printed sentiment from Gina K finished off this card.

 I decided to play around with more Fall colored berries on this one and I love the way it turned out (even if I did get a little heavy handed with the water splattering!!).  

Before I embossed this one I made a mask and then added the background using a retired SU! background stamp called En Francais.  I used twine at the bottom of this one and added a little tag from PTI's Tiny Tags stamp and die set.  I'll be adding this one to the Four Seasons Challenge where they are obviously looking for Fall themed cards.

My last card was actually a mess up, but I couldn't bear to throw it away, so I cut it down to a smaller size and I actually really like the way it turned out!  I even used a darker green colored pencil to go over some of the vein markings in the leaves and the sentiment is an oldie but a goodie from PTI's Christmas Blessings stamp set.

This is such a classic set that I just might have to invest in it at some point...it was so much fun to play with!  Thanks so much Michele for letting me borrow it!  

 

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

Color Hues Challenge #99 - PINK & AQUA

Hello friends.  Time for a new challenge here at Color Hues, and I'm the hostess this time around and I've chosen the color combination of PINK & AQUA to play with.  I know, it's not really Thanksgiving or Christmas colors, but it's just a color combination that I really like, so I hope you'll give it a try and flood our gallery with these two hues!

I used these colors to make a Christmas card (I'm a big lover of using non-traditional colors for Christmas!) using a Gina K stamp & stencil combo called Holiday Floral.  Take a look...

I stamped and stenciled my floral image first using mostly just residual ink left on my pink and aqua blender brushes, going in a little heavier and lighter handed to achieve the different hues.  I used the coordinating die to cut the floral image and then set aside while I worked on the background.  I used SSS's Poinsettia Spray EF on white cardstock, but die cut an oval opening first before embossing.  I also added a smaller oval in Aqua behind the larger oval to add some contrast.

 I made this card into a shaker, although it's hard to see the pink sequins in the oval opening in this photo (I had the card upright to photograph so all the sequins kept sliding down...grrrrr!!)  After adding foam tape to the backside of the embossed background piece, I added my floral image and a die cut sentiment that was also from the Holiday Floral stamp set from Gina K.  I used some WOS on the Aqua leaves which adds a nice shimmer to the card to finish it off.

The DT and our Special GD Teresa have some awesome inspiration to get you started on the color combination, so check it all out HERE and play along with us!  We also have a new DT member joining us today...we are so excited to have the wonderful Bonnie Klass joining our team!  Please stop by and give her a very warm welcome!! We can't wait to see what YOU come up with using PINK & AQUA!  Remember that this is a Color HUES challenge, so any hue of these two colors will work for this challenge.  And it doesn't have to be a Christmas card either...a birthday, sympathy, thinking of you, thank you's...the sky's the limit!  This challenge is open till Friday, November 29th @ 9:00AM.

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

The Flower Challenge #97 - Reminder

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still time to play along with us at The Flower Challenge this month and we're looking for THANK YOU cards with florals of course!

I am still quite hooked on Betterpress/Impression Plates and have a thank you card featuring PFS's Splendid Florals impression plate, stencils, & die.  

 I so wish you could see the letterpress look (deep impression) you get when using these plates and cotton cardstock that the camera just does not pick up on!  I get almost giddy when I run my fingers over the deep impression!  I used black letterpress ink on the image and then used the stencils to color in the leaves (one stencil) and then the flowers were stenciled using red, orange & yellow Gina K inks with the 2nd stencil.  

There is a coordinating die that cuts out the center of the image that leaves a perfect spot for the sentiment.  (A SU! thank you that is from 2002 and on a wood block...definitely an oldie but one I really, really like!!)  I attached my image to a white card base and then stamped my sentiment in the opening.  A few Butterscotch Glitter Drops (PFS) and some white bakers twine finished off my thank you card.

We have more wonderful inspiration from the DT for you that you can find right HERE, so check it out and play along with us.  This would be a great time to get a few thank you's made up ahead of time for those Christmas gifts you'll receive!!  This challenge is open till Monday, Nov. 25th @ 5:00PM.   

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

A Playdate with Michele

Hello friends.  Michele and I had another fun playdate together last week, and we played mostly with Penny Black images (although I think Michele has a few other things to share with you from my stash.)  I have 4 cards to share with you, so let's get right to it!

My 1st card uses everything Penny Black except for the sentiment.

The stamp set is called sweet sledder and I Copic colored her and added her to a frame using the Crystal Frames die with foam tape used behind both onto my card base.  The die cut trees are using the Tree Border die and I added glitter to add some sparkle to the scene.

I finished this one with a simple sentiment from Gina K's All At Once: Christmas Sentiments.

This sweet little girl from the bundled buddies set was Copic colored and paper pieced with polka dotted dsp from PTI.  My background was ink blended with blue & green and then splattered with white acrylic paint for snow.  The two trees are from PB's tall trees dies in Old Olive & Mossy Meadows cardstock (SU!).

My sentiment for this card came from the sweet sledder set that I used on my first card.

This little sweetie is from PB's Let's Chill stamp set and was colored with my Copics and a white gel pen for the plaid look on her scarf.  I cut her out using PB's Stitched Square & Circles die, using one of the larger circle dies on the image and a smaller circle die for the sentiment (PB's Feeling of Christmas).  My background uses an embossing folder from Richard Garay that I've had forever and lightly blended pink ink over the top of it.  A few pink glitter gems from PFS finished off this one.

My last card uses one of the little carolers from the Sing Joy stamp set and she was once again colored with my Copics and added to a postage die cut (also PB) that was ink blended with a light gray.  

 I stamped a background using SSS's Hand Lettered Holiday with Real Red ink and added a thin Smokey Slate cs layer behind that before adding all to a white card base.  I finished with some red & white baker's twine and a few red glitter drops from PFS.

So there you have my sweet little group of girls using PB stamps and Michele will be sharing some of these same cuties on her blog that you can find right HERE.  This was a perfectly timed playdate, as it was the day after the elections last week and we both needed the support of a good friend and someone to share our concerns with.  It sure didn't stop us from having a wonderful time together and as always, Michele treated me to a wonderful lunch of chilli and cornbread and I brought pumpkin cheesecake bars for dessert.  Yummy!!!  I'll have a few more cards to share later on using some of the goodies Michele let me use while I was there, so stay tuned.  In the meantime, definitely go check out Michele's post to see what she did with these same stamps and more.  And thanks Michele for your wonderful friendship and a wonderful day spent together...always the best!!

 

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

Let's Stay Cozy

Hello friends.  Been on a bit of a Penny Black kick lately and have a card to share that fit a couple COZY challenges. Take a look...

 She's a cutie, isn't she?! She's from Penny Black's bundled buddies stamp set and I paper pieced her coat and hat from some scraps of dsp (SU!) and Copic colored the rest of her.  After fussy cutting her out, I added her to a background that I blended a light turquoise oval on.  I also added some white acrylic splattering to resemble a light snow and also added a couple trees from PB's tall trees dies.  

 
I also used The Greetey's Postal Frames Dies on this panel and then added my sentiment from Gina K's Stay Cozy collaboration stamp set with SSS.  Finished with a couple Disco Ball sequins from Gina K and my all bundled up little bird feeding girl was complete.

The Double D Warm & Cozy Challenge and Time Out Challenge are both looking for cozy images on our cards and I think this all bundled up little girl fits the bill for both challenges!  

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

The Flower Challenge #97 - THANKS

Hello friends.  Hard to believe it's November already, isn't it?  I love this season of thankfulness, and how appropriate that here at The Flower Challenge that we're focusing on THANKS and would love to see thank you cards with FLOWERS of course!

I have a pretty simple card using Gina K's Thoughtful Flowers stamp, stencil & die set and vibrant Fall colors.  

I stamped, stenciled & die cut 2 of the floral swags and then set them aside while I worked on the background.  A little hard to see as my florals and sentiment covered up quite a bit of the double circle opening, but I added a piece of Crushed Curry cs that I die cut into a smaller circle to add behind the background panel that had a larger circle opening.  The background panel was also embossed with SU!'s Subtle embossing folder (RETIRED...why I don't know as it's one of my favorite ef's!!).

  I attached my background panel to a white card base and then added the 2 floral swags.  My sentiment was die cut from PTI's Counting My Blessings die collection, once in white and once in Crushed Curry cs, and then off set before attaching with foam tape for a bit of dimension.  I finished with a few of my favorite Disco Ball Sequins from Gina K.

The DT has some awesome inspiration for you that you can find right HERE, so check it out and then play along with us!  This challenge is open till Monday, Nov. 25th @ 5:00PM.  We hope to see YOU in the gallery!!

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

Color Hues Challenge #98 - RED & BLACK

Hello friends.  Happy November (hard to believe isn't it?!) and welcome back to another challenge here at Color Hues where our sweet hostess Karen would like to see RED and BLACK on our cards for the next two weeks.

My first thought when I saw this color combo was Poinsettia's, but my sweet friend Michele had let me stamp a few of Penny Black's sweet carolers from the Sing Joy stamp set, and I just couldn't resist coloring her up one more time!  Adding some sweet red & black dsp from SU!'s Peaceful Prints helped me to come up with this card...

Isn't she just ADORABLE?!  She was stamped in Versafine Black Onyx ink and then Copic colored using mostly R37 & R89 and a few neutrals for the scarf, hat brim and songbook.  I used Gina K's ML#2 to cut her into a rectangle with a black layer behind and then attached her to a tri fold card that I used the dsp on.

Here you can see the tri fold better and where I placed my sentiment (PTI's Just Sentiments: Heaven and Nature Sing).  

The extra snowflakes that I added to the flip side of the dsp that is just the red & black plaid are from Impression Obsession's little set of 5 dies.  (DIE100-F)  I've had these dies forever and they are just the perfect size to add a little something, something!

The DT and our two Special GD's (Izzy Scrap & Colleen Begley) have so much FABULOUS inspiration to share with you, so check it all out right HERE and then play along with us.  We'd love to see YOU in the gallery with your RED and BLACK creations!!  This challenge is open till Thursday, Nov. 14th @ 9:00AM.

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