CAS Christmas Feb. 2022 Reminder - WINTER SCENE

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still a week left to play along with us at the CAS Christmas Challenge, where Christine is hosting and would like to see a WINTER SCENE on our Christmas cards.

Last month my cousin and I met up to exchange late Christmas gifts and then went to a little shop she knew about that was a crafters dream shop!  This little shop carried a brand of stamps that I had never heard of before called Nellie's Choice, and I found this beautiful Wintery house stamp that worked perfectly for this WINTER SCENE challenge!  Take a look...

Isn't this such a peaceful wintry scene?  I love the line drawn image of this stamp...so simple but conveys so much!  I stamped the scene in Concord & 9th's DOVE ink and then mounted it to a Basic Gray (SU!) matte and then adhered both to a white card base.

  Here's a closer up shot so you can better see the line drawing of this image.  I used WOS over all the snow on the trees, house, and drive, so this card really sparkles in real life.  My sentiment uses MB's Special Merry Christmas die and I die cut it from Real Red (SU!) cardstock to make it pop against the gray.  

We would love to see you in our gallery and help you get a head start on those Christmas cards so you're not scrambling at the last minute in an already busy time of year!  Check out all the inspiration from our amazing DT and our Special GD (Izzy) and then play along with us right HERE.  This challenge is open till the 24th.

Edited to Add:  I'm also adding this card to Darnell's NBUS Challenge as I had never used the Nellie's Choice stamp before.

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

A New Year Of Birthdays - 12 Kits of Occasions January 2021

Hello friends.  We've taken a bit of a break, but the The 12 Kits of Occasions is back with an AWESOME and FUN kit from Tracey and we're celebrating A New Year Of Birthdays!

The photo above shows all the fun elements Tracey included in her kit to the DT and her 3 special guests, and you can check out what all of us did with this kit right HERE.

Tracey's kit was so colorful and easy to use, so let's get started, and here is the 1st of the 5 cards I created...

Tracey included a lot of elements from The Greetery like the die cuts from Pinwheel Party and Birthday Blooms, and I added those to a background I blended with TH Speckled Egg Distress Ink, and then stamped over it with The Greetery's Ticker Tape Background Stamp also in the Speckled Egg ink.  I also added a few die cut Twisted Crepe cutouts from my stash that are also from The Greetery!  A few sequins finished off this fun card!

I apologize for the glare on this card, but the sun caught the acetate just right on this shaker card!  Tracey sent such fun dsp (Vicki Boutin - Let's Wander) in her kit and this candle paper made a fun background to add some colorful little shaker bits (from a previous 12 Kits kit) to, and a sweet little cupcake (MFT's All The Cupcakes) colored with my Copics and a birthday banner sentiment finished off this CAS and fun birthday card.

  I absolutely LOVED this bear image (Studio Katia - Bearing Gifts,) and simply colored him up with my Copics and added him to a piece of the dsp Tracey included.  The "Celebrate" sentiment is also from The Greetery.

This next card is so not my style but yet I absolutely LOVE it!  Graphic and oh so simple, but just perfect for a masculine card!!  I pop dotted the "BIG" (MFT's Big Birthday) to make it stand out even more (like you could miss it, huh??!!) and then glued flat the "Birthday Wishes" onto the dsp .  I mounted it to a Pool Party card base and it literally didn't need anything else!  :0)

 My last card uses a die cut from Studio Katia called Craftastic, and after coloring it up with my Copics and a Gelly Roll pen, I added it to another piece of the fun dsp Tracey included in the kit.  I'm not sure all the colorful buildings and houses really go with the cup full of crafty tools, but I liked the dsp SO much and just had to use it...so artistic license and all that fun stuff!  I die cut one of the sentiments Tracey included and pop dotted that along with a piece of black & white bakers twine up near the top, and easy peasy and done!

  And here they are all together!  Thank you SO much Tracey for such a fun and colorful kit...you totally brightened my day with this one and I had so much fun just playing around with all the different elements you included in the kit!!  I can't wait to see what the rest of the DT and Tracey's 3 special GD's did with this awesome kit, so come hop along with me starting right HERE . 

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

12 Kits of Occasions Oct. 2020 - Fall Splendor

Hello friends.  It's the end of another month and time for a 12 Kits of Occasions post, where our hostess this month is the SWEET Birgit, who has sent us a kit full of all things FALL related!

Before I go any further, I have a confession to make...I AM A PAPER HOARDER!!  I know, shocking, right??!!  The reason I am telling you this, is because normally when we get these kits each month, I sit down and make at least 5 or 6 cards or more, and this month I only have 3 cards and a bookmark.  Not because I didn't have time or any mojo...but because I just couldn't bring myself to use the DSP Birgit included in the kit!  It's from Carta Bella and called Fall Market, and is the sweetest paper ever!!  I made 2 smaller cards (3 1/2 x 5 1/2) and a bookmark (because I am a bookworm and really do LOVE to read!!) because I could get away without using too much of the DSP, and then one A2 size card that didn't use any of the DSP!  All definite signs of a paper hoarder, NO??!!  Ok, confession time over and let's get to the cards I did make!  I channeled my inner Melissa Phillips with the 2 smaller cards that also have a nod to Birgit who loves all things vintage!

  I did use 3 pieces of the DSP for this card, but all smaller pieces so I still have lots left!  I distressed everything with Walnut Stain DI to give it the vintage vibe, including the sweet die cuts Birgit included in her kit.  Isn't that little deer sitting amongst the pumpkins and mushrooms just the sweetest?!  I love the little Friendship Farms label that Birgit included in the kit too...it totally ties everything in together!!

Where the 1st card featured pumpkins, this 2nd card focuses on apples.  Is this DSP not just the cutest?!  I love the trucks carrying the apples, and the die cut basket filled with apples totally made me smile!  This card has a lot of distressing too like the 1st card...the DSP just screams vintage country to me!

Sweet Birgit had sent me the twig heart a while back and I hadn't had a chance to use it yet, and it seemed the perfect time to add the colorful leaf die cuts Birgit included in the kit, and also that adorable little bunny too!  My background is from another sweet friend (thanks Michele!!) and is Altenew's Dotted Swirls cover plate die.  My sentiment is one I use often every Fall and is from Clearly Besotted's Autumn Flowers.

Back to vintage again with this bookmark where I used PTI's Basic Bookmark #2 to die cut from another piece of the DSP.  More distressing and finished it with a small piece of gingham ribbon and twine, and also a small copper acorn from SU!.  As I mentioned before, I love to read so this bookmark is already being used!

Here are all 4 together.  I can't wait to see what the rest of the DT did with this FABULOUS DSP and die cuts, and whether they're hoarding like me or used it all up!!  You can check it all out HERE to see what the rest of the team came up with.  Thank you, thank you Birgit for such a lovely kit and such special DSP...I loved every minute spent playing with this amazing kit!!  :0)

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

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!

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!

12 Kits of Occasions June 2020 - Love Is In The Air...

Hello friends.  Hard to believe another month has gone by in this year already, isn't it?!!  June has typically always been a BRIDES/WEDDINGS month, and our sweet hostess Michelle has put together a beautiful kit for us this month at The 12 Kits of Occasions celebrating all things LOVE.

Michelle's kit was so thoughtfully put together and I was able to create 5 cards and a couple tags so quickly and still have plenty of supplies left over to make lots more!  (I'm always inspired by my team mates, so I've learned not to use the whole kit at once so I can CASE the other gals!!)

Michelle had a whole panel stamped and embossed in bright gold that I had to play with first, and since she had used a larger square envelope to send some of the kit elements in, I decided to use that and make a square card to match....

I used a SU! embossing folder for my background and also the envelope flap, and then cut out the gold embossed tree and sentiment and layered it with the blue cs Michelle included and also some gold mirror cs I had on hand.  Had to decorate the envelope and also the inside of the card...

Easy peasy and I have a very elegant card to use for the next wedding I go to!

I just LOVE the flowers that Michelle stamped and die cut, and thought they looked perfect with the lacey background paper she included.  I die cut the white oval frame from my stash (Pinkfresh Studios) and layered it on top of the dsp and gray card base, and then added the flowers and the small ribbon wrap from The Greetery's Fit To Be Tied set.  I think this card would be perfect for wedding, anniversary, or bridal shower.

This card would work for a wedding or anniversary too, but I was thinking bridal shower when I made it because of the soft pink color.  Lots of Greetery goodies on this card plus some of the sparkly clear sequins Michelle included that have no holes in the centers...I love them!!  :0)

I thought this card would work well for an anniversary card and I think it took me a whole of 10 minutes to put together!  Michelle stamped the pretty pink flowers, and then I made a frame using the piece of cardstock that Michelle used as a folder to hold all the goodies she sent in this kit.  I used PTI's  Pierced Feature Frames dies to cut out the frame and added foam tape to the back, tied a piece of the yellow & white bakers twine that Michelle used to tie the folder together around the side of the frame, and then added a small tag (PTI).  Another easy peasy and done card.

Michelle included this beautifully stamped background from The Greetery's Print Shop: Fresh Floral Background Stamp and all I did was adhere it to a gold layer and white card base, and then add the sentiment, some gold thread, the die cut flower, and a few more sequins from the kit.  This card will definitely be for a wedding!

Michelle also included a couple tags, and of course being the tag lover that I am, these were the FIRST things I worked on!  The "happy" tag is obviously not for a wedding, but I already have a recipient in mind for this tag, and couldn't resist blinging it up with a few more of the lovely sequin mix that Michelle included.  The other tag could definitely be used on a wedding or shower gift.

And here they are all together, and I couldn't be happier to have a stash that I can use for weddings, anniversary's and bridal showers.  Thank you Michelle for such a BEAUTIFUL kit...it was a true joy to work with it!  And now I'm going to hop along to the other gals sites to see what they came up with using this same kit, and you can too by clicking right HERE.  You can also click HERE to find a full list of all the supplies that Michelle used in her kit.

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

12 Kits of Occasions May 2020 - April Showers Bring May Flowers

Hello friends.  It's the end of another month and we're still in quarantine here in Michigan, but on a positive note, Spring/Summer has arrived here in the Midwest and today the 12 Kits team is going to celebrate all those wonderful and colorful Springtime flowers.

I'm hostessing this month and I sent the DT a bunch of Spring time flower images to color, along with a few pieces of DSP and some die cuts.  Here's what I made with my kit:

I love this image (Just Because) from Pinkfresh Studios...I water colored it to look like Cherry Blossoms and then added it to a layer that I blended Salty Ocean Distress Ink on and then ran through my Big Shot with the Subtle (SU!) embossing folder.  My sentiment is from SSS's Sketched Flowers stamp set and I added a few clear sequins to finish.

This sweet little gal is from Stampingbella (Tiny Townie Garden Girl Lily of the Valley) and I Copic colored her and then fussy cut her out and added her to a card layered with DSP (SU!) and Lovely Lilac cardstock.  The sentiment is from a little freebie stamp set from Gina K.  Lily of the Valley are one of my favorite Springtime flowers (even though they are extremely invasive little flowers!)...I just LOVE their scent!!  :0)

Here's another Stampingbella image (Bundle Girl with a SNOWDROP) and she is one of my favorite images right now!  I Copic colored her and added some ancient PTI DSP for the background.  Super simple but love the way it turned out!!

And how can you not love bright yellow daffodils in the Springtime?!!  After a long Winter I just LOVE seeing these happy flowers come up!!  This image is from Penny Black (Daffodil Devotion) and I once again colored it with my Copics and then fussy cut it out before pop dotting it to a PTI piece of polka dotted dsp (Harvest Gold) along with a couple die cut Penny Black frames (Framed).  A little bit of crochet thread and some clear sequins finished off this bright and sunny card.

This super simple card uses an image from Mandy's Flowers (SSS) and just the tulips were lightly water colored with some Berry Sorbet ink (PTI) and then matted to some older SU! dsp.  I also used The Greetery's Crimped Frame Die on the image layer and added a piece of coral bakers twine to add another small pop of color.

My last card uses PTI's Tulip Time for the die cut tulips, and I added them to Pinkfresh Studio's Ornate Oval Frame.  The background dsp is also from SU! and the sentiment is another from SSS's Sketched Flowers.

And here they are all together...lots of color and ready to celebrate Spring!!  I can't wait to see what the rest of my teammates did with this kit, and you can check it out too right HERE.       

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