Just Us Girls #781 - STENCIL WEEK

Hello friends.  Had a brand-new stencil to play with and it's STENCIL week at Just Us Girls, where my friend Bobby is hosting.

I have been a BIG fan of the stencils from The Ton company, but only get one every now and then because of their prices.  I've also been a BIG fan of the postage collage stencils and dies, so when the Postage: Wildflowers stencil came out, cost didn't matter...HAD to have it!!  I know, I know...I have a problem but truly have no desire to be cured!  

I have 2 cards to share with you using the same stencil set, the first one being done in the colors they suggested.  Take a look...

Isn't that such a pretty grouping of flowers?!  They look a little on the lavender side to me, but they really are a light and medium pink and then some yellow & green!  There's 4 stencils in the set and they all are very small and very detailed!  I still need to work on lining them up better, but with them being so small, it's hard to see to match some of the layers up!  

I used some of the price stamps from WF's postage collage sets, and then finished with some jute twine and a few Disco Ball sequins (Gina K).

My 2nd card is basically the same, but I used different colors and a bit of background shading to come up with this...

 A bit more colorful than my first card, but still happy with both of them.  I did add a sentiment from WF's Paper Hug Sentiments and some postage stamps to add a bit more interest.

I did add foam tape behind my sentiment and also the "HUGS INSIDE" circle stamp/die cut.  A bit of black & white bakers' twine and a single iridescent gem (PFS) finished off this 2nd card.

I am also going to add this card to the Stencil Fun Challenge where the challenge is summer themed and I'm thinking colorful flowers are always something I look forward to after a long and cold winter.

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

Winter Birds

Hello friends.  I'm still here and apologize for my lack of posting lately, but life's been pretty busy with the holidays and a new grandbaby in our family.  So all good things, but just busy, busy, busy!  I really have missed playing in my craft room though, and did find some time to make one card using a new (to me) stencil from The Ton called Postage Winter Birds Stencils.  Here's what I came up with...

I had to get a little creative using this stencil as I didn't buy the coordinating postage stamp die from The Ton, figuring I'd make a way to use my WF postage collage die.  Didn't work, but I was able to use the WF Postage Collage Coloring Stencil and some post it notes to mask and fill in the backgrounds and make it look like actual postage stamps.  Kind of hard to explain, but hope it makes sense!  

Lots of layers with the 5 stencils in this set, and I did learn through trial and error that a light hand with softer colors worked better than a heavier hand, which I usually tend to do.  You also need very small brushes to do your stenciling as several of the stencils use more than one color...patience is definitely needed for this set!!  I think it was definitely worth the time though and love how this came out!  For the sentiments and postage amounts, I used the WF Postage Collage Stamp Set (and coordinating die for the circle die cut) and The Greetery's Postal Frames Dies to give it an even more postal look.  I finished with a few Iridescent Clear Drops from PFS.

I'd like to enter this into 2 challenges...the Triple B Challenge and the Stencil Fun Challenge.

I may not have used any blooms or butterflies on my card, but I definitely think I covered the birds (10 to be exact!) on this one!!

This months Stencil Fun Challenge is looking for Winter/Christmas and I think covered Winter perfectly with these sweet birdies.

   

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!

Heartfelt Blooms

Hello friends.  After seeing all the beautiful cards made with the Heartfelt Blooms stamp and stencil set from Alex Syberia Designs (ASD), I couldn't seem to help myself and put it in my cart!  Yes, I'm very weak, but when it comes to florals, I just don't seem to have any control!!  I also had some new 3D embossing folders to play with, and had fun making these 2 cards...

I used Gina K's light, medium & dark Orchid inks (the color is much deeper IRL!) to stencil my blooms in the top left and bottom right corners of my panel (I stamped the outline of the blooms with black ink first).  Next I ran the panel through with SSS's Layered Vine 3D embossing folder.

I added my panel to a top folding white card base, and because this panel was a little bit shorter than the card base, I added a thin black strip at the bottom...I like the grounded look it gives!  I finished with a sentiment from The Greetery's Opposites Attract stamp and die set and also a small butterfly die cut with silver sparkle cs using Poppystamps Butterfly Buttons dies.

My 2nd card uses the full stamped and stenciled image from Heartfelt Blooms, and SSS's Feather Spiral 3D embossing folder.  I love the look the embossing gives the flowers and the whole card!

Once again I used The Greetery's Opposites Attract stamp and die set for my sentiment, and the Butterfly Buttons dies for my little butterfly accent (Die cut from a scrap of card that had Lindy's Magicals on it, and then heat embossed with clear several times to give that lacquered look. A piece of copper cording tied the two butterfly layers together.) 

I'd like to add these two cards to the following challenges:

Triple B,  Can You Handle the Pressure, and Stencil Fun Challenge.

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

Here Come the Bunnies...

Hello friends.  How about a little FUN today with some Easter stenciled backgrounds that I did last year and FINALLY made into cards this year?!!  I had bought a couple PPP and a Taylored Expressions stencil(s) and used soft rainbow colors to ink them up right away last year, but then I never did anything more with them!  Guess I just needed time to "mull" on them as my mother-in-law used to say!  Haha!!  

And here's what I came up with using the stencils and other products in my stash...

Don't those rainbow colored bunnies make the cutest background??!  I used the Taylored Expressions Oh Hoppy Day stencil for this one.  I used the egg die from PTI's Spring Silhouette set for the opening in this card and also for the greenery and bunny.  The carrot is from The Greetery's BotaniCuts: Carrot dies.  My cloudy background behind the egg was stenciled using A Colorful Life's Cloud Edger and my sentiment from PTI's Simply Spring Borders...I thought the sentiment went perfectly with this colorful card!

 This background was done with PPP's Layered Eggs stencil and again with rainbow ink blending.  The carrots are again from The Greetery and the little bunnies are from Poppystamps Thoughtful Bunnies die set.  That sweet sentiment is from The Greetery's Bunny Hop set.

My last card uses PPP's Layered Easter Floral stencil set, and because it's such a busy background, I only added Poppystamps Nordic Bunnies die set with a vellum circle behind them from The Greetery's Nordic Circle Dies.  I also used The Greetery's Nordic Rectangle Dies on my stenciled background piece.  Because it was already so busy I just put my Happy Easter sentiment on the inside.

And here they all 3 are together...pretty colorful, huh?!  I sure had fun making these though and I hope the recipients all love receiving them!

I'm going to add these cards to Stencils Fun Challenge where their theme this month is Easter/Spring...I think I covered that! :0)

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

Postage Collage Mini Slimline

Hello friends.  No Valentine cards here today, but a couple birthday mini slimline cards using the new (to me) Waffle Flower Postage Collage Mini Slimline Die and the Delicate Rosebuds Stencils from PFS and also one from WF's Rose Background Stencil. 

 I'm not much of a fan of regular sized slimline cards (they're too BIG and sooo hard to photograph!), but I love the mini size (3 1/2 x 6) and I love working with the collage dies that Waffle Flower has come out with recently including this mini slimline sized one!

For this first card I did my die cutting of the Postage Collage Mini Slimline Die first, and then stamped the rose outline from the Delicate Rosebuds set and then proceeded to use the coordinating stencils to blend in the color of the buds and leaves.  I know you can't see it in the photo, but I used WOS on the buds and leaves, so in real life this card really shimmers!  I also used the coordinating stencil to color in the blocked backgrounds with a very light turquoise ink.  The sentiment is from a Penny Black set and the postage amounts are from WF's Postage Collage Stamp Set.  The little pink glitter heart at the bottom is a leftover from a Greetery die cut.

  

My 2nd card was done the same way as the first one, except I stenciled in the roses using WF's Rose Background Stencil in different colors.  The sentiment is also from a Penny Black set and the postage amounts and circle cancellation stamp are all from the Postage Collage Stamp Set.  

I'm sending both of these cards over to the Stencil Fun Challenge (did you see the optional HEARTS on both cards??), and also Darnell's NBUS Challenge #59 since the die had never been used or the Rose Background Stencil.

  

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