Those First Little Peeks of Spring

Hello friends.  The first signs of Spring for me here in West Michigan are when my Snowdrops first pop up, so getting out my Spring Snowdrops dies from The Greetery seemed like the perfect choice to play along with Double D and the Four Seasons challenges.  Here's what I came up with...

I started with a white card base and then added a panel of Pear Pizzazz that I used PFS's Stitched Diamonds coverplate die on.  Next I die cut 3 Ornate Oval Frames (PFS also) and placed over my Pear Pizzazz layer.  I used one of the inside ovals leftover from die cutting the frames and stamped The Greetery's Windowpane Plaid Background stamp in Pear Pizzazz ink on it before placing it inside the Ornate Oval Frame.

I stamped and die cut the snowdrops with Pear Pizzazz and Old Olive inks and then added foam tape behind the whole bouquet to add even more depth.  I finished with a little bow from PFS's A Bow and then added glitter around the edges of the bow and also on the snowdrops.  Double D asked for mostly GREEN for this challenge, and other than the neutral white I think I've got that covered!

  

I am SOOOO ready for Spring and it felt so good to make a Spring card.  I left a sentiment off mine as I'm not sure what I'll use it for yet, but it will most likely have to be hand delivered because of the bow.  It was a perfect fit though, so I couldn't not add it!!  You can play along with the Double D Challenge until Sunday, March 16th @ 8:00PM and with The Four Seasons Challenge until Tuesday March 25th @ 12:00AM (links for both challenges at top of post.)   

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!

Four Seasons Fall 2024

Hello friends.  Playing along with the challenge over at Four Seasons where they are looking for FALL themed cards.  I've had enough heat and humidity and am so ready for some cooler weather and lots of vibrant Fall colors!  How about you??

I have a new die set from PTI that totally says Fall...Into the Blooms: Acorns.  Here's what I came up with...

I die cut the acorns and berry sprigs from colored cardstock and then blended around them with DOX inks, and then the leaves were die cut from white and inked up with DOX inks and then water splattered for a little more interest.  The sentiment is from an older PTI set called SCENT-IMENTALS, and was stamped directly onto the largest acorn.  The background is a piece of kraft cs that I embossed with a really old Cuttlebug ef and then blended Vintage Photo DOX ink over it to make the words POP a bit more.

Hopefully you're enjoying some Fall like weather in your neck of the woods (sounds like Summer will be sticking around for the rest of the month where I live!) and are inspired to play along with this challenge!  You can check out all the lovely cards from the DT right HERE and then play along till Wednesday, Sept. 25th. 

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

Double D October 2022 - Octoberfest

Hello friends.  Playing along with the current Double D Challenge where they have aptly named their mood board OCTOBERFEST!

I was inspired by the colorful leaves in the top right photo and decided to give my new Spellbinders hot foil plate (Thankful For You) a try and came up with this card...

I used copper foil on white Hammermill cardstock and foiled the piece twice to make the diamond shaped center.  The foil plate also comes with a die so you can die cut the pieces.  I used my blender brushes to add purple, orange & green to the leaves.

I die cut another two pieces from white cardstock to add some dimension to the back of the leaves before gluing the two pieces together, and then added it to an embossed layer of Perfect Plum (SU!) cardstock using SU!'s Timeworn Type embossing folder.  

I used Memory Box's Posh Just A Note foil plate and die with the same copper foil for my sentiment, and then finished with a piece of copper cord (SU!) that I tied around the lower left section of the leaves.  I wish my photography skills were better at capturing the SHINE that is unique to hot foiling...it is just SO pretty in real life!!

I would like to add this card also to the Double D Four Seasons Challenge AND Darnell's NBUS Challenge #43 since this is my first time using this foil plate.

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

The Four Seasons Challenge - September 2022

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Four Seasons Challenge, where for the month of September, it's Anything Goes - FALL!

Don't you just LOVE Fall and all the beautiful colors and warmth of the season?!  Fall is definitely my favorite season here in Michigan...I think it showcases God's artistry so beautifully!!  I recently had a play day with my sweet friend Michele, and she let me borrow some of her stamps, stencils, and foil plate from the recent Papertrey Ink release and I came up with a "twofer" from one foiled and stenciled piece of A2 cardstock.  (WARNING...I used very untraditional colors!!)  Let's take a look at the first one...

  I know, I know...not very realistic Autumn colors, but I just couldn't help myself!!  I started by foiling the Fallen Leaves: Hot Foil Plate (PTI) on a piece of Hammermill cs with a piece of Aqua Spellbinders foil and then used the coordinating PTI stencil (Fallen Leaves) with my blending brushes and Gina K inks in purples, aquas, magentas & reds.  (Most of the ink came from what was already on my ink blending brushes and not a lot of new ink.)  At this point I cut off a 1 1/4" strip to use on my 2nd card.  

Here's a closer up photo and if you look towards the top you can see some of the aqua foiling a bit better.  I attached my foiled piece to a top folding white card base, and then added a skinny strip of black cs to ground the foiled piece.  I finished with the die cut "Fall" (Larger than Life: Fall - PTI) that I mounted with foam tape for dimension and a coordinating sentiment from PTI's Larger than Life: Fall Sentiments that I die cut with a couple circle dies.  A few light aqua pearls were also added.

My 2nd card uses that 1 1/4" strip that I had cut off from the 1st card and I attached it to a card base that I had embossed using a FSJ Falling Leaves embossing folder

Once again you can just see the aqua foiling towards the top of the card...trust me that in real life these cards are SO pretty with that aqua SHINE!!  I finished this card the same as the first one except the Fall die cut was inked up in black, and used a different die (SU!) for the coordinating sentiment.  A few silver metallic pearls were added to this one.

 Here they are both together.  Do you have a favorite??  I like them both equally as well and sure had a FUN time making these!  Thanks so much Michele for letting me borrow these goodies!!

I would also like to add these "twofers" to Darnell's NBUS Challenge since these are "new to me" products and never been used before (by me!).

There is LOTS of beautiful inspiration over at the Four Seasons Challenge if you'd like to play along...this challenge is open till 25th.  This is also the Four Seasons first anniversary, so I'm happy to play along and help them celebrate this milestone!!  CONGRATS Four Seasons!!

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

The Four Seasons Challenge - SUMMER

Hello friends.  Playing along with Double D's The Four Seasons Challenge where it's SUMMER/JULY ANYTHING GOES today.

I had some new goodies from The Greetery that definitely said SUMMER to me and this is what I came up with...

Lots of layers on this sweet little card, starting with the background that I die cut using the Honeycomb Corners Die, and then blended Mustard Seed Distress Ink all over it, going heavier in the two corners over the die cut area.  I did a little ink splattering and then adhered to my white card base.

Then came the FUN part and layering on all the different elements, from the Honey Jar stamp & die set, the Crimped Circle die cut behind the honey jar, the BotaniCuts: Sunflower, the bees, and of course the FUN sentiment from the Buzz Worthy Sentiments stamp & die set.  The jar topper was stenciled using a plaid stencil (also from The Greetery), and I learned something new and made the honey that is on the stir stick using Glossy Accents and re-inker...it really does look like the real stuff in real life!!  :0)   I did add a bit of glitter to the veins on my leaves and then finished off with a few Trinity Stamps Crystal Ball Dewdrop Baubles.

Hope you're all having a GREAT Summer, and if it gets too hot like it's been here in Michigan, then have some fun in your craft room making a Summer card to brighten up someone's day!  Check out all the FABULOUS inspiration from the DT, and then play along with this challenge right HERE.  This challenge is open till the 25th of this month.    

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

Four Seasons Spring Challenge - May 2022

Hello friends.  Today I'm playing along with the Four Seasons SPRING Challenge where they are celebrating all things SPRING!

I grew up thinking of Spring as Lilac season because of the row of Lilac bushes my mom had right outside our dining room windows, and I can still vividly remember that heavenly smell!  Of course I had to plant one of my own when I got married, but that first one never survived.  About 10 years ago I decided to try again, and the first couple years as it was getting established, I only had a few blooms on it each year, but was excited to think of the coming years as it grew!  I live in Michigan, and Spring weather can be very unpredictable, especially where we get a week of warmer temperatures where things start to bud, and then it snows again and kills the buds...grrrrr!  Well anyway, that's what Spring has been for the last 5 or 6 years, so needless to say my Lilac bush has not given me many pretty blooms.  Until this year!!  

They look more white than purple, but that's just my photography skills!  My bush is just loaded this year and I couldn't be happier!!

Can you smell them??  I can!!  Well of course after seeing the mood board for this challenge, and my own beautiful bush this year, I HAD to make a Lilac card!!  I used an older red rubber stamp from Impression Obsession (H8731) and came up with this Lilac card:

I stamped my image in black Versafine Onyx ink and then then clear heat embossed before coloring with several of my Copics.

I added my image to a die cut Postal Frame (The Greetery) in Highland Heather cardstock (SU!), and then added foam strips to the back before adding it to my white card base that I had used a MB Pinpoint Leaf Plate die on.

I finished my card with some sparkly white ribbon (SU!), silver cord, a small die cut heart (PTI's Tiny Tags), and a few Disco Ball sequins from Gina K.  In my head I could smell Lilacs the whole time I was making this card!!  :0)

There are LOTS of beautiful cards from the DT (and already in the gallery!) depicting SPRING, and you can check it all out right HERE to gaze (and smell!!) what SPRING is all about.  You can also play along with your own SPRING card until the 25th of this month. 

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

SPRING

Hello friends.  Playing along with a couple challenges today...Double D is looking for EASTER cards, and a new to me challenge (The Four Seasons) is a Anything Goes SPRING.

Aren't they both such pretty inspiration boards?!!  Spring is always slow to come to Michigan (we woke up to snow this past weekend!), so sometimes I have to create my own Spring in my craft room until the real thing arrives!

My card today uses another new set from The Greetery called Curio: Spring Findings, and is just dies...NO stamps!  I had a great time using my sponge daubers and blending brushes along with DOX inks and regular inks to create all these little images that say Spring and are perfect for Easter too!  Take a look:

 I started with a white layer that I embossed using SU!'s Subtle embossing folder, and then added a die cut rectangle frame from MFT (Blueprints #27) that I stamped with a SU! Hardwood background stamp onto kraft cardstock to give the look of a curio cabinet.  I cut a few more of the rectangles in white that I glued under the kraft layer to give a bit of dimension to my curio cabinet.

The die also cuts out the 3 little squares and the long rectangle too, and I ink blended those in pink, aqua, & green to add some background color for my die cut images.  My favorite is that tiny snail popped up on the colorful leaf, although the sweet little Lily of the Valley comes in a close 2nd!

My "Spring" die cut comes from the Let's Have A Word: Spring die from The Greetery, and it was die cut 3 times and stacked for some more dimension, and then I also used my WOS pen on it to give it some sparkle and shine.  My Easter greeting is on the inside and of course I forgot to take a picture of that!

The Double D Challenge is open till the 17th, and The Four Seasons Challenge is open till the 25th, so still time to play along with both challenges!  :0)

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