Hang in there, friends!

It's been such a rainy week but the sun is peeking out making me think I need to be super quick with this post so I can get outside while the going is good. 

It's Takeout Thursday and I made this card recently to use up bits and pieces that were waiting to be made into a card. They include the WPlus9 Summer Friends stamps and dies and a background sponged and spritzed with Distress Inks. Does anyone else color images and ink up backgrounds and then leave the pieces for another day, or month.... or longer? 

I love this pup and colored him in with Copics, popping him up for dimension. I also added tiny die cut hearts to the kite, his collar and the sentiment. 

My dog Josie is snoring in her bed as I write this. 

 I'm thinking it's time to get both of us up and moving. Have a great day, friends!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

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Welcome to What I love: Waterfront

Hello crafty friends, happy Wednesday!  Today is the day I share on the theme of what I love. I live near a beautiful lake and I love being near or on the water every day, so it's no surprise that the Waterfront set from Stampin' Up! made it to my craft desk. I am loving it!

Creating water or mountain scenes with this set will be a breeze. I made two cards to get me started on a few cards for men's birthdays that I'll be needing next month.  I can't believe June is almost here! I have a birthday of my own coming up. 

 I began by lightly sponging a background for each of the cards using Distress Oxide Inks in Antique Linen and Broken China, and sprinkling on a few fine dots of water. Stamping the scene for the first card involved lots of layers to make the row of mountains and trees and a bit of additional sponging with greens

 to fill in the blank spots.

For the second card, I kept the stamping much simpler and placed the scene inside an oval frame with a die cut window. 

This set is still on my craft table so I think you'll be seeing it again soon with the beach-y version! 

I hope good things and good times are on their way to you today. Thanks for visiting!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

One Stitch at a Time: Quilted Summer

Hello, friends! 

Hope those in the US are enjoying the long weekend. 

I've been making up for my lack of posts this week, and had some time to play today. We've had lots of rain, so I played inside my craft room.

At Make It Monday, Lizzie invited us to create a card with embellishments above and below the sentiment.  Marcia inspired me with her very pretty card using the Quilted Summer set from Papertrey Ink so I set out to create a get well card with it.

I love the images with small patterns that coordinate with the set and quilt die, however I decided to highlight the florals. I did randomly tuck some of the quilted triangles behind the die cut flowers for a boost of color and layering. I stamped small flowers and added black centers and black stitch lines onto the panel.The pinwheels were stamped and "sparkled" with WOS. With all my elements, I grouped in threes arranging in triangles to keep the balance and suggest movement. 

I just love the sentiments with this set, and used another one inside to complete the well wishes.

Thanks so much for taking time to visit my blog. Have a fantastic day! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Quilted: Summer

Paper: Neenah Solar White, SU - Basic Black and Daffodil Delight

INK:Simon Says Stamp - Intense Black, Versamark, WPlus9 - Queen Bee, Lime Light, Sweet Nectar, Flamingo, Lake House

Accessories: White Embossing powder

Papertrey Ink May 2018 Blog Hop

Hello, it's been a busy week! 
I'm posting just in time to play along with the Blog Hop happening today!

 Here's our inspiration photo. 

Isn't this a great photo for a theme of camping or glamping? 
 I just returned from a few days in the mountains but I couldn't wait to stamp something so whipped up my creation this afternoon. 

I was inspired to showcase lots of green and cascading flowers. I added a bold element with the striped die, mimicking those gorgeous gingham tablecloths.  Lastly, I used a yellow gingham patterned paper to complete the frame and provide a gingham butterfly. 

The flowers are from the Seasonal Borders Spring stamps and dies. 

Thanks for visiting today. Be sure to hop on to see the lovely creations that can be found on the PTI blog. You'll be inspired!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Take out Thursday: Colored Pencils on Kraft

 Welcome to Take Out Thursday 

When I serve up something simple and easy.

Take out a stamp set for a spin, spice it up.

One of my reasons for Take Out Thursday is to use a 

set or product without having to re-invent the wheel.

Take Out food is not gourmet, it is fun! 

Designed to get you out of the kitchen quickly.

Hello friends! 

Today for Takeout I picked up this design that I colored last March when we were gone for a few days. It's been--yes, you guessed it, sitting on my craft table! 

I must begin by saying that colored pencils are a difficult media for me to use. I really appreciate the beautiful results others achieve but believe me, I am very much a beginner here. I gave it a try after seeing THIS gorgeous card by Debbie Hughes. 

Now Takeout sometimes means a CASE by my definition. 

I die cut the panel into an oval. Running white card stock through my Gemini Jr with the embossing folder that came with it ( from Crafter's Companion) gave me this deeply etched design. I just love this texture!

I added details and stitching lines with a white gel pen and wrapped linen thread as a simple accent.

The stamps are from the Bouquet of Thanks set from Simon Says Stamp. 

Thanks for visiting today! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

What I love: Summer Citrus and navy blue

Hello friends! 

The warm weather is here to stay in my neck of the woods. A favorite thirst quencher for summer is iced tea. I drink mine with LOTS of lemon! 

I love this set called Summer Citrus by WPlus9. It came out last year and was on my wish list until recently when they offered a great deal. Know what else I'm loving this week?  Apparently it's navy blue. I really like the fresh country look. 

From start to finish, making this card was fun! 

Inking and sponging, I used these colors from WPlus9 : Lime light, Beanstalk, Appletini, Last Leaf, Queen B, Wild Mango and Miami Spice. 

I cut the images with the matching dies and the sentiment from Basic Banners. I can't wait to use this cheery set again with the ideas I have for other cards. 

Thanks so much for your visit today. Hope it was sweet!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Papertrey Ink: Create Along With Us May 2018

Hello, I'm back!

I've been traveling and while I love our road trips to visit family, it's a nice feeling to get back in the saddle in my craft room. I had some cards ready to post but didn't manage to get that done before my trip. Here's one freshly made today.

I'm happy to be posting my card as part of the release week at Papertrey Ink.

There is lots of crafty goodness to see on the PTI blog this week, both from the talented designers, and lovely entries from others.

 I chose this card by Stephanie Gold to inspire my card for today, CLICK here for the link.

 I love how she combined bold stripes, a layered pinked edge die cut, florals and twine. 

For my card I chose bold stripes and bold contrasting colors, using the gorgeous Farmer's Market Florals stamp set.

I reached again for the Mix and Mat: Pinked Edge Die that I've featured in my last two posts.

This time I left off the inner die that cuts the leaf design, and used the pinked rectangle die that includes stitching. I backed the panel with a foam layer and it adds texture and interest to the design. 

I will be staying put for the rest of this week. No more trips until next week! So I plan to catch up on my blogging. Thanks for coming by to take a peek and for your lovely comments.

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: Farmers Market Florals, Boutique Borders: Birthday Min Stamp Set - PTI

Paper: Neenah Solar White, Bitty Big Dark Indigo Paper Collection 

INK: SU - Night of Navy: PTI - Pale Peony, Berry Sorbet, Pure Poppy, Green Parakeet, New Leaf

Accessories: Mix and Mat: Pinked Edge Die , twine, sequins

Papertrey Ink: Take Two with a Feminine Twist

Hi there, how's your week been going? 

It's been super busy around here with the spring weather and many activities gong on. I've been able to keep up my crafty posts. Thanks for visiting my blog. 

I shared a masculine birthday card last week using the Papertry Ink Mix & Mat Pinked Edge Die which features beautifully detailed leaves surrounded by a frame. 

Today I'm featuring that die again. Here's Take Two! with a feminine twist. 

It began as a panel I'd made using Distress Inks awhile ago, complete with splatters of ink and water. As I saw this on my craft table, I wondered how it would look cut out with the Mix & Mat die. Check it out!

I added just a touch of shading with colored pencils and popped the die up for dimension onto a rectangle of white card stock with lightly sponged edges. 

The Brushed Birds stamp set completed the card, and the satin bow and sequins wrapped up the embellishments. 

I hope you've enjoyed seeing two takes using the same basic die. Of course I know you'll see these leaves again decked out in fall colors. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Takeout Thursday: Use what you have

 Welcome to Take Out Thursday 

When I serve up something simple and easy.

Take out a stamp set for a spin, spice it up.

Hello stamping friends, I'm coming in late for today's Takeout Thursday feature. 

I'm learning from posting more often. I've needed a birthday card for my brother and guy cards have been a struggle. It's also been hard to get much time in the craft room except for cleaning up.

Imagine my surprise when I was clearing off my stamp table yesterday and picked up this die cut panel from the Mix & Mat: Pinked Edge Die (Papertrey Ink). It came in my order recently, and I die cut a piece to keep for a sample. 

Instead of putting it away, I saw it with new eyes. How about a birthday card for him?  My brother's day is coming soon. I usually think of using a nautical or outdoors theme, but I've already sent him many cards of this type. 

I quickly set out to give it a try.

Here's what I came up with using basic supplies. 

I know this die is perfect for fall leaves, but I began to think how much leaves are a part of spring too.  What do you  think of my clean classic card?  Does it fit what you think is masculine? 

It works for me! Once I had the idea, this came together in 15 minutes. 

Hope you have a great weekend! 

I'll be enjoying some takeout myself tonight. We're going to take out the motor boat for a spin on the lake in this gorgeous weather. 

Thanks so much for your visit. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Notes (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Neenah Solar White, PTI - Bitty Big Parakeet Color DSP, SU - Baked Brown Sugar, Basic Black

INK: Versamark

Accessories:  Mix & Mat: Pinked Edge Die - Papertrey Ink 

What I love: Springtime Blooms and more polka dots!

Hi stamping friends! 

It's Wednesday when I get to share something I love. I'll love watching the cliff hanger tonight on TV's Designated Survivor! Just thought you'd like to know. 

What else do I love?  I just can't get enough of pretty spring blooms and cute polka dots! Put them together in a comfy looking pair of boots and it just gets better.

I shared another image with polka dotted boots and flower awhile back. CLICK. 

Today's card uses another fun set from SSS called Choose Joy. 

I stamped the images, colored them with Zig markers, and added details with a white gel pen. Then I cut them out with scissors. 

I playfully arranged them along the sentiment strip, popping up the boots and flowers on foam dots.  I adhered gingham DSP to a card base, and placed the panel in the top left of the card. Of course a few sequins were needed to add sparkle. 

This card just makes me smile! Hope it brings you a smile today too. Thanks for visiting my blog! See you tomorrow.

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Papertrey Tuesday: Ink Blending on Colored Card Stock

Hello, and welcome to my blog today! Are you enjoying warm spring weather where you are? I hope so! It's so nice I just want to be outside. But I took time to play along today with Make It Monday at Papertrey Ink.

Melissa's cards were soft and beautiful and her video showing ink blending on colored card stock inspired me to try it. 

I went soft with my colors too, I can't quite get the edit right, the contrast is not really this deep. 

Loved using the Peonies on Parade and the Stitch In Time stamps and dies. I inked in Harvest Gold, Summer Sunrise, and Vintage Jadite onto pale yellow card stock. 

When I held my panel over the gingham DSP, I knew I had the best choice for drawing the eye to the sponged design and classic sentiment. 


Just like Melissa's card, I added a fluffy bow using seam binding.

Thanks for visiting today. Hope your day is fabulous!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!