Glimmering Birthday Wishes

 Hello friends! I used to think I was pretty good at resisting all the newest trends. While some I gave in to readily, and others I jumped into after holding out so long they were no longer trendy, I have to say I have found a new possibility. I told myself I didn't need a Glimmer system, but after I got one for Christmas I'm in love with the new look for my cards. Wish I had done it sooner!

See what you think. 

I created this card for Challenge #576 at The Paper Players. I love a Tic Tac Toe challenge and went with two rows: diagonally - birthday, flower, die cut and the third column down  - die cut, birthday, stencil.

Using the Floral Notes stencil (and Dies) from Pink Fresh studio involved quite a bit of experimenting with techniques, color combos and inks. 

 

I finished the elegant look with several gemstones. Foiling is hard to photograph. Here's a close up.

I will list the extensive list of supplies below.

I sure hope you'll have a go with this fun challenge! Our team has some extraordinary inspiration and I can't wait to see what you make! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies used: 

Stamps: NONE 

Inks: Tea Party - Altenew, Soft Stone - PTI

Paper: white, WPlus9 Dove 

Spellbinder: Glimmer System, Yana's Special Sentiments, gold foil

Accessories - Floral Notes, Diamond Motif  Stencils - Pinkfresh Studio, coordinating Dies and the Slimline Dies

My Sweet Valentine

 Good morning and happy Saturday! 

I had some coloring fun the other evening, and saw a cute sketch yesterday. Combine the two and you get a sweet Valentine and a surprise post on a Saturday. 

Hope you like it! 

Don't these goodies look tempting? We woke up to a light snow this morning - unlike some of you who experienced the BIG storm. Still, it has me just wanting hot chocolate, you know? 

I colored the treats with Copics, adding some white gel pen highlights.  They are from Penny Black (My Sweet). The papers are from Honeybee stamps, can you tell I'm on a roll with using my DSP? 

Here's the lovely sketch by Jen M at Freshly Made Sketches. 

Sharing this also with dear Darnell over at NBUS since the stamps and paper are both brand new. Joining a new challenge too, Global Design Project has a Valentine theme. 

  I will be back tomorrow! I appreciate your visit so very much. Stay warm, and treat yourself with some kindness today. 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

We are Family

 Hello there! It's been a snowy weekend and I've been happy staying inside and catching up on a few things. January is a big month for family birthdays and today that was my focus. A card needs to be in the mail tomorrow, so I got busy! 

My husband and I grew up in Maryland and his family spent lots of time on the water. When I saw the Gina K stamps depicting Magnificent Mallards I knew it would really help with those guy cards. The sentiments are specifically geared towards family adding to it's usefulness. 

My card is a CAS(E) of Mindy's fabulous card HERE. I was inspired by Jen's sketch at Freshly Made as well. Also entering at NBUS #34 as it's my first time using this set. 

That's it for me today! I hope your week is off to a wonderful start. 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

LOVE Paper Play!

 Hello crafty ones, I hope you are finding yourself in the mood for some paper play today. I got some fun papers free with my latest purchase at Honey Bee  Stamps and really did enjoy trying out different combinations. 

I had no idea they would turn into the card for Jaydee's fabulous sketch this week at The Paper Players! 

I thought the polar bear from Laurie's card last week was adorable (you can see it HERE) so you can imagine that I was inspired to use this one featured on the designer paper. Keeping it simple and easy! 

The DP also came in handy for the sentiment on the inside. I love the paper hugs theme. 

I've been much more into ink blending techniques, but playing with papers has long been a delight since my scrapbooking days so I got quite a kick out of the diversion.

Only stamping needed is an embossed and die cut sentiment and I'm calling it done.  ( Pinkfresh Designs - Just a Hello Floral by Emily Midgett.) 

 

I appreciate your visit today, and want to encourage you to check out the work of the talented Paper Players team! Til next time...

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

My Friends are Flakes!

 Hi! Have things begun to warm up where you are? 

It's been a chilly weekend here and we even got a bit of snow under a bit of ice. Perfect time to pull out these new supplies and make a winter card to say thanks. 

I am someone who thinks you can never have too many snow people stamps, so I was ready for these adorable images of snow families and friends from Honeybee stamps (Snow Family Like Ours)  to come to my house when they had their recent sale. 

I loved the the sentiments that come with this set too! I inked the snow-couple and colored them with Zig markers and  a blender pen, then fussy cut them.

Blending the background in Oxide inks using Dried Marigold and Picked Raspberry was my first step. Next I used the Cute Hearts Stencil (SugarPea Designs) and went over the inking adding a second layer to darken the hearts. 

I added splatters of white gouache and a spritz of Glimmer Mist. I really enjoyed including special touches with Nuvo drops, a shimmer pen and clear drops on the snowman's hat. 

Creating a white snowflake background to match the sentiment with  Honeybee (Falling Snow Background) embossed on black card stock added a bold contrast.  Since all these supplies linked are new to me, I will be entering this in the NBUS Challenge. The snowflakes are from an assortment of dies from my stash. 

All in all, this is the kind of card I love to make! Taking cute images and using a variety of mediums and techniques to highlight them has been totally satisfying for me today.

I hope you're glad you've come by! I know I have really enjoyed sharing with you. Stay warm and stay well. 

 Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Color Hues: Silver and White

 Here is my second post for today, be sure not to miss my post for The Paper Players by scrolling down. It's a TWO challenge day for me today, and I'm so glad you are here. I don't say often enough how much your visits and kind comments mean to me each and every day. 

It's time for Color Hues #33.

Are you all set for silver, white, and sparkle! 

You know, I have a hard enough time with two colors as I love COLORFUL but when one of the hues is a neutral, it is even more challenging. 

My solution? Lots of texture. 

 I embossed a panel with snowflakes for the card base and used the die to cut a window showcasing the large snowflakes out of silver mirror paper. I did some digging to find this sentiment and embossed it in white on black for a focal point. Just could not leave off the sparkly rhinestones in the centers and a small ribbon. 

I've had trouble getting good photos with the gray days lately. Hang in there with me! 

Wishing you a wonderful day. 

 Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Warm Winter Birthday for The Paper Players

 Hello friends, are you ready for a new challenge at The Paper Players? For Challenge TPP574 Claire has chosen a theme for our CAS cards today. Winter Animals. What fun! 

The cold weather sure helped me get in the mood. For this one I pulled out an old favorite Winter Pals (from WPlus9) and created a simple scene with lots of white space. 

I used the Postage Layers Die to add to the playful style and a trio of pines. I colored with Zigs and only needed the heart as an embellishment. I love this foxy skater and the dear one I'm sending this to loves purple. 

 

I sure hope you will play along! I've had a peek at my teammates cards and you will be inspired! Thanks for visiting! Stay warm if you can. 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

The Paper Players Color Challenge Life Beautiful

 Hello and Happy Saturday! It's the day for a new challenge at The Paper Players! We have a lovely color challenge this week that inspired me to think spring! 

I pulled out the Sketchbook Rose stamps and dies (The Greetery) and my watercolors and got to creating. Here's the result.

 Spatters complete the sketchy vibe and loose coloring. My Altenew watercolors seemed the closest match to these gorgeous colors Anne Marie selected.  

It's a wonderful feeling to get crafty again! Hope you will join in the challenge and make sure to visit the team page for inspiration! Wishing you a beautiful day and a great weekend! I'm looking forward to a family gathering for some landmark birthdays. 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

The Paper Players! This is my year!

 Hello friends, 

Happy New Year!

I am thrilled to be one of the guest designers at The Paper Players for 2022! It's long been one of my favorite card challenges and will mean another weekly post for me as I play along. They have a wonderful line up of talented stampers who are such delightful people! 

The theme this week from Ann, is Sparkle! 

I loved the bright blue night skies and bokeh lights and gold sparkle! 

I put them together in today's card. 

I began by stamping the Christmas Rose image (WPlus9) and embossed it in gold. Masking allowed me to sponge Distress and Oxide inks just into the large blossoms for added shading and depth. 

A bit of splatters and gem stones added to the sparkle. I just love the sentiment (SU - Snowflake Wishes). I really like combining metallics on a card! I embossed the sentiment in Platinum. 

Can't wait to see how your cards sparkle! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Happy New Year's Day! Color Hues #32

 Woohoo!  Color Hues #32!  Our holiday pause is over and we hope you are ready to stamp again! Hannelie has chosen a fun happy combo for us. 

I wanted a crisp bold look for these hues. What's better than mittens and a scarf? 

How about a cozy sentiment? 

I'm all about using what I have this year, and this is an oldie from MFT stamps. Can't wait to see what you will make! 

Thanks for your visit, good to see you again! I will be back tomorrow. 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Stamps and Dies from MFT - Winter Warmth and Let's Get Cozy 

Colored with Copics, Candied Apple Distress ink and Altenew Midnight Violet.