Tweet-est Friend!

 A new day and a new month and I am GLAD! Hopefully our high heat and stormy afternoons will give way to more pleasant weather soon.  In the meantime, while I had all the Tweet Friend supplies out, I gave it another go. Hope you enjoy my shaker card. You know I love them! 

I love the versatility of the sentiments and being able to die cut them and mix the smaller phrases in is a plus. I think the mailbox will be what I grab for often, but the flowers are pretty in their own right and the bird bath is great for any season. 

Copics were used for coloring and the stencil (Gina K Cropped Circles) was sponged over with Ranger inks on two corners. I'm happy these two feathered friends are having a bit of fun in the sun! 

No challenges today, just a quick share! Thanks for coming by!

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

What I Love...

Hello friends, hope you are doing well in this new week! I've been keeping inside because of the heat and having a blast with my stamps and morning tea. 

The card I'm sharing would be perfect for the feature I used to have on my blog called "What I love Wednesday..." There is still a link to it in my sidebar. Here's today's love list: birds, sweet flowers, my two fave  card-making colors, and the cutest sentiment which has to do with something else that I love to do. SING!

It was made for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge (which I also love) with stamps and dies from their card kit which I've really been enjoying recently. They're asking for us to Focus on the Sentiment,  I had quite a few large word dies to choose from. The copic coloring of the images and keeping this design simple brought a smile to my face today. Hope it will make you smile too! 

Thanks for coming by again! 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies:
Simon Says Stamp - Tweet friends stamps and dies
Penny Black - Immense YOU die; Allover Stitches embossing folder
Distress Oxide Inks sponged for the large sentiment
Neenah Solar White card stock

Coastal Escape

 Hey there! I realized that a week had gone by without a post so I'm here to rectify that! I had a bit of time to pull out another not used yet set to make this card before summer is over. Here's the beach scene!

I've been doing some watercolor landscapes, and this scene began with a scrap I'd painted practicing clouds. . 

Blended inks were used to color the pretty cuts from Spellbinders Coastal Escape View Etched dies, providing the palm trees, waves and shells. For embellishments, I added pearls, a twine bow, and white Nuvo drops to accent the portholes. I cut those with gold card stock here's a closer look. 

I am so glad you made time to visit today. Wishing you sunshine and smiles!

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

For challenges, I'm joining Tic Tac Toe  where I chose: Beach, Blue and Ink Blending

and the challenge at NBUS where I'm using Spellbinders dies and Sending Sunshine Sentiments stamps. 

Hey there, Panda!

 Hello, friends! I tried out other titles for this post. Happy Panda. Hungry panda. Somehow the name of this set from Altenew didn't seem to work, it's Roaming Pandas. This guy is munching the day away. 

I've had this bundle of stamps, dies, EF and stencils in my stash but they've not been used until today!

I was inspired to use these for The Color Hues Challenge (Yellow and green) 
 The Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Cute Critters
The Double D Challenge - for the Kiddos.
And of course, with Never Been Used Schtuff for the NBUS challenge. 
That's a quick post for me today, enjoy your weekend!

 Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

More Garden Flowers

 Hi! This morning I'm popping in with a few more flowers from my garden of stamps and a card for you! I gave some thought to the colors they're suggesting for us at The Paper Players new challenge. 

I decided light washes of color would work best so I began searching my stash for stamps and inks. Inking up a cling stamp with brush markers gave the result I was looking for.  I spritzed it lightly before stamping, then used a damp brush to soften some of the lines. Once I'd colored the panel, using nesting hexagon dies framed the bouquet nicely. A shaped card is a nice change for me and I like it! A few tiny gems and a bow dress it up a bit.

Challenges: The Paper Players, Penny Black Saturday Challenge

You are so kind to come and visit. We'll do it again soon! 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies: 
Penny Black stamp - Garden Variety Cling Stamp, Blooming Sentiments

Card Stock - Concord & 9th Lilac

For the Color Throwdown - it's Fuchsia!

 Hi friends! Here I am posting on a hot Sunday afternoon so this card makes it to the Color Throwdown Challenge that inspired me today. I thought Kraft, Fuchsia and Orange were perfect colors for a happy card and I pulled out lots of new to me supplies and got busy! 

I began with a white panel which I embossed and sponged with Tea Dye Distress Oxide ink. The Happy Day stamps and dies (from SSS) have great sentiments. I also like that there is a large solid flower to stamp and two lined flowers to color. I used a combination of distress inks and brush markers to color them. 

More details can be found in the supply list below. I will be entering the Color Throwdown Challenge and 

 because this card was almost entirely made with new supplies, the never-before-used-schtuff challenge called NBUS hosted by Darnell. I was one lucky winner of her gift card and these new supplies are here thanks to her generosity! 

Of course, I did get a bit carried away while ordering. See that bow on my card? I saw someone use that Iridescent White Cord (SSS) and just had to have it!

Also linking to the Simon Says Stamp Challenge, Emboss it 

Thanks for your visit today, I hope your day is fabulous! 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies: 
SSS - **Happy Day stamps and dies
Inks - Worn Lipstick, Carved Pumpkin, Tea Dye
Sissix - **3D Texture Fades Quilted

** new

Happy Summer to you

 Hello crafty friends! I'm stopping in to post a quick share on this hot summer day. It's good to be back after a busy holiday week. I have another week busy with family visiting and there's nothing I'd rather do than spend time with loved ones. 

The first card I posted (HERE) using the Eclectic Garden dies (Concord & 9th) was a CASE. Today's card is my original design.

Instead of die cutting the florals from colored card stock, I used white and sponged on color using Distress Inks to create a softer look. I will really enjoy using these florals.

An embossed layer was also inked lightly for the background. The sentiment is formed by the Happy Edger Die and the text from Penny Black. It makes a bold statement. Finishing the card off only needed a few pearls for embellishment. 

 I'm playing in the Tic Tac Toe challenge using the left vertical row: Foliage, Layers, Flowers, or the middle horizontal row: Layers, Free, Summer Colors. I really love the options in the grid challenges!

Also adding to SSS Weekly challenge: Sending Flowers

That's all for today! I'll keep staying cool. Take care. See you soon. 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Double Fun: Playing with Paper and a New Fold

 Well, the HEAT continues and my mojo is humming along. I pulled out some pretty papers today and wanted to use them. Discovering this fun fold called a BACK fold, made the designing easy and before you know these two were done. 

The first card uses more of the feminine DSP from the Wildflower Birthday Suite (Stamping Up!) This paper comes with lots of pre-cut images and this floral bouquet was one of those. The sentiment is from Penny Black. When you lift the bouquet, the gingham card front opens to the left, and the flap and focal point opens to the right. I added gold and white twine, and gold metallic gems. 

The second card features the last bits of the SSS June Card Kit, including papers and rub ons and hand trimmed butterflies. 

Here's a look at the inside. Hopefully it gives you a better idea of how this opens. I  learned about this simple fold from Karen's blog HERE. I had such a kick from trying this out! 

Thanks so much for your visit and for your kind attention to my rambling. Have a wonderful day!

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Grateful for you always

Happy Monday friends,  I hope things are going well for you. I've continued to have some creative time daily and a few cards are ready in the line up. Here I'm using the Flowers for the Soul stamps, stencils and dies designed for Pinkfresh Studio by Dawn, previous owner of W+9.  Her stamps are what I bought in my very first excursion from being a Stampin' Up! only stamper. Her work is beautiful, and these images are based on her hand painted flowers. She is so special.

I kept the card simple so that the florals and sentiment can shine. I'm entering these challenges: 

The Paper Players - I used the middle row across 

Addicted to stamps & more  - use die cuts or stencils
Just Us Girls - stencil week 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Garden Silhouette

 Hello, all! It's full into summer now as we are on the last days of June. Hot weather makes for lots of afternoons inside. I was happy to get in some creative time. 

I love the card stock from Concord & 9th, the vivid colors are just my wheelhouse. I made this card, not an original - but a copy of their sample using the Eclectic Garden stamps and dies. My first time using these coordinating  products and you know what? Sometimes you just can't beat the designs that the company features to show off  their supplies! I not only fell in love with this card, I can't wait to use the pretty dies again! 

But for now, I am posting this for you to see, and to share one more card with Darnell's #75 NBUS Challenge too. Hope you enjoy it! 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Card stock colors: Aqua Sky, Oceanside, Clover, Juniper

Flowers for the Soul

 Hi there, friends! You can never have too many flower stamps, right? I'm back with another recent purchase from Pinkfresh made into a sweet birthday card. Truly dainty and feminine, the Flowers for the Soul set is beautifully designed by Dawn Woleslagle. 

What I love about PF dies is that they cut several groups of images with one run through the machine.  Once I die cut there were many images in various sizes to play with. I used just a few for today's card. 

I stamped the flowers and heat embossed them with gold powder. Using a rainbow of DOX ink colors and the stencils, I added color. 

For my background panel, I sponged using the same colors lightly. Then embossed with a folder for added texture. Using gold designer paper and gems for the accents ties the focal point together. I used a narrow panel of white card stock. Having the sentiment hanging over the edge doesn't bother me! I wanted more of that background to show. I can't wait to make another one!

Thanks so much for your visit today! Hope this summery card brings a smile to your face. 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies used:
Dies - Crimped Frame (The Greetery); Leaves - Altenew; Birthday - Buzzwords (Honeybee)
The EF is from Spellbinders
Inks: Rnager Distress Oxide - Salvaged Patina, Worn Lipstick, Cracked Pistachio, Carved Pumpkin, Fossilized Amber

I'm adding this to the Monthly Challenge at Pinkfresh 

Capture Joy and Butterfly Kisses

Welcome back! Hello, on this sunny warm beautiful day, I'm so glad you've joined me. Today I'm sharing a quick post featuring the Simon Says Stamp Card Kit for the month, called Capture Joy. 

Although his kit has sold out, many elements are still available singly for sale.  I hope that you'll enjoy a glimpse of four cards that I've made with these fun papers and stamps.

Some of you know that when I moved recently I did a major downsize and gave away most of my craft supplies. I did have a room full! It seems I've missed all the reams of patterned papers that I had the most! And to be honest, I'm being careful with bringing in the new stuff, lol! The card kit gives me a kick and I am loving this one. 

Butterflies and polka dots, what's NOT to love? Wishing you a fabulous day! 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Challenges I am entering today: 
NBUS #75 - the stamps and DSP are new
Simon Says Stamp
Inkspirational Challenge #43  Their mood board is a fabulous array of colors and textures that inspired me. 

Gentle Thoughts with Pinkfresh

 Hello, happy June! It sure has been a while since my last post. I'm on again and off again with stamping as we're having gorgeous weather and quite a few activities. I did pull out the Magnificent Magnolia suite from Pinkfresh Studio and inks from Altenew for a creative session  this weekend. 

I am smitten with these gorgeous florals. I stamped in pale gray ink and used the stencils to fill in pastel shades of yellow, pink and green. The die cut bouquet is a lovely size for a focal point on a card. I layered foam tape behind it for dimension and mounted it on The Classy Frames die from Penny Black. For the card base I used the stand alone cut Sparkling Diamonds (PF) on C&9th card stock. Nectar. It's my favorite of their colors, although it's sure hard to pick just ONE. 

That's it for me today. I'm entering several challenges, listed below. Thanks so much for coming round to visit me!

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Challenges: 
NBUS where we use our new stuff!
Tic Tac Toe - I used the bottom row; Ink Blending, Floral, Sequins
 Double D - asked for Frames 
Just Us Girls - Layers
Pinkfresh Studio  - Monthly Challenge for June

Bunny Birthday

I for one don't think bunnies just come out for Easter, so I hope you don't mind me popping in with a bright one for today's card.  It seems that I've had bunnies on my back porch along with the birds that are busy at the feeders. My talented blog friend Leslie has been inspiring with her bunny posts this month and I ordered a fun new die she used so that I could make my own. 

It has some fiddly pieces to get the folksy inlays, but I think it turned out cute! Someone special had a birthday wish for a bunny, so this card is for her! I think the real animal will arrive soon, I can't wait to see it! 

I hope that you've enjoyed this quick post. I've listed some supplies for you below, and entered the Wednesday Challenge Bright & Cheerful at Simon Says Stamp. Have a great day! 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies: 
Die:  Cottage Cutz - Folk Art Rabbit
Sentiment die: Whimsy Stamps
DSP - Stampin' Up!, Scrapbook.com - SHERBET smooth card stock
White Nuvo drops for the bunny tail 

Clean and Simple Birthday

 Well, hello friends. It's been a busy week but I did manage to create one card. On my last post (HERE) I used the Fresh Flowers Dies from Altenew to make a pastel and elegant birthday card. I wanted to show the versatility of these flowers, so I'm bringing you the clean and simple version of these dies today. 

Cutting the blooms from colored card stock and assembling them with the Immense ENJOY die from Penny Black made this quick as well as easy! The colors were chosen by the ladies at Color Throwdown who wanted to inspire an Americana vibe. There is still time to play! I'm glad to have this in my stash for a late summer birthday. 

Making it a quick post. Wishing you a fabulous weekend! 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

A Very Special Person

Hello, happy Tuesday! It's amazing how you can begin to make a card with one thing in mind and it turns out to be way beyond what you expected! Both in the making and the result. That's what happened to me this week. 

Over the weekend, I started out wanting to use a die cut flower for the JUGS challenge. What began as a simple search for the right flower, turned into looking at past classes to remember how to use the chosen flower. And then realizing that my aunt - the last remaining of my mother's family is having a 98th birthday soon. Thus, my title: A Very Special Person. Here's the card! 

Ample ink blending provided the background panel and all the colors of the flowers from Altenew's Fresh Flowers Die set. I used Fresh Dye Inks in Teal Tempest, Honeydew Melon, and Blush Rose. It's amazing how you can blend the Honeydew Melon - a greenish yellow with the teal and get a new shade of pale green. ALso used the melon to tone down the pink on the petals.

The sentiments are from the Cascading Flowers stamp set.  Embossed in gold. I tried so many different sentiments out but ended up liking this best. The big happy Birthday will be inside. 

Thanks for hanging in there with this post. I am going to leave these supplies out in a prominent place so I use them again before I forget how!  Have a great day. 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

 Challenges:
Just Us Girls Die Week - flower die
Beautiful Blossoms - ATG
Triple B - Birds, Blooms and Butterflies

Lots of Love

Happy first day of May! I always love the first day of a new month and May is one of the best! If April brings showers, and then May flowers, allergies are sure to follow! On a good note, the vertigo I'd had last week is on the way out. It's been good to be outside again  and feeling better too.

Starting out the post with something new! A pretty circle frame that I wanted was out of stock, so I found this one instead (Pinkfresh Essentials: Ornate Circle) and got to creating. 

 It is an amazing delicate frame that can be used to completely die cut the circle as I did here, or left in the card front with just the points cut to add texture.

Also new to me, I embossed a panel using the Altenew Soft Blossoms EF. I colored with sponged Altenew inks, and the coordinating stencil set. Then if you can believe it, I CUT that panel up by hand for the focal point. Sponging a bit of ink behind them, I popped up the flowers with foam. The sentiment is from the Soft Blossoms stamp set and is the only stamping today. 

Thanks so much for your visit. I hope your day is going well! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

I'm adding to the following challenges:
NBUS: of course, with new EF, stamps and stencils and hugs to dear Darnell whose kindness and craftiness encourages so many!
The Card Concept: I was inspired by the soft pastels for my Clean and Layered Card. 
                                     Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes
                                     Inkspirational: Seasonal occasions - Spring                                                   flowers, Mother's  Day