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

A Little Perk

 Hi card makers! I love card challenges so much for the inspiration and incentive they give me to get crafty. Yesterday after seeing the sketch at The Paper Players, I got busy. Here you go! 

I'm setting aside a few older stamps to play with in coming days and had pulled out Cup of Kindness from Concord & 9th and a new paper pad from Penny Black. I really love the versatility of this set. It has great sentiments too! The card process is pretty self explanatory. Just die cuts with a little stamping. I spent more time getting a photo of this card than I did making it. Isn't that refreshing? 

Thanks for coming by. It means so much to me to have you visit. Hope your day is great!

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Challenges: 

The Paper Players 

Little Red Wagon  Make It Sew - I used a stitched rectangle panel
Love Those Pretty Papers

More with Butterfly Blooms Take 2

 Hello, happy Saturday! Spring has brought very warm weather our way, and lots of blooms! One downside for me is that I now am experiencing vertigo, probably related to allergies. Limiting my motions helps keeps the worst dizziness away, so I am making use of some of my stamping supplies. Butterfly Booms to the rescue! 

This cute and simple card was fun to make and will be flat to send. I kept trying to  add embellishments or some thing to even out the layout - is it the vertigo or just me, that thinks the balance is OFF just a bit. Ha!

I used the card kit contents from SSS in April, including the stamps, stencils and washi tape for the horizontal panel. Altenew inks provided the colors and my scissors
cut everything out. 

I hope your world is not spinning and you are steady on your feet. Thanks for your visit today!  Come back soon!

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Challenges listed:

Freshly Made Sketches

Beautiful Blossoms Anything Goes Florals

JUGS Just Us Girls Stencil Week 

New Mercies

Hello again, stamping friends. I seem to get on a roll with stamping and then lose it for a couple or three weeks. How did it get to be almost May already? There's been just a bit going on. Normal life stuff keeping me busy. Today's rain made it cozy to catch some crafty time and much needed therapy - watercoloring. 

I used Distress Ink re-inkers to color the pretty stems from Penny Black's new-to-me Love Blooms stamps and dies. 

The Color Throwdown asks for cards using yellow, sage and coral. I blended the card front with Distress Oxide ink in Brushed Sage. I also wanted to play along at the Stencil Fun challenge.  I was distressed to find that I reduced my stencils to almost none with our big move last fall, but I found this one from Vicki Boutin that fits the bill for their suggestion of patterns. I used it with sparkle paste above the flower. It shows up a bit better in the photo below. After the fact, I wonder if the card would look better without the stencil? 

Lastly, the Blessings set from Penny Black gave the scriptural sentiment. I'm sharing this at the Word Art Wednesday Challenge. Thanks for coming by for a visit and some of my ramblings.

Hope it's been a great day for you! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

More with Butterfly Blossoms

Hello friends, I hope your day is going well and your week too. 

Here are two more of the cards I made with Butterfly Blossoms. The pretty papers and vintage vibe of this kit from Simon Says Stamp make card designing a delight.  Today's cards are clean and simple. One is elegant, while the other is a bit playful. 

Using two sheets of DSP and an ornate frame works for the birthday card.  I stamped the sentiment slightly to the side. I didn't want to cover up the butterfly in the center.  Like the cards I shared yesterday (HERE in case you missed them) I cut flowers from some of the paper to use as embellishments, with pearls. 

The next card uses two frames and a sheet of DSP adorned with twine and a couple enamel accents. They were a freebie for first time subscribers to the monthly card kit. I love the bit of whimsy from the "just soar" element. 

I'm still working on cards with this set! It amazes me how much gorgeous inspiration there is for this kit online. I looked at all of it! While there is some pressure when designing with a kit to make a card that is totally unique or different from the others - the possibilities with this kit seem endless! Apart from these that I've posted, I will make four more cards that completely CASE some of the wonderful ones designed by others with what's left of my supplies.

Thanks so much for joining me today and for your kind comments. Happy crafting to you! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Butterfly Blossoms

 There's something new in the house! I've been so excited to get my April card kit from Simon Says Stamp. Many of you made the cutest cards with last month's kit that I was inspired to give this month's kit a try. It includes stamps called Butterfly Blossoms and the prettiest of papers! 

I made four cards with the supplies today, and here's a look at two of them. For my cards, I used some of the dies I've purchased recently to add unique details. 

For the first card, the patterned paper is the star. I highlighted the flowers with Nuvo drops, and added gems to butterflies fussy cut from the paper. I made paper with strips of washi tapes included along the bottom of the card. 

I really like the neutrals and soft green shades. Soothing for a sympathy card, I think. 

The second card uses collage paper which I adhered to a panel and then die cut to make the background. I love the texture, it's like tissue paper.

I used the stamps for the floral images and butterfly, which I also fussy cut. Pearls, ribbon and sparkle paste (on the butterfly!) add the finishing touches. I hope you've enjoyed my post today! It feels good to me to be back for a visit. I'll share more tomorrow! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

I'm adding this to challenges: 
One of my favorites is with Darnell, at NBUS where we use our      never been used stuff!
Addicted to Stamps & more is asking for die cuts.
                                                 

Birthday Wishes

 Another card today ready for my birthday card stash.  I pulled out die sets for this bird and spring blooms from W+9 that I've had for over 2 years but had never used yet! 

I really like the details on the bird die. It will be fun to change the colors of the layers.

The scallops and stitching on the oval die (from Penny Black) and a few pearls are the only embellishments. 

Thanks so much for your visit today! 

 Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

I'm adding this to the following: 

NBUS #72 never-been-used-schtuff is my frequent fav challenge!
Seize the Birthday - anything that flies

Addicted to Stamps & More - Birthday
Krafty Chicks Challenge - Clean and Simple

Have a Nice One!

I felt like making a simple card to add to my birthday stash, I'm happy to share it with you.

This happy guy hauling a load of presents is from Penny Black stamps, called Nice One! I was pleased to find this panel with the image stamped and colored just waiting to be made into a card. The challenge at The Paper Players asks for a clean and simple card using only ONE stamped image. This one fits the parameters and I'm glad to be motivated to addd a bit of DSP and a couple of sentiments to finish it. Sending the same greeting to you - hoping today is a nice one for you! Thanks for your visit. 

 Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

I'm entering this at the Penny Black Saturday Challenge also. 

Happiness Always with Penny Black

 Hello crafters and friends, I hope you are as pleasantly surprised as I am to see my third post of the week. And it's only Wednesday! 

Today's card features stamps from Penny Black, and my watercoloring with Distress Ink re-inkers. Both are things I love to create with and the time spent is like therapy for me! 

I began by stamping on watercolor card stock, and coloring the images in. Then I fussy cut each of them out. I added sponged ink and the sentiment to the card base, and layered the frame on top. I love the soft pastels; the feminine touch of pearls is the only embellishment. 

I'm so glad you came by!

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Penny Black Supplies: Delightful Day, Brew-tea-ful, Overflowing; Frame It Die

I'm entering the following challenges today: 
The Paper Players Theme challenge Spring Flowers
NBUS - Never Been Used SCHTUFF -The tea cup stamps are "new" 
The Card Concept - I was inspired by the soft colors and flowers, and made my Clean and Layered Card. 

Try It On Tuesday - For a Lady   Anything Goes
Penny Black Saturday Challenge     Anything Goes

Floral Delight

 If the jonquils and birds I see out my window are telling it, spring is here in my backyard! A perfect time to bring out the pretty Floral Delight papers from Stampin' Up! I love yellow and these papers are so bright and happy. My card is simple today, featuring the pretty gingham and blooms. 

I fussy cut the blossom from the paper, added foam tape for dimension and tied it with a twine bow.  I've been inspired by these challenges today and it feels good to play!

Little Red Wagon - something tiny. (See those adorable tiny gold bees? They are part of the Floral Delight collection.) 
Seize the Birthday - No stamping (optional)
Love Those Pretty Papers
Inspired By - use gingham

Hope your day is sunny and bright. Sending you off with smiles...

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

God's Masterpiece

 Happy to be starting a new week and a new month with a card to share with you. Hi friends, welcome to my blog. 

Spring flowers are starting to pop up here and there outside, and many are flocking to blog land as challenges seek projects decorated with blooms! 

Here's one that I made. 

Using the great layout from Jill that I shared HERE, I've used this rose from the Enchantingly (Clear Stamps) for today's card. The greeting is from Penny Black as well; Inspirational Sentiments. Re-inkers are the medium for watercoloring.

Thanks for your visit!

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

The challenges I'm joining are: 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - use Penny Black
Try it Tuesday - embossing
Allsorts Challenge -  Clean and Simple
Penny Black Saturday Challenge  ATG

With Love Going Postal

 Hello! It's nice to be back again so soon with one more card to post. I did have some time to stamp over the weekend, and I made this card for the  DD challenge asking us to use RED. I didn't have trouble playing along as I love any shade of red. Here you go! 

Waffle Flower's collection of Postal Collage stamps, dies and stencils made this so easy to create. It's fun putting in the small images from stamps you own already as I did HERE, but nothing beats their pretty rose stencil. I used Distress Oxide inks. There are some gorgeous samples at the challenge blog  HERE and a wonderful Mood Board too.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope to see you soon. 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

A Classic

 Hello, I'm glad you're here to visit again! If you visit often, you already know that I love card challenges. One I find easy to join is NBUS - Never Been Used Schtuff, but there's a new kid on the block; The Neglected Stuff Challenge. I have lots of both kinds of stuff.  

I was inspired to pull out two of my very first wood block stamp sets purchased from Stampin' Up! for today's card. 

I find that I'm still pleased to see these lovely, timeless images from my first year (2011) as a demo. Stamping the text background was much easier to line up using my Misty. How things have changed in the stamping world!

Simply using just stamps paper and ink felt good! Oh, and two stitched rectangle dies. I think the stamp set was called Natural Beauty. It's a keeper! It is one of the handful of wood block stamps that remain in my stash.

Check out the challenge HERE and give it a try! The goal either way is to use the stuff that we have, right? 

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Wildflower Birthday Card #2

 I hope you're doing well today. How's your crafting going? 

With our recent move, I'm totally having to re-think my crafting process as my supplies are limited and in one small closet. It goes something like this - I bring out the cutter and cut card stock. Put that away after use, and haul the Empress machine to the dining room table. Then come the dies or embossing folders. After those are put away,  some color medium and general supplies for assembling take over the table.

Can you imagine I'm getting a few steps in as I go back and forth from room to room? When the card is complete, it all goes back in the closet until next time. Of course, there are similar steps needed for the photography too!

I know, I know, it's not so bad. Not everybody has a craft room/space! One way I can streamline is to make several cards with the same supplies. So, here is card #2 using the Wildflower Birthday collection from Stampin' Up! 

Oh, how I love these pretty papers! This birthday greeting is for the dear grand who loves pink! All images are from the papers and ephemera. I stamped and embossed the sentiment from the set with gold powder. The clear gems adhered to the cake don't sparkle for the camera, but IRL they shine.

Wherever your steps take you today, I hope you can go with a smile. Sending hugs your way!  

PS. My dear man and I actually love our smaller home and simpler lifestyle. Less time is spent cleaning, lol!

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful! 

Wildflower Birthday

Hello friends, it's a new week, welcome to my blog today! One of my favorite things about this hobby of card making that we love, is that you can create what you feel in the mood for and change out colors or techniques according to your whim. 

Lately I've been doing simple cards with clean watercolored images, but you know what? I've been missing playing with paper. So I got my fill of flowers and pretty papers with this card. 

Recently I  was smitten with a couple floral suites from Stampin' Up! This card was created with papers from the Wildflower Birthday Collection. Such pretty pastel peach and blues. I began by embossing white card stock with the Baroque folder from Anna Griffin, and used a die to scallop the bottom edge. The striped tag is part of the DSP, I cut it out and trimmed out the polka dotted blue strip to add vertically.

 The flowers and leaves on the tag are part of the images on the papers that can be punched out. The other panel was cut with a stitched die cut from the set. The lovely loose weave trim is so fun to work with and dressed things up. A sentiment from The Greetery and a few metallic gold pearls were  included for the final touch. That's it for me today, thanks for keeping on til the end of this post. Hope you have a great day!

I'll be linking up with NBUS - Never Been Used Stuff as the papers and die are new; and the lovely ladies at A Cut Above.

I did a little bit of stamping.....

 Hi Friends! While waiting for the big game on Sunday and staying inside for a couple days of rain, I did a little bit of stamping. Nothing big to share, but here I am again. 

I made three cards that are a CASE of Jill's cards using Sketch #1 Just Frame It. I've been so loving her sketches, especially those shared in January and I wanted to try her system of doing three cards using her batch method. Die cut all three cards first, then stamp and color, lastly add sentiments then assemble. A few more Valentine's are on their way! 

Have a look. 

I learned something. 1. This sweet sketch involves an image in a frame. In this instance, using the frame I had on hand wasn't the best option as it covered up much of the embossed detail. 2. While making three cards at once worked well, I didn't love them  I think using the Penny Black frame (HERE) is much better proportioned and the best choice for this sketch.  3. Ordering is easy! New PB frame dies are on the way to me. I hope you won't mind seeing me use this sketch again, lol!

Thanks for stopping by today!

I'm adding this to A Cut Above (using dies),  Double D challenge, asking for hearts and Penny Black Saturday Challenge.