Sending BIG hugs

 Well, hello and Happy New Year! It's been a minute since I posted. Our move was almost two months ago, it all went smoothly but it's always a big change. Then there were family overnights and the holidays!

I'm here to share what I created in my crafty afternoon. Giving the stamping and blogging a try again on this chilly day!

Pulling out my re-inkers I colored this guy from the Penny Black AHOY set for my first Valentine. 

I love how the sentiments work out so well. Inside it says, "Sending a big hug so it's there when you need it."

I'm inspired to join the challenges at Color Hues (hello friends!)  NBUS, Penny Black Saturday Challenge  and Freshly Made. Hope you have a great day!

JOY at Christmas Color Hues #98

 Hi everyone! Welcome to the new challenge for Color Hues #98.  Karen chose Black and Red for us to use this time, and I added gold to the simple card that I have to share with you today. It felt good getting into the spirit of Christmas.

The Layered Poinsettias are from Waffle Company, and the JOY die cut is from the Greetery. Here's a wish for a wonderful holiday season ahead, and for many happy crafty sessions for you all! 

 I mentioned in the last post that I was moving and by this time next week, we will be in our new home. That is a happy thought! 

Thanks so much for your visit today, and for all the days in the past. It's a very sad day to be leaving the wonderful team at Color Hues. Nancy is a wonderful team leader. She's amazingly gifted, inspiring, kind, encouraging and so very organized.  I couldn't have been more proud to be part of this talented group of ladies! 

I will for sure be looking for your creations in the gallery, and I hope to play along in the future.  Have a great day!

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Hello, it's Color Hues #97

 Hello, I'm so glad that you've made a visit to my blog today. It's time for a new duo at Color Hues, and Julie P has chosen mustard and olive for us. 

I was inspired to pull out the Fragrant Florals supplies from Altenew, this time featuring the embossing folder and stencils. I just love these shades, I used mostly distress inks to sponge lightly on the leaves and flowers. I did keep adding layers to try to be more mustard-y. Wish the photo did them justice! 

I love the hello sentiment, it's so easy to continue on the inside with a more specific greeting. 

Hello's and goodbye's are very much on my mind these days. On a personal note, my husband and I are in the process of moving to a small home near our daughter's family. I've had to significantly pare down my overflowing craft collections(s)! You know, it's NOT just stamps paper and ink anymore but includes, dies, foils, stencils and ALL the stuff. So, instead of a craft room, I will have a craft closet.

I  may or may not be posting much after the dust settles - but I will see you again for one more challenge at Color Hues. You know you don't need an invitation to play - just make a card using these colors plus a neutral. 

I look forward to hearing from you and seeing your creations! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft

               Make something beautiful!  

Purple and Orange for Color Hues #96

 Hi friends, whoa, how has it gotten to be October?  Yikes! Please don't tell me how many days there are until Christmas, lol! You may be getting ready for Halloween, and if so, this challenge is for you! Julie is asking for purple and orange for this month's Color Hues Challenge and I'm sure the gallery will be full of inspiration!

We are delighted to have Trina Pham and Stephanie Lanzalotto as our special guests. Please welcome them!

I took a bold leap with these colors using the Blossom of Life dies from Altenew. I wasn't sure I would like it, but I think the result surprised me. These pretty dies are huge! I used a couple shades of orange card stock, one of purple and a final black layer. The white dots are Nuvo drops.

We are all hoping that you will join the fun and play along at Color Hues! I can't wait to see what you will make.

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Pink and Blue for Color Hues!

 Hello friends, I'm here to kick off my challenge at Colors Hues #95. Being the hostess means that I get to choose the colors we will be using. I chose pink and blue. We choose our colors ahead of time by a month or two and I saw a Christmas card that inspired me, so I went with it. 

I can't wait to see what will inspire you! Remember that the dark or light hues of the colors chosen are up to you!

Here's my card. 

I loved coloring the snow couple with Copics, and I even made their noses pink! I began by stamping the image with gray ink, coloring and then fussy cutting them. The All-in-One Hexagon Die provided the stitched frame and I sponged pale blue ink on the back panel, propping the sweethearts up with a bit of foam tape. 

I embossed white card stock and cut a strip of snowflakes, sponged lightly with blue to bring out the details, and placed this at the bottom of the card. 

Finally, sponging pink ink on Glitter paper, I die cut snowflakes to embellish. I LOVE snow-people so I'm sure I will be using this Chilly Day stamp set (Penny Black) often! 

Please do make sure to visit the challenge and admire the amazing team samples! We love having you play along with us. 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies: 

Stamps: Penny Black - Chilly Days
Ink: Altenew - Blue Horizon, Blush Rose
Other: Penny Black - Blizzard EF, All-in-One                                                                                          Hexagon Die

The Flower Challenge #95 Reminder

 Hello crafty friends! Have you checked out the inspiration from The Flower Challenge #95? Here I am back with a reminder and I hope it will encourage you to join in this easy going challenge. I'm sure you will have fun creating a stamped flower. Nothing difficult about that! It's even inspired me to look back through my stamps and use an older layering stamp set. 

I pulled out the Wplus9 Builder Rose set and was surprised to find some flowers already stamped. I love when that happens except that I don't remember exactly what inks I used, so I can't tell you! In addition, I pulled out a background that I had made with many images randomly stamped in pale black and spritzed with gold paint. 

I assembled the panel onto a gold mirror background and added a sentiment from Honeybee stamps. 

You will find more DT samples on the blog and a lovely gallery of cards from our participants. I hope that you will be one of them! It's wonderful to see what you make. 

Your visit today is so appreciated. I hope that your fall is going great! I know that I'm loving the cooler temperatures. 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

The Flower Challenge - Count Your Blessings!

 Welcome to The Flower Challenge! Our theme for Challenge #95 is to use a stamped flower on your card.  So pull out those pretties and put some ink to paper! 

I've been going for the less is more vibe lately, and Penny Black's tulips from the Overflowing clear stamp (31-062) gave me a kickstart to a clean card. 

I watercolored using re-inkers from my Distress Inks. Adding TWO pearls (colored with Copic markers) seemed a good way to emphasize the "twice" in the sentiment. Am I the only one that thinks of these things?

Thanks so much for your visit today! Please come and visit us at the challenge blog where fabulous floral designs await to inspire you! 

I'm adding this to these challenges: The Penny Black Saturday Challenge,  and NBUS where I'm using the stamp and die for the first time. Time Out Challenges asks for cards of encouragement/friendship.

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Other Supplies from Penny Black:
Blessed Builder Clear set (30-996)
Berry Basket Dies (51-796)