For my Dear Friend

 Hi there, hope you are doing well! Are you enjoying happy summer days, even with the heat dome? 

We are having the kind of sunny day that makes you wish you were at the beach. A perfect afternoon to make a  beach-y kind of card.  

I love collecting shells at the beach. Almost as much as I love collecting new stamps! When I saw that the Anchor of Hope stamps from Honeybee were retiring, I placed an order. It's a set filled with beautiful images and sentiments that are different from what I already have in my nautical stash. 

I began with a pale blush card stock for the card front. I swiped a squiggly line of blue Lunar Paste (Clear Skies) and next to it I added Stickles, suggesting a wave on a shore. 

The image was stamped on watercolor card stock, and colored with Distress Ink re-inkers, and metallic watercolors. Sorry, the photo just does not captures the shimmer and shine!  I fussy cut the image, and kept it simple with a sentiment. 

I was truly inspired to make this a clean and simple card for the Paper Players. Other challenges include Just Us Girls, and NBUS because the stamp is brand new to me. SSS Wednesday Challenge calls for Fabulous Florals. 

I appreciate you spending time with me today! Hope it's been an encouragement to you. 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Is it really simple?

 Hello and happy day to you! I began with a question - Is is really simple?

That's my reflection after making a simple clean card with a sketch for the Freshly Made Challenge. Love the sketch! Yes, filling that  small inner square with a focal point should have been simple. Not so for me as I tried many options and configurations. Too many! 

The Delicate Magnolia and Itty Bitty Branches dies from Altenew were featured as I brought this creative session to a close. I added stitched embossing to the base layer with the Allover Stitches folder from Penny Black. 

It's not my favorite card - but hey! It's just paper! There is certainly more for another day! See you soon. 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Kindness in Bloom Birthday

 Hello, friends! I'm back with my last card for this week. Our weather has been super hot and in my craft room I'm keeping cool, busy, and contented. 

I decided to play along with Freshly Made Sketches, and pulled out the new-to-me Kindness in Bloom stamps and dies from Pinkfresh Studio. I love the wonky look of these flowers and appreciate the stripes on the leaves. Coloring with Zig markers, I followed the example on the stamps packaging and used bold strokes with white spaces on the flowers. 

I loved discovering (or being reminded?) that PFS dies cut out all the images at once, making this so easy! I used a border die to cut the accents for the line across the sketch. 

I appreciate you taking the time to come and visit with me. Hope you have a great weekend. 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

I'm entering this to these challenges: 
NBUS - new stamps and dies
Freshly Made Sketches 
A Cut Above 

Other Supplies: Hexagon Die is from WPlus9; Border Dies are from Penny Black; The Happy Birthday stamp and die are from Simon Says Stamp.

Stencils, Clouds, and Sunshine!

 It always takes me some trial and error and rummaging through my stash to come up with an idea to make new supplies my own. That's what happened today when I went to try out the stencils included in Kristina Werner's Weather Together Bundle. It has been on my desk for a couple of weeks now. 

Wanting a card for general encouragement, I searched for the sentiment first. Among my Penny Black stamps, I came upon just what I wanted in the Love Big stamps. I wanted my sky to suggest a sunrise. 

I used Distress Oxide inks to color the scene, using only 2 of the cloud stencils, and inking lightly. Another sentiment carries the sunshine theme to the card inside. 

I have to be honest and say that I had doubts about the usefulness of the Weathered Together stamp set at first. I'm happy that I now have a few ideas and a few more sentiments lined up to be able to create with it. I got help also from The Paper Players Challenge this week! 

I may have to get going on anther entry! Also entering the Stencil Fun Challenge.  and the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by to visit. FInishing this card and getting it posted has given me a nice sense of being productive this morning. Have a great day! 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Other challenges include:
Word Art Wednesday
Sweet Stampin Challenge Blog 
Shopping Our Stash Weekly Challenge Blog - Summer
The Four Seasons - Summer 
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes (Penny Black stamps)

 

Grateful for You

 Hi friends, I'm glad to see you! I'm wondering what happened to make this week rush by so quickly!

I thought it would be fun to enter a card into the monthly challenge at Pinkfresh Studio. The theme is Sew Much Fun based on the many products in a recent release featuring sewing items. 

As I looked through my supplies I found some pretty flowers ready to go! Here's my card. 

The elegant circles die has lovely stitching elements, and the pale pink card stock was given a quilted stitched pattern with the Sparkling Diamonds coverplate die. 

I used the Flowers for the Soul stamps and dies.The florals were stamped and embossed with gold and colored with markers. Gold foil leaves are the only embellishment. 

I had trouble with this card. You know? It just didn't come together easily and I almost wanted to start over, then had not the best lighting for the photo. Some days that happens! 

I'm entering this to the theme challenge of Clean and Simple Florals going on at The Paper Players.

I'm remembering not to be so hard on myself. (grin) I leave you with a farewell wave, wishing you a good time creating! 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

A Bit of Fluff

 
A new stamp came out to play today and it's a cute bunny saying hello to spring! 

I made the background last month just playing around with a few stencils for a session. Using the Puffy Squares (Waffle Flower) I did two background panels in tone on tone colors of blue and yellow. Adding a dainty border and a tag today fits this right in with the challenge at Freshly Made. 

The new-to-me Spring Bunny Stamp Set (Concord & 9th) provided the focal point. I added a bit of bling for his bit of fluff tail. Sharing this also at the NBUS gallery. 

A clean and simple card. It's much brighter IRL. 

That's all for today! 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Beautiful Birthday

Another bit of crafty play happened over the weekend. I wanted to try making a card with small die cuts and here's what I came up with!

 I chose colors of card stock in three shades of pink. Also using some white I cut several flowers of each color. I needed some help lining them up into a grid pattern so I reached for the Birthday Blitz stamp set (SSS) that has the curving parallel lines. I stamped them in pale gray onto the card front and the square which has foam for added dimension. The bit of movement adds interest to the CAS design. Tiny clear sequins were added to each flower center. 

This card design is not my  usual go-to but I think I should try new styles more often. It's what makes this craft so satisfying! The sentiment is also from the SSS set, I really like that one.

I hope you're having a wonderful week. 

I was inspired to play with the sketch at Just Add Ink 

and Seize the Birthday - CAS with Dies
I'll be back again soon! In the meantime ...

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Santa's Coming

 A happy Saturday hello from me.  The song says Santa is coming to town but as I look around stores in my community, I'd say he's already here! 

I'm not too much into Santa but this jolly guy is newly acquired and he's so cute!

I couldn't wait to feature him in the offering from Freshly Made Sketches. He's paired with a dancing penguin and the vertical word die.  This is also brand new and I know I will often use this in the holiday season. I used Copics to color. For sparkle, there's some wink of stell on his hat, and a few snowflakes.

I love this card layout I hope to use it again as it's so versatile! 

I hope your weekend is going well. It's rainy here, so I may have more crafty time!  Signing off with BIG hugs to you --

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies:  *new
Waffle Flower Overlapping Vertical Merry Word Die*, Gina K  Christmas Cheer stamps and dies*; Word stamp "Christmas is from PB stamps Christmas with Mimi

Challenges: 

Freshly Made Sketches 
NBUS
Simon Says Stamp  ATG, Gina K 
Christmas Kickstart Challenge - Santa
Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge 

Simple Joy

Hello, happy National Dog Day!  I didn't have a clue about that when I made this card featuring a super cute canine and a sentiment that I really like! Over the weekend I brought out a mixed bag of supplies and just played for fun. 

Rummaging through my background stamps I found one from Tim Holtz that is all sentiments, many are out of the ordinary. It's called Tiny Texts and I thought this one was perfect for this image. Ignoring the cake or card that looks birthday-ish, I love that this pooch has prepared a perfect cup of tea and has flowers and fixings to enjoy his day. 

Sipping my cup of tea is an ordinary joy that I savor every morning with thanks for a new day. I love the smile on this little guy. Wish I was so cute! (early in the morning...) The pup image is fussy cut from the Good Times set (Penny Black).

Paper scraps, enamel drops, and simple coloring with Zig markers. 

Makes me happy today. What is your ordinary joy? Thank you for stopping by! 

Be yourself

         Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Challenges: 
Little Red Wagon - Circle of Life
Penny Black Saturday Challenge -  ATG, Embossing (the black circle is dry embossed but the photo doesn't show it. )
Neglected Stuff Challenge - I haven't used my ZIGs to color for a long time!
Krafty Chicks - Clean and Simple

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!  

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

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!  

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

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!  

Bring a Letter

 The team at The Paper Players inspired us again with some wonderful samples this week! The theme is CAS cards having to do with mail. One thing that is especially nice at our new home is having our own mailbox on the curb. No more driving to a community mail building in our former rural neighborhood to get the mail.

This theme inspired another Valentine using "Cuteness" stamps from Penny Black. I colored the image with markers and fussy cut it out. Echo Park papers came in handy for making the die cut envelopes. The sentiment came from a brand new PB set called Love Big, thus I'm adding this to NBUS (which features our never-been-used YET -  stuff.   Simple and sweet. Have a great day! 

Color Hues #94 With Thanks

 We are ushering in FALL with these new colors at the Color Hues Challenge! For #94 ( WOW, how has that happened!)  the colors dear Carol has for us are Rust and Green. She encourages a range of shades to choose from, so I went with a variety, using stencils and Distress Oxide Inks. 

The Lovely Silhouettes Stamps (The Greetery) were inked in green and complemented with a dark green card stock mat. Although it appears almost black, it is a lovely deep green. I had a hard time with the photo of these hues, I promise there is no yellow, just a pale orange. 

Do you ever finish a card and it just doesn't seem right? For me, the stacked shapes  were off balance intentionally. I added the gold metallic pearls, to compensate for that. What do you think?

You will not want to miss seeing the amazing cards in the gallery, and we hope that you will play along! 

Your visit means so much. Thanks for coming by! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies: 
The Greetery: Lovely Silhouettes stamp set, Color Spots Stencil
DOX inks: Dried Marigold, Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade, Lucky Clover
Concord & 9th: card stocks
WPlus9: Basic Label stamps and dies

Color Hues #84 Peach and Green

 Welcome to April 1, a new challenge for card makers at Color Hues! I'm excited to be the hostess this month and I've chosen Peach and Green for our new combo. Concord and 9th products are featured in my card, as I was utterly inspired by their Cottage Garden supplies. I bought the bundle. Are you surprised?

When I saw the Garden Party Patterned Paper Pack I knew right away that those were the colors I loved for my challenge! I layered some paper strips, stamped the sentiment and hash marks in Grapefruit Ink, and added the die cut flower for a simple card. I happen to just love these colors! 

I hope they will inspire you as you create. Something for spring or Summer, or a birthday? I can't wait to see!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. March was keeping me busy with things other than crafting. More about that soon. I'm happy to be back!

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!