Puppy Love Valentine

Hello, stamping friends! I'm jumping in with a Valentine to share with you today using my new set from Honeybee stamps called Puppy Love. I really look forward to using the cute pups in this stamp set for a variety of occasions. 

After photographing the card, I decided it needed a bit more interest so I added the stamped doggy bones. On the inside it will say, "You're doggone pawsome!" 

I'm playing along with a couple of challenges today. 
My layout is from Freshly Made Sketches,

the theme is Love at The Paper Players and CASology and the inspiration at The Card Concept. I chose a clean and simple style for my design.

I'm so glad you've come by! Hope you have a great day!

CAS Watercolor

Good morning, happy Friday! I saw so many gorgeous samples from the CAS designers and players at the CAS Watercolor challenge that I just had to play along. 

On a very hot humid afternoon, pulling out my Zig markers to color a bit was a delight to my senses and my soul. Added a sparkle with WOS.

The challenge was to use a floral bouquet. 

I cut slits on either side of the stems to tie silver thread around the bouquet.

That wraps it up for me today. Have a great weekend! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

CAS Watercolor 

Supplies used:

Stamps: Blessed Easter (ret) - Stampin Up!; The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Birthday Stamp Set; PTI - Vintage Type Set

Paper: Bristol Smooth, WPlus9 Dove Grey

INK:Simon Says Stamp - Intense Black, Versamark

Accessories: The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics die, PTI - Mix and Mat Pinked Edge Die,  white embossing powder silver thread

Just a quick Hello!

A quick hello....How often I start an e-mail or text this way, especially when the hello is overdue. Don't know how I missed posting this week as I had some cards ready to go. 

I recently pulled out some designer papers to use and today's card was planned around the pretty floral pattern from the Beau Jardin paper pack from Penny Black. I rarely use black as a background but decided it was about time to! Love the dramatic effect. 

Using the My Whole Life stamps and dies and the Welcome dies from WPlus9 made it easy to create the focal point.

I stamped a few black dots - meant to be flower centers - to anchor the sentiment die. The sentiment continues at the bottom of the card with "I just miss you" from the Hello and Thanks set. 

That's it for me today, hope your summer is going wonderfully! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

What I Love - Challenges

Hi there! 
It's Wednesday and I remember awhile back setting this as a day to post what I love. Today I'm focusing on my love of card challenges.

I especially like sketch challenges. They help me think outside of the box in choosing stamps and themes, and sometimes I'm surprised!

Sketches limit your supplies automatically. I looked through my stash for small images that would work with the sketch and buttons. 

The sketch is very straight-forward but my approach took some liberties. 

CAS(E) This Sketch   These images are great for creating scenes, but I went with a collage-y row of little things. 

I had in mind a few specific things for the Retro Rubber Challenge - buttons and bows! Working them in with the layout was easy with the set called Beautiful Ride from SSS. I think it's over 2 years old?  Glad to pull it off my shelf and use it again.

This card makes me smile. I hope you're glad you came by to visit. Make it a great day!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Circle of Love Watercolor

Hello, how are you today? 
We had a fun and busy weekend but in between the activities I found some moments to watercolor. I have two cards to share with you today.

I fell in love with the Circle of Love set from Papertrey Ink.  I know I'll enjoy using the solid fill-in images for this floral bouquet on future projects. My desire was to be able to watercolor the images and feel pleased with the results. It's a very humble beginning!

The first card is a CASE of this card done by Betsy Veldman. Nothing like trying to imitate a master, right? Stamping in pale ink, I used the no line watercolor technique, with loose coloring. What you see is my second attempt at this, and I am pleased enough to post it. Number one was for the trash can. 

I added a few sequins, keeping the card very simple. 

For the second card, I embossed the image in gold and then watercolored. While this was easier, I'm not as pleased with the result because the embossing seems to stand out more boldly and the colors seem to get lost. I paired the die cut image with some patterned paper, and added a bow from gold thread.

I chose the Oh happy day sentiment because the card could be for a birthday, wedding or anniversary depending on the greeting inside.  Stamping the trio of hearts was a fun addition. 

I am so grateful to be able to share here on my blog. Many thanks for coming by to spend a little time with me today. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps:  Circle Of Love and coordinating dies

Paper: Neenah Solar White, Canson Cold Press watercolor paper, DSP from Penny Black - Beau Jardin 

INK: Versamerk, WPlus9 - V.I.Pink, Bloomsberry, Fairy Dust 

Accessories: Watercolors - Kuretakd Gansai Tambi, sequins

Framed Sentiments

Hello and welcome! 

I've been enjoying my stamping and have new-never-been-used-stuff to inspire me for today's share. 
I'm playing along with Laurie's Favorite Challenge to show our favorite way to frame sentiments. 

I love using an elegant die cut to provide impact for sentiments, and then surround them with flowers. You knew flowers were a favorite of mine, right? 

These flowers make stamp layering a breeze. I love that there is an outline as well as the solid stamps to add to their versatility. 

I'm also playing along with the Inspired By challenge for this week. I kept the colors fresh and summery and used the detailed circle die to represent the lacy fabric in the photo.

That's all from me today. Thanks so much for your visit and your kind comments! Supplies are listed below. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: Sentiment is from PTI - Circle of Love; flowers from WPlus9 My Whole Life and companion dies

Paper: Neenah Solar White, PTI Bitty Big papers

INK:Simon Says Stamp - Intense Black, WPlus9 - Lake House, Hayride, Queen Bee, Lime Light Dye inks, SU - Marina Mist

Accessories: PTI - Shape Shifters Circle Die, black enamel dots. 

Layers of Ink - A Blending Technique

Hello, welcome to my blog! 
I have two cards to share with you today. I love ink blending but for these cards I took it just a step further. 
Both were done the same way using the same colors, but the fun of this layering ink technique is that no two cards will look the same! 

I began with Bristol Smooth white card stock, and added a light layer of inking in Twisted Citron and Tumbled glass Distress Oxide inks. Next I stamped and embossed clear the leaf images over the inked panel.

 Lastly, I added deeper shades of the first inks, plus Peacock Feathers over the first inking, and spatters of ink and water. I achieved a wonderful textured background rich in color variations. 
The second card has even more depth of color and the embossed resist design highlights the image details.

The leaf images are from PTI's Meadow Greens stamps. Sentiments are from PTI Inspired Prayer, and  WPlus9 Modern Pansies.

I have to say, the second card is my favorite. You know I love my sequins!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Simply Striped

A rainy weekend meant I had time in my craft room to stamp and sunshine was on my mind! I chose bold colors, simple stripes and softly watercolored images for my clean and simple card. I combined a few sets to make this, and was so happy to find the envelope from the Somebunny Love set was just the right size to pair with the cute bird. 

It was a delight to make using the rectangle stitched frames layered on the card base. I love it when a card turns out quickly, don't you? 
I'm playing with these challenges.

Thanks so much for your visit, have a great day! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: PTI Sending You, WPlus9 - Hello and Thanks, SSS - Somebunny Love (2 years old)

Paper: Neenah Solar White, PTI Bitty Big, Ranger Distress Watercolor paper

INK: WPlus9 - Warm Wool 

Accessories: Zig markers used for watercoloring, PTI - Pierced Feature Frames.

Mixed Bouquet for Papertrey's Favorites Challenge

Hello, how have things been going with you?

I've been absent for most of March and April for happy reasons but I've been missing my stamping and sharing on my blog!

 Nothing like a challenge to help me get back in the game. For Laurie's Fabulous Favorites challenge she asked us to make a card with a different shape or size. I made a note card, using a scalloped edge note card die. 

On top I placed a shape cut from Shape Shifter's Circle 4 Die and layered flowers stamped in yellows and shades of purple with the Mixed Bouquet Stamp set. 

The sentiment was added from the Huge Sentiments stamps and die. To balance things out, the sweet butterfly I added is from Stampin' Up!'s embosslit called Beautiful Wings. It's been forgotten in the drawer for way too long, and it's really such a pretty embellishment.

I really enjoy challenges and I'm happy to have a card ready for someone special. 

Hope you have a wonderful day! Thanks for visiting. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Hugs and Birthday Wishes

Hello stamping friends! 
I've had a bit of hiatus for the very special reason of our daughter's wedding which was last Saturday. A wonderful and delightful start to a new chapter in her life and a festive and fun celebration plus a new son-in-love for us.

As you can imagine, I had to curtail stamping and blogging for a bit.  And this past week, I was too drained to do anything. Can any of you MOB's relate?

But now, I'm ready to get back to it! 

Nothing makes me feel more like stamping than sunshine and spring! I made today's card to add to my stash of birthday cards. 

At first glance the Let's Fiesta set didn't seem my style, but the more I saw of the tiny flowers the more I liked it! It's so versatile and fun to make different arrangements with the stamps and die cut images, which are easy to use. 

I'm playing with three challenges today as they always give me a jump start in creating. And yellow and red?  At the top of my favorites list! 
Laurie's Fabulous Favorites Challenge at PTI asks us to use our favorite color combo. 

Time Out 

Color Throwdown 

Thanks for visiting! Hope your day is wonderful and bright. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps:

Paper: Neenah Solar White, PTI - Bitty Big Patterns - Harvest Gold,

INK: PTI - Pure Poppy, Harvest Gold, Bright Buttercup, Berry Sorbet, Simply Chartreuse, Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores. Plus 9 - Appletini for the sentiment

Accessories: Nuvo Drops, PTI - Shape Shifters Oval 1 Die

Laurie's Fabulous Favorites

Hello! 
Surprised to see me post two days in a row? Well, I am surprised too. 
I'm inspired again by Laurie's Fabulous Favorites Challenge at PTI for this week. Stand alone dies? Count me in! I just got a brand new one in my order that arrived today and couldn't wait to use it. 

I paired the new die and sentiments set up with the beautiful Orchid Expressions set that I worked with yesterday. 

Now I'm delighted to have two anniversary cards ready for my stash. I don't often work ahead on Anniversary cards or send them often. But I love the choice of sentiments in the Huge Sentiments stamp set. I will get lots of use out of that as well as the Huge Banner Die and the Huge Congrats die.I love that this die is actually two dies so that you get a larger layer to use behind your word for extra depth. 

My colors are Soft Stone card stock, and Hibiscus Burst, Raspberry Fizz, Amethyst Allure, and New Leaf inks for the blossoms. You know I'm not much of a gray person, but I love the way the colors pop against this pale neutral gray. 

Thanks so much for visiting today!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

          Make something beautiful!

Other accessories: 
Mix & Mat Pretty Brackets Die, Cover Up Hexagons Stamp set

Stitching Garden: A favorite

Hello, and welcome!
I am posting today as part of Laurie's Fabulous Favorites Challenge at Papertrey Ink. Who could resist the challenge to feature one of our favorite sets? It was a hard choice, I love all the florals, but Stitching Garden is hands down my favorite. 

 I layered the beautiful Scalloped Stacker Frame over Bitty Big paper in Green Parakeet, and built my florals on top of a layer sponged with polka dots for added softness. I bit of pink luster drops highlight the flower centers.

It's rainy here and I'm ready for a stay at home day today after a busy weekend. Hope your week is getting off to a great start!

My Monthly Hero January Card Kit 2019

Hello! Happy Friday. I can't believe one more week has gone by! 

I created three cards over this past week using the monthly kit from Hero Arts, and I have to tell you how much I love this kit! The stamps and dies are super fun but you get many other supplies as well that make it a terrific value. I began by stamping the images, coloring them with Copics, and then die cutting them. 

The stamps involve a fabulous floral shop display that I featured in the first card. I just love that bicycle image, I know it will be handy for many types of occasions. 

The second card was inspired by the patterned paper in my stash. Framing the three images with die cuts, I added only small hearts and some ribbon from the kit as embellishments. This one is so simple but you know what? It's my favorite. 

For the last project I created a shaker card using the heart-shaped balloons for a Valentine's greeting. 

As always, I thank you so much for stopping by! Hope you have a really wonderful day. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!