A Sketch to Celebrate with PTI

Hello everyone!
Here I am again finding myself in the middle of a week having done no crafting. How does that happen, I wonder?

Today I was given a boost to celebrate along with PTI and their fun Sketch Challenge in honor of their 11th Anniversary. 

I love a good sketch and got right to work, choosing this one from one of Melissa's cards. 

I used the same die and arranged the florals from the Fresh Bouquet stamp set and coordinating dies. This set has some really good sentiments and I used two of them on the banner. There is some light sponging on the white layer at the top left. 

It's rainy and cold today, but I have spring in my mind as you can see by the colors! It was hard to get a good photo, the Peach card stock layer is much brighter IRL. 

I'll list the main supplies below. Thanks for coming by to visit and for your delightful comments! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used are from Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise

Stamps: Fresh Bouquet Stamps and Dies

Paper: Coastal Cabana, Peekaboo Peach (Stampin' Up!) 

Ink:  Harvest Gold, Summer Sunrise, Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, Vintage Jadeite; From WPlus9 - Old Gold

Accessories: Mix & Mat Flourish dies, white embossing powder, white gel pen, sequins

Brushed Birds Collage

Good morning crafty friends!

I have certainly been enjoying challenges and I'm jumping right in with a card to share for the Make It Monday challenge at PTI where Stephanie inspired us with her lovely card using different types of papers.  I went searching for my papers and combined a polka dotted page from last year's planner and a corrugated textured panel for the card base.

 I pulled out mulberry paper from my stash, and added a sentiment embossed on a piece cut from a shiny gold envelope. Adding a touch of gold embossing at the top of the panel and gold thread tied the elements together. Making this collage was so fun! I stamped the Brushed Bird in Aqua Mist and Blueberry Sky inks. 

Thanks so much for visiting my blog today!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Tile Letters Valentine

Hello, welcome back!
Every once in awhile it's time for a card that is just plain fun. We have friends that are so special! They invite us over often, love to get together at the spur of the moment, and enjoy playing games like we do. We get crazy laughing over games together and we always leave their home feeling cheered. 
This card is for them! 
I pondered the sketch at CAS(E) THIS for the week and thought I might skip it. But remembering this never-been-used Letter Tiles set (from Simon Says Stamp) got the wheels turning and this card is the result. 

I was so happy to dig out the chunky wooden heart from my stash to embellish. 

Hope you enjoy your day! Thanks so much for visiting my blog. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

SNOW for Merry Monday

Hello!

I've had a busy crafting week and I wanted to be sure to get my card posted to add to the Merry Monday Christmas Challenge while there's still time.  I'm new to this challenge but it fits with my goal to spread Christmas card-making throughout the year. And the designers are top notch! 

This week's theme is: SNOW. Who doesn't love that?

I'm also seeking challenges that help me to integrate some of my old (or VERY old) supplies with the newer stuff. I need to spread some stamp love around and enjoy using what I have. Like this cute little Be Jolly snowman and die from Avery Elle.

I'm finding myself coming back to ink blending again and again. Today's card combines Blue Jeans and Cracked Pistachio Distress Oxide Inks. 

Once I got started I had two made before I knew it.

Hope you're enjoying a lovely weekend and thanks so much for visiting today! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

January 2018 Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

Hi friends! I can't believe how fast this week has gone by and now we're at the end of the month too. 
It's a good day to join the Blog Hop at PTI and get inspired! I love playing along.  

We had a lovely photo to spark our creativity this month. I was inspired by the pale pink paired with brights, the floral centerpiece, the polka dots and lots of white space with black accents. These elements combine beautifully with the birthday theme. 

I inked up the Beautiful Berries Spring stamps in Green Parakeet, Leaf Green, Pale Blush,  Raspberry Fizz and Autumn Rose. 

I die cut a rectangular panel in the card front and behind it placed white card stock with a sponged background using the pink inks. Added a bit of spattered ink and a few sequins. 

Thanks so much for visiting my blog today!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Embossed Stencil Valentine

Hello friends,
It's a Wednesday afternoon of a busy change-filled week here. Everything's fine but life happens, and ours has felt some unsettling emotional highs and lows the past few days. 

I'm welcoming and inviting my favorite therapy - stamping -  to work it's wonders!

There's something so soothing and thoroughly engrossing about stamps, paper and ink and the things you can do with them. I've been experimenting with techniques lately and while I enjoy that it does put me out of my comfort zone when it's time to incorporate them into a card. 

Today's card highlights a stencil technique completed with embossing paste and then heat embossing. 

My panel began with kraft card stock and the Caroline stencil from Simon Says Stamp. I filled in the spaces with embossing paste in an even layer. While it was still wet, I sprinkled on embossing powder and heat set it. Loved the resulting elegant shimmer with a bubbled rich texture. 

The embossed panel was layered over a white card base and a white panel blended with inks. I also blended inks for the love die cut, and backed it using the shadow die to cut a vellum layer. 

A foil strip, hearts and a pearl are the simple embellishments. 
I don't send too many Valentines, but they are so fun to make that I will be finding friends to send them too.

Thanks so much for visiting today! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Adding this to the challenge at Inspired! where the creamy goodness and texture of the cookies inspired me. 

Supplies used:

Stamps:  None

Paper: White, SU - Crumb Cake, Card Stock Vellum, Foil Sheets - Copper

Inks: Distress Oxide - Worn Lipstick 

Accessories: WOW! Embossing Powder Silver Pearl, Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste, Simon Says Stamp - Caroline Stencil, Love Dies

SaveSave

Your Special Day

Hello!  Hope you're having a good weekend in spite of the cold, flu and well, other news. 

It's time to jump in at the very end of the challenge with Papertrey Ink with today's card. 

I've been wanting to make a feminine card with all the things I love: flowers, soft pastels, ribbon, lots of layers and vellum. Sequins! Yes, don't forget sequins! 

I was inspired by this gorgeous card from the amazing Melissa Philips. 

Searching for soft subtle patterns, I used DSP from my stash (Authentique). I stamped flowers from the Vintage Linen set using inks in Autumn Rose and Lavender Moon, adding details with a white gel pen and a shimmer pen. I wanted the stem and leaves to blend in, so I colored them a pale gray with Copics. Like Melissa, I chose a scalloped die cut border, a vellum tag embellished with a ribbon bow  
and... you got it!
Sequins. 

Thanks so much for visiting my blog today. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!