Amazing YOU: A birthday card

Hi, how are you doing?

I am playing catch up here on the blog this week. Don't know how it's gotten to be Thursday already! I missed my Wednesday What I Love post, so how about if I combine it with Take Out Thursday? 

However I decide to call it, I have a special card to share with you today. 

I made this background a few months ago, and it's been sitting on my craft table.  I loved these roses and the technique of wet on wet stamping with the Vintage Roses set from Altenew. I stamped in layers and did some spattering with inks and gold watercolor. 

The die cut sentiments (from Stampin' Up!) are mounted on a vellum strip. I embossed the You in gold at the bottom for an ombre look. 

I embellished further with a bow and clear drops. 

Have you noticed that my style changes often on these posts?  I've been looking at some posts from my old blog and it reminded me how often I made cards with a Shabby Chic style. I love clean and simple. I love cute. I love layers, and I love this feminine look. 

This was such a fun card to make and I hope my dear friend will like receiving it for her birthday. 

Thanks so much for your visit today!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Papertrey Tuesday: Harvest Gold

Hello, I am glad to be back to posting. How's your week going?

I didn't stamp for almost a week. That's OK, I was having a fabulous time with my friend, Susan and her husband who visited us in NC from Chicago. We enjoyed good meals, exploring the area and our lake together, and long conversations! It was wonderful to talk and to spend time talking STAMPING in my craft studio, in the car, over breakfast.  Well, you get the idea! 

Whenever I've not stamped for a few days, I find limiting my choice of supplies helps to re-start my mojo. I only knew I wanted to make a card using the BOLD striped pattern of the Harvest Gold Bitty Big DSP. I adore yellow and this color rocks it! Happens that I had a few scraps on my desk from last week's card and voila! Here's my new card. 

I used the stamps and dies from Stitch In Time Borders and Fresh Bouquet. 

The Penned Elegance sentiments are my newest go-to and here's a tip for making it easier to use them. 

First and most important, I DID NOT SEPARATE the dies. I die cut all the sentiments at once, then created a template to use for stamping the images. I tuck the die cut into place and use the MISTI to line up the stamp, then ink it and stamp. 

Here's what the template looks like, with the wonderful friend sentiment tucked in.  In ten minutes I had all the sentiments die cut and stamped, ready to use. The template will help me identify the words and hold the die cut in place for stamping. 

I'll be back tomorrow. For now, here's a cheer for stamping friends! Hugs to you all. 

Susan and me on my back porch

Take Out Thursday: No one Else Like You

Hello, and welcome to my weekly post called

Take Out Thursday 

When I serve up something simple and easy.

Take out a stamp set for a spin, spice it up.

When I began this feature I wrote that one of my reasons for Take Out Thursday is to use a set or product without having to re-invent the wheel. "Take Out food is not gourmet. Not perfection.Designed to get you out of the kitchen quickly."

Today's card is a perfect example. I found a sentiment that is so unique and I bought the No One Else Like You set from W Plus 9  because I wanted to use those words. The set and dies are perfect for quickly putting together a thank you card with a BOLD look. 

The letters are already spaced for you in the die to make lining them up easy. I die cut the letters from the white panel, and then inlaid the dark letters that had been previously die cut. They look somewhat wonky because of my camera angle, but trust me, they are straight!

I stretched a frame die by just using part of it on the sides. I wanted to use a bold striped navy paper but had none, so in a sense, I made my own.

Remember when I said there would be some excitement for me later in this week? I want to tell you about a dear friend who loves stamping. Susan and I met at our first SU convention in 2008. For several years afterwards convention was our time to meet and we became the best of friends even though we lived several states away from each other. 

My friend Susan and her husband have made a trip to visit us for a couple of days arriving today. I'm so excited! 

The stamping community is so amazing. That includes all of you, dear friends. There is no one else quite like you. A big hug and thanks to you from me. Have a great weekend. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

What I Love Wednesday: Ink Blending and Polka dots

Hello, is it beginning to look like spring where you are yet? 

I hope if not, that it will be soon. Our cloudy skies are gone this afternoon blue skies are back and with them will come warmer temperatures. I'm hoping we don't miss spring and go right into summer, but I am enjoying sitting outside as I type this. 

You're here to see what I love today, aren't you? Besides spring? OK. 

I love ink blending and polka dots. I had fun getting inky with the cute Showers and Flowers set from Simon Says Stamp. I absolutely fell in love with these polka dotted boots. And the pretty flowers!

I blended the background by combining Distress Inks in Salty Ocean and Worn Lipstick colors onto Bristol board. I stamped the images and colored them in with Zig markers, then fussy cut them out. 

I did add ink spatters in blue and in white acrylic paint, and a trio of sequins. The HELLO is from the Penned Elegance set, from PTI.  

I'll see you tomorrow, hope you'll be back too. Thanks so much for your visit to my blog. In the meantime, don't forget to ~

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Papertrey Tuesday: Stitched Stems

Hello, and welcome to a new week.  I'm getting my stamping done on this coolish cloudy day because I have some extra fun happenings coming up at the end of this week. Don't worry, I'll clue you in as the day gets closer. 

Today is my day to make something with my beautiful Papertrey products and again, I'm stamping along with the Make It Monday challenge, hosted by Michelle Leone. Her video showed us the fun technique of stitching with thread or floss along the stem for a lovely textured accent on a floral card. 

I realized that in my frenzy of purging sewing supplies, I had very few options left so gold thread was my best pick. I used it to backstitch along the center of the largest leaves, adding lines drawn along the sides with a gold Spica pen. With the same pen, I added dots to the flower centers. 

In keeping with the gold elements, I also embossed the sentiment and added gold die cut leaves. 

I'm happy to have a Mother's day card ready well in advance of the day. Now I must just manage to get it mailed on TIME, lol! 

Thanks for visiting me, I really love hearing from you! I've listed most of the supplies below. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: PTI - Stitching Garden and matching dies, Sentiment SU - retired

Paper: Neenah Solar White, SU - Coastal Cabana (placed inside card back)

INK: PTI - Pale Peony, Berry Sorbet, Harvest Gold, Summer Sunrise, Hawaiian Shores Versamark

Accessories: Gold embossing powder, PTI - Shape Shifters Oval 1 Die used to cut foil die cuts and die cut card front

SaveSave

Take Out Thursday: Bits and Pieces

Hello, and welcome to my weekly post called

Take Out Thursday 

When I serve up something simple and easy.

Take out a stamp set for a spin, spice it up.

I am having so much fun preparing for these posts I'm featuring weekly. Are you enjoying the variety and frequent posts? 

Today's "takeout" includes bits, pieces, and BUNNIES. 

• the bunnies are leftovers from last week's card (HERE) that were hanging around on my craft table
• I took out an older set to mix it up with hats and accessories
• a brand new die and 
• scraps of DSP. 

The result of this mix it up challenge? 

I had so much FUN making this! 

Want to know more about the supplies?  The bunnies are from Somebunny Special by Simon Says Stamp and were colored with Copics.  Also by SSS is the Cuddly Critters Accessory set that provided the hat, sign, sentiment, bow tie, star and balloon.

The new die is the Papertrey Ink Shape Shifters Circle 1 die. I placed patterned paper in purple behind it, and added patterns in bright colored scraps. I  have so much paper and these are tiny bits, but hey, I used some UP!

My bunnies seemed to need grounding, so I wrapped twine around the card and tied a bow. 

That wraps it up for me today! Have fun with your crafting.

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

 

What I love Wednesday: Watercolor

Hello! Happy Wednesday to you. 

Welcome to my Wednesday blog feature where I get to use something I love, do something I love or share something elegant with you. 

I've been happy as a clam getting to do what I love - watercoloring! Today I'm happy to share the Bouquet: Ranunculus stamp set 

from W PLUS 9. I love butterflies and gold too. 

The wonderful thing about this stamp set is that the flowers have already been arranged for you. They're not too large so they can be stamped more than once on your card front, allowing for different arrangements.

I embossed them in white and colored them with Distress Inks on Ranger Distress Watercolor Paper. I added some shading and a bit of ink spatters to complete the design. I've had this set for way too long and what I love about the blog itinerary is that I set aside time to color it for today's post. And watercoloring to me, is the most restful thing to do! This was my third take on it--Just so you know. 

My only embellishment was a butterfly embossed onto vellum, and the sentiment die cut out of Gold Foil card stock.

In case you didn't notice - NO SEQUINS!  Although I did pull them out and decided to let the florals shine. Alone.  

The Hand-Lettered Hello set has smaller sentiments that I can add on a thin banner under the Hello when I decide who will be receiving this card. 

Thanks as aways, for stopping by. Your kind comments make my day! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used:

Stamps: Wplus9 - Bouquet Ranunculus, Flora and Fauna, Hand-Letterd Hello

Paper: Neenah Solar White, Ranger Distress Watercolor, vellum, gold foil card stock

INK: Versamark, Distress Inks

Accessories: White Embossing powder, Die: Hello di from WPlus9