Easter Cards

I definitely waited too long to finish making Easter cards this year.  Should know to plan for unexpected delays, including a day sick in bed. 😞 So I ended up with some quick cards and put off making the card I had in mind when I first saw the Color Hues combo of Purple and Marigold.  I didn't pay attention to the challenge dates and it closed.  But luckily I combined it with JUGs Stencil Week and I'm also entering SSS Monday and WAW.  

A dear friend gave me TE My Redeemer Lives stamp/die/embossing folder years ago and I use it every Easter.  There are several crosses in different sizes, but I always seem to use this one.  I stamped the white diecut in Encore Metallic Purple and clear embossed.  Then I brushed it with PTI Amethyst Allure making the edges darker.  I stenciled TH Rays with PTI Summer Sunrise using a heavy hand at the top and lighter to the end of the rays.  I added small splatters of the ink and die cut with a Pinkfresh Diagonal Stitch Rectangle.  I had enough PTI matching cardstock to use for the mats and I remembered to cut out the centers.  A sentiment from the set was stamped in Amethyst Allure and cut with a small circle die.  A single purple gem finished off my card.  I'm glad to have this one ready for next year.

I'll share more of my Easter cards soon.  For now, here's one of the quick cards I made using one of Stamplorations beautiful card fronts.  

I embossed it with SSS Dibble Tile folder and rubbed over the raised edges with a white pigment ink pad.  I found just the right shade of blue cardstock in my stash and used it for the mat and Poppystamps Proper Happy Easter.  I'll enter SSS Monday from a different platform.

Basketball was my favorite spectator sport growing up and I still enjoy it.  We don't usually watch games, but this year it's a fun diversion from the sad times we're living in.  Would have loved to watch the Purdue men's exciting Sweet Sixteen win with my Dad.  He would have been so happy.  

Thank you for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Easter Cards

I've made quite a few birthday cards and got behind on making Easter cards.  Here are 2 I finished in the last few days.  First is my entry for Pinkfresh March Challenge using Dainty Blossoms and Elongated Ovals die sets. 

I colored the bouquet with metallic pink and green watercolors.  The light pink cardstock panel was splattered with gold watercolor.  Love the tiny Heidi Swapp gold alpha stickers I've had forever. 

The shimmer and shine is really beautiful in person.  You can see it better in my IG video.  I'm also entering WAW.

A few years ago, my friend Betty gave me a couple cardstock panels covered with a beautiful wide washi--might be from The Ton.  I remember that she used the eclipse technique with a panel and I love the look.  Thought this large Penny Black butterfly die would be perfect and it was, in my opinion.  

I backed it with 2 additional layers and spritzed it with a shimmer spray before gluing it back in place.  The washi's foiling looks rose gold to me, so I pulled out my 2 embossing powders and one was an almost perfect match.  I used it for Poppystamps Proper Happy Easter outline and background diecuts and used white cardstock for the letters.  Finished off with a few pretty pink sequins.  I'm entering Allsorts Challenge. 

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Easter and Birthday

A friend surprised me with a little gift.  A simple act of kindness in a very unkind world.  

Here's a card using some of my foiled pieces of plain toner paper done with white, fancy pink, fancy green, silver and teal foils. 

I purposely cut a piece of white foil that was big enough for the Poppystamps Nordic Basket die.  It is so neat in person!  The fancy foils used for the eggs from the set have a sparkly pattern.  The little bow is from The Greetery.  The bunny from Poppystamps Nordic Bunny Trio was die cut from Soft Stone cardstock which I covered with matching ink using direct to paper.  I brushed the ears with pink ink and covered the tail with a bit of a cotton ball.  

The tone on tone background was made with PTI Weathervane cardstock, Brilliance Starlite Black ink, which is pearlescent, and Poppystamps Fanciful Flowers stencil set.  I used iridescent paste for the flower centers.  I've gotten a lot of use from Poppystamps Double Stitch Scalloped Rectangle Frames.  This one was die cut from Weathervane, inked with Starlite Black and backed with vellum.  Decided to put the Easter sentiment only on the inside.  I'm entering Poppystamps, DCD and WAW.

I missed the last challenge, but couldn't miss JUGS Word Week Emboss.  Dry emboss is my favorite card element and is the reason I got my first die cutting machine.  I still remember the first time I saw a stamped and colored panel that had been dry embossed.  

For my card I stenciled a panel using SSS Layered Flowers.  I wanted to try Kelly Lunceford's PTI color combo of Aqua Mist, Hibiscus Burst, Pure Poppy, Olive Twist and Ripe Avocado.  My card has a different look because I did the stenciling on a panel of Aqua Mist cardstock rather than white.  Figured I'd turn the panel over if it didn't look good, but I actually love it!  I did add Scarlet Jewel for the layer with the flower centers and added white and green splatters.  Looked through my embossing folders and decided to use SSS Blossom Field because the pattern looks similar to some of the stenciled flowers and leaves.  The addition of that beautiful texture makes a huge difference in person.  

SSS Happy Birthday Brush Script is my favorite BD die.  I cut the shadow from white cardstock and the words from Aqua Mist.  Then I heat embossed it with a clear sparkle powder.  I wanted to leave as much of my panel showing as possible, so I just added 3 vellum blooms die cut with the ones included in SSS Cherry Blossom embossing folder.  Due to mailing costs, I seldom add my beloved pearls to cards, except for the tiny ones I used in the centers.  

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Friendship and Christmas

As soon as I saw Stef's inspiration card at Time Out Challenge 308, I thought of Altenew's Pink Star Tulip die, which I haven't used for awhile.  Decided to use the Altenew March Inspiration Challenge colors.  

I inked the bloom with Altenew Baby Pink and Fuchsia and the leaves with Mountain Pine.  The elements of Stef's card that I incorporated in mine are the large floral, dry embossing, splatters, small stamped/die cut sentiment and the mat just at the top and bottom.  Altenew's Deck Planks 3D embossing folder was used with white cardstock and I splattered it with Honey Drizzle ink.  The colored strips for the top and bottom of the card front were inked with Honey Drizzle.  I love shimmer and shine, so before attaching my focal point, I sprayed it with Lindy's Gang Pixie Dust Glitz Spritz.  Oh my goodness--it's so beautiful in the light.  Check out my IG post to see it.  I like using generic sentiments on the front of my cards so I can put whatever I need on the inside.  This one may be a birthday card or even for Easter.  Love the font of this sentiment from Altenew's Morning Glory stamp set.  I haven't been using embellishments much lately, but thought these beautiful iridescent gems were perfect.  They pick up the ink colors and are soft enough not to be distracting.  I'm also entering DCD, as flowers mean Spring to me.

Next is my entry for Christmas Kickstart: Out of the Woods.  During my recent foiling session, I cut a piece of blank toner paper the size needed to die cut my three IO deer.

I used bronze foil and it came out great!  Running everything through my laminator twice seemed to make a difference as the only things that didn't foil perfectly were small toner sentiments.  They never are perfect in my experience.  Anyway, finally got around to die cutting the deer and the shine is so beautiful!  

I used the old MB Garden Birch Landscape stencil, which I love.  The Altenew inks are Caribbean Sky, Persian Blue and Sapphire.  I added small white splatters and spread Snowfall Grit Paste at the bottom.  The sentiment combines the BP word die and W&W stamp.  Peace--what we all need, not just at Christmas.  I'm also entering WAW.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Guest Designing for TTTC

I was delighted to be asked to guest design for TTTC288.  The board has lots of options that let you make any kind of card.

I chose the last vertical row of Splatter/Smooshing, Die Cut Shapes and Embellishment.  Since I'm working on Easter cards, that's what I made.

I smooshed Altenew Just Green ink and splattered it with Hunter Green.  Poppystamps Proper Happy Easter shadow was inked in Just Green and I used white cardstock for the letters.  The cute Easter eggs from Memory Box were die cut from watercolor paper I painted with Lindy's Magicals.  The shimmer is so beautiful in person. 

I kept the detail layers white and added little clear gems.  There's lots of inspiration from the DT and I'd love to see you in the gallery.  I'm entering DCD, WAW and SSS Wednesday.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Birthday and Easter

At a time when the world seems upside down, I was reminded that little moments matter.  A man using a walker was ahead of me as we headed to the post office door.  I got close enough to offer to get the door for him.  But he opened it for me, saying you have your hands full with that purse.  I smiled, said thank you and walked through.  He said thank you for that beautiful smile.  Just a few seconds of positive human contact between strangers.  He brightened my day and hopefully I brightened his.   

I recently watched Erica's video on 3D embossing folders.  Inking the edges of an embossed folder wasn't new to me, but it reminded me to do it.  Here's the masculine Spring birthday card I made. 

I began by diecutting SSS Happy Birthday Brush Script shadow from a panel of Altenew's Forest Glades cardstock.  Then I embossed the panel with SSS Tumbling Leaves.  I inked the edges with Altenew Olive Grove and inked the card front with VersaMagic Niagara Mist.  The words were inked with Olive Grove and double clear embossed.  No sparkle for a guy's card, but cute little Poppystamps butterflies inked to match finish it off.  I'm entering DCD (through Flickr) since green leaves are part of Spring.

Edited to add: Thanks to Julie B's comment, I'm also entering Cardz 4 Guyz for the first time.

I recently pulled out my laminator, foil and toner card fronts to make one for a friend.  While everything was out, I made quite a few panels.  3 years ago I used rainbow foil with Unity Wild Garden toner card front.  This time I used specialty gold foil--really eye-catching!  Check out my IG post.  Decided this was the perfect chance to try ink blending over the foil and I'm hooked!  

I used Altenew Just Green, heavier around the edges.  I added an old SSS frame diecut along with Poppystamps butterflies and Proper Happy Easter inked to match.  Now to make more of my foiled panels into cards!  I'm entering Color Hues and DCD.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Wild Blooms

Loosing myself in cardmaking, as much as possible.  It's been quite awhile since I used PTI Wild Blooms layering stencil set, so pulled it out for stencil week at JUGS.  

I used a cream panel laying on my table with Altenew inks Blush Rose, Wisteria and Sagestone plus CN9 inks Pink Lemonade and Artichoke.  It was night when I finished stenciling and I wasn't sure I liked it enough to use it for a card.  Decided to leave it overnight and see what I thought in the daylight.  Next day I cut it down and brushed the edges with the Sagestone ink.  Then I used my finger to apply gold wax through the stencil for the flower centers--so beautiful!  Now the panel was growing on me, so I mixed a bit of water with some of the wax and splattered it over the panel.  I picked up the leftover with a small brush and went around the edges.  The mat was brushed with Blush Rose to match and I attached the panels to the center of a cream card.  Debated about the sentiment and decided on an old Winnie and Walter stamp/die set.  The little word was stamped in Artichoke and spring was die cut twice and brushed with a shimmer pen.  Pulled out the new to me Poppystamps Bunches o' Butterflies.  I chose one, inked it with Pink Lemonade, dabbed a bit of gold wax on the tips of the wings and attached a gold glitter dot to the body.  You can see the shine and shimmer in my IG post.  Glad I didn't toss the stenciled panel as I ended up with a card I really like.  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.