Seasons Changing

Can't you just feel Fall around the corner (if you live in my part of the world, that is!)?  We still have warm sunny days, but the breeze & evenings are cooler & damper.  Almost time to store the boat for the winter, which is always sad, but then again, I love Fall.  Today is the last day to enter Flourishes 5th Birthday challenges & here's my 4th card--yah, made it!  My other 3 cards all have "sprinkles", but here's the one for this challenge.  With Fall on the brain, I decided to use one of my favorite sets, Wreaths of all Seasons.  I had never inked the sunflower stamp & knew I wanted to use some of my tiny beads (have had many packages of them for years, hardly used!)--these flower centers would be perfect, I thought.  Usually I emboss an image when I'm going to color it, but I wanted a softer look, so just stamped the wreath & the sentiment from Life Lines using VersaFine Vintage Sepia on cream cardstock.  I colored with Distress Marker wild honey, Memento markers Bamboo Leaves & New Sprout.  Then Memento Toffee Crunch was sponged in the flower centers.  I used the Flourishes Tailor-Made Die Keyhole Label & sponged the edges with Distress Ink antique linen.  I saved this little piece of twine from a tag on clothing (can you imagine how many people just threw it out?!) & it was just the right size.  The button was threaded with yellow floss & tied on.  Glossy Accents works great for attaching the tiny beads & I just love the look!  Maybe I'll use them more, now.  Spellbinder's Labels 14 was embossed with a Sizzix folder & used for the card base.  I mounted the wreath die with foam tape.  Amazing how much better pictures come out in day light.  Hope you've had a good week & get to do something fun this weekend.  Love having you stop by & leave a comment.

Banner for a Birthday

Flourishes celebration of their 5th birthday is still going on & here's my card for the Banner Day Challenge.  I was thinking of how we used to hang banners at parties as part of the decorations.  I used the dotted circle & enjoy! from Flourishes Medallion Motif & the single lace image from Lace Edges.  I colored the stamps with markers (Distress dried marigold, Memento Bahama Blue & New Sprout.  Each is punched out & the edge of the circle is inked with the same marker.  I didn't plan it, but turned out my printed paper has 3 similar colors to the challenge picture.  The dies are Spellbinder's Lacey Circles & Labels 10.  The images are attached to the scalloped ribbon with narrow silk ribbon & hang free.  Clear gems finish off my card.  I think this will work for a bright & cheery birthday card, which I can always use.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Celebrating 33 years

Can't believe I just deleted my post--ugh!  See if I can do it over even though it's late & my eyes want to close.  Next week is our anniversary & I've been trying to decide what to do for Steve's card--really wanted something different this year.  I love the Hero Arts sketches for this month's challenge so decided to start with one of them.  I had yet to ink my Diamond Zig Zag Background & knew Steve would like that image.  I stamped with VersaMark & embossed with Stampendous! aged taupe embossing enamel--really neat effect.  I also heavily inked & embossed the edges going for an artistic & masculine look.  You can get an idea of the look from the close-up picture.  The sentiment from Valentine Flourishes is stamped in Encore! Ultimate Metallic Champagne & die cut with Spellbinder's Reverse Wonky Rectangles.  The edges are inked & embossed.  I cut mats from purple textured cardstock.  The heart from Speckled Ornaments is stamped with Encore! Ultimate Metallic Purple (hubby likes purple!), edged with the Champagne ink,  clear embossed, cut out & attached to the die cut. Before I mounted the pieces with foam tape, I used my old Kewl tool to swipe the Champagne ink on the card.  I really like how the card turned out & I think hubby will, too--after all, that's what matters.  Thanks for stopping by my little part of Blogland.  Hope your week is going well.

Be Merry

My plan this year is to have most of my Christmas cards done in time to write in them over Thanksgiving weekend.  Of course, I've had that plan before--LOL!  This year it's looking like I might finally do it!  I've had the Mega Merry clear set by Stampendous! for some time & had in mind stamping "Merry" on printed paper.  So glad I finally got around to doing it--love the look!  I used papers from the K&Co wintertide pad I got in a clearance sale.  "Be" & the little ornament are done with Distress Ink pine needles which is also sponged on the letters & the mat that is cut with Spellbinders Curved Rectangles.  The little snowflake image is stamped in Distress Ink wild honey on the mat & card front & it's sponged on the card edges.  All the sparkle is from a Sakura Clear Star pen--wouldn't be without it!  The letters are popped up & the ornament is attached to the "y" with yellow floss & then popped up higher.  Love making shaped cards since I learned to score the top of the back diecut & just add glue.  I didn't like the way I first learned where you loose part of the shape where they are attached.  I'm entering the Stampendous! Focus on the Sentiment challenge & The Moxie Fab World Focal Point Challenge.  Love hearing what you think, so thanks for leaving a comment.

Life

Hope you're having a lovely weekend.  We're celebrating because hubby's 7 yr check-up showed no cancer!  He had to have an extra test this year, so it was nerve-wracking waiting for the results.  Our plan yesterday was to spend the day at the lake, but 1/2 way there we discovered lots of smoke in the air from a wild fire.  So instead, we played tourist in our own state (like Robin has been doing).  We just kept driving & made a loop to home by way of the Lava Beds over McKenzie Pass.  Thought you might enjoy seeing some pics, even though the mountains usually seen clearly are somewhat obscured by the smoke.

On to my card for this week's ODBD Shining The Light Challenge.  I didn't keep the proportions, but I think there's some leeway with sketch challenges--hopefully!  My card uses the butterfly from Don't Worry, the sentiment from Quote Collection 1 & Vintage Border Background.  I actually started with the negative die cut laying on my table--knowing I wanted to use it to frame the quote.  First I stamped the background in white & embossed it with a Satin embossing powder.  Then I sponged with Distress Inks pumice stone & frayed burlap.  The double-sided printed paper is K&Co Watercolor Bouquet that I bought in a clearance sale.  The quote is stamped with Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate.  The butterfly is colored with markers & covered with Stickles.  I attached the butterfly with glue dots only near the body to allow the wings to be lifted for dimension.  The frame is popped up on the sentiment & the whole piece is popped up on the card front.  So glad you came by--your comments are always appreciated.

Papertrey August Blog Hop Challenge

Autumn Textiles is the theme of this month's PTI Blog Hop Challenge.  Our weather is certainly changing with days a little cooler & nights a LOT cooler, even though we still have sunny days.  I chose to use Herringbone on my card & tried something new to get it.  I inked up my Cuttlebug embossing folder with Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate.  Then I cut a piece of left over tan cotton blend fabric & ran it through my die cut machine--instant faux texture!  Then to get a feeling of yarn, I hand stitched the edges with dark yellow floss.  The PTI stamp set is Trendy Tree Tops.  I die cut the trunk on kraft paper & then ran it through the crimper & inked it with the same brown.  The top was stamped in Brilliance Pearlescent Ivy & cut out with a Spellbinder's circle.  The leaves & butterfly were colored with markers & a bit of Stickles was added.  Finished off with the sentiment piece popped up.  Alway lots to see in a Blog Hop, so thank you for taking time to check out my card! 

New Technique

Well, actually I'm sure it isn't new, but I just discovered it--you can emboss a watercolor image!  I inked the Flourishes wreath from Wreaths of all Seasons with Memento Peanut Brittle & Rhubarb Stalk, then spritzed with Ink Potion # 9 & stamped on watercolor paper.  Immediately I added clear ep & used my heat gun.  I really like how it turned out.  The sentiment from the same set was first inked with VersaMark & then Rhubarb Stalk so it could also be clear embossed.  The dies are Spellbinders Labels 22 & Squares.  I admire Elizabeth Allan's use of color & how she often uses multiple colors when she sponges an edge, where as I used to just use one color.  For the wreath die cut I used the same colors I stamped with plus Memento Toffee Crunch.  I embossed the front of the card with a Sizzix embossing folder & the little flower is another from a sprig I bought for 75% off.  The ribbon & gems are from Michael's.  I'm entering this card (just in the nick of time--LOL!) into Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge to use kraft paper on your card.  I usually reach for my other kraft cardstock, but Krafty by Core'dinations goes great with Memento Peanut Brittle & this shade of gold ribbon.  Thanks for taking a look at my card & I'd love to hear what you think.

End of a fun day!

A welcome change in the weather here with overcast & in the 60s this morning.  Steve finished up some outside painting & I got my card started.  Sun came out about noon & we headed to the lake.  Didn't have to rush home since I'm off tomorrow (LOVE being part-time now!), so we had dinner on the lake!  They make a great chicken fried steak at the Marina snack bar, so we came in long enough to get the food & then back out on the lake to eat--so fun!  Just before we headed home we saw this incredible cloud in the perfectly blue sky, so I snapped a picture.
I was able to finish up my PTI MIM card to use stitching with stamping HERE.  My leaves are from Rosie Posie & were inked with Memento Peanut Brittle, Potter's Clay & Morocco, then spritzed with water before stamping & cut out using the matching dies.  I painted them with Shimmer Spritz Copper watered down to keep it from being too dark.  The sentiment is also PTI--Lovely Layers--stamped in Distress Ink gathered twigs.  I finally took the advice to buy sprigs of silk flowers & cut them apart as needed.  These were 75% off at JoAnn's, so super inexpensive.  I sprayed them with the same Shimmer Spritz & added pearls.  The negative die cut is Spellbinders Labels  18 & the embossing folder is Stampin' Up by Sizzix.  I'm so glad to have one Thanksgiving card done as that holiday seems to always sneak up on me.  Thanks for all your sweet comments that really do make my day.  Have a great week!

A Happy Hello

I'm on schedule to complete a card for each of the 4 challenges celebrating Flourishes 5th birthday.  Today's card is for the color challenge.  Check it out HERE--you might want to play along!  One of my favorite Flourishes sets is Thinking of You.  The little solid tulip image caught my eye as soon as I got it, but I've never tried to use it until now.  I love the image I got by stamping it 4 times in each color, don't you?  I think it'd also make great printed paper, so may try that next.  My inks are Color Box Fluid Chalk Rouge, Pigment Apricot, Pigment Sky Blue & VersaMagic Aquatic Splash.  The dies are Spellbinders circles.  I mounted them with foam tape to a panel embossed with Spellbinders Impressabilities Circles that was edged with a Fiskar's punch & the 4 inks were lightly applied using direct to paper.  You think I like bling, a little, maybe?!  The sentiment is from my frequently used Flourishes Taglines, but this one had never been inked.  I love the mixed font & how even the small Flourishes stamps give a great impression.  I didn't want the starkness of black, so stamped it in Memento Gray Flannel.  Nothing complicated, but hopefully it will cheer up my sis who's going through a rough time.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  Hope you're enjoying the weekend.

Best Wishes

Flourishes is 5 years old & they're celebrating!  There are 4 challenges & you have until Aug. 31st, so why not enter?  I hope to get something made for each of them & here's my first card which is for the Sweet challenge.  I knew immediately I wanted to use these cute MS dimensional cupcake stickers.  I added Stickles & a small pearl.  The one with the brown plaid bottom had a green top, which didn't work.  Finally it hit me to just pull them apart & re-attach the blue top from another sticker--voila!  The top of the card has dots made from white Liquid Pearls & the bottom is white embossed with an image from the Lace Edges set that makes a great background by just stamping it in rows.  The sentiment is from the Taglines set.  Always nice to have a birthday card ready to give.  Happy Friday & thanks for coming by.

Faith Hope Love

"The greatest of these is love."  Boy, couldn't we use a bit more love?  Sometimes it's just so discouraging--all the indifference & lack of caring.  I have to remember I can make a difference in my little part of the world & not get sucked into the negative.  So much for the philosophizing--I did make a card for the ODBD challenge with Tulip Corner & Sweet William, Small & it's even done early--surprise, surprise!  The requirement is to use sponging which I did on all the edges with Distress Ink pumice stone.  The stamping is done with frayed burlap & spun sugar is added to the 2 flowers using a Brushstix.  The flowers are really pretty much the same intensity of color, even though it doesn't look that way in the picture.  I ended up on the Shabby Chic side of the spectrum (not full-blown, I know, Sue!) with textures from an embossed card front (Darice), distressed edges on 2 popped up panels, velvet ribbon, lace butterfly (MS), Raindots, pearl stick pin & little pearls.  I bought this printed paper that was in a close-out bin ages ago with the specific purpose of stamping on it & I think it was a good choice.  I toned down the white butterfly by painting on some Tattered Angels Snow Angel.  Originally I planned to stitch the top panel, but I really liked the look of the piercing, so went with that.  I used a tip from Janet (jintyoo7) to glue a seed bead to the end of the stick pin for safety.  Can't really see in the picture, but I also painted some GooseBumps Texture Spray onto the edges of the petals, so there is a little shimmer depending on the light.

We're almost to the end of a hot spell & can't wait for temps to go back to the 80s--we're not used to hot!  Thank you so much for taking time to check my blog & leave me a comment.  I love seeing what you think.

Just A Note--at last!

Back from our mini vacation at the lake just in time to work the w/e.  We had a great time--gorgeous weather, wonderful clear water for swimming & an awesome cabin (I'd call it a house!) with no one around & a great view!  I've missed my crafting time, so today after work while doing laundry & trying to finish our tapes of the Olympics, I also made this card for Flourishes challenge HERE to have 1 more chance to win the August release.
Kraft works well with so many colors & I hadn't used blue for awhile.  The stamps are both Flourishes--Botanical Bookplates & Taglines.  This is the first time I've used the Spellbinders embossing folder & the Just Imagine Crafts little butterfly punch.  Thanks for coming by.  I'm going to catch up on all your blogs soon!

Flourishes Birthday

Flourishes is turning 5 & they're about to have a new release, so there's a challenge HERE.  To enter, you just need to make a birthday card & I love having one ready ahead of time.  Decided this would be a good chance to try out the wonderful technique Rosemary showed HERE.  Isn't this gorgeous?!
You start by sponging the white cardstock with 2 medium intensity inks & I chose Distress Inks victorian velvet & weathered wood.  Then you stamp a background with dark ink.  I don't have a Flourishes bg stamp, so I made my bg using an image from the Lace Edges set stamped over & over in rows.  I actually got them lined up first try which might be a record for me--LOL!  Next step is to clear emboss a solid image & I used the heart from the Fanciful Flourishes set (one of my favs!).  Next is the unexpected step:  cover the entire piece with a dark ink--I used Distress Ink dusty concord--& wipe off the excess.  Voila--isn't it amazing?!  I used a sentiment from the same set & it stamped perfectly on the textured cardstock using VersaFine with steady pressure. Flourishes stamps are just wonderful to use, so if you don't have any I'd recommend checking them out.  The border punch is MS.  Love seeing your comments--thanks for all the encouragement!

Too Good to Pass Up!

I broke my rule & bought 2 K & Co 12x12 paper pads.  Each has 36 double-sided sheets & they were on sale for under $4 each--just couldn't resist!  This card is using the sketch from ODBD & papers from the pad called Classic K.  I missed the challenge deadline--Yes, I know it was a 2wk challenge--where did the time go?! Oh well, I like how the card came out & I'm going to use it for the August CCC.  Hopefully it will appeal to the person who gets it in the exchange.  The sentiment panel (ODBD stamp) which started out white is sponged with Distress Inks antique linen & brushed corduroy & is sprayed with gold Shimmer Spritz.  I used the same inks to sponge all the edges.  The dies are Spellbinders Labels 18 & Oval.  The flowers are punched from the same papers using Marvy punches.  I really like these gold Sticko gems, so used them for the finishing touch.  Isn't this ribbon beautiful?  Can't beat Michael's Basic Basic in my book.  Thanks for coming by & I hope you've had some fun this weekend.