Cardinals Candle

Fun day off as hubby was willing to go with me to the town 11 miles away where there are 2 craft stores with 50% off coupons.  Frustrating, though, it seems they put on lesser sale most of what I'd like to use the coupon to get!  Somehow I still managed to find things for both of us to get with the coupons--LOL--plus this candle was already 50% off!  I was very fortunate recently to win the Stampendous! Jumbo Cardinals cling set.  I had actually looked for it a couple times, as cardinals are special to me.  We don't have them in Oregon, but I was born in Indiana & they always remind me of my grandparents.  I stamped the cardinals on tissue paper using Tsukineko's Delicata Golden Glitz, cut it out & attached it by covering the image with waxed paper & heating with my embossing gun.  The strip around the bottom is Stampendous! aged ivory embossing 
enamel heated on a strip of heat  resistant double-sided tape that I first
attached to a piece of tissue paper--then glued to the candle with Beacon 3-In-1 Craft glue--really good stuff!  I finished it off with red Liquid Pearls, gold ribbon & a pearl.  This will be my last entry for this month's Stampendous! challenge which ends tomorrow.  So glad you took time to visit my blog--thank you!

Holly-Jolly

I don't usually make cute cards, but I do have this darling Penny Black set called holly-jolly & the Penny Black Saturday November challenge is to make a cute Christmas card.  I used various markers to color the images & added Glossy Accents to the noses.  The little white embossed snowflakes in the background are from another Penny Black set called crystalline & I let a little of the powder go onto the characters for a touch of snow.  The wintry ground is made by gluing on Stampendous! shaved ice, so I'm also entering their November challenge.  The navy frame is Spellbinders Reverse Wonky Rectangles--double layer for a little extra stiffness so I could mount it over the image with foam tape.  The card front is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder.  I have to admit it was fun to make something completely different.  Hope you like it & thanks for leaving me a comment.

Merry Little Christmas

It's the time of year when the Pacific storms come through one after another, but today we had a break.  The fog cleared early & it was a gorgeous Fall day with blue sky, sunshine & no wind.  Hubby & I spent all afternoon working in the yard, which was tiring but so nice to see everything spruced up.  Now it's down to the wire for the weekly MFT Sketch Challenge, as tomorrow is a work day.  I liked this sketch as soon as I saw it & had in mind using the Seasonal Sentiments stamp set I got with my last order.  Finally tonight it all came together in another traditional holiday card using a piece of the May Arts ribbon I got in a clearance.  I've also been wanting to cover an image with glitter which is something I learned in one of my first stamping classes years ago.  This Christmas tree made of words was just right for it & I can enter my card in the November Stampendous! challenge since you don't have to use their glitter to enter--check it out HERE.  A friend who became a full-time RVer gave me all her ink pads & 2 of them (Close To My Heart Holiday Red & Kentucky Green) matched the ribbon pretty well.  The embossing folder is by Sizzix.  All the layers are mounted with foam tape.  Hope things went well for you today & thanks for taking time to come by.

Layered Vellum Die Cuts

Haven't had a chance to play along in a PTI MIM challenge for awhile, but when I saw it was to layer vellum die cuts, I knew I wanted to join in.  Melissa's video was inspiring & I included her ideas of dry embossing the vellum & combining felt with sparkle.  My collection of PTI dies is limited, but I thought Lovely Layers would work great for this technique & don't you think it looks like a poinsettia here?  For the embossing folder I used Cuttlebug's Mesh & the sparkle is Stampendous! Shaved Ice attached with spray adhesive.  The Mega Mat Stack 3 cut the MFT Puff Cloud White felt easily.  I used silver alphabet stickers for "JOY" & added the embellishments to get this really fun card.  Actually, this is the second card I made from the video.  The first one I liked so much I decided to use it for one of the big mail in contests or send it for possible publication.  Since I used Stampendous! Shaved Ice for my flower's sparkle, I'm also entering this card into the Stampendous! November challenge.

I hope you've all had a great weekend & a lovely Thanksgiving if you're in the US.  I have so much to be thankful for & on that list are my on-line card-making friends, like you!

Re-make

A Blog Named Hero has a challenge to re-make one of your cards.  I found this old birthday card made with some pretty printed papers.  My re-make is using the same basic design for a masculine card using stamping.  The stamps are all woodblock by Hero Arts: Silhouette Grass, Large Plaid Pattern & Handwritten Happy Birthday.  The grass is stamped in Distress Ink brushed corduroy, the plaid is Brilliance Moonlight White & the sentiment is Adirondack Denim.  I used twine instead of ribbon & substituted buttons for the flowers.  Thanks for coming by--your comments are always appreciated.

Blessings

I recently bought several new Impression Obsession stamps & I'm using 2 of them, along with a sentiment stamp I already had, for my card to enter the IO Happy Fall Y'all challenge.  Since I made a burlap mat with a design (removed some strings from all 4 sides for the wider rows) I'm also entering the Canvas, Cork & Burlap Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.  I started by stamping the Screen Cover-a-Card background CC049) in Memento Peanut Brittle on Kraft cardstock.  Then I inked the cling Brush Tree (E7690) with some Memento inks & spritzed it with Tsukineko's Shimmer Spritz Copper & stamped over the background.  The copper obscured the colors except you can see a little of the Northern Pine.  I decided I liked it, even though it wasn't the look I had in mind.  When it dried I over-stamped the tree using Versafine Vintage Sepia to give a little more definition to the water-color affect.  It doesn't look so blurry in real life.  I cut the image with a narrow border & roughed the edges with my fingernail.  The sentiment (B8182 Blessings) is stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on a left over piece of the background & again the edges are roughed.  The pieces are matted with black cardstock & attached with foam tape.  I finally had a project where I could use this thin, black suede trim I bought long ago.  Finished off with some black pearls.  Thank you for visiting my blog & if you're in the US I wish you & your family a blessed Thanksgiving.

Classic Christmas Card

I enjoy making Christmas cards in a variety of color combos, but I still love the traditional look of red, white & silver.  Here's my card for ODBDSLC to use gold or silver on your card.  Unfortunately, I don't have any of their beautiful holiday stamps, so I used 1 of my favorites--Sweet William-Small.  I've noticed that really any flower done in Christmas colors works for a holiday project.  I finally got the compatible Spellbinders Blossom 3 dies which makes it even easier to cut out these flowers which are attached to each other with foam tape after being silver embossed.  The mat is Spellbinders Parisian Motifs--another favorite.  I really didn't like this red Stampin' Up cardstock when I got it years ago.  However, I can't let it go to waste & now I see that it's really pretty paired with white & silver.  I may use it for my co-worker cards this year.  These inexpensive silver dots come with foam so they have dimension when you attach them.  Thanks for stopping by--I know you're all busy, so hope you found it worthwhile.  Enjoy your weekend.

Monochromatic Thank You

Fun challenge to have a chance at winning Flourishes new release.  There are 4 steps, so you can make 4 cards with each one adding a step or make 1 card with all 4 steps.  Here's my card utilizing the sketch (1) made with KI Memories printed paper pad in shades of tan/brown (2) with the cover of my card covered in the paper with a damask design from the collection (3) and clear Recollections gems on the tree (4).  I used 2 great Flourishes sets: The tree from Thinking of You & the sentiment from Wreaths of all Seasons.  The dies are Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Rectangles Large.  I stamped the sentiment in Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate.  Neat thing about this challenge is that I can enter my card for each step of the progressive challenge--4 chances to win!  I love how the card came out, so it's a win no matter what.  Thanks so much for taking time to come by.  Hope you're having a great week.

 

Non Traditional Holiday Colors

I've never done 3 posts in 1 day (of course my DeNami Blog Hop post was done ahead of time), but the deadline is early tomorrow for the monthly MFT Guest Designer challenge.  I've been waiting for just the right project to use this gorgeous KI Memories printed paper I've had a long time.  Well, today was the day!  It's good practice to try for something really big & I was immediately drawn to the sketch.  I began by randomly stamping the cute little snowflakes in the MFT Seasonal Sentiments set using Brilliance Pearlescent Purple, Pearlescent Coral & Pearlescent Sky Blue.  I die cut 4 circles from the stamped piece using Spellbinders Standard Circles Large.  I brushed each one with Tsukineko's Shimmer Spritz Sparkle & mounted them with foam tape to white textured cardstock circles cut from the next size up die.  My card front was covered with silver shimmer cardstock & a piece of the circles printed paper was glued to the bottom half.  The beautiful shimmery winter words paper was then mounted with foam tape & the circles were glued in place.  The sentiment from the same set is stamped in Brilliance Starlite Black, matted with a scrap of the same silver shimmer cardstock & attached with foam tape.  Lots of very talented people enter these contests, but I had fun making a card I'm really happy with.  Thanks for giving me feedback--I always enjoy reading your comments.

Winter White

Just scroll down if you're looking for my DeNami Blog Hop post.  It's been awhile since I got a card entered for ODBDSLC.  I love all white cards--photographing them, however, is another story!  Anyway, I took this opportunity to use my newest ODBD stamp set--Bird & Butterfly Labels--which coordinates with Spellbinders Labels 18.  I white embossed the image & embossed the outer edge of the die.  Then I spritzed it with my favorite shimmer product--Tsukineko Shimmer Spritz Frost.  Unfortunately, you can't see it in the photo.  The stamped piece is mounted with foam tape to the next size up vellum die cut.  The 3 flags are a variety of white cardstocks cut with MFT dies.  I used to think you couldn't combine shades of white until I saw an actress in a movie a few years ago wearing a white blouse & an off-white sweater & I loved the look.  (At least my creative side is open to new ideas as I get older--LOL!)  The sentiment is from ODBD Sweet William set & is stamped in VersaFine Smokey Gray.  Thanks for coming by.  

DeNami Thoughtful Thank Yous Blog Hop

It's time for another fun DeNami Blog Hop!  You should have arrived by way of Linda's lovely blog, but if you're lost you can find the entire list of participants & the details about prizes on the DeNami Blog.    I signed up right away for this one knowing I wanted to use my little DeNami wheat stamp.  I began with something else in mind, but that's not unusual for me!  In the end, I really liked my card which is a thank you for my boss.  She's been so patient & encouraging as I learn the new job.  The tag stamp is an old one by DOTS, embossed in black.  I hand cut the kraft mat & edged it with VersaFine Onyx Black.  The wheat is embossed with Zing! Apricot ep & the alphabet stickers are Authentique.  I attached them to a scrap of kraft cardstock & then cut right next to the stickers.  This way I didn't have to try & line them up on my project--just glued down the whole piece--much easier!  The square pearl stickers are by Mark Richards, the black dots are Rain Dots & I finished off the tag with a strip of cream lace.  It's mounted to the mat with foam tape & a seam binding tab is added for another spot of color.  I used Spellbinders Wonky Reverse Rectangles for the card base & the embossing folder is by Sizzix for Stampin' Up.  The card edges are also inked with the Onyx Black.  Lots to see, so better get hopping to see what the creative Amy has for today.  Thank you so much for coming to my blog--I look forward to seeing your comments.

Just a Note

Made a simple card for Flourishes challenge to use a Flourishes silhouette image. I don't have any silhouette stamps, per se, but I thought the solid butterfly from Fanciful Flourishes might qualify.  The Distress Inks I used are peacock feathers, shaded lilac & dusty concord.  The background stamp is Penny Black's music background & the sentiment is from Flourishes Taglines.  I had never used my Spellbinders Scalloped Rectangle & I do like it.  The layers are all popped up for dimension, but I didn't capture that in the photo.   Thanks for all your thoughts & kind words.  I appreciate it so much.  Enjoy your weekend & if you have time come back on Sunday to see my card for the DeNami Thoughtful Thank Yous blog hop.
I've also entered Our Creative Corner's challenge to make your own background, since Sue pointed out this would qualify.

Holiday Gift Tags

Sad week at our house, so not much crafting.  Stamping is therapy for me, so last night I did take some time to make a gift tag for the Impression Obsession challenge.  Unfortunately, I forgot that only IO stamps can be used for the challenge, so I won't be able to enter this.  My LSS is probably closing at the end of the year, so at my last visit I bought several Impression Obsession stamps I'd been admiring.  For my tag I used my only tag stamp--an old one from DOTS.  I hand cut the gold & cream mats.  This gorgeous cling Holly Branch (F8786) was embossed with Zing! gold metallic powder onto the tag I had masked.  The sentiment, cling Deck the Halls (B3828) is such a wonderful font!  I stamped it with one of my old favorite stamp pads--Adirondack Cranberry--onto cream cardstock die cut with MFT Fishtail Flags Layers Stax & it's mounted with foam tape.  I finished it off with cranberry ribbon & Recollections gems.  Pretty simple, but you probably know that tends to be the look I like.
Just had time to make another one with the same elements except I used 2 of the MFT Fishtail Flags Layers Stax for the tag & I'll enter this one.  I discovered that I needed to use the soft flash setting on my camera for the gold to show in the light conditions I had instead of my usual choice of no flash.  Thanks for coming by & I'll be visiting your work in the near future.

Wedding Card for Cathy Fong

Cathy, one of the talented Penny Black DT members, is getting married in a few days.  She's having a mini challenge on her blog to make a wedding theme creation.  I don't have a reason to make wedding cards very often, so jumped at this chance to make one for sweet Cathy.  Mine ended up kind of girly, so it will have to be for the bride instead of the happy couple.  I white embossed Penny Black's Paisley Outline onto white cardstock, cut it out with Memory Box's Grand Heart die & then inked it with Distress Ink spun sugar.  Behind it is a Spellbinders Parisian Motifs die.  Thanks to those of you who told me to put a piece of wax paper next to an intricate die so you can get the image out without ruining it--what a difference!  I finally opened my package of Tim Holtz trims that includes these white ribbon flowers which are easily attached to the heart with glue dots.  I thought it needed a little something more, so added 2 pearl stickpins covering the sharp ends with seed beads using Glossy Accents (which I learned from Janet--jintyoo7).  The verse is one of my original stamps from Embossing Arts who was located on the outskirts of my town until they went out of business.  I stamped it in Versafine Smokey Gray.  I'm hoping I'll be able to actually get this card to Cathy & that she'll like it.  There's still time to enter her challenge if you haven't yet.  I always appreciate your visits & will be checking your work soon.