Birthday Card with Brush Leaf Stamp

Maile Belles is one of my favorite designers.  She's been the Muse this month at Case Study & I finally decided to play along. I used the kraft card, her basic layout & the pretty summer colors.  Instead of feathers I pulled out this older Penny Black brush leaf stamp.  I liked it in the catalog, but have had trouble using it.  Bet some of you can relate to that.  Why is it I never thought to use something other than green?!  I actually really like this image in the pretty VersaMagic colors Persimmon, Pink Grapefruit & Mango Madness.  The card front is embossed with a piece of burlap--something I learned from my friend, Rosemary.  The Penny Black sentiment is embossed with Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate on a scrap cut with MFT Fishtail Flags.  I only cut part way & then turned the piece around in the die to get both ends notched.  The flag is curved up in the middle & mounted with foam tape.  Thanks so much for stopping by, my friends.

Summer Flowers

I didn't want to miss the monthly challenge at Fresh Squeezed Stamps, a company I recently discovered.  The theme is "summer" so I had to figure out an appropriate card using my 1 FSS set--Trendy Triangles.  I've seen flowers made from circles, leaves & butterflies, so decided to see what could be done. Played on some scratch paper & sure enough you can make a blossom from triangles!  I also used a combination of the curved & straight solid triangle stamps to make my grassy border.  I think these colors give a summery feel to the card: VersaMagic Pink Grapefruit, Persimmon, Sahara Sand & Wheat with Brilliance Pearlescent Lime.  The flower stems are from The Craft's Meow Flower Garden set.  Hard to see in the photo, but the top of the blossoms is outlined in Stickles.  Just saw the Simon Says Stamp challenge is anything goes, so I may as well enter this card.  Day off with lots to do, so I'll keep this short.  Thanks for your continued encouragement--I love reading your comments.

Happy Memorial Day

Hope you're having a great Monday celebrating Memorial Day if you're in the U.S.  I have a few days off & decided it was a good chance to get a start on my Fourth of July cards--never seem to get them made.  CASual Fridays challenge is Red, White & Blue & I combined that with CAS(E) this Sketch.  I'm also entering A Blog Named Hero since this is CAS.  The hearts are an unmounted stamp I got in the going out of business sale at Embossing Arts, a local company at the time I began stamping.  The sentiment is also an Oregon company--Peddler's Pack.  The stars embossing folder is Cuttlebug & I added Elizabeth Crafts glitter which becomes extremely shiny & flat when you burnish it & doesn't rub off.  I had so much fun making this card may get a few more done ahead.  Before I end this post, wanted to share the excitement on the Penny Black blog today--another big giveaway!  You won't want to miss it!  Enjoy your day & thank you so much for visiting my blog.

King of Kings

One more Christmas card done thanks to the current "royal" challenge at CASology.  I'm also entering A Blog Named Hero's CAS challenge.  This DeNami manger is one of my oldest stamps & I still love to try & find new ways to use it.  It fit perfectly in Spellbinders Labels 18 stamped in Delicata Golden Glitz onto PTI Vintage Cream cardstock.  Since I stamped before die-cutting, I clear embossed the image to be sure it didn't smear.  I sponged the gold onto the next size die cut while it was still in the die.  This is my first time to print directly onto my card front after a couple tries on scratch paper.  Could have moved it over for a little bigger card, but this works.  No glitter, gems or pearls--for once I like it plain.  The twill is also PTI.  Hopefully I'll stop humming The Hallelujah Chorus sometime before December!  Enjoy your Sunday & thanks for stopping at my blog.

PTI Blog Hop

    

I love the PTI Blog Hops, but couldn't manage to get a card made ahead of time.  Finally finished it up this morning.  I loved all the color choices--check them out if you haven't. I wanted to include the pink's in this scheme, but didn't like any of the ink colors in my collection with my substitutes for Orange Zest & Summer Sunrise--crazy considering how many ink pads I own!  Finally gave up & this meets Nicole's suggestion to try something outside my comfort zone.  Choosing a floral stamp set was pretty easy since I wanted to try out the Rosie Posie Step 2 set.  Isn't it a wonderful effect?  To soften the white of my Mega Mat Stack 3, I used the lightest ink stamped off with an image from Quilled Elegance.  The sentiment is from The Sweet Life, another favorite set.  I added a touch of Stickles to the blossoms & popped up the top one.  Intended to add some twine or ribbon, but forgot before gluing down the pieces & I didn't want it on top.  I'm also entering the challenge at A Passion for Papertrey.  Enjoy the hop--always so much inspiration.  Thanks for taking some of your time to see what I came up with.  Enjoy the holiday weekend if you're celebrating in the USA as we honor those who serve to keep us free.

Butterfly Wishes

Paper piecing is something I do once in awhile, but mostly my printed papers are just to admire & not to use--LOL!  Melissa's video for PTI MIM inspired me to actually make use of some papers.  Her technique of using several papers for a single flower gave a look I'd never seen & really liked.  Decided to try it with an old DCWV Matstack.  I don't have a PTI flower stamp that would work, so pulled out the butterfly from PTI Quilled Elegance & began by stamping it on the blue dotted paper using VersaMagic Sahara Sand.  Then I stamped it with the same ink on the other papers.  I almost gave up since the sections are so small, but in the end it was worth it.  I really like the patchwork effect & now I want to try it with some other stamps--especially bigger images!  The frame is made with a Spellbinders circle & lacy circle  & is mounted with foam tape.  Tiny blue pearls & Stickles embellish the butterfly.  The sentiment is from PTI Tag-Its 3 & is also stamped in the Sahara Sand.  Simple, feminine, CAS card--just right for a girlfriend. I'm also entering the current challenge at A Passion for Papertrey--inspired by nature. Almost a holiday weekend here in the USA.  Wishing you good times wherever you are & thanks for stopping by.
Edited to add:  Qualifies for A Blog Named Hero challenge, so also entering this card there.

Playing with Gelatos

I've been having fun playing with my Gelatos lately.  The colors are so gorgeous!  So far it's been backgrounds, but I'm building up my courage to paint an image with them next.  For the first card I painted the colors onto watercolor paper, added some Gesso over a homemade "mask" & stamped a background by coloring directly on the stamp with the Gelatos.  More details in Flickr HERE.  The newest card started by scribbling the Gelatos onto a piece of wc paper, but I wasn't able to blend them with my wet paintbrush like Alexandra did HERE (may need different paper), so I added more color & rubbed them with my finger--Love that it easily washes off.  After it dried I stamped the tulip image from Penny Black delicate florals set twice with the idea of having it frame my sentiment.  I decided the sentiment (an old PB stamp) would be better stamped on vellum.  It has been quite awhile since I added embossing powder to my panel, so sprinkled Stampendous! shabby white in 2 corners & heated it in my craft electric skillet until it was stuck enough not to blow with the heat gun.  I like the interest it adds--what do you think?  The card front is hard to see, but has PB diamond pattern stamped in Brilliance Platinum Planet & is really pretty in person.  The corner die cuts are pieces of Spellbinders Lacy Square.  Another card for my biggest fan, my sister.  Since I used a floral stamp, I'm also entering the current Stampendous! challenge.  Our rainy weather hasn't dampened the activity of the goldfinches at all & I was able to get a picture of one pair.  I've had up to 3 pairs at a time--so fun to watch.  Hope you have something lovely in your life today.  Thanks for stopping by.

Flowers

Marion's Card

Lots of challenges that use flowers lately & that suits me fine as I have hundreds (maybe a slight exaggeration!) of floral stamps.  I haven't done a Stampendous! challenge for awhile & I combined it with the current Muse challenge.  My stamps are Stampendous! Agapanthus Cluster & Flower Path & I took the bright colors from Marion's inspiration card.  I used Memento markers to color the stamp & then spritzed it before stamping for a slight watercolor effect.  The panel was then sprayed with Glimmer Mist creating a lovely soft shimmer.  Some of the letters look a little funny, but that's how the stamp is made--artsy look, I guess.  Speaking of flowers, thought I'd share a picture of the roses I cut last night knowing our weather was changing from sunny & 75 to rainy & 55.  Hope they make you smile.  Thanks for your visit.

Adding Texture

This is my second post today.  Scroll down for my DeNami Blog Hop card. I love trying the techniques shown on the PTI MIM videos.  This week is adding texture to your image before stamping it.  Betsy used a comb, but I found a little brush (the kind you clean a razor with) & decided to give it a try.  My stamps are PTI Trendy Tree Tops & Background Basics: Geometrics.  Goldfinches are one of my favorite birds & I see them at my feeder every day now.  They inspired me to use yellow glitter for the little bird in the tree.  I used a black Glaze pen for the eye.  New record--4 sequins on a card!  Think this would make a good masculine card except maybe switch out twine for the yellow ribbon.  Gorgeous day in the Pacific Northwest & I worked in the roses which are in full bloom--way earlier than usual.  Love the flowers, but I'm not so crazy about picking up petals & pruning--LOL!  Hope you had a good weekend.  Thanks for choosing to spend some of your time checking my blog--I really appreciate it.

DeNami Fresh Florals Blog Hop

Always fun to participate in a DeNami Blog Hop.  As soon as I saw the theme was florals I signed up.  You should have come by way of Kanani who inspired you, I'm sure.  I've collected DeNami stamps around 15 years & many of them are flowers.  I'm using all DeNami stamps, as well as their twine.  This card started out inspired by Lisa Petrella's incredible star card tutorial, but as you can see I got off track.  Oh well, will try that idea again later.  I do like how the Spellbinder Blossom 3 made a nice frame to pop up over the stamped daisy background done with Brilliance Pearlescent inks: Lavender, Coral & Jade.  The daisy centers just ask for glitter, don't you think?  The doily is one I rescued from under my soup cup at a local restaurant (I also grabbed hubby's before anything spilled on it!)  The card itself is die cut with Lifestyle Crafts circles.  Remember, you can cut a small straight edge on the back circle so the card will stand. First time I've been so close to the start of the hop & I'll keep it short since there's a lot of inspiration ahead.  Next stop is Amy, a true lover of all things DeNami, so I know she has a treat for us.  To get all the hop details or a complete list of hop participants, head to the DeNami Blog.  So glad you stopped by & don't forget to leave a comment to be in the running for a prize.

Live, Dance, Laugh

I was putting a stamp set back into the notebook & saw this Inky Antics set I had never opened.  Decided to use it for my entry in the challenges at CASology ("Bloom") & CAS on Sunday (Pastel Pretties).  Don't you love this sentiment?  I colored the flower with markers, spritzed with Ink Potion #9 & stamped on watercolor paper.  The sentiment is stamped in Versafine Smokey Gray to go with the pastels, instead of black.  I've been using my sequins one at a time & again I covered the hole--this time with a small glitter sticker.  Well, at least I'm sort of joining the trend--LOL!  Thanks for taking time to visit my blog.  Hope you get to do something fun this weekend.
Edited to add:  This card is also being entered into the challenge at A Blog Named Hero.

Surprise Number 2

Took a lovely drive through farmland & wineries to a Starbucks so I could meet my blogging friend, Stacy.  Her mom babysat & hubby fended for himself so we could have a few hours just to chat.  Talk about a good day off! This is the 3rd time I've gotten to meet an on-line friend in person--so much fun!  She brought me a loaf of yummy bread from a local bakery along with this darling card using a DeNami iris stamp.  Computers are great & I do feel like I have a large circle of friends around the world, but spending time with a friend in person is still just so special.  Hope you had something make you smile today.  Thanks for all the sweet comments about my new blog look & thanks for your friendship.

Surprise Number One!

Did you saw WOW when you came to my blog?!  That's what I said when Jackie finished today's "surgery."  I didn't have the skills or time to make my blog look "like me", but I found the person who could--Jackie Rockwell.  Just click on the blog button in my sidebar if you're interested in seeing what she can do for you.  Thank you so much, Jackie!  You're worth every penny--I couldn't be happier!  PS--she is very patient & understanding--I didn't even know what all the terms meant!  Gotta get ready for surprise #2, so just a quick post for now.  My latest card is HERE or scroll down.  See you soon.

Hooray!

I have a fun card to share with you today.  As soon as I saw the Muse Challenge card with the cute elephants I thought of my new DeNami giraffe--not yet inked.  Hopefully that isn't too far a leap--LOL!  I seldom make cute cards & a change can help get the creative juices flowing I think.  In addition to the 3 cute animals, I also incorporated a background with colors matching the animals.  I didn't have printed paper that worked, so I used the dots from DeNami Retro Borders One inked at an angle using my stamp positioner.  The colors are VersaMagic Pink Grapefruit, Mango Madness & Turquoise Gem.  I also used the same sentiment as Therese on my card by inking just the last word of one of the stamps in Hero Arts Happiness Messages.  Stickles are added to the images & the edge of the scalloped borders & a black Glaze pen was used for the eyes.  I have a hard time using my sequins, but decided one would work to attach the little tag--Just had to add a tiny gem, though!  I'm thinking this could be used for a young kid's birthday card.  My color choices came from the Cards Blog Challenge to use coral, yellow & turquoise, so I'm entering that challenge as well.  

Notice:  My Blog is on the surgery schedule tomorrow, so there will be a couple hours when it is not available.  I also have another fun surprise planned tomorrow & can't wait to share it with you. Enjoy your day, my friends. 

Therese's Card

Pink & Black

Last chance to win the Flourishes new release with the Timeless Tuesday challenge to use black accents.  I grabbed one my all-time favorite Flourishes sets called Thinking of You (It may now be retired).  I clear embossed the image & then covered it with victorian velvet Distress Stain using a circular motion.  I just love the natural shading that resulted.  The dies are Spellbinders Labels One & Decorative Labels One which cut beautifully using a piece of wax paper between the paper & the die.  The dies are so pretty I kept my embellishments very simple--3 tiny black pearls & a little black bow.  

Thought I'd share 1 more picture with our rhodies.  Over the last few years we've made the change from a blue house to a taupe one.  The final step was getting a matching roof & changing the blue trim to a darker shade of the house color.  Now I really like it & the flowers look so pretty with the taupe background. Thanks for coming by--enjoy your day.

Embossed Felt

I missed most of the challenges I intended to enter this past week, but just had time after work & dinner to make a card for PTI MIM.  The challenge is to use an embossing plate/folder on something other than paper.  I first tried it on cork & it worked, but didn't show up.  Next I decided to see what would happen with felt.  Sure enough--it worked great!  I've committed to SCS CCC to make 1 Christmas card each month, so this will be for May.  I thought this PTI sentiment from Snowflake Flurries was just right to go with a card containing felt.  The embossing folder is Cuttlebug & I got it after Christmas last year so had never used it.  I've also been hoarding the holly leaf trim & it's fun to finally use some.  I smeared on a bit of Stickles for a little sparkle.  Thanks for your sweet comments.  I feel so lucky to be in your circle of blogging friends.

Remembering Mom

I was blessed to grow up with a mom I always knew loved me even when we had our differences.  She's been gone many years & I miss her dearly.  She was very sick at the time my dad took this picture but her attitude was positive & somehow he captured her without the illness showing.  I keep this picture on my mantle (& my dad's is next to her).  We've had such a warm Spring my roses are blooming in time to have them for  Mother's Day.  Wishing all of you a happy day.

Coloring & Stamping on Fabric

I did it--opened my new jar of Gesso & painted it onto a piece of cloth die cut with Spellbinders Reverse Wonky Rectangles.  When it was dry, I covered it with Distress Stains.  It took quite a bit of playing to get a look I thought would work & actually came close to discarding it & starting over.  Once in a great while I do some stitching by hand on a card, but since this was fabric I actually decided to use my sewing machine--another first!  You may not be able to tell, but Penny Black's Lace Flower is randomly stamped with the blue stain.  The sentiment, Penny Black's Beauty, is stamped with Staz On black.  The flowers were so light I wanted a bit more design, so I took the 2 little butterflies from Penny Black's illumination set & stamped them using VersaMagic inks close to the stain colors--now I was getting somewhere!  I made a little tulle rolled flower & attached it to a felt one cut with Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die.  I dabbed stain on the ends of the felt petals & colored a piece of lace with the stain.  To give it body, the fabric is attached to a thin piece of cardboard.  The card front is made with Penny Black's berry wreath inked with the pink stain & spritzed before stamping.  I used a paint brush to add some watered down blue stain & covered it with watered down silver stain which gives a metallic sheen. This doesn't look like a thank you card, but it is.  I'm sending it with a coffee shop gift card to a lovely woman who has been helping us implement an entirely new computer system at work.  She's a supervisor at our company's hospital over an hour away & yet she's come for 5 days & I know her own work is piling up.  I've known her for years but only by phone & I truly count her as a friend now.  I'm adding this card to Penny Black's For Family (or friends) challenge.  I'm always open to suggestions from my talented blogging friends.  I look forward to reading your comments.

LIFE

The Impression Obsession challenge is to make a project showing something you're thankful for.  Of course, that's a long list, but decided this quote (Impression Obsession Follow Your Heart, CL407) sums it up.  In my business I'm constantly reminded of how brief & precious life is--not perfect, but precious.  Since I wanted the quote to be the focus of my card, I used Lisa's design HERE substituting Impression Obsession's Heart Flourish, D2145 for the wreath stamp.  The colors are Navy, pink & plum--pretty together, don't you think?  The words do stamp a little funny, but I tried several times & used Versafine ink--I think it's actually the intended look. The navy borders are made with a Fiskars border punch.  Thanks for stopping by--love hearing what you think.

Another Splash Card

I'm one of those people who love to do Black, White & a splash of  color which is the challenge at PDCC this week. I also wanted to use the sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch! & play along with the Penny Black Blog For Family challenge.  3 in 1 is pretty unusual for me, but this time it worked!  My stamps by Penny Black are chearful & Always My Sister (I only stamped the one word.)  The flower blossom was black embossed, fussy cut & mounted offset to the second image with foam tape.  My magenta splash is done with 2 sizes of gem stickers.  The blossoms are attached to 2 Spellbinder oval die cuts with the word sister stamped on vellum.  The white embossed piece is done with a Cuttlebug folder.  My sister is one of my biggest fans & uses my cards as decoration in her house.  I've never sent her one in these colors & I think she'll like it.  Hope you're all having a great week.  Your support means a lot to me--thank you.
Update:  Just realized this qualifies for Penny Black Saturday Challenge, so will enter that at the last minute.

Blown Ink Design

Dawn's video for this week's PTI MIM looked easy & fun--using a straw to blow liquid ink across paper. First problem is I have only a couple dye ink reinkers, but the video mentions using spray mists--I have a ton of them.  I didn't want to pour the mist, but using the end of the applicator tube only gave me small drops.  The blown effect wasn't what I wanted.  As I was looking through shelves I found my old Marvy Metallics wide-tipped markers that you press the end to get the ink flowing.  Surprisingly they weren't dried up--just took pressing & holding the tips a little longer.  I used 3 colors on some glossy photo paper.  It's a good thing I was sitting down--about passed out from blowing so hard through the straw--LOL!  Reminded me of blowing up balloons as a kid.  Clearly the marker ink is a bit thicker than dye reinkers.  The effort was worth it, though, as I did get some pretty cool metallic designs.  In person they even have some texture.  The sentiment is from PTI Boutique Borders: Birthday.  The embellishment is provided with a felt rose (MFT die) on tulle & a couple stick pins.  Since I used one of the rows (Die, BD, Bling) for the CAS-ual Fridays 100th challenge I'll add my card to that contest, too.

We're having an early summer--my roses have even started blooming & I usually don't have any until after Mother's Day.  Thought I'd share one more rhodie picture.  This is the only bush we bought as the rest are old ones that were here when we moved in.  It's not supposed to have as much sun as it gets where we planted it, but each year it has more blooms & is doing great!  I love the peachy pink & yellow--totally different than my others.  Hope you're having a great weekend no matter what the weather.  Thanks for spending some of your time to stop by my blog.

Gold & Pink

I'm so happy gold is again popular in the world of cardmaking--not just for the holidays.  I've always loved using gold, but lately I've been trying out the new to me combo of gold with pink.  Today's card is for CAS-ual Friday's birthday challenge & is made with Penny Black stamps.  I gold embossed the rose & the distressed edges.   Delicata Golden Glitz is swiped on the sentiment piece (stamped with Versafine Vintage Sepia) & the card edges.  Also thought I'd share a picture of my favorite pink rhododendron.  They're very popular in Oregon & are so beautiful but only for a couple weeks.  Hubby has the chore of taking off the dead blooms & keeps threatening to tear them all out.  He's kidding--I think! Happy Spring--especially to those of you with snow right now!  Maybe you can feel spring looking at the picture until you have it at your house.