Saturday, February 28, 2015

In Like a Lion...

Our Badge!!!Welcome to March!  Time for another Words 2 Scrap By challenge & for this month Annie chose In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb.  I only got as far as the Lion, since it reminded me of this wonderful old stamp from a local company no longer in business.  I bought it years ago because my brother in law is a Leo.  His wedding ring is even a lion's head.  He's probably forgotten about this stamp, so hope he'll enjoy seeing it again for his birthday card.  I black embossed the image & then sponged with Delicata Golden Glitz & a couple Distress Inks. There's a wonderful shimmer in real life--perfect for the King of the Jungle!  The background is done with Impression Obsession Spatter in Delicata Golden Glitz on black cardstock.

Hopefully using just one stamp counts as making my own background paper for the challenge at The Male Room.  Haven't used any brads for awhile & they provided just the little embellishment I needed.  Have I inspired you to play along at W2SB?  Please check out the wonderful cards the rest of the DT came up with. The challenge goes through March 21 & I'd love for you to join us!  I'm also playing at Pixies Snippets Playground & SSS Wednesday.
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Friday, February 27, 2015

Easter Greetings

I was immediately drawn to the Viva la Verve February Week 3 Sketch & started my card days ago.  While the glue attaching the Memory Box eggs in the Impression Obsession grass was drying I went on to other projects. Today I realized time is almost up, so sat down to finish my first Easter card this year.  The solid eggs are clear embossed using a Magenta stamp & Wink of Stella is brushed on the decorative ones.  This Spellbinder die always makes me think of a basket.  I sprayed the white cardstock with Heidi Swapp white Color Shine which gives a gorgeous shimmer.  The vellum flag is cut with MFT Fishtail Flags & the sentiment (from a local company no longer in business) is clear embossed using Memento Gray Flannel.  Not sure I've ever used this Cuttlebug embossing folder--hope it isn't too busy.  I used the end of a DeNami vine stamp with PTI New Leaf ink for the sides of the card front.  
Fortunately, I had the right shade of Michael's green ribbon. I'm also entering these challenges: Pixies Snippets Playground, SSS Monday & SSS Wednesday. Hope you have a great weekend & thank you so much for taking time to visit my blog.
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Thursday, February 26, 2015

A Magenta Valentine


I tend to put off getting cards made for monthly challenges--seems like there's plenty of time. Now, of course, here it is almost the end of February & finally finished my card for the Magenta monthly challenge.  When I began stamping over 15 years ago there were several stamp stores near me & they carried Magenta stamps which I immediately fell in love with.  I've had trouble making cards with this beautiful heart stamp, so this time I decided to let the stamp stand alone.  After white embossing on kraft cardstock I simply added red glitter using my trusty Sakura Quickie Glue pen. The card front is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder & I was finally able to use this red polka dot ribbon.  
So glad to have another Valentine ready. Maybe I'll get them all mailed on time next year!  I'm also entering the Anything Goes challenges at SSS Monday & SSS Wednesday.  Luckily, The Kraft Journal   doesn't count the card itself as a layer so I'm entering the CAS One Layer Card challenge.  I so appreciate your visit & comments--thank you!
Edited to Add: Also entering the Holiday challenge at Addicted to Stamps.
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Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Papertrey February Blog Hop Challenge

Blog Hop Inspiration
PTI Photo Inspiration
Good thing they send e-mails as I completely forgot about today's PTI Blog Hop!  I needed a card for someone facing surgery & I wanted to try the MIM challenge to anchor a focal point with border dies. Here's my card combining all of that. My attempts at making a watercolor background totally failed, so I decided to sponge on shades of pink, blue & purple.  The inks are PTI Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet, Blueberry Sky, Enchanted Evening along with Distress Inks milled lavender & dusty concord.  I stamped an image from PTI Year of Flowers Collection in Memento Gray Flannel as well as the background colors.  Then I used my Hexagon coverplate with the Mock Mosaic technique from last year's SAF. I don't have PTI butterflies or border dies so I used my Memory Box butterflies & MFT border dies.  I backed the butterfly with a gathered piece of white tulle, added Stickles to the solid butterfly & topped the border dies with a white button threaded with purple floss. The sentiment from PTI Tag-It's #3 is stamped in Gray Flannel on a double layer of vellum cut with PTI Mat Stack 3, using just the rounded top. 
Took all day, but I finally have a card I can send to brighten her day.  I'm also entering Anything Goes at SSS Monday & SSS Wednesday. Edited to add: Also entering the Spring challenge at SSS Work It Wed.
If you're in the path of the next winter storm, stay safe & warm inside.  We're about to get rain, but can't complain as we really need it. Thanks so much for stopping by.
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Monday, February 23, 2015

Have a Gorgeous Day

I have enough stamps, dies, etc. to last 2 life times! However, I decided a birthday deserves some new goodies--LOL!  My new stamp set & dies arrived just in time to make a card for the first Lil' Inker Monthly Meet Up Challenge.  I fell in love with THIS blue & green card made by Ros & Alexandra's technique with spray mists shown HERE
I used Tattered Angels Meadow Green & Turquoise Blue along with some Heidi Swapp White Color Shine on watercolor paper. Lil' Inker Stitched Rectangles was used to make a frame from the paper.  I stamped a couple of the small images from Modern Mehndi using VersaMagic Sea Breeze & Brilliance Pealescent Lime. The flower is white embossed & spritzed with the mists.  The leaves are white embossed on vellum & a sentiment from the same set is stamped in StazOn Dove Gray on vellum backed with cardstock spritzed with the same mists.  Can't wait to use this set again! I'm also entering the challenge at SSS Monday.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  Edited to add: My 3rd entry for the "new" challenge at SSS Work It Wednesday.
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Blue Poinsettia

I was so happy to see the new colors for the MFT Color Challenge as I happen to have all of them in my MFT felt collection. Decided to use my beautiful MFT poinsettia dies & I love how they look in these colors.  I also used MFT Dizzy Doily, leaving the cut-out pieces in place, Lil' Inkers stitched rectangle & a sentiment from MFT Seasonal Sentiments.  
A few pearls finish it off.  I'm entering the challenge at Die Cut Divas & will add my card to the new Monthly Meet Up at Lil' Inkers, even though it doesn't qualify for the prizes. SSS Monday has Anything Goes this week, so will enter there.  Thank you so much for taking time to check my blog.


Sunday, February 22, 2015

A Springy Hello

It's my day to post on the a2z Scrapbooking Blog.  I know many of you are in the midst of a pretty severe winter, so how about thinking Spring?!  My card uses two of the wonderful stamp sets in the a2z store’s SALES/RETIRED section--great bargains.
a2z Feb 2
I started by inking the little flower using another sale item–Pale Yellow ink dauber–& randomly stamped it around the card front.  The frame was white embossed twice with one frame completely trimmed out & just the inside of the other one. After stamping “Hello” in Cup O’ Joe on the partial frame, it was attached with foam tape & mounted to the center of the card.  One additional flower was trimmed out & popped up.  The frame & added flower were coated with Stickles & pale yellow pearls decorate the flowers.  Now it’s your turn–use at least ONE HERO ARTS STAMP, HERO ARTS DIGITAL IMAGE OR HERO ARTS DIE CUT (Hero Arts Silhouette shapes are allowed too) along with any type of embossing & enter the February challenge.  Remember, you can use GRETA15 to get 15% off a minimum $25 purchase in the a2z store. There's a complete list of supplies on the a2z blog.  I'm entering the sparkle challenge at Loves Rubberstamps.  Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Your Special Day

Can't make every card flat, especially since I totally love the MFT Rolled Gardenia die! This time I used MFT English Rose felt I got in clearance ages ago & hadn't opened. The MFT Leaf Filled Flourish makes such a great background & I thought the soft green was pretty with the rose colored blooms.  The sentiment from MFT On the Line was stamped in StazOn Dove Gray & trimmed into a flag. Lately I've noticed little strips of color with a sentiment, so I die cut a green scrap with MFT Pinking Edge.  Hard to see in the photo, but the card front was stenciled in a curved strip using SSS Moroccan Stencil with Distress Paint Picket Fence.  The splotches are made with Hero Arts Wet Cement.  I'm entering these challenges:
MFT Sketch, SSS WedDies R Us, Die Cut Divas & Uniko Studio.
PS--the kitchen towels are still hanging up!
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Thursday, February 19, 2015

2 Milestones!

Milestone #1: After 11 months I have kitchen towels hanging again!  We had noticed lately that puppy Fritz doesn't bite our socks as we're trying to put them on, so I decided to take a chance & hang up the kitchen towels.  It's been over 24 hours & they're still hanging! 
Milestone #2:  I've been blogging for 3 years! So glad a couple of my cardmaking friends convinced me I could do it.  Thank you so much for all the support with your sweet comments.  Life is indeed sweet!  
Today's card uses one of my favorite color combos--pink & gold.  I also used one of my favorite stamp sets--PTI The Sweet Life. Embossing paste colored with Distress Paint spun sugar was spread over a stencil I made from the PTI Hexagon coverplate.  The rose was stamped with Distress Ink spun sugar & Delicata Golden Glitz. A branch from Turning a New Leaf was white embossed & the sentiment from The Sweet Life was gold embossed on vellum.  I used gold thread under the leaves & mounted the rose with foam tape.  Finished off with some white sequins. I'm entering PTI MIM, SSS Wed & Pixies Snippets Playground.  Thank you for visiting my blog. 

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Sparkle & Texture

The current SSS Flickr challenge is about to close & being a lover of sparkle I was not about to miss it!  I die cut SSS Bella Bloom & Clustered Leaves. The color combo is thanks to Deborah's March Card Exchange. Peach & yellow are not colors I tend to use, but the combination with the lavender is so Springy & pretty--think I'll use them for some Easter cards.  My inks are Vivid Peach (over 10 yrs old & truly peach--not orange, in spite of the look in the picture), Distress Ink shaded lilac & Memento Dandelion.  Rock Candy Distress Glitter was attached to all the die cuts using spray adhesive. You can see a bit of it in the photo--beautiful in real life.
I wanted a subtle background so finally opened my jar of translucent gel medium & spread it over a Heidi Swapp stencil.  The layout is from Freshly Made Sketches & I'll enter the texture challenge at SSS Wednesday.  I so appreciate your stopping by.
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Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Valentine for a Guy

Hurray--1 Valentine ready for next year!  I used my Impression Obsession stamps "Valentine Wishes" & "Heart Flourish" to enter the Impression Obsession It Must be Love challenge. The sentiment is stamped in Versamark & clear embossed--love the tone on tone look it gives on kraft cardstock. Then I stamped the flourish in opposite corners using Brilliance Rocket Red & colored the dots with my white gel pen.  

I added a bit of piercing in the other corners & used a wet paintbrush to add splotches of Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate.  The panel is mounted to the white card with foam tape. This is also my second entry for the Celebrations challenge at The Kraft Journal. Thank you so much for stopping by.

Monday, February 16, 2015

BD Card for a Guy

Fun sketch at MFT which I used for a masculine birthday card I'll be needing soon.  The MFT products are Peek-a-Boo Chevrons, Designer Labels 4 Stax & LJD-On the Line. I used Memento Nautical Blue & Love Letter.  The candle is covered with some Crystal Lacquer for shine & the label & sentiment flag are mounted with foam tape. I'm also entering the celebrations challenge at The Kraft Journal, Anything Goes at Seize the Birthday, words/quotes/sentiments at Die Cut Divas & use scraps at Pixies Snippets Playground. Thanks so much for stopping by.

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Sunday, February 15, 2015

I did it--One Layer!

Did Oregon break off & float to the Southern Hemisphere?!  How else do you explain our blue sky & 60 degree temps in the middle of February?! Most of the country is in the deep freeze with snow & ice--hope you all stay inside safe & warm.  Fritz & I took several long walks which helped take my mind off PTI's Mr. Random again skipping me--along with hundreds of others--LOL!  The best therapy, though, is crafting & that's what I did.  
I combined the Penny Black Simplicity Challenge with the One Layer Christmas Card Challenge--use gold. I'm making an effort to create flatter cards after going way over the postage budget last year.  The Penny Black stamps are Christmas Reds & Greens and Ornately Merry--part of the wonderful blog candy I won from Alexandra.  I used 2 of my favorite inks: Delicata Golden Glitz & Versafine Onyx Black. The dots were colored with my much neglected red glitter Gelly Roll pen.  Couldn't get gold sequins or ribbon to look right, so decided to just add splatters of gold Shimmer Spritz & I like how it turned out.  What do you think? Thanks so much for visiting my blog.
Edited to add: Also entering Anything Goes at Penny Black & More.

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Celebrate in Style & Hello Friend

Happy Valentine's Day!  Time is running out, so luckily I was able to combine 2 of the PTI Anniversary Challenges: Uninked Stamp (NBUS to most of us thanks to Darnell) & Metallics. There's a 25th anniversary in the family this year, so I chose silver for my metallic.  I totally fell in love with the 1920s at last year's SAF & didn't hesitate to buy the set released individually which includes that wonderful die, which is being used for the first time here.  The glitter is Elizabeth Craft silver which is the kind you burnish to a a rich, smooth sparkle--unlike any other glitter.  I added Stampendous! silver stickers--love the look! A long time ago I bought the Background Basics: Medallions, but had never used it & the image is perfect for tone on tone with heat embossing--something I saw at a stamp convention many years ago.  
The sentiment from the SAF 1920s set is black embossed.  I attached the panel to a white card rather than black to keep it more festive. After all, a silver anniversary is a big thing!  
Edited to Add:  Finished one last card for the PTI Anniversary Challenges.  
This one is to use flowers from at least 2 different stamp sets.  I used Tag-it's #3 & Floral Foliage stamping with Sweet Blush & Berry Sorbet. Background Basics: Geometrics is stamped in Hero Arts Wet Cement on the card front & I edged the stamped panel with it. The tag & sentiment are from Tiny Tags.  
Thanks so much for taking time to check my blog.

Friday, February 13, 2015

Blue Ombre Valentine

PTI Watercolor Wonder once again!  This time I started by making a panel using Distress Inks tumbled glass, broken china & faded jeans for my sister & brother-in-law. Blue has been her favorite color since she was just a kid.  I used Score Tape to add prisma glitter to the top & bottom of the card front. The Memory Box heart was die cut from the center of the stamped panel. I partially embossed Taylored Expressions Snowfall folder in the negative space, covered the dots using a glue pen & sprinkled on prisma glitter.  The sentiment is by A Muse & I finished it off with white twine.  I'm entering the PTI Blue Ombre card Anniversary Challenge.  I'm behind in my blog reading, but I'll catch up with you soon. Thanks for checking my blog. 

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Life is Sweet

I love this sentiment from PTI The Sweet Life & it's appropriate for today--my birthday! Every day is a gift. My card is for the PTI Anniversary Challenge to create a card inspired by Maile Belles.  I've always been drawn to her style & have several of the stamp sets she designed.  I love the cards where she stamps overlapping images in several colors like this one & this one.  I also love the unique modern look she achieves by cutting apart her layers seen in many cards including this one & this one and the use of strips here. I combined these elements for my card made with Turning a new Leaf using Sweet Blush, Classic Kraft & Aqua Mist.  The sentiment is stamped in VersaMagic Gingerbread.  I watercolored sweet blush to show between the panels which are mounted with foam tape.  A few white sequins finish it off. 
My mom wrote poems for special events including the birth announcements for us 3 kids.  My dad always carried them in his wallet.  Thought you might enjoy seeing mine.  Off to work--thanks for visiting my blog.