From the Heart

Time for a new challenge at Words 2 Scrap By. We have a great theme--The Earth Has Music--in honor of Earth Day & Arbor Day. I used images & a sentiment from Penny Black's "every happiness." I began the background by adding some Gesso to kraft cardstock before partially stamping PB's music background in VersaMagic Gingerbread.  I added Distress Stains tarnished brass & antiqued bronze to the PB leaves I had die cut from green cardstock scraps. They were glued to the panel with Perfect Paper Adhesive, which I highly recommend.  After it dried I embossed it with a Cuttlebug folder & swiped on the same Distress Stains.  The image panels were stamped in PTI New Leaf on Kraft, trimmed out & swiped with the stains.  I colored some hemp with the stains & thread it through the sentiment block (stamped in Versafine Vintage Sepia) which I mounted with 2 layers of foam tape. 1 layer of foam tape was used for the image blocks & the panel was attached to a kraft card.  I'd love to see you join in the challenge which ends April 21.  For more inspiration & details about our great prize, go to the W2SB Blog. You won't be disappointed--my teamies made wonderful cards. Since I used some scraps I'm entering at Pixies Snippets Playground. Thanks so much for taking time to visit my blog.

Yellow Poinsettia?!

I've fallen behind with the MFT challenges, so decided before bed to get a card done combining the MFT sketch (about to close) & the new MFT color combo. Yellow & orange are 2 of my least used colors, so I was at a bit of a loss.  I do love the MFT poinsettia die & half the fun of making cards is using whatever colors you want, right?! The MFT Dizzy Doily was cut from a scrap of blue cardstock & I do think it's a pretty background for the yellow felt flower.  The sentiment is from my first MFT stamp set--Spring. Looks like I didn't match some of the colors very well, so may have to try again. I'm also entering at Pixies Snippets Playground & SSS Wednesday. 
Fritz & I walk to the end of our dead end street several times a day & it's been so fun to watch our neighbor's row of trees go from bare branches to beautiful pink blooms!  

Thanks for stopping by.

Flowers & Bunnies

I definitely have to work on Easter cards during the year as I'm not going to get as many sent as I'd like.  Did finish one more today which I'm entering into the Happy Flowers challenge at Impression Obsession. These darling IO bunnies were die cut from adhesive backed cork.  Pretty obvious, but I'd never thought to turn the paper over to have a die face the other direction--Thank you, Ros!  The sweet little tulips are from the IO set Petite Flowers I & the sentiment is also IO, stamped in Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate.  I sponged my ombre panel & sentiment circle (cut from a punch) with Distress Inks squeezed lemonade & scattered straw, which lets me enter the challenge at City Crafter Challenge Blog.  The flowers are colored with markers before adding Stickles.  With my heart pounding, I added a tiny bit of grass with a marker & managed not to ruin the panel--LOL!  I hadn't thought of using splatters on a cute design until I saw Alexandra do it here.  I sponged the edges of the BoBunny dots paper with the squeezed lemonade to get a better match.  Tiny brown pearls are used for the bunny eyes & thanks to my friend, Lai-Yoke, I added the beautiful pink sequins to tie in with the tulips.  My design is based on the March Week 4 Verve sketch, turned on it's side.  I'm also entering at Pixies Snippets Playground & SSS Wednesday. Thanks so much for taking time to visit my blog.

Fun With New "Schtuff"

I recently won 2 gift certificates to Stamplorations & didn't wait long to spend them. My goodies were waiting for me yesterday when we got home from running errands & I had to make a card.  I used Trendy Butterflies stamp set & Confetti Circles stencil. My inks are Memento Gray Flannel, Tuxedo Black & Distress inks picked raspberry, shaded lilac & peacock feathers.  The area for the stenciling was masked with Washi tape & then edged with Score Tape for the prisma glitter.  My favorite emboss resist technique worked perfectly with these gorgeous butterfly images.  I added white cotton thread saved from clothing tags along with white sequins to embellish the butterflies.  To be sure they didn't move, I attached them with a small piece of redline tape only in the center & lightly pulled up the wings.  The Easter greeting will go on the inside & this gets mailed tomorrow. The sketch at Uniko Studio inspired me, but I probably got away from it too much.  

I'm entering Stamplorations March challenge & ongoing Anything Goes challenge. Other challenges where I'll play are Uniko Studio, SSS Wednesday & of course, Darnell's NBUS.

Thanks so much for all the sweet comments.  Your visits always make my day.

He Is Risen

I actually made this card for the ODBD No Coloring challenge several weeks ago.  At the last minute I decided the cross needed to be colored, totally forgetting that wasn't allowed.  So I saved it hoping there would be an Easter challenge & sure enough, that's the theme for the current ODBD Shining the Light Challenge.  I wrote down the products I used, but for the life of me I can't find that note.  There are a variety of inks & sprays & the Tim Holtz stencil, which I don't think I've used before.  The cross is ODBD & the sentiment is from The Craft's Meow--now out of business.  
This is my first time using the stamp set from TCM, so I'm also entering Darnell's NBUS challenge. Thank you so much for taking time to visit my blog. 
Edited to add: Also entering Anything Goes at SSS Wednesday & SSS Work It Wednesday.
Edited to Add: Entering Word Art Wednesday.

Papertrey March Blog Hop Challenge

If you know me, you know I love PTI.  Yellow is not on my list of favorite colors, but somehow in Spring I tend to reach for it.  That worked out great with the beautiful PTI Blog Hop photo inspiration.  I used the color combo of yellow/aqua/white/kraft (wood color), plaid, flowers & dots. Danielle's PTI MIM video was also inspiring, although I had my doubts about being able to do it.  Decided to combine the challenges & actually had a lot of fun making this card.  
I used PTI inks Aqua Mist, Lemon Tart & Classic Kraft with the sentiment done in Versafine Vintage Sepia. The PTI stamps & dies are Watercolor Wonder, Tiny Tags, Friendly Flowers & Wonderful Words Hello.  I made a Melissa Phillips junk bow using ribbon, lace, aqua trim & fabric ribbon.  I added a pearl & Wink of Stella to the flower on top of the bow. 
The aqua trim, fabric ribbon & hello stamp set/die are being used for the first time so I'm entering Darnell's NBUS challenge.  Also entering Anything Goes at SSS Wed. Edited to add: Also entering SSS Work It Wednesday. 
We definitely have Spring as you can see from the pictures I snapped this week:  Hail storm one day & sunbath 2 days later!  Thanks so much for stopping by.

Retirement Card for a Guy

I'm about to step down from one of my current DT assignments so decided to throw my hat in the ring for the DT Call at The Male Room. The requirements are to enter challenge #5 & #6 to be in the running.  My first card is posted HERE & today is my entry for the Under Water challenge.  My cousin has spent his entire career with a company that makes cases for equipment (like cameras) used by divers.  This means he's been "forced" to go on work-required diving trips to places like The Cayman Islands--LOL!  He's finally decided it's time to retire so I need a very special card for one of my favorite people in the whole world.  I began by making the background using my neglected brayer & Kaleidacolor Blue Breeze ink pad. Fortunately, I have a couple Fred Mullett fish stamps in my stash & I chose the smaller one to use as my tropical fish.  It is embossed with Zing! Neon Green, Neon Pink & Neon Purple.  I added some black splatters & mounted it to black textured cardstock.  The sentiment is a Studio G stamp from the $1 bin at Michaels & I embossed it in black.  Is it OK to say this came out just like I hoped?  I'm also entering the embossing challenge at Retro Rubber Challenge as both stamps are way over 1 year old & Anything Goes at Addicted to Stamps. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Notecard

Decided to combine the MFT sketch challenge with the MFT Color Challenge.  Mostly MFT dies, but I did stamp & white emboss the notes on the flag.  The set is called Contempo Cage & I also used Fishtail Flags & Mini Rolled Rose dies. I got as close as I could to the colors using some of my cardstock scraps. The gems were colored with a Copic to match--just happened to have the right color. For once the shimmer from Wink of Stella on the wing actually shows in the photo.  Love the feathers embossing folder--appropriate, don't you think? I'm also entering at Pixies Snippets Playground. Short post as it's past bedtime. Wishing you all a great week & thank you so much for stopping by my blog.

Mini Thank You Cards

It's my day to post on the a2z Scrapbooking Blog.  I know text messaging is all the rage, but we stampers know the value of an actual card!  These would work for kids to hand to a friend. Maybe I'm dreaming--LOL!

Here are the simple instructions to get this look.  Begin by heat embossing the graphic background stamp (ON SALE in the a2z store) & cut into 2 small panels.  Don't forget to hit the edges with your heat gun to reseal the embossing. Then add circles of colored ink using a foam dauber.  IMPORTANT:  Blot the ink to remove it from the embossing & prevent smearing. Make mini cards (2 3/4 x 4) & use the same ink to color a strip to fit on the left side of the card. Attach the strip & the embossed panel to the card front.  Next stamp the sentiment to match, trim it into a banner & attach it with foam tape toward the bottom.

If the card is for a girl, add a bit of bling with some enamel dots or gems.  You could make these with a lot of background stamps, sentiments & colors--whatever you like!  Hope I've inspired you to join our Color It In challenge.  The winner gets a $25 gift certificate to the a2z store.  Be sure to check the sale section for some great deals including the stamps & red ink I used for my cards.  You can use the code GRETA15 for 15% off a minimum $25 purchase. You'll find links to all the products I used on my a2z post. 

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by my blog today.  Your comments are always appreciated.
I'm entering Anything Goes at ATSM.

Hello You

I volunteered to work an extra Saturday & didn't want to run out of time for the PTI MIM challenge. I've been trying to decide all week what shape to use for the "confetti cluster" stamping. Tonight I saw the largest PTI Friendly Flowers blossom die (basically a scalloped circle) on the table, so I traced it with a pencil onto the card front.  I went through all my PTI stamp sets looking for tiny stamps & ended up with the bird from Trendy Tree Tops, heart from Quilled Elegance, 3 dots & single dot from Harvest Berries, outline circles from Peaceful Poinsettia & leaf from The Sweet life. The tree trunk die cut & sentiment are also from Trendy Tree Tops.  I used these PTI inks: Sweet Blush, Spring Rain, Classic Kraft, Limeade Ice & Lemon Tart. A bit of Star Dust Stickles adds some sparkle & I tied on twine before mounting the trunk (3 layers of kraft cardstock) with foam tape.  If you haven't seen the video, check it out.  This was a really fun technique.  

My Springy tree lets me enter the current challenge at The Kraft Journal & SSS Wednesday.
Sorry some of you are starting Spring with more snow!  It's just good old Oregon rain here & we really need it so can't complain. Thank you so much for taking time to stop by my blog.

Card Exchanging Friends

A long time ago I won a SSS monthly kit.  It doesn't have as much as the current kits & I put it in the closet forgetting it was there.  When the SSS Flickr challenges started, I pulled out the kit & saw the stamp set I'd totally forgotten about. Thought it'd be fun to use for another CAS 1 layer entry in the SSS Flickr challenge that is about to end.  I used some Springy VersaMagic inks: Sea Breeze, Spring Pansy & Pink Petunia.  The envelope is stamped in Memento Gray Flannel & the sentiment in Brilliance Graphite Black. 

Hopefully it will make someone smile when they open the envelope.  I'm also entering Anything Goes at Addicted to Stamps & the springy inspiration challenge at SSS Wednesday using the blue, purple & pink in the photos. 

SSS Wed Inspiration

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by my blog.