PTI & Altenew

Still putting off the purging & organizing on my to do list--big surprise!  First is my entry for PTI MIM Negative Die Cut Backgrounds.  My first thought was to use the dotted rectangle die in Mix & Mat: Flourishes to make a pattern.  I ended up simply cutting it horizontally & then vertically.

Kinda cool, so I went with it for a simple card with the focus on the sentiment.  The stamps are all from Don't Forget to Write & the inks are Enchanted Evening & Delicata Silvery Shimmer.  Dug out an old corner punch & added dark blue pearls.  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday.

Altenew recently had a free class--All About Layering 3.  I've barely used my layering floral sets.  Lining them up does not seem to come naturally to me--haha!  The class inspired me to try again & this time I decided perfection is really not required.

This is my homework for Day 1 using Majestic Bloom, Painted Greetings & the Leaf Frame Cover die.  I used Champagne Stickles for the centers & the dots.  I'm entering SSS Wednesday. 

Here's my homework for Day 4, also using Majestic Bloom & Painted Greetings.  The background is Altenew Washi my friend Betty gave me when I visited her. 

I discovered stamping on the Washi doesn't really work, but fortunately all I had to do was add a couple layers of embossing powder.  Lydia's class example showed placing large die cuts over the edge of the card & then trimming the excess.  I couldn't get leaves to look right, so instead I matted each bloom with an offset vellum die cut.  A dot of gold Liquid Pearls was added to the flower centers.  I'm entering SSS Wednesday.

Almost forgot to tell you, I used my new brushes with the lightest ink shade to color the white borders of the flowers.  The brushes look just like the $50 ones you may have seen people talking about, but they're about $8 on Amazon.  Must say, I love them!
Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

W&W and SSS

The current W&W Color Combo is gold & mint--so beautiful!  I decided to make a thank you card using Essentials: Tilda Cutaways, Mini Scenery: Into the Woods, Sentimental: Thanks & In a Word: Thanks Coordinating Cutaways.

I used Mint Julep cardstock & ink plus Delicata Golden Glitz.  Finished off with clear sequins.  This is also my thank you card for Di who has run The Snippets Playground for 7 years.  Darnell set up a secret blog hop for us to thank Di for all her work which includes buying & sending out prizes.  I'll probably never meet Di in person, but she's one of those people I connected with right away.  Now we have even more in common as Di recently became Mum to a totally adorable furball named Dudley.  This is for you, sweet Di!


Thought you might also like to see a card I posted on Flickr for SSS Challenge #115.  The theme is love, so I made a Valentine using SSS Mandala stencil with DI spun sugar & victorian velvet.

The sentiment from SSS Hello, Beautiful was silver embossed & I added silver splatters.  I'm also entering Inkspirational.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

MIM and Transformation Tuesday

There wasn't a PTI CAWU challenge for the January release, so I sure wasn't going to miss MIM & Transformation Tuesday.  First up is my entry for MIM: Lotsa Letters. 

I used one of my favorite PTI dies--Wonderful Words: Love--& die cut it 3 times from a white panel.  Then the panel was backed with silver glitter paper.  The hearts & centers of the "e" were glued back in place.  I used little alpha stickers on black scraps for the other words & added them with foam tape.  The panel was matted with black cardstock.  Glad to have hubby's Valentine ready early!  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday.

Next is my entry for Transformation Tuesday.  I like the older card I made using The Sweet Life dies & stamps with a lot of Autumn Rose.  The stamped background could have been better, so I decided to switch it out for some printed paper.

Both my friends Betty & Vikki have shared PTI papers with me.  I'm working on clearing my work area & organizing my craft stash--a very slow process--haha!  The remains of a torn apart card with an Autumn Rose panel has been on my table quite awhile, so I used that with the Autumn Rose dotted paper.  I still used The Sweet Life, but changed to the image of 3 blooms.  I wanted a more monochromatic look, so I stamped the layers on Sweet Blush cardstock in Sweet Blush & Autumn Rose.  I used vellum for the leaves & stamped the sentiment (Feel Better Soon) from Mat Stack 3 Collection in Weathervane.  Again I used clear sequins for embellishment.  The same basic layout, but very different looks.  It's already in the mail to cheer up a blogging friend who's recovering from surgery.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Winnie & Walter Leading Lady Final Performance

I'm thrilled to be back with my Final Performance as the Winnie & Walter January Leading Lady.  It's been a huge honor & I can't thank Shay enough.

I love shimmer & shine including foil.  For my final 3 cards I thought it'd be fun to show you ways to add foil without using a laminator.  First up is a festive birthday card with a rainbow color scheme.

I stamped images from Scenery: Dotty on the card front using a variety of Distress Inks that match the rainbow foil.  The In a Word: Happy Cutaway was die cut from self-adhesive foam so that the adhesive was on the top.  Then the foil was pressed onto the word & carefully peeled back to reveal the gorgeous results!

The little word from The Big, the Bold & the Happy was white embossed on a black scrap & trimmed into a label.  I added a scattering of shimmer dots for embellishment.  This really is my favorite way to use foil--super easy & fun!
For the next card I first made a plaid panel using 2 images from Scenery: Stripes stamped in Memento Lilac Posies & Teal Zeal.  Then I added strips of 1/8 inch score tape going both directions & pressed silver foil onto the adhesive.

I love how it totally changes the look!  The bloom & leaves from In Bloom: Addie's Garden were die cut, stamped & brushed with the same inks.  I also used a shimmer pen on the bloom & attached it with foam tape.  For the sentiment I used In a Word: Thanks Coordinating Cutaways.  The shadow was cut from white cardstock & the word from a medium gray.  I like how it stands out, but doesn't compete with the silver foil.
To finish up I made my most common type of card & that is one to keep in touch with a friend.  I  began by randomly stamping flowers from In Bloom: Eva's Favorite Flowers in 3 PTI inks:  Summer Sunrise, Canyon Clay & Bright Buttercup.  I added the dot from the same set using Classic Kraft.

Then I used my Quickie Glue pen to make dots in the flower centers.  When they turned tacky, I pressed on gold foil.  Almost looks like designer paper with foil accents, don't you think?!  I stamped the words from The Big, the Bold & the Happy in Versfine Vintage Sepia.  Originally it was a one layer card, but I decided to add a gold foil frame.  I cut the panel down slightly & brushed the edges of the card front with Flitter Glu.  When it dried to a tacky finish I pressed on the same gold foil & attached the floral panel.  The frame could also have been done using 1/4 inch Score Tape.
I hope you've been inspired in some way by my projects this month.  Winnie & Walter has given me a $30 gift certificate as a prize for the random drawing I'm doing on February 2.  All comments left on this post and my Take 1 post will be entered in the drawing.  For additional entries answer my questions in your comments on my posts for Take 2 and Take 3.

Thanks again to Shay for having me & I look forward to seeing all your Winnie & Walter projects in blogland.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Papertrey Ink January Blog Hop

It's time for the monthly PTI Blog Hop.  The inspiration photo is a cake for a baby shower--not like any I've ever seen.  Cakes mean birthdays in my world, so I used the colors for a birthday card.

My recent PTI order included Balloons & Banners and Tag Sale: Quilted Die--both of which I used.  Decided it was time to pull out some of my felt & luckily I have light blue & light pink.  I actually drew the balloon strings--a first for me!  The sentiment from Don't Forget to Write was white embossed on the black die cut banner included with the tag die & I mounted it with foam tape.  I added the black & white striped paper to the top & bottom and attached tiny gems to the banner.  Very simple, but a festive card, I think.  I'm also entering Time Out Challenges.
Edited to add: Also entering SSS Work it Wednesday.



Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Memory Box and Poppystamps

It's been a difficult start to 2019.  Three family members are dealing with serious medical problems and my favorite co-worker at the end of my career was tragically killed in an auto accident.  Reminders once again not to take anything for granted.
I haven't done as much crafting as usual, but I did finally get a couple cards made.  First is my entry for the Memory Box Love is in the Air Challenge.  I've had the MB Grand Heart die for over 5 years & later got the Bingham Heart die that goes with it.

The solid heart was cut from a scrap of light blue textured cardstock & the outline was cut from a white scrap colored with a blue shimmer pen.  The sentiment from Poppystamps Grateful Heart was stamped in Delicata Sapphire Blue.  I really like blue & gray together, so dry embossed a gray panel for the background.  Shimmer Pico Embellisher dots finish it off.  I'm also entering The Snippets Playground.

Next is my entry for Poppystamps Starry Night Challenge.  I added several blue & gray inks plus a blue shimmer pen to a panel of watercolor paper using smooshing, sponging & direct to paper.  It was supposed to be the background for another card, but I didn't like it.  Then I remembered the PS challenge & thought I could make it work as a night sky.

I used 2 PS dies I'd never opened: Swaying Birch & Scribble Hello.  The tree is quite tall, but I just cut the top of it from silver glitter paper.  The hello die was cut from the silver glitter & dark blue cardstock.  I used the silver for a shadow & stacked the blue word 5 high so it is easy to read even being dark like the background.  Finished off with white gel pen stars.  I'm also entering SSS Work it Wednesday.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

W&W Leading Lady Take 3

Thank you again to Shay for giving me this wonderful opportunity to share my love of Winnie & Walter products.  I hope you've found some inspiration for your own cardmaking.  The month is speeding by and it's time for Take 3. 

We all have times when it's hard to come up with an idea for a card.  One of my solutions to that problem is to use a favorite design element.  My choice is to mask off an area for inking.  There are many variations, so cards can all look different.  I generally use more solid images, but you will see today it really works with any stamps.

First is a sympathy card using A Tree for All Seasons.  I began by heat embossing the tree with a couple coats of embossing powder to obtain a thick, shiny image.  Then I masked off the area where I wanted color.  Distress Inks faded jeans and peeled paint were applied with stencil brushes for a softer look.  I heat embossed the sentiment and added brown splatters.  The panel was matted with light blue textured cardstock for a simple, flat card which, unfortunately, I need to get in the mail.

Next up is a fun winter notecard.  This is the first time I've used kraft cardstock for the technique, but it won't be the last!  I white embossed the front 2 trees from Yetitide Greetings & masked them before adding the tree in the background.  The matching dies were used to make the masks--so quick & easy.  Then I masked off a horizontal strip & used an ink cube direct to the paper.  The trick when using kraft cardstock is to use an ink with pigment properties, like the Delicata Emerald Green I used.  The white embossing picked up a hint of the green which I actually think adds to the effect for this card.  I stamped the sentiment using words from The Big, the Bold & Seasons and added a few white sequins for embellishment.  I'm entering Inkspirational.

For my final project the masked area is a rectangle in the center of the card.  Distress Inks bundled sage, milled lavender & spun sugar were sponged on beginning at the bottom right & moving to the top left, rather than straight across.  Instead of embossing, I stamped the bloom, stem and leaves from In Bloom: Eva's Favorite Flowers in Brilliance Starlite Black.  It's another ink with pigment properties giving me good coverage on top of the Distress Ink background.  I curved the straight stem onto my acrylic block and masked the card front to get the length I wanted.  The same ink was used for the beautiful word from Sentimental: Thanks and a single gray gem completes the card.  I'm entering CAS on Friday and SSS Wednesday.

Be sure to check my first Leading Lady post & my Take 2 post to leave comments and be entered in the random drawing for a $30 Winnie & Walter gift card.  You will get an additional entry by leaving a comment on today's post telling me which card is your favorite.  Yes, you have to pick one--haha!  I'll be back next Saturday for my final performance.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Winter Scene

I absolutely love Ashley's card for this week's PTI MIM Challenge Winter Watercolor.  My version is very simple with just 3 trees.

Our winter's are more frosty than snowy, so I used gray with a touch of blue.  The background watercoloring was done with DI weathered wood, faded jeans & chipped sapphire.  I stamped the trees from Enchanted Forest in Weathervane several times using a stamp positioner.  The texture of the watercolor paper almost looks like canvas.  The sentiment from Meadow Greens was stamped in a dark blue & then overstamped in Weathervane.  I added splatters with the DI & dots with a white pen.  The mat is Weathervane cardstock.  I can't wait to try another card like this using more trees.  I'm also entering SSS Monday (new Enchanted Forest stamp set) & WAW.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.