Goodbye to July

Wish we were saying gooodbye to the heat as well as to July!  At least we may be a little cooler this week.  We're grateful for our health, air conditioning & no fires close to us.  So many people suffering these days.

Need to get some cards into galleries before the challenges close.  Here's one I made at the first of the month.  Still hasn't arrived at it's location, but want to enter it into Gina K's Monthly Mix Challenge where the theme is black & white with a splash of one color.  Naturally I used pink--haha! 

Think this is the first time I was able to easily use my MISTI to stamp an image repeatedly in rows--so fun!  I used GKD A Happy Hello stamp set.  For some reason, I seldom think to put a sentiment in a circle.  Gina often does that & it was just what I needed for this card.  Always interesting what a big difference a small thing can make, like adding the tiny black dots to the pink flowers.  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday.

Next is my entry for Altenew's July Inspiration Challenge.  I used one of my beautiful older floral sets called Majestic Bloom.  I often have trouble lining up layers, but these images seem to be easier for me & they're pretty forgiving.  

The blue inks are PTI Spring Rain, Blueberry Sky, Enchanted Evening & Dark Indigo.  The green inks are Altenew Sweet Leaf & Just Green, plus Memento Cottage Ivy.  I used white cardstock with the Dotted Swirls Debossing plate & then brushed on DO fossilized amber.  

The sentiment from Essential Sentiment Strips die set is popped up.  Hard to see, but I splattered white gauche on the bloom & leaves & added an extra layer to the bloom for a bit of dimension.  Finished off with matte gold sequins.  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday.  

My last card is for TTTC 172 with a board designed by my good friend, Betty.  I decided to use Butterfly/Die Cut/Sentiment.  Really love my Taylored Expressions Modern Eucalyptus kit.  I stenciled Distress Oxides vintage photo, pumice stone, salvaged patina & cracked pistachio.

The butterfly is from MFT Brilliant Butterflies.  This time I began by painting the die cut with Altenew Metallic watercolors & then black embossed the detail image & the body.  I attached a vellum shadow & added silver Pico Embellisher to the design & the shadow. 

Really love the sentiments in the kit with the delicate font.  I splattered the blue watercolor & pewter Distress Stain.  Finished with the tiny GKD black hearts.  My sister loves butterflies & the color blue, so this one's for her & her hubby.  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday.

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

More Christmas in July

I made 2 more cards before Christmas in July comes to an end.  First is a card using the wonderful Elizabeth Craft Designs set called Festive Glow.  

I began by using the Honey Bee Radiant Circle stencil with light molding paste & fine glitter.  All the pieces of the die set were cut from white cardstock scraps.  I used 2 of my new WOW embossing powders, Persian Indigo & BEE Kind, for the purple & teal pieces.  The white ones are embossed in Hero Arts Sparkle ep.  

I inked the flame & the sentiment & covered them with Shimmer Pico Embellisher.  The word is trimmed from Stamplorations Peace Love Joy die cut.  Lots of beautiful sparkle when you move this card in the light.  I'm entering DCD & Rudolph Days.

My other card is totally opposite!  I wanted a peaceful look, so blended DO bundled sage, speckled egg, pumice stone & a bit of vintage photo. 

After it was dry, I embossed it with SSS Pine Bouquet folder I got for a couple dollars in their Christmas sale.  What a deal!  I brushed on additional ink using the same colors to add definition & make the pinecones brown.  This time I used the entire Stamplorations sentiment die with brown cardstock blended with vintage photo.  

The die cuts were stacked 3 high, brushed with a shimmer pen & covered in Nuvo Glaze.  I added Stardust Stickles to the little flower centers.  Very non-traditional color combo for Christmas, but I like it.  I'm entering Let's Squash It, CAS, WAW & SSS Wednesday. 

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

Christmas and Friendship

Finally came up with a card for Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge #7, Stars.  The cute little teacup was a freebie from Trinity Stamps.  

I inked the outline in CN9 Clover & stamped the GKD tiny star in PTI Pure Poppy.  I also inked the pieces in Pure Poppy.  The plaid background was made with Altenew Beach Towel Stripes stencil using the same inks, but kept light.  Looks much better in person than in the pictures. 

The W&W sentiment is black embossed & I randomly stamped the GKD snowflake in Delicata Silvery Shimmer.  I added red & silver Stickles & a silver metallic mat.  I'm also entering DCD.

I made another pink card for SSS Flickr Challenge 201.  SSS Anna's Flowers is one of my favorite sets.  I used Distress Oxide spun sugar & Delicata Silvery Shimmer.  

The dry embossing was done with SSS Square Dance Stencil & what a difference it makes--love it!  Sorry I just couldn't get decent pictures, but it's so pretty in person.  

The sentiment is SSS Painted Hugs stacked 3 high with the bottom layer inked in spun sugar, the middle white cardstock & the top silver metallic cardstock.  The splatters are pewter Distress Stain.  I tied on a white crochet bow & added a silver gem.  
Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Floral Cards

Love SSS Dreamy Daisy Layers & here's the first card I made which I posted on IG & Flickr.  The coloring was done with a pink Copic, the background is SSS Refracted folder splattered with DO worn lipstick mixed with white metallic watercolor & the sentiment is MB.

I had a leftover pink daisy, so die cut a couple more to color with a blue & a purple Copic.  The bottom layers are covered in Stardust Stickles.  The background is Trinity Stamps Dainty Scallop Edge Mini Slimline diecuts attached to a light gray panel using SSS Micro Dot Sheets.  Such a great way to add adhesive to intricate diecuts! 

The other adhesive dot sheets I bought a few years ago are so strong they tear delicate diecuts.  The SSS dots are repositionable at first, so I was able to move the diecuts around until they were straight.  I'm definitely going to always have these sheets on hand!  

I added some of the small daisy top layers diecut from vellum, along with sparkling sequins.  The sentiment is from the Altenew Essential Sentiment Strips die set.  I'm entering SSS Monday & TTTC 170 using BD, Flowers, Sequins.

My final card is for the Pinkfresh Studio July Challenge, SSS Monday & The Flower Challenge.  I've been wanting to use PFS Sweet Friend Floral stamp, die & stencils set.  I'd only used a sentiment until now.

Unlike my first time using the PFS butterflies set, this time I remembered to use the stencils before diecutting the panel with all the images!  The inks I used are Lawn Fawn ballet slippers & peach fuzz, Hero Arts Moss, Altenew Fresh Leaf and PTI Bright Buttercup & Harvest Gold.   I used Stampendous Moonstone ep for the flowers & the sentiment. 

PFS Blanket Stitched Rectangle die was embossed into a panel of beige shimmer cardstock.  The sentiment strip & top flowers were attached with foam tape & I added yellow Stickles, a white crochet thread bow & matte pinkish sequins.

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

Couple Cards

I finally got my idea to work for FMS, but just can't get a decent picture.  The embossed panel is hard to see, but is a pretty foliage design.  I borrowed it from one of the gals at the craft retreat.  

Ellen Hutson Hex Frames were die cut from silver cardstock & the solid section was mounted with fun foam.  The little branches are Alexandra Renke Myrtella die cuts covered in the beautiful WOW Sparkles Santorini, Ice Pop & Peachy Keen glitter.  Can't get enough of these glitters!  

The flower is Poppystamps Layered Lovely Flowers covered in the same glitters.  Love the little alpha stickers for a sentiment & finished with a black enamel dot.  I covered white cardstock scraps with double sided adhesive for the glittered die cuts.  Makes adding glitter so easy.

Next is the card I made for DRU & ABNH.  I started with a watercolor panel & brushed on 3 Altenew Metallic Watercolors.  They have a wonderful shimmer in person. 

Hero Arts border die was cut from heavy vellum & Poppystamps Happy Birthday Poe Script from silver glitter tape attached to cardstock.  I added pewter Distress Stain splatters, silver metallic thread & some clear gems. 

Lots of shimmer & sparkle in person.  I'm sending this one for a 1/2 birthday since I forgot to send a card in January 🙁 

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

Christmas in July plus

As you might guess, Christmas in July is one of my favorite themes!  Couldn't wait to make a card for DCD using my new Taylored Expressions Modern Eucalyptus Wreath kit.  I very seldom buy kits, but immediately fell in love with this one.  Couldn't get it out of my mind & it wasn't sold out days later when I checked.  Luckily, I discovered that I could get a good discount using my reward points.  That did it & I'm not at all sorry--haha!  The stencils line up just using the corner of a MISTI.  

I brushed on PTI Ripe Avocado, Simply Chartreuse, Ocean Tides & Pinefeather.  After using the coordinating dies, I decided to add them to the Tim Holtz Funky Wreaths image cut from shiny, silver cardstock.  The berries die from PFS Layered Wreath was used with leftover pieces of cardstock covered with double sided adhesive.  I removed the release paper & dipped them into WOW Peachy Keen Sparkles using tweezers.  Makes adding glitter so easy. 

This Sparkles looks like a mix of pink & silver to me.  At any rate, it is gorgeous with lots of sparkle & I love how it doesn't rub off.  I'll have to try using it with glue & see if it's just as secure.  The sentiment is PFS Classic Holiday Words & the panel is die cut with PFS Blanket Stitched Rectangle.  

I seldom make baby cards, so don't really have stamps & dies designed for them.  But I wanted to welcome a baby boy, so put on my thinking cap.  Decided PTI Spring Rain makes a nice baby blue, so started by embossing a panel with a Tim Holtz faded stars folder.  

I had FMS challenge in mind, so die cut CAS-ual Fridays stars from PTI Blueberry Sky cardstock.  The edges were brushed with a shimmer pen--pretty in person.  Hard coming up with a sentiment, but finally decided on these 2 words from PTI Tiny Tags.  

Color Hues is calling for Red & Blue, so I made red my accent color using Christmas Red Stickles on the little heart & random dots in the background.

I also seldom make wedding cards, but had fun making this simple one for a family member.  

I got as close as I could to the bride's colors of navy, dusty blue & gold.  The hearts are AJVD, the letters are Flourishes & the die cut rectangle is Gina Marie. 

I'm entering SSS Wednesday & WAW.

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