Christmas and Birthday

I missed posting my card for last month's Woodblock Wednesday, so had it ready to go for the August challenge.  DeNami was one of the first companies I discovered when I started stamping.  I still have and love many of them, including this one from 1999.  

I stamped in Versafine Clair Green Oasis and PTI Pure Poppy.  Birch Press Handwritten Merry Christmas and Outline was die cut from vellum and cardstock I inked with Pure Poppy.  You can see the green and red Stickles in my IG post.  I love how beautiful elements let you create a simple card that is pretty and festive, but flat for mailing.  

Finally finished my card for the August Stay Crafty with Hero challenge.  I was the lucky winner of May's card kit which has a beautiful cake image.  I've been telling myself to use my Zigs, so gold embossed with HA powder on Bristol paper.  

The images are are pretty small, so not as intimidating for me to color.  I learned from Amy Tsuruta that Zig makes a blender brush.  Oh boy does it work great!  The cake plate was colored with Spellbinders gold pen, although here it looks brown.  I used a gold gel pen to cover the white edges after diecutting.  The kraft mat and card front were splattered with gold watercolor.  

The Gina Marie rectangle diecut was in the bag where I store the ones waiting to be used.  Usually I forget to check it!😊 I found just the sentiment I wanted in the 2011 HA set called Congrats and it stamped perfectly with one try.  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday and Allsorts challenge to include a sentiment, hosted by my friend Brenda.

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

Time Out Challenge #271

Uniko is sponsoring Time Out Challenge #271 with a $25 store credit for the winner.  Our theme is Friendship/Encouragement/Support.  

I probably make more friendship cards than any other type, as I love sending cards to friends around the world.  One of my favorite Uniko stamp sets is Beautiful Blooms III.  I'm not very good at layering sets, but the modern design of this one is pretty forgiving.  

Long ago I loved to enter Play Date Cafe challenges, especially when it was Color Splash.  That meant you had to use black and white with just a splash of another color--sometimes specified and sometimes up to you.  I used Versafine Clair Nocturne, Brilliance Starlite Black and Altenew Velvet.  Just love the classic look!

The square dies are MFT In & Out Stitched Rounded Squares and the sentiment is from Altenew Floral Acanthus.  If you enlarge the picture, you might be able to see that I used a shimmer pen for the little heart.  There's lots of inspiration in the post at Time Out Challenges from our Guest Designer and my teammates, along with all the details. 

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.

Surprise, surprise--Cards with Pink!

Most of you know, I love pink.  So you're probably not surprised that I have 2 cards using pink to show you.  First is my entry for JUGS Stencil Challenge.  Layering stencils have my heart right now, along with ones to use for coloring images.  However, I've been wanting to use my retired Honey Bee Poinsettia Background stencil and thought it'd be perfect for the technique I learned in Jenny Colacicco's 2022 On-line Card Classes video.  

Altenew Rose Quartz and Puffy Heart were pressed through the stencil onto a watercolor panel which was then spritzed with water.  You can always add more ink after it dries, if you don't have the look you want.  Distress Spritz in pink raspberry was sprayed through the stencil for a beautiful shimmery finish!  You can see that and the white splatters in my IG post video.  

Love CN9 poinsettia die cut from vellum and Birch Press Merry Christmas Vintage Sentiment is definitely a favorite!  This time I used vellum for the background layer and white cardstock for the outline, without adding back in the letters.  So many looks from one die set!  I also can't get enough of Hero Arts Transluscent Enamel Dots and I'd love to have every color! 

Next is my second card for the Altenew August Inspiration Challenge.  My first entry used the colors from the graphic and this one is more the colors in the photo.  

I recently got the Delicate Botanicals Ensemble and already used Sweet Bouquet stamp, die and stencils.  Really wanted to make a card using the other products including Botanical Wreath Builder stamp and die set along with Delicate Wreath 3D embossing folder.  I only used a few of the images, so lots more cards to come. 

The inks are Altenew Baby Pink and Fuchsia, CN9 Parsley and Evergreen.  I inked the edges of the debossed panel with white and green.  Then I arranged my blooms and leaves to fit along the left side. 

Decided to use a Copic to color some clear gems as close as I could to the peachy color in the left, bottom corner of the photo.  The sentiment is from Sweet Bouquet.  I'm also entering WAW.  

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

Getting close to the end of August--how did that happen?!  At least I have my cards done for the challenges at Memory Box and Poppystamps. 

I recently saw some Christmas cards with ornaments and that inspired me to use Memory Box 2014 Holly Ornament die set.

I do love cream, green and gold for the holidays and my Memory Box glitter cardstock pack includes the beautiful green I used.  SSS Matte Gold cardstock is a favorite and was just right for this card.  You can see the shine and sparkle in my IG post.  I love Birch Press Design Merry Christmas Vintage Sentiment.  It's a great size and you can get several different looks.  

As you probably know, I love dry embossing.  One of the first 3D folders I got years ago was Tim Holtz Botanical and the design is still one of my favorites.  I rubbed the top edges of the cream embossed panel with a gold ink pad which adds to the elegant look in person.  I'm entering Memory Box Happy Holidays/Winter and WAW.  

Guess I should have posted my Poppystamps Anything Goes entry first since it's for Thanksgiving.  Obviously, I still love a lot of my older products and this card uses Poppystamps 2017 Gentle Leaf Collage die.  

Again I used cream cardstock, but this time I was inspired by Color Hues Orange and Yellow challenge.  First I die cut the leaves and covered the panel with Tim Holtz fossilized amber Distress Spritz.  You can see the shimmer in my IG post.  Then I brushed a slightly smaller panel with Distress Oxides squeezed lemonade and spiced marmalade.  Took awhile as I slowly added the colors until I was happy with how they showed behind the stems and leaves.  I inked the edges of the mat and the card front with the same inks.

The sentiment from SSS Full of Thanks was stamped in spiced marmalade and clear embossed on cream cardstock.  I added a very slightly larger mat inked with spiced marmalade.  The old orange and yellow Hero Arts gems were just right to finish this card.  I'm also entering Color Hues. 

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

Sweet Friend

My long-time sweet friend, Lisa, is hosting the JUGS Challenge 740 with a beautiful summery moodboard.  It inspired me to use the wonderful SSS Dreamy Daisy Layers along with Spellbinders Sweet Honeycomb stencil and Sweet as Honey stamp set.

I began by randomly stenciling with Distress Oxide fossilized amber.  I brushed the edges of the panel with DO squeezed lemonade and then fossilized amber just on the outer edge.  

For the daisies I used 2 sheets of yellow cardstock already cut into.  Usually I off-set the top layer, but this time I lined them up and gently lifted the petals.  The white centers are brushed with shimmer.  

I know we need bees in order to grow food and flowers, but I can't say I'm fond of them.  I picked out the bee image in the stamp set that didn't make me squirm (silly, I know!) and let them peek out from behind the flowers.  Love the font of the sentiment which I heat embossed.  I don't use a lot of yellow, but I do like it for summery cards.  I'm also entering The Snippets Playground.

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

Altenew Floral Birthday Card

One of my favorite products from guest designing for the Altenew April release is Pink Star Tulip layering die set.  I've been wanting to make another card with it and thought it'd be beautiful done with the August Inspiration Challenge colors. 

I die cut everything from white cardstock and then went through my inks to pick out colors as close as possible to the graphic.  

The petals were brushed with Raspberry Sunset, keeping the amount less on every other layer.  I added a very light layer of Cosmic Berry on top to deepen the shade.  For the detail pieces I used Rouge which is a beautiful peachy shade I'm anxious to try with other colors.  The leaves were brushed with PTI Ripe Avocado.  Last time I splattered gold watercolor on a card, I used the leftover paint in my brush to splatter several more panels.  I debated about using a black one, but decided on white since my flower is pretty dark.  Hadn't planned to splatter the flower, but couldn't help myself!  I wanted it to be subtle, so I used Raspberry Sunset ink with a little gold Perfect Pearls mixed in.  Oh boy does that make a beautiful paint!  I plan to use it for coloring a flower or maybe a butterfly.  You can see the shimmer in my IG post video.  

Originally I was going to dry emboss the background, but then I remembered how pretty it is to have a light inking behind a focal point.  I tried it out with Rouge on a scrap and loved the difference it made, so that's what I did.  I wanted something in the flower center, but solid gold dots were too stark.  Luckily, I found these pale gold sparkly ones in my stash.  The gold embossed sentiment is from Altenew's Sweet Bouquet--my latest purchase and a new favorite.  I'm also entering SSS Monday and 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.

Time Out Challenge #270

Hello Friends.  Time Out Challenge #270 is a photo inspiration challenge.  You can use anything in the photo for your project, including images or colors.  Graciellie Design is sponsoring us and will give the winner a $25 store credit.  

Our 45th anniversary is next month, so that's probably why I focused on the white heart dishes.  Perfect inspiration for hubby's card!  

Alex Syberia Quirky Hearts die set worked great for my idea of having a raised edge since the bowls inspired me.  Luckily, this card doesn't have to be mailed as I stacked the hearts 5 high!  The center solid heart was covered in white pigment ink and embossed with WOW Ultra High Clear powder multiple times!  Since I didn't use chipboard, it bent a little and cracked when I tried to make it flat.  But I just kept adding layers of ink and powder until it was repaired.  

The background is Alex Syberia Tiny Hearts Cover Die which I spritzed with Distress Mica Stain Wicked Elixir and Hero Arts Ocean Blue Metallic Spray, since hubby likes blue and green.  SSS Love die set is a favorite and was the right size.  Debated about stamping a subsentiment, but decided to use Memory Box Parker Lower Case Alphabet dies with the same green cardstock I used for love and the mat.  Usually I make hubby's card a couple days before our anniversary, so feels good to have it done in plenty of time.  Plus, I think he will really like this one.  You can find all the challenge details and lots of inspiration from my teammates and our guest designer on the blog.  

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

Pinkfresh Studio

I have such sweet friends and they often share with me.  Luckily, I hadn't used all the PFS Washi diecuts Vikki gave me, since that's the theme for Pinkfresh Studio August Challenge.  

I added a couple cardstock layers behind the Washi bouquet for dimension.  Then I attached a few PFS Dainty Blossoms vellum diecuts.  PFS Braided Tag was die cut from light gray cardstock and splattered with gold watercolor.  The focal point was attached along with a sheer gold bow and the PFS foiled sentiment strips--also from Vikki.  

The Washi is beautiful, as is, but I decided to add gold Stickles to 3 flower centers.  I also splattered the white card front with gold watercolor and added beautiful iridescent gems that pick up all the colors in the light.  I'm also entering WAW and SSS Monday. 

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