Valentine and Thank You

If only I could wake up from the nightmare of our country's leadership.  Grateful I can focus on making cards to take my mind off it.  Here's the card I made with the 2 solid hearts that came from diecutting Alex Syberia hearts for my last Valentine. 

So glad I thought to dry emboss them with SSS Lush Vines folder.  I didn't have room to die cut SSS Love again from my watercolored panel, so I made one more little piece with Lindy's Magicals Umbrella Drink Pink and Cheerio Cherry.  The hearts in back and the sentiment shadow were covered in Heidi Swapp white Art Print Ink.  It is so beautiful in person.  Check out my IG video which also shows the shimmer of the splattered Magicals.  I used Gina K Master Layouts 2 for the stitched rectangle and the black mat.  I'm entering Color Hues, Inkspirational and SSS Wednesday. 

I've always loved silhouette images and I have quite a few in my stamp collection.  Thanks to a generous gift certificate through WAW, I now have Unity's Serene Silhouettes.  I needed a thank you card and here's what I made.

I blended CN9 Clover and Harbor through The Greetery's Color Spot Stencils.  Then I stamped the tree in Versafine Clair Acorn.  Looked through my thank you sentiments and decided this one by Altenew looked the best.  It was also stamped in the Acorn ink.  I cut a thin mat from brown cardstock and splattered ink from a dark brown Zig.  I added a cardstock layer for just a bit of dimension and it's already in the mail.  I'm entering We Love Stamping.

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

Friendship and a Valentine

It's Case a DT Week at JUGS.  Great variety to choose from, but Lisa's card caught my eye.  When I started making cards (in the dark ages!) there were no dies or embossing folders.  One popular design was to use the same stamp for the background and the focal point.  I like that look, but had forgotten about it.  An image from PTI Butterfly Hope was clear embossed on a stitched rectangle (GKD Master Layouts 2) and then I used the emboss resist technique with Distress Oxide pumice stone.  I colored the card front edges in the same ink.  

Lisa's background is gray and I think of pumice stone as a warm gray.  It's one of my favorite neutrals which I should use more often.  The same butterfly was stamped 3 times in DO kitsch flamingo.  I watered down the ink and brushed over the butterflies to make them a light pink.  Then I sprayed them with Heidi Swapp white Color Shine--so beautiful in person.  Check out my IG video if you want to see it.  I stamped a sentiment from the set in Versafine Clair Nocturne and die cut it with a stitched flag from Master Layouts 2.  It was too long, so I used partial diecutting to get the right size.  I inked the edges of the flag to match.  Absolutely love Hero Arts Transluscent Enamel Dots which I added to the butterfly bodies.  Sending this to a friend who could use some happy mail.  I'm also entering Time Out Challenges Pick Two using Stitch and Layer. 

Next is my entry for Color Hues and Inkspirational.  They're doing a collaboration with both challenges calling for Pink and Red.  I'm all in for this color combo, especially since I'm making Valentines right now.  

I started by spreading Heidi Swapp white Art Screen Ink through the Uniko hearts stencil.  When the hearts were dry, I did a watercolor wash over the entire panel using Lindy's Magicals Umbrella Drink Pink and Cheerio Cherry.  It's so shimmery and pretty in person and you can see it in my IG video.  You might see a bit of gold, but it's just part of one of the Magicals.  Then I used the same Magicals mixed with water to paint alternating stripes of pink and red on a watercolor panel.  After drying it with my heat gun, I used it to die cut Alex Syberia Funky Hearts.  I also die cut white hearts which I colored with Copic R29 so I could attach the watercolored hearts on top slightly skewed.  SSS Love word die was cut from the striped watercolor panel and covered with glaze.  I die cut the shadow from white cardstock and colored it with R29.  Not sure it will be hubby's favorite card, but I really like how it turned out.😊  I'm also entering SSS Wed.

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Woodblock Flowers

Wow--nearly the end of the month!  I did get another card made for Woodblock Wednesday and Stay Crafty with A Blog Named Hero.  

The HA stamp is Garden Flowers Sketch from 2003.  After black embossing it, I ink blended HA Field Green and Moss at the bottom.  Then I watercolored the flowers and leaves with Prima Confections watercolors and splattered black Altenew ink spray.  The panel was attached to a very thin black mat.  The HA sentiment from the 2010 clear set called Leaf Prints was black embossed, cut into a strip and lightly inked in green.  I was inspired by the HA June 2024 Smooth challenge and the May 2023 Dance of the Flowers challenge.  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday.

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Altenew and Taylored Expressions

So grateful for my cardmaking hobby which continues to bring me joy.  Here are 2 of my latest cards.  First is my entry for the Altenew January Inspiration Challenge.  

Decided it was time to use my Craft Your Life: Floral Acanthus products, as it's been awhile.  I used Versafine Clair Nocturn for the one piece stamp.  Then I colored in the images using the stencils with Altenew inks Firebrick, Dusty Pink, Sand Dunes, Honey Drizzle, Maple Yellow and Frayed Leaf, along with PTI Spring Moss and Olive Twist. 

I used the one piece die to cut out all the pieces and played around until I liked the arrangement.  Decided to use Dotted Swirls Debossing cover die for the background because of the needle work inspiration photo. 

As you can see, I did some light blending on the panel edges.  Hugs stamp and die is included in the set.  The lightest Red Jasper Gem Sparkles were the perfect embellishment.  I'm enjoying looking at this card until I decide who to send it to.  

My other card is also made with stencils.  I really love Taylored Expressions Modern Eucalyptus products and have used them quite a bit.  Last time I had my laminator out I foiled quite a few things.  One of them was this Modern Eucalyptus toner card which I foiled in pink.  

Decided it could make a pretty Valentine.  The foiling replaces the first stencil and for the other three I used CN9 Clover, Sea Glass and Aqua Sky.  Debated about adding splatters, but decided to keep it fresh and clean.  Love the old Savvy Stamps woodmounted sentiment and thought the font and size were perfect for this card.  The mat is PTI Smokey Shadow and the gems are from my stash.  I'll have a video showing the shine in my IG feed soon.  I'm entering Just Us Girls Stencil Week.

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

Guest Designer at Penny Black Saturday Challenge

Penny Black was one of the first brands I was introduced to when I started making cards and it quickly became a favorite.  I was on the PBSC DT from Sept. 2014 through 2017 and I'm delighted to be the GD for January's Anything Goes--Optional Something New challenge.  I goofed and didn't email my card to Helen in time for the initial post.  But today we're reminding you that there's still plenty of time to enter the challenge.  Here's my card.

A long time ago I was given PB Graceful Wings die and I'd never used it.  So glad I finally pulled it out, as it's absolutely beautiful!  I die cut it twice from a soft red shimmer envelope and gently lifted the top wings.  For the background, I stamped PB music background and a branch from PB xmas sprig in gray ink on a gray panel.  The sentiment is from PB enamor.

I added the darker gray frame, attached the butterfly and added 3 dark silver gems.  Why not pull out your Penny Black goodies and enter the challenge?  Favorites will be picked and one lucky entrant will win a voucher to 123 Stitch.

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

For once I didn't wait until the end of the month to make my cards for Memory Box Happy Birthday and Poppystamps Midas Touch.  

I had such fun using MB Oval Snowman Collage die for a January BD card.  

A sheet of my new Altenew ombre paper pack made the perfect background.  I just added snow with my fine point white Posca paint marker.  A fine point gray pen was used to go over the lines of his face.  I chose not to add the hat and scarf.  There's a bit of Stickles on the tree branches for sparkle, but I forgot to take a close up before it went in the mail.  I already had the Altenew Essential Sentiment Strips diecut in the package and it was the perfect size and look.  I just used a soft blue cardstock in my stash to mat the focal point and the sentiment.  My friend lives where they get snow, but I think she'll like a snowman card much more than the real thing at this point in her life.😊

I've used my old Poppystamps Massa Leaf Frame die several times, but don't think I ever used the matching branch die that came with it.  Months ago I colored a watercolor panel with green and gold shimmer products to use for diecutting leaves.  It was just the right size to cut enough branches to make my wreath.  

I used a Tim Holtz Funky Wreath diecut as the base.  It worked great to insert the stems into the open spaces.  I previously splattered white and black panels with gold watercolor.  I noticed them as I reached for a white card and loved the look of the leaves on the black.  The PPP bows were die cut from SSS Matte Gold Cardstock and the sentiment from Poppystamps Hope and Thanks was gold embossed.  So glad I still have some old gold Dot Sparklers to use for berries.  You can see the shimmer and sparkle in my IG video.   

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

Birthday Card

When I saw the theme at Time Out Challenges is Beginnings, I immediately thought of my old woodmounted PB sentiment stamp.  And then I thought of the Tim Holtz Rays stencil.  Here's the result.

In case you're wondering, I didn't check out the 2025 challenges before stepping down from the DT.  I first stenciled with Altenew's Maple Yellow and Fresh Lemon.  Then I stamped the sentiment in Versafine Clair Nocturne and die cut the panel with AJVD stitched rectangle.  I used very old PB dies for the balloons which I inked with the same yellows.  No bling or sparkle, so this can be for a guy.  I'm also entering JUGs and SSS Monday (if a new year of life qualifies).

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

Another Quilt for Valentine's Day

After making my red and kraft quilt card, I saw Inkspirational Challenge #332, Pretty Quilt.  I couldn't add my card without exceeding the allowed challenges for SSS Flickr.  Just as well, since it "made" me use my CN9 Poinsettia Quilt Top die for another card!😊 

This time I used pink and aqua Heidi Swapp glitter tape and Bazzill Diamond shimmer cardstock.  The little heart is AJVD and the sentiment is SSS Simple Valentine's Day.  Instead of using the backing die, I fussy cut my quilt and glued it to a white card.  There's a video showing the sparkle and shimmer on my IG post.  

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Red and Kraft

Happy 2025!  I don't play in many color challenges, as having to use 4 or more specified colors usually baffles me.  Luckily, Color Hues is a 2 color challenge and that I can do.  For challenge #101, Sheri chose Red and Kraft, thinking of Valentines.  It just so happens, I'm hoping to mail more Valentines than usual this year.  Really had fun using CN9 Poinsettia Quilt Top die that I bought after seeing my friend, Betty, use it for birthday cards. 

PTI Classic Kraft is my favorite kraft cardstock.  I used a new sheet for the card base, but used snippets for everything else.  The beautiful foiled printed paper is from an American Crafts pad my friend, Cat, gave me long ago.  The red glitter sections were cut from Heidi Swapp glitter tape I've had for years.  I have several rolls of different colors which I attach to lightweight cardstock scraps for easy diecutting.

The sentiment is made with SSS Simple Valentine's Day.  Couldn't bear to cover up more of the quilt, so I didn't use the shadow.  The kraft corner pieces were covered with shimmer and the sentiment with glaze.  You can see the sparkle and shine in my IG post video.  I tied on kraft twine before attaching my quilt diecut.  I'm also entering JUGs and 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.