Friendship, Birthday and Christmas

We've been fortunate not to have any wildfires close to us.  So heartbreaking to see the destruction.  The smoke did finally make our air unhealthy the last few days and it's been too hot for me.  Fritz doesn't understand why I won't let him lay on the deck like usual.  I also had a sick day and haven't been motivated to blog.  But today I feel better, so here are a couple cards on my way to catching up.

First is the card I sent to Julia for the CCC July exchange.  I used the beautiful color combo of kraft, pink and gold.

SSS Leaf Tumble embossing folder was used with gold metallic cardstock.  It really gives a beautiful result and I've never had issues with cracking.  The flowers are a set from Pigment Craft Co that I've hardly used.  I stamped in Brilliance Pearlescent Brown and added gold Stickles to the centers.  You can see the beautiful sparkle in my IG post.  The sentiment is from Alex Syberia and I can't remember which branches I used.  The tiny pink butterfly is Poppystamps.

Next is a winter birthday card using 2 Waffle Flower dies for the first time:  Frosty Texture and Small Snowflake.  

I inked the snowflake with Altenew Volcano Lake which is a close match to the beautiful teal glitter tape I've had for years.  I attached the tape to cardstock and then die cut the dots and Altenew Essential Sentiment Strip Happy Birthday.  I usually think of navy blue for snowflakes, but really like the soft, pretty look of the teal.  These products will be great for Christmas cards, but I enjoyed making a birthday card first.  I'm entering SSS Monday via IG, SSS Wednesday, NBUS and DCD.

Here's the last card I made for Christmas in July.  Didn't get nearly enough done, so I'm also planning to do Christmas in August.😀 Actually, I usually make Christmas cards every month, as they're my favorites. 

This one uses the wonderful CN9 Boughs and Holly stencil pack.  The inks are Altenew Firefly, Grass Field, Cherry Sweet and Coral Red.  I inked the branches from a CN9 die set to match and added red and green splatters.  Waffle Flower Cardinal Duo diecut was colored using the matching stencil with Altenew Rhodolite, Cherry Sweet, Coral Red, black and PTI Honey Nut and Weathervane.  I used a glue pen to add touches of fine glitter to the bird, berries and branches.  You can see the sparkle in my IG post.  Birch Press Vintage Sentiment letters were stacked 2 high and inked with Cherry Sweet before being glued in place on the vellum shadow.

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

Altenew and Waffle Flower

Pinks, green and metallics are in the photo for the July Altenew Monthly Challenge.  I've been wanting to use Altenew's Plants & Vases stamp/die set again and I love metallic vases.  

Decided to use the light pink for my background.  I cut a panel of Bristol paper and ink blended Altenew Rose Quartz in the center.  It's hard to see in the photo, but is very obvious in person.  The vases were embossed with a mix of Gold and Moonstone powders to look more like those in the photo.  I used CN9 Sweet Pea and Altenew Firefly and Grass Field to stamp the branches.  The sentiment from the set was stamped in Versafine Clair Acorn.  Decided on a strip embossed with Altenew Angled Mosaic folder to ground the vases.  I didn't want it stark white, so I lightly brushed the raised areas with Distress Oxide Antique Linen.  I did the same for the sentiment to make it match.  The thin mat was embossed with the same powders.  The background looked too plain, so I added Antique Linen splatters.  Made a big difference in person.  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday.

My niece just got a new job, so wanted to surprise her with a card.  I was also debating about what to make for Color Hues Black and Red Challenge.  Since my niece likes red, her card works for the challenge.

I finally got some Waffle Flower Postage Collage products after Christmas and the only card I've made was a Valentine using the Rose stencil.  Now I've also used the Wild Flower Silhouettes stamp set and I love it!  I first die cut the panel from Bristol paper.  Luckily, a piece with a goof on one side was just the right size.  With the stencil in place, I blended Altenew Cherry Sweet and Coral Red--2 of my new red inks.  It did take me quite awhile to decide which images to stamp in which openings, but finally I had stamps in place in my MISTI.  Then came the scary part--stamping in Versafine Clair Nocturne!  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the images stamped great--right up to the edge of the stencil.  I removed the stamps and added others to fill in where I thought it was needed.  The tiny butterflies and dragonfly were stamped after I removed the stencil to allow some of them to stamp outside the openings.  Really happy with how it turned out and decided to leave it alone--no splatters or glitter.  PFS Perfect Sentiments Congrats! was the perfect size and I love the font.  Hard to see, but I added one tiny Poppystamps butterfly with a red gem just above the letter C.  I'm also entering JUGS Stencil Week, WAW and Time Out. 

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

Blue for Christmas and a Birthday

Just realized I never posted my entry for Color Hues Cream and Gold challenge.  You can see it on IG here.  Before that happens again, decided to blog the cards I've made for some challenges.

First is my entry for Poppystamps July Things with Wings and DCD Christmas in July.

I used Altenew inks Arctic, Persian Blue and Sapphire to color Poppystamps Nordic Doves--a gift from a friend.  The top row of holes was colored with a silver glitter pen and I used a white gel pen to highlight the eyes and tail.  The word die is BPD Confection Script, the stamped words are from W&W and the embossed panel is SSS Holiday Greenery.  My IG post has a video showing the Lindy's Gang Fairy Fluff Glitz Spritz I used on the embossed panel.

Next is my entry for the Pinkfresh July Challenge and SSS Wednesday.  This card was mailed to a sweet lady turning 100.  I made the flowers blue, since it's one of her favorite colors. 

I stamped PFS Botanical Bunch in Versafine Clair Morning Mist and used PTI inks Spring Rain, Blueberry Sky, Enchanted Evening, Mint Julep and Vintage Jadeite through the matching stencils.  Blue Bayoou Stickles add a bit of sparkle to the flower centers.  You can see the sparkle in my IG post.  The sentiment is from PFS Perfect Sentiments and I used PFS Diagonal Stitch Rectangle to die cut the panel.  A few white sequins were added for subtle embellishment.  I really love stamps with matching stencils.

The people in power here and their actions continue to horrify and depress me.  Crafting is an escape I am very thankful for.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Friendship and Christmas

I'm behind on blog posts, so here are 3 recent cards I posted on IG.

First is my entry for Altenew's June Inspiration Challenge.  My last Altenew order included Chateau Blooms stencils, so it was an easy decision to use them for my entry.  

The Altenew inks are Coral Berry, Coral Red, Wisteria, Ultraviolet, Lime and Fresh Leaf.  I embossed the panel with Altenew's Angled Mosaic folder which gives such a great look in real life.  Couldn't resist adding shimmer to the panel with Lindy's Gang Fairy Fluff spray.  You can see it in my IG video.  The old Altenew Fancy Hello die is still a favorite.  I used glossy black cardstock for both the word and the mat.

   

Next is my entry for Christmas Kickstart Snow Day Challenge. My wintry little Christmas card scene is made with Poppystamps Sloping Hillside die embossed with a mix of white and white plus glitter powders. The glittery one didn't have enough white and it worked great just to mix the 2 powders.

I was careful not to ink the trees so I could color them green with a Copic.  Then I used a Versamark marker to add dots for snow that I embossed with the same powder mix.  The card edges were also embossed.  I ink blended the background with CN9 Blueberry and Midnight and inked the mat to match.  Held my breath and drew the birds with a black fine-line pen.  Happily, they came out OK.  So happy I talked myself into getting Birch Press Peace, Love, Joy Confection Script die set during one of the sales.  I blended the inks using Blueberry on the bottom and Midnight on the top.  I'm also entering WAW.

My final card is another one for the Pinkfresh June Challenge.  The first card I made used the second panel I made with Pinkfresh Botanical Bunch.  For that card I started by silver embossing the stamped image.  But for my first try, I white embossed and then stenciled with VersaMagic Pink Petunia and Turquoise Gem.

I didn't think my stenciling was perfect and I smeared ink in a couple places, so I set it aside and made the other panel.  But I kept the first panel on my table.  The other day I realized the smears were near the edge, so I used PFS Elongated Oval Blanket Stitch die to get a useable panel.  I added Stickles to the flower centers.  I used a larger die to make the double thick frame.  The background was inked with Pink Petunia and the sentiment from PFS Perfect Sentiments was stamped in Turquoise Gem.  PFS Small Butterflies one piece stamp was white embossed and colored with the same inks using the matching stencils.  Fun to get a different look, even though the stamp set and inks are the same.  I'm also entering DCD, WAW and SSS Wednesday.

Edited to add:  Thanks to Lisa, I'm also entering JUGS since there are pink flowers in the mood board.

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

Birthday and Friendship Cards

We're very grateful puppydog Fritz is improving.  He can't walk without one of us holding onto his leash since he still frequently looses his balance.  But instead of every other step, now it tends to be when he turns fast, turns his head fast, shakes or is sleepy.  Hoping he can soon be on his own.  Just have to take it a day at a time.  

Luckily, I stenciled this birthday card weeks ago and hadn't posted it yet.

The stencils are HA Autumn Splendor and the inks are Altenew Moonlit Twilight--4 shades of purple.  I love being able to use products for any season, just by changing the colors.  The panel was embossed with SSS Refracted 3D folder.  PTI Love to Layer: Soft Ridges was die cut from vellum.  It covered up my imperfect stenciling and kept SSS Stitching Butterflies and Happy Birthday Brush Script from getting lost in the background.  I added shimmer to the sentiment and attached a few matching enamel dots.  There's a short IG video HERE.  I'm entering JUGS and SSS Wednesday.

Here's the first card I've made since Fritz got sick.  Finally, I felt relaxed enough to think about what to do for the PFS May Challenge and hubby offered to be on "dog duty" so I could work without interruptions.  I knew I had to keep it simple, so I pulled out my old favorite Delicate Wreath stamp set.  

I first inked it in Versafine Clair Grass Green.  In order to add variations in color, I added Versafine Clair Green Oasis by getting the ink on a finger cot and tapping it onto areas of the stamp before restamping.  Worked great--no harsh lines.  Then I did the same thing to add some Versafine Clair Blue Belle.  Using 3 colors really does make a difference in real life. 

I die cut the panel with the largest PFS Nested Diagonal Stitch Square and matted it with silver metallic cardstock.  The sentiment from the stamp set was silver embossed.  I added silver splatters and clear gems.

Great timing for my laptop to give up the ghost.  The PC is in another room where I can't keep track of Fritz.  Hubby watches him so I can have a few minutes to do things I just can't manage on my phone.  I'm getting better at blog reading and leaving comments, so I'll visit you as I can.  Your positive thoughts and well wishes are so appreciated.  

Spring Cards

I love the color combo of pink and green, so definitely had to make a card for the May Altenew Inspiration Challenge.

It's been awhile since I made a card with Altenew's Climber Flowers die set.  It's not one of the newer keyhole designs, but the diecuts are fairly easy to put together by looking at the guide.  

I brushed the white diecut flowers with PTI Raspberry Fizz and the white leaves with Altenew Frayed Leaf and Lime inks.  I dabbed the flower centers with ink left in a brush for yellow inks.  Before gluing the pieces together, I splattered them with Altenew's gold metallic watercolor.  I dry embossed a 4x5 1/4 white panel using Altenew's Playful Leaves 3D folder and attached it to a white card.  Then I tried several layouts and decided on this one.  Using the slightly smaller background panel let me arrange the focal point going over the edge, but still inside the card edges.  I seldom put sentiments near the top of  a card, but really liked the look for this one.  So glad I have Altenew's Essential Sentiment Strips die set.  It gives me a die cut option that's smaller than most of my others and was just what I wanted for this card.  I die cut the birthday sentiment from white and gold cardstocks.  The gold frame competed with the flowers, so I used the white frame and inserted the gold letters.  Finished off with gold sequins.  I'm also entering Just Us Girls, DCD, TTTC (Floral/Free/White) and WAW.

Stamplorations is having a Spring Fling Linky Party and the May ATG Challenge, which can be combined.  Here's the card I made using Stamplorations Blossom Sprays #1 and Bloomfully: Thankful stamp sets. 

I began by ink blending a panel of Bristol paper with Lawn Fawn Ballet Slippers and Peach Fuzz plus PTI Lemon Tart.  I hadn't blended a panel like that for awhile and had forgotten how much I like the look.  After it was dry, I white embossed the floral image using my MISTI.  That let me just turn the panel to get the same stamping in each corner.  I used a shimmer pen to "color" just the blooms--so pretty in the light.  

The sentiment was white embossed on a vellum strip which I wrapped around the panel and attached in the back.  I came across these sweet little floral gem stickers given to me a long time ago.  The colors included the 3 I used and they were just what I wanted for a little embellishment.  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.