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.

Christmas Cards

I always love making Christmas cards and that goes for this year, too.  Here are some of my latest cards.

I used my BD discount in February to get Starry Arches from Simply Graphic.  Cecile Ribon always inspires me and I had seen a few cards she made with it.  The first card I made used the negative die cut along with the little birds from Poppystamps Nordic Majestic Bloom.    

I covered the wings with shimmer and used a fine line gray pen for the eyes.  A couple little branches also die cut from white scraps were placed under the birds.  Starry Arches was die cut from the inside of a Mama Elephant frame diecut.  The panel is backed with silver metallic cardstock and the Winnie and Walter sentiment is stamped in Versafine Clair Morning Mist. 

Finished off with white crochet thread tied across the card top, inspired by my friend, Stella.  I'm entering AAA Cards and SSS Wednesday.

Here's the card I made with the positive Starry Arches diecut which I glued to a small red panel.  The trees from CN9 and SSS were die cut from Memory Box green glitter cardstock.  

The sentiment from The Greetery's Peaceful Olive hadn't been used until now, as I got it after last year's cards were done.  The red ink is PTI's Pure Poppy and the green is Versafine Clair Green Oasis.  

I used scraps, except for the card base, so I'm entering The Snippets Playground.  

Apparently, I'm on a red, green and white kick!  Here's my card for Woodblock Wednesday using Penny Black's 2013 Christmas Reds & Greens and an old Impression Obsession sentiment.

I stamped in Versafine Clair Green Oasis and then went over the berries with a red pen followed by Christmas Red Stickles.  The little bow is from an old Pretty Pink Posh die set and the dotted rectangle is from AJVD.  

I love the fresh, classic look and didn't even add splatters this time!  I'm also entering PBSC.

One more card using the same color scheme.  This one is for Stay Crafty with a Blog Named Hero.  The challenge theme is to make a card to send to a family member.  My card is for my late cousin's wife. 

She likes traditional holiday colors and has several Christmas trees in her house.  I die cut the tree from an older Hero Arts card kit, colored the star with a gold shimmery gel pen and covered the embossed dots with Christmas Red Stickles.  I stacked the tree 3 high and glued it to the SSS Frames diecut.  I cut it from red and from white so I could have a thin white frame around the red. 

Luckily, I had enough of the green cardstock scrap I used for the tree to cut a small rectangle.  The sentiment from an old HA set called Christmas Messages was stamped in PTI Pure Poppy.  I photographed this card on a plate we received years ago filled with homemade Christmas cookies made by my cousin's wife.  

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 #266

We have a great photo to inspire your creations for Time Out Challenge #266 which is sponsored by Lawn Fawn.  I've always enjoyed seeing the lighthouses along our state's coastline.  However, I only have one lighthouse product for cardmaking and almost didn't have that!  I gave Memory Box 2017 Oceanside Lighthouse and Waves die set to a friend several years ago.  Luckily, I made some diecuts for myself first and I've finally used some of them.

I seldom attempt to make scenes and thought keeping it small would be less intimidating.  Plus, I really like windows on cards and wanted to use MFT Peek-a-Boo die which I've neglected.  I used Distress Oxides pumice stone, broken china, faded jeans, speckled egg, abandoned coral, picked raspberry and a tiny bit of fossilized amber for the background.  I added Nuvo Crystal Glaze over the yellow Copic for the windows and the detail wave is covered with Frosted Lace Stickles. 

PTI Scripted's little companion sentiments are some of my most used.  No embellishments, as this is for a male relative's summer birthday.  

Hope you check out all the challenge details, including a larger version of the photo inspiration.  You'll also find lots of inspiration from my teammates and our guest designer.  

I'm entering AAA Cards and Allsorts.  It's been ages since I joined these 2 challenges and am happy to be able to with this card.

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 #264

We challenge you to be...Magical for Time Out Challenge #264.  Our wonderful sponsor, Picket Fence, is giving the winner a $25 gift card.  That person also gets a chance to guest design for a future challenge.  

My stash does not include fairies, mermaids or gnomes.  But it dawned on me that I do have a darling old Hero Arts deer stamp.  If you know me, you know I love to make Christmas cards, so here's Rudolph!  Actually, he might be Rudolph's sister with those beautiful antlers and long eyelashes--haha!

Anyway, I had such fun making this card.  I seldom color, but did my best using Copics E53 and E35.  I purposely tried to give some texture to indicate fur, which you can see if you use your imagination!  I added tiny clear gems and Christmas Red Stickles.  

Haven't used Spellbinders Big Scalloped Rectangles Large in years, but I'm moving them to the front of my old dies.  Really love the look.  I found the perfect sentiment in Winnie and Walter's Yetitide Greetings.  Be sure to check out the blog to see all the inspiration from my teammates and our guest designer.  I'm 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.

Time Out Challenges Reminder

You still have time to enter the NEW challenge at Time Out.  

I made a very CAS card using my newest Gina K stamp set, Autumn Wreath Builder.  Gina K is sponsoring the challenge and the winner also gets an invitation to guest design with us.  

Instead of a wreath, I stamped three of the foliage images over the area I masked and ink blended with Pigment Craft Co Aloe and Balsam. 

I splattered the Balsam ink before removing the masking tape & stamping the old Hero Arts sentiment from Leaf Prints.  

Be sure to check out How to Play in the sidebar of the Time Out Challenges blog.  I was inspired by the sketch at AAA Cards Challenge, so will enter the gallery.

Thank you for all the sweet comments about my joining the Time Out DT.  Hope 2024 is starting out good for you.

My Monthly Blog Post

Boy have I gotten lazy--haha!  Didn't even realize it's been over a month since I posted here.  I have been making cards & they're on IG.  My shoulder no longer interferes with cardmaking or doing my hair--yay!  My home exercises & therapy sessions do take up a fair amount of time.  Hopefully it will be worth my efforts.  Strength & range of motion have a long way to go, but pain is not an issue.

I had fun making a Halloween card with Poppystamps Whittle Flamingo.  They're trick or treating in orange & purple costumes--haha! 

I've had the DCWV foil paper pad a long time.  The shine is really pretty in person.  

Memory Box Parker Lowercase Alphabet letters were die cut from MB black glossy cardstock & stacked 2 high.  Good to use some more of my old Echo Park Halloween paper pad.  I'm entering Poppystamps Get Your Boo On challenge.

Next is my entry for Pinkfresh October Ombre or Tone on Tone challenge.  I stamped on kraft to make the card have more of a Fall feel to it & stamped in multiple green Distress Oxides.  

It looks much prettier in person than in the pictures.  One of my favorite uses of the MISTI is to use multiple colors one at a time on an image like the PFS Delicate Wreath.  

I added brown splatters, stamped the sentiment from the same set in Versafine Clair Pinecone & added a mix of green sequins.  I'll use this as a Thanksgiving card for a friend.

So fun to pull out Hero Arts 2005 solid & outline Watercolor Holly stamps.  Good thing I kept my old stamp positioner tool for woodblock stamps.  The inks are CN9 Clover, Evergreen, Poppy & Cranberry.  I tried to leave the white space, but splatters won out--haha! 

The very old PrintWorks sentiment was stamped in Evergreen.  Card could have been done, but decided it'd be fun to add The Stamp Market Holly & Berries.

Luckily, I had red & green cardstock in my stash that matched the inks.  Love Christmas Red Stickles which I added to the berries.  I'm entering ABNH, Rudolph Days & Woodblock Wednesday.  

My final card is for Die Cut Divas & Memory Box.  I got MB Layered Narrow Pines too late to use for last years cards.  I die cut the full tree in DCWV green foil cardstock & the top layer in light green glitter tape I've had forever.  

I wasn't sure about using foil & glitter together like this, but oh boy do I love it!  Hard to tell, but the trees are attached to a MB woodgrain panel.  

I carefully used my MISTI & was able to stamp the old HA sentiment in Versafine Clair Pinecone, even with the cardstock texture.  

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  My goal is to begin again visiting blogs & leaving comments starting in November.