Card Chain Challenge and Easter

I signed up to send my March CCC card to my friend, Mia.  Knowing it takes a long time for her to get mail from me, I sent it pretty early in the month.  So far, she hasn't gotten it, but hopefully she will soon.  

The card front is cardstock covered with a piece of rice paper from an older SSS kit.  All I did was splatter the beautiful paper with light gold watercolor.  I randomly brushed the Alexandra Renke wreath with the same watercolor.  

The Memory Box word shadow was lightly brushed with Distress Oxide vintage photo.  After I added the cream cardstock letters, I brushed the whole thing with the light gold watercolor.  I'm entering WAW.  

I made a couple of blue and white Easter cards this year.  When I was a kid, navy and white was a popular color combo for Easter.  The first card was made with the reverse piece after I foiled a Unity toner card front with a beautiful blue specialty foil.  It foiled perfectly to a white Poly-Glaze sheet.

I'm entering WAW from another platform.

My other card was made with SSS Cherry Blossom embossing folder.  I simply added a dot of blue Stickles to the center of each flower.  As you've probably noticed, Poppystamps Proper Happy Easter got a lot of use this year!

I'm entering 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.

Easter and Birthday

A friend surprised me with a little gift.  A simple act of kindness in a very unkind world.  

Here's a card using some of my foiled pieces of plain toner paper done with white, fancy pink, fancy green, silver and teal foils. 

I purposely cut a piece of white foil that was big enough for the Poppystamps Nordic Basket die.  It is so neat in person!  The fancy foils used for the eggs from the set have a sparkly pattern.  The little bow is from The Greetery.  The bunny from Poppystamps Nordic Bunny Trio was die cut from Soft Stone cardstock which I covered with matching ink using direct to paper.  I brushed the ears with pink ink and covered the tail with a bit of a cotton ball.  

The tone on tone background was made with PTI Weathervane cardstock, Brilliance Starlite Black ink, which is pearlescent, and Poppystamps Fanciful Flowers stencil set.  I used iridescent paste for the flower centers.  I've gotten a lot of use from Poppystamps Double Stitch Scalloped Rectangle Frames.  This one was die cut from Weathervane, inked with Starlite Black and backed with vellum.  Decided to put the Easter sentiment only on the inside.  I'm entering Poppystamps, DCD and WAW.

I missed the last challenge, but couldn't miss JUGS Word Week Emboss.  Dry emboss is my favorite card element and is the reason I got my first die cutting machine.  I still remember the first time I saw a stamped and colored panel that had been dry embossed.  

For my card I stenciled a panel using SSS Layered Flowers.  I wanted to try Kelly Lunceford's PTI color combo of Aqua Mist, Hibiscus Burst, Pure Poppy, Olive Twist and Ripe Avocado.  My card has a different look because I did the stenciling on a panel of Aqua Mist cardstock rather than white.  Figured I'd turn the panel over if it didn't look good, but I actually love it!  I did add Scarlet Jewel for the layer with the flower centers and added white and green splatters.  Looked through my embossing folders and decided to use SSS Blossom Field because the pattern looks similar to some of the stenciled flowers and leaves.  The addition of that beautiful texture makes a huge difference in person.  

SSS Happy Birthday Brush Script is my favorite BD die.  I cut the shadow from white cardstock and the words from Aqua Mist.  Then I heat embossed it with a clear sparkle powder.  I wanted to leave as much of my panel showing as possible, so I just added 3 vellum blooms die cut with the ones included in SSS Cherry Blossom embossing folder.  Due to mailing costs, I seldom add my beloved pearls to cards, except for the tiny ones I used in the centers.  

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 Christmas

As soon as I saw Stef's inspiration card at Time Out Challenge 308, I thought of Altenew's Pink Star Tulip die, which I haven't used for awhile.  Decided to use the Altenew March Inspiration Challenge colors.  

I inked the bloom with Altenew Baby Pink and Fuchsia and the leaves with Mountain Pine.  The elements of Stef's card that I incorporated in mine are the large floral, dry embossing, splatters, small stamped/die cut sentiment and the mat just at the top and bottom.  Altenew's Deck Planks 3D embossing folder was used with white cardstock and I splattered it with Honey Drizzle ink.  The colored strips for the top and bottom of the card front were inked with Honey Drizzle.  I love shimmer and shine, so before attaching my focal point, I sprayed it with Lindy's Gang Pixie Dust Glitz Spritz.  Oh my goodness--it's so beautiful in the light.  Check out my IG post to see it.  I like using generic sentiments on the front of my cards so I can put whatever I need on the inside.  This one may be a birthday card or even for Easter.  Love the font of this sentiment from Altenew's Morning Glory stamp set.  I haven't been using embellishments much lately, but thought these beautiful iridescent gems were perfect.  They pick up the ink colors and are soft enough not to be distracting.  I'm also entering DCD, as flowers mean Spring to me.

Next is my entry for Christmas Kickstart: Out of the Woods.  During my recent foiling session, I cut a piece of blank toner paper the size needed to die cut my three IO deer.

I used bronze foil and it came out great!  Running everything through my laminator twice seemed to make a difference as the only things that didn't foil perfectly were small toner sentiments.  They never are perfect in my experience.  Anyway, finally got around to die cutting the deer and the shine is so beautiful!  

I used the old MB Garden Birch Landscape stencil, which I love.  The Altenew inks are Caribbean Sky, Persian Blue and Sapphire.  I added small white splatters and spread Snowfall Grit Paste at the bottom.  The sentiment combines the BP word die and W&W stamp.  Peace--what we all need, not just at Christmas.  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.

Birthday and Easter

At a time when the world seems upside down, I was reminded that little moments matter.  A man using a walker was ahead of me as we headed to the post office door.  I got close enough to offer to get the door for him.  But he opened it for me, saying you have your hands full with that purse.  I smiled, said thank you and walked through.  He said thank you for that beautiful smile.  Just a few seconds of positive human contact between strangers.  He brightened my day and hopefully I brightened his.   

I recently watched Erica's video on 3D embossing folders.  Inking the edges of an embossed folder wasn't new to me, but it reminded me to do it.  Here's the masculine Spring birthday card I made. 

I began by diecutting SSS Happy Birthday Brush Script shadow from a panel of Altenew's Forest Glades cardstock.  Then I embossed the panel with SSS Tumbling Leaves.  I inked the edges with Altenew Olive Grove and inked the card front with VersaMagic Niagara Mist.  The words were inked with Olive Grove and double clear embossed.  No sparkle for a guy's card, but cute little Poppystamps butterflies inked to match finish it off.  I'm entering DCD (through Flickr) since green leaves are part of Spring.

Edited to add: Thanks to Julie B's comment, I'm also entering Cardz 4 Guyz for the first time.

I recently pulled out my laminator, foil and toner card fronts to make one for a friend.  While everything was out, I made quite a few panels.  3 years ago I used rainbow foil with Unity Wild Garden toner card front.  This time I used specialty gold foil--really eye-catching!  Check out my IG post.  Decided this was the perfect chance to try ink blending over the foil and I'm hooked!  

I used Altenew Just Green, heavier around the edges.  I added an old SSS frame diecut along with Poppystamps butterflies and Proper Happy Easter inked to match.  Now to make more of my foiled panels into cards!  I'm entering Color Hues and DCD.

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 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.

Time Out Challenge #272

Time Out Challenge #272 is a fun one as we challenge you to be snarky!  Our wonderful sponsor is Funky Fossil.

I wanted to make a birthday card and knew I could print my own sentiment, as I don't have snarky products.  Here's what I came up with.

The candles from Hero Arts May card kit were lined up kinda wonky in my MISTI and repeatedly stamped in Versafine Clair Nocturne.  Then I messily watercolored with Distress Oxides candied apple, spiced marmalade, fossilized amber, lucky clover and prize ribbon.  I used a Quickie Glue Pen and gold foil for the flames.  I tied on white crochet thread and attached the panel to a black mat.  I found a fun font and printed out the sentiment to go above and below my raised panel of candles.  The embellishments are a yellow Hero Arts Translucent Enamel Dot and 2 black Gina K hearts.  All the details and lots of inspiration from our guest designer and my teammates can be found on the blog.

I'm entering SSS Monday and Stay Crafty with A Blog Named Hero.

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

  

Exchange Card and Thanksgiving

My August CCC card went to Tina in Slovenia and I used the friendship theme along with the suggested colors.

Many of you know I love wreaths, so this was really fun for me to make.  The stamps are Altenew Botanical Wreath Builder except for the tiny dots which are from Uniko.  I silver embossed the flower details and used CN9 Grapefruit and Pink Lemonade for the solid flowers.  

The leafy images are stamped in CN9 Sprout.  I silver embossed the sentiment from Altenew Sweet Bouquet and added an extra die cut for dimension.  I used a thin silver mat and put silver Stickles in the flower centers.  I'm going to have lots of fun with this stamp set.

I was unsuccessful trying something new with alcohol inks, so decided to use them on a piece of vellum.  It's easy and no mess.  

The colors are Lettuce, Stream, Ginger and Cranberry.  It just so happens that I have all of those (and a LOT more) of the Adirondack dye ink pads.  Maybe I'll use them next!  Anyway, while there were still sticky spots, I added some gold foil from a scrap on my table.  The leaves were cut with the small die from SSS Etched Laurel Leaves.  

I made a card from PTI Fine Linen and stamped MFT Geometric Grid in Fine Linen ink for a tone on tone background.  There are also gold splatters which show up in the video in my IG post.  The sentiment from SSS Full of Thanks was stamped on an Altenew oval diecut in Versafine Clair Acorn.  I'm entering SSS Flickr.

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