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.  

Catching Up

I've been making cards, but just haven't blogged them.  I'm finally done mailing Christmas cards, so I'll start catching up on blog reading.  Love having my Christmas decorations up with lots of lights.  It's been so dark, I have the lights plugged in all day!  Lots of terrible flooding in the Pacific Northwest, but no problems here.  We are expecting heavy rain this week, so I'm glad our river isn't high before it hits.

Here's a Thanksgiving card I made using PTI Text and Texture Leaves which I don't think I'd ever used. 

I stamped in brown Versafine Clair.  Then I brushed on the colors and finished by restamping in brown.  The sentiment is from the same set.  Really love the PTI frame.

So happy Shery of Stamplorations is able to reopen her shop!  I pulled out my nativity die that I've used many times.  

This year I die cut it from Alex Syberia black glitter cardstock.  I mounted it to the MFT square diecut that I ink blended with Altenew Persian Blue and Sapphire.  The white edge was done with a gel pen.  The background was made by debossing a panel I had lightly inked in blue with SSS Dimensional Stars folder.  Then I brushed more blue ink over the stars and tapped the edges on the ink pad.  Looked through all my Joy to the World sentiments and this one was what I had in mind.  Pretty sure my sister and brother-in-law will love this card.  I'm entering Die Cut Divas through Flickr.

One more card for this post and no surprise, it's another Christmas card. 

I white embossed SSS Poinsettia Background and sprayed with Peppermint Distress Mica Stain, I think.  Forgot to write it down.  I spritzed and brushed the Stain until the panel was completely covered.  The shimmer is gorgeous in person and you can get an idea from my IG post.  Really love this SSS sentiment die I got in January.  The card sat for days--needed something.  Finally I finished it with the tiny poinsettia on sprigs and the PTI sub-sentiment.  I'm entering Die Cut Divas 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.

Merry Christmas Stenciled Card

Quick post so I can enter the last JUGS challenge for 2025--Anything Goes Stencil Week.  Finally sat down and stenciled this fun neighborhood using Altenew Crimson, Minty Mint and Hunter Green inks.

I embossed the snowflakes, star and red tree balls with Sparkle embossing powder.  I used a larger panel for the stenciling, so I could use the corner guides.  Then I got it to A2 size with a die.  The beautiful Birch Press Handwritten Merry Christmas and Outline dies were cut from heavy weight vellum and white cardstock.  I inked the words with Hunter Green, stacked them 2 high and brushed them with a shimmer pen.  Will be fun to see what other color combos I can use.  I'm also entering SSS Monday, SSS Wednesday and WAW.

Edited to add:  Also entering DCD.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.  It may be awhile, as I'm once again behind on reading blogs.

Elf Duties--Reminder Post

I'm back to remind you that there's still time to play along with Jo and me at Christmas Kickstart: Wreath it Up.  The gallery is filling up with such wonderful cards and it's amazing how many have wreaths that are also in my stash!  

My first card was made with stencils, so this time I wanted to use one of my wreath stamps.  I settled on a much loved 2004 Art Impressions woodblock stamp.  Luckily, I still have an old fashioned stamp positioner.  

I started by inking the entire stamp in Altenew Misty Mint.  Then I used a sponge dauber to randomly add Mountain Pine.  I went back and forth until I was happy with the results.  I used an old set of circle dies to cut my wreath, a red cardstock circle and a circle inked in Mountain Pine.  I attached everything to a circle card made with the same die as the green mat.  One of my favorite sentiment stamps is a little 2003 Hero Arts woodblock stamp and it was just the right size for the center of my wreath.  Decided I needed a bow, so die cut 2 old PPP bows from red and white.  They're so thin, I stacked both colors 2 high.  Amazing how much better they looked!  I added Christmas Red Stickles to the berries and the center of the bow.  Be sure to stop by the blog to check out Jo's card and why not join the gallery?!

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

Three Cards

I'm not big on orange, but I do love peach combined with pink.  Color Hues challenge #112 gave me a chance to try it with Cobalt.  Must say, I really like that combo, too! 

I used direct to paper with MFT Peach Bellini and Versafine Clair Blue Belle.  Prima blue watercolor was used for the center rectangle.  I love IO Woodgrain Frame and it was the perfect size for SSS Bright Blossoms diecut.  I stacked the frame 2 high and left the center flat.  The sentiment is from PTI Scripted.  The petals are stacked 2 high and covered with Shimmer Pico Embellisher.  Finished with MB clear Fairy Drops.  You can see the beautiful shimmer and shine in my IG video.  

Next is my entry for Stay Crafty with Hero and Woodblock Wednesday.  I used the words ...in the park... from the HA challenge song along with their 2010 Wild Flowers and 2004 Sketch Butterflies woodmounted stamps.  

The flowers were gold embossed and the butterflies were white embossed.  I used the emboss resist technique with old favorite Brilliance Pearlescent ink pads to represent grass, lake/river and sun.  The flowers have clear dots in their centers and the butterflies have Frosted Lace Stickles.  You can see the shimmer and shine in my IG video.  The mat was also gold embossed.  The little white dots represent Cottonwoods which are abundant in our parks this month.  Decided against a sentiment and will use this for a notecard.  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday.

I've been wanting to make a pastel rainbow card and here's the result using Lawn Fawn ballet slippers and peach fuzz along with Altenew Citrus Burst, Sweet Leaf and Wisteria.

I die cut my panel with PFS Slim Braided Circles and added 2 additional layers to the inside circles before gluing them in place.  Gold splatters are always good, in my book!  PFS Small Butterflies were gold embossed and the bodies were colored with the same inks using the matching stencil.  I gently lifted the wings and added the gold embossed sentiment from Sweet Friend Floral.  I'm entering PFS June Challenge via Flickr.

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 Christmas

I had paint still in my palette from swatching Autumn Leaves set of Lindy's Magicals.  Decided to use it  on a Scrapbook.com Cozy Wreath.  The beautiful shimmer can be seen in my IG post video.  

Tim Holtz Bricked Texture Fade folder was used to emboss a panel of PTI Classic Kraft.  I rubbed over it with Altenew Pink Sand ink cube twice.  It dried very light, but actually does add a bit of shadow to the bricks.  The wreath includes a circle die which I used for the 2 sentiments from a very old PTI set.  I added a couple cardstock layers and inked the edge in Versafine Clair Acorn.  I really like having just a tiny bit of the cream card front show.  I'm entering Inkspirational, SSS Monday and WAW.

Woodblock Wednesday gives me a reason to pull out some of my many woodmounted stamps.  It also means I see if they still stamp well.  If not, I take them off the block and see how they work in my MISTI and toss the ones that are bad.  This time I wanted something that would also work for the Christmas Kickstart Winter Warmers theme.  I was delighted to find that the 2007 Hero Arts Stove-Pipe Snowman stamped perfectly! 

After heat embossing, I used Hero Arts Liquid Metallic watercolors in Red, Green and Blue, Gansai Tambi white metallic watercolor and Distress Oxides vintage photo and spiced marmalade to color the image and make the background light blue.  The shimmer is amazing in the light and you can see it in my IG video.  I used Fairy Hugs Fairy Snowflakes stencil with Brilliance Pearlescent Sky Blue ink for the background and added Baby Blue Stickles to the snowflake centers.  

Love the mixed font of Hero Arts 2007 Traditional Messages set of 3 stamps and they still stamp perfectly.  Really wasn't needed, but I did heat emboss the sentiment to match the snowman.  This was a fun card to make and hopefully will brighten someone's day in December.  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.

Fun Floral Birthday Card

I'm finding that some of my old woodblock stamps no longer can give a good image--no matter how many times I stamp.  But this old Penny Black stamp from 2008 is a keeper!  My tastes in cardmaking have certainly changed over the past 20 plus years, but I still love this playful, unique design.  For one thing, you don't have to be a great colorist to use it.  

I clear embossed after stamping in Versafine Clair Blue Belle.  The centers were colored with Altenew's Persian Blue brush marker and the dots with Maple Yellow.  I have the same colors in ink pads, so I used them to get the matching MFT stitched rectangle mats.  Couldn't help but fill the dots with Yellow Stickles and then decided the centers needed Blue Bayou.  It really makes for a happy, sparkly card in person.  See the video in my IG post.  This Hero Arts sentiment from 2003 is timeless and still stamps great.  I'm entering Woodblock Wednesday (via IG), Color Hues 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.

Easter, Friendship, Christmas

Happy Easter Sunday!  I have a fun bunny card I'll send to someone next year.  

I found the Poppystamps Tunnel Tag with the Serene Rabbit die cut from it in the envelope with the rabbit die.  Martina's IG reel using WOW Sparkles and JUGS Mood Board inspired my turning the tag into a card.  It's a bit of a stretch, but the top middle picture with the 3 pastel cake layers is what I used from the board.

I covered a white scrap with 3 strips of double-sided adhesive.  I exposed the adhesive one strip at a time, covering each with one of these WOW Sparkles: Jade, Peachy Keen and Santorini.  Then I glued the tag over the glittered piece and added a tiny gem colored with a black Copic for the eye.  You can see the sparkle in my IG video.  

I used the next size up tag die to cut the pink cardstock mat and added a crochet thread bow.  The light gray textured cardstock panel was stamped with an allover background stamp using Soft Stone.  I wanted subtle, but would have liked it a bit darker.  The sentiment is an old woodmounted stamp.  I'm also entering The Snippets Playground with white and gray scraps used.

Next is the card I made with my newest Altenew die set called Fresh Flowers.  I really like that it has 2 different styled flowers with none of them being huge.  There's also a leafy branch and individual leaves.  It has the keyhole system, but the pieces are so easy to assemble you really don't need it.  

As you can see, I used the current Color Hues lilac and aqua combo.  The inks are CN9 Lilac, Grape Soda, Aqua Sky and Oceanside plus PTI Soft Stone for the leaves and Versafine Clair Morning Mist for the sentiment.  I'm hoping the darker shades on the edges are allowed.  I made the frame with PFS Nested Elongated Oval Blanket Stitch dies.  The card front and sentiment strip are Soft Stone cardstock.  I added Stickles to the flower centers and finished with tiny lilac and aqua gems from my stash.  You can see the Stickles sparkle in my IG post.  I'm also entering DCD.

Yes, I know it's Spring, but I love making Christmas cards year round.  This card was inspired by Christmas Kickstart and Stay Crafty with a Blog Named Hero. 

HA Paper Layering Poinsettia was die cut from red and green felt with the center cut from CN9 gold glitter cardstock.  The background panel was embossed with SSS Holiday Greenery folder and the raised edges were rubbed with Delicata Golden Glitz.  Birch Press Merry Christmas Vintage Sentiment was die cut from white and the gold glitter cardstock.  The video in my IG post shows the sparkle.  Simple card, but just what I love.  

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