Happy June!

We used to say the nice weather started after July 4th, but that's sure not true anymore.  It's felt like summer for weeks & we're concerned about wildfires again being a problem.  So much sun has the roses blooming like crazy!

I'm really enjoying the frequent ITP PTI challenges.  Here are a few more cards I've entered.

3D embossing folders are all the rage & I do love them.  I actually got some of the first ones that came out a few years ago by WRMK.  This one is Geometric & makes a beautiful background.  

I was surprised it wasn't overpowering with these small PTI Friendly Flowers die cuts. The sentiment is Wonderful Words: Hello and the inks are Sweet Blush, Pale Peony & Green Parakeet.  I entered the challenge to create a Hello card.

Next is the card I entered for the challenge to make a celebrate card with a blended background.  I used Distress Oxides kitsch flamingo, shaded lilac & salvaged patina--love this combo!  

Framed in Florals was heat embossed with JudiKins Black Diamond powder which has sparkle. The word from Essential Sentiments was black embossed. Shimmer mist & sparkling clear sequins make it definitely a girly card!

My brother in law is recovering from hip replacement surgery & this is the card I made for him using PFS Dainty Blossoms which includes these leafy dies that work great for a guy or a gal.  Since I wanted the die cuts to stay white, I blended the background so it was the darkest behind them.  

Doesn't lucky clover & cracked pistachio look beautiful together?  I really do love blending Distress Oxides!  I splashed some water for texture & added white Pico Embellisher dots.  The sentiment from Altenew Flower Vine was stamped on a strip I die cut with PFS Color Block Stripes.  I'm entering PFS May Challenge & The Snippets Playground since I used white scraps for the die cuts.

My last card is for Stamplorations Spring Fling, Stamplorations Never-ending Anything Goes & WAW.  I've used this design with ink blended stripes, but wanted to see if I could do it with Altenew Watercolor markers.  This is my 3rd attempt, but it was worth it!  I was even able to use the other side of the watercolor panel that was a mess--yay!  

The Stamplorations stamps designed by Deepti are Blossom Sprays 1 and Frames & Flowers.  Everything was black embossed & the panel was die cut with AJVD dotted rectangle.  I added small black splatters & black Pico Embellisher dots. 

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

A Few More Cards

Happy Memorial Day weekend to my US friends.  Giving thanks for the ultimate sacrifice so many have given to keep our country free.  We'll be staying home & probably inside with the air conditioning to keep us cool--if the forecast is right!

Here's a card made with PTI Friendly Flowers.  I've never used the dies without the matching stamps, but I wanted to enter the challenge to create a card with blended flowers.  

Actually, I love how it turned out!  The background Scalloped Stackers: Large die cut is from my friend, Vikki.  The inks are Sweet Blush, Pale Peony, Melon Berry & Spring Moss.  I did use dot stamps from Harvest Berries for the flower centers.  The PTI sentiment die was cut from vellum & Classic Kraft.  I double clear embossed the letters to make them stand out more.  Love the KaiserCraft Chino pearls I've had forever!

Next is the card I made for the challenge to make a friend card with different patterns.  I used some very old 12x12 sheets of MME Wild Asparagus designer paper--so beautiful!  

Feathered Friends 8 is so sweet & easy to assemble.  I did a bit of ink blending on the head & tail. 

The sentiment is from Wildflower Garden & the tag is also PTI.  I stamped leaves from Bold Blooms on the solid panel using Versamark.

I was lucky to win a gift certificate from the new company called Pigment Craft.  Here's my first card made with Frame Builder: Hello stamps/stencils/dies.  

Love how it's open at one end.  I used these inks: PTI Berry Sorbet & Aqua Mist, MFT Peach Bellini & C9 Clover & Grapefruit.  I added a Gina Marie die cut panel & a woodgrain vellum PTI die cut frame to a panel of Soft Stone.  Then I mounted the frame stacked 3 high & embellished with a sparkle pen.  The sentiment from another Pigment stamp set called Cup of Happy was stamped in Versafine Clair Morning Mist & the tiny black hearts are Gina K.

Recently I learned to heat my laminator at least 20 minutes before using it for foiling.  I did have much better results & here's a card I made for May Rudolph Days.  

I used gold foil on a striped Gina K toner sheet for the background.  The MFT poinsettia was die cut from a plain toner sheet & foiled with beautiful red & green Gina K specialty foils.  Wish you could see it in person as it changes in the light.  

The SSS toner sentiment strip is also gold foiled & I used gold sequins to finish it off.  It's not 100% perfect, but I'll still be sending it this year.  I'm also entering The Snippets Playground (red cardstock scraps) & 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.

ITP PTI Challenge Cards

We had fun yesterday with family visiting.  So wonderful to have that freedom with all of us vaccinated.  Here's a picture of one of my favorite roses, Chicago Peace.

ITP PTI has frequent challenges which I love to enter.  Thought I'd catch you up on some cards I haven't posted here.  First is a gratitude card made with the Bold Borders: Foliage die cut which I ink blended with a couple shades of green.  

The blooms are from Gathered Garden & the sentiment is from Counting my Blessings.  

Next is my entry for the challenge to leave the negative pieces in a border die. I colored Bold Borders: Yuletide using a Fantastix tool & Distress Oxides for my messy coloring.  

Then I used a waterbrush & Gansai Tambi Starry Colors Yellow Gold to color the negative areas.  The sentiment that comes with the border die was stacked 3 high & brushed with the gold paint--beautiful shimmer in person.  

I dry embossed the center area behind the sentiment & blended it with DO rustic wilderness.

It was challenging for me to make a layered sympathy card, as I generally make them pretty simple & often one layer.  

I kept my card monochromatic using 2 PTI printed papers a friend gave me along with Fine Linen, Vintage Cream & vellum.  The background panel is die cut with Scalloped Stackers: Small & behind the sentiment is Shape Shifters: Circle 3.  The sentiment from Through the Trees was stamped in Cocoa Bean on vellum backed with a strip of  Vintage Cream & embellished with Garden Gild die cuts & a KaiserCraft Chino pearl which goes perfectly with Fine Linen.  Finished by wrapping twine & tying a bow.   

My final card also uses Bold Borders: Yuletide, but looks entirely different than the card above.  This one is for another challenge to use embossing powder accents.  

I saw the white die cut on my table & thought it'd be fun to just add touches of color with embossing powder.  Worked great to use a Quickie Glue pen, which has a fine tip.  The embossing powders are glittery red & glittery gold.  I tried several card colors, but kept coming back to the white.  

The sentiment was cut from white & gold metallic cardstock with the white used for dimension & the shadow.  I kept the embellishments subtle, using PPP Marshmallow sequins.

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

Christmas and Friendship cards

I'm back sooner than expected to show you a few more cards.  First is a fun Christmas card inspired by the AAA Card Challenge theme to have everything in a 1 inch strip.  I've been wanting to use the Flora & Fauna die set called Festive that I got in the after Christmas close out 2 years ago at a local craft store. 

I scored a 1 inch strip near the bottom of a slightly smaller white card.  The die cuts were colored with Copics B02, G02 & RV21--kinda fun! 

I added dots of Stickles, used a W&W sentiment & added 3 tiny clear gems.  Can't wait to use these cute dies again.  I'm also entering Rudolph Days.

I really enjoyed pulling out Rosie Posie & RP Step 2 for the ITP PTI challenge to add embossing powder accents. 

The stamping was done with Blueberry Sky & Enchanted Evening inks.  Not sure I've ever used all 4 dies in Sentiment Splits: Curve Vertical.  It's designed for the sentiment to go in the curved space, but I think this works, too.  The sentiment is from ITP Effortless Beauties.  

I have 2 drawers of powders, so had plenty of choices.  I noticed one very old jar of sparkly blue powder that appears to be completely full.  It's so beautiful!  Hope you can get an idea from the photo.

I've been wanting to enter the Stamplorations Things with Wings challenge.  Finally, I played around & came up with this card using their Trendy Butterflies stamp set, W&W Rugby Stripe stencil & SSS Painted Hugs die. 

I actually started by making the plaid using Distress Oxides twisted citron & candied apple.  Instead of using a small brush or masking, I used a regular size blending brush to get a sketchy plaid.  Fun to see what a different look you can get by doing that.  I picked the twisted citron because I thought it was a close enough match to some foil I have, but wasn't happy with it.  Since I liked the plaid, I blended some of the ink on a white scrap & used it to die cut the sentiment which is stacked & brushed with a shimmer pen. 

The butterflies were stamped in candied apple & fussy cut.  I brushed them with a shimmer pen--the reason the design is so subdued.  Then I covered them in Nuvo Glaze & added tiny black pearls.  These days I've been making pretty flat cards, but decided the panel really needed to be popped up.  I have a sheet of black fun foam which worked great.  I'm also entering Stamplorations April Stencil challenge, SSS Flickr Challenge 174 & 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.