Uniko, Altenew, Memory Box

Sharing 4 recent cards, so feel free to just scroll down and look at the pictures.  First up is a card that made me sooo happy!  I've struggled to use Uniko's Ink N Flip stencils, but finally made a panel that didn't go in the trash!

The Layering Flower stencil was used with CN9 Aqua Sky, Harbor, Tidepool, Grapefruit and Pink Lemonade.  The sentiment from Simply Said Blocks was stamped in Versafine Morning Mist.  I used 3 clear low profile dots for embellishment.  Please don't buy Ink N Flip stencils from any company but Uniko.  Beverley came up with this concept and designs all her own products.  I'm hoping the American company who plans to offer their version this summer will think better of it.

Next is my entry for Uniko's 12 Days of Christmas Challenge.  I used the branch from Season of Beauty with GKD Wreath Builder Template and tiny berries from Rustic Wreath.  

The inks are Versafine Clair Green Oasis, Grass Green and Strawberry.  The background was made with Heidi Swapp white Art Screen Ink through the Winter Foliage stencil.  Love the beautiful shimmery texture which you can see in my IG video.  

When I saw the colors for Altenew's July Inspiration Challenge are blue, green and beige, I decided to make an anniversary card for my sister and her hubby.  She loves blue and he's fond of green.  

I do love wreaths, including Altenew's Wonderful Wreath stencil.  This time I did 4 layers for the top wreath and 2 for the bottom one.  The Altenew inks are Lime, Limeade and Persian Blue, with Lime also being used for the splatters.  The little flowers from Layered Floral Elements die set were brushed with the blue ink darkest in the centers.  I added Stardust Stickles to the petal tips and the darkest Deep Sea Sapphire Gem Sparkles to the centers.  You can see the sparkle in my IG video.  The sentiments are from Flower Vine.  Really love the look of the beige cardstock panel on the white card.  

My final card is for the July Memory Box Challenge: Summer Vibes.  I used MB Backyard Floral Stems for the focal point along with Friends and Family stamp set for the sentiment.  The vellum butterfly is the smallest one in Birch Press Simple Butterfly Contour Layers. 

I purposely used one of my white cardstocks that give this somewhat textured look when brushed with any inks.  Here I used Distress Oxide Prize Ribbon with the MFT rectangle stencil to represent a summer sky.  Fun to use Altenew Tropical Fiesta Watercolor Brush Markers to color the focal point.  I used 2 greens, red, purple, yellow and orange--summery colors to me.  The sentiment was stamped in Versafine Clair Blue Belle.  I added little blue gems and tiny white pearls.  I'm entering Word Art Wednesday and TTTC274 as my card fits several rows, including Die Cut/Free/Butterfly.

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

More Cards

In case anyone missed Jennifer's video on how to flatten cutting plates, I can tell you it works!  So happy I don't have to spend money on a cutting plate when there are so many fun products I'd rather buy!

Recently Shery, the owner of Stamplorations, told us she's facing a battle with breast cancer.  She has 2 young children which makes this even more heartbreaking.  I feel like I know her, even though we've never met in person.  She was part of the cardmaking blogging world long before she started her company.  Anyway, I feel so helpless, but at least I could send her a card.  

I used Stamplorations die set called Trendy Spring Blooms cut from white scraps & covered in shimmer.  I used a piece of acetate to add the spots of Distress Oxide colors & stamped the words from an old Our Daily Bread Designs set.  Finished off with black splatters & white sequins with a mat of Soft Stone. 

Edited to add: entering Stamplorations Never Ending Challenge.

Next is a bright & cheery mini slimline BD card.  I used SSS Square Dance stencil with Distress Oxides candied apple, abandoned coral, fossilized amber, rustic wilderness, prize ribbon & wilted violet.  

Then I used my revived glitter paste which gives a beautiful sparkle.  I stamped SSS Sketch Ranunculus blooms using 2 inks for each one.  SSS Painted Happy Birthday was die cut from black & white scraps & the top layer is covered with Nuvo Glaze.  

Finished off with white Pico Embellisher dots.  I showed the finished card to hubby & asked if it worked for a guy.  He surprised me & said yes, so it's on the way to a male relative.  I'm entering DCD, SSS Monday & Tic Tac Toe using Rainbow, Free, Stenciling.

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

Couple of Cards

My friend, Betty, designed TTTC 132 board.  I used copper foil for the ThermoWeb Toner Card Front.  I didn't get complete coverage which I find tends to happen with big, solid areas.  

Actually, I like the distressed look.  The Stamp Market Just Vine die was cut from copper & black cardstock.  I stacked the leaves 3 high.  

For the sentiment I stacked the word die from W&W Big, Bold, Seasons 5 high, covered it with Nuvo Glaze & added a black shadow.  The companion words from the same set were white embossed on black cardstock.  Finished off with black enamel dots.  I used the diagonal row of Die Cut, Free (foil), Fall.

Next is the card I made for the Pinkfresh Studio September Challenge.  I had forgotten about the beautiful Lush Vines stamp which I black embossed.  I wanted a look transitioning to Fall, so I loosely colored with Zigs in 2 shades of green & mustard.  

Finally opened my Small Butterflies & gold embossed them.  I picked one & colored it with the same Zigs.  The green butterfly body was covered in gold Stickles.  

The sentiment from Delicate Wreath was stamped on a vellum strip & a black strip was added to the left side of the panel.  I finished off with yellow gems that pick up the colors in the light. 

We finally are getting some much needed rain.  I'm happy to have cooler temperatures.  The roses will soon finish blooming, but this one was so beautiful I snapped a picture before it rained.

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

Fun Day!

Fun time yesterday--met up with my friend, Vikki.  It had been over a year & was just what I needed.  Neither of us thought to get a picture, unfortunately.  Also happy to see one rose bush is in full bloom & there are lots of buds on the others.  

I wasn't sure if I'd have roses this year.  The deer chomped off the tops of the branches before there were many buds.  Luckily, they haven't come back---yet.

At the last minute I got a card made for the April Altenew challenge. 

I used Fantasy Floral & Wild Rose 3D dies watercolored with Prima Marketing Confections.  I just used one color for each bloom & the leaves, but added more pigment for each layer.  The sentiment from Floral Frame was stamped in Versafine Clair Nocturne.  So happy to use some very old Teresa Collins designer paper!

My friend, Betty, created the current board for TTTC112.  It's been awhile since I played there, but couldn't miss this challenge.  I used Heat Embossing, Die Cuts, Circles/Squares.  

Didn't plan it, but ended up using some very old wood mounted circle stamps from Hero Arts & Memory Box.  The inks are Distress Oxides faded jeans & peeled paint.  Since it's an anniversary card, I added some silver splatters.  I was on a roll, so black heat embossed a very old wood mounted sentiment on a circle die cut.  Emboss resist is such a great technique for backgrounds or, in this case, to make the sentiment match.  Fun to use a strip of silver ribbon.

I really love the new DO kitsch flamingo which I used with the beautiful Gina K Stellar Snowflake stencil to enter the May Monthly Mix Challenge.  

The sentiment from Sketched Wreath Builder was stamped in DO candied apple & heat embossed on the Pigment Craft Company stacked cup die cut.  Again I used emboss resist to make the sentiment match.  The card front was also brushed with kitsch flamingo.  I used a shimmer pen on the cup & added white Pico Embellisher dots.  Not sure I've ever used pink & red for a Christmas card, but I like how this turned out.

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

I will visit you.

Fall Colors

Thanks for thinking of us during the awful Oregon wildfires.  The flames are no longer coming our direction for which we are very grateful.  I didn't pack a go bag, but we did discuss how we would leave if it was needed.  Our air quality is terrible, so all I can do is take Fritz into the back yard for a few minutes at a time.  He keeps wanting to go out the other door where we go for walks.  Hopefully by the end of the week we'll get a bit of wind to give us some relief without fanning the fires.  The little town where we used to moor our boat at the lake is devastated along with little towns we drive through to get there.  It's only an hour from our house.  My heart breaks for all the people affected.  The smoke is keeping our temps down, so it feels more like Fall.  Here are a couple cards with Fall colors.

I couldn't resist the Spellbinders Kaleidoscope Plaid dies which I cut from rust, orange & gold cardstock.

The same cardstock was used for the SSS Clustered Leaves.  The sentiment from SSS Warm Wishes was stamped in Versafine Clair Acorn on the Classic Kraft card.  

I'm entering SSS Flickr 158 & Virginia's Show & Share.

The ModSquad Challenge is Step Up Your Stencil.  I pulled out the old HA Checkerboard stencil & sponged DI vintage photo through it on a vanilla card.  

Then I stamped little images from SSS Sketch Ranunculus in PTI Simply Chartreuse, Summer Sunrise & Autumn Rose.  I doodled little lines on some of the squares with a gold pen--kinda fun! 

SSS Autumn Blessings was die cut 3 times from a scrap of brown cardstock & I added gold Pico Embellisher dots.  I'm also entering SSS Flickr & The Snippets Playground.

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

Variety of Cards

It's hard not to talk about the current turmoil.  The two of us have done a lot of listening, thinking & talking.  So easy to not even realize you've been closed to seeing another person's perspective which keeps you from seeing a need for change.  I'll just share a sign seen in Minneapolis during a peaceful protest.

Not all black people are criminals.

Not all white people are racist.

Not all cops are bad.

Ignorance comes in all colors.

Finally I didn't miss the deadline for Tic Tac Toe!  I chose Rainbow, Heart, Stripes.  My striped rainbow background was done with Copics. 

I stacked 3 Impression Obsession Lacy Hearts die cut panels & added Nuvo Crystal Glaze to some of the hearts--faux stained glass, I think it's called.

The SSS Painted Hugs die (one of my most used dies) was stacked 4 high, brushed with shimmer & covered with Nuvo Glaze.  I added the word friend using little alpha stickers attached to cardstock.  I'll mail it Monday.  I'm also entering SSS Monday.

Next is my entry for ITP Project Reach Out: Thinking of You.  I also wanted to enter Splitcoast Stampers MISTI Monday for the first time & the June challenge is to use the color pink.  That caught my eye since pink is my favorite color.

I used the same 3 inks as on another recent card: Berry Sorbet, Pale Peony & Sweet Blush.  For the leaves I used Mint Julep & Vintage Jadeite.  The stamp set is an old one from PTI called Friendly Flowers.  This may be the first time I've used PTI Shape Shifters: Oval 3.  The mat is Sweet Blush cardstock & I added some big glittered adhesive gems to the flower centers.  The PTI Butterfly Hope sentiment was black embossed on vellum & trimmed into a flag.  I'm also entering WAW.

My final card is for ModSquad & Time Out.  I used Distress Markers & a green American Crafts marker to color directly onto the rubber of PB First Waltz that was in my MISTI.

I colored a little at a time, misting the stamp with water before stamping onto the watercolor panel.  I repeated the process over & over until I was happy with the results.  The sentiment from PTI Wildflower Garden was stamped in Versafine Clair Nocturne.  I used a distress tool on the panel edges & then added antique linen & peeled paint DI using a brush.  The pink & green splatters were done with a small, wet brush that picked up the color from the markers scribbled on an acrylic block.

Last year around Easter I mailed 16 cards to family & friends.  This year I'm up to 39 in about a 6 wk time frame.  Postage is getting to be a big budget item--haha!
Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.