Just a Note and Happy Birthday

Squeaking in with a last minute entry for JUGs Photo/Mood Board Challenge.  The first time I looked at it, I thought of pink tissue paper flowers.  

I die cut Poppystamps Layered Pointy Petals using 3 layers of pink tissue paper at once.  Then I pulled apart the layers and glued 2-3 different size flowers together.  Instead of the diecut centers, I used pink transluscent enamel dots.  Couldn't resist the recent 50% off flash sale at The Greetery and picked up 2 dies.  This is my first card using It's a Wrap: Mini Posy Pocket which I die cut from PTI printed paper.  Decided my flowers needed something, so I added Memory Box Garland Greenery die cut from vellum.  The embossed panel is SSS Dibble Tile and the sentiment stamped in Versafine Clair Morning Mist is from PFS Perfect Sentiments.  Glad I had enough Sweet Blush cardstock for the mat, which actually is just a frame.  I cut a smaller rectangle from the center to use for another card.  I'm also entering NBUS.  This is the first outing for the flower wrap, flowers and greenery.

Next is my card for Uniko's 14th BD Celebration.  I admire Beverley's designing skills and ability to run her own company.  And I'm happy to count her as one of my friends.  

I used CN9 inks for the floral image and Versafine Clair Nocturne for the sentiment.  The base stems/leaves layer of Beautiful Blooms III was stamped in Artichoke, the fill-in color in Parsley and the veins in Artichoke.  For the flower and berry I used Pink Lemonade and Dragonfruit.  I wasn't happy with the flower outline and didn't want to start over, so I carefully traced it using a Gelly Roll Clear Star pen.  Thankfully, that gave me a look I liked.  Floral Vines is another Uniko stamp set I really like, but this time I just used the birthday sentiment.  I splattered black ink and added 3 pearly white sequins.  The black dry embossed background was made with  Altenew's Angled Mosaic.  I'm also 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.

Guest Designer at Word Art Wednesday

I'm happy to be guesting at WAW this month. 

I stenciled and stamped The Greetery's Peaceful Olive in Altenew Toasted Mauve, Frayed Leaf, Forest Glades and PTI Plum Pudding.  Had to add some purple splatters!  I used matching cardstock to mat the verse.  Almost left it as was, but decided to add Poppystamps Layered Lovely Flowers die cut from vellum, inked on the back with Plum Pudding and embellished with a tiny gem. 

You can find all the challenge details at Word Art Wednesday.  Hope to see you in 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.

Greta

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.

A Couple Cards

Here's the card I sent to the UK for the November CCC.  I chose the option of making a white on white wreath card.  This was such fun to make, as I do love wreaths!  

I used branch dies from several different sets.  Each type was die cut from a different white paper and one was clear embossed, another was left plain, another had shimmery watercolor added and another had some glitter.  

The bow is Impression Obsession and the sentiment is from Pinkfresh Studio Folk Snowflake.  I used light molding paste and a Magenta brick stencil for the background.  I'm entering SSS Wednesday 

I actually forgot that I bought The Greetery Peaceful Olive stamp/stencils/dies last year.  So glad I finally used these products to make a card.  Luckily, there is an instruction sheet with the stamp set.

You start with the stencils and then stamp the details using the one piece stamp.  The inks for the leaves are Altenew Fresh Leaf, Grass Field and Shadow Creek.  Couldn't get a picture showing the true color of the lightest green.  Trust me, it's not yellow.  The inks for the olives are PTI Autumn Rose and Scarlet Jewel.  I stamped the branch in Altenew Rocky Shore. 

"Wishing You" was stamped in Versafine Clair Acorn and "Peace" was inked with Scarlet Jewel at the bottom, Autumn Rose at the top and was stacked 3 high.  I added soft gold watercolor splatters and carefully drug my brush around the edges of the panel.  The letters were covered with Shimmer Pico Embellisher.  The mat is SSS Matt Champagne metallic cardstock.  I'm entering JUGS and Christmas Kickstart.

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.

Pinkfresh and Hero Arts

Here's my ink blended card for the October Pinkfresh Monthly Challenge.  I used CN9 Peacock, Fig and Sweet Pea inks for my circular blended background. 

PFS Folk Snowflake was stamped in black, but I decided to go for a sparkly snowflake instead.  I stamped again in Versamark and embossed with WOW White Twinkle powder.  The sparkle is just beautiful in person and I like the bit of black showing through.  You can check it out in my IG video.

Love the mixed font sentiments in the set.  I picked this one because it works for any winter occasion.

I love wreaths and the Stay Crafty with A Blog Named Hero challenge gave me a good reason to finally use the old Autumn Wreath set.  I bronze embossed and die cut the wreath.  Then I smooshed with Distress Oxides peeled paint, fossilized amber, crackling campfire and fired brick.  Probably should have done another layer of the colors--next time!  I sprayed Distress Spritz and Distess Mica Stain for some shimmer.

Every Fall I pull out my old Kaleidacolor Autumn Leaves ink pad and brayer the ink for a background.  I added brown splatters which show in my IG video.  

The Greetery diecut bow (from my friend, Rosemary) was embossed with the copper powder, as was the sentiment from another old HA set, Find Joy.  Hero Arts translucent enamel dots are some of my favorite embellishments and I used a green one in the center of the bow.  

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 Sympathy

The Altenew April Inspiration Challenge is about to close.  I've seen a lot of embossed black out cards lately.  Two of the designers are Barbara Tarayao and Karen Dunbrook.  Decided to give the technique a try using Altenew's Floral Acanthus embossing folder. 

I colored the images on the debossed side using a small blending brush and Distress Inks fired brick, dried marigold and weathered wood.  Have to say, I love those colors together!  Then I used my Versafine Clair Nocturne ink pad to cover the panel.  I love how there's a bit of the black on the images that gives them more definition.  Almost forgot the white splatters and they really do step it up. I used black glossy cardstock for the mat and Altenew's Fancy Hello.  Finished with black enamel dots.  Now I'm anxious to try more folders and different color combos.  I'm also entering SSS Wednesday.

I needed 2 sympathy cards for sisters who lost their nephew to colon cancer.  I prefer simple cards to send condolences and usually use nature images.  

My stencils from The Greetery have been waiting to be used and made the perfect background for the silhouette image from The Cat's Pajamas.  The stenciling was done with Brilliance Pearlescent Ice Blue and the silhouette was stamped in PTI Weathervane.  I used Versafine Morning Mist for the sentiment from PTI Wildflower Garden.  I used MFT rectangle dies to cut the Weathervane and white panels.  

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