Valentine and Christmas Card

Continuing to escape the awful reality of my country's leaders by making and sending cards.  Here's my second Valentine and this time I used AJVD hearts.  

I inked them with Altenew's Rose Quartz, Puffy Heart and Purple Wine.  Love their ink sets, so I don't have to guess about shades that go together.  Couldn't resist brushing the hearts with a shimmer pen--so beautiful in person.  You can see the shimmer in my IG post.  Taylored Expressions Swiss Hearts embossing folder was used for the background.  I inked a gray panel and Alex Syberia Friend diecut with Versafine Clair Morning Mist.

I'm entering WAW.

The JUGS Mood Board challenge inspired me to stamp an Evergreen forest using three Trinity Stamps silhouette trees with Altenew Hunter Green and Fresh Leaf ink pads.  The photo second from the left in the bottom row of the mood board is what caught my eye.    

I spread Tim Holtz Snowfall Grit Paste at the base of the trees and added snow with a white paint pen.  My new Waffle Flower sentiment shadow was die cut from vellum and the words were die cut twice from white cardstock.  Hard to see, but they were layered so that the lighter green is visible on the left side of the letters.  The top layer was covered with glaze. 

I finished the card with a variety of translucent green enamel dots.  A simple card that is just my style! 

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 #256

We're back with a fun photo inspiration for Time Out Challenge #256.  Sarah Gray is a former DT member and the owner of our sponsor, Funky Fossil Design.  All you have to do is make a card inspired by the one Sarah made in the photo below.  In addition to the 25 pound gift certificate to Funky Fossil, the winner gets an invitation to guest design for a future challenge. 

I used a splatters stencil in the background, but mine is coffee splatters instead of paint.  My card is a rectangle, but I basically followed Sarah's layout.  There are lots of ways you can be inspired and I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with in the gallery.  Remember, we only allow cards entered in a total of no more than 5 challenges including ours.

I used Lawn Fawn Manatee ink with Tim Holtz Splatters stencil.  The Stampendous sentiment was stamped in Versafine Clair Nocturne.The stitched rectangle is MFT, the cups are Trinity Stamps (freebie), the snowflake embossing folder is Darice and the little hearts are AJVD.  

I used a detail brush to add white pigment ink to the snowflakes before covering them and the word Friend with Shimmer Pico Embellisher.  Black enamel dots were just the right finishing touch.  I'm sending this card as a Valentine to a blogging friend, wishing we could meet for coffee.

I'm 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.

Couple of Cards

The Caffeinated Christmas Card Snowflake challenge is about to close and I did finally come up with a card.  I messed up stamping the Sweet 'n Sassy Knit Background using white pigment ink on gray cardstock.  Luckily, it was just one spot near the bottom of the panel, so I cut it into a smaller rectangle.  I love the look of wider margins on cards, especially when using smaller images. 

I've had Hero Arts metallic watercolors for a very long time and decided to play around with them.  No luck with trying an artist's technique I saw, so I just painted the red watercolor onto a white scrap.  I'd call it a burgundy red and it has a beautiful shimmer.  My scrap was big enough to die cut Trinity Stamps little cup (a freebie) twice, as well as the Impression Obsession snowflake.  

Luckily there was one edge of the scrap that worked to mat the PTI sentiment.  An old Darice snowflake embossing folder was used for the cups and I added a dot of Shimmer Pico Embellisher to the snowflake centers.  Yay for a nearly flat card ready to mail this Christmas.  I'm also entering Snippets Playground.

Next is a card inspired by a recent one made by my in real life friend, Lin.  She reminded me of the Gina K Video I saved to my favorites two years ago. 

I white embossed a very old wood mounted French script stamp.   It doesn't completely cover the panel, but I actually like the look.   I used Uniko's Flower Power #8 stencil with Distress Oxides Abandoned Coral and Saltwater Taffy.

The sentiment is from Uniko's Simply Said blocks.   Love that enamel dots are flat enough to not need extra postage.   I'm entering Inkspirational and Just Us Girls.

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

January Challenges

Thank you for the well wishes concerning my upcoming surgery.  I'll let you know how I'm doing.  Actually, I'm more concerned about hubby & Fritz adjusting to the changes we're going to live with for awhile--haha!  Seriously, hubby has been wanting me to have the surgery for over a year & Fritz adjusts easily as long as he's with his folks.  

Here are the cards I made for a few more January challenges.  First is my PFS Challenge Review entry.  I chose the August theme of Beautiful Backgrounds so I could use one of my favorite stamps:  Lush Vines.  

I gold embossed it & added a vellum Braided Tag diecut to the center.  I used more of the beautiful PFS Washi diecuts my friend Vikki gave me at our retreat last year.  Really love the font of the sentiment from Sweet Friend Floral.  The thick letters made it perfect for gold embossing multiple times to get a smooth, thick, shiny finish.  

Didn't like any embellishments, so just added yellow Stickles to the flower centers & attached the panel to a black mat.

Next is a simple Valentine using AJVD heart dies taped together & die cut from a red scrap to make outline hearts.  The pretty scalloped, mini slimline frame is from Trinity Stamps.  

I stamped the very old MFT sentiment in Versafine Clair Acorn & clear embossed.  Fun look to have the heart centers filled with Nuvo Glaze.  

I'm entering Die Cut Divas & TTTC192 using Hearts, Free, Shade of Red.  Great TTTC board designed by my good friend, Betty.

And one more Valentine.  Had to use some of the little red hearts left from the previous card.  I noticed cards on Pinterest using scrolls & hearts together, so I pulled out an old MFT scroll die.  This time I went with a red, white & gray color scheme. 

Luckily, I kept my old fashioned stamp positioner which I used to stamp an old favorite Amuse wood mounted sentiment.  Christmas Red Stickles glitter glue was added to the hearts which gives beautiful sparkle & shine in person.  

I added cardstock layers to the gray panel for a bit of dimension, but no extra postage required.  I'm entering JUGs & DCD via Flickr.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  I'll get back to leaving comments on your blogs as soon as I can.

Christmas and Friendship

Finally came up with a card for Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge #7, Stars.  The cute little teacup was a freebie from Trinity Stamps.  

I inked the outline in CN9 Clover & stamped the GKD tiny star in PTI Pure Poppy.  I also inked the pieces in Pure Poppy.  The plaid background was made with Altenew Beach Towel Stripes stencil using the same inks, but kept light.  Looks much better in person than in the pictures. 

The W&W sentiment is black embossed & I randomly stamped the GKD snowflake in Delicata Silvery Shimmer.  I added red & silver Stickles & a silver metallic mat.  I'm also entering DCD.

I made another pink card for SSS Flickr Challenge 201.  SSS Anna's Flowers is one of my favorite sets.  I used Distress Oxide spun sugar & Delicata Silvery Shimmer.  

The dry embossing was done with SSS Square Dance Stencil & what a difference it makes--love it!  Sorry I just couldn't get decent pictures, but it's so pretty in person.  

The sentiment is SSS Painted Hugs stacked 3 high with the bottom layer inked in spun sugar, the middle white cardstock & the top silver metallic cardstock.  The splatters are pewter Distress Stain.  I tied on a white crochet bow & added a silver gem.  
Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  If your blog address is in your profile or comment, I will visit you.

Floral Cards

Love SSS Dreamy Daisy Layers & here's the first card I made which I posted on IG & Flickr.  The coloring was done with a pink Copic, the background is SSS Refracted folder splattered with DO worn lipstick mixed with white metallic watercolor & the sentiment is MB.

I had a leftover pink daisy, so die cut a couple more to color with a blue & a purple Copic.  The bottom layers are covered in Stardust Stickles.  The background is Trinity Stamps Dainty Scallop Edge Mini Slimline diecuts attached to a light gray panel using SSS Micro Dot Sheets.  Such a great way to add adhesive to intricate diecuts! 

The other adhesive dot sheets I bought a few years ago are so strong they tear delicate diecuts.  The SSS dots are repositionable at first, so I was able to move the diecuts around until they were straight.  I'm definitely going to always have these sheets on hand!  

I added some of the small daisy top layers diecut from vellum, along with sparkling sequins.  The sentiment is from the Altenew Essential Sentiment Strips die set.  I'm entering SSS Monday & TTTC 170 using BD, Flowers, Sequins.

My final card is for the Pinkfresh Studio July Challenge, SSS Monday & The Flower Challenge.  I've been wanting to use PFS Sweet Friend Floral stamp, die & stencils set.  I'd only used a sentiment until now.

Unlike my first time using the PFS butterflies set, this time I remembered to use the stencils before diecutting the panel with all the images!  The inks I used are Lawn Fawn ballet slippers & peach fuzz, Hero Arts Moss, Altenew Fresh Leaf and PTI Bright Buttercup & Harvest Gold.   I used Stampendous Moonstone ep for the flowers & the sentiment. 

PFS Blanket Stitched Rectangle die was embossed into a panel of beige shimmer cardstock.  The sentiment strip & top flowers were attached with foam tape & I added yellow Stickles, a white crochet thread bow & matte pinkish sequins.

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