Embossed Felt

I missed most of the challenges I intended to enter this past week, but just had time after work & dinner to make a card for PTI MIM.  The challenge is to use an embossing plate/folder on something other than paper.  I first tried it on cork & it worked, but didn't show up.  Next I decided to see what would happen with felt.  Sure enough--it worked great!  I've committed to SCS CCC to make 1 Christmas card each month, so this will be for May.  I thought this PTI sentiment from Snowflake Flurries was just right to go with a card containing felt.  The embossing folder is Cuttlebug & I got it after Christmas last year so had never used it.  I've also been hoarding the holly leaf trim & it's fun to finally use some.  I smeared on a bit of Stickles for a little sparkle.  Thanks for your sweet comments.  I feel so lucky to be in your circle of blogging friends.

Remembering Mom

I was blessed to grow up with a mom I always knew loved me even when we had our differences.  She's been gone many years & I miss her dearly.  She was very sick at the time my dad took this picture but her attitude was positive & somehow he captured her without the illness showing.  I keep this picture on my mantle (& my dad's is next to her).  We've had such a warm Spring my roses are blooming in time to have them for  Mother's Day.  Wishing all of you a happy day.

Coloring & Stamping on Fabric

I did it--opened my new jar of Gesso & painted it onto a piece of cloth die cut with Spellbinders Reverse Wonky Rectangles.  When it was dry, I covered it with Distress Stains.  It took quite a bit of playing to get a look I thought would work & actually came close to discarding it & starting over.  Once in a great while I do some stitching by hand on a card, but since this was fabric I actually decided to use my sewing machine--another first!  You may not be able to tell, but Penny Black's Lace Flower is randomly stamped with the blue stain.  The sentiment, Penny Black's Beauty, is stamped with Staz On black.  The flowers were so light I wanted a bit more design, so I took the 2 little butterflies from Penny Black's illumination set & stamped them using VersaMagic inks close to the stain colors--now I was getting somewhere!  I made a little tulle rolled flower & attached it to a felt one cut with Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die.  I dabbed stain on the ends of the felt petals & colored a piece of lace with the stain.  To give it body, the fabric is attached to a thin piece of cardboard.  The card front is made with Penny Black's berry wreath inked with the pink stain & spritzed before stamping.  I used a paint brush to add some watered down blue stain & covered it with watered down silver stain which gives a metallic sheen. This doesn't look like a thank you card, but it is.  I'm sending it with a coffee shop gift card to a lovely woman who has been helping us implement an entirely new computer system at work.  She's a supervisor at our company's hospital over an hour away & yet she's come for 5 days & I know her own work is piling up.  I've known her for years but only by phone & I truly count her as a friend now.  I'm adding this card to Penny Black's For Family (or friends) challenge.  I'm always open to suggestions from my talented blogging friends.  I look forward to reading your comments.

LIFE

The Impression Obsession challenge is to make a project showing something you're thankful for.  Of course, that's a long list, but decided this quote (Impression Obsession Follow Your Heart, CL407) sums it up.  In my business I'm constantly reminded of how brief & precious life is--not perfect, but precious.  Since I wanted the quote to be the focus of my card, I used Lisa's design HERE substituting Impression Obsession's Heart Flourish, D2145 for the wreath stamp.  The colors are Navy, pink & plum--pretty together, don't you think?  The words do stamp a little funny, but I tried several times & used Versafine ink--I think it's actually the intended look. The navy borders are made with a Fiskars border punch.  Thanks for stopping by--love hearing what you think.

Another Splash Card

I'm one of those people who love to do Black, White & a splash of  color which is the challenge at PDCC this week. I also wanted to use the sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch! & play along with the Penny Black Blog For Family challenge.  3 in 1 is pretty unusual for me, but this time it worked!  My stamps by Penny Black are chearful & Always My Sister (I only stamped the one word.)  The flower blossom was black embossed, fussy cut & mounted offset to the second image with foam tape.  My magenta splash is done with 2 sizes of gem stickers.  The blossoms are attached to 2 Spellbinder oval die cuts with the word sister stamped on vellum.  The white embossed piece is done with a Cuttlebug folder.  My sister is one of my biggest fans & uses my cards as decoration in her house.  I've never sent her one in these colors & I think she'll like it.  Hope you're all having a great week.  Your support means a lot to me--thank you.
Update:  Just realized this qualifies for Penny Black Saturday Challenge, so will enter that at the last minute.

Blown Ink Design

Dawn's video for this week's PTI MIM looked easy & fun--using a straw to blow liquid ink across paper. First problem is I have only a couple dye ink reinkers, but the video mentions using spray mists--I have a ton of them.  I didn't want to pour the mist, but using the end of the applicator tube only gave me small drops.  The blown effect wasn't what I wanted.  As I was looking through shelves I found my old Marvy Metallics wide-tipped markers that you press the end to get the ink flowing.  Surprisingly they weren't dried up--just took pressing & holding the tips a little longer.  I used 3 colors on some glossy photo paper.  It's a good thing I was sitting down--about passed out from blowing so hard through the straw--LOL!  Reminded me of blowing up balloons as a kid.  Clearly the marker ink is a bit thicker than dye reinkers.  The effort was worth it, though, as I did get some pretty cool metallic designs.  In person they even have some texture.  The sentiment is from PTI Boutique Borders: Birthday.  The embellishment is provided with a felt rose (MFT die) on tulle & a couple stick pins.  Since I used one of the rows (Die, BD, Bling) for the CAS-ual Fridays 100th challenge I'll add my card to that contest, too.

We're having an early summer--my roses have even started blooming & I usually don't have any until after Mother's Day.  Thought I'd share one more rhodie picture.  This is the only bush we bought as the rest are old ones that were here when we moved in.  It's not supposed to have as much sun as it gets where we planted it, but each year it has more blooms & is doing great!  I love the peachy pink & yellow--totally different than my others.  Hope you're having a great weekend no matter what the weather.  Thanks for spending some of your time to stop by my blog.

Gold & Pink

I'm so happy gold is again popular in the world of cardmaking--not just for the holidays.  I've always loved using gold, but lately I've been trying out the new to me combo of gold with pink.  Today's card is for CAS-ual Friday's birthday challenge & is made with Penny Black stamps.  I gold embossed the rose & the distressed edges.   Delicata Golden Glitz is swiped on the sentiment piece (stamped with Versafine Vintage Sepia) & the card edges.  Also thought I'd share a picture of my favorite pink rhododendron.  They're very popular in Oregon & are so beautiful but only for a couple weeks.  Hubby has the chore of taking off the dead blooms & keeps threatening to tear them all out.  He's kidding--I think! Happy Spring--especially to those of you with snow right now!  Maybe you can feel spring looking at the picture until you have it at your house.