Using Old Stamps

The sun came out yesterday afternoon, so it was another leaf raking day for hubby & me while Fritz enjoyed a sunbath on the deck.  

Some of you wanted to see my pink & purple outfit, so here you go--not exactly a glamour shot, but they are some of my old, well-loved Nordstrom casual wear. Today was cold & damp--switched to my fleece jacket instead of a sweatshirt for walking Fritz.

Last night I finally sat down to make my card for One Layer Simplicity.  As soon as I saw the theme was Peace Be With You I thought of my old (2003) Penny Black stamp The Sound of Snow.  My first plan didn't work--turned out all it needed was to be stamped & spritzed with Perfect Pearls!  I used Versafine Majestic Blue & added the silver embossed word from Hero Arts set Happy Holly Days.  Wish I had better photography skills--this is one of my all-time favorite cards even though I basically did nothing! Hubby likes it so much I'm making them for his cousins using a variety of Versafine inks. I'm also entering Penny Black & More. 

I also got another tag made.  As soon as I saw Marybeth's Nativity tag on Day 12 of The 25 Days of Christmas Tags, I thought of my 1998 DeNami Manger stamp.  My Spellbinder dies are often neglected now, but thought the Lacy Squares was perfect for my tag.  Decided to also add the little Noel which is one of my newest DeNami stamps, Christmas Greetings. I stamped in Versafine Onyx Black & then used my fine point applicator to cover it with Diamond Glaze.  A bit of Stickles was added to the dots & I tied on a pretty sheer white ribbon.  

This one will probably also end up on a card taking center stage.  I'm also entering Stamping Sensations. Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.

Christmas & Friendship

Tracey's Tag

I love Tracey's tag on day 8 of The 25 Days of Christmas Tags.  I used an old Hero Arts set for the ornament (AR189) & one I just won for the branch & sentiment (CL998). The inks are VersaMagic Sage & Aegean Blue with Versafine Vintage Sepia for the sentiment. The tag is made with AJVD Polka Dot Rectangle Backdrop Die.  
I sprayed the tag with Perfect Pearls, tied on a twine bow & added a clear PPP dot. 
Edited to add: I'm also entering the tag challenge at DRU. 
Edited to add: I'm also entering Holiday TAGplorations at Stamplorations.

This beautiful color combo also happens to be the current challenge at CCCB.  Since I need Christmas cards more than tags, I added fun foam to the back of my tag & attached it to a card made from a larger die in the set. Think I might actually make a couple more of these--pretty quick & love the soft, peaceful look. I also entered ABNH.
Edited to add: entering a2z Scrapbooking.

Next is my card for PTI Create Along with Us.  It's always hard to pick one DT project for inspiration.  One that immediately caught my eye was Nichole's using a word die cut negative backed with a Copic colored background.  

My version uses a die & stamp from PTI Counting my Blessings which I've had for 2 years. I also added some splatters of Distress Stain Tarnished Brass & twine tied in a bow. The panel was mounted with fun foam to a kraft card. I'm also entering HLS Anything Goes with Dies & Retro Rubber.
Edited to add: Also entering Stamplorations Giving Thanks Blog Hop.

Wishing You Bountiful Blessings

Quick post for my last minute entry into the Impression Obsession challenge--Thanksgiving Wishes! I stamped Impression Obsession Berry Sprig (D8766) on kraft with Memento Pistachio. Then the panel was heavily spritzed with gold Perfect Pearls. The IO sentiment, Blessings (B8182) & all the edges were gold embossed. Very simple card & easy to mail.  Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  I'm also entering AAA Cards,  The Playground, SSS Monday, SSS Wednesday. 

JOY

Major computer problem this morning, but hopefully resolved & worth the cost of fixing it.  So scary thinking about the consequences of stolen personal info.  

On a happier note, I did make another Christmas card last night.  The MFT Color Challenge is so beautiful & I wanted to use my  recently acquired MFT High Rise alphabet dies. The die cut negatives are backed with a striped paper & spritzed with Perfect Pearls before being mounted to a dark red scrap.  Two of the MFT Let it Snowflake dies are cut from a darker gray paper, covered with Rock Candy Distress Glitter, attached to each other with a foam dot & embellished with a dark red pearl.

A lighter gray cardstock panel is attached to the card front & then the JOY panel. Not sure I've ever used this color combo for Christmas, but now it's one of my favorites!  I'm also entering Christmas Card Challenges, HLS Anything Goes with Dies & Virginia's View. Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.

Thankful for You

I'll be getting my Thanksgiving cards addressed this weekend, including this one.  It was inspired by Stephanie's MFT video Thankful for You, which uses a stamp set I love but seldom use--MFT Peaceful Wildflowers.  

I sponged an ivory panel with Distress Inks vintage photo, dried marigold, wild honey & scattered straw.  Then I die cut the panel with the largest Stitched Oval Scallop Frames.  The wildflowers & sentiment from MFT Thankful Leaves were all put in my Mini MISTI & stamped in Versafine Vintage Sepia onto the center piece of the die cut.  I spritzed it with gold Perfect Pearls mist--so beautiful in person.

The frame piece is layered 4 high & attached in place. Finished off with sequins in shades of brown & gold--thank you, Betty. I'm entering the MFT Spread Your Thankfulness challenge. I am truly blessed with a wonderfully supportive & faithful group of blog friends who connect with me on a personal level--not just about crafting.  This card is going to one of them. I'm also entering Dies R Us, Double D, HLS Anything Goes with Dies, Retro Rubber (stamps over 2 yrs old), SSS Monday & SSS Wednesday.  Thanks so much for taking time to stop by. 

Simple Christmas

We took one last camping trip to our favorite spot at a bay off the Oregon coast.  We knew Saturday was going to be pretty rainy & boy was it! Good thing they have cable TV, so we spent the day watching college football. Poor Fritz just curled up on the bed & napped--so boring for a puppy dog!  Got a treat our last day when a pelican was fishing right in front of our site--first time this year we've seen one.

Finally did get a card & tag made. The PTI MIM challenge is Assembly Line Card-Making. Mostly I make individual Christmas cards, but I do make the same card for a few groups including hubby's cousins.  I'm loving all the red & white Christmas cards in Blogland lately, including snowflakes.  This is my first time to put all the stamps into my Mini MISTI at once which worked great with these images from PTI Take Three Winter.  I started by cutting 4 white panels & used Memento Love Letter to ink the stamps twice for each panel.  Then I spritzed them all with Perfect Pearls mist.  

While the panels dried I sponged the edges of 4 white cards with the red ink. Before mounting the panels, I rounded all the corners.  Quick & fun to make, although, if hubby likes this design I'm going to use red cardstock instead of sponging for the rest of the cards--would be quicker & easier on my hand.  I'm also entering Christmas Card Challenges, CropStop, Penny Black & More & Stamping Sensations.

I don't make a lot of tags, but Tracey's 25 Days of Christmas Tags is so inspiring.  I can always turn the tags into cards & probably will.  For this tag I cased Tracey's Day 4 Tag.  I love the beautiful gold embossed sentiment & jingle bells.  

I used a red cardstock scrap die cut with AJVD Polka Dot Backdrop Rectangle. The sentiment is from Penny Black's joyous. I love being able to use one of my little jingle bells & a piece of red twine I won long ago from The Playground, where I'm also entering my tag.
Happy Veteran's Day to my USA friends & thank you to all veterans & their families. 

Tracey's Tag