Empty Chair Miss You

Available at Arts Plus Gallery, in Collingswood NJ!

This shiny red chair looks lonely, doesn't it?

I had fun playing with Papertrey Ink's Chair-ished set.  All the images on this panel are part of the set...even that hardwood floor. :-)

It was tricky to capture the shimmer on the lampshade that came from using a Wink of Stella clear pen over top of my coloring. So sorry to not really get a good shot of it!  I tried!

It's easier to see the shiny glaze on the red chair (I'm pretending it's upholstered in shiny patent 'leather') in the pic below.

Thanks so much for coming by!  I really appreciate your visit!

A Crown For the King

Hello friends!  Masculine cards are sometimes a challenge to create. I struggle with them all.the.time! When my husband's birthday was approaching, I was sweating about what the design should look like.

Ultimately, I decided on a regal theme, complete with a golden crown.

Wow, check out the shine on that crown (Blockheads Paper Arts, Feeling Regal)!!

I used a Graphic 45 brown damask patterned paper as the background, then a fancy-edged rectangle die from Spellbinders is the frame for the focal point. There's a swirly die cut made with a Memory Box Elegant Scrollwork die behind the gold embossed crown, and a circle sentiment from Inspired By Stamping.

Hubby said he liked it, but oh, I still second-guess myself on these masculine designs!

Country French Sunflower

I wanted an excuse to play with a new-to-me (retired) Flourishes stamp set called Sunflowers. 

Since sunflowers are quite cheery, I thought I should make this into a Get Well card.  The Graphic 45 patterned paper even has some sunflowers on it, along with handsome roosters.  Suddenly, this felt very "French country" just with those two additions.  I added the stamped, colored, trimmed sunflower to a mini Pierced Traditional Tag (My Favorite Things) and topped it with another die cut:  Tiny Tags by Papertrey Ink, using a sentiment from a stamp set of the same name.  A tiny twine bow accents it.

There are some copper and espresso brown sequins on here, from Pretty Pink Posh, but they get a little lost on that busy patterned paper.

This card has a late-summer feel, also, doesn't it?  I'll miss some things about summer, but certainly not the extreme heat and humidity.  Blecch.  I don't like that at all.

Thanks a bunch for coming by today!  Be blessed!

Hello, Yellow!

Isn't this a happy card? Look at that yellow, and the bright flower. It's my hope that whoever receives this will smile.

The sentiment is from The Ton Stamps' Fresh Cut Peonies.  This font reminds me fondly of my penmanship class when I was young! You had to make perfect loops on your L's, or you'd get points off. I've always had a penchant for handwriting. I'm surprised the latest brushstroke calligraphy craze hasn't hit me!

I used some goodies from a Stampin' Up! scrap bag to help create that flower. The circles (check out the golden circle on top!), scalloped circle and biggest flower layer were all in there, and seemed to go quite well together as a blossom. I added greenery from Spellbinders Foliage, and a few golden sequins.

I'm so glad you came by today.  You are special, and don't you forget it! :-)

Autumn Leaves Get-Well

Happy Monday, everyone!  We had a SCORCHER of a day on Saturday.  All I can say is, thank God for air conditioning!

I'm channeling autumn, even though it doesn't really feel like it outside yet. I've got leaves made with dies, coffee filter paper, and spray inks as my focal point here, and they are set on a handmade (not by me) piece of green cardstock. Love the imperfections on that paper!

A closer look at the focal point shows sequins in gold, copper, and espresso, nestled beneath a snippet of braided jute ribbon.  A "feel better soon" sentiment tops the jute.

The cream card base is embossed for even more interest, albeit in a subtle fashion.

This past weekend, I added more cards to my Etsy shop, CDietrichDesigns.  You can find Halloween and autumn selections in the mix now, and I will continue to add to the shop soon.

I also dropped off cards to Arts Plus Gallery this weekend before heading to lunch with a good friend. We had delicious food at Seasons 52. I chose a Grilled Salmon salad, and boy, was it yummy!

Thanks so much for coming by here today!  God bless you!