Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Shabby Chic Lilac

I've had this lilac stamp from Unity's Relax, Renew & Restore set for years now, but have rarely inked it up. 


I used a suede-brown ink to stamp it, then trimmed it out and subtly distressed the edges with Antique Linen ink (Ranger). 


I found a snippet of Blackberry Bliss ribbon and a matching punched flower in a Scrap Bag from my Stampin' Up! demonstrator, and added them to the mix here. The brighter purple mat in the background is actually Perfect Plum cardstock, which, in real life, is not quite this bright!


Had to add a little bit of bling to the card, with a rhinestone in the center of the flower, and a scattering of Sand sequins from Pretty Pink Posh.

Thanks so much for dropping by today!

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Ties for Dad

Hi! I made a couple of tie-inspired cards for Father's Day that I wanted to share with you today.


This black one has pin-stripes and buttons and a black bow tie; perfect for fancy dads. :-)


The next one features a Tie die from Papertrey Ink, paired with fun patterned papers, all set on a mini-houndstooth stamped background (Market Street Stamps). 


I used the Tie die to also cut through craft foam, then adhered the paper ties to the foam for some dimension. 


Thanks so much for coming by today! Hope I didn't "tie" you up for too long! ;-)

Monday, June 27, 2016

Thank you cards....and a few others, too!




Hello! Glad you dropped by today. :-) I'm piling multiple cards in one post, 'cause there are just too many to keep up with posting here on the blog!


Beautiful hyacinths from Flourishes Hello Hyacinths, paired with an encouraging Bible verse from Papertrey Ink's Everyday Blessings.


Up next, a lovely sentiment from Verve's Dare To Be, paired with Mini Rolled Roses in pale pink felt (die by My Favorite Things). 


Next up, some thank you cards:





Hard to tell from the pic above, but that tiny bee and the square medallion stamps were gold-embossed. You can see it better below:


Thanks for coming by today!  Hope you are doing well in your little corner of the world. :-)

Friday, June 24, 2016

O Christmas Tree{s}

It's not too early to get a start on Christmas cards!  We're already more than halfway through this year (yikes!), and Christmas will be here before you know it.


My inspiration for this card is the song, O Christmas Tree. I used a musical note background stamp from Skipping Stones Design on a kraft card base. Then, I built a little 'forest' of gilded trees on top of an embossed oval.


The trees are from both Hero Arts Merry Christmas Trees and Stampin' Up!'s Patterned Pines.


The gilding comes in the form of gold Smooch ink, some golden sequins, and a gold-embossed star.



Stamps: Timeless Texture background - Skipping Stone Design; Merry Christmas Trees - Hero Arts; Patterned Pines - Stampin' Up! Accessories & Tools: gold sequins, gold embossing powder, Holiday Frame embossing folder  - Stampin' Up!; Gold Smooch Ink; Copic markers

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Red Pear & graduation pics

Hello there!  Just popping in a with a pear card, to say hi to you, and let you know we've got TWO graduates in the house!


Last week, both of our girls graduated - one from 8th grade, one from high school. What an exhilarating time it was! Our oldest received two scholarships, which helps tremendously with her college expenses. 

Receiving her diploma

Overwhelmed by the emotion of it all
Our girls, moving onward and upward!
We're so proud!
xoxo


Tools for Dad

Hi! I wanted to share with you a couple of Father's Day cards I made recently, using a cute little toolbox stamp from Lizzie Anne Designs Monthly Mix May 2010 'Dream Big' (retired set AND company).


On this first card, I imagined a work bench, with a rustic feel. The ruler paper is really perfect for this! Can't recall which paper pad I used for it. (Sieve-brain! LOL) 

The circular 'dad' stamp comes in the same set, and I stamped it in Soft Sky, punched it out with a circle punch, then ran my 18kt Gold Leaf Krylon marker along the perimeter.  It was tough to catch that shine, and I'm not quite sure if you can see it in the pic below.  The little nut, nail and washer - created using Our Daily Bread's Workshop Tools die set - were die-cut out of shiny silver mirror cardstock.


The next card using the same tool kit, and another sentiment from that same Lizzie Anne Designs set. This time, I used a lined-paper patterned paper, as well as a grid design. You know how much math is involved in woodworking! I pictured Dad jotting his mathematical notes on these pages -- that was my inspiration for the card. 


Though it's tough to see in the photos, I used Glossy Accents on the handles of the screwdrivers (the red and yellow handles).


Thanks SO much for joining me today!  Have a blessed day!



Wednesday, June 22, 2016

You Are My Happy Place, part 2

'Tis the season for travel!  We've already had our vacation for the year (Disney World, in February), but it would be nice to take a day here and there to head for the Jersey Shore, or maybe the Pocono Mountains.


This card I created was inspired by people who have a penchant for travel.  I tried to create a bulletin board of sorts, with cork-patterned paper, and a snippet of a real map. The railroad tickets are stamps from Our Craft Lounge's Vintage Traveler.

I added a button and vintage thread, a couple of wooden stars, and a stamped striped arrow from Inspired By Stamping.


Of all the wonderful places to visit in this big world, the very best place is right beside my loved ones. :0) (sentiment stamp by Altenew) 


If this card looks familiar, I had made a custom card similar to it, featured in THIS post. 



Stamps: Vintage Traveler - Our Craft Lounge; Arrows - Inspired By Stamping;  Sentiments & Quotes - Altenew Accessories & Tools: wooden stars - Studio Calico, vintage thread, vintage button, piece of a map 

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Pretty Pink Peony

Hi there!

I'm still catching up on sharing my Mother's Day 2016 card collection....and this one's got a pink blossom on it.  

It's really a dahlia, from Papertrey Ink's Delightful Dahlia Additions set. But, to me, it kind of looks like a peony, especially in these vivid pinks.


I used a clean and simple sentiment from Altenew's Sentiments and Quotes, and a couple of sparkling clear sequins from Pretty Pink Posh. I use those like water. :-D


I hope all is well in your little corner of the world, and thank you for coming by here today!  

Friday, June 10, 2016

All about the Bees

Bees serve an important role in our world, and I enjoy watching them from afar....not so much up close and personal (just ask the yellow jacket who gave me a nasty sting last summer).

However, when they are paper bees, and really cute ones from Simon Says Stamp Circle Friends, well, that's a different story!


I played around with some fun, whimsical floral papers for this card and the one further below. I can't recall which of my {too many} paper pads I chose from (insert sheepish grin).  

I just delivered this card to the shop (Arts Plus Gallery) over the past weekend. Check out the little guy's shimmery wings! I used a Wink Of Stella pen first, then coated the wings with Glossy Accents. The pleated green and white ribbon reminds me of grass.


The birthday card is cute as can 'bee', and makes me happy to look at. Hope it makes the recipient feel the same way!




Wednesday, June 8, 2016

My Hero

Hi there, I'm sharing another Father's Day card that I recently delivered to Arts Plus Gallery


When I created this, I had in mind a dad or grandfather who served in our nation's military. I made a camouflage pattern of sorts with splatter stamps from Inspired By Stamping and speckles from Stampin' Up!  I also used a Canvas Background stamp (SU) in a light ink over the whole panel.


I created "dog tags" from a Stampin' Up! Key Tag punch and some silvery cardstock.  I used a gray ink pad to define the edges of each tag, by wiping the tag across the ink pad directly. Then, using the same ink, I sponged on color in 'random' spots to give depth and shadow. A bit of hemp twine connects them together, and they are taped to the back of the cardstock panel using regular ol' Scotch tape.

Thanks so much for dropping by today.  God bless you!

Monday, June 6, 2016

Jumbo Peony

I've got a huge paper peony to share with you today. Wish I could share the real deal, as well. We had some beauties in our yard up until just the other day. I LOVE the scent and the shape of peonies. They are my second-favorite flower, hydrangeas taking first place, of course. :-)


I have to admit this Jumbo Peony stamp by Stampendous had me stumped at first. It really is a big flower, and I wasn't sure it would work. My card sizes are typically an A2 (4 1/4" x 5 1/2"), and this peony positively fills the front cover. 


I stamped the flower on a piece of patterned pink paper (tongue twister!), then added strokes with a pink Copic marker to create more dimension. I trimmed it out, adhered it to a panel of swirl-embossed kraft cardstock, added die-cut greenery (Spellbinders) and ink gems and pearls.

My coloring is no masterpiece, believe me. This was actually the first time I'd used the Jumbo Peony stamp, and it was my practice run. Hope you don't mind that I've shared it here!

Thanks so much for coming by today, and have a wonderful day!



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