Pawprints sympathy

Good morning!  It's Saturday, hooray, the weekend is here at last!  I remember when Friday night was a big deal, and after work I'd have so much energy to go out on the town and stay up late.  Now, I'm doing a commando crawl to Friday, and just collapse on the couch Friday night.  Ha ha!  Last night I watched Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, got a bath and went to bed.  Exciting, huh?  LOL

The card I'm sharing today is one of many (unfortunately) that I've needed for folks who lost furry loved ones this year.  It's so hard to say goodbye to our little companions.

I used My Favorite Things Cross Stitch Circle dies, raised up with craft foam, and the top layer was stamped with a little paw print from Papertrey Ink's With Sympathy: Loss of a Pet.

And....I'm pleased to say I sold one of these cards on my Etsy shop recently (my first sale!).

Well, here's to a good weekend, one that is busy or peaceful, focused or relaxed....whatever you wish it to be!

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!

Preppy Baby Dress

Happy Friday, everyone! It was great to have a slightly shorter work week, thanks to a holiday this past Monday. Somehow, even a shorter week can feel extra long.  How does that happen?

The card I'm sharing today is quite obviously for a baby girl. I stamped a dress (Inspired By Stamping - Oh Baby!) on a piece of paisley-patterned paper from Stampin' Up! and trimmed it out.

The striped pink and green paper is also from SU, and was cut with a Mini Scallop Circle die by My Favorite Things. Pearls were added to the dress, and a sentiment from Papertrey Ink Daily Designs Sentiments goes beneath the circle. I had an urge to add more 'stuff' to the card, but in the end decided it really didn't need anything else.

I'm so glad you came by today.  Have a WONDERFUL weekend, filled with things that make your heart happy!

Lemons

Hi there!  The card I'm sharing today uses an old Flourishes set called Life, Love & Lemons.

The set was illustrated by my friend, Marcella Hawley of Power Poppy. I admire Marcella's work, and she is full of enthusiasm for life. That zeal comes through in her writing, whether on her blog, or shop website, or Instagram. She is such a cool lady!

I colored the lemons with Copic markers, and added an extra leaf and blossoms, which are popped up on foam dimensional tape. A sprinkle of Sparkling Clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh) added just a little extra something.

These lemons didn't need much else.  Didn't want them to get lost on a busy card.

Thanks so much for coming by today!  Be blessed!

Fancy French Florals

Hello!  I'm sharing a card today that has an abundance of feminine touches.  From the rose-filled patterned paper (Webster's Pages) to the pearls, Eiffel Tower, and delicately-stamped fleur de lis and touches of pale pink, this is definitely a girly card.

Here's a close-up look at the fleur de lis stamped image (Technique Tuesday's Mon Ami Paris), which I hand-trimmed and popped up on dimensional foam.

The Eiffel Tower is from the same stamp set by Technique Tuesday.  The sentiment (Tiny Tags - Papertrey Ink) waves atop the tower on a mini pennant die cut banner (My Favorite Things).

On an already-busy piece of patterned paper, I added subtle coin stamped images (also from the same stamp set) in a pale linen ink.

I really like how this one came out! I enjoy getting my shabby chic vibe on sometimes. :-)

This past weekend I began to load cards into my Etsy shop, Colleen Dietrich Designs.
More listings coming soon!

I'd love for you to take a peek!  I'm very nervous, and very excited. :-)

Hydrangea Heart

Anyone who stops by my blog knows how much I love hydrangeas! When I got my hands on this retired Flourishes set, Hearts & Flowers, my heart did a little flip.  

It's such a beautiful heart, isn't it? Marcella Hawley illustrated this, and I just love it. Right away, I knew I had to do it up in blues.

The embossing folder is Sizzix Ornate Frame, and the sentiment is from Delightful Dahlia Additions by Papertrey Ink. I've got both Marshmallow and Sparkling Clear sequins on here, too (Pretty Pink Posh). 

I'd give this to myself for my own birthday, if that wasn't so weird. LOL

Thanks for your visit today!

A Custom Creation: Virginia Tech Congrats

Get your sunglasses out, this card is bright!

My co-worker's daughter enters Virginia Tech this fall.  He asked me to make a card for the party that his family hosted not too long ago.  The party celebrated her high school graduation and the new chapter that lies ahead.

I looked up Virginia Tech on the Internet and found the school's colors....then set about finding cardstock in my stash that would be a close match.  I used Rich Razzleberry (Stampin' Up!) and an orange from DCWV.

The congrats die is from Papertrey Ink, and I used PTI's Luxe Gold cardstock to die cut the word.  Used the same die with a piece of craft foam, so the word has some dimension.

I die-cut, then embossed the smallest Razzleberry panel, and added the sentiment and a sprinkle of bright gold sequins.

Cheers to this young lady, and her hopes of becoming an architect.  I hope all her dreams come true!

Ahoy, baby!

Here I am, making a scene again!

In a frame, that is. :-)

It's a nautical scene for a brand new baby boy. This little sailboat is from a Hero Arts set called Precious Baby Boy. After coloring it, I added Glossy Accents to the sails. It doesn't look so glossy in the photo below, though! It was very hot and humid in my attic craft studio the day I took this photo. (I have since gotten an additional air conditioner up there, and it's MUCH more comfortable now!). 

The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Inside & Out Baby.

Those Catch A Wave dies from My Favorite Things make me smile. :-) Paired with the white fluffy clouds (Papertrey Ink), it almost makes me feel like getting out on the water. 

Have a terrific day!

Drifting Seagull

Before summer is out of here soon, I'd like to share my seagull card. I'm proud of this, and I'll tell you why.

This bird die cut (Papertrey Ink's On The Farm dies) is actually a DUCK. I felt pretty clever! (wink)

I decided to make the duck into a seagull by using a light gray marker for wing color, and added him to some ocean waves (My Favorite Things Catch A Wave dies). I already had a "frame" pre-made (from die-cutting a rectangle out of a scrap piece of white cardstock), so I created a little scene IN & OUT of that frame.

The sandy scene at the bottom of the card was made with burlap, seashells from an OLD All Night Media rubber stamp set, and splatters of "sand" from Itty Bitty Backgrounds / Stampin' UP!

OH, and I did add some Sand sequins, too, from Pretty Pink Posh. They give it that little extra something, I think!

The stocking was hung by the chimney

I love making cards that feature a little scene. I think it must have to do with my early love of miniature doll houses. :-)

Lawn Fawn's Cozy Christmas stamp set has the most adorable images. The fireplace and letter to Santa were stamped in black ink on scrap white cardstock, colored with Copic markers, then trimmed out and glued to the card base.

The golden wreath with tiny sentiment inside is a sticker by Jolee's Boutique, and so is the green glittery wreath. 

I lined the open area of the fireplace with a piece of patterned paper in a shade of charcoal.  

Purposely, I left out the color red on this card. Red and green, so common for Christmas. I thought I'd go with green and neutral shades instead.

Thanks so much for coming by today! I appreciate you!