Welcome to my blog!

Thanks for visiting my blog. As the title suggests, I love to scrapbook, stamp, and sing! I will share cards and scrapbook pages I create, as well as information about my music - Barbershop harmony.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Chillin' Bird

Hi all - if you didn't get a chance to hop with the Hero Hostesses on Monday and Tuesday, there is still time to hop and post comments for the chance to win prizes from Hero Arts. Comments on the hop posts will be included in a random drawn for Hero prizes as explain on their blog: Day 1 and Day 2. I had a great time participating on Day 2 and seeing the designs of my hosti sistas on both days - what amazing projects!! As usual, my wish list increased!! And trust me, I already have plenty of new stuff to keep me busy.

Speaking of busy, I got going with another new Hero Arts winter clear set - Winter Time Fun. An add-on to the October My Monthly Hero MMH) kit, it stands alone as as a versatile set. My MMH came the Saturday before I left for Vegas and I went crazy playing with the snowglobe of the kit (see that card here). So it didn't matter that the Winter Time Fun dies ended up being a bit delayed. I found them in my mail when I got home from Vegas on Sunday - yay!


Enough talk - here's my card which I made using this week's Merry Monday challenge from Sue to include a bird on your Christmas card:

Chillin Bird

Supplies: Stamps - Hero Arts CM120 Winter Time Fun (trees, bird, sentiment, snow); CG697 Blizzard Bold Prints
Dies - Hero Arts DI133 Winter Time Fun Frame Cuts; Spellbinders Classic & Scalloped Ovals; 
My Favorite Things Die-Namics Blueprints 20 (stitched rectangle); Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Borders
Paper - Hero Arts Pine Layering Paper, unknown scrap of beige, Neenah Solar White, Anchor Paper robin blue, glitter ??
Ink - Ranger Embossing Ink, Ranger Archival Watering Can (Wendy Vecchi), Tim Holtz Distress Ink Antique Linen
Other - Copic Markers, Icy Stickles, foam tape, Hero Arts Sparkle Embossing Powder

I just love all the sweet birds and animals in the Winter Time Fun set and the coordinating dies make creating a card a breeze. I stamped and die cut a pile of trees and birds, then colored them with Copics. I decided on a trio of trees with a single cardinal, then decided to arrange them on an oval. I stamped the blue oval with the falling snow stamp multiple times using the mini-MISTI and Ranger Embossing Ink, then embossed with Sparkle powder. I added a white bottom made by die cutting a white oval and then cutting the lower part with a stitched hillside (can't see the stitching after I covered it with trees). I actually trimmed down the bird a bit so the border wasn't so wide. I added Stickles to the snow on the trees for more sparkle.

Thanks for stopping and have a crafty day!

Hero Hostess Alumni Blog Hop


Welcome to Day 2 of the Hero Hostess Alumni Blog Hop featuring fabulous stamps from the new Hero Arts 2016 release and winter catalog. If you've come from the oh-so-talented Lin Brandyberry's blog Sending Hugs, you're in the right place!!

PRIZES*PRIZES*PRIZES!! 
Hero Arts will be awarding a $25.00 Hero Arts shopping spree to the winner randomly 
chosen from all of the comments left on the blogs included on today's hop.   
A second bonus prize of Hero Arts product will go to one lucky winner 
who comments on today's Hero Arts post.  
Deadline for comments is Sunday, October 30, 2016 at 11:59 pm Pacific time.
See the Hero Arts Blog posts on 10/24 & 10/25/16 for complete prize details.

I was honored to be a Hero Hostess (facilitator on their Flickr Group) back in 2011. Thanks to Hero Arts for including me in their Hostess family and on this fun hop!! I'm delighted to showcase some new goodies from their 2016 winter catalog. I found so many great products I couldn't resist. One such item - Kelly's Winter Planner; I just love the little winter icons in this set. I started with the bitty Christmas tree and Merry Christmas sentiment, adding them to the new Infinity tag dies (they are amazing!). The Infinity Rectangles dies made layering a breeze! And I just had to use a PEACE die cut (my new favorite word die). I must mention how much I love Hero Arts Layering Paper - I have every color but especially adore the Pool used here.

Peace
Paper - Hero Arts PS640 Pool Mixed Layering Paper, BoBunny Altitude 6x6 pad, American Crafts glitter
Ink - Tim Holtz Dusty Concord Distress Ink, Ranger Archival Watering Can by Wendy Vecchi

Next up - a card with CG697 Blizzard Bold Prints - my new favorite background! I just love the 6x6 size and it's so perfect stamped on the card base behind the gold embossed ornaments from DC186 Ornaments Stamp & Cut (layered on a piece of bokeh paper). The Let's Be Merry sentiment came from CM100 Christmas Messages - I just love this set for its variety. More layering paper - I used Pine for this card base.

Merry ornaments

And finally, here's a shaker card using the darling mittens from CL999 Holiday Mittens. The sentiment comes from DC193 Kelly's S'mitten Stamp & Cut. The Rectangle Infinity dies helped immensely when creating my shaker!! The shaker elements are a mix of sequins and chunky glitter I bought at Michael's. The vellum covering the shaker window came from a Hero Arts monthly card kit; it's not available in their store.

Mittens shaker

Your next stop is the delightful Sally Sherfield's blog Created by Sally. And here's the list of all the stops on today's hop for maximum inspiration:

Linda Wetterlin - you are here!

You can find yesterday's Day 1 here. Remember to leave comments on the Hop posts by 11:59pm Pacific Time on October 30th 2016 for the chance to win Hero Arts prizes!!

Thanks for stopping and thanks for the kind comments! Thanks to Hero Arts for the goodies they sent and for the great customer service & inspiration they always provide! And special thanks to Virginia Lu who coordinated us this time and to all my hostess sisters for their friendship!!

Monday, October 24, 2016

Hero Hostess Alumni Blog Hop Day One

Hi all - many of the former Hero Hostesses will participate in a two day Blog Hop showcasing new products from Hero Arts!!


I'm delighted to be a part of this Hop tomorrow. Here is today's line-up of incredibly talented women:


Be sure to stop at today's Hero Arts Blog post for details on prizes they will offer as part of this Hop!! To celebrate today's hoppers, I created this card using the oh-so-fun Christmas Trimmings Stamp & Cut set DC195:

Merry Christmas with holly

I die cut one of Hero Arts Rectangle Infinity Dies DI198 and adhered this glitter panel to a Mocha folded card (from Hero Arts' Earth Mix PS572). Then I die cut elements from Christmas Trimmings and a Spellbinders Oval. All glitter paper was from the Paper Studio. Talk about crisp die cuts with this set - the Merry Christmas cuts so easily despite the delicacy of the script!!  I could've cut an oval out of the center of my rectangle but instead cut a oval from a separate scrap. I wanted the contrast of the darker oval, rather than a window to the mocha.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you tomorrow too for my day on the Hop!

Sunday, October 23, 2016

City of Lakes Chorus 8th in the Sweet Adeline World

Hi all - just returned home from Las Vegas where Sweet Adelines from all over the world gathered for our International competition and convention. I sing with the City of Lakes Chorus and we came in 8th this time. While we had hoped to improve our finish from the 6th in 2014, we learned a lot in the last two years and were delighted to be in the top ten in a contest full of exceptional choruses. The best choruses in each Region, plus some high scoring "wild cards" compete at the International level. After a semi-finals round, only the top ten go on to the finals. If you'd care to see our performances, go here for semi-finals and here for finals. In the finals, I'm the "Blue Leader" who has a speaking part so look for me at the mic! My friends Val and Ellen were the "Red Leader" and "Misty Middleground (in a Red/Blue combo) respectively. I enjoyed acting with them.

Our director works so hard that I wanted to wish him well as we headed into the contest. Here's the card I made him:

Good luck leaf

Supplies: Paper - Target dollar bin 6x6 pads; Hero Arts kraft card
Dies - Impression Obsession Good Luck; Simon Says Stamp Bundle of Stitched Shapes (rectangle); 
Hero Arts Paper Layering Maple Leaf DI302
Other - copper twine from Target dollar bin (thanks Betty!); May Arts string twine

Just love this fun leaf which I cut directly into the copper/kraft two sided paper and then folded over the kraft side. I backed the opening with plaid paper from another one of the dollar bin pads.

The Rönninge Show Chorus won the chorus contest. They were so amazing - see their finals set here. There was also a quartet contest. Those who know me may remember I sang in a quartet, Chord Company, that competed at the International contest 9 different years. We retired in 2010. The winning quartet this year was Frenzy. See their finals round here.

I don't often blog about my singing stuff so thanks for stopping!

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Vintage Snowglobe

Happy Saturday everyone! I was excited to find the October 2016 My Monthly Hero kit (sold out) in my mailbox today! Oh my goodness - this kit is an amazing value and includes:
  • A 4″x6″ clear stamp set
  • Dies for creating a snowglobe, snowdrifts and other background elements
  • Seven coordinating Frame Cuts dies to match the stamp set
  • Three pigment ink cubes in White, Silver and Baby Blue
  • Eight White Cards and Envelopes
  • Polar White Flower Soft
  • Buttons Galore Shaker Mix
  • Acetate Sheets in 4″x4.5″ (7) and 4″x6″ (1) for creating shaker cards
  • Light Blue Gems
I made my snowglobe a faux shaker since I didn't have a lot of time to put foam tape around that narrow foil border! I didn't even bother to put acetate over the scene - just left it open to the elements :) Here's the card:

Vintage Snow Globe faux shaker
Supplies: October 2016 My Monthly Hero kit (globe and base dies, bench and lamp stamps & dies, hills and trees)
Stamps - Hero Arts CM100 Christmas Messages (sentiment), CL727 Lisa's Mix and Match Messages (snowman), & 
CG697 Blizzard Bold Prints
Paper - the Paper Studio Old World Winter, Hero Arts Pine Layering Paper and vellum, American Crafts glitter paper, Authentique Cozy 6x6 pad, Target 6x6 no-name paper (globe base), DCWV Foil Cardstock, Neenah Solar White cardstock
Dies - My Favorite Things Die-Namics Blueprints 20 (stitched rectangle) and Blueprints 13 (washi label), 
Hero Arts DI199 Circle Infinity Dies and DI329 Snowy Drifts Fancy Dies
Other: foam tape, Michaels' Reflections chunky glitter, Copic markers
Ink - Tim Holtz Tumbled Glass & Fired Brick Distress Inks, Ranger Archival Watering Can (Wendy Vecchi)

It took me a couple hours to put this one together - I spent a lot of time playing with all the snowglobe die cuts. I die cut all the hills and trees from the kit and the add-on dies with vellum but only used some of them. I also cut some with the Neenah and the glitter paper to mix in. I chose to add the little snowman from Lisa's mix and match set from 2012 because I thought he looked perfect beneath the lamp.

I'm entering this in the current Hero Arts challenge (Holiday) which runs through 11/15/16 and this week's Merry Monday challenge (Retro/Vintage) which ends tomorrow.
hc_landing_2  

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're having a crafty weekend!!

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Think Pink

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I always take extra time this month to remember my maternal grandmother who died from breast cancer which had metastasized. This was over 30 years ago and medicine has come a long way in treatment options. I know this will help a friend who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. I made this card for my friend; hopefully it will bring a smile.

Hope
Supplies: Paper - Neenah Solar White, American Crafts glitter paper; Ink - Hero Arts Neon Pink
Stamps - Hero Arts CL926 Spring Hello by Lia (flowers) and CG445 Big Words (heart), Amuse Studio Fight Like a Girl
Dies - My Favorite Things Blueprints 20 (stitched rectangle); Hero Arts DI198 Rectangle Infinity Dies

I did some second and third generation stamping with the flowers while making this background. The MISTI came in very handy when I was composing it. Thinking of my friend, who is also a card maker, and sending positive energy as she gets treatment.

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, October 10, 2016

Vintage Christmas Wishes


Merry Monday everyone! This week on Merry Monday Lori challenges us to create a vintage/retro Christmas card. How fun and I have the perfect stamp set from Hero Arts 2016 Christmas release! Here's my vintage card:

Vintage Christmas Wishes
Supplies: Stamps/Dies - Hero Arts SB124 Vintage Wishes Stamp & Die Combo
Paper - Neenah Solar White, scrap of blue (unknown), Hero Arts Powder Blue Card, the Paper Studio Old World Winter (red and vintage images; Other - May Arts ribbon, foam tape, gems
Inks - Tim Holtz Distress Ink Antique Linen, Pine Needles, Walnut Stain; Ranger Archival Watering Can

I stamped the images on white paper, then distressed them with Antique Linen ink - much more vintage-y looking! I just love the array of vintage images on the patterned paper I found in the Old World Winter pad. Some odd lighting on my photo left the card base looking like a soft teal to blue ombre but it really is a powder blue color - darned camera!

Hope you're having a crafty day and thanks for stopping! Be sure to check out all the wonderful cards by Merry Monday's Design Team this week - so inspiring!!

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Merry Elves



Hey everyone - Linda challenges us on Merry Monday this week to use an elf or elves on a Christmas card. Aren't those the cutest little elf cookies in the inspiration photo?! I'd have a hard time eating them!

Well, I have one elf stamp set - the fabulous Santa's Elves Stamp & Cut by Hero Arts. It was released last year but remains a fave. I decided to stamp and color all three elves in the set and add them to a winter scene with pines.

Here's my card:

Christmas Wishes elves
Supplies: Paper - Neenah Solar White cardstock, Penny Black Holiday Trimmings 6x6 pad (striped); 
Hero Arts PS622 Foliage layering paper (darkest shade - Pine)
Stamps - Hero Arts DC160 Santa's Elves Stamp & Cut, CM101 Christmas Wishes (sentiment)
DI038 Christmas Trees Stamp & Cut (2012 HA/Archiver's Exclusive retired)
Inks - Tim Holtz Distress Ink Tumbled Glass, Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Pine Needles; 
Picket Fence Distress Paint; Ranger Archival Wendy Vecchi's Watering Can
Dies - Hero Arts DC160 Santa's Elves Stamp & Cut and DI198 Rectangles Infinity
Simon Says Stamp Bundle of Stitched Shapes (large rectangle); Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Borders
Other - gems, puffy paint, Copic markers, foam tape

I started with a white rectangle panel and stamped a row of trees, masking along the way so they'd be connected. Then I sponged around them a bit with Distress Ink and popped a stitched hill,stamped with the sentiment, along the bottom. I layered this panel onto a stitched rectangle cut from diagonally striped paper - so yummy! After stamping and die cutting the elves, I colored them with Copics and put puffy paint on the hats. Does it bother anyone else that white puffy paint looks ivory and browns easily with heat? Really bugs me!! So, once puffed up, I painted it with Picket Fence Distress Paint to whiten it - much better!

Such a fun theme - thanks to Linda for the inspiration! Thanks for stopping and have a crafty week!

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Happy World Card-making Day!

Hi everyone - hope you're enjoying World Card-making Day as much as I am! I've been making cards since this morning using some new goodies from Hero Arts and My Favorite Things. First up - a Halloween card:

Happy Halloween
Paper - My Mind's Eye Mischievous 6x6 pad (from 2011 - I've been hording it), the Paper Studio glitter, 
Neenah black cardstock, orange is from Target's bargain bin
Other - craft google eyes and sequins

Thanks to Hero Arts for sending me this fabulous set, an add-on to September's My Monthly Hero (sold out). I went with the Christmas Trimmings add-on when I bought the kit and regretted not getting the Halloween set. Now I have it! Thanks again Hero Arts!! And if you don't have a set of stacking rectangle dies, Hero Arts' Infinity set is a great bargain - 16 dies from 4.25x5.5" down to .5x1.75" - LOVE!!

Next up, a friend card. In a couple weeks I'll be seeing a friend from California whom I haven't seen in a year. I made her this card:

100_6896

I used a new-to-me My Favorite Things Die-namics Blueprints set (#8), along with a set (#20) I've had for a while and love, plus another Hero Arts Rectangle Infinity die and a Simon Says Stamp stitched rectangle (the large one). The darling leaves are from the September My Monthly Hero kit from Hero Arts - I finally got a chance to make some cards with the pile of leaves I've been cutting! Some of the papers I used to die cut the leaves came from Target's bargain bins. Card stock (Orange and green) is by Hero Arts and the glittery washi is Scotch tape from 3M. I have quite a few colors of this glittery washi and just love it! Doodlebug manufactured the enamel dots.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy World Card-making Day!!