Final Day for Anniversary or Birthday with Die Cut Divas

Hey everyone - you can still enter a card for Die Cut Divas April Challenge - Anniversary or Birthday. You have until 9pm Pacific Time today; just remember to use a die cut &/or embossing folder along with the theme. The end-of-month team has inspiration here so check it out. I'm sharing card one below but you'll only find details here, plus bonuses.

Supplies: Paper - Paper Studio A2 card and cardstock;

DCWV Pastel Patterns; various scraps

Stamps w/die - Altenew Tiny Sentiments: Wishing bundle

Dies - Altenew Garden Picks &

Layered Plaid Cover Die B

Other - Spellbinders Ephemera (retired);

Stickles; foam tape

Our wonderful sponsor Altenew has given us a $30 gift card for our random April winner. Altenew celebrates their 12th anniversary this month - big congrats!!

My card came together quickly with wonderful Altenew dies. I started by die cutting a plaid coverplate, backing it with a gingham paper and adding it to an A2 card. Next I die cut the Wishing, then stamped one of the sentiment strips and added it to the long strip that cuts below the word. Assembled and added to the card. Then I die cut the large rose and 2 leafy sprigs from the Garden Picks set & assembled then added to the card. I found a couple ephemera bees in an old Spellbinders card kit. Shaded the wings with a grey Copic and added stickles then popped them onto the card with foam tape.

I will add this card to Seize the Birthday #325 using the Anything Goes option.

I have a couple bonuses today. First a quick Clean & Simple, almost one layer, card using a fave Altenew set which is sadly retired:

Supplies: Paper - Spellbinders A2 card &

Betterpress Porcelain

Stamps w/stencils - Altenew Inky Bouquet (c2021 retired)

Press Plates w/Dies - Spellbinders A Little Message Sentiments

Other - various Hero Arts inks & Memento Tuxedo Black ink

I stamped the floral bouquet directly onto a textured white A2 card with Memento ink then stenciled with the coordinating stencil using four inks. I stamped the dots in the same soft blue as the lower left flower. A Betterpressed sentiment finished the card. This one was created earlier this month for Episode #42 of Card Chaos (15 minute cards) where the theme was Clean & Simple (CAS).

Second bonus: I used the third sprig left over from my previous April DCD post; I colored these flowers with pinks. I started with the same textured card as above but, this time, I swiped the soft blue ink onto it for my sprig to land. Also stamped the dots from the Inky Bouquet set, this time in black. A bit stark for my taste so I added a few enamel dots among them.

Supplies: Paper - Spellbinders A2 card &

Betterpress Porcelain; Neenah Classic Crest Solar White

Stamps w/dies - Altenew Floral Sprig (c2016 retired)

Press Plates w/Dies - Spellbinders A Little Message Sentiments

Other - Hero Arts & Memento Tuxedo Black inks;

Copic Markers; foam tape; Hero Arts enamel dots

That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by and, if you can, upload a card (limit four) to the April Diva Challenge by 9p Pacific tonight! As always, happy crafting!!

Merry and Bright Santa!

Hi friends - I'm back as I'd hoped with another card for the April Christmas Kickstart Challenge #109 - Brimming with Style! Jo and her elf Gail want to see people &/or critters in hats. Here's my take 2:

Supplies: Paper - old Spellbinders kit A2 card

& patterned paper;

scrap of brown for "floor"

Dies - AJVD Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop Set;

Other - Spellbinders kit ephemera (Oct 23)

I used ephemera from the same Spellbinders card kit as yesterday. Both Santa and elf have hats! Another super quick and easy card!

That's it for today. I'll be back tomorrow with a post for the final day of our April Die Cut Diva Challenge - check it out! 

Thanks for stopping and happy crafting!!

Reindeer Wreath JOY

Hi there - April has almost vanished & I'm behind on Christmas card production! I haven't played yet in the April Christmas Kickstart Challenge #109 - Brimming with Style so I got busy. Jo and her elf Gail, two friends from the Card Chain Challenge, want to see people &/or critters in hats. Here's my take:

Supplies: Paper - old Spellbinders kit A2 card & patterns;

Neenah Classic Crest Solar White

Dies - AJVD Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop Set;

Scrapbook.com Nested Vintage Labels;

Spellbinders How Does Your Garden Grow Alphabet (DOML-Jul20)

Other - Spellbinders kit ephemera (Oct 23)

It's been done many times but I used the old JOY sentiment with something round in place of the O. In fact, my friend Joanne in the UK did a cute one with a snowman head (see it HERE). In my case, I found a Spellbinders ephemera wreath and added a chipboard reindeer with Santa hat. Die cut the rest and assembled onto an A2 card. Very quick and easy!

That's it for today, friends. I hope to be back with another card tomorrow so I can at least get two in! Thanks for stopping and have a crafty day!!

Today is Your Day!

Hi crafty friends - I'm back with a card for Craft Roulette Episode #316 with host Mary Gunn and guest Jessica Vasher (‪@Jessicavasher‬).

Supplies: Paper - Hero Arts Ivory A2 card;

scraps

Stamps - Hero Arts Big Words &

Borders+Arrows (both retired)

Dies - Scrapbook.com Treasured Garden 

& Happy Mail

AJVD Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop Set

Other - Spellbinders ephemera sentiment;

Hero Arts enamel dots & ink; 

foam tape; white and gold gel pens

As usual, the roulette wheel was spun four times for the parameters to use on our project.

• Project - Diagonal cut: I stamped a border on a diagonal and fussy cut it. 
• Colors - Calm: I used blue, sage green, & lavender.
• Element - Post(Er)(S): I had a mailbox with post, plus a post card to be posted.
• Random - Hexagon: I used a stamp with a row of hexagons. 

I started by Googling calm colors and found the palette of soft blue, soft sage green and pale lavender. Ivory or cream was also mentioned for a neutral so I picked an ivory A2 card and scraps of the other colors. I stamped a row of hexagons at a diagonal on a pale blue panel and fussy cut the right edge. Then I die cut it with a stitched rectangle and added it to the A2 card.

Next, I die cut the mailbox parts and assembled. Stamped and fussy cut the little postcard. Die cut and assembled 3 butterflies. The postcard has a stamped butterfly but I added a die cut one over top. Added everything to the card. Found an ephemera sentiment strip from an old Spellbinders kit. Added it to the card along with some enamel dots for the butterfly heads. The mailbox is embossed but it's hard to see the pattern. Enhanced it with a gold gel pen and added some white gel pen details.

The mailbox die set was newly used today. It was part of SBC Fest but I still haven't done the class that used that set - oops! Since new, I'll add my card to Darnell's April NBUS Challenge #85.

That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by & have a crafty weekend!

Birthday Bash fun with Pink and Main - day two

Hey there - I'm back sharing my cards from day two of Pink and Main's Birthday Bash event held online April 18 & 19 (go HERE for day one). First up, a pop-up box card taught by Nichol Spohr:

Mostly die cutting on this one. The box is a narrow one but you could fit two shelves in there, I think. The layering panel for the back was embossed with the cupcake folder we used often on day one. I liked how she had us color the candle wicks with a black marker and put the flame die cut behind them. I used various scraps for my candles & cut the flames from orange and yellow parts of the kit paper.

Oh, and speaking of the kit, I took a photograph:

Lots of fun products in there! Love the stamps and dies and isn't that marbled paper gorgeous?! I can see using the cupcake embossing folder often!

Caitlin Anthony taught the second class of day two, focusing on her style of coloring with Olo markers. I just did a quick color on mine with Copics. I neglected to say it on my previous post that Angie Blom designed the cupcake stamp. I love Angie's art and have a bunch of her digi designs.

Cathy Zielske taught class 3 of day two; here's my take on her card:

We embossed a white panel and splattered it. I just used some Hero Arts reactive inks I had on hand. We provided our own card bases; this textured one came from an old Spellbinders kit. We ink blended on the cupcake; Cathy's was much darker so I call mine underbaked!

Libby Hickson taught the final class of the day. She likes purple as much as I do; her card was loaded with purples:

Some of the stamps in the large stamp set coordinate for a layered look - the presents with bow and the cake slice. They are a bit tricky for me to line up, then Libby took it further by embossing a layer. I skipped that part and just added Stickles. We embossed a white panel with the purple glitter ep, then die cut hearts from it. I did a lot better at heat setting it than I did on day one. I find glitter powders tricky!

Pink and Main has a new line of Twinkle Inks which were used in the classes. I hadn't ordered any ahead of time but afterwards decided to try them - they looked like fun with loads of shimmer.

That's it as far as the event classes went. Hopefully I'll be creating more with this kit. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day!

Birthday Bash fun with Pink and Main - day one

Hi everyone! I mentioned in Friday's post that I'd be attending the virtual Birthday Bash event put on by Pink and Main last weekend. What a fabulous event and today I'm sharing the cards I made on Saturday. There were four live classes and then a bonus video from Jennifer McGuire. The kit included:

• 6x8 Stamp Set with Coordinating Dies
• 3x4 Stamp Set with Coordinating Dies
• Standalone Dies
• Embossing Folder
• Patterned Paper
• Embossing Powder
• Embellishments

It still seems to be available for purchase HERE which would include access to the private YouTube videos, I imagine. At this time, the materials aren't in the store's regular inventory & there wasn't a photo of the kit. I supposed I could take one - maybe later...

The lovely Michelle Currie, Pink and Main owner, taught class one:

Isn't her slimline design gorgeous? I used the marbled paper from the class kit, plus the heart & candle dies and stamped sentiment. I used the class kit's sparkly embossing powder on the sentiment but it was my first go with it. It started to flake off so I traced the letters with Stickles. I die cut the candles and hearts from scraps. I used baker's twine from Doodlebug.

Next instructor was Caly Person, teaching a cupcake card. This was her first time teaching a class of her own at an event and she did great! I had time to make two versions. 

The card on the left was closer to Caly's design. She used a different sentiment & didn't mat the ink-blended panel. Many instructors used "Make a Wish" so I used it here too. That way I could batch stamp a bunch of sentiments. The cupcake, candle, star & streamer dies were all part of the kit, as was the cupcake embossing folder. We ink blended on the embossed panel and the cupcake.

The third class featured Meghann Andrew - I've taken classes from her at other events. She is a lot of fun and always decorates her studio with the event theme.

We used the cupcake embossing folder again & Meghann's design was for the panel to be white with just the cupcake outlines inked by direct to paper. My ink got everywhere so I made the best of it. Her design had the focal panel on the right side; I put it on the left to cover the worst of my messy inking. The balloons, cupcake and present were part of the kit's large stamp set. The kit also had the notched label dies in 3 sizes.

Saturday's final class was taught by Jenn Shirkus. I'm sure I've taken a class from her along the way - she is also a lot of fun. Her dad even logged in to the chat to support her - so sweet!

Jenn's version contained a watercolored cupcake. I just did a quick Copic color on it instead. Will try her watercoloring tips later. The big stitched label die is part of a box card die set. You'll see that project from Sunday's session.

Such a fun day and the classes were very relaxed and informative because the instructors were given a full 90 minutes to teach one card step by step & to share tips. Then we had 30 minute breaks and a longer lunch. That was helpful for someone like me who neglected to do the homework! I just whipped it out during the breaks!!

The bonus on Saturday was Jennifer McGuire's pre-recorded video of her Mix-It-Up ideas. She takes event kits and finds different ways to repurpose the supplies - so fun. This wasn't a class with formal instructions but you can utilise her ideas on future projects. I haven't had the chance yet but will soon - genius ideas, as usual by Jennifer the GOAT.

Thanks it for today, friends. I'll try to share Sunday's projects tomorrow. Thanks for stopping and have a crafty day!!

Gladiolus - Flower of the Gladiator

Hi crafty friends - I'm here with inspiration for our April Die Cut Diva Challenge - Anniversary or Birthday Cards. You can see my Diva post HERE but the card details and bonuses are below. First up, a card filled with Gladiolus flowers - I didn't know before Googling but they are called the flower of gladiators for their sword-like leaves.

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White;

Paper Studio cardstock and Ombré A2 card; scraps

Stamps - Altenew Floral Frame (c2016 retired)

Dies - Altenew Craft-A-Flower Gladiolus

Other - Hero Arts enamel dots; foam tape

The wonderful Altenew is our sponsor this month,

donating a $30 gift card to our random winner!

Altenew's Gladiolus set falls into the Key Hole system of dies. It makes the die cuts much easier to assemble, although a lot of pieces cut at once were bewildering at first glance. Despite there being a printed assembly guide, watching an Altenew video definitely helped since this was my first use of the set!

I die cut the flower/bud pieces and leaves/stems from various scraps and assembled. This is easier if you keep the flowers separate (all petals for each flower come on the same plate; 3 plates for three flowers). I cut in 5 different colors so I could mix and match. Each flower has a different shaped key hole which helps. Arranged them on an ombré printed card. Stamped and fussy cut a sentiment. Popped the sentiment on with foam tape and added some pink clear enamel dots. I love, love, love how this card turned out!

I will add this card to The Creative Crafters Challenge #99 where Anything Goes and to Darnell's April NBUS Challenge #85 since the gladiolus dies got first play here.

How about a bonus? I couldn't resist pulling out some fave Altenew sets. First, another birthday card:

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White'

Paper Studio A2 card; scraps

Stamps w/dies - Altenew Floral Sprig (c2016 retired)

Dies - Altenew Mix and Match Frames &

Garden Picks

Other - foam tape; Copic Markers;

white gel pen

I love this sprig and used it back in 2020 HERE. Stamped, die cut and colored with Copics then added to the layers of Mix and Match Frames, then to an A2 card. Added some die cut leafy sprigs from the Garden Picks set. Stamped and fussy cut a sentiment. Since there was a lot of interest from the layered frames, I left off any additional embellishments. The orange layer of the frames was cut from a patterned paper so there's a look of texture.

Threefer? Here's an anniversary card for my neighbors, Brenda & Al.

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White'

Paper Studio cardstock; Spellbinders A2 card

Stamps - Taylored Expressions Inside Scoop - Anniversary

Stamps w/dies - Altenew Floral Sprig (c2016 retired)

Dies - Vintage label from Lea Lawson's SBC Fest kit

Embossing Folder - Altenew Dynamic Blossoms Bundle

Other - foam tape; Copic Markers;

white gel pen; Hero Arts enamel dots

I stamped and colored three floral sprigs in all. This yellow one went on top of an embossed panel that I'd sanded for texture. Added to an A2 card with a sentiment and enamel dots. Quick and easy but so pretty, I think! The 3rd floral sprig will make an appearance in future.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see your anniversary or birthday card in the Diva gallery!!