Guest Designing at a2z Scrapbooking

Hey all - I'm delighted to be a Guest Designer at a2z Scrapbooking today! It's the final day for their July Birthday Bash challenge so, of course, I'm sharing a Birthday card using fabulous Hero Arts products!!

Here's a sneak peek - go to the a2z Blog for the full reveal and card details.

Here's another card using the same techniques I mention over at a2z.

Supplies:  Paper - Paper Studio A2 card; Momenta Marbled Pastel
Neenah Classic Crest Solar White
Stamps - Hero Arts CM256 Flowers for Coloring
CL954 Many Everyday Messages
Dies - Hero Arts DI465 Rounded Rectangle Infinity Dies,
DI503 Flowers for Coloring Frame Cuts
Stencil - Hero Arts SA116 Scrollwork Stencil
Other - Copic Markers, Joy ultra thin foam;
Hero Arts inks; White gel pen;
Tools: Rounded corner chopper; Brayer; MISTI; Vagabond

Since I'm guesting at a2z, I used their links (uncompensated) for any supplies they carry. Other uncompensated links are for wherever I could find the supplies available, starting direct at Hero Arts.

Thought I share a shot of my craft mat full of cut flowers and how I set up my MISTI. If you haven't watch Jennifer McGuire's video about easily lining up the diecuts for stamping, see it on her blog post HERE. I have tried to do it without testing on  a scrap like she does - much better her way!!

At left, see how I took Tim Holtz' suggestion to use magnetic vent covers for storing thin metal dies. When I get a set, I snip them apart (if necessary) and place them on a piece of the vent cover glued to the original packaging for stability. I always cut some negatives to save and use repeatedly with diecuts. I store the dies & negatives with the stamps. As you can see, I stamped a bunch of flowers and will color them as I'm able.

Thanks to a2z for the guest DT slot and I hope you have a chance to pop over there to enter the Birthday Bash Challenge before it ends later today! Happy crafting and thanks for stopping by!!

Final CAS Poinsettia

Happy Friday everyone! Looking forward to a full weekend of fun - how about you? Today I'm getting in one last entry to this month's CAS Christmas Challenge (limit of three).

Seems whenever there's a challenge, I need to shop for more crafty supplies - why is that??! Anyway, I ordered some stuff from Whimsy Stamps and, wow, what service! Ordered on Monday and had them in my hands yesterday, regular mail, all the way from Florida! The poinsettia set (retiring from their 2016 holiday collection) was part of a Holiday Bonus Bundle at a great price. 

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; 

Poptone Black; Paper Studio glitter

Stamp - Whimsy Stamps Joyous Holiday

Die - Hero Arts Peace Stamp & Cut

Other - Copic markers

I stamped and colored the large poinsettia directly on the white card base (I'll cover the bleed through on the inside with a coordinating patterned paper). I played around with several word diecuts and chose the beautiful Peace. The glitter seemed a bit lost against the poinsettia until I added a black shadow. Really love how it turned out!

Thanks to the CAS Christmas crew for another fun challenge and thanks to you for stopping by!!

More Twofer Beverages

Happy Wednesday - hope you're having a great week! As usual, I was out shopping and spotted some fun crafty things. Couldn't resist a Tim Holtz mini blueprint set (they had a bunch discounted at Tuesday morning but I restrained myself!!). I knew the bottle image would work perfectly on cards for this month's Twofer Card Challenge.

Here's my Twofer! I used the blueprint bottle image on both cards, cutting it down to a glass at left.

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White;

Momenta Marbled Pastels; Lawn Fawn Spring Plaid

Michael's yellow; DCWV A2 pastel card

Stamps - Hero Arts CM256 Flowers for Coloring &

CM136 Birthday Messages

Tim Holtz Mini Blueprints Treats

Dies - Hero Arts DI503 Flowers for Coloring Frame Cuts,

Rounded Rectangle Infinity Dies; MFT Blueprints - retired

Other - Copic Markers, Glossy Accents, Joy thin foam

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White;

Momenta Marbled Pastels; Lawn Fawn Rainbow Plaid

Stamps - Tim Holtz Mini Blueprints Treats

Hero Arts CL954 Many Everday Messages

Dies - Hero Arts Rounded Rectangle Infinity Dies

Other - Copic Markers, Glossy Accents, Joy thin foam

And now for a Threefer! I started making a bouquet on a smaller rectangle and tried doodling the stems and leaves. Didn't like it at first but decided it would be usable.

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White;

Momenta Marbled Pastels; Hero Arts Layering Papers

Stamps - Tim Holtz Mini Blueprints Treats

Hero Arts CL954 Many Everday Messages &

CM256 Flowers for Coloring & CG708 Scribble Bold Prints

Dies - Hero Arts Rounded Rectangle Infinity Dies &

DI503 Flowers for Coloring Frame Cuts

Other - Copic Markers, Glossy Accents, Joy thin foam, 

Michael's gems, white gel pen

That's it for today. Happy crafting and thanks for stopping!!

Strawberry Basket & a kitty

Hi everyone - a lazy Saturday for me, starting at my local Hallmark store for this year's Christmas ornament premiere. If you're interested, go HERE to see my fave of this year's minis. I love my ornaments and wish I could put my Christmas tree up now - LOL! This afternoon I had a play with a cute die set I bought at Michael's yesterday. I was off to practice chorus music with a small group but still had time to shop - big surprise...

Supplies: DCWV A2 card; Michael's kraft;
Lawn Fawn Spring Perfectly Plaid;

Neenah Classic Crest Solar White

Stamps - Hero Arts CL663 Thanks a Bunch

Dies - Recollections Stay Cool; 
Hero Arts DI410 Paper Layering Basket;

Our Daily Bread Mini Tags; 
My Favorite Things Blueprints 20 - retired

Other - Copic Markers, foam tape, May Arts string twine

I bought the Stay Cool set with the idea of making fun summer cards with the icecream treats. Instead I diecut a bunch of strawberries. I liked that they lightly emboss at the same time. Probably would've had more depth had I used an embossing mat and run them through an extra time, oh well. Colored them & decided to pop them into a basket diecut from kraft cardstock and colored lightly with Copics. A little tag for the sentiment and some fun plaid behind - done!

I'm sitting here waiting for my bro & SIL to stop by and pick up their kitty. Misty has been visiting me for a week and I really enjoy having a pet around. Can't resist sharing a photo of her making herself comfortable in the living room.

Misty does so many cute things! I won't bore you with the video I took of her chasing and pouncing on one of her stuffed toys. Then she ran toward me and meowed like "look at me" :) Wish I could've grabbed my phone more often while she was here but she is camera shy! She tends to run when she sees me going for my phone - I'm surprised I was able to get any photos and video.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!!

Thank you quilt

Hey everyone - hope you're enjoying your day! I'm sharing a thank you card I made for my sister Tami, the avid (dare I say obsessive?) quilter. First I'll show you the new quilt she made me, along with pillow shams and bedskirt! This ensemble brightens my guest room; go here, if desired, to see the beautiful set she made me for my retirement.

Since I'm thanking her for a quilt, I made another quilt card. This one was really fun with some plaid paper:

Supplies: Paper - DCWV pastel A2 card; Bazzill purple;
Neenah Classic Crest Solar White;
Lawn Fawn plaid; Momenta Marbled pastels
Dies - My Favorite Things Blueprints 20 - retired;
Tim Holtz Stitched Rectangles
Stamps - Hero Arts CL663 Thanks a Bunch - retired

This card was fun to layer. I enjoyed leaving the icons in the quilt open to the plaid paper beneath. I finally got a set of Tim Holtz's stitched rectangles for home; I bought my first set when they first came out and left them at my sister's house in AZ. I missed them!! If desired, you can see a quilt card with the icons inlaid with patterned paper HERE.

That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by!!

More CAS poinsettias

Hey there - decided to continue working on my Christmas card stash. At the CAS Christmas Card Challenge they're using poinsettias and I couldn't resist having another go.

I spotted a set of cling border stamps (gift from dear friend Heather- thanks again!!), one of which has a Scandinavian poinsettia image. Thought it would make a cute CAS card. I stamped a dashed line underneath and it went wonky so I cut it off using a stitched rectangle. This meant my border was way at the bottom, oh well. Added it to a card base, cut and pasted a Christmas die and stamped the word Merry - done!

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; Michael's green

Ink - Hero Arts Red Royal

Dies - Pink and Main Merry Christmas

My Favorite Things Blueprints 20 (stitched rectangle) - retired

Stamps - Hero Arts  DC116 Fancy Cut Christmas (merry) - retired

Urban Stamps Tall Urban Stamp - Craft Christmas 

Other - yellow pencil; green metallic dot

I stamped a another card base with the poinsettia border where I wanted it in the first place and decided to skip another attempt at the dashed line. This time I used a lighter red ink and added gold dots to the centers. Just love what a subtly different look this gave the border! Added both a Merry and a Christmas diecut and thought it needed something. Found some poinsettia leaves and tucked them by the Merry. Thought it looked dumb so I removed them, added a poinsettia I stamped when making this card, and tucked the diecut leaves behind. Better! Note: the layered poinsettia will be in the Hero Arts winter catalog not released yet but Ellen Hutson carries it online already as an early release. I linked to it below in the supply list.

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb
Authentique scraps of green; Paper Studio glitter

Stamps - Hero Arts CM280 Color Layering Poinsettia
Urban Stamps Tall Urban Stamp - Craft Christmas 

Dies - DI542 Color Layering Poinsettia Frame Cuts
Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia
Pink and Main Merry Christmas

Inks - various My Monthly Hero shades of red and green

Other - metallic gold pen; white gel pen

That's it for today. I'm linking only the first card since the second is kind of a hybrid of my two earlier cards and maybe a bit busy for CAS? That way I'll still have an entry in case I want to play one more time before the deadline (max of three entries) at CAS Christmas - LOL! Thanks for stopping by!!

Twofer Beverages!

Hi all - I'm excited for the new Twofer Card Challenge just announced yesterday. Darnell and crew would like to see beverages this month - sounds like fun to me!!

  

Of course, my mind went to the drinks spectrum of beverages - got to love me a brandy old-fashioned! Or a peach bellini, or a margarita, or a glass of savignon blanc - I could go on.... Here's my twofer:

My stamp in common was the champagne glass. In the card at left, I made it a more golden champagne for the occassion. At right I used a silver color palate among the other more colorful drinks.

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White;

Tim Holtz kraft metallic; Momenta Marbled Pastels

Stamps - Hero Arts DC202 Cocktail Party Stamp & Cut;

Paper Smooches All Year Cheer

Dies - Spellbinders Elegant Ovals & Ribbon Banners

Hero Arts DI199 Nesting Circle Infinity Dies

My Favorite Things Blueprints 13 (stitched rectangle)

Xcuts Serif Numbers

I wanted to use the champagne glass because some friends have a special anniversary coming up later this month. The serif numbers for the 50 came from my friend Heather a few years ago - thanks again, Heather!! I use those dies all the time - they are the perfect size for cards.

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; Poptone Black;

Hero Arts Pool Layering Paper (darkest shade); scraps of yellow & orange

Stamps - Hero Arts DC202 Cocktail Party Stamp & Cut and

CL663 Thanks a Bunch - retired

Dies - sun from June 2015 My Monthly Hero kit (Hero Arts)

My Favorite Things Blueprints 20 (stitched rectangle) - retired

Other - various inks; Copic Markers; washi tape (brand unknown)

I needed a thank you card for a summer party I attended this past weekend. I thought the row of drinks would work perfectly. That's it for today - thanks for stopping! And thanks to Darnell and the Twofer Team for a fun challenge! Have a crafty day!!

CAS Color Layering Poinsettia

Happy Monday everyone! No more Merry Monday (boo hoo) so I'm sharing a card for the July CAS Christmas Challenge. This month they feature poinsettias which I love!

I'm lucky enough to have a crafting store nearby that participates in the Hero Arts ShopBox program. Anchor Paper Express just received its Winter ShopBox with some Christmas preview items and I picked up a few on Saturday. I made a quick card with the not-yet-released Color Layering Poinsettia.

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb

Stamps - Hero Arts CM280 Color Layering Poinsettia

Dies - DI542 Color Layering Poinsettia Frame Cuts

Inks - various My Monthly Hero shades of red and green

Other - yellow & gold pencil; Scor-Pal

If you bought the first Hero Arts My Monthly Hero Kit back in October 2015 you will definitely want this new set. It includes a large blossom and two leaves which coordinate nicely with the smaller blossoms in the kit. My sentiment also came from the new set. For some interest I scored lines along the left and bottom of my card base (a bit hard to see) then stamped the sentiment with the dark green ink.

I saw the ShopBox notice in the Anchor Paper newletter - had missed it on the Hero Arts Blog (link I just searched to share above). Coincidentally I got the same 2 items they showed in the Hero Arts post and didn't even realize it until I was looking to link my blog post!! There were about four other stamp sets, matching dies and a couple more fancy dies featured at Anchor Paper. If you live in the Twin Cities and are familiar with Anchor Paper, you know the address HA listed doesn't reflect where the actual stores sit. The closest one to me is near the Rosedale Mall in Roseville MN. My sister-in-law works close to the one in Plymouth MN not far from the intersection of  I494 & Hwy 55. Also a card maker, she finds herself in there way too often - LOL! I see from the Hero Arts Blog post about the ShopBox that Ellen Hutson will also carry the preview items online starting tomorrow.

Just a quick post today. Hope you're having a great summer and thanks for stopping!!

Nasturtium thanks

Happy Independence Day to my US readers! We had a stormy day in the Twin Cities - miserable for any outdoor celebrations, unfortunately. But we're enjoying a lovely holiday celebrating Freedom!

Today I'm sharing a thank you card:

Supplies: Paper - DCWV A2 card; Poptone Black Licorice; Momenta Marbled Pastels

Stamps/Dies - Hero Arts Nasturtium Combo; Poppy Stamps Tulisa Collage

Other - Copic Markers; Michael's gems; foam tape

I cut a rectangle of the marbled blue paper and die cut the Tulisa Collage into it, then layered with a black mat onto an  A2 card. Next I die cut the nasturtium and popped the diecut back into the negative to stamp using a MISTI. Next I colored the flowers with Copics and then stamped the sentiment (from the same set). Popped the nasturtium onto the card, added some gems - done! I photographed the card on a rather busy background but I had put away my photo station. So, I just propped the card on a centerpiece on my kitchen table. Here's the whole table top:

I wanted to show off my new placemats. My sister Kari drew flowers and my sister Tami converted them to fabric and quilted them! They are both so creative!! Each placemat is different but coordinating. I had to overlap them on my small kitchen table but they will fit perfectly on my dining room table once it gets cleaned off (full of crafts just now - LOL).

Thanks for stopping by!