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.

Monday, January 31, 2022

Last Day for Florals at Die Cut Divas

Hi all - I'm part of the last day of the month post at Die Cut Divas! We've been sharing sponsor Rachel Vass florals in our designs all month. I did another version of her Floral Heart digi for today's card.

Supplies: Paper - Neenah white; Paper Studio red & glitter
Digi - Rachel Vass Floral Heart
Embossing folder - Memory Box Stunning Mandala
Other - Copic Markers; scrap of ribbon from a package


For this card, I embossed the entire card base - it looks so pretty from all angles. You can see another card I made using part of the mandala here. I printed a digi heart, colored it and fussy cut, then sliced in half, placing a half on each side of my gatefold. I adhered a die cut heart to one side, thinking it would hold it closed. Nope.

Here's a photo of the card without the ribbon - that's how closed it stayed so the ribbon saved it. :) Haven't finished the inside yet...but it'll be a Valentine card.


Now for a bonus card using the smallest floral heart digi I had sized & printed. I die cut the printed panel into a square, colored the image and matted it, then added it to a rectangle of patterned paper. Adhered to an A2 card, then added a favorite Sunny Studio die cut sentiment & some gems - done!

Supplies: Paper - Neenah white; Core'dinations black;
Authentique patterned; Paper Studio glitter
Digi - Rachel Vass Floral Heart
Dies - Sunny Studio Blooming Frame (sentiment);
A Jillian Vance Design Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop;
My Favorite Things Blueprints (retired)
Other - Copic Markers; Park Lane gems

Still with me? Why not another bonus?! This one uses the leafy bits from the jumbo floral heart I printed & cut up for my 1/21 post (I used the jumbo flowers for three cards). I made a Valentine card using the Hero Arts January My Monthly Hero Kit, plus the small flower from HA's Autumn Bouquet Fancy Dies. I used the curved leafy sprigs from the top of the heart and still have the straighter bottom ones already colored for future use!


That's it, friends. You have until 9pm Pacific Time today to add your floral themed card (including any die cuts or embossing folders) to our January challenge gallery. Hope to see you there!!

Thanks for visiting!

Saturday, January 29, 2022

Some Glittery Snowflake Cards

Happy weekend! I'm finally getting a start on my Christmas cards, thanks to a couple of challenges. My first card is for the current Christmas Kickstart challenge where Jo & her elf Cornelia are doing a rainbow theme. How fun is that?!

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White;
Paper Studio Glitter cardstock; Co'redinations Black
Dies - Sunny Studio Snowflake Circle Frame;
Stamps - Divinity Designs Snowflake Background;
Hero Arts Frosty Wishes (retired)
Inks - Hero Arts Silver; Memento Tuxedo Black

I was very inspired by various cards Sally (Cinnamon Sally Designs) has made with glittery snowflakes; go here and here for some recent beauties. Pulled out my glitter cardstock pad - no yellow. Popped over to Hobby Lobby to look for some. Their glitter paper pads contain 12 colors but gold and silver got in, not yellow. The open stock rack had 12x12 sheets of many more colors from the same HL brand (Paper Studio) - all 50% off!! And yellow was among them - yay! I used a deep purple for my indigo - might have tried a deeper blue 12x12 sheet they called Navy (not to my eye!). Oh well, next time....

I die cut the snowflakes from Sunny Studio's Snowflake Circle Frame set - super easy since they come as one die! Next I cut the frame (makes a good wreath) in black and in white. Decided to do a black frame on a white card. Looked a bit boring, so I stamped a snowflake background lightly in silver and die cut with a stitched rectangle. Then I added some brush strokes and stippling with my Nuvo brush since it was out from yesterday's card. Adhered the snowflake panel to the card base, stamped the sentiment in black and glued the frame and snowflakes on top - done! Very quick & easy.

While the snowflake die set was out, I decided to cut some silver and gold ones and play along with the January CAS Christmas challenge. Oops - too late; that challenge closed 1/24. Do check that challenge for inspiration, though, and a new challenge drops on 2/3 (hope to get there!).

Additional supplies: 
Paper - Anchor Paper silver dream
Die - Pink Fresh Studio Folk Edge Rectangles
(sold out at PFS but found at Frantic Stamper here)
Other - SSS Sentiment Strip

I had a second white panel stamped with the snowflake background; cut this one with a new-to-me PFS die set. Added it to a silver card along with the snowflakes & a sentiment strip - very simple!

I'll add card two to Darnell's January NBUS challenge since my folk frame is new and to Dawn's All About Occasions challenge at Watercooler Wednesday. 

That's it for today - thanks for stopping!! I'll be back on Monday for the last day of our Die Cut Diva January challenge - please check it out and we hope to see you in the gallery!

 

Friday, January 28, 2022

Sea You Soon!

Hey crafty friends - it's been a while! Today I have a card for the current Let's Squash It challenge Under the Sea.

Supplies: Paper - Spellbinders A2 card; 
Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110lb
Stamps - Hero Arts My Monthly Hero Kit May 2021 (sold out)
Dies - A Jillian Vance Design Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop Set;
MMH dies to match stamps
Embossing Folder - Sizzix/Hero Arts 658286 Medallion Embossing Folder Pairs (retired)
Distress Inks - Mermaid Lagoon, Salty Ocean, Speckled Egg
Other - Copic Markers, foam tape

I flipped through my embossing folders and found a loose one with a swirly pattern that I recognized as an old Sizzix/Hero Arts one. I found the folder name by searching my Flickr photostream using key words that might match. Go here, if interested, to see a card I made with it in 2013 - I found it under "magical" because I remembered Hero Arts having such a background stamp. I used Nuvo brushes to apply Distress inks to a piece of white Neenah. Cut into a stitched rectangle and embossed. Added some direct-to-paper ink over the raised dots.

Next I flipped through my stash of My Monthly Hero kits - there have been a bunch over the years with a sea theme. Sure enough May 2021 fit the bill - and I didn't use it until today, yikes! Well, less than a year, not bad. Stamped, die cut and colored the images and a sentiment. Assembled the card, popping up the sentiment and sea horse with foam tape. Done!

I'll also add this to Darnell's January NBUS challenge since my MMH got first play today.

Quick post - I've been busy helping my parents. Sorry if I haven't visited your blog lately but I'll try to get there soon! Take care and happy crafting!!

 
 




Friday, January 21, 2022

Floral fun with Die Cut Divas

Hey crafty friends - I'm sharing the card below at Die Cut Divas today, plus I have bonus cards along with supplies listed here.

Who doesn't love flowers? Rachel Vass has designed some beautiful digi images and sponsored us this month at the Divas. I can't resist hearts and chose her Floral Heart file.

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Solar White; Spellbinders A2 card; 
Paper Studio glitter; Basic Grey True Love
Digi - Rachel Vass Floral Heart
Dies - A Jillian Vance Design Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop Set;
Sunny Studio Thank You Word Dies;
Memory Box Perky Love (retired) - found HERE at Frantic Stamper)
 



I sized the heart wreath to fit an A2 card. Printed and colored it with Copics, then fussy cut. Added it to a stitched rectangle using foam tape. Glued the panel to an A2 card, then added the pinked strip. The strip is a fully pinked label from a slimline set and I just trimmed off the ends - a great way to stretch those slimline dies. Die cut the sentiment, combining words from two sets, and glued to the heart. Done!! Big thanks to Arlene for gifting me the Love die - a must for a Valentine birthday girl :)

Now for some bonus cards! I sized the Floral Heart to fit a full page, printed it and then fussy cut only the three flowers. I colored them in different tones and found papers to coordinate.

Additional supplies: Die - Hero Arts Spring Branch (retired)
Stamp - Hero Arts Everyday Sayings

Additional supplies: Paper -  Lawn Fawn 
Embossing folder - Memory Box Stunning Mandala 


Additional supplies: Paper - Hero Arts Antique Ivory;
Paper Studio Vintage Valentine
Die - Frantic Stamper Slimline Frames
Park Lane gems

Several supply items are getting first play today - the Love die and the MB Stunning Mandala embossing folder - so I'm entering Darnell's January NBUS Challenge. I hope she and her hubby liked the third of my jumbo flower cards!

We'd love to see you in the January Diva Challenge gallery! You have until 9pm Pacific Time on 1/31/22 to enter. Just be sure to include a die cut or embossing folder along with the theme of flowers. You don't need Rachel's designs to play along, any flower will do! But I hope you'll check out her designs if you enjoy the digi format. I love her gorgeous flowers!!

Thanks for stopping!

 





Sunday, January 2, 2022

December 2021 Card Chain Reveal

Hi crafty friends - hope you had a wonderful New Year's Eve & Day! Crazy to be in 2022 already and I hope it brings great things to you! We're revealing cards that 18 people sent around the world in the December Card Chain Challenge. You can see the entire chain HERE.

My card went to the delightful Gail (Crafty Nomad) in Norway, one of the administrators of the challenge, who loves cardinals (I didn't know this ahead of time).

Supplies: Paper - Neenah white; Paper Studio Gifts of Gold, 
Christmas Basics & glitter card;
BoBunny Merry & Bright; Spellbinders white A2 card
Stamps - Hero Arts Vintage Post (retired)
Dies - A Jillian Vance Design Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop Set;
Hero Arts Tag Frames Infinity Dies & Vintage Post to 
match the bird stamp (Frantic Stamper has that die set HERE);
Impression Obsession Pine Branch;
Other - Copic markers; Hero Arts gems

December's challenge offered a 5x5 tic-tac-toe board! I chose the bottom row. For gold, I have gold gems and foil lines in the patterned label paper, plus my glitter cardstock is gold. My stamp is the cardinal which also met the bird requirement and I have red snowflake paper as the background.


I received this fabulous card from dear Jo (Just a Dotty Pudding), the other challenge administrator. Poor Jo was left wondering over Christmas if I'd rec'd her card. I was visiting my parents for the holidays and came home on December 30th to a lovely stack of holiday mail, including her card! I just love that cute Santa & the fun tag - thanks Jo!! Sorry for the dark photo but you can see it in better light on Jo's blog HERE.


I thank Gail and Jo for all their hard work in 2021 on this fun card chain challenge!! Want to play? You have until 1/6/22 to sign up for the January chain HERE. It's wonderful to send and receive a handmade card each month! I especially love reveal day because I enjoy seeing all the different ways people go with their creations - so inspiring!!

Thanks for stopping and have a crafty day!