Happy Birthday in Reds

Hi everyone - I'm part of the last-of-the-month post at Die Cut Divas today with some inspiration for our May Monochromatic Challenge! You have until 9pm Pacific time to upload your project.

Here's the card I shared:

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Solar White; Poptone Black;

Hero Arts Poppy trio (retired); Paper Studio red;

My Favorite Things Falling for Houndstooth

Stamps w/dies - Waffle Flower Sweet Strawberry (die HERE)

Dies - Waffle Flower Lacy Squares Die,

Happy Birthday Word Die & Twine & Bows Die

Other - Park Lane gems; Copic Markers;

Black Soot Distress ink

This month we have Waffle Flower as our fabulous sponsor. They're offering a $15 gift card to their online store for our random winner - yay!!

Monochromatic = shades of the same color.

Black, white, grey, brown & beige can be included with your color wedge.

I found the lacy square die set on sale at my local craft store & coudn't resist it! I formed a 5.5" square card with a medium shade of red. Die cut the lacy square set (except for the smallest square) in other shades of red, white and houndstooth, inking some of the edges with Black Soot Distress Ink. Matted the houndstooth with black & added to the card. Die cut the smaller scalloped square with the stitched circle die & added all the layers to the houndstooth. Die cut the sentiment in white and outline in red and black, then layered. Added to the card with foam tape. I made this card right before I made last week's Craft Roulette card - the sentiment die set was handy!

I ordered the Sweet Strawberry Bundle from Waffle Flower's March release. For today's card, I just stamped & die cut the strawberry stem (leaving the stencils & hot foil plate for future). I colored it with red & grey Copics and added to the card with foam tape under the strawberries and flower. Die cut a bitty bow and added to the strawberry stem. Added a red gem to the bow center, flower center and above the sentiment - done! I'll add this card to Darnell's May NBUS Challenge #62 since the lacy square set is newly used.

Now for a bonus - this time in oranges!

Supplies: Paper - Hero Arts Dove A2 card;

American Crafts orange; 

My Mind's Eye On the Bright Side (patterned)

Stamps - Waffle Flower Popping Sentiments

Dies - Waffle Flower Postage Collage &

Butterfly Shaker Die

Stencil - Waffle Flower Butterfly Shaker Coloring Stencil

Other - Waffle Flower Slim Shaker Cover - Butterfly;

Unk brand of clear drop shaker mix; Darice sequins;

Hero Arts orange and Distress Ripe Persimmon inks

I die cut the large butterfly with the medium one to form a frame for the shaker cover. Die cut the large butterfly again and stenciled with the coordinating detail stencil. Filled the shaker and covered with the stenciled butterfly, then added the frame. For interest, I die cut my background paper with the postage collage before adhering it to an A2 card. Stamped a sentiment strip and added to the butterfly & glued to the card - done!

That's it for today - I hope you'll check out the May Diva Challenge & play before it ends at 9pm Pacific Time!! Thanks for visiting!!

Winter Bird with Plaid

Hi everyone - I'm back with a second card for the current Christmas Kickstart Challenge #86 where Jo & Gail are playing with plaid!

Supplies: Paper - Neenah white; Paper Studio Holiday (red), 

Patterned paper behind NOEL unk; Co'redinations plaid

Embossing folder - Spellbinders Criss Cross Motif (3EOM-Nov23)

Stamps with Dies - My Favorite Things Winter Songbird (retired)

Dies - Tim Holtz Sizzix Big Tidings;

A Jillian Vance Design Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop Set

Other - Copic Markers; white gel pen; foam tape

I had embossed an extra panel and die cut an extra NOEL when I made an April Kickstart card (see it HERE, if you missed it). This embossed panel got very cracked so I used the debossed side. I inked the edges with black & matted it with white. The NOEL outline was die cut using the plaid paper I used on the NOEL for the previous card. I found some beautiful plaid Co'redinations paper at Joann last week, thinking specifically of this challenge. Glad I had the chance to use it as the background, layered atop an A2 card formed from Neenah white. 

I stamped one of the birdies and one of the branches from MFT's Winter Songbird set (sadly retired). Colored them with Copics and detailed with a white gel pen, then added to the O. Done! You can see another use of the NOEL die here if you missed it.

It's Anything Goes week for Darnell's IDEA program so I'm playing along; see her gorgeous inspiration HERE. I'm also adding my card to Merry Little Christmas #56 where Anything Goes for Christmas.

That's it for today - thanks for stopping by & happy crafting!!

Craft Routlette 216

Hi all - another Friday night spent watching Craft Roulette. Mary Gunn FUNN had Gina & Rina K. as her guests and the wheel spun another set of fun parameters. Here's my card made during the LIVE and it's still going on as I publish this!

Supplies: Paper - Neenah white; scrap of navy & red;

Paper Studio A2 card

Stamps - Hero Arts Numbers cling (retired)

Dies - Waffle Flower Twine & Bows and

Happy Birthday Word Die

Embossing Folder - Sizzix Happy Birthday 3D

Other - Tim Holtz Heart charm

Here's a screen shot of the parameters:

Project: A2 Card I mostly make A2 cards and pulled out a preformed on from Hobby Lobby. Colors: Baseball Discussion when to white/red of a baseball; blue from various team uniforms; green of the field; sand of the mound, etc. I'm watching the Twins play the Rangers now and the Twins are wearing the white uniforms with navy accents - so I went with red/white/blue. Element: Numbers I'm visiting my dad & knew I had an old cling numbers stamp in the satellite studio. Stamped it in navy on a white panel, die cut it with a stitched rectangle and blended some lighter blue (another Twins uniform color) over the white. Random: Charm(s) I had a package of Tim Holtz heart charms in a bin so pulled out one of those. I selected the heart insert that had numbers on it, then added the clear cap. Tied it to a Waffle Flower bow.

Added the numbers panel to the A2 card. Embossed a red strip & added to the card. Die cut a sentiment, outline and shadow & added to the card along with the bow/charm - done!

As always, Mary & guests made inspiring cards. You can find the episode replay HERE.

Thanks for stopping by & if you feel like joining in, you can submit a project up to Sunday night - details HERE.

So Lucky!

Hi everyone - I'm posting at Die Cut Divas today with some inspiration for our May Monochromatic Challenge! Here's the card I shared:

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Solar White; scrap of lime green

Stencils - Waffle Flower Postage Collage Lucky Stencil Trio &

Postage Collage Mini Slimline Block Stencil

Stamps - Waffle Flower Postage Collage Lucky Stamp Set

Dies - Waffle Flower Postage Collage Mini Slimline,

Painted Flowers Layering Die & Twine & Bows Die

Other - Distress Oxide inks - Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, 

Lucky Clover, Peeled Paint, Rustic Wilderness, & Pine Needles; 

Hero Arts enamel dots; G20 Copic

This month we have Waffle Flower as our fabulous sponsor. They're offering a $15 gift card to their online store for our random winner - thanks so much!!

Monochromatic = shades of the same color.

Black, white, grey, brown & beige can be included with your color wedge.

We had a great chorus show on Saturday, then I had to quickly work on my cards - just finished yesterday! I die cut the postage collage and used the coordinating block stencil to ink shades of green. I love it in the mini slimline format! Next I stamped or stenciled items from the Lucky stencil & stamp sets. The stencil is for the A2 postage collage (which I also own) but I made it work for the mini slim blocks. Next I stamped the subsentiment in the upper right and added a fussy cut sentiment above it. Added the panel to a mini slim card formed from Neenah. 

I die cut a bow for the main clover and some painted flowers & leaves. Shaded the flower pieces with a wax white Copic (in the green series) & layered them. Adhered them to the card with the leaves and added some enamel dots around - done! I'll add this card to Darnell's May NBUS Challenge #62 since the mini slim stuff is newly used.

Now for a bonus:

Supplies: Paper - Paper Studio A2 card; Neenah white;

Poptone Lilac

Stamps - Waffle Flower Popping Sentiments

Hero Arts Happy Definition (retired)

Dies - Waffle Flower Elegant Oval Frame & Tea Cup

Other - Villianous Potion Distress Oxide ink; 

foam tape; Park Lane gems

I couldn't resist a card in shades of my favorite color! I stamped a purple A2 card base with an old Hero Arts background stamp using Villianous Potion DOI. Gives it a nice texture. Stamped the sentiment in the same ink and cut down to a thin block. Die cut the ornate frame from white and the outline layer from lilac. Die cut the cup from another purple card & the included flower spray die from white, layered together and added to the frame with foam tape. Quick and easy!!

That's it for today - I hope you'll check out the May Diva Challenge!!

Birthday Alpaca

Happy Saturday everyone! Chorus has our Spring show this afternoon so wish me luck! It's turning out to be a beautiful day after thunderstorms to start. 

Today I'm sharing a sweet alpaca card made for Craft Roulette #215:

Supplies: Paper - Spellbinders A2 card; scraps

Stamps - Raisin Boat Guilty Pleasures (retired);

Sunny Studio Inside Greetings Birthday

Dies - Marianne Design Elines Alpaca;

Simply Made Crafts My Little Memory Book; 

Memory Box Wishing You 

(retired exclusive for Simple Pleasures)

Other - colored pencils; foam tape

Last night I watched Craft Roulette #215 live (see replay HERE). Mary Gunn FUNN had Jayma, her very first CR guest, and Jayma's daughter Kailyn to join in the fun. Here are the parameters for this week (screen shot during LIVE):

Project - Birthday card; yay - always need those! Element - Scoop; my brain went to ice cream and I found the perfect sundae image. Colors - Petting Zoo; agreed this could be many things, firstly animal colors but I included blue sky and greet grass for the perfect day and, of course, there would be an ice cream truck there! Random - tabs; the die set I chose had a stitched rectangle and a tab die - perfect!

When I first heard petting zoo, my brain thought to include an animal. Even after I realized that was the colors, not the element, I still wanted to use the alpaca set. I got this set last year from dear Gundi (papierelle) along with the memory book die set. Thanks again, Gundi!! Simply die cut all element for background and alpaca, then assembled. Stamped tabs with "happy"; stamped, colored and fussy cut the sundae. Die cut the birthday and added all elements to the card - done! I had limited supplies available and wish I could've shaded the alpaca more. Didn't trust myself to use the colored pencils on him!

I was able to do most of the card last night but finished with the birthday die this morning. Isn't that alpaca just the cutest??!! Since the alpaca got first play here, I'll add my card to Darnell's May NBUS Challenge #62.

Thanks for stopping by and have a crafty day!!

Happy Spring! Happy Mother's Day!

Hi everyone - hope you're enjoying Mother's Day if you're celebrating today! My mom's been gone two years already so it's a low key day; Dad & I are watching baseball - no surprise.

Today I'm playing along at the current Day of the Month Card Club Challenge #63 where they're celebrating Vappu, the Finnish version of May Day. So, that means spring flowers and I was lucky enough to find a UK magazine the other day with freebie stamps featuring daffodils. I love daffodils and fondly remember the Cancer Society fundraiser selling bunches of those sweet flowers. The stems would be bundled up by the dozen - just buds which would gradually open to a gorgeous bouquet. Before I retired, we'd go out of the office on our lunch break & come back with several bunches for our desktop. Here's my card:

Supplies: Paper - Poptone oatmeal & black; 

Authentique plaid; Paper Studio A2 cqrd

Stamps - Crafter's Companion Springtime Wishes

(freebie with Issue 132 of Creative Stamping magazine)

Dies - A Jillian Vance Design Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop Set

Other - Creative Expressions Wordies Sentiment Sheets Hello Spring;

Copic Markers; foam tape

I stamped the daffodil swag twice and colored with Copics. Trimmed the panel with a stitched rectangle and matted in black; added to a panel of plaid, then to an A2 card. I stamped a couple extra single flowers from the set and used them to cover up Easter eggs within the daffodil swag. Colored the eggs green so anything peeking out would look like a leaf. Popped a pre-printed sentiment onto the center with foam tape - done!

I'll also add my card to Darnell's May NBUS Challenge #62 since the stamps are newly used and to Inkspirational #315 where they're celebrating Seasonal. This makes my first time playing at the latter, although I have been inspired by their DT members, especially Pia (Pias Papir og Perler) and Julia (Create with Me). Also, my friend Hilary (Fiddling About) has inspired me to play at the We Love Stamping May Challenge; theme is Vintage or Anything Goes (I chose the latter).

Remembering Mom on Mother's Day: My mom had quite the green thumb and her garden still has some beautiful flowers. We've always had bleeding hearts and lilacs at our family homes; sadly, I have a brown thumb and can't grow either! Here's a couple of photos I took at Dad's this afternoon:

That's it for today, friends! Enjoy the rest of the weekend!!

Craft Roulette 214 - Retiform Appreciation

Happy Saturday everone!! I watched Craft Roulette Episode #214 live last night (replay HERE) but was also monitoring the Twins/Blue Jays baseball game on television (we won!). That kept me from crafting along with host Mary Gunn FUNN and her guests Lauren & Abi Taylor but I finished a card this morning. 

Supplies: Paper - BoBunny Double Dot;

Poptone Black; Paper Studio A2 card; Neenah white;

Betterpress Porcelain

Stamps - Hero Arts Wish You Were Here (c2011 retired)

Betterpress plate w/Die - Spellbinders You Are Everything Sentiments

Dies - A Jillian Vance Design Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop Set

Other - Copic Markers; Distress Oxide inks; orange fineliner

I'll bet you can guess at least one of the parameters the roulette wheel spun! Here they are (screen shot during LIVE):

Project: Appreciation is pretty obvious; I used a Betterpressed thanks sentiment from the stash. Colors: Candlelight, it was agreed, were yellows and oranges. Element: Leave it to...  caused some consternation but most decided you could leave it to almost anything. I decided to leave it to chance! I took a chance and reached into a bin of stamps, using whatever came out! I did make sure I didn't have the box with a ton of alphabet stamps since I wanted images. I lifted out an old Hero Arts set with several chairs that I've used in the past. Random: Retiform - I've watched videos on this technique (basically inking or using paper blocks to create a background of shapes) but hadn't tried it until now.

I masked areas of a piece of Neenah and inked the shapes; trimmed with a stitched rectangle. Adhered to a black mat, then a dotted background & the A2 card. Stamped and colored a chair image, fussy cut it & added to the card with foam tape in an area looking like a floor. Popped a sentiment with foam tape and doodled some dots with a fineliner. Done!

I mailed this card to my aunt as a Mother's Day card. Yeah, I'm late; she won't get it by tomorrow. Oh well....at least I didn't totally forget.

That's it for today - hope you're having a great one!

Here Comes Santa!

Hi all - it's been a while! We had our Sweet Adelines Regional contest last weekend so I was very busy with chorus stuff, plus we have a show coming up on the 18th. Lots of work but fun too!

I'm here with a card for the current Christmas Kickstart Challenge #86 where the theme is Playing with Plaid. Besides plaid paper from the stash, I just got a new texture die from Waffle Flower - perfect for CKC!! Here's my card:

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White;

Betterpress Porcelain; Paper Studio Red A2 card; 

Authentique A Magical Christmas (plaid); scraps

Stamps with Dies - ECD Santa Claus (dies HERE)

Dies - Waffle Flower Sweet Plaid Texture Die

 Betterpress Plate with Dies- Spellbinders Poinsettia Corner (sentiment) &

Merry and Bright Sentiment Strips

Other - Copic Markers; foam tape; Paper Studio gel stickers

I started by texturizing an A2 card with the WF die - it's gorgeous! Added a panel of plaid paper trimmed in black to anchor my Santa head. Santa was already colored and leftover from previous cards (here & here). A couple Betterpressed sentiments from the stash & some gel poinsettia stickers finished the card.

I'll also link up to the current Merry Little Christmas Challenge #56 where anything goes & to Darnell's May NBUS Challenge (celebrating 11 years!) since my plaid texture die is getting first play here.

Thanks for stopping and have a crafty weekend!!

April 2024 Card Chain Reveal

Hi all - it's the 2nd so that means another Card Chain reveal. In April, thirty-two people participated; you can see the full reveal HERE. My card went to dear Imke (My Crafty Place) in Germany:

Supplies: Paper - Anchor Paper marbled green; lots of scraps;

Paper Studio Holiday; Spellbinders Betterpress Porcelain

Dies - Poppystamps Fern and Daisy Pop Up Easel Set;

Spellbinders Floral Reflection (white flowers) & 

Betterpress with die - Spellbinders Always and Forever Sentiment Strips

Other - white gel pen; Betterpress Cosmic Sky ink

We had the following options in creating our April cards:

Color Palette Option

Sketch Option

Theme Options: Spring / Food and drink / Friendship

Product / Technique Options:  Something You Were Given / Pop Up

I used a couple of the colors but wasn't feeling the silver. My brain just couldn't wrap itself around the sketch this time. So, I went with the theme of friendship & technique of Pop Up. I have loads of pop up die sets & since I'd been sick for quite awhile in late March/early April, I was under a time crunch to get this card made and out. Luckily I'd recovered and was able to put this pop-up card together quickly! Basic die cutting and I had a Betterpressed sentiment on hand. If it looks familiar, this card was made before one I did for a Craft Roulette episode & posted HERE. Just happened to have the die set handy and used it for CR but I prefer this CCC version. 

The first photo was of the card popped up; here are a couple other views:

I received this darling card from Joanne (Slices of Life) in Connecticut - love her use of the colors!

That's it for today, friends! If you'd like to join in the May Card Chain (make one card, receive one card), you can still sign up HERE by May 6th.