Dahlia Sympathy Card plus a Card for a Nerd!

Hi everyone - welcome! I wanted to play at Just Us Girls #791 where it's Anything Goes w/Dies Week. Sadly, I needed a sympathy card for my friend Linda (another February birthday girl) who's mom passed this week. I crafted the card below this morning using some wonderful floral dies:

Supplies: Paper - Paper Studio patterned A2 card;

Neenah Classic Crest Solar White;

Momenta watercolor print; scraps

Stamps with Dies - Hero Arts Friendly Messages Bundle

(sold out at HA but one left HERE at Frantic Stamper)

Dies - Altenew Dear Dahlia Bundle;

Memory Box Small Anemone Bud Duo;

AJVD Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop Set

Other - Foam tape; enamel dots

I still had my dahlia bundle out from making my Altenew Diva card last month. This time I used the included die set that creates a dahlia - so beautiful. I enhanced the pieces a bit with inks & a Copic before assembling - super simple to line up with their keyhole system! If interested, I also used the dahlia die on a card back in April.

I got a Memory Box bundle recently with all sorts of goodies, including the anemone buds which are getting first play here. Just cut the flowers and stem from some scraps; shaded the buds with a Copic. I had die cut the big veined leaves last month to try for another project and didn't use them - can't remember which brand/set I used... 

The sentiment came from the bits box but I do remember that fave Hero Arts set! Assembled everything on a watercolor swash printed card from Hobby Lobby & added some clear enamel dots, plus a bitty heart on the dahlia.

Next up, my card for last night's Craft Roulette Episode #283. I made it during the live but didn't have enough time to photograph it & upload before the show ended.

Supplies: Paper - Paper Studio patterned A2 card;

Neenah Classic Crest Solar White;

Sunny Studio Critter Country; scraps

Stamps - Hero Arts Yay! (retired)

Dies - Spellbinders Wise Owl (DOM-Mar24)

Other - Foam tape; enamel dots

Host Mary had Katharina Tarta (‪@katharina_tarta_crafts‬) from Germany, making her second appearance as guest. As usual, they spun the wheel 4 times for the parameters we had to use:

• Project - Card for a Nerd Or Nerdy Card: I made a card for a book nerd.
• Colors - Beach Colors: I used blues and browns (water/sand), plus neutrals & a few colors (yellow & orange) which could be the sun or in a bathing suit. 
• Element - Hip: I used a sentiment with HIP in it. 
• Random - Animal Print: Stretching it, I used a patterned paper with printed animals. 

Ugh - my mind was having a hard time with these so I was slow to get started! Then I remembered a sweet owl set from Spellbinders that I hadn't used yet - more NBUS getting off the mountain! Perfect with his little glasses and book for a nerd card!

I used a card base from the same set as today's card & stacked the elements once die cut and stamped. The owl was a bit putzy - I skipped his scarf to save time but still didn't get uploaded before the live ended, oh well. General public has until tomorrow to upload if you'd like to have a go (Craft Roulette.live). Members get until Thursday so that's why I became a member after missing a couple entries last spring!

I'll add my owl card to Darnell's September NBUS #78 since Mr. Owl is newly used.

That's it for today, friends. Thanks for visiting & have a crafty weekend!!

Yippee!

Happy weekend everyone! We've been experiencing Internet issues in the neighborhood so I get online when I can. Tough for me to blog, etc. from a phone so I don't! Anyway, I managed to watch Craft Roulette #270 last night (mostly on my phone) and made my card during the show. 

Supplies: Paper - Michael's Recollections;

Momenta Watercolor Print; scraps

Stamps - Hero Arts Yay! (retired)

Dies - Hero Arts Arches Infinity Dies

(sold out at HA but HERE at Frantic Stamper);

My Favorite Things Die Cuts & Shapes (retired)

Ink - Hero Arts Blue Hawaii Reactive

Other - Foam tape

Host Mary Gunn Funn had Sue Small-Kreider (‪@SSKUllyCatDesigns‬) as her guest. Sue is a Design Team member at Karen Burniston, plus a Craft Roulette member. Sue routinely does process videos of her CR cards along with her KB projects on her YouTube channel.

As usual, the roulette wheel was spun four times to see what parameters we had to use for our card:

• Project - A7: I formed a 5x7" card from pink cardstock.
• Color - 1980s: I googled & found a palette on Color Hex.
• Element - Interjection: I used yippee, an interjection per a Part of Speech website.
• Random - Include an Arch: I layered several die cut arches.

When I saw Arch on the wheel, I immediately thought of the Hero Arts arches infinity set. I've mentioned before that I do better at creating quickly when I can use dies. Not that you have to create quickly for Craft Roulette - you can actually take until Sunday to submit a card (longer if a member). I just like to play like we did for the old HA Scrambles! 

The '80s color palette I found had 5 colors so I decided to make one the card base and then cut layers of arches for the rest. I used a mat layer of a watercolor print paper to tie all the colors together.

For the interjection, I found an old HA stamp set with yippee. Decided to loosely use the sketch I used on my bonus card from Sunday's post & stamped three horizontal sentiments. Then I added three MFT die cut stars using arch colors. Popped the arches and the stars with foam tape. I'm sending this card to the person we honored with our Sweet Adeline Region's Shining Star award this year, probably with the addition of some glitter lacquer on the stars.

I'm adding my card to Just Us Girls Challenge #778 where it's die week with layers!

That's it for today, friends! I'm running one last donation to the Book 'Em book drive in Bloomington MN (home of Mall of America & a suburb of Minneapolis). I gathered 20 Banker's boxes full of books to donate this year! I had so many books around the house that I needed to purge some - making room for more craft supplies, right?! I still haven't finished my Spellbinders Weekender cards but I'll get there...

Thanks for stopping by & happy crafting!!

Congrats card for Craft Roulette #233

Hi everyone - I'm still working from the satellite studio but I was able to watch Craft Roulette Episode #233 live tonight. Managed to make my card during the show too - I was so impressed with myself!

Supplies: Paper - Hero Arts Ivory;

Authentique Nature; Gina K Grateful Heart

Stamps w/dies - Hero Arts Dress Up Stamp & Cut &

Congrats Happy Stamp & Cut

Dies - Hero Arts Diamond Infinity Dies

Other - Copic and Artist's Loft Markers; Memento Rich Cocoa ink

Host Mary Gunn Funn had the amazing Kristina Werner (K Werner Design) as her guest. I recommend watching the episode just to see her create a gorgeous scene. Mary joked that Kristina has as many YouTube followers as there are people in Miami. Kristina mentioned new products she has created in collaboration with Concord & 9th and also there's a new Online Card Class coming soon. 

Here's what the wheel spun for us:

• Project - Congratulations Card: I used the word Congrats.
• Colors - Hummingbirds: I used bronze, grey, green, blue & rose red.
• Element - Best Friend(s): I put two girlfriend images on the card.
• Random - Add Leaves: I went the easy route with some leafy paper.

I still had the stamp set out from the birthday card I made for a Craft Roulette card drive. This time I used both of the girl heads and different facial stamps. Colored and die cut with diamonds, then added shadow diamonds. Die cut the congrats and gave it an outline. Stamped a sentiment & die cut with a diamond, then added a shadow. Assembled on an A2 card & done. Quick and easy!

That's it for today. Hope you're having a crafty weekend!!

Floral Celebration Threefer

Hey everyone - hope all is well with you! I'm back with my second entry of three allowed at Just Us Girls Challenge #741 (Anything Goes Stencil Week) and third of three at Color Hues #93 (Orange and Yellow), plus I have a couple bonus cards.

Supplies: Paper - Recollections yellow glitter;

Paper Studio pastel A2 card; scraps;

Spellbinders Betterpress Porcelain

Press Plate with Stencils - Spellbinders Floral Celebration and Stencil Bundle 

Press Plate with Dies - Spellbinders A Little Message Sentiments 

Dies - Hero Arts Tag Frames Infinity Dies;

A Jillian Vance Design Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop Set

Other - Park Lane gems; various inks; foam tape

I pressed the new-to-me Floral Celebration plate using Bark ink & colored in orange/yellow/brown (neutrals allowed) using the coordinating stencils. It's a 6 step process and I have a photo of step 6 along with the inks I used (lower right ink is a Hero Arts gold):

There was room at the top of my 5x7" panel to press a couple of sentiments which I did using Saffron ink. I die cut both plus some shadow layers. I die cut the floral panel with three different stitched rectangles from the same AJVD set so I had two extras for bonus cards:

Additional supplies: Scrappy Tails dies from Bloom Trio Bundle;

My Favorite Things plaid paper & scraps

Additional supplies: Elizabeth Craft Designs retired stencil

Spellbinders All You Need Sentiments

That's it for today! I'll also send card one to Darnell's August NBUS Challenge #65 since my press plate bundle is newly used here.

Thanks for stopping by & happy crafting!!

Cheers!

Hey crafty friends - I hope you're having a wonderful day! It's gorgeous here in Minnesota!! 

You know me well by now - the NBUS mountain continues to grow and I don't get to many new purchases quickly. Well - surprise, surprise - today I'm sharing a card I made with the brand new My Favorite Things Let's Party Card Kit and add-ons.

MFT released this fabulous kit on August 2nd and I promptly ordered it with a bunch of add-ons. It just looked so fun and festive! I came home from running errands this morning to find the package on my doorstep - what?? already??! How's that for service?!! I decided to get busy right away with a congrats card for my friends in Upbeat Quartet who took second in the Sweet Adelines International Diamond Division contest back in July. You may have spotted my good luck card to them HERE.

Supplies: Paper - Neenah White; Parklane A2 card;

A Country Christmas (blue background); various scraps

Dies - My Favorite Things Cheers, Gather 'Round, 

Sips and Sweets, Party Décor, & Oval Shadows

Other - Copic Markers G03, G07, R56 and Clear Lacquer

I started out making a little table using the new Gather 'Round add-on set. I didn't want a huge table, more of a little end table. I die cut the table base & added a silver oval die cut I had laying around, made with a fave MFT set that's back in their inventory - Oval Shadows. If you search my blog using that tag, you'll see the many ways I've used those oval shadows over the years - love that set!!

Next I cut the Cheers (a free gift with my purchase, thanks MFT) into a white rectangle and lazily backed it with red rather than inlaying the letters. Saved the white letters for future though. Cut the bottle and 4 wine glasses from white and shaded with Copics. Added lacquer to the wine in the glasses and used a teeny cocktail glass diecut as a bottle label. I handwrote WooHoo on the label, not that it's a wine brand - LOL. Arranged my glasses & bottle on my table, used the CHEERS label to anchor them. Made the arrangement a bit sloppy since some wine was already consumed... A pair of party banners cut with glitter paper completed the project.

I'm adding my card to Darnell's August NBUS Challenge since my party dies are new, plus I'm patting myself on the back for getting to this NBUS package so promptly!! Next I'll be working on an anniversary card using another newbie in the MFT package - hope to share that soon.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Twofer Balloons!!

Happy Wednesday!! I'm finally getting around to finishing and posting my cards for the current Twofer Challenge with the theme of balloons. My friend Greta (ggcreations) is a guest designer so I started thinking about my cards the day the challenge opened last week. Here's my balloon twofer:

My balloon in common is from a retired (sadly) My Favorite Things Blueprints die set. It's made to cut just half a balloon so you can pop it into a corner. I stretched the die by cutting it into an oval for one balloon (with top trimmed off) for the slimline card. I used it as intended on card two along with the BIRTHDAY and bow dies from the Blueprints set. Here's each card separately:

Supplies: Paper - Paper Studio, Hero Arts, & 

 Pink Paislee Hello Sunshine (print)

Dies - My Favorite Thing Blueprints 26;

Sunny Studio Slimline Scalloped Frame

Stamps - Hero Arts Sweet Sprinkles Bold Prints (retired)

Other - CZ Designs Birthday sentiment strips;

Mustard Seed Distress Ink; Doodlebug string;

Honey Bee gems; foam tape

LOL - I was looking for my confetti stamp and instead used the sprinkles one, oh well - it kinda looks congratulatory, I hope!! Just love the sparkle on the birthday card - am really in love with this one and will definitely make another...

Thanks to Darnell and team for a fun challenge! Two more cards for the stash - yay!! And thanks to you for visiting - happy crafting!!

Star Twofer

Hi all - another quick post in my crazy busy life. I wanted to play along with the Twofer Challenge again & realized that a card I just made yesterday would work for it! But I had to create a second card and then try to combine the two photos. My first collage attempt in PicMonkey and it's not good - sorry about that!! Pretty obviously, my item in common is the die cut star.

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White;

Bazzill color pack; Poptone Black Licorice;

Authentique (retired 4th of July themed pad)

Stamps - Hero Arts CL661 It's Your Day;

Our Daily Bread - Mini Tag Sentiments

Dies - My Favorite Things various retired Blueprints and

LLD Stitched Alphabet;

Hero Arts Nesting Circle Infinity Dies

and retired Stylish Stars (I used the smallest one);

Spellbinders Sentiments One

Other - stars from Michael's

I created the bottom card for a chorus friend who became a US citizen on my birthday!! I couldn't attend the ceremony as I was out celebrating with my family but heard all about it at chorus. Maria was one of only two from Germany to become citizens out of around 950 in her group; she didn't know a soul but made a few new friends. A bunch from the chorus was able to join her and found it very inspiring. The other card will go to my brother with a birthday coming up.

Thanks to the Darnell and crew at the Twofer Card Challenge - be sure to check out all the inspiration over there!! Thanks for stopping!

Twofer Card Challenge #4 - Pets

Hi all - I'm playing along fairly late in the game with the latest Twofer Card Challenge - # 4 already! This time we get to use pets on our cards. I enjoy the Twofer challenge for many reasons, especially getting cards made for two different occasions! This time I went with thanks and graduation.

Since age 5 I have been a cat person - yes, a crazy cat lady!! So, I just had to use kitties on my cards. Thought I'd show some love to Tim Holtz Crazy Cats which I bought ages ago but have never used. The TH Crazy Things set has a bunch of coordinating hats and icons set (another NBUS) so I could cover both occasions easily! I need a thank you card for a gift I rec'd this weekend from my roommate at our Regional Sweet Adelines convention. I also need graduation for two cousins - I think the girl cousin will get the cat one. 

Supplies - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; Poptone Bouquet (dark purple);

Basic Grey Kelly Purkey Second City; Bazzill lavender

Stamps - Tim Holtz Crazy Cats & Crazy Things

Hero Arts CL663 Thanks a Bunch (retired)

Dies - Tim Holtz Sizzix Framelits Crazy Cats & Crazy Things;

My Favorite Things Blueprints 20 (retired);

Hero Arts DI337 Nesting Oval Infinity Dies;

Hero Arts DI364 Thank You Messages Frame Cuts

Other - Copics; foam tape

Supplies - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; Poptone Black;

Two-sided Grad patterned paper by unknown; scrap of orange

Stamps - Tim Holtz Crazy Cats & Crazy Things; Raisin Boat Drinks Anyone?

Dies - Tim Holtz Sizzix Framelits Crazy Cats & Crazy Things;

My Favorite Things Blueprints 21 (retired); 

Hero Arts DI198 Nesting Rectangle Infinity Dies

Other - Copics; foam tape

I had two orange cats like the one on the grad card but they passed away about 10 years ago. I'd had them for nearly 19 years and was too sad to get any more. Instead I kitty sit for my brother's cat Misty who I mention every now and then on my blog. She's such a sweetie and grey like the City Cat. I enlarged the black dot eyes on the stamped image and put some color around them. I turned the mouth on the City Cat into a little smile to fit the theme better.

You have until the 24th to enter a pair of cards and I hope you'll check out this fabulous challenge. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you'll visit tomorrow when I'll be sharing another Merry Monday Christmas Challenge card!!

Flip Card, Coloring, and another Merry Monday

Hi all - photo heavy post ahead, just so you know. I finally made a card with some of the little items I colored during days 1 - 9 of Kathy's 30 day coloring challenge. My friend Linda (we were known collectively as "the Lindas") will be pinned as an RN tomorrow so I made her this congrats card.

Supplies:  Paper - Pop Tone Blu Raspberry, Doodlebug and BoBunny patterned, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White,
 and a scrap of green, the Paper Studio Glitter; Stamps - Lawn Fawn Get Well Soon
Dies - Hero Arts DC149 Congrats Stamp & Cut and DI199 Circle Infinity Dies , Sizzix 659171 Circle Flip-Its
Inks - Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Archival Garden Patina by Wendy Vecchi
Other - Copic Markers, Hero Arts CH300 Ocean Ombre Sequins

These flip cards are fun to make but a bit hard to photograph so I laid it flat for you to see the two sides:

I will write on the white panel on the back because there really isn't much room to write on the "inside" when the card is folded. Today is day 15 of Kathy's 30 Day Coloring Challenge so I photographed my latest bits of coloring.

Day 10, 11, and 13 were bits from Altenew's Floral Sprig and Floral Frame sets, Day 12's watering can was from the March 2017 My Monthly Hero kit. Yesterday I had fun coloring a fireplace and chair from one of the Hero Arts March add-on sets, CM153 Welcome Home which had just arrived in my mailbox. Today I colored a darling printed image by Lili of the Valley that my friend Heather sent me - maybe last year? I have a stash of lovely bits she's sent me over the years and I've lost track of when they arrived. Plus, I've sort of hoarded them but I'm really trying to use stuff from my stash.

Yesterday I received some glittery gold die cuts Heather sent with a lovely St Patrick's Day card. I couldn't resist adding one to a second version of the Merry Monday card I made on Monday.

Supplies: Paper - Pop Tone Blu Raspberry, American Crafts Christmas 6x6 pad (snowflake) and copper (Target fall pad),
Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, the Paper Studio Glitter

Stamps - Altenew Pine Tree and Hero Arts DC195 Christmas Trimmings Stamp & Cut 
Dies - DI198 Infinity Rectangles, My Favorite Things Die-Namics Blueprints 20 and Blueprints 13
Inks - Ranger Archival Garden Patina by Wendy Vecchi, Versamark
Other - Picket Fence Distress Spray, Hero Arts Copper Embossing Powder, celtic die cut from Heather

This time I stamped the trees using a new ink I bought at Hobby Lobby yesterday. Long story short, I wanted to use Delicata gold ink on my trees on Monday but I couldn't find it in my stash. Ran to HL and bought another pad plus found this yummy Ranger Archival ink in the perfect turquoise color. Much as I love mixing inks to make a new color, it was fun to just stamp with one. I stamped the three main trees and then did second and third generation for the rest of the forest. The gold layer was clear embossed before I stamped the turquoise layer. This time I stamped the "merry" and embossed it with copper powder - so gorgeous in real life. I also took the opportunity to use some copper paper I bought last fall in the Target Hot Spot bins - just love this paper!!

I will link this one up to the challenge too in case people are interested in this different version. 
Phew - that's it for today. Thanks for stopping and hope you have a crafty week!

Some "Flip-it" cards and a Scramble

Happy Sunday everyone! Hope you're having a great weekend - I certainly am!!

I spent yesterday with most of my immediate family, celebrating my mom's 80th birthday. We had a wonderful day and she loved the card I made her:

I used a fabulous Sizzix die cut set called Circle Flip-its #2. Just love this set which comes with 11 dies, including the card base and layers. I made the 80 on the Silhouette; the happy and butterfly were die cuts from Hero Arts. I love their stamp & cut sets!! Papers came from Graphic45.

I had so much fun with the Flip-its set, I couldn't resist using it for a chorus friend's congrats card - she just graduated from Nursing School. I used stamps and dies from Lawn Fawn and from Hero Arts for this card. I just adore the Get Well Soon stamps and matching dies from Lawn Fawn; the little nurse bird was perfect for my RN grad! The congrats and sentiment stamps are from Hero Arts Congrats Stamp and Cut set.

And here's the card open with the flip:

I came home this morning so I'd be back in time for a noon Scramble on the Hero Arts Flickr Group. Our hostess, Magaly, invited us to use any kind of embossing. One of her examples used embossing paste which I've tried just once. Eager to try it again, I made this card using the Large Lotus stencil from Hero Arts. Because I was in a hurry for the 90 minute Scramble, the paste was still a bit tacky when I photographed the card!! I also messed part of the panel up so cut it down to a usable piece. After this photograph was taken, I ended up adding more Distress Ink (Mermaid Lagoon, Twisted Citron, and Tumbled Glass used) as the lower left flower wasn't well defined. Can you tell the blue butterfly (another one from the Butterflies Stamp & Cut set) has snowflake paper (Doodlebug)? I just loved the color so just ignored that it's winter paper (hope no one looks at the back of it!!

I still had 26 minutes til the Scramble's end so I whipped up this card using an older Hero Arts/Sizzix embossing folder, plus a new Fancy die Swallowtail Butterfly. 

Yay - now I'm ready for this week's birthdays - my auntie Marie and my niece Abby. Thanks for sticking with me through all these cards!!

Happy MLK Jr Day!

So excited to be off work today for Martin Luther King Jr Day.  Started out the day watching footage from his "I Have a Dream" speech on YouTube - so inspiring!  Instead of simply a day off, it's supposed to be a day of service.  So, I got my bag of items ready for our food shelf drive at work.  Once done though, time to shop - he, he.  Got a book at Barnes and Noble, a couple new Hero Arts clear stamp sets at Archiver's, an older HA stamp set at Michael's (40% off), had lunch at Applebee's and now here I am.

Here's a card I made for Sandy, one of my crafting buddies.  The five regulars were back at Archiver's Saturday night for Scrap Mania - armed with our craft supplies and a lot of FOOD.  I made cupcakes to celebrate Sandy's birthday - don't tell, but we did light the candle which Sandy quickly blew out :)  She had to make a wish, didn't she??  Here's the card I made her:

Used another striped card base (see my Hero Hostess Blog post for the other, if you'd like) from Hero Arts' card kit Striped Cards with Messages CK203 and the cupcake top from Wish Big CL576.  The sentiment is from Year Round Messages CL582.  Since I was making cupcakes with the foil liners, I repurposed one of the spacer papers they put between the liners and just added a stamped & cut out cupcake topper.  Added an extra cut out heart from the same set which is a bit bigger than the one on the cupcake itself.  The paper comes from Basic Grey but don't ask me which 6x6 pad - this was a loose piece so I'm not sure!

On Sunday I went to a gymnastics meet held just a few blocks from my house.  There were squads from all over the Twin Cities and western Wisconsin.  I saw some wonderful young athletes just getting started in this fun activity, including my friend's daughter, Ellen - age 6.  Ellen is full of energy and likes to dance to other people's Floor Ex music while she's waiting to do other events - this accompanied by full stage gestures like she's Selina Gomez or something.  Soooo darling.  Anyway, she came away with a few ribbons for her efforts so I made her this congrats card:

Used a DCWV card base (box has lots of bright, fun colors) stamped with Hero Arts' Newspaper Background S5601, my new fave.  Also stamped the die cut (a Rivka Wilkins design for the Silhouette) with that same bg which you might not see since I used a tone on tone ink.  Yummy Basic Grey papers - from Sweet Threads (I think), a Hero Arts flower (inked with a bit of Worn Lipstick Distress Ink), and a couple of their flower gems.  The sentiment comes from an older set Everyday Sayings CL342.  Can you tell the gymnast is posing on a balance beam??  LOL!

Thanks for stopping and I hope you had a great MLK Jr Day!