Happy Father's Day & Diva Inspiration!

Happy Father's Day if you're celebrating in the USA! Plus I'm here with inspiration for our June Die Cut Diva Challenge - Anything Goes with a die &/or embossing folder. First I'll share my Father's Day card using some Spellbinders March 2026 Club items:

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White;

Paper Studio card stock

Dies - Spellbinders #1 Fan;

My Favorite Things In Stitches Alphabet (retired);

AJVD Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop Set

Stencils - Spellbinders Burst Mode (SOM-Mar26)

Other - Hero Arts Irridescent Shimmer Spray 

& various inks; foam tape

I made this one during a Card Chaos episode - theme was shades of blue. I used two layers of the Spellbinders burst and two different shades of blue ink (not sure of the names but they were Hero Arts). Die cut the panel with a stitched rectangle and sprayed with shimmer mist. Once dry I added it to a blue A2 card. Used more of the blue cardstock to die cut DAD and the outine of the foam finger. The backing was cut from a lighter blue. The foam finger die set came as a gift to Spellbinders All Clubs Crate subscribers in March.

And now for my Diva inspiration... Since the theme is Anything Goes with dies &/or embossing folders, I decided to do something other than a card. I made a little paper purse!

Supplies: Paper - Park Lane Ivory cardstock;

Paper Studio Bright Vintage 6x6" pad

Dies - Elizabeth Craft Design Delicate Fancy Purse

Other - Hero Arts enamel dots; 

double sided tape & liquid glue

I did a bunch of die cutting with purse pieces using vintage papers and ivory cardstock. Assembled the purse using double sided tape and liquid glue, then added some enamel dots for accents. To hold the purse flap closed I used a die cut that is intended to be a detail for the strap if you attach it to the front. 

I saw photos at ECD with one strap on the purse top so I wanted mine that way. To do it, I cut a second flap layer and trimmed off all but the top. I used the score line already there to adhere the two pieces together so the top had a width enough for the strap; the top is basically doubled. The short back of the flap went inside the back top of the purse. I should've take a process photo, oh well... Here's a side view; you can see the size compared to my hand:

Isn't it just the cutest? You could definitely leave off the scrolly layering pieces for a totally different look. Or leave the flap over part off and make it a tote style bag. I will add my purse to Darnell's June NBUS Challenge #87 since the die set is newly used. And since I created it after the 15th, I'll also link to Creative Crafters #101 where Anything Goes (2nd of a possible 3 entries).

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you in the June Diva Challenge gallery!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to everyone celebrating today! I'm here to share the card I made for my Dad; we'll be heading to his favorite restaurant, Hubbell House in Mantorville MN for lunch. We just dined there for Easter but, hey, it's his special day!

Supplies: Paper Wishes Steampunk Surprise Workshop

Paper - Spellbinders A2 card; Paper Studio glitter

Stamps - Taylored Expressions Many Minis - Holiday (retired)

Dies - AJVD Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop Set;

Hero Arts Nesting Oval Infinity Dies

Other - Black Soot Distress ink

Dad loves trains so I die cut one of the Steampunk workshop panels with a stitched rectangle & added some of the other paper, along with some gears die cut from glitter paper. A sentiment oval completed the card.

While I was at it, I used a motorcycle panel and made a card for a friend's hubby who had surgery. He loves riding his motorcycle and will soon be cleared to ride again! I added the Steampunk panel to a blue A2 card along with some distressed gold gears & a sentiment flag from the stash.

That's it for today. Hope you're having a lovely day and thanks for visiting!

Happy Father's Day!

Hello and Happy Father's Day to all celebrating today!! I'm with my Dad, my brother and his wife for family time; my two sisters couldn't make it but we'll see them later this year. Here's the card I made Dad for Father's Day:

Supplies: Paper - DCWV patterned; Paper Studio kraft A2 card

Dies - A Jillian Vance Design Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop Set

Stamps - Hero Arts Past Times (retired)

Stamps with coordinating dies - Lawn Fawn Happy Happy Happy (dies HERE)

Other - Memento Tuxedo Black and Rich Cocoa inks; Park Lane star gem

I used some vintage papers and stamps - really liked how this turned out. The card appeared washed out in my original photo so I tried to warm up the tones via editing; loads of kraft & ivory in real life. I stamped & fussy cut the hand and the balloon. The HAPPY from Lawn Fawn is stamped & die cut with extra die cuts behind for dimension.

Here's a photo of Dad in his usual spot in the kitchen, holding a cup of coffee!! We kids got the cup for him years ago & he uses it often. Of all things, he loves to add french vanilla cappuccino from Kwik Trip - ugh!! Give me Starbucks any day over that stuff!

That's it for today, friends - thanks for stopping & have a beautiful day!

Tools for Father's Day

Hey crafty friends - hope you're enjoying the weekend!! Let's Squash It! has the June Challenge up and running as of yesterday so I made it a point to play along today. The theme is masculine and I needed a Father's Day card - off I went.

Supplies: Paper - Tim Holtz Menagerie 8x8; Black by unk

Stamps - Hero Arts Happy Dad's Day & Cool Dad (both retired)

Paper Smooches All Year Cheer (no longer in business)

Dies - Altenew Mix and Match Frames;

A Jillian Vance Design Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop Set

Other - Copics; Hero Arts clear lacquer; foam tape;

Antique Linen & Black Soot Distress Inks

Most of my embossing folders are still at the satellite studio but I have one binder at home, plus a few new ones I've purchased recently. I found 3 sorta masculine ones - I used argyle last year so I chose the Tim Holtz Riveted Metal ef this time. I used it for the inaugural Squash It back in 2020 - how time flies!! See it HERE if desired (I was the Empress with that one!!).

I figured deckle edges can work for a guy. Cut a deckle mat and embossed it with the rivets. Rubbed some Distress Inks over the raised bits - note: the paper print is that marbled look already. Stamped the tools and sentiment on a deckle piece I cut by manuevering the bigger die. Added some Copics and a bit of lacquer. Stamped and fussy cut a trio of nuts as accessories - done! I'm really happy with how this turned out as I struggle with masculine cards. Thanks to Gail, Jo, & Joanne for having this theme & for the inspiration!!

Quick funny story - Dad fancies himself a comedian and he made up a joke to tell his sisters. Goes like this - "I went to the doctor the other day and he told me Mr W. I know what your problem is! I said, tell me quick Doc. Dr. said You've been eating waaaay too much lutefisk!" Definitely a dad joke - groan...

Thanks for stopping and I hope you have a crafty weekend!!

Father's Day Gentleman

Hey everyone - Back with a quick card for the latest Let's Squash It!! challenge to use three embossing folders and a person image. Had to think about it for a bit but came up with this:

Supplies: Paper - Paper Studio; Authentique Suave 6x6

Stamps - Divinity Designs Artistic Outpost Hats Off;

Paper Smooches (NIB) All Year Cheer

Embossing Folders - Sizzix Tim Holtz Argyle;

Stampin' Up Subtle; Darice Woodgrain

Dies - A Jillian Vance Design Dot Stitched Rectangles

Inks - Black Soot & Pumice Stone Distress;

Memento Rich Cocoa

I was flipping through my stamps looking for people images and found the fabulous Hats Off set. Figured I might as well go for a masculine card and enter it at Watercooler Wednesday but - oops - that challenge closed already. Oh well.... 

One of my embossing folders stands out and the other two blend in. The kraft background is embossed with Tim Holtz's Argyle, then I rubbed some Pumice Stone ink across it to enhance the texture. Next I embossed the stamped gentleman image with Stampin' Up's Subtle ef - just love the effect!! I stamped the sentiment strip and embossed it with Darice's Woodgrain ef, then rubbed some ink over parts of it. Assembled everything & done!!

Wow - I'm getting ahead of myself since I made my Father's Day card before I've even thought about Mother's Day!! I think my Dad will get a kick out of the old fashioned gentleman.

Thanks for stopping and enjoy the rest of your day!! I hope you'll visit again tomorrow when I'll be sharing a card for Die Cut Divas!

Father's Day early!

Hey there - I spotted my friend Dawn's fab masculine card on Saturday. She's on the Sweet Stampin' Challenge Blog Design Team - they're doing a Masculine/Father's Day theme this week. Since I need a Father's Day card for dear ol' dad, I decided to play along. Here's my card:

Supplies: Paper - DCWV A2 card; Authentique 6x6 (from a mix);

Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb

Stamps - Simon Says Stamp What's Brewing (retired);

Taylored Expressions Many Minis - Holiday (retired);

Hero Arts AR143 Cool Dad (Archiver's exclusive - retired)

Dies - Hero Arts DI345 Nesting Postage Stamp Infinity Dies

Other - Copics; foam tape; Paper Studio star gems;

Hero Arts Intense Black ink

I've probably told this story before but, when I was growing up, I toured with a Drum & Bugle Corps. Invariably, I'd come home from all over the US dragging little presents for my family. Poor Dad still has some of the cups I brought him. My fave is the one from Disneyland with Mickey Mouse on it. But I digress.... Dad still loves his coffee (not strong enough unless a spoon stands up in it!) so I decided to go with a coffee theme. The SSS cup stamp is outline only but I added the "Cool Dad" from an oldie but goodie by Hero Arts. I've not used the SSS set before - poor thing, it's already retired!! So I'll also enter this to Darnell's NBUS Challenge.

Masculine/Father's Day

 

Thanks for the fun challenges and thanks to you for stopping by!!

Happy Father's Day

Hi all - I'm here with a Father's Day card I made my sweet dad. We'll be celebrating later today, probably by cooking something on the grill and playing Phase 10, a card game we love. Here's my card to Dad:

Supplies: Paper - DCWV Ms Sparkle Shimmer Blue A2 card;

Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; Poptone Black; Hero Arts blue; 

Basic Grey Bowties plaid; yellow scrap from an Authentique pad

Stamps - Hero Arts Dad's Day (retired)

Silhouette Design 61555 Happy Father's Day Phrase by Kolette Hall

Die - MFT Blueprints rectangle (retired)

I used a 2009 stamp set for the tools; it's long retired but I still love it! I stamped the tools and colored with Copics, adding glossy accents to the metal parts. I cut the sentiment on the Silhouette twice with black and with blue so I could mix & match and add shadows. The sentiment background came with the file and I cut it in white, then popped it with foam tape.

That's it for today. Hope you're having a wonderful if celebrating!!

Twofer Trees, plus Father's Day

Hey everyone - Happy Father's Day!! I had some time to create cards for this month's Twofer Card Challenge - yay! I'm doing really well at participating in this fun challenge. This time the team is looking for cards with trees. Remember, the duo has to use the same stamp and be for two different occasions.

I had a little shopping spree traveling between my house and my parents' house last week. I spotted a fabulous pine tree stamp and immediately had several ideas for it. Here's my twofer:

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White & Poptone Black Licorice

Momenta Marbled Pastels

Stamps - Impression Obsession Pine Trees Cover-a-Card; 

Hero Arts June 2018 My Monthly Hero Kit - sold out (birds and sympathy sentiment); 

Paper Smooches All Year Cheer (birthday sentiment)

Dies - Tim Holtz butterflies; MFT Blueprints 13 and  20 (retired)

Other - Michael's gems; various Hero Arts & Distress inks, white EP

You can probably tell I masked off the rest of the stamp and just used the left portion to stamp my rainbow colors on the birthday card. I messed up a bit and didn't get the bottom as solid as I wanted, oh well. I still like how it turn out. I flipped the panel and stamped them coming from the other direction & then filled in between the colors (since stamped on white card) by sponging coordinating colors. I used the full stamp on the sympathy card (5.5 square).

And now for a threefer! When I started working with the tree stamp, I stamped this panel first. It had a tiny stain on the white so I went to the marbled blue paper to try again. After I stamped the birds in flight on that paper, I decided they would cover up the tiny stain on the original panel. It worked! So I thought a bit and decided to make a retirement card owed to my cousin. The little Adirondack chair from this month's MMH kit looked so cute and relaxing to me.

Finally, here are my two Father's Day cards for this year. One at left for Dad and one at right for an uncle by marriage who's been so dear to me. If you're celebrating with your family, as I will, have a wonderful day!!

Supplies:  Paper - DCWV A2 cards; Authentique Pride C and 
Basic Grey Kelly Purkey Second City

Dies - MFT stitched rectangles and arrow; 
Hero Arts Nesting Hearts Infinity Dies

Cottage Cutz Hot Cocoa Cafe (steam coming from cup)

Stamps - Hero Arts CL498 Celebrate Everyday & 
CL335 Happy Day's Day - retired

Other - Copic Markers; Joy ultra thin foam tape

Thanks for stopping! I hope you'll check back tomorrow for another Merry Monday challenge!!

Father's Day and Granada Getaway

Hi all - busy week, culminating in a fun Father's Day.  Here I am with my sweet Dad:

We enjoyed brats on the grill cooked by my brother and potato salad made by my sister in law.  Yummy!  And here's the card I made for him:

I had such fun creating this card using a darling hammer digi cut for the Silhouette SD by Hero Arts.  I cut out the hammer and a shadow using grey textured cardstock and colored the hammer with Distress Inks.  The soft blue card base was stamped with the envelope pattern by Hero Arts, still a fave of mine.

I spent Friday morning until this morning at the Granada Getaway in southern MN with 14 other crafty ladies.   Deb Kelly, the owner of Picture This, Scrap That!, converted an old church into a retreat center with lots of craft equipment and space, along with comfy accomodations.  My friends Bonnie, Julie, Sandy and I went last year -  Bonnie heard about it through a shop in Owatonna and we enjoyed it so much!  This year Bonnie couldn't make it - darn - so we roped our friend Sayo into going.  What fun we had!  Besides crafting, we shopped and ate plenty of great meals made by our Getaway friend Jodie.  Another Getaway friend Karen organized this weekend to help raise money for her Relay for Life team.  Activities included make n' takes, a Thirty-one product demo, and Bingo with prizes.  Karen made us each a cute treat bucket with our name and a mesh butterfly.  Here I am at my crafting spot at what we call "Camp Granada" (even though they pronounce it Gran - a' - da with a long a):

And here's my productivity for about 18 hrs of crafting:

I made 14 cards and a scrapbook page.  The tulip image is one in the lower center came from my Hero Hostess sister Sally along with several others waiting to be used.  Thanks, Sally!  I colored it with some Twinklette pens and framed it in black - so perfect for a birthday card.  Of course, we had to have time to pop in to Fairmont for shopping and we spent a lot of time eating!  Very little sleeping - hopefully I'll catch up this week!!  Thanks for stopping!