Pink Strawberries?

Hey everyone - happy Monday! It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month & the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is Think Pink. Their team created with Pink & Main products so I thought I would too! 

Supplies: Paper - Spellbinders A2 card;

Paper Studio basic cardstock; Lawn Fawn Plaid;

Core'dinations kraft; Neenah Solar White

Stamps - Pink & Main Berry Happy

Dies - Pink & Main Berry Pop Up;

AJVD Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop Set

Other - foam tape; scrap of ribbon;

various Hero Arts inks for shading; white gel pen

Have you ever heard of pink strawberries? I hadn't until I googled them and found Pineberries; how cute are these?? So I went for my Pink and Main strawberry basket set. It makes a pop-up but with some trimming, you can use the  pieces without the interior walls for a flat A2 card. If you want to see it as a pop-up, please go HERE - I made one at Paperganza this summer.

Simply die cut and assembled the basket, then added it to an A2 card with a plaid mat. Stamped a sentiment from the coordinating stamp set and die cut it with the tag included with the basket set. Added a pink ribbon to the tag and adhered it to the basket with foam tape - done! This card will go to my niece who has a birthday later this month.

I will also add my card to Seize the Birthday #314 using the Anything Goes option.

Thanks for stopping by & have a crafty day!!

The Stockings were Hung

Hey there - I'm playing at Christmas Kickstart Challenge 51 to use stockings (fireplace optional). Because I have many fireplace items - stamps, dies etc. I included a fireplace and even a cozy side chair in my scene. Also playing at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge to Create a Scene.

Supplies: Paper - Neenah White; Paper Studio Red;

Basic Grey Aspen Frost; Tim Holtz Kraft Metallic

Stamps w/matching dies: Hero Arts Winter Hearth

(also available HERE at Simon Says Stamp)

and Welcome Home (retired)

Spellbinders Truckin Through the Seasons (pines);

My Favorite Things Fireplace (retired)

Other - Michael's gems; Copic Markers:

Simon Says Stamp Sentiment Strips Extra Large Christmas

Did anyone else have that olive green carpeting growing up? Ours was shag! Had to laugh when adding it as the  "floor" to my scene. Didn't have striped wallpaper though - LOL. I used the grate and flames from the MFT Fireplace set but the log, stockings and fireplace came from the Hero Arts Winter Hearth set. I thought the two sets worked well together for the fireplace.

Thanks for stopping!! Thanks to Jo & elf Cindy for a fun Kickstart challenge and to the SSS team for a fun Wednesday Challenge!!

 

Birthday Bouquet

Back again with another August birthday card I just made for the latest Simon Says Stamp (SSS) Wednesday challenge "Midsummer Blues" using Memory Box - yay! It also works for the Watercolor Wednesday Challenge (WWC) where it's All About Occasions #284! Here's my card:

Supplies: Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; 

Paper Studio Primary ;

Strathmore watercolor paper 140lb

Simon Says Stamp Sentiment Strips Birthday

Dies - Memory Box Bella Bouquet & Seaweed Stalks (both retired);

Creative Expressions Hobnail Vase & Queen Anne's Lace (both retired)

Other - Yasutomo watercolors; Honey Bee gems; washi by unk;

Tumbled Glass Distress Ink; Chipped Sapphire Distress pen

This card's another example of starting with one idea and going completely in a different direction.  I had pre-ordered some A Jillian Vance Design slimline dies and they arrived while I was in Arizona. My neighbor kinda groaned taking in my mail with all the crafty deliveries that week - LOL! Anyway, I wanted to use the Slimline Stitched Plaid Background so diecut one in a light blue and formed a cardbase from white on which to mat it. I was going to add some Hero Arts leafy vines but remembered my sister Kari has most of my Hero dies at my satellite studio. Hmm, now what? The SSS challenge asks for Memory Box so I perused my home stash. Found a lovely flower bouquet die - pretty sure I've used it, although I couldn't find a blog post with it. Won't call it NBUS to be on the safe side.

The flower bouquet seemed too delicate for the plaid background so I masked off the card edges, blended Tumbled Glass over it and drew/doodled a frame (had to artfully conceal a boo-boo at the top). Thought I could cut a vase on the Silhouette but then remembered this lovely Sue Wilson vase die - perfect!! Stuck to that package was the package of Queen Anne's Lace dies so they came into the design too. Finally, I wanted a few more greens and guess what - seaweed makes good filler like the weeds the florist pops in!! Used another of the sentiment strips (hand-cutting the flag ends) from Simon Says Stamp to finish.

Thanks to WWC & to SSS for these fun challenges and thanks to you for stopping by! TGIF!!

All About Occasions - Birthdays!!

Hey there - my friend Dawn (Dawn's World) hosts this week at the Watercolor Wednesday Challenge where it's All About Occasions #284! I'm working on birthday cards & they'll fit into the occasions category. Card two will also work for the latest Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge "Midsummer Blues" using Memory Box. Here are my cards:

Supplies: Paper - Core'dinations Ivory A2 card; 

Authentique Be(you)tiful 6x6; Momenta watercolor printed 8x8;

Strathmore watercolor paper 140lb; Grafix Dura-Lar (acetate alternative); 

Simon Says Stamp Sentiment Strips Birthday

Dies - Hero Arts DI133 Swallowtail Butterfly Fancy Die (retired);

Other - watercolors & alcohol inks; Honey Bee gem

Supplies: Paper - Anchor Paper card; Strathmore watercolor paper 140lb;

Paper Studio Glitter; Grafix Dura-Lar (acetate alternative); 

Momenta watercolor print 8x8

Simon Says Stamp Sentiment Strips Birthday

Dies - Hero Arts DI133 Swallowtail Butterfly Fancy Die (retired);

My Favorite Things Blueprints 13 (retired);

small butterfly - 2017 magazine freebie

Memory Box Bubble Circles; 

Other - watercolors & alcohol inks; Honey Bee gem

I made a watercolor print and an alcohol ink print during the Kathy's (The Daily Marker) last 30 Day Coloring Challenge. I combined leftover pieces of both for my backgrounds and added new butterflies cut from watercolor printed paper. I glued the "acetate" panels just on the left side and let static do the rest to hold them onto the watercolor paper - thought it gave another dimension to layer the prints. And if you haven't tried any of the sentiment strips sheets from Simon Says Stamp, give them a whirl - so quick and easy!!

Thanks to Dawn & to Simon Says Stamp for fun challenges and thanks to you for stopping by! Have a crafty day!!

Magical birthday

Hi all - my friend Lin (Sending Hugs) is a designer for the Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog and I saw her beautiful card for the current Wednesday Challenge. They're doing Anything Goes using Crafter's Companion products. I'm excited to play along as I just finished a card today using a fabulous CC kit I found at my local Tuesday Morning store. Here's my card:

Supplies: Paper - DCWV A2 card; papers from kit;

Neenah Classic Crest Solar White

Stamps and dies from Crafter's Companion Monthly Craft Kit 10 Build a Scene

Other - Copic Markers, Michael's gem, stars by unknown

Here's a photo of the dies and stamps, plus a couple of the papers, contained in this kit:

Oops - just noticed I forgot to put the fairy die back with the others before I photographed them. Hmmm - will have to go looking for it as things tend to disappear around here!! The kit also includes white card bases in various sizes (plus envelopes), along with card stock, ribbons, and patterned papers.

Simon Says Stamp carries the Crafter's Companion 6x6 Paper Pad by Chloe containing these wonderful marbled patterned papers - so yummy!! I used them behind the leafy frame and on the mushrooms. As you can see in my kit photo, the leafy border is not a complete frame. CC intends it for a 5.5" square card but I used it for an A2 card. I cut it on a 4.25x5.5" panel and just trimmed out the bits that got mangled while cutting the smaller dimension. I then cut more leaves to glue in those areas; close up you can tell it's not a full frame but I still like how it turned out. I backed the frame with a marbled panel & trimmed it to show a small edge of the card base.  Stamped a sentiment using green ink. Added diecut mushrooms and flowers and the fairy (colored with Copics with Stickles on the wing) along with some gems and stars (gift from my friend Heather Stamping & Stitching). Done!

I think my fairy looks a bit like a Barbie doll - what do you think? I have a hard time hand drawing faces but I didn't want to leave her without any features. Oh well....

Anything Goes 092619

Thanks for stopping - hope you're having a great week!!

Distress It & another Twofer

Hi all - just a quick post to get something in for the current Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Distress It, plus another pair for the Twofer Card Challenge - Geometric. Here's the pair:

I used a Tim Holtz stamp & stencil set I bought at Michael's - don't see it there online but it might still be in some of the stores. Besides the circles, it also has some hexagons. On the card at left I stamped and white embossed the connected circles twice. Then I blended Distress Oxide inks (Spiced Marmalade, Worn Lipstick & Fired Brick) for an emboss/resist background. Spritzed it several times and dried quickly with a heat tool. On the card at right I created a panel with the connected circles, this time I used the center circle as my focal point, overlapping that one when I stamped the circles twice.

Here's each card individually; starting with the distressed background card.

** Update ** Supplies: Paper -  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White & scrap of orange;
Paper Studio Teal; Poptone Black Licorice; scrap of marbled Yupo
Stamps - Hero Arts H4772 Friend Collage (retired);
Tim Holtz THMM101 (circles)
Dies - MFT Blueprints (retired);
Memory Box hello from an exclusive Columbine Frame set
Other - Distress Inks, sequins (no packaging for brand);
Hero Arts White Puff embossing powder; Distress Embossing Ink

** Update ** Supplies: Paper -  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White
Paper Studio Red; Poptone Black Licorice
Stamps - Hero Arts CM136 Birthday Messages;
Whimsy Stamps Autumn Bonus Bundle (small dots)
Tim Holtz THMM101 (circles)
Dies - Hero Arts DI199 Nesting Circle Infinity Dies
Other - Distress Inks (Fired Brick & Iced Spruce); Hero Arts Black

Thanks for stopping!!