Final Day for the August 2024 Die Cut Divas Challenge!

Hey everyone - I'm part of the end of month post at Die Cut Divas today. We're sharing last minute inspiration for our August Challenge with the theme of embossing & sponsored by SheepSki Designs.. It ends tonight at 9pm Pacific time. 

I shared card one below but also have two bonus cards only here:

Supplies: Paper - My Favorite Things black;

Copic & printer friendly white; scrap of pink

Digi - SheepSki Designs Floral Heart

Dies - Hero Arts Thinking of You Stamp & Cut;

Lawn Fawn Platform Pop-Up (bow)

Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Lace Circles

Other - Copic Markers; Versamark ink; 

Ranger clear embossing powder

For my first card, I used the same heart image as a previous card but minus the butterfly. Once again sister Diva Arlene (A Bit of This and That) printed off some images and she made this one larger than the other. Too large for an A2 card so I decided to make it a circle card. I found an old QuicKutz scalloped circle die set - the largest one was a perfect fit! I die cut two from black cardstock and scored the back before adhering together & adding the heart circle (colored with Copics). I'd planned to wet emboss a sentiment this time & did. Just not the usual stamp & emboss. Instead, I applied Versamark ink to a black die cut and clear embossed it - such amazing shine!

After assembly, I noticed a black Copic stain on my circle - darn it! I had used a Copic 100 marker to color the edges of the scallops & my fingers were a bit stained. It was a small spot but I couldn't cover it up with a white gel pen. So I die cut a LF bow and added to the card to cover the spot. The tail piece of the bow is horizontal when die cut but I snipped it in half and glued the tails hanging down. Good save, eh?

Ready for a couple bonuses? First a daffodil card:

Supplies: Paper - Copic/printer friendly cardstock;

Paper Studio A2 card

Digi - Jo's Daffodils

Stamps - unk for sentiment

Dies - Elizabeth Craft Stitched Rectangles (retired)

Other - Copic Markers; Hero Arts Pitch Black ink;

Versamark ink; Ranger clear embossing powder

I colored the daffodils three different ways based on photos I found on google. On the SheepSki site for this image, the inspiration photo has some hand drawn lines on the glass vase so I tried to replicate that. Thought it added some shape to it. This time I stamped and clear embossed the sentiment. Put the stamp set I used in a safe place, then couldn't find it to note the brand - oh well...

For my final bonus, I got another Christmas card made!! Arlene sent me this sweet birdie image and I had fun coloring it with Copics. Added some sparkle to the snow and matted it in black. Embossed a 4.25x5.5 piece of Bermuda cardstock using a new Honey Bee embossing folder. Since the folder is newly used, I'll send this card to Darnell's August NBUS Challenge #65.

Supplies: Paper - Copic/printer friendly cardstock;

Hero Arts Bermuda; MFT black; Paper Studio Glitter

Digi - SheepSki Designs Winter Robin

Dies - Elizabeth Craft Stitched Rectangles (retired);

Recollections Handwritten Works (retired)

Embossing Folder - Honey Bee Snowflakes 3D

Other - Copic Markers; Hero Arts Sparkle lacquer

The JOY came out of the bits box where it had languished forever! I had to search my blog to find what brand it was (Michael's) - LOL. Anyway, it was cut with a bright pink glitter paper but my berries were red and I wanted red. So I colored it with increasingly darker red Copics - still retained some pink so I added some dark pinkish Copic to my berries - good enough!

That's it, friends - hope to see your last minute creations in the August Diva Gallery using embossing. If it's wet embossing, be sure to include a die cut in your design!

Thanks for visiting & happy crafting!!

Couple of cards

Hello - hope you're having a crafty day! My heart goes out to everyone on the West Coast, but especially all my friends, who have fires nearby - so scary!! Thinking of you often and hope this ends soon!!

I'm sharing a couple of cards - first up, a "thinking of you" made with some Spellbinders products:

Supplies: Paper - Strathmore Watercolor 140lb;

Paper Studio turquoise A2 card;

Foil plates - Spellbinders oval &

Everyday Sentiments II

Other - Spellbinders ephemera; Yasutomo watercolors

Tools - Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil System

I used the letterpress panel I had made here. Since it was on watercolor paper, I put a bit of yellow wash in the center, then added ephemera from the July Spellbinders kit. A foiled sentiment I made in my maiden run with the Glimmer machine finished off the card. I sent this one to Darnell's friend Verna - hoping she's doing ok with all the smoke in the air out in California!

Next, a sympathy card with a Spellbinders flower set I just rec'd. Had to laugh, no more than opened the package from Spellbinders when I spotted the set on clearance at my Hobby Lobby! Oh well, I guess the shoppers in my town aren't into foiling! I did pick up a couple other sets practically for free - will use those in future. 😀😀

Supplies: Paper - Paper Studio A2 card; My Mind's Eye patterns, 

scraps of purple & green

Dies - My Favorite Things Blueprints (retired);

Spellbinders Floral Oval & Glimmering Layered Flowers

Stamps - Hero Arts Say it All (retired)

Other - Michael's gems; foam tape; silver foil

Tools - Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil System

I think my foiling turned out better on these flowers than my first attempts but on the leaves I had some stray foil that I trimmed out. I had made the flowers but didn't have a card for them until I learned of a friend's passing. We'd lost touch over the past 10 years but Faye & I were close back in my 30's and sang in a quartet together when I lived in Wisconsin. Faye worked as a nurse and was always so kind and compassionate. I remember a story her hubby told (he predeceased her) about a car trip they were taking. They came upon an accident and Faye made him pull over so she could help - no mask, no gloves, she just went right in there until the EMTs arrived. That was Faye to a tee - RIP!

That's it from me for today. I'll add the sympathy card to Darnell's NBUS challenge since my foiled flowers are new. Thanks for hosting NBUS Darnell - I need it!!

Thanks to you for stopping by and I hope you'll check back tomorrow when I have a special Christmas card to share!! Hint - it's a "kick off" to a new challenge....

Cardinals in birch trees

Happy Sunday everyone - looking forward to another Vikings play-off game tonight! Meanwhile, I'm sharing a card I made last Sunday for my neighbor who had back surgery this past week. He's an outdoorsman so I thought I'd use a birch panel I've had in my stash since October. Glad to find it a home!!

Supplies: Paper - Poptone Black Licorice; Hero Arts PS567 Floral Mix Folded Cards (aubergine shade) 

Authentique Cozy 6x6; Tim Holtz Wallflower 12x12; scrap of red

Embossing folder - Tim Holtz Alterations Birch Trees

Dies - My Favorite Things Die-Namics Blueprints 13; Impression Obsession Cardinals

Stamp (sentiment) - Hero Arts CL342 Everyday Sayings (retired)

Other - Dusty Concord Distress Ink; colored pencils

I embossed the birches on a piece of Tim Holtz paper with a light text running through it. Then I shadowed the trees with colored pencils for some dimension. I found a small scrap of Authentique birch bark paper, just enough for my sentiment. Whew! I cut a bunch of these birdie diecuts from several colors of scraps. Decided on the red, not only for the pop but because we have cardinals living in our neighborhood, and it is a cardinals die set after all.

Thanks for stopping and I hope you check back tomorrow for another fun Merry Monday challenge!
Skol Vikings!!

And the fun with 2012 Hero Arts stamps continues...

Hello everyone - thanks for all your sweet comments yesterday on my Hero Hostess Blog Hop post.  And Kari really appreciated all the love too - she said "Cardgirls are very VERY sweet." 

If you haven't seen Day 4, check it out!  Such inspiration from 5 great stampers - Sharon, Kathy, Virginia, Sue and Sarah!  And you can still add comments to my Hop post (dated 1/11 here, not this one) and those of any of the participants, plus the Hero Arts Blog this week for the chance to win Hero Arts prizes!

And I have to say thanks again to Kathy for her help getting my Blog Hop post ready when my Blogger wasn't cooperating!!!  Not only can she color up a storm, she's great with computer stuff!  Mind you this was at 12:30 a.m. my time yesterday (1:30 her time) and she was oh so nice to help.

Because of my Blogger problems, I limited my post yesterday to three of my cards, plus Kari's.  She worked so hard on it that I couldn't leave it out!  So here's a card I had ready for the Hop that I passed over.  I just didn't like how my coloring looked.  I made it while in Arizona where I had no Copic markers with me!  I'm sure it would've been beautiful with the Copics!  Anyway, here's my card:

I used S5601 Newspaper Background - love it, love it, love it - and K5597 Fleurettes, such a lovely flower image which I didn't do justice.  Sentiment is from an older Hero Arts set whose name escapes me right now.

Anyway, thanks for stopping and be sure to stop at the Hero Arts Blog again tomorrow for the 5th and final day of our Hero Hostess Blog Hop.  Some more of my dear hostess friends will be on hand to share their amazing work.

A Happy Heart

Hi all - it's been awhile AGAIN since my last post.  Just got home from Arizona where I was vacationing for the holidays.  Great weather and lots of fun with family.  Naturally there was plenty of time to relax and make cards!  I was busy playing with new 2012 Hero Arts stamps for the Hero Hostess Blog Hop which started today and runs all this week.  My day is coming up on Wednesday so look for me then - I'm so excited!!

For today, here's a simple card I made for my mom who's such a great support to me in all I do.  I stamped the new Newspaper Background in a light gold onto my kraft card base, then stamped the sentiment - a great message from the new clear set Good Friends in the corner with Memento Rich Cocoa ink.  I stamped one of the hearts from the new Art of the Card cling set Untitled Heart (this week's stamp of the week 25% off!) on pink Basic Grey paper using Fired Brick Distress Ink.  Cut it out and popped it up with foam tape and added a twine bow.  Inked the card edges and added a few gems under the sentiment - Done! 

Thanks for stopping and be sure to check out the Blog Hop all week!

Hero Hostesses Featured and some challenge cards

Hi all - just thought I'd share the card I made for the Hero Arts Blog Social Club post today featuring the current Hero Hostesses.  Heather, Anita, Sharon, Sally & I end our three month tour as Hostesses this Saturday so we had one more feature.  We picked a thank-you theme as we feel so grateful to Hero Arts for their generosity to its Club and Flickr members!!  We had a great time working with each other and with Tami and Libby from the Hero Arts team.

Used the Hero Arts Thanks Definition - a fab Cling, Life of the Party Dots - another fab Cling, and a sentiment from a new set Live and Laugh which I love.  I enjoyed using the emboss/resist technique on the background with fabulous Tim Holtz Distress Inks.

And at this week's craft night with my friends I made these two cards for Lisa Spangler's make-it and mail-it challenge.  Lisa is a fab Hero Arts designer and such a sweetie to host this challenge.  The card on the left is for my brother-in-law who needs some encouragement to face an illness.  The one on the right is for my dear friend (more like a sister) Connie & her hubby who invited me for Easter weekend.  I had a great time and enjoyed the food and hospitality!

Recognize those dots?  They look great with the Hero Arts Designer Woodgrain stamp.  The other card used the HA Music Background Cling - love that one - and a clear set I bought at Archiver's, an exclusive from Hero Arts, for the lacy circle, sentiment and butterfly.  Oh, and I squeezed another fave - the Envelope Pattern - into the card on the right.  I also meant to stamp it lightly over the tag on the left but forgot.  Thanks for stopping!