Tropical Christmas?!

Happy Saturday - hope you're having a crafty weekend! I finally got a chance to finish a card for this week's Merry Monday challenge. Lori challenged us to make a tropical themed Christmas card. Wow - had to think on that one for a while!

I was in the Silhouette online store last night spending my subscription for this month. Searched on "tropical" and found a bunch of fun designs, including Summer Santa - so adorable I had to download and make him right away. This file comes with a striped blanket but I went with a fun piece of hibiscus paper instead. Here's my card:

Supplies: Paper - Hero Arts Cerulean and Sunshine Designer layering papers

Stamps: CL149 Fanciful Swirl alphabet (to stamp out "sunny"); CL 721 Banners and Messages (holidays)

CL270 Sky's the Limit (sun). Other: Silhouette die cut - Summer Santa; Copic Markers,

Stickles & Glossy Accents; Ranger Embossing ink and Stampendous Golden Sand powder

I cut Santa on all white paper and then colored the appropriate bits with Copic Markers - even gave him a hint of sunburn on his nose - LOL. The "sand" was made with embossing powder - it's so shiny in the photo but looks like sand in real life. Anyway, this file has a lot of bits so it took some time to put together - but well worth it.

Now for a Scramble card. Barb G. is hosting over on the Hero Arts Flickr group - her theme today - use an angle. I went for a Starburst stamp I've owned for a while but hadn't inked until today.

                 

Supplies: Paper - Hero Arts Punch and Cerulean layering papers; Stamps - Hero Arts 330056 Starburst Background (HA w/Studio Calico); CL661 It's Your Day; CL342 Everyday Sayings; CL272 All Occasion Msgs; CL953 Mason Jar Bugs.

Distress Inks - Tumbled Glass, Blueprint Sketch, Mermaid Lagoon, Abandoned Coral, Wilted Violet, Twisted Citron;

Copic Markers; Reflections gem (from Michael's)

 I need more March birthday cards and this will do the trick for one of them. With the colors and butterfly it'll work for a woman friend; I think I'll try to make a masculine version too for a different friend.

Thanks for stopping and have a great rest of the weekend!!

Merry Monday Bells

Hi all - Linda's challenge on Merry Monday this week requires bells on your Christmas card. I have a beautiful bell cling stamp that I got it from my friend Isha in a Secret Santa exchange over on the Hero Arts Flickr Group. It reminded me so much of the inspiration photo that I decided to go with it.

Supplies: Stamps - Hero Arts: CG131 Wreath with Bells; CL630 Miracle of the Holidays

Paper - Neenah Solar White; Hero Arts pine layering paper; Ink - Hero Arts Black, Ranger embossing ink

Embossing Powder - Ranger Sea Foam White; Copic Markers, Liquid Applicque; Die - SSS circle

Besides this card, I made three more orchid cards today (see this post). I just love that layered orchid in a pot stamp set! My Mom & Dad adored the card from that post which I sent to them in thanks for my birthday gift. Now I just have to make a birthday card for an 18 year old guy - have yet to come up with a brilliant idea...

Thanks for stopping by and hope you're having a crafty weekend.

Scramble time!

Happy Scramble time! Today I'm hosting a traditional Scramble on the Hero Arts Flickr group - that's a set 90 minutes to create a card based on a specific theme, photograph and upload it for a chance to win random-draw prizes. Link to my Scramble - which started at 11:30 PST- here.

My theme today is to create a card with flowers and insect(s) - could be a butterfly, a bee, a beetle - whatever. I figured people could use their finished card in this month's Hero Arts challenge.

I created two sample cards this week to inspire people for the Scramble; I can enter both in the challenge!

My first card uses a favorite cling flower stamp from Hero Arts - just love the long stems on these! I colored them with Copic markers on paper that wasn't designed for them but, no matter, I'm happy with the result. To shimmer them up, I added Wink of Stella liberally. The sentiment and butterfly came from a new Stamp & Cut set - just love these sets! The butterfly die is actually made to just lift the wings out of a background. I wanted it free so I just trimmed around the uncut area with a scissors.

Supplies: Hero Arts stamps & dies: DC182 Butterfly Pair Stamp & Cut; CG525 Tall Flowers

Paper: Hero Arts PS623 SEA MIX LAYERING PAPERS (powder); Neenah Solar White.

Hero Arts Black ink; May Arts ribbon; Copic Markers; Clear Wink of Stella

Card #2 uses a new stamp layering set by Hero Arts and I just adore these orchids in a pot. I have made three cards with this set already, having found what I consider the perfect combination of inks for the layers - if I do say so myself! They remind me of the orchids at my grocery store's floral department right now. I was delighted with how the orchid pot ended up looking shaded - that's how it stamped, genius! Oh - can't forget to mention that the MISTI makes these layered images a breeze!!

Supplies: Paper - Hero Arts PS619 FLORAL MIX LAYERING PAPERS (aubergine); Neenah Solar White

Stamps: Hero Arts - CL946 Color Layering Orchid In A Pot w/matching die DI177; DC182 Butterfly Pair Stamp & Cut

Inks: Hero Arts - Black and green; Tim Holtz Distress inks - Tattered Rose, Twisted Citron, Wilted Violet, Pine Needles, Gathered Twigs, Aged Mahogany; Copic Markers; Clear Wink of Stella; Floral mixed gems/pearls

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you check out the Scramble. If you can't play along today, we scramble about every two weeks and have a great time doing it. Here's the Master Scramble List for more inspiration.

Merry Monday - featuring Berries!

Hi all - this week at Merry Monday, Bonnie's challenge is to use berries on your card. I reached for some holly leaves with berries and decided to add them to a pretty Hero Arts wreath from 2010. Looking at the entries at Merry Monday, it looks like a several of us went the wreath route. Be sure to check out the amazing Design Team cards as well. Here's my card:

Supplies: Paper - Hero Arts Designer Layering paper; Authentique

Hero Arts Stamps and Die: CL474 Special Wishes (wreath) DC169 Joy (die and holly stamp)

Distress Inks: Twisted Citron, Pine Needles, Festive Berries; May Arts ribbon

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Hope you have a special day planned. Typical Sunday for me so far with a run to Target and doing a few household chores. But my brother and his wife will take me out later today for my birthday dinner.

Thought I'd share a simple Valentine I sent this year, with various slight changes, to most of my relatives. I sent a similar card to a friend who's a birthday twin. Here's my card:

Supplies: paper - Hero Arts punch layering paper; Authentique; doily from Target

Stamps: CL402 Valentine Sayings by Hero Arts

dies - heart by Hero Arts from My Monthly Hero January 2016; love from DC175 Love Stamp&Cut

Ink - Versamark; Sea Foam white embossing powder by Ranger

I was excited to receive a package from my dear friend/"sista" Heather Maria yesterday. As usual, she sent too many fun goodies and I just had to use some of them right away - starting with a musical clef die. Members of my former quartet had an early birthday party for me on Friday so I wanted to make them thank you cards. The clef die was perfect for it - here's the card:

Supplies: paper - Neenah Solar White cardstock, Authentique patterned paper

Stamps by Hero Arts: sentiment CL272 All Occasion Msgs; notes CL354 Let the Angels Sing

Ink: Tim Holtz - Wilted Violet Distress Ink

I must say using the MISTI made it a breeze for the stamping on the three cards I made of this design! 

Then I need to plan some more birthday thank you cards - starting with one for Heather!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great Valentine's day!

Chalkboard snowflake

Hi everyone - sometimes you create based on what you can FIND! Kristie's challenge this week at Merry Monday is to use the chalkboard effect. Well, I have some stuff around here somewhere.... The chalkboard stamps I found were all for non-Christmas occasions except one tag stamp. I was going to use it but got pulled toward another idea with an embossing folder. I embossed a Hero Arts snowflake on black paper with a white back - not truly white core so when I sanded it, it didn't get very white! So I applied Hero Arts Unicorn White ink over it and also around the paper edge. Stamped the sentiment with the same ink.

Sorry, the paper looks grey in my photo - couldn't edit it any darker, oh well... Here's my card:

Supplies: paper Neenah Solar White cardstock, Kelly Purkey Second City by Basic Grey
Embossing folder: Snowflakes set by Hero Arts/Sizzix; Ink: Unicorn White by Hero Arts
Stamp: sentiment from Hero Arts DC166 Merry & Bright Tag set by Lia; Gems: Reflections from Michaels

In my sanding I tore a bit of one of the curved points. Covered all of them with gems - fixed!

Thanks for stopping by and have a crafty weekend!!

Shaker cards!

Finally - I made my first two shaker cards! Over the years I've purchased a bunch of shaker elements - domed acrylic pieces, beads, etc. Last year I even bought a Fuse tool and had yet to use it! Then I received my January 2016 My Monthly Hero kit from Hero Arts. I thought it would be fun to make a heart shaped packet to put behind the heart die from the kit. Here's card #1:

I stamped a top fold card (made with Hero Arts punch layering paper) with Simon Says Stamp heart background. I die cut the heart window with pop-up scallops using 2 dies from the MMH kit (sold out). The shaker filler was from the kit too and the valentine die was from a separate add-on. This card went to my friend Heather Maria and her family; she let me know she received it on Tuesday.

While card #1 was still in the mail, we had a Scramble with Betty on the Hero Arts Flickr group. I loved her theme with an inspiration photo and decided to try shaker card #2. This time I used the acrylic panel provided in the MMH kit behind the heart opening. After diecutting the top panel, I positioned it over the grey piece to set where my XOXO would go. Used my MISTI tool for stamping - LOVE!! Then I white embossed it, put the shaker filler over it, lined up foam tape around the back of the heart and adhered over the grey. Love the pink paper by Authentique and the grey is by Doodlebug - matched the subtle grey in the Authentique paper perfectly! 

I sent this card to my parents and I was in a bit of a hurry to get it in the mail. I didn't write a single word on the inside or sign it! Guess that means my mom can use it for someone else - LOL!

Hope you're having a crafty week and thanks for stopping by!