Another Christmas Mini Slim!

Hey there crafty friends - It's a busy week with chorus stuff (park performance last night - it went great! and Spring show this Saturday) but I had time to make another card for the May Christmas Kickstart Challenge - Mini Slimline!! Jo and Elf Arlene inspired us with some delightful cards and I had to play along again! 

Supplies: Paper - Tim Holtz black & silver kraft core and

Christmas patterned; Neenah white; scrap of pink

Stamp & Cuts - Hero Arts Christmas Trimmings (retired),

Winter Penguin (retired but found here at Frantic Stamper)

and Holiday Ornaments (retired)

Dies - Hero Arts Shoes and Hat (bow) & 

My Favorite Things Oval Shadows (retired)

Other -  Park Lane & Honey Bee gems

Copic markers

I started by forming a mini slimline card from a piece of Tim Holtz black cardstock. Next I adhered a layering panel of his Christmas paper (had more left from yesterday's scrap card!). Yesterday when I was pawing through the bits box, I found the grey ornaments and some penguins - thought they'd be cute on a mini slim. Added newly stamped & cut branches from the ornament set and a die cut Merry from the Christmas Trimmings set. I had a Merry in the bits box but it was kraft colored so I die cut a new one from silver plus a black shadow. I wanted an ice patch for my penguin and the MFT Oval Shadows die set is always good for that! It cuts 10 & I tried a few before I found the perfect size. Decided the penguin needed to be a girl so gave her a big bow from a new Hero Arts die set. I'd meant to use it for Mother's Day but didn't get there, oh well. Added some gems - done!

Since my bow die is newly used, I'm sending this card to Darnell's NBUS Challenge #38 where I'm guest designing all month - so fun!! Remember to pop over with some of your own NBUS, plus get a mini slim Christmas card made for Kickstart!!

Thanks for stopping!!

 

Elf with Embossed Scrap Background

Happy Monday - it's a gorgeous day here today and my chorus looks forward to singing at Como Park tonight!! While preparing my MC lines I managed to squeeze in another card for Let's Squash It! where Challenge 20 requires both dry embossing and scraps. 

Supplies: Paper - various patterns mostly BoBunny,

some Tim Holtz, Doodlebug & American Crafts;

Paper Studio red A2 card

Embossing Folder - Stampin' Up Wintry 3D (pine bough)

Dies - Spellbinders Dancin' Gnome

Stamp & Cut - Hero Arts Santa's Elves

Other - Copic Markers; SSS sentiment strip;

Antique Linen Distress Ink

I've said it before but I do have many boxes of scraps. Here's a photo of the one I dove into for the scraps I used. When I die cut rectangle backgrounds, I end up with a bunch of approximately 2" strips that are perfect to cut down for the strip technique Jennifer McGuire has shown many times.

And here's a shoot of some scrap pieces from which I'd cut strips and the arranging I was doing on a white panel. You can see how I love to cut random things from patterned papers - butterflies, tags, you name it!

After I had an arrangement I liked, I glued the strips down and trimmed the panel to fit in a new Stampin' Up embossing folder (just came in the mail last week!). It's narrower than A2 size but should've been long enough. I trimmed a bit more than intended so had to leave a border, oh well. After embossing the panel with the pines, I inked the raised parts with some Distress Ink.

Next, I looked it my bits box for a large snowflake - instead I found an elf already stamped and die cut. Quickly colored her with Copics and then die cut her a wooden stump using a scrap of brown. Gave her a sign made using a strip of black and a Simon Says Stamp sentiment strip.

The stump die comes in a Spellbinders gnome set that's finally seeing first play so I have two NBUS on this card. I'll add this to Darnell's May NBUS Challenge where I'm guest designer.

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!!

 

An embossed quilt

Hi everyone! Very gloomy, rainy day here - perfect weather to stay inside and craft! I'm playing along at Let's Squash It! where Challenge 20 requires both dry embossing and scraps. Oh, do I have scraps - boxes and boxes of them!! Embarrasing really.... I shared a photo of one meager box HERE - that's just the tip of the iceberg!

Supplies: Paper - Park Lane Ivory A2 card; 

Paper Studio Kraft; Patterns by unk

Embossing Folder - Sizzix Quilted by Tim Holtz (retired)

Dies - My Favorite Things Blueprints 2 (retired) 

& Quilt Square Cover Up

Stamps - Hero Arts Year Round Sentiments (retired)

Other - Hero Arts Navy ink

First I die cut the quilt twice - once from a scrap of blue (maybe Basic Grey??) and once using two pieces of scrap patterned paper that I'd stuck side by side onto the same release paper. Carefully inlaid the quilt pieces into the blue frame and embossed the quilt with the Sizzix ef. Didn't have the packaging for the ef's name so I did the usual - went seaching on Flickr which lead me to THIS card by my friend Heather. It turns out I had embossed a quilted background panel for her!

Adhered the quilt to a rectangle diecut that I'd scored to separate the quilt from the sentiment (hard to see in the photo). Adhered that to an A2 card. Added a little star diecut from my bits box and stamped the sentiment - done! I love how this turned out & will definitely emboss more of these quilts - it adds such pretty texture!! My friend Linda's mom turns 90 on Saturday so Mama Connie will get this card.

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!!

Happy Mother's Day USA!

Hey crafty friends - Happy Mother's Day if you're celebrating in the USA! It's a sad one for me, just having lost my mom last month. Yesterday would've been my parents' 67th wedding anniversary so that was another sad occasion. But we keep keepin' on and celebrating those still with us like Queen Mum Mary, dear friend and the mom of my former quartet lead singer. Here's the card I sent Mary; I previously shared the card I sent to my auntie, my second mom.

Supplies: Paper - Park Lane A2 Card; Spellbinders

Digi print - Joy Clair Designs Count Me In

Stamp - Paper Smooches All Year Cheer (NIB)

Other - Copic Markers

Who says you can't use paper from a Christmas pad for another holiday? On Friday I shared a card with papers from the 2021 Spellbinders Limited Edition Christmas kit and I've used an A2 layer of the plaid here. It's so pretty with the ombre lilac to grey. I had a digi print left from last month's Die Cut Diva sponsor Joy Clair Designs - decided to use it with the plaid for a simple card. The print has flowers top and bottom but I trimmed the top off for future use. Colored the panel with Copics, stamped the sentiment & done!

Here's a photo of my mom from last year's Mother's Day. She's holding a large flower pot I bought her which she enjoyed all the way til it froze last fall. She just about drove my dad nuts asking him if he watered it! Amazing what can happen in a year.

Take care all and enjoy time with your family - so precious!! Thanks for stopping!

A Christmas Mini Slimline!

Hey friends - It's been a busy week but I finally had time to finish a card for the May Christmas Kickstart Challenge - Mini Slimline!! Jo and Elf Arlene announced it Tuesday and I immediately decided to try a few sets I bought over the last year and have never used (surprise, surprise). Here's my card:

Supplies: Paper - Spellbinders, Neenah

Dies - Spellbinders All Aboard 2021 Christmas Card Kit

Taylored Expressions Easy Strips 1/8"

Stamps - Sunny Studio Holiday Express (with coordinating dies)

Other - Lawn Fawn snowflake sequin; Park Lane gem;

Spellbinders foam ephemera; Copic markers

I started by forming a mini slimline card from a piece of Spellbinders green cardstock. Next I die cut all the train pieces and assembled - a bit fiddly but so fun. The set includes the train & Christmas tree dies, plus an ornaments & presents. I just used the train & tree dies and then added some foam sticker presents from the Spellbinders kit. I wanted a stamped Santa coming out of the engine's window & found one quickly in a Sunny Studio set I bought last August. That set has its own train to try next time - so darling and I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to use this set sooner!! While I was at it, I stamped and cut a reindeer from the same Sunny set. Colored Santa and Rudolph with Copics and added to my train. The little reindeer car is dipping in back - must be the weight of the presents! 

The background paper is also from the Spellbinders kit. Can you see the pale cityscape on it? I went simple on the railroad track (considered & rejected trying to cobble together a realistic looking track) using a narrow back strip. I used a sentiment from the same Sunny set and curved it to be smoke from the train - hard to see in the photo but I trailed a line of grey Copic C00 underneath it.

Spellbinders lists the All Aboard kit at $40 off right now so if you're looking for something special to make a bunch of cards, consider this kit! Wow - so many crafty goodies - I'm really sorry I didn't get into the box sooner!! Since my Spellbinders and Sunny Studio are newly used, I'm sending this card to Darnell's NBUS Challenge #38. By the way - I'm guest designing at NBUS this month! Hope you'll pop over with some of your own NBUS, plus remember to get a mini slim Christmas card made for Kickstart!!

Thanks for stopping!!

 

April 2022 Card Chain Reveal

Hey crafty friends - time once again to reveal cards that circled the globe for the April Card Chain Challenge. Thirty four people played and you can see the full chain HERE. My card went to the bee-utiful Gundi (papierelle) in Germany:

Supplies: Paper - Spellbinders A2 card; Neenah white;

upcycled Hallmark card (green circle); 

scraps of green (stem and leaves);

BoBunny Serendipity Collection (yellow)

Stamps - Hero Arts Jan2021 My Monthly Hero Kit (retired)

Dies - Taylored Expressions Bloomin' Accessories (retired);

Simon Says Stamp Painted Friend;

Hero Arts Nesting Circle Infinity Dies & Jan2021 MMH kit

Other - Copic Markers; Doodlebug enamel dot; 

Hero Arts gem; Stickles (Black Diamond & Star Dust)

I used the colors, sketch and theme of friendship as I often do. 

Color Palette Option

Sketch Option

The minute I saw the color bumblebee, my brain went to bee images. This lead me to a My Monthly Hero kit from last year - love this one!! I decided one element from the sketch could be a bee and another a flower. I started with a stamped flower from the kit but remembered a fun TE die set from Jeanne (Reba Li Creates). She gave it to me last year but I'm just getting around to using it - sorry about that, Jeanne - thanks again!! And thanks to Jo (Just a Dotty Pudding) who sent me the friend die cuts back in March. She sent white ones but I colored them black and stacked for dimension, then stickled the top layer. The bees wings got some Stitckles too.

I received this beauty from Joanne (Slices of Life) in Connecticut - just love the spring bouquet with the plaid paper behind it! Joanne is fairly new to the CCC but she's returned more than once - yay! Hope she keeps joining us!

If you'd like to join in for May, go HERE by May 6th. Thanks for stopping and have a wonderful day!

May Guest Designer at NBUS!!

Hey crafty friends - with a mountain of NBUS (Never-Before-Used-Schtuff) in my stash, I am the perfect fit to play at the NBUS Challenge. Back in February owner & friend Darnell (djkardkreations) started taking on one Guest Designer per month - such fun! I'm delighted to be her GD for the May Challenge #38!! Here's my card:

Supplies: Paper - Spellbinders (blue); Neenah white;

 & Anchor Paper (grey linen card)

Stamps - Taylored Expressions Simple Strips Background

Dies - Spellbinders Stitched Petal Frame

Taylored Expressions Simple Strips

Other - Hero Arts gems; 

DMC Embroidery Floss (600, 604, 827); 

Artiste Silver Metallic Floss

Right before Darnell asked to guest design, I'd received a big box from Spellbinders. Not only did I have NBUS, I had brand new NBUS!! Funny thing - the die I used above was one I found at Hobby Lobby the following week - so even newer NBUS - yikes!

I die cut a thick, rich blue cardstock from an old Spellbinders kit using the coverplate. Decided to try silver metallic for stitching on it. Bad idea only because the silver I bought comes 8 strands & was difficult to split in half. The full 8 strands are too thick for the holes. I really liked the look, though, and kept at it for several hours. Then I decided some regular embroidery floss would be perfect on the rest. I split the 6-strand floss in half and 3 strands worked well. I also followed Spellbinders recommendation to use a #22 tapestry needle. Be sure to use a thick paper because you handle it a lot and wouldn't want it to tear! Later I found some beautiful metallic DMC thread that I'll try next time.

I embroidered and did counted cross stitch & needlepoint for many years. With paper, you have to watch out for the needle falling right back through the hole and off the thread - can't tell you how many times that happened...But once I got going, it went well. I secured the thread ends with a bit of glue when I completed a section. Once finished, I die cut a second panel and glued it to the back. This gave me a smooth panel to adhere to my card base. Some gems and a sentiment strip finished the card. If you want to see a gorgeous pastel version using embroidery floss, go here. My friend Lin (Sending Hugs) did a beautiful job on it!! She used some new Spellbinders stitched flowers here - so pretty!

Here's a bonus card, or as Darnell would say, a twofer:

Supplies: Paper - Neenah; Tim Holtz; Anchor Paper

Stamps - Taylored Expressions Simple Strips Background

Dies - Spellbinders Stitched Medallion

Taylored Expressions Simple Strips &

Simple Strips Backer;

A Jillian Vance Design Stitched Dot Rectangle Backdrop

After all the stitching on the other card, I decided to try one without stitches - it's still amazing with loads of detail. I simply die cut the stitched medallion (from my big Spellbinders box) with the frame & then a solid panel with just the frame. Layered them and added to my rectangle diecuts and card base. Sentiment strip with backer and done! Very simple and fun to put together...

Thanks oodles to Darnell for offering the NBUS Challenge & for inviting me to guest design! I hope you'll join in this month using some of your own mountain of NBUS!!