Hugs and Thinking of You

A quick post from me this morning to post 2 cards I made yesterday, as some of the challenges are about to end.

This card is inspired by Ink to Paper Project Reach Out: Sending Hugs and Rainbow Cheer and uses PTI stamps and dies Watercolor Wonder and Big Hugs, CAS(E) this Sketch #367, Perfectly CAS #7: Die Cuts (a new challenge for me), AAA Cards #162: Made in Minutes, and Just Add Ink #500: Just Add a Die Cut Word (happy 500th challenge!!).

Next up...I finally pulled out The Greetery Bottled Up stamps and created this card inspired by the colors at Color Throwdown #588, the challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More #384: CAS, and Inkspirational #210: Spring.

Thanks for Visiting

Mid-Week Crafty Update

Just a quick update to share a few cards I made over the weekend.  First up is this super fun bookcase birthday card that I made using a relatively new Hero Arts wooden stamp and my Copic markers.

It is a little hard to see in this photo, but the bottom row has the word 'birthday' die cut, stacked and inlaid back in.  I am entering this card at The Library Challenge #27:  Spark Joy.   An entire bookshelf, organized by rainbow color would truly spark joy for me.  Also, as the topic of Spark Joy is to declutter and organize, this is what my actual bookcase might look like after going through that process (in my dreams).

Next up is a card using one of my favorite PTI dies 'In the Woods' for Lauries Fabulous Favorites Challenge at PTI.  I am also entering this card at Inkspiration #181:  Use Your Stash.

Last up is a one layer card with a focus on the sentiment.  I used an old inspirational sentiment from MFT and spruced the card up with some images from PTI Watercolor Wonder and embossed texture.

I am entering this card at Less is More #389: Focus on the Sentiment and Just Add Ink #445: Just Add Embossing.

Thanks for Visiting

Time Out #91...reminder...Happy Birthday to You

There is still time to play along with our current challenge at Time Out.  Our challenge this time is a CASE challenge, and we have this stunner from Beverly Brown to inspire us.

I was inspired by the colorful stripes and the simple black stamped design.  I used a stamp from Watercolor Wonder to created stripes in colors similar to the inspiration card.  Then, I stamped one of my favorite ME happy birthday images right on top.  This card was quick and easy, but I tried several other things that didn't work in the end before settling on this design.

Please head over to Time Out to see more inspiration from our Design Team and Guest Designer. Our Guest Designer this week is Lucie, so please stop by her blog to see what she has created for this challenge.  Uniko is our sponsor for this challenge.  Details for the prize are on the Time Out Challenge Blog.

This challenge will run another week.  I hope you will take some Time Out of your busy schedule to play along with us.

Thanks for Visiting

Time Out #60...Happy Birthday

Hello and welcome to a new challenge at Time Out.  Our challenge this time is a CASE challenge, and we have this wonderful card by Therese Calvird to inspire us.

Inspiration Card from Therese

I was inspired by the cut flowers, the almost monochrome color palette, and the stripes which looked like water color paint to me.

I used Watercolor Wonder by PTI to stamp yellow stripes all across my card front, and then stamped, fussy cut, and colored a Year of Flowers Mum using Copic markers.

Please head over to Time Out to see more inspiration from our Design Team and Guest Designer. Our Guest Designer this week is Birgit.  I hope you play along with us this week.

Important news--this challenge runs for ONE WEEK only.  So, act fast!

Thanks for Visiting

PTI June 2015 Blog Hop

I've got a quick post that I scheduled last week because I didn't want to miss the June PTI blog hop, even though I am out of town.  I am taking my youngest daughter on a tour of colleges all around the Boston area.

I thought those shoes were so cute.  I was inspired by the grey stripes and the orange flowers.

Enjoy the hop, and I will come visit you when I am back from my trip.

Thanks for Visiting

Birthday Cards

I've got two birthday cards to share today, and am playing in lots of challenges.  First up is a shaker birthday card for a niece who loves to ice skate.  I made a striped background using Watercolor Wonder, and cut a frame using SSS Stitched Rectangles.  My skates are from On Ice, and my shaker elements are some red foil confetti hearts and some seed beads.

Here is a better view of the shaker elements.

I am entering this card at Case this Sketch #108, Virginia's View #12 Shaker Cards, Simon Says Monday Challenge H is for...  Heart, AAA Cards Challenge Love Theme, Simon Says Wednesday Challenge Bright and Beautiful, and Seize the Birthday Anything Goes.

My next card uses the layering cover plate die cuts technique taught at this week's Make it Monday #200.  I used the colors from this week's ColourQ #278.  I used the chevron cover plate, and cut it once out of Raspberry Fizz and again out of Orange Zest.  I turned one upside down before layering, and then pulled some of the pointed sides from the lower level to the upper level.  It's hard to describe, but I think it gave a pretty nice look.

I am also entering this card at Simon Says Monday Challenge H is for...  Happy, Simon Says Wednesday Challenge Bright and Beautiful, and Seize the Birthday Anything Goes.

Thanks for Visiting

A Whole Bunch of Cards

What a crazy week it's been in San Diego--a state of emergency and fires all over the place.  Fortunately, the fire closest to our home was controlled before it got too close.  Schools were closed, the air quality was terrible, and each morning I awoke to a fresh layer of ash on everything outside.  My car was packed with important papers and photos, but luckily we were not called upon to evacuate. Today is the first day that the temperature is a bit cooler and the air smells clean.  Most of the fires are either out or are under control.  My heart goes out to all those who lost their homes this week.

I've been crafting off and on all week, and have a whole bunch of cards to post.  First up are two more cards for this week's Make it Monday #164:  Cluster Stamped Sentiments.   I began with a sentiment from Mama Elephant Make a wish and embossed it in white.  Then, I just stamped circles from Sketched Shapes all around in Aqua Mist, Summer Sunrise, Hibiscus Burst, Hawaiian Shores and Tropical Teal.  I stamped each of the circles twice, inking and rotating the stamp before the second stamp.  That is how I got the cross hatched pattern, and it also helped the embossed sentiment to stand out better.

I am also entering this card at this week's Simon Says Monday:  M challenge.  My 'M' is Make a Wish.


This next card uses another sentiment from that same ME set, and I stamped over it using Watercolor Wonder in a rainbow of colors.  I am entering this card at Make it Monday #164:  Cluster Stamped Sentiments as well as  Simon Says Monday:  M challenge.  My 'M' is Mama Elephant.

I was able to play with my Make it Market Shakers & Sprinkles kit.  Wow, is this kit fun.  The first card I made is a shaker card that is very close to one of the cards Betsy made when she introduced the kit.  It really was quick and easy.  I used a quarter sheet of the paper pad included with the kit, so all the background stamping was done for me, and I could not bear to break into my test tubes of sprinkles yet, so I used confetti made with one of the confetti dies.

I read a tip somewhere by Jacquie about using a Q Tip to put talcum powder on the edges of the foam tape to keep the shaker elements from sticking to the side of the foam.  I did not have talcum powder, so I used corn starch, and it did seem to help.

For my next card, I combined the Shakers & Sprinkles kit with my Shape Up Cupcake die to make a cupcake shaped card.  I have to say that I really love how it turned out, and I will be making more of these.  I coated the die cut 'sprinkles' with a ton of Wink of Stella, and coated the stamped confetti with Glossy Accents.

I recently got the Butterfly Drift die from SSS, and just started playing around with it.  I was inspired by many of the cards on Lisa's blog, I'm in Haven.  I am going to enter 5 of these next cards at Simon Says Wednesday Die Crazy.

I think that these first two are my favorite of the bunch.  For the first card, I die cut in black and also various rainbow colors.  I did not cut the entire die for each color--just put a scrap under the particular butterfly I wanted to cut.  I used the outline in black, and then filled in each butterfly with a different color.  I found that running the die cut through my Xyron machine was the easiest way to get the border to stick.

On this card, I cut the entire die out of the card stock panel, adhered that panel to my card base with foam tape, and then filled in the butterflies with colored card stock, leaving a gap where the border would be.

Just for fun, I am entering these cards at this week's Seize the Birthday (without toppings).

For my next card, I used a Kaleidacolor rainbow ink pad (Caribbean Sea), which I stamped on wet card stock.  Once it dried, I ran it through my Xyron machine and used the butterflies to fill in another black border die cut.

I used the border cut from that same piece of card stock on my next card.  I filled in the butterflies with black card stock butterflies, and used a sentiment from Avery Elle Brushed embossed in white.

Last up are the first cards I made with this die.  I used the same type Kaleidacolor rainbow ink pad, this one called Spectrum, stamped on to wet paper.  These are my least favorite because I think the colors are too bright and garish all together, but I am showing them anyway.  Maybe some one else might like them.

Well, that's it for me today.  Thanks for sticking with me for all these cards and pictures, and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Thanks for Visiting