Happy Mother's Day

 

It's been a busy weekend, and I just have one card to share today.  I am trying to get ready for Mother's Day and took inspiration from the ITP What Do I Do With This Challenge: Embossing Powder Stained Glass.  I am also entering this card at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Layer It and Happy Little Stampers April Watercolor Challenge.

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My Crafty Week

This was a bit of a crazy week, as I helped both of my kids get packed up and out to the airport to fly East to go back to college.  In between everything, I had snippets of crafty time, and today I am finally ready to put the finishing touches on everything and write up this blog post.

First up is a little set of flat thank you cards I sent my daughter back to school with..her birthday is coming up, and it's always good to be prepared to send thank you notes.  These flat note cards are her favorite type--just enough room for a proper thanks, but not the vast open expanse of a folding card.

My cute puppies are from Mama Elephant Puppy Play, and I am entering them at Inspired by #139.

My next few cards use a technique called SWINKING that I just learned from this video by Ardyth.  It is so fun, easy and absolutely addictive.  Basically, you just swipe your inkpad directly on your card.  For this card, I used inkpads in orange, pink, yellow and peach, and just started swinking.  The result could have been an absolute mess, but actually turned out so pretty.

I had to figure out what to do with this beautiful background I made, so I decided to put a black birthday die cut on it as well as wipe the edges in Wink of Stella.  I am entering this card at Color Throwdown #608.

Still in a SWINKING kind of mood, I wanted to play along with Seize the Birthday #198: Add Gold, and wondered what pink paper swinked with gold would look like.  It's very hard to see how shimmery this pink background is, but trust me it really shines in person.

Here is a closer look at the SWINKING.  I heat embossed the sentiment from Penned Elegance by PTI in gold on a Big City die by Ellen Hutson.

For my last SWINKED card, I used gold ink on white cardstock.  I stamped a trio of gold butterflies right on top as well as my sentiment in black.  I am also entering this card at Seize the Birthday #198: Add Gold and at Just Us Girls #551: Butterflies.  My butterflies are from PTI Butterfly Blooms and the sentiment is from PTI Ombre Sentiments Birthday.

My next card is inspired by the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches #450 and features these 2 adorable Nom Nom Kitties by Mama Elephant happily sharing their ramen.

This card ended up so very different than my initial idea....I stamped a bunch of Brownstone Houses from Altenew and intended them for this card.  But, I couldn't get them to work with the sketch, so I went another direction..using stencils from MFT for my clouds and sun rays and plant from Altenew Indoor Garden.

I am entering this card at the sketch challenge for August at Altenew as well as Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge: Beautiful Botanicals.

And...this is what I did with all those fun and colorful brownstones I stamped.  I am entering this card at Inkspirational #220: Rain or Rainbow.  I think of this as sort of a Painted Ladies of San Francisco meets the Brownstones of Brooklyn.

Getting tired?  Almost done.  My next two cards are made from the latest batch of stamps and dies from this month's MMH kit.  I am entering them at Stay Crafty with Hero #14: Critters (cat in 1st card, cat and bird in 2nd card), A Blog Named Hero: Cute, and Shopping Our Stash #427: Pile it On.

I am also entering this first card at Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge: Beautiful Botanicals.

Thanks for sticking with me all the way to the end.  Please stay safe and stay crafty.

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My Crafty Week

I had a super crafty week so I'll get right down to it.

First up is a card using Butterfly Blooms and the Lots of Dots technique from PTI Make it Monday #324.  I followed the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches #340 and will also enter at CAS on Friday #134: Embossing.  I used heat embossing on the butterfly and dry embossing on the center panel.

While I had those butterflies out, I decided to use them on another card.  This one follows the sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch #275,  uses the colors from Color Throwdown #496, and is also for Simon Says Wednesday Anniversary challenge.

AAA Challenges #116 celebrates their 4th birthday.  I am sneaking in at the end of the party with my own puppy party to wish them a happy birthday.

I made this mermaid card while visiting Tracey a few weeks ago.  I just love these fun mermaid tales.  I am entering this card at Addicted to CAS #137:  Sea.

Who wants ice cream?  I know I always do.  Check out my next card.  I used Sweet Treats, a new ice cream stamp from PTI.  I am entering this card at CAS Colours & Sketches #75 and Simon Says Monday Challenge: Bright and Beautiful.

Last up is one for the boys....little boys that is.  I am entering this card I made at Tracey's at The Male Room #87.

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Birthday Wishes and Happy Mother's Day

I made a festive and fun birthday card, inspired by the challenge at PTI Make it Monday #317: Using Outline Images.  I really liked this technique, because sometimes (often) I am too lazy to color, and this is a good way to add color to a card without having to color.

I used solid images from Birthday Style to add color with balloons and confetti, and then used some outline images from Tremendous Treats Birthday.  I like the way this came out, and will try it again, I am sure.  I am also entering this at Simon Says Monday Challenge: A Trio of Something---I followed the rule of threes for my balloons, stamping 3 balloons in each color, and I also stamped three of  the birthday cakes and cupcakes.  I am also entering this at Simon Says Wednesday Challenge:  Happy Birthday.

My next card uses fresh spring colors for a Mother's Day card, and I am entering this card at Addicted to Stamps and More #286: Anything Goes.

Things will be a bit quiet on the blog for the next week, as I will likely only be posting scheduled posts for CASology and Time Out.  But, that does not mean my life is quiet.  Actually, quite the opposite.  In 2 MORE SLEEPS, I will be flying to Toronto to spend a week with Tracey McNeely and Kim Heggins.  This has been in the works for years and years, and now it is almost here.  Expect lots of pictures when I return home.

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