Blue Poinsettia Christmas

 Another Christmas card for my box - using another new Better Press Plate and Die set called Poinsettia Corner.  I inked the Better Press Plate with Better Press Black and colored the poinsettia spray with Copics.  

I made 6 of these in one seating - 3 with blue poinsettias and 3 with dark pink poinsettias.

I'm sending my card to:

Jingle Belles

Poinsettia Perfection  

Ends 7/16

Peace on Earth 

ends 7/13

Inspiration photo -  inspired by blue poinsettias.

NBUS

1st time using this poinsettia Better Press Plate.

I.D.E.A.S

week I  Ink/Color Mediums

I used Copics

CAS on Friday

Botanical  ends 7/9

Tic Tac Toe

bottom left to top right

flowers/free/CAS

ends 7/17

Paper:  Better Press Bisque Cotton Panel - Spellbinders

Ink:  Black Better Press - Spellbinders

Other Supplies:  Poinsettia Corner Press Plate and Die Set - Better Press/Spellbinders, Copics E31, G20, BG10, green enamel dot - Altenew.

Vintage Holly Jolly

 Another card for the Christmas box - a clean and simple design using Holly Jolly Better Press Plate and die set - an easy design to make 6 or more at a time! (which I did!)

Sending my card to:

Color Hues

ends 7/15

NBUS

1st time using the Holly Jolly Better Press set.

Ink:  Better Press Black - Spellbinders, Strawberry - Versafine Clair.

Paper: Better Press Bique Cotton Card Panel

Other Supplies:  Better Press - Spellbinders, red enamel dot - Altenew.

Inkspirational #345 - 3 of the Same

 Today at Inkspirational - we have a new Designer's Choice Challenge -  

Nonni is the Designer this time and her choice is:

I have 3 guinea pigs, 3 die cut postage panels and 3 enamel dots!

My friend asked me to make this birthday card for her grown daughter, Lindsay, who has and loves guinea pigs!

So please join us and create a card using '3 of the Same' -  something!   You'll find some creative inspiration from the rest of the DT as well as Mr. Linky over at the Inkspirational Blog!

This challenge ends July 18!

Also sending my card to:

NBUS

1st time using these cute guinea pig stickers.

Paper:  White, True Black - PTI, DP - Bitty Big Smokey Shadow - PTI

Other Supplies:  Postage Collage Die - Waffle Flower, Guinea Pig stickers - Amazon, foam dots, enamel dots - Altenew, sentiment computer generated.

June 2025 Card Chain Challenge Reveal

 Today's the day all of the cards sent around the world in June are revealed over at the Card Chain Challenge.  I've missed the past two months because of my shoulder surgery - but I'm back and crafting to participate in the June Challenge.

This month I received a card from Dagmara in Poland and I sent this card to Linda in Michigan!

I used the suggested themes of Gingham and Friendship on my card.

I used recently purchased (during my convalescence I couldn't stamp but I COULD shop on line!) die set called Primitive Sheep as well as the sentiment from Sheepish Moments and the paper Colonial Americana - all from Whimsey Stamps.

So please check out the Card Chain Challenge and join in with us for July -  you have until July 6th to sign up-  all details on how to join in are over at the blog!

I'm also sending my card to:

NBUS

first time using sheep dies and sentiment stamp set

Cards for Guys

Checks or Plaids  ends 7/15

Stamps: Sheepish Moments Stamps - Whimsey Stamps.
Paper: Hammered White - Amazon, White, True Black - Papertrey Ink, DP Prim Colonial Americana - Whimsey Stamps, Mountain paper - Charlie and Paulchen.
Ink: Nocturne - Versafine Clair.
Other Supplies: Primitive Sheep Die Set - Whimsey Stamps, Scalloped Rectangle die - Nestabilities, Nested Rectangle with Square Holes Dies - Rubbernecker, Hello Die - Waltzingmouse (retired), foam dots.

June Group of Seven Cardmakers - Second Generation Stamping

 Here is my 1st card for the June Group of Seven Cardmakers post.  

This month we are playing with Second Generation Stamping -  when you stamp an image fully inked then stamp it again without reinking either once or twice.  You'll find a link to Videos on the technique over at the GO7 Blog.

 It creates a wonderful depth to your card design.

I went very CAS with this card, simply stamping the image on the left fully inked with Portobello Versafine Clair Ink then stamping again to the right of that stamping and a bit higher, without reinking.

Next,  I stamped the image off the bottom and half off the right side fully inked - then stamped above it (only the left half of the stamp) again way over to the left off the edge with the right half of the stamp.

   My card base is watercolor paper and the sentiment is from Paper Artsy.

Trees seem to be the first thing I grab when I think of Generation Stamping (or off stamping) so I wanted to stretch myself and use other stamps and also add some color!

   

So this card was born (after about 5 aborted attempts using various Lavinia stamps!)

I started by stamping a text background - inking the stamp and stamping it off on paper before stamping on the card panel as I wanted it just to be a shadow.

Then I stamped the dandelion in black and off stamped it - repeating again and the same with the leaf.  And finally I stamped and off stamped the Orchard Grass along the bottom.

To add color (after I made sure the black ink was dry!) -  I sponged over the top with Distress Speckled Egg and over the bottom with Shabby Shutters.

I stamped the sentiment on white card and punched it with an oval punch.  I sponged the edges with the Speckled Egg and popped it up on the card with foam dots.

We hope you'll give this technique a try 

(you probably have done this already at some point in your stamping career?! but maybe not for a while?)

   

You'll find Mr. Linky and lovely inspiration from the rest of the GO7 team over at the blog.

We'd love to see how you use this technique!

Also sending my card to:

IDEAS Calendar

4th week - A - Anything Goes

We Love Stamping

Nature Inspired ends 7/1

AAA Cards

CAS  ends 7/5

Tree Card

Stamps:  Silhouette Trees #1 - Rubbernecker (retired), Sentiment from Paper Artsy Alison Bomber set EAB01.

Paper:  Water color paper - Canson Cold Press

Ink:  Portobello Versafine Clair

Dandelion Card

Stamps:  Background Script, Orchard Grass, Tall Dandelion - Lavinia, Dandelion Wishes Sentiment set - Papertrey Ink.

Paper:  White - Papertrey Ink

Ink:  Nocturne, Morning Mist - Versafine Clair, Ranger Distress Speckled Egg and Shabby Shutters.

Other Supplies:  oval punch - SU, foam dots, blender brushes.

Honey Comb Birthday Bloom

 I made this card at the request of a friend - personalizing it for her with her daughter Jessicas name.

I used Hey Honeycomb Flower Power Dies, Hey Honeycomb Basics Die, and Hey Honeycomb Sentiments Stamp Set from The Greetery.  She also has a balloon die set and an ice cream cone die set as well as honeycomb circles already cut out but I used some rainbow honeycomb paper that I already had from Inky Antics and used a circle die to cut it according to the paper instructions.

I used the Flying Seagull Fold for my card design which I found on YouTube

The receiver peels off the top paper on a double sided sticky foam die cut flower and pulls over the panel using the tab, to open the circle and presses it against the sticky foam piece to hold the circle open.  

If you are hand delivering the card - you can open the honeycomb before giving it but it won't fit in an envelope!

I'm holding it open with my thumb above and a tool below just to show you how it looks open.

This photo shows the Flying Seagull fold.  

The panels fold up behind the square and fit into an A2 envelope - although with the Honey Comb paper you will need a larger envelope!

I'm sending my card to:

Just Us Girls

I was inspired by the bright colors of the poppies and sky

ends 6/25

Seize the Birthday

ends 6/24

NBUS

first time using the Greetery Flower set and stamps

Stamps:  Hey Honeycomb Sentiments - The Greetery, Happy Birthday from Birthday Basics - PTI.

Paper:  Hawaiian Shore, Raspberry Fizz, Summer Sunrise, Amethyst Allure - PTI, Easter Grass - Bazzill, DP  - Hello Sunshine - Taylored Expressions.  Rainbow Honeycomb Paper Pad - Inky Antics (they seem to have only single color pads now).

Ink:  Nocturne - Versafine Clair.

Other Supplies:  Hey Honeycomb Flower Power Die, Hey Honey Comb Basics dies - The Greetery, Double Sided Sticky Foam Sheet. 

Inkspirational Challenge #344 - Stencil - Optional Twist Geometric

 The 2nd Inkspirational Challenge for June is up over at the blog!

Optional Twist -  Geometric

That Optional Twist reminded me of a stencil I have in my stash from Sweet Poppy Stencils called Absolute Abstracts that I have only used once and thought this was a good time to play with it again! I'm not sure if it's still available.

This is a large metal stencil so I stenciled it onto an 8 1/2" x 5 1/2 piece of card stock using 3 colors - Ranger Distress Speckled Egg, Dusty Concord and Crackling Campfire.   

Then I cut the panel in half making two 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" panels that I made into two cards!  A two-fer!

I added the stampings and enamel dots and called them done!   I like to have masculine cards on hand.

So we hope you'll get out your stencils (maybe geometric patterns!) and create a card to link up over at the Inkspirational Blog - where you will also find creative inspiration from the rest of my teamies!

This challenge ends on July 4th!

Also linking my card to:

Stencil Fun Challenge

Summer Fun -  my first card shows a clown on a tightrope - fun at the Circus

ends 6/28

Seize the Birthday

Anything Goes

Ends 6/24

Stamps:  Theories - Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous, Birthday Basics - Papertrey Ink.

Ink:  Ranger Distress Speckled Egg, Dusty Concord, Crackling Campfire,  Nocturne - Versafine Clair.

Paper:  White - Papertrey Ink

Other Supplies:  Absolute Abstract - Sweet Poppy Stencils, blender brushes, enamel dots - Altenew.