Thursday, July 10, 2025

As Carefree as a Seagull

I'm excited to be posting my Seize the Birthday card today as the Surprise Party Guest, having been one of the winners with my card for the Fancy Fold  #307 challenge

I opted for the food option on my card - using the Happy Seagull Die set from Waffle Flower.

If you live near or vacation at the ocean you know how adept seagulls are at sweeping down and stealing food from unwary beach goers!  We live 3 miles from the ocean and most of our mall parking lots that have food stores in them have seagulls sitting on the tall parking lot lights waiting for someone to drop some food! 

This guy (or gal!?) is walking off with a whole beach bucket full of fries at the beach!

I embossed the background with Wave Pierced A2 cover plate from Honey Bee and then rubbed ink pads over the sand and sea/sky areas with Ranger Distress Scattered Straw and Speckled Egg.  All the die cuts and sentiment are up on foam dots.

So please join us at Seize the Birthday making it just a birthday card - or using the optional Food &/or Drink!  You'll find the challenge here.

And thank you to Nancy at Seize the Birthday for inviting me to be a surprise party guest!

Also sending my card to:

A trip to the beach

1st time using this seagull die purchased last year! 
1st time using this new Waves Pierced A2 cover plate

pick 3   ends 7/16
Yellow, swirls (wave pierced cover plate), and Food related sentiment

Birthday -  ends 7/31

July - Sun, Sea, Sand  ends 7/31
sentiment and foot prints stamped



Stamps:  Inquisitive Seagulls - Waffle Flower.
Ink:  Nocturne Versafine Clair, Scattered Straw, Speckled Egg - Ranger Distress, Caramel Toffee (on foot prints) - Altenew.
Paper:  Water color - Canson Cold Press, True Black, Soft Stone, Orange Zest, Lemon Tart, Weathervane, Pure Poppy - PTI, Brushed Silver - SU.
Other Supplies:  Happy Seagull Die - Waffle Flower, Waves Pierced A2 Cover Plate - Honey Bee, Copics E53 (on french fries), C1 (dots on seagull white body), white Gelly Roll Pen (on wings, tail and bucket)

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

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:

Poinsettia Perfection  
Ends 7/16

ends 7/13
Inspiration photo -  inspired by blue poinsettias.

1st time using this poinsettia Better Press Plate.


week I  Ink/Color Mediums
I used Copics

Botanical  ends 7/9
bottom left to top right
flowers/free/CAS
ends 7/17


Blue Christmas  ends 7/31




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.

Monday, July 7, 2025

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:


ends 7/15

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.

Saturday, July 5, 2025

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:

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.

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

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:


first time using sheep dies and sentiment stamp set

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.

Saturday, June 28, 2025

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:
4th week - A - Anything Goes

Nature Inspired ends 7/1

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.

Sunday, June 22, 2025

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:

I was inspired by the bright colors of the poppies and sky
ends 6/25


ends 6/24

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.