A Simple 'Love You'

I don't know about your husbands - but mine is not really into frilly/mushy/ribbony when it comes to cards - so I try to accommodate his artistic senses when I make cards to give to him!   

So today's card has two simple die cut rectangles cut out of the front panel - and they are Stitched Edge Dies from Waltzingmouse so they have a nice finished off look to them with the stitched edge!   Then I simply stamped one word in each rectangle (Your Sparkle set) with Smokey Shadow Ink - and an arrow and a heart from Sweethearts with Kraft Ink - for a soft subtle look - no bright reds or flurry of hearts!

And I kept the inside clean as well, using more stamps from Sweethearts. This card could also be used for Valentine's Day with a different sentiment inside (!)

Our anniversary has just passed - so this will be put in the closet to be brought out next year - hopefully I remember it's there!!!

My design was inspired by the Less is More Challenge

Tomorrow I'll be back with my DT creation for the July Mixed Media Card Challenge -  I hope you can stop by!!

Stamps:  Your Sparkle, Sweethearts - Waltzingmouse
Paper:  White, Aqua Mist, Limeade Ice - PTI
Ink:  Smokey Shadow, Kraft - PTI
Accessories:  Stitched Edge Dies - Waltzingmouse, foam dots.

PTI Make It Monday - Adding Color to Cover Plates

Another fun PTI Make It Monday Challenge - Adding Color to Cover Plate die cuts.  Laura Bassen has a great video illustrating the technique using Copics and water color markers.

I decided to try the technique using the Text Block - Birthday die.

I die cut the block out of watercolor paper, masked the outside edges and colored the letters with Ranger Distress Markers in Worn Lipstick, Spiced Marmelade and Stormy Sky.  Then I used my water brush over all of the letters.  When it was dry - I brushed over all the letters again with my clear Wink of Stella to give it sparkle -  I think you can see that a little bit in the photo below - it's really sparkly IRL!
I used the same die to cut out the rectangle in the Watercolor Wonder Patterned Paper and placed the Text Block inside the cut out layering them both to a slightly larger panel of Berry Sorbet paper..

I made another card using this technique with my Cover Plate Stripes/Horizontal.  I sponged a white panel with 3 Distress Inks - Abandoned Coral, Cracked Pistaschio and Mermaid Lagoon and then spritzed the panel with water which created water spots.  Then I cut the panel with the stripes die, removed the cut out panels and rearranged them to mix the colors.  I used a sentiment from the Scripted stamp set and a die from the Scripted Die Collection.

I brushed the inset panels and die cut sentiment with my clear Wink of Stella, and again, there's a lot of shimmer IRL, not so much showing in the photo!

This was a great technique - learning a way to do something different with our Cover Plate dies!

Art with Heart - Beautiful Summer

I've been wanting to make a project for Eileen Hull's Art With Heart Challenge - Summer Fun with Sizzix.  I have several of Eileen's Sizzix dies and I've been waiting to find time to make things with them.

So for my Summer Fun project I pulled out Eileen's Canister Die.  And I decided to use it as a vase for some of the flowers from my garden (Day Lilies, Ladys Mantle, Lavender and Salvia)

I used an empty shrimp cocktail jar to put the flowers in-   it slipped nicely into the canister!

I embossed all the pieces with Wendy Vecchi's Buttercup Embossing Powder - brushing some of it off before embossing to age it.  I also rubbed it off the edge that I would be putting ScorTape on to put the pieces together.

After I heated the yellow - I sprinkled a little bit of Tiger Lily Embossing powder on and heated it again.  When the pieces cooled - I stamped Wendy Vecchi's Spatter stamp using Adirondack Snow Cap.

I die cut some Tattered Florals out of Coredinations Ranger Distress paper - sanding the edges, sponging with Ranger Distress Vintage Photo and crushing up each bloom in my palm and then unfolding.  I used an Idea-ology Curio Knob on the cover.

I wrapped a piece of wrinkled seam tape around the canister, tying it in a double bow.

And to finish it off I adhered an Idea-logy Flash Card with a Big Chat sticker on it and 3 rhinestones.  I drew frames around the sticker and card with a black Stabilo pencil and rubbed it with my finger to soften.

 

I love my summer canister/vase - it's like a ray of summer sunshine inside the house!

I'm also linking my project to the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - May Flowers

Happy weekend everyone!

Stamps:  Spatter Background - Wendy Vecchi Studio 490/Stampers Anonymous

Paper:  Little Sizzles Black Matboard - Sizzix, Coredinations/Ranger Distress.

Ink:  Wency Vecchi Archival Watering Can, Ranger Distress Vintage Photo, Adirondack Snowcap.

Accessories:  Dies - Canister/Eileen Hull/Sizzix, Tattered Florals - Alterations/Tim Holtz, Idea-ology - Curio Knobs, Flashcards, Big Chat, Stabilo Black Pencil, rhinestones - Kaiser, foam dots, ScorTape, wrinkled seam tape - Prairie Bird Boutique Etsy Shop.

Tag You're It

Today I have a tag card to share - that I made for the latest Tag You're It Challenge -  here is this weeks inspiration from Anja Curvers.

And here is my inspired tag card. 

I sponged the smaller tag with Ranger Distress Evergreen Bough ink then flicked water drops onto it and dried it with my heat tool. I layered it onto the larger white tag with foam dots. I colored the images from Ella and Friends with Copics.  The umbrella is popped up on foam dots and the  I added 3 dew drops to suggest the rain.

I'm also linking my card to the following challenges:

 Addicted to Stamps Challenge -  I was inspired by the watercolor green background in the photo.

 Inkspirational Challenge Word prompt - Wild

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge -  I used MMMC#11 - April Showers

Stamps:  Ella & Friends - Mama Elephant
Paper:  white, Textstyle Library Ledger - PTI,  watercolor paper - Ranger
Ink:  Ranger Distress Evergreen Bough, Smokey Shadow - PTI
Accessories:  Dies - Tag Sale #2 and Tag Sale #8 - PTI, Ella and Friends Dies - Mama Elephant,  Copics: R20, E51, E37, BG32, foam dots, Dew Drops, Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive, Cappachino Twine - The Twinery.

PTI June Blog Hop

Hi all -  today I'm participating in the Papertrey Ink June Blog Hop

And here is our inspiration -  grey, cream, orange and green - HOW CUTE ARE THESE LITTLE SHOES?

For my inspired creation today - I used the Cover Plate: Stripes/Horizontal and my new purchase from the June release - Stacked Sentiments and dies.

I popped everything up on foam dots.

On the inside of my card I stamped the little flowers again from Stacked Sentiments - and one of the lovely birthday sentiments from Tucked Inside: Birthday Stamp Set.

If you'd like to see more gray/cream/orange/green loveliness - check out the PTI blog hop!
 

Stamps:  Stacked Sentiments, Tucked Inside: Birthday Stamp Set - PTI
Paper:  Vintage Cream - PTI, Basic Grey - SU
Ink:  Gray Flannel - Memento, New Leaf and Orange Zest - PTI
Accessories:  Cover Plate Stripes/Horizontal Die and Stacked Sentiment Dies - PTI, foam dots, Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive.

PTI - Make It Monday - Bringing the Inside Out

I'm up late, once again, happily stamping - but morning comes early (!)  so I'm making a quick post.  I made this card for the PTI Make It Monday challenge "Bringing the Inside Out".  You'll find the challenge and a video by Danielle here.

Here are several views of my card using this technique.  I made a Teacher Thank You card using stamps from Desk Top Design and dies from Desk Top Design Dies and Shaker Shape: Pencil.  

Here's the card closed.

and as we open it - we see the pencil is staying behind!

Here's the front with the pencil die opening

 and here is the inside of the card.  I love the little cup on the desk with the scissors and pencils sticking out of it -  I just stamped half of the desk.

Ok - Sorry to post and run - but I'm off to bed!   

Stamps:  Desk Top Design - PTI
Paper:  Vintage Cream, True Black, Berry Sorbet, Summer Sunrise, Text Style Library Ledger - PTI, Brushed Gold - SU
Ink:  Pure Poppy, Smokey Shadow, Tropical Teal, Classic Kraft, Orange Zest - PTI
Accessories:  dies - Desk Top Design Dies, Shaker Shape/Pencil Dies - PTI, foam dots.

Happy Birthday Handsome!

I made today's card for the Seize the Toppings Seize the Birthday card challenge - Nothing but Neutrals

I used the neutral colors of white, cream and black on my masculine birthday card.  I used the new Brogue dies from Waltzingmouse for the patterns on the black piece and the Stitched Edge Rectangle dies for the open space and the smaller rectangle inside the open space - which is popped up on foam dots.

The gentleman with the monocle stamp is from My Kind of Guy (the perfect stamp set to go with the Brogue Dies!) and the Happy Birthday is from Free Spirit Sentiments.  I filled the monocle with Glossy Accents to give the illusion of glass.

I continued the design inside - using the frame piece left from die cutting the rectangle on the front.  The HANDSOME stamp is from My Kind of Guy and You're the Best is from Free Spirit Sentiments.

Hope everyone is having a good beginning to the week!   We had a lovely 80 degree summer day today - but we're in for some heavy thunderstorms tomorrow.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Stamps:  My Kind of Guy, Free Spirit Sentiments - Waltzingmouse
Paper:  White, True Black, Vintage Cream - PTI
Ink:  Smokey Shadow - PTI
Accessories:  Dies - Stitched Edge Rectangles, Brogue - Waltzingmouse, Foam dots, Glossy Accents.

Red and White

Yes stamping friends, I have yet another Christmas card to share today - my box is really getting filled up!

I used the new Stitched Edge Dies and Vanilla Frost Shaker Mix from Waltzingmouse.

and a sentiment from Folk Art Christmas Additions.  The patterned paper is Idea-ology Paper Stash/Merriment.

Here's what I stamped on the inside from the same stamp set.

I'm linking my card to the following challenges:

Cas(e) this Sketch

Merry Monday - Use Red and White

 Kent and I are celebrating our 18th wedding anniversary tomorrow -   we're going to cook on the grill and eat on the deck knowing that all the restaurants will probably be busy with people celebrating Father's Day!  Hopefully it's sunny! (ETA: nope - it's pouring buckets!)  You can see the card I made for him here.

Stamps:  Folk Art Christmas Additions - Waltzingmouse
Paper:  White - PTI, Distress red - Coredinations/Ranger, DP Idea-ology Paperstash/Merriment
Ink:  Pure Poppy - PTI
Accessories:  Stitched Edge Dies, Vanilla Frost Shaker Mix - Waltzingmouse, Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive, Foam Dots.

You Mustn't be Afraid

I have a shimmery gold shaker card to share with you today.  I made it using some brandy-new Waltzingmouse Dies (Stitched Rectangles) and big sentiment stamp (Dream Bigger). This sentiment really takes front and center honors filling most of the card front!  Perfect for a graduation card or for someone who needs encouragement for any reason.

I also used an older WMS stamp and die set - Fine Feathers.  Die cutting the feather and embossing it in gold.

I added Vanilla Frost Shaker Mix - another new product from Waltzingmouse - it's a great mix of round and flower sequins, and tiny tiny clear beads!

Inside I gold embossed more stampings from Fine Feathers.

I took a few photo's of how I put the shaker piece together. 

I cut the gold frame by nesting two of the Stitched Edge Dies.  This gave me a frame and a panel left over to use on another project!

I cut a piece of clear acetate the size of the frame and put foam tape (the width of the frame) around all the edges of the acetate so the shaker mix can't fall out!  I didn't remove the covering from the foam tape yet.

I poured a bit of the Shaker Mix onto the acetate (foam tape side up).  Some people like to rub the inside edge of the foam tape with powder to take away the stickiness so the sequins etc. don't stick to the foam- but I like the way it holds some of the mix on the edges so it's not all pooling at the bottom.

I die cut a panel from white cardstock using the same size as the frame and gold embossed the sentiment stamp on it.  I removed the covering from the foam tape on the acetate piece and laid the sentiment over the acetate (sentiment side down!)  being careful to line up the edges ( foam tape is very sticky so you can't really adjust it after it's touched the cardstock)

I adhered the finished shaker piece to a white die cut panel, layering that over a brushed gold panel and finally to the white card base.  I adhered the feather across the top of the frame.  To finish off my card - I added a few sequins from the Shaker mix to the feather and frame.

I'm linking my card to The City Crafter Challenge - Die Cut Gold

Have a happy crafty weekend everyone!

Stamps:  Dream Bigger, Fine Feathers - Waltzingmouse
Paper:  White, Clear Vellum - PTI, Brushed Gold - SU
Ink:  Versamark
Accessories:  Gold Embossing Powder;  Shaker Mix Vanilla Frost, Stitched Rectangls Dies, Fine Feathers Die - Waltzingmouse; foam tape