The Healing Power of a Garden

 Today I'm playing along with the Just Us Girls Challenge

I was inspired by the colors, the snail, flower stems and single blossoms!

I got out the Curio Spring Findings dies from The Greetery, that I purchased several years ago and didn't play with until today!  

That's why I love challenges -  they challenge me to use my stuff!

The snails' shell has a die cut curl mark on it but it doesn't show up in the photo.  I added his eye with a Micron 01 black marker.

I stenciled the background using the Milky Way Stencil from A Colorful Life Designs.   The sentiment is from Garden Sayings from Impression Obsession.

I'm also sending my card to:

NBUS

1st time using the Curio Spring Findings dies.

Tic Tac Toe

ends 7/31

diagonal Stencil, Blue, Foliage

Stamps:  Garden Sayings - Impression Obsession

Paper:  Hammered White - Amazon, Robins Egg - Bazzill, Melon Berry, True Black.

Ink:  Melon Berry, Spring Rain - PTI, Nocturne - Versafine Clair.

Other Supplies:  Milky Way Stencil - A Colorful Life Designs, Curio Spring Findings Dies - The Greetery, Copic W2, blender brushes, Sakura Micron 01 black marker.

Cardinals on a Winter Pine

 Another Christmas card for the box!  

I made this for the Inspiration Challenge over at Splitcoaststampers

I just purchased this lovely cardinal die and stencil set from Waffle Flower so was happy to get it out and play with it.

We are fortunate to have cardinals come to our bird feeders every evening,  so I know the male is the vibrant red and the female and young cardinals are gray/greenish with slight touches of red to protect them from predators - I googled the Cardinal Female to help me try and ink it correctly.

  

The die comes with a stencil to color them so it was pretty easy once I decided what colors to use!

The pine branch and cones are from an older set called Botanicals: Pine Bough from the Greetery and I actually had some branches and pine cones already cut and colored in an envelope in the die package from some I made a few years ago (yay!) so I used them.

The cardinals and pine cones are up on foam dots. And I added Ice Stickles for frosty glitter. 

(boy, I haven't had Stickles out for quite a while!)

Sending my card to:

Sparkles Christmas Challenge

Sparkle and Bling

ends 7/31

Jingle Belles

left vertical - animal, die cut, red

ends 7/30

NBUS

1st time using the cardinal dies and stencil

Paper: white, Leaf Green, Kraft, Cocoa Bean - PTI, DP Seasons Greetings - Waffle Flower

Ink: Ruby Red, Dark Night, Snapdragon - Altenew, Light Spruce - Gina K Design

Other Supplies: Cardinal Duo Die N Stencil - Waffle Flower, Botanicut: Pine Bough - The Greetery, Christmas Tree Sentiments - Waffle Flower, black gems, foam dots, blender brushes, colored pencils, Ice Stickles glitter glue.

Inkspirational #346 - Word Prompt - Birthday

 A great new challenge over at Inkspirational #346!  

Probably the most used theme for us card makers, right!

I used mostly Better Press supplies on this Birthday card - Cosmos Backdrop Press Plate, Layered Cosmos Backdrop Stencils, and You are Everything Sentiments Press Plate and Die set.  I used Ranger Distress Inks on the stencils - Tattered Rose, Squeezed Lemonade, Mowed Lawn and Marmalade.

The sentiment is up on foam dots and I added 3 yellow enamel dots.

So please join us and show us your newly created Birthday card - for a child, a friend, a parent?  You'll find some lovely inspiration from the rest of the DT as well as Mr. Linky over at the Inkspirational Blog!  

This challenge ends 8/1.

Also sending my card to:

NBUS

1st time using this Cosmos Backdrop Letter Press

  

Stencil Fun

Anything Goes  ends 7/31

I used a stencil to color the image

I.D.E.A.S

2nd week   D=Dies

used a die for the sentiment

Die Cut Divas

Birthday - ends 7/31

AAA Birthday

ends 7/31

Paper: Cotton Card Panel - Better Press/Spellbinders.
Ink: Better Press Black - Spellbinders, Ranger Distress Tattered Rose, Squeezed Lemonade, Mowed Lawn and Marmalade.
Other Supplies: Cosmos Backdrop Better Press Press Plate - Spellbinders, Layered Cosmos Backdrop Stencils - Spellbinders, You are Everything Sentiments - Press Plate and Die Set - Spellbinders, yellow enamel dots - Altenew, blender brushes, foam dots, BetterPress - Spellbinders.

Camping in Summer

A friend asked me to make an anniversary card for her to give to her husband this year.  They have an RV and always travel in the summer in it so I thought these camping chairs and the road sign were appropriate!

Sending my card to:

Cardz 4 Guyz

Summer Holidays  ends 8/18

Love those Pretty Papers

anything goes  ends 7/31

NBUS

First time using these dies and stamps

I.D.E.A.S

D=dies

Stamps:  Lifes Great Advventures - PaperTrey Ink.

Paper:  White - PTI,  DP Forest - Stamperia.

Ink:  Nocturne - Versafine Clair, Sand Dune, Heart Beat, Rocky Shore, Dark Chocolate - Altenew.

Other Supplies:  Lifes Great Adventures Dies - PTI, foam dots, computer generated sentiment.

Fluttering Butterfly Birthday

 Today I made a birthday card for a few challenges.  

I stenciled the background then added the Lavinia stampings and the Better Press Happy Birthday.

Here's a close up to show the shimmer added to the wings with a yellow glitter gel pen.

I combined this weekends Splitcoast Stampers Inspiration Challenge and Featured Stamper challenge for my design

See my SCS post here

Stencil Fun Challenge

Anything Goes option  ends 7/31

Seize the Birthday

ends 7/22

Tic Tac Toe

ends 717

bottom horizontal - Flowers/Butterfly/AnySentiment

Stamps: Quinn, Bell Flower Vine, Flutterbies - Lavinia
Paper: white - PTI
Ink: Nocturne - Versafine Clair, Caramel Toffee - Altenew
Other supplies: Semi Circles Mid Century Modern Stencil - Claire Brennan Design (retired), A Little Message Sentiments Press Plate and Die - Better Press/Spellbinders, Better Press, Blender Brushes, yellow glitter Gel Pen - Kaiser (on wings), foam dots.

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:

Time Out Challenge

A trip to the beach

NBUS

1st time using this seagull die purchased last year! 

1st time using this new Waves Pierced A2 cover plate

Festive Friday

pick 3   ends 7/16

Yellow, swirls (wave pierced cover plate), and Food related sentiment

Die Cut Divas

Birthday -  ends 7/31

We Love Stamping

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

Just Us Girls

ends 7/16

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)

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

Christmas Crafts All Year Round

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.