Love sitting by the Fire!

 A friend aske me to make an anniversary card for her son and daughter-in-law. I asked what kind of activities they like -  and she said they love sitting in their yard around the fire pit.  So this is the card I made for them.  

They have two young children involved in all kinds of sports and activities - so I'm sure they really enjoy getting out into the backyard to enjoy the fire either with the kids or by themselves after the kids go to bed!

The Immense Love Die is from Penny Black.  The chairs and fire pit  stamps and dies are from Better at the Beach by Papertrey Ink. The lovely floral paper is Untamed Meadow from Unity.

I'm entering my card in the following challenges:

Cardz for Guyz

Camping/Outdoor activities ends 8/19

Allsorts Challenge

Summer Days  ends 8/23

Time Out Challenge

ends 8/14

Stamps:  Better at the Beach - PTI

Ink:  Mocha, Olive, Snapdragon, Misty Morning, Dark Night, Mocha, Fire Brick - Altenew.

Paper:  Fine Linen, Soft Stone, Tropical Teal - PTI, DP  Untamed Meadow - Unity.

Accessories:  Immense Love die - Penny Black, Better at the Beach dies - PTI, foam dots.

Inkspirational #317 - Framed Birthday

 It's time for the newest biweekly Inkspirational Challenge - #317

And here is my framed sentiment Birthday Card I created for the challenge!

I stamped this lovely Happy Birthday Background stamp from Gummiapan onto the white die cut circle from Stitched Square and Circles from Penny Black.  I cut a  circle frame from the same die set out of metallic gold and layered it over the sentiment circle with foam dots.  Then I cut the purple frame using the Mid Century Frame die from Altenew and adhered that to the gold frame (it fit just perfectly!)

I splattered a panel of white hammered paper with a purple POSCA Pen.  When it was dry, I layered the white circle over the panel with foam dots.

A close up just to show how the metallic gold sparkles in the light!

We hope you will join us over at Inkspirational and show us how FRAME inspires you!  You will find Mr. Linky as well as lots of inspiration from the rest of the DT over at the blog!

You have until June 14th to link up!

I'm also linking my card to:

NBUS

First time using this Birthday Collage Stamp

Seize the Birthday

ends June 4

Just Us Girls

Casing Carol's card - inspired by white circle and purple color

ends June 4th

Krafty Chicks 

ends 6/5

Cut it Up

anything goes using dies  Ends 6/12

Stamps:  Happy Birthday Background - Gummiapan (Color Me Nordic US shop carrying it)

Ink:  Nocturne - Versafine Clair

Paper:  White, Amethist Allure - Papertrey Ink, Metalic Gold - Kraft Stack Tim Holtz/Idea-ology, hammered white - Amazon.

Accessories:  Mid Century Frame Die - Altenew, Stitched Square and Circles - Penny Black, foam dots, Purple POSCA pen.

Inkspirational Challenge #286 Egg-stra Special

 It's time for a new challenge over at Inspirational #286 and it's a fun mood board for spring (spring IS coming right?!)

I was inspired by the pretty blue eggs!  

I cut my eggs using Tim Holtz/Sizzix Bird and Egg Colorize die set.   The little daisies are from the Bunny Games die set also from Tim Holtz/Sizzix.  I made my ship lap background using Shiplap Builder Dies from The Greetery.   The sentiment is from Stamping Bella stamped on a frame die cut with a Simple Stacker Frame die from Penny Black.

I adhered the shiplap strips to my card base using a sheet of Peel N Stick double sided adhesive.  I inked the eggs by rubbing Ranger Distress Oxide Speckled Egg Ink onto my craft mat, spritzing with water and then rubbing a panel of water color paper onto the mat (smooshing!).  Then I die cut the egg layers out of the paper.  The front egg is up on foam dots. 

So check out how the rest of the DT was inspired by the board over at Inkspirational!

You have until April 7th to link up your Mood Board inspired card.  Hope to see you there!

I'm linking my card to:

Double D Challenges: Easter

inspired by eggs and blooms on wreath

Die Cut Diva's

March Theme Anything Goes

Path of Positivity

Anything goes

Stamps:  Easter Sentiment Set - Stamping Bella

Paper:  Water color paper - Canson Cold Press, White Papertrey Ink, Green leaf - Color Core Distress paper pad - Tim Holtz/Ranger, Peel N Stick Double Sided Adhesive Paper.

Ink:  Versafine Claire Nocturne, Ranger Distress Oxide Ink Speckled Egg.

Accessories:  Bird and Egg Colorize Dies, Bunny Games Dies - Tim Holtz/Sizzix, Shiplap Builder Die - The Greetery, Simple Stacker Frames - Penny Black, foam dots, YR65 Copic.

March CAS Christmas Card Challenge - Kraft, Red and White

 Today the March CAS Christmas Card Challenge is up and it's a special one.  We are celebrating our 3rd Birthday and there will be prizes to be won!  Check it all out over at CAS Christmas.  And this month Loll is our hostess and she would like us to use Kraft, Red and White on our cards this month.

Here's  my card for the challenge - Clean and Simple as required!

 I die cut the deer head from Geo Christmas by Tim Holtz/Sizzix out of kraft cardstock, layered it over a white panel cut with Simple Stackers from Penny Black, stamped the sentiment from Beautiful Blessings: Holidays by PTI in Pure Poppy and added 3 small red enamel stars from Altenew.  I popped the panel up on foam dots on a white card base.

You'll find lots of Kraft/Red/White inspiration from the rest of the Design Team as well as our wonderful Guest Designer Gundi (papierelle) over at CAS Christmas -  so please join us and get those Christmas cards done!  And have a chance for a prize to celebrate our 3rd Birthday!

Stamps:  Beautiful Blessings: Holiday - PTI

Ink:  Pure Poppy - PTI

Paper:  White, Kraft - PTI

Accessories:  Geo Christmas Dies - Tim Holtz/Sizzix, Simple Stackers Dies - Penny Black, enamel stars - Altenew, foam dots.

Mid-month reminder - CAS Christmas Card Challenge - Silhouettes

I'm here today with my reminder card for the January CAS Christmas Card Challenge - of which I am the host!   My challenge is to use a silhouette -  either a solid stamp or a solid die cut!

This time I used a tree die cut for my silhouette from Poppy Stamps.  I layered it over a circle of patterned paper and layered a circle die cut from Penny Black over it with foam dots.  I stamped this simple sentiment from Stained Glass by PTI above the trees.  The card itself is cut with Noted: Scalloped A2 die from PTI. I added some tiny silver stars for sparkle.

I first made this card on a smaller card base seen below - using  Noted Scalloped Square Die from PTI, but felt there might not be quite enough open white space on the smaller format - but I do like this - it measures 3 3/4" x 3 3/4".   

So I made 4 of the smaller version and and 1 of the larger version of this card. 

Five more cards into the Christmas 2021 box! 

You have until Jan 24th to link up your own  silhouette CAS Christmas card!   You'll find lots of inspiration from the Design Team and our creative January Guest Designer Pat over at the CAS Christmas Card Challenge blog!  Hope to see you and your card there!!

Stamps: Stained Glass - Papertrey Ink
Paper: white, True Black - PTI, DP North Wind - Craft and You.
Ink: True Black - PTI
Accessories: Tree Line Hill Die - Poppy Stamps, Stitched Square Circles - Penny Black, Noted: Scalloped A2 Die, Noted: Scalloped Square Die - PapertreyInk, foam dots, tiny silver stars - HoneyBee Stamps.

July CAS Christmas Card Challenge - Nativity

Happy Day Before the 4th to all those living in the USA!  

Today is also the day the July CAS Christmas Card Challenge has been posted!   Marcia is our talented hostess this month and she would like us to use a Nativity on our card.

I used the older Petite Places: Nativity Stamp and Die set from PTI for my stable, Holy Family and sentiment, as well as the Scene It: Bethlehem Die from PTI for the starry sky.  I die cut the stable out of metallic gold paper and gold embossed the Holy Family and the sentiment.   I layered a half circle of metallic gold paper behind the stars and set it inside the circle frame which is cut using one of the Stitched Square and Circles dies from Penny Black.

 

I gold embossed another sentiment on the inside of the card from the O Holy Night set from PTI.  

When everything on the front was in elegant gold - it didn't seem right to stamp with black ink on the inside!

So please check out this month's CAS Christmas Challenge - you will find lots of inspiration from the team as well as our creative July Guest Designer, Jane!

I, for one, am very happy to be getting a jump on my Christmas cards for this year!  

Please join us and you'll be ahead of the game as well! 

 Remember to keep it Clean and Simple (CAS) with lots of empty space showing!

Stamps:  Petite Places: Nativity Stamp Set, O Holy Night Stamp Set - Papertrey Ink.
Ink:  Versamark
Paper:  white - PTI, Kraft Stock Metallic - Tim Holtz/Idea-olgy.
Accessories:  Scene It: Bethlemem Dies, Petite Places: Nativity Dies - PTI, Stitched Square and Circles Dies - Penny Black, Tombow Glue, Gold Embossing Powder - Ranger, heat tool.

January CAS Water Colour Challenge - Cool Colors

I'm excited to announce I am now on the CAS Water Colour Challenge DT 

(as well as continuing on the CAS Stencil DT). 

This month, Bonnie is our hostess and she wants us to use Cool Colors!

And here is my first CAS Watercolour Card as a member of the Design Team!

(I don't do watercoloring much so I'm sure I'll be learning a lot this year!)

I stamped the image - Snowy Village by Penny Black using my Misti, inking the stamps with Versafine Onyx Black so after drying, it wouldn't run with the watercoloring.  I brushed one area at a time with water, than brushed on watery watercolor paint using 3 shades of blue for the snowy ground and the top of the sky and a purple on the horizon of the sky.  I used a green on the snow covered buildings.  I die cut the piece and the frame with Nordic Frames from The Greetery.

So please play along with us this January -  you'll find the CAS Watercolour Challenge here.  There's lots of inspiration from the rest of the Design Team as well as our talented Guest Designer Chrissie!

I'm also linking my card to:
Happy Little Stampers Watercolour Challenge

 

Stamps:  Snowy Village - Penny Black
Paper:  White - PTI
Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories:  Watercolor paints, Misti, Nordic Frames Dies - The Greetery

Sharing some Christmas!

Today I'm sharing some Christmas cards that I made this year for various challenges over at Splitcoaststampers.  Supplies are listed beneath each card.

I used an older Nestability Layered poinsettia die for this first card.  I colored the pieces by smooshing them onto my craft mat where I had rubbed Salty Ocean Distress Ink spritzed with water. I layered the pieces with a single foam dot in the center of each layer.  The lovely circle die is from Penny Black.

Paper: white - PTI, watercolor paper - Canson, DP North Wind - Craft and You
Ink: Ranger Distress Salty Ocean 
Accessories:   craft mat, water mister, Layered Poinsettia Nestabilities, Circle Nestability, Stitched Square and Circle dies - Penny Black, foam dots, enamel dot - Altenew, Metallic Stickers/Holiday Talk - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology 

This fun T-Rex die is from  Cheery Lynne Designs and the beautiful  tree stamps are from Rubbernecker.  I colored them with Distress Markers, spritzed with water and stamped onto watercolor paper.

Stamps:  Three Trees - Rubbernecker
Ink:  Ranger Distress Forest Moss 
Paper:  Water color paper - Canson, White, Dark Chocolate, Pure Poppy, Bright Buttercup, Enchanted Evening - PTI, Kraft Core Cor-dinations 
Accessories: Tree Rex Die - Cheery Lynne Designs, mini sander, foam dots, Ranger Distress Markers - Forest Moss, Mowed Lawn, Misti   

The framing on this card is made by using two different dies from The Greetery -  Halfsies Diamond and Halfsies Oval.  The pretty little wren is also from The Greetery.  The wreath is PTI

Stamps: Wreaths for all Seasons - PTI, Robin and Wren - The Greetery 
Ink: Classic Kraft, Saffron Spice, Cocoa Bean, Blueberry Sky, True Black - PTI
Paper: 
white - PTI
Accessories:  Halfsies Dies, Robin and Wren Dies - The Greetery, Vanilla Flower Sequins - Simon Says Stamp, foam dots, Tombow Glue   

This lovely tree is Christmas Foliage from Penny Black.  I colored it with Distress Markers, spritzed wither water and stamped it onto a panel of water color paper.  I added splatter using watery acrylic paint.

Stamps:  Christmas Foliage - Penny Black 
Paper: Water color - Canson, Vintage Cream - PTI
Ink:   Ranger Distress Iced Spruce
Accessories:  Ranger Distress Markers Iced Spruce, Forest Moss, Gathered Twigs, heating tool, water mister - Ranger, stamp platform - Tonic, Nougat Chalk Acrylic paint - Paper Artsy, brush, Metalic stickers/Holiday Talk - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology, Acrylic Dots - Altenew   

The fun design on this card was inspired by this mantel decoration from LTD Commodities.

The background is from  the beautiful  North Wind Paper Pad, the letters are dies from PTI and the fun snowman is from Sizzix.

Paper:  white, True Black, Orange Zest - PTI, DP North Wind Paper Pad - Craft and You 
Accessories: Block Alphabet Dies - PTI, Cool Yule Dies - Tim Holtz/Sizzix, Metallic Stickers/Holiday Talk - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology  

I'll be back tomorrow with a few more of the Christmas cards I've made this year!  I hope you are all finding time to enjoy the season as we hustle and bustle to prepare for it!

Setting the Thanksgiving Table

Today I have 2 projects to share using some of  Eileen Hull's Sizzix Dies that will help you set a festive table for Thanksgiving!  These will also be posted over on Eileen's blog on Wed 11/13/19.

I've created a pocket to place the napkin and silverware in at each place setting using Eileen's Gift Card Folder Die and a little house treat box using her House Ornament Die, decorating it with leaves from her Journaling Cards Flowers and Leaves Die.

I folded a Thanksgiving paper napkin and slipped it inside the folder and then placed the utensils on top.

I stamped some Thanksgiving sentiments on the top of the folders.

Here are a couple of process photos. 

I die cut just the folder piece on the die out of water color paper.  I colored the inside top half by pressing it into Distress inks rubbed on my craft mat and spritzed with water, first with Fossilized Amber and then with Frayed Burlap, drying with my heat tool after each color.

I die cut the folder piece again out of a piece of DP from Abandoned Paper Stash and adhered it to the front of the die cut.  

Then I folded it on all the score lines and adhered the flaps where they overlapped.  Here's the front of one and the back of the other.

I stamped some Thanksgiving sentiments at the top and adhered die cut skeleton leaves on the bottom fronts.

 I made the treat boxes using Eileen's House Ornament Die.  Here are the four sides of the finished house.  I have a few process photos below as well.

I stamped 'for you' on the little house tag that is on the House Ornament die.

I put Hershey Kisses inside my treat box.

Because this is made from patterned paper, I cut a second piece just of the bottom flap and adhered it to the connected flap to give it a little more sturdiness.  I also adhered the bottom of the flap to a die cut coaster.  It made it a little easier to open the box - you put your finger on the coaster piece and lift the top of the house and the candies fall out!

I die cut the house piece twice - once without the bottom flap since you only need one flap.  (although in retrospect, if I had cut both with the flap, I could have used that second flap to reinforce the other one!) 

The thankful die was wider than one piece, so I connected the two pieces at the tab (see the ScorTape?) and then die cut the word.

Here it is laid out on my cutting pad.  Be sure the die is not laying over the tab on the left.

I adhered a piece of vellum on the inside - covering the windows and the cut out word.

There were a couple of little pieces from the die cut word I had to adhere to the vellum so you could see what the letter was.

A piece between the t and h, two pieces on the a, and a piece between the k and f.  Luckily I didn't lose any of those little bits!

  (If I had lost them I would have cut the word again from the same paper)

Then I die cut leaves using the Journaling Cards die out of the same patterned paper.  I adhered them to the sides of the house with foam dots after curving their edges a bit for more dimension.

I also colored the corners of the windows and some edges of the letters with a yellow Copic.

Some creative and festive additions to each guests place at the Thanksgiving table!

I hope you will visit Eileen's blog every Wednesday when members of her Creative Team will be posting inspiring projects using many of her fabulous Sizzix dies!

I'm linking my projects to:
Just Us Girls

Creative Artiste Mixed Media
Anything Goes

Die Cut Divas
Thanksgiving

 

Place Setting Pocket
Stamps:  First Fruits - PTI, Thanksgiving Wishes - Lil Inker Designs
Paper:  Water color paper - Canson, DP Abandoned Paper Stash - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology.
Ink:  Ranger Distress Fossilized Amber, Frayerd Burlap, Cocoa Bean - PTI.
Accessories:  Gift Card Folder Die - Eileen Hull/Sizzix, Skeleton Leaves - Sizzix, ScorTape, Tombow Glue.

House Ornament Treat Box
Stamps:  Happy Scripts - Penny Black
Paper:  Abandoned Paper Stash - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology, Vellum - PTI
Ink:  Hero Arts Black
Accessories:  House Ornament Die, Journaling Cards Flowers and Leaves - Eileen Hull/Sizzix, Cozy Cup Coaster Die - The Greetery, Thankful Die - Counting My Blessings set - PTI, ScorTape, Foam dots, twine, Yellow Copic.