Saturday, September 1, 2018

"Warm Winter Wishes" - September Stamp of the Month: Just Treats

It's a new month and that means a new Stamp of the Month!  September's stamp of the month is called "Just Treats".  It's a fun set, great for multiple occasions.  

This is a card I made for a monthly swap I participate in.  I used the "Warm Winter Wishes" sentiment from the stamp set along with the striped candy images and the little berries & leaves.  The papers are from the new "Oh What Fun" paper pack.  I love the pink & green combo!  


I colored in some of the letters with our Shin Han markers, using Tender Pink & Vivid Green.  I also stamped the striped candy images in Raspberry & Willow, cut them out and popped them up for a fun dimensional element.  They're so cute!  And to finish the card off I added a white ribbon tied in a knot and a few sparkles.



There's a lot of fun to be had with this stamp set.  You can create for Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas.  Wow!




"Just Treats" is available through 9/30/18.  Get it HERE while you can.  And if you'd like to order a few extra items (the new Holiday Expressions Idea Book is packed with so many fun things), you can purchase this stamp set for only $5 with an order of $50 or more.  That's a savings of $13.95.  What a deal!   

Let me know if I can answer any questions and thanks for stopping by!  

Thursday, August 30, 2018

For the love of Crafting - August Stamp of the Month

Here I am, posting last minute again.  This is a card I made for a monthly card swap I participate in.  This card uses images from the AUGUST Stamp of the Month - "For the Love of Crafting".


This stamp set has many cute images.  I think it would also be fun for mini albums or little home decor items.  The blue & red papers are from the Central Park Paper Pack.  

I stamped the typewriter image, cut it out, then added a separate piece of cardstock coming out of the machine.  I popped up the top of that paper to make it seem like it was really coming out of the typewriter.  I paper pieced the little heart on the typed sentiment because I wanted it to be red.  The hearts are cut with the newer Stitched Heart Thin Cuts.  And of course I added a few sparkles.



Here are all the images in the stamp set.  Wouldn't it be fun to make something for your favorite crafter with these?



This stamp of the month is only available through 8/31.  Get it HERE while you can.  And as always, thank you for stopping by!

Sunday, August 12, 2018

A Big Thank You with Stitched Hearts die

Hello and a Big Thank You for stopping by (see what I did there, lol).  Here's a card I made in my last card class.


This card has no stamping.  It was made using two thin cut dies and ink.  I sponged ink in colors of Canary, Bashful, Smoothie & Glacier.  I sponged the ink on until I achieved the color saturation I wanted.  

Afterward, I got my fingers wet and kind of flicked water on the inked area (before I adhered the die cut piece).  You can see the spots the water created in both photos. 


I thought that was a fun technique.  The stitched heart was sponged with Glacier Ink and I added two sparkles to finish it off.  Gotta have sparkles.

Here are the two dies I used for this card:


And there you go, easy peasy.  You could change up the colors to any combination you like with this technique.  If you're interested in the dies you can click on the names of the dies and the link will take you to my website.  Get them while you can.  

As always, I hope you enjoyed my card.  See you soon!

Saturday, August 11, 2018

Thanks Friend - Beautiful Friendship

Welcome back!  Here's a card I made in my last card class, using the "Beautiful Friendship" paper pack and "Beautiful Friendship - Cardmaking" stamp set.



I was inspired by this card I found on Pinterest, HERE.


It's always nice to send a thank you to a friend and I have lots of friends that love tea, so I think I'll be making multiples of this one. 

And most have figured out that I love dimension on my cards, so these Beautiful Friendship Bows were a fun addition.  Here's a close up.  
   

Here's what the complete stamp set looks like.  If you're interested, it's only available until August 31st, so grab it while you can.  :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, July 27, 2018

July Stamp of the Month - Highlight Reel

Nothing like posting last minute.  This is a fun birthday card I made for a monthly card swap I participate in.  This card was made using some images from the JULY Stamp of the Month - "Highlight Reel".


I found this stamp set a little harder to use for card making.  I think it might be more useful for a scrapbooker or mini albums.  Nonetheless I made it work.


The papers are from the Central Park paper pack.  I stamped the balloons on different papers,cut them out and popped them up on a image I stamped on one of the new Stitched Circle Dies.

The White Ribbon is new as well and is think and really easy to work with.  It's cotton and it takes ink well if you want to change the color.

Here's what the entire "Highlight Reel" set looks like:
Thank you for stopping by!

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Christmas in July - Merry Christmas Snowman

I love this little snowman!  This is the same snowman I used on one of my "Oh Deer" cards posted HERE.  He has a totally different look on this card with the brighter colors.

The card layout totally came from a card I found on Pinterest.  You can find my inspiration HERE. 


Once again for this card I used the now retired "City Sidewalks" papers and the stamp set, called "Cozy Christmas" with matching Thin Cuts.  I used a separate little sentiment stamp called "Mini Christmas".  I just love the font on that stamp.


Isn't he cute?  I love piecing him together with different accessories.  And of course, the sparkles and bakers twine add that finishing touch.

Thank you for following along with me during my Christmas in July posts.  I'm inspired to create more soon, just in time for the Holiday catalog release on September 1st.  Stay tuned and take care!


Monday, July 23, 2018

Christmas in July - Merry Christmas Mr & Mrs Claus

This was a fun little card made using "City Sidewalks" papers and "The North Pole" stamp set for the cute little Santa & Mrs. Claus.  They were fun to color with our markers.


I've always really liked blue & red together for Christmas.  I know it's not a traditional combination, but I really think it works.  

This card looks like an odd size, but folded it is a regular 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 card.  The square on the bottom is 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 and the circle is placed so that the top of it sits at 5 1/2" from the bottom of the card.


For the sentiment I used a holiday digital Cricut Cartridge that Close to My Heart came out with, also called "City Sidewalks".  I love the font.  And you can never go wrong with bakers twine.  I have oodles of it in my stash.


Once again, thank you for visiting.


Friday, July 20, 2018

Christmas in July - Merry Christmas Thin Cuts card

Another fun card using the now retired "City Sidewalks" paper pack.  I totally lifted this card design from fellow consultant Gail Gross.  Gail's card was done using the "Oh Deer" papers I used on my previous cards.  You can see Gail's card HERE.  It's super cute!


This card was mostly made using Thin Cuts that were available at the time.  Aren't those gifts cute?   I love the polka dots and The "ribbon" done with glitter paper is just adorable.


Thanks for visiting.  Stop by again soon.

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Christmas in July - Merry Christmas red & white snowflake card

This card was a design from one of the card kits (Happy Holidays) offered in the catalog at the time of my workshop.  It uses one piece of paper from the now retired "City Sidewalks" paper pack.


The sentiment is from the card kit as well.  It's done with white embossing powder.  I like how it stands out on the Cranberry cardstock.  And there are more of the Thin Cut Snowflakes I love so much, cut out of White Glitter Paper.


Thanks for stopping by!




Monday, July 16, 2018

Christmas in July - Be Merry

This was a fun & simple card, very much inspired by a card by Lori Symank (see her card HERE).  I love that it looks like a wrapped gift.



The papers are from the now retired "City Sidewalks" paper pack.  This was as easy as patterned paper, plus glitter tape that mimicked ribbon and a fun tag made with the now retired "Perfect Presents Holiday" stamp set.  You could easily do this with any paper pack.  The layout would work for other occasions too.


Thanks again for visiting my blog.  I appreciate you taking the time to do so.



Friday, July 13, 2018

Christmas in July - JOY

 This was a favorite card of mine from the "Oh Deer" card workshop.  My inspiration came from THIS card I found on Pinterest (from gerispaperwishes blog).  

This card is really pretty in person, but I just couldn't capture the softness of the papers and beauty of the glitter papers in the photos.  


These snowflake thin cut dies were a great investment for me as I've used them a lot.  I embossed the JOY sentiment (from the retired Very Merry Holiday set) with Silver Embossing Powder and again, the photographs don't do it justice.  And I just love Close to My Heart's glitter papers.  They just sparkle in person.


Come back again soon to see the Christmas Cards I made in my next Christmas themed workshop.  They're fun and bright, using more traditional holiday colors.


Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Christmas in July - Merry Christmas team challenge card

This Christmas card came about from a team challenge.  My upline Julie had sent us some miscellaneous sized pieces of the now retired "Oh Deer" papers along with some pre-stamped images (the deer, tree & sentiments).  We were to create a card with the pieces and show them off at an online holiday party.


I wish I had kept the photo I had of the "before" pieces.  It was really fun to see how different every one's cards turned out using the same pieces.  


I remember one thing that was really hard for me was to NOT use embellishments.  I almost always add sparkles or a ribbon or something, so this was difficult.  Julie had sent a small piece of Sea Glass glitter paper, so I cut a partial snowflake from it.  The piece wasn't large enough to fit the entire snowflake die, hence why it is partially hidden behind the tree.  :)

I also cut a small sliver of gold glitter paper and made some garland for the tree, creating my own embellishment - ha!  

I rarely make a single card not to be used in one of my classes, so this was indeed fun for me.

Thanks for the visit, see you soon!



Monday, July 9, 2018

Christmas in July - Merry Christmas easel card

Here's a fun card inspired by Allysa at Rocky Mountain Paper Crafts.  See her card HERE.


I used Allysa's card layout for the front of mine, but flipped it vertically and added a strip of B&T paper across the bottom.  I hadn't made an easel card in a long time, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity. 


Again using papers and colors from the "Oh Deer" paper pack and stamps from "Woodland Wishes" & "Very Merry Holiday", this card came together quite nicely.


Above is a look at the inside of the card, with room to write a nice greeting.  Below is a close up of the stamped images layered and popped up on a fun snowflake embossed background.


I hope you liked this card.  Come back again soon.

Friday, July 6, 2018

Christmas in July - Wishing You Peace Love & Joy

I've always liked the look of white ink on Kraft cardstock, so that is what I did here.  


This is a pretty simple card.  I stamped the sentiment using White Daisy Pigment Ink and added glittery snowflakes cut with (now retired) thin cuts dies.  The washi tape was from my stash and matched the Sea Glass glitter paper perfectly.  And of course a few sparkles for the finishing touch.


Thank you again for stopping by.  See you soon!

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Christmas in July - The Magic of the Season

Welcome back.  The next card in my "Christmas in July" theme was another card made using the now retired "Oh Deer" paper pack and the fun "Season of Magic" stamp set.


I like these non traditional, soft colors for the holidays.  The wreath image was a fun one to add cut out flowers to for extra dimension.  And of course a little bling in the center of each of the flowers is a must.  Can you see that Sea Glass glitter paper border peeking out?  That was a great color, I miss it.


Thanks again for stopping by.

Monday, July 2, 2018

Christmas in July - The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Happy Holidays!  Oh sorry, I mean Happy July!  I've always wanted to do "Christmas in July" card posts on the blog, but I'm never prepared.  Well, recently I ran across a box of cards that I did for my Christmas card workshops waaay back in 2016 and realized that I never posted photos of them.  Perfect, so here we go...

This was a cute joy fold card made using now retired "Oh Deer" papers and the "Cozy Christmas" stamps & thin cuts set. 

I just loved this snowman and all his pieces.  And these colors in this paper pack are so pretty.


Here is a photos of the inside of the card.  Cute right?


Thanks for stopping by and please come back throughout the month for more Christmas Card inspiration.

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Make Waves - Thank You Card

Hello!  Here's another card I did for my "Make Waves" card workshop back in February.

  
This card was also inspired by one of the cards in Lisa Stenz's "Hello Sunshine Boxed Gift Cards & Tags Kit".  You can see Lisa's card HERE.  


Like the last card, I stamped and cut out the leaves and flowers to add some dimension.  I also added a few sparkles here and there, because why not?  :)


Inks used: PansyBlossomLagoon & Willow
Papers: Make Waves (retired)

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy your day!

Monday, June 11, 2018

Graduation cards for Noah & Zach

Good day!  We were invited to a graduation party for Chico's cousins Noah & Zach yesterday.  I wanted to make them each a card that was personalized and  so with inspiration from a couple fellow consultants, these are what I came up with.


They came together very quickly using the Thin Cuts - It's Your Day and Thin Cuts - Block Alphabet  from Close to My Heart.  The graduation cap is the now retired "Graduation Cap Occasions", a stamp from the previous catalog.  

Noah & Zach's high school colors are orange & black, so it was easy to customize the cards using coordinating cardstocks.  I hope they liked them.

Here are the boys getting ready to head to their graduation.  They were born just a couple months before Mateo.  It's so hard to believe they are all already out of high school.  Time really does fly.


And here's a photo with Chico, Jaxon & I.  Mateo had to miss the party because of work.  :(


As always, thanks for stopping by.  Please visit again soon.


Sunday, June 10, 2018

Make Waves - "Have a Sunny Day" card

Hello!  Here's a card I did for my "Make Waves" card workshop back in February.

  


This card was very much inspired by Lisa Stenz's "Hello Sunshine Boxed Gift Cards & Tags Kit".  You can see Lisa's card HERE.  

Lisa used the Gimme Some Sugar papers, but I already had plans for those papers, so I changed them up to fit the Make Waves papers and colors.  I just love her artwork.  It also inspired two more cards that I will be posting in the next few days.


Inks used: Pansy, Blossom & Juniper
Papers: Make Waves (retired), Pansy c/s, White Daisy c/s & Bashful Glitter Paper.

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy your day!

Saturday, June 9, 2018

Make Waves - "Whale Hello There" card

Whale hello there!  I wanted to show you a fun card I made a couple months ago using Close to My Heart's "Make Waves - Cardmaking" stamp set.


How about that purple whale?  It would be fun to see one, don't you think?  :)

This was one of those rare occasions that I did not use any patterned paper on the card, only cardstock.  I think it turned out pretty cute.  Simple and clean.  I used an image in Cricut Design Space for the waves.  They're both the same image, I just re-sized them so they would look a bit different.


You can see I used an embossing folder to create some texture on the front wave.  I also popped up the whale and the top of the front row of waves to give it some depth.  

I used "Pansy" ink and "Lagoon" cardstock on the card.  The cardstock from Close to My Heart is two toned, so the waves are made from the same sheet of paper.  Pretty cool huh?

Whale, there you go, that's my card for today.  Thanks for stopping by.