"We do not remember days, we remember moments." Cesare Pavese

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

wednesday with ajvd

Hey there... popping in to let you know that my usual Wednesday post is up on the AJVD blog.  Here is a little peek of my card:


Have a wonderful day and I hope you will hop over for a look.

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

for all you do...

Hello... have another card for the current Viva La Verve sketch challenge to share.  With school starting in just a few days I decided to make a teacher thank you card.  The current challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge is back to school so I will be posting it there, too.   I used the wreath stamp from the Verve Autumn Blessings stamp set along with the apple images and a sentiment from Teachers Count.  The wreath and apples were embossed in black on watercolor paper and then colored with ZIGs.  Die cutting the apples was a bit tricky since the apple dies are solid, but thankfully I was able to get a nice cut on both of them.  Since I used woodgrain cardstock for the smaller rectangle I stamped the sentiment into the lower corner of the card.  Super simple, but sometimes you just have to do simple!!  The Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge is also school related so I will post this in that gallery, too.


Supplies:  Cardstock:  white, black, white woodgrain; Patterned paper:  Reverse Confetti; Stamps:  Verve; Dies:  Verve and AJVD; Inks:  VersaMark, VersaFine Onyx Black; ZIG Clean Color markers

Saturday, August 26, 2017

kind... that's you

Hey there!!  Found some time to make another card for the current Where Creativity Meets C9 challenge of anything goes.  I used the color combo for the current Color Throwdown, as well.   I just love the large floral image from Hello Lovely and I knew it would look beautiful done up in the CTD colors.  I used all Memento inks for this one:  Dandelion, Baby Pink and London Fog.   The sentiment is from one of the very first C9 stamp sets I ever bought... Being Classy.  I stamped the "that's you" sentiment in VersaFine Onyx Black and then stamped the kind on vellum using VersaMark watermark ink, heat embossed it in white and then die cut it with the matching word die.  The word was adhered with rolled up glue dots.  After adhering the card I added the baby pink baker's twine.   When I first got Hello Lovely I wasn't sure about the images that you use to fill in the flowers if you don't want to color them.  They are not actually designed for fit within the flower and that makes my "have to stay within the lines" self a little uncomfortable, lol!  But the more I use the images the more I am learning to let go and enjoy going outside the lines!!


Have a wonderful day!!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white and vellum, SU! Smoky Shadow; Stamps and dies:  Concord &9th; Inks:  Memento, VersaFine, VersaMark; Baker's Twine:  Twinery

Thursday, August 24, 2017

grateful... thankful...blessed...

Hey!!  Have a fall inspired card to share today that is another entry for the current Reverse Confetti Sketch for You to Try challenge.  This time I used the RC Pumpkin Patch stamp set and the matching dies.  The patterned paper is more of the Webster's Pages pack that I have been trying to use up.  I also used the RC Topped Off Tag die set.  I decided to cover the card front with some of the paper and then added the strip of polka dot paper.  After die cutting the tag from the woodgrain paper and the topper portion from some dark brown woodgrain paper.  The images were stamped, die cut and then adhered to the tag as shown.  Adhered the tag and then added the bow tied from some white baker's twine.  I'm also going to add this to the current Time Out challenge of Autumn with a twist.  The twist being making the card in 10 minutes or less.  I can tell you for certain that it took a lot longer than 10 minutes to make this card!!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  white; Stamps and dies:  Reverse Confetti; Inks:  Stampin Up! and VersaFine; SU! baker's twine; Patterned paper:  Webster's Pages

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

wednesday with ajvd...

Hello!!  It's Wednesday and that means I have a post up on the AJVD blog today!!  YAY!!  Here is a little peek of my card:


Have a wonderful day... my boys and I are off on one final summer adventure... a trip to Mt. St. Helens!!  I hope you will take the time to head over to the AJVD blog for a look at my card!

Monday, August 21, 2017

a wedding card...

Hello!!  Hope you had a wonderful weekend.   I did!!  My niece got married this past weekend and it was absolutely lovely!!  (Unfortunately I forgot my phone at home so I have no photos!!)  Of course I had to make a card and since the current WCMC9 challenge is anything goes I used the challenge as my starting point.   Many months ago I made a card using C9 products that would have worked for a wedding card, but since my niece was going with a mostly white theme for her wedding I decided to remake it.  Their invitation is very sweet and rustic so I decided to use the fun heart image from the C9 Cozy Up stamp set.   The paper I used is from the Teresa Collins Gold Glam 6x6 pad.  I trimmed it down and then die cut it with the die that matches the heart.  I adhered the paper to a white cardstock base using removable adhesive and then stamped the heart in kraft ink using my mini MISTI.  I stamped the Mr. & Mrs. from the Many Mandalas set in black and then adhered the die cut panel.  The little floral piece was die cut using one of the dies from the Layers of Love die set and then adhered along with some C9 gold sequin trim.   A piece of white cardstock was trimmed down to fit inside, stamped with the heart image and then added the sentiment (also from Many Mandalas).   I decided to be smart this time and take a photo of the inside panel with the card instead of adhering it inside the card and then trying to take the photo!!   I think I will add this to the current   Dies R Us challenge of anything goes.



Hope you have a wonderful day...

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white, PP:  Teresa Collins; Stamps and Dies:  Concord & 9th; Ink:  SU! Crumb Cake, VersaFine Onyx Black, Embellishments:  Concord & 9th gold sequin trim

Sunday, August 20, 2017

a simple card...

Hello!!  Had some free time today so I made a couple of cards and I'm sharing one of them today.  As my blog post states it is pretty simple.   This one is heading to CAS(E) this sketch (layout) and Color Throwdown (color combo).  When I saw the CTS layout it made me think of my never been used PTI Plaid Builder set.  So I got it out along with inks that approximated the Color Throwdown combo and got to work.   After stamping the stripes I decided it needed something more so I got out my PTI Friendly Flowers stamp and die set and made the flower.  The sentiment is also from Friendly Flowers.   I was surprised at how easy it was for me to keep things nice a straight just using a long acrylic block that I had.  Now that I know I can keep things straight I definitely need to use the Plaid Builder set more often!   Going to add this to the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge.



Have a wonderful day!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white, SSS fog; Stamps and dies:  PaperTrey Ink; Inks:  Stampin Up! and Memento; Enamel dot:  My Mind's Eye









Friday, August 18, 2017

smile...

Hello!!   A new sketch is up on the MFT challenge blog and I found some time to make a card using it along with the current colors for the MFT color challenge.  I will also be adding this to the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of put a sentiment on it.   I still had the July MFT card kit and I wanted to make another card before I put things away.  This time I used the lovely script smile die from the kit long with the one of the large flowers and the leaves stamps and dies.  I stamped the flower using the coral color and the leaves using colors close to the Spearmint and Green Eyed Monster colors.  The smile was die cut from cardstock in a color as close as I could get to blueberry.  I did die cut the word three times and then adhered them together.  I used the soft gray cardstock to break things up a bit.  The strip and the rounded rectangle were die cut using the MFT Inside Out Stitched Rectangle dies.  After I layered everything up per the sketch I stamped the sentiment on vellum using watermark ink, heat set it with white embossing powder and then die cut it with the banner die (the free with $60 die set).  A panel of white cardstock was die cut, the rounded rectangle adhered to that and then everything was adhered to a coral cardstock base.  I love it when I can "kill two birds with one stone"!   I think I will also add this to the current Word Art Wednesday challenge.  ETA:  Today is the last day of MFT's Camp Create, part 2.  I have not had time to do any of the other "crafts", but since my card has lots of die cutting on it I will be adding it to today's "craft" of die cutting.  Adding this to the current Dies R Us challenge of anything goes.




Have a wonderful day!!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white and vellum, Ranger woodgrain, MFT Coral Crush, SSS fog, blue; Stamps:  MFT; Dies:  MFT and AJVD; Inks:  Stampin Up!, Hero Arts and VersaMark; Embossing powder:  Hero Arts

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

wednesday with ajvd...

Hello!!  Yep... it's that time of the week... Wednesday and I have a post up on the AJVD blog.  I'm sharing another fall inspired card and here is a little peek:


Hope you will hop over for a look and have a wonderful day!

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

two cards... two sketches...

Hey there!!  Stopping in with two cards for two sketch challenges.  Recently Julee started the Viva la Verve challenges back up and I could not be happier!!  I have missed playing along as often as I could using my yummy Verve stamps!!  My first card is for that challenge.   I'm still on a mission to use up my patterned paper and today I made a little dent in the collection... YAY!  I used lots of paper on this card and I love how it turned out!!  The stamp set I used is the Verve Kindness Matters set.  The matching dies were used to die cut the flowers after I had stamped them on the patterned paper using dark blue ink.  The same ink was used for the sentiment.   The background panel was created by layering all the paper together and then die cutting them.  Because the bottom portion was rather thick I did have to die cut that a second time.  I layered on the sentiment panel and then added the flower.  To give the flower a bit more dimension I cut into the petal of the top flower, shaped the a little and then adhered it with a foam dimensional.  After the flower was adhered I die cut the little sprigs and adhered them.  I added a large drop of Nuvo Glitter Drops to the center of the flower.  Everything was adhered to a teal cardstock base.   Since there is still lots of time to play along at Viva La Verve I think I'm going to be making another card!


The second card is for the current Reverse Confetti Sketch for You to Try.  This is the first time in a very long time that I have actually gotten my card for the challenge done this early... YAY!!  I may even find the time to make another card!  I used and oldie, but goodie Reverse Confetti set called Fresh 'n Fruity.  I kept this one simple and used just one piece of patterned paper from a pack of papers from Webster's Pages.  I stamped the oranges in two shades of orange ink using both orange stamps from the set.   Stamped the leaves and then die cut everything with the matching dies.  The sentiment was stamped on the banner that was cut using the banner die from the RC Tag Me die set.  After adhering the patterned paper I arranged how I wanted everything to be and then stamped the bottom sentiment.   Adhered everything, added the orange enamel dots and I was done.  Love the clean look of this one!   And since I got my card done so early in the month just like with Viva La Verve I may make another one!!

Have a wonderful day...
Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white, MFT Tropical Teal; Patterned Paper:  My Mind's Eye Kate & Co, Webster's Pages Family Traditions; Stamps:  Reverse Confetti, Verve; Dies:  Reverse Confetti, Verve and A Jillian Vance Design; Ink:  Stampin Up! Night of Navy, Pumpkin Pie, Memento Tangelo, MFT Green Apple; Enamel Dots:  My Mind's Eye; Nuvo Glitter Drops

Friday, August 11, 2017

a couple of cards to share...

Hey!!  I have a couple of cards that I got made over the course of this last week.  The first one is for the current Essentials by Ellen Mix It Up challenge to combine EE products with Avery Elle products.  I don't have many Avery Elle products, but I do have this lovely With Sympathy die set that my sweet friend, Greta, sent to me.  I combined the dies with the EE Mondo Peony stamp set and did some watercoloring.  The color combo is the current one from Color Throwdown so I will be posting it there, as well.  I used the four ZIGs that you see in the photo for the watercoloring.  The peonies were stamped in VersaMark on the smooth side of the Tim Holtz distress watercolor paper and then heat embossed with platinum embossing powder.    Because the watercoloring is so soft I decided to go with a soft gray cardstock to die cut the words from.  The with was only cut once and adhered to the panel.  The sympathy was die cut twice, stacked and then adhered.  Sadly I am in need of this sympathy card as someone I know recently lost her daughter to a tragic accident.

The second card is for Freshly Made Sketches.  They are celebrating their 300th sketch and I just had to play along.  Many thanks to the FMS team for all the wonderful sketches and inspiration they have provided!!  When I saw the sketch I immediately knew I wanted to use my Stampin Up! Oh So Eclectic stamp set and the companion Eclectic Layers die set.  The patterned papers are from an older Stampin Up! designer paper pad that has an aqua, red and kraft combo.  The kraft cardstock I used is also Stampin Up! I die cut the cut out from the kraft cardstock and then backed it with a piece of the patterned paper.   That piece was then die cut with a rectangle die.  The polka dot paper was die cut and adhered per the sketch.  The leaves were die cut from the aqua paper and adhered.  I stamped the flower on white cardstock using SU!'s Real Red ink and adhered.  Originally I had stamped the sentiment on vellum and then attached it, but that turned out to be a big mistake. Hate it when that happened, but thankfully I was able to remove it without ruining anything and replace it with the one that is there now.


Have a wonderful day!!
Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white, SU! Crumb Cake, Ranger watercolor; Patterned paper:  Stampin Up!; Stamps:  Essentials by Ellen, Stampin Up! and AJVD; Dies:  AJVD, Avery Elle and Stampin Up!; Watercolor medium:  ZIG Clean Color markers; Embossing powder:  Ranger Platinum; Ink:  Stampin Up!, VersaMark and VersaFine


Wednesday, August 9, 2017

wednesday with ajvd...

Hello!!  Popping in to let you know that my post is up on the AJVD blog.  Today I'm sharing a fall inspired card.  Here is a little peek:



Hope you will hop over for a look... have a wonderful day!

Sunday, August 6, 2017

you mean the world to me...

Hey!!  Stopping in with a card (duh, lol!) for a couple of challenges:  Freshly Made Sketches and Time Out.   The FMS layout is pretty simple, but I puzzled over it for quite sometime until I saw the inspiration photo from Time Out.  Finally... an idea was born!  I found some masculine papers in my stash and trimmed down one with a grid pattern on it.  I then stamped the image of the continents (from Concord & 9th's Map Love stamp set) in blue ink.  Two pieces were trimmed off the left edge and then each one was trimmed down further.  Two strips the same width were trimmed off another piece of paper from the same pad, trimmed further to fill in the right spots and then I started adhering everything.  I adhered the main portion flat and then the strips at varying heights using foam dimensional.  The sentiment was stamped in brown in and then I added partial images of the continents.

Have a wonderful day!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  white; Patterned paper:  My Mind's Eye; Stamps:  Concord & 9th; Inks:  Stampin Up! and VersaFine

Saturday, August 5, 2017

celebrate...

Hello!!  The other day the beautiful MFT All Smiles card kit landed on my front porch and last night I got a chance to make a card with it.  I used the current MFT color challenge combo, as well as the current MFT sketch.  I don't have a color similar to MFT's Purple Rain and so I tried to create my own by combining blue and purple inks together.  Initially it looked rather close, but looking at it now it doesn't... oh well... I tried, lol!  I stamped all the flowers using the ink combo I created and then the leaves using PTI's Simply Chartreuse.  The centers of the larger flowers were stamped with a color I thought was similar to MFT's Green Eyed Monster as were the smaller flowers.  Added in some small dots in the blue/purple to fill in the spaces a bit.  I die cut one edge with an AJVD edger die and adhered my piece to some light gray cardstock that is similar to MFT's Grout Gray.  A couple of thin strips of the same cardstock were cut and adhered.  One of the other things I got in my order was the beautiful "celebrate" die.  I die cut that three times from white cardstock and adhered them together.  I stamped the sentiment from the All Smiles stamp set that comes in the kit on black cardstock and embossed with white embossing powder.  That was die cut with the free MFT die set that I got and adhered with the word celebrate to finish things off.


Hope you have a wonderful day!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white, SSS fog; Stamps:  My Favorite Things; Dies:  My Favorite Things and A Jillian Vance Design; Inks:  Hero Arts, PTI, VersaMark; Embossing powder:  Hero Arts 

Thursday, August 3, 2017

thankful for you...

Hello!!  Hope your week is going well.  Things are hot, hot, hot here in Western Washington and along with all that heat we are unfortunately getting smoke from the wildfires burning in British Columbia, Canada our neighbor to the north!   Given the heat and the smoky air staying inside seems like a good thing right now.  So... I made a card!  When I saw the color combo at Color Throwdown I thought of my very neglected Sheltering Tree stamp set from Stampin Up!  I pulled it out and did a little stamping!  I used Stampin Up! Crumb Cake for the tree trunk and the swing and Stampin Up! Gumball Green for the grass and the tree.  After the stamping was done I trimmed down the panel and wrapped it with some light brown twine.  A panel of Crumb Cake cardstock was adhered to a card base and then the stamped panel adhered.  I finished things off by stamping the sentiment on vellum with watermark ink and heat embossing in white.  Die cut the sentiment with an MFT Fishtail Flag Stax die and adhered it to the panel.    I like the simple, rustic look of this card.   I have played along with Word Art Wednesday in a long time and since their challenge is always anything goes I think I will added there, as well.  It also works for the new CTS layout so I will post it there, too.



Have a wonderful day!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  White, SU! Crumb Cake, PTI vellum; Stamps:  Stampin Up!; Inks:  Stampin Up! and VersaMark; Embossing powder:  Hero Arts; Twine:  Recollections

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

it's wednesday... it must be ajvd!

Hello!!  Stopping in to let you know my Wednesday post is up on the AJVD blog.  Here is a little peek of my card.  I used the newly released Happy Birthday {DIE} alogue word dies.

Have a wonderful day!