congrats!

Hey friends!!  Well... the weekend is upon us!  Have a card to share that I started last night and finished up this morning before I took my little to school.  Been struggling all week with one thing or another so I pretty darn excited that I actually got something made!  I used the current colors from Color Throwdown along with the current sketch from Freshly Made Sketches.  This week is anything goes at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge so I will be posting my card there, as well.   Did some simple watercoloring of the background using SU!'s Night of Navy ink.  The die is from Simon Says Stamp that I die cut twice and adhered together.  I signed up for the current Online Card Classes Clear & Sheer class and during one of the lessons Jennifer McGuire showed a technique add some shine to your die cut words using embossing powder.  I followed the general idea, but used Judikins Iridescent Sparkle embossing powder to give the die cut some sparkle.  After my panel was dry I die cut it and some navy cardstock.  A quarter inch of the panel was cut off the end and a quarter in was cut off the end of the navy cardstock.  The two were adhered together in the back using some washi tape and then adhered to my card base.  Added the sentiment and some wood veneer stars that were ink and embossed with the same embossing powder.  Super simple, but given my week simple was about all I could manage, lol!  I included a close up of the die cut so you can see a bit more of the sparkle. 

Thanks for stopping by today...


Supplies:  Cardstock:  SSS fog, Ranger watercolor paper, Bazzill navy blue, PTI Harvest Gold; Dies:  Simon Says Stamp and A Jillian Vance Design; Inks:  Night of Navy, So Saffron (SU!), VersaMark watermark ink; Judikins Iridescent Sparkle EP

Wednesday with A Jillian Vance Design...

Hey friends... just popping in to let you know that my usual Wednesday post is up over on the AJVD blog.   And... I have a little peek for you:

I hope you will take the time to head over to the AJVD blog, have a look and let me know what you think.  Thanks for stopping by today...

surf's up!!

Hey friends!  Popping in with a quick post of a card that I made for two Verve challenges:  Viva La Verve April sketch challenge (sketch #1) and Verve April Diva Inspirations challenge.  When I saw that the Diva Inspiration challenge was tropical chic I just had to use my Verve Learning to Sail stamp set.  This set comes with a fun surfboard image and the sentiment "surf's up".  I went a bit crazy with polka dot patterned paper, but not too crazy, lol!  I stamped the surfboard on pink and blue papers and then trimmed them out.  Some yellow polka dot paper was die cut with the largest die in the Frosty Flakes die set and stamped with the largest sun in the Learning to Sail set.  The sentiment panel was die cut using a Spellbinder's plain square die and then the mat was cut with a larger plain square die.  The panels were die cut with my AJVD Polka Dot Rectangle backdrop dies.  Layered everything up as you see and I was done.  Even though the card says "Surf's Up!" I think this would make a fun birthday card. 

Thanks for stopping by today...


Supplies:  Cardstock:  white; Patterned paper:  Echo Park (yellow) DCWV (pink and blue); Stamps:  Verve; Dies:  Verve and A Jillian Vance Design; Ink:  VersaFine Onyx Black

celebrate today... pti april blog hop

Hey friends!!  Popping in to share the card I made for PTI's April blog hop.  I have to admit that when I saw the inspiration piece I was pretty darn stumped as to what I would be able to make.  Last night I tried an idea, but it didn't work so I went to bed and slept on it.   When I was doing my experimenting last night I had used my distress inks so when I got up this morning I realized that I could use them with one of the Color Pop kits.  I decided to go with the Color Pop Florals kit as the flowers are closer to the circular design of the piece.  I used the Soft Stone panel that was covered with the flowers that came with the kit.   As I stenciled the flowers I tried to create the lightest color values in the inspiration piece and then stamp the darker values with the companion stamps.  I left the leaves unstamped as I liked that look.  I know I said this before, but I really love the stencils that come in the kits.  They are nice and sturdy which makes it so much easier to stencil!  I die cut the "celebrate today" three times from Fresh Snow linen cardstock and then stacked them.  The panel was die cut and adhered to a Soft Stone card base.  Finished it with the die cut sentiment.  Super simple, but I like how it turned out.  I used a ton of distress inks... will try to list all of them down below!

 Thanks for stopping by today and enjoy the hop...

Supplies:  PTI Color Pop Florals kit - stamps, dies, cardstock panel and stencils; AJVD polka dot rectangle die; Cardstock:  PTI Soft Stone and Fresh Snow linen; Inks:  Distress Inks:  Festive Berries, Worn Lipstick, Iced Spruce, Scattered Straw, Wild Honey, Ripe Persimmon

birthday tulips...

Hey friends!! Popping in with... yep... another floral birthday card!  A friend recently pretty much cleaned me out of all the birthday cards I had made so I needed to make some for birthdays that are coming up soon.  I absolutely love tulips so when PTI came out with the Tulip Time stamps and dies I had to have them.  I pulled them out for this birthday card that I will be giving to my mom later this week.  I used the colors from the current Color Throwdown.  Since this card is a celebration card and uses die cuts I will be adding it to the current Time Out challenge.  I did some second generation stamping in order to be able to use just the three colors in the Color Throwdown palette.  I did experiment with layering the orange and dark pink together, but didn't like the look.  The first layer of the tulips was inked up with Melon Mambo and then stamped off on scrap paper before stamping on to the die cut.  The second layer was stamped using the Melon Mambo at full strength.  Did the same thing for the stems and leaves using Gumball Green and the little butterfly using Pumpkin Pie.  Some orange twine was tied around the tulips before adhering them to the main panel and then the butterfly was adhered to one of the tulips.  After stamping the sentiment I decided to add some Pretty Pink Posh sparkling clear sequins for a little more interest.  As this is a girly card I will also be adding this to the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge.

Thanks for stopping by today...


Supplies:  Cardstock:  Simon Says Stamp fog; white; Stamps:  PTI; Dies:  PTI and A Jillian Vance Design; Inks:  Stampin Up! and Memento; Sequins:  Pretty Pink Posh

happy birthday wishes...

Hey friends!!  Friday is here... yay!!  I'm especially excited for the weekend because my niece is here for her baby shower.  She lives in California and so I don't get to see her that often.  I'm sure that her mom, my sister, is working on trying to get her to move back here to Washington state once the baby is born.  Anyway... the card I'm sharing today isn't a card for her shower it is a birthday card that I made using the current layout from Freshly Made Sketches as well as the current ColourQ combo.  I pulled out three different Stampin Up! sets to create this pretty simple design.   I admit I love butterflies and flowers... my stamp collection is full of butterflies and flowers.  I could probably make a card a day for a month and make only a small dent in the number of flower/butterfly sets I have, lol!  And that collection is only growing... hee hee!   Before completing my card I fiddled around with the colors to get the layering right.   The hydrangea (from SU!'s Because I Care) was stamped in the coral color and then the little dotted strip (from SU!'s Watercolor Wings) was over stamped in black.  The butterfly (also from Watercolor Wings) was stamped using aqua and gold inks and then die cut with the matching die.  Stamped the sentiment (from Simply Sketched) , attached the butterfly and I was done.  I think I will also enter this in the current Paper Players challenge (CAS with a butterfly).   And since this is a rather feminine card I will also add it to the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge (girly).

Thanks for stopping by today...


Supplies:  Cardstock:  white, Simon Says Stamp fog; Stamps:  SU! Watercolor Wings, Because I Care, Simply Sketched; Dies:  SU! Butterfly Thinlets, A Jillian Vance Design Polka Dot Rectangle; Inks:  SU! Calypso Coral and Coastal Cabana, Delicate Golden Glitz, VersaFine Onyx Black;

thursday with a jillian vance design...

Hey friends!!  I'm back today to let you know that I have another post to share over on the A Jillian Vance Design blog.  Here is a little peek of my project:

I hope you will take the time to stop over at the AJVD blog, have look and let me know what you think.  Thanks for stopping by today...

wednesday with a jillian vance design

Hey friends!!  Just popping in to let you know that my usual Wednesday A Jillian Vance Design post is up over on the AJVD blog.  And here is a little peek of the card to peek your interest!

Thanks for stopping by today... I hope you will take the time to head over to the AJVD blog, have a look and let me know what you think!

discover your wings...

Hey friends!!  It is a gorgeous day here in the south sound region of the PNW!!  Took the boys for a little drive up to Black Diamond and made a stop at the Black Diamond bakery for some yummy treats.  After that little road trip I was ready to make a couple of cards.  My mojo has been missing for several days and so I'm happy that it seems to have made an appearance, again!!  I love the bright sunny colors in the current Color Throwdown challenge and I really wanted to make something using them.  I pulled out the super fun Essentials by Ellen Up the Happy stamp and die set and got to work.  I tried to keep things fairly CAS so that I can enter this into the new Paper Players challenge (butterflies).  I die cut some green polka dot paper from Echo Park using an AJVD rectangle backdrop die.  Some white cardstock was die cut using an AJVD Polka Dot rectangle backdrop die that fit inside the larger one and then the panel was stamped with the clouds from the Up the Happy set using Memento Bahama Blue ink.  The butterfly was die cut from yellow and green polka dot paper (from Echo Park), the yellow one was stamped with the corresponding image using black ink and then the two butterflies were adhered together.  A strip of the yellow polka paper was cut and stamped with a sentiment from the Taylored Expressions Discover Your Wings stamp set so I will be adding this to the Essentials by Ellen Mix It Up challenge.  And since I used polka dot paper I will also add this to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge (let's polka).



Thanks for stopping by today...


Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI snow white linen; Patterned Paper:  Echo Park Dots & Stripes; Stamps:  Essentials by Ellen Up the Happy, Taylored Expressions Discover Your Wings; Dies:  Essentials by Ellen Up the Happy, AJVD Polka Dot Rectangle and Rectangle Backdrop dies; Inks:  VersaFine Onyx Black, Memento Bahama Black

thank you...

Hey friends!!    The door was going to close soon on the SSS flickr challenge so I got to work this afternoon and made this card using two different SSS sets (Friendship Blooms and Spring Flowers).  I used the color combo for the new Card Concept challenge and I think my card fits into the freestyle collage category (?) and I used the new Freshly Made Sketch for the layout.  I watercolored my background using Salty Ocean distress ink and since I wanted to get the card done before tomorrow afternoon I speeded up the drying process by using my heat tool.  The flower was stamped in VersaMark watermark ink, white embossing powder applied and then heat set.  Once that was done I watercolored it using Picked Raspberry distress ink and once it was dry trimmed it out.  The stem was stamped using Mowed Lawn distress ink.  Because I decided that I wanted to add this to the new Simon Say Stamp Wednesday challenge (doing the polka) I tried in vain to find even a scrap of light pink polka dot patterned paper.  Given all the patterned paper I had I thought it would be easy, but... nope!  Then I remembered I could stamp my own polka dots...doh!!!  Stamped the dots using SU!'s Pink Pirouette ink and then trimmed off a strip.  I have had this paper doily border for ages and hardly used it.  It reminded me of the crochet trim in the inspiration photo so I cut off a piece, trimmed it down and adhered the to the strip of polka cardstock to create the second strip in the sketch.  I adhered that piece along with the flower using pop dots, stamped the sentiment and then added a few Pretty Pink Posh clear sequins. 

 

Thanks for stopping by today...


Supplies:  Cardstock:  SSS fog, Ranger watercolor cardstock; Stamps: Simon Says Stamp and PTI; Dies:  A Jillian Vance Design; Sequins:  Pretty Pink Posh; Inks:  Ranger, Stampin Up!, VersaMark and Memento; Paper doily border

wednesday with a jillian vance design...

Hey friends... popping in to let you know that my usual Wednesday post is up over on the AJVD blog.  And as usual here is a little peek of my project:

I hope you will take the time to head over to the AJVD blog, have a look and let me know what you think!  Thanks for stopping by today...

mondo hydrangea...

Hey friends!!  Well... the weekend is coming to an end and so is my boys' spring break.  My little guy is pretty bummed that he has to go back to school, but I know he will be happy when he remembers that on Friday he gets to go on a field trip to NW Trek!  I had some time and wanted to get something made using the current color combo from ColourQ before the challenge closed.  When I saw what the new Essentials by Ellen Mix it Up challenge was I knew just what I wanted to do.  Recently I was finally able to get my hands on the gorgeous Essentials by Ellen Mondo Hydrangea stamp set and I just had to ink it up for this challenge.  This month's Mix it Up challenge is to combine Essentials by Ellen products with products from Taylored Expressions.   Taylored Expressions used to have a stamp of the month club and the set I used called Make it Memorable was the March 2013 stamp of the month.  You could also get the matching dies and I used those as well.  I stamped the Mondo Hydrangea using VersaMark watermark ink on Ranger watercolor paper, applied black embossing powder and then heat set.  Followed the same procedure with the leaf.   Once that was done I taped the panel to my little wood cutting board and then did some very simple watercoloring using two of the colors.  The butterfly was stamped in the Pumpkin Pie ink and then die cut.   The layout is based on the current sketch from Freshly Made Sketches and boy did Karren provide a tricky one!  I had a bit of a challenge when it came to adding the angled piece, but I think it came out fine in the end.  A strip of black cardstock on the opposite end balanced everything out nicely.  Before adding my butterfly I adhered some clear rhinestones to the body.  I didn't have enamel dots in the dark orange so I colored a couple of rhinestone with a dark orange Copic as a finishing touch to the sentiment label.  I 'm going to post this to the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge.  The SSS Wednesday challenge is celebrating its 7th birthday so I know there are a ton of cards, but with the chance to win one of 7 gift certificates I just couldn't pass it up.  Also posting this to Creative with Stamps challenge #1 - butterfly.  If you haven't checked out this new challenge, you really should!

 

Thanks for stopping by today...

a couple of cards to share...

Hey friends!!  Wow... we are having some seriously gorgeous weather here in western Washington!  So happy that my boys are on spring break during this good weather!!   Given that it is spring break I have been on a break of sorts from crafting, but after we got home from an outing today I whipped up a little card for a few challenges.  I'm also going to share a card that I made a few days ago when I had a bit of time.   I will be posting the first card to the following challenges:  Color Throwdown, CAS(E) this Sketch and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge.  The Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge is celebrating its 7th birthday... YAY!  The challenge this week is quite appropriately to create a birthday card.   I combined some stamps from Concord & 9th (Eat Cake & Celebrate) and Reverse Confetti (Color Me Happy) to make this card.  The brushstroke image is from the Color Me Happy set and was stamped using yellow, orange and red inks.  I then stamped the candles image from Eat Cake & Celebrate in black ink over the brushstroke images.  The happy birthday was die cut using a die from the Eat Cake & Celebrate die set and then stamped with the companion sentiment using aqua ink.  That was then popped up with foam dimensionals.  I added a few enamel dots to finish things off.

The second card is for the current Reverse Confetti Sketch for You to Try.  I used two different sets (Walk by Faith and Butterfly Dreams) and some fun Reverse Confetti quick card panels (Hoppin' Dots).   I cut the striped teal panel on the diagonal and then adhered that to the yellow polka dot panel.  A circle was die cut using an A Jillian Vance Design polka dot circle die and then stamped with the sentiment from Walk by Faith in black ink.  The butterflies were die cut using the companion dies to the Butterfly Dreams set and then stamped with teal and yellow inks.  Enamel dots were added to the bodies and then they were adhered to the panel.  I die cut a leaf image using another RC confetti cut die (Petals 'n Posies) and then stamped it with the matching image in yellow ink and adhered it to the card as a frame to the circle.  Adhered the panel to a simple white card base.  I really like how this card turned out.  I will also be posting this one to the current Word Art Wednesday challenge.  ETA:  Sweet Lilian from the Leaf Studio stopped by my blog and encouraged me to enter a brand new challenge called Creative with Stamps.  The first challenge is butterflies so I will be entering this card with them.  Thanks for letting me know about your challenge, Lilian!!

Thanks for stopping by today....


Supplies:  Cardstock:  white, Simon Says Stamp fog; Stamps:  Reverse Confetti and Concord & 9th; Dies:  Reverse Confetti, Concord & 9th and A Jillian Vance Design; Inks:  Stampin Up!, Hero Arts and Memento; Enamel Dots:  My Mind's Eye

Wednesday with A Jillian Vance Design...

Hey friend!!  Just popping in to let you know that I have my weekly post up on the AJVD blog.  Here is a little peek of my card:

I hope you will take the time to head over to the AJVD blog, have a look and let me know your thoughts.  Thanks for stopping by today...

one of a kind...

Hey friends!!  We are having some seriously nice weather here in the PNW!  I'm popping in with a card that I made for some challenges.  I recently got the new Reverse Confetti stamp set Butterfly Dreams and the matching dies so I teamed it up with the RC Color Me Happy set to create my card.  The colors are from the current Color Throwdown and the layout is based on the current one from CAS(E) this Sketch.  I'm also going to post this to the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of anything goes.   I know there are already a ton of entries... but you can't win unless you play, lol!   Super simple design.  I stamped the brushstroke image in SU!'s Kiwi Kiss on a white panel that I die cut using my AJVD Polka Dot Rectangle Backdrop die and then added some Ranger Diamond Stickles for some sparkle.  The bottom half was partially embossed using my Swiss Dot folder.  Die cut the butterfly and then stamped it using SU!''s Take with Teal ink.  Some Diamond Stickles was also brushed on the butterfly and once dry I attached it to the a SSS Fog cardstock base.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy!!  Decided to add this to the current Word Art Wednesday challenge, as well.

Thanks for stopping by today...


Supplies:  Cardstock:  white, SSS fog; Stamps:  Reverse Confetti; Dies:  Reverse Confetti and A Jillian Vance Design; Inks:  Stampin Up!; Ranger Diamond Stickles