A Blog Called Wanda

Fun with Doodlebug Busy Bees!

Hi everyone! I'm buzzing by today with some cheerful happy bees from the Fairy Garden Collection from Doodlebug! It's my turn on the Doodlebug Blog today, too, so head over there and check it out!  I have been wanting to make a project featuring the bees and the honeycomb papers from this collection for a little bit... and the idea came together with this Busy Bee ensemble today! I've made a card, a gift bag/gift card holder, and some pretty pinwheel party decorations. I love blue and yellow together, it's just happy and bright! This would be great for any occasion - to decorate for a party or birthday or a baby shower. Let's take a look! 

 

I made the gift bag from Kraft cardstock and decorated the front with papers from the Fairy Garden 6x6 Paper Pad. I added a Bee Doodlepop and then finished off with Bumblebee Twine and a Mini Clothespin. I used Sprinkles from the Fairy Garden Collection to add shiny accents to this piece.

 

 

I made the pinwheels using a Pinwheel maker and they are 4 inches across. I affixed them to fun paper straws using foam tape. I added accents from the Fairy Garden Collection (Chit Chat and Odds & Ends) to decorate the centers of the pinwheels. Keeping everything in the same color family. I love that all the papers are double sided which just makes the pinwheels that much cuter!

 

I made a matching card of course! This finished card is a 4.5 x 4.5 inch square card made from Kraft Cardstock. I used three different patterned papers to create this look. I added bits of Sugar Coating Glitter to make the bee wings shimmery.

 

 

Here's a close up of the layers on the gift box. The center image is from the Fairy Garden 6x6 Paper Pad. So sweet!

 

 

I think these would be super cute for a baby shower! Those little bees make me smile! The little tag comes with the favor box die cute! (supplies are listed at the very bottom of my post!)

 

 

 

 

These next few photos are close ups of the pinwheels! Something so very cheerful and happy about them! They are SUPER easy to make and you can make tiny ones and HUGE ones! I've used these as cupcake toppers, and package tie ons, and party favors. I love a good punch board. 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you all have a bee-utiful day, my bee-utiful friends! 

That's it for today's project! I'm going back to my crafty hive to think of what to share with you next time. Take care and BEE creative! Thanks for stopping by today to see my projects! XO

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply list for today's projects! (Affiliate Links Used).

 

The Greetery - Release Day is here!

Hi everyone! It's finally here! Today is RELEASE DAY for THE GREETERY! Yahooooooo! Shopping for the new release starts at 10am EST! Do you have your list all ready? I also have some more fun news! The Greetery now has a customer rewards program! And a HUGE SALE starts today to celebrate the 2nd Anniversary! I'm predicting a lot of things will sell out so I'm sending you this message early! 

At 10am EST I'll be posting videos on my Instagram Stories going through the entire new release and also showing my cards in more detail and walking you through tips and tricks. Please join me over there if you have time! 

If I've inspired you this week - I would be very appreciative if you would use my affiliate shopping link to get your new goodies! Also, if you have time, leave me a note here and tell me what is your favorite new thing from the release - I'd love to know what you're excited about! Lastly, but most importantly, thank you for all the kind and uplifting comments on my blog the past two days. You have made me feel so good and I'm grateful for that!! XOXO

CLICK HERE TO SHOP!

The Greetery - Spring Market Collection - Day 2!

Hello Hello! Welcome back to day TWO of the launch of the new release from The Greetery! It's called Spring Market! Fresh and pretty and perfect for April, and on into the Summer! Did you enjoy day one? SOOOO much inspiration from everyone. I love looking at all the projects just as much as you do! I think it's cool that we are all given the exact same set of stamps and dies....but boy do we come up with so many different things! I love that part! So today is day two, and then tomorrow is release day. All the goodies will be available for shopping 4/28 at 10am EST. Yeah! What is your favorite thing so far?? Be sure to read all the way to the bottom of my post for news, prizes, and links!

For my three cards for today I decided to incorporate patterned paper! I loooooooove patterned paper and I have approximately 14,000 tons of it in my craft room. I thought - let's use it! Let's not hoard it! Maybe I can give you some ideas today to use patterned paper in your Greetery projects! Let's get started...

My first card for today features the brand new Tulips Botanicuts and the brand new Market Basket Die set! OOH LA LA! So pretty and fabulous! This finished card is an A2 white card base that I covered with floral patterned paper. I used the colors in the paper to inspire the rest of my card...

 

The star of the show here for sure is the tulips!! The die set includes all the pieces to make three flowers: one open, one slightly open, and one bud...along with several stem and leaf options. It was SO easy to put the flowers together (you know Betsy always includes a guide for us).... I die cut the petals from pink paper and the stems/leaves from green paper. Then I used Distress Inks and small sponge daubers to add color to the pieces. I liked this better than starting with white paper. I also splattered some white onto everything...

 

Now, let's talk about those Market Basket Dies!!!! Yeeeks! LOVE! The die set comes with three sizes of baskets, liners, and handles. So you can die cut the perfect size for your project. I used the largest and the medium sized ones here. There is one more that is smaller. I die cut them from dark gray cardstock and splattered white paint onto them. I die cut the pretty liner at the top from the same patterned paper as the card layer. Then I backed them with vellum. The hat is a sticker that is from the same collection as the paper!! 

 

Here's a close up of the handles on the basket! Betsy thought of everything! And that beautiful font for the words on the label....stop it!!!

 

 

 

 

 

My second card for today has a boho chic vibe to it, created by using certain colors and patterned paper! This card features the brand new and super cool Holding Hands Stamp and Die Set! It's a big set, with two hands and lots of things for decorating the hands and objects for the hands to hold. It's so creative!! I gave my lady a bracelet and a pretty sheer blouse... She's bringing a card and a bouquet to her bff.... The finished card is a kraft A2 card base, layered with patterned paper and then light aqua paper on top.

 

OMG how fun is this??? I die cut her bracelet from gold cardstock and added a tiny heart. Her blouse is from polka dot vellum... I used matching paper to line the envelope. See the details in the hand?? I mean, really?? Those tiny fingernails!!! 

 

 

 

I thought that the card needed something at the bottom so I added a kraft bow with a heart in the center. I stamped the sentiment directly onto the aqua cardstock and also added gold splatters.

 

 

TIP: I found it easier when stamping the hand portion to stamp the smaller stamp first (The one with the shading and the knuckles) and then stamp the larger piece on top!! Then the fingernails last.

 

 

 

Okay, friends, one last card for this release! This card is an A2 white card base, layered with some coral/peach gingham and a pretty nordic circle... My card features the brand new Flower Market Bouquet Stamp Set and matching dies. This floral spray is BIG! And I love it! Easy to line up the images with your MISTI or stamp positioner and you can use any colors! I chose to use a desert inspired color palette: turquoise, coral and yellow - something different for me! It feels happy!!

 

The bouquet is all one big stamp, so it's so easy to get big coverage on the front of the card. I added a few white dots with a gel pen to the flower centers. I also added a few enamel dots for color.

 

 

 

I paired a bold thank you sentiment (from the previously released Opposites Attract stamp/die set) in rich black for impact. One quick tip to break up all that black ink is to add white highlights with a gel pen. Everything is attached with foam tape.

 

 

Did you see the announcement of the start of The Greetery Rewards Program? It's called Greetery Gold! Customers will be able to earn points for every purchase made and redeem them for discounts! WOOHOOOO! You can also earn more points by following The Greetery on social media, etc. AND you'll get extra bonus points on your birthday too! Check out all the details at The Greetery website. 

PLEASE BE SURE TO VISIT ALL THE DESIGN TEAM BLOGS FOR INSPIRATION TODAY! Start at The Greetery Blog!

PRIZE ALERT! PRIZE ALERT! During the two countdown days we'll be doing some special giveaways. Here is what we have planned for today, day two! TWO PRIZE PACKAGES OF THE ENTIRE APRIL RELEASE COLLECTION!!!!! Wowza! One winner will be chosen from the blog comments, the other winner will be chosen from Instagram comments on The Greetery's Instagram. Good Luck everyone!!  Comments for both giveaways will close at 11:59pm on Tuesday, April 27. Winners for all will be announced on The Greetery blog on Wednesday, 4/28 at 7am EDT.

 

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply list for today's cards! (Affiliate Links Used). The new release launches tomorrow 4/28 at 10am EST!!

 

The Greetery - Spring Market Collection - Day 1!

Helloooooo and Happy Monday! And, what a happy Monday it is! We are kicking off the April New Release from The Greetery today! The new release is called Spring Market! So many beautiful florals, birthdays, alphabets, and more! The design team will be sharing projects today and tomorrow on all our blogs and The Greetery Blog. The new release will be available for shopping on Wednesday morning at 10am EST! Be sure to read all the way to the bottom of my post for prize information and links and some other fun news! 

I have THREE cards to share today, and three more tomorrow! I used lots and lots of color and made it happy! What a joy and pleasure it is to create for The Greetery and share with you. Truly, whenever that Greetery package shows up at my house, everything stops! And I have to sit and stare at it all! The creativity flows easy with these gorgeous stamps and dies. I hope you find some inspiration here today. XO

First up is a Rifle Paper Co inspired pink card full of lemons and blossoms! This card features the new stamp set called Always In Bloom. I am really a huge fan of Rifle Paper and used many of the elements of Rifle on my card - blooms, lots of color, lots of gold accents. (click here to see the exact inspiration) I like how it came out! The finished card is an A2 pink card base, and then one more layer of pink to serve as the top layer. 

 

The bloom word is the main sentiment in the new stamp set. Then there are several coordinating smaller sentiments to go with it! I love that the bloom word is a two step stamp - for more added dimension. I stamped it in aqua and then a deeper teal over...and die cut it with the matching die.

 

I went to town stamping and die cutting out tons of flowers, leaves and lemons! I used the lemons from the previously released Lemon Blossom set. I added gold accents with my favorite gold paint and a tiny paint brush.  I also splashed some gold onto the pink layer.

 

In this side view, you can better see the gold accents and the way I attached the elements to the card. The branch is from the Mighty Oak Botanicuts. (all the supplies are listed at the bottom of my post).

 

I used foam tape and foam dots to attach almost everything and kept adding layers until I got a nice design. I really love all these colors together. Very cheerful for spring time!

 

 

 

Next up is a bright and bold Birthday card! This card features the brand new Delightful Digits Background Die and the new Birthday Word Die. I used the previously released Cake Pops suite of products to add the candles etc in the center. This card is a white A2 card base. I glued the numbers die onto the white card base and set it under a book to dry flat. 

 

I splashed some white paint over the aqua parts of this card. I added white gel pen accents to the black word die! In this photo you can see all the layers. For the candles I used colored cardstock and added accents with Copic Markers, White gel pen, and glitter!

 

The 'happy' word is from another brand new set called Digits Sentiments - that goes with the new numbers dies!! LOVE IT.

 

Here's a close up of the beautiful detail in that Delightful Digits Die. It cut out like a dream with one pass through my machine. Beautiful! I feel like it could be modern, fun, and even traditional depending on the colors you use and the way you ink it up.

 

 

 

 

 

And, one more card for today! This purple hello card is a finished size of A2 with a white card base. I used pretty tones of purples and green to make it sweet and sentimental. This card features the brand new Bold Alphabet Dies and the new Alpha Buds Stamps and Dies. The Alpha Buds make tiny flower clusters to fit in with the alphabet and/or the matching numbers. So fresh!

 

I used purple cardstock, then vellum, then white for my layers.... Then I die cut out the hello and the happy from the matching cardstock. I stamped and die cut out the small flowers. It was hard to not use all of them!!!

 

For stamping these small flowers, I actually die cut the shapes out first, and then stamped onto the die cut pieces. I just eyeballed it and they came out perfect! Easy to get this nice look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you see the announcement of the start of The Greetery Rewards Program? It's called Greetery Gold! Customers will be able to earn points for every purchase made and redeem them for discounts! WOOHOOOO! You can also earn more points by following The Greetery on social media, etc. AND you'll get extra bonus points on your birthday too! Check out all the details at The Greetery website. PLEASE BE SURE TO VISIT ALL THE DESIGN TEAM BLOGS FOR INSPIRATION TODAY! Start at The Greetery Blog!

 

PRIZE ALERT! PRIZE ALERT! During the two countdown days we'll be doing some special giveaways. Here is what we have planned for today, day one! TWO prize packages including the following: $50 Gift Card Code to spend now, A Greetery Tumbler,  AND a  25% off code to use later will be tucked inside the tumbler! Wowza! One winner will be chosen from the blog comments, the other winner will be chosen from Instagram comments on The Greetery's Instagram. Good Luck everyone!! Comments for both giveaways will close at 11:59pm on Tuesday, April 27. Winners for all will be announced on The Greetery blog on Wednesday, 4/28 at 7am EDT.

 

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply list for today's cards! (Affiliate Links Used). 

 

 

 

Garden Journal with Doodlebug Supplies - Fairy Garden Collection!

Hello crafty friends! I'm here on the blog today with a fun Spring project made with the super cute Fairy Garden Collection from Doodlebug! I feel like this collection just screams "SPRING" so I decided to make a Spring themed project. A Garden Journal! I used an old kraft blank binder that's been in my stash for a long time and jazzed it up with papers, stickers, letters, and much much more! I've really been enjoying getting out of my card making box and making different types of projects for Doodlebug!  I encourage you to look at different things you might have in your craft room - things that you can cover with paper and decorate. Some of the things I like to use are - oatmeal canisters (for gifts), cookie tins, blank books, DVD cases and cool boxes. Anything can become new and wonderful again with some Doodlebug! 

This post has tons of pictures so I could show you every page - grab a cup of coffee and spend some time with me! 

My Garden Journal is 6" x 4" big, so it's perfect to tuck in your bag to bring to the nursery. I put in lots of pages for lists and notes.... Here's the cover! I used the awesome Doodlebug Alphabet Stickers to spell out Garden Journal on a piece of white cardstock, and then decorated around it. How cute is that sweet fairy?!

 

I started with a white cardstock cover and then put my letter stickers on first to make sure there was enough room! Then I added papers and stickers and that adorable fairy.

 

 

 

Here is the inside cover and the first page. I used lots of papers with room to write so this could actually be a useful journal! I had so much fun picking out elements for each different page. I used a lot of green to keep with the garden theme.

 

The back of the first page has an envelope so you can tuck goodies inside - receipts, seed packets, ideas....

 

There is a small half page with a pocket here in between these two pages...

 

 

 

I love all the adorable critters!

 

The last page and the back inside cover!

 

A close up of the envelope piece.

 

 

 

He reminds me of Keroppi!!

 

 

 

 

Cutest little garden tool!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the back cover!!

 

I will probably end up giving this as a gift (since I have a brown thumb!)... SO I made some cute custom pens by gluing on some flower gems! 

 

 

 

And lastly, some baby tulips from my garden! I was trying to work them into my photo staging but couldn't get it to work - so here they are on their own! 

Thanks for stopping by today to see my most recent Doodlebug project!! I am having the best time sharing with you! What should I make next??! Have a blessed and wonderful day. Be sure to stop by the Doodlebug Blog and leave some love over there too! XO

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supplies used for today's garden journal! (Affiliate Links Used)

New Bitty Brushes & More!

Hi artsy peoples! I'm just popping in real quick today to share something new from Taylored Expressions! That beautiful butterfly card kit sold out in one day! I don't want you to miss out on these!! TE now has small ink blending brushes (Bitty Brushes!) to add to your ink blending tool set.... And there are now black and white brushes too.... OH and new stencils and plain brushes to create your own collection. Yep, that's a whole lotta new stuffs! As some of you know, I do the product photography for Taylored Expressions, and I took these photos so long ago! Been patiently waiting to share these fun new tools with you - and today's the day! Yippeee! The Bitty Brushes are perfect for getting into those small stencils, or adding another layer of color to bigger images. LOVE!! I use white ink blending for clouds - so now I have a white blender brush. It's all awesome.

CLICK HERE to see all the new items! Here's a peek with a few photos. Have a brilliant and creative day. I'll be back tomorrow with a Doodlebug project! XOXO

 

 

 

 

Sending Crafty Hugs - fun mailbox card!

Hi friends and crafty girls! Happy Friday! And I've got some happy mail and crafty hugs for you today to kick off the weekend! I hope you had a good week! I have a crafty themed card to share with you today, made with some new to me dies from Hero Arts and a fresh red, white and blue color scheme too! This card was really fun to make and I hope it brings a smile to your face today. XO

The finished card is a white A2 card base. I covered the entire front of the card base with the red, white and blue striped paper. Then a layer of white cardstock, then the kraft layer that I stamped... Yes, it's one of those cards... More is definitely more! I love a happy mail theme too!

 

I started by stamping the cool Mail Jumble stamp onto kraft cardstock using Versamark ink and my MISTI. I let it soak in for that awesome watermark effect. Then I die cut the kraft panel using a big postage stamp die. There's definitely a theme here - LOL. 

 

I used the Mailbox die set to die cut out four blue mailboxes and a big stack of tiny letters! Oh, and a bunch of tiny hearts too.... I wanted the mailbox to stand out, so I glued the four mailboxes together on top of each other. I edged the mailbox in blue ink. For the tiny letters, I used a gray Copic Marker to outline the folds, etc. How adorable is this stack??!! 

 

I heat embossed the "happy mail" sentiment onto the front of the mailbox. Then I splashed it with some white paint. I made the bucket red for a bit more color and interest. I also added white gel pen accents on everything.

 

I used foam tape to affix the letters coming out of the top of the mailbox.

 

The sentiment was heat embossed onto a black banner - don't you love that sentiment! I'm definitely sending Crafty Hugs your way with this card today.

 

 

This is one of those card ideas I had in my head for a long time....and it came out more fun that I even imagined! Red, white and blue is always so pretty and cheerful... Those tiny letters kill me!!! Sending you love and good wishes for a wonderful weekend! XO

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply list for today's card (Affiliate Links Used). 

Taylored Expressions Butterfly Wishes Card Kit Launch!

Hi friends! I have exciting news today! There's a brand new, beautiful, awesome card kit launching today from Taylored Expressions! The Butterfly Wishes Card Kit is sooooo gooooood! I made two cards to share with you today, made with the kit. The kit has a large background stamp, two smaller stamp sets, a set of stencils, dies, envelopes, seals and MORE! You're going to love it! And it features one of my new fav things - stamp + stencil combos. It was really easy to get beautiful results and you can you any colors!! Woot! CLICK HERE to shop the new kit at the TE Store. Now, let's look at some cards!

This first card was inspired by the colors of the graphics for the actual kit. Pretty shades of yellow, aqua and coral... My finished card is an A2 white card base, then layered with dark aqua, then my stenciled/stamped panel...

 

To start this card, I used the large background stamp to stamp the butterfly bodies and heat emboss them in gold... SO FRESH!! I used my MISTI to get a nice clean impression. I also gold heat embossed the sentiment so it would all go nicely together.

 

There are exactly matching stamps and dies to create separate butterflies to go with the large background of butterflies - genius!! 

 

 

 

The matching stencils (There are TWO) go right on top of those embossed bodies. That way you can do a completely different color for the top and bottom of each butterfly. I chose to do them the same, but I did use two colors or ink to get the shading closer to the bodies. I also splattered gold paint on top of everything (you know me!). It's very easy to get the stencils lined up perfectly - see how nice it looks?? LOVE!

 

For my sentiment element, I heat embossed the words in gold onto a stitched circle. Then I die cut a slightly larger stitched circle out of vellum. I stamped the butterfly trails in black and then mounted my two matching butterflies.

 

Here's a side view so you can see that SHIMMMMEERRRRR! :-)

 

This second card is also an A2 white card base. I wanted this set of butterflies to look like monarchs so I used shades of black, yellow, gold and orange. I also used the tiny accent stamps to add black over the stenciled parts! 

 

I cut a stitched square out of another white panel to form a window over the butterfly stamped panel! I heat embossed the bodies in black embossing powder. 

 

I stamped that pretty sentiment onto the top panel in deep black ink. I added a few gems from my stash to pick up the warm colors.

 

 

 

Here is the full contents of the kit, including that nice storage back with the beautiful graphic on the front!

 

Thanks for dropping in today to see what's new! I am very certain that you will love this kit as much as I already do! CLICK HERE to shop the kit and the TE Store. Have a great day! I'll be back on Friday with something funnnnnn! XOXO

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below, to see the supply list for today's cards! (Affiliate Links Used)

Jane's Doodles Blog Hop - Life is a journey - enjoy the ride!

Hi guys! Happy Friday! I have two posts today - woot! Must be some fun crafty things happening if I have two posts in one day! Yeah! Wishing you a fantastic weekend! This post is part of a blog hop celebrating the new release from Jane's Doodles! They have the absolutely cutest stamps! This company is based out of Croatia and their products are sold through their website. Good news: They have flat rate $7.00 international shipping and my order arrived in about a week! So be sure to head over and check out their stamps!!

Today I'm sharing a card I made with the ADORABLE Road Trip stamp set!! Cute images, perfect for coloring! My finished card is an A2 white card base, layered with a teal striped patterned paper...and then my images.

 

I stamped all the images in crisp black ink and colored them all in with Copic Markers. The company does not make matching dies, so I cut out everything by hand (kickin it old school) and added white gel pen accents. 

 

Don't those critters look like they're having a blast in their van?! 

 

For the sentiment, I heat embossed in white onto a black banner - love how graphic that looks with all this color already on the card.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's it for my Road Trip card today! CLICK HERE to shop the Jane's Doodles Store....   CLICK HERE to see the fun Jane's Doodles Blog for more inspiration and ideas. Jane's Doodles is having a 25% off Sale (Fri-Sun) and a Giveaway - one winner chooses stamp set of choice with the winner announced on Monday April 12!!  Thanks for stopping by today (Again!) XOXO

BLOG HOP STOPS FOR TODAY'S HOP:

Kaja

 

Marion

 

Neha

 

Claudia

 

Katerina

 

Bobbi

 

Daniel

 

Wanda

 

Laura

 

Jane's Doodles Blog

TGIF - The Greetery Inspiration Friday - Aloha Card!

ALOOOOOOOOHA!!! Hello and Welcome to TGIF for The Greetery! Around here TGIF stands for: The Greetery Inspiration Friday! Woot! This project is on The Greetery Blog today.... And I'm here on my blog today too - sharing some of my favorite things! I live in California and last week we had a high temperature of 86 degrees! Well, that got me to thinking about Summer, and pina coladas,  so I created a Summer card to share with you! Never too early to plan ahead for the season, and work with some of my favorite themes... I am always inspired by vintage postcards, and I absolutely love vintage Hawaiiana too. Well, combine those two things with lots of wonderful stamps and dies from The Greetery and you have today's card! A tropical postcard card! Aloha friends! 

My finished card is an A2 card base made from Woodgrain cardstock (Supplies at the bottom of my post... All the other paper used in this project was water color paper. And I colored with Distress Inks and a Water Brush!

 

I started by die cutting several of the small stamps dies from the Pretty Postmarks Dies, one of the larger stamp pieces and the circular postmark piece. I used watercolor paper for all the pieces of this card except the card base. I also die cut several palm dies from watercolor paper. Once I had my elements all die cut, I had fun water coloring with Distress inks and the awesome Destination stamp sets.

 

I chose the elements that made me think of summer: Palm Trees, flowers, and that cute woody wagon with the surfboard. I stamped with Distress Inks and then used a water brush to 'paint' over the stamped images to look like water coloring. I also splattered everything with brown ink to look vintage. I edged all the pieces with light brown ink and a sponge dauber. For the base layer, I die cut the large Postal Die from watercolor paper and brushed on some blue ink mixed with a lot of water.  

 

 

 

For the palm leaves I also used Distress inks and a water brush. A few shades of greens... AHHHH. So fresh and pretty!  Such an easy technique that gives great results! Everything is attached to the card using foam squares for added dimension. For the sentiment, I used the Pretext Dies and stamps from the Lemon Blossom stamp set to write out 'happy summer' on two different tabs. 

To finish off today, I will wish you Aloha! I hope I've inspired you to look at your stamps in a new way and try something different. Thank you for spending some time with me here on my blog. This project is featured on the The Greetery Blog today too - please stop by over there and leave some love!  Wishing you a beautiful weekend full of happiness and creativity! Take care friends.

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply list for today's card! (Affiliate Links Used).