A Blog Called Wanda

The Greetery - Handiwork Collection - New Release Day Two!

Welcome back to day two of the new release reveals for THE GREETERY! The Handiwork Collection continues today with the design team features of the rest of the new products! I hope you're as excited as I am, because I love this release, and especially today's cards!! I have threeeee more cards to share and they all have a nostalgic flavor to them... My grandma was the one who taught me how to embroider and cross stitch and crochet. She always had a needle in her hand and was always making something. Those things warm my heart now, at my age, and I am drawn to stitching and crocheting. Today's Greetery products give me the warm fuzzies.... Let's go! 

THE NEW RELEASE DAY IS FRIDAY JULY 28TH AT 10AM EST!

My first card for today features the brand new Notionable Die set and the brand new Stitched Sentiments stamps and dies. My finished card is an A2 cream card base, layered with red, cream and a touch of gingham. My top panel is also cream cardstock (for a warmer feel than bright white) die cut with the Postal Dies. 

 

Here's a side view and close up of the pretty new sentiments stamps and dies....Love it SEW much!!

 

The Notionable die set has all of these elements: a pin holder, scissors, threads, thimble, needle, and MORE!!! Gosh, it's awesome! To start my card I sat down and die cut out everything!! Then after they were all cut out, I decided on my layout and which things to use. 

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST/LINKS FOR TODAY'S CARDS!

 

I die cut the tomato from pretty felt to make it look realistic! I backed the red felt with cardstock to make it easier to attach to the card. It's so dang adorable!! I used matte silver and glitter gold cardstock to make the scissors. They are held together with a brad - and guess what? They actually move like real scissors!! 

 

I added some pearl pins, and red buttons from my crafty stash, and of course some little hearts...

 

 

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST/LINKS FOR TODAY'S CARDS!

 

See that cool needle and thread?? Love it!!! Betsy thought of eveything in this die set. 

 

Next up is a vintage sewing machine card that features the brand new Sew Vintage Dies, the brand new Oval Hoopla Dies, the brand new Aida Cloth Texture Plate, and the brand new Stitched Sentiments stamps! My finished card is a horizontal A2 card base made from cream cardstock. I used the Patchwork Die with vintage text paper for the background...then the hoop. This hoop is the larger of the two ovals in the Oval Hoopla Set!

 

When I first saw this die set, I was like WOW. This is so super cool and detailed!! It was fun to make!! I die cut the sewing machine from black cardstock and then heat embossed the details in gold embossing. It looks real, doesn't it!? And the tiny details make everything just right....

 

I again used the Aida Cloth Texture Die for the inside of my hoop. The sewing maching looks just right in there! I added some embellishments from my stash - buttons and a butterfly, and some hearts too. Each detail is a separate die so you can make everything a different color - the pink thread, the gold dials... And can we talk about how the thread winds into the needle??? Genius!!

 

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST/LINKS FOR TODAY'S CARDS!

 

Here are some detail photos....

 

I stamped the sentiment in black on a stitched rectangle. Such a sweet sentiment, right?? I love everything about this card!

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST/LINKS FOR TODAY'S CARDS!

 

And, my final card for release week.... This card features the brand new Rose Tapestry Stencil Set and the brand new Stitched Sentiments stamps. These new stencils = WOWZA!!!! This is a dream!!! How cool is this look??? My finished card is a white A2 card base, layered with tiny gingham and then my stenciled panel. I stamped the sentiment on a vellum strip because I didn't want to cover up any of that beautiful design.

 

 

Here's a side view of my layers.... Just a few pearl accents for this card - nice and simple.

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST/LINKS FOR TODAY'S CARDS!

 

I used Stazon Ink and my MISTI to line up the sentiments perfectly...

 

This is supremely cool - don't you think?? Can't wait to make more, and in different colors! I'm thinking maybe a purple??? 

DAY TWO PRIZE INFORMATION!! The Greetery will be giving away TWO more $50 gift certificates for today! That makes for FOUR gift certificates total over both days.... To be entered to win, leave a comment on each blog for today!  Random comments will be chosen and announced on The Greetery Blog!  

The new release is LIVE tomorrow July 28th at 10am EST!  Thank you for spending part of your week here with me! It is most definitely my pleasure to share The Greetery products with you! I feel very lucky to be part of this team. Happy Shopping tomorrow! I am very excited to see what everyone makes with these products.

I truly appreciate it if you remember to shop via my links! It helps me so very much! 

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW RELEASE!

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply list for these cards! (Affiliate Links Used)

 

DESIGN TEAM INSPIRATION LINKS FOR TODAY!

Angelica

Dana

Dawn

Kelly

Laurie

Melissa

Wanda

 

Pinkfresh Studio July 2023 Blog Hop - Hello Fall!

Hi crafty friends! Lots going on this week! Lots of FUN! Today is a busy day. I have two posts today - so make sure to visit both of them because there are prizes and fun information on both! Yeah! Thank you for being here!

Welcome to my stop on the awesome blog hop to celebrate the brand new, beautiful release from our friends at Pinkfresh Studio! Gosh, I do love Pinkfresh Studio and their pretty style.... NEW NEW NEW Stamps, dies, stencils, hot foil plates, accessories...and more!! There is supply information, prize information and the list for the hop participants at the bottom of my post. Let's take a look at my card for today! It's my first Fall project of 2023! 

My Hello Fall card to share today features the brand new Foliage Shaker Dies and the brand new Fall Leaf Die! I used those new items along with pretty Pinkfresh inks, and some of my other favorite dies from Pinkfresh! Everything works so well together. I used a warm fall color palette of red, orange and brown, with a few touches of gold and sparkle. My finished card is an A2 cream card base, covered in dark woodgrain paper. I layered cream cardstock and then my design elements....

 

I started by die cutting out all my pieces: hello, FALL, leaves and vellum leaves.... I used my beautiful Pinkfresh Studio Ink Cubes to add color to the leaves and the letters....I set those aside to dry. The hello is die cut from the same brown woodgrain paper as my background. I love brown with orange and red - so warm! I used blender brushes to ink just the tops of the letters to give an ombre feeling...

 

 

 

Here's a close up of my leaves. SO pretty, and the perfect scale for a card! After I inked them up, I of course splattered on some pretty gold paint.

 

On my background layer, I stenciled in brown and orange with the pretty Sweet Leaves Stencils. I only stenciled one portion of the stencil, to give a nice border across the bottom of the card.

 

That gorgeous new Fall Leaf Die! Oh my - so pretty in vellum!

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's it for my card for today! If you're new here, from the blog hop, welcome! Thank you for stopping by to spend part of your day with me. I'm always super grateful to work with the talented and generous team at Pinkfresh Studio - they are a dream to work with. Thank you so much for joining me today on this fun blog hop day! Happy crafting! I will see you soon!

Pinkfresh Studio will be giving away the full release on the Pinkfresh blog & YouTube channel! They will also be giving away a total of TEN $25  gift cards along the hop. As per usual with blog hops - the winners will be picked from the comments left on each blog!! Pinkfresh Studio will pull the winners & post them on August 4th on their GIVEAWAY PAGE. Remember, you must check that page & claim your prize within 2 weeks. GOOD LUCK!

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW PINKFRESH STUDIO RELEASE!

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

 

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO SEE ALL THE BLOG HOP PARTICIPANTS!!

The Greetery - Handiwork Collection - New Release Day One!

Hi friends! Today is an exciting day! I am very happy to share with you that it's new release week at The Greetery! YEAH!! The new release is called "Handiwork" and it has a beautiful sewing/floral theme! The collection is super feminine and pretty, with gorgeous new florals and even an antique sewing machine! I had a great time making my projects for release week to share with you. We have to reveal days this release - today and tomorrow. The design team will be sharing our projects on our blogs and revealing all the new products for you. I have six cards to share with you over the next two days and they are all so different from each other.  I got to make some vintage cards this time around, which I love! It's hard to choose a favorite thing from the new release..... Are you excited too?? Let's gooooo!! 

THE NEW RELEASE DAY IS FRIDAY JULY 28TH AT 10AM EST!

My first card for Day one is an embroidery hoop with a honey bee inside. You guys know I love to stitch, and one of my favorite themes is bees, so this was a perfect match. My card features the brand new Hoopla Round Die and Inserts Die, and also the brand new Aida Cloth Texture Plate. I used previously released Honey Bees and Buzzworthy sets to complete my project. The finished card is an A2 card base. I layered on striped paper, then a cream panel, then my hoop and bee. 

 

Here's a side view of my layers.... The Hoopla Round Dies come in two sizes in the set - this is the smaller size. I die cut the hoop from woodgrain cardstock. I layered three of the hoops together to make it a bit thicker. I used the new Aida Texture Plate for the inside to look like emroidered cloth...

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST/LINKS FOR TODAY'S PROJECTS!

The Hoopla die sets (there is an oval also that I will show you tomorrow) have the perfect hardware to put on top! Here I die cut the hardware from matte silver cardstock. 

 

I attached the bee using foam squares.... She pops off the page! I also popped up the sentiment. I had stamped it first (flat) and then thought I would like it better with the die cut. You can see the other sentiment underneath. Sometimes you gotta adjust on the fly!

 

I stamped the yellow honeycombs using my MISTI and two shades of yellow inks. I also ink blended over the honeycombs for a soft effect!! 

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST/LINKS FOR TODAY'S PROJECTS!

For the bee, I used black and yellow cardstocks and then some white paint splatters. I also shaded the body using a dark yellow Copic Marker. The wings were die cut from vellum... Then I used a shimmer pen over the top to make the wings look real! These hoops are awesome - and there is no end to what you can put inside!! 

 

Next up is a set of pretty notecards I made with the brand new Stitched Scallops Notecard Die and the brand new Embroidered Blooms Dies!! I am going to be using this notecard die A LOT! I can already tell. It cuts out so nice and crisp and perfect! The folded notes measure 3.75" x 3.75" which I feel is a perfect size! It will fit into an A2 envelope, or be perfect as a gift tie on.... 

 

The Embroidered Blooms florals are big and bold, and classic! I used red as my main color and then green, yellow and aqua. Look at the details in the leaves! Oh my. The possibilities are endless....

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST/LINKS FOR TODAY'S PROJECTS!

 

 

I used splatters for an artsy feeling and I like the vivid colors here... I think it'd be so pretty in pinks too...

 

 

 

 

The sentiments are from the Hearts at Home stamp set (which I looooove).

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST/LINKS FOR TODAY'S PROJECTS!

 

My last card for today features the brand new Floral Sampler Stamps and Dies with a pretty postage theme. My finished card is a horizontal A2 white card base. I layered white, yellow, and gray gingham for a soft look. Instead of stamping the florals, I used the die cuts and cut the outlines from colored cardstock... Then I used the stamps and gold embossed the details. It's kind of cool looking!

 

Here's a side view of how I layered everything. I accented the florals with stamps and dies from the Pretty Postmarks suite. I attached the flowers and leaves using foam squares for dimension...

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST/LINKS FOR TODAY'S PROJECTS!

 

I used gray ink to stamp the accent images - to match the subtle gray gingham. 

 

 

I'm always so very happy for a new release!! That's it for day one of the new release reveals! Be sure to come back tomorrow and I will be sharing three more cards featuring the new items! Yippeeeeeee! What's your favorite thing so far?  If you are a seamstress, you are going to LOVE tomorrow's reveals! Can't wait. The new release will be for sale on Friday July 28th at 10am EST! See you tomorrow! XOXO

DAY ONE PRIZE INFORMATION! The Greetery will be giving away TWO $50 gift certificates each day!  To be entered to win, leave a comment on each blog for today!  Random comments will be chosen and announced on The Greetery Blog! 

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE GREETERY STORE!

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply list for these cards! (Affiliate Links Used)

DESIGN TEAM INSPIRATION LINKS FOR TODAY!

Angelica

Dana

 Dawn

 Kelly

Laurie

Melissa

Wanda

 

Taylored Expressions Wreathed in Joy Card Kit!

Helllooooooo crafty friends! How are you?! I hope you're ready for this week! It's going to be verrrrry busy here on the bloggy blog! I have four blog posts this week, and today is the first one! Yippeeeeeee! We've got Christmas, and Fall, and a new release from The Greetery, and so much more! It's all good! And it's that weird time of year when we are crafting ALL the things and ALL the seasons! Ha! I hope you have a wonderful day, and a wonderful week! XOXO

Today's post is all about the brand new, awesome card kit from Taylored Expressions. It just launched today, and I am 100% on predicting a sell out. This one is going to sell out! So if you want it, grab it! The kit is called Wreathed in Joy, and it has stamps, stencils, dies and sentiment inserts!! I used the kit for my cards today, along with some of my other favorite supplies from Taylored Expressions. I made two cards. One is an A2 card and the other one is a 4"x4" square card. The kit makes two wreaths, combining stamps and stencils (and matching dies). It also makes sprigs to match, and the letters J and Y to spell JOY! It's beautiful!

 

This card uses the larger wreath of the two in the kit! Isn't it pretty? I used one of my favorite background cover plates, some snowflakes and a bit of vellum to jazz it up! And I also used some of those gorgeous sparkly Glitter Drops. SUPPLIES are at the bottom of my post! 

 

 

 

This card uses the smaller wreath in the kit along with the letters J and Y! Pretty red and green perfect for Christmas....

 

The stencils are a set of three - two greens and one red. The brown portion/branches are a stamp! Genius!

 

Here's a close up of the background die. I pretty much use this for every season! It's so detailed....

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the entire kit contents....

 

And some of the contents of the kit....

That's it for today's fun introduction to the new card kit! I'll be back tomorrow with my first post for The Greetery new release! So be sure to come on back y'all!! XOXO

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE TE STORE!

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply list and links for my projects! (Affiliate Links Used)

Some quick cards to share! Happy Monday!

Hi friends! Happy Monday! Whew, it's been so hot here! I'm trying not to melt, and I'm drinking lots of iced coffee!! Hope you are doing well, and getting in some creative and crafty time. Life is all good here in Sactown, ready for a new week! Sometimes I will make 'quick' cards to share on Instagram and Facebook and they don't always necessarily get posted on my blog. Today I'm sharing two of those quick cards because they are happy, Summery cards and I wanted to show you! So just a quick blog post today, and some hugs and good wishes for a great week. XOXO

First up is this card - think happy and bee happy! Gosh, as soon as I saw this new Echo Park paper collection I had to order it! I love the patterned papers, and I always love a bee theme. The card is an A2 card base and then I just mixed and matched patterns and stickers together. I finished with a few hearts, of course, and a wee bit of twine too!! You can find the paper collection here! 

 

And this rainbow card was made with supplies from Concord and 9th! A cheerful modern rainbow with good wishes attached!! This card is also and A2 size and I used the gorgeous C9 cardstocks to make my rainbow. It feels very Lisa Frank to me....hearts and rainbows.... So sweet! You can shop Concord and 9th here!

 

And here's a quick photo of my sweet Lucky Boo Boo! When it's hot, he likes to sleep on the chairs underneath the dining room table!! He is very smart to stay cool like that!! He is the bestest boy. 

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!! XOXO

 

Cross Stitch for the 4th of July! America by Little House Needleworks!

Hey hey hey friends! It's Friday! Yippeeeee! And it's gonna be a hot one around here!! Hope you had a great week! I've been busy this week, crafting and fun things with friends, and stitching! Yay! I have a fun project for you today - a cross stitch I finished for the 4th of July! If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you've been seeing the progress of this cross stitch piece. My goal was to have it completed by the 4th of July.... Well, you know what? I finished it at 9:30pm on July 3rd! Go me! Haaaa. I framed it this week and took my final photos, so it's time to share with you the final look. I think I'm going to leave it up year round, now that I see it done. 

All the supplies, pattern info, etc are in the supply links HERE or at the bottom of this post. Also, if you like cross stitch and want to see my other projects and/or finishing ideas, you can click on the "Cross Stitch and Crochet" Category on the right sidebar of my blog! It will take you to all my projects. Or CLICK HERE for that category. 

My favorite place to buy cross stitch supplies is the Fat Quarter Shop! They have super fast shipping and always the newest patterns and fabrics! I am an affiliate for them and love working with them too. 

Here is my finished and framed piece! It's called "America" by Little House Needleworks! It's so pretty! Just the right amount of prim, and modern. It was an easy stitch. I used 14 count Aida. I almost always use my own color choices for my cross stitching because I tend to like brighter colors. I swapped out the colors here to make it my own. The finished stitching area on 14 Aida is 6" x 8" so I used an 8x10 frame and it was perfect!

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST/LINKS FOR THIS PROJECT!

I found the frame at Michael's and it was the perfect look I think. I also bought a brown frame to see if I liked that better, but I think the contrast with the white is better for this piece. I did a really simple framing on this one because of the look of the pattern. It's very old school. To frame, I iron my piece really nicely. (iron on the back side of your piece). I used natural cotton batting between my fabric and the frame to make it a bit 'puffy' in the frame. I think it looks better with some softness, but this is totally a matter of preference. 

 

A bit about my thread choices! I used all DMC floss except for the red, which is 'fancy floss.' I use this awesome color chart from DMC to decide my colors and bring it with me when I go thread shopping and cross reference with the called for colors. The chart has actual pieces of the floss, not just a color chip. If I'm choosing colors, I will look at what the pattern calls for, and then look at similar colors to see what I like the best!! You can definitely shake it up and use your creativity on the patterns. Make it your own!!

 

 

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST/LINKS FOR THIS PROJECT!

 

I love that little birdie!! Hee hee, so fun to stitch! Just a side note, I almost always stitch on Aida... I have VERY bad eyesight and need a lot of light and a magnifying piece!! I just take my time and enjoy the process.

 

Here are some of my "in progress" photos....

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST/LINKS FOR THIS PROJECT!

 

 

 

Here it is all done, before ironing!

 

And before framing!

 

 

Thanks for spending some time with me this week! It's fun to share new things with you! What are you working on right now?? In the mail this week, I got my first delivery of Halloween stamps and dies! YEAH! This makes me happy! Fall is around the corner and I'll be switching modes pretty soon. Have a great weekend and whatever you do, keep on crafting! XOXO

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply lists and links for today's project! (Affiliate Links Used)

The Greetery - Mushroom Terrarium Garden Card!

Hi everyone! I am SOOOO excited to share today's project with you! I've had it made for a long while, and am ready to show you! My card for today was made for The Greetery Blog, and of course I'm sharing it here too. I hope you are having a great week so far. I'm counting down the days until Autumn now that the 4th of July is over! I've been doing a lot of stitching lately and hope to share some cross stitch projects soon too!

I hope to inspire you with today's card! The goal is to encourage you to see your stamps and dies in a new way!! It's fun to mix and match different products and create a new idea!  I used tons of my favorite Greetery Dies and I watercolored with Distress Inks, which is one of my go-to techniques. I created a little terrarium, filled with beautiful ferns and toadstools...and a little snail too. (I guess I am still in a garden frame of mind after the latest Greetery Urban Jungle release!) Ha! This card was inside my brain for a while, and it came out exactly as I wanted. That doesn't happen all the time - but don't you love it when it does?! 

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST AND LINKS FOR TODAY!

I'm featuring the Large Ferns Die set from the new release, along with the Toadstool Garden Dies, the Spring Curio Dies and a few more too. My finished card is an A2 card base that I covered with woodgrain paper. I layered watercolor paper and text print patterned paper with a bit of twine, then I created my terrarium/cloche scene on top!

 

To start out this card, I die cut all the pieces (terrarium, ferns, toadstools, snail, background postage frame, and sentiment tag) from watercolor paper. Using watercolor paper, or plain paper, for your dies gives you complete freedom to color! 

The terrarium top was made using one of the larger A2 Arches Dies. For the bottom base, I die cut just the lower portion of the Jumbo Jar Die out of woodgrain paper and it fit just right! The sentiment tag was made using the Market Basket Dies and the stamped word "nature" is from the Curio Labels Stamp Set. I really love to encourage you to use your stamps and dies in different and new ways! There are no rules in crafting!

 

Here's a close up photo of the dies and ink blending. One tip to make the coloring look 'more watercolory' is to let one layer of color dry completely, then go back and add another layer of color - either the same color or a darker color!! Keep playing until you get the look that you like!

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST AND LINKS FOR TODAY!

After everything was die cut, I mixed the elements around to see how I wanted them arranged. Once I had my layout settled, I colored all the pieces with Distress ink cubes and small water brushes. I like to watercolor with my Mini Distress Inks because there are so many colors to choose from and they blend nicely. I simply smoosh some ink onto my glass mat or a stamping block, and then pick up the color with my water brushes. This is such an easy and fun technique. I let everything dry and then splashed on some white paint splatters! 

 

I thought some text/patterned paper would add a nice little vintage touch!

 

 

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST AND LINKS FOR TODAY!

 

To color the top portion of the terrarium I used blender brushes and Distress Inks to blend blue on the top (sky) and brown on the bottom (dirt).... I attached all my elements using either glue or foam squares. Lastly I added a few clear drop embellishments. It reminds me of a little fairy garden and it makes me happy! 

 

 

That's it for my project for today! I hope you have a fantastic and creative day! I look forward to sharing with you again soon. In the meantime, happy crafting! XOXO

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE GREETERY STORE!

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

 

Some quick announcements and business!!

Hi guys! I hope you had an amazing weekend! Our weekend was jam packed full of....chores! LOL. The weather was perfection and we got so many things done. It's predicted to be in the 100's again this week so we wanted to scurry up and do things around the house and in the garage. Whew. We also went out for a nice dinner and church of course. Hope you are ready to take on a new week! I will have a fun blog post with a cool card Tuesday morning - cannot wait! But today I just have some quick things to share with you! 

Tuesday starts Amazon Prime Days - yay! Some of you know, but most of you don't know, that I am an Amazon Affiliate/Influencer. What that means is that I have an Amazon Storefront where I list out all my favorite products! I have different lists for craft items, my photography equipment (people ask me about that a lot), my favorite books and even my favorite beauty tools and things. If you buy something from Amazon, using my link, I get a small commission from the sale. And I truly appreciate every click! I wanted to share my storefont link here before Prime Days start... 

HERE IS THE LINK TO MY AMAZON PAGE!

My loyal subscribers are so great about shopping my other favorite online stores using the link on my homepage (thank you!) My Amazon page is listed within all those links also. So if you ever want to go back and look at one of my Amazon lists you can do it there too. 

HERE IS THE LINK TO MY FAVORITE ONLINE STORES THAT I SUPPORT - AND WHO SUPPORT ME!

That's all the bizness for today - thank you for always helping me out and supporting me in my endeavors. You guys are the very best. I will see you very soon  with a card! XOXO Wanda

MY SHOPS!

You've Got Mail! Guest designing with Ellen Hutson!

You've Got Mail!! The best kind of mail - happy, stamping mail! I have a fun post for you today! Just saying "You've Got Mail" reminds me of the movie, and of actually having dial up AOL! Ha! I love all kinds of mail - letters, emails, packages, it doesn't matter. There's something nice about getting a sweet message. But as a card maker, I am particularly fond of snail mail in my mailbox. I love everything with a mail/letter/postage theme. So, when I saw the new release recently from Ellen Hutson I flipped out (In the best way)! Everything is SOOOOOO cute and cheerful and pretty and PERFECT! I was thrilled when they asked me to be a guest designer today on the Ellen Hutson Blog - an immediate Yessssss. Ellen is literally the kindest, nicest person and her team is the very best. It's a dream to work with them. I'm on the EH blog, but also wanted to post my cards here on my blog today too!! Everything was made with the new Essentials By Ellen Stamp/Die release.

My first card features several of the new sets: First Class, Postage Dies, Mail Call, and Sending Love.... My card is an A2 horizontal card. I covered the card base with pretty aqua cardstock. I made a little rainbow array of stamps! And what about that font on the sentiment!!!??

 

My second card features the new stamp sets in a vertical layout. My finished card is an A2 card base. Layered with pink, vellum, and then that awesome postage die. There's another cute You've Got Mail sentiment!! And a snail! 

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST AND LINKS FOR TODAY'S CARDS!

 

My stamps and other elements were affixed to the cards using foam tape for added dimension of course....

 

 

 

I used awesome new Sketchmarker Aqua watercolor markers. The watercolor markers gave my projects a soft and artsy look. To use the markers, I colored on my glass mat and then used a water brush to pick up the pretty colors to color my images. Just like painting! These are really fun to work with!

 

I started by stamping all of the postage stamp images, the snail and the other icons for both cards, using waterproof ink. I die cut out all the images using the matching dies. The sets I used are: First Class, Mail Call, Sending Love, and Everyday Doodles. After I die cut out everything, I used the markers to color in the images.  Each stamp has a matching die so it was really easy to cut them all out at once. 

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLY LIST AND LINKS FOR TODAY'S CARDS!

Before I colored everything, I laid out all my elements to make sure I could make a rainbow!

 

My color choices! Bright and pretty, but they go on soft....like watercolors.

 

 

 

I splattered on some white paint for an artistic look. I used the beautiful Postage Dies as my backgrounds on both cards. So fresh! I also added white and clear enamel dots to both cards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These cards and dies make me smile so much! I hope I made you smile by sharing some new stamps and dies with you today! Please head over to Ellen Hutson to check out everything! Big thank you to Ellen and the crew for inviting me to be a guest designer! Have a fantastic rest of the week! I'll see you soon! XOXO

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE ELLEN HUTSON NEW RELEASE!

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

 

Patriotic Pinwheels and more!

Hey guys! Happy almost 4th of July! Hope you're having a fun holiday weekend (even though it's Monday!) It's been hot hot hot here! Whew. I am ready for Fall already!! But we're enjoying the summer and the flowers are so pretty right now. The house is all decorated for the 4th with lots of flags and festive decorations. I made a quick project to share with you today. So easy to put together and so fun to make too. I love pinwheels and rosettes for festive occasions and that's what I have for you today!! 

The pinwheels were made with these awesome dies from PPP! One pass through the die cut machine, a few folds, and you're done. I used the Doodlebug Land That I Love Collection for everything. These pinwheels are especially perfect for double sided papers. I made them and affixed them to festive straws. If I was more organized, I was going to make cupcakes and put these in the cupcakes. But alas, I wasn't that organized. So they're in little jars around the house! Ha!!

I used jumbo gems for the centers, and splattered on a little bit of white paint for good measure!! I love the scallop edge detail too.

 

 

 

 

These papers are so cute, and such a good way to use your stash of pretty patterned papers!! Here's another blog post I did using these pretty pinwheels dies!

 

 

 

 

 

While I had all my supplies out, I decided to make a big puffy rosette too! I used three different 12x12 papers. I used 2.25" strips and scored at 1/2 inch intervals. I glued them all together and then placed on some fun accents - stars, hearts, and even a cute little eagle!!

 

 

 

 

 

That's it for the crafty part of my post! Here are a couple of photos from our house, one inside, one outside in our front yard, to show how into it we are! There are flags everywhere!! It's so pretty, actually and I love it! We tend to decorate with flags all summer - starting with Memorial Day. In our hallway is a giant flag that is tea dyed that we got at a cool store in Napa years ago. 

 

 

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!