A Blog Called Wanda

Guest Designing for WPlus9! Florals and Home Sweet Home!

Hi everyone! Nice to see you today. I hope you're enjoying the first weekend of Summer and that you had some time to regroup and recharge your batteries. My husband and I have been busy out enjoying the beautiful weather and taking photos... Yesterday we went to this amazing French Flea Market in Sonoma. WOW. I was blown away by this wonderful event. On Saturday I spent the entire day at my Local Stamp Store and took a wonderful Vintage Garden Book class. It's so nice to craft when someone else has lovingly prepared everything for you!! Friday we visited my favorite Barn Market and had time to enjoy a good conversation with the owner and her parents. We remarked last night how nice it's been to be away from electronics and to have face to face conversations. It's been a wonderful few days! I like these busy weekends where we just wander and explore.

 

I'm the guest designer over on the WPlus9 Design Blog today! I'm always thrilled when Dawn invites me to join her! She has inspired me for many years! I could sit and watch her watercolor videos for hours! CLICK HERE to visit the WPlus9 Blog! I'm using gorgeous new stamps and dies from the latest WPlus9 release today, and I have two cards to share. Every time the crew at WPlus9 launches a new release, I am inspired. Everything is always so unique and well thought out. I always want it all! And, usually one item in particular will catch my eye. This time it was the New Home Stamp Set. So pretty! Right away, I wanted to water color! 

 

 

 

My finished card is A2 sized and made from dark grey cardstock. All of the pieces were water colored with Mini Distress Inks! The stamp set has all the little pieces to make your own scene and I love that. I chose the doorway, the topiaries, the tiny door mat and the light. 

 

 

 

 

All of the pieces were stamped onto water color paper. The doorway was stamped in black ink and then colored with Distress Inks. The other pieces were stamped with Distress ink and then blended with a water brush. This is such a fun and easy technique! 

 

 

 

 

The stamp set includes a stamp that is two long skinny lines. You can use this stamp to make ship lap or siding for your house! It's genius! To make the 'house' part of this card, I stamped that long stamp in grey Distress Ink and then blended the lines with my water brush. 

 

 

 

 

All of the pieces were attached to the card using foam tape. The die cut hello is from the new Welcome Dies set. I die cut it from black cardstock.

 

 

 

 

I love that door mat! It's so cute!

 

 

 

 

In this close up photo you can see my no line water coloring on the pot and the topiary. To do this, simply stamp in Distress Ink and use a small water brush to move the color around! This stamp set has the perfect sentiments for a new home card, a neighbor card, or any other occasion! I have lots of ideas still for this set!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My next card is bright and cheerful. I made this card using the Welcome Wreath Stamp Set and the My Whole Life Stamp Set. The card base is A2 size and made from light blue cardstock. This is a trick I use a lot - making my own colored card bases. Just adds a bit of pop to your project! I used one of the beautiful wreath stamps to make my own graphic black and white background paper! I stamped the wreath several times onto a white cardstock panel. It makes a great foundation layer. 

 

 

 

 

I stamped the flowers and leaves onto white cardstock. I slightly offset the colored centers from the outlines of the stamps for a cool look. I cut the pieces out with scissors since I wanted the leaves and the flowers attached. (There are also matching dies). 

 

 

 

 

I layered the card base, then the stamped wreath layer, then a layer of vellum (I love vellum), before mounting the center focal layer. The top layer is bordered in black cardstock. I stamped the word 'friend' onto this piece and then glued the die cut thanks word above it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The flowers were attached to the card with foam tape. I added pretty pearls to the centers of the flowers for a nice accent. You could stamp the flowers in any color combination to get a different look! This is a good card layout to save. Any word die will work... I'm thinking it would look nice in warm colors with kraft cardstock too!

 

 

 

Big thank you to everyone at WPlus9 for inviting me to be a guest designer today! I'm honored to be here sharing with you! I had fun working with these beautiful stamps and dies. I hope I've inspired you to create something today. Take care! Click the graphic below to see my supplies (Affiliate Links Used). Please pop over to the WPlus9 Design Blog to share some love there too! Have a blessed day and a great week ahead. Thanks for coming by! XOXO

 

Hero Arts 45th Anniversary Blog Hop! Fun, Inspiration, and Prizes!

Hi creative and crafty friends! Happy Friday! Hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend ahead! I'm here today as part of the three day extravaganza blog hop with Hero Arts! Yes, three days of celebrating, in honor of the company's 45th Anniversary! Today is Day 3 and there is an amazing line up of bloggers to share with you. AND...TONS of prizes!! Be sure to visit the Hero Arts Blog for details on how to enter to win, and to see the cards/blogs from all three days. You don't want to miss anything! This is some party! Ha! I'm happy to be part of the fun. 

My card is an ode to my city - San Francisco! Hero Arts has very cool destination stamps, and I have them all! I made a retro/vintage feeling card in honor of the anniversary. I used the Sky's The Limit hot air balloon stamps and dies, the Postage Stamp Infinity Dies and the awesome Mail Jumble stamp. I tied the card together by using lots of Distress Inks and antiquing the papers. I added just a pop of red and blue for color. 

 

 

My finished card is an A2 card base in cream cardstock. I used some air mail paper from my stash to completely cover the front of the card. I inked the edges with Antique Linen and Brushed Corduroy Distress Inks and a large sponge dauber. Then I added lots of layers, and created my own city, complete with a hill of houses, and the bridge!

 

This photo shows all the layers. I used cream cardstock for everything, instead of bright white. This, right away, gives a vintage feeling. The layer on top of the air mail paper is a cream paper stamped with the Mail Jumble background stamp. I stamped it in Antique Linen Distress Ink and then inked the edges. I set that aside. The next layer is the Postage Stamp Infinity Dies, in cream, again inked around the edges. 

I stamped the balloon and the city pieces in brown ink. I colored the balloon with Copic Markers. I used red and blue to match the paper. Simple and cool.

 

The city and the sentiment are from a Kelly Purkey Hero Arts Stamp Set! I heat embossed the sentiment with white embossing powder onto red cardstock from the Hero Hues sampler pack. I die cut it with a banner die. 

 

To make my city scene, I stamped four of the stamp that has the rows of houses. I stamped them in brown ink onto cream cardstock. I cut them out by hand (the bridge too). Then I built the pieces into a hill. If you've ever been to San Francisco before, you know about the hills! (I used to drive a stick shift on those hills back in the day!) I really love how this turned out! I added one heart. Cuz, you know, I left my heart in San Francisco!

 

Here's a picture of that stamp set, so you can see the stamps and how it came together!

 

On the postage stamp die cut piece, I used the MFT Cloud Stencil and Antique Linen Ink to make some clouds! I added a few seagulls too!

 

 

 

A perfect red envelope, and this card is ready to send! 

Thank you so very much for coming by today! If you're new to my blog, welcome welcome! I hope you'll come back and visit me! To see the rest of the lineup for all three days, be sure to visit the Hero Arts Blog! And be sure to leave a comment below for a chance at one of the prizes.

PRIZES, PRIZES, PRIZES!!! There are some amazing prizes with this blog hop! Winners will be drawn from people who leave comments along the blog hop over the three days - comment all three days for more chances to win! Comment by Sunday, June 2 at 11:59pm PST, and they will announce the winners on the Hero Arts Blog the following week. Prizes include gift certificates to lots of our favorite companies! 

For supplies, please click the link below! (Affiliate Links Used)

 

OUR GENEROUS SPONSOR LIST!

Altenew Hibiscus Garden Card!

Hi friends! How are you? Happy Sunday! I hope you're enjoying a beautiful weekend! And, can you even believe it, next weekend is Memorial Day! How the heck did that happen!? I'm looking forward to taking an awesome vintage book class next Saturday at my LSS. Not sure what else we'll be up to. The past week was SO busy. I was coming and going all over the place and it was all good, and fun. I had some photo shoots, lots of meetups, work, fun with friends. YEAH! Not too much time crafting though! I have a really cool card to share today. I'm making a focused effort to use all the stamps and dies in my 'new stuff' basket in my studio. I'm going to go through it and make the projects that have been swirling around in my brain! This project today is one of them. I used the gorgeous Hibiscus Dies from Altenew and made a pretty, tropical card! Let's look! 

The finished card is an A2 white card base. I layered one more layer of white - which has distress ink blending on it (more on that later) and then lots of flowers and leaves. It's simple, yet not simple! My color medium for today is all Distress Inks. CLICK HERE for Supply Links!

 

Here's a close up of the hibiscus flowers. Each flower is five die cut items. So it's really easy to color and assemble to achieve gorgeous results. One flower has a coral/orange base, and one has a deep pink base color. LOVE. I also am obsessed with the leaves that come in this die set!

 

The sentiment is also from an Altenew Stamp and Die set! It cut out like a dream! It's soooo pretty there on the bottom of the card. I love the font. You can also see the leaves and flowers in this photo. I used clear glue to attach the hello word at the end of the assembly process. I glued only the bottom part to the card.

 

In this photo you can see that beautiful Monstera Leaf die cut. It's two pieces. OMG. Right???? And you can also see the yellow ink blended background. I wanted it to look like sunshine coming from behind the flowers and leaves, but I didn't want the color to be overwhelming. 

 

 

 

Here are the plain die cut pieces. I used Bristol cardstock since it is thicker so it holds up to lots of inking. The die cuts cut like a dream! Even those tiny leaf centers. I didn't use a shim or anything with these. Very nice quality.

 

The die cut set packaging comes with a color guide inside! Makes it super easy to line up your pieces and get good results.

 

LOTS of mini distress inks!!! 

 

Once the flowers were dry, I glued all the parts together using clear glue. Then I splattered them with Copic Opaque White ink from a paint brush.

 

To make the ink blended yellow background.... Use purple tape to affix your cardstock to your stamping mat. Line up the purple tape by using the grid on your mat! That way you get a perfect rectangle! SO easy.

 

I used Squeezed Lemonade and Mustard Seed Distress inks and blended darker to lighter from top to bottom. I also splashed ink splatters and white splatters onto this panel.

 

And here is the final result! Ready to go on my card.

 

 

 

I literally could make these flowers all day long!!! I only used one of the florals in the package!! There are so many dies in this set. YUUUMMMMM.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by today! Next week I will be posting and participating in a giant blog hop to celebrate Hero Arts' 45th Anniversary. It's a three day extravaganza! Until then, take care and have a wonderful day! XOXO My supply list can be found by clicking the graphic below. Affiliate Links are used at no extra cost to you. I appreciate you using my links! 

Scrapbook.com May Stamp Release - Celebrate!

Hi there crafty friends! Happy weekend! I have two giveaways going right now! One is on my last blog post (for Picket Fence Studios) and one is on my Instagram (for Reverse Confetti)! Be sure to enter both! It was a busy week last week! So many fun things going on. I have a list in my journal of all the projects I want to make... And it has about 50 things on it! OMG. I have been really inspired lately, but haven't had enough time at my desk to stamp. So I write down jumbles of words and sketches and color combinations.... And I hope my brain remembers later what I was thinking! LOL. Thank you for the huge and fun response to my Instagram Takeover at Pretty Pink Posh on Monday. THAT WAS SUPER FUN! I'm trying to get better and more used to incorporating videos into my social media. I'm sort of shy in that regard, but I'm working on it. 

As you know, I'm a Brand Ambassador for Scrapbook.com, and specifically on their stamping design team. YAY! So today, I'm introducing you to the new stamp release for May! It's a lot of great sentiment stamp sets...and they're all on sale right now! The Scrapbook.com stamp sets are such nice quality. They stamp crisp and perfect right out of the package. And they are such a good price point. I definitely recommend them! I used all sentiment sets to make a graphic and colorful birthday card to share with you. I used bright colors and crisp white heat embossing. This birthday card would be perfect for a man or a woman of any age. I love to have lots of birthday cards on hand in the studio....

Scrapbook.com now sells Neenah White A2 VERTICAL notecards already scored! YES!! So I used one of those as my card base. I layered one more white layer and put about 1.25 inches of black and white striped paper on the left edge to form my card. Then I mixed and matched the sentiments and stamped them onto die cut banners. I sewed them all to the card on the left edge - really loose and funky.... Finally I added a few sequins and the make a wish stamp that comes in the birthday set. You could make this card in Fall colors or Primary colors. Really it would work with anything. It's a good card sketch to save!

 

I slipped in a few thinner vellum banners to add a bit of something something! They are tucked in behind the other banners and attached with foam tape. 

 

Here's a close up of the sewing and the sequins. These are my go-to favorite bright shades!

 

 

 

Here's a photo of some of the stamps in the new collection! I love that date set - I"m going to use that in my Bullet Journal and in my planner. It's the perfect size and a nice clean font! 

That's it for me today! I hope you have a beautiful weekend and that you're getting in some creative time too! XOXO

CLICK HERE TO SEE MY SCRAPBOOK.COM GALLERY OF CARDS!

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW RELEASE!

 

SUPPLIES FOR TODAY!

(Affiliate Links Used)

Picket Fence Studios First Anniversary Celebration!!

UPDATED! MY GIVEAWAY WINNER HAS BEEN SELECTED - SUZIE P!  Hi everyone!  Today, I am so excited to be part of the Picket Fence Studios First Anniversary Celebration! Woohooo! They have a month of celebrations, giveaways, and discounts lined up, and I am so honored to be one of the guests during this celebration. Today is my day to post a project, and do a giveaway! More information about a discount code and prize at the end of my post. I fell in love with Picket Fence Studios right from the beginning. The designs are fresh and unique and funny! All the things we want in new stamps, right? Over the past year I've gotten to know the owners and I even met up with them at the local Scrap Expo recently. They are the best. Good people, working really hard to make some magic happen. I'm very happy to support their business! (they are the company that makes the Life Changing Blender Brushes too!) If you've never checked out their company before, now is a good time! Let's get to it! I tried out a new technique that I'm anxious to share with you!

My finished card is a white A2 card base. I layered one small layer of white, and then boom! BLUE!

 

This card was made using the gorgeous Vitamin Sea stamp set and matching dies. I'm pretty sure this is the first stamp set I bought from Picket Fence. It's charming and beautiful.... I did lots and lots of distress ink blending on the top layer and then added white ink using a stencil to look like rays coming through the water... (I've seen this technique on Instagram by some of my favorite crafters and have been wanting to try it!)

 

That sweet smiling whale was colored using Copic Markers and then die cut using the matching die. I splattered some white paint on him too. The sentiment was heat embossed in white embossing powder onto a black banner die. After I blended the background (I'll talk more about that in a minute), I stamped the fish, the starfish and the bubbles using black and navy inks. This gives a bit more depth and shadow over that blue.

 

The whale and the word banner are attached to the card with foam tape. I added clear droplets as my finishing accent. 

 

Okay! Here's that blue background! You should have seen my hands when I was finished! LOL. I looked like a smurf! I had fuuuuuun making it though! I used both the Tim Holtz Ink Blending Tools and the gorgeous Life Changing Blender Brushes to get this ocean effect. I started with the lightest color in sort of a circular shape, and then blended darker colors out from that circle. I kept blending and blending until I got the right effect. 

 

I used the Picket Fence Studios Sunbeam stencil and white ink, with a small dauber, to create rays shining down into the water. To do this, make sure that your underlying (Blue) layer is totally dry first! Then just dab the white ink onto the stencil. Keep adding ink until you get the look you want! Easy! But so cool!!

 

 

 

I splattered white ink onto the blue panel once all the other inks were dry. Here's a close up of the fish, starfish and bubbles stamped onto the card.

 

 

I hope you'll give this underwater technique a try! Thank you so very much for stopping by today! Big thank you to Picket Fence Studios for inviting me to share in their celebration this month. Please head over and check out their website! Read the Discount and Prize information below! YAY! Happy 1st Anniversary to Picket Fence Studios!

DISCOUNT CODE!

To celebrate Picket Fence Studio’s One Year Anniversary, Nicole and Matt have GENEROUSLY provided a 20% off code for my blog readers! Simply use code PFS20 at checkout at the PFS store to take 20% off of your entire purchase from 5/9/19-5/12/19.

GIVEAWAY!

WOW! WOW! WOW! Picket Fence has also sponsored a giveaway! One of my lucky blog readers will win a ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR shopping spree over at the Picket Fence Studios Store! Yes! $100.00! How amazing! To be entered to win, please leave a comment on this blog post telling me your favorite new craft technique you've tried recently! I will draw a random winner on Monday May 12th. Please leave your comment before Midnight EST on Sunday May 11th. AMAZING! 

 

SUPPLIES FOR TODAY!

(Affiliate Links Used)

Happy 6th Birthday Reverse Confetti! Birthday Blog Hop and May Release!

Hey there crafty friends! Today is a super fun and fabulous blog hop to celebrate Reverse Confetti's SIXTH birthday! Wooot! I've been a fan from day one and I'm very happy to be part of the party today. In honor of their birthday, there is a brand new, fun, birthday/celebration themed product release too! You're gonna love it. Cake, ice cream, champagne...what's not to love about that? CLICK HERE to see the new release! (Tip, you're gonna want the new paper pad! EEKS. I used it on both my cards today!) Congratulations to Jen and the entire crew at Reverse Confetti! Cheers to many more fun years of crafting together! XO

I made two birthday/party themed cards to share with you. I used sherbet shades of mint and peach and gold. Delicious! I've been wanting to use this color combination for a while (I keep a journal of colors) and this party release was the perfect fit! So fresh and pretty! Both cards color coordinate and are A2 sized white card bases.

The birthday card was made using the brand new Cake and Champagne stamp set and the matching dies.  I ADORE the little banner that you can put on top of the cake! This would look good in any colors for any celebratory occasion. The party card is a shaker card made with the party/celebrate word dies. I like them both for different reasons! Both are pretty festive!

 

I added lots of details to each card. I love that little touch of gold with the circle layer and the butterflies. And I added gold luxe Nuvo Drops on the tiny fireworks on the party card. The birthday cake and flowers were colored with Copic Markers to match that beautiful new patterned paper. 

 

That banner!!!! LOVE.

 

The flower sprays and the banner and cake all have perfectly matched died to make your card look professional. I sprayed the white layer of this card with Brutus Monroe Gilded (Gold) Spray for shimmer. It's kind of hard to see in the photo. The sentiment was stamped in rich black ink.

 

For the shaker card, I made my own confetti bits to go inside! I punched them out with this AWESOME punch! SO quick and easy. I punched out mint, peach and gold confetti from the paper used in the card. Perfect match.

 

 

 

For the shaker card, I die cut the party word die out three times onto a white paper panel. I added the acetate and the confetti and then backed the letters with the pretty mint and white striped paper. So much fun!!!! 

 

I really like how this came out!!!!! IT'S FUN!!!!

 

I used the new stamp set called So Many Sentiments to add the black stamped words onto this card. That set is a bunch of tiny sentiments - I know it will be used a lot!! 

 

Thank you so much for stopping by today to join the fun birthday blog hop for Reverse Confetti! I hope I've inspired you to get creative! That's what it's all about. Have a blessed and beautiful day my friends! XOXO (I have a secret - you might want to head over to my Instagram...hint hint) 

 

TODAY'S BLOG HOP LINEUP!

Reverse Confetti Blog

Amy Kolling

Wanda Guess

Tricia Barber

Kelly Lunceford

Lisa Henke

Heather Hoffman

Michelle Short

Julee Tilman

Amy Tsuruta

Kathy Schweinfurth

Audrey Tokach

Jeanne Jachna

Leanne West

Becky Roberts

Deanne Kuntz

Ali Farmer

Annette Allen

Keeway Tsao

Raluca Vezeteu

 

TODAY'S SUPPLIES!

(Affiliate Links Used)

Purple Onion Designs - Sunny Meadow Fair Collection by Stacey Yacula!

Hi friends! Happy Weekend! I hope you're out enjoying Spring! A couple of my craft gal pals are in town today so we're off stamping and eating...and probably drinking coffee too! It was a really good week last week. I feel like I got so much accomplished. And today is a play day - no worries or responsibilities today. Yeah! Today's blog post has two super fun cards made with brand new stamps from Purple Onion Designs and Stacey Yacula!

I've been a fan of Purple Onion Designs and Illustrator Stacey Yacula for a long time! So when they reached out to me recently and asked if I'd like to help launch their new release I was really excited to say yes! Her illustrations are adorable and sweet and so fun to stamp and color. They all coordinate so nicely too. The stamps are all sent in a different format - old school - unmounted red rubber. The red rubber stamps so clean! I miss the old days when rubber stamps were RUBBER! LOL. So to use them, I just use my clear blocks! No mounting foam needed. I roll a piece of washi tape up into a fold, stick it on my block, and then put the stamp on it. Then I stamp on a mat or fun foam. Works like a charm! 

The new collection is called Sunny Meadow Fair! EEEK. So cute. CLICK HERE to read about the new release on their blog. CLICK HERE to shop the collection on their website. Have fun looking at their cute stamps! I made two cards with a farm theme! Let's get to it! 

First up is this sweet birthday card with the adorable cow and her bird buddy! Finished card is A2 with a white card base. 

 

Purple Onion stamps do not have matching dies, so I did a bit of fussy cutting on this one. Not too bad though! (Again, old school which is fine with me!) I stamped the cute fence stamp and colored it with Copics on a white stitched rectangle panel. I layered pretty red and then my favorite gingham to make the images pop. 

 

The cow, balloon, bird and sentiment are all attached to the card with foam tape. I used the cloud stencil from My Favorite Things to make the background clouds, with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink. 

 

 

 

That cow is TOO SWEET!!! I love her!!! 

My second card is another cute farm scene! This time with a happy chicken and her baby chicks! Strolling among the sunflowers! This card has an A2 kraft card base, layered with yellow gingham and then a white panel. 

 

I started by stamping (with masking) the sunflowers and the fence. Then I stamped the sun up in the corner, and the babies along the bottom. I hand cut out the sentiment and the mama chicken and mounted them with foam tape. Really fun to color these images with Copics. They make you smile for sure. 

 

A few accents with my handy dandy white gel pen!

 

 

 

 

That's it for this sunny Saturday! I hope you've enjoyed this peek at the new Purple Onion Designs collection! I have been stamping like a FOOOOOL! I have so much to share in the next week or so. Stay tuned and I'll see you soon! XOXO Love from my studio! 

Pretty Pink Posh April Release Blog Hop! Pretty Peonies!

Heyyyyyy everyone! How are you? How is your week going? I've missed you! It's been a little bit since I posted here on the blog. I'm back with something super fun today, though! I've been crafting like crazy, and there will be lots of posts in the upcoming weeks. I've taken a little break from the computer and such and it felt good. Our home repairs are finished and my anxiety level has returned to normal. The sun is shining and the birds are chirping! Happy Spring!

Today's post is part of a FABULOUS blog hop launching the newest collection from Pretty Pink Posh! YEAH! It's another amazing collection chock full of flowers and beautiful dies, and Mother's Day and Graduations...SO MUCH GOOD STUFF! The release is already live, so you can shop now! CLICK HERE to go to the Pretty Pink Posh Store! Individual product links are at the end of this post - along with prize information! Yippeeeee! This is day one of a massive two day blog hop. So many of my favorite designers. I'm really blessed to be part of the lineup!

I used the gorgeous new Peonies stamps and dies to make a watercolor floral card. These peonies are the perfect size and scale for a card and they are SO fun to color. You can use pencils, Copics, or water colors. Whatever your heart desires! I was in the mood to water color and get messy and that's just what I did. Let's look at my card! And I'll walk you through my steps. The finished card is A2 size. 

 

 

Everything on my card was cut out from water color paper and stamped with Versafine Archival Onyx Black Ink. I started by stamping and die cutting out the lattice background, the peonies, leaves and butterfly. I used my favorite water color paint palette to color in the peonies in a pretty magenta/violet/pink color! I mixed and matched colors to get this pretty shade. I water colored all the pieces using a wet on wet technique. I set them aside to dry.

 

Here's another appearance of that gorgeous butterfly from the last PPP Release! She looks perfect perched up there enjoying the flowers! Since there is so much color on the flowers, I used some grey to ground the scene by coloring her body grey. I water colored the Lattice Background with a pretty shade of blue. I did it very messy! Some parts are left white. 

 

Here are the flowers before I added lots of black and white splatters! When you're going to splatter - make sure that your images are totally dry first! This makes a huge difference. I usually give everything a blast with my heat gun to make sure.

 

Splatters!! Black and white both this time! The background lattice was splattered with blue ink.

 

 

 

At first I was going to use a word die for the sentiment...but it didn't look the way I wanted it to. So, I switched gears and die cut a stitched circle out of watercolor paper. I stamped the sentiment in black and put just a touch of water color paint on it. I added two of the gorgeous new Caribbean Blue Gems!!

 

All the pieces were attached to the card with foam squares.

 

 

Thanks for coming by today as part of this fun blog hop! I'm so excited about this new release! CLICK HERE to shop the entire new release! 

PRIZE ALERT! PRIZE ALERT! PRIZE ALERT! There are FOUR $25 gift certificates up for grabs (two winners each day). Winners will be picked randomly along all the stops on the blog hop. Comments must be left by 11:59 PM PST on 5/8/2019. Winners will be announced on the PPP blog! 

BLOG HOP DAY ONE LINEUP!

Pretty Pink Posh blog  

Yana Smakula 

Carly Minner  

Gemma C.

Thi Lam

Dana Kirby

Suzy Plantamura

Keeway Tsao

Heather Hoffman

Jeanne Jachna

Melody Rupple

Wanda Guess

Caly Person

 

 

SUPPLIES FOR TODAY!

(Affiliate Links Used)

 

Introducing The Greetery - by Betsy Veldman!

Okay friends....hold on to your hats! Today is a SUPER FUN day and a REALLY FABULOUS announcement. I'm very very very happy to be part of this, and to finally share with all of you! My friend and amazing artist Betsy Veldman is opening up her own stamp company! YES! It's called The Greetery. Isn't that a pretty name?  Her tag line is "Where Making and Giving Meet." I have admired, loved, collected, and created with her beautiful designs for many years. Her art and her stamps/kits  have been among my favorites forever. She is a wonderful, kind person, and so very talented.

Today, I am honored to be part of the kickoff countdown to The Greetery's product launch! Betsy's been doing sneak peeks on The Greetery Blog for the past couple of weeks. This week there will be guest artists sharing projects every day. Then, The Greetery storefront goes live on Friday April 26th at 10am ET. (I'm predicting a sell out!) Big, heartfelt congratulations to Betsy on her new creative business venture! WOOT!

THE GREETERY WEBSITE

THE GREETERY BLOG

I have three projects to share with you! Lots of pictures in this post, and I'll try to give you as many instructions and tips as possible as I go along. The stamps and dies are all made in the USA and they stamp and cut perfectly right out of the package. Excellent quality! It was a creative pleasure to work with the innovative new stamps. I'm featuring the "Hand in Hand" stamps and dies, the "Fir and Foliage No. 1" stamps and dies, and the Pathway Stencil. 

First up is a card made with both of the stamp sets and also the Pathway Stencil. I used it all! Because I just had to! The finished card is A2 size for scale. Everything was inked and water colored using Tim Holtz Distress Inks and a small water brush. The images are so pretty. I am obsessed with the trees!

 

The next few images are some close ups, because I know you all are going to want to see everything! There are two different sized trees, and each tree is made up on one tree trunk stamp and three different foliage layering stamps. Genius! The lady and the dog are part of the Hand in Hand set. There is also a man and two children! I used the Pathway stencil to make the walkway they are on. It's a two step stencil.

 

The dies cut a clean, perfect edge. I stamped everything using Archival Black Ink on the lady and the dog. The rest is all Distress Inks. 

 

I used a cloud stencil to make one row of blue clouds at the top. The sentiment was stamped onto a thin strip of vellum and layered around the card, and under the tree.

 

 

 

Here are some step out photos for you! I stamped the tree trunk in brown Distress Ink onto watercolor paper. (Everything is stamped onto watercolor paper for this card). After I stamped it I used a brush to gently move the ink around on the page. Tip - Stamp the tree trunk first, and then use the trunk to line up your die cut. Cut it out, and then use the outline to line up the foliage!

 

See the difference just a bit of water makes? It really looks water colored!!

 

I added the first layer of foliage in the lightest green and softened it with water...

 

Then I stamped the other two colors of green and softened those colors with water as well. Tip - let each color dry completely before doing the next color.

 

Here is the stenciled portion only. I inked it with a sponge dauber and Distress Inks. Then I splattered a bit of ink over it to look liked aged stones.

 

I added some bits of green to 'ground' the stone walkway...

 

 

 

 

 

Now, those of you that have followed my blog for a while know that I LOVE FALL!! So, of course, I had to make an Autumn tree!! I did the same technique as above, but in shades of yellow, orange and red Distress Inks! This card is also an A2 size. I die cut an oval and used an old text stamp to stamp words across the bottom of the oval. This would be a good sympathy card, or masculine card. I purposely left off a sentiment so I can use it for any occasion.

 

 

Just a small strip of pretty orange gingham paper makes this card complete. The edges of the oval were inked with brown Distress Inks for an antique feeling.

 

 

 

A very clean and simple card design - but that tree makes a huge impact!

 

My third card for today is a colorful umbrella card with lots of white space. I stamped the umbrellas onto watercolor paper and colored them with Distress Inks. This is an A2 card, and the base is made from Neenah Solar White cardstock. This umbrella image is part of the Hand in Hand stamp set.

 

Each umbrella is attached to the card (in rainbow order of course) with foam tape. I added a few raindrop gems to finish off the card. The sentiment was stamped onto a banner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lastly, here is a photo of the beautiful Greetery logo and packaging. Betsy has thought of everything - and it's all beautiful and fresh! I really can't wait for you to try out some of these stamps too! I know you will love them just as much as I do! 

Thank you for stopping by to share in my excitement of the launch of The Greetery! I hope you have a wonderful week! XOXO

CLICK HERE to see Betsy's blog post for today! Please make sure to visit the blogs of my fellow artists and friends - who are also sharing The Greetery projects! What fun!

  Heather Nichols

Dawn McVey

Lizzie Jones

Debbie Olson

Wanda Guess

Keeway Tsao

 

Happy Easter 2019 from my home to yours!

 

HAPPY EASTER 2019!

FROM THE GUESS FAMILY TO YOUR FAMILY!

John 11:25-26 - ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. ²⁶ And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

 

Pretty Pastel Easter Eggs!

Hi everyone! Happy Friday! Happy GOOD Friday! Rejoice! I'm so happy that Easter weekend has arrived and I'm looking forward to activities at church and rejoicing in the resurrection of our Savior and King. Such a very special time of year. I love everything about it and it's been a nice few weeks of reflection and prayer. I hope you and your family enjoy a beautiful holiday with those you cherish. It's going to be a gorgeous sunny weekend here. We can all wear our Sunday finest to church. All is good. 

I have one last Easter crafting project to share today, before I put everything away. This idea came to me late the other night as I was sitting at my craft desk reading my favorite magazine (Country Living UK Edition).... I saw this gorgeous photograph with a beautiful Easter table. And the table cloth fabric was pastel, speckled eggs! Well, my mind went "ding" and I remembered the perfectly sized Egg Die from the most recent Pretty Pink Posh collection. So, one thing led to another, the magazine was put aside, and I started water coloring eggs! LOL. Can you picture me? And Lucky yawning in his bed? 

 

At first I just watercolored a bunch of eggs... Then the next day I turned them into two cards and a pillow box treat! It took me a long time to come up with a card design. You have no idea how many things I tried! I ended up with a simple wreath and a pretty Easter word die cut. I kept it clean and simple. 

 

The pillow box was made with kraft cardstock and the We R Memory Keepers Pillow Box Punch Board. I splattered white paint onto it after it was assembled. I added a doily and some pretty natural cord then affixed the eggs to the front with foam tape.

 

It's hard for me to pick a favorite color!!! On all of the eggs I watercolored them with wet on wet technique and then let them dry. Then I splattered the same color paint and brown paint and then finally white ink! (That's a lotta splatters!)

 

Here are all my pretty eggs lined up in a row! I guess I should have made a dozen! 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the inspiration photo that started this whole project!

 

I die cut the eggs and the Easter word die from watercolor paper. The word die is watercolored with brown paint and splattered with white.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's it for today.... And that's it for Easter projects for 2019! Hope you have a beautiful, happy and blessed weekend! He is Risen! XOXO

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Altenew Rose Blossom Stamp Set - and the Sweet Life!

Hello friends! Today I have a pretty floral card to share with you! I used lots of new products and I'll talk to you more about them later in the post! The stamp set featured today is an exclusive collaboration set between Altenew and Scrapbook.com! It's a beauty, and it's called Rose Blossom! It makes the most gorgeous flower blooms and leaves. I loved it right away! This post is sponsored by Scrapbook.com as one of my Creative Ambassador posts for 2019. Yeah! So excited to share with you throughout the year... I am quickly becoming (more of) a fan of Scrapbook.com since I've received more of their products. They are starting to carry more stamp companies and that's great - since they always have sales and the shipping is lightning fast!! I'm really proud of this partnership.

Happy Holy Week too! It's Easter week so my mind is turning towards thinking of Jesus and his last week... We've been spending a lot of time in church activities and quiet reflection of the meaning of Easter. I will have one more pastel project to share with you later this week to finish up my Easter projects. I hope you're having a good week too!

My finished card is an A2 card base made from Neenah Solar White. I will buy a package and then get out my trimmer and my Scor-pal and make a bunch of card bases to keep on my desk. That way I can just grab one when I need it. There is only one other paper layer, and that is a white layer die cut with a Stitched Rectangle Die cut.

 

This stamp set does not have matching dies, but it was very easy and quick to trim out the flowers and leaves with my detail scissors. You know, old school! LOL. I used shades of pinks and red to make the flowers and shades of green for the leaves. This stamp set is a multi layered set. Each flower is made up of four stamps.... With each color slightly darker to give that pretty effect. The stamp set comes with a guide to show you how to line up the flower layers for ease of stamping. I also used my MISTI for this one. I initially made some flowers by just 'eyeballing' the layers and they came out nice too. NO stress. 

In this close up photo you can see my accents. The big blooms are the star of the show... But I stamped an outline image and some blue dots (from this set) onto the paper to make my background. 

 

This was my first time using the exclusive Scrapbook.com Hybrid Ink Pads. OH MY GOSH. Yeah, perfect stamping right from the get go. Brand new stamps and brand new ink pads. The coverage was PERFECT. And the colors are awesome. Each ink pad has a color name, but also a number. I.e. Pink 1, Pink 2, Pink 3, etc. so it's super easy to see which colors match! LOVE. I'm pretty much sold on these inks now. The flower that is slightly darker than the other one - I used RED instead of pink as the final step. I like that they are different. 

 

Some of the colors I used on this project!

 

The sentiment is from a not yet released stamp set called "Best Year Ever!" and it will be a freebie on World Card Making Day! I used brand new Nuvo Dream Drops in Cloud to add some pearlized accents to the card. My first time using Dream Drops too. This card has a lot of firsts!

 

 

Thank you for stopping by today! Enjoy your week! Blessings to you all! XOXO

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Easter Blessings with Hello Bluebird Stamps!

Hi everyone! I'm scurrying around still, trying to get all my Easter ideas executed!! I have sooo many cute new stamps and sooo many ideas. I don't think I'm going to be able to get them all done! Easter is in a week now! It's finally Spring time here and I'm excited for Easter festivities at church. Easter is my favorite holiday of the year. Everything about it - but especially the meaning to me as a Christian woman. I always try to think of Jesus and his last days during this time of year and be extra mindful of His sacrifices and His resurrection. It's a time of reflection and prayer especially as we go into the coming week. I wish you and your family a beautiful Spring and Easter!

Today's card was made with brand new stamps and dies from Hello Bluebird. One of my favorite stamp companies now. Every release is cuter than the last one! EEK. I also used a Christmas die on this Easter card! It's full of spring pastels and furry friends... And those tiny bluebirds?? So sweet!

The finished card is an A2 card base covered with Pastel Gingham paper. Then I layered one layer of white cardstock for my top layer. 

 

I used the awesome new banner stamps and dies with the cute animal stamps. I love how they're looking up at the banner! This banner die is so versatile. I have loads of ideas for using it for different holidays and things! I used Spun Sugar Distress Ink to blend the color onto the banner. I splattered Worn Lipstick Distress Ink and White paint over the blended pink ink. I set that aside to dry... 

 

Next I stamped and die cut out the animals and birds and leaves and colored them with Copic Markers. I added bits of highlights with a white gel pen.

 

Here's a close up of the animals' coloring. I stamped the "Easter Blessings" onto the pink banner in black ink. 

 

 

 

I die cut the word Rejoice using the Christmas dies! I love to re-use supplies in different ways. I die cut it out of white paper and then inked it with a sponge and Distress Ink to match the blue of the gingham paper.

 

This banner die is really cool.... The ends of the banner pieces actually fold over the bar. It makes it look so realistic! Everything was attached to the card using foam tape.

 

I used a small flower from the Doodlebug Sprinkles collection to add to the leaves at the bottom of the banner.

That's it for today! Have an awesome weekend everyone! Thanks for stopping by! See you soon. XOXO

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Spring Showers and Lots of Love!

Hello crafty people! Another week is rolling by! Hope yours is going great so far. Guess what? It's raining again! LOL. It's just really starting to be funny...but not funny at the same time... But I'm rolling with it! Everything around here is GREEN and lush and so beautiful. It's remarkable what all that water has done. I was inspired by the rain to make this fun shaker card to share with you today! It's from a Queen & Company Shaker Kit that is one of my favorites! But, it's being discontinued, so there are only a few left!! It's called the Spring Shaped Shaker Kit. It's a sweet umbrella with the sun and clouds, in bright pretty colors. And lots of bling! I'm posting this real quick and then I'm off to my Tuesdays Together Meetup! Have a blessed and happy day! 

The finished card is an A2 card base. I covered it in that yummy rainbow striped paper, and then layered an panel of white paper, offset to one side. 

 

I stamped the sentiment onto a banner, die cut from a new Foundations Die Set from Queen & Company. I die cut the sun and cloud out from cute polka dots paper. The sun and clouds are also shaker shapes but I just used them flat, instead. That cloud is really fabulous! It makes me happy. I die cut the umbrella out of pink paper and then die cut a second one from gray paper to make the handle a different color. I sprinkled in some gems and it was done! (If you've never used a Queen & Company Shaker Kit, you need to! They are SO easy. Really everything is done for you!!)

 

Those pretty droplets come in lots of colors! They're sooooooo shiny!

 

I layered the sentiment over the umbrella handle and wrapped the bottom back around it. I added white raindrop gems to mimic the rain....

 

 

 

 

If you like this kit, snap it up! There are only a few left in the warehouse, and this one isn't coming back! I'll be back soon with an Easter card! Been working hard to get all my Easter ideas out of my head and onto paper! XOXO

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Spring cards with brand new stamps and dies from Doodlebug!

Happy Happy Friday! I'm doing a little happy dance in my studio! (I can't dance outside because, um, it's freaking raining again!) Oh Lord! I am waiting for my husband to get home from work so we can go and celebrate his well deserved promotion he received at work this week. Praise the LORD! I am so proud of him and so excited for him to achieve this goal he's been working towards. He is a good man and he works so so hard. This is a good day. We're going out for some Italian food and probably a drink or two. YEAH!!

Okay, back to crafting! The other day I received a big ole box of happy from Doodlebug Designs! YIPPEEE! Long one of my very favorite companies. I adore their sweet style and cute images. They always make me smile. (And I totally collect their awesome pins too!) I received this box because Doodlebug recently revamped their clear stamps products and now they have matching dies for all their stamp sets too! I made some projects yesterday and can't wait to share them with you. So cute for Spring and Easter. Lots of bright color and just down right cuteness.

For my review of the stamps - they stamp nicely, straight out of the package. No bare spots or ink blotching. A+ in that regard. When I went to open the dies, much to my excitement, I found out that they are pre cut! AWESOME! You don't have to cut them apart with your snippers! I love that some companies are starting to do this now. It's such a nice touch. So, I definitely recommend the Doodlebug stamps/dies.... And you guys know I'm addicted to their shape Sprinkles already. But we won't go there today. 

 

First up is a bright and colorful Easter Card! The finished card is A2 size with a white card base. I layered a strip of that gorgeous plaid paper on the right side, and then layered more white on top of that piece. Next I stamped and die cut out all those adorable shapes, and colored them with Copic Markers! I used colors to match the patterned paper so it all goes together.

 

The sentiment was stamped and die cut out with a banner from my stash. I added some flowers and leaves to complete the banner edge!

 

 

 

I die cut a stitched circle out of white and then a larger stitched circle using the grass patterned paper. Then I layered on my bunny, lamb and Easter basket! SO SWEET! I added a few more of the shape sprinkles tiny flowers.

 

 

 

Here are some of my supplies! 

 

Next up is a cheerful all occasion card sure to make someone smile!! The card is an A2 white card base. I layered beautiful golden yellow floral paper to make my bottom layer. I die cut a stitched rectangle from Neenah cardstock. I used the Polka Party Stencil from Taylored Expressions to make a dots background. I faded out the color from the bottom right up to the top left. Just thought it looked happy!! 

The 'grass' layer is part of a scalloped rectangle die cut, cut to fit. I used Twisted Citron Distress Ink to color it a bright green.

 

I stamped and die cut out the bee, the sun and the little girl and colored them with Copic Markers.

 

 

 

Isn't she sweet!? Sending you Sunshine!! 

That's it for me today! Wishing you a blessed, happy and creative weekend! See you soon! XOXO

All Doodlebug is on sale right now at Scrapbook.com! Woot! CLICK HERE to see what's new! EVEN the pins are on sale!

And, again, THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support of my Amazon Storefront! I appreciate it so much! 

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Spellbinders April 2019 Card of the Month Club Kit launch! Pretty in Pink!

Greeeeeetings! Popping in today with something really really fun! I had the opportunity to work with the newest Card Kit from Spellbinders! It launched yesterday! This is my first time receiving and using a Spellbinders Kit and I loved it! I was very impressed by how much product was in the beautiful box. A great value! The kit has a full stamp set, An entire 6x6 paper pad, cards and envelopes, beautiful and creative dies, cardstock stickers, sequins..... All beautifully packaged like a present in the mail. The cost? $35.00! What?? I bet I could have easily made ten cards without stopping. So many goodies. This month's kit has a feminine, ballet theme to it and pretty shades of pink, grey and black. I think it will be perfect for Mother's Day cards and Bridal Shower cards just to think of a few ideas. Gorgeous. I'm excited to share this with you. I made three cards to showcase the kit! Let's get started!

Here are my three cards together...

 

First up is a collage type of card I made to feature the awesome dress dies that come in the kit. This is an A2 card size. I splattered the front of the card with black ink first, before adhering all of my pretty layers. The dress is my focal point. It's made by using three different dies (easy to mix and match colors) and the papers that come in the kit. The bodice is black, the belt is silver and the skirt is floral. I added a second skirt layer by die cutting the skirt die from vellum and layering it underneath. EEEK. So pretty!!! 

 

There is no stamping on this card! Yay! Sometimes that is a fun way to make a card. I used the tags, the flowers, the words, the heart and the butterfly that all come with the kit! I played around with the layout until I got it just right! Then I glued everything down with foam tape. These colors make me swoon. 

 

I added a bit of twine from my stash - to the top of the tag.

 

Here's a close up of the dress/skirt layers. The die cut makes the flat piece and then there are score lines to fold the skirt into perfect pleats!

 

Next up is a clean and simple layout birthday card. Again, a white A2 card base. I used the big birthday cake cardstock sticker as my focal point. I used Copic Markers to color directly onto the sticker to make pink icing and to color the flowers and the cake stand. SO EASY! 

 

 

 

For the sentiments, I alternated stamping the little words from the stamp set and the word banners. I love this playful look.

 

And for this last card, I stamped the pretty ballerina onto a circle die cut and made her dance right on by! This is an A2 card base layered with black cardstock and then striped paper. I wrapped a bit of floral paper around the bottom third of the card front. 

 

The two step stamping was quick and easy to line up. I stamped her body in black ink and the dress in pink ink. Done. I layered the circle with another vellum circle... Added some sequins and some leaves from the kit. The sentiment is a word banner cardstock sticker. 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are just a few things that come in this wonderful kit! 

That's it for today! I was so anxious to share this with you. I've had these done for a couple of weeks! It's hard to keep a secret sometimes. I hope you're having an awesome week. Our roof is now fixed and I'm breathing a big sigh of relief. Thank you for all the encouragement and kind words the past week! Love you. Mean it. XOXO

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE MONTHLY CARD KIT!

 

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(I linked to the card kit and also to the supplies that are sold separately)

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Spring is here! Flowers and cute bees from Pretty Pink Posh!

Hi everyone! Happy Spring Friday! I hope you had a good week and have some fun things planned for the weekend. My week was sort of stressful and I turned to crafting to get out of my own head. As I've been saying for months, it has been raining...for months...here. It's the weirdest, wettest weather I can recall. Just days and days in a row with pouring rain and wind. As a result, our home suffered some damages and some leaking. It has been a daily full time job trying to arrange inspections and contractors and roofers... It's taken weeks to get it all arranged. And all of that I find to be really stressful. It's stressful because something is wrong with the house, and it's stressful to have strangers in my home and it's really stressful trying to pay for all of this!! It all sort of came to a head this week with people working and delivering supplies and all that. It's made my anxiety go through the roof. My Bible is open to the book of Philippians and I'm trying really hard to be joyful and not worry. I am a total worrier by nature - that's the human side of me. I know God is in control and I know I'll be okay - but I just fret. Life lessons of course! So, I have been trying to craft and forget what's going on. Poor Lucky is freaked out by people on his roof. LOL. We'll be fine but I am streeeesssssed. Send a little prayer my way!!

Anyhoo...on to this super fun and happy card I made yesterday! I find that coloring with my markers is excellent therapy. I went around the studio and got out all my Spring and Easter stamps and laid them out on my table... And the beautiful Pretty Pink Posh stamps spoke to me first! Spring is HERE!!! Now if it would be sunny that would be awesome!!!

 

This card is A2 sized made from Neenah Solar White cardstock. (I always make my own card bases). I layered on some sweet yellow and white gingham from a brand new paper pad. (Echo Park Easter Wishes). The gingham covers the entire front of the card. The card has a white stitched rectangle layer, and a stitched circle layer for the sentiment. The grass border die is the finishing touch. LOTS of die cutting on this one!

 

I wanted to create a pretty spring garden for those adorable bees to fly around in! I set to work stamping and die cutting out flowers, leaves and beeeeezzzzz. I die cut extra because I was in the mood to color. Lots of pretty Spring shades of pink and green.  

 

Here is my little garden on my work table. This makes me smile. 

 

After I colored everything, it was time to start composing my card layout. I tried to fit as much on as possible! Lol. Seriously so much cuteness. I ended up making a tiny garden at the bottom of the card and then put the bees on the top circling the sentiment. The bees and flowers were adhered with foam squares.

 

I added white gel pen accents to the bees and flowers... I added clear Wink of Stella to the bees' wings and then just a few enamel dots - from the same collection as the paper pad. I tucked the flowers into the grass - and there are two layers of the grass border. 

 

The center of the rectangle layer was inked with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink and an Ink Blending Tool. I thought the card had too much white space and needed some 'sky' for those bees.

 

 

 

 

That's it for today! I am wishing you a beautiful weekend! Take care and I'll see you soon! XOXO

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Fun with Scrapbook.com Exclusives! Mid Century Floral Stamp Set!

Hey there everybody! I have some fun news to share today - and three cards to share too! Cheers to a great week! Guess what? It's raining here again! Yeeks. So I've been in the craft room working away... Rainy days are perfect for crafting, don't you think? 

My fun announcement has been under wraps for a while and I'm happy to finally share with you. I've been invited to be a Creative Ambassador for Scrapbook.com for 2019! Yeah! Specifically, there are six of us who will be the design team for the exclusive Scrapbook.com Stamp Sets! I'm honored to be part of this inaugural team. This is very exciting - the stamp sets are being rolled out and they are super fun, and very high quality. Great price point too! You gotta love that. Every other month I'll be doing a post featuring the newest stamps. Today is my first post. Hope you'll enjoy joining me for this cool new feature here on my blog. 

Scrapbook.com has a great community built into their gallery. Everyone can make their own gallery to share the projects they've made with their goodies from Scrapbook.com. I love that feature because not everyone has a blog - but everyone can be a part of the sharing there. CLICK HERE to visit my gallery! Do you have one set up? There is so much inspiration.

My three cards today all feature the same stamp set. It's called Mid-Century Floral. It's mod, it's funky, it's pretty, it's fun! It's retro too! Reminiscent of the 50's and everything good about that era. I created three very different looks, but all are clean and simple and easy to make. Not a ton of layering or complicated techniques. Quick and easy cards. That's always a good thing. 

First up is a one layer stamped card in pretty, warm, color tones. Easy to stamp with the new stamps...In red, orange and gold. The card base is made from kraft cardstock in A2 size. I layered the white layer and die cut it with a stitched rectangle die.

 

 

 

The sentiment is from another brand new set called Happy Little Sentiments...and they are just that! Happy! I always love a typewriter font, don't you? The top layer is adhered to the card base using foam tape.

 

This second card has me feeling blue... In a good way! I used several shades of blue, aqua and teal inks to create a dot pattern with the stamp set. I heat embossed the sentiment with bright white embossing powder. The finished card is A2 size with a horizontal orientation. 

 

I used some Nuvo Jewel Drops to make the blue shiny drops onto the card. I ended up die cutting out one of the circles for just a little bit of dimension.

 

 

 

This third card is the exact same layout as the first card, but with Spring colors! It changes the entire look, just by using a different color palette! Bright green and pretty pink. And a new sentiment from the Heartfelt Friendship stamp set. This card is also an A2 size. 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some of the stamp sets! SOOOO many great sentiments! Check them out!! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the great selection. 

That's it for my post for today! Thanks for stopping by to see me! Hope I've given you inspiration, and some ideas for easy stamping! Have a wonderful, blessed and beautiful day!

 

Mid Century Floral Stamp Set

 

 

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Hey Little Chickie! Easter's coming soon! Mama Elephant Favor Bags!

Hey everyone! Happy Friday! Hope your week was amazing!! And cheers to a fun weekend! Easter is only one month away now, and I thought I'd better get started on my Easter projects. STAT. I have lots of cute new Easter products, stamps, dies, etc. that I want to use and share with you. If I'm not careful, I'm gonna run out of time! So I'll start today with some super cute and colorful treat bags. These are one of my favorite projects to make. If you've followed along with me for a while, you've seen this Mama Elephant Favor Bag die before here on my blog! To see my other posts:  CLICK HERE to see the Bunny Bags I made! CLICK HERE to see the Panda Bags, and CLICK HERE to see the Christmas Bags. Yup, one of my favorite products. LOL.

Mama Elephant came out with the Chickie add-on for the Favor Bag this year and I had to have it! EEEEP. Adorable! I combined all my favorite Spring colors and went to town yesterday creating these bags. They'll be perfect for candy treats or place cards on the Easter table. I made a girl one and a boy one. Super sweet! 

 

This little chickie is sooooo cute! This is the girl one and she has a pink bow in her hair!! The bags are made from pretty aqua cardstock. Usually I like to make the bags from kraft, but I thought I would try something new this time.

 

And here's the boy one! His bow tie is blue of course!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are my die cut pieces. To make the Favor Bag you cut two of the die and then glue them together after you fold on the score lines. It's so easy! I use liquid glue to adhere them together, because I like to put candy inside and don't want them to come loose. I die cut the fence die from bright white paper. The chick is cut from yellow paper, and the feet are a slightly darker yellow paper. The beak is orange paper.

 

 

 

I used distress inks and small sponge daubers to ink around the edges of all the die cuts. This really makes them pop!

 

 

 

I used a white gel pen to add highlights onto the die cut pieces. The fence die cut is very long. I trimmed the pieces with my paper trimmer to make them fit across the bottom of the bag on the front (and the back!)

 

 

 

 

 

This is the back of the bags. I added some fence and cute jelly beans!

 

One of the best details of this die is the teeny scallop edge. It's just the right amount of sweetness!

 

My little helper was wondering if there were any cat treats inside by any chance!!

That's it for today! I'm out of things to post, so I'm gonna have to get busy creating!! Have an awesome weekend! XOXO

I made an exciting announcement on Instagram today! I'm now a Creative Ambassador for Scrapbook.com! Six of us are going to be the designated design team for launching the new, exclusive line of stamps made by Scrapbook.com. Stay tuned for some projects. I'm very excited about it. Click over to my Instagram Stories to see the new stamps if you have time. CLICK HERE to shop the new stamps and take a peek. 

Thank you for the great support of my Amazon Storefront! Due to some suggestions from readers, I've added items and a new category too! THANK YOU for the love!

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Just Saying Hello!

Hello friends! Just saying hello with some fun and fresh cards for Spring! How is your week going? Mine is already flying by! My husband has this week off from work so we are doing some stay-cation kinds of things. Yesterday we drove up to Lake Tahoe for the day and saw the awe inspiring snow pack from this winter. Holy cow! I've been going to Tahoe since, well, a long time, and I've never seen that much snow up there. It's piled everywhere!! It was crazy. It was a beautiful sunny day and we drove around and drank coffee and enjoyed a day together. We've also been binge watching Netflix and reading books. Somehow I never really give myself permission to spend the entire day reading...know what I mean? What a delightful extravagance! I've already read two books this week. The rest of the week I have some client work to do for an awesome new client (YAY!). Lucky is super happy to have both of his parents home all week. He's really the one in charge here. This Saturday we are going to see a comedy show at the Paramount in Oakland and I'm really looking forward to that. What's new with you?! 

Today I have two cards to share - both the same layout and supplies. Just changed up the colors and sentiments. Clean and simple design. I wanted to use a couple of new products and they ended up going together so nicely! I used the new Strawberries dies from Elizabeth Crafts, and the Skinny Stripes Die from Ellen Hutson. Fresh, yummy strawberry cards!

 

These cards started with me wanting to die cut those sweet Strawberries Dies from Elizabeth Crafts. They are sooooo pretty! So I die cut the leaves, strawberries, background layer, and stems out of some of my favorite colors of cardstock. Next I used Distress Inks and a small sponge dauber to add ink around the edges. Then I splattered them with Copic Opaque White ink. I set them aside to dry to think of a card idea! (or two)! 

 

I have had the Ellen Hutson Skinny Stripes Die for a while and it was sitting in my in basket. PERFECT! I love the colorful stripes with the pretty berries. I made two cards A2 size out of white cardstock. Then I cut a white paper layer 1/4 inch smaller and die cut the stripes out of that paper. I layered yellow and teal cardstock behind the stripes! SO fabulous!

 

Here is my pretty strawberry patch before I made them into cards.

 

The sentiments on both cards are from Hello Bluebird stamps. Their sentiments are the perfect size, and so so cheerful too!

 

I affixed the strawberries with foam tape on top of the stripes. 

 

 

Just like that! Two pretty cards to tuck away for a good occasion! I'm really making lots of clean and simple cards lately. Isn't it interesting how our styles change and we like to make different things at different stages of our creative journey? I love that. I wish you a beautiful, creative and happy day! XOXO

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Happy St. Patrick's Day 2019! You're my favorite lucky charm with Doodlebug!

Helloooooo! Top O' the morning to you! Happy St. Patrick's Day! Are you wearing green? Are you doing something to celebrate the holiday? We most likely will be hanging out around the house today but I will be wearing green for sure! Maybe I'll make some green pancakes??? Anyhow, happy weekend! Hope you're having a good one. I have a fun project to share today, and a couple of photos of my sweet Lucky Boy too. 

This card for today has only one tiny bit of stamping (the sentiment). Everything else was made with fun papers, stickers and twine from Doodlebug. Man, how I loooooove their cute products. This card practically made itself. Some adorable paper, cute stickers and twine...done! Hope it brings a smile to your face today. 

 

I started with a white A2 card base. Then I layered the shamrock paper and the rainbow papers onto the front of the card. I cut a small white rectangle for my focal piece. 

 

I wrapped twine around the bottom of the rectangle. I stamped the sentiment onto a small white piece of paper and attached that to the rectangle on top of the twine. 

 

I added the cute little leprechaun and his girlfriend. They are stickers, but I attached them with foam tape for dimension! EEEP. Then I affixed rainbows, hearts and shamrocks all over the card. MORE is more!! LOL. So many cute things I had to use them!

 

Here is a side shot to show all the paper layers. 

 

And here is my sweet Lucky O' Guess in his finest leprechaun top hat! OMG he is sooo funny. That is a headband!! My husband came home with that from Walmart the other day. Lucky is so mellow. He's like - um okay mom - whatever you need. It makes his eyes look really green!!!

 

And one more exciting thing! Lucky turned ONE year old this week!!! How is that possible?? I made him his very own party hat - also from Doodlebug supplies! He has grown into such a sweet, handsome, loving young man! But I miss that tiny kitten! Why oh why do they grow so fast!? Happy Birthday Lucky!!!

That's it for today! Thanks for coming by! Enjoy your St. Patrick's Day! XOXO

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Let's Hang Out! Cool plants stamps and dies from Hero Arts!

Hey guys! Let's hang out today! That sounds like fun! Today's card is bright and colorful and happy! There is definitely a trend right now for all things involving plants! You see it in home decor, clothes, and of course crafting! I love this particular trend and I have accumulated quite a few plant stamp sets! Today I'm featuring the brand new stamps and dies (Hang in There Potted Plants) from Hero Arts that are right on trend. These plants are so fun to color! And the matching dies make them look awesome. I couldn't stop myself from stamping - you'll see. LOL. 

The reason I made this card is that I am part of an Instagram Hop today! What is an Instagram Hop?? It's like a Blog Hop, but on Instagram! We each have a project to share, and then send you along to the next stop on the hop. The cool thing? There are prizes! $50 gift certificate to Scrapbook.com! WOOOOT! The hop goes live at 11am CST today. I hope you'll find some time later to go over to Instagram and check it out. 

My finished card is a white A2 card base. I layered some woodgrain cardstock for a natural touch.... This card has it all. Stamping, Die Cutting, Copics, Embossing, Ink Blending....

 

This project started with me stamping and die cutting out a TON of the plants. I colored about 10 of them! SO FUN! I love to put on music and just sit and color. After I had them all colored in, I arranged and re-arranged until I got a card layout that I liked. 

 

After I got the layout that I liked, I decided that I wanted some color to come through the back. I made a distress ink blended background in shades of Lemonade and Mustard. Just looks like the sun shining through all the pretty plants! It was just the little extra this card needed. 

 

I really like the font for the sentiments in this stamp set. I heat embossed in white onto a small strip of black cardstock. Makes a nice graphic pop.

 

All of the plants are affixed to the card using foam tape. I added a few clear enamel dots to look like water. 

 

 

 

 

SOOOO....thanks for hanging out with me for a bit today! I always am glad you stopped by! Remember to head over to Instagram to do the hop and be entered to win a prize! I will see you on Sunday with a fun project for St. Patrick's Day! Have a great weeeeeeekend!! XOXO 

Thank you to everyone who has been shopping at my Amazon Storefront! Be sure to let me know if there's another list you'd like to see! THANK YOU!

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Fun with Art Impressions watercolor stamps!

Hi everyone! Hope you're having a wonderful day! I've been creating a lot and have lots to share in the coming weeks. Getting ready for St. Patrick's Day and Easter and Spring! Loving all the pretty pastels and bright colors in crafting and in clothes too. I made my first tiered tray decoration project for our house (LOVE this trend)... We had a really quiet weekend at home with, your guessed it, MORE RAIN. Dang. I think it's done for now and the weather report calls for a few days of sunshine. I'm ready for it. 

Today I'm sharing a project made with new stamps I bought at the Stamp and Scrapbook Expo a few weekends ago. I always love going by the Art Impressions booth at these events. My friend Georgia is one of their reps, so I always get a giant hug. And, I love seeing what one of my favorite companies has come out with that's new. I have been a fan of Art Impressions for YEARS! Especially the tiny stamps that build watercolor scenes. Back when I used to regularly teach stamping classes at my LSS I taught this technique a lot...and the classes were some of my most popular ones. I still have allllll those teeny tiny wood mount stamps. The best. I'll talk more about the technique as we go along in the post. I used brand new Mushrooms stamps with little elves! EEP. 

The finished card is slightly smaller than A2 size. I trimmed it 1/4 inch on the long side. The card base is a pretty olive green, and I layered some gingham over it before making the top layer. The top layer is watercolor paper die cut with a stitched rectangle die cut. 

 

I used Mini Distress Ink ink pads for this project. It's super easy to smush some ink onto a palette and use a small brush to paint. For the grass, rocks and purple flowers, I also used the Mini ink pads and stamped with them. The sentiment is from a new set from Hello Bluebird stamps. Hi! 

 

Here's a close up! I inked the two mushrooms, the elf, and the sentiment with Versafine Onyx Black ink. This ink holds up to watercoloring. I water colored the mushrooms and the elf using a paint brush and water mixed with the distress inks. For the grass and flowers and rocks, I used the small accent floral stamps with distress ink. Now, this is how the technique comes to life! After you stamp with the water based ink (ink pad or water based markers) you take your paint brush and a tiny amount of water and blur the lines of the stamping! It's really like magic. And it never fails. When I was first learning to stamp I adored this so much. Made me feel like I could water color! I went back with some blue ink and water and added the shadows. For the white mushroom detail, I used a floral stamp and some white pigment ink!

 

The watercolor layer was wrapped with some twine and then attached to the card using foam tape. I added a tiny heart.

 

 

That's my Spring card for today! I really love anything that has a woodland theme! Mushrooms, elves, foxes....all of that! I hope I've inspired you to try something new!! XOXO

I have something else to announce! I'm very very pleased to now be an Amazon Influencer! I've been an Amazon Affiliate for a few years and this is a great next step. I have an Amazon Storefront now. It's populated with lists of things that I recommend to my followers and readers. I have lists of my favorite craft supplies, yarn supplies, pet products, my photography equipment, my favorite beauty products...etc. My promise to you is that every item on every list is something I own and enjoy. I will only recommend things that I use myself in my own home. I really hope you will check it out. Any feedback is appreciated! Want a new list of something? Curious about something? Let me know! Click the link below to visit my Amazon Page. 

Sunday morning it was sunny for a minute. LOL. I ran out into the front yard and picked some daffodils and tulips to put on my desk in the studio. What a joy to have fresh flowers again! Yeah! Our garden is bursting!! My husband plants a million bulbs all mixed together and it's so fun to watch everything bloom. Daffodils, Crocus, Tulips, Narcissus....AHHHH. 

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Guest Designing with Sunny Studio Stamps! Spring 2019

Hi friends! Happy weekend! I'm super excited to be the guest designer again today on the Sunny Studio Stamps Blog! Yippeeee! You guys already know how much I love Sunny Studio! Cute stamps, awesome embossing folders and my favorite gingham papers! What's not to love? I hope you have a beautiful weekend! I'll be sharing two cards on the SS Blog and also sharing them here on my blog. Lots to show you! And the themes are monkeys and roses!? LOL! 

First up today is a super fun birthday card with the adorable new Love Monkeys stamp set! I adore them! I stamped and die cut out a bunch of monkeys and vines. I also made them some accessories like cake and party hats! I used the Purrfect Birthday stamp set for those add-ons. Then, for the sentiment I used the Two Scoops stamp set. Really, when I make cards, I love to mix and match stamp sets to create my own unique creation.

This is a long card - measuring 8" x 4". I love the Staggered Circles die cut and cut that out of a white panel. I backed the circles with beautiful blue gingham paper. I had fun coloring everything with my Copics in shades of blue, yellow and pink. Who wouldn't want to party with these guys? The top white layer with the circles was mounted to the card using foam tape. Then I attached the monkeys and vines with foam tape also. Just the right amount of dimension, but not too much that it won't fit into an envelope. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My second project is a card made with lots of neutral colors and the gorgeous Everything's Rosy stamp set. I also used the beautiful Quilted Hearts Embossing Folder and some brown gingham. This card is an A2 size with a kraft card base. The flowers were stamped onto cream cardstock. The embossed background is also on cream cardstock. I layered gingham, vellum and kraft for my focal point of the card. I wrapped the kraft layer with pretty natural twine. I used gold paint to splatter gold flecks onto the cream embossed layer and the small kraft layer. Just a bit of added elegance. I stamped the roses using my MISTI in dark pink and pretty green shades. The sentiment is from the Happy Harvest stamp set! See - you don't have to only use that set for Autumn! The roses and leaves were mounted onto the card with foam tape. I added a few sparkly pink enamel dots to finish it off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BIG THANKS to Mendi for inviting me to be a guest on the Sunny Studio Blog! Enjoy your weekend! XOXO

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Pretty Pink Posh March 2019 New Release Blog Hop!

Hi everyone! Are you ready for a fun blog hop today?! I am for sure! I've been soooooo wanting to share this card with you and help introduce the brand new release from Pretty Pink Posh! Today and tomorrow there is a big two day Blog Hop full of inspiration, ideas and prizes! We're launching the Spring 2019 Release from one of my favorite companies - Pretty Pink Posh. It's a great release too! Butterflies, Easter, Peacocks, Flowers...oh my. Everything beautiful and perfect for Spring. You're gonna love it, I know it! My craft room is all about Spring right now! How about you? 

The new release is LIVE NOW in the PPP Store! Links are at the bottom of my post - along with the full blog hop list for today - and prize information! 

I am using the gorgeous new stamp set called Beautiful Butterflies, along with the matching dies. I used my bright colored Copic Markers and had a blast coloring for this card. The finished card is a grey card base, sized A2. One layer of white cardstock to keep the background clean and simple - to feature the butterflies. 

 

 

 

I started by stamping and die cutting several butterflies. I wasn't sure how many I was going to use in the end so I colored seven I think. I ended up using five. Now I have two left over for a different project! 

 

To keep the look of my card cohesive, I kept a few of the same colors on all of the butterflies. They all have grey bodies, and grey stripes. And they all have yellow in the centers. The color difference is in the outer part of the wings. It was really fun to color these, and the color possibilities are endless! The matching dies cut them to perfection.

 

When I attached the butterflies to the card, I used foam tape for some and tape runner for others. This gave a variety in the dimension of the card. I gently turned the wings up with my fingers to make it look like they're flying off the page. 

 

The "Thinking of You Script" die cut is brand new this month also. I die cut it from rich black cardstock and used liquid glue to affix it to the center of my card at an angle. 

 

One of the best products made by Pretty Pink Posh are these clear droplets! I used them on this card to add a bit of shine and interest.

 

 

That's my card for this fun blog hop! Thanks for stopping by! If you're new to my blog because of the hop - WELCOME! Happy to have you join me! I will see you all very soon with more projects. Have a wonderful day! XOXO

PRIZE ALERT PRIZE ALERT PRIZE ALERT: Pretty Pink Posh has FOUR $25 gift certificates up for grabs (two winners each day). Winners will be picked randomly along the blog hop. Comments must be left by 11:59 PM PST on 3/13/2019. Winners will be announced on the PPP blog.

SHOP THE NEW RELEASE HERE!

BLOG HOP LIST FOR TODAY!

Pretty Pink Posh blog 

Amy Yang  

Gemma C.    

Wanda Guess

Ardyth Percy- Robb  

Alix Davis 

Eloise Blue  

Jeanne Jachna 

Mayra's Designs  

Joni Nina Andaya  

Yoonsun Hur   

 

 

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Love. Peace. Craft. Fun card with Picket Fence Studios!

Hey everyone! Happy Monday! Hope you had a marvelous weekend! My weekend was full of crafty good times! Yeah! I had so much fun at the Stamp and Scrapbook Expo on Friday! Mark came with me and then we met up with some old friends for a yummy pizza before driving home. We finally watched our DVD of Bohemian Rhapsody. SO GOOD! Then some of my crafty friends came to visit Sacramento on Saturday and we spent all day together talking about stamping, and yarn, and we ate yummy food together. Sunday was a catch up day in the studio and at home. And here we are... March 4th! Dang. It's still raining buckets here and I'll be happy for a reprieve soon. It's been too much and communities are flooding and everything is soaked. We need a bit of sunshine! 

One of the things I'm going to start doing more on the blog is featuring my favorite companies with projects and supplies. Today I'm going to feature the awesome Picket Fence Studios. Do you have any Picket Fence Studio stamps?? I think you should! They are super unique and artistic and clever and fun. Some are silly too. I love this company! Over the weekend I had the pleasure of meeting the owner - Nicole Petersen - in person, at the Stamp Show. She was just as lovely and spunky as I knew she would be. And she gives a good hug. Please visit Picket Fence Studios by CLICKING HERE! One of the newest stamps is a kitty cat taking a selfie! Love it. (And there is always FREE SHIPPING in the US!)

Today I'm sharing a card made with the Karen Girl Stamp and the Crafty Mail Stamp set. The girl looks like me! (in my younger days)! She's holding a camera and has her hair up in a messy bun. I'm also using a blended background I made with the AMAZING "Life Changing Blender Brushes" that are sold by Picket Fence. These are so cool!! You need a set! I'll talk about them more, later in my post. 

 

I stamped the Karen Girl stamp onto watercolor paper using Versafine Ink and my MISTI for a good impression. I colored her using my favorite Mijello water color palette. Then I used a stitched rectangle die to cut out the panel. The card base is size A2 in Kraft cardstock. The heart was left over from my Valentine Card project!

 

I am obsessed with this sentiment stamp! I love the font, the size, the saying. Everything. I stamped the sentiment onto a vellum strip using Stazon Ink. When I assembled my card I wrapped the vellum strip around the inked layer and the stamped layer before attaching them to the card base. 

 

Now, these blender brushes.... OOH LA LA. They are like buttah. Say it out loud! LOL. Seriously, buttah. I used them with three colors of distress ink to ink up this pretty background panel. They blend like magic! I'm sure they are made from Unicorn hair! What a cool new tool to have in the studio to work with. After the panel was ink blended, I splattered water onto it and also white ink. 

 

The heart was put onto the card with foam tape. I love all these colors together. Very fun and artsy I do think! 

 

 

 

The Crafty Mail stamp set has this awesome stamp in it too! #staycrafty - Perfect for the back of the envelope for this card. I always love a good crafty stamp set. CLICK HERE to see this one!

Okay friends - stay crafty! Until I see you again! LOTS of good stuff coming up later in the week!! I hope you have a wonderful day. Thanks for stopping by! Please visit Picket Fence Studios too! Tell 'em Wanda sent ya. XOXO

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Aloha Party Drinks!

ALOHA! It's almost the weekend! I'm swinging by today with some tropical party drinks to start off the beginning of the beginning of the weekend! LOL. I love these stamps and colored them a bit ago for the coloring challenge. I had fun digging out loads of bright colors of Copic Markers. Then I layered on some glitter and lots of clear glaze. Whew. I get thirsty just looking at this card! Won't you join me? Cheers! I hope you had a great week! I had a busy week which is good - lots of work to do. I'm grateful for it! 

This card started with me coloring these awesome images with Copic Markers one night.... Then I designed a card around them. The images were drawn by my friend Peggy Jo Ackley for her line of stamps from Impression Obsession. Her company is called Pink Ink and it's great! She is a local artist and I've had the pleasure of meeting her a few times and having her sign my coloring book and pencil in a stamp for me! I saw these clear stamps at my LSS and had to get them!

 

 

The finished card is a white A2 card base. I used a Pineapple Embossing Folder I bought at Joann to emboss another white layer for the card. I wrapped the embossed layer with some green striped paper from Sunny Studio. This formed the layers for the card itself. I also splattered some tropical green ink over the embossing. I die cut a white stitched circle for the drinks to sit on. 

 

This word die is called Scripty Aloha, and it's from Lawn Fawn! It was the perfect sentiment for this card!

 

I stamped and die cut out the four drinks and colored them with LOTS of Copic Markers! It took me a while to color all of these. I started by making all the glasses the same color - to tie the project together. To mimic glass I always use BG10 and BG11 with some 0 mixed in. This is the closest I can come to looking like a frosty glass. After I colored them all, I added white accents with a gel pen. Then I put about 10 layers of clear glaze over some parts using a Sakura Glaze pen. Put on one layer, let it dry, add another layer, let it dry...etc. etc. This project took a lot of patience! 

 

Here are my little tropical drinks all lined up on the bar!

 

The drinks were attached to the circle die using foam tape. Then I glued the aloha word on with clear glue, using my tweezers. 

 

 

ALOHA friends! I'm excited about my weekend! Tomorrow the hubs and I are going to the Stamp/Scrap Expo and then to meet up with friends. Then on Saturday my crafty friends from the bay area are coming to town for a class. Then we'll get dinner and coffeeeeeeee. (Julie E is in town - woot!) Hope you have a delightful weekend! XOXO

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Sunshine & Rainbows!

Hi everyone! Today I'm popping in with sunshine and rainbows for you! I'm in the studio with allllll the Oscars pre-game on the tv and my kitty asleep in his bed. I have a lot to get done today. So many fun crafty things are coming up in the next couple of weeks. I need to hunker down and create later! Yay! Mark and I enjoyed a fun mini getaway the past two days in San Jose. On Friday I attended the ginormous Stitches West Convention! WOW! How amazing! I just posted on my Instagram stories all my haul from the show. It's a yarn/fiber arts convention. Lemme tell ya - it rivaled CHA for sure. The gals were going cray cray! I had a wonderful time. Everyone was so kind and cheery and helpful. It's a very welcoming crowd. Then yesterday we shopped and ate our way through one of my favorite shopping areas - Santana Row. We got home around 8 last night. Just a little bit of a fun getaway!! Sundays are for staying home in sweat pants!

Today's card is HAPPPPPYYYYYY and bright! I made the pieces (rainbows) a couple weeks ago for one of the days of the 30 Day Coloring Challenge. I made them into a cheerful card that will be perfect for one of my friends. I combined products from many different companies. I love doing that. I feel like that is also part of my creative process. Mixing and matching supplies from my stash. I used Copic Markers and some shimmery Wink of Stella on the clouds. 

 

I started with a blue card base in A2 size. I layered a piece of white cardstock - yes just one layer today! LOL. Next I stamped and die cut the rainbows and set them aside. Then I die cut the sunshine from Buttercup Cardstock.

On the sunshine, I used a Y38 Copic Marker to add a bit of color to the rays. This gives the die cut a bit more 'life' I think. Just a bit of something something. I also used a Lawn Fawn stamp set to add the smiley face to the sun. He's definitely happy! 

 

This beautiful sentiment is from an awesome set called Rainbow Script - from Hello Bluebird. I always love the look of mixed fonts. I stamped it in the corner of the white card panel.

 

I colored the rainbows in using Copic Markers in a modified rainbow palette. I swapped out hot pink for red. I used Clear Wink of Stella to cover the clouds. They are VERY shimmery! When I was assembling the card I got a lightbulb idea! How about those cool Swirls dies from Concord & 9th? YES! I used those dies to add the windy swirls in the background. THEN, I put my elements onto the card with foam tape. Lastly I added a few mini hearts. 

 

Here are my Copics used on this card. 

 

 

I'm most definitely sending YOU Sunshine & Rainbows today! I hope you're having a beautiful Sunday. Are you watching all the Oscars buzz? What are you working on? XOXO

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Sending Hedgehugs! Fun card featuring My Favorite Things Stamps!

Hello everyone! Another week has flown by, and here it is Thursday already! Dang! It's been a busy week... Some fun, and some not so fun things going on around here. It has literally rained BUCKETS here in the past month, and very high winds too. Unfortunately, our roof has sprung some leaks in the process of all this storming... It seems like everyone else needs a roofer too. It has been a full time job just trying to get a contractor to come out and do an estimate and repairs. They are so busy. It's not too bad, but it's frustrating making all those phone calls, etc. Usually I love the rain, but right now I wish it would stop for a minute. Anyhooo....I'm way off topic. Hope you are having an amazing week. I am going to do something fun this weekend - I'm going to my first ever Stitches West Convention! It's in Santa Clara, which is a couple of hours from here. Stitches is a YARN CONVENTION! Yes, I'm "hooked" on yarn. LOLZ. Some of the ladies from one of my yarn meetups filled me in on this fun event. Can't wait to get ideas and look at patterns and watch demos. Should be a really great day - that's tomorrow! 

For today, I have a cute and fun card to share with you. I'm sending hedgehugs your way! This Happy Hedgehog stamp set from My Favorite Things is a favorite in my craft room. I've made lots of cards with it already. I colored the little hedgies for one of the days of the 30 Day Coloring Challenge. And straight away made them into a card - using lots of other cool supplies from MFT Stamps. Can'd wait for you to see!

 

I started with a white card base in a horizontal orientation. I used Sunny Studio gingham paper to cover the entire front of the card base. I die cut a scallop border onto white cardstock and layered that over the gingham for my focus layer. 

 

Next I stamped and die cut out the Hedgehogs and flowers and mushrooms (EEK) and colored them with Copic Markers. I added touches of white accents with a gel pen. I set them aside to work on the HUGS and sentiment part of the card. 

 

The HUGS is a big word die from MFT. I used a piece of white cardstock and blended three different shades of brown distress inks (Colors in supply list). Then I splattered white paint and brown ink over the blended part. Then I dried that paper with my heat too. THEN I die cut it out of the already inked paper. MUCH easier than trying to ink the letters separately. Trust me, I've done that too! LOL. 

 

Aren't they the CUTEST??? This could be a great card of encouragement or 'just because' if someone needs a hug. Can't wait to send this one out. 

 

 

 

I added a few Doodlebug Mini Hearts as the last step. I'm not sure why, but this card told me it needed a pop of red! 

Thank you for stopping by today! Sending you big giant squishy HEDGEHUGS! I hope you have a splendid day and a great weekend. XOXO

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Guest Designing for WPlus9 Today - Tropic Fever!

Hello everyone! It's Monday, and I'm very happy to be sharing some cards today on the WPlus9 Blog! Hope you are having a wonderful day! I'm so excited to be joining the crew at WPlus9 as a guest designer again. I've been a fan for a very long time! I really enjoy working with this company and always jump at the chance to create with WPlus9. Be sure to pop over to the WPlus9 Blog and leave some love there! K? K! Thank you!

 

Last year, when WPlus9 launched their tropical themed release, well, my jaw about dropped to the floor! I immediately wanted all of it, and the ideas started flowing right away! I love anything with a tiki, tropical, flamingo vibe. And I love to create with bright bold colors. When Dawn asked me to guest design for today, I went straight for this collection. I have two cards to show you, so let's get started! In the midst of Winter, I'm bringing you a bit of Summer! I can hear the palm trees swaying... If I close my eyes! 

 

What's better than flamingos and flowers? Not much! I started this card by die cutting the beautiful Trellis Background 2 Die from bright white paper. I cut and folded a horizontal A2 card base. Here's the tricky part... I cut the top of the card base off, leaving about 1/4 of an inch left at the top. Then I lined the inside of the card base with pretty blue paper. I used liquid glue to glue the edge of the Trellis Die to that little folded over part at the top of the card. This makes the Trellis Die Cut piece the front of the card now! I set this part under a stack of books to make it lay flat and continued to make the rest of the card. 

 

I stamped and die cut out leaves, flowers and the flamingo using the Tropic Fever Stamp Set and the Flock Yeah Stamp Set. I colored all the images in tropical colors using Copic Markers. 

 

Next I die cut out a black panel using a Stitched Rectangle Die. I used the Flock Yeah stamp set to stamp the sentiment and heat emboss it with white embossing powder. Now all of my pieces were ready to assemble. 

 

I used small foam squares to attach the center sentiment panel and the flowers, leaves, flamingo to the front of the card. This is a bit tricky since the front of the card is a trellis! However, there is enough room to attach the foam squares so everything will hold tight. On the back of the trellis, I die cut another black rectangle and mirrored that to the front one. 

 

Here's a side shot so you can see how it looks when it opens! And, see the tiny strip of paper at the very top where the trellis die is attached?!

 

For this next card I used the Flock Yeah Stamp Set along with a new WPlus9 set called Summer Citrus. Those pineapples! Oh my! The sentiment is from the Southern Sentiment Stamp Set. It all works together so nicely for a Hello card!

 

sed Stitched Rectangles Dies to die cut a green layer and a white layer for the front of the card. The finished card is an A2 size cut from white cardstock. I used Mermaid Lagoon and Tumbled Glass Distress Inks to create a blue background on that top layer. I splattered Mermaid Lagoon Ink and Copic Opaque White ink over the blue blended background. 

 

Next I stamped and die cut the palm trees, the pineapples and the little flowers. I colored them in with Copic Markers. I also used Copic Opaque White ink to splatter white over the images and then set them aside to dry. I stamped the sentiment in rich black ink in the upper corner of the card. This is only part of a larger sentiment. I masked off the other part of the sentiment with washi tape and only stamped the "hello" portion. 

 

I layered the green and blue layers onto the card base. I used foam squares to attach the palm trees and pineapples to the card. Then I sprinkled a few clear gems to finish it off!

 

Here's a shot of my Copic Marker color selections for this card.

 

And one last shot to show you my layers and a close up of the ink blending and splattering!

 

 

Big thank you to everyone at WPlus9 for inviting me to be a guest designer today! I had fun working with these beautiful stamps and dies. I hope I've inspired you to create something today. Aloha! I've been really busy in my studio and the cards are stacked up to share! YAY! Mostly because of the 30 Day Coloring Challenge. I gave myself an extra challenge! LOL. To actually make cards from all the images I'm coloring! I'll be back on Thursday with a super cute card featuring MFT Stamps. XOXO

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You Have My Heart! Happy Valentine's Day 2019!

Helloooo my loves! Happy Valentine's Day! Wishing you a day filled with love, happiness and good things...you know, like chocolate! Can't believe it's mid way through February already. I have the feeling 2019 is going to go by fast! I can tell the season is changing because all my crafting lately is bright colors and leaves and flowers and rainbows! Ready for fresh things and new beginnings that Spring always brings. My husband is super busy at work this week so we'll be going out to dinner this coming weekend to celebrate Valentine's Day. We are pretty low key about these things after 26 years' worth of Valentines! Hope your day is lovely.

I have a funky, artsy card to share today. A few weeks ago I colored these cool water color hearts. I set them aside for a bit, but then finally got a card idea! I love the artistic look of the watercolors, gold and black together. It's an A2 card finished size. Not too many layers on this one...but I added some sewing! 

 

To start, I made a white A2 card base and set it aside. I used watercolor paper for the background piece. I had SO MUCH FUN dripping my favorite gold paint down the paper! I started with a very juicy brush and held the brush at the top of the panel and just let it drip! I kept adding more and more paint until I thought it looked good! I dried it with my heat gun and it was ready to go.

 

I had made these hearts a while ago. I die cut them from water color paper and then loosely water colored them in shades of red, purple and pink. Perfect valentine colors! I kept is messy and artistic. I love how they came out! I lined them up on the paper the way I wanted them and then used my sewing machine and a zig zag stitch to attach them to that top panel. I didn't want it to look perfect so I went back and forth a few times across the hearts. 

 

The sentiment was heat embossed with white embossing powder onto black cardstock for contrast. It was affixed to the card using foam tape. 

 

Here's a photo of just the hearts when I was making them. They are also splattered with gold paint.

 

 

 

Look at all that yummy dripping paint! 

 

 

 

From my heart to yours today! XOXO

Thanks for stopping by on this day of L O V E! Have a fantastic day! I'll be back on Monday with a fun tropical post! XXOOXXOO

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Pretty Peonies from Spellbinders artist Stephanie Low!

Hi friends! Happy Monday! Are you ready to be creative this week? I am for sure! And it's Valentine's week so there's love in the air too! I hope you had a good weekend. I rested and did some crocheting. Most of our plans were for outside and everything got cancelled because of the rain. That's okay though. We need the water, and I never mind a rainy day. Actually rainy days are my favorite days. Here's to a great week!

Today I'm excited to share a project made with the brand new stamp release from Spellbinders, and Artist Stephanie Low. I am the guest designer today over on the Spellbinders blog! Please CLICK HERE to head over and share some love there too! BIG thanks to the crew at Spellbinders for inviting me to be a guest with them. I'm happy for this fun opportunity. My card is a super bright floral creation made with the beautiful new Large Peonies stamp set and watercolors. Spellbinders has recently merged with Fun Stampers Journey so I used products from both companies. 

I love to water color flowers. That's my favorite thing to water color actually. This finished card is an A2 size, made with a kraft card base. I layered pretty bright pink paper and then a layer of watercolor paper and then those pretty blooms!

 

To start this card, I stamped several blooms and leaves onto watercolor paper. I colored them with vivid shades of pinks and greens and let them dry. I used the awesome Lots of Dots Background Die Cut and watercolor paper to create the dotted background. Then I added a wash of blue watercolor paint. I set that aside to dry also. 

 

The sentiment was heat embossed with gold embossing powder onto a strip of vellum. I wrapped the vellum around the dots layer before I assembled the rest of the card. 

 

 

 

Here are my step out photos! After the flowers were colored, I added paint splatters and white paint splatters. All these pieces are watercolor paper.

 

 

To put the card together, I layered the hot pink onto the kraft base. Then I wrapped the vellum around the dots layer. This part was attached with foam tape. Then the flowers and leaves were added, also with foam tape. One of my very favorite FSJ products is the Rainbow Drops. OMG I just look at them on my desk and they make me so happy!!! I'm trying to use them and not hoard them, so I added a sprinkling of the pretty blue drops onto my card. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by today! THANK YOU to Spellbinders for having me as a guest today! I hope you all have a wonderful week! Get crafty! Have a Happy Valentine's Day! (I have one more heart themed card, so I'll be back on Thursday to share it!) XOXO

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A love letter with watercolor roses...

Hi friends! It's one week until Valentine's Day and my craft room has been a flurry of hearts and flowers lately! I really got into Valentine's Day this year for some reason. Made lots of cards and had fun doing it too! I am also inspired by the 30 Day Coloring Challenge which is really making me think, and getting me to create something each day. It's leading to all kinds of fun. I'm rediscovering some of my older stamps and dies and trying new/old techniques. This card I'm sharing today took on a life of it's own last weekend. I thought - I'll just mess around with these cool roses dies. Well, before you know it, I was doing all kinds of Instagram stories and water coloring and inking and distressing and embossing...Oh my! And a card was born. I love it when that happens... When creativity takes it's own organic pathway. Something cool usually emerges. So today's card is a "more is more' creation full of techniques and stuff. It was a labor of love - literally! Ha! This post has lots of pictures, and I also saved the Instagram stories of my step by step process if you want to see that too. Let's go!

Here is my finished vintage Valentine inspired card!

 

The finished card is an A2 size white card base. I covered the top of the card with red cardstock. This way, the inside of the card will be white. Then I layered an embossed layer, then the heart, then the roses and love die! This card is heavy! Gonna need some extra postage for this one! LOL. I used loads of distress inks to 'vintage' it up. It was fun!! The roses are in pieces (you'll see later in the post) and I watercolored them, and the leaves. Like I said - SO FUN!

 

Here's a close up side view of the roses and leaves. Here you can see all the different layers. I glued them together using quick dry clear glue. 

 

In this side view you can see all the card layers. The love die was glued on at each end and left 'free' in the center to float over everything else. 

 

I looooooove these Tim Holtz Ideaology charms! This bird was perfect for a love letter!! 

 

 

 

Each rose has four die cut pieces. I watercolored them in shades of dusty pink/rose. One rose is dark in the center and gets lighter and the other one is the opposite. I was experimenting to see which one I liked the best. I die cut all the pieces out of watercolor paper so they would stand up to my coloring. When they're dry, you glue them together! It's magic. 

 

Here are my roses and leaves before all the splattering and distressing! The leaves are in two die cut pieces before you glue them together. 

 

I splattered the roses and leaves with Vintage Photo Distress Ink mixed with water. Then I used a sponge and inked around the edges. YUUUMMMMM.

 

 

 

Now on to the card... I die cut a heart out of watercolor paper. I used the Tim Holtz Random Quotes stamp set because one of the stamps is a love letter in pretty script! It was perfect! I tried two different ones because I didn't like the first one - it was toooo blurry. On the blurry one, I sprayed the heart paper with water first and then stamped into it. For the second one, the one that I ended up using, I inked the stamp, then sprayed the stamp with water, then stamped onto dry paper. Just the right amount of 'messiness' for this project.

 

The next step was to ink up the heart and splatter it! (Of course)

 

I had this cool embossing folder from We R Memory Keepers in my stash. It looks like old wallpaper to me! I embossed it onto watercolor paper. Then I used Distress Inks and water to water color each of the roses! LOVE!!! Then I distressed the edges and inked everything up. Doesn't it look like I just peeled it off the wall of an old house!!?? 

 

Now it was finally time to assemble! I glued on all the pieces with glue and foam tape! Then I added a few pearls! I'm now thinking that instead of a Valentine, this might make a great wedding card?! 

 

 

 

And some random photos of stuff! The light was so pretty the day I was photographing this project!!

 

 

If you're still reading along - yay! It was a long post! I was so excited to share this with you! Hope you have a lovely day! It's almost the weekend! XOXO

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Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy Lunar New Year 2019! The Year of the Pig!

Hello crafty friends! Happy New Year! Gung Hay Fat Choy! Today is the celebration of Chinese Lunar New Year so I'm posting a card I made to mark this special occasion. I love to make festive and pretty cards for this wonderful celebration. I have lots of friends who celebrate this beautiful cultural tradition, so I like to acknowledge it by creating something special each year. (CLICK HERE to see my card from last year) Do you and your family celebrate the Lunar New Year too? This year is the Year of the Pig. Is it your year? CLICK HERE for the list of the years and the corresponding animals. I am a DRAGON! Yep! Gotta love that. 1964 was a very good year indeed. I have lots of Dragon friends. We are strong and fierce! 

People born in the year of the Pig are loved for their kind, honest, helpful and forgiving nature. Pigs believe in maintaining peace and harmony and they dislike anything which causes conflict. Those born under the Pig zodiac sign are self-indulgent and enjoy the finer things in life. The twelfth sign of the Chinese zodiac, Pig is one of the most likable signs out there. Pigs are honest, forgiving, good-tempered, cheerful, generous, and compassionate. They are responsible and determined. They will never refuse to give those in need a helping hand, but they rarely seek help from others. They are idealists who will do anything to keep the peace. They will remain committed for life to their friends and their principles, and would never do anything dishonest. Famous people born in the Year of the Pig include: Hilary Clinton, David Letterman, Stephen King, Elton John and Carrie Underwood!

I don't have any pig stamps so I used the gorgeous "Lion Dance" stamp set from Mama Elephant. I love this set soooo much. I used it last year too! The perfect dragons and sentiments. For the fireworks, I used the "Around We Go" stamp set, also from Mama Elephant. I tried a new technique of blending tone on tone with the same color ink and paper. I really like how it came out. Very dramatic on the red!! My card features red and gold with embossing and bright colors. I used an old stamp I had in my stash - the Chinese Calligraphy symbol for Double Happiness. This is usually a symbol to be used for wedding cards - but I thought - can't go wrong by wishing someone Double Happiness!! Plus, it's just such a beautiful stamp...

 

My card is a long skinny card - finished size 4x8 inches. I wanted room for everything! Especially those dragons! Here is a close up of the Double Happiness stamp. I embossed it in pretty gold embossing powder onto a stitched circle die cut. I used traditional colors of red, gold and black. It's so classic and strong! 

 

I colored the dragons with Copic Markers and then added accents with Diamond Stickles. The sentiment was heat embossed in gold onto a strip of black paper. The 2019 numbers are from a very old stamp set (maybe 25 years old) and the company is no longer around. I love the characters. I also heat embossed the numbers directly onto my top layer. The card base is black, and then layered with a bit of gold paper.

 

Here is a close up of the ink blending and the fireworks. It's all tone on tone with shades of red and mahogany. I inked three shades of Distress inks onto the red layer. Then I stamped fireworks in red and mahogany. The effect is subtle and I really like how it came out. I used my Finetec Gold paints to splash gold everywhere! I was trying to evoke the feeling of a Chinese New Year parade. I used to go to the San Francisco Chinese New Year parade every year when I lived there. MAGIC. Pure magic. The colors, the sounds, the cheer. A true feast for the senses. 

 

This is a second version.... For this one I also sprinkled gold embossing powder onto the red paper and heated it. A little bit of a different look!! 

 

The dragons and the sentiment were attached to the card using foam tape.

 

I made some red envelopes using the Venice Envelope Die from Mama Elephant. Unfortunately it's not available any more. It has a die to make the small envelope and then a separate die to make the perfectly matching layering pieces. I used red and gold again of course. SO pretty.

 

 

 

 

GOOD CHEER and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Happy Lunar New Year - Year of the Pig! A chance to go out and celebrate a beautiful cultural tradition. Have a wonderful week everyone. I'll be back with a Valentine card on Thursday! (You may have seen the step out photos on Instagram stories!) XOXO

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Sweet kitties from Pretty Pink Posh!

Hey everyone! Happy Friday! How are you?? Did you survive the polar vortex this week? I hope everyone is safe and sound and enjoying the start of a new month. I felt sort of guilty this week as the temps hit 70 degrees here, and I was outside taking pictures of apple blossoms and daffodils. We didn't even have Winter this year in Sacramento. I feel like it was hot all through Fall and then one day of cold, and it's warming up again. Definitely a different pattern this year. I am super grateful that I don't have to shovel snow or wear ten layers of clothing. Californians are weather wimps. I digressed....just really meant to say I hope everyone is safe and sound. Happy February!

I haven't posted on my blog for a while. Not sure what happened, other than life. I have been a busy bee and time just got away from me. I was so excited that Kathy Racoosin started up the 30 Day Coloring Challenge again today! Just the push I needed to get out the markers and make something...but what to make? Lucky and I came in the studio and poked around and it came to me! Cuddly Cats from Pretty Pink Posh! Yay! I haven't inked up this set yet, so it was time. Today is the one year anniversary of the day my sweet boy Buddy passed away. I think of him every day, and especially today, so a kitty card was the perfect thing to make. 

The Daily Marker 30 Day Challenge always pushes me to use my supplies, and I love that. I try to challenge myself to use different mediums and switch things up. Maybe try a different technique or be a bit more daring. Bust out the colored pencils more, or try a new Copic method... Have you joined the fun?? I love how it creates a sense of community when we are all posting our coloring on Instagram and Facebook every day! (And you know I love Instagram!)

I colored two kitties to look like my two favorite boys - Lucky and Buddy! I think they would have been sweet friends. How did I get so blessed to have two such sweet furry kids in my life? I feel like those of us who have been lucky to be touched by an animal soul never are the same. This past year many of my friends have lost sweet pets. It's so hard. But I always think - wow, it was good to know that kind of love. Now, on to my card...

 

I started with a white A2 card base and kept the entire card really clean and graphic. I used the fun and fabulous Stacked Edges Dies to make some diamond strips out of grey paper and then splattered white paint on them. Next I stamped and die cut out the two cats and the yarn.

 

I colored the images with Copic markers and added accents with a white gel pen. I die cut a stitched rectangle and stamped the sentiment across the bottom of it in black ink. I mounted the grey diamonds across the center of the card using foam tape. 

 

The cats are so cute!! I love how the stamp set has cats that face both ways - so you can have them facing each other, or facing the way you want them on your project! 

 

I searched through my stash for a stamp set that had tiny paw prints! I found a Paper Smooches set, and stamped the paws in the corner of my card. I finished it all off with a few enamel dots. (of course).

 

 

 

Here is my super sweet studio assistant helping me choose Copic Marker colors! LOL.

 

And then he went to sleep on the job! I love how he has to be right next to me all the time. Lucky truly has healed my broken heart and is such a good boy. He is eleven months old now! 

 

Here's a photo of some pretty blossoms I took yesterday when I was out doing errands. Spring is definitely arriving early in Sacramento!

 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Hope you have an amazing weekend! And, I hope you get some time to create! I'll be back next week with a fun and bright project for Chinese New Year! Until then, take care! XOXO

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Smile! Pretty Butterflies from Pinkfresh Studio

WOOHOOO! Happy Friday, friends! Why am I happy it's Friday? I don't work in an office at an 8-5 job anymore.... But my husband does! So I'm happy it's Friday since I will have my best friend to hang out with for a couple of days. Our weekend looks pretty boring right at the moment but I'm sure we'll find something to do. Tonight I have crocheting/knitting meetup! The weather is sunny and the flowers are starting to bloom already around here. We saw some plum blossoms the other night already. I hope to get some time in the craft room too! What are you up to this weekend? Hope you have a good one!

Today I'm sharing a card made with lovely LOVELY stamps and dies from Pinkfresh Studio! OH GOSH, how I love Pinkfresh Studio! They have the prettiest, most feminine florals and innovative dies. One of my favorite companies for sure! If they're new to you CLICK HERE to see their entire collection! My specific links for the products used today is at the bottom of my post. I have had this awesome 'smile' die cut for a while and finally used it! The word is all hooked together in one die - it's not separate letters. Super easy to die cut onto an A2 card front! Then I added my favorite gingham, and some soft florals and butterflies. I am inspired by the coming of spring so I used a light and fresh color palette of green and aqua.

 

I started with an A2 card base in crisp white paper. I cut a white layer just a bit smaller than the card front and die cut the 'smile' into it. I used black mist to spritz a few splatters onto that panel and set it aside. I cut a piece of pretty aqua gingham paper the exact size as the top panel and adhered that to the card front. Then I placed the white top layer over the gingham using foam squares. 

 

Next I stamped and die cut out the florals, leaves and butterflies! I colored them all in the same Copic marker colors and matched the colors to the gingham. This makes your project all come together nicely. 

 

 

 

I'm using my new Waffle Flower Enamel Dots like crazy!! Here I added a few clear ones and one white one for the flower center. Just so sweet and simple. 

 

My tip for attaching butterflies to cards.... I use foam tape in a small strip just under the body of the butterfly. I press it down really hard to make sure it's attached. Then I used my fingers to gently bend the wings upwards to look like they're flying! As you know, I love lots of dimension on my cards!!

So SMILE! And have a great weekend! Thanks for flying by today to see my card! XOXO

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Bee Mine Valentine!

Hi everyone! Today I'm buzzzzzing by with a fun bee themed valentine card! Will you BEEEE mine? Please!? This card was a joy to make, and combined several of my favorite things! Lots of color, Copic Markers, Distress Ink blending, and cute stamps! All the stamps and dies used today are from Honey Bee Stamps. Supplies are listed at the bottom of my post as always! I got this card idea because I made a winter/Christmas card using the awesome Bee Bold Alphabet dies and I loved that card! (CLICK HERE to see it!) I wracked my brain - how to make a Valentine card with the same sort of layout and design?? Hmmmm. What word to spell out? Sweet? Love? Kiss? And then, in the middle of the night, I got it! BEE MINE! And then the entire card came together. I couldn't decide between red letters or pink - but I'm glad I decided on the hot pink. It's so happy! Picked Raspberry Distress Ink is delicious!

The finished card is 5.25 x 5.25 square. I needed some room to spread out! LOL. Sometimes a design needs a smaller card, or a bigger card, or a longer card! Don't be shy about making your card size fit your elements. I love me a big ole square card sometimes! 

 

This card started with a white card base cut and scored to size. Then I layered yummy hot pink textured cardstock. For the top layer I die cut a white square with a pretty stitched edge. Next I die cut the letters out and set them aside. I stamped and die cut the two bees next. Then I die cut the honeycombs from my favorite yellow cardstock. I stamped the word Valentine directly onto the top layer and stamped tiny pink hearts on that layer also. 

 

I really love the font in the words from the Brie Mine stamp set!! 

 

To make the letters pink, I used two shades of Distress Inks and ink blending tools. I did the Spun Sugar at the top of the letter and faded into Picked Raspberry at the bottom of the letters. I put on a lot of ink - because I wanted a huge impact and punch of color. Once the ink was dry, I splattered the letters with white ink (because that's my jam! LOL). The letters were arranged onto the square layer using strips of foam tape.

 

I colored these sweetie bees with Copic Markes and added white gel pen accents. I also added Clear Wink of Stella to the wings so they would shimmer in the light. 

 

Next it was time to put it all together! I arranged everything until I got just the right look and then attached it all to the card with foam tape.

 

 

 

 

I already have some other ideas for cards like this coming up! It's fun to color the letters and spell out whatever you like! You could make a card with a person's name on it, or their school or something meaningful just for them. It's one of the best things about being a crafty gal. Customizing things! BEEE MINE and have a happy, bizzy week! See you soon with another project. XOXO

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Crochet Journal Project with Echo Park and Simple Stories!

Hi crafty people! Happy weekend! Hope you have some fun things planned! It's been raining alllll week here. We're hoping to get in a day trip to Napa this weekend for the Lighted Art Festival. We'll see if the weather holds out! And there is an eclipse Sunday night with a full moon. I think my hubs is going to go out and photograph it with the photography club! Again, we'll see if the weather holds out for that too. Geez, Wednesday we had a record rain total. Most rain in one day for the past 40 years! And, of course, that was the day I had meetings and errands to do! I should have used a boat instead of my car! I survived and it's all good. I have a fun project to share today! It's something that's been in my head for a few months and I'm eager to use it now that it's made! It's a crochet journal! I intend to write down all my projects and notes about the stitches and type of yarn used... That way if I want to make something again - or if someone has a question - all the information is right there at my fingertips! I've been keeping it all in a spiral notebook so far. 

Now, funny story... The one great thing about being a craft supplies hoarder is that you can shop at your own house! LOL. I had ALL the supplies needed for this journal in my room. Hahaha. I've been saving this beautiful paper pack for a special project. And now I've used it. That feels good. The paper collection is called I'd Rather Be Crafting - and it's from Echo Park! It's so pretty, and colorful and fun. CLICK HERE to see the entire collection (Paper, stencils, stamps, enamel dots...) I had this perfect sized binder from Simple Stories in my studio too! Yay! I started this project late at night so it was good that I didn't have to go out shopping. 

No stamping in this project. Paper, die cut letters, stickers, twine.... But no stamping! It was a fun project - no stress. I didn't use wet glue - everything is held together with lots of scor-tape. That makes for a smoother finished look. (I am inept at using the right amount of liquid glue). I hope this will inspire you to create your own journal! Maybe for crafting, but also for notes, or recipes or even a pretty scrapbook! 

 

The journal is approximately 9x8 inches. It really is the perfect size! I started by covering the front of the journal with the scissor/ruler paper. Then I added everything else. The letter dies are from Taylored Expressions and I die cut them from some woodgrain paper in my stash. I used lots of the pretty stickers to decorate everything!

 

I made this little bouquet by using the flower stickers and the cute banner. I wanted to pop them up on foam tape in a little cluster! So I die cut some circles to frame my bouquet! It came out perfect!

 

Twine, stickers and enamel dots...

 

My cute assistant was very helpful in choosing which papers to use! LOL.

 

 

 

 

 

Coming along....

 

 

 

This is the back cover!

 

 

 

 

And the inside of the front cover using the scallop edge stickers...

 

 

 

 

That's it for today! Do you like making paper projects like this? I really enjoy being able to customize things for myself and as gifts. It's so special to have a one of a kind item to use! Best wishes for a happy and blessed weekend! See you soon! XOXO

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My Favorite Valentine - with Waffle Flower Stamps!

Hey hey hey! How are you? I'm busy again this week, which is excellent! And I have lots to share with you! I seriously crafted all weekend. It was great! I had no deadlines and no pressure so I just went around the studio and made cards with whatever I wanted. YAY for that! LOL. I made a cool journal and three cards. After I make my cards I always lay them out on the kitchen table for my hubs to look at them. He is very supportive and loves to look at the details. He is a good person to help with ideas too! After I laid them out on the table I noticed one main thing - all three cards had bright, vivid colors and LOTS of white space! Hmmmmm. Maybe I'm feeling like being light and airy like Spring cleaning?? LOL. Definitely moving on from the dark moody colors of Christmas and winter. I can't wait to share them all. 

For today, I'm using a brand new stamp set from Waffle Flower called Favorite Valentine! EEEEEP. SO adorable. It has a little boy and girl that face each other, and then loads of accessories for them to hold in their hands. I loved it the moment I saw it. And this stamp set has matching dies. This is my first set from Waffle Flower that has their 'new' die system. ALL OF THE DIES ARE ALREADY CUT APART!!!! What??? Yes, you heard me. Woot woot! Nina is a genius. Yay. 

 

I started with a white A2 card base from Neenah Solar White 110 pound. I layered soft and subtle grey gingham (From Sunny Studio) and then one more layer of white. (See I told you - LOTS of white space!) For the top layer I die cut a stitched rectangle... I gently inked just the top of that rectangle with Broken China Distress Ink. Perfect. 

Next I stamped and die cut out all the images: the girl and boy, the banners, CUPID!, the flowers, letter and balloons... And colored everything with Copic Markers. I added accents with a white gel pen and also added a bit of Diamond Stickles.

 

 

 

I used a couple of different stamp sets on this card. The banner is from one set and the xoxo is from another set. Supplies are listed at the bottom of my post. For the sentiment I used white embossing powder on deep black paper. I always love that look. It's so crisp.

 

I added a few white enamel dots on the card. These are new enamel dots from Waffle Flower! YES! An entire package of white and clear enamel dots! With lots of small ones! Again, Nina is a genius. You need these. (I bought four packs).... 

All of the elements are affixed to the card using foam tape for dimension and pop.

 

 

 

 

I'm definitely in the mood for Valentine crafting! We have a month to get ready. Everything is so cheerful and happy with pink and hearts.... I love it all. Are you Valentine crafting yet? What are you working on?? Have a blessed and beautiful day! XOXO

P.S. Side note.... I am NOT going to Creativation (CHA) this year. It starts on Friday and I have severe FOMO right now. I am going to miss all my creative friends and I'm going to miss reporting back and telling you guys the scoop. Mostly I'm going to miss the hugs and laughter!!! It just didn't work out for me to go this year for lots of reasons. I can't wait to see all the news from everyone else though. Just wanted to tell you guys, because I know some of you wait for me to fill you in every year.

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Crochet - Granny Square Baby Blanket!

Hey everyone! How is your weekend going?? We've had rain rain rain here the past week or so. I love that! I feel all cozy and feel like reading and drinking coffee and making stuff. Winter is in full swing in Sacramento! Finally. The rain is much needed here and I'm grateful. Last week I had so many fun activities and meet ups. Seems like everything goes on pause during the holidays and then the week after New Years we all want to get back to our normal routine. I was ready - ready for things to get back on track - food, exercise, crafting...all of it! 

I finally finished my first big crochet project! I've made a few scarves, but only one big thing so far. I'm so happy to share it with you! One of my sweet blogger friends had a baby girl recently! I am so happy for her because she wanted to be a mama so badly, and I know she is going to be amazing as a mom! Her story was one of the 'good news' stories of last year. I wanted to make her something special for the nursery. The photos I saw of her nursery had grey and white and pops of bright colors (and pom poms!). I chose some pretty yarn colors in baby soft yarn (Caron Simply Soft - supplies and colors below) and set to work! This is a Granny Square Crochet Blanket! 

I am a brand new crocheter and I made this! YEAH! The reason I'm telling you that is because I want to encourage you to do it to! If I can make this, you can! When you are a new crocheter, your best friend is YouTube. There are so many people (kind and generous people) who post instructional videos on how to do everything! I suggest you search for the pattern you want to make and then find one of the You-tubers that 'speaks' to you - that you like their voice and pace. That's what I did to make this - I watched a ton of videos and then started... I belong to two local Crochet/Knit meet ups that have experts - and they were always willing to give me help and a tip along the way. Yarn peeps are just like paper peeps - sweet and helpful (and they just hoard yarn instead of 12x12 patterned paper! LOL).

The pattern for my blanket is a Granny Square. It's about 40x40 inches finished. But, the good part is you can keep adding rows forever! Make it whatever size you want it to be! I changed yarn color after every round. After I finished the square blanket, I added a shell stitch crochet border in white to polish/finish it off nicely. Then I made some pink pom poms for all the corners using my Clover Pom Pom Maker. I attached the pom poms with a tied bow, so she can remove them if they get in the way - or for washing. 

 

These colors are just like a bowl of candy! And it's sooooo soft and squishy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cutest photo shoot photo-bomber ever! Hee hee. What a helpful guy!! 

I'm listing my supplies and colors below. I bought one skein of each color and I used an H hook size. I made the entire blanket, border and pom poms and still had yarn left over. I would say I used about 75% of each skein. So the yarn goes a long way. I'm still learning how to gauge how far the yarn goes and how to read the labels/weight etc.

I'm loving learning something new. I hope you've enjoyed my project too! What are you working on right now?? XOXO

SUPPLIES FOR TODAY!

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Pretty Pink Posh 5th Year Anniversary Celebration Blog Hop - Pinata Party!

Hi there? Are you ready to party? Fiesta? Celebrate? YEAH! Welcome to my stop on day two of the awesome three day blog hop to celebrate the new release from Pretty Pink Posh! Also, it's a celebration of Pretty Pink Posh's Anniversary! Congratulations Paulina! I love you and wish you years and years of continued success!

I'm truly excited to be included in this three day party and can't wait to show you guys my card. It's BRIGHT! Please read all the way through to the bottom of this post for the list of blogs on the hop, supplies, prizes and discounts! It's all good! I hope you're having a good week so far. 

When I received my package of goodies from PPP the stamp set that jumped right out at me first was Pinata Party! It's an awesome birthday set that has a UNICORN pinata!! What??? How adorable and fabulous is that?? Very. So I busted out the vivid colors and the Copics and created this birthday card. 

 

I started with a white A2 card base (You can't see it under the stripes!) To create my colorful striped background I used the long narrow strip die from the Stitched Borders 3 die set from Pretty Pink Posh. I die cut a bunch of those strips from yellow, green, pink and blue cardstock. Then I layered those strips down onto a thin piece of white cardstock. After I trimmed all the edges I adhered that striped piece directly onto the card front. 

 

Next I stamped and die cut out the pinata, the banners and the balloons (Balloons are from the Birthday Friends stamp set). I colored all the elements using Copic colors that matched the cardstock colors. These colors are so cheerful it makes me smile. 

 

The white panel on top of the stripes was created as my party background. I die cut a stitched rectangle and gently inked around the edges with an ink blender and Broken China Distress Ink. Then I used the same color Distress Ink to stamp the confetti over the blending. I stamped that fabulous birthday sentiment in rich black in the lower left corner.

 

I attached all the pieces to the card using foam tape. I added a few clear gems and a bit of twine for my banner string. You can barely see it, but I also used a Clear Wink Of Stella pen to add glittery, shimmery accents to the unicorn, the confetti and the balloons. 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for stopping by on my blog today! If you're new here because of the hop - welcome! Glad to have you! Take care everyone! All the extra details are below. Enjoy the celebration and the blog hop! XOXO

No party would be complete without gifts and a party favor, right? During the celebration, save 10% off your order using the coupon code provided below.

PRIZES: Pretty Pink Posh will be giving away THREE $25 gift certificates to random comments left on the different stops every day! That’s right, there are a total of NINE $25 gift certificates over the three days! Comments must be left before January 17th at 11:59 PM PST. Pretty Pink Posh be announcing the winners next week, so be sure to return to the PPP blog to see if you are one of the winners!

 

BLOG HOP LIST FOR DAY TWO!

Pretty Pink Posh blog
Laura Bassen
Eloise Blue
Melody Rupple
Nicky Meek
Cathy Zielske
Dana Kirby

Amy Rysavy
Suzy Plantamura
Wanda Guess

 

SUPPLIES FOR TODAY!

 

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Reverse Confetti New Release Blog Hop - January 2019 - Warm Hugs!

Hello everyone! Happy New Year again! A whole week into 2019! Hope your year is off to an awesome start! Thank you for all the kind comments on my last post. I love doing that blog hop every year. It's so positive and fun. My year has been pretty uneventful so far. In fact, I've been sort of lazy! My hubs had time off work and we really just slept in and did fun stuff together. I haven't been crafting too much. I finished two more crochet projects though! And I'm ready to kick it back into gear in the craft room. Today I'm sharing a card made with the awesome new release from my friends at Reverse Confetti! Yeah! 

The January release from Reverse Confetti is live now! It's sooooo fun and cute and perfect for Valentine's Day and LOVE! I'm so ready to move on from holiday cards and on to Spring things! Are you? I fell in love right away with the new set called Big Bear. OMG he is fabulous. The matching die for the bear stamp has slits in it so he can hold a heart, a coffee mug, a letter, or some flowers. EEK. I made a sweet and simple greeting featuring that guy. I'll be using him a bunch - maybe on the front of envelopes too! I also used the brand new paper pad launching from Reverse Confetti! 

 

I started with a white A2 card base and layered the pretty striped paper to cover the entire card front. Then I layered bright red cardstock with a white stitched rectangle. I wrapped the heart paper around those two layers and attached them to my card with foam tape to make the foundation of my card. Next I stamped and die cut the bear, heart and banner and colored everything with my Copic Markers. 

 

I used another one of my favorite Reverse Confetti Sets - Weather it Together - to stamp the tiny hearts on the white layer. I die cut a stitched circle and then attached the bear and the banner with foam tape!

 

I wanted this guy to look soft so I colored him with a light brown Copic (E31) and used my Copic Blender pen to soften the color even further. Just a bit of pink on his cheeks and ears and he's so sweet. I LOVE his pink scarf! I matched the scarf to the color in the patterned papers. 

 

 

 

This is me - sending you warm hugs today! 

 

 

Best wishes for a great week! I'll see you soon with another fun blog hop later in the week! Take care! XOXO

THE NEW RELEASE IS LIVE NOW! 

SUPER FUN BLOG HOP LINEUP TODAY!

LOTS OF INSPIRATION FROM THE NEW RELEASE!

Reverse Confetti Blog

Amy Kolling

Melissa Phillips

Julee Tilman

Amy Sheffer

Tricia Barber

Kelly Lunceford

Lisa Henke

Leanne West

Wanda Guess

Heather Hoffman

Amy Tsuruta

Kathy Schweinfurth

Michelle Short

Audrey Tokach

Jeanne Jachna

Ali Farmer

Deanne Kuntz

Ashley Tucker

Lindsay Lajola

 

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Season's Givings Blog Hop - Happy New Year 2019!

EDITED 1-5-19: MY WINNER IS ANNE STURGEON! WOOHOOO! CONGRATULATIONS! THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ALL THE KIND AND WONDERFUL COMMENTS. HAPPY CRAFTING! XOXOX

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2019!

MANY BLESSINGS FOR AN AMAZING YEAR AHEAD!

Thank you very much for coming by my blog today to celebrate "Season's Givings" with a giant blog hop and awesome prize giveaways! This is my fifth year doing this great hop! (CLICK HERE TO SEE last year's post!) Big giant THANKS TO LATISHA for organizing this amazing blog hop! I hope you are having fun looking at everyone's blogs! What a great way to start off the new year right? The entire hop link list is at the very bottom of my post. And every blog has a prize! There are all kinds of beautiful projects to look at and loads of great prizes! 

This blog hop is all about us thanking YOU, our awesome followers and readers, for supporting us and sharing our joy of crafting. For lots of us, the main reason we blog, is that we develop wonderful friendships with a greater creative community and we uplift and inspire each other. Truly, thank you for joining me on my blog journey. If you are new to my site - welcome! I hope you find something you like and I'm happy to have you here today. Welcome to Season's Givings 2019! 

Also, if you are a new visitor to my blog - again, Welcome, and Thanks for coming by! If you want to know more about my style, please read my most recent blog post with my year end wrap up of projects (CLICK HERE). Also, you can find me on Instagram (@stampcatwg), Facebook (A Blog Called Wanda) or on Pinterest (Wanda Guess). I love sharing via social media! This past year I really got into Instagram Stories too! 

PRIZE ALERT! EVERY STOP ON THIS AWESOME HOP HAS PRIZES! It's our way of saying thanks! I have a great prize package of goodies to give away to one lucky winner (see photo below)! In order to be eligible to win my prize package, please leave a comment on this blog post and tell me your New Year's resolution for crafting and creativity! I will draw the winner on Saturday, January 5th and notify you via email. What projects are you going to work on in 2019? Maybe a new technique? New style? Favorite new supplies? I want to know! I did this same question last year and just loved all the answers!! Happy Hopping today and Happy Crafting in the new year! XOXO

This is the prize package for my stop on the hop! Wooohoooo!

 

And, since it's New Year's I want to share a project with you! I made a graphic and classy black and gold New Year card to start the crafty new year off right! I used the Bee Bold Numbers dies from Honey Bee Stamps and gorgeous New Years stamps and dies from Pretty Pink Posh! It all worked together so nicely. And let's pop the champagne! I always love black and gold for New Years...I almost always use these colors. A bit of shimmer too... 

 

I started with an A2 card base in rich black cardstock. I layered gold paper then another layer of black cardstock. Next I die cut out 2 0 1 9 three different times - in black and in gold. I used foam tape to layer the number dies onto the top black layer. This is my base/foundation for the card. I really like how graphic that is! 

 

I die cut the New Year Script die (from Pretty Pink Posh) out of gold paper. It's so pretty and delicate! Then I stamped, die cut and colored the top hat and the champagne bottle. Everything was colored with Copic Markers. I did a bit of paper piecing to add gold accents to the bottle and top hat. 

 

 

 

I snapped a pretty picture after I die cut out all those numbers! Loving that new sequin mix from PPP!! CLASSY!!

 

Here's a quick pic of my work mat with just the numbers on the card. At first I thought I could fit four rows of numbers, but only three would fit...

 

I used clear glue and my tweezers to attach the script die cut to the card. It was like surgery! LOL. But well worth the effort. It looks like it's floating on the card. I used foam tape to affix the top hat and champagne bottle to the card.

 

 

Thank you for coming by! HAPPPPPYYYYYY NEWWWWWW YEAR! We are going to have lots of fun creating together in 2019 I just know it! I wish you and your family a blessed, happy, healthy, and successful new year! Love ya! Mean it! XOXO

ENJOY THE HOP!

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER TO WIN ALL THE PRIZES!

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ENTIRE AWESOME BLOG HOP LIST!

9 Year Blogaversary! And, my end of the year wrap up for 2018!

Hello my dear blogging friends! Today I'm celebrating my NINE YEAR BLOGAVERSARY! Wowza! That means it's time for my annual end of the year wrap up post! Only a little bit of 2018 left! I look forward to writing this post each December, and sharing with you my favorite projects from the past year. CLICK HERE to read my wrap up from 2017! This year end post helps me finalize my year and reflect on my creative journey. I feel like I grow in new ways each year, both as a person and as an artist and blogger. Having my blog is a lot like having a diary or a journal and it's really cool to look back at almost a decade worth of cards and projects all in one place! I am so grateful to have this little place on the internet to share with the world and with you my creative supporters and friends. Thank you for being part of it all with me! It wouldn't be the same without the interaction from you, and all the friends I have made through the years. You bless me all the time with your kindness and love. 

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! And, Happy New Year 2019! Be sure to check back here on New Year's day because It's the Season's Givings Blog Hop day! All of the bloggers in the hop are giving away prizes! TONS and TONS of prizes! It is always really fun! You don't want to miss it, I promise! I look forward to that each year too! YAY! I have a cool, graphic new year card to share in the blog hop! 

My word for 2018 was TRUTH. Here's what I wrote last December: "There is only one truth and it is solid, stable and unchanging. My identity is anchored to the truth of who I am to God. Lack of being anchored in the truth causes us to rise and fall with circumstances. The truth keeps us from drifting afloat. Gives us hope. The other facet of this is that I often don't want to SEE the truth as it is put before me. I want to always believe the best in people and situations, and that gets me hurt. Truth is a more realistic way of navigating this harsh world... So TRUTH has two meanings for me. I've already started using this in my journaling and planning for 2018." I feel that the word truth carried me through some difficult times this year. I learned a lot about myself, but the truth never changed...My faith is stronger and God always pulls me through as he did in 2018. My family is stronger and we are looking forward to new beginnings as the clock turns to 2019. 

My word for 2018 is FOCUS. This word has a lot of meaning to me as a photographer! But as a person it means FOCUSING on what is important, what matters... I tend to get sidetracked easily from the things that are best for me. I get caught up in what other people need or want from me and I put myself to the side. I need to FOCUS on my goals, my dreams, the things that will be good and healthy for me. I also need to consistently FOCUS on the Lord and what He is doing with my life and fulfilling my purpose. This word feels right to me right now. 

Do you choose focus words or resolutions for the new year? I'd love to hear! Leave me a comment about your hopes for the new year! 

Something I love to do here on the blog at the end of the year, is to take a look back on my creative journey from the year before! This annual post is kind of like a cyber scrapbook! Thank you for joining along with me in 2018! We had some good times! This was my first year in nine years that I decided to not be on any design teams. I feel like I got back to my stamping roots so to speak and I really created from my heart this year. It felt good. I had some awesome opportunities to work with companies and people I love and admire. It was a good year creatively! This post is #1485 total! WOW! That's a lot of blog posts! LOL. I've enjoyed each one!

Six years ago, I started the tradition of recapping my favorite projects from the past year. I get so much nice feedback about this! Here are my favorites from 2018... There are a lot! So grab a cup of coffee or tea, and settle in! I hope you enjoy the look back with me! 

To see more information about each project,

please click on the the individual photos!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

I appreciate all of you so much,

all of your love and kindness and support!

I wish you the very best year ever! Cheers to 2019!

Honey Bee Stamps - Piece of Cake!

Hi everyone! Guess what? We survived Christmas! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and that you're still basking in the memories of presents and good food! We had a very nice and mellow Christmas at our house. Ate too much, watched Christmas movies all day and were generally lazy! It was foggy and perfect weather.... And, I spent some time in my studio making a fun birthday card to share with you!

All the Christmas stamps and dies are put away now and I had a hard time thinking of what I wanted to make first! I decided to use the brand new Honey Bee Stamps release! I LOOOOOVE the new stamp set called Piece of Cake! I'm going to be using that one a lot for birthday cards. It's the perfect blend of cute, classic, stylish and fun. I hope you like my card - lots of pink! I used distress inks to create a blended background and also used distress inks to water color my images. 

 

This is an A2 sized card. I created my own card base from Neenah Solar White Cardstock. I layered one more layer of white and then the top layer is a Scallop A2 die cut also from Honey Bee Stamps (supplies at the end of my post). I always need birthday cards, right? I'll talk more about the background a bit later in this post. I stamped and die cut out all the images - from Arteza watercolor paper. It's my favorite right now. I used a palette and my distress inks and a small paint brush to color the images. 

 

Here is a close up of the color scheme... Pink, blue and red is always a favorite. But, of course, my cake had to have chocolate frosting!! There are splashes of Clear Wink of Stella on the cake plate, the tag and the fruit.

 

That perfect red balloon is from another of my favorite Honey Bee Stamps sets called Celebration Box. I added the tag under the balloon and string when I attached everything to the card with foam tape. 

 

The scallop rectangle die was cut from Bristol Paper. I find that it works great with ink blended backgrounds. I used Spun Sugar and Worn Lipstick to gently blend ink only around the edges. The center is still white. Be very sparing with the ink at first. You can always add more! 

 

In my mind, this card had confetti going on... Hmmmmm... What to use for confetti?? So I went through all my Honey Bee Stamps stamp sets and found SNOW! Yes, those little dots at the top are the snow stamp from Jingle All The Way! I stamped it in Worn Lipstick ink just around the top of the panel! Yay! Festive. 

 

 

That's it for me today! Time to get busy making New Year Cards! What's going on in your studio?? What is next on your crafting agenda?? I'm going to crochet meetup tonight and I need to figure out what I'm making! Have a beautiful day my craft pals! XOXO

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Merry Christmas 2018 from the Guess Family!

Wishing you and your loved ones a 

VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

From my home to yours!

Love, Mark, Wanda & Lucky Guess

Sending Warm Fuzzies!

Hey there friends! What's happening? I hope everything is going great in your part of the world! Lots going on here, but nothing really, if that makes sense... My computer crashed on Sunday so I had to buy a new one and it's so time consuming and frustrating to get everything all organized and back to working the way you like it. My computer also crashed back in May, so that's the second time this year. UGH. Like really UGH. I've been out of commission for a bit here on the blog as a result. Looks like everything is working now. (Fingers crossed) Most of my Christmas cards are mailed (yay!) My shopping is done! The hubs and I have been trying to get out and do Christmasey things. We are very lucky that there are a lot of things to do around here that are free. We are taking advantage! I'm already trying to look forward to a new year. 

I am done making Christmas projects for this year, but I figure I can still make pretty Winter projects right? I've been really wanting to use these new stamps and dies from Ellen Hutson called Snow Days. I made this pretty and festive card to share with you today! Mittens, felt, pom poms??? What's not to love? I hope you get the warm fuzzies I'm sending your way today! 

 

I started with a white A2 card base. Then I layered my favorite pink cardstock for a pop of color! The top layer is kraft cardstock splattered with Copic Opaque White to look like snow flurries. I stamped the sentiment in rich Onyx Black Ink before I did the 'snow.' 

I die cut the mittens using the Snow Days dies. Then I ran them through the Carta Bella Fair Isle Embossing Folder to add a pattern! LOVE! Then I used the mittens dies a second time to perfectly die cut those felt cuffs. I adhered the felt and the pom poms with all purpose clear glue.

 

 

 

Here's a close up of the mittens. Once I embossed them I kind of thought the pink was too bright. I wanted to tone the color down a little bit. So, I used white pigment ink and a big sponge dauber and gently went over the pattern with white ink. OOHHH frosty! That was just the right touch. I also spritzed the mittens with Frost Shimmer Spritz. You can't really tell in the photos but they are slightly shimmery too - like snow! EEP. 

 

I glued a double bow of pretty Lawn Fawn Twine and then glued the ends down where I knew I would attach the mittens. The mittens are attached to the card with foam tape. I tucked a few snowflakes in here and there. I really love this color combo - lime, pink and aqua - you guys know I use it a lot! Super fresh and happy I think!

 

 

I'm sending you lots of warm fuzzies in this last week before Christmas! Can you feel them? Take care, and have a beautiful, blessed, and happy day! XOXO

 

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Merry Christmas Snowmen!

HELLLOOOOOOO! As I'm typing this blog post I'm thinking this might be my last Christmas card post for this year! Not sure if I'll have time to make any more Christmas cards or not! I still have a few ideas, and some pretty (unused) stamp sets on my desk! We'll see what happens! I really like this card, so if it's the last one, I'm okay with it! LOL. Merry Christmas 2018!! This card combines stamps from three of my favorite companies. I love to combine stamp sets and dies to make my own design. This card is wintery and cooooooool. 

The finished card is a horizontal A2 card base in white with one other layer, also in white. Pretty simple color palette - white, blue and red. LOVE. I can almost feel a cool breeze go by when I look at this card. Haha. And, who doesn't love tiny snowmen!? 

 

Those big alphabet dies are from Honey Bee Stamps. The snowmen stamps and dies are from Mama Elephant. And the pretty snow background and the 'christmas' word are from Right At Home Stamps. The letters were colored with Distress Inks and the snowmen were colored with Copic Markers. 

 

EEEEEP! How adorable is that guy?? Peeking out from behind the letter! Just saying hi! On the top layer, I used the pretty Snow Flurries background stamp and stamped it in Tumbled Glass Distress Ink. I placed it just on top of the panel. The stamp is huge and would actually fill that whole space! 

 

To make the letters I got a piece of white paper and used a sponge dauber to put down Tumbled Glass and Mermaid Lagoon Distress Inks. Then I splattered snow onto the paper. I dried it really quickly with my heat tool. Then I used the Bee Bold Alphabet dies to die cut out the word M E R R Y. I attached the letters to the center of the card and stamped the sentiment below it in rich black ink. Then I added some cute snowmen!! (I stamped and die cut the snowmen out and colored them with Copics.)

 

This is my paper I used for the letters. I also had sprinkled some clean water onto this panel - before the white snow splatters!! 

 

 

 

 

 

This card has lots going on, but still looks simple and cute! And it has dimension - but will be flat enough to mail! I have loads of ideas for more cards like this!! Never enough time - too many ideas!

 

 

Have a happy, fun, festive and creative day, my friends! XOXO

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Celebrate Christmas!

Hi there! Hope today finds you happy and smiling! I'm having a good week so far. It's my hubs' birthday this week so we did some low key celebrating and there was cake! YAY! My chapter of Tuesdays Together is doing an awesome event today and I'm really looking forward to that. Then before we blink again this year will be in the rear view mirror! 2018 was not a fabulous year so I'm not sad about saying goodbye to it! I need to start making New Year Cards too! EEKS. 

Today I'm sharing another one of my favorite stamp sets from this season. It's called Bells and Baubles and it's from Right At Home Stamps. I LOVE their stamps! Yay! I wanted to put my own twist on this stamp set. So instead of using all the layering stamps, I chose some of the smaller decorative stamps and heat embossed them onto the ornament shaped die cuts. Then I colored them with Distress Inks. Fun! This is an A2 card finished with a white A2 card base. Let's take a look...

 

I cut and folded my white A2 card base. Then I cut a layer of Rock Candy Cardstock (the perfect shade of medium gray) and splattered snow all over that layer! I used a white gel pen to draw some sparkles onto the grey also. Then I heat embossed the sentiment with white embossing powder - in the lower right hand corner. I set that aside to dry. To make the ornaments I die cut the ornament shapes out first. Then I used the small detail stamps to add the designs - also with white heat embossing. I used bright colors of Distress Inks and sponge daubers to add the color to the ornaments. I also splattered snow on them. I really wanted them to look like pastel vintage 60's ornaments!

 

Here is a close up of the sentiment. Such a pretty pretty font! I only used part of the stamp! I used washi tape to crop off the other words so I just had the word 'celebrate' on my card. 

 

For the top of the card, I used the very pretty die set from Hello Bluebird Stamps - called Holly and Pine. It's perfect for winter cards! I die cut the branches from silver cardstock and cut the bow from pink cardstock. Then I added a big ole gem at the top! Silver thread makes for the ornament strings...

 

 

Thanks for coming by today! Hope the rest of your week is fantastic! XOXO See you soon!

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Beep Beep! Hello Christmas!

Hi crafty friends! Happy Weekend! Hope you're out having fun and enjoying the season. I'm finishing up the last of my Christmas projects and posting them. Some stamping companies have already moved on to Valentine's Day projects! EEK! I am running out of time to share holiday cards with you. I have a few more! My cards aren't mailed out yet either! Never enough time at the holidays right?? 

BEEP BEEP! I have a cute and happy card to share on today's post! A little Christmas car, loaded with presents, and driving over the river and through the woods! This card was super fun to make! I used stamps and dies from Ellen Hutson and Impress Stamps...oh and an action wobble too!

 

I started with a red card base, A2 size. Then I used bright white cardstock and die cut it using the pretty Snowfall Backdrop die from Ellen Hutson. I stamped the sentiment in black onto the bottom of the snowy layer and set it aside. I stamped the car stamp and cut it out with some small scissors because I knew I wanted it to pop off the page!

 

It was pretty easy to cut out this stamp - not too many small parts! I used a black pen and wrote the word 'merry' on the license plate! I colored the car in using my Copic Markers in Christmas colors. 

 

I die cut lime green Christmas trees from the Ellen Hutson Winter Window Die set. I tried to create a little forest for my car to drive through. Now the super fun part! I used an action wobble to attach the car to the card! It shakes down the road! LOL! (Kind of like how I drive!). It's super cool in person. Have you ever used action wobbles?? They lay flat for mailing but then they pop up when the person opens the card. 

 

Here's a side view of the wobble! It's a teeny tiny plastic spring! 

 

I love wood mounted stamps....I have a pretty good collection, but I always like to add new ones!

 

 

 

 

That's my card for today! Best wishes for a great week to come! XOXO See you soon!

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