A Blog Called Wanda

Taylored Expressions New Card Kit - Love Grows Here!

Hi friends! Happy Mon...I mean Tuesday! It sure feels like Monday after a nice long weekend! I hope you are doing well and enjoying the beginning of Summer where you live! We had a nice weekend with church, and gardening and even went to a movie. Our weather has been postcard perfect and I am loving it. I keep waiting for it to be super hot but our temps have been great. And this week it's going to be June! Can't believe it!

I am aware that some of my project photos are still missing from random blog posts! I can't fix it on my end (ugh) and I'm waiting for Typepad to resolve it for me. Thank you for being patient while this all gets ironed out. It's been super frustrating! Photos are my mode of communication and it's making me kinda cray cray!

Today I'm sharing a card I made with the brand new fabulous card kit from Taylored Expressions! It's called Love Grows Here and it's full of plants! Ever notice how there are certain trends in stamping and crafting? Well, plants are 10000% on trend right now! And I love it. I am definitely a plant person. Are you? The new card kit has stamps and stencils and dies and more!! I think you're gonna love it too. Here's my card that features the elements from the new kit. My finished card is an A2 card base, covered with woodgrain paper and then lots of green and earth tones....

 

Here's a side view of my layers and my plant shelves! So much fun!!

 

The stencils and matching dies in this kit are genius! You stencil all the pots on a piece of paper and the die cut them all out at once with the matching die. Then you stencil all the plants and die cut them at once too. Super easy for great results. I used warm earth tones and then splattered on some white paint to the pots for a bit of interest. 

 

The sentiments in the card kit are so cute!! And with one of my favorite things - mixed fonts.

 

For my embellishments I used some green glitter gems and one little heart.... I used foam tape to mount my plants onto the card. I used the dies to create some plant shelves in shades of brown. Looks like a plant store!

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the complete card kit - available now! See how the dies are - for the stencils. I love that it's so easy to cut everything out.

 

 

And here's a photo of just the stamps and stencils!

That's it for today's post! I am wishing you a wonderful week ahead my friends! XOXO

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW CARD KIT!

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

 

Hero Arts Summer 2023 Catalog Release Blog Hop! Boho Butterflies!

Hi everyone! Happy Monday - and a fun Monday it is actually! The brand new Hero Arts Summer 2023 new catalog just launched! And we are celebrating the new catalog with a big fun blog hop! Prize information, supplies, and hop information are all at the bottom of my post! If you're new to my blog - welcome! Nice to see you! And of course, welcome back to all my stamping friends! Thank you to Hero Arts for the invitation and the beautiful new products! I always love working with Hero Arts! 

I am aware that some of my project photos are still missing from random blog posts! I can't fix it on my end (ugh) and I'm waiting for Typepad to resolve it for me. Thank you for being patient while this all gets ironed out. It's been super frustrating! Photos are my mode of communication and it's making me kinda cray cray!

My card for today's hop features the brand new Butterfly Transfers (so pretty), the brand new Scallop Rectangle Infinity Dies, and the Brand new Mixed Textures stamps! I also used some of my previously released favorite things from Hero Arts! My card took on kind of a vintage/mixed media vibe and I love how it came out!! My finished card is an A2 cream cardstock card base. I layered kraft woodgrain paper and then a cream tag for the focal point. 

 

Here's a side view of my layers. I used foam tape to pop the tag up from the card. Everything is nice and inky too!

 

 

 

These new Butterfly Transfers are SO BEAUTIFUL! And really just super easy to use! I used three different transfers onto cream cardstock and then die cut them out with the matching dies. I splashed on some gold watercolor paint and set them aside to dry to make the rest of my card. 

 

I used the Mixed Textures stamp set to stamp pretty text, clock faces and a fleur de lis too! To make the tag I used the Hero Arts Nesting Tags Dies. I used three shades of Distress Inks to create a nice wash of matching colors behind the butterflies. All the stamps were stamped with brown ink. On the edges of the tags I rubbed on Embossing Ink and gold embossing powder for shimmery accents.

 

I used the sentiment from the Tropical Flowers set and inked it onto a banner.... I inked it up to match the feel of the tag.

 

 

Once the tag was dry I used liquid glue to glue down just the centers of the butterflies. While the glue was drying I used my bone folder to hold the bodies in place and held the wings up with my fingers. I love this look!

 

A bit of twine and some old Hero Arts Pearls from my stash!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for joining me today for the fun Hero Arts Summer 2023 Catalog Blog Hop! Have a great week! XOXO

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW CATALOG!

PRIZE INFORMATION: Hero Arts will be giving away two $50 gift cards, drawn from the comments left along the blog hop! To enter, please comment on all the blogs for more chances to win! You have until Sunday, May 28 at 11:59pm to enter. The winners will be announced on the Hero Arts blog! Good Luck!

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

 

BLOG HOP LINK LIST! ENJOY THE HOP!

Channin Pelletier
Dana Joy
Emily Midgett
Ilina Crouse
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Kelly Taylor
Libby Hickson
Lydia Fiedler
Michelle Short
Mindy Eggen
Pocono Pam
Seeka

BreAnn Loveland
Cathy Zielske
Daniel West
Erica A-B
Jaycee Gaspar
Laura Bassen
Laurie Willison
Nichol Spohr
Vicki Boutin
Wanda Guess

 

Lawn Fawn Mini Release! Just Plane Awesome!

Helloooooo friends! Today is new release day for Lawn Fawn! They have a new "mini" release out today and they kindly sent me a few new products to work with beforehand so I could share with you! I just adore Lawn Fawn, don't you? The cutest critters to color with Copics! I hope you are having a great week this week!! 

My card features the brand new Just Plane Awesome stamps and dies along with some of my previously released favorites from Lawn Fawn. My finished card is an A2 white card base that I covered with Rainbow Plaid paper!! I layered some clouds, and then those cute mice flying by in their paper airplanes!!

 

The background was made using the Stitched Cloud Background in white paper and then inked with Oxide ink! I stamped and die cut out the mice, clouds and airplanes and colored them all in. I added white gel pen accents too! My sentiment is from the new set, and I used the Wavy Banners dies to stamp the sentiment on.

 

I die cut out the sun from the Spring Showers Die set - I used yellow paper and also yellow Oxide ink blended onto it.... The clouds are from the Yay Kites stamp set.

 

I attached the elements onto the card using adhesive foam circles so they pop off the page!! 

 

I think you are JUST PLANE AWESOME! I will see you back here soon!! XOXO

 

The Greetery - Hip Hip Hooray - Mini Cake Birthday Card!

Hello Hello Hello!! How are you today?! I have been making A LOT of birthday cards lately! And today I have one more for you! I think that's good, because we always need birthday cards around! It's my day to share a project on The Greetery Blog today, and I also wanted to share my card here on my blog with all of you.... I used some supplies from the newest release along with some previously released birthday products to make today's card. I made a rainbow mini cake! Yippeeee! Hip Hip Hooray indeed!

***I am aware that some of my project photos are still missing from random blog posts! I can't fix it on my end (ugh) and I'm waiting for Typepad to resolve it for me. Thank you for being patient while this all gets ironed out. It's been super frustrating! Photos are my mode of communication and it's making me kinda cray cray!***

My finished card is an A2 white card base... I used the awesome Delightful Digits background die in teal for the base of my card.... I layered on some streamers too! My feature is that super adorable Mini Cake from the latest release! I used a bright and vivid tropical color palette and added some sparkle! I splashed on silver watercolor paint for a hint of shimmer.... It's a party basically! Ha.

I die cut a white tag using the Tag Team Duo dies for my focal layer. On the tag, I stamped a few yellow starbursts and added rhinestones. Next up, I die cut all the pieces for the cake! I used the Takes The Cake Mini dies and cut out a tropical rainbow of cardstocks to layer. The cake stand is silver cardstock.

 

 

To finish up I added a twine bow in matching teal, and made the tiny cake banner out of vellum. I stamped the sentiment in rich black ink using the Takes The Cake stamp set. I really love the font on this set! I assembled the card using foam tape to 'pop' up the tag and the cake. 

 

The background die cut perfectly covers the front of an A2 card... 

 

 

 

I really love those little sparkly stamps! I stamped them in yellow and added rhinestones to the centers of the large ones... 

 

 

I used Scalloped Edge scissors to cut the bottom of the tag....

 

 

That's my little party-on-a-card-birthday-card for today!! This would also look good in any color combo! I'm thinking pinks and creams, or even graphic black and white!! I will see you back here soon! Until then, happy crafting my friends! XOXO

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supplies I used in today's project (Affiliate Links Used).

 

Sunny Studio Stamps - Summer Release Guest Designer - Cupcakes and Kitties!

Hi everyone! Happy Weekend! Hope your week was excellent! I had a busy and good week. I donated Platelets and Plasma again on Wednesday after a great Bible Study class.... And I actually built in a day of pampering for myself during the week (reading, facial, quiet time, organizing...)  Last night was really fun too! Our church puts on the "Enchanted" Prom for teens and young adults with special needs, and it is seriously the most uplifting thing ever. I volunteered to be paparazzi and greet the guests and take photos!! Everyone gets to dress up and walk the red carpet and dance dance dance. Makes my heart incredibly full. Today is a day to get caught up at home! Chores and blogging and creating! I hope you have a fun weekend planned! I think we are finally at Summer here - it's the 90's every day now! 

***I am aware that some of my project photos are still missing from random blog posts! I can't fix it on my end (ugh) and I'm waiting for Typepad to resolve it for me. Thank you for being patient while this all gets ironed out. It's been super frustrating! Photos are my mode of communication and it's making me kinda cray cray!***

I have a fun blog post for you today! I am a guest designer this month for the wonderful new Summer Release from Sunny Studio Stamps! I have loved their stamps and dies from day one.... Everything is so happy and cheerful and fun to create with. I made two birthday cards to share with you! CLICK HERE to visit the Sunny Studio Store!!

My first card for today features the brand new (and perfectly named) Scrumptious Cupcakes stamps and dies! I made a rainbow of swirly cupcakes using the genius three step stamps!! My finished card is a white A2 horizontal card base. I covered the card with teal stripes and then a frilly frame.... I used vellum and silver heat embossing too!! It's a confection! I wish I could eat this card. LOLZ. 

 

Here's a side view of the card. I put all the layers together first, and then wrapped the embossed vellum around the entire card front. Then I glued it onto the white card base. I didn't want to detract from all the colorful cupcakes!! The cupcakes were affixed to the card using foam tape.

 

Silver embossing, that pretty sentiment and that perfect font!!!  The white card layer is made from gorgeous dies from Sunny Studio!! 

 

I stamped each cupcake top in a rainbow shade using three colors of inks.... I kept the cupcakes the same (brown) and the papers the same (gray) to make the colors pop!! All my ink colors and ink pads used are listed in the supplies at the bottom of my post - or click here!

 

I added tiny hearts to the bottom of each cupcake for a bit of LOVE! 

 

 

 

 

My second birthday card for today features the brand new Birthday Cats stamps and dies and the brand new Bright Balloons Dies!! My finished card is a white A2 card base, layered with rainbow stripes, red and an inked panel.... It's so bright and colorful! And birthday cats??!! SO CUTE!!!

 

Here's a side view of all my layers! 

 

 

For the top, focal, panel, I die cut a white zig zag rectangle with the MIni Mat 4 die set, and ink blended just the top with Distress Oxides and Blender Brushes. I stamped the sentiment right onto the blue portion after it was dry. How adorable are those birthday kitties??!! I stamped and die cut the three images and colored them with Copic Markers. One is Lucky, of course! The other one is Buddy, my sweet orange Tabby who passed away...and that third one is my childhood pet Tippy!! Hee hee.

 

Here's a close up of my layers and that pretty balloon! I want to take a moment to stress how much I LOOOOOVE Sunny Studio patterned papers!! I have a stack about a foot tall and I used them all the time!! Think stripes, gingham, polka dots and more. The reason I love them is that they are super thick, and double sided patterns...and the colors are incredibly saturated and vivid. I am telling you - check them out!! CLICK HERE to see the papers!

 

I used my MISTI for perfect placement of my sentiment.... PURRRRRFECT!! 

That's it for me today! My cards today are also up on the Sunny Studio Blog! Big thanks to Mendi for having me as a guest for her wonderful new release. I hope you have a fantastic weekend! XOXO 

CLICK HERE TO SHOP SUNNY STUDIO STAMPS!

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

 

Pretty Pink Posh May 2023 New Release - You're SO Tweet!

Hi guys! Happy Monday! How was your weekend? We had a nice weekend here in Sacramento! Hope you're ready for a fresh new week and some creating and crafting! Last week I shared a card I made with the new Pretty Pink Posh release for the big Blog Hop.... And today is the first day of the big Instagram Hop for the new release. I have a fun card to share with you - more birdies, Copic Markers and some ink blending too.... If you have Instagram, be sure to head over and leave a comment on all the posts for the hop so you can be eligible to win a prize. Let's get started on my card for today!

My finished card is an A2 white card base, layered with kraft, teal and white. I used the brand new Swiss Dots Stencils with white ink on the kraft to create my background. My card features the brand new A Little Birdie stamps and dies and the brand new Spring Birdhouses stamps and dies. I also used the previously released Floral Corners stamps, and the pop up box dies in a different way too!

 

This sentiment is really cute!! I could see this as a thank you card or a just because card.... Here's a side view of my layers and pieces....

 

I started by stamping and die cutting out the birdhouse, branch, floral spray and birdies, and coloring everything with Copic Markers. I added white gel pen accents as well. 

 

To frame my little scene, I used parts and pieces of the Scalloped Box Pop Up Card dies! I used the back portion for the arch and the front panel for my sentiment. I wanted a little pop of yellow, so I ink blended Distress Oxides in yellows on both white panels. Yellow just automatically makes everything more cheerful.

 

 

 

 

 

This Floral spray was just the right touch for a bit more color up there in the corner of my card. I have loved this stamp set since it came out!!

 

 

That's it for today! Happy Monday, and cheers to a great week! XOXO

CLICK HERE TO do the INSTAGRAM HOP TODAY!

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

 

 

Pretty Pink Posh May 2023 New Release Blog Hop - Just a Note Birdhouse Card!

Hello crafting pals! It's MAY! Wow, the year is flying! It's almost Summer! I hope you're having a great week so far. My week has been busy and starting tomorrow we are going to a church conference which I am very excited about! Life is good in the neighborhood!! Today I'm here on the blog as part of the giant blog hop celebrating the new May 2023 release from Pretty Pink Posh! You know Paulina has made more new cute things for us to create with, and everything is perfect for late Spring and early Summer..... 

The blog hop this month is three days, and as usual, there will be an Instagram hop next week and I'll share another card then too. Today is my day in the hop lineup and I'm happy to share a project with you! Prizes, supplies, discounts and the link list are at the bottom of my post today. Let's get started!

THE PPP NEW RELEASE IS ALREADY AVAILABLE FOR SHOPPING NOW!!

I am seriously in love with everything from the new release!! Today's card features the brand new Decorative Birdhouse Dies and the brand new Stitched Birds Dies! I also used the previously released Just a Note Script Dies! LOVE.... My finished card is a white A2 card base layered with blue, gingham and white. I wanted a real hot Summer day vibe... You know, a gingham tablecloth, sunflowers, and birdies chirping....

 

 

Here's a side view so you can see all my layers! I adore that new sentiment die...it will be perfect for so many cards! 

 

 

I had my idea for my card and I knew I wanted Sunflowers....so I got out my Spring Foliage Dies set and used yellow and brown to create small scale Sunflowers to add to my birhouse. They are so dang cheerful!! My birdhouse was constructed with two colors of brown cardstock and gingham paper. I matched the blue in the bird to the gingham paper for a nice look.

 

I gently pinched the petal of the sunflowers to make them a bit 'rustic' and to pop up off the card. Here are the different elements of the birdhouse... I added a sweet red heart over the door!

 

I used the Stitched Birds Dies to make that little guy! I can't wait to make more birdies too! I'm thinking Christmas Cardinals already! Love.

 

 

 

 

That's it for today's project! I hope you have a blessed and happy day! Keep on crafting, and I'll see you soon! XO

BLOG HOP PRIZE INFO!! Pretty Pink Posh is giving away THREE $30 gift certificates (one winner each day). Winners will be picked randomly along the blog hop so be sure to comment on all the posts! Comments must be left by 11:59 PM PST on 5/8. The lucky winners will be announced on the PPP blog.

SHOP THE NEW PPP RELEASE HERE!

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

BLOG HOP LINEUP FOR TODAY!

Pretty Pink Posh blog 
Wanda Guess
Gemma Campbell
Melody Rupple
Stefanie Loh
Carly Minner
Leica Palma

 

Hip Hip Hooray! The Greetery New Release Day! And a SALE!

 

HIP HIP HOORAY!

IT'S GREETERY NEW RELEASE DAY!

ALL THE NEW ITEMS ARE AVAILABLE NOW!

AND THERE'S AN AWESOME SALE TOO!

 

 

The sale starts wednesday 4/26 at 10am EST and ends Saturday 4/29 at 11:59pm EST!! The 15% storewide code is automatically applied at checkout!

 

It has been my pleasure to share the new release with you this week!! I hope you enjoy your new goodies and enjoy many hours of creativity and fun!! XO

The Greetery - Hip Hip Hooray Collection - New Release Day Two! More Birthday Excitement!

Welcome back to day two of the new release reveals for The Greetery!! The Hip Hip Hooray release - product reveals yesterday and today - and then release day will be tomorrow April 26th at 10am EST!! Did you love all the birthday projects for Day 1? Are you ready to get all your birthday cards caught up? I have so many ideas still. It's all perfect for mixing and matching. I have three more birthday cards to show you today - more color and more PARTY!! Thanks for stopping by for day two! Let's go!

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

My first card today is a sweet pink confection! If I had to pick a favorite of the release, I think it would be this card! My finished card is a white A2 card base, layered with gold, white and pink!! Yummy!! My card features the brand new Takes The Cake stamps, stencils and dies...And the new Cake Banner Die, Cake Stand Die and more!! It's all soooooo fabulous!!! The cake dies have a matching flower overlay and it's divine. You guys are going to have so much fun with this suite of products.

 

Here's a side view of all the layers and pieces.... That pretty banner - I made it from vellum and gold heat embossed the sentiment on it.... The flowers are made with a set of stencils, and then die cut out with the matching die. I used foam tape to pop it up off the cake. My cake base layer is very light pink cardstock.

 

For the background I used the background stamp heat embossed in gold and then ink blended soft pink ink at the top only. This card is so girlie!!

 

 

 

 

I die cut the candle flames and the cake stand out with gold glitter cardstock. I do love shimmer.... I added Stickles to the flowers also.

 

 

Aren't those the cutest little candles??!! 

 

My next card is also a sweet treat! This finished card is an A2 kraft card base, layered with pink and cream.... This card features the brand new Hey Cupcake Dies and the brand new Sweet and Fancy Labels stamps and dies! Everything you need to make treats!! I used kind of a vintage color palette for this one - kraft, pink, creak and brown...

 

 

You can build the cupcakes and treats in any combination! The possibilities are endless!! Mix and match all the toppings and frostings... I used vellum for the bottom paper, then kraft, then pink. I love the tiny cherry and strawberry add ons!

 

 

I stamped the sentiment using brown and pink inks and gently inked the edges of the little label!! Isn't it pretty??

 

The background was made by stamping with white ink onto pink paper. It's subtle but so pretty! And it reminds me of a pastry shop for some reason! I splattered on some white paint on the cupcakes to look like powdered sugar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, finally, my last card for the new release!! My finished card is an A2 white card base....and then PRESENTS!! This card features the brand new Gifts Galore stencils and dies. There also is a hot foil plate that goes with this suite!! Presents for any occasion!! I used a fresh color combo of aqua blue, yellow and lime green! All my ink colors are listed in my supply list!

 

This is the entire image of the stencils....I used the entire panel, but you could easily use parts of it and/or die cut out the gifts to use in a different way. I really wanted to showcase the cool full panel. I used silver glitter paper to make all the bows and ribbons to keep it cohesive. 

 

 

Dots and stripes and stars, oh my!!!

 

I used the previously released All Kinds of Happy stamps and dies for the sentiment.

 

I splashed on some white/silvery paint splatters for more shimmer (never enough shimmer)....

 

 

 

Yahhooooo! That was a party!! So happy you could join me! The past two days have been so fun! I love to share new things with you! What are you excited for? Is the creativity flowing already?? Thanks for spending some time with me here this week. The new release will be for sale tomorrow - Wednesday, April 26th at 10am EST! Have a blessed day! XOXO

DAY TWO PRIZE INFORMATION!! The Greetery will be giving away FOUR Hip-Hip-Hooray complete collections! The giveaway includes all of the stamps, stencils, hot foils, accessories, etc. Total value is $447 per bundle. Comments will only be open today - Tuesday, beginning now, and closing at 11:59pm EST today - Tuesday April 25th!!  To be entered to win, leave a comment on each blog for today!  Random comments will be chosen and announced on The Greetery Blog! WOW - GOOD LUCK!! 

Thank you for spending part of your week here with me! It is most definitely my pleasure to share The Greetery products with you! I feel very lucky to be part of this team. Happy Shopping tomorrow! I truly appreciate it if you remember to shop via my links! XO

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE GREETERY STORE!

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

 

DESIGN TEAM INSPIRATION LINKS FOR TODAY!

Angelica

Dana

Dawn

Kelly

Laurie

Melissa

Wanda

The Greetery - Hip Hip Hooray Collection - New Release Day One! Let's Party!

 

****I HAVE TWO BLOG POSTS TODAY! PLEASE SCROLL TO SEE THE PINKFRESH STUDIO BLOG HOP POST!****

Hi friends!! VERY exciting news for you today! I'm here to share the product and project reveals for the April 2023 new release from The Greetery! Yay! This release is called "Hip Hip Hooray" and it's all about celebrations! Think birthdays, and weddings, and graduations! Any reason to have a party and celebrate! This release is seriously so cheerful and I know it will make you smile!! We will have two reveal days this release - today and tomorrow. The design team will be sharing projects on our blogs and revealing all the new products for you. SO exciting! I have six cards to share with you the next two days and they are ALL birthday cards! Yeah - so many great ideas for the type of cards we make the most! I used loads of color on my cards and I hope they make you happy too. Are you excited?? Let's get started, shall we?! 

THE NEW RELEASE DAY IS WEDNESDAY APRIL 26TH AT 10AM EST!

My first card for today features the brand new All Aglow product suite - stamps, dies, stencils...and the brand new Make A Wish Dies!! My finished card is an A2 white card based, layered with aqua, vellum and white. All set up to showcase those cool candles!! I used all my favorite sherbet-y birthday colors!

 

Here's a side shot of my layers... The candles image is the star of the show.... The candles and the flames and the stripes/dots etc are all stencils! Yes, it's that easy to create this cool image! The rays on top of the flame circles are the coordinating stamps. Sooo cool. 

 

I used champagne glitter drops for the flames and gold glitter paper for the sentiment. I really wanted a bit of shimmer on this card!! It's nice and flat for mailing too. 

I added a few sparkles from the stamp set also! It's so neat. Can be retro too, don't you think?? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up is another birthday card that features hot tropical colors! I used the brand new Tear Strips Banners Dies and Tear Strips Tags Birthday stamps! I also featured the SUPER cool new Sparkler Background stamp!! My finished card is an A2 white card base, layered with hot pink, then white....

 

Here's a close up of the Sparkler Background Stamp. I heat embossed it in white embossing powder onto vellum. This is a fun look and I'm happy with how it turned out!!

 

 

The stars of this card are all those fun banner die cuts! I die cut out a bunch of the new banners and placed them on the card. Then I did one in black with white embossing for the sentiment. So graphic!

 

 

 

 

My finishing touch was to add a few champagne glitter drops. This would be fun in any of your favorite color combos!

 

And my final card for today is a big bold square card! You will recognize the awesome Pinwheel Party stencils as the background. Then this card also features the brand new Make A Wish dies and the brand new Make A Wish stamp set. I used a fav color combo of orange and blue. The colors could be changed up to match grad colors or party colors!! 

 

 

I used the new Tear Strip Banner to add my smaller sentiment. I inked the edges of the banner to match the pinwheels! I splattered on some gold paint and die cut my sentiment from gold glitter cardstock. Party!!

 

 

To make the background, I stenciled the pinwheels twice on the same paper. The top one, then flip the paper around, and do it again! It leaves just the right space for the sentiment. 

All my ink pad colors are listed out in my supplies list at the bottom of my post! 

 

 

It's your day to shine! I love that! 

So happy for a new release!! That's it for day one of the new release reveals! Be sure to come back tomorrow and I will be sharing three more cards featuring the new items! Yippeeeeeee! What's your favorite thing so far?  Do you make birthday cards the most? That's what I make the most of! The new release will be for sale on Wednesday, April 26th at 10AM EST!! See you tomorrow! XOXO

DAY ONE PRIZE INFORMATION! The Greetery will be giving away FOUR $50 gift certificates, in honor of our 4th birthday. To be entered to win, leave a comment on each blog for today!  Random comments will be chosen and announced on The Greetery Blog! Be sure to check the prize information for tomorrow too. Hint hint!!

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE GREETERY STORE!

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

 

DESIGN TEAM INSPIRATION LINKS FOR TODAY!

Angelica

Dana

Dawn

Kelly

Laurie

Wanda

Pinkfresh Studio New Release Blog Hop - Sweet Cupcakes Birthday Card!

****I HAVE TWO BLOG POSTS TODAY! BE SURE TO VISIT MY OTHER POST ABOUT THE GREETERY NEW RELEASE!****

Happy Monday! It's going to be a FUN week here on the bloggy blog! I have two posts today - so make sure to visit both of them because there are prizes and fun information on both! Yeah!

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

My birthday card to share today features the brand new Sweet Day stamps, stencils and dies! A lovely birthday suite of products - that also has a matching hot foil plate! We always need more birthday stamps and dies, right? These are fresh and happy for sure! I used a pastel color palette of pink, aqua and yellow to make some cute cupcakes and that awesome banner. My finished card is an A2 card base in white. I layered pink and vellum then a top layer of white for my focal layer....

 

Here is a close up of my paper layers and those sweet cakes! I used the beautiful Intricate Ovals Coverplate die to emboss the design onto light pink cardstock for that layer. Then a layer of vellum, and a stitched white layer. These layers make a frame for my birthday scene.

 

 

 

I stamped the cupcakes in black ink and used the matching stencils to stencil on the color using my Pinkfresh Ink Cubes.... I die cut out all the pieces, and a banner too! The banner was also colored using the matching stencils. One very cool thing about this stamp set is that you can stamp the entire stamp set and die cut it all out in one pass!! Genius!!! The set also has a beautiful cake!! 

 

 

 

I do love a pretty banner!! I used the same colors for the cupcakes and the banner for a cohesive look. I added shiny glitter drops in matching colors on the tops of the cupcakes and the banner.

 

 

 

 

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

Pinkfresh Studio will be giving away the full release on the Pinkfresh blog & YouTube channel! They will also be giving away a total of TEN $25  gift cards along the hop. As per usual with blog hops - the winners will be picked from the comments left on each blog!! Pinkfresh Studio will pull the winners & post them on May 3rd on their GIVEAWAY PAGE. Remember, you must check that page & claim your prize within 2 weeks. GOOD LUCK!

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW PINKFRESH STUDIO RELEASE!

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

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

 

Concord and 9th 2023 Color Release - Final Projects and Swatches!

Hello my dear crafty friends! Happy Friday! How was your week? My week was exceptionally busy and went by so fast! We are about to have our first string of warm sunny days here and I am excited to get outside this weekend. Our yard is looking so gorgeous already because of all the rain we had this year. Tonight we are going to a concert at church that will also be a live album taping! Can't wait for that too. I have been undergoing some dental work and it's been hard and tiring. Going to the dentist is my only real phobia and I've been trying to not freak out about it. My husband has been lovely, and he's been going to my appointments with me for moral support. I'm basically a baby - LOL. My first crown and my first big dental issue since braces in the 70's. I think I'm over the hard part now....  I donated blood platelets and plasma again this week. I have been a blood donator for 40 years!! I only started donating platelets and plasma this year after a friend of mine had cancer and she explained to me how important the plasma is....and how scarce it is.  It really makes me feel good to do something that only benefits someone else. If you've never given blood you should try it at least once! I also went to a great Bible Study and have been blessed with a LOT of work!!! That's the update from here!! 

Today's post is my last post with my last two cards and swatches made with the new Concord and 9th Color Release (YAY!)  Next week - OH BOY!! There is a new Greetery release next week, and a Pinkfresh Studio Blog Hop too! So be sure to hang out with me starting on Monday, okay?! 

Let's get started on today's post.... It has been my absolute pleasure to share the awesome 2023 Concord and 9th Color Release with you!! Twenty five new ink pad and paper colors and fun new products.... I am sharing my final two cards and my last two color swatches. Did you order some things from the new release? Has your order come yet? Are you swatching?! 

First up is this big BIG HUGS square card with a vintage funky retro color palette! This card features the brand new Mod Turnabout Stamp and one of my favorite older produts - the Big Hugs Dies!! I looooove this color combo - it's actually the first swatch I made with the new colors.

 

Here are the colors I used for this card!! I popped in that dark grey for contrast with the other warm saturated colors.... Delicious!! Reminds me of all the 70's houses we lived in when I was a kid! Ha!

 

I started by stamping the gorgeous Mod Turnabout with my MISTI and the C9 inks.... It is so fresh and pretty. I actually wish I could have this design as wallpaper!! 

 

 

I layered the Big Hugs die using mushroom and vellum.... Then I added a little banner across the bottom, and some fresh green hearts!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My next card features the brand new Triple Step Posy Stamps and dies, along with some of my other C9 favorites! I used another color swatch/color combo in a bright summer color palette! I love that new Harbor blue color a lot!! The background die is the Stitched Vines coverplate with I use a lot too. I combined sentiments for a 'just because' card to cheer up anyone!

 

 

Here is my swatch for this one! 

To stamp the big flower cluster is three stamps - the stems, the buds, and the flower centers. I used two shades of green when I did the stems.... Then pink and red for the flowers.

 

This image is so delicate and pretty - great for so many occasions.... I wrapped vellum around my blue layer and mounted the white portion on top. I added a few hearts too!!

 

Here's a close up of that pretty background and my layers...

 

 

 

 

Sending smiles your way on this lovely Spring Friday!! I hope you have a great weekend! It's been so much fun sharing the new items from Concord and 9th. One of my very favorite companies. And they are so kind and lovely to work with. I hope you've been inspired to try some new colors and to get creative! I will see you Monday!! XOXO

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW COLOR RELEASE!

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

 

Concord and 9th 2023 Color Release - Crazy for Swatches!!

Hi guys!! How's your week going? My week is flying by so fast (too fast!) I have a lot of activities and work this week but it's all good. And it's good for me to be busy and out of trouble! We finally hit the 70's here and the sun is out and it's been a real mood lifter for sure. I don't remember a time when it was so late in the year before it got warm. I'm grateful for the nice sunny days and being able to get out more. I hope you're having a good week too!! 

I'm back today with more information and more projects about the brand new 2023 Color Release from Concord and 9th! Did you get some goodies earlier this week? Or are you waiting to see more projects? I have to say that the new colors are SO pretty. I've been using them on everything!! Including my projects for the new Greetery Release! I made four+ projects for Concord and 9th and I'll be sharing throughout the month. Today is all about swatches!! Wooohooo! I do love a good swatchbook. I LOVE to organize and I love to make swatches too! Well, Concord and 9th invented a new and easy solution for making our color swatches and I'm excited to share with you today! Supplies are listed at the bottom of my post. 

With the new supplies, you can make individual color swatches AND these amazing color combination swatches! There is a Swatchbook stamp set (with all the colors) and a Swatchbook die set. I have the most fun making these to share with you!! Here is my first set of swatches. I'll be making more for SURE!!

 

The brilliant part of this is that you can save color combinations!!! Don't you love it?? I mixed and matched new colors and old colors together to create this set of combos. I have so many ideas and I'll be making lots more!!! Also, I'm excited to have a tool to help me if I run into a creative block in the future.

 

In addition to my swatchbook, I also made a small booklet with all the new colors of cardstock. I decorated the cover with Concord and 9th supplies. All the supplies are detailed at the end of my post! 

 

The stamp set has that cool bold font with the title sentiment. I added some crafty elements to the cover (of course!) Feel free to use my color combinations if you like!

 

Here's a close up of my cardstock swatches....

 

When Concord and 9th first came out with their colors (about two years ago) I made this swatchbook!! I'm not sure if I'll keep the old and new colors separate or eventually combine them into one book.... In total there are now 48 colors + black and white. LOOOOOOVE!!!

 

 

The die set has this rectangle die that makes the pieces to put into your book. I went ahead and die cut the rectangles die (it makes six rectangles in one pass) in all 50 colors. Now I have this stack of color blocks to put onto new swatches and color combos. I think this is the way to go because when I get an idea for a combination, I can put it together on the spot!! 

 

I used this swatch for my card I posted on Monday!!

 

I used this retro fresh color combo swatch for a project I'll be sharing later in the month! As you're probably noticing, my favorite new color is definitely Lemongrass! My other two favorites are Dragonfruit and Tidepool!!

 

 

At some point soon I will probably make a swatchbook with the ink pads.... The ink pads are sooooooo juicy and vivid!! Great for blending and stamping and of course for Turnabout stamps!

 

Here is a photo of all the 25 new ink pad colors!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, that's it for today's post! Happy swatching!! Hee hee. Enjoy the rest of your week and I'll see ya soon! XOXO In the comments leave me a note telling me your favorite new color and if you got some of the new goodies!!

CLICK HERE to shop the CONCORD & 9TH new color release!

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supply list for today's projects!! (affiliate links used)

 

Introducing: Concord & 9th 2023 NEW Color Collection! Ink pads and papers! And More!

Hi friends! It's going to be a fun crafty week! Happy Monday! How was your Easter? I hope you had a lovely weekend with loved ones! We had bright sunny skies and it was so uplifting! Looking forward to a very busy week this week. Hope you are doing well! My Easter card photo didn't post correctly yesterday - it's there now if you would like to see it! I'm still having intermitent problems with my website hosting service - with posting photos. It's making me crazy! Really frustrating!! So thank you to the people who gave me a shoutout that my photo was missing!! 

Today's post is something VERY exciting! Today is the official launch day of the NEW COLOR COLLECTION from Concord and 9th! 25 (yes 25) new colors of ink pads, reinkers and cardstock!! WOOHOOOOO! I was very happy to be included in the launch festivities and I've been using the new colors for a couple of weeks making projects to share with you. Excellent! I looooove all the new colors but my favorites so far are Lemongrass, Tidepool and Dragonfruit! And I used those colors today along with some new stencils and dies.... There is a loooooottttt of new! Everything is already available in the C9 Store. I have a photo of all the new colors farther down in my post, and you can CLICK HERE to see my post about the original C9 colors. The new ink pads are juicy and easy to stamp or stencil with!! 

My finished card is a big 5.25" x 5.25" square card made from white cardstock. I layered Lemongrass cardstock and then that gorgeous bold floral. I used the brand new Flower Press Stencils to make the floral and I used the brand new Just Say More dies for the sentiment and the hearts.... SO much color!!! 

 

Who wouldn't want some BIG hugs in the mail?! My colors are listed in the photo above! The swatch strip is another new product launching today, and I'll talk more about it in a post later!! (YAY)

 

There is a huge Instagram Hop today - with prizes at every stop!! Head on over to Instagram to enter to win!!

 

These floral stencils are so fresh and modern! And perfect for mixing and matching your favorite color combos.... They stencil so nice and easy. I splashed on some white paint for an artsy effect.

 

 

These are the 25 new ink colors! Aren't they fabulous???

 

 

And these are the 25 new matching cardstock colors!! The supplies I used to make my swatchbook are in the supplies link at the bottom of my post. I do love making swatches, don't you?! 

 

I wrapped a strip of vellum across the bottom of my card. Then I die cut a circle and mounted it as the 'ground' for my big sentiment. I love this font! I added a few matching hearts and some enamel dots. This card layout would work in any colors!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's it for today's exciting news and projects!! Head on over to Concord and 9th to check out all the new items and the new colors!! I will see you back here real soon, my dearies! XO

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

 

Happy Easter 2023!

 

HAPPY EASTER 2023!

WISHING YOU LOVE AND BLESSINGS TODAY

FROM MY HOME TO YOURS!

Loving Lord, today we remember the veil of darkness transforming to the brightest light. The most dreadful end becoming the most beautiful beginning. We remember with trembling hearts the depths of despair fading to reveal hope everlasting. The curse of death defeated by eternal life. Today we remember with thankfulness your willingness to be pierced for our sins. We sing with abounding joy of your miraculous rise, from death’s tomb to resplendent life. Thank you for the promise of heaven and your generous invitation of eternal life for all. Amen. —Julie Palmer

Here's one last Easter card I made this week - all the supplies are from Anna Griffin via her website and/or HSN! The finished card is 5x7 inches. I do love a vintage holiday theme!! Have a great holiday and I'll see you soon! XO

 

Easter Greetings with sweet lambs and plaid!

Hi there my sweet crafty friends! Happy Easter Week! I hope you have some fun activities planned with friends and family. The sun is shining here and it's supposed to be warm for Easter weekend. Yay! A good dose of sunshine does a person good! My husband had his surgery last Friday and everything went well and he is healing on schedule. Yay for that - what a relief and blessing!! I can't wait to celebrate Easter!

 

Today I'm here to share a cheery Easter card made The Greetery supplies. This card is also over on The Greetery Blog today! I made this card with some brand new supplies, and some of my previously released favorite supplies! Since it's close to Easter, I really wanted to use those cute lamb dies from the latest release...so I combined them with the awesome Tartan Plaid stencils and the Easter Jubilee dies. I used a fresh Easter color palette of pink, yellow and aqua too!

 

My finished card is an A2 card base of white. I layered just a smidge of yellow, then my plaid layer, a vellum layer, and my top white layer. 

 

Here's a side view of my layers.... I assembled my Baby Face Lambs by die cutting white, cream and grey cardstocks and gluing the parts together. I added small accents of Copic Markers to the ears and bodies. I love those faces and cheeks that come in the Baby Face Stamp Set - they bring the critters to life! 

 

 

I die cut the word Easter, from the Easter Jubilee set,  in aqua to match the plaid. When I assembled the card, I used foam squares to pop up parts of it for a polished look. I added a couple of pink heart accents too!

 

 

 

To make this card, my first step was making my plaid background. I used my large and small blender brushes with three shades of Distress Oxide Inks. The Tartan Plaid Diagonal stencils are really so easy to use and produce a perfect result every time. Love how my spring plaid came out! It just screams Easter!!

 

 

Wishing you happy Easter Greetings and a very happy Easter week!!! XOXO

CLICK HERE to see the supply list for today's project (Affiliate Links Used)

 

Easter treats for 2023!

Hey guys! How are you? I hope you are doing well and ready for a new week! Only two weeks until Easter - my favorite holiday! Lots going on here and mostly we are trying to keep our heads above water. It's been a hard year so far. Lots of things have gone wrong and we are stressed out. Especially me. I saw this shirt the other day online that says "my anxieties have anxiety" and that's how I feel right now. The things that are going wrong each would be a big deal on their own, but they are coming at us one after the other like a box of marbles on a tile floor.... I have, as always, turned to my faith to get me through. But gosh I'm tired and weary. On top of the ten other things that have happened this year.... On Friday our dryer broke and then today one of my old fillings broke, which means an emergency trip to the dentist this week. Oh, and did I mention my husband is having surgery on Friday? (He is going to be fine after)... Well, it's a sad tale and I won't tell you everything. It's the hardest season we've been through in many many years.  Please say a little prayer for me. I'm having a really hard time. I truly know in my heart that everything will be okay and life will get back to 'normal' but right now I'm just struggling. God is good and He will continue to comfort me. I am grateful that it's Easter time and I have so many great activities at church happening to keep me busy and uplifted. Remember that old poster with the tiny kitten hanging from a branch? Hang in there! Well, that's me.... In addition to spending a lot of time at church, I've been trying to craft up the rest of my Easter ideas. I have two projects to share with you today! Easter treats for my friends and the people at church who have been leading my awesome Bible study the past few months....

First up are these adorable Bunny Treat Wraps from Taylored Expressions!! These are super duper easy to put together and so cute! Each treat box is only three pieces. You can make white bunnies, or kraft bunnies, or gray bunnies like I did here. I made two - a girl and a boy! The die set comes with a matching small stamp set to do the eyes, cheeks and mouth. Love it.

 

To make one treat wrap, I die cut two bunny heads and one gingham piece for the center. They I die cut pink ear centers, the heart nose, and the bows. That's it! I used my MISTI to line up the eyes and mouth and stamped them before I folded the bunny pieces. Instead of stamping the cheeks, I used an old Chalk Set to rub some pink chalk!! I like the soft effect. 

 

There are two different sets of stamps for the eyes - one with lashes and one without. Adorbs. I used some Enamel Dots for the centers of the bows to add a bit of shine.

 

 

I love gingham all the time, but especially at Easter. I chose the light grey gingham for the sides of my treat wrap. It matches the gray exactly!

Here's a top down view - I put in some Cadbury Eggs as my treats!

 

I used a white gel pen to color in the centers of the eyes and to add dots to the cheeks...

 

 

 

 

My second set of treat ideas are these adorable little tin Easter buckets I picked up at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago. These treats are for church and I can't wait to deliver them on Wednesday! I used the new Bunny Tag stamps and dies from Avery Elle to make the adorable tags to go on my treat buckets!!

 

 

These bunnies are sooooo cute! I stamped the bunnies in dark grey ink and then stamped the whiskers and "happy easter" in black ink. I die cut out the bunnies and the pink ear pieces.... Like above, another super easy project! I used chalk again for the cheeks on the bunnies, and glued on pom poms for their little cottontails.

 

I die cut just the outline of the bunny a second time out of gingham paper from my stash. I glued the two together, so the back of each bunny is gingham. I stamped the recipients' names over the gingham on the back.

 

 

I used my Crop-o-Dile to cut a hole in the ear and used gingham ribbon to tie each tag onto the buckets. 

 

 

I used a new Lawn Fawn alphabet set to stamp the names on the back of my tags. So fun!

 

 

This is what the buckets look like - I love these old vintage images!! And polka dots too!!

 

I put chocolates and Easter grass inside, and a small cross decoration piece.

 

 

 

I had the chance to decorate the house for Easter and it is festive and cheerful. I got this new honeycomb egg banner and it is just the right thing to make me smile!! It's such an old fashioned thing and I love it.

 

 

Saturday morning I had the chance to get out in the front yard and take some photos of our flowers. My husband planted tons of daffodils and tulips and they are magnificent!! I think they are at their peak right now. I've had this photo idea in my head for a couple of weeks - take that low shot up to the sky and the pretty tree above... I love how it came out. I know a lot of you are still waiting for Spring to arrive so I hope this brings you some joy! Here, Spring is almost over if you can believe it! All the trees have blossomed and are now green instead of flowery. It's very pretty right now!! After all the rain we had this year, I feel like the plants are so happy!

 

That's it for today! I hope you have a great week this week. Thanks for being there for me and sending me encouragement and love - like you always do. I appreciate you and our creative journey we share here. I hope you're inspired to finish up some Easter treats. XOXO

As always, it REALLY helps me out when you shop my affiliate links (more than you could know)... CLICK HERE for my favorite shop links! 

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

 

Guest Designing with Concord & 9th! For the Record - You Rock!

Hello there! Happy Monday friends! Hope your weekend was fun and full of good things! I cannot believe how fast this year is flying by!! I mean, March is almost over! Easter is fast approaching and I'm so glad. I love all the flowers and blooms and our neighborhood looks so pretty right now. I'm all stocked up on Claritin - LOLZ. I have a few more Spring and Easter crafting ideas I want to make... Cheers to a good week ahead! (I noticed that some of my photos in my St. Patrick's Day post weren't showing (including the cute pic of Lucky!) and I think that's all fixed now if you want to look at that post again)!

Today is my second post as a guest designer for Concord & 9th new release this month. My first post was last Monday with three shoppes, and today I have three more cards/projects with a record/vinyl theme! Concord and 9th really came up with something fun here - this suite of stamps and dies that all have a vinyl record, musical theme! I don't think I've really seen anything like it. I had a blast coming up with my projects and it made me smile with nostalgia.... I still remember as a kid how exciting it was to have a little pocket money and to ride my bike to the Record store... (Fun fact, the very first original Tower Records was in my childhood neighborhood and it was our true hang out spot. I loved to buy records!! The radio station vans used to park there and we could hope to meet a DJ.... Ah good times!!) Let's get off memory lane and on to my projects!

My first card features the brand new Greatest Hits Bundle and the brand new For the Record Bundle!! For today's cards I was really inspired by colors... So this card has a retro 50's color palette of soft green and soft pink. I am imagining a diner!! I used black and silver as my accent colors and this card is really graphic. My finished card is an A2 white card base. 

 

I love all the little accent dies - stars, hearts and music notes! In this photo you can see how beautifully the dies emboss the grooves onto the records. Really great. I feel like this would be a great 50th birthday card or party invitation.... Everything in this suite of products is perfect for planning a party.

 

 

How totally fun are these sentiments??? I used C9 Inks and Cardstocks throughout all my projects.

 

The die set comes with an adorable album sleeve!!!! The large record tucks inside perfectly!! ACK. This is so cool.

 

 

 

 

Now my next card was inspired by the bright and crazy colors of the 80's! I used teal and hot pink and bright yellow to pop all that black from the records. This card also features the Greatest Hits Bundle and the For The Record Bundle!! I am kind of obsessed with that background stamp!! Another great idea for a party invitation....

 

These die sets have so many fun dies to mix and match across your projects. I used glitter on the stars for a bit of shine and shimmer! Cue the Solid Gold Dancers, right?? LOL.

 

 

The other thing I like about all these products is that they are GREAT masculine card supplies!! Think dads and husbands and brothers... Sometimes it's hard to come up with ideas for them!

 

 

 

My final project is not a card - but a crate! A crate?! Yes! OMG I got it right away, because in my actual garage, I have two crates of records!!! I can't bear to part with them. How genius is it to make a little crate for our paper albums??? This project features the brand new Little Crate Bundle. I made my crate into a party favor/candy treat box. I assembled my crate and then put in a cello bag full of Hershey's Kisses.... Wouldn't these be fun at a party?

 

The crate die set has separate dies to make the trim and/or handles a different color - so they are 100% customizable. I used aqua, grey and red as my color palette for this one. Here's the side view so you can see the construction - it really came together so easily and quickly.

The die set comes with small tags and sentiments that fit onto the tags so you can add whatever sentiment is appropriate.

 

 

I feel like partying and dancing and listening to music now!!! This is what stamping and crafting is all about - joy! It has been my pleasure to share the new Concord and 9th release with you this month. I may or may not be doing something fun with C9 in April. Shhhh. Can't wait. Thanks for stopping by today to get crafty with me. Have a great week! XOXO

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE CONCORD & 9TH NEW RELEASE!

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

 

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2023! Projects with Anna Griffin and a special birthday today!

Hello lads and lasses!! Top O' The Morning to You! Happy St. Patrick's Day 2023! And happy Friday! I hope you're wearing your green outfits today! I'm just home in my sweatpants - lol. I do miss working in an office on festive days like this - and dressing up and having treats! I hope you have many blessings today!

"May good luck be with you Wherever you go, and your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow. May your days be many and your troubles be few, May all God's blessings descend upon you, May peace be within you, May your heart be strong, May you find what you're seeking wherever you roam." - Irish Blessing. 

Well, before I share a TON of project photos, I must acknowledge a special birthday in our family! Today is Lucky's 5th Birthday! My boo boo kitty is already five years old! How did that happen?! Here's my post announcing his arrival! Well, Lucky has the most beautiful big green eyes and he was born on St. Patrick's Day, and we are very lucky to have him! That's how he came to be named Lucky!! He is the bestest boy and brings us so much joy. So, Happy Birthday Lucky!! I got him to post for a birthday portrait....

 

My projects for today are numerous! LOL. I bought some pretty Anna Griffin kits and supplies and used them to make five cards and five rosettes! I used the vellum toppers and some flowers from another kit to make all my things. Anna Griffin is sold on her website or on HSN. I usually buy directly from the Anna Griffin website as they have good shipping! Grab a cuppa (or an Irish Whiskey!) and spend some time with me! XO

 

 

I'll show you my cards first.... All the cards are 5x7 (A7) size because that is the size that the Anna Griffin Papers are made for. I usually just use some cream or white cardstock and make my own folded 5x7 card bases. I mixed and matched all kinds of fun elements for each card. So many good things: shamrocks, and horseshoes, and flowers, and even a leprechaun!!!  And, like I do, I added gold and/or white paint splatters, gems and glitter glue in clear and gold... I think it's really fun to customize and make things my own.... I'm not going to write a lot here, I'll just share the photos....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's it for my five cards! I really have to tell you that these kits bring me such joy to put together... Most of the time I am having to really think and CREATE something usually with products never seen before. It is very nice to just sit and craft and not have to think so hard about it. That's why I love these beautiful elements and kits so much! I am so enamored with the vintage images too...

Now here is a photo of all of my rosettes together!! I used strips of paper and my scor-pal to make the round ones. I used a die from Alexandra Renke to make the heart ones (Heart Rosette Die).... I used papers from Doodlebug in different shades of greens to make the rosettes. Then, as with the cards, I enjoyed mixing and matching all the elements...

 

I think this one might be my favorite!!

 

Or maybe this one... LOL!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alrighty friends! That's it for today! Happy St. Patrick's Day! Thanks for spending part of your day with me. Sending love and hugs your way! See you soon! XOXO Have a great weekend!

 

Fun new tool - Pouncers!!

Hi guys! Popping in (pouncing in) today with a very quick post about something new that just came out this week!! You know I do love stamping and stenciling tools, and I do love anything that comes in rainbow colors!! Well, today's item is both!!  This week Picket Fence launched new tools called Pouncers! They are perfect for stenciling when you don't want to use a blender brush. Instead of swirling on the color, you pounce it on, for a perfect impression!! They are super soft and squishy. They are the perfect size!  I absolutely love that they come with a case, so the ink doesn't go everywhere when you're storing them.... And the bottom of the case serves as the perfect resting place while you're using them...

Just posting these here now so if you want them you can get them before they sell out!! I'll be back tomorrow with TONS of fun cards and projects for St. Patrick's Day!! XO

CLICK HERE to get your POUNCERS!!

 

 

 

 

 

HAVE A GREAT DAY! 

 

Pretty Pink Posh Sweet Easter Wreath!

Helllooooooo my dear crafty pals!  Hope your week is going great! I have another fun Easter card to share today - made with the brand new release from Pretty Pink Posh! I made this card for the new release Instagram Hop! This Spring/Easter release is so great - I could make so many cards!! Thank you for all your kind comments on my post from the blog hop last week. I think you guys like this release too!! 

My card today features the brand new Leafy Spring Wreath stamp set and dies and the brand new Easter Sentiments stamp set! My finished card is an A2 white card base. I layered gingham and then an ink blended center panel - then that pretty wreath. I used lots of Copics and enjoyed coloring this so much. I really do love to sit and color - I find it so relaxing!

 

I used about six shades of bright clear greens to color all the leaves. Then I colored everything else with pastel Easter colors. I stamped and die cut out the wreath, bow, and animals and then colored everything. I also added white gel pen accents.

 

Here's a side view of my layers. I love to pop everything up with foam tape for shadow and dimension.... How sweet are those critters??

 

I felt like pearls would be a nice touch on this card - with the pastels.... I used oxide ink and a blender brush to ink just the top of that white center panel. I wanted to pick up a little more of that blue color of the birdies.

 

 

 

 

Happy Easter wishes!! The fonts in this new set are perfection!!

 

Okay, friends, that's it for today! I have lots more Easter ideas - let's see how many I can get made! LOL. How are things in your craft room? We are having more rain, so there's lots of crafty time here! Have a blessed day! XOXO

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

 

Guest Designing with Concord & 9th! Let's make some shoppes!

Hi there creative and crafty friends!! Happy Monday! How was your weekend? If you can believe it, we have had three more days of rain!!! Gosh, I really can't remember ever having all this rain. I don't really mind it as long as we're cozy at home!! Did you do anything fun this weekend? Get in some crafting time? It's going to be another very busy week here on my blog! Can you believe how many projects I've been making? I can't even believe it! LOL. It just so happened that everything was released at the same time this month. Whew! I am not sure if I've ever posted this many cards in such a short amount of time!  It's been so fun sharing all these new goodies with you and thank you for hanging out with me. Especially thank you for all the super kind comments last week! This week is also going to be busy - with posts today, Wednesday and Friday! Wishing you a happy week ahead. Let's go!

Our friends at Concord & 9th do a new release every month on the 9th of the month. For March, they asked me to guest design for their new release and I said OH YEAH! The new goodies are already available in their storefront. I'm going to share three cards today and three more next Monday - all made with the new release. Each day I'm sharing has a theme based on the new products. I love Concord & 9th for their innovation and unique style and this month the new items are SO FUN!!

My three cards today have one thing in common - they are SHOPPES! I'm featuring the brand new Window Shoppe Pop Up Base Dies, the brand new Fashion Shoppe Dies and the brand new Flower Shoppe Dies! Too cool....  Supplies are all listed at the bottom of my post!

First up is my card featuring the Window Shoppe Base Dies.... These dies make a fabulous folding pop up card that looks like a storefront. LOVE LOVE LOVE. I used most of the dies from the set to create a sweet little gift shoppe. It has a little bicycle out front, cute topiaries, and even a string of party lights. The card folds flat and fits into an A2 envelope (or maybe larger depending on how much stuff you put on it!) 

 

In this side view you can see the folding mechanism - it's so simple really - and genius! I chose a fresh color palette of red, black, white and grey. Sort of a Farmhouse feeling to it. I imagined a gift shoppe full of treasures... I started by die cutting out all the pieces and gluing them together - the bike and the topiaries needed assembling. The main die cuts out the entire storefront. I used vellum to make the 'windows.'

 

I used some patterned paper from my stash to make the awning, and added a scalloped edge with some scissors.... I strung those tiny lights behind the awning and added some Diamond Stickles onto the lights.

 

The sentiment is from one of my very favorite C9 sets....with the matching die! It's perfect up there on top of the roof!

 

 

 

Here is the card folded!!! How cool is that?!

 

I added inked accents and some paint splatters on parts of my card. The building is light grey and then I splattered grey and white ink onto it for a more aged look. I made the topiaries by stacking two of the bushes together onto a strip of wood paper. Everything is simply too adorable. 

 

For my next card I used the brand new Fashion Shoppe Bundle to make a dress boutique! Instead of making a pop up card this time, I made a flat card using the dies. My finished card is an A2 white card base, layered with pink and then my shoppe elements.

 

The sentiments that match are SO fabulous! I chose teal and pink and black for this card to make it more feminine! Perfect card for a girlfriend.

 

I just am so smitten by all the little details! I made a gold glitter chandelier (!) and I used mirror cardstock to make the standing mirror... I added those tiny shoes and even a pearl necklace to the mannequin. The ideas are endless for this set. 

 

I die cut the pretty background with hearts and then attached the boutique on top of that background. To make the colors pop, I added a bright pink flower to the upper left of the card and draped some greenery too. 

 

My last card today features the brand new Flower Shoppe Bundle. But, instead of making a flower shoppe, I made a cute little boho chic Plant Shoppe!! Here in Sacramento we have a super cool flower store and my card was inspired by the plant store! The colors, the brick, the vibe.... I think it came together super fun. I would definitely want to shop here!! LOL.

 

For this card I used acetate for the windows so they would be clear and you can see the brick wall background. I used dark teal, brown and mustard with all those greens for a certain feel to the color palette. I went to town die cutting so many plants and pots, a cart and even and tiny watering can!! EEP. 

 

My awning is made from brown striped paper and the sentiment is from the Whimsical Wings stamps/die set....

 

 

I glued some of the plants inside on the back of the door to look like the plants are stacked on the floor inside. It was like building a Barbie house! Ha. I used Copic markers and distress inks to add shading to my plant elements.

 

In the background, I used kraft cardstock and stamped the brick wall onto it in a darker brown. I splattered on some white ink... I hung up the party lights and even hung a plant from the back of the awning. 

 

 

 

Side view so you can see the construction....

Okay, who's ready to go shopping now?? I am!!! What a joy and delight to craft with these fun new products. You could make any kind of store you want... Like a baby store, or a bakery, or florist... Your imagination can run wild. And who wouldn't love to get a pop up card in the mail? That's it for today, friends. Wishing you a super duper week. I will see you back here on Wednesday! XOXO

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW CONCORD & 9TH RELEASE

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see the supplies used for today's projects (Affiliate links used)!

 

The Greetery - New Beginnings Collection - Release Day!!

 

HEY FRIENDS!! EXCITING NEWS!!

THE GREETERY NEW RELEASE IS LIVE NOW!!

CLICK HERE!!

 

It was my pleasure to introduce the New Beginnings release to you this week!! And, I hope you love it as much as I do!! Happy Crafting!! Thank you for ALL the amazingly kind comments on my project reveals post!!! You are so nice to bless me! I would be so grateful, as always, if you would shop via my Greetery affiliate link! Have fun!!

 

 

The Greetery - New Beginnings Collection - New Release Day 2!

 

*** I HAVE TWO BLOG POSTS TODAY! PLEASE SCROLL OR CLICK HERE FOR THE PPP NEW RELEASE BLOG HOP! THANK YOU! ***

Welcome back to day two of the new release reveals for The Greetery!! The New Beginnings release - product reveals yesterday and today - and then release day will be tomorrow March 10th at 10am EST!! Did you love all the projects for Day 1? Oh my goodness - everyone made such beautiful things. I literally cannot pick a favorite item from this release. And I have tons more ideas of things to make - but I ran out of time! Ha! I hope you're inspired to create (and shop) with The Greetery. I have three more cards to show you today and my theme for today is blue! Every card ended up having blue in it today! Flowers and nests and all that good stuff. Thanks for joining me! Let's get started! 

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

First up is a vintage inspired springtime card featuring the brand new Curio Nest and Curio Feathers dies! SO pretty!!! I combined the new dies with lots of other 'old' favorites from my Greetery stash... Pretty Postmarks and Postal Dies and that sweet springtime sentiment... My finished card is an A2 cream card base, layered with woodgrain cardstock, and then a cream postage layer. That gorgeous nest is the star of this show!! I love it so much!

As you know, Betsy has been releasing larger versions of the Curio elements, and this time we get the nest and feathers. Here is a close up of the feathers so you can see all the detail and thought that went into them.... Fantastic!! I die cut out all the pieces from cardstock and then used Distress inks to blend ink onto all of them... 

 

 

Here's a close up of my nest... Pretty blue robin eggs... I die cut the eggs from blue cardstock and then splashed on some brown spots...I also ink blended the eggs. This really feels like spring!!

I made some postage stamps with a nature theme to be accents on my vintagey card... And I wrapped a bit of gingham ribbon around the bottom layer to pick up that blue color.

 

 

I used all my tricks here.... Paint splatters, ink blending, background stamping....

 

The sentiment is from the Springtime Stamp Set and the little banner is from the Christmas Time set. I love how the sentiment goes across the card but doesn't take up too much space. 

 

 

 

Next up is a pretty Easter card that features the brand new Botanicuts Morning Glory Dies!! EEEEEP. So pretty!! I used the Square Dance dies in white over green to look like a garden trellis!! The sentiment is from one of my favorite older sets: Comforting Commands. My finished card is an A2 white card based layered with green and white.

 

 

I die cut the Morning Glory Dies from blues and greens.... I used a white pencil to add the detail in the center of the flowers. Everything is so easy to layer and put together because of course Betsy includes a guide with our die sets.... 

 

I stamped the sentiment in rich black ink and die cut it out with the matching die.... I used a vellum circle to layer under the sentiment.

 

 

 

I added on a couple of delicate vellum butterflies after I finished the card. You know I like MORE stuff on my cards! Ha!

 

These Morning Glory dies are so nice - I can imagine them in pink and purple....and every color!!

 

Okay....and my final card for the release....drum roll please... This last card features the brand new Spring Meadow stencils and Dies and the brand new New Day Sentiments Stamps and Dies!! My finished card is an A2 white card base, layered with gingham and then a white layer to showcase those pretty florals...

 

 

I love it when sentiment sets have matching dies - I think it makes your cards look so finished and polished... I chose a color palette or purple, blue and yellow for a Spring feeling of pansies!

 

I used all the stencil layers with Distress Inks and blender brushes. I used a white gel pen to add the details in the flower centers.... I die cut out the big spray (all one piece) with the matching die. 

 

 

 

As always with The Greetery, the stencils line up beautifully....

 

I finished off my card with a pretty purple bow and some pearl elements... This card is very feminine... Maybe for an encouragement card or a sympathy card. I can't wait to make these florals in different color schemes.

Whew!! That was a lot of cards! So happy you could join me! The past two days have been so fun! I love to share new things with you! What are you excited for? Is the creativity flowing already?? Thanks for spending some time with me here this week. The new release will be for sale tomorrow - Friday, March 10th at 10am EST! Have a blessed day! XOXO

PRIZE INFORMATION! The Greetery will be giving away two $50 gift cards each day of the reveals,  To be entered to win, leave a comment on each blog for today!  Random comments will be chosen and announced on The Greetery Blog! 

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE GREETERY STORE!

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

 

DESIGN TEAM INSPIRATION LINKS FOR TODAY!

Angelica

Laurie

Dana

Wanda

Melissa

Dawn

Kelly

 

Pretty Pink Posh - March 2023 Spring New Release - Easter Bunnies and Spring Chicks!

 

*** I HAVE TWO BLOG POSTS TODAY! PLEASE SCROLL OR CLICK HERE FOR THE GREETERY NEW RELEASE BLOG HOP! THANK YOU! ***

Hello friends (again)!! I told you there was a lot of GOOD stuff to share!! Today on my blog I'm part of a huge three day blog hop to celebrate the Spring New Release from our friends at Pretty Pink Posh!! Everything is SO great for Easter and Spring and couldn't be cuter or more fun! I love working with PPP and using their wonderful stamps, stencils and dies. For my stop in the hop, I made two cards to show you - using all the new supplies!! One Easter Card and one Spring Card sure to make you chuckle!! Hope you are having a great day, and thanks for joining me on this wonderful hop! 

In order to celebrate the PPP new release there is a huge three day blog hop and also next week a big Instagram hop! (I'll have one more card from the new release) Yippee! Prizes, supplies, discounts and the link list are at the bottom of my post today. Let's get started!

THE PPP MARCH NEW RELEASE IS ALREADY AVAILABLE FOR SHOPPING!!

My first card today is the most happy and cheery Easter card I've ever made I think!! The Easter Bunny, eggs, tulips, carrots and...coffee?!! I used the brand new Easter Mug Additions dies set along with the other Mug die sets to create an Easter explosion!! All the happy colors too!! My finished card is an A2 white card base layered with yellow and white...

 

 

 

I mixed and matched the dies in the Easter Mug Additions dies to create a sweet little gray Easter Bunny to pop out of my mug!! I added lots of white gel pen accents, glitter, and some Copic Marker accents too....

 

 

The sentiment is also brand new and I die cut it out of gray cardstock and layered with vellum.... I wanted it a bit softer than using black for the sentiment. I used lots of different die sets to make all the elements for this card. It was so much fun to keep adding things!! I kept it cohesive by using the same tone of colors. My supply list is at the bottom of my post...

I used lots of foam tape to put everything together - layering elements until I got it just the way I wanted it! I gently ink blended some purple ink on the bottom of the mug to give it some depth. (I can't wait to see what mug additions PPP comes up with next!)

 

Carrots and tulips - nothing says Easter more than that!!

 

 

 

 

 

My second card for today features something we've been waiting for... The brand new Scallop Box pop up card dies!!! Hurray! PPP has made us the easiest pop up die set ever! I used the new card pop up dies along with the brand new Spring Chicks stamps and dies and the new Umbrellas stencils to make this Spring card! Little chicks out dancing in the rain with their colorful umbrellas! I had fun coloring with vivid colors of Copics on this one.

 

The Scallop Box Card die set comes with the base (here in blue) and the accent pieces (here in white)... It also has the 'bars' that go across to hold your elements and serve as the front of the card. It's incredibly fast and easy to put together. I stamped and die cut out my chicks and umbrellas and colored everything with markers.... I also added white gel pen accents.

 

SO SWEET!!!

 

I used the new Layered Umbrellas stencils (just the raindrops stencil) to make the background of raindrops. My clouds are coated in glitter glue....

 

 

 

Here's a top down view of the construction of the card....

 

And here it is folded flat for mailing! Genius! I'm so excited to think of all the things I can make with this pop up!!

 

And here's the view of the bottom of the card so you can see how it comes together. I used sweet Spring sentiments and some little hearts to finish off my card. Can't wait to mail this one. {smile}

 

 

Thank you for stopping by today! Enjoy the wonderful blog hop! Hope you have an awesome and creative day!! Big thank you to Paulina for including me in this great celebration. 

There are SIX $25 gift certificates up for grabs from Pretty Pink Posh (two winners for each day of the hop!) Winners will be picked randomly along the blog hop comments so be sure to comment on ALL the blogs!! Comments must be left by 11:59 PM PST on 3/14/2023. Winners will be announced on the PPP blog! Good luck everyone!! 

THE PPP MARCH NEW RELEASE IS ALREADY AVAILABLE FOR SHOPPING!!

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

 

 

TODAY'S BLOG HOP LINKS LIST! ENJOY THE HOP!

Pretty Pink Posh blog

Wanda Guess
Lynn Put

Raquel Arribas
Carly Minner

Jeannie Lieu

Stefanie Loh

Lisa Mears

 

The Greetery - New Beginnings Collection - New Release Day 1!

Hello friends! How's your week going? Well, I think it's going to get a whole lot better! Because I'm here to share the product and project reveals for the March 2023 new release from The Greetery! Yay! This release is called "New Beginnings" and it's all about Spring and Easter! We will have two reveal days this release - today and tomorrow. The design team will be sharing projects on our blogs and revealing all the new products for you. SO exciting! The new release is pretty and happy, like a breath of fresh air. Flowers and bunnies, and everything that signifies "new beginnings!" RELEASE DAY will be Friday, March 10th at 10am EST. I have so many cards to show you, and I can't wait. It made me smile creating everything with a spring color palette and gorgeous new stamps, dies and stencils. Are you excited?? You know how I am, so grab a cuppa, because there are lots of pictures today! 

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

My first card for today features the brand new Spring Sprays stencils and Dies, and the brand new Rejoice Dies... I used the previously released Arches Dies and the Ruscus Dies too. I intend this one as an Easter card so I used pink and yellow and green for my color palette - a nice coral pink!! My finished card is an A2 white card base, layered in pink, then two arches, then my design elements. 

 

Here's a side view to show my layers. I die cut the rejoice die from dark brown woodgrain cardstock (see the supplies) and layered it with vellum. I like the dark color in contrast with the bright pastels. 

 

I layered some vellum sprigs under the stenciled Spring Sprays elements!! 

 

The flowers and leaves are from a stencil set and then die cut out with the matching dies. I used Distress inks and blender brushes to get a nice layer of color. I splashed on some white paint for an artsy effect. When I put the Sprays onto the card I used foam squares to raise them up.

 

I used yellow Distress ink and my blender brushes to ink just the top parts of the arches. I first had the card with just white, but I felt like I wanted a pop of color behind the florals. 

 

A few enamel dots to finish off my card!

 

My next card will make you smile!! This card features the brand new Baby Face Bee dies and Baby Face Stamp Set! I also used the Honeycomb Corners to add a few little bits! I kept this card clean and simple and bright! The new Baby Face Collection is ADORABLE!!!! OH my gosh! Bees, Elephants, Sheep, Sweet Peas, and more!! For baby cards and new beginnings! I chose to use the bees and make a hello card! My finished card is an A2 white card base layered with yellow and some gingham from my stash...

 

 

I die cut the beeeeees from yellow and black cardstock. I added some subtle shading with a Copic Marker. I used the Baby Face stamp set to add the eyes, mouths, and cheeks. For the wings I doubled up with aqua cardstock and vellum cardstock.

 

I also shaded the little yellow honeycomb bits - by using a Copic Marker. Here is a photo of my layers...

The bees are attached to the card with foam squares. I added a few hearts, well just because.

 

 

 

 

My last card for today features the brand new Bunny Kisses Dies, the brand new Tear Strips Spring stamp set, and the brand new Ribbon Maker -Egg dies!! I chose three of the pastel colors of the ribbon paper to make my background on kraft! My finished card is a white A2 card base layered with aqua and then kraft. 

 

 

I die cut the egg strips from pink, blue and lavender and glued them onto a kraft panel on a diagonal... This made my pretty background. I die cut a white circle for my focal point. 

 

I die cut out the sweet bun bun and the eggs and attached them inside the white circle. Isn't he so cute!!? this just really says Easter!!

 

For the sentiment I used the previously released Tear Strip Tags Dies along with the brand new Tear Strips Spring stamp set!! LOVE. 

 

Yiipppppeeeee for a new release!! That's it for day one of the new release reveals! Be sure to come back tomorrow and I will be sharing three more cards featuring the new items! Yippeeeeeee! What's your favorite thing so far? And how cute are those bees? I can't take it! The new release will be for sale on Friday, March 10th at 10am EST. See you tomorrow! XOXO

PRIZE INFORMATION! The Greetery will be giving away two $50 gift cards each day of the hop,  To be entered to win, leave a comment on each blog for today!  Random comments will be chosen and announced on The Greetery Blog! 

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE GREETERY STORE!

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

 

DESIGN TEAM INSPIRATION LINKS FOR TODAY!

Angelica

Laurie

Dana

Wanda

Melissa

Dawn

Kelly

 

Sweet Easter Treats with Doodlebug and Pixi Dust Designs!

Hi friends! Happy Sunday! Getting caught up today and starting to post some of the projects I've made lately. I spent most of the day taking photos of cards for the next week or so. The Greetery new release is coming soon! Yippeeee! I also started decorating the house for Easter. The hardest part is remembering where I put everything last year when I cleaned it up!! Anyone else do that?? I always think I'll remember! Ha. Our garden out front is going crazy and we have tons of daffodils! There are a few crocus blooms, and lots of tulip buds. My husband planted a lot of bulbs this winter and it will be so pretty when everything comes up. We are having more rain again but not as bad as January.... I hope you have a great week ahead. And hope you'll hang out here with me every day too! XO

My projects today are some cute and sweet Easter Treat bags made with awesome dies from Pixi Dust Designs along with some pretty papers from Doodlebug. Lots of pastel colors and bunnies, and even a carrot car! LOL. You know I love to make treat bags! Pixi Dust has the best dies - with lots of interchangeable options. (CLICK HERE for my Halloween projects with Pixi Dust)....

Here are my two treat bags! Pink and yellow and blue and lavender...the softest colors. I used papers and embellishments from the Doodlebug Hippity Hoppity Collection. 

 

The treat bags come together so quickly with the well designed dies. I chose yellow and pink for the handles and mixed and matched the patterned papers.

 

 

 

I filled my treat bags with Easter grass and Cadbury eggs (my favorite)....

 

 

 

I do love those tiny details and finishing touches!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a side view of the construction. The bottom/sides are one piece and then you attach the handles. SOOOO easy.

That's it for today! Have you started getting ready for Easter and Spring? Are you decorating? Crafting? Let me know what you're up to friends. I'd love to know. Have an awesome week! XOXO

CLICK HERE to see the supply list for today's projects! 

 

Friday Fun with The Greetery and Beautiful Birthday Balloons!

Hey hey hey everyone, my crafty friends! I've missed you a lot and I think I'm back to sharing! I really really miss blogging, sharing, and interacting with all of you. I have to be honest, I haven't been myself here lately and so I've been cocooning and taking care of myself. I am exhausted and mentally and physically just not feeling well. When I don't feel good it is very hard for me to create. 2023 has already been a super hard year at our house - lots of stress and anxiety for both myself and my dear husband. If it can break, or go wrong, it has....and I am burned out.  We always turn to the Lord for comfort and He always provides for us. We will be fine as we always are. Just seems like a lot of tests lately. My soul hurts and I want to be my old loud, crazy, silly self. But not yet - sometimes there is just the need for a season of rest and quiet. I have been creating the past few days and I have SO many projects coming up. SO much good stuff from our favorite companies. I look forward to sharing with you and hearing from you. I hope you are doing well, and getting crafty. I hope to inspire you and be inspired by you! XOXO

Today, I'm up on The Greetery blog with a fun, pretty in pink, birthday card! My card features all supplies from The Greetery, including the gorgeous Balloon Bouquet stamps and dies along with the awesome Square Dance Stencils. My finished card is an A2 card base in white, layred with pink and some stenciled gingham....and more of course....

 

Here's a side view of my layers.... I die cut out an Arch with the A2 Arches Dies to serve as a frame for the stenciled gingham. I made my focal balloon with the floral spray, and then die cut more balloons from vellum and pink cardstock. Love this soft look!

 

The Balloon Bouquet stamps are SO pretty and unique!! I used soft pink and green distress inks to stamp the flowers. I really like this color combination. I used the same green distress ink to gently ink blend the bottom of that one large balloon. I stamped and heat embossed the happy birthday sentiment in my favorite silver glitter embossing powder.

 

I used the Cake Pops Banner and stamps to make a smaller sentiment of hip hip hooray! The 'strings' were die cut from silver glitter cardstock.

 

 

 

The Square Dance Stencils make a gingham/buffalo plaid and you can use up to three different colors to make your plaid. I wanted it to be super soft, so I used all three of the stencils with the SAME color of pink ink! Fresh and pretty!

 

I am completely obsessed with these glitter drops and added lots of pretty pink sprinkles to finish off my card! (supplies are listed below)

 

That's it for today! Happy Friday! I hope you have a fun weekend planned! It has been very very cold here!! The snow line is LOW - like only about 20 miles from us. We are staying in this weekend except for church. I hope you're ready to see a lot of me next week - cards are coming! XOXO

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

 

Pretty Pink Posh Birthday 2023 Release - Make a Wish Birthday Mug!

Hello my lovelies! How was your Valentine's Day?! I hope you got lots of chocolates and some flowers too! We are pretty low key about Valentine's Day around here and we'll go out to dinner this weekend to celebrate LOVE! Can't wait to go out! I have something fun to share with you today! It's my second project I made with the brand new, beautiful 2023 February/Birthday new release from Pretty Pink Posh! Remember last week there was a big blog hop to celebrate the new release? Well, this week is the Instagram Hop portion of the new release! So...if you have Instagram, be sure to check out the hop there, and leave comments on the posts for more chances to win some prizes! I always like to post my card on my blog too. Today's card is a very colorful and festive birthday wish...in a mug!! Candles, balloons, stars...and coffee! You know this is right up my alley! The new release is so great - I hope you've had a chance to look at it all. We always need more birthday card ideas and supplies, right?! You can shop the NEW RELEASE here!

My finished card is a white A2 card base and I covered it with soft pink gingham paper. I layered white paper with ink blending, and then my mug full of birthday surprises! 

 

I am featuring the brand new Birthday Mug Dies that are a great addition to the mug series! This new set is full of everything for birthdays and parties. I didn't even use all the items! I used a bright color palette to look like a party - yellow, pink, aqua and lime green. So festive and cheerful.

 

I die cut the mug from aqua cardstock and then inked it with distress ink and a blender brush in a darker shade to add shadow and interest. The sentiments are from two new birthday sentiment items. I really like to combine sentiments in this way!

 

I die cut all the pieces out and used Copic Markers and Distress Inks to add shading. I also used a white gel pen and lots of glitter!! I used the brand new Layered Party Hats Stencils (I used just the stars stencil from the set) to stencil on some stars in the background. I ink blended just the top of that wonky rectangle too.

 

 

 

All the elements were attached to the card with foam tape so they pop off the paper. 

 

 

 

Seriously, everything is SO MUCH FUN and so happy. I could make birthday cards all day long with the new release. Make a WISH! 

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to check out the big Instagram Hop for Pretty Pink Posh today!!  Wishing you a blessed day full of fun and crafting! XO

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

 

Happy Valentine's Day 2023! Vintage Style Cards with Anna Griffin Supplies!

Hellloooooooo my sweethearts! Happy Valentine's Day 2023! I hope we all get lots of chocolates! Ha! Since it's Tuesday, and a work day, and Valentine's Day all at once, I am going to make homemade tacos tonight for Taco Tuesday! We will probably go out on Friday or Saturday to a nice dinner together. But after 30 Valentine's Days together, we don't really make a huge fuss out of the holiday! How about you? Will you do something fun for the holiday? My day is busy today but I'll look forward to a nice evening with my beau. Sending X's and O's your way today friends! 

Today's projects were all made with new kits and supplies from Anna Griffin! I ordered these things at Christmas Time and I was so happy to put them all together. Anna Griffin paper, card kits, stickers, etc are all SO gorgeous and so vintage fabulous. Anna Griffin items are only available through her website or on HSN shopping. I have been a collector for at least 25 years!! (Our wedding announcements were made from Anna Griffin vellum!) I made NINE cards total, so you know what that means...lots of photos! Grab some coffee and spend a little Valen-time with me today! 

I went over to a friend's house on Saturday to craft and hang out. These kits were the perfect thing to bring with me. I would also say this would just be a fun project for a group. No stamping on these cards and no die cutting either - that's the beautiful part - just mixing and matching and assembling. You know that I always add my own touches though. In this case, I added gold paint splatters, white paint splatters, pearls, rhinestones and Stickles (clear and gold).... Let's take a look!

These first few cards are made from the same kit - Rocking Valentine! When you assemble them, the cards stand up, and they rock back and forth. It's very pretty and very cool. And they are heart shaped!

 

 

 

 

 

You really can't go wrong, mixing and matching all the colors and elements! I love those vintage florals!

 

 

 

 

 

These cards and kit come with the envelopes - square envelopes of course! 

 

 

 

I mixed in flowers from different kits for all the valentines.... One of the wonderful things about creating with Anna Griffin supplies is that everything goes together. You can just get everything out and play!

 

Here's a side view of the mechanism that makes the card stand up. SO EASY! These little folded pieces come in the kit. Couldn't be easier. And it folds flat for mailing.

 

And here is the preprinted back of the heart/circle cards. 

 

These five rectangle cards are all 5x7 (A7) cards. They are BIG! Lots of real estate to play with. I used the vellum toppers on all of these and again mixed and matched florals and hearts and sentiments.... Dreamy and vintage. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is SO elegant and pretty!! All those yummy old fashioned colors and those fat roses. Oh My!

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this one has a touch of Wedgewood blue....and gold scrolls....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hugs and Kisses - with Valentine Wishes!

That's it for today my darlings! Will you be my Galentines? I will be back tomorrow with more crafting fun. Enjoy your sweet holiday today! Love you! XOXO

 

Pretty Pink Posh - Birthday Celebration February 2023 New Release! Gift card holder birthday card!

Hello crafting pals! Happy Saturday! Hope your week was awesome! We have had a couple of weeks of sunshine here and the flowers are going crazy. We already have about 20 fully bloomed daffodils, and the tulips are sprouting! Tons of blossoms on all the trees and lots of camellias too. It feels good to be outside this time of year and I like it that it's still cold at night. I've been busy with tons of activities, mostly at church, and not as much crafting. Life is good here at the moment. Today I'm here on the blog as part of the giant Pretty Pink Posh Ninth Birthday Celebration! One of my favorite companies is nine years old this month - yay and congratulations to Pretty Pink Posh! 

In order to celebrate PPP's birthday, there is a huge four day blog hop and also next week a big Instagram hop! Today is my day to join the blog hop and I'm glad you're here! I'll have another card next week too! Yippee! Prizes, supplies, discounts and the link list are at the bottom of my post today. Let's get started!

THE PPP BIRTHDAY NEW RELEASE IS ALREADY AVAILABLE FOR SHOPPING!!

My finished card is an A2 cream card base. I layered pretty purple cardstock and purple gingham as my base. My card features the brand new Gift Card Bag Die, The brand new Birthday Sentiments stamps and dies, and the brand new Wish stamps and dies. I used a color palette of purple, green, yellow and cream, with bits of gold and some sparkly glitter!

 

The star of the show is the awesome new GIft Card Bag Die! It perfectly holds a gift card for any occasion. I made a fun birthday card with mine to use all the new supplies! I die cut the bag from cream cardstock and gently inked just the bottom of the bag using Distress Ink and a Blender Brush. I heat embossed the sentiment in gold onto a vellum strip to go across the bottom of the bag. The sentiment is brand new and I LOVE it!

 

 

 

The top of the bag die has a pretty zig zag edge which just adds a nice detail. When I die cut the bag, I die cut a purple handle for it. I used a previously released die set to make some matching purple bows for the top. I tucked in some crumpled up vellum to look like gift bag tissue!

 

I colored everything with Copic Markers and added white gel pen accents. I splattered on gold paint and purple ink to the bag for a bit of artistic interest. I used a scallop circle and another cream circle to serve as my focal point for the birthday icons.

 

 

Here is my card with the coffee gift card tucked inside!! Fun fact about me - I collect Starbucks cards! For over twenty years! I have hundreds of them and so I can always find one that matches a theme or is perfect for the person! This one has a pretty birthday cake on it. 

 

 

 

Here is some great sale information - and a free gift offer too!

 

 

My gift bag was attached to the card using foam tape to leave room for the vellum tissue and the gift card. I'll need a larger envelope, but that's okay!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for stopping by today! Enjoy the wonderful blog hop! Hope you have an awesome weekend! XO

There are EIGHT $25 gift certificates up for grabs from Pretty Pink Posh (two winners for each day of the hop!) Winners will be picked randomly along the blog hop comments so be sure to comment on ALL the blogs!! Comments must be left by 11:59 PM PST on 2/15/2023. Winners will be announced on the PPP blog! Good luck everyone!! 

THE PPP BIRTHDAY NEW RELEASE IS ALREADY AVAILABLE FOR SHOPPING!!

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

TODAY'S BLOG HOP LINKS LIST! ENJOY THE HOP!

Pretty Pink Posh blog
Tammy Stark
Wanda Guess
Jeanne Jachna
Rachel Alvarado
Jeannie Lieu

Perk Up! New Card Kit from Taylored Expressions!

Hi everyone! I'm about to perk you up! Good Morning! Did you have your coffee yet? If not, I have some coffee for you today! Today's post is about the brand new, awesome, card kit from Taylored Expressions! It is live now for shopping over at the TE Store. And I'm predicting a sell out on this one! Who doesn't love a cute coffee themed card? This kit combines two of my favorite things - coffee + crafting! Yay! The kit includes stamp sets, stencils, dies, and even cool inserts for the inside of your cards. The kit information is at the bottom of my post. Let's look at my project! Cheers everyone! 

My finished card is an A2 white card base. I covered the entire front with TE Cookie Monster Cardstock - my favorite TE color. I layered white on top for my focus layer....then I went to town putting on all those cute coffee mugs! I used one of my go-to color palettes - fresh aqua and lime green. Never go wrong with it. And I absolutely love that sentiment. (The sentiment set is great in this kit)

 

Here's a side view of my layers and the coffee mugs. Most of the mugs were attached to the card with foam squares! I used grey for the handles of the mugs - sort of a retro feel??!! 

 

I stamped the sentiment in rich black ink onto the center of the white rectangle panel. Then I surrounded the sentiment with the coffee mugs.

 

When I stenciled the mugs I used my blender brushes the first go....then I used my small blender brushes to add more of the same color ink for a soft shaded effect. I splattered on some white paint too, concentrating on the bottom of the mugs. 

 

 

Just a few little red hearts as an accent. The hearts are in the small stamp set - along with some faces and steams for the coffees!

 

 

 

To make the mugs, I stenciled the entire panel of the stencils! There are three stencils in this set.... I was going to use this stenciled panel as a background, but then decided to die cut them all out with the matching dies.

 

 

 

The stencils and matching dies are included in the awesome kit!

 

Here's a peek at the sentiments set. The stamps are red rubber (love that about TE) and they stamp like a dream!

 

Included in the kit are some pre cut panels that you can use for the inside of your cards. I love this idea! This is one of the panels. I used some of the leftover mugs and put them onto the panel. I also added cute smiley faces!

 

I couldn't resist sharing one of my most used coffee mugs at my house!! Perfect right?! 

 

Here's the full PERK UP CARD KIT!

 

 

Did I perk you up!? Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful day filled with coffee and friends!! 

CLICK HERE to PURCHASE THE PERK UP CARD KIT AND ADD-ONS!

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see all the supplies used in today's post (Affiliate Links Used)

 

Doodlebug Lots of Love Collection - Yummy Valentine Cupcakes!

Hello my dear crafty friends! I'm here today to share some sweet Valentine cards I made with the fabulous Doodlebug Lots of Love Collection! This paper collection just makes me so happy! Valentine's Day is less than a month away now and Lots of Love has everything you need to make those heart themed cards and projects.

I also need to announce that this will be my final post as a member of the Doodlebug Design Team! It's been a wonderful and lovely experience to create with you and for you over these past two years! So many projects and loads of happiness. THANK YOU DOODLEBUG! The owners of Doodlebug are absolutely the kindest and most generous people and it has been a joy to work with them! The design team is amazing and I have been honored to be a part of the global, talented team! Thank you for the love and support here as I've shared my love of Doodlebug crafting with you!! I have been a fan of Doodlebug for twenty years and I will continue to create with their fantastic products. Now let's get to some cards!

I made two Valentine cards to share today. Both cards are A2 sized white card bases. I used the Lots of Love Collection papers, stickers, embellishments and ephemera to decorate some giant cupcakes. Because cupcakes are definitely sweet! I love the color palette of aqua, pink, dark pink and red. It's perfect! The cupcake dies are from my friends at Sunny Studio and everything is listed in the supplies at the bottom of my post!

 

I started with a die set that makes the giant cupcake and I used 12x12 and 6x6 papers to die cut out the bottom and top of the cupcakes. I used kraft paper for the frosting portion. Then I went to town decorating the cupcakes with all kinds of smiling hearts and fruits! I die cut a white circle and attached some strawberries and a puffy heart onto it. I also added white gel pen accents and some mini jewels!

 

That little smiling cherry is SO cute!! I used the large 12x12 Lots of Love Sticker Sheet for the sentiments on both cards. I splattered on some white paint onto both cards also. I used patterned Doodlebug papers for the backgrounds of the cards.

 

 

 

He literally is the cherrry on top! I think that adding white gel pen accents and little gems to the ephemera pieces just bring them to life! That little added touch. The cupcakes were attached to the cards using foam tape for a bit of dimension. 

 

I put a cupcake on a cupcake! LOLZ! 

 

This reminds of of the happiest box of Valentine chocolates you could ever want!

 

 

 

 

 

So for over two years I made a Doodlebug project every two weeks! It's going to feel strange not doing that! So much fun being on this team. I hope you've enjoyed coming along with me on this creative journey too....  Okay! That's it for today! And, I'm out of projects to share! Hmmmmm what should I make next? I think more Valentines! I am really into it this year!! Are you busy making Valentines too? What are you working on?? Have a wonderful day!! XOXO

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

 

Pinkfresh Studio January 2023 New Release - Beautiful Florals in Purple!

Hello crafty people! How was your weekend? I hope it was excellent! We had our first sunshine of the year this weekend and it was great! Felt good to see that big old bright blue sky. Whew! I got in some crafty time, some football time and some church time so it was a great weekend here! Today is a huge blog hop to celebrate a gorgeous new release from Pinkfresh Studio! More beautiful florals and innovative dies, more hot foil plates, more stencils! More awesomeness from one of my favorite companies! There is supply information, prize information and the list for the hop participants at the bottom of my post. Let's take a look at my card for today!

My card features the brand new Wonderful In Every Way stamp/die/hot foil/stencil combo and the brand new Wonderful Sentiments stamp/die/hot foil combo. Gosh, sooooo pretty! My finished card is an A2 card base in white. I layered purple and then a white layer die cut with a pretty cover plate.... and more! The pretty floral spray is the star of the card though!

 

I used the Sparkling Diamonds background die to make the pattern on the white layer. I used Inverted Circles to make a purple circle to ground the flowers and there is vellum tucked behind the purple circle. Here's a side view so you can see the construction and layers. 

 

 

 

 

Here's a close up of the images and the background...

 

I thought a pretty vellum butterfly would be nice with these flowers! I used the hot foil plates and gold foil to make all my elements: the butterfly, the flowers and the sentiment. I used the matching dies for each piece to cut them all out. I am kind of obsessed with gold foiling!! I used watercolor paper (hot press/smooth) for the flowers and sentiment. It gives such a nice look.

 

I feel like even the leftovers are pretty when you do hot foiling! I used the Glimmer System and gold foil for this project.

 

To color in my images I used Pinkfresh ink cubes and my set of small blender brushes along with the matching stencils. The flowers have three layering stencils and the leaves have two layering stencils. SO easy to get a beautiful result.

 

I knew I wanted to layer my flowers so I hand cut out the pieces of a second, identical, floral spray. Here are all my pieces on my craft table.

 

 

Isn't this soo sooo sooooo pretty?? 

 

For the sentiment I die cut a second layer to make it thicker.... I used hot foil and the matching die with those new sentiment. I LOVE this font!!

 

 

To finish off my card, I splattered gold paint onto the florals... And I used some of the new Glitter Drops in Gold. OHH LA LA! These glitter drops are wonderful!!! I'm going to be using these a lot!! To assemble my card, I used foam tape to 'pop up' the second flower, directly on top of the first one. This is such an elegant technique and can bring your card to the next level. So much texture and dimension...

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

Pinkfresh Studio will be giving away the full release on the Pinkfresh blog & YouTube channel! They will also be giving away a total of TEN $25  gift cards along the hop. As per usual with blog hops - the winners will be picked from the comments left on each blog!! Pinkfresh Studio will pull the winners & post them on January 31st on their GIVEAWAY PAGE. Remember, you must check that page & claim your prize within 2 weeks. GOOD LUCK!

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE NEW PINKFRESH STUDIO RELEASE!

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

 

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

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy Lunar New Year - the year of the Rabbit 2023!

Hi everyone! Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy Lunar New Year 2023! It's the Year of the Rabbit! Lunar New Year comes early this year, and today's the day to celebrate! When it's time to celebrate the Lunar New Year is when I miss living in the Bay Area - there were so many beautiful celebrations and parades...and the food!! Oh my. I certainly miss all that! I have been lucky enough to go to the San Francisco Parade several times and it's so magical and festive. I feel like I can't even describe it and I wish everyone could see it at least once!! It's the Year of the Rabbit this year! Let's celebrate! 

Last year was the Year of the Tiger - my husband's year! CLICK HERE to see last year's card!

People born in the year of the Rabbit are said to be gentle, quiet, elegant, and alert - as well as quick, skillful, kind, patient, and very responsible, and always faithful to those around them. They are characterized by treating people politely, with a gentle smile that makes people feel that they are credible and sincere. They are also said to have a pure heart. Do you know what your Chinese Zodiac sign is? I am a Dragon, so my year will be here again in 2024 - NEXT year! CLICK HERE for more information about the Year of the Rabbit!

For my new year card, I wanted to capture all the beauty of the holiday and the feeling of the Lion Dance parade... I decided to make a pop up card! Gosh this card was so much fun to make. It took a couple of days with all the coloring and gluing but it was worth it. I also made a red envelope decorated to match. I used stamps and dies from several different companies to make my vision come to life. I stayed with the traditional colors or red and gold, with dark rich black. I forgot how much I love to make a pop up!! Here is my card and envelope....

 

Here's a close up of the lions - the traditional animal in the parade besides the dragons.... This whole card started with me stamping and die cutting out six lions and coloring them with my Copics. I also added bits of sparkle with Diamond Stickles...

 

I added some lanterns and firecrackers to the top of the pop up card! This pop up, when folded, will fit into an A2 envelope. But since I added the banner with the lanterns I will just use a larger envelope. I felt like that perfectly captured the parade!

 

 

 

I stamped and colored everything first and left that overnight because I really wasn't sure what card layout I wanted! In the morning I got the idea to use one of my favorite dies from Lawn Fawn - the Scalloped Pop Up Box. It's so easy to assemble. I used pretty red cardstock to make my box and embellished it with black and gold and red panels to finish it off. For this back panel I used white paper and inked just the top with red ink. I stamped the sentiment and some fireworks to make the background for my little lion parade! I love how the fireworks look here. 

 

Here is a top down view of the construction of the pop up.  I attached my lions and staggered them ....

 

I added one more to the front flap. OMG my newest obsession are these glitter drops from Pinkfresh Studio! I got every color and they are DELICIOUS!!! You must get some!!!! They are sooooo pretty in person - so sparkly!! 

 

Here is the back of my pop up card....

 

Here's the pop up folded in my hand! SO COOL! I am always so smitten when I make one of these!

 

Here is my matching red envelope! I used the WRMK Pocket Maker Punch Board to make the envelope out of matching red paper. I splattered gold paint over it (and everything else) and added some matching fireworks and a lion. It's so fun.

 

 

 

 

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy New Year! Best wishes for a new year of health, wealth and happiness! Thank you for stopping by today and spending time with me! Have a great week ahead! XOXO

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

 

Happy Valentine's Day Birdhouse! Fun with Lawn Fawn Supplies!

Hello my sweet crafty friends! Happy Friday! This was a super busy week - and lots of fun things going on! I started a mid week Bible Study that meets during the day and I think that's a good thing to get me out of the house more instead of hibernating here. We had some awesome sunshine this week too. Looking forward to the weekend and getting caught up around the house now that we've sort of dried out. I have never seen this much rain here and I've lived here 50+ years. It's been unbelievable. Here's hoping the worst of it has passed!! (maybe I prayed to hard for rain this past hot summer)  I am super grateful that my husband can fix anything - and right now he has to fix our entire fence that blew over in the storms. Seems like there is never a moment to rest around here. I hope you had a good week and have some fun plans coming up. Hope you are safe and warm where you live. Sending some winter hugs your way.

I have another fun Valentine to share today. I finally used some of my Lawn Fawn Supplies - yay! I got them all organized and found some new things I hadn't used yet. I decided to make a fun birdhouse Valentine!! My card is also my entry into the Lawn Fawnatics Challenge #141 - Lots of Heart!

My finished card is an A2 white card base. The gorgeous Quilted Heart coverplate die cut in aqua covers the entire card... Then I had fun creating my scene....

 

In addition to making my birdhouse, I added a pretty sunshine in the corner!! In this photo you can see the background die details - it's a favorite. 

 

For the large opening in the birdhouse, I wanted to add a detail so I searched through my supplies... Voila! I found the Reverse Scallop Circles die set and die cut one of them to fit perfectly inside the opening. I put dark brown cardstock behind the opening. I used pink cardstock for the roof and also the bottom and the opening. 

 

I die cut the birdhouse from woodgrain cardstock and used Distress Inks to add some shading.... I die cut two birdies and a few hearts to add onto the card since it's a VD Card! I wanted more foliage, so I used the leaves from the Strawberry Frame Die set. I also inked the edges of all the pieces. I stamped the sentiment onto a vellum strip using Black Stazon ink and wrapped it around the bottom of my card. 

 

 

 

I added white gel pen accents to the die cuts and splattered on some white paint too. It's such a cheerful card! Those little birdies seem very much in love in their cozy home! 

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have a great weekend! XOXO I'll be back on Sunday, and again on Monday, with some more new projects! 

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

 

The Greetery - Have a Heart Collection - New Release!

Hello friends! Happy Monday! It's going to be a very exciting Monday because I'm here to share the product and project reveals for the January new release from The Greetery! Yay! The new release is called "Have A Heart" and it's all about Valentines Day! Every item in the collection has a heart in it! Isn't that so sweet? The new release, as always, is beautiful and fun and happy and LOVEly!! I think you're going to like it! There's lots of time to get all those Valentine projects made. The design team will be sharing our projects today only....and then RELEASE DAY is TOMORROW January 17th at 10am EST. Only one more sleep until you can shop! I am looking forward to sharing my projects with you! I have two cards, some tags, and a fun treat bag to show you today. Lots of pictures, so get comfy and spend some time with me!

THE NEW RELEASE DAY IS TUESDAY, JANUARY 17TH AT 10AM EST!

The release has more additions to the Tear Strip Tags suite and the Ribbon Maker suite of products. There is the SWEETEST sentiment set that goes with adorable mini standalone dies....and more! I used classic colors of red, pink, cream and silver for all my valentines today....

You know that I love to make treat bags, boxes and packages! It's one of my favorite things to make! For my first project I used lots of the new products and a few older products to make a pretty, vintage inspired, glassine bag treat package! My package features the brand new Scallop Heart Ribbon Maker and the new pink paper ribbon, the brand new Heart Arrow Dies, and the brand new Tear Strips Valentine Stamps!! 

 

I started by die cutting out that pretty pink paper ribbon strip - eek so pretty! I filled my glassing bag with Hershey's Kisses and some little heart confetti. I folded the top over and wrapped the paper ribbon around the bag lengthwise. Then I went to town adding all the pretty Valentine things! The large heart is the new Heart Arrow Die, and the tags were made with the Tear Strip Tags dies and the new Tear Strips Valentine Stamps.... I used cream, red, and pink cardstocks.

 

For the tags, I die cut the four tags from cream cardstock. I stamped the sentiments in red ink... I die cut the tags a second time from red and pink cardstock and used some old scrapbooking scissors (scallop edge) to snip off just the top - to add a contrasting color. These tags are so pretty - I love all the fonts.

 

I used the Loopy Bow Die in red and splashed everything with silvery white watercolor paint for some shimmer.... I die cut the XO from the Slim Alphabet set and glued them onto a vellum circle.

 

 

 

I used two tags on my glassine bag, and the other two I'm saving for another project....

 

 

 

Next I'll show you my two Valentine cards! First up is a lovely valentine featuring the brand new Round About Hearts Die! It makes a heart wreath! I'm also featuring the brand new Hot Stuff Stamps and Dies and the Hearts At Home Stamps!! My finished card is a white A2 card base. I layered gingham using The Greetery Patchwork Die and them a layer of vellum... Classis red and white Valentine colors, with just a pop of silver.

 

I die cut six pieces of the Round About Hearts Die... Two in red, two in silver and two in vellum... I layered the vellum on the bottom, then the silver, then the red on top. I splashed everything with shimmery silver watercolor paint. I used two different sentiments and heat embossed the smaller one onto a banner.

 

One of the unexpectedly cool things about this die is the leftover hearts it makes! I had tiny heart confetti everywhere, so I scooped it up and saved it all! After I glued all the pieced together, I attached the wreath to my card with foam tape.

 

 

 

Here's a close up of the die... I do really like that pierced detail on all the hearts. VERY classy and pretty.

 

My final project for today is another Valentine Card. My finished card is a kraft A2 card base, layered with more kraft, patterned paper, then cream cardstock, then a tag! My card features the brand new Hearts at Home Sweater Die (OMG), and the brand new Hearts at Home Sentiment stamps set. In addition to this most adorable sweater die, there is also a toaster, a lightbulb and a clock in this release and they all match back to the cute sentiments.

 

I die cut my little sweater from cream and red cardstocks. I die cut a kraft tag using the Crimped Circles Tags to serve as my focal point. Look at that tiny hanger!! The little heart on the sweater looks knit and it's such a cool detail. I splattered on some white paint and tied a twine bow at the top.

 

 

 

I stamped the sentiment directly onto the top cream layer in black ink. Kind of a clean and simple design in one of my go-to color combinations.

 

So funny story... See how there are TWO layers of kraft?? The card base, and then another layer?? I bet you can guess what I did!! Yep, I glued the top layers down extra good...and then realized I built my card upside down! Ha. So I had to trim it and mount it onto another card base. Sometimes I get too excited!! The red hearts patterned paper is from Doodlebug and I have it linked in my supply list! I think it's the perfect subtle pattern!

Okay, friends, that's it for our release reveal of The Greetery Have A Heart Release!!! This release 'week' is only one day - today!  I am so happy to be sharing these products with you. The new release will be for sale Tomorrow! - Tuesday January 17th at 10am EST!  Have a blessed day. XOXO

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

CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE GREETERY STORE!

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

DESIGN TEAM INSPIRATION LINKS FOR TODAY!

Dana

Angelica 

Dawn

Laurie

Kelly

Wanda

Melissa

 

TGIF - The Greetery Inspiration Friday - Valentines Hug in a Mug!

Hi everyone! Wanda here today with your TGIF - The Greetery Inspiration Friday - project!  This card is up on The Greetery Blog today - so go check it out there too! Happy Friday! It's only one month until Valentine's Day so I thought I would make some Valentine projects to share! I do love switching over from holiday crafting to hearts and pink pink pink in these winter months. I used lots of my favorite Greetery supplies with a theme of love! I hope you had a good week. Our week was kind of crazy here in Sacramento. We've had storm after storm after storm. And these freakish winds up to 65 mph which is totally unheard of. Our entire fence blew apart and there are trees on houses, flooding, everything. Thank GOD we are safe and dry. Just waiting for the sun to come out so we can all regroup and fix everything. I'm staying crafty to keep my mind occupied! 

 

The Greetery Hug in a Mug suite of products was an instant favorite of mine when it was released. For today, I made two Valentine Mugs and a pretty Valentine card to go with them. Everything is in pretty shades of red and pink!

 

Here are the tops of those cute coffe mugs!!! The stamps make the perfect latte art!!

 

I started by die cutting the mugs and the saucers from light pink cardstock. I used Distress Oxide ink and blender brushes to gently ink just the bottom of the mugs for an ombre effect. I stamped the edging details, the coffee art details and the sentiments onto the mugs before assembly. I also made a few cookies - because we must have cookies with our coffee, right? 

 

I used one of the dies from the Cake Pops Set to make a white scalloped edge 'doily' for my mugs. Just a little touch of white with all that color - makes the mugs extra special. As you will remember, the Hug in a Mug dies come with the perfect little dies that make steam.... But I got the idea that I wanted whipped cream, and used the whipped cream dollop die from the Warm and Wonderful Set - I think it looks just right! I added a small paper tab to the back to insert into the opening on the top of the coffee portion. I embellished with hearts, glitter and stripey straws.

 

To make the Valentine note I used the Crimped Notecard Dies and made a white card. I also layered one more piece of white cardstock. I die cut the pink heart using the Shapely Hearts Dies and used the Bold Numbers in red and silver to make the number 14. I used the small flowers from the Cake Pops Dies set to make deep pink flowers to glue onto the heart. The sentiment is from the Market Basket stamp set and I stamped it onto the Cake Pops Banner! 

 

I layered silver under the red numbers for a bit of shimmer and shine.

 

 

 

I tied on a sweet little tag with a heart stamp and some twine!

 

To make the sweet cookies I used cream cardstock and inked the edged with Antique Linen Distress ink and a blender brush. For the center I used red cardstock and tons of sparkly glitter! 

 

I feel like I'm ready for a girlie Valentine party now! Wouldn't these be so cute as favors or place holders at a party? I used a lot of Greetery supplies in different ways than you might expect - that's kind of my thing. I like to use my stamps and dies for more than just their original ways. How do I do this? When I get ready to make a project to share with you I get out ALL my stamps and dies from The Greetery! Seriously, ALL of them! I lay them out and then sift and sort until I have my ideas ready. I find that way I don't forget about something amazing like those little Cake Pop flowers or those beautiful numbers!! 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers! I wish I could sit down for a coffee with all of you! It's my pleasure to be on the team with Betsy and the gang and to share with you! I hope I've inspired you to think outside the box! Wishing you a happy weekend and sending X's and O's your way. 

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

 

Doodlebug Day to Day Calendar Collection - January Calendar Page!

Hi there crafty friends! It's time for a fresh start and a new year. I love to get organized in January, and do my planner and clean up my craft room. It's nice to get things in order and prepare for Winter after the holidays! I have been a planner and calendar fanatic since college.... I have three calendars in my craft room. Yes I'm crazy!! Doodlebug has come up with gorgeous new things to help us personalize and pretty up our calendars and I'm here to share the new Day to Day Collection with you! Of course I made up a calendar for January and put it on my Clipart Board. It's so colorful and fun. I used the Doodlebug My Happy Place Collection for my stickers and embellishments. This is great as a calendar of course, but this could also the be the start of a great scrapbook layout. And it will slide right into your scrapbooks! The finished calendar sheet page is 12x12. Supplies are linked here or at the bottom of my post!

Here is my January calendar on the Clipart Board ready to hang on the wall. Loving all those pretty colors!

 

To start off, I used the month stickers to put January across the top of the page. Then I used the clear calendar number stickers to place all the numbers on the dates. I really like the font of the numbers - nice and crisp. There was a space in the lower right corner of my calendare so I made a sweet little home scene with washi tape and stickers.

 

Happy Happy New Year!

 

I love the grid lines on the calendar sheet - makes it easy to place your stickers and write in your appointments...

 

I couldn't resist a sweet little sunshine Doodle Pop at the top of my board!

 

 

 

 

This Day to Day Calendar Collection is so much fun! I can't wait to personalize all the months. All the Doodlebug Collections work perfectly with the calendar Sheets - think 4th of July, St. Patrick's Day, Valentines and more! The calendar pages come in all the beautiful Doodlebug Colors, so the creativity is endless! This is my next to last Doodlebug post as a design team member! My contract was one year, then extended to two years, and my two years is up at the end of this month! It has been such a joy to share my love of Doodlebug with you guys!! Have a blessed day today! XOXO

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

 

Pretty Pink Posh Valentine Release 2023 - XOXO!

Hello my lovelies! Happy Monday! I have something fun to share with you today! It's my second project I made with the brand new, beautiful 2023 January new release from Pretty Pink Posh! Remember last week there was a big blog hop to celebrate the new release? Well, this week is the Instagram Hop portion of the new release! So...if you have Instagram, be sure to check out the hop there, and leave comments on the posts for a chance to win some prizes! I always like to post my card on my blog too. Today's card is a Valentine with a capitol V! It has everything - red and white, X's and O's, cherries, and some hearts too! You can shop the entire PPP new release here!

My finished card is a white A2 card base, layered with red and then a white top layer. LOTS of red on this one - but hey, it's the color of love! My card features the brand new XOXO stamp and die set and the brand new Sweet Cherries stamp and die set! 

 

Here's a side view of my card to see all my layers and layout.... Lots of pretty white embossing - so classic.

 

I started this card by heat embossing the X's and O's and die cutting them out with the matching dies. Then I stamped and die cut out lots and lots of cherries! I colored the cherries with Copic Markers and added white gel pen accents too.

 

For the sentiment I used white embossing on a black strip to put across the bottom....

 

I used gorgeous Lumberjack Distress Oxide Ink and a blender brush to brush some red just at the top of my white layer. I splashed on some silver metallic paint onto the red part and onto the X's and O's too.

 

I affixed the X's and O's onto the card first, using foam tape. Then I placed the cherries all around them! This card has a lot going on and I love it!!

 

 

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to check out the big Instagram Hop for Pretty Pink Posh today!! I will be back this week with a couple more projects so stay tuned! Have an awesome week everyone! XOXO

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

 

Pretty Pink Posh January 2023 New Release Blog Hop - Love in a Mug!

Hello my sweeties! Happy Friday - the first Friday of 2023! Happy new year again! LOL.... Seriously, wishing all of you a great start and hope you've had a good week! We have been having glorious magnificent rain all week. Our thirsty ground is soaking it up, and it's perfectly cozy inside by the fire. My favorite! My week has been pretty busy with work and organizing (and the dreaded taking down of Christmas decorations)...  It's time in the craft room to transition over to Valentine's Day mode! Hearts, and candies and cupids and all those fun things! I always like it when it's time for a new crafting season. I'm ready for LOVE! Today is day two of a giant three day blog hop celebrating the new Valentine 2023 release from Pretty Pink Posh! Woohoooo! Always so happy to be included in the festivities!! All the blog hop information and prizes, etc is listed at the bottom of my post today. Let's get started!!

THE VALENTINE NEW RELEASE IS ALREADY AVAILABLE FOR SHOPPING!!

So today's card combines two of my favorites things - coffee and love! Because I LOVE coffee! Hee hee. My card features the brand new Valentine Mug Dies and the brand new Love Shadow Dies. The Valentine Mug Dies pair perfectly with the previously released Winter Mug Dies. My finished card is an A2 card base made from cream cardstock. I like the cream cardstock instead of bright white sometimes. I made a pretty pink mug and then went to town adding all the fun accessories. 

 

Here's a close up of that beautiful new Love dies set... I used red cardstock and shadowed it with vellum. Here you can also see my layers and placement. I affixed everything else to the card first and then glued on the love last.

 

 

 

I made my own background for this card and I really like how it came out! I die cut ten of the stitched hearts (that come with the new mug set) from cream cardstock and glued them onto another cream panel. I used Distress Oxide Ink and a blender brush to ink pink only on the top part of the panel. I used silver metallic watercolor paint to add some splashes and splatters. It looks so pretty in person!

 

I mean, who doesn't want a pretty cherry on top of some whipped cream and a coffee??? EEK. I die cut the 'stick' from white and red and then hand cut out some stripes. I stamped the words onto vellum banners and glued them on behind the stick part. You can see lots of yummy glitter. I used my Glitter Duster and Rock Candy Glitter for this part. Love it!

 

The new mug die set has cute little chocolate covered strawberries and a pretty spoon...

 

 

Thank you for stopping by today! Sending loads and mugs of love your way today!! I hope you have a great weekend full of fun and crafting! XOXO

There are 3 $30 gift certificates up for grabs from Pretty Pink Posh (one winner for each day of the hop!) Winners will be picked randomly along the blog hop comments so be sure to comment on ALL the blogs!! Comments must be left by 11:59 PM PST on 1/12/2023. Winners will be announced on the PPP blog! Good luck everyone!! 

THE VALENTINE NEW RELEASE IS ALREADY AVAILABLE FOR SHOPPING!!

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

 

TODAY'S BLOG HOP LINKS LIST! ENJOY THE HOP!

Pretty Pink Posh blog

Nichol Spohr

Wanda Guess

Leica Palma

Rebecca Keppel

Laura Evangeline

Lisa Mears

 

Wishing you a very Happy New Year and a great 2023!

Hi everyone! Happy New Year wishes! Sending you love and good vibes on this first day of 2023! Can you believe it?! Another year just flew by!! I have high hopes for 2023 and I hope we all have a wonderful year ahead. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your love and support in 2022. I am so grateful for all of you and your kindness and encouragement. This is my happy place, and you guys are a big part of it. Always a kind word and a little note to keep me going. I love sharing my joy of creativity with you and I'm hoping we can do some fun things in 2023. I don't know what's going to happen but I'm optimistic! Let's do this!!

I have a fun and sparkly new year's card to share with you today! I used a simple color palette of gold, white and kraft to make this one! Oh, and lots of stars! The finished card is an A2 card base. I layered woodgrain for a bit of texture, then a white embossed layer, and then all the good stuff. I used products old and new from my stash....

 

I started by die cutting lots of stars from vellum, gold paper and kraft paper. Then I embossed my white layer with a stars embossing folder. I splattered on some gold metallic paint over the white layer and let that dry.

 

I die cut the numbers from kraft cardstock.... And I die cut those pretty words from gold cardstock! 

 

I mixed and matched all the paper stars until I had a layout that I liked, then I attached them to the card with foam squares to pop them up a little bit. For the finaly touches, some white paint, white enamel dots, gold sequins and mirrored stars... I just kept adding things! 

 

 

 

I do really love the vellum and gold together - super classy! Reminds me of champagne and a party!

 

 

Again, Happy Happy Happy New Year! My hope is for a new year full of love and peace and joy and faith!! Have a wonderful week. I don't really do new year resolutions but I've been thinking about a lot of things, especially coming out of the pandemic, and making plans to be more intentional with my time and to nurture my friendships more. What are you pondering as we enter the new year? I would love to know. Lots of love, and see you soon! XOXO

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

Christmas Houses & Candy Canes! Ready for Christmas 2022!

Hi everyone! Just a few more days until Christmas now! It's almost midnight here and the house is totally quiet... Lucky is curled up next to me... We just got home from a wonderful church program full of beautiful music and lots of cheer and laughter! The hubs went to bed and I came in to the craft room to share a project! I wasn't sure I was going to make anything else, but I had a little time Tuesday so I made some cute things! Got the photos done before we went out today. Whew! I am still trying to finish up a cross stitch Santa piece before the end of the week. It's about 90% done and I think I'm gonna do it! LOL. I'll share that too when it's done. After a nice dinner out and a lovely time at church, I feel super peaceful and ready for the winter solstice change tonight, and for the celebration of Christmas.... I hope you are having a good week and feeling some peace too! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for keeping me encouraged during this crazy year. I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas!

I made projects with new to me Stamp Market Dies! No stamping today, just die cutting and snow! I used the 3D Little House Dies to make two houses. I ran out of time, but I want to make a whole village! I will use these as place setting decorations for our Christmas dinner... They are small and so so cute! Some little candies will fit inside or a small gift. I assembled mine and then put battery operated tea lights inside for that warm glow... They came together easily and it was a really fun project.

 

I made the boxes from pink and aqua cardstock and then put on silver roofs! Just a bit of sparkle, ya know. After I cut the windows out with the dies, I added vellum behind them to look like frosted glass. I made the wreaths from bright cardstock in Christmas colors....

 

You know I like to add a little heart to all my projects so I used some enamel shaped hearts to add over the big windows on the front. I used lots of texture paste and glitter to make it all look pretty and snowy! To put the white texture paste on, I used a small, stiff paint brush and kind of dabbed it on, messy. 

 

I adore that small scalloped edge detail on the roof! 

 

I took a photo of the houses without the tea lights inside - the vellum is nice in case you are trying to hide the candy or present!! 

 

Here is a side view of the smaller windows. I put a set of them on each side of the houses. You don't have to do this part - you can mix and match the windows for your desired look. 

 

 

Here is one of the houses in my hand so you can see the size and scale!

 

 

This really makes me feel all cozy inside!! I am going to make a bunch more of these to put on our entertainment center next year! Maybe in all the rainbow colors???

 

 

I also had purchased the Jumbo Candy Cane Die so I whipped up a couple of candy canes to use as present tie ons! They are fat and delicious and sparkly. I loooooove candy canes. I used texture paste and lots of chunky glitter on these sweets!

 

 

Okay, friends, that's it for today! Squeezing in those last Christmas projects! How are you doing with your holiday prep? Are you all done shopping and wrapping?? I've been volunteering for gift wrapping with our church and it's been fun. I love to wrap presents. I think I am pretty much done... And I'm vowing once again to start earlier next year so I don't run out of time!! (Someone remind me!) I hope you are doing great. It's 11:59 so I'm gonna finish this and get it published! Love you. XOXO

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

Doodlebug Candy Cane Lane Shadow Box Project! Ho Ho Ho!

Hi guys! Happy Monday! Happy Christmas week! So, I had big plans to make allllllll the things for Christmas and I had stacks of pretty things in my craft room on the counter..... And it started giving me stress. The holidays totally got away from me this year and to be honest, I'm really exhausted and burned out. I was putting so much pressure on myself to make more cards and make cookies and make presents. I literally shut down. When I get anxious like that, nothing creative will come out. I've tried. LOLZ. So this might be the last Christmas project for 2022... I will write all my ideas down and try again next year. I just needed to relieve the self induced pressure. So on Friday I cleaned my craft room and put all the Christmas crafty bins away (five of them full!), vaccumed, cleaned all the surfaces and hung up some twinkly lights. I called it and decided to focus the rest of the year on the reason for the season, and gratitude, and church and cocoa and looking at lights and all that good stuff. The past few years have been so hard and I'm struggling as we come to the end of the year. I will renew myself and set my goals for 2023. I sincerely hope that you have enjoyed a wonderful holiday season with your friends and families. You guys are like family to me and I am so thankful for you and your support! Sending blessings your way as we come into Christmas week.

And so, my Doodlebug loving friends... I'm here today to share my final Doodlebug project for the year! My project features the super fun Candy Cane Lane Collection!  My shadow box I am sharing today is up on the shelf in my craft room to bring some Christmas joy and cheer. But, it would also be great in the entry way or any room that needs fun and joy! And would also make a great gift!!  I used the new Candy Cane Lane Shadow Box Kit and the brown frame to put this together. If you haven't made a Doodlebug Shadow Box yet, I really recommend it! I guarantee you will have some fun crafting! I've made five so far and I love changing it out for the season!! Now they make one for every new collection!! 

Here is my finished shadow box. I splattered on some white paint to make it look snowy and artsy! I used some stickers and embellishments to add a bit of extra interest to the bottom of the frame. I always like to add some matching decorations to my frame! It's hard to see, but I backed the vellum panel with blue snowflake 12x12 paper from the Candy Cane Lane Collection.

 

I just adore all the little houses in this kit!! I want to live in a pretty Christmas house! You can see that I also splattered white paint onto my finished panel. I used Diamond Stickles to add glittery accents to the rooftops and other areas. 

 

So many pretty, sparkly gems in this kit - it makes it come alive and shimmer!

 

The color palette in this kit is just so cheery and sweet. I do love a pop of pink or aqua in with my Christmas colors! No one does it better than Doodlebug.

 

Here is my insert before I put it in the frame. The kit comes with a sheet of thick vellum and you place the vellum over a pattern and put the stickers and gems, etc down onto the vellum. It's genius and really fun. Some of the elements are popped up with foam squares and some are flat. 

 

 

Thank you for spending a little time with me today!! I hope you will make one of these shadow boxes!! My next Doodlebug project will be for New Years Week!! They have a brand new collection for planning and for calendars and I can't wait to show you. I'm waiting for mine to be delivered and I'm so excited! Have a great week! Love you! XOXO

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

A vintage card for my vintage husband!

Hi friends! Last week was SO busy. Gosh. Christmas is coming at me at lightning speed. Can we hit the pause button so I can catch up for a minute?! Are you feeling that way too? There are just so many fun things to do this time of year and I want to do everything!! Happy Monday!!  I have something different and fun to share with you today! It's a birthday card I made for my husband! He just celebrated his 60th birthday!! Gosh, we are both kinda freaking out about it.... I met him when he was 30! How does that much time go by so quickly?? Jeez!! He is a pretty low key sort of guy so he didn't want a lot of fanfare... We enjoyed some fun activities together over the weekend to celebrate him! I made him a vintage inspired card (since now he's vintage) using lots of cool Tim Holtz supplies!! I almost always grab my TH supplies when making masculine cards. Especially the Blueprints stamps....

The finished card is a 5x7 card base made from kraft, then layered with black and cream. I kept the color palette muted and masculine using kraft, grey, black and gold. 

 

I started by stamping the background panel using the mini blueprints of some of his favorite things: cameras, party hats, stars and skulls.... I used grey ink to make the background more muted. Then I stamped some of the same icons in black and cut them out by hand. I used gold metallic watercolor paint to paint on the icons.

 

I used Tim Holtz Label Stickers for the sentiments... I think they look cool and graphic. I used black and gold splatters for this card.

 

Here are some of my supplies as I was laying out my card idea. The number dies have been in my stash forever - they are Papertrey Ink By The Numbers. Unfortunately they are discontinued now. I used gold paper layered with black paper for the numbers. 

 

 

I attached a strip of vintage text paper across the card. Then I layered the icons around the numbers....

 

I used a large jump ring to hang a little camera charm from the bottom of the zero... 

 

The last step was to add a few mirrored stars, since he is my super star!!

Hope you're doing great today!! I'll be back soon with some more Christmas projects!! Thank you SO MUCH for shopping my affiliate links! I am SO GRATEFUL and it makes a huge difference to me!! I think I will have enough stash to do another giveaway in January!! I hope that sounds good to you too. Take care!! XOXO

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

Doodlebug - Candy Cane Lane Collection - Mitten Ornament Gift Card Holders!

Hi crafty friends! Happy Holiday Season to you all! Happy Monday! It's Doodlebug Monday, too! Did you have a good weekend? We were busy doing fun holiday things - putting up the tree, buying poinsettias, getting coffee, church.... It was a good weekend! I'm here today to share a project made with the brand new Candy Cane Lane Collection from Doodlebug! It's so holly jolly and cute and fun! Everything you could want in a winter paper collection... I was smiling the entire time I was making this project to share with you. I am always looking for cute handmade gift items to give out to friends, neighbors, and coworkers this time of year. I decided to make some paper mitten ornaments that hold a coffee gift card tucked inside. After the recipient takes out the gift card, they can hang the ornament on their tree! I will put the date and name on the back of each one too. 

I started by using the gorgeous 12x12 papers from the Doodlebug Candy Cane Lane collection. I die cut out two mittens in each color and then glued them together back to back. I die cut two cuffs and did the same, being careful not to glue the top shut. I used the Gingham 6x6 paper pad to make the cuffs. I tucked a little bit of tissue down inside the mitten to make it puff out just a little.  The mitten shape is a discontinued die set from Taylored Expressions called Mitten Garland. But, you could easily find a mitten template online or an SVG file of a mitten. I thought this idea would also be cute with coffee mugs instead of mittens. I might try that too! 

I used silver brads on the cuffs and put some Doodlebug Chunky Twine through the brads to act as the ornament hanger part. Then the really fun part - decorating the mittens with stickers and ephemera! I tucked a bit of tissue, the coffee cards, and a small candy cane into the top opening. Super festive. I can't wait to give them away! I think they will be cute hanging on the tree!

Here are my three mitten ornaments...

 

 

I used lots of stickers (Icons) and gems and all the good things from the Candy Cane Lane Collection. If you look closely, can you see those super cool clear acetate snowflakes? Love them! I used my favorite Bearly Glue to glue around the edges. They are of course, open at the top.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is one of the mittens in my hand so you can see the size and scale. 

I adore this happy jolly snowman! He's holding his Christmas tree, and I added lots of rhinestone ornaments to it! I do love the sparkle! Regular stickers and Puffy Stickers and gems....oh my!

 

 

 

 

 

I am kind of obsessed with snowmen and candy canes right now!

 

 

 

And lastly, my home for the holidays mitten!! I love this holly patterned paper - and paired with green gingham - so cute!! This would be a nice gift to bring to someone's home as a hostess gift!

 

 

 

 

 

More of those adorable puffy stickers!!

That's it for today!! We are doing something really special tonight at church and I am excited! We are attending a dinner and tour of Bethlehem. We have our own tour guide via video conference walking us through all the holy Christmas sites and showing us everything. All the while we will be dining on traditional food from that region. It should be an amazing time and definitely get us more into the reason for the season. Also, this week my husband turns 60!!! I'm not sure which one of us is freaking out more, me or him! I met him when he was 30!!! I made him a cool card that I'll share later in the week. I hope you have a wonderful and happy week! Thanks for spending some time with me today. XOXO

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

Christmas projects with new Taylored Expressions! Stamps, Stencils, Glitter, and an Elf!

Hi everyone! Happy December 1st! Can you believe it? Another year, another holiday season, another winter.... Wow, this year went fast! I hope you have a delightful, happy and peaceful December. Our month is so full of activities I have two different calendars going. There are so many fun things to do this time of year. I like to volunteer a lot and there are so many things happening at church, and work and of course craft fairs and Christmas festivals. Looking forward to a lovely month. Oh, and it's raining here today - yay! Lucky and I are all cozy in the craft room with the candles going and the twinkle lights...What a nice day. 

I have some projects to share with you today - both projects were made with awesome new supplies from our friends at Taylored Expressions! Yippeee! One classic card, and some bright and cheery tags. Supplies are all listed at the bottom of my post - including my ink colors for stenciling! Let's get to it!!

First up is a classic Christmas card, with kraft, red, green and gold. I used the new NOEL stamp/stencil combo and it is such a nice suite!! My finished card is an A2 red card base. I layered cream and then my top layer is kraft with the stenciling on it. I added snowflakes and splatters of course...

 

The NOEL stencil/stamp combo is soooo pretty. It's a set of four stencils and then a set of tiny accent stamps to add the leaf details. It's perfection. I used shades of greens and then the new Lumberjack Red Distress Ink!! The final stencil does the lines inside the words and I chose to use glitter gel/paste as my accent. Tip - make sure all your inks are 100% dry before you add a paste!!! I used both my small and large sized blender brushes to get a nice even coat of ink onto my paper. The colors look different on Kraft paper - and I love this look. I used Distress Inks - colors are listed in the supplies!

 

Here's a close up of all the details. I used a TE die to make a set of vellum snowflakes which I added to my card and also my other project for today. I love a pretty vellum snowflake, don't you? 

 

 

 

This is such a nice idea for a one layer card and would be great for mass production.... 

 

Next up is the Holiday Squad!! I made three tags using the new Holiday Squad dies/stamp set! The die set makes Santa, Mrs. Clause, and an adorable elf. All die cut from whatever color cardstock you want! I again stayed with traditional red and green.... I added snowflakes to my tags also...and snow splatters... There is a small stamp set that comes with the dies - for the eyes, cheeks and glasses. So easy and fun! I used the Joyful Season stamp set to add the small words on each tag.

Remember last year I made this card with the Snow Squad Dies! I'm so happy TE is adding to this fun collection of 'squads!'

 

Sweet Mrs. Claus with her smiling face and cute holly barette!! I added white gel pen accents to all three tags. I attached the figures to some postage stamp die cuts before adding them to the tags.

 

OMG how cute is this elf with his pointy ears!!! Instead of white for the hat brim and pom pom, I used silver glitter paper....

 

And of course Santa with his fluffy beard and cheerful smile....

 

 

 

These were so much fun to make!! I tied some twine at the top of each tag in a matching color. Added snowflakes and some tiny hearts...

 

 

 

Here's a photo I took the other day of a delicious drink I made in my new W mug! I love coffee mugs and I have a bazillion coffee mugs! But I always buy more! There never is a W so I had to get it, right??? I made hubs and I some peppermint mocha coffees the other day. He found peppermint flavored whipped cream at Whole Foods!!! So I mixed coffee, milk, chocolate, and peppermint syrup. I put on the whipped cream and some crushed peppermint candies. And WOWZA, sooooo yummy.  On a side note - have you ever had the peppermint milkshakes at Chik-fil-a???? OMG so good! I haven't had one yet this year, but I'm going to take care of that this weekend! Ha!

That's it for today! What are you working on!? Are you looking forward to a fun December too? I am sending out big hugs and good wishes for a happy holiday season to everyone. Love you guys. XOXO

CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to see all the supplies used in today's projects (Affiliate Links Used)

Let's kick off Christmas 2022 - Projects from the Honey Bee Make it Merry Collection!

Hi friends! Happy Friday! How was your Thanksgiving? I hope you had a great one! Our Thanksgiving was very quiet and peaceful here at home. I did the cooking and we relaxed and watched some movies. The holiday days always go so quickly! Now it's Black Friday! Are you shopping today? We usually go out at 5am and go shopping and hang out but this year we're not doing that. There isn't the budget this year and really, honestly, I want for nothing! I am so blessed and we are in general trying to be more zen so we are home crafting and decorating instead of in the shopping madness! Maybe next year we'll get back at it! We have a full weekend to come with my work at the store (I work part time at Paper Source) and church activities. But enough yammering on from me....Let's get to some crafty things! 

There were SO many wonderful Christmas releases from the stamp companies this year! Wow! I feel like everyone crushed it. Today I'm sharing FOUR cards in one post! Cards I made with the EXTRA SUPER DUPER FABULOUS Make it Merry release from Honey Bee Stamps. Like wow. WOW. I saw the new items and the ideas flooded my brain. I sat down this past week and made everything and I'm so excited to share it all with you. It's a little bit vintage, a lot classy, and some fun too. My cards all have a different flavor to them. This is one of those long posts with tons of pictures, so grab your coffee and spend some creative time with me! I'll show you all four cards first and then go into the detail photos. Thank you for being here with me!

All four cards are A2 sized card bases. There are tons of little details I put into each card to make it my creation - that is my signature - I love the small details! The supplies are listed at the bottom of my post (or click here). There are tons of Black Friday crafting sales now on these items too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's go a bit more in depth on this classic Christmas poinsettia card! This card features the Lovely Layers Poinsettias and the Vintage Picnic Basket Dies... SO much fun and vintagey goodness!! Lots of snow and some gold too.... I die cut the poinsettia dies from dark red paper and blended on some darker red distress ink to the tips. I die cut the leaves from both green and gold. Nothing says classic vintage Christmas like red, green and gold....and plaid! The picnic basket die is genius and so much fun. I die cut it from plaid cardstock to mimic those old thermos tins.

 

Just like all the other gorgeous Honey Bee Layered Florals, this Poinsettia came together like a dream. It's four layers and then the yellow center. EASY to put together! I used Snowfall Grit Paste and Opaque White Grit Paste to make snow and painted it onto the leaves and petals and set them aside to dry. In this photo you can also see that gorgeous background texture plate....love.... I used bits and bobs of the Winter Greenery Dies also to complete my arrangement.

 

My card base is made from woodgrain cardstock and layered with red and cream...

 

For the picnic basket I wanted a hint of metallic to make it look like a metal picnic basket. I used the Foundry Wax in Gilded to add gold with my fingers just at certain places.... I really like how this came out!! 

 

Here's a side view of that beautiful poinsettia flower! I gently lifted the petals with my finges to raise them upwards. I used Bearly Glue to glue them all together. I added some gems to the flower center and splattered on some snowy white ink...

 

I think this bells card might be my favorite one of the bunch! I LOVE how it came out with that 50's Christmas vibe!!! These dies are so pretty. I found just the right striped paper in my stash and it all came together.... I used the new Holiday Bells Dies along with the Winter Greenery Dies (just used the Holly leaves) to make this card. I again used red and green to create a vintage/classic look. I die cut the bells from red cardstock and used Copic Markers to add the darker red you see on the botton part of the bells. I used cream and silver cardstock to complete the bells. 

 

Here's a close up of my little cluster at the top of my bells. I had a red bow at first but it didn't look right with all the other red... So I finally decided on a pretty teal bow. I think that keeps with the 50's theme I was going for. I layered cream, red, stripes and vellum and then an oval for my card. To apply the texture paste snow is a bit tricky. It took me a few tries to get it the way I like it. I used a small paint brush but instead of 'painting' I 'dabbed' the paste on, leaving it super bumpy. I found if I 'painted' it, when it dried it was flat.... 

 

 

I used some glitter glue Diamond Stickles on the yellow part of the bells. I added a few clear and white gems to finish off the card. I stamped the sentiment in brown ink instead of black, and die cut it with the matching die.

 

A few quick and easy ways to add details to your cards.... When you're making die cuts, either blend on some distress inks with a blender brush, or use your markers to add some quick shading... Add gems, pearls, enamel dots, rhinestones for a bit of texture.... Add paint splatters in white, black or gold for that artsy feel (or snow feel!) Use a layer of vellum in between some of your other layers to add depth.... Me, you know, more is more. So I use all these things! Ha! 

 

My next card features the new Winter Greenery Dies, the new Mason Jar Vase Dies and the previously released Build A Snowman Dies (a favorite).... I wanted to make a little scene inside of a mason jar.... This card has a fun and playful feeling to it... I found the red snow paper in my stash and it's still available! It matched my card perfectly.... 

 

I built my classic snowman and gave him a plaid scarf and a peppermint on his hat! Of course he has a broom and a little red cardinal friend too! I wanted some trees in my scene and the trees from the new Winter Village dies set were PERFECT!! I added a stitched hill to set the scene and added my trees... The mason jar was die cut from light blue cardstock and I stamped some snow onto it.... 

 

I used Winter Greenery for the pine boughs and the bow from the bells die set for the top of the jar.... I added a small snowflake to the center.

 

 

 

For this last card I wanted to make another poinsettia in PINK! Such a pretty pop of icy colors...and silver....and blue.... This card is so cheerful and bright!! I made the poinsettia and then splashed on silvery white metallic watercolor!! I made the background with the awesome Fancy Flakes Die... I used a new to me embossing powder that is really pretty and glittery...it's called Silver Moonlight. YUM. 

 

I made the leaves from green and silver - again trying to get that 50's vintage look... I used vellum as my top layer. 

 

 

 

Every time I get one of these lovely layers dies I am blown away by how pretty they are. I mean, seriously. Could it be more perfect??? And so simple. Love it.

Okay! Thanks for hanging in there with me on this long post. I believe we have officially KICKED OFF CHRISTMAS here on the blog! Yay! Looking forward to sharing with you over the next month as we go through this fun time of year. Again, I'm going to run out of time, but I'll make as many fun things as I can! LOL. I hope you are enjoying a beautiful day and will find some creative time this weekend. Love ya! See you soon! XOXO

If you're crafty shopping today - I would be super grateful if you used my links! THANK YOU!! 

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

 

Happy Thanksgiving 2022!

Hi everyone! Happy Thanksgiving from my home to yours! I am so thankful for all of you here! I am sending big hugs and wishing you a very blessed and happy day with your friends and family! It's been another weird year, but still so much to be grateful for. I love this holiday - simple and pure.  I will see you soon with a project! Take care - love you! HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2022!

 

I decided very last minute yesterday to make a couple of Thanksgiving cards! I bought the Pie Perfection Dies and Stamps months ago, and never used them... Well, it was the perfect occasion to make some pie!!! These stamps and dies are literally the cutest thing ever!! Pies, pie slices, serving pieces, and adorable stamps too! I made two clean and simple cards using warm tones of orange and brown.... Both cards are sized A2 white card bases. Cheers to pie and good food today! CLICK HERE to shop the pie collection!

For this card I made two pies! And I used the toppers to make leaves to decorate them.... One is pumpkin and one is cherry. YUM... I sprinkled on lots of Rock Candy Glitter to make them look nice and sugary.

 

And this one is just a slice...but a big slice! 

 

Here are some close up photos of the dies. Really fun and these cards came together quick and easy. Can't wait to make some Summer pies too!