Words of Encouragement . . .

Hello Crafty Friends!

Today begins a new challenge over on the Sisterhood of Crafters blog and our hostess is Vickie!  She has chosen a theme that EVERYONE can participate in ... I'm referring to

ANYTHING GOES!

Since I had an open slate, I decided to print out some digi images (that deserved attention) and get busy coloring.  I've used my Spectrum Noir PENCILS for the coloring on this sweet image.  

This adorable 'Daisy' image is from the Inspired by Stamping Store and is actually one of the FREE images they offered awhile ago.    I liked the larger flowers for coloring and the encouraging verse is perfect!

I used pencils from three different Spectrum Noir pencil sets ... Primaries, Essentials & Floral.  Once colored I used a Tutti Designs 'Nesting Stitched Rectangles' die to cut and then mat.  But before removing it from the die, I used a large sponge and sponged around the edge using Tim Holtz 'Worn Lipstick' oxide ink.

I know it's difficult to see in the photo, but once my coloring was completed (actually after I had my card all put together and photographed) ... I decided the flower petals needed more 'character' so I used Wink of Stella on each petal.

That just didn't show up and give the petals the character I was looking for so I went to my container of Gelly Roll Glitter Pens and gave each petal a few strokes.  I'm very happy with the outcome and of course, it's so much prettier in real life.

The background was created using a scrap of cranberry colored card stock and the Cheery Lynn Designs 'Cathedral Lace Frame'.    

Today seemed to be one of those days that I didn't have all my thoughts together before putting my card together!  Because, after I already had my focus image matted and attached to the background panel, I decided it needed a ribbon ... good grief girl!  LOL   So, I carefully lifted the bottom of my focus panel and added a piece of pretty pink ribbon from the Really Reasonable Ribbon store then made a double loop bow to attach on top.  Whew!   A few little dots of Nuvo Pink Crystal Drops and NOW my card is complete!

I hope you'll come join in our Sisterhood challenge fun!  Remember, the theme is Anything Goes so you have NO EXCUSE!!  LOL

Challenges to share in:
Crafty Sentiments Designs Challenge - ATG
Lemon Shortbread Challenge - ATG
Try It On Tuesday Challenge - In My Garden
Ooh La La Creations Challenge - Flowers
Simon Says Work It Wednesday (Aug/Sept) - ATG

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you have a MARVELOUS day ahead!!!

As always . . .

Babies are a Blessing!

Happy Tuesday All!

This post will be short & sweet since I'm short on time this morning.  I'm headed to Pennsylvania to pick up my mother, then headed to the Pittsburgh Airport to pick up my aunt who is coming in for our family reunion this coming weekend (a 3 day event ... lol).

But before I go I just had to play along in a cute challenge that my friend Diane (Nellie's Nest) told me about and I 'm running down to the wire getting something entered  (less than 2 hrs left to enter) Yikes!!

The challenge is at the Sunny Day Crafting Challenge Blog

and their theme is " G for Giraffe "

My BFF Lona just welcomed in a set of twin GREAT-grandbabies last week so that was my thoughts when creating this card.  Yep ... a boy & a girl ... how sweet.  So this card will go in the mail today to them along with our blessing on these new babies.

Other challenges to share in:

Craft-Dee Bowz August Challenge - ATG w/bow

Use Your Stuff Challenge #276 - New Beginnings

Dragonfly Dreams Challenge - Animals

Scrap and Craft Inspiration Challenge #6 - Baby

Thanks so much for stopping by.

As always . . .

Recipe:

Paper:  White cs, Prima 'Princess' designer paper

Dies:  Cheery Lynn Designs 'Whimsical Giraffe' #B794, Die Versions 'Baby Giraffe' #DV-644

Stamps:  Fiskars 'Precious Baby Quotes'

Accessories:  Versafine Onyx ink, Joann's baby blue & pink satin ribbon, Craft-Dee Bowz bow maker, Spectrum Noir alcohol markers (EB1, EB2, TN1, TN5), 3M dimensional tape

Overheated?

Happy Monday All!

Are you all ready for the Total Eclipse?

(keep those safety glasses ready)

In the meantime, I wanted to play along in a sketch and

found an easy but fun one over at the 

Atlantic Heart Sketch Challenge Blog

I haven't made a get well card in a very long time

and with a show coming up at

the local Country Club, I know those ladies

will be looking for some so that

was my theme for today's card.

It was a lot of fun to get 'inky' today!

I work so much with die cuts that I find my stamps

weren't 'feeling the love' so I reached in

and found this fun Sparkle N Sprinkle stamp set

called Cars-Henry (stamp set 251).

After stamping, I did a little coloring with my Spectrum

Noir alcohol markers then fussy cut them using

my Fiskars swivel craft knife.

Viola!

Other challenges to share in today are:

The Crazy Challenge - Inking is Fun

Fashionable Stamping Challenge #126 - Use your inks anyway you like

heARTful Stampin August Challenge - ATG + stamp
Sparkle N Sprinkle FB Challenge - ATG

Thanks so much for stopping by today ...

As always . . .

A Snowman Merry Christmas

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Today I'm sharing another fun holiday card using dies from the Tutti Designs July Release.  If you are in need of some fabulous holiday dies to make quick & beautiful Christmas cards, then you need not go any further than the Tutti Designs Store.  You will find awesome holiday dies in both the current July 2017 Release as well as the July 2016 Release.  Check it out won't you!!

The dies I have used today are:

Merry Christmas #361

Snowman Trio #362

Here are a few little tips used on creating this card . . .

To give my snowman some color, I spotted a scrap piece of 'clouds' background panel in my scrap box and decided to use it as a backing for my snowmen.  So I adhered my snowman trio to the paper and after a bit of fussy cutting ... Viola!

 

 For my Merry Christmas sentiment, I first die cut it from a scrap piece of red patterned paper then realizing it was too 'thin'!  So, I die cut my sentiment two more times from 110# white card stock (also scraps) then glued them all together.  This not only gave my sentiment more stability, but wonderful dimension.

 

Since I already had wonderful dimension behind my Merry Christmas sentiment, I decided to add a few strips of 3M dimensional tape behind my snowman trio too.    

These ways of adding dimension adds wonderful character to your card creations without adding addition postage!

Now all that is needed is a touch of holiday Sparkle!  To achieve that, I've simply added just a touch of Diamond Stickles to each of the snowflakes on my sentiment.  PERFECT!

Please be sure to pop over to the Tutti Designs Store and check out all of the fabulous dies in this latest release.  And, of course, you'll want to browse through the store to see what other dies you need to have on hand.

 

Need inspiration? 

The team has something new to share on the Tutti Designs Blog EACH and EVERY DAY!   Pop in often and see for yourself ... what a talented group of designers!!

 

For your convenience, here are all the Tutti Designs quick links you will need:

Tutti Designs Store

Tutti Designs Pinterest

Tutti Designs Facebook

Tutti Designs Blog

 

 Thanks for stopping by!

As Always . . .

 

Fun in the Sun . . .

 . . . enjoy it while & when you can!

Happy Saturday Afternoon Everyone!

There have been a few challenges brought to my attention

that I'd like to play along with, so I got busy this morning after breakfast

and here's what I have created to share today.

One of the challenges that caught my attention  is the Cute Card Thursday challenge and their theme is 'Fun in the Sun'.  As soon as I saw the theme I knew that gave me a chance to play with my Tim Holtz oxide inks again to create a 'watery' background panel.    Of course when I think of water, I go right to the blues & greens.  So, that lead me into the next fun challenge and it's over on the Country View Challenge Blog where their theme is Blues & Greens.  The Simon Says Wednesday Challenge rounded out my card with the theme of 'Add A Sentiment'.

Living in Ohio and both hubby & I being very fair skinned (burn to a crisp in no time at all, lol), we don't do the beach very often.  But, when we have, I must admit there is nothing more calming & relaxing than the sound of the waves as well as the warmth of the beach breezes.  

The colors of oxide ink I used for my background today are:

Faded Jeans

Peacock Feathers

Broken China

Lucky Clover 

Cracked Pistachio.

The dies I have used on today's card are:

Lawn Fawn Large Stitched Ovals (LF910) & Small Stitched Ovals (LF909)

which were cut four times and adhered together for dimension

Sue Wilson 'Pierced Flags"  CED-4304

Sue Wilson 'Beaded Swirl Flourish'  CED-1457

Frantic Stamper  'Angel Fish'  FRA-09509

Joy! Craft 'Flip Flops'  6002/0171

Little B 'Mermaid'  LB102413

I hope you're having a fabulous weekend what ever you might be doing!

Here are a few more challenges to share in:

Challenge Up Your Life - Summer

Crafting With Dragonflies - Embossing (wet or dry)

Inkspirational Word Prompt Challenge - Wave (sentiment banner is waved)

Create & Inspire Challenge #65 - Summer
Ike's World Challenge #95 - ATG option/under the sea

Thanks SO MUCH for stopping by!

As always . . .

Recipe:
Papers:  White cs, Mint Green cs, Pacific Point Blue cs, Scrap of designer paper (flip flops), Scrap of Olive Drab Green (sea weeds)
Dies:  Listed & Linked above
Inks:  Tim Holtz Oxides listed above, Versafine Onyx
Accessories:  Cuttlebug swirls embossing folder, TH water bottle, heat tool, white glue

Double D - ALL White

Hello all!

It's time for a new challenge at the Double D Challenge Blog and I'm proud to say that Team Darlene are the hosts for today's challenge.  And, our theme is . . .

ALL WHITE

Here's our inspiration board to help you get started . . .

Your card/project could be ANYTHING as long as it's ALL white ... no added color.  

Even an all white Christmas card would be beautiful!  Dang!  Why didn't I think of that earlier!  LOL

Instead, my mind went to a new baby so here is what I've created . . .

I have actually used a couple new dies I just received (full list of products used are at the end of this post).

I added a lot of dimension by die cutting the chair and Baby sentiment several times then gluing them together to make a 'chipboard' affect.  Maybe you can see it better in the photo below . . .

What a sweet card to add to my stash for upcoming craft shows.

Challenges to share in:
Scrap and Craft Challenge #6 - New Baby
Inky Chicks Challenge #86 - Sentiment instead of Image
Use Your Stuff Challenge #275 - For the love of children
 Paperminutes Challenge #500 - ATG
Scrapy Land Challenge - ATG using product carried in their store
Creative Knockouts Challenge #206 - For A Child
Crop Stop August Challenge - ATG using product carried in their store

For more inspiration, be sure to pop over to see what the design team ladies have created!  Just beautiful!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today and as always . . .

Recipe:

Papers:  White cs

Dies:  Frantic Stamper 'Rocking Chair' #FRA-10135, Sue Wilson 'Festive Collection - Twinkle Star Frame' #CED3092, Marianne 'Baby Text' #LR0217

Accessories:  Offray white satin ribbon, Craft-Dee Bowz 'bow maker', Nuvo White crystal drops, 3M dimensional foam tape

Walking in a Winter Wonderland . . .

OMG I don't even want to think about this yet!  LOL

Hello my friends!

Today I have a fun wintertime creation to share for the Dies R Us Inspiration Blog.  

I know summer is flying by quickly but I'm going to try to stretch it out as long as I can!  But, as we all know, those snowy days will be here before we know it ... hopefully it will wait until December ... Christmas snow is okay!!

This was a fun and easy card to create and I love the end result.

The dies I have used today are:

Memory Box Simple Evergreen Frame #99243

Memory Box Evergreen Trio #99240

Sue Wilson Festive Collect 'Winter Wonderland' #CED3097

I began by cutting out my Memory Box Simple Evergreen Frame then thought it would be so easy to simply sponge the background (popped out portion) blue and reinsert the frame ... half the work is DONE!!

Next I die cut 6 of the Evergreen Trio die and stacked them in two rows in front of the larger trees in the frame ... to add depth.    On the middle row, I actually off set the 3rd trio die cut for yet another depth of dimension.

I added the sentiment die words, used Nuvo white crystal drops for 'dotting' the I's and dabs of Diamond Stickles for my snowflakes.  Viola!

Challenges to share in:

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge: Anything Christmas Goes
Christmas Card Challenges: Anything Christmas Goes w/Option Blue & White Snowflakes

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas: Anything Christmas Goes

I hope you've enjoyed what I've shared today!  And, don't forget to come join in the fun at the Dies R Us Challenge Blog.  There's a new challenge theme offered on the 1st and 15th of each month and one lucky randomly drawn winner will receive a gift voucher prize to the Dies R Us Store.  For your convenience, all the important Dies R Us links are provided below.

click below for:

STORE 
 CHALLENGE BLOG
  FACEBOOK
  INSPIRATION BLOG

FRIENDS OF DIES R US PINTEREST PAGE

Oops ... nearly forgot to mention!

Don't forget to use both the POSITIVE and the NEGATIVE of your word dies when possible!  It's always fabulous to get a Two for One!!!   Here I've adhered my negative sentiment die cut to a piece of red card stock and simply cut around.  Now it's all ready for another wintertime creation.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and as always . . .

Go with the Flow . . .

Hello Everyone and Happy Monday!

I had a little extra crafting time yesterday so 

decided to create a card for the

latest Memory Box Out of the Box Challenge

I've really gotten hooked on creating backgrounds
using the Tim Holtz oxide inks and a
'watery' scene is my favorite at the moment.
Here's what I came up with ...

I recently received the Memory Box
'Oceana Corner' (99144) from the Dies R Us store
and I've had the Memory Box 'Big Splash
Border' (99438) for quite some time so
decided to see how they would look together.
LOVE IT!!

The Penny Black 'Fancy Fish' (51-314) was
the perfect addition and I used the 'pop out' bubbles/little fish
from the MB Oceana Corner with this fancy fish ...
otherwise they may have been thrown away.

The Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Inks I used
for my background panel are:
Peacock Feathers, Broken China
Wilted Violet and Cracked Pistachio

Challenges to share in today:

Challenge Up Your Life #71 - Circles (bubbles & waves)
Crazy 4 Challenge - Monochromatic
The Fairy and the Unicorn Challenge #6 - ATG option/We are all at Sea
A Vintage Journey Challenge - Watercolor
Dare2BArtzy August Challenge - Pastels
Simon Says Monday Challenge - Nautical

Well that does it for me today!
Here's wishing you a FABULOUS week ahead!
Thanks for stopping by and as always . . .

Do You Believe?

Happy Sunday All!

It's Christmas in July August at the Tutti Designs Store and their July Release is jam packed full of awesome holiday dies!  You'll want to be sure to pop over and make your purchase early before they run out!  Today my card showcases a fun snowman die from this release and I'm having fun with Liquid Applique to bring him to life!

The dies I've used today are:

Snowman Panel (#364)



and from the December 2016 Release

Believe (#230)




I spotted a product in my stash that I haven't used in a VERY long time and thought it was the perfect thing to use today to bring my snowman to life!  This snowman panel die is so intricate and beautiful on it's own, you really don't need much to create a beautiful card but I was in a playful mood so I put these OLD liquid appliques to work.  Here's a few steps I took in the process . . .

Keep in mind, with each application, I needed to heat it with a heat gun to make it 'bubble up' ... what fun!
Now it was just a matter of choosing a couple of wintertime design papers to create my background panel.  The upper blue panel was been 'torn' and the snowman panel has been popped up with dimensional tape!  The only other thing needed to complete this fun card was a sentiment ... Tutti Designs December 2016 release has several different word dies and the word Believe worked perfectly in this instance!

Please be sure to pop over to the Tutti Designs Store and check out all of the fabulous dies in this latest release.  And, of course, you'll want to browse through the store to see what other dies you need to have on hand.

Need inspiration? 

The team has something new to share on the Tutti Designs Blog EACH and EVERY DAY!   Pop in often and see for yourself ... what a talented group of designers!!

Challenges to share in:
Creative Fingers Challenge #135 - ATG
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #428 - ATG
Creative Knockouts Challenge #206 - For A Child

For your convenience, here are all the Tutti Designs quick links you will need:

Tutti Designs Store

Tutti Designs Pinterest

Tutti Designs Facebook

Tutti Designs Blog

Thanks for stopping by!

  As always . . .