A Note filled with HUGS!

Hello Friends and Welcome to the LAST Monday in January!

Today I'm playing along in the Fusion Card Challenge.

When this popped up in my email I was intrigued by the sketch 

with all the white space and wondered if I was

really capable of making a card so simplistic (outside my comfort zone!)

 

This challenge actually closes tomorrow so I'd better hurry!

WELL ... I almost made it!

But, the white space got the best of me and I just had

to add this butterfly that was laying on my 

worktable from a previous project!

HEY! ... I came close!  LOL!!

You can use either the sketch or the photo inspiration

for your creation ... or ... combine the two of them.

My card is somewhere in the middle! 

Anyways ... I tried!

Hope you have a great week!  

Mine is looking on the busy side so fingers crossed

the winter weather cooperates!

As always . . .

Products used:

Paper: OLD SU designer paper, DCWV foil paper, white cs, gold cs

Dies:  Sue Wilson 'Hugs' #CED8307, Sue Wilson 'Stitched Flags' #CED4317, Elizabeth Craft 'Butterfly Silhouette' #740, Butterfly Overlay #705

Accessories:  Green sequins

Double D 1st Blogaversary - Play to Win!

This post will remain at the top of my blog through the month of January!

 Double D Challenge Blog is celebrating it's 1st ANNIVERSARY!  Come play along in the January challenges for a chance to win some amazing prizes ... be sure to pop over and check it out!!

Hidden Word

Happy Sunday Afternoon Everyone!

It's snowing here in Ohio so why not do a little crafting to share with all of you!

Actually, today is the final day to enter the second part of Darnell's celebration and partake in NBUS Challenge #9.  

One of the optional themes this week is the 'HIDDEN WORD' technique.

Now, since I had never before tried this (and it looks so awesome) of course I was intrigued and had to give it a whirl.

I must admit I think I can do better!  Guess I need to actually find instruction on this technique.  I was just guessing at how it's actually done since I was in a hurry to get my card created and entered before time expired.    I think it's an awesome technique and can't wait to see what else I can achieve.

Here I've simply taken a white card stock panel and sponged two different Tim Holtz distress ink colors.  Then I stamped a very old SU flower stamp then did my die cutting using the Tutti Designs 'Sympathy' Word Set (I used the larger of the two dies).  A few little Nuvo white crystal drop pearls in the corners and my card is ready to go.  I am always in need of sympathy cards for my sale boxes so I think this will be a simple yet impressive design to use.

UPDATE:  Okay so I took the time to create one more card using this technique, only this time I watched a video on YouTube which showed me my problem ... not enough underlying layers to give me the dimension needed.  This is better!  Here's a link to the Papertrey Ink  video I watched.

Thanks of  stopping by today.

If you're in the cold weather (as we are), please stay warm

and beware that nasty flu bug that is going around!

Challenges to share in:
Dare2BArtzy January Challenge - Something New (new technique)
 Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #50 - Anything Goes

As always . . .

Recipe:
Papers:  White cs, Blue cs
Stamps/Ink:  Stampin' Up 'Close as a Memory', Versafine Onyx, Tim Holtz 'Salty Ocean' and 'Picked Raspberry' distress inks
Accessories:  Tutti Designs 'Sympathy Word Set', Nuvo white crystal drops

Tutti Designs - Colorful Butterflies

Happy Sunday Friends!

Today I'm sharing a card of color and beauty using a die 

from the fabulous Tutti Designs Store.

Today I've used the beautiful Butterfly Dance die from the November Release.



 I knew I wanted to bring full focus to this beautiful die so I created a colorful panel to die cut from using Ken Oliver color burst.  I was in a hurry (imagine that) and die cut my panel before it was dry, but I recommend if you use this technique that you wait awhile before die cutting ... makes the little pieces come out easier.

Speaking of those little pieces that pop out and typically get thrown away ... be watching for those that can be used as an extra accent to your creation as I have done today.

Please be sure to pop over to the

 Tutti Designs Store 

and check out all of these fabulous dies. 

Need inspiration?  

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

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 and as always . . .

Something NEW

Hello Friends!

Today I'm sharing a couple of cards I made a short time ago after receiving my order from the Dies R Us Store.  After every long, cold winter there is always a flourish of babies born so I want to be ready and ordered a few new baby themed dies.

 Did these cards turn out cute or what??  LOL!

I just thought this giraffe die was adorable and couldn't wait to create with him (or her).

I've turned to my embossing folders for the backgrounds.

Quick, easy and always adds wonderful texture to such a simple creation.

I also have quite a selection of ribbons since joining the ribbon club at Really Reasonable Ribbons a few years back!  In fact, they are such beautiful ribbon packs I'm afraid I've kind of turned into a ribbon hoarder at this point!   Yikes!

Challenges to share in:

Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge #156 - Red and/or Pink Theme w/ ribbon or trim

CCC Digi Creations Challenge #65 - Use Die Cuts and/or Punches

Crafty Purple Frog Challenge - New Beginnings (new baby)

 NordSalten Hobby Club #153- Baby

Craft-Dee Bowz January Challenge - ATG w/handmade bow

Crafty Cardmaker Challenge #180 - New Beginnings (new baby)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

As always . . .

Recipe:
Papers:  White cs, Pink cs,
Dies:  Cheery Lynn Designs 'Whimsical Giraffe' B794,  Sue Wilson 'It's a Girl' CED10023, Cheery Lynn Designs 'Congratulations' B289
Accessories:  Embossing Folders, pink ric-rak, Pink Satin ribbon, Really Reasonable Ribbon

Sisterhood - Simply Made

Happy Hump Day Everyone!

It's time for another fun challenge over at The Sisterhood of Crafters!

Terri is our hostess today and she's ask us to create with the theme . . .

SIMPLY MADE

i.e. could be single layer creation, CAS (clean & simple), 

something without a lot of ribbons, layers or embellishments

Back at the beginning of the month I shared a new (to me) technique called Northern Lights.  While I had everything out on the worktable, I created a few extra background panels using this technique and decided to use one of those for today's card.  I hope you like it.  If you'd like to see more information on how to do this technique, you can check out my earlier blog post HERE. 

Hubby & I were in Alaska this past June 2016 and the only thing we regret is that our timing was not good for seeing the Northern Lights.  Guess that means we'll have to make ANOTHER trip and stay longer since that is at the top of his bucket list.

What a fun time I had getting inky!  And if you know me, you know I love making 'scenes' such as this.  I think they are perfect for masculine cards or for a generic note card as I have made today. 

After making the northern lights background, I stamped some trees (big and small) in the foreground and added a little 'snow' to the mountain peaks.  And, of course the night sky needed a whole lot of stars!  Because, when you are out in the dark wilderness like this, without the streetlights, there are a MILLION stars in the sky and it is AMAZING ... hence the sentiment!  (did you notice there's even a couple 'shooting stars' ... lol)

Challenges to share in:
Cards and More Challenge #176 - Still Winter (still winter up on the mountain)
Crafty Sentiments Designs Challenge  - Dies
 Artistic Inspiration Challenge #171 - Anything Goes
Watercooler Wednesday Challenge - Masculine

I hope you'll come join in our challenge fun at the Sisterhood of Crafters.

You will have until February 5th to get your entry added to the Inlinkz.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

As always . . .

Recipe:

Papers:  White card stock

Inks:  Various colors of SU, versafine onyx

Stamps:  Stampscapes

Dies:  Tutti Designs 'Amazing'

Accessories:  white gelly roll pen, small and large sponge daubers, gold Pilot marker (edging)

Brrr! So cold but SO PRETTY!

Happy Monday All!

Here we are in the last full week of January ... where is the time going?

Monday's can be GOOD

or BAD!  Depending on how you approach it!

I like to approach my Monday's (when possible)

by joining in the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge.

Like I have today . . .

Here is the Mojo Monday sketch I worked from ...

Now I must admit, here in Ohio we've been experiencing

a pretty mild winter so far.  A few inches of snow but not enough

to even get the snow blower fired up for ... just some simple shoveling.

BUT, I have a hunch February & March might be a

different story so I went with a Wintry/Snowy theme.  The image I have used came from the internet ... Pinterest to be precise!  I love that option for those times when I can't seem to find the stamp or digi I'm wanting to focus on.

My circle panel comes from the Yvonne Creations 'Holly Jolly Nesting Frame'.  The portion I cut off on the side I used to adorn the corners.

My sentiment is by Elizabeth Craft called 'Brrr'.

I wanted to use the same gray/blue card stock for the panel behind my focus image but need to do something to make it 'stand out'.  So I simply used a white gelly roll pen & a ruler to create the lines then went back and added the dots to create a border on the panel.  Perfect!  That's exactly what it needed.

This winter time creation could be used for a variety of occasions I think.  From a simple note card to a winter time birthday.

Challenges to share in:

Come and Get It Challenge - No Designer Paper

Digi Designs Challenge - Snowy Winter

Alphabet Challenge - W for Winter Walk

Cut It Up Challenge #113 - It's Snow Time

Frilly and Funkie Challenge - Winter Hues

Cuttlebug Mania Challenge - Winter Wonderland

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

I wish you a FABULOUS week ahead!

As always . . .

Tutti Designs - All we need is LOVE!

Happy Sunday Friends!

Today I'm sharing a card of LOVE using a die from the fabulous Tutti Designs Store.

With Valentine's Day right around the corner and wedding season really not that far off, I decided to do a classic black, white & red creation that could be used for either occasion!  Or a spouses birthday for that matter!

 I've used this beautiful Love Heart die from our November release as my focus today!

 My first thought was to simply cut it twice (from red and white) then just simply offset the two dies for my focus image.  Which is a beautiful design in itself ... 

 But then after some rethinking, I thought it would be even prettier if I cut the hearts from the red die cut panel and adhered them to the white panel before mounting it to my black background.  YES ... I like this idea even better ... what do you think?

You could use just about any background die you have in your collection ... or simplify it even more by just using a solid black background as your anchor.   Today I chose to use the Sue Wilson Indian Ocean Collection #CED10011 from the Dies R Us Store.   A few little pearls ... or in this case Nuvo crystal drops, and your card is ready for giving.

OH and I forgot to mention, I did POP UP my Love Heart by simply adding a little dimensional tape behind each heart and 2 narrow strips behind the word.

Please be sure to pop over to the

 Tutti Designs Store 

and check out all of these fabulous dies.

Challenges to share in:
A Gem of a Challenge #186 - Hearts and/or Flowers
 Perfectly Created Chaos Challenge #9 - Black, White + 1 color
Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #106 - Add a heart
CAS on Sunday Challenge #100 - Hearts
Come and Get It Challenge - No Design Paper

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!!

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 and as always . . .

Dies R Us - Smile Be Happy

Hello Friends!
My Goodness!   I can't express how much fun I had creating today's card.  I purchased these dies from the Dies R Us Store at the end of summer and now that the holidays are over I finally have a chance to play with them. 

I just loved this Memory Box Graceful Branch Oval so once I die cut it from white card stock, I knew I needed to have a 'watery' background for my Frantic Stamper Sea Creatures Icons to swim in.  Here's a quick and easy way to create such a background.

 I cut a piece of white card stock the same size as my branch oval die cut panel.  First you'll want to ink it up using a lighter shade of blue then sponge the upper portion with a darker shade of blue.  Viola!

The other dies I have used in my creation are the Frantic Stamper Shoreline Reeds and the adorable Elizabeth Craft Rocky the Crab.  Faux stitching was done to bring attention to the ocean view panel.

Remember, each an every day of the month there's a new inspiration sample shared on the blog by this fabulous design team.  Please be sure to pop in regularly.

Challenges to share in:
artbymiran Challenge #76 - Anything Goes
 Brown Sugar Challenge #234 - Anything Goes
 Crafting with Friends Challenge #35 - Anything Goes
Creative Corner Challenge - Very Funny
Creative Fingers Challenge #123 - Anything Goes
QKR Stampede Challenge 227 - Anything Goes or One for the Kids

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

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

As Always . . .

Love

Hello All!

While talking with BFF Diane (Nellie's Nest), she mentioned a

'new to us' challenge called Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and she said

that it looked like fun.  So, I took a peek and sure enough ... it looked like an easy & fun

challenge to join in today.  

As you see, this is a CAS (clean and simple) challenge

which believe it or not is a difficult thing for me to do!

I like all those layers, embellishment, etc., etc.

But here's what I came up with . . .

I actually had this beautiful Tutti Designs 'Love Heart' die cut laying 

on my table that I was going to use on an upcoming project but then switched gears

and used the die in another way.

This card truly took me less then 5 minutes since the die was already cut!

I simply adhered the die to a white card ... added a few sequins and VIOLA!!

Challenges to share in:

Moving Along with the Times - Swirls and/or Curls

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge - Add a Heart

Moo-Mania & More Challenge - Love

Well that's it for me today!

Time to get some laundry & house cleaning done

so I can play in the craft cave this weekend!  

Thanks for stopping by ...

As always . . .