Monday, February 27, 2017

Masculine Birthday

Hello again ...
I have a second card to share with you today and since
I just realized the challenge I've been wanting to
play all week ends in just a couple of hours, this was truly
a 'quicky' card.

The challenge I'm referring to is the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge
and their theme this week is . . .


Thank goodness for die cuts because without them I would have never
been able to get this card made & posted so quickly ... literately 15 minutes!
(To create the card ... takes me twice that long to write my post!  lol ... Go Figure!)

I have an OLD stack of 6x6 cuts from various Stampin' Up designer papers
so I quickly thumbed through them and came up with this double sided panel
for my background.

In my stash of dies I found this Impression Obsession Truck (DIE218)
Impression Obsession - Dies - Classic Truck

from the Dies R Us Store found HERE.
Also my Tutti Designs 'Happy' and 'Birthday' can also be found at the DRU store.
They come in two sizes which is really convenient!!
And I think this old Frantic Stamper 'Gear Collage' was the perfect accent
to my 'manly' birthday creation.


Thanks so much for stopping by!
I hope you're having a fabulous start to your week!

As always . . .

Pretty in Pink

Happy Monday All!
I have a card to share today that was created for the Fusion Card Challenge
before time is up tomorrow.  Here's their theme . . .


As you can see, you can choose to follow the sketch OR the photo inspiration ... OR both!  Today, I chose to do both and I'm very happy with the outcome of my card.  But, I'm always anxious to hear your thoughts!


My image is from the internet and I've had it printed and sitting on the table just waiting to be turned into a card.  Well today's the day and I think it is perfect with all the beautiful pink flowers on her hat.
Can you imagine how much that hat must weigh!!


My flowers were created using the Heartfelt Creations 'Vintage Floret' die.
A little sponging of Tim Holtz 'Picked Raspberries' distress ink was added to the edges
of the flower petals and a little shaping was done for added dimension.
The leaves were created using the Memory Box ' Climbing Vine' die #99623
and cut into pieces.  A Nuvo Pink Crystal Drops for the center was the finishing touch
for this flower cluster.

Challenges to share in:
Di's Digi Designs Challenge - Die Cuts and/or Punches

This is be a perfect card to add to my Spring Craft Show sale box.
The ladies always love these vintage/floral designs.
And, who can't use another birthday card in their stash!

Thanks for stopping by and I wish you a FABULOUS week ahead!
As always . . .

 
Recipe:
Papers:  White cs, SU Pink Pirouette cs, SU Pear Pizazz cs
Stamps:  Inkadinkado
Inks:  Tim Holtz 'Picked Raspberries' distress ink, Memento 'Bamboo Leaves', Versafine Onyx
Dies:  Memory Box 'Climbing Vine' #99623, Heartfelt Creations 'Vintage Floret' #HCD1-727
Accessories:  Flower shaping kit, Nuvo white and Pink crystal drops, sponge daubers


Sunday, February 26, 2017

Tutti Designs - Butterflies & Flowers Birthday

Happy Sunday Friends!
Today I'm sharing a card of Happiness.
I wanted to make a special birthday card for a friend earlier in the month so I went directly to my Tutti dies.  Be sure to pop over to the Tutti Designs Store for some amazing dies that will make your crafting time fun and easy!
 

 The dies I've used today are as follows:
From our November Release ...

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From our December Release:

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 You will find several different Stitched Nesting Shaped dies in the store.  These are so very useful, you will want to have them all in your collection of dies.  With having the various sizes, you not only get a great selection of individually sized panels but you can do as I have done today.  Instead of having the added bulk of a complete matting panel ... you can die cut a frame and add it over the top of your image vs behind it.

There are so many different designs you can create with just one die set!!  You can let your creativity GO WILD!! 

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:

 Thanks for stopping by and as always . . .

Recipe:
Papers:  White cs, Black cs, OLD SU designer paper
Stamp/Ink:  Penny Black 'Flower Gallery' / Versafine Onyx
Dies:  See Above
Accessories:  Spectrum Noir pencils, Nuvo white Crystal Drops, Really Reasonable Ribbon, Martha Stewart '3-in-1 Butterflies' punch

Saturday, February 25, 2017

Have a 'Tweet' Birthday!

Happy Saturday friends and thanks for stopping by today!
I haven't had anything to share the past couple of days so thought I'd do a little 'clean up' and see what was on my worktable that could be used for a card to share with you today ... (multitasking where I can, lol).

I spotted the Birthday challenges at Cut It Up and QKR Stampede so that was the direction I headed.  And, of course you can never have enough birthday cards in your stash.


You will see in weeks to come a few other creations using the beautiful Birds & Blooms stamps & dies from Heartfelt Creations (older sets but still beautiful).  I don't think to create with these fabulous sets nearly enough!   I'm always so happy with the outcome when I do.  These branches & birds were leftover from those upcoming DT creations so that was the next step in my birthday card creation.


My background panel was created using scraps of various design papers of the same color palette and adhering them to another white card stock panel using either scor-tape or double sided sticky paper.  I took a day (long time ago) and went through my scrap design papers and created these background panels ... again, I need to remember I have them and use them.

This is a GREAT way to use up scraps!  I know you have them!!  LOL

A few other challenges I'd like to share in today are:
Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge # 158 - Celebration + ribbon/trim
Creatalicious Challenge #109 - ATG w/ribbon or twine

Again, I thank you for stopping by!
How about this weather!!  Yesterday we set a record here in Akron, OH
at 77 degrees.  It was such a beautiful day/evening our neighbors gathered everyone
together for an evening of sitting around the bonfire sharing stories, snacks & wine.
It was like a summertime evening gathering in February!  CRAZY!!!
But very enjoyable!!
Today we are back to February weather with snow in the forecast!!  LOL

As always . . .


Recipe:
Papers:  White cs, Hot Pink cs, SU Pear Pizazz cs, various dps to create background panel
Dies:  Heartfelt Creations, Tutti Designs 'Happy' #228 and 'Birthday' #229, Spellbinder 'Fancy Lattice' #S5-152, Sue Wilson 'California Collection 'Corner, Border, Tag' #CED1102
Stamps:  Heartfelt Creations
Accessories:  Really Reasonable Ribbon 'January Sweetheart Collection', Craft-Dee Bowz bow maker, Heartfelt Creations flower shaping kit, Nuvo white crystal drops, sequins,

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Sisterhood of Crafters - Let's Take A Vacation

Hello Everyone!
Time again for a new challenge at The Sisterhood of Crafters!
Today Vickie is our hostess and she's chosen
a fun theme to ease our Winter Blues . . .

LET'S TAKE A VACATION
Our next stop is.....anything destination or travel related.

With the help on inspiration from DTSistah & BFF Diane,
here's what I've created . . .



This card was actually hubby's Valentine's Day card.  Last summer we took a cruise to Alaska and it was AMAZING!  He has shown me so much of our country since we met and each time we travel it is more & more delightful!  Mainly because he's by my side and I wanted him to know this!



 If you look closely, you will see I originally die cut the heart shape with the next to largest die in the set.  Then I decided I wanted it larger but my printed image had no more room at the bottom for the entire largest die.  So, I could only die cut the upper portion with the largest die (see the double set of stitches under the word LOVE?).  But, by doing this, I think I've actually added addition character to my card as well as showing more of the mapped image of this beautiful state.

Challenges to share in:
City Crafter Challenge #350 - A Few Stitches
Ooh La La Challenge #222 - Die Cuts
 Path of Positivity Challenge #46 - Expression of Love
Dare2BArtzy Challenge - All You Need is Love

I hope you'll pop over to the Sisterhood of Crafter and check out what my Sistahs have created to inspire you!  You will be in awe of their designs.  Then of course we'd love to have you join in the fun!

Thanks for stopping by today!
As always . . .

 
Recipe:
Papers:  White cs, Medium blue cs, K&Co dp, computer generated map of Alaska
Accessories:  Computer generated sentiments


Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Craft Show Projects . . .

 . . . are underway!

Hello Friends!
Over the weekend I got busy thinking & creating for the upcoming Spring
Shows I'm signed up for.  The first show of the year is a private show
which entertains about 150 - 180 ladies.  Since I see this group twice a year
I try to have something a little 'different' to share with them
along with my usual cards and tissue box covers.

Here's what I worked on for this years Spring Gala . . .


These are Tea Bag Booklets that can also double as a gift card holder. 


















I was able to create 5 dozen of these including a dozen I made for those ladies who attend this function supporting the Red Hat Society. I will also be working on Red Hat single cards and card sets for these ladies as they are always expecting me to have them available to them.  

Another little giftie item are these Reese's Mini Pouches.
Created with springtime ribbons and papers.

 I usually make these pouches in the Fall using Hershey Nuggets
and Christmas papers/ribbons but I thought this might be a cute little
Springtime 'something ... something' .
I was able to create 18 pouches from 1 family size bag of Reese's ... 
not sure this will be enough so I might go back out for a 2nd bag.

My mojo's & drive have been lacking a bit lately but with the beautiful
weather we had over this past weekend, I've been rejuvenated!!
Got some windows washed, a little yard clean up started and went
to town on these little projects ... YAY!!!  I was started to get worried!  LOL

Challenges to share in:
We Love To Create Challenge #4 - Anything Creative / Mixed Media
My Time To Craft Challenge #339 - Anything But A Card
Allsorts Challenge #403 - Anything Goes
Alphabet Challenge - Y for You Choose
Delicious Doodles February Challenge - Anything But A Card

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you're having a wonderful week!
Please stop back tomorrow when I'll have a card to share
for the new challenge over on the Sisterhood of Crafter's Blog!

Till then and as always . . .

Monday, February 20, 2017

CAS Birthday

Happy Monday Everyone!
Here's another attempt at the CAS (clean and simple) design style.
If you know me, you know I like layers, embellishments, etc. on my cards 
so doing a CAS design is really difficult for me ... always seems
like it needs something more!  LOL

Today I'm using the sketch from the Try Stampin' on Tuesday Challenge
for my card
and also the Clean & Simple with Sparkle theme for the

Here's my creation . . .

 I used the Technique Tuesday 'Stars' die set for my stars
and I kept the smaller stars to reinsert atop of the
added Stickles Diamonds layer.


The sparkle is beautiful and I really like the simplistic design!
My sentiment is a stamp by Inkadinkado
that I use a LOT ... love the font!

I'm going to keep practicing this style and have a selection of CAS cards available 
for my craft shows this year.  It's nice to have a variety of styles ...
even if creating them is a little out of my wheelhouse!

Thanks for stopping by!
 As always . . .

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Tutti Designs - Sympathy

Happy Sunday Friends!
Today I'm sharing a card of Sympathy.
Sadly I find I'm in need of sympathy cards more and more as the years go by.  Using a couple of the beautiful dies available at the Tutti Designs Store, I can create a sympathy card and have it in the mail all on the same day when the need arises.  


The Tutti Designs dies I've used today are:

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I didn't do anything 'special' on today's card other than add a little color sponging to the flowers and the center cross.

The background die used today is Sue Wilson 'Indian Ocean Background' #CED10011.

Since this lady really liked a touch of sparkle in her life, I felt it was appropriate to add a little touch of sparkle using Nuvo crystal drops to this creation.



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:

 Thanks for stopping by and as always . . .

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Dies R Us - B Happy!

Hello Dear Friends!!
Today I'm sharing a card of encouragement over on the Dies R Us Inspiration Blog.
With all the crazy things going on in today's world, sometimes our burdens get a bit heavy and we forget what's really important in life.  I have learned through the years to PUSH through the negative and EMBRACE the positive.  So today's card will hopefully encourage someone to 'B Happy' ... life is too short to be anything else!!!



The dies from the Dies R Us store that I've used on today's creation are:

Sue Wilson Caribbean Island Collection  CED-5201
Sue Wilson Designs - Carribean Island Collection - Background

Sue Wilson Spanish Collection- Cordoba CED-1206
Sue Wilson Designs - Spanish Collection - Cordoba

Sue Wilson Scandinavian Collection  CED4201
Sue Wilson Designs - Scandinavian Collection - Background
Sue Wilson Laurel Leaves   CED1437
Sue Wilson Designs - Finishing Touches - Laurel Leaves
Memory Box 'Classic Uppercase Alphabet'  #98361
Memory Box - Dies - Classic Upper Alphabet
 Tutti Designs 'Easter Tulips'  Tutti 255 
Tutti Designs - Dies - Easter Tulips
Tutti Designs 'Happy Word Set'  Tutti 228
Tutti Designs - Word Set - Happy

 I have used the outer die from the Caribbean Island die set for my background.  Once die cut I used various Tim Holtz distress inks to sponge on some happy colors.  I have used the inner dies from the other Sue Wilson sets to create my oval sentiment panel.  I just learned that a lot of her similar 'collection' sets are interchangeable so that's where I came up with the idea for today's sentiment panel.
Remember, if by chance these dies are Out of Stock (as a couple of today's dies are) ... check back again because things turn around quickly!  Just because you can't find it today doesn't mean it won't be there next time. 
EDIT:  When I originally wrote up this post there were FOUR dies Out of Stock at the store BUT when I checked before publishing this post they were ALL BACK IN STOCK so I have shared the links for you.
See What I Mean!!!  LOL   Dies move in & out of the store quite quickly!!

I die cut the Easter Tulips twice and simply turned the one over so it would be facing the opposite direction.  I had originally thought about die cutting from different colors and replacing the tulip heads but then changed my mind and went with achieving my color on the background.
So with that being said, these yellow tulip heads were laying on the work table and I just didn't have the heart to throw them away!  You know how that is!!  LOL!!
I've used Nuvo crystal drops to accent the 'B' on my sentiment panel as well as adorn the center panel behind the flowers.  By using a pair of flat tweezers and a little squeeze, I gave these laurel leaves a bit of life.

 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.

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:

 
Thanks so much for stopping by today!
As always . . .