Friend... thankful for you

 Hello!  Popping in to share a card for a few challenges:  Just Us Girls (die week - leaves), Sunday Stamps (sketch), Color Throwdown (colors) and Die Cut Divas (anything goes).  Let's have a look at what I made.

So happy when I saw the challenge at JUGs was to use leaf dies.  I love leaf dies as they are so versatile.  You can use them any time of the year, but especially during the fall!   Because I wanted to make a card using the Sunday Stamp sketch I knew I needed a smaller scale leaf die and pulled out a favorite from Simon Says Stamp.  I have had them for along time and don't remember the name.  Not sure if they even carry them anymore, either.  I die cut them from white cardstock and then inked them up with the colors from CTD (orange, red and green).  I used some small postage stamp dies from Waffle Flower and die cut kraft cardstock to use to layer on my leaves.   The main panel was die cut with a Pinkfresh Studio postage stamp die.  I almost added little postmark images to the smaller stamps, but got sidetracked at one point and didn't go back to that idea.  Layered the postage die cuts on to the main panel and then added the leaves.  Finished with a sentiment from a Simon Says Stamp set called Cozy Autumn.  

Well, that's it for me.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

PaperTrey Ink September Release!

 Hello, hello!  Have you seen the September release from PaperTrey Ink?  It is absolutely amazing!!  PaperTrey Ink generously sent me products from the release.  I will be sharing projects that I have made with the release over the next few weeks.  Let's take a look at the first set of cards I made using release products.

Who doesn't love the Christmas poem Twas the Night Before Christmas?  When I opened the package from PaperTrey Ink and saw the Twas the Night Before Christmas products I was in heaven!  I loved reading the poem to my boys when they were little.  I would read it almost every night until Christmas day arrived.  I read it so much I could recite it from heart!   Besides using the Twas the Night Before Christmas products I also used the new, Nutcracker Magic stamps and dies, Storybook Scroll die collection and the Cover Plate:  Stitched Snowflakes die.   Kept things simple by using PTI Rustic Cream cardstock for everything.  The scroll and accompanying pieces were diecut and then inked with Antique Linen distress ink for an aged look.  I then assembled the scroll.   The Twas the Night Before Christmas stamp set includes the main sentiment and then a few small images to use with the sentiment.  I used one to place at the bottom of the scroll.  For the top of the scroll, I used an image from Nutcracker Magic for the swag at the top.   The sentiment and the larger swag were stamped in brown ink to keep the aged look going and then inked with Antique Linen distress ink. The larger swag was colored with Copic markers.  I stamped the smaller swag in green ink and the berries using a light red.  I then added red berries using Nuvo drops.    Rustic White cardstock was die cut with the Stitched Snowflake die and then I assembled the card.  Thought about adding some glitter, but decided against it.  Maybe next time!

For my second card I used the 2 Corinthians stamp, outline die and background dies and the Merry Motifs hot foil plate.  I used the color palette from Color Throwdown so I will be posting this card in their gallery.  I hot foiled the Merry Motifs on light blue cardstock using Skybright hot foil.  The larger of the two background dies was used to cut dark blue cardstock and the smaller one die cut the same light blue cardstock used for the foiled background.  The sentiment was stamped using Altenew Terracotta ink.  I did also use an image from the Merry Motifs stamp and die set stamping the image with the Terracotta ink.  Die cut the image and the sentiment and then layered everything on a card base. 

That's it for me, but I will be back soon with more projects made with this fabulous release.  Stay tuned, lol!  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

fall leaves...

 Hello!  Fall is on its way.  I can feel it in the mornings when I walk the dog, but by mid-morning summer has come roaring back, lol!  Weather here in the PNW has been all over the place this year!  However, despite it feeling like summer I am ready for fall and with that in mind created this card for Color Throwdown and Just Us Girls - anything goes with dies.  Let's have a look at what I made.

A few weeks ago I received the Tim Holtz/Sizzix Leaf Fragments die set in the mail.  It has been sitting on my desk waiting for me to make something with it.  I thought the CTD combo was the perfect vehicle.  I started by spraying a panel of ivory heavystock with distress sprays in Festive Berries and Rustic Wilderness.  I was careful to let each layer dry first before adding the other color and I didn't do a lot of overlapping of colors.  Meaning if you saw the panel I created one side was mostly red and the other side mostly green.  Then I spritzed on bits of green on the red side and bits of red on the green side.   If there was excess color on one side I dabbed it up and pounced it on the other side to get the mix I wanted.   I finished with a light spritzing of Harvest Moon distress mica spray.   Once the panel was completely dry (ie the next day) I die cut my leaves.  I die cut the entire panel so that I had enough leaves to determine which ones to use. I tucked the extra leaves into the envelope with the dies to use in the future.   As I was determining the layout I thought about a very old Tim Holtz/Sizzix die set I have called Mixed Media.  I pulled that out and decided to use one that you see in the background.  As I was die cutting the kraft panel the washi tape I used to hold the dies in place pulled off some of the cardstock.  I decided to go with it and roughed up the corners where the cardstock was damaged with a distressing tool.   I determined where the panel would be placed and then spritz more Harvest Moon on to my card base for more yellow.  The sentiment from a Simon Says Stamp stamp set was stamped in the corner using VersaFine Clair Acorn ink.  I then glued the panel to my card base, added the leaves and the yellow twine bow.  Also going to add this to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge to stamp it since I did stamp the sentiment. 

Well, that's it for me.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

two cards...

 Hello!  Popping in with a couple of cards.  One card is for the Altenew August challenge and the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of anything goes.  The other card will be heading off to the current JUGs challenge and Color Throwdown.  Let's look at what I made.

I often think I would like to participate in the Altenew monthly challenges, but then the month goes by and I don't.  I decided to make sure that I did participate in the August challenge and here I am, barely getting it in on time, lol!   Only took me four days to get the card done!  I used the Japanese Mum Build a Flower stamp set (Does Altenew even still have that line of stamps?  I don't know because all my Altenew products are several years old!).  It is a favorite.  I paired it up with one of their dotted impression plates (don't know the name because it is old, too, lol!) and a sentiment from their Versatile Greetings 2 die set.  That isn't super old having been released in 2023.  All the inks are from Altenew, as well.   Won't win any prizes, but I thought it turned out well.  

It is stencil week at JUGs and lucky for me I got the PaperTrey Ink In the Meadow stencil set this week!  I immediately put it to use with the Color Throwdown colors to create this card.  The sentiment is the January 2023 Psalms Reflection stamp.  This is one of my favorite Bible verses.  Sometimes when I'm having a not so great day, I remember this verse and it makes me feel so much better!   So you could still see all the stenciling I did with Altenew inks in reds and aquas I embossed the sentiment in white on vellum.  It was a bit tricky to get the panel adhered, but I think it turned out okay.  

That's it for me.  Don't forget about the sales at Birch Press Design and Poppystamps.  You just might find something fun to buy.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

by the water...

 Hello, hello!  Popping in with two cards for two challenges and both feature water, sort of, lol!   First up is my card for the Paper Players.   Their challenge is "by the water", thus the title of my blog post.  Here is what I made.

Last week I was able to make a day trip to the Washington coast with my boys and when I saw the challenge at the Paper Players, it had me thinking about my trip and seashells!   A few months ago, I was able to purchase a die set from Waffle Flower that features seashells that fit perfectly inside their postage collage die.   I die cut all the images and then used just three colors of oxide inks to ink up my shells and starfish.  I die cut the postage collage and then inked up each little panel with Salty Ocean and Antique Linen oxide inks and the coordinating stencil to create a sandy beach with water in the background.   The sentiment is also from Waffle Flower and that was stamped in one of the postage openings.   The small "sending" is from a Simon Says Stamp set.  I stamped it and die cut it with small strip die.  Everything was arranged on the panel and then it was added to a kraft cardstock base.  

My next card is for Color Throwdown and uses a die set from the most recent Birch Press Design release.  This one is called Koi Duo.   Here is what I created. 

One of my favorite places is Kubota Garden in the Seattle neighborhood of Rainier Beach.  My mother-in-law was friends with the granddaughters of the creator of the garden, Fujitaro Kubota.  It is so serene and peaceful there.  There are several ponds and all of them have koi swimming around.  It is kind of relaxing watching them moving slowly through the water.  So, that is what I was thinking when I created this card using the CTD colors.   The water element is represented by the grouping of black hexagons.  I used another Birch Press Design die called Honeycomb Cutout.  I used glossy black cardstock to give the hexagons the look of wet tiles.   I wasn't sure how the koi would turn out done in hot pink, peach and green, but I think I was able to create a harmonious look.    Let me know what you think.   Arranged everything on a white panel and finished with the small sentiment from a Simon Says Stamp set. 

Well, that's it for me.  Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day.