One for The Christmas Kickstart Challenge

Hello on a Wednesday!  I've been trying to do just one Christmas post per month, but I'm back with another so I can play along with Jo and Elf Linby at the Christmas Kickstart Challenge.  They're calling for presents this month.

I'm seriously trying to make progress on my not-yet-used goodies, but I thought I didn't have anything fitting among them for this prompt until I took another look through my Cottage Cutz bin.  Geez, I found two that would work, but I only had time for one today.  Here's a cutie driving a vintage VW bus just like one we gave our son for Christmas one year.

That was about 30 years ago and he no longer has the bus, but he still comes home for Christmas.  The sentiments are both from a retired Power Poppy set.

Total Christmas cards in the box:  21

I'm glad I squeaked in at nearly the last minute.

Sending thanks to Jo for another wonderful and fun Christmas Kickstart Challenge!  Enjoy your day!

Stamps:  Retired Power Poppy sentiments  Paper:  Hammermill Premium 100 lb white, Stampin' Up Going gray  Ink:  Stampin' Up Real Red and Cool Caribbean for bus, white pigment for brushing over embossed background, Memento Tuxedo Black for sentiment  Coloring:  Ink blending with brushes, Copics  Dies:  Cottage Cutz Van w/Bear, MFT Die-namics Stitched Rectangle Frames, Cottage Cutz Snowflakes Set  Other:  Memory Box Frosted Trees 3D embossing folder

Red Daisies on Black for The Color Hues Challenge

Hi there!  I didn't feel right about putting the daisies away without using them in the manner that first attracted me, so here they are, filling up the card and popping in red and white on black.  This one's for The Color Hues Challenge.

I added a favorite sentiment and a pretty little butterfly.  It's different, but I think I like it.

Not much talk today.  You probably don't mind, do you?  Sophie is laying in my craft room doorway making sad, neglected puppy noises which means it's past time for our walk.

Thanks for sharing your time with me.  Have an amazing day!

Stamps:  Rubbernecker Smiles and Thinks of You  Paper:  Hammermill Premium 100 lb white, black cardstock  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Up Real Red  Coloring:  Ink blending with brushes  Dies:  Spellbinders Fresh Picked Daisies, Impression Obsession Medium Butterflies, Spellbinders Long Classic Rectangles  Other:  Three tiny red pearls on the butterfly's body

Birthday Wishes

Hello again!  Wrapping up the week with a second-time use of these Spellbinders flowers.  They're so easy I could go on and on with them, and maybe I will when my not-yet-used baskets are empty.  In my dreams, right? 

The embossing folder, circle dies, and sentiment are all Spellbinders, too.  For the yellow embossed panel I used a double sided sticky sheet to adhere thin vellum to SU's Barely Banana cardstock.  The reason I ever started doing this with the vellum and sticky sheets in the first place is because I have a whole pack of vellum that's way too thin, and I have a whole pack of sticky sheets that I can't imagine ever using up, so I put them together and it's magical!

Moving along...  I've been very busy both in and out of my stamp room lately and I have a tidy garden and a surprising lot of cards to show for it.  I hope I'll be back with more soon.

Today I'd like to play along at The Sisterhood of Crafters where the theme this month is flowers.  They have a really cute inspiration board:

I'm so glad you stopped by.  Take care and have a happy day!

Stamps:  Spellbinders Very Best Wishes with dies  Paper:  Hammermill 100 lb premium white, Stampin' Up Barely Banana, very lightweight vellum  Ink:  Stampin' Up Regal Rose, Rose Red, Blue Bayou, Memento Tuxedo Black  Coloring:  Ink Blending with brushes  Dies:  Spellbinders Stylish Oval Hello You Floral, Blossom Nestabilities, Standard Circles Small  Other:  Double sided adhesive sheet, Memory Box Fairy Jewels, dimensional foam dots, Spellbinders Criss Cross Motif 3D embossing folder

1, 2, 3 Snowpeople for Christmas in July

Greetings, friends!  I couldn't let July get away from me without some Christmas cards, could I?  The CAS Christmas Challenge reminded me to finally play with The Snow Notes from Spellbinders which I loved at first sight and promptly added to my not-yet-used basket... and there they sat until now.

The first is a solitary snowman, hopefully CAS enough for the challenge.  I embossed with Tim Holtz Sizzix Snowfall folder and tucked him into a snow bank made with Poppystamps Stitched Cloudline.

CAS Christmas Challenge -- Snowman

The second card, below, is possibly my favorite.  The two of them are belting out a song which I'm sure is their sentiments exactly.  More of the Stitched Cloudline -- above them for clouds and below them for snow.  The falling snow comes from the button holes of all six snowpeople.

Last, but not least, we have all three of them caroling their hearts out.  The Starry Night is a Taylored Expressions cutting plate from way back.  Hmmm... maybe this one is my favorite?  I can't decide, not that it matters anyway.  They look somewhat like they're caroling in the clouds.  Snow angels?  

The three carolers are representing The Snow Notes as my never before used schtuff in Darnell's NBUS Challenge #88 -- Mutual Appreciation Celebration.  Check it out!

Total Christmas cards in the box:  20

This crafty interlude was a whole lot of fun!  I balk at making Christmas cards this time of year, but once I sit down to it I really enjoy it, especially when I've got something cute to work with.

Thank you, everyone, for stopping by.  Take care of yourselves and have a wonderful day!

Pretty Papers and Flowers

Hello and welcome!

I started with one card and ended up with three when I pulled out a pretty Zoju paper pad called Forest Dreams.  The first is teamed with Penny Black products -- see notes under photo.

Penny Black Love Blooms stamp set with dies, Serenity Edger, and Curved Stitch dies

I stamped with Ranger Archival Watering Can on hot press watercolor paper and colored with Tombow markers.  To finish, I dotted with Simply White Nuvo drops.  The Serenity Edger die set includes not only the edger, but this straight cut "Serenity" as well.  It's from their most recent release and I'm loving it a lot!

For the next card I wanted to use the butterfly paper, but I felt it needed a little something so I edged it with the flower buds from the PB Love Blooms set.  Then I fretted that the focal point was too ambiguous.  Was it the butterfly or the flower buds?  In the end I simply added the silver satin birthday sentiment and finished with sequins and Nuvo drops.

The paper was too pretty to put away just yet, so I let it shine on for one more card.  

Impression Obsession Fancy Cut Out Border
Sentiment from retired Power Poppy Floribunda stamp set

Since today's cards are mostly all about the pretty papers I'd like to play along here:

Love those Pretty Papers -- Anything goes with patterned paper as a prominent feature, or optional coastal.

*** Also ***

NBUS Challenge #88 -- My never before used schtuff is the Penny Black Serenity Edger die set.  Darnell is having a Mutual Appreciation Celebration this month.  She's pretty amazing to put this on.  Check it out on the challenge blog.  Thank you, Darnell!

I hope follow.it works this time.  It did not send my previous post, but maybe it will go through with this one.  Thank you for visiting!

Double D Challenge: Your Favorite Fruit

We have some colorful pickin's for you today at Double D!  Our theme is "Your Favorite Fruit".  Have a look at the inspiring deliciousness below:

Isn't it beautiful?  I do love fruit!  How can I pick a favorite?  I always have apples, bananas, and oranges in the house.  Fresh picked strawberries are indescribable.  Blackberries, salmonberries, thimble berries, huckleberries, and salal berries grow wild around our house and I love them all.  Blueberries are grown in abundance nearby and I can't get enough.  Mangos are definitely a favorite, especially the honey mangos.  Oh, and peaches, apricots, pineapple, cherries, grapes, kiwi, raspberries, pears.  Later this summer I'll be eating plums and figs off the tree at my BIL's house (but not too many figs).  That's just to name a few.  I could go on.  Oops, forgot cantaloupe and star fruit... somebody stop me!

But what would a summer picnic or barbeque be without watermelon?  Let's ask Flappy what he thinks:

 

I always say "love me, love my dog hair", but this might be a bit much.  However, even dogs need to beat the heat, and I know there are many people around the world trying to do just that this summer.  Flappy is a new-to-me Purple Onion favorite called Watermelon Chill.  I colored him with my Tombow markers and designed the card with mostly spare parts and scraps.  The "Stay cool" is from a retired Power Poppy set.

The screen is an Amazon find by way of Pinterest ad.  Those ads have gotten to me quite a few times now and I can't say I'm sorry.  I popped it up to help keep Flappy cooler.

That's it from me, friends!  Check out the team's favorite fruits at Double D, and then pick yours and share it, too.  Have a happy day!

Stamps:  Purple Onion Watermelon Chill, retired Power Poppy Forest Fellas sentiment  Paper:  Hammermill Premium 100 lb white, Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb watercolor, BasicGrey June Bug designer paper  Ink:  Ranger Archival Jet Black for Flappy, Memento Tuxedo Black for sentiment  Coloring:  Tombow markers  Dies:  Lapoo Geometric Circle, Taylored Expressions Ric Rac Borders, Memory Box Stitched Circle Layers, Cottage Cutz Flowers  Other:  1" circle punch for sentiment, Scotch brand foam mounting tape, Stampin' Up Subtle 3D embossing folder for card base

Daisies for a Lovely Friend

Hello again and happy Monday!

I sure have been having fun with my Spellbinders flowers lately.  These funky Fresh Picked Daisies are another set that's been in the not-yet-used basket too long.  I'm trying to turn over a new leaf and get caught up.  I wonder how many times I've said that.

Easy coloring this time with Copics.  I pulled a background from my bag 'o backgrounds.  It's a soft piece that resulted from pressing regular Hammermill cardstock into inks left over from a watercolor.  The sentiment is Penny Black.  The sequins are peach colored.  Everything is listed in the recipe at the end.

This card is already in the mail to a lovely friend.

Can you tell I'm hurrying?  It's a beautiful day as I write this and the garden needs me.  I hope you're having a beautiful day, too!

Stamps:  Penny Black Loveliness sentiment  Paper:  Hammermill Premium 100 lb  white, something textured for the card base -- possibly SU Apricot Appeal(?)  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black for sentiment  Coloring:  Copics  Dies:  Spellbinders Fresh Picked Daisies, Hemstitch Rectangles  Other:  Sequins, foam dots

Nice Little Mice

Hi there, and welcome back!

It's been a few days since I posted.  Just busy with life stuff as well as making cards for later.  Today's cards are just for play.

I pulled another not-yet-used item from my use-next basket.  This time it's a stamp set, an older, but new-ish to me Penny Black set called Especially Micey.  I've now used every stamp in the set and I'm feeling good about that!

The first card is simple and clean with the "wish", the leafy vine, and the flower from my oldie stash.  I figured the Aster die could double as a dandelion if I colored it yellow.  The bee was in my spare parts and the designer paper is years old.  I'm trying to use it up, but it just goes on and on.

The second card uses more of that designer paper, along with one of my Stamping Bella Spec-tacular sentiments.  I added a fern die, and some Nuvo drops.

My first card is heading over to Simply Clean & Simple where the theme this month is "Birthday". 

Card #2 is going to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge where the theme is anything goes or "On the Move".  I made the second card for last month's PBSC to use patterned paper, but I was too late so I'll go with the anything goes option this month.

 

Thank you for visiting today.  I'll try not take so long before I pop in here again.  

Stamps:  Penny Black Especially Micey, Fiskars Make a Wish Quotes (1st card), Stamping Bella Spec-tacular sentiment (2nd card)  Paper:  Hammermill Premium 100 lb white (1st), Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb watercolor & SU Poppy Parade (2nd), old Memory Box Brioche designer paper (both cards)  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black & SU Soft Sky (1st), Ranger Archival Jet Black (2nd)  Coloring:  Copics (1st), Tombow markers and blender (2nd)  Dies:  Heartfelt Creations Delicate Asters, Poppystamps Diana Border, Memory Box Buzzing Bumblebees (1st card), Spellbinders Hemstitch Rectangles, MayJoyDIY Ferns (2nd card)  Other:  White acrylic paint (1st), Sugared Almond Nuvo Drops (2nd card)