Bunny Smiles

I wouldn't want you to think I was done with the bunnies yet.  Well, here's another one, and it's a cutie.  It had me smiling and I hope it does the same for you.

She's from the Simon Says Stamp Woodland Whimsy set.  We go back a few years and I've loved the set lots, but I'm not sure I've used the bunny before.  Isn't she pretty with her flowers?

The flowers come with the set, and I've combined some stitched circles with butterflies, gems, and Mintay designer paper from my stash.  All older stuff that still brings me joy.  That's why we do this, isn't it?  She's colored with Copics and popped up on foam tape.  I added stamped sprinkles with the very old SU Itty Bitty Backgrounds set.  Heaven forbid I should ever be without my Itty Bitty Backgrounds!

Enjoy your day!

Stamps:  Simon Says Stamp Woodland Whimsy, Penny Black Thinking of You, Stampin Up Itty Bitty Backgrounds (sprinkles)  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 80 lb & 110 lb, yellow scrap, Mintay Farm Life designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black & Rich Cocoa  Coloring:  Copics  Other:  Lil' Inker Silly Stitched Die Set, Memory Box Stitched Circle Layers, Impression Obsession Butterfly Set, gems, linen thread, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Chickadees

Hello and happy Friday to you!

One recent day I was at Simon Says Stamp looking for something else entirely when I spotted the Chickadee Gathering embossing folder.  Well, it had to come home with me as birds are one of my many weaknesses when it comes to craft supplies.  I embossed on hot pressed watercolor paper and watercolored with Tombow markers and Stampin' Up reinkers.

There's a die for the birds which gives slightly more dimension.  When the coloring was finished I had another go at the white splatters.  I didn't want it to look as if it was snowing, but with the splatters and the large white sentiment I hoped to lighten up the overall appearance.  The Thinking of You sentiment is an older one, also Simon Says Stamp.

I'd like to play along in some favorite challenges today:

Triple B -- Birds, blooms, and butterflies.  Use one or all.  It seems I almost always use birds for this challenge.

NBUS Challenge #74 -- Never before used schtuff... that's my Chickadee Gathering embossing folder.

 

 

I'm heading out to the garden now.  The weather has been beautiful and I'm planting pots and puttering in the backyard where the deer can't go.  There's much to be done in the rest of the garden, too.  I'm hoping this spring and summer will be better than last with no unfortunate surprises.

Take care and enjoy your day!

 

Double D Challenge -- Designer Paper

 

Hello friends!  The Double D challenge that begins today is right up my alley in that Diane is asking to see our designer paper.  You all know about The Vast Hoard in my cabinet, right?  Well, let's get started!  First, the inspiration board:

And a prize for a random winner.  The team votes on creative favorites.  Not an easy task considering all the fabulous entries we have to choose from.

The designer paper I selected from The Vast Hoard is Whimsy Stamps gorgeous Floral Impressions.  I don't know if it's still available.  Mine was a gift maybe 2 or 3 years ago.  I have used it before, but today it's really showing off.  I've made three cards, each 4 1/2" x 6" with large die cut sentiments and coordinating cardstocks.  The sentiments are Simon Says Stamp Thinking of You, and Impression Obsession With Sympathy.

Each card is fully lined in white.  They are part of a gift set for a friend whose primary mode of correspondence is newsy letters, preferably written inside a pretty card.  It's just something she loves to do, and I love to make them.

I made two additional cards with this paper, different prints, equally gorgeous, but sorry I didn't spare the time to photograph them.  The days whoosh by too fast, don't they?  These are representing just fine, I think.

My friend recently sent me one of her newsy letters in which she mentioned she needed more cards.  I'll be happy to oblige.

Head over to Double D to see the team's inspiring cards, and then maybe you'll take a stroll through your designer paper and make something to share.

ETA:  Per invitation I'm adding my card to the Word Power Challenge -- Always about focusing on the sentiment

Have a happy day!

Blue and Yellow

Hello again!  I have a few cards made... some of them came together quickly, but not necessarily this one.  I made it for the Color Hues Challenge, hosted this time around by my friend, Marcia.  She chose blue and yellow, which I quite like, but typical of a challenge, it took me to an unexpected outcome.

Looking through my NBUS basket I landed on this Unity stamp which is near and dear to my heart.  I first saw it shortly after Wally and LuLu passed in 2023, but I was too heartbroken to think about ever using a dog stamp again.

Then along came Sophie.  There's still a crack in my heart that will never heal, but after 21 months with Sophie life is getting better.  These things take time.

Most of what I used on my card is old(ish), but it's all listed in the recipe.  The image is embossed with WOW black powder, and I made the grassy die cuts glossy by applying clear packing tape to black cardstock before cutting.  The card is actually 4 1/4 x 5", cut down to make all the dies fit together more evenly.

It reminds me of the end of a perfect day -- like this perfect day, just a few days ago.  Even my Rich walked a mile and a half, oxygen pack and all.

The Color Hues Challenge #109 -- Blue and Yellow
NBUS Challenge #74  -- My never before used schtuff is the Unity Oodle & Retriever stamp.

 

A lot has changed since since those long treks with Wally and LuLu (April 2012).

Wishing you a perfect day!

Stamps:  Unity Oodle & Retriever Silhouette  Paper:  Copic X-Press It Blending Card for image, SU Brocade Blue, Cougar Natural, black  Ink:  SU Brocade Blue & Barely Banana, Versamark  Dies:  Spellbinders Scored and Pierced Rectangles, Memory Box Tall Grassy Stem Right Corner and Dragonfly Stems Left Corner, Verve A Cut Above Amazing Adjectives, Creative Expressions Leafy Frame (in the background)  Other:  Black embossing powder, clear packing tape, TH Sizzix Lumber 3D embossing folder

Rosy Whiskers and Running Free

Hello and happy May Day!

If you'll bear with me, I'm not quite done with the bunnies yet.  Soon.  This self-challenge has thinned out my NBUS baskets as well as given me the opportunity to revisit a few from my collection.  Today I have two bunnies, one NBUS and one from my stash.

The first is NBUS Rosy Whiskers from Creative Expressions Designer Boutique.  I colored with Copics.  Cut an oval from the center and raised it by layering over an additional oval (or two?).

Spellbinders Essential Stylish Ovals and Fluted Classics Rectangles
Creative Expressions Mini-Expressions -- Hello & Hi die
Nuvo Sugared Almond Crystal Drops

The next bunny is Creative Expressions Designer Boutique Running Free.  I've colored it only once before.  It takes time with all the detail.

Spellbinders Hemstitch Rectangles, Penny Black Background Basics stencil multi-pack

Sharing here:

Addicted to Stamps and More #491 -- The theme this time is "make your mark" (coloring, etc)

Spring has sprung and the outdoors are claiming more of my time, but I expect I'll still be making cards, too.  Just can't stop!

Have a beautiful day! 

Tweet Embossed Birthday

Hello, and happy Monday!  I have a very pastel birthday card to share today.  I'm still enjoying the March kit from Simon Says Stamp.  The embossing folder here, the stamps, the silver cord are all from the kit.  Honestly, this embossing folder was a huge selling point for me.  It's so pretty!

For this card I embossed on hot pressed watercolor paper and colored with Tombow markers and blender.  I kept it very pastel because if I was going to use it as a background I didn't want it to compete with the focal image.  Silly me, this folder deserves to be the main image with only a sentiment, perhaps.  However, the little bird and birdbath looks cute, too.

 

This angle shows how the "birthday" sentiment and the little music notes are silver-embossed to match the silver cord.  The bird and birdbath were embossed in white so they wouldn't be too stark a contrast.  The sentiment and music notes are cut with the matching dies (not included in the kit), but I hand cut the bird and birdbath.

Surprise(!) -- I used a bit of lace from my shoebox-sized container of lace and trims.  That's not counting the drawerful of ribbon.  Most of the lace and trims are from my days of sewing dolls and doll clothes and stuffed critters.  It was fun while it lasted.

I'm going to send my card to the following challenges:

Can You Handle the Pressure -- The current optional theme is "weather".  I think this card suggest a pretty spring day with blossoms blowing in the breeze... that's the weather outside my window as I type this.  The wind through the cherry tree is sending pink snow across the garden.
NBUS #73 -- Never before used schtuff.  First time use of the embossing folder.

 

Supplies are listed below.

Wishing you a beautiful spring day!

Stamps:  Simon Says Stamp Tweet Friend with dies  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb hot press watercolor, Neenah white card base  Ink:  Versamark, SU Tempting Turquoise  Coloring:  Tombow markers with blender  Other:  SSS Drifting Flowers 3D embossing folder, lace, silver cord, silver embossing powder, white embossing powder, misc. rectangle die from stash, Scotch brand foam mounting tape to pop up bird and birdbath

Seize the Birthday -- Stenciling

Hello, friends!  I'm back with my final post as Special Guest Designer for Seize the Birthday.  It's been a fun time creating for the themes.  A challenge so often makes you reach for things you may not have thought of otherwise, and that has been the case for me.  Today the theme is "Stenciling".

If stenciling is not your thing, don't let that stop you.  Alternatively it's always "anything goes as long as it's a birthday card".  We'd love to have you play along!

Nestled into my basket of not-yet-used Penny Black stamps (yes, they have their own full basket) was this lovable guy from a mini-set called Birthday Bundles.  You can't not love that face!  I colored him with Copics and made a wide frame using rectangle dies.

The frame is where the stenciling comes in.  It's a Simon Says Stamp star stencil, but I've somehow lost the name of it.  The stencil is half stars/half dots so I had to move it around to get full coverage.  I added die cut stars and sparkled all the die cut and stamped stars with Diamond Stickles.

This looks like a boy card so I'll add it to my masculine category and pass it along to a friend.

Hop over to Seize the Birthday and say "hello" to the team and enjoy their fabulous line up of birthday cards while you're there.  I am so appreciative of the opportunity to design along with them for the last four challenges.

Thank you for visiting.  Wishing you a happy day!

Stamps:  Penny Black Birthday Bundles  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb, SU Elegant Eggplant  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black  Coloring:  Copics  Other:  Stickles Diamond glitter glue, Spellbinders Fluted Classic Rectangles dies (only used the plain ones for frame), MFT Die-namics Star Stax, miscellaneous rectangle die for sentiment, SSS Star Stencil (name unknown)

Three Poinsettias for Christmas Kickstart

Hello!  Easter is done and now on to Christmas.  Well, not really, but it's time for me to get some cards done, so I looked to the Christmas Kickstart Challenge where they're asking for Poinsettias.  I made three cards with dies.

The first is Altenew's Poinsettia 3D.  Cut from designer paper, and brushed with ink.  The background is embossed with Spellbinders Christmas Wrap Pattern embossing folder, also brushed with ink.  Other parts from my stash, most notably the ribbon (!).  I still have a lot of ribbon taking up valuable craft room real estate.  Every few years I purge a little more of it.

The next card is very simple, with a Memory Box Poinsettia Ribbon that's been in my collection for years and it's seen a lot of use.  I cut an extra from patterned paper for the petals.  They're lifted at the tips, but it's not apparent in the photo.  The flower center is a punched circle coated in gloss.  Gloss on the red berries, too.

Last is actually the first card I made in the group and I would have been happy making all three like this, maybe different colors.  I cut the Tutti Designs Poinsettia Corner once, coated it with Versamark ink and embossed in gold.  Embossed the sentiment the same.  The center panel is Cougar Natural cardstock.  I gave it dimension by layering a few strips of cardstock behind it.  Not so much as foam tape, but it makes a difference.  The card base is brushed metallic, a soft gold.

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #97 -- Positively Poinsettias

The landscapers are finally here to put our yard back together after the sewer line repair, and we have out of town visitors today, so I'm in a bit of a rush just now.  It will all come together eventually.  I hope to visit everyone soon, and be back here later this week.  Take care and enjoy your day!