Double D Challenge: Vases and/or Pitchers

Hello again, friends!  It's Double D time, and Diane has the prettiest board to inspire you.  Today the challenge is Vases and/or Pitchers.

I love everything on the board and I could make one or more of each.  However, I went with the watering can because I've only used my Spellbinders Sprinkle & Grow die set once and I didn't care for the card despite how cute the die set is.  That's on me.  Today I'm much happier!

I brought in a few extras from the toybox -- a pretty frame, some fun designer paper, a bit of grass, and a cute sentiment.  The scalloped corners of the panel within the frame were done with a punch I've had since my early days of paper crafting.  I love how it works with the frame as though it was meant to be.  The sentiment was cut from the designer paper.  The glossy dots were punched from it, too -- 1/4" & 1/8" hole punches -- then glossy glaze applied.

Sometimes everything comes together in harmony.  I wish that was always the case.

We would love for you to come play with us at Double D.  The team has some pretty vases and/or pitchers, and I just know you have some, too.

Thank you for taking the time to visit with me today!

Stamps:  None  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb watercolor, Hammermill Premium 100 lb white, Stampin' Up Going Gray, Polkadoodles Peeling Paint designer paper  Ink:  Stampin' Up Gable Green and Almost Amethyst for blended background  Coloring:  Tombow markers for watering can, Copics for flower arrangement, ink blending with brushes for background  Dies:  Spellbinders Sprinkle & Grow, Simon Says Stamp Teardrop Pinpoint Frames, Creative Expressions Mini Hello & Hi, Impression Obsession Grass Border

This is the Life

Hello there and welcome back!

We're not done with summer yet, but pretty soon we'll be thinking "fall".  In fact, I already am.  Geez, it's so close!

My Sleeping Mouse from Colorado Craft Company is from one of several "card kits" I created directly after Christmas last year.  This kit had the makings for three cards with focal images stamped and ready to color, card bases made up with designer paper, as well as embellishments chosen and tucked into the bag.  They were infinite fun from start to finish.

 

This little guy was colored with Copics, cut with the matching die, and set onto an oldie Poppystamps Woodland Oval.  The designer paper is Brutus Monroe Autumn Tapestries with Freshly Made Sketch #707.  The flower is Cottage Cutz.

All three cards from my made-up kit are pictured below -- Colorado Craft Company This is the Life and Sleeping Mouse.

I think they'd make a cute little gift set tied up with raffia, and I have a friend with a fall birthday who might just love them.

No challenges today, just playing in my room.  Our son is coming this weekend and I have a big, hearty soup to make, so I'll be in the kitchen after a friend and I take our pretty girls for long walk in our hilly neighborhood.  Sophie's sweet friend, Myrtle, is a mini-Australian Shepherd who lives just around the corner.  The two of them make quite a pair!

One more of just Sophie with her new collar from one of the craft booths at our local Blackberry Festival last weekend.  It's only for dress up, not for everyday.

Thank you for joining me.  I wish you a lovely day!

Whimsical Houses for Three Occasions

Greetings friends!  I haven't had this much fun playing house in a long time!

In June I bought the entire Whimsical Village Collection by Vicki Papaioannou for Spellbinders.  They went straight to my use-next basket and here we are at the end of August and I'm just now getting around to them.  I LOVE them!  For each card I brought in a little something extra from the toy box.  See under each picture for noteworthy mentions.

***  FALL  ***

Spellbinders Whimsical Houses, Village Companions (clouds & dog), Whimsical Wishes sentiment
Poppystamps Stitched Landscapes, Cottage Cutz Fall Barrel (sunflowers)

***  HALLOWEEN  ***

SB Whimsical Village, PS Stitched Landscape & Stitched Cloudline
Cheery Lynn (long since out of business) Happy Halloween
Ghost sequins
(The Happy Halloween and the cloudy background were both spare parts --hooray for spare parts!

***  CHRISTMAS  ***

SB Whimsical Houses, Whimsical Wishes, Whimsical Skies 3D embossing folder + white ink
Memory Box Slender Pine Trees, Poppystamps Stitched Landscapes

Total Christmas cards in the box:  23

I had way too much fun playing with this collection and getting three more cards done for the upcoming busy cardmaking season.  I meant for the first card to be for Thanksgiving, but as soon as I glued down the sunflowers I realized they would not be in bloom in late November.  Oh, well, a fall card is good, too!

Challenges:

NBUS Challenge #89.  Everything from the Whimsical Village Collection is never before used schtuff.
Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge.  Anything goes or be inspired by the mood board.
Peace on Earth Challenge #118.  Anything goes or be inspired by the mood board.

 

Thank you!  Happy crafting!  

One for CAS Christmas -- Santa's Sleigh

Well, friends, so far this month I have just one Christmas card to add to the box.  I'm not sure why I was dragging my feet.  Summer, I suppose.  I did, however, want to play along in Loll's CAS Christmas Challenge where Julia has chosen the theme of "Santa's Sleigh".

I don't have much in the way of Santa's sleigh stamps or dies.  I came up with three, but only one that I really wanted to use this year.  I combined a Stampendous sentiment with Lavinia's Pippin Mini and The Wishing Tree.  Three stamps and some ink blending on a one layer card... it doesn't get much more simple or quick in my craft room!

I stamped in Versafine Onyx Black and clear embossed with fine detail powder.  Using torn paper I masked the lower edge for snow, then ink blended over everything with Stampin' Up Almost Amethyst and Brocade Blue.  Wiped away excess ink from the embossed sentiment and images, flicked with water, blotted with a paper towel.  The mini-slimline card is 3 1/2" x 6".

Total Christmas cards in the box:  22

You know I'm not very good at CAS so I hope it's okay for the challenge.  I appreciate the inspiration to create this card as I do love it and I was missing my Lavinia stamps.

Sending thanks to the team at the CAS Christmas Challenge for all the inspiration, and thanks to you for stopping by to visit!

Stamps:  Stampendous Christmas Sky, Lavinia Pippin Mini & Wishing Tree  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 110 lb  Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Stampin' Up Almost Amethyst and Brocade Blue  Coloring:  Ink blending with brushes  Other:  WOW! clear gloss super fine embossing powder

Nest Building Bird

Hi again, friends!  Nesting season has passed here in the northern hemisphere, but it's always anything goes in my craft room.  I still have some bird dies not yet used so I set about rectifying the situation.  This one is a PTI die, Feathered Friends 14.  I recently moved it from my not-yet-used-dies basket to my use-next all purpose basket (stamps, dies, embossing folders) and it wasn't long before it became a card.

For the life of me I couldn't figure out what kind of bird this is supposed to be (any ideas?) so I spent way too much time searching for something likely.  I finally settled on a Crested Bunting which lives in China.  Even still, I took some liberties -- the white spots, for instance.  It's nest building in a thicket courtesy of Memory Box Bird's Nest and Poppystamps Thicket Frame.  The parts are all ink blended with brushes.

Every now and then I like to send a card "just because" and I especially like to make them!

I'll be sending my feathered friend along to the following two challenges:

Triple B Challenge -- Always birds, butterflies, or blooms.
NBUS Challenge #89 -- My never before used schtuff is the PTI Feathered Friends 14.

Thanks for your visit!  I love when you stop by.  Have a good weekend!

Stamps:  Stampin' Up retired Itty Bitty Backgrounds (sprinkles)  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 110 lb, Cougar Natural, SU Close to Cocoa  Ink:  SU Close to Cocoa, Really Rust, Old Olive, Ranger Distress Soot Black  Coloring:  Ink blending with brushes, Copic for eye, white acrylic paint for eye glint and spots  Dies:  PTI Feathered Friends 14, Memory Box Bird's Nest, Poppystamps Thicket Frame, Creative Expressions Stacked Just Because  Other:  Scotch brand foam mounting tape to pop up bird body

Double D Challenge: When Life Hands You Lemons

Welcome back, friends!  It's time for another Double D Challenge.  Today our theme is "When Life Hands You Lemons".  The inspiration board is so pretty!

When Life hands me lemons I'm going to make a lemon card, and today it includes lemonade and these adorable Penny Black meeces.  I used my trusty Tombow markers and homemade blender solution to color this one.

I tend to want to use cute papers with cute images, but I told myself a long time ago that it's okay to mix cute and beautiful, so that's what I did here.  The Ciao Bella Sicilia paper has lemons galore, and the pattern on the background piece appears rather playful, especially when your brain sees it with the mice.  The mat directly under the image panel reminds me of kitchen tiles.  At any rate, I like how it came together.

The glossy dots I scattered around for fun were punched from the designer paper and then coated with diamond glaze -- one of my absolute favorite things to do.  It's a smile card, for sure!

The team has some wonderfully inspiring cards to share with you at Double D.  I love this theme and I hope you do, as well, and will enjoy playing along with us.

Take care and have a happy day!

Stamps:  Penny Black Homemade  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb hot press watercolor, CTMH Star Spangled Blue, Ciao Bella Sicilia designer paper  Ink:  Ranger Archival Jet Black  Coloring:  Tombow markers and homemade blender  Dies:  Cottage Cutz Double Stitched Square set  Other:  1/4" & 1/8" hole punches, JudiKins Diamond Glaze

Penny Black on a Saturday

Hello, crafty friends!  I hope you're all enjoying a nice weekend doing whatever makes you happy.  I've been retired for going on 11 years now, but I still find something special about the weekends.  After all those working years I just don't get over the feeling of release that comes with a Friday night.

I'm here today to share in the Penny Black Saturday Challenge where the optional theme is "Things with Wings".  That's my cue to color up my newest Penny Black stamp, Wings of Joy.  It's easy for me to go overboard with my Penny Black purchases because I'm such a fan, but I've been conservative lately.  This stamp though, sigh... and the Serenity Edger die set... they were a quick hop into my basket.

I stamped the bird and branch in Memento Toffee Crunch, and the sentiment in Palette Noir on extra white hot pressed watercolor paper and watercolored with Tombow markers.  Sponged the edges with Stampin' Up More Mustard ink.  After layering onto a card base of ivory textured Bazzill I applied the watercolored die cut "serenity" and a few iridescent sequins.

The set has a larger wisteria chain and extra leaves which I've already stamped and will try to turn into a card soon.  Penny Black has just released a Christmas collection and I'm currently trying to make my conservative choices.  I'm thinking poinsettias and a sentiment/die set.  It's never ending.

Challenges:

Penny Black Saturday Challenge -- Things with Wings, or optional anything goes.
NBUS Challenge #89 -- My never before used schtuff is the Penny Black Wings of Joy stamp set.

 

Thank you so much for spending a little time with me today.  I do enjoy our visits!

Stamps:  Penny Black Wings of Joy  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico 140 lb hot press watercolor, ivory Bazzill for card base  Ink:  Memento Toffee Crunch for image, Palette Noir for sentiment, Stampin' Up More Mustard for brushing image panel edges  Coloring:  Watercolor with Tombow markers  Other:  Penny Black Serenity Edger die set, iridescent sequins, white acrylic paint for eye glint

Deco Blossoms

Hello!  There's something brand new in my collection today -- Simon Says Stamp Deco Blossoms.  It's not at all like anything else in my toy box so that's why I was drawn to it.  I ordered it with the matching die set which cuts the blossom panel, the individual blossoms, and the corner flourishes.  It's fun to play with, whether simple or fancy.  I guess I went a bit fancy this time.

I stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black and layered up using old-timey Spellbinders dies and a not-so-old-timey Spellbinders 3D Tile Motif embossing folder.  The blossoms were die cut and colored with Copics.  They're not popped up, but they're shaped a little.  The sentiment, as well as others, came with the set.

Challenges today:

Addicted to Stamps and More #523 -- Birthdays
Triple B August Challenge -- Always birds, butterflies, or blooms.

NBUS Challenge #89 -- My never before used schtuff is the SSS Deco Blossoms stamp and die set.

 

Thank you for visiting!  Have a craft-happy day!

Stamps:  Simon Says Stamp Deco Blossoms with dies  Paper:  Hammermill Premium 100 lb white, black from stash  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black  Coloring:  Copics  Other:  Spellbinders Divine Eloquence, Labels Twenty Eight, 3D Tile Motif embossing folder, miscellaneous small rectangle for sentiment