Birthday Garden Mice

Hello and welcome!  I hope this day finds you well, whether you're still staying home or finally getting out and about.  Rich and I do get out, but not among crowds.  No restaurants or movies.  Essential shopping only.  We keep our distance, wear masks around people, and generally accept that this new way of life will be with us for a while.  Now and then I even still get to play in my room!

Today's card started out with the pretty little not-yet-used die which I cut for the center.  It's one of those dies that really needs the card designed around it, rather than the other way around.  One thing led to another:  Found a sentiment that fit nicely, then embossed and sanded a panel to frame and highlight the die.  For color I added a Newton's Nook Garden Mice stamp (from my friend, Cat).  Since it was a birthday card I added a die cut balloon, too.

I just love this little die!  It's Jeanine's Art Garden Classics Oval JAD10004.  Maybe retired?  I saved the flowers that popped out, gave them shape by pressing into foam with the end of a paint brush (my make-do stylus), then reinserted them.  Liquid Pearls in the flower centers and on the embossed mat.

It looks as though the mouse is using the tulip like a pogo stick.  I guess that's one way to get to a garden party!

My mouse is hopping along to the following challenges:

Double D -- Begins with "M".  Getting in just under the wire with this one.  I have "M" for "mouse".

NBUS Challenge #14.  My never before used schtuff is the die cut.

Thanks for dropping in!  Stay well and be happy.

Lilacs and Lemons

Are lilacs still blooming where you are?  Such a heady fragrance.  My Mom wore lilac cologne when I was little and you know how they say scents trigger memories... well, this time of year I'm continually reminded of her.  So, in her memory I've made this card.

I've used Power Poppy's digital stamp, Lilacs and Lemons.   The clear set that held this image is retired and sold out, but it lives on in digital.  You can find more in the French Lilac digi set.  Each are currently only $2.99.  Print large or small, your choice.

I've printed on watercolor paper and colored with Copics.  The background is stenciled.  In the original drawing this arrangement sits on a cloth napkin with only one lemon.  However, I gave it a different impression -- not digitally, but by hand.  The second lemon in the lower right is actually a corner of the napkin.  I colored it yellow, penciled in a few dimples and, voila, lemon!  I also hand drew a few florets in that corner.  I'm sure I wouldn't dare try more than that!

I don't own or use a lot of stencils, but I'm very fond of the few I have.  This one is called Tricot, by Carabelle Studio.

Thank you for spending a little bit of your day with me.  I'll wrap this up with some links for you to check out:

Christine Okken

Broni Holcombe

Barbara Campbell
Power Poppy Blog

Have a happy day!

Birdhouse Garden Hello

Hi!  A quickie post today for a quickie card.  It wouldn't be as quick if I hadn't used pre-made parts.  I'm making an effort to use those parts while at the same time working on my not-yet-used things.

The embossed white card base was sitting in my parts drawer, and the watercolor background was already die cut and sitting in my bag of background pieces.  The focal point is Tutti Designs Birdhouse Garden, not a new die, but newly acquired and it was just what I needed for a card that had to go in the mail ASAP.

So, really, all I did was cut the birdhouse twice and layer together for dimension, then cut the hello from two different colors and layer those together, then glue all the pieces onto the card base.

I also added Wink of Stella shimmer to the hello word.

That's it!  I'd better stop talking or this won't be a quickie post after all.  One last thing to do... I'm sending this over to Darnell's NBUS Challenge #14 (never before used schtuff).

Thank you for stopping by.  I do hope you and your loved ones are all well and safe.  We'll meet again soon.

Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White, 140 lb cold press watercolor, Memory Box Chartreuse, SU Bermuda Bay  Ink:  Sorry, I don't remember... something blue and green  Dies:  Tutti Designs Birdhouse Garden, Paper Smooches Hello Words, Lil' Inker Silly Stitched Die Set  Other:  Cuttlebug Wicker Weave embossing folder

Come Visit the Garden

I've shared a day in the garden on Goldens and Garden today.  I hope you'll come visit me there.

Have a beautiful day!

Sneaky Raccoons

Tuesday greetings, friends!  I was on quite a stamp buying binge earlier this year, but I'm much better now, thank you.  I piled not-yet-used stamps atop not-yet-used stamps in my basket, plus added many new digital stamps to my files.  Among the stamps in the basket were six Gerda Steiner sets... because I couldn't choose just one.  I finished up one set and have just now played with the second set -- Sneaky Raccoons.

I sat down one morning and colored every stamp, some more than once, then cut everything out and left it for another day.  I figured I'd make a card now and then over time, but I ended up making four cards all in one day.  I hope you don't mind that I share them all at once with just two photos and minimal explanation.

Dies on these two cards:  Spellbinders circle dies, MFT Die-namics Star Stax and Stacking Stars, Poppystamps Woodland Oval, Paper Smooches Foliage 1

All coloring was done with Copics.  I used designer papers and dies and cardstocks that have been in my collection for a good long time.  In the photo below I have one card with a sanded Core'dinations base, and each card is embellished with SU Candy Dots I've had forever.

Dies used on these two cards:  Spellbinders Scored and Pierced Rectangles, Poppystamps Scribble Daisy Heart Frame, Tutti Designs Stitched Nesting Hearts, Cottage Cutz Double-Stitched Square Set

Well, this was fun and I'm glad to add four more cute cards to my stash.  I've been mailing a lot lately.

Take good care of yourselves, friends.  I know I don't have to say more than that.  Hugs and love to all.

On Goldens and Garden

Hello!  I'm just getting around to the photos from last Friday's picnic outing, so sharing on Goldens and Garden today.

If you'd like to stop by...  Hugs!

Rustic Deer Christmas Cards

Hi, there!  Back again now that I've finished the Christmas cards I was working on a little at a time.  It's just three cards, all the same, but with several parts and some detail.  The primary focus is a new to me (bargain) Cottage Cutz die, Majestic Deer.  He's cut in grocer's kraft, sponged with cocoa ink, then layered onto another deer cut in black.

Framing the deer is an older Spellbinders die set, Floral Ovals, with a separate oval cut for the center.  The inner oval was sanded.  Seasons Greetings is one of the Impression Obsession Holiday Bottom Word Edgers.  By cutting it on the very edge of the paper it was skinny enough to bend slightly into a banner shape.  I stitched Studio Light Woodland Winter designer paper onto the card base and cut some MFT Die-namics stars for accent.

Inside is a Power Poppy sentiment, a leftover strip of paper, and another star.

The cards do have a rustic look, which I like.  There's no glitter or gloss, the colors are all earthy.   I LOVE the designer paper which was a gift from a friend.  I noted the black stars in the border and that's how I arrived at that particular design decision.

I believe I have 14 Christmas cards now.  Some I haven't photographed yet, but I'll get around to that later.  Loving my Cottage Cutz dies, as I'm sure you've noticed.  Not selling, just saying.

Wishing you a happy day!

Nourish Hope

Hello, friends!  I continue to work with my seemingly never ending stash of not-yet-used supplies, moving between stamps, dies, and digital stamps.  Today's card actually started with the background which I made while randomly playing around.  It's ink blended and then stamped over with the leaves.  I didn't use a whole card-sized piece of cardstock, so I added the wood grain border to fill out.

The Copic colored flowers are from Graciellie Designs Nourish and Flourish digital stamp set.  I've created with these flowers before, but this time I printed them much larger and cut them out to fill the corner.

First time use of the Cottage Cutz Hope Phrase.  Yes, it's one of my Scrapping Cottage bargain finds ($1.95).  I picked up a few of these different words at that price.  Nice size, pretty script.

After I had all the parts put together I added splatters the easy way -- with a stamp from SU's retired Itty Bitty Backgrounds set.

Inside the card is the sentiment, "A fresh start awaits every morning", which comes with the Nourish and Flourish set.

I sure do appreciate having you here and I hope you enjoyed looking!   I'm a little behind on my computer activity, including visiting blogs, but if you'll bear with me I'll eventually catch up.  Hugs all around... from a safe distance.

Dazzling Display

Hello, friends!  It's Friday and I'm just now getting here for the first time this week.  I've been out in the garden and doing other things... mostly enjoying spring when the sun shines.  Three morning crafty sessions were spent coloring the image on today's card and two more mornings were spent trying to get a satisfactory photograph.  I'm calling it finished now, so here it is:  Power Poppy Dazzling Display digital stamp, colored with Prismacolor pencils on Cryogen ivory cardstock.

I've heard how Cryogen cardstock is good for Copics and pencils.  I didn't care for it with Copics, and now that I've tried pencils with it I can't say I'm a fan of that, either.  My particular Cryogen cardstock is years old and maybe it's different now.  I don't know.  I will try again with another idea.  Colorers who are far more skilled than me have recommended Cryogen, so please don't consider my judgement final.

But... isn't this is a pretty digi stamp?  I want to show you the whole set:

You can see I enlarged the smaller image quite a lot just so I could focus on these cute flowers and the berries.  Marcella says these flowers are Primroses, but they can be anything you want them to be.  My crazy dotted background is done with Copics.  Just playing around.

Well, that's it for me this week.  Let's see what my Powerhouse Teamies have been up to:

Stacy
Allison
Christine
Power Poppy Blog

I hope you're all well as we head into the weekend.  I'm retired, so it's all the same.  Today I'm enjoying a picnic day with Rich and the dogs.  Everything is closed up, but we know where to go.  A day out is just what I need.  Take care!