Sweet Thoughts

Hello!  I made a card just because I had an urge to color something and I have a few not-yet-used Pinkfresh stamps that need attention.  I was able to finish this in a mere week.  I know!  It's been crazy busy here lately.

One stamp and one die does the whole works at once.   This is just part of it.  I colored with Copics and added Diamond Stickles to the flower centers.  Some of the flower parts are popped up, some glued flat.  The heart was punched from gingham cardstock and coated with JudiKins Diamond Glaze.

If I'm slow to visit your blog, please bear with me.  Maybe I'll have a chance to visit and share again soon.  There are reasons, and some of them are good.

  💗

Today I'm sending my card along to Darnell's NBUS Challenge -- My never before used schtuff is the Pinkfresh Berries and Blossoms stamp and die. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Stamps:  Pinkfresh Berries & Blossoms, Power Poppy sentiment (retired)  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 80 & 110 lb, PTI Aqua Mist, Echo Park Agenda designer paper (older)  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black  Coloring:  Copics  Dies:  Spellbinders Essential Arches, Scored and Pierced Rectangles  Other:  Heart punch, JudiKins Diamond Glaze. Stickles Diamond glitter glue, Memory Box Fairy Jewels, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Feelin' Sketchy

Hello again!  After two-in-a-row Christmas posts (and another coming soon), I thought I'd better do some flowers lest I forget what season we're in.  I kept it quick and clean and simple because I was short on time, but it was as much fun and infinitely more liberating than a fancied up complex card.

I combined my never-before-used, bought-on-sale Pinkfresh Floral Envelope set (sans envelope) with the current Sunday Stamps Challenge -- Feelin' Sketchy.

With minimal layers I followed the sketch to the letter.  Copic colored and cut with the matching dies, I popped up the flowers, but glued the stem and bow knot flat.  I'm loving my Nuvo drops a lot lately and had the perfect color to match.  I like to give the bigger drops a solid thwack on the backside of the card to flatten them, but the teensy drops stay more pearl-shaped.  Cute!

Linking up here: 

Sunday Stamps Challenge 338 -- Feelin' Sketchy
NBUS Challenge #63 -- My never before used schtuffs are the Pinkfresh Floral Envelope and matching dies.

 

That was fun!  Have a lovely weekend!

Stamps:  Pinkfresh Floral Envelope with matching dies  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 80 & 110 lb, ancient My Mind's Eye designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black  Coloring:  Copics  Other:  Nuvo Neptune Crystal Drops, Scotch brand foam mounting tape, SU retired Subtle embossing folder (on card base, probably not showing in photo), Memory Box Stitched Scalloped Circles, Taylored Expressions Stitched Rectangle Stacklets, Poppystamps banner die (from a sentiment set)

Happy Wishes Peony

First, a question:  If you are subscribed through follow.it are you seeing new and annoying ads that pop up in your face when you try to click through to the blog?  It's safe to click "go to article".  I'm talking with follow.it.  More on that later.  Thank you.

**************************

Hello again!  I'm happy to be here twice in one week.  Life is full of busyness lately, but I've got to have my crafty time, too.  The quickest kind of card for me to make is one with a large colored image and not a lot of other detail in the design.  The stamp does it all!

This is a Pinkfresh stamp -- Lush Peonies -- picked up on one of their sales a while back.  It's been waiting in the wings while I goof around with a lot of other stuff both in and out of my craft room.

It's very loosely colored with Tombow markers and blender, then blue ink added through a stencil to help highlight the image a bit more.  The enamel dots are actually 1/4" and 1/8"punched circles coated with Diamond Glaze.  They look more dimensional than they actually are and I love that.  I've done this many times in the past, but suddenly it's my new favorite thing.

I'm not even going to worry about the few times I colored outside the lines.

I won't take up more of your time, but I will link to the challenges I had in mind while making this card.

Triple B has a beautiful blue inspiration board, but they insist that anything goes as long as it includes a bloom, bird, or butterfly
The Four Seasons Challenge has switched to the summer months.  Anything goes as long as it's summer related.  Peonies bloom in early summer here.
Last, but far from least is NBUS Challenge #63.  My never before used schtuff is the Lush Peonies and the Sue Wilson Stacked Happy Wishes sentiment die.

  

Onward to the weekend.  Enjoy!

Stamps:  Pinkfresh Lush Peonies  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 hot pressed watercolor, SU Pixie Pink & Pink Passion  Ink:  Palette Noir, SU Bashful Blue  Coloring:  Tombow markers & blender  Other:  Sue Wilson Stacked Happy Wishes, Spellbinders Hemstitch Rectangles (largest die with no hemstitch), Penny Black Background Basics Stencil, 1/4" & 1/8" circle punches, JudiKins Diamond Glaze

Friends and Good Vibes

It's true, life is better with friends and I can't imagine being without them.  Two friends enabled me to make today's cards.  Cat sent the sentiment and flowers I used on the first card.  She had stuck everything to a piece of yellow low-tack tape and I love the way it looked so I simply made an almost identical arrangement on yellow cardstock.  Then I adhered that to a pretty frame piece sent by Michele.

Michele sent the Spellbinders Scrolled Punch & Pierce Plate.  In the card above I popped up one of the smaller cuts, and in the card below I used a larger cut for a lacy cover that looks so pretty white on white.  She also sent the Pinkfresh Chrysanthemum washi cuts which I used on the second card.  The sentiment stamped in the open space is from my own Pinkfresh Folk Hummingbird set.

Just having some fun in between projects around the house and yard.  We've had a little sun now and then, but nothing to get too excited about.  I'm still waiting and wondering when spring will be here for real.  Maybe tomorrow.  Wishing you a beautiful day!

PinkFresh Blooming Branch

Hello!  After finishing my few Valentines (which I'll share later) I had a chance to reach into my NBUS basket and pull out something new-to-me.  This Pinkfresh Blooming Branch came from a recent 40% off sale on their website.  Not to be resisted, right?  I got this and one other stamp set, no dies.  Amazing reserve on my part.  I made two cards with this stamp.  The sentiment is from the Pinkfresh Delicate Rosebuds set.  I do have the matching dies for that one and I love how the sentiment cuts.

I stamped in Ranger Archival Watering Can and colored with Tombow markers and blender on the first card.  It was not too difficult to hand cut since I recently got a shot in my wrist that has the De Quervain's tenosynovitis.  My left wrist/hand had gotten so bad that I could barely use it.  It's much better now, but I have to be cautious about over-using it.  That's okay.  Anyway, here's the first card and I kind of love it.

The card front was salvaged from a card I received in a package from a charitable organization.  You know how they give little gifts to encourage you to donate.  I adhered the front to my own card and covered it with the large oval.  Pictured below you can see the ready-made gloss and sparkle as well as the flap of the matching envelope.  I have a few others in different colors, too, and they've been sitting a long time waiting for me to use them.

The next card is smaller with stamping off the edge.  This time I watercolored with Stampin' Up inks and I'm not thrilled with the results.  I was trying a watercolor technique I saw on a video.  It works for them, but apparently I'm better off sticking with what works for me.  Old dog I guess, ahem.  I was happy to use a smidgen of ribbon as well as a sentiment die from the NBUS die basket.  One basket for stamps, one for dies, and both rather full.

The inside of each card is stamped in a similar manner.  No sentiment.  The sentiments on the front can work for many occasions, and I can write my own message inside.  This lets me simply enjoy the cardmaking and have a card for whatever occasion when I need it.

Enough chatter?  I'll go ahead and link now to Darnell's NBUS challenge where she encourages us to get busy and use our never before used schtuff rather leave it sitting in the basket or bin while we shop for more new stuff...wait, what?  I know... it was how I rolled when I was working full time and didn't have enough left over creative energy to stamp.  It must have been habit forming because I still do it and haven't come up with a better excuse.

NBUS Challenge #59 --  My Pinkfresh Blooming Branch stamp and Impression Obsession Hi are fresh out of the basket.

Thank you for coming to visit.  Wishing you a beautiful day!

Poinsettia Washi

Hi there!  We're back in the Christmas card workshop today.

When my friend, Nancy, dropped by recently I was whining saying that I still had to make a lot of Christmas cards and didn't know how I was going to get them done in time to mail.  Well, she reminded me about the Pinkfresh Poinsettia Washi tape die cuts she gave me a while back.  I'd made a bunch with the stamp set she loaned me and they were some of my favorite cards this year.  So I got to work with the washi die cuts and made the following four cards.

The Poinsettia parts were all prepped by Nancy.  I made a dry embossed shimmery background and a banner for the first card:

A gold frame and shimmery Joy from my card parts on the next:

Mintay designer paper made an easy background and frame for the next card:

For the final card I've arranged a bower of poinsettia parts on an embossed background of mini-poinsettias.  The pink oval was pulled from my card parts.

That's it for now, friends, but I'll be right back for the Double D challenge.  After that I'll have one more Christmas card and then I'm done for a while.  Sophie will be happy about that!

Merry merry!

More Pinkfresh Poinsettias

Hi there!  I'm happy to be back with craftiness today.  Card making hasn't been happening by leaps and bounds, but I do have two cards I made in September.  I still had a bunch of Pinkfresh Poinsettia pieces I'd stamped and hand cut so I decided to turn them into cards.

Once again, the pictures don't do them justice.  There's a lot of texture, dimension, gold embossing, and pretty colors.  I plumped up the wreath with some extra pieces, and nestled in a Cottage Cutz bird and sentiment.

The sentiment was cut from a background I'd made on glossy paper.  A small die cut rectangle supports it over the dimension of the wreath.

Coloring on both cards is with Copics.  The second card has quite a few Poinsettia pieces put together as a corner treatment with Joy taking up some white space.  Three tiny gold pearls on this one.

That's it, folks.  I'm so woefully behind in my Christmas card production I'm worried I'll have to skip fall altogether.  What will be will be.  Enjoy your day!

Stamps:  Pinkfresh Poinsettia  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White, other scraps  Ink:  Versamark  Coloring:  Copics  Dies:  Spellbinders A2 Devine Eleoquence and Labels Twenty-Eight, Cottage Cutz Greetings and Bird w/Bluebells, SU Joy (retired)  Other:  Ranger Princess Gold embossing powder, gold pearls, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Delicate Rosebuds

Hello!  I'm popping in with a card inspired by two challenges:  The Flower Challenge is asking for spots or stripes.  I have polka dots in the frame and dry embossed stripes in the background.  The dry embossed stripes are for Can You Handle the Pressure which is all about embossing folders, and this time the optional twist is stripes.  The two challenges practically made the card for me... well, that might be a stretch, but they helped.

It was an opportunity to ink up a new-to-me Pinkfresh set called Delicate Rosebuds.  They are very delicate indeed, and that's what attracted me.  I love the lines.  I also got the matching dies which I looked at very closely in the samples and saw that they do a good job of cutting out the inner parts.  That's a big plus for me.  Two of the sentiments have matching dies, as well, and they're kind of perfect.

I stamped in Versamark and embossed the roses in detail white, the sentiment in detail black.  An extra die cut layer under each added just the right bit of dimension.  I also added thin foam mounting tape under parts of the roses.

Coloring was done with Tombow markers and homemade blender solution.  I debated myself over the orange frame, and the part of me that loves citrus colors won out.

Here are those aforementioned challenges, plus NBUS because my Pinkfresh Delicate Rosebuds are a first time use:

The Flower Challenge #83 -- Add spots or stripes
Can You Handle the Pressure -- Anything goes with a twist of stripes
NBUS Challenge #53 -- Never before used schtuff

 

I will see you again very soon.  Take care!

Stamps:  Pinkfresh Delicate Rosebuds with matching dies  Paper:  Arches 140 lb hot press watercolor, Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 80 lb, Bo Bunny Soft Shades Double Dot designer paper  Ink:  Versamark  Coloring:  Tombow markers and homemade blender solution  Other:  WOW Opaque Bright White and Primary Ebony super fine embossing powder, Jolee's adhesive gems, Cuttlebug Candy Cane Stripe embossing folder, MFT Die-namics Stitched Rectangle Frames, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Pinkfresh Poinsettia

Hello, friends!  I have more Christmas cards today and it all started when my friend, Nancy, let me borrow her Pinkfresh Poinsettia set for a while.  I got busy and stamped a bunch before she reclaimed her set.

All were stamped in Versamark and embossed with Ranger Princess Gold embossing powder.  The first card with the wreath turned out to be my favorite.  "Noel" is from an older Stampin' Up set, and I perched some Poppy Whittle Birds on the letters.

I colored each with the same color Copics, using a loose brushstroke technique.  No shading, just trying to make sure some white space shows.  It's a super easy way to color in quantities.  Nancy did not leave the dies so I hand cut all the Poinsettia parts.  After cutting I rubbed the backsides with a fat-round-blunt stylus shaping tool.  Not sure what it's called but I always use it for flower shaping and things like this.

The wreath and word are popped up on thin foam mounting tape.  I used Spellbinders Devine Eloquence dies on each card.  It's an older set that still gets a lot of love from me.

Next up I cut three separate Poinsettia pieces and arranged them in an arch over the die cut greeting.  The poinsettia at the peak is popped up.  There's an embossed panel in the background, and gems for "i" dots.

Finally, above and below the greeting with three little gold pearls and another embossed panel.

These cards are so much prettier in real life, but you know how that goes, don't you?  It was apparently not a good day for photos.  I have lots more Poinsettia pieces to work with and I plan to continue with variations along these same lines.  One day at a time...

Sending thanks to my local forever friend, Nancy, for sharing with me.  See you again soonish!

Stamps:  Pinkfresh Poinsettia  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White, color scraps  Ink:  Versamark  Coloring:  Copics  Dies:  Spellbinders Devine Eleoquence and Labels Twenty-Eight die sets, Poppy Whittle Birds, Cottage Cutz Greetings, Memory Box Warm Christmas Wishes, Stampin' Up Wonderful Wreath Noel die  Other:  Self-adhesive pearls and gems, Darice Sheet Music and Cuttlebug Candy Cane Stripe embossing folders, foam mounting tape

Double D Challenge: Lemonade

 

It's Double D time again, friends, and that means there's a mood board to inspire you to make something amazing!  Today Diane is asking for lemons or yellow as focus.  She has created a board that speaks to my yellow-loving heart.

I was feeling fruity so I went with the lemons.  I pulled out my Pinkfresh Lemons and Blueberries stamp set, thinking I was going to leave the dies alone this time and simply color.  As it happens there was one lone piece already colored and die cut.  I also had a long skinny white panel already embossed and set aside.  So I made a midi-slimline.

The tree came to mind as a whimsical way to frame this die cut lemon cluster.  It doesn't have to actually look like a lemon tree.  After all, this 2013 Memory Box die is called Tree of Wonder.  While we're talking oldies I'll mention the SU Word Window Punch which I've recently decided is useful and wonderful again.  I nested it on its companion punch, the name of which I cannot recall.

Something newer to me is the Spellbinders Seamless Floral embossing folder.  It's a pretty thing, but this piece was almost a throw away as it took a minute for me and the folder to get acquainted.

As always we'll have creative winners and a random prize winner.  The prize is so darn cute:

If you haven't already been there I highly recommend a visit to the Double D blog to see the team's samples.  They're pretty fabulous.

Take care and maybe I'll see you in the gallery!

Stamps:  Pinkfresh Lemons and Blueberries with matching dies  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 80 lb & 110 lb, Memory Box Parsley cardstock, CTMH Sunkiss Yellow, Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb watercolor  Ink:  Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black  Coloring:  Tombow markers  Other:  Memory Box Tree of Wonder die (2013), Spellbinders Seamless Floral Background embossing folder, SU punches for sentiment, gold pearls, Ranger Princess Gold embossing powder

Anemones From a Friend

Have I mentioned recently what a lucky girl I am?  Today's cards are thanks to my friend, Michele, who is very generous with her Pinkfresh washi tape.  I received a most lovely package from her and set to work play with very little delay.

Today it's all about the Anemones.  I used every single piece on two cards, including the insides and one envelope.  The Spellbinders Infinity Punch & Pierce Plate and Essential Stylish Ovals are some of my new favorite things, so I put them to play, too.  The first card is on an Aspen green base, chosen to match the green leaves.

The photo below shows more of the golden shine.  So pretty!

I switched colors for the next card, using a pretty lilac for the card base and dark blue for the sentiment.  The flowers are popped up on both cards.  There is more information in the recipe.

That's all for now.  I'm sharing the bounty with another friend and looking forward to playing again.  Thanks, Michele, and thank all of you for stopping in to visit!

Stamps:  Sentiments from Pinkfresh (1st card) and Power Poppy (2nd card)  Paper:  Pinkfresh Anemone washi tape on white, Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White, CTMH Aspen Green, SU Pale Plum  Ink:  SU Handsome Hunter (sentiment 1st card), SU Not Quite Navy (sentiment 2nd card)  Dies:  Spellbinders Infinity Punch & Pierce Plate, Essential Stylish Ovals, and Scored and Pierced Rectangles, miscellaneous small rectangle for sentiment on 1st card  Other:  Gold self-adhesive half pearls, SU Subtle embossing folder, Scotch brand foam mounting tape