Twinkling Hello

Hi there!  The sun is shining as I write this and I'm heading outside, but first a few minutes to share a card.  I rummaged through one of my "not yet used" baskets looking to choose something cheery.  Yes, I now have two baskets of not yet used stamps and another one for dies.  It's sometimes so much easier to shop than to create, but I will say for sure that creating is much more fun.  I need to remember that!

Today's card is made with a Stampendous set called Pop Bouquet.  I wanted to color, but had no plans for a particular card design, so I stamped a whole lot of images with Versafine Onyx Black on watercolor paper and then clear embossed.  I set to it with my Twinkling H2O's and when finished I cut everything out by hand.

It's hard to show the shimmer of the paints.  It can be subtle, and some colors shimmer more than others.  Also, more water means less shimmer, but the colors are always scrumptious.  I love my old timey Twinks!  The die cut sentiment is Cottage Cutz -- three layers of black and then brushed with Wink of Stella.

The frame and lattice piece are from my card parts drawer.  The frame had been embossed with an Anna Griffin folder (Cuttlebug) and then ink applied with a blending brush.  It wasn't a great look as a whole, but it made a nice frame and I thought the colors coordinated so...  put it all together on a soft gray card base... I kinda like it.  It is going to a local friend/former coworker as a birthday card.

I need to rush off for now.  Rich is washing my car after I spent three afternoons detailing the inside.  I had planned to wash it myself, but he's being a nice guy and sometimes you just have to let a person be a nice guy, you know?

Hugs and happiness to all!

Stamps:  Stampendous Pop Bouquet  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb hot pressed watercolor, Neenah white, textured gray card base, black cardstock  Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, misc SU inks brushed on embossed frame  Coloring:  Watercolor with Twinkling H2Os  Other:  Clear detail embossing powder, Wink of Stella, black pearl, Cuttlebug Anna Griffin Aviary embossing folder, Spellbinders Scored and Pierced Rectangles, Spellbinders Lattice Border, Cottage Cutz Hello Phrase

Pup and Mog

Hi there!  It took a while, but I finally made it back to the blog after finishing some cards.  I used a NBUS Woodware set called Pup and Mog.  Who can say what attracts any of us to a particular stamp set or to any of the crafty things we buy?  All I know is that these simple open line images made me smile at the time and they still do.

The frolicking Pup was stamped in Versafine black and clear embossed.  I colored with Tombow markers, no water and minimal use of the blender pen.  Pulled a stenciled background and a watercolored frame from my bag o' backgrounds and created the base.  Added Pup and some die cut flowers.  I think he's happy!

I saved the sentiment for the inside because it would crowd the front and I really wanted to say "happy dog day" to one of my doggy loving friends.  National and International Dog Day are both on August 26th.  Okay, so I'm a little ahead but might as well be ready.  Pictured below is the inside:

Mog, the cat, is relaxed and simply wishing a happy day.  It could be for anything, really.  I watercolored this one with SU inks and designed with some super old (2009) BasicGrey papers.  I inked up and stamped the cat's hearts a second time and colored, cut and glued over top to add just a tiny bit of texture.  One small gem for accent.

Editing to add my card to Darnell's NBUS Challenge #34 because my Pup and Mog stamps are fresh out of the package.

I apologize for not listing every detail, but it's probably not necessary.  I will mention that the fun stencil I used on the first card is from a large collection I found on Amazon.

I hope to pop in again soon.  I'm enjoying the time with Rich and Wally and LuLu, keeping options open as to how we spend our time.  I hope the new year is treating you well.  Hugs to all!

Hydrangea And Rose

Happy new year everyone!  I made every effort to get here to send my very best wishes to all for a good 2022 -- health and happiness and all things positive.  December was a bit rough at the Miller house.  My husband got some distressing news from the doctor, and then his sister died.  I won't dwell on those things here, but do want you to know we're okay for the time being.  It was important for me to free up my time and make my attention available when and where it's needed so I stepped down from all design teams.  Crafting has been spotty, but immensely enjoyable when I can get to it.  We must have our therapy time, right?

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I have two cards to share today.  The Pinkfresh Hydrangea and Rose stamp set and matching dies have been in my NBUS basket for a couple of months with multiples stamped and embossed and ready for color.  Finishing these two cards felt like time well spent.

Spare parts were utilized for both cards.  For this first one the whole card base was already done up with embossing and patterned paper border -- not sure why it was rejected originally -- and I simply added the frame, flowers, and sentiment banner.  The frame and banner were made with some of my original Spellbinders dies which I still use often.

For the second card I lightly stenciled a background, then added the cardstock strips (spare parts) with flowers, butterfly, and sentiment.  

There's a lot more to this stamp set which I'll get to later but my basket is spilling over with things I have yet to use.  Moving on...  Thank you so much for your patience and concern.  It's good to be back today.  Again, happy new year!

Stamps:  Pinkfresh Hydrangea and Rose  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 80 & 110 lb, scraps color cardstock, gold mirror CS, scrap patterned paper  Ink:  Versamark, Ranger Adirondack Sandal, SU Always Artichoke  Coloring:  Tombow markers and blender solution  Other:  Sequins, gems, gold self-adhesive trim, Ranger Princess Gold embossing powder, Cuttlebug Anna Griffin Wildflower Gate embossing folder, unnamed stencil, Spellbinders oval and tag dies, Impression Obsession Medium Butterflies

Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge #6

 

Hello, friends!  It's time for another beautiful Peace on Earth Challenge.  Just look at the mood board we have for you today:

I was most inspired by the jars of greenery, but also short on time, so I chose a small image from my stash of retired Power Poppy stamps and created a simple design.

I colored with Copics, made an embossed background panel with a narrow strip of coordinating designer paper, stamped a sentiment with holly accent... a relatively CAS card.  I layered the image circle onto a red circle which shows only from the side, but it makes a difference.  The stamped jar was originally clear with stems showing through.  The only color that made it completely opaque was black.  Turns out I like it just fine.

Join us at Peace on Earth.  I know it's crunch time for this year, but next year's cards need making, too.

NOTE:   I'm truly sad to say I had to make the difficult decision to step down from all design teams for 2022.  A medical situation has come to pass at my house which will require more of me and it's where I need and want to focus my attention for a while.  I haven't been stamping or visiting blogs and I apologize for my absence.  I'll be back when time allows, but on a more limited scale.  I'm okay.  Please do not worry.  More on this later.

Sending holiday hugs to all!

Stamps:  Power Poppy Holly Golightly (retired)  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White, SU Poppy Parade, Echo Park The Story of Christmas designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Poppy Parade, SU Garden Green and Real Red for single holly sprig  Coloring:  Copics  Other:  Retired SU Petals A-Plenty embossing folder, Memory Box Stitched Circle Layers, white gel pen

Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge -- December

Welcome back to the Two Old Bat's year 'round Halloween challenge!  Right in the middle of the busy holiday season... truth is, it was fun to take a break from Christmas cards after being up to my eyeballs in them for quite a while now.

We have an inspiration board, but not required to use it.

I love playing off the boards and my Halloween card o' the month was inspired by the bats and the 31 in the upper right of the board.  I paired a Deep Red Halloween Dress Form stamp with Impression Obsession's Halloween Stamp.  This eerily pretty party dress just needs the cobwebs brushed off and it's ready to wear!

I stamped in Versafine Onyx Black and clear embossed for the fine detail.  Brushed some color on the background, colored the bow and 31 with a Tombow marker.  Hand cut the postage stamp and popped it up on foam tape.  The papers are not Halloween, but I wanted some different colors for this card.  The fancy non-Halloween die frame worked out great when cut in black.  All in all I like it!

Come see us at Two Old Bats.  I know this is not an easy time to be making Halloween cards, but it's fun if you've got the time.  Challenge ends on the 28th.  Have a great day!

Stamps:  Deep Red Halloween Dress Form, Impression Obsession Halloween Stamp  Paper:  SU Whisper White, black card base (not visible in photo), years old Memory Box and 7 Gypsies designer paper  Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, SU Crushed Curry and Going Gray  Coloring:  Tombow marker and SU inks brushed on backgrounds  Other:  Clear embossing powder, foam mounting tape, Spellbinders Divine Eloquence and Labels Twenty Eight

Four Seasons Challenge -- December

Hello, and welcome back to another Four Seasons Challenge!

Our challenge theme has switched to the winter months and there's a beautiful mood board to inspire you if you wish to use it, but anything winter goes.  See the challenge blog for more information.

We don't often see any of these snowy scenes in my backyard on the southern Oregon Coast, but it's a lovely dream... as long as I don't have to drive in it.

 

My focus today was the bird on a snowy branch, and since it's Christmas card-making time I went that route, too.  The bird is a die I cannot help but bring out for Christmas cards every year.  Two parts -- the bird and the snowflake branch.  The stitched frame and the "peace" sentiment are from my spare parts drawer (yay!).  Simple designer paper behind the frame, and all parts arranged on an embossed card base.

The embossed card base was done with a new-to-me favorite 3D Lumber embossing folder by Sizzix.  I embossed the whole folded card so the wood grain shows throughout.  I can't seem to get enough of all things wood grain.   I added Wink of Stella to the bird's body for some gentle shimmer.

Come join us with your winter-themed project now through Dec 25.   The team and our guest designer, Dottie, have some lovely samples at Four Seasons.

Happy holidays, and please stay healthy and safe!

Stamps:  SU Glad Tidings (retired)  Paper:  Neenah 110 lb white, red, Simple Stories Color vibe designer paper  Ink:  Versamark (sentiment)  Dies:  Memory Box Airin Bird Background and Snowflake Bird, MFT Die-namics Stitched Rectangle Frames  Other:  Sizzix Lumber 3D embossing folder, Wink of Stella, white embossing powder

Christmas Mouse

Hi!  My head is in the Christmas cards as I try to make progress.  How about something a little bit vintage today?  Goodnight Mouse is an older stamp I purchased a while back just so I could lay claim to a few of these Inkadinkado wood block art pieces before they disappear.

I stamped on watercolor paper and colored with Tombow markers -- no blender pen, just blending one marker into the other, light into dark.  I stippled white acrylic paint onto the pine bows and assembled with the bow and candy cane for decoration.

A lot went into the making of this card, but I'll limit the details here.  All info is in the recipe at the end.  I do want to mention the gold plaid background.  It's an oldie SU background stamp -- Flannel Plaid.  One day I sat with it and made several embossed backgrounds with different color cardstocks and embossing powders.  When the wet embossing had thoroughly cooled and set up I dry embossed with the SU Subtle folder for some additional texture.

Since Goodnight Mouse is new to me and it's a first-time use I'm going to share in Darnell's NBUS Challenge #32.

I hope all my US friends enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving in whatever way you spent it.  Now we head forward to Christmas.  Happy Holidays!

Stamps:  Inkadinkado Goodnight Mouse, Hero Arts From Our House sentiment, SU Flannel Plaid background (retired)  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb hot press watercolor, SU Handsome Hunter, scrap red, gold glitter cardstock, Neenah 110 lb white for candy cane  Ink:  Palette Noir for mouse & sentiment, Versamark for plaid background  Coloring:  Tombow markers - no water or blender pen, red Copic on candy cane die cut, white acrylic paint applied to pine boughs with stipple brush  Dies:  Spellbinders Scored and Pierced Rectangles for plaid background, miscellaneous rectangle for main image, Poppystamps Lovely Gift Bow, Impression Obsession Pine Pair and Christmas Icons  Other:  Ranger Princess Gold embossing powder, SU Subtle embossing folder on card base and plaid background

Puppies Love Squeaky Stuff

Hello on a Monday, friends!  I'm squeaking into the CAS Christmas Challenge with just a couple of days to spare.  They're asking for critters and I just happened to have a new-to-me stamp featuring my favorite kind of critter.  It was the sentiment stamp that caught my eye first -- something new from Stampendous -- and then I had to go on a search for a Christmas pooch to go with it.

I stamped the puppy in Gina K Warm Glow amalgam ink and the coloring was done with Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol odorless mineral spirits.  Gamsol always lends a soft, chalky look to the pencils which sometimes is nice.  I tried to keep it clean and simple, but it didn't look festive until I added the tinsel garland so I'm hoping it's CAS enough for the challenge.  I'll play along anyway.

CAS Christmas -- Christmas Critters
NBUS #32 -- Never before used Schtuff -- Puppy and sentiment are fresh out of the package.

 

Thank you all for taking the time to stop in today.  I know many in the US are getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday so it's a busy time.  In fact, it's going to be busy right up until Christmas.  Wishing everyone a happy day!

Stamps:  Stampendous Scarf Puppy and Squeaky Stuff  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White, Memory Box Dill cardstock, olive glitter cardstock  Ink:  Gina K Warm Glow Amalgam, SU Close to Cocoa  Coloring:  Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol (odorless mineral spirits)  Other:  Echo Park enamel dots, Spellbinders Hemstitch Rectangles, Memory Box Tinsel Ropes