Bundled Bird

Hello and happy Monday!  Another day, another Christmas card.  This one features the Memory Box Bundled Bird and Bird Nest -- two different die sets.  She's looking cozy in the doorway of her birdhouse, decorated for the holidays with an absurd number of rhinestones.  Where did she find all those rhinestones, anyway?

As always I pulled together several dies and a couple of embossing folders to complete the card.  It takes a village sometimes, and luckily I play in a Toyland village when I sit down to make a card.

The greenery is stippled with white acrylic paint, plus a little extra dusted here and there.  The bird parts and the nest are colored with Copics.  Glitter on the hat trim.  The sweet sentiment is from a retired Power Poppy set called Tweet Tidings.

I'm not writing a supply list today as most elements are mentioned above and... you know... Life gives us a lot to deal with sometimes.

I've chosen two lovely challenges to play along in today. The first is Can You Handle The Pressure where the optional twist this time is "Christmas".  We must use an embossing folder and I've used two which I hope you can see well enough -- Tim Holtz Sizzix Lumber 3D on the card base, and SU Subtle 3D on the red ring and black circle.

The second is Sunday Stamps Challenge #323 -- Warm Winter Wishes.  It's a color challenge this time.  Use at least 3 colors from the graphic.  I've used several -- red, green, brown, black.  Plus, my bundled up bird fits the whole idea of "warm winter wishes".

  

Thanks everyone!  See you again soon!

Peace, Love, & Joy

Hello and happy Black Friday!  I'm resisting the shopping urge for the time being, but it's not as if I don't have plenty of everything.  It can be as much fun to simply shop my stash and that's what I did for the two cards I'm sharing today.

This Tutti Designs Arched Fir Branch comes out every year, mostly because I love the die but never seem to totally love anything I make with it.  So I keep trying.  These simple cards might be my favorites so far.

The sentiment is a combo of two retired Power Poppy stamps.  I stamped a batch of these sentiments for card innards, but then loved it so much I decided it really needed to be on the front of at least a couple of cards.  The fir branch came along as a supporting player.

Gold embossed sentiment on the first card, white on the second. 

I'm speeding off to the next job on the list, so I'll leave you with a wish for a happy holiday season!

 

Autumn Bird

Hello and welcome back, friends!  It's going to be a busy week so I'm writing up a few posts which will pop up while I'm out running around taking care of business.  I wish it was all fun stuff, but such is not the case.  However, I did have a good time making cards in the past few days.

Today's card went to the very friend who enabled me to buy this Memory Box Serene Bird and Branch which I've used many times and now here it is again, combined with some other well loved supplies from my craft room.

For coloring I smooshed a few inks, brushed with the occasional Tombow marker, then spritzed with water and let it go with the flow, watermarks and all.  It's not a totally controlled outcome, but I do rather like it.  I used a piece of old designer paper for the frame which was made by nesting an oval die in a rectangle die.  Stamped the sentiment.  Embossed with the retired SU Subtle 3D folder.

My autumn bird is joining two favorite challenges today:

Four Seasons -- Fall
Triple B -- Must use birds, blooms, or butterflies.  They have a pretty fall board this month and both challenges have fabulous team inspiration.

 

Thank you all for joining me today!

Stamps:  Impression Obsession Grateful for You  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb hot pressed watercolor, Cougar vanilla, retired Stampin' Up designer paper  Ink:  Retired SU Baroque Burgundy for sentiment  Coloring:  Inks and Tombows spritzed with water  Dies:  Memory Box Serene Bird and Branch, Poppystamps Palma Curve, Spellbinders Scored and Pierced Rectangles and Grand Classic Ovals  Other:  SU Subtle 3D embossing folder (retired), small chocolate pearl for eye

Christmas Wren, Two Cards

Hello there!  I'm getting serious about the Christmas cards now.  They won't come in big batches, but I did make two cards with my Memory Box Backyard Wren which came with the Magnolia release in spring.  Hard to believe, but this is the first time I've put it on a card.

I constructed a wren when my friend, Nancy, came over with her gilding flakes (spring or summer?).  It was quite the fancy schmancy gilded bird.  However, it was too much of a good thing because all the detail was lost as one layer blended into the next.  A few days ago I separated the layers and turned one bird into two birds.

At first glance you may not notice the differences in these two cards.  Or maybe you would.  In a nutshell, I made use of copper and gold cardstock, and copper and gold embossing powder.  There's copper cord and gold cord, black pearls for the eyes.  The branch and plaid paper are from the Magnolia collection.  Circles and curved border dies are old Spellbinders.  When I cut the curved border I saved the piece that dropped off, turned it upside down and glued it to the first.  It made a rather cute little edge, don't you think?

I hope these pictures look okay on your device.  I had a hard time photographing all the different degrees of shimmer and shine.  The white paper is shimmery, too.

More cards are coming soon.  I had a few days without appointments so I spent some time in my room while Sophie was napping.  When she gets up and starts moving around I follow.  Accidents happen too easily, if you know what I mean.  For fun I've been putting her on a leash and taking her to visit the little girls next door.  A few days ago she went with us to our friends' house where she met their new puppy, Tommy.  He's a mini-Schnauzer, the same age as Sophie and won't get much bigger.  Sophie looks huge compared to Tommy.

 

I'm heading off to check on the family now.  I'll see you here again soon!

Pumpkin Feast

Hi there!  One more Thanksgiving card just for fun.  I've had this Stampendous wood block stamp for ages and still use it every few years.  Today it's combined with a fall vine and an everyday wood frame.  I believe dies were not even a "thing" when I first bought the stamp.  Time marches on.

I did my usual coloring with Tombow markers on watercolor paper.  No blender this time, just the markers.  These days I'm comfortable with a looser coloring style -- not a lot of detail and shading.  I'm sorry about that in some ways, but better to ease up than to stop altogether.

• I'm playing along today in the Four Seasons Challenge.  They've got a super cute mood board and it's the last of the fall challenges.  After this they'll start up with winter.  Sad face.
• Additionally, the Sisterhood of Crafters has a Fall Harvest challenge.  I would say my chipmunks are definitely enjoying a fall harvest.

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Take care till we meet again.

Stamps:  Stampendous Pumpkin Feast, Hero Arts sentiment  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb hot press watercolor, Cougar vanilla  Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Rich Cocoa for sentiment  Coloring:  Tombow markers  Dies:  Memory Box Autumn Border, Impression Obsession Small Leaf Set, Hero Arts Wood Frame, Spellbinders rectangle from retired set  Other:  Clear embossing powder, foam tape to pop up sentiment and single leaf

Sophie Sunday

Hi!  Just a few Sophie pics because she's growing so fast, every week is another jump ahead.  She looks small and sweet in these photos but she's considerably larger than in the photos from Oct 31.

Down the steps and out to the fenced-in backyard, nice and safe, she weaves her way through the flower pot jungle.

Rainy day activity pictured below.  Sophie's enjoying an edible chicken-flavored teething ring, fresh from the Chewy box.   Better a teething ring than my hand!

She can be such a good, sweet girl or a spirited imp (to put it mildly), but no matter which Sophie presents herself, you can't help but love her.

I'll be back with cards next week.  See you then!

Peaceful Deer

Hello friends!  Two more Christmas cards today.  They look quicker to make than they actually were.  It's the decision making process that takes me so long.

The original tree and deer die is much larger, but I finagled it down to a size to fit the frame and gave it a whole other look.   One card (above) is embossed with the Sizzix Lumber 3D folder, the other is on 111 lb wood grain cardstock.  Pretty Mintay designer paper made an easy background within the frame.

There is more info in the recipe list.  I'm sorry to be so brief, but something new comes up every day and there's no time to dwell on any one thing.  We'll get together again soon, I hope!

Dies:  Cottage Cutz Silent Night Forest, Hero Arts Wood Frame, Memory Box Peace Cheshire Script  Paper: White wood grain cardstock, Neenah 80 lb Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White, black, Mintay Basic Book II - Bokeh Backgrounds  Other:  Sizzix Lumber 3D embossing folder, Copic for coloring Peace sentiment, Wink of Stella on sentiment

Harvesting Critters

Oh, happy day, I made a Thanksgiving card!  I set these Penny Black critters aside for Thanksgiving last year, but never got around to it as I'm always rushing on to the next thing this time of year.  It may only be one card, but it sure was fun to make!

I stamped in Versafine Onyx Black, embossed with clear powder, then colored with my Tombows.  The "happy" is layered for dimension and topped off with a petite print designer paper.  I've been using these same two patterns year after year -- one 12 x 12 sheet of each print -- and this really needs to be the year I finish them off.  That would be cause for celebration!

I plan to be back with more card creations very soon.  Wishing you a happy day!

Stamps:  Penny Black Critter Fun and Happy Builder (sentiment)  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb hot press watercolor, Stampin Up More Mustard, scraps designer paper  Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Versamark  Coloring:  Tombow markers & blender  Other:  Penny Black Happy Edger die, Stampin' Up Subtle embossing folder, SU Word Window punch, rain dots stickers, detail clear and detail white embossing powder, Scotch brand foam mounting tape