Die-Cut Birthday

Another card using a die cut from our Group Gathering. This piece was left over from the main piece, which you'll see in another card at a later date.

I colored this die-cut with Copic markers. I also cut the flower center with an oval die, cutting off extra so it fit and embossing with a Swiss Dots embossing folder. The butterfly is a Memory Box die, and I cut off half of it. I added a couple pearls and hand-drew the antenna. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. I rounded a couple of the corners and matted with purple.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Hi there!

I stamped this butterfly while I was in Des Moines, using Kitchen Sink stamps. I added gems to the body. I cut it with a circle Nestability and added the black scalloped mat which was also cut using a Nestability die. I mounted on foam squares. I stenciled the leaves with a Memory Box stencil. I matted with black. The corner was cut years ago using a Sizzix die. I added a few pearls to the corner piece.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Penny Black Flowers

Both of these cards were done using Penny Black stamps. Very cool! I colored each of them with Distress markers and spritzed with water.

I matted this first one with olive and also with a coral layer which I embossed with a Cuttlebug folder. The sentiment is stamped on vellum and I embossed lines with my Scor-Pal. It's from Papertrey Ink.

For this second card, I trimmed of the right side and left the leaf hanging over the edge. The sentiment is from Papertrey. The image panel is mounted on foam squares.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Sparkle, Sparkle Birthday

I die cut these pieces at our Group Gathering. It was awesome to have access to so many cool stamps and dies! I believe the dies are from Papertrey Ink. I die-cut them from very shimmery glitter cardstock from Die Cuts With a View.

For this first one, I added a sentiment that I also did in Des Moines, but I don't know what company it's from. I cut it and the mat with Spellbinder Nestabilities. The little butterflies were punched using a Martha Stewart punch and I added tiny black gems. I mounted  on foam squares. I also embossed the white panels with a Cuttlebug folder.

For this one, I just used the pieces that were cut out of the first card. The flower is from a jar I've had for quite some time. I colored the glittery brad with a Copic marker. I curved a stamp from Hero Arts to fit the curve.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Butterfly Greetings

Two similar cards I'm sharing with you today. I stamped the butterflies at our Group Gathering. They are from Altenew. I love all the butterflies in this set! They are all three-step stamping. I embossed the centers of the image panels with Cuttlebug border folders and matted with matching cardstock.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Wildflower Birthday Wishes

This is the one card I made while I was in Des Moines at our Group Gathering.I sponged the background for the image using Distress inks. Then I colored the flower stamp with markers and stamped over the background. The sentiment is from the same set as the flower and is from My Favorite Things. I matted with black and added a thin strip of black partially across the card.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Sympathy Butterflies

I needed another sympathy card (that's too many!) and this is one I did with a die cut from our Group Gathering. I'm pretty sure it's from Memory Box. Such a beautiful die!

I cut the design from green mirror/foil cardstock. I matted with black and mounted it on a white card base. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink and is embossed in black.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Daisy Sympathy ... and Sky Diving!!

I needed another sympathy card, so I made this one. I just purchased the Martha Stewart daisies last week, and I actually used three of them! :) There are three each of five different colors, so I still have four colors left.

I stenciled the leaves using green distress ink and a Memory Box stencil. The sentiment is from a Papertrey Ink set. I matted with black, and the card base and image panel are ivory.

We actually did our sky diving on Saturday!! We just assumed it was off again, as the weather forecast was for thunderstorms. However, we got a call about 9:30 that it was on! Kind of changed our plans for the day:) What an awesome experience! If you are interested in seeing the videos, you can find them on my YouTube. Here are the links:

The Descent – from the Ground

Preliminary

In the Plane – Starting Down the Runway

The Takeoff

Last Minute Instructions

Coming Down!

Edited to aded: Maybe I hadn't said this, but my dad was not able to go with us:( The prostate cancer that he had many years ago reappeared, and has spread to his bones. It would have been too dangerous for him to jump. He wasn't even able to watch us, as he hadn't quite returned from his cruise.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

More Flowers!

A member of our stamping group who lives in Canada and isn't able to attend our Group Gathering always sends many stamp-offs for us to share. I've used one for today's post. Thanks, Annie!!

The image was embossed with gold embossing powder. I colored it with markers. I actually colored it three or four times - one color over another. I first started with what i thought was a yellow, but it turned out to be too orange. On top of that, I used a lighter yellow, a pink, and I think one other color. I used two shades of brown for the flower centers. I doodled around the edge, matted with brown and used a piece of patterned paper underneath.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Happy Father's Day!

Here are the two Father's Day cards I made this year.

This one is for my dad. He just got back from an Alaska cruise yesterday, so I thought this ship from Tim Holtz would be good. I did the stamping in Versafine Vintage Sepia. The sentiment is from Hero Arts. I used ivory vellum and a Darice Waves embossing folder for the "ocean." The image panel is mounted on foam squares.

And here is the one I made for my husband. The stamps are from the same Tim Holtz set, but I did this one is black and gray. The image panel and background panel are matted with black, and the image panel is mounted on foam squares.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

"Little Fella" Birthday

These three pieces (the hat, ball and bat) were die cut and embossed MANY years ago when I first got the die and folder. That was the only time they were used! Good thing they were a clearance item:) However, these pieces are no longer among my card parts. The starred background paper is from the first matstack I ever bought - back in 2002. I matted with blue to match the hat. The sentiment is from a Hero Arts set.

Our skydiving is scheduled for today. I'll let you know if it actually happens, or if we have to reschedule for a fourth time!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Birthday Greetings

This stamped background was in with my card parts, as were the stamped, die-cut and colored flowers. Oh, also the thin strip of green leading to the sentiment. The sentiment is from Impression Obsession. It's matted with matching green and mounted on foam squares.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Another Flower Birthday!

I've had this large die-cut flower (both pieces) in my card parts for a couple years, so it has finally made it on to a card, too!

The patterned paper is from an old matstack from Stampin' Up! I matted it with black. The sentiment stamp is from The Paper Company.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Wishing You

More card parts. Actually, Monday's card used a leftover from this card! LOL!

The stamped partial circles panel was in my card parts, as was the punched and scored border piece. It's hard to tell, but it's actually a dark green. The images were stamped with a mustard color, and the middle mat is matching mustard. The sentiment is from Verve.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Thanks, Harriet!

I made this card using a stamp set from Avery Elle. This is my first set from this company, and it was a gift from my friend, Harriet. Thank you so much! What a cute set.

The two butterflies, the balloon, the sentiment and the duck are all from the set. I stamped the duck and then masked the beak and face to stamp the balloons - one at a time. I colored with Copic markers. Then I added the white on the balloons and the polka dots on the butterflies with a white gel pen. In honor of Harriet, I made my card the long way:) I also rounded the bottom corners.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

One-of-a-Kind Birthday

One of these days I'll get back to my Stampin' Up! project, but for at least the next month, you're going to get "card parts." I made more when I was in Des Moines! :)

This stamped and colored image has been in my parts pile for a few years. I rounded all four corners and mounted it on a white card base on foam squares. The sentiment is from Hero Arts. I had the tiny strip of green already punched with a border punch, too. I scored a couple trim lines on it. It is glued to the image panel, but has foam squares on the ends.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Lovely Flowers ... and Our Group Gathering

More card parts. I've been having so much fun with them - and you'll be seeing many more!

These flowers were stamped with Rubbernecker stamps a couple years ago. I had a smudge on them, so I trimmed them down very near the image and cut a mat to go around them. They are mounted on foam squares. The stamped and embossed white piece (Darice Wire Fence) was also in my card parts, as was the very thin piece of green. The sentiment is from My Favorite Things.

We had our ninth annual "Group Gathering" in Des Moines last weekend. Oh, such an awesome time we have! From left to right: Vicki, me, Kris, Terri, Harriet, Georgia and Sheri. We meet on Sunday in Ankeny, Iowa at Applebee's for lunch and then head over to Memory Bound, then perhaps to Michael's and/or JoAnn's. Then to our hotel and then the Machine Shed for dinner. Monday and Tuesday we spend at Outstamping Designs/Heirlooms by Design in Valley Junction. Harriet comes home with me for a couple days, too! We were so productive this year! Can't wait for next year!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Card Parts Hello

Both of these cards were made almost entirely of "card parts" that I've had for a long time. The bottom borders were cut with a Spellbinders die - in different directions. I cut the green patterned paper freehand, since I didn't have the die. The sentiment was also previously cut with a friend's die. The flowers and leaves were in my "stash." I had cut them long ago with a die - Cuttlebug, I think. The center of this flower is a sparkly enamel dot.

I cut the upper black border with a Fiskars punch. The center of this flower is a thin button. I added some embroidery thread in the button holes.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Birthday Flowers

Here are two cards made with the same flowers from a Papertrey Ink set.  I used a multi-color ink pad for them.

The sentiments on them both are from My Favorite Things. This first one is on white. The second one is on ivory.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Cupcake, Anyone?

My last sweet treats card for a while. I did make up some more parts, but haven't used them on cards yet.

The stamps on this card are all from a My Favorite Things set with matching dies. The patterned paper is from Recollections.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Happy Birthday, Tim!

Here is the birthday card I made for my brother. It didn't start out to be for him, or I probably wouldn't have used pink in the middle! Oh well.

The background stamp is from My Favorite Things. I inked it up with distress markers and spritzed with water before stamping. I matted with light blue. The sentiment stamp is from My Favorite Things, also. I added some sparkle to the candle in the sentiment. The background piece was embossed with a Cuttlebug folder and then matted with the same light blue.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Ice Cream Bar Thanks

Another "sweet" card for today. I am again using a My Favorite Things stamp and die set. I stamped and die-cut the ice cream bar (with sentiment) and mounted on foam squares. Both sentiment stamps are from the same set.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Yummy Cards!

I used this card for a swap in my stamping group. (We got to exchange them in person, as we are meeting this week in Des Moines for our annual Group Gathering!)

I used dies from My Favorite Things for the ice cream cone. Love that cone!! It embosses the texture on it, too. I mounted the cone on foam squares. The sentiment is from My Favorite Things, also. I embossed the background with a Darice Wire Fence embossing folder.

Another card using the ice cream cone, This time I used Kraft for the cone instead of ivory. And the ice cream is just plain chocolate without the extra topping and cherry:) Again, I mounted the cone on foam squares, but the card is much plainer. The sentiment says, "WHAT'S THE SCOOP" in  case you can't read it.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Petite Patterns #1 - 4

The Stampin' Up! set I am using today is called "Petite Patterns." It consists of four background stamps. 

This first card uses the hearts. I stamped them in red and matted with red. The sentiment stamp is from Hampton Art and I used markers to ink it up. I matted with a circle cut with a Spellbinders die, and mounted on foam squares.

I'm not quite sure what the pattern is in this next stamp. :) I started with a piece of white cardstock embossed with an Oblong Doily Darice folder. I masked around the inside edges, stamped the image multiple times and sponged some ink around the edges. I matted with matching cardstock and punched some butterflies to match, also. I added gems to the butterflies. The sentiment is from Hero Arts. I sponged ink around the edges and mounted on foam squares.

For this card and the next one, I used metallic shimmery ink pads direct to paper for the colored background. Then I stamped the pattern on them. I matted them. I added Washi tape to this one. 

The sentiment on this one is from Hampton Art.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Petite Posies

 Here is the card I made using the Stampin' Up! set called "Petite Posies." The set consists of 13 small stamps. I made this card complete. The sentiment is from Hampton Art. 

 I made the image/sentiment panels for six more cards using the rest of the stamps. I just need to glue them on to card bases when I need them. I don't use many thank you cards and I hesitated to finish them all up. When I figure out what I'm going to do with them, I will complete them. (Update on this: I did finish all of the cards and mailed them to the winner of this card. Hope you like them, Nikki!)

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Patterned Pines #5

This card is done with the last stamp (the snowflake) of the Stampin' Up! set called "Patterned Pines." I stamped the background with it using a light blue ink and matted with the matching cardstock. (Baja Breeze) I decided to stamp the sentiment (from Denami) on vellum. I embossed it to keep it from smearing. Then I dry embossed the left edge with a Snowflake folder from Darice. Looking at it in the picture, I think it would have worked to emboss the whole vellum piece, even after stamping.

Edited to add: Thanks for the comment, Wendy. I always use Duck Tape adhesive to attach vellum. You can barely see it - really not at all. I used it in each corner.

I'm linking this up to the Christmas Card Challenge blog.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Patterned Pines #4

This card uses the little poinsettia stamp from the Stampin' Up! called "Patterned Pines." I kind of feel like these four stamps are pretty much unrelated! (Except that the star can be used on top of the trees.)

I colored the stamp with markers before stamping. I added a tiny gem for the flower center. The sentiment is from My Favorite Things. I matted with red and mounted on foam squares. The background was embossed with a Sizzix Poinsettia Corners embossing folder.

I'm linking this up to the Christmas Card Challenge blog.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Patterned Pines #1 - 3

These three cards were made using the trees image from the Stampin' Up! set called "Patterned Pines."

For this first one, I stamped with green and embossed with clear embossing powder. I added the stars in yellow (also from the set) and also embossed them. I matted with matching green and added a die-cut sentiment.

This second one was actually stamped with the "second stamping" of the green. I embossed them with the clear powder, also. I cut them out and mounted them on foam squares. The sentiment is from My Favorite Things. I love that delicate little stamp!

For this third one, I stamped the trees with Versamark and embossed with detail gold embossing powder. I used the same sentiment and embossed it in gold, also. I think this is my favorite:)

I'm linking this post up to the Christmas Card Challenge blog. The theme this week is "Anything Goes."

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Pocket Silhouettes #1 - 4

These cards are all made using stamps from the Stampin' Up! set called "Pocket Silhouettes." Three of them are identical except for the stamp. I colored each of the stamps with markers and stamped the sentiment over the bottoms of the stems.

This fourth one is very similar, but I used the other sentiment and added several pink gems.

Sorry the pictures are a little washed out - a little too much light, i think!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

June Calendar Page

Oh my goodness, it's June already! Here is my calendar page.

The images are from a Papertrey Ink set. I stamped them on a small piece of white cardstock. I also stamped the frog on the lily pad on two different patterns of green paper. I cut out the frog and lily pad and glued them on the white pieces. I added Star Dust Stickles to the fly's wings and white gel pen to the frog's eyes. I matted with green cardstock.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!