CASE Anita

Hello friends! I'm back again already, posting for a challenge at Time Out. We were to CASE a card by Anita in France.

For my card, I used embossing paste with a Studio Calico stencil for the side piece after coloring it with Marina Mist reinker from Stampin Up! Then I die cut part of the sentiment using Papertrey Ink's Birthday die. I cut that three times and layered on top of each other before adhering. The word "Happy" is stamped from a stamp set from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life. Finally, I added a few pearls.

Thank you for stopping by again today. I appreciate your visits and comments very much, and I hope to see you again soon ~

Back to School

Hello friends! How is your weekend coming along? Hard to believe another week has gone by. I am having a hard time relating to kids going back to school!

As a Design Team Member, this card was created for the Paper a la Mode Challenge at Outlawz. The theme was "Back To School" so I thought these crayons from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life were appropriate. I simply stamped them in various colors of ink (also from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life), die cut them out, and then gathered them together with a piece of Baker's Twine. I die cut the bottom of the card with a Bracket Edge die from Die-namics. I purposely left off the sentiment because this card could be for a child or a teacher.

My sister is a Special Ed teacher in West Virginia, so I think I'll send it to her. She deserves something to let her know I'm thinking about her at this time. It's not an easy job, but she's been at it over 35 years!

Take it easy my friends! I am so glad you stopped by today! I appreciate your visits and comments very much, and I hope to see you again soon ~

Fresh Flowers

Hello everybody! How's your week coming along? Can't believe it's nearly the weekend. We've had another week of rain, but it hasn't been too bad. I guess it depends on where you are when the skies open up!

This stamp set comes from a Clearly Besotted set called Fresh Flowers. We used it in Stretch Your Stamps 2 Online Card Class a couple of weeks ago, but my set just arrived. Now I'm going back through the video lessons to try to remember what we did with it! Laura Bassen showed us in a lesson how to color this using Copic Markers, so I followed her directions and tried it. I'm fairly happy with the result. The cardstock is from Stampin Up!; I was so happy to find some that would match. I think the orange is called Pumpkin Pie and has been in my stash for years. After adding the sentiment (from the same stamp set), I added a few tiny gems on the top and bottom along the border.

Thank you for stopping by today! I appreciate your comments and visits very much, and I hope to see you again real soon ~

Harvest Memories

Hello! Hope your day is going well. I began getting out my Fall stamps even though it is still in the high 80's and 90's here in North Carolina. We won't get cooler weather for another couple of months.

This card uses a stamp set from Gina K Designs called Harvest Memories. I won it from a friend's blog, and I absolutely love it. The apples and basket were colored with Copic markers. The ribbon and cardstock are also from Gina K Designs.

I entered this card into the Gina K Designs Mix It Up Monday Challenge.

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your comments and visits very much, and I hope to see you again soon ~

Masculine Birthday

Hi there! How is everybody? Now that class is over, I slowed down a bit on my postings. I'm back now, crafting away while the rain continues to pour outside. What would I ever do on these rainy days without my favorite hobby of cardmaking?

This card will be entered into the Mod Squad Challenge. We're supposed to create a masculine birthday card. This is close to a CASE of Seanie's card posted for the challenge. I had different stamps and ribbon to use, so it's not exactly the same. I love the design of the card with the embossing. That's something I often forget to try but I always like it when I do. Go figure.

The stamp set is Avery Elle's Framed Fonts. The ink and ribbon are from Gina K Designs. The little bits of bling are from my stash. It's about time for me to renew my stash of bling! Can't have an empty bin, after all!

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your comments and visits very much, and I hope to see you again real soon ~

New Challenge!

Hello friends! How is your weekend coming along? I am going through withdrawal from Stretch Your Stamps 2 Online Card Class! Last night as I was going through my emails, I noticed an opportunity to join a new challenge -- new for me, at least.

Inspired By Stamping ("IBS) has a challenge with three examples for inspiration -- one with four colors, one sketch, and one chevron. I decided to combine the colors with the chevron for my card.

The chevron dies were bought several months ago and have been sitting with my stash of dies ever since. I didn't know where to start with these guys, but the inspiration card for IBS really helped me get going. The cardstock is from Stampin Up! and the pink piece is from Mariposa Matstack.

This card will be entered into the IBSIC #85.

Thanks for coming by today! I appreciate your visits and comments very much, and I hope to see you again real soon ~

Stretch Your Stamps 2 Day 11

Hello friends! How was your week? Can't believe it's Friday already. Wow, that went fast!

Today is our final day for Stretch Your Stamps 2. We've had 11 days of awesome lessons. Looking back over the cards I've created during the class, I realize I've learned a lot. These classes can't be beat! My thanks to a dear, dear friend who signed me up and gifted me this class. I am so thankful for her giving spirit! She's truly made a difference in my life.

This card was created using layered embossing--I actually heat embossed the center piece twice, once for the background and again for the sentiment. Slippery stuff! It took me three tries to get this one right! The second layer to the center piece was heat embossed, too. You can't tell it from the picture, but the background to the top piece was heat embossed in silver. It looks more like gold here for some reason. Finally, I embossed the background with an embossing folder from Sizzix. The sentiment is a bonus stamp from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life. She's great at adding those to your Club stamps every now and then.

You folks have been tremendous in following me throughout this class, and I greatly appreciate that. Your dedication to my site means a lot to me. Your comments and visits keep me moving forward on this incredible creative journey, and I hope to see you again real soon ~

Stretch Your Stamps 2 Day 10

Look familiar? If you were here yesterday, it should! For Day 10 of Stretch Your Stamps 2 Online Card Class I redid the pink card I created yesterday but used a different color. I like this one better, I think.

Just like yesterday, I first stamped in white and then followed it with blue. I didn't use as much ink as the last one and I think it looks better. Maybe I just like blue better, I don't know. Anyway, this is my card for the Gallery.

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your comments and visits very much. Some of you have been here every single day throughout class, and that means the world to me! Thank you so very much! Hope to see you again real soon ~

Stretch Your Stamps 2 Day 9

Hello! How's everybody doing today? This is my second post today but the first for Day 9 of Stretch Your Stamps 2 Online Card Class.

I used W Plus 9 Fresh Cut Florals stamp set for this card. Following Yana Smakula's video lesson, I first stamped the leaves in Memories Unicorn (white) Pigment ink all around the card, then went back in pink and purple and stamped the images again, leaving some white. The sentiment in the center is from the same stamp set.

Thank you for stopping by again today. I appreciate your comments and videos very much, and I hope to see you again real soon ~

Stretch Your Stamps2 Bonus Day

Hello everybody! How's your week coming along? It's moving fast!

We had a Bonus Day for Stretch Your Stamps 2 Online Card Class. The focus was on coloring in shapes that are outlined. The stamp set we used is called Up Up and Away and it's by Mama Elephant. I'm sure several of you have seen it because the set is quite popular. I love the little animals but what I don't love is cutting them out!

The main card is Gina K Designs Pure Luxury white, and the patterned paper is from My Mind's Eye 6 x 6 paper pack called Fine and Dandy. I thought the clouds were appropriate for the monkey to be falling through the sky. The next layer is vellum, and I heat embossed the balloon outline and the sentiment. I colored and cut out the balloons and the monkey and put them on top. Finally, I added some gems to cover up some places where I had to add some glue. (The reason the monkey is green is I had colored all three of the animals from the set to go together but then didn't have room on the card for the rest of them.)

Hope you like the Bonus Day card! I had fun making it, except for the cutting-out part. Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your visits and comments very much, and I hope to see you again soon ~

Stretch Your Stamps 2 Day 8

Hello everybody! How's your week starting out? I hope you find some sunshine wherever you live. I see a peek of it today, and that makes it a Happy Day!

Today is Day 8 for Stretch Your Stamps 2 Online Card Class. What fun we're having! The lessons include the stamp set called Rounded Diamonds by Avery Elle. It is full of various shapes you can create designs with. I'll be honest with you -- when I first got the stamp set I wasn't sure WHAT to do with it! Too many options for my little brain I guess. :) Fortunately, the teachers have helped guide me toward some awesome ideas for cardmaking.

For this card, I stamped two rows of a teardrop shape and then trimmed it on both sides before adhering to the card. Then I die cut the sentiment on another piece of cardstock and adhered a blue piece of paper behind it before attaching it to the card. That's it!

Well, I thought that was it until my cat, Pooky-Blue, jumped up on the table and put his paw on the card, bending it a little. I had gone too far to trash the card, so I put extra adhesive down to keep it from popping up.

I do believe Pooky-Blue heard some words out of my mouth he hadn't heard before! He quickly jumped down from the table and went to scratch his box. That's where he goes when he's excited/nervous/anxious/been bad. You get the picture. All is calm now, thank goodness.

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your visits and comments very much, and I especially appreciate you hanging with me while I take this class! You've been extra sweet and encouraging, and that keeps me moving forward at a happy speed while on this creative journey. Take it easy, and I hope to see you again real soon ~

Stretch Your Stamps 2 Day 7

Hello friends! How is your day coming along? I am enjoying this Online Card Class called Stretch Your Stamps 2, and it is already Day 7! We actually had a Bonus Day over the weekend, but I haven't worked on that project yet.

Today's card displays what I learned from a video by Laura Bassen. We used the Rounded Diamonds set by Avery Elle to create this design. I love it! The inks are from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life, and they are vibrant and juicy. I had tried another design using Hero Arts Shadow Inks, but they were darker compared to this, so I decided to stick with the brighter of the two. The sentiment is from Mama Elephant's Up and Away stamp set, which I'll use for the Bonus Day card.

Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate your comments and visits very much, and I hope to see you again soon ~

Stretch Your Stamps 2 Day 6

Hi everybody! Hope you had a good weekend. The weather has continued to be wet and chilly. I sure miss that sunshine!

These tags were created following Laura Bassen's video lesson for Stretch Your Stamps 2 Day 5. One tag was embossed in white and the other was stamped in Memento's Tuxedo Black and then colored with Distress Inks. The background on the first was sponged with Festive Berries, Spice Marmalade and Spun Sugar colors. I used the same for the second and then added some glitter from my Wink Of Stella glitter pen.

The stamp set I used for today is Stamper's Best Woodcut Flowers. It has one long strip of flowers in the set and multiple pieces of flowers you can add to it. I think it's one of my favorite stamp sets.

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your comments and visits very much, and I hope to see you again soon ~

Stretch Your Stamps 2 Day 5

Hello friends! Hope your weekend is going well. It is raining again today...surprise! NOT. It was actually kind of hard to get a good picture of today's card due to the dreariness, but fortunately, I have Picasa on my computer and that provided better lighting.

This card follows a video lesson by Shari Carroll in the Stretch Your Stamps 2, Day 5 Online Card Class. I stamped the image on the card, then added pieces of the flowers on top in a few places. Don't know how well the camera picked up the layers, but it looks pretty neat in real life. I love this Cornflower color by Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life. The stamp set for the flowers is Stamper's Best Woodcut Flowers. The greeting comes from the Gina K Designs stamp set called Spring Blessings.

I appreciate you stopping by today. Your visits and comments mean a lot to me, and I hope to see you again real soon ~

Stretch Your Stamps 2 Day 4

Hello! Happy Friday to you! I hope you are enjoying this day. Our weather has been good for the past couple of days, and I have been busy getting as much done as possible before the rain comes again.

This card is from a lesson by Kristina Werner on Day 4 of Stretch Your Stamps 2 Online Card Class. It's rather complicated and a little difficult, so I won't try to explain it here--just take my word for it! This took me about an hour to get it right. I took it one step at a time, very slowly and carefully. (Maybe I should create like that more often...) I like the look of the finished product, but it wasn't easy getting there! I was definitely stretched beyond my comfort zone, but I'm glad I got it done.

The stamps I used for this card are from Simply Fabulous Sayings by My Favorite Things. I've used that stamp set quite often for this class, which is a good thing since I got it for the class!

Thanks for stopping by today. I appreciate your visits and comments very much, and I hope you come back again real soon ~

Stretch Your Stamps 2

 

Hello! How is your day coming along? I am here with another card from Stretch Your Stamps 2.

Lisa Spangler provided a lesson using spray inks, and I just had to try it. After stamping with VersaMark ink, I heat embossed the card. Then, instead of sponging with ink, I spritzed spray ink over the embossed image. To my surprise, the ink resisted the embossed image and look how it turned out! Wow! That was a nice diversion from my usual steps when embossing.

The sentiment is from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life, which is one of my favorite places to get stamps and dies online. Her products are top quality and not very expensive. Take a look and try it out. I think you'll be happy with your purchase.

Thanks for stopping by today! I appreciate your visits and comments very much, and I hope to see you again soon ~

Stretch Your Stamps 2 Day 3

Welcome! After a busy week, I am playing catch-up with Stretch Your Stamps 2. This card was created after watching lessons for Day 3.

Debby Hughes provided a video that showed how to create a card with "subliminal" messages. I got to bring out my heart stencil and use some embossing paste with it to create the heart background. Next I die cut the butterfly and stamped it with parts of the sentiment in VersaMark. I heat embossed it before distressing with Hero Arts Shadow Ink in Cantaloupe.  Finally, I added the sentiment (Simply Fabulous Sayings from My Favorite Things) in black.

I am partially pleased with this card--I still feel like it needs something. Perhaps some bling would help? Don't know. I need to think about that.

Thanks for stopping by today! I appreciate your comments and visits very much, and I hope to see you again real soon ~

SYS2.Day 2.2

Hello! This is another card I created for Stretch Your Stamps 2 with Online Card Classes. I'm having lots of fun working with the videos.

Laura Sterckx taught us how to use Tim Holtz Distress Inks for an Ombre effect on our cards. For this card, I used Festive Berries, Spice Marmalade and Spun Suger, working from the bottom up. The sentiment is from My Favorite Things stamp set called Favorite Sayings.

I appreciate your comments and visits very much, and I hope to see you again soon!

SYS2.Day 2

Hello! Here we are at Day 2 for Stretch Your Stamps 2 with Online Card Classes. What fun! Today we extended on what we learned yesterday with background stamps.

This card uses the same background stamp (Hero Arts--thank you, Lisa K!) I had yesterday but today's use was totally different. Jennifer McGuire provided a video that taught us this technique, so I gave it a try.

I inked my stamp with Perfect Medium and stamped it onto white cardstock. Then I used Perfect Pearls to get the color and the shimmer. The ribbon was from my stash, and the sentiment is from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life.

I think this made a perfect Sympathy card with its peaceful shimmer. So glad I had a piece of ribbon to match!

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your comments and visits very much, and I hope to see you again soon ~

Stretch Your Stamps 2 Day 1

Hello! Hope your day is going well. Mine started off with a bang, as it's the first day of class for Stretch Your Stamps 2 with Online Card Classes. What fun!

After watching videos from Kristina Werner, Shari Carroll, Tasnim Ahmed and Lisa Spangler, I created a card that combined some of the techniques we learned. I inked my reverse stamp with Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Mowed Lawn, Fired Brick and Tea Dye, spritzed it, then placed the watercolor paper on top. This is what I got. I tried it a few times, and this one is my favorite. The sentiment, Simply Fabulous Sayings from My Favorite Things, was heat embossed with VersaFine Black Ink and clear embossing powder.

Hope you like today's card. I'll have more coming as I spend more times studying the videos. As always, I appreciate your comments and visits very much, and I hope to see you again real soon ~

Edging

Hello friends! Hope your day is going well. I am enjoying another day of crafting while the rain continues to pour outside.

This card is a hodge podge of items I had on my desk that I wanted to put together. It took a while to figure out exactly how to do that. The background was cut with my Cricut Expression using the Edge to Edge cartridge. That's brand new, and I LOVE it! Amazing what that machine can do! The flower was die cut with my Sizzix machine using Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die. I inked the edges with red ink. The ribbon and sentiment are from Gina K Designs.

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your visits and comments very much and hope to see you again real soon ~