Elegant Rose

I couldn't resist this set of stencils from Simon's April release, You Are My Favorite, especially after seeing Heather's idea using them mixed with embossing folders. I needed 2 cards for anniversaries this month - here's the one I made for my husband - it was 54 years this year!

supplies: white, yellow, and cream cardstock, Simon Elegant Rose stencil set, squeezed lemonade, mustard seed, fossilized amber, and mowed lawn oxide inks, sentiment from Waffle Flower Sweet Lattice Sentiments, an unknown heart embossing folder

Heather embossed her blank panel first, then stencilled it, and I did the same, using oxide inks.  Doing it this way vs. the reverse makes you work a little harder to get the color down, but I love the results!  This design is so large that all you need is a sentiment.  

Next I made another card in coral inks for our son and daughter-in-law.  This time I used a pierced cover plate that leaves a much smoother surface on which to stencil, smooth enough to stamp the sentiment at the end.

supplies: white and coral cardstock, Elegant Rose stencil set, spun sugar, saltwater taffy, abandoned coral, and mowed lawn oxide inks, sentiment from (retired) Tammy Tutterow/Spellbinders Tiny Sentiments, Simon Detailed Ringlet cover plate, tiny heart sprinkle

This is a lovely design, easy to line up, and will work for so many occasions!

Thank you for coming by today.

Dreamy Florals

 Here's the other stamp and stencil suite I got back in April from Pinkfresh Studio.  You know me, I can't resist some pretty posies, and I thought these were a nice mix of flowers.

supplies: white cardstock, soft gingham from Honey Bee Stamps Giddy for Gingham pad, Pinkfresh Studio Dreamy Florals stamp set and matching layering stencils, Blushberry Bliss, Sunkissed Delights, Enchanted Garden, and Jade Dreams inks, Pinkfresh Studio blending brushes, Ornate Oval Frame die, Spellbinders Curved Everyday Sentiments glimmer plate/die set

I have a pretty heavy hand when it comes to stencilling, and I wanted these colors to be paler than my usual, so I used Pinkfresh's little set of 6 blending brushes to do my stencilling, and was very pleased with the results!  I also used the lightest shades of the inks.

These are designed so that the stamps (3 separate groupings) are all connected, and the 5 layers of stencils color them all at the same time, too; a nice time-saver.  I used the largest and the smallest of the floral designs today, and have another single flower finished for next time.

Pinkfresh makes a die set and hotfoil plate to match, if you so desire.  

Thank you so much for stopping by today - have a lovely one!

Woven Ribbons

 Today I have a card that uses a new-to-me stencil set called Woven Ribbon.

supplies: white cardstock, Altenew Woven Ribbon Builder stencils, Altenew Baby Pink, Fuschia, Lavender Fields, Deep Iris, Lime, and Fresh Leaf inks, Spellbinders Floral Spray, Pink Fresh Studio (retired) Curvy Leaves, and My Favorite Things (retired) Sending Hugs dies, green enamel dot, adhesive foam

I love the way this turns out, using 3 stencils that are layered, then turned 90 degrees and layered again, so that you can use up to 6 inks.  Today I used 2 shades of 3 colors.  The effect is almost 3D!  (or would be if I'd gotten mine lined up exactly right).  I used one of the pinks to color the center of my flower, and adhesive foam dots and strips to lift up my floral and sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by!

Detailed Leaf

 Back in April I took advantage of a great sale at Pinkfresh Studio, and got myself 2 sets of stamps and matching stencils to color them.  Today I have 2 cards using the Detailed Leaf set.

supplies: white and mint cardstock, Spellbinders (retired) Branching Out embossing folder, Pinkfresh Studio Detailed Leaf stamps and matching layering stencils, Green Meadows inks, sentiment from Spellbinders All You Need Sentiments glimmer plate/die

This nice big leafy branch is all you need for a card, and I plan to use it mainly for masculine ones.  Back when it was first released, someone did it in pinks and greens, and I love that idea, so that's how my next card went.

supplies: white cardstock, Pinkfresh Studio Detailed Leaf stamps and layering stencils, Green Valley and Blushberry Bliss inks, Pinkfresh Studio Perfect Sentiments stamp and (retired) die, MFT Wonky Stitched Rectangle die

There are several plants that I can think of that mimic this colorway.  We have a bush in our bird garden that comes out pink, cream, and green in the spring, then fades to all green, and my Mom used to have a Hoya indoor plant that had these colors.  Anyway, adding this soft peachy-pink brings it back into feminine territory if you want!

There are dies and a hot foiling plate available in this pattern, too, but I had no trouble fussy-cutting out my branches.

I have one more new-to-me set that I'll show you soon.  Thanks for stopping by!

Felt Stitch and Create: Sunflower Bloom!

 I have some projects to share today from Nichol Spohr's Summer Felt Stitch and Create Collection.  I worked with the Sunflower Bloom dies.

supplies:  various warm colors of wool felt, Sunflower Bloom dies, 3 strands of matching embroidery floss, wooden skewers, inked with mowed lawn distress ink

For maybe the last 10 years or so, we've bought a packet of mixed sunflower seeds for the back of our garden, and have been delighted with the variety, so I tried to recreate some of those flowers, along with a traditional yellow/gold sunflower that we're all familiar with.

Here's a closer look at the flowers.

The flowers themselves have very little stitching, just enough to hold the layers together.  As I was doing so, I inserted a wooden skewer, sponged with mowed lawn distress ink, to make the stem for each flower, then tacked on the leaves behind.  Nichol included an innovative die to make the centers; it's easy to use and gives a fun dimension to your flowers!  You just cut it out, fold it in half, roll it up, and glue it to the center of the flower.

Did you know that there are pink sunflowers?  I have yet to see one for real, but I've seen many pictures of them.  That's what I made next, but I was out of brown felt, so the center for this one is yellow.  Which shows you that these really don't have to be sunflowers at all - make them in any color you want!

supplies: pink, yellow, and green wood felt, Sunflower Bloom dies, 3 strands of matching embroidery floss

Glue a pin on the back of this, and add it to your jacket!

HERE is a link to a tutorial video that Nichol made.

Nichol also designed a Beehive, a Strawberry, and an Apple as part of this Summer collection - I hope you'll give them a look, too.

Thanks for stopping by!

June Spellbinders Club Kits: Seas the Day!

 The June Spellbinders Club Kits are now available for new subscribers until June 27!  This month's theme is Seas the Day, all centered around the ocean.

Today I have the Stitching dies to show you. They're named Ahoy Matey, and include a large seagull that just makes me smile!

supplies: blues, grey, white, red, and yellow cardstock, Ahoy Matey stitching dies, 3 strands of grey embroidery floss, Nautical Knots 3D embossing folder, Anchors Away sentiment and die, adhesive foam squares

There is a stitching die for the waves, but today I chose to not use that, stitching only the ship's wheel.  I used the 3D embossing folder again for my background, just because it's so impressive, but another that would work just as nicely is the Summertime Waves folder from last June.  I love how the gull is decked out in his captain's cap and striped shirt!  There is also an anchor in the set for him to hold, if you'd like.

Next I used the same wave dies along with the Caboodle item for this month, Set Sail.

supplies: red, white, kraft, and shades of aqua cardstock, Ahoy Matey Stitching dies, 3 strands of embroidery floss to match, Set Sail Caboodle die, sentiment and die from Anchors Away

Here you can see what the waves look like when stitched; I chose 3 shades of aqua and alternated stitched waves with unstitched ones to cover most of the panel, then inserted the little sailboat and added my sentiment as a kind of cloud in the sky.

My next card is to show you the Embossing Folder: Mariner's Weave.  

supplies: colored cardstock, shingles and stone dps for houses, Mariner's Weave embossing folder, Sailor's Light mountains and houses, Essential Arches dies, sentiment from Anchors Away

"Mariner's Weave"  brought thoughts of fishermen's sweaters, usually done in a cream/off-white color, so that's where I started.  I have such a sweater, made in Ireland, that I wear often in the fall when it gets chilly, and it is cozy!  Then I decided to make a little scene and use the mountains that I didn't use before from the Large Dies of the Month: Sailor's Light.  The houses are from the same set.

And finally, here are the BetterPress Plates: Harbor Weave.  They include this background and 2 sentiments, one of which I used here.  

supplies: colored cardstock, Harbor Weave BetterPress plates, brown inks, Shipmates and Ahoy Matey dies, adhesive foam strips

I couldn't resist bringing back the walrus again, and made him a captain, borrowing the gull's hat (and the ship's wheel) from the Stitching kit above.

You can look HERE for information on Spellbinders Clubs.  Each is available for new subscribers only from the 6th until the 27th of each month.  If you click on my links under each card, you can see the specifics of each product.  You can subscribe to each of our 10 kits separately, (and you can "unjoin" a subscription at any time without any penalty), or you can get them all, plus a free bonus item each month, and save 60% by choosing the Deluxe Caboodle!

Spellbinders Club Kits for June: Seas the Day!

 The Spellbinders Club Kits for June are now available for new subscribers, until June 27th.  This month we have a fun summer theme called Seas the Day, all centered around the ocean!

I started out with the Large Dies of the Month: Sailor's Light, and used a sentiment from the Stamps of the Month: Anchor's Away.  I have a soft spot for lighthouses, because we love Maine so much, and this set has all you need to make a lighthouse scene.

supplies: colored cardstock, Sailor's Light dies, Anchor's Away sentiment, Rolling Tide stencils

The die set is huge - 31 pieces!  It also includes 2 sizes of mountains, and a light ray for the lighthouse, which I didn't use on this card.    The rocks are a nice touch, especially for someone like me who associates lighthouses in Maine with rocky shores, and the clouds and waves have some nice details, too!  If you look very carefully, you can see some of the stencils of the month, which I used to shade the bottom of my aqua card base to divide the ocean and the sky.  You'll be seeing lots more of the stamp set for this month, as it has some really clever greetings to go along with the other kits this month.

Next up are the Dies of the Month: Shipmates.  I think this may be my favorite of the release!

supplies: colored cardstock, a blue striped dp, Shipmates dies, Anchor's Away sentiment and matching die, Rolling Tide Stencil, tumbled glass distress ink

Isn't he somethin'?!  I love the details, especially his fun whiskers and pipe!  Also in the set is a seagull (his mate), which is coming up next.  The stencil is one of 3 designs this month, and the sentiment is another from the stamp set, which is primarily sentiments, plus an anchor image.

My third card mixes the other image from the Small Dies of the Month: Shipmates, with another of the Stencil designs: Rolling Tide, and the 3D folder: Nautical Knots.

supplies: colored cardstock, Shipmates Seagull and flag dies, Rolling Tide 3-piece layering stencils, tumbled glass distress ink,  Nautical Knots 3D embossing folder, Anchor's Away sentiment, Postage Edge Rectangle die

This set of stencils looked like surf hitting the shore, but it could also be underwater bubbles, so it's a versatile one!  Because the gull is small, I made my beach scene smaller, enclosing it in a postage edge rectangle.  Then that gave me the opportunity to cover the rest of the card front with the knots embossing.

My final card today uses the June Glimmer Kit: Cast Away, and the Opal glimmer foil that comes with it.

supplies: white and colored cardstocks, Cast Away Glimmer plate, large gull and sentiment from Ahoy Matey Stitching dies, small gull and flag from Shipmates Small Dies of the Month, Postage Edge Rectangle

The Opal glimmer foil is very subtle, but still shows off the design nicely.

 You can look HERE for information on Spellbinders Clubs.  Each is available for new subscribers only from the 6th until the 27th of each month.  If you click on my links under each card, you can see the specifics of each product.  You can subscribe to each of our 10 kits separately, (and you can "unjoin" a subscription at any time without any penalty), or you can get them all, plus a free bonus item each month, and save 60% by choosing the Deluxe Caboodle!  

Hello Sunshine!

 It's been a very cool, rainy spring this year, but I think, if the weatherman is right, we have finally turned the corner!   So here's a card to welcome back that big yellow ball in the sky.....

supplies: white, yellow, and green cardstock, washi tapes, My Favorite Things (retired) Blueprints 20 heart strip die, The Greetery Botanicuts Sunflower dies, sentiment from Technique Tuesday (retired) Bring on the Sun, Hero Arts Soft Granite ink, tiny yellow heart sprinkles

This is a CASE of a card I made 10 years ago this month.  Amazingly all of the washi tapes were still usable (can't say that for many of them anymore).  The yellow dot is a Doodlebug one, I believe.  I changed up a few of the supplies from my original card, using die-cut flowers instead of stamped ones, and substituting a heart strip for the original cross-stitch one, but it's like finding buried treasure to bring out the oldies and show them some love once again.

These are technically sunflowers, but I made them white so that they look more like daisies - love all the layers.  I used scraps of whites and off-whites for them.  Such a happy flower! 

Hope you're able to get outside wherever you are.  Wonder what summer will look like this year?

Hero Arts Studio Release for June - Coastal Vibes

 I am so pleased to share with you some cards I've made using some of the new June Hero Studio release!  The collection is called Coastal Vibes, and it's a great mix of goodies you'll use for summer cards!

First up today are the Layering Stencils, Hydrangea.  These are so easy to use and with such great results that I made 2 cards.

supplies: light and medium blue cardstock, Hero Studio June Hydrangea Layering Stencils, 2 shades of blue and green inks, sentiment from The Whole Studio bonus, HiYa Friend stamp and cut

The stencil set is 4 parts, 2 for the flowers, and 2 for the leaves.  

I've always wanted a blue hydrangea bush, but haven't been able to sustain one - ours look more like my 2nd card below, various shades of pinks and blues.  

supplies: white cardstock, vellum, Hero Studio Hydrangea Layering Stencils, 2 shades of blue, lavender, pink, and green inks, stamp/die from The Whole Studio bonus: HiYa Friend Stamp and Cut, clear ink and white embossing powder

For my sentiment on this one, I used one of the large block stamps and its matching die from The Whole Studio bonus item for this month: HiYa Friend.  I clear stamped it onto vellum, white embossed it, then cut it out with the die and glued it right to my card base.

Oh both cards, after finishing my stenciling, I put the first floral stencil back over my panel and ran it through my machine with an embossing pad and plate.  That gives a subtle dimension to these simple designs. 

Now here are some cards made with the Card Kit for June.  First I played with the Beach Bag Fancy Dies set in the kit, called Beach Bag.

supplies: cream and various colors of cardstock, peach gingham dp, Studio June Card Kit (Beach Bag fancy dies and sentiment from Summer State of Mind clear stamp/die)

Here I used stand-alone fancy dies in the kit; besides what you see here, there are also a loaf of bread, 2 wine glasses, a tassel, a bow, a whale, a crab, a seashell - 20 pieces in all!  It was really fun to make this straw tote, and then fill it with fun goodies!  The sentiment comes from the stamp set/matching dies in the set, more of which you'll see below.

Next are 2 cards using the Summer State of Mind stamp/die set from the kit.  

supplies: colored cardstock, watercolor blue and striped dps, Hero Studio June Card Kit Summer State of Mind stamps and matching dies

I really did try to color these, but did not like my results, so I stamped over colored cardstocks and printed papers instead, paper-piecing a few of them.  Then I chose just a few of the stamps to construct my little beach scene.  The set also includes 6 other sentiments.  And there are dies for everything!

Here's another using the largest stamp and die. This time I used markers to color, and popped some flowers in the basket.

supplies: white cardtock, Summer State of Mind June Studio Card Kit stamps/dies, sentiment from Whole Studio Bonus HiYa Friend

And finally, I went back to the Whole Studio Bonus item for an easy simple design.  I started with an interesting printed paper, stamped "friend" in the center of a trimmed panel, cut it out with a rectangle die, matted it, then popped it back onto the card front, along with one of the smaller sentiments from the same stamp set.

supplies: cream cardstock, printed dp, June Whole Studio HiYa Friend stamps/die, cream embossing powder, Nested Rectangle dies

The Studio Collection is available now through the 27th of the month.  This is subscription-based, discounted from retail, and includes FREE shipping (for US customers)!  

You can subscribe anytime and cancel hassle-free.

Currently the Studio includes 5 separate kits: a Card Kit, Layering Stencils, a Cling stamp, Fancy Dies, and a Clear Set of Stamps and matching Dies.  You can also get The Whole Studio, which includes all of the kits at a discount, plus a bonus item each month.  

A really nice bonus is that, once you subscribe to any of the kits, you also will get free shipping on all orders that you make at Hero Arts between the 1st and 5th of each month!

Peony Smiles

May is peony season here, though this year, I have a knockout rose that bloomed before the pink peonies did - it's been a weird spring!  We have old-fashioned peonies, transplants from a neighbor, in white, red (really dark pink), and pale pink, but I've seen pictures of yellow ones, so today I brought out an old favorite die set that is amazingly still available and made a card with them.

supplies: white, blue, yellows, and greens cardstock, blue gingham dp, Altenew Peony Dream dies, Pink Fresh Studio (retired) Phrase Builder Sending dies, Lawn Fawn Fancy Scalloped Rectangle dies

Peonies are one of God's miracles!  The amount of petals in a single flower blows my mind!  Here's a photo of one of our white ones.

Have a lovely day!

A Graduation Card

 .........for a special young man.  I used the colors of the University he will be attending in the fall.

supplies: white, orange, and navy cardstock, Simon's Extra Large Congrats dies, Reverse Graduation Sentiment Strip, Your Next Stamp Mini Star Splatter stamp, orange and blue enamel stars

I've made this card before, but this is the first time I've used the shadow die.  

Do you have many graduations this year?

Woodblock Wednesday!

 Here's my card for Amy's Woodblock Wednesday.  This month I was inspired by a place that we've been going to for walks.  It was formerly a 36-hole golf course, but when the parents retired and the kids weren't interested in continuing the business, the family donated most of it to the local park systems here!  All last year we enjoyed watching the trees and wildflowers develop and grow.  Now this spring we'll start all over again!  

I chose this Hero Arts Design Block called Silhouette.  It's dated 2008.  I've always stamped it in black or white to make a true silhouette, but today I used some oxide inks in the colors of new spring growth.

supplies: white and jade cardstock, Hero Arts DesignBlock Silhouette, salvaged patina, cracked pistachio, mermaid lagoon, and lucky clover oxide inks, sentiment from Simon Brushed Flowers, some punched butterflies

I randomly applied the 4 colors of oxide ink to the stamp.  Then I cut the panel down into smaller

sections and matted them with jade cardstock.  Here's a picture of just the card.

You can see more entries at Amy's blog HERE.  

Just a Note

 I've used this sketch before, but with all stamping.  Today I thought I'd play with a favorite floral layering die set.

supplies: white, shades of aqua, yellow, and green cardstock, Altenew Mini Flower Cluster dies, The Greetery Opposites Attract sentiment, Lil Inker (retired) Circles and Diamond Stitched Pattern cover plate

After assembling my floral cluster, I trimmed down some white cardstock and stamped my sentiment, then used the cover plate over that.  Then I matted the panel, attached it to my card base, and added the flowers.  

These posies have always made me think of flowering fruit trees, but today I chose to make them blue.

Can you believe June is almost here?!  It's still on the chilly side here, and my husband thought we had a light frost a few nights ago!  Still, I'd rather this than the dive into summer temps we've had some years.  We are enjoying a nice slow unfolding of our gardens this year.

Sketchbook Roses

 Here are some older supplies mixed together for a feminine birthday card.

supplies: white cardstock, Whimsy Stamps Mix-n-Match 2 dotted paper, The Greetery (retired) Sketchbook Roses stamps and matching die, Spellbinders (retired) Picot Petite Oval die, Curved Everyday Sentiments, adhesive foam squares

I was in the mood for some layered stamping, and went through my The Greetery collection.  This one is retired, but so easy to stamp, and I got the matching die (still available) more recently.  I enjoyed looking through my frilly oval dies, too, and tried some different combinations, but ended up with this Picot one, also retired.  And those curved everyday sentiments come in handy for when you want a smallish sentiment to not cover up too much of your design.  It's a glimmer plate, but today I used my BetterPress machine and black ink to make it.  The matching die comes with it, and it's one of those that does multiples at one go!

How is your week going?  Thanks for stopping in!