For Peter

 If I had my way, all of my cards would feature flowers.  Too bad that lots of my recipients are males, so for them, I usually use leaves or birds.  Today's card features both.

supplies: white and Surf Blue cardstock, Spellbinders Sealed Birds dies and Branching Out embossing folder and Essential Arches die, sentiment from Simon Say Stamp Joys of Spring, adhesive foam squares and strips

I've done a card like this before; this time I changed up the embossed frame.  It may not be visible from my photo, but the frame and central motif are popped up with foam.

How are you all doing?  It's been SO hot here recently, more like August weather, and today we have a heavy presence of smoke from the Canadian wildfires, maybe the worst I've seen in recent years.  So we took our walk at 7:30 this morning before it got hot.  There was a slight bit of smoke at that hour, but it's really increased as the hours have gone on today, and the smell is undeniably smoke!  No rain until Saturday, when the temps will go down to more normal ones.  I hope that will rid us of this stuff!

Stay safe!  

Butterfly Time.and Some Wildflower Shares!

I wanted to make another card with this old favorite Hero Arts woodblock stamp called Heart Winged Butterfly, ca 2009.  I made this design a few times before, and I like the butterfly stamped over a small ditzy floral pattern.   Today's card is in honor of those pretty blue swallowtail butterfles.

supplies: unknown blue print design paper, Lawn Fawn  Spring Fling dotty yellow dp, Hero Arts Heart Winged Butterfly woodblock, Spellbinders Postage Edge die, sentiment from Waffle Flower Sweet Lattice sentiments, Altenew Lapis Lazuli enamel dots

The butterfly is stamped twice, fussy-cut, then stacked, securing them only along the body, which allows the wings to be bent upward.  Then I use the same floral print as my card edging.

My husband and I have been trying to walk everyday at a county park very close to us that used to be a 36 hole golf course.  When the owners retired, their kids decided to donate most of it to the park systems here, and over the years, the parks have sprinkled wild flowers everywhere.  Not a day goes by that we don't discover something new.  I take my phone with me, and if I don't know what the plant is, there's an identifier on the phone that usually does a pretty good job of telling me what it is.

Here are some flowers we've seen so far this year.

Dame's Rocket

This is a little lupine!  I was thrilled to find patches of these; I didn't know we had these in Ohio!  They're about 6 to 8 inches tall.

Spiderwort

A tree swallow.  These birdhouses have been placed all over the property and, though we've seen a few bluebirds, this is what we see most often.  Look at that gorgeous irridescent blue!

According to my identifier, these are foxglove beardtongue.  There are great swaths of these in several areas.  

Just in the last few weeks, coneflower, butterfly weed and milkweed have been opening.

The bees were all over these today and they smell wonderful!  AND we've seen several deer now and again.  No fawns yet, though. 

Right now the park has 3 trails, some using the old cart paths from the golf course in places, augmented with mown grass paths and gravel ones, and sprinkled with woods, all going up hill and down dale!  We are SO lucky to have this!  You'll be seeing more pics going forward.

A Bouquet of Hugs

 This card is for someone who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer.  I hope the pinks make her smile.

supplies: ivory, various pinks, and green cardstock, The Greetery Botanicuts Sunflower dies, stems and ribbon from PTI Build a Bouquet dies, Simon Says Stamp Daisy Floral Field embossing folder and sentiment from Garden Greetings, ancient Spellbinders Label die, green enamel dots, adhesive foam to pop up bow and one of the flowers

I put together the bouquet and then set it aside for a day to think about how I wanted to present it.  Then I remembered this big fancy label from years ago and it just fit!  So after adding the bouquet to it I placed it against an embossed daisy background.  

We are having a gorgeous June, with blue skies, big fluffy clouds, cool breezes, and temps in the 70s!  Wishing the same for you!

Lots of Texture

 June is the month of roses, and that was a good excuse to make a card featuring them.  I pulled out my Altenew Antique Rose dies for this one.  The details are amazing, aren't they?

supplies: white, 4 pinks, and 3 teals cardstock, Altenew Antique Rose layering dies (includes leaves), Spellbinders Floral Expressions 3D embossing folder

The roses are 4 layers and the leaves are 3.   They would be pretty against a plain white background, but I wanted more, so I put the on a large floral embossed background that is sadly retired. The roses are still available, though!  

Since this will work for many occasions, I decided to leave off my sentiment until I need it.  But I think I'd choose a banner die placed across the flowers.

HERE and HERE are some other cards that I've made using these dies.

How are you enjoying June?

A CASE

Back in 2014 I took one of Jennifer McGuires's online card classes called Stretch Your Stamps 2, and Shari Carroll was one of the instructors.  I CASEd one of Shari's cards then and have always wanted to do another one in a different set of colors.  Here's that card, only 12 years later!

supplies: white and watercolor cardstock, vellum, (retired) Hero Arts Flower Bird Garden cling stamp, picked raspberry, carved pumpkin, and mustard seed distress inks, Simon/CZ Design With Love die, adhesive foam squares, tiny pale pink and peach adhesive pearls

Here's my original card.

Both cards use the same cling stamp called Flower Bird Garden, a 3" by 3 1/2" negative background.  Inking it allows the details to come through as white (or whatever color of cardstock you use to stamp on), and colors the background.  Shari's idea was to ink it in several distress inks, spray it lightly with water to help the inks blend, and then stamp it on watercolor paper.  Then you cut it into 1" squares and mix them back up to make a more random background.  In order to get enough squares, I had to stamp twice, and after cutting them apart into 1" squares, randomly popped them above a backing panel, which was then attached to my white card base.  Then I just added a die-cut sentiment and embellishments.  

If you wish further details on the older card, it's linked at the top of this post or you can also click on its picture here to be taken back to the original post.

How are you all doing?  We've been enjoying the cool sunny weather lately, taking a walk daily.  Thanks for stopping by!

Graduation Card for a Girl

It's the time for graduations, and here's one that I made for a girl.   

supplies: red and white cardstock, Simon Says Stamp Extra Large Congrats die, Reverse Graduation Sentiment Strip, Picnic Floral embossing folder, Spellbinders Mini Blooms & Sprigs flowers

I used the colors of the university she will attend, and made it girly with the embossed floral background and the little flowers.

How goes it with you?  I think spring has finally arrived here, though the temperatures are all over the place.  Still waiting for 2 of our 3 peonies to open their blooms.

Have a great week, and thanks for stopping by today!

Yay for Doodlebug!

Hi Crafters!  Today's card couldn't be easier.  I've long been a huge fan of Doodlebug goodies, in particular their patterned papers and lately their doodle pops.  This one combines them.

supplies: white cardstock, Doodlebug Designs My Happy Place 6" paper pad, Fall Bunch doodle pop, a Simon Says Stamp reverse sentiment strip, adhesive foam to lift central panel

I've used this sketch before; it's a great way to mix several of the patterned papers in these collection pads.  They usually contain a page or 2 of small stripes which you can cut apart and use to separate the larger panels.  The Doodle Pops are 3 or 4 layers deep and make an easy focal point, and then I just pull papers that work with the colors in the Pop.

It's May!  We took a trip to our Amish Country yesterday to visit several greenhouses, and got just about all we need for our plantings for this summer: tomatoes, herbs, some Gerberas and zinnias!  Can't plant them yet until our frost date has passed, but that time will be here before we know it.  

Amazingly, the prompt for this week's Wednesday challenge at Simon Says Stamp is Make It Colorful, and they're using Doodlebug, too, so of course I need to enter this over there!

What are you up to these days?

Some Birthday Cards

Our son and oldest grandson have birthdays pretty close together at this time of year.  Here are the cards I made for them this year.

This first one is a CASE of one by my Hero Arts and Simon teammate, Sarah Moerman.  I took the easy way and used a patterned paper for my background instead of her beautifully pieced one.

supplies: black and white cardstock, patterned paper from Doodlebug Cute & Crafty 6" paper pad, Simon Says Stamp Birthday Circle and You dies, a stamped and white-embossed "to", Doodlebug heart sprinkle

supplies: white and black cardstock, striped pattern paper from Doodlebug Hello Again 6" paper pad, Simon/CZ Design Happy Birthday dies, Doodlebug heart sprinkles

I wanted to emboss the surround of the big heart on this one, but refrained, figuring that, for a guy, simple is best.  And, I was glad to be able to use a bit of my large collection of patterned papers on both these cards. 

How's it going for you?  Thanks so much for stopping by.

From Me to You

Looking back at some older cards on my blog, I had completely forgotten about this (retired) Pink Fresh Studio Partial Cut Bouquet and Bow die set.  I've been seeing lots of wild violets in our lawn and where we walk, so I decided to make this little bouquet into them.

supplies: white cardstock, green and purple markers to color flowers, Doodlebug Gingham design paper, Spellbinders/Tammy Tutterow Simple Line Border cling stamp (2016), Pink Fresh Studio Partial Cut Bouquet and Bow dies (2019), Spellbinders A Little Hello Sentiments stamp/die set, purple gems

My picture doesn't show it very well, but the die cuts the flowers and stem out from the background, but leaves it attached at the place where the bow is placed, so that you can pull the stems outwards.  The 3-piece bow die is inluded in the set for even more dimension.  Before doing my die-cutting, I stamped the Line Border Frame onto a trimmed piece of cardstock, then cut out the bouquet.

I addded lots of little purple gems all around the flowers for some sparkle.

It's fun to give these sweet oldies some love again! 

Just a Note

 It is such a joy to play again with The Greetery's Petal Pusher suite!  This time I used all 3 parts: the cover die, the matching stencils, and the matching dies.

supplies: white and rose pink cardstock, The Greetery Petal Pusher cover die, stencils, and Petal Pusher Blooms dies, distress inks in wilted violet, kitsch flamingo, mustard seed, twisted citron, and mowed lawn, Simon Hurley Must-Have Sentiments foiling plate/die, gold foil

The cover plate cuts out the design, leaving the flowers and leaves attached so that they can be pulled up for dimension.  I did just that with all the pink flowers, and then used some of the matching dies to add an extra layer to the purple flowers.  

The cutting plate also cuts out the tiny dots in the background, and this time I chose a rose pink color to back it with and to bring in some more pink to the design.  This is such a pretty design that I never want to cover up any of it with a sentiment, but this small one from Simon Hurley was just right.  I popped it up with adhesive foam so that it didn't get lost.  

I used some softer inks for a spring feel.

This is putting me in the mood for shopping for some baby flowers!  The best time of year is almost here!

A Stenciled Birthday Card

Hello friends!  I was in the mood for some stenciling, and pulled out this Gina K. Designs Floral Stencil which has hardly been used.  

supplies: white and pink cardstock, Gina K. Designs Floral Stencil, Altenew Cherry Blossom and Green Valley inks, Memory Box Pinpoint Leaf Plate, Rectangle die, sentiment from Spellbinders/Bibi Cameron Snowflake Wishes stamp/die set

This stencil is a single one, so I had to do a bit of masking so that my greens and pinks didn't mix, with varying results.  I wanted something subtle in the background, and this pinpoint plate fit the bill nicely.  After doing all of the above, I then cut out a rectangle from the center of the design, embossed it with the stencil and a rubber mat, then matted it in pink, and replaced it back where it belonged.  Then I added the sentiment.  You can never have too many birthday cards!

Hope your week is off to a good start!  

Magnolia Blossoms

 Here are some new-to-me Simon goodies that I recently received.  I liked the way these flowers are constructed, simply, but they show a lot of detail and dimension.  I also got a new 3D embossing folder to go with them.  My post today has 3 cards made with them.

supplies: white, several pinks, and green cardstock, a dark pink Zig marker, Simon Says Stamp Etched Magnolia Blossom dies, Magnolia Branches embossing folder, leaves from PTI Build a Bouquet die set, Spellbinders Curved Everyday Sentiments Glimmer Plate/die, Rose Gold glimmer foil, Doodlebug Tiny Heart sprinkles

Simon is putting their newer dies on a magnetic sheet now, which is a lovely plus!  I used 2 shades of pink for my flowers, and a marker in a shade darker to color the top 2 parts of them, lifting the very center above everything else, and pulling the middle layer upwards.  This set doesn not have leaves to go with it, but these PTI ones worked just fine with them.

We have a Betty magnolia that has wrapped itself around a corner bedroom, making the room feel like it's in a tree house!  This year the buds formed and a few flowers opened, but then we had a couple cold nights, and that was the end of them for this year.

Here's a picture of it in better years.

This type of magnolia isn't nearly as big the as the beautiful Southern Magnolias, but nonetheless a nice option for us here in the north.  

Next I used these dies and made an ivory version to represent the southern variety.

supplies: 3 shades of ivory, gold, and green cardstock, Simon Says Stamp Magnolia Blossom dies and Magnolia Branches embossing folder, stamped sentiment from Vintage Garden

The sentiment is from a 2022 stamp set with the most lovely cursive font on the sentiments.

And finally, my friend Mary Anne sent me a pop-up card for Easter that I couldn't wait to CASE.  I used just one of these flowers as the focal point for my version of her card. It measures 4 inches wide, and folds flat so it fits into an A2 envelope.  There's room on the reverse for a sentiment.

supplies: white, pinks, green, and yellow cardstock, Doodlebug patterned papers, Magnolia Blossoms dies, PTI Build a Bouquet leaves

Hope you're doing well - thanks for visiting me today!

Country Basket

 I received this new Simon Says Stamp die set just before we left for our little trip, so I am just now getting around to paying with it.

supplies: white, parchment, kraft, and various pastel cardstock, Simon Says Stamp Country Basket Bouquet, Simon Hurley Must-Have Sentiments Glimmer Foil Plate/die set, gold glimmer foil, adhesive foam

It was easy to put together, with lots of floral options for filling this cute little basket.  And it's a good size for a focal point on an A2 card - not much else needed.  After arranging my basket, I added some adhesive foam to pop it above the card base.

Hope your day is going well; thanks so much for stopping by today!

Are You Still There?

So sorry I've been missing in action around here lately.  All is well; we just decided to take a little trip to Florida to get us over the winter hump!  We got to spend my birthday at one of my favorite restaurants in our old stomping grounds on the Gulf Coast and to visit our oldest son for his birthday!  I thought I'd share a few pictures from our trip.

Our son works at Disney, and he is always so generous and treats us to a day or 2 at the Parks.

Epcot was in the midst of their Garden Festival, and I always enjoy seeing the special plantings that they add at this time of year.

Before leaving for the coast, we stopped at Winter Garden's Farmer's Market and got some Honey Bells (oranges) to enjoy.  Oh MAN, are they good!  Juicy and sweet!

Then we spent a week in the Englewood area and were able to check off some boxes of favorite things to do.  Despite being there during Spring Break, we were able to spend a couple of days on the beaches, and though they are much eroded from how we remember them, that beautiful blue water is still there.

We got to go to our favorite restaurants in the area, Farlow's on the Water and Nicola's Italian Kitchen (twice!) in Englewood and Mi Pueblo in Venice for fish tacos.  At Farlow's I had a gorgeous Hogfish garnished with coconut touches, followed by Pina Colada cheesecake!  

We were so pleased to be able to get out and take a nice walk each day, in a different park each time.  The weather was perfect: high 70's/low 80's and we only had rain once, and it was at night!  The house we rented provided views of the beautiful birds that we don't see here at home and even an alligator floating down the canal the day we arrived there!  And the Florida vegetation is always such a lovely change from our "neutrals", to put it nicely, at home at this time of year.

On the way home, we spent some more time with our son, who took us to the Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando, where I saw my first camellias!

I also found a new plant I'd never heard of before, called Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.  It starts with purple blossoms which then change to lavender and then to white, and all 3 colors bloom at one time!  

We ate well there, too: his birthday dinner at Jaleo, a Spanish restaurant, and also a German dinner at Hollerbach's in Sanford, something I've been dreaming about since the last time we were there!  They are the only place where I can have Weiss Wurst, a veal sausage.  The guys split a mixed sausage platter and a Jaeger Schnitzel meal.  

We take it easy driving down and back home now, taking 3 days instead of the mad dash we used to do when we were younger.  It was smooth sailing all the way with no major delays or weather hold-ups.  We came home to the beginning of spring here, with greener grass, some trees budding out, and daffodils blooming!

So now I have lots of wonderful memories and pictures, too.  Can't wait to do it all again!  Thanks for allowing me to share a bit of it.