Looking Back - My Favorite Cards of 2018

Today I continue a 7-year tradition of looking back throughout this year on my blog and choosing my favorites of the year.  If you'd like further details, each one is linked back to its original post that will show you the supplies/techniques I have used.  Just click on the card.

This year, Altenew came out with layering dies, and I was sold!

For Valentine's Day, some hearts and flowers......I still love the effect that an embossed background adds.  

.....and a CAS wreath card.

A sewing theme theme going on in the next 2 cards - I fell in love with Tammy Tutterow's Sew Sweet dies, designed for felt projects, but just as sweet using paper!

More Altenew - from their Sewn with Love stamps and matching dies - these appear to be cross-stitched, but they aren't!

This next Simon stamp reminded me of a bouquet of violets, so I made my own little tussy mussy.

I CASEd my own card from back in 2014, substituting gingham papers for the washi tape I originally used, and dies for the stamps.

And a Mother's Day card using PTI, Altenew, and Simon goodness.

Florals and stripes in sherbet colors ......

Love these bright happy colors from Sunny Studios paper pads:

A card using some Spellbinders dies, a gingham, and blues:

More favorites, planking and painted flowers....

Another fave motif, plaid, in happy colors!

I made several cards using these Birds of a Feather dies and loved them all!

......and thinking ahead to fall - love the seasonal colors I can get using distress inks, just as pretty as our maple trees in front of our home.

I enjoyed making this colorful one for a Simon Wednesday blog challenge, especially paper-piecing with this pretty patterned paper.

But I wasn't finished with summer yet!

More fave motifs, birds and plaid again.

....and a CASE of a card by Pam Sparks - I love her work!

As usual, I was late to the party discovering Concord &9th's Turnabout stamp sets......I love the freedom they give us in choosing colors!

I liked this mix of a cover plate and layered stamping for Thanksgiving.

And finishing up the year, some Christmas cards and tags.

The biggest change this year is my output - blog posts are down from previous years.  Blogging in general is being replaced by IG and other social media sites.  They're okay, but I still enjoy the process of creating and sharing my thoughts and ideas, and having this forum to preserve them.  Hope you do, too, and will continue to occasionally visit me here!

Many thanks for your visit - I'm wishing you all a happy, healthy and creative New Year!

Simon's January 2019 Card Kit

Mine arrived while we were away for Christmas, so I'm just now getting to play.

Here's a fast card I made using a sentiment and a snowman from the stamp set and some snowflake papers from the included paper pad.

supplies: Simon's January 2019 Card Kit (Snow Much stamp set, Echo Park Celebrate Winter papers, and Darice Pom-Poms), VersaFine Onyx Black ink, Nuvo markers to color snowman, Simon's Stitched Rectangle die, adhesive foam squares to pop up snowman

It was fun to add the pom-pom to his hat, it was the perfect size!  I just glued it on with some tacky glue and held it with a clothespin for a minute or so to make sure it stuck.

For lots more ideas using the kit, don't forget to visit the Gallery HERE.

Simon Says ............ Anything Goes!

Happy Wednesday!  Welcome to our final challenge of 2018 at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!  

Our theme is Anything Goes this week, and the team is playing with Stampendous goodies.  I chose a darling stamp/die set for this week.  I love snowmen and birds, so a combination of the 2 is a winner in my eyes!

supplies: white and Audrey Blue cardstock, heavy acetate panel, Stampendous Snowman Cardinals stamp and die set, Nuvo Creative Pen markers to color, sentiment from Simon's An Arctic Christmas, adhesive foam, snowflake embossing folder

I started with a side-folding A2 white card, and on the front, I stamped the trees and the little cardinal on the ground.  I colored in the details, then fussy-cut the top edge and trimmed the back of the card to the same height.  Next I embossed the acetate with snowflakes, then secured it to the back of the front of the card.  Similarly, I attached an A2 piece of blue card to the back of the inside.  So what's holding everything together is the lower half of the side-folded card.    Then I stamped, colored, and die-cut the cute snowman, and die-cut a piece of foam, then glued them together.  I made a banner sentiment and attached it to the acetate, also adding the popped-up snowman.  Here's another pic to show you the effect.

If you look closely you can see that the top-half of the front of the card is clear.  On the inside the card is about half blue and half white, and the white area is where I'll put an inside sentiment.  In order to tidy things up, I also added a plain piece of white card to hide the adhesive I used to secure the acetate to the front of the card.  Here are a couple of pics to illustrate:

These dies cut right up against the images, and were a wonderful thing to have in order to cut the foam for behind my snowman.  I used the tree die to do the same thing in paper to line the back of the trees.

Now it's your turn!  We have a $50.00 gift certificate 

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!

Christmas Blessings

Here's a card I made last year, photographed in a different setting.  It's my wish to us all this Christmas.

Peace, joy, and love to you during this very special season.

Simon Says........Party!

Happy Wednesday!  Welcome to another challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

Our theme this week is Party, and my teamies and I are showcasing Your Next Stamp products.    I stretched the theme a bit with my stamp choice - these are popular stamps, and many of them were out of stock when I ordered.....so let's just say these 2 are having an openhouse/caroling party.....

supplies: white card, dp from Sunny Studio Holiday Cheer pad, YNS Tweet Kindness and sentiment from Merry Everything, Nuvo markers, Simon's Stitched Circle die, MFT Wonky Rectangle die, adhesive foam squares

I stamped, colored, and cut out the adorable image, then popped it and the card front above a snowy background.  

Now it's your turn!  We have a $50.00 gift certificate 

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!

Foiled Christmas Cards

Foiling and Christmas are a match made in heaven - I had these 3 cards finished lickety-split!

supplies: metallic gold and red card, Gina K. Ornamental Holiday Foil Mates sheet, Joyful Holiday Foil Mates sheets, Sparkling Silver, Red, and Gold Sequins foils, laminator

The silver foil really puts on a show - giving off a rainbow of colors!

Here's another, a bit more detailed because I added some stamped holly and berries to the mix:

supplies: Schoolhouse Red card, Gina K. Designs Petite Patterns paper pad, Joyful Holiday sentiment sheets, red foil and laminator, Sunny Studios Christmas Trimmings stamp set, green and red inks

The striped pattern is from a black and white paper pad that is printed with toner so that it will accept foiling when run through a hot laminating machine.  What a genius idea, and I hope that Gina K will give us more of the same!

Robins on a Wreath

Another Christmas card share today - a mix of 2 of my favorite stamps and a fun framing die.

supplies: white and Schoolhouse Red card, PTI  Mix & Mat Plaid die, Wplus9 Woodland Wreaths stamps and matching die, MFT Tweet Holidays birds, sentiment from Clearly Besotted Christmas Sparkle, Tonic markers, red & white twine

Thanks for visiting!

Big Great Wonderful World collection!

I was honored to receive some new dies from Sharyn Sowell's newest collection, Great, Big, Wonderful World!  Here are my first cards using them:

supplies: white and Cotton Candy cardstock, Sharyn's Butterfly & Flora die, sentiment from a retired The Craft's Meow stamp set, pink crinkle ribbon

Isn't this a beauty?  I love the bleeding hearts and perhaps lilies of the valley that Sharyn included with her butterfly.....and do you see the negative heart that surrounds the butterfly?

Here's another of the new dies, this one called Join the Parade.  Since the first card was so delicate in color, I amped it up into brights for this next one.

supplies:  white cardstock, Lawn Fawn rainbow striped dp, Join the Parade dies, sentiment from Simon's Big Birthday Wishes set

These dies do all the work - you just need to find pretty papers or matching sentiments, if you wish, to complete an easy card!  

Thanks for stopping by today.

Simon Says.........Christmas!

Happy Wednesday!  Welcome to another challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

Our theme this week is Christmas, and the team is playing with Creative Expressions products.

supplies: kraft, Peacock Teal, Schoolhouse Red, Lipstick Red, and black card stock, Creative Expressions Robin Redbreast Stained Glass die

This die was love at first sight - and when I got it home I decided to do some old-fashioned paper-piecing with colored cardstock.  This die covers a card nicely, and I don't think it needs a sentiment, so I just centered it on my card front.  

Now it's your turn!  We have a $50.00 gift certificate 

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!