Happy Heart Day!

 February is the month for Valentines, so I'll be sharing some cards all month with that in mind.  For today's card, I dug out a clear stamp from Wild Rose Studio dated 2016.  I collected Teddy Bears for many years, so this one tugs at my heart.

supplies: white and pink cardstock, Wild Rose Studio (retired) Teddy with Flowers, Spellbinders Wendy Vecchi Scalloped rectangle die, Taylored Expressions (retired) Flower Power embossing folder, sentiment from Simon (retired) Just a Love Note

Do you make cards for Valentine's Day?

Some Valentines, inspired by Tim

It's February, the month for Valentines! 

I was inspired by Tim Holtz's Valentine video last month to pull out my Valentine supplies and make some cards.  

supplies: watercolor cardstock, various pink and yellow cardstock, Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations (retired) Doily die, Spun Sugar distress ink, Altenew Mini Flower Cluster Layering die set, stamped leaves from my scrap basket, Tim Holtz Sentiments Label sticker

Isn't this embossing folder a treasure?  The dimension is wonderful!  I took Tim's example and inked the flat side of it with spun sugar distress ink before embossing it in my machine.  I wanted to simulate a kind of tussy-mussy, a little bouquet of posies wrapped in a lacy doily, and I think this mini flower cluster does the trick.  Then I just added a sentiment label.  

Next, I left my heart do the choosing, picking things from my stash that have meaning to me: script, gingham, blues, lace, lilies of the valley and forget-me-nots.  

supplies: white card base, unknown script patterned paper, Tim Holtz Idea-ology Lace Baseboard Frame, ephemera from Botanical Layer , SmallTalk Occasions sentiment strip, blue gingham ribbon, blue pearls

After I'd glued the largest ephemera piece to the lace baseboard, I glued the smaller one to the script backing, then added adhesive foam pieces to the frame to make it stand up even more from the card base.  I wanted to accent the blues, so I added a small blue gingham bow and some blue pearls.

These Lace baseboard frames are really lovely, and I'm so glad that they're still available!

Thanks for stopping by!  Will you be making some Valentines this month?

Gilded Viola

 Memory Box/Poppy Stamps/Birch Press Design have the best sales at the end of the year!  And these companies are so generous!  I placed an order then and they sent along some freebies.  This Gilded Viola stencil set was one of them.  I decided to take the title to heart and used inks for the first 2 layers, and foiled the third.

I tilted this first photo so you could see the gold foiling better.

supplies: white cardstock, metallic gold cardstock, Birch Press Design Gilded Viola stencils set, Simon Violet and Iris inks, DecoFoil Transfer Gel , gold foil, and Stencil Pal tool, laminator, Simon Happy Wishes die

These stencils have a little white border built right into them for A2 size cards, what a nice detail!

And a second shot straight on.

I also wanted to give kudos to DecoFoil; the transfer gel I used is years old, and it was still just as creamy as when I first got it!  That has NOT been my experience with most gels after some time has gone by.  No special attention to it, I just kept the seal as intact as I could, screwed the lid on really tight, and stored it in a plastic bag with a twistie.

I encourage you to foil something if you have the capabilities - sure does give a pretty boost to your creation!

Abstract Triangles

 My dear friend Linda had an extra foiling plate, and generously sent it to me!  She also came up with the idea for both of us to use this plate to make a Valentine's card and post our cards on the same day, what fun!

Here's mine.

supplies: white and Cotton Candy cardstock, Pink Fresh Studio Abstract Triangles hot foil plate, Gold Matte glimmer foil, Paper Rose Lace Heart Frame die, Pink Fresh Studio (retired) English Garden washi tape, Spellbinders/Tammy Tutterow (retired) Sew Tiny Sentiments, gold embossing powder, tiny gold sequins

I like the modernity of the abstract triangles background against the traditional heart and flowers motif.  The gold foiling is subtle, as is the gold highlights in the washi flowers, so I also embossed my sentiment in gold and added some tiny gold sequins to the centers of each flower.  

Here's Linda's version - she used hers with her BetterPress machine, isn't it cute?  Thank you, Linda, for this fun challenge!

Woodblock Wednesday!

 Here's my card for this month's Woodblock Wednesday at Amy's blog.  Choosing a snowman seemed right to wind up my mini snowman series this month.

supplies: white and aqua cardstock, 2002 Anita's Sugarloaf, Inc snowman stamp, bird from (retired) MFT Tweet Holidays, sentiment from Simon Snow Love stamp set, Simon Stitched Rectangle die, Spellbinders Scalloped Rectangle die

This stamp isn't labelled very well, just with a peel-off sticker that says "Anita's Sugarloaf, Inc., Lithonia, GA", with a 2002 date.  I got it at a local craft store here called Pat Catan's, which has since sadly closed its doors.  They carried lots of woodblocks with the name Anita's on them.

I wanted a flash of red, so I stamped and fussy-cut this adorable little bird from a favorite MFT clear set.  I like the font of the Simon sentiment, too!

You can see all the other entries at Amy's blog HERE.

More Snow Friends

Another snowman card today, this time featuring a retired set from Art Impressions and a new (to me) heart stencil.

supplies: white and soft navy cardstock, Art Impressions (retired) Sparkle & Cheer clear set, Taylored Expressions Rotating Hearts stencil, Pink Fresh Studio Morning Sky blue inks, Spellbinders Perfect Touch die

The hearts stencil is just one that you turn 90 degrees 4 times, changing inks as you go.  I decided to do it in blues for its first outing.  The snowman and friends is part of a set that features snowmen, and my sentiment is part of that set, too.  

It's cuteness overload with these little creatures, don't you think?  Sure to bring a smile!

Snow Friends

 Today's card was made using a favorite snowman set of dies.

supplies: white, black, pink cardstock, green plaid dp, Whimsy Stamps Blurry Flurries pink snowflake dp, Lawn Fawn Build a Snowman dies, Taylored Expressions Birch Tree cutting plate, sentiment from Simon Snowflake Season, adhesive foam squares

I thought it would be a bit different to use pinks and green this time.  

Thanks so much for stopping by today - have a lovely day!

Snowy

 Here's everyone's old favorite snowman from Penny Black!  He's a woodblock, dated 2008.  This time I made a (mostly) 1-layer card, using masking and paper-piecing.

supplies: white cardstock, red and white gingham dp, Penny Black Snowy woodblock, trees from (retired) Mark's Finest Papers All is Calm stamp set, sentiment from Simon Snow Love, unknown (retired) snowflake embossing folder

I stamped Snowy on a white panel, then masked him to overstamp the tree stamp two times.  Then I added minimal colors with markers and paper-pieced his scarf and hat.  Next I stamped my sentiment in red, and then ran the entire panel through a snowflake embossing folder.

How is your January going?  It's winter here, for sure!

Let It Snow!

 Since I've finished with all my assignments from Spellbinders, I think I'll finish out this month with some snowman cards!  

Today's card features the new Tim Holtz set released at Simon Says Stamp in December as a limited edition, and sold out now.  It's called Be of Good Cheer, and it included the heads of a Santa (used HERE) and this snowman. I gave him a body and brought in some supporting dies that are also retired to mix with him, taking a page out of Tim's book, to just play with what I have.

supplies: colored cardstocks to piece snowman, woodgrain cardstock, Whimsy Stamps Blurry Flurries dp, Simon (retired) Birch Circle die, cardinals from (retired) Imression Obsession Birch Tree dies, Tim Holtz Be of Good Cheer snowman and snowflakes, arms from Tim Holtz (retired) Dec 22 Chilly and Freezy snowmen, a circle die for his body, sentiment sticker from Idealogy Christmas Stickerbook

I have a large collection of snowmen that I put out at this time of year, mostly in my dining room on the mantle.  Most of them are stuffed, but there is a tall skinny metal one, another made of wood, and a few ceramic ones.  I mix in various sizes of pine trees, also made of various materials.  I made a good many of them years and years ago, and they still make me smile, especially when I get them out from storage in the basement, and some of their glued-on clay noses have fallen off! 

This is the Day

 I mentioned that the Nature's Frame stencil set was my favorite of the Spellbinders Club Kits this month, so I wanted to use it one more time.  It was easy to mix these springy colors, so that's what I did!

supplies: white cardstock, Nature's Frame stencil set, Pink Fresh Studio Sparkling Rose, Bubble Gum, Summer Shower, Sea Side, Sunshine, Altenew Lavender Fields, Deep Iris, Fresh Leaf, Snapdragon inks, PTI Psalm Reflections: January sentiment

The stencils form a lovely floral frame and this time I chose a large sentiment to fill the center.  This satisfies my need for some color in these bleak grey days of January, and a reminder to enjoy every day.

Thanks so much for coming by today - enjoy your day!

Winter Scape

 We've had several days of snow with frigid temperatures so that it doesn't melt, and keeps accumulating.  Recently we also had a full moon and looking outside at night was breathtaking.  

I've been wanting to do a winter version of The Greetery's Rolling Hills Countryside suite, and today was the day!  Here's what I came up with.

supplies: white, dark green, medium grey, and pale yellow cardstock, The Greetery Rolling Hills stencils and a pale blue ink, Countryside and Rolling Hills Tree dies, circle die as a mask, dark blue ink, sentiment from Simon Snow Love

I used only the striped stencils this time, and then used the topmost one as a guide to make a mask so that I could color in the night sky, adding a circle mask for the moon.  Then I simply added my die-cut trees and houses and stamped my message.  

You can see a spring version using these supplies HERE, and a fall version HERE.  

What is your winter doing where you live?

Spellbinders January Club Kits: Stitched Ladybug

 Here is my last installment for this month's Spellbinders Club Kits, the Stitching Kit called Stitched Ladybug.

supplies: white, red, black, yellow, 2 greens cardstock, Stitched Ladybug Stitching Kit

You can do as much or as little stitching as you like with this kit; I'd say I did a medium amount, not stitching the round black circles on the ladybug, but everything else.  Those tiny flowers said Mary Engelbreit to me, so I tried to channel a design that she may have come up with.

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 January Club Kits: Stylized Trellis 3D folder and Take Flight BetterPress plate

 Today's post features the 3D embossing folder, Stylized Trellis, mixed with the larger butterfly from the BetterPress kit this month.

supplies: white cardstock, Stylized Trellis 3D embossing folder, Take Flight BetterPress butterfly plate and matching die, (Caboodle) Take Flight layering stencils, distress inks, Nature's Dance sentiment and die, orange enamel dots, adhesive squares

I colored my butterfly like a Monarch one using the 3 layering stencils, which are the Caboodle bonus item for this month, then simply popped it above my embossed trellis background, and added another of the Nature's Dance sentiments.

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, (this month it's the butterfly layering stencils), and save 60% by choosing the Deluxe Caboodle!

Spellbinders January Club Kits: Botanical Atrium Large Dies of the Month

 The Large Dies this month are fun!  We get a terrarium/birdcage/atrium/whatever you'd like to call it, with oodles of flowers and leaves to stuff inside or outside of it.  There's even 2 tiny butterflies!  Here's my sample.

supplies: black, white, and colored cardstock, Botanical Atrium dies, sentiment from Stitched Ladybug

I didn't want to cover up anything with a large sentiment, so the one from the Stitching Kit this month turned out to be perfect for me. 

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!

January Club Kits: Elliptical Weave Glimmer Kit

 This month's Glimmer of the Month kit from Spellbinders is called Elliptical Weave. It comes with this large A2 plate, plus 4 small sentiments, and a roll of Aura glimmer foil.

supplies: 2 blues, navy, green, and pale yellow cardstock, Elliptical Weave Glimmer kit, (which includes Aura glimmer foil), flowers and leaves from Botanical Atrium, sentiment from Nature's Dance, embossed in gold

After foiling the design, I cut out just one of the flowers and a leaf sprig that's in this month's Large Dies of the Month: Botanical Atrium, and attached them, following the foiled lines.  I felt that a simple centered statement was all that was needed; this one comes from the Stamps of the Month, Nature's Dance.

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 January Club Kits: Nature's Canvas stencils and Take Flight BetterPress kit

 I always look forward each month to see what the Stencils of the Month might be, and this month is a winner!  They're called Nature's Frame.  

This year I'll be sharing the BetterPress kits with you, too, and these butterflies this month are a perfect pairing with the stencil kit!  The kit is called Take Flight.

supplies: white cardstock, Nature's Frame stencils, Cherry Blossom inks, Forest Glades ink, sentiment from Nature's Dance stamp of the month, Take Flight butterfly BetterPress plate and matching die, Caboodle Take Flight layering stencils, Berry color essentials gems

This month the Caboodle item is a 3-piece layering stencil set to color the 2 butterflies in the BetterPress set!  I used the same inks to color my butterfly as I did the flowers, then cut it out with the matching die that comes in the BetterPress set.  The sentiment is another of the 7 included in the Clear Stamp of the Month.  You can see 2 more of them in my previous post. 

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, (the butterfly layering stencils), and save 60% by choosing the Deluxe Caboodle!

Spellbinders January Club Kits: Soaring Dragonfly Dies of the Month and Faceted Petals Embossing Folder of the Month

 The January Club Kits are now available for new subscribers!  I'll be sharing my makes in the next few days, spacing my posts out a little more than I've done in the past.  

Today I'm showing you the Dies of the Month: Soaring Dragonfly, paired with the Embossing Folder: Faceted Petals, with sentiments from the Clear Stamps and Dies: Nature's Dance.

supplies: white and black cardstock, royal and turquoise glitter cardstock, Soaring Dragonfly dies (includes "hello"), Faceted Petals embossing folder, swiped with tumbled glass distress ink, a Nature's Dance sentiment and matching die, adhesive foam squares

Isn't this dragonfly lovely?  I used the more detailed option for wings, but there's also a striped option, too.  The die set also includes this hello, plus some small flowers and leaf sprigs.  I think of dragonflies as irridescent, so I used 2 colors of glitter cardstock to paper-piece the details in it's wings, and when I attached it to my card base, I popped up the ends of each wing for some slight dimension.

Here's a much more CAS design for my 2nd card, just using some of the leftover die-cuts from above.

supplies: white and aqua cardstock, aqua and white glitter cardstock, aqua vellum, Soaring Dragonfly dies, Nature's Dance sentiment, Hemstitch Rectangle die, adhesive foam strips

This time I used the aqua glitter wing outline dies that I had cut for the piecing above, placing them onto vellum.  I popped the body up this time and bent the wings upward.  I wish I could capture the sparkle of the glitter cardstock  for you....

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 my 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!

Nordic Bird

 Happy New Year!  I trust you enjoyed a joyous holiday season.

Today's card features a set of dies from The Greetery called Nordic Bird.  It was released just before the holidays, but I plan to use these dies all year long.  They are 2 sizes of a bird, with separate wings, facing opposite directions.  Today I just used the bigger of the two.

supplies: white, blue, and green cardstock, branches from Simon Leafy Greens embossing folder and die bundle, Spellbinders (retired) Branching Out embossing folder, Lawn Fawn Fancy Scalloped Rectangle die, The Greetery Nordic Birds, Altenew Deep Blue Seas inks, ripe persimmon distress ink, sentiment from Altenew Watercolor Flowers Craft Your Life 

Here's the same bird cut from white and left uncolored to go onto a Christmas tree.  Here you can see the pretty incised details on the bird.

Thanks for stopping by - please come back again soon!