Bird on a Wreath

Still playing with Christmas goodies and using them for everyday cards.   Today those goodies are a stencilled wreath and a bird, both part of Holiday sets.

supplies: white, yellow, pinks, and greys cardstock, Spellbinders Christmas Bird Poinsettia bird, Sealed Blooms flowers, and (retired) Branching Out 3D embossing folder, (HERE's a similar one), Concord & 9th Boughs and Holly layering stencils, distress inks in twisted citron, mowed lawn, rustic wilderness, saltwater taffy, and abandoned coral, adhesive foam squares

I started by stencilling the wreath, then ran the panel through a leafy embossing folder.  Next I constructed my bird and flowers and added them, popping the bird up with adhesive foam squares.  I pictured him as a mourning dove.  

I tried several die-cut sentiments, but didn't like any of them, so I'll push that decision off until I use the card.  

As always, thanks so much for stopping by today. 

Just Because

Here's another set that was meant for Christmas, but I wanted to get some more mileage out of it, so I changed up the colors.  

supplies: various oranges, blues, and greens cardstock, vellum, Concord & 9th Festive Blooms dies, Memory Box Just Because posh script die

Blues always make me happy, so I borrowed the colors from THIS card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Summer Roses

Last month when there was so much Christmas in July going on, I thought I'd use some Christmas supplies and try to adapt them to everyday.  This BetterPress Winter Rose plate was an easy one for that transition.  It's a beautiful rose background, so I colored it in pinks and yellows, my favorite colors for roses, using the matching stencils in the bundle.

supplies: white, pink, and vellum cardstock, Spellbinders Winter Rose pressplate/stencil bundle, Pink Fresh Studio Fairy Dust and Rise and Shine, Simon Spring and Dublin, and Altenew Sand Dunes inks, Winnie & Walter (retired) Noelle Scalloped Rectangle die, Simon A2 Frames die, Waffle Flower Sweet Lattice Sentiments

Summer is going fast - hope you're enjoying it!

A Heart Card

 Here's a card made with an old favorite Paper Smooches stamp set called Best Buds.  It has several pretty floral motifs in it, one of which is this sweet banner with a selection of sentiments to go inside.

supplies: white and coral cardstock, (retired) Best Buds banner, Tammy Tutterow (retired) Prim Hearts die, Simon Says Stamp Detailed Ringlet cover plate, adhesive foam squares

After coloring and cutting out the banner, I decided I'd put it over a heart-shaped window.  This prim heart die by Tammy Tutterow/Spellbinders is a nice shape for a rectangle card, and is just a bit different from the usual hearts we all have, longer and skinnier.  After cutting it out of my trimmed white panel, I debated about using an embossing folder, and finally settled on this very subtle cover plate that adds just enough interest.

Hope you're having a good day - thanks so much for stopping by today!

Spellbinders August Club Kits: Beneath the Blue, part 2

 Here are the rest of my samples for the August Spellbinders Club Kits.  They are available now through the 27th for new subscribers.  The fun theme this month is Beneath the Blue.

First is the Large Dies, Splash Tales, with a background using the Embossing folder, Coral Impression.

supplies: colored cardstock, Splash Tales dies, Coral Impression embossing folder

This month's dies are 26 pieces. Here's a second card using more of the dies from this set, along with the 3D folder.

supplies: colored cardstock, Splash Tales dies, Underwater Waltz 3D embossing folder, sentiment from Paper Splash

Next up is the Clear Stamps/Dies, Paper Splash.

supplies: white, aqua, and peacock cardstock, Paper Splash stamps and matching dies, clouds from Birthday Bliss, (retired) Summertime Waves embossing folder

This kit includes 2 images and 10 sentiments, with dies to cut them all out.  

My final card features the BetterPress Kit, Fish Parade.  The set consists of the circular pattern, plus 3 different sentiments, with 3 dies to cut them out.  This month I foiled the plates.  

supplies: white cardstock, rainbow stripe pattern paper, Fish Parade plates (sentiment included), Rainbow Confetti glimmer foil

Once I'd decided on the rainbow glimmer foil, it was a natural progression to frame my panel up with a rainbow stripe paper.

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 August: Beneath the Blue

The Spellbinders Club Kits for August are now available for new subscribers, until August 27!  The theme this month is Beneath the Blue!

I'll start with a mix of the Glimmer kit, Beneath the Bubbles and the Small Dies, The Deep Blue Two.

supplies: colored cardstock (base is Spellbinders' Celestial), Beneath the Bubbles, Speckled Prism glimmer foil, The Deep Blue Two fish and plant dies, adhesive foam

Speckled Prism glimmer foil is included in this month's glimmer kit, and it is the perfect choice for these bubbles!  I think the Celestial cardstock which I used for the background worked beautifully with all the other colors, too.  The sentiment is one of 2 in the Glimmer kit. The Small dies this month are a set of 23, and on this card I only used the plants/coral and the fish.  You'll see the little divers on my next card.

I popped a few of the fish above the rest of the scene; that helped them to stand out a little better, especially that little school of the smallest ones.  This was really fun to put together!  

Here's the rest of the small dies, and the 3D embossing folder, Underwater Waltz.  Again, a great pairing!

supplies: colored cardstock, The Deep Blue Two dies, Underwater Waltz 3D embossing folder, and sentiment from Paper Splash stamps/dies, Aquamarine Essentials Gems for bubbles

Can you believe the detail on these little figures?  But Spellbinders provides great directions to help us put them together.

My next card mixes the Stencils, Underwater Bloom, with one of the Caboodle dies, Fish Friends, and another stamped sentiment.

supplies: white, orange, and black cardstock, Underwater Bloom stencils, Fish Friends dies, sentiment from Paper Splash, adhesive foam squares, adhesive glitter dots

I made this one into a simple 4 1/4" square card.

And my last card for today features the Stitching Kit: Hand-Folded Stitch.

supplies: red, white, blue, aqua cardstock, Hand-Folded Stitch dies, 3 strands of white embroidery floss, (retired) Summertime Waves embossing folder

There are 2 other sentiments included in this kit, and a wavy die so that you can make your own ocean panel. 

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!

August Hero Studio - Ichabod's Study!

The Hero Studio kits for August have been released - Ichabod's Study is the theme, all about Halloween!

My first card mixes elements from the Card Kit, Ichabod's Study, with the Layering Stencils, Sunnyside Manor, for this month.

supplies: black and white cardstock, vellum, purple foil cardstock, Sunnyside Manor layering stencils, orange, lime, purple, and black inks, Ichabod's Study stamps, sentiment, and frame dies

The stamps include a male and a female image with lots of layers, plus some pumpkins, this spiderweb and bat, 6 sentiments, plus lots I haven't used.  Then there are 2 die sets included, 1 to cut out the sentiments, both figures, and some of the elements, and another which has 3 frames to be layered or used alone, 3 sizes of little butterflies, and these glasses.  There's also a stamping guide included to help stamp the portraits, and some rainbow film, acetate, and a light to make the portrait appear and disappear in the frame! (not used here)  Michelle showed off this idea beautifully in her post HERE.

The layering stencils are 4 parts, so I used my go-to Halloween colors to make the wallpaper.

My final card today shows you the Fancy Dies kit, Haunted Gallery, and the female portrait from the Card Kit.  

supplies: white, black, grey, pinks, and pink foil cardstock, a dotted dp, Haunted Gallery dies, large frame, woman, and sentiment from Ichabod's Study card kit

After I'd stamped the lady in pinks, I decided to use pinks and blacks for the rest of my gallery.  The dies in the Haunted Gallery set have 5 different frame shapes, plus lots of things to put inside your frames, 28 pieces in all, including sentiments.

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, Fancy Dies, a Cling stamp, 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!

Woodblock Wednesday

 Woodblock Wednesday time!  This month I used a big Hero Arts woodblock called Silhouette Grass, dated 2010.

supplies: white and black cardstock, (retired) Hero Arts Silhouette Grass woodblock, Newton's Nook Retro Sun & Palms stencil set (sun and birds), distress inks, (retired) Winnie & Walter Summer Cutaway 

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

CASE-ing LaVon

 I saw a card recently made by LaVon on Instagram, that checked all my boxes, and immediately pinned it.

Today I have a card that CASEs it.

supplies: white, Audrey Blue, aqua, 2 green cardstock, Woodgrain cardstock, Spellbinders  Perfect Touch rectangle and Woodland Tales Fern dies, Tim Holtz Speckles stencil and Detailed Butterflies dies, tumbled glass distress ink, Hero Arts (retired) woodblock script stamp from Artistic Windows, Waffle Flower Sweet Lattice Sentiment, tiny heart sprinkles

I love cards like this where we can use all our creative supplies!  Thank you, LaVon, for the inspiration!

Inspired by a Kleenex Box?

 As I was changing out an empty box of tissues, I noticed the colors on the empty one and decided to snip out one of the sides to use for inspiration.  These are colors I certainly would never have come up with on my own!

The backing is a very dark green, and I liked the golds, oranges, and a bit of pale pink that were in the mix.  After thinking about what set of dies I could use, I settled on a favorite set from Spellbinders: Club Blooms; it has lots and lots of flowers and leaves.   Here's what I came up with.

supplies: 3 greens, orange, gold, red, and pale pink cardstock, Spellbinders Club Blooms, Simon Says Stamp Brushed Flowers sentiment, Hero Arts square die, adhesive foam squares

I hadn't planned at first to use the square sentiment, but I like it; it's another thing I don't usually do with my flower cards. 

Here are the inspiration and my card, side by side.

 

Thanks for stopping by today - hope your day is going well!

Thinking of You

 Recently Jennifer McGuire showed us how to hinge a simple stencil in order to have white elements against a colored inked background.  I couldn't wait to try this!

supplies: white cardstock, Gina K Designs Floral Stencil, tumbled glass and squeezed lemonade inks, Altenew Grass Field and Shadow Creek green inks, sentiment from Simon Says Stamp (retired) Joys of Spring

Basically, you hinge your stencil to a piece of white cardstock, then flip the stencil away and ink the back with a light color (tumbled glass for me).  Then flip the stencil back into place over the white card, and run it through your machine with an embossing mat and plate.  You can repeat this as needed to attain your background color.  This adds the color to the background, plus lightly embosses the design into your card.  Then you use your stencil as usual to add color to the details of the design, in this case the leaves and the centers of my flowers.  

What a great idea!  I inked my background twice and kind of like the woodgrain look I got.  A different kind of ink may have given me a more solid look, but I'm pleased with this first try.  These flowers look like gardenias to me, so I wanted to keep them white, and just color the leaves today.

Thanks for stopping by; have a good one!

A Simple Window Birthday card

 Here's a card that couldn't have been easier to make.

supplies: white cardstock, My Favorite Things Peek a Boo Window and Wonky Rectangle dies, Pink Fresh Studio washi tape, Hero Arts woodblock Happy Birthday Message, adhesive foam squares

Unfortunately, almost everything is retired, except maybe the washi butterfly.  The Hero Arts woodblock sentiment is one of a 2001 4-piece set, and it fits perfectly into this fun MFT window die.  After cutting it from an A2 white panel, I then trimmed it with the wonky rectangle die, then popped it above the stamped sentiment before adding the flowers and butterfly.  

Love this design, because it could be varied with whatever you have in your scrap basket!  

A Country Christmas

 Annie Williams has a new collection being released today; it's called Country Christmas.  Here's a card I made using the Country Snowman dies.  Annie gave her snowman a bit of a cowboy feel - how fun!

supplies: white, kraft, and colored cardstock, Country Snowman dies, sentiment from A Merry Little Christmas glimmer plate/die set, red glimmer foil, snowflake embossing folder, adhesive foam squares

Isn't the bunny cute?  Annie showed the bird feeder full of seeds, and I followed suit, using markers to simulate them.  There's also a broom for the snowman to hold, which I didn't use this time.

The rest of the Country Christmas Collection is just as cute, with dies for a rocking chair and teddy bear, horse-drawn wagon, a barn, a big star, an embossing folder, and a sentiment set.  

I thoroughly enjoyed putting together this little scene, especially during this hot spell we've been having!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Spellbinders Club Kits for July: Mugs, Mittens, and Sweater Hugs

 The July Club Kits from Spellbinders are now available for new subscribers, through July 27!  The theme this month is all about winter: Mugs, Mittens, and Sweater Hugs.

My first card today features the Large Dies, Mugs and Mittens, and the 3D embossing folder, Starry Snowfall.

supplies: red, white, green, and kraft cardstock, vellum, Mugs and Mittens dies, Starry Snowfall 3D embossing folder, adhesive foam squares

The dies are a 22-piece set, and include a tiny snowman and a Santa face that fits in the cocoa cup, too.  The "Warm Cocoa Wishes" sentiment that you see here is also included.  I especially like that we get 2 curvy dies to help us make the steam coming from the mug - I used vellum to make mine.  

I used the mittens and the large snowflake from the large die set along with the 4-piece stencils for this month called Warm & Woven for my next card.

supplies: white, pinks, and mint cardstock, silver glitter cardstock, Warm & Woven stencils, pink and mint inks, Mugs & Mittens dies, sentiment/die from Stay Snuggly, adhesive foam squares

There's also a 5th stencil included, which makes a knit pattern, to be used all on its own. 

And finally, here is the BetterPress kit called Festive Press, and the Caboodle die: Ginger Sip. 

supplies: white, kraft, and red cardstock, silver glitter cardstock, Festive Press BetterPress plate, red ink, Ginger Sip Caboodle dies, sentiment from Stay Snuggly, adhesive foam squares

I didn't use the mug elements this time to show you that all of these dies can stand alone without the handles.  And there are 2 sentiments included in the BetterPress Kit, but I liked this one from the Clear Stamps and Dies better for this particular card.

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!