Butterfly Birthday

 I recently got myself a new Doodlebug pad of paper called Butterfly Kisses, and when I saw Sheri's sketch using lots of patterned papers, I wanted to use my new ones to CASE her cards.

supplies: white and aqua cardstock, dps from Doodlebug Butterfly Kisses and other Doodlebug dps from my scrap basket, Sunny Studio Fancy Frames Circle die, Simon Stitching Butterflies dies, sentiment from Clearly Besotted Sweet Little Sentiments

This is a great sketch to show off a variety of patterned papers - thank you, Sheri!  For me, using these sweet little papers is a carry-over from my quilting days, when I collected fat quarters of fabric just as I do papers now!  And Doodlebug is a wonderful source for them!

Have a lovely day!

Gorgeous You Launch

Spellbinders just launched a collection called Gorgeous You, a Pink Fresh collaboration event held last August.  I used a 3D embossing folder and a set of floral dies for my card today.

supplies: white cardstock, plaid design paper, Doodlebug printed papers in blue, aqua, purple, green, and yellow, Gorgeous You Florals dies, Cross My Heart 3D embossing folder, sentiment from (retired) Sending Sentiments clear stamp set

I love the added interest that I get when using printed papers, especially these nicely-scaled Doodlebug ones.  They come in a lovely array of colors, too!  

Here's a 2nd card that uses the other flower in the Floral dies set.  I switched to reds for a change.

supplies: white and black cardstock, Doodlebug printed papers in reds, yellow, and green, Gorgeous You Florals dies, Cross My Heart 3D embossing folder, sentiment from Smooth Lines Mix & Match Sentiments

This Gorgeous You collection also includes a BetterPress sentiment set, and dies that depict a perfume bottle, makeup bag, and makeup to put in it - very fun!  I hope you'll give it a look!

Pretty Papers Challenge

 Here's my card for this month's Love Those Pretty Papers challenge.  I have long been a fan of Doodlebug's 6" paper pads because the patterns are diminished in scale from their original 12" papers, and therefore perfect for our card making.  Their pads are always beautifully coordinated so that almost everything works together.  Lately there is usually a page or 2 with stripes, and another with sentiments or focal images.  I feel like making a card with them is like putting together a little paper quilt!  

At this time of year, I am enjoying running out into our garden and cutting some flowers, which I pop into a canning jar to have on our kitchen table.  So of course I was drawn to this darling little dimensional Doodle-Pop.

supplies: Doodlebug Hello Again 6" paper pad and Butterfly Bouquet Doodle-Pop, Spellbinders Perfect Touch Rectangle dies

Doodle-pops are 3-dimensional stickers that are released with each collection.  Here I attached the jar of posies to a white rectangle, then just built out the design from there.  Everything came from the Hello Again pad.

Thanks for stopping by today - have a good one!

Woodblock Wednesday

Here's my card for this month's Woodblock Wednesday on Amy's blog.

I have always loved the combination of text and flowers, and this Hero Arts stamp from 2011 does all the work for me!  I also used another large A2 size Cloud stamp from Hero Arts.  Then I paper-pieced the flowers and leaves - this was almost like making a little paper quilt!

supplies: white cardstock, tiny patterned papers from Doodlebug, 2009 Hero Arts S5215 Clouds, 2011 S5506 Flower Text, Simon Surf ink, VersaFine Black ink, enamel dots, adhesive foam squares

I first stamped the clouds with Surf ink on a white panel, then overstamped the flower text, then stamped it again on scraps of patterned papers and fussy-cut them to paper- piece in the details.  I popped all the flowers up with adhesive squares, and added a tiny stamped "joy" to one of the flower centers, and enamel dots in other areas.

Be sure to visit Amy's blog to see all the other entries for this monthly challenge.

The Little Things

 Hello friends!  It's July!  One of my favorite things about summer is that we get to enjoy black cherries - and I can't get enough of them!  I remembered this layering stamp set from Sunny Studios and decided to make a card to commemorate the goodness!

supplies: white cardstock, red and green gingham dp from Doodlebug Gingham/Linen paper pad, Sunny Studio Berry Bliss stamps, Hero Arts Pale Tomato and Red Royal, Altenew Firefly and Grass Field inks, Sunny Studio Fancy Frames Circle die, sentiment from Simon Says Stamp (retired) Beautiful Ride

The cherries are made up of 3 different stamps for the cherries and 2 for the leaves and stems.  And I love mixing them with these happy gingham patterns!  I enjoyed making them almost as much as I do eating them!!

Hope your day is going well - thanks for stopping by!

Timeless Butterflies

 Spellbinders has a new Timeless release, several of which are these gorgeous silvery-edged butterflies!  I received 2 sets, the Twilights, and the Summer Days; each consists of 7 different butterfly stickers in various sizes and colors, each 2 layers: a sticky bottom layer edged in silver, and a heavy acetate top printed with all the gorgeous details.  Here's what I made.

supplies: white and metallic silver cardstock, Spellbinders Efflorescent Flora 3D embossing folder, purple Twilight butterfly sticker, pink Summer Day sticker, sentiment from Snowflake Wishes stamp/die set, silver embossing powder, clear rhinestones

I wanted these butterflies to be the focal point, as they were a real WOW! when I opened my package; each one is edged with a silvery kaleidoscope and make quite the impact!  So I found an embossing folder with flowers and leaves in scale to them, and just added a sentiment in silver and some rhinestones on their bodies.

Here's a 2nd card, this time mixing just one of the larger butterflies with some Doodlebug 6" design papers that feature butterflies, too.

supplies: white cardstock base, Doodlebug Hello Again design papers (including sentiment), yellow Summer Day butterfly sticker

I used the largest of the butterflies on my first 2 cards today; the packs contain 3 large and 4 smaller designs, each one different.  For my final card, I used 2 of the smaller ones from the Summer Day set.

supplies: white and black cardstock, a plaid dp, Summer Day butterflies stickers, sentiment from Stampendous All the Sentiments, Doodlebug tiny heart sprinkles

My phone finally captured the sparkles on the top green butterfly - that's how all of them look - a lovely twinkle!

There are 6 different sets of these butterflies, each one prettier than the one before.  I hope you'll give them a look!  

A Harvest of Blessings

 We're almost midway through September, so I take that as my okay to bring on the fall cards!  This design is a CASE of one I made back in 2018.   I simply changed up the papers this time around.  The prints are all old Doodlebug patterned papers and almost everything has long been retired.

supplies: aqua and dark brown cardstock, various Doodlebug prints, Simon Says Stamp Stitched Alphabet clear stamps, circle die, unknown leaf dies, stamped sentiment from MFT Harvest Mouse, twine, wood adhesive dots

Thanks for stopping by today!  

Old and New

 Since I have a little more time now, I've been revisiting some of my old cards for inspiration.  Today's card is a result of that, using some elements from THIS (first) card, mixed with a new embossing folder just released at Spellbinders.

supplies: white cardstock, various Petite Prints design papers from Doodlebug, Wplus9 Doodle Buds clear stamps, Pink Fresh Studio Perfect Sentiments stamp and matching die, Spellbinders new Splish Splash embossing folder, teensy enamel dots for flower centers

I chose 3 bright colors from the Doodlebug spectrum, a bright royal blue, bright orange, and hot pink, and stamped the flowers from teeny florals, the centers from gingham, and used a yellow dot for the very center of each flower, then paper-pieced them, adding a weensy enamel dot.  For the leaves I used all kinds of patterns: stripes, gingham, dots, graph, woodgrain, etc.  To me, this is quilting all over again, but in a fraction of the time!

Usually when I use more than 1 flower, I cluster them in a group, but this time I marched them down my card in a line, then just added a simple sentiment.  I think this embossing folder is going to be a favorite!  

Thanks for stopping by today!  

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

 Welcome to this week's new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge!

This week the challenge is Anything Goes, and the team is using Hero Arts products.  You can use any supplies you'd like, but if you have a product from Hero, we'd love to see it on your entry.

Today is bittersweet for me, as it is also my last post as a design team member for the Wednesday team.  I remember the excitement I felt when I was chosen to be on the team waaaaaaaay back in June of 2012, so it's been almost 11 years!  In that time, I made 830 cards for this challenge (you can see them all HERE on my Pinterest page).  It's been a fantastic experience, but it's high time I stepped away.  Many, many thanks to sweet Heidi, Steph, and Lols for being so kind and generous.  My card today represents my thanks to them and to the rest of this team, current and past members.

supplies: white, yellow, Green Apple, kraft cardstock, Doodlebug yellow Gingham petite print and a text dp, Hero Arts Boutique Accessories and Envelope Accessories dies, Sending Love Mail sentiment, natural twine

These die sets and matching stamps were originally part of a card kit and were so popular that they have been brought back separately.  They certainly are some of my favorite Hero Arts products!

Now it's your turn!  We have a $25.00 gift certificate 

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

Spellbinders Clubs for January: Small and Large Dies and Embossing Folders

I'm pleased to be able to share my cards using supplies from some of the new Spellbinders January Club Kits! 

First up, the Large Dies of the Month: Club Blooms.  This is a huge set of 23 beautiful flowers and leaves!  I went with soft colors for spring on this one.  I have a feeling that this new floral set of dies will become just as popular as the Be Bold Blooms from a last year. 

supplies: cream, yellow, pinks and greens cardstock, Spellbinders Large Die of the Month: Club Blooms, Embossing Folder of the Month: Stylized Trellis, and sentiment from Log Cabin and Flower Mini Quilts

I layered the larger flowers and separated them with adhesive foam for some dimension.  I cut 3 layers of my sentiment.  The new embossing folder for January, Stylized Trellis, is a good basic that will be useful for lots of occasions.

Next is a card that showcases the Small Die of the Month: Sentimental Ampersand.  I  paired it again with a background made from the Embossing Folder of the Month: Stylized Trellis.

supplies: black cardstock, dps from Doodlebugs My Happy Place pad, Sentimental Ampersand dies and Stylized Trellis embossing folder

This paper pad I chose had a darling little floral print on black, so I cut the ampersand from that and centered it on my embossed black panel.  Then I used more papers from the same pad to cut out my sentiments, flowers, and leaves.  The die set includes 2 more sets of sentiments with dies to match and an extra piece to layer onto the ampersand which I didn't use this time.

This year there will be 2 Clubs for embossing folders, 1 a "regular" 2D folder, which you've seen on both cards above, and a new club for 3D folders!  Here's a card using the January 3D embossing folder of the month: Floral Archway.  This is a large folder with gorgeous flowers around the edges of a simple arch, where you can add your sentiment.  

supplies: Cream and green cardstock, Floral Archway 3D folder, Forest Glades ink, sentiment from Mix & Match Holiday Greetings dies

After cutting a cream panel a bit smaller than an A2 size, I embossed it, then gently rubbed on some green ink.  Then I found a green cardstock to match and cut out my sentiment, then matted the embossed panel.  These 3D folders have so much gorgeous detail that you don't need to do much more than let the design shine all by itself!

Next I went in a slightly different direction, covering up the arch with the largest flower, cut and embossed separately.

supplies: pool, foiled gold, and whitewash aqua cardstock, Floral Archway 3D embossing folder, gold foiled sentiment

I embossed first on an old piece of whitewash cardstock, then sanded off the details to appear in aqua.  Next I chose one of the flowers in the folder and embossed it on a scrap of white-core pool cardstock, and cut it out by hand, also sanding it lightly to bring out the details.  These were layered, matted in gold foil cardstock and pool, then the gold-foiled sentiment was added.

You can look HERE for information on Spellbinders Clubs.  Each is available only until January 28.  If you click on my links under each card, you can see the details of each product.

I'll be back in a few days with some more kits; thanks so much for stopping by today

Simon Says......Fun with Washi!

Welcome to the new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog!

 This week we want you to use some Washi tape on your creations!  The team is featuring Doodlebug products; you don't have to use this brand to enter, but we'd love to see you using it if you do!

I have a huge collection of washi tapes, so I thoroughly enjoyed this week's challenge!

supplies: white cardstock, unknown gingham and leaves washi tapes, Doodlebug Rocky Doodle Pop stickers, Penny Black Stitched Stacker die, sentiment from Sugar Pea Fall Fox

I simply added 2 strips of fall-themed washi tape to a card panel, along with a die-cut border above and below them, then stamped my sentiment and added this adorable little racoon and leaves.  Doodle Pops are stickers that are layered up for lots of dimension, and Doodlebug has a really fun assortment of them, adding to them each time a new collection is released.  I like to have some in my stash at all times, as they come in handy when you need a fast card!

Here's a 2nd card for this week - I used a washi tape from one of Doodlebug's latest collections, along with papers from the same collection..

supplies: white cardstock, Doodlebug My Happy Place 6" paper pad, Flower Garden washi tape, from the same collection, Pretty Pink Posh Spring Foliage dies. Simon Joys of Spring sentiment, Your Next Stamp Mini Flower Splatter clear stamp, pink ink

The washi is the floral strip - everything else is from the coordinating paper pad.

Now it's your turn!  We have a $25.00 gift certificate 

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!  I can't wait to see what you all make this week!

Simon Says.......Layer it Up!

Welcome to our weekly challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge!

Our theme this week is "Layer it Up!" and the team is featuring Doodlebug products.  I love this company so much that I made 2 cards this week using their patterned papers.

supplies: white and Audrey Blue card, papers from Doodlebug Made with Love paper pad, My Favorite Things Stitched Flowers dies, ancient Doodlebug flower buttons, Simon Big Scripty Hugs and Stitched Circle dies

I was excited to rediscover these Doodlebug flower buttons (that are no longer made) in my stash - I used them in the centers of my paper flowers!

Here's card #2.

supplies: white and Green Apple card, Doodlebug patterned papers from Cute & Crafty and various Petite Prints collections, My Favorite Things Stitched Flowers dies, sentiment from Simon's Joys of Spring clear stamps, Doodlebug sprinkles

Now it's your turn!  We have a $25.00 gift certificate 

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!  I can't wait to see what you all make this week!

 

Simon Says........Interactive

 Welcome to the new challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog!

"Interactive" is our theme this week, and the team is playing with Lawn Fawn products!  I got myself their Platform Pop-Up die set and had a ball making my card this week!

supplies: Lawn Fawn 12" Let's Polka striped dp, lavender solid cardstock for bow, various Doodlebug Designs Petite Prints for flowers, leaves, and small sentiment, Platform Pop-Up dies, Impression Obsession Happy Birthday Top Edger die, MFT (retired) Sending You Hugs die, Stitched Blooms and Stitched Flowers dies

This box is beautifully designed, everything went together smoothly!  I first constructed the box with 3 tabs and then added a bank of flowers behind and 2 sizes of sentiments.  The little bow is included in the Lawn Fawn set, and has stitching details like the flowers do.

Here is the box folded flat for mailing.  This envelope measures 6 1/2" wide by 4 3/4" tall.  The compressed box measures 5 1/4" wide and if you lower the flowers, or use something smaller, it would fit into an A2 envelope.

Now it's your turn!  We have a $25.00 gift certificate 

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!  I can't wait to see what you all make this week!

Simon Says.......Use Your Favorite Thing

Welcome to our weekly challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog!

This week we want you to "Use Your Favorite Thing"!  The team is featuring My Favorite Things products, and I took this favorites idea a bit overboard!  

One of my favorite themes is a wreath, and a favorite MFT product is their Stitched Flowers dies.  I love the variety, and each one has some stitching details.  I got into the habit early on of using Doodlebug patterned papers with these dies, so there's another favorite thing of mine.  And to top it off, I remembered this sentiment, which fits nicely inside my wreath.

supplies: white card, Petite Prints from Doodlebug paper pads, My Favorite Things Stitched Flowers dies, (retired) Spring Wreath, Doodlebug sprinkles, Gina K. Designs Wreath Builder sentiment

This set has lots of different shapes and sizes of flowers, but on this card I used the smaller flowers.  I also cut out a retired leafy wreath and used parts of it to fill in the rest of my wreath.  Here's another photo to show you the darling little prints in each flower and leaf.

Now it's your turn!  We have a $25.00 gift certificate 

to the amazing Simon Says Stamp store for 1 lucky random winner of this week's challenge!  I can't wait to see what you all make this week!