Woodblock Wednesday!

 It's Woodblock Wednesday!  This month I chose this 2014 beauty from Penny Black.

supplies: white, black, and peachy pink cardstock, a text dp, Penny Black Hollyhocks stamp, saltwater taffy, mustard seed, and mowed lawn distress inks, water, Honey Bee Bitty Buzzwords Hello die, stamped sentiment from (retired) Wplus9 Hand Lettered Hello, Spellbinders (retired) Deckle Edge die, Sunny Studios Quilted Hearts embossing folder, adhesive foam squares

Usually I'd make this a flat card, but today I popped the flowers above everything else.  The sentiment was stamped before I embossed the card front, then I layered on everything else.  The image was watercolored simply with distress inks diluted in water.

You can see more cards using woodblock stamps at Amy's blog HERE.

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!

Dreamy Florals

 Here's the other stamp and stencil suite I got back in April from Pinkfresh Studio.  You know me, I can't resist some pretty posies, and I thought these were a nice mix of flowers.

supplies: white cardstock, soft gingham from Honey Bee Stamps Giddy for Gingham pad, Pinkfresh Studio Dreamy Florals stamp set and matching layering stencils, Blushberry Bliss, Sunkissed Delights, Enchanted Garden, and Jade Dreams inks, Pinkfresh Studio blending brushes, Ornate Oval Frame die, Spellbinders Curved Everyday Sentiments glimmer plate/die set

I have a pretty heavy hand when it comes to stencilling, and I wanted these colors to be paler than my usual, so I used Pinkfresh's little set of 6 blending brushes to do my stencilling, and was very pleased with the results!  I also used the lightest shades of the inks.

These are designed so that the stamps (3 separate groupings) are all connected, and the 5 layers of stencils color them all at the same time, too; a nice time-saver.  I used the largest and the smallest of the floral designs today, and have another single flower finished for next time.

Pinkfresh makes a die set and hotfoil plate to match, if you so desire.  

Thank you so much for stopping by today - have a lovely one!

Detailed Leaf

 Back in April I took advantage of a great sale at Pinkfresh Studio, and got myself 2 sets of stamps and matching stencils to color them.  Today I have 2 cards using the Detailed Leaf set.

supplies: white and mint cardstock, Spellbinders (retired) Branching Out embossing folder, Pinkfresh Studio Detailed Leaf stamps and matching layering stencils, Green Meadows inks, sentiment from Spellbinders All You Need Sentiments glimmer plate/die

This nice big leafy branch is all you need for a card, and I plan to use it mainly for masculine ones.  Back when it was first released, someone did it in pinks and greens, and I love that idea, so that's how my next card went.

supplies: white cardstock, Pinkfresh Studio Detailed Leaf stamps and layering stencils, Green Valley and Blushberry Bliss inks, Pinkfresh Studio Perfect Sentiments stamp and (retired) die, MFT Wonky Stitched Rectangle die

There are several plants that I can think of that mimic this colorway.  We have a bush in our bird garden that comes out pink, cream, and green in the spring, then fades to all green, and my Mom used to have a Hoya indoor plant that had these colors.  Anyway, adding this soft peachy-pink brings it back into feminine territory if you want!

There are dies and a hot foiling plate available in this pattern, too, but I had no trouble fussy-cutting out my branches.

I have one more new-to-me set that I'll show you soon.  Thanks for stopping by!

More Lilacs

 Just sharing a card I made for my sister for Mother's Day, this time using stamped lilacs.

supplies: white, mint, and an aqua/grey cardstock, Sunny Studio Lovely Lilacs, Altenew Spring Bouquet and Green Meadows mini inks, sentiment from (retired) Simon Mom & Dad Icons, Hero Arts (retired) Watering Can die, Spellbinders (retired) Branching Out embossing folder and Hemstitch Rectangle die

My Dad gave us starts of lilacs that are these pink/purple color; he just called them double reds, so I tried to find inks that would approximate this color.  After inserting them into the watering can, I tried out various colors for a background, and ended up with this mint - always refreshing!  It's a shame this leafy embossing folder has been retired - I find myself reaching for it often.

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

Sunny Thoughts

 Once upon a time, not so long ago, there was a challenge blog named The Play Date Cafe.  One of my favorite recurring challenges there was called "Black and White and a Splash". Here's a card inspired by that challenge.

supplies: white and bright yellow cardstock, Winnie & Walter (retired) Audrey's Cutaways scalloped rectangle, Honey Bee Stamps Daisy Layers Bouquet stamps and matching stencils, yellow inks, a Simon reverse sentiment strip, adhesive foam 

The stamp set includes 2 stamps, the large one which makes the full bouquet, and a smaller one which duplicates most of the flowers in it.  I stamped each of them on white card, then colored in the smaller with the matching stencils and 4 yellow inks.  This sentiment strip continues the black and white theme, but it's nice and skinny so that it doesn't cover up much of the design!

Wishing you a sunny day!

CASEing Donna

 Earlier this year a challenge blog featured a card by my Hero Arts sister Donna Mikasa.  I couldn't play at the time, but pinned her card, and today I have a card that CASEs it.

I loved her idea of mixing a stenciled panel with a similar embossed one, but she went a step further, and carried the embossing onto the stenciled panel.  Here's my version of her design.

supplies: white cardstock, Simon Layered Flowers stencils, distress inks, Spellbinders/Wendy Vecchi Flowers & Foliage 3D embossing folder, sentiment from Hero Arts (retired) Frames & Messages clear set, Doodlebug tiny sprinkles

Donna used an interesting sentiment block, so I went looking through my stash for something, having in mind a vertical sentiment, but found this old Hero Arts one instead. It's dated 2009, but stamped perfectly once again after all these years!  It tickles me to make these treasures new again! 

Donna's cards have inspired me forever - thanks once again, my friend!

A Birthday Card

 Playing today with a set of stencils, some of the first that Pink Fresh made years ago, but now retired.

supplies: white cardstock, wood plank dp, Pink Fresh Studio (retired) Daisy Wreath stencils, Altenew Golden Sunset, Lime, and Fresh Leaf inks, Simon (retired) Big Scripty Greetings sentiment, Doodlebug enamel dots, adhesive foam squares

This is a fun set of layering stencils; sadly, I've only used them a few times in the past.  The finished wreath was fairly easy to cut out, and I just popped it above a wood plank background.

Thanks for visiting me today!

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!

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!

A Postage Collage for Fall!

 I am probably the last person on earth to get these Waffle Flower Postage Collage dies, stamps, and stencils, but I made it at last, with a nice sale over at Waffle Flower a few weeks ago.  And I get it!  These are so unique and fun!  

I started with the main Postage Collage die and added the Coloring Stencil set and the original Postage Collage stamp set (I loved all the references on it to "sending hugs"!)  Could have gone on and on with their seasonal stencils to fill in with, but I thought I'd try to use what I have here before I jump down that rabbit hole!

Here's my first card.  I used all of the above, and pulled out an old favorite MFT stamp set called Harvest Mouse.

supplies: white and Audrey Blue cardstock, Postage Collage Die, Postage Collage Coloring Stencil, tumbled glass distress ink, Postage Collage stamps, My Favorite Things (retired) Harvest Mouse stamps, sentiment from Sunny Studio Autumn Greetings

I cut the Postage Die from white cardstock, then used one of the stencils to mask so that I could brush in a blue background in each cell.  Then I stamped, colored, and cut out the mice and a couple extra pumpkins, and arranged them on the postage panel.  I took a picture, removed the elements, and then stamped the postage stamps and a fall sentiment before gluing everything together and mounting it on an aqua mat.

I will be playing more with these new goodies - stay tuned!  Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Adding this to the Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge.

Little Chickadee

 Here's a stamp I picked up earlier this month, one of the STAMPtember collaborations; this one with Ink on 3.  It sold out almost immediately, so I'm so glad I grabbed this little chubby charmer!  I love my birds, and chickadees are a favorite.  I believe this is the first one that I can stamp (others are dies).

supplies: white and pollen cardstock, Little Chickadee stamp set, black, greys, Chamomile, Firefly, and Grass Field inks, Penny Black (retired) Stitched Stackers die

I started by stamping the bird and branch in the center of my A2 panel, then separately stamped and fussy-cut the flowers and leaves, and embossed one of the sentiments from the set in white on black.  The panel was then trimmed with a stitching die, matted with yellow and added to my white card base.  

I love layered stamping sets, and these were easy to line up.  I think this set will get good use for masculine cards, especially by keeping the flowers to a minimum.

In Memory of Sidnie

 The Simon Says Stamp family got some bad news earlier this month when our Wednesday Teammate Sidnie Des Jardins passed away.  

The Wednesday Challenge is dedicating this week's challenge to her.  Lols kindly asked a few "retired" members of the Wednesday team to participate, too.  Here is my card.

supplies: white and Cotton Candy cardstock, Simon Vintage Garden sentiment, (retired) You Have My Heart floral spray, Sunny Studio Quilted Hearts embossing folder

Sidnie will be missed.  You can see more cards for her at the Simon Wednesday Blog this week.

Thanks for visiting today.

Simon Hurley Birthday Bash

 Simon Hurley recently launched another collection at Spellbinders, and I was intrigued by 2 of the embossing folders in it.  Both of them are 3D. Embossing folders are one of my favorite things to create with, and can be used simply just on white to add some texture, or as the focal image; it's up to you!

This first one is called Plaster, and I thought it would be a great one to have on hand for masculine cards.  So that's the direction I went for my first play with it.

supplies: white and various green cardstock, Plaster 3D embossing folder, (retired) Susan Tierney-Cockburn Ferns and Ivy dies, a Twilight butterfly sticker, sentiment banner from my stash

  I added some ferns cut from different green cardstock, one of the Twilight Butterfly stickers released earlier this year, and a sentiment that was in my sentiment box, all ready to go in the perfect color!

When you get this embossed, it also reminds me of the icing on a cake, so there's an idea for next time!

The next folder is called Flourish.  I made an easy card using some printed Stampendous artwork and a press plate sentiment..

supplies: white and bright yellow cardstock, Flourish embossing folder, fussy-cut sunflower from Stampendous Hope of Spring Quick Card Backgrounds, All Seasons Summer press plate sentiment (coming soon)

Thanks for stopping by - I hope you have a great day!

Woodblock Wednesday

 Here's my entry for this month's Woodblock Wednesday at Amy's blog, heavily inspired by April's winner there, Dawn Turley.  She used one of the stamps in this set and built her card around it.  What I really liked was that she fussy-cut out the inner square around the flower.  I never in a million years would have thought of that idea on my own!  

supplies: white and Audrey Blue cardstock, Hero Arts PEEKING POSIES set from 2006, Tammy Tutterow (retired) sentiment from Maker's Movement Sweet Petite Sentiments, adhesive foam squares

The original idea was to make a grid card, using 3 of these flowers with a sentiment in the 4th quadrant, but because the blocks are not quite square, when I turned them to stamp, the squares did not line up nicely as I'd planned.  I didn't let that deter me, however, and just went with the flow. After cutting out the inner squares, I popped the panel above a slightly larger piece of aqua cardstock, then onto my A2 card base that had been chopped at the bottom to accommodate these sizes.

Thank you so much, Dawn, for this fun idea - I enjoyed making my card, and putting these oldies to use once again!  

Since woodblock stamps are how most of us began stamping, I think it's genius that Amy gives us a forum for bringing back these beauties!    I hope you'll play along, too - you can find more information HERE.

An Anniversary Card

In this month of weddings and anniversaries I wanted to share a card I made for my husband. Earlier this month, we celebrated our 53rd anniversary.  This card is a CASE of one I found on Instagram.

supplies: white, pinks, and greens cardstock, Spellbinders Floral embossing folder, heart die, leaves from Spellbinders Mini Blooms and Sprigs, (retired) Simon heart dies, sentiment from (retired) The Craft's Meow Side by Side

We had a lovely day in Cleveland, taking advantage of the University Circle museums and gardens, with a nice dinner in Little Italy.  

Are you enjoying your summer?  It's been a good one here so far!  Thanks so much for visiting.

Be Fearless

 I haven't had anything new from Pink Fresh Studio in awhile, so after their latest release, I grabbed a new stamp and stencil combo and a set of peach inks.

supplies: white and Peach Sorbet cardstock, Pink Fresh Studio Be Fearless stamps and matching stencils, Chasing Sunset and Forest Glades mini inks, blending brushes, (retired) Paper Smooches Fab Frames die, sentiment from Mama Elephant Paola's Wishes, Peach Blush gems

This peach and sage combination is cooling to me today, as it's humid here.  After stamping and stencilling my flowers, I fussy-cut them out, which is a calming thing for me, too.  Of course, if you're not into that, Pink Fresh always obliges with matching dies!

Here's another design switching up to a cool aqua.

supplies: white and aqua cardstock, Be Fearless stamps and matching stencils, Morning Sky and Lime mini ink cubes, blending brushes, sentiment from (retired) Simon Says Stamp Summer Garden, Spellbinders Floral embossing folder, Capri Blue gems, adhesive foam squares

I used just 2 of the floral sprigs this time, with an extra bunch of leaves at the very bottom.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend - thank you for stopping by!

Woodblock Wednesday

 It's time for this month's Woodblock Wednesday on Amy's blog!

I was inspired by the beautiful dogwood trees blooming this year and used my stamp from 2010, along with a little sentiment that I remember as being part of a set along with a teensy stamp of 3 tulips.

supplies: white cardstock, Hero Arts 2010 Dogwood and 2006 Happy Spring woodblocks, kitsch flamingo and mowed lawn oxide inks, Sticko pink glitzy stickers, adhesive foam squares

I stamped the dogwood twice, once in mowed lawn and once in kitsch flamingo, then cut out the flowers and secured them back down over the green leaves only in their centers, pulling forward the petals when I could, and using a foam square to lift one of the flowers above everything else.  Then I added some glitzy stickers to their centers.

Be sure to visit Amy's blog to see all the other entries for this monthly challenge - it's always a fun walk down memory lane!

Spellbinders February Club Kits: Stitching and Glimmer kits

 Hello!  Today I have the last of my samples using this month's Spellbinders Club Kits.  First up is the Stitching kit: Stitched Floral Focal Card Front.  I chose pastel colors for this one.

supplies: white, Mint, Cotton Candy, and Pollen cardstock, Stitched Floral dies, dark pink, dark mint, and bright yellow embroidery floss, 3 strands, All You Need Sentiment glimmer plate and die, Magenta glimmer foil

The Glimmer Kit is called Daffodil Spray.  I received a new glimmer foil (to me) called Champagne.

supplies: white and pale aqua cardstock, Daffodil Spray hot foil plate, Champagne glimmer foil, markers to color, All You Need Sentiment glimmer plate, Black glimmer foil, adhesive foam strips

Isn't this image lovely?  It captures this flower beautifully, and it's a sure sign of spring and a great plate to include in this month's release!

You can look HERE for information on Spellbinders Clubs.  Each is available 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 and save 60% by choosing the Deluxe Caboodle!