Butterfly Time.and Some Wildflower Shares!

I wanted to make another card with this old favorite Hero Arts woodblock stamp called Heart Winged Butterfly, ca 2009.  I made this design a few times before, and I like the butterfly stamped over a small ditzy floral pattern.   Today's card is in honor of those pretty blue swallowtail butterfles.

supplies: unknown blue print design paper, Lawn Fawn  Spring Fling dotty yellow dp, Hero Arts Heart Winged Butterfly woodblock, Spellbinders Postage Edge die, sentiment from Waffle Flower Sweet Lattice sentiments, Altenew Lapis Lazuli enamel dots

The butterfly is stamped twice, fussy-cut, then stacked, securing them only along the body, which allows the wings to be bent upward.  Then I use the same floral print as my card edging.

My husband and I have been trying to walk everyday at a county park very close to us that used to be a 36 hole golf course.  When the owners retired, their kids decided to donate most of it to the park systems here, and over the years, the parks have sprinkled wild flowers everywhere.  Not a day goes by that we don't discover something new.  I take my phone with me, and if I don't know what the plant is, there's an identifier on the phone that usually does a pretty good job of telling me what it is.

Here are some flowers we've seen so far this year.

Dame's Rocket

This is a little lupine!  I was thrilled to find patches of these; I didn't know we had these in Ohio!  They're about 6 to 8 inches tall.

Spiderwort

A tree swallow.  These birdhouses have been placed all over the property and, though we've seen a few bluebirds, this is what we see most often.  Look at that gorgeous irridescent blue!

According to my identifier, these are foxglove beardtongue.  There are great swaths of these in several areas.  

Just in the last few weeks, coneflower, butterfly weed and milkweed have been opening.

The bees were all over these today and they smell wonderful!  AND we've seen several deer now and again.  No fawns yet, though. 

Right now the park has 3 trails, some using the old cart paths from the golf course in places, augmented with mown grass paths and gravel ones, and sprinkled with woods, all going up hill and down dale!  We are SO lucky to have this!  You'll be seeing more pics going forward.

Yay for Doodlebug!

Hi Crafters!  Today's card couldn't be easier.  I've long been a huge fan of Doodlebug goodies, in particular their patterned papers and lately their doodle pops.  This one combines them.

supplies: white cardstock, Doodlebug Designs My Happy Place 6" paper pad, Fall Bunch doodle pop, a Simon Says Stamp reverse sentiment strip, adhesive foam to lift central panel

I've used this sketch before; it's a great way to mix several of the patterned papers in these collection pads.  They usually contain a page or 2 of small stripes which you can cut apart and use to separate the larger panels.  The Doodle Pops are 3 or 4 layers deep and make an easy focal point, and then I just pull papers that work with the colors in the Pop.

It's May!  We took a trip to our Amish Country yesterday to visit several greenhouses, and got just about all we need for our plantings for this summer: tomatoes, herbs, some Gerberas and zinnias!  Can't plant them yet until our frost date has passed, but that time will be here before we know it.  

Amazingly, the prompt for this week's Wednesday challenge at Simon Says Stamp is Make It Colorful, and they're using Doodlebug, too, so of course I need to enter this over there!

What are you up to these days?

September Hero Studio: Fall in the Forest

 The Hero Arts Studio kits  for September have been released; I'm so excited for this month's theme of Fall in the Forest!!  Working on these cards made me feel cooler already!

The Layering Stencils, called Fairyland Forest, called my name first.

supplies: white and brown cardstock, Fairyland Forest stencils, distress inks, sentiment from Studio Card Kit Fall in the Forest, Hemstitch Oval die, wonky rectangle die, adhesive foam squares

There are 4 pieces in the stencil set, 3 for the various trees, and the final one for the tree trunks.  I used 10 different colors of distress inks.  The sentiment from the Studio Card Kit is perfect, so I lifted it above the front and added a bit of interest with the hemstitch oval die, which simply cuts out an oval shape to let the backing show through. 

Next up are the Fancy Dies, Cozy Critters.

supplies: brown, tan, cream, and pink cardstock, brass foiled cardstock, 2 patterned papers, Cozy Critters Fancy dies, adhesive foam

Isn't this set darling?  It also includes a large fox that can be made a couple of ways, and a little duck!  I went searching in my scraps for a quilt-like patterned paper, then used the quilt die to cut it out and add some subtle stitched details.  I used a tiny green check for my pillow, and a brass foil cardstock for my headboard.  I popped up the noses of the critters for some dimension, and my sentiment is an old retired one from The Craft's Meow.

Finally, here are my cards using this month's Card Kit: Fall in the Forest.  This month we get a stamp set with dies to match everything but the sentiments, and a separate die set that makes a large tree!

supplies: cream, green, grey cardstock, brown and tan woodgrain pattern papers, Fall in the Forest stamps and matching dies

There's a separate oval die to cut out the hole in the tree for Mr. Squirrel to store his acorns; also a heart and 2 sentiment dies in that set.  The stamp set has 5 different squirrels, 4 pumpkins, lots of different leaves, a rake, a tree stump, and 4 sentiments; everything you'll need t make your own little scene!

My last card features most of the pumpkins, more leaves, and a sentiment from the stamp set, and lots of patterned papers.

supplies: patterned papers, Fall in the Forest stamps, Sunset Hero Hues enamel dots. twine bow

Over the years I've collected lots of 6" square paper pads, and these patterns are from them.  I particularly love the text background which has a fall theme, too.  Since there is some twine and a packet of enamel dots in the kit, I added them to the mix also.

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!

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!

A Card for Easter

 My friend Mary Anne sent us a beautiful card for Easter, and I couldn't wait to try and make one, too!  Here's my first attempt, using papers from my stash.  I think the floral one is Webster's Pages......

supplies: white cardstock, 3 patterned papers, sentiment from Simon Says Stamp Tiny Words Faith

This kind of fancy fold card is not my usual, but I did enjoy trying to duplicate Mary Anne's card.  I used 3 different patterned papers.  The finished card measures 3" X 5 1/2", so it looks kind of like a slim-line, except that when it folds down for mailing, you'll still need an A2 envelope.  Here's 1 more picture, to show you the 3rd pattern paper, just a blue dot.

I'm so glad I have this tiny sentiment stamp from Simon Says Stamp - there were several options I could have used.  

If you search "pop-up cross cards", you'll find lots of examples and I'm sure some directions for how to make a card similar to this.  I saw some lovely ideas when I searched!

The Simon Wednesday Challenge is asking for cards using patterned paper, so I'll be entering this card there. 

Happy Easter!

Postage Collage and Design Papers

 Since last I played with my Postage Collage goodies, I've added another die to the group, the Postage Collage Blocks die.  I wanted this one so that I could use it with design papers, to cut out blocks the size of the openings in the regular Postage Collage die.  Here are 3 cards I made as soon as it arrived, and scroll down to see a bonus 4th card made a few days later.

supplies: Postage Collage die, Postage Collage Blocks die, Postage Collage stamps, all from Waffle flower, various design papers

Here are the individual photos; you will notice that I didn't glue down 2 sentiments that you see above; I've decided to wait until I need these cards, and then add something appropriate.

First up, I cut out the right side of a rainbow wreath from a Paper Rose Rainbow Twirl 6" pad.  One of the blocks was almost completely without detail (the middle of the wreath), so I added a butterfly.

supplies: white and aqua cardstock, Paper Rose Rainbow Twirl 6" pad,  Postage Collage die, Postage Collage Blocks die, Postage Collage stamps, and a postmark stamp from (retired)  Hero Arts Sending Love Mail, butterfly die from my supplies

My second card started with a fall scene from a Spellbinders Woodland Tales pad.  

supplies: white, gold, and a design paper from Spellbinders Woodland Tales 6" pad, Postage Collage die, Postage Collage Blocks die, Postage Collage stamps, a woodblock postmark stamp dated 1997 from All Night Media

And finally, I chose a large floral print for my third card.

supplies: pink and cream cardstock, design paper from Carta Bella Botanical Garden 6" pad, Postage Collage die, Postage Collage Blocks die, Postage Collage stamps, xoxo from Hero Arts Sending Love Mail stamps

In all of these cards, I used the Blocks die to cut out rectangles that then are glued inside the Collage die panel.  Then I did some overstamping before adding to my card front.

Here's 1 more example.  I think this floral panel was something digital that I had printed out years ago, then never used.  Here it is on the Postage Collage die.

Then I cut it apart and made this card.

supplies: green and white cardstock, a digital floral print, Postage Collage die, Postage Collage Blocks die, Postage Collage stamps, (retired) woodblock Hero Arts December Mark, sentiment from (retired) Hero Arts Sunshine Daisies, white embossing powder

I have a huge group of 6" paper pads and I hope that this will help me to use them up more quickly!

Thanks, as always, for stopping by!

Woodblock Wednesday and Love Those Pretty Papers

 I made this card with 2 challenges in mind: Woodblock Wednesday, which opens today, and Love Those Pretty Papers, which closes tomorrow!

This month's woodblock stamp is from PSX, dated 2002, but it only has a number, no name on it.  

supplies: white card base, aqua cardstock, various fall printed papers, PSX woodblock stamp G-3322,  markers to color, sentiment from Spellbinders All Seasons Sentiments press plate/die set, adhesive foam strips to lift sentiment

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

And I'm also entering this into this month's Love Those Pretty Papers Challenge

Spellbinders Storytelling Release!

 Here comes another new release from Spellbinders!  This large collection launched earlier this month, and I'll have a few cards to share with you in the next few days.

supplies: various patterned Christmas paper strips, Christmas & December dies, Christmas Sentiments betterpress plate/die set, red glimmer foil

I believe these new word dies, much like the previous Four Seasons sets, are made to be used in scrapbooking, but they will work on A2 cards, too, if you make them landscape cards.  So after choosing my sentiment, I pulled out an ANCIENT 6" pad of papers and cut them into various sizes of strips, then just glued those onto my card base.  I added the new goodies, and I was finished!  This is a card that can easily be reproduced, just mixing up your patterns and colors, and it's a wonderful way to use up every bit of your patterned papers!  It's really fun to find patterns that work together, and to me it feels a bit like making a quilt.

Thank you so much for stopping by today.

Four Seasons Winter

 Spellbinders has released an exclusive collection called All Seasons.  It consists of a set of dies and shadow dies of the names of the four seasons, plus 4 press plates sets with smaller sentiments for each season.  Today I'm using the Winter ones.

supplies: white, aqua, and silver glitter cardstock, various strips of aqua/snowflake patterned papers, Four Seasons dies, All Seasons Winter betterpress plate and die set, teal glimmer hot foil, various small snowflake dies

I cut my paper scraps into strips, and then used them to cover an A2 panel, leaving a tiny border between the strips.  Then I simply foiled the press plate sentiment, cut out the large word dies and some snowflakes, and put everything together. 

I'll share some of the other seasons with you soon!  Thanks for stopping by!

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!

Love Those Pretty Papers!

 I happened upon a new challenge just starting this month, and loved the premise: to use those patterned papers we've all been hoarding!  I am guilty as charged, so I couldn't wait to have a play.

supplies: cream, pink, and black cardstock, Webster's Pages rose paper, pink and green patterns from my collection, Simon Says Stamp sentiment from Beautiful Butterflies and Stitching Butterfly die, Altenew Creative Edges Lace die, Spellbinders label die

Awhile back, I gathered my many 6" square paper pads of printed papers and went through them, picking out the prettiest papers, then sorted them by florals, ginghams, stripes, etc.  The florals is where I found the gorgeous Webster's Paper rose print and the tone-on-tone pink one, and then went looking for a green print that would work with them.  

We're supposed to make the papers the star of the show for this challenge, so I just chose a small sentiment and a butterfly to complete my design.

It feels good to use this lovely paper!  I hope you'll join this challenge, too - it's called Love Those Pretty Papers.

Share Joy Challenge #50

I have a card today that I'd like to enter into the Taylored Expressions Share Joy challenge.  I used the sketch along with some fall colors, pulling them from the floral paper:

supplies: ivory cardstock, dps in autumn tones, Taylored Expressions Bloomers 3 (flowers), Bloom Where You're Planted (leaves) and grateful dies, TE felts in butter, carrot, and tiffany, and PTI Hawaiian Shores, Simon Stitched Rectangle and Circle dies, sequins to match

I love these kinds of sketches, because it means I can use some of my collection of design papers!

Here's our inspiration - you can use either the sketch or the photo inspiration, or both.