John 11:25

Hi Friends! I almost let Easter pass by without making a single Easter card! I still have cards left from last year, so it wasn't absolutely necessary, but I did manage to get one made just in time.

The color palette for this card came from the Play Date Cafe Challenge #175. I stamped the Flourishes image in gray ink, then colored with Copics, using Distress Ink to sponge inside the die. I used the out-of-the-box technique so I wouldn't have to cut any of the image off. Because I made the card base 5" square, I didn't have a circle die large enough to fit behind the image die cut, so layered two purple, oval die cuts, and cut the yellow die cut into four parts so I could spread them out.

I followed the sketch fairly closely, adding a sentiment panel, and I used pearls in one corner instead of photo corners. For the sentiment panel, I sponged Milled Lavender Distress Ink inside the die cut, stamped the Bible verse in dark purple, then edged the die cut with a gold calligraphy pen.

I cut decorative corners on the two layers inside the card. For the yellow layer, I sponged Scattered Straw Distress Ink around the edges, then stamped the image from the front of the card on the left, letting it fall off the side of the card, and I also stamped the single Easter Lily in the lower right corner.

And, that'll do it for me today. Thanks for stopping by, and have a Happy Easter!

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Seems a Little Sketchy #35 (SALS #35)
Play Date Cafe #175 (PDC175)
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge: Quotable

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: He is Risen (Flourishes)
Ink: Copics; Memento; Distress Ink; Gold Calligraphy Pen
Dies: Exquisite Circles, Classic Squares Sm, Labels 18, Floral Ovals (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Morocco Lace Edge Punch (EK Success); Decorative Tile Set embossing folder (Cuttlebug); ribbon; Deco Corner Chomper; pearls
Size: 5" sq.

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Marvelous Cherries

Hi Friends! I have to leave for an appointment in 15 minutes, so this will be really quick.

I used Sketch Saturday #251 for my card design, and the colors from Color Throwdown #235. The cherries, from the Flourishes Peaches & Cherries stamp set, were colored with Copics, and I sponged Distress Ink inside the die cut. It's lifted slightly with 2 layers of crimped cs. The quote was heat embossed, and to the left of that I used an embossing folder to give that blank space some interest. I scored the banner flag across the top and along both long sides. I zigzagged the two pieces of dp that make up the bg, and also the top of the flag. 

The inside is more simple than I like, but I'm in a hurry, so I'll have to gussy it up later. ;)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Sketch Saturday #251 with Prairie Fairie
Color Throwdown #235 (CTD235)
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #213: Grab Some Thread (FTTC213)
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge: Quotable

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Peaches & Cherries, Life Lines (Flourishes)
Paper: Once Upon a Time (DCWV); Kissing Booth (Basic Grey); Moulin Rouge (Prima)
Ink: Copics; Memento; Distress; Versamark
Dies: Classic Ovals Lg, Std. Circles Lg (Spellbinders); Banner Stacklets 1 (Taylored Expressions Dies)
Accessories: White Embossing Powder (Zing); Paisley Palooza Embossing Folder (Sizzix); Scoreboard (Martha Stewart); sewing thread
Size: 5" sq.

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Something Wonderful

Hi Friends! I hope you had a good week. Got big plans for the Easter weekend? Except for church on Friday night (our church is having multiple Easter services all weekend long to accommodate the large crowds we always get at Easter), we'll be having a quiet one at home this year, so I'm sure I'll have some crafting time in there somewhere. ;)

My card today is a birthday card in beautiful spring colors, based on this week's ColourQ challenge, and the layout is from the MFT Wednesday Stamp Club Sketch.

Isn't that dp beautiful? It's from a new 6x6 pad that I believe is exclusive to Joann's, called Journeys, by Kathy Davis. The entire pad is in blue, green, and purple. I was so glad when I saw the ColourQ color palette this week, so I had a reason to use it. And, with this layout, I was able to cut the dp so that the word "beauty" in the upper right corner wasn't covered up by anything.

The card is simple, with some sewing, a metal embellishment, and Bloomers in the upper corner . On the sentiment die cut, I sponged Memento and Distress Inks inside the die, stamped the sentiment, then, using Distress Ink, I inked up a small flourish stamp, spritzed it with water to try to achieve a watercolor look, then stamped it above and below the sentiment. Not sure if I was successful with that, but I do like how it turned out. ;)

On the inside, I used Lavender Stickles around the circle die cut to add a little more color and pizzazz.

I still need at least two more birthday cards real soon, so you may see me here again tomorrow. In the meantime, thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful day.

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:
My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club Sketch Challenge #117 (MFTWSC117)
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge #213: Grab Some Thread (FTTC213)
ColourQ Challenge #182 (CQC182)-- **ColourQ Courtier Winner**
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge: Quotable

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Pearls of Wisdom (MFT Stamps); In the Word (Taylored Expressions); Signature Greetings II (PTI)
Paper: Journeys (Kathy Davis)
Ink: Distress Ink; Memento
Dies: Circle Border (Simon Says Stamp); Std Circles Lg (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Mystic Embossing Folder (Spellbinders); Bloomers (Webster's Pages); Stickles; metal embellishment; sewing thread
Size: 5" sq.

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Age is Just a Number

Hi Friends! I'm feeling a little sleep deprived right now, so I'm going to make this short and to the point. :)

I needed another masculine birthday card, so I used the Week 2 Viva la Verve March 2013 sketch and the ColourQ #181 color palette. I wouldn't normally think of a bright yellow card as masculine, but with the blues, white, and little black flags, it has a nautical feel to me. And, that can be masculine, right? ;) The card is mostly self-evident, but one thing I will point out is that the dp was originally just blue and white. I added the yellow with a Copic marker to help it tie into the yellow bg cs.

Here's a peek at the inside.

I just realized tonight that I only have 3 birthday cards left in my card stash, and they are all decidedly feminine! So, you'll probably be seeing birthday cards from me for awhile, until I replenish my stock. :)

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve March 2013 Week 2 Sketch Challenge (VLVMar2013)
ColourQ Challenge #181 (CQC181)
Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge: Water (Nautical colors)

Stamps: Signature Greetings, Signature Greetings II (Papertrey Ink); Daily Junque (Pink Paislee)
Paper: Colorbok Pattern Pack
Ink: Distress Ink; Memento; Copic 
Dies: Nested Lacey Pennants (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Zigzag chain border punch (EK Success); Woodgrain embossing folder (Sizzix); Cloud Corner Chomper; Mini Round Gems; Buttons; Enamel Accents; Stickles
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Kitchen Sponge Flower & Altered Journal

Hi Friends! I hope you had a great week! Can you believe it's already spring? It had started getting nice and warm here last week, so I packed up my DD's winter clothes, and suddenly it's cold again! Brrrrr! I'm ready for some heat! :) Pining for warmer weather got me in the mood to create something bright and cheery--spring-like.

I saw today that Tim Holtz was having a Tattered Floral Challenge, and since I actually have that die, I decided to see what I could come up with. I wanted to try something different, so I got out a new kitchen sponge and ran it through my Big Shot with the Tattered Floral die. It came out squished flat, but after I colored it with Distress Inks I spritzed it with water which intensified the ink colors and made the flower/sponge expand. The burlap flowers were originally ivory. They were colored with Dylusions Ink Sprays. The entire flower is held together with a large jeweled brad.

I used the Viva la Verve March 2013 Week 4 Challenge sketch for my layout. The main sentiment is a Verve stamp, and the Artist and Voyage stamps are from Stamper's Anonymous. They are all embossed with brown ep.

I added some flourishes, which I adorned with Stickles, and a couple of clay embellishments, which I first sprayed with glossy paint.

Since Washi tape is translucent, and the spine was originally black, I sprayed the spine with white primer before I started adhering things to the book. After decorating the covers (I covered the back of the book with one of the dp's that I used on the front cover), I used several different Washi tapes to cover the spine.

Here's a look at the back.

That's all there was to it. I love how it turned out--especially my sponge flower. You'll be seeing sponges in another project again soon, I'm sure! ;)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a fantastic weekend!

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Tim Holtz Tattered Floral Challenge
Viva la Verve March 2013 Week 4 Challenge (VLVMar2013)
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Easter/Spring
Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge: Water
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge #212: Bring On Spring (FTTC212)

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Words of Wisdom (Verve); Classics #1 (Stamper's Anonymous); Vintage Traveler, Under Lock & Key (Our Craft Lounge)
Paper: Que Sera Sera (K&Co); Summer Song (My Mind's Eye); Glitter cs (Studio 18)
Ink: Distress Ink; Versamark; Dylusions Ink Spray
Dies: Tattered Florals, Elegant Flourishes (Tim Holtz/Sizzix)
Accessories: Edge punch (Recollections); Zing embossing powder; Corner Chomper; kitchen sponge; brad; Washi tape; rhinestones; sewing thread; Pearl Pen; Stickles; Liquid Pearls; burlap; clay embellishments; spray paint (for clay embellies); composition book

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A Man Card & Some News!

Hi Friends! I do have a card to show you, but first I wanted to share some news...

I'M PUBLISHED!!!

Back in January, I got an email from Papercraft Inspirations, a monthly magazine based in the U.K., saying that they had seen my blog and wanted to put my Blueberry Thanks card in their March issue. I didn't even have to submit anything to them. :) The magazine is finally in stores here (the U.S. version runs a few weeks behind the U.K. version), and my card is on page 89. It was so exciting to open it up and see my card in there!!!
Now, for today's card...

I used the Viva la Verve March 2013 Week 3 sketch for this card because I didn't want to cover up my background paper. My friend, Melinda, one of the Savannah Stampers, created it. Isn't it gorgeous! I don't know exactly how she did it, or what stamp she used, but it's on glossy paper, and I'm pretty sure it was done with alcohol inks. Since the background paper was glossy, I used shimmery cs to mat it, and also for several die cuts, that I'm hoping look at least a little bit like gears. The gear stamps on the circle die are all from a gear stamp set from Prickley Pear. I stapled the burlap to the circle, then added several metal embellishments and a couple of buttons to it.

This card would have worked for any occasion, but I needed a birthday card for a male, so I used a Verve birthday sentiment inside. The "gears" are all cut from the Splendid Circles Spellbinders dies. 
Thanks for stopping by, and for all the wonderful comments! I am seriously behind on commenting, but will get caught up eventually--promise! :)
I'm entering this card in the following challenges: Viva la Verve March 2013 Week 3 (VLVMAR2013) Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #211: Go Green! (FTTC211)
~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Gears Clear Stamps (Prickley Pear); Making a Statement, Graph Paper Plain Jane (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Shimmer Stack (CSWV); County Fair digital (Sara Schmutz for Design House Digital)
Ink: Distress Ink; Alcohol Ink
Dies: Splendid Circles, Standard Circles Lg, Postage Stamps (Spellbinders); Rounded Rectangle Die (Verve)
Accessories: Mini Staples; burlap; metal gear; buttons; brads
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Pear Study

I love all the beautiful work that so many people are able to produce with colored pencils, but I have a hard time with them. So, when I was away for my girls' stamping weekend, I spent time practicing with my Prismacolor pencils. The pear image on this card is one of the images I worked on, and it was perfect for this week's Color Throwdown (CTD233) palette. 

The card design is from a sketch at the Simon Says Stamp Challenge blog. The challenge this week is to choose one of two sketches for your card. I'm a huge fan of tilted panels, so deciding which sketch to use was easy for me. And, since my favorite technique is distressing or any kind, I was more than happy to make this card work for the Simon Says Stamp & Challenge: Chic to be Shabby, too.

I followed the sketch, without any changes, distressing the layers with ink, water, and a Distrezz-It-All. The background layer has a straight stitch around the perimeter and I pulled out the stitches on one corner and along a small part of the left side. The gingham strip has zigzag stitching just on the top and bottom. I matted the vintage advertisement layer and the two pieces are stapled together with mini staples. After all the layers were attached, I added pink Pearl Pen pearls randomly on the background dp, and green ones on the image panel.

I'm leaving the inside blank for a personal message.

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #211: Go Green! (FTTC211)
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Choose a Sketch
Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge: Chic to be Shabby
Color Throwdown 233 (CTD233)

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Classics #1 (Stampers Anonymous)
Paper: Follow Your Heart (My Mind's Eye); Vintage Marketplace (Bazzill Basics) 
Ink: Distress; Memento
Dies: Decorative Labels One, Labels One, Classic Squares Lg (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils; Gamsol; Mini Staples; Pearl Pen; sewing thread
Size: 4.25" sq.

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Wishing You Luck!

Hi Friends!  I'm, yet again, trying to get a card finished for a challenge at the last minute, so this is going to be really short. :)

My color palette on this card comes from the ColourQ Challenge #180, and I used the Sketch Saturday #249 layout. (As a bonus, Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #211 this week is Go Green!) I added some rhinestones, twine and a couple of extra scallops, but other than that, I stuck to the sketch. Using the chalkboard technique, I heat embossed the sentiment in white (it's a combination of three different stamps from the dollar bin), stamped over that with white ink, and finally, used a white and a lime green colored pencil for accents. For the bricked embossed layer, I inked the embossing folder with white ink before embossing. 

On the inside I simply layered several die cuts, stamped the sentiment and was done. I may go back and color in the pot of gold later.

I don't send out St. Patty's Day cards, and I know this would immediately be thought of as one, but since I haven't referenced the holiday anywhere on it, I think it would work for any kind of "good luck" occasion.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your weekend!

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Sketch Saturday #249

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #211: Go Green! (FTTC211)

ColourQ Challenge #180 (CQC180)

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Studio G
Ink: Distress; Colorbox; Versamark; Memento
Dies: A2 Matting Basics, Labels 21, Labels 4 (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Diamond Lace Edge Punch (EK Success); Bricked embossing folder (Sizzix); white embossing powder; Prismacolor pencils; rhinestones; twine (The Twinery); ribbon
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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What's the Buzz?

Hi Friends! How's your week going? I'm still coming down from my all-girl-weekend-high with the Savannah Stampers. Several of us got together for the entire weekend to stamp and just generally have a fun time! And, we weren't disappointed--it was amazing! I used to think stamping with others was overrated. Not anymore. :)

Now, on to my card...

It's time for release week at Flourishes, and to kick things off, they are having a color challenge: two shades of blue with a splash of yellow. You can see the beautiful inspiration photo here. For this card, using Copics, I colored a stamp from the Bee My Honey stamp set, cut it with a circle die, popped it up onto an Ironwork Accents die, and matted it with a layer of burlap, cut with a larger circle die. To keep the edges from fraying, I put a bead of Tombow glue around the edge of the burlap circle, on the back side. It never did dry completely, remaining tacky, but since I was gluing it to the card anyway, that didn't matter.

Here's a closer look at the image and the layers behind it. The embellie on the bow was originally clear. I colored it with a Copic marker.

On the inside, I stamped a sentiment, a few bees, and on the main personalization layer, I stamped a honeycomb background. 

This card is pretty self-explanatory, but if you have any questions about it, just leave me a comment or an email message and I'll get back to you.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of your week!

I'll be entering this in the following challenge:

Flourishes Colorful Creations Color Challenge: FLLCMar13

Hugs,

 

Stamps: Bee My Honey, Honeycomb (Flourishes)
Paper: Sweet Nectar (K&Co); The Basics (The Paper Studio) 
Ink: Copics; Memento; Distress
Dies: Ironwork Accents, Hexagons, Std Circles Lg (Spellbinders); Banner Stacklets 1 (Taylored Expressions)
Accessories: Honeycomb embossing folder (Sizzix); rhinestones; burlap; ribbon; Stickles; foam dots; sewing thread
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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When Friends Meet

Hi Friends! I hope you had a good day today. I spent most of mine in the craft room, which is always good! Wanna see what I made?

I used the Mojo Monday 283 sketch for the layout, and the ColourQ Challenge 179 for my color palette. I sewed around the edges of the bg dp and the horizontal layer, stapled the postage stamp to a piece of yellow cs, and layered the sentiment die cut over a circle of kraft cs. The stamp and the sentiment are both "popped up" with crimped cs. The brown splatter on the coral dp is a spritz of brown Dylusions Ink Spray, and I made my own spray with Tea Dye Distress Ink and water to spritz on the sentiment die cut. Stickles are dotted around the edge of the sentiment circle.

Here's a better look at the stamp. The thin black lines on the yellow cs were made with a Micron pen and the postage stamp edges were made with a punch.

The banner dp here is the back side of the bg dp on the front of the card. The sentiment on the inside and outside of the card is actually one stamp. I just inked up the first of it for the front of the card, and the last part for the inside. I colored the heart with Copics, and you can't tell in the photo, but I also added Glossy Accents to it. More Dylusions Ink Spray is on the bottom of the coral paper on the inside of the card, but I also used a spatter stamp for more distinct looking spots.

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Mojo Monday 283 Sketch Challenge (MOJO283)

ColourQ Challenge #179 (CQC179)

Thanks for stopping by!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: When Friends Meet (Quietfire); Spatter (Impression Obsession)
Paper: Bramble Rose (My Mind's Eye); kraft cs
Ink: Distress Ink; Memento; Dylusions Ink Spray; Micron pen
Dies: Splendid Circles, Std Circles Lg, Jewel Flowers & Flourishes (Spellbinders); Banner Stacklets 1 (Taylored Expressions)
Accessories: Postage Stamp Edge Punch (EK Success); postage stamp embellishment (Recollections); mini staples; Glossy Accents; Stickles; Flowers; rhinestones; Sewing Thread
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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