Sweet Shades of Aqua

Hello friends!  Well, we finally made it to Friday.  It's April 3, 2020, and it was a long week.  Busy too.  I am still working full time, praise God, and we had some celebrating going on here at home this week too.  It was my husband's birthday, and we ordered takeout from the Silver Diner.  My youngest daughter and I baked him a fudgy chocolate cake, and we will have that finished tonight (baked last night, and we're about to put the frosting on).  She found the recipe here. It's easy and has a little bit of instant coffee and cocoa powder in the batter, to give it a darker chocolate flavor.  The frosting is a chocolate ganache, made with just two ingredients:  heavy cream and chocolate chips.

Another celebration of sorts is for our town's high school seniors, of which my daughter is one.  We were asked to decorate our front door in honor of our son/daughter, and take a photo.  The pictures will be included in their yearbook.  These poor kids.  It's been an anticlimactic second half of her senior year.  The Disney World class trip was cancelled and will not be rescheduled. Not sure if there will be prom.  And who knows if they'll get to graduate together in June?  Anyway, I included a picture of our front door at the end of this post.

On to some cards:

Papertrey Ink Inside and Out: Birthday II sentiment stamp; Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch; clear gems; Inspired By Stamping Graceful Hydrangea floral branch stamp; Sizzix Sweet & Donut Phrases sentiment dies; gold embossed cardstock from store-bought card; oval die cut

Stampin' Up! Beautiful Friendship sentiment stamp, punched leaves, aqua rhinestone brad; L'il Inker Designs Stitched Rectangles die; Spellbinders Blossoms dies; fabric

The card below was for my senior's birthday.  She went to France last year with her French class from school, so I included the Eiffel Tower.  And we have a black cat named Cristabel, so there she is, looking up at the Tower.

Hero Arts Eiffel Tower die; Impression Obsession Cat Set die; clear sequins; rhinestones; Inspired By Stamping Paris fleur de lis, 'paris' sentiment stamps; L'il Inker Designs Stitched Rectangles die

Lawn Fawn Little Bundle stamps and matching dies (birds, clothing, clothespins); Glitz Designs Fancy Frames frame stamp; Papertrey Ink Monthly Moments: Journal Card 2 die scalloped rectangle, Daily Designs Sentiments sentiment stamp; Stampin' Up! oval punch

Here's the celebration door for our girl:

I did lots of papercrafting, as you can see!  I hand cut the word, 'Hawks' and '2020' from red cardstock.  My older daughter cut out the boat (because our senior, Kerry, was a rower on the high school team).  I cut two oars out of paper, but they look like kitchen rubber scrapers.  Ha!  And below you can get a better glimpse of the Eiffel Tower (Hero Arts die) garland I made out of two different shades of pink cardstock and some red and white twine.

I also cleaned out my whole china cabinet and washed every dish and glass and bowl and tray, then polished up the shelves themselves, and put everything away.  Whew!  What an undertaking.  But now it's done for a while.

Hope you are healthy and enjoying your families in our quarantined situations.  😀
Thanks for your visit today, and God bless you!

Autumn, framed

Hello everyone!

Had some fun with Distress Ink Sprays by Ranger not too long ago, and this is one of the resulting cards.  I LOVE how this turned out! I started with an ivory card base, and hit it with bursts of color. While it dried, I stamped a Fancy Frame from Glitz Design, and trimmed it out. The subtle patterned paper behind the frame was from some saved packaging. Those Tattered Leaves (Tim Holtz) are made of coffee filters, which also had been sprayed with Distress Inks. I made a bunch of leaves earlier this summer with coffee filters and have them on hand to use as needed. 

The Verve sentiment says it all, though I have taken to giving thanks every day of the year, not just on the Thanksgiving holiday. Life is much better with an attitude of gratitude! 

I added a small piece of gorgeous gold braided trim, snugged up underneath the sentiment panel. A scattering of sequins from Pretty Pink Posh dressed everything up.

Our computer is having fits again.  It's slow, sometimes it just shuts off while we're in the middle of using it - with no warning. Very frustrating.  We've got to make due with it for now, too many expenses hitting. 

Thanks for coming by!

Stamps: Fancy Frames - Glitz Design; sentiment - Happy Fall - Verve Paper: white, Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink; coffee filters; pattern - packaging Ink: Early Espresso - Stampin' Up!; Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko Fibers: gold trim; cream twine - American Crafts Accessories & Tools: Distress Ink Sprays - Ranger; Bronze, gold, Espresso sequins - Pretty Pink Posh; Tattered Leaves die - Tim Holtz / Sizzix

Let's Hang Out

Hey, let's hang out!

Thanks for giving me a bit of your time today. :-) I'm sharing a card I made for a Paper Crafts Magazine publication call eons ago, but it didn't make the cut. I believe the category was 'framed,' or something of the sort.

I stamped three different frames from Glitz Designs' Fancy Frames set, and cut out the centers. Then I used an atlas transparency that I bought at a Tuesday Morning in Nags Head, North Carolina a while back. I lined the back of it with white cardstock, so it's more visible. On top of those two layers, I added clear acetate. And finally, I sandwiched all those layers together -- frame, acetate, atlas, and white cardstock -- and mounted the frames on foam dimensional stickers (3M). 

The 'picture hangers' are made with bits of black twine and bronze brads. The sentiment from The Craft's Meow goes really well, I think.

This card is larger than the typical A2 (4.25" x 5.5") size, to accommodate the three picture frames. I actually found an envelope in my stash that fits it, as it's an odd size. Yay, it can be mailed!

Stamps: Fancy Frames - Glitz Designs; sentiment - Sending You Sunshine - The Craft's Meow Paper: kraft - Papertrey Ink; Whisper White - Stampin' Up!; atlas transparency - Tim Holtz?; clear acetate - repurposed from packaging Ink: Walnut Stain - Ranger; Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko Fibers: black twine Accessories & Tools: bronze brads - SU; corner rounder punch - Fiskars

Masculine Postcard Collage

Okay, one more reminder card for Seize The Sketch #21!  This sketch was SO versatile, I found myself using it without even realizing it!  After I made this card, I thought, "Hey, this looks familiar...." and so a Reminder Card was born.  =)

I turned the sketch, as you can see.

I made a collage using a bunch of different stamps (listed in the supply section at the end of this post), and I intended for this to look masculine.  Did I succeed?  I'm not so sure.

Here's a cereal-box-chipboard star...I've got a whole bunch of those, just made up and stored in a zippered plastic bag.

The piece de resistance is this sweet Susan Winget die cut bird and nest from K & Co.  I love her work.

There's still a little bit of time left to play with this sketch at STS!  Click HERE to link up.

Thanks for your visit today!

Stamps: 'postcard' - Christmas Postcard - Flourishes; bird cage, 'no. 147', bee - Nature Walk - Stampin' Up!; corner, rust colored postage - Vintage Traveler - Our Craft Lounge; kraft colored post mark - Vintage Blue - Glitz Design; 25 cents - Garden Seed Packets - Inspired By Stamping Paper: Creamy Caramel, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip - SU; Old World stack - DCWV; cereal box chipboard Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake - SU; Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko; Tea Dye, Walnut Stain - Ranger Fibers: chocolate brown grosgrain ribbon Accessories & Tools: corner rounder punch, star punch - Fiskars; bird/nest die cut strip (trimmed) - Susan Winget's Botanicals - K & Co.; Crystal fine glitter - Martha Stewart

Bird of Thanks

Ever start a card, then place it aside because you don't know what you are going to do with it?  That's exactly what happened here.  I used a new-to-me embossing folder by Sizzix, Ornate Frame #2, on a pink card base and then thought, "Now what?"

After looking at it over and over, I decided to fill the empty void areas with some fancy stamping, all in one color:  kraft.

There's a mix of stamps here...Verve, Glitz Design, My Favorite Things.  I used flower stickers and bird and egg die cuts from K & Co., and photo corner stickers from Die Cuts With A View.

Once I got on a roll, it all came together rather easily.  Phew!

Stamps: Thankful Leaves - My Favorite Things; Fairy Tales - Verve; Vintage Blue - Glitz Designs Paper: Pink Pirhouette - SU Ink: Crumb Cake - SU Accessories & Tools: bird & egg die cuts, flower stickers - K & Co.; photo corner stickers - DCWV; Ornate Frame #2 embossing folder - Sizzix

Beautiful Violette

Hello everyone!  A vintage, shabby chic vibe was in me on the day I created this card.  It also gave me a chance to ink up a new-to-me (and now discontinued) Pink Paislee set, London Market.

A sweet, lacy design from Vintage Blue (Glitz Designs) was stamped along the bottom of the striped patterned paper (My Mind's Eye).  The apothecary jar and label are from Graphic 45's Olde Curiosity set.

I stamped various images from London Market:  a crown and a flourished label.  On a white scrap, a banner and the word 'beautiful' from the same set were stamped, trimmed, then added to the card base.

Life is still running full-steam ahead here in various ways, and I'm trying desperately to keep up with it.  My mom told me that Dr. Oz did a segment on an herbal remedy called Passionflower that helps with anxiety.  I bought the tincture form at my grocery store recently, and am going to give it a try.  ;)  I'll let you know if it is worthwhile.

Thanks for dropping in today!



Stamps: London Market Vintage Impressions - Pink Paislee; Olde Curiosity - Graphic 45; Vintage Blue - Glitz Designs Paper: Lost & Found - My Mind's Eye; white - PTI Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko; Crumb Cake - SU Fibers: white seam binding - Hug Snug; vintage cotton thread Accessories & Tools: pearls - Queen & Co., button from stash; doily - Wilton; Copic markers

Love Sweet Love Engagement

My sister-in-law got engaged not too long ago, and I made a special card to express our excitement for the happy couple.

These Vintage Blue stamps are by Glitz Designs, and I was so excited when I found them at Hobby Lobby a year ago.   Love the shabby chic, vintage vibe of them.

My SIL is very much into fleur-de-lis images, so I made sure to include a couple of those on here.

Thanks for popping in today!

Stamps: Vintage Blue - Glitz Design; Paper: Crumb Cake, Bordering Blue, Very Vanilla, pattern - SU Ink: Crumb Cake, Bordering Blue - SU; Antique Linen - Ranger Fibers: white seam binding - Hug Snug; twill - SU Accessories & Tools: doily - Wilton; pearls - Recollections; corner round punch - Fiskars; White Opal Liquid Pearls - Ranger; Floral Oval die - Spellbinders 

Silhouette Sympathy

Ah, summer is almost over.  The kids go back to school next week, and it is definitely time.  They are often bored, and argue with each other.  That's when a parent knows it is time.  :D

Got a chance to play with two sets that needed some inking:  With Sympathy by Hero Arts, and Vintage Blue by Glitz Design.
I love the Victorian detailing of this border stamp.  It reminds me of Anna Griffin stamps, which I do adore.

Our visit with my mom last week was wonderful.  She took the best care of me, as only a mother can do.  We kept a busy pace each day, and now I am completely exhausted.  It was more activity than I've seen in the last two months since surgery.  Since I am still on crutches and a boot, Mom waited on me quite a bit.  I relished every moment. (insert happy smile here)

Stamps: With Sympathy - Hero Arts; Vintage Blue - Glitz Designs Paper: Crumb Cake, Basic Black - SU; kraft - PTI Ink: Crumb Cake - SU Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko Fibers: twine - SU Accessories & Tools - Corner rounder punch, 1/16" circle punch - Fiskars

Inspired by a Pottery Barn PIllow...again

I'd better make this a quick post.  I have spent waaaaay too much time on the computer today. 

The most recent copy of Pottery Barn's catalog hit my mailbox the other day, and I saw this monogrammed pillow in it:

I thought right away of my clear Anna Griffin stamps.  I used an initial from her collection, and a frame from GlitzDesign's Fancy Frames and came up with this:

I love, love, love the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder from SU, so that became the backdrop.  A few pearls were added to the main image, but otherwise, it's pretty simple and clean.

Thanks for joining me! 

Colleen

Stamps:  Fancy Frames from GlitzDesigns, initial from Anna Griffin
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Basic Black
Ink:  Basic Black
Other:  Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, pearls from Queen & Co., dimensionals

Framed Spider

Welcome to my Halloween card using non-traditional colors.  Stampin' B challenged us to make a Halloween card with no orange or black.  Do you know how many times I wanted to reach for black?  Orange, I can skip, but black - hard to resist!  I picked shades of brown and green instead.  That spider is brown (even though my 12 YO thought it was black).   It was created with my old Martha Stewart punch, which rarely sees craft time.

This is the sketch I followed from Midnight Madness:

See the spider's glowing red eyes?  Well, I did not have the right size of red rhinestones, so I used clear and touched them with the tip of a red Sharpie marker.  I did not achieve quite the "ruby" look I was going for, but it worked in a pinch.  Stampin' Up!'s marker was my first choice, but it did not dry on the rhinestone and therefore smeared.  Thank goodness for Sharpies.

My, what Sharpie eyes you have!

The spider web is from an Inkadinkado set called All Hallow's Eve.  I stamped it four times around to create the large web you see here.  The frame is from the GlitzDesign set called Fancy Frames. 

I distressed and inked the edges of my sentiment, in accordance with the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge.  And I used bling on the sentiment, spider eyes and upper right corner for the Pals Paper Arts "bling" challenge.  Edited to add:  I am also entering over at Off The Wall Craftiness, where the inspiration colors are these:

You know, this sentiment was a bit of an afterthought.  I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do down at the bottom, but once I used the wrong glue to secure my ribbon and it left a stain -- BINGO! -- I knew I needed a looooong sentiment panel!  A happy mistake.

After sponging on Frayed Burlap and Peeled Paint Distress inks by Tim Holtz, I used a dull scissor blade to help distress the edges.  Then I inked them once more with Frayed Burlap.

Thanks for joining me again today.  Time to go help my daughter with her homework!

Happy Stamping,

Colleen

Stamps:  Fancy Frames by GlitzDesign, All Hallow's Eve by Inkadinkado

Paper:  kraft, So Saffron, Very Vanilla, brown leaf retired SU dp, green layer from Die-Cut Mat Pad "Wild Raspberry" by K & Company

Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Frayed Burlap and Peeled Paint Distress Inks by Tim Holtz

Other:  green rhinestones, clear rhinestones, brown pearls by Queen & Co.; red Sharpie marker; dimensionals; green ribbon from gift bag; sponge

What style IS this??

This is a very different kind of card for me.  I'm not even sure what the style is called:  vintage?  collage?  Help me out!

It began with a desire to use a stamp from my never-used set called Fancy Frames by Glitz Design.  My mom bought this set for me when she visited from Texas in July.  She's been asking for a card using one of those frames.  I don't think this is quite what she imagined I'd do with it!  (I'll try another one soon, Mom)

And then I wanted to play in City Crafter's Challenge #27 - Rome, with a vintage feel.  I wanted to try out a Roman-style stamp I bought at a yard sale a few years ago.  It is by The Stampsmith, and it is called Mary.  I really like it.  It has an Old World feel to it, which I thought went well with the frame.

I am not sure I'm liking these colors for this card, but I wanted to enter at Color Throwdown which has us working with this palette:

This sketch from Paper Players worked well with this large frame, too:

I know this card is so different from many of the things I usually make.  My blog gives me a wonderful chance to express all the artistic urges I have.  It gives me a way to expand my creativity and see what I can do.  I've enjoyed my crafting time this morning.  What therapy card-making is!  I'm so glad I chose this hobby.

Have a wonderful day,

Colleen

Stamps:  Mary by The Stampsmith, French Script by SU, Artistic Etchings by SU, Fancy Frames by GlitzDesign
Paper:  So Saffron, Dusty Durango, Perfect Plum, Whisper White
Ink:  Basic Gray, Basic Black, Perfect Plum
Other:  Dusty Durango marker, dimensionals