Bucket of Lavender

Yesterday was hydrangeas in December; today is lavender in December!  Why not, right?  I've got a backlog of cards to share.

This is a Power Poppy bucket of lavender, colored with Tombow markers.

Power Poppy Lavender; Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch; Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty Accents flower punch; pearls

Short and sweet today.

Wishing you a beautiful day! 💜

A Trio of Cards, No Common Theme!

Hi again! 👋 I've got three cards to share in this post.  There's absolutely no common theme, except that they were made by me (ha), and you know I generally like to cluster my cards together in a theme, if at all possible.  Not possible here!  LOL

The first card I made for my in-laws' anniversary either last year or the year before...I think last year?  They are REALLY GOOD COOKS (and my mother in law is an amazing baker, too).  So, this seemed like an unconventional but whimsical anniversary card for them.

Close To My Heart Tasty Treats sentiment; Memory Box Classic Tags die; Jolee's Boutique stickers; Stampin' Up! Hardwood background stamp; crochet lace

The next card I sent to my youngest daughter while she was still away at school.  She has taken an interest in growing plants - among them, succulents - and when I received one of my fun Stampin' Up! scrap bags, this cute succulent paper was in it.  Perfect!  I found a Power Poppy sentiment to go with it.

Power Poppy Summer Berries sentiment; Stampin' Up! Ornate Frames die; Inlovearts Heart Clover Wave Frame Border die; pearls 

And lastly, this was truly made up of scraps.  LOL  The sentiment, the punched flowers, the velvet ribbon snippet, and that Altenew leaf cluster stamp...they were all lying around on my desk for a good while.  I was determined to use them up!

Hero Arts Sending Smiles Messages sentiment, Leafy Vine background stamp; Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty Accents flower punch; pearls; Altenew Build A Flower: Rose leaf cluster stamp; gray velvet ribbon  

Thanks for your visit again!  😀

God bless!

Flower Power

Hello friends!  Six floral cards comin' at ya in this post today!  Let's get started:

It was FUN to make this first card, dressing up that pretty yellow floral sprig with white punched flowers, topped with white Liquid Pearls.

Stampin' Up! 'Avant Garden' floral sprig, 'Itty Bitty Accents' flower punch - Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch

The next one is also simple in style, putting the focus on that beautiful fabric flower from Anna Griffin and the verse from Scripture that I think of often:  "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13.  When I begin to doubt my ability to do things, I remind myself that Jesus is always with me, and He gives me strength.

Power Poppy 'Olive and Oak Expanded' sentiment - Anna Griffin fabric flower -
Spellbinders 'Large Deckled Rectangles' die

The next card relied heavily on things I found in a Stampin' Up! scrap bag that I bought from my friend, Gail.  Those flowers are so pretty!  Gail had already die cut the two circles, and she even trimmed out that pink flower.  All I did was layer things together and add a few pearls.  Done!

All images from Stampin' Up! (sets unknown) from a scrap bag

The large, lacy die cut heart was also found in a scrap bag, along with that stamped sentiment tag (Gail stuffs those bags with the neatest things!), so I paired them together and, once again, just added some pearls....and a twine bow.

Stampin' Up! 'Bloomin' Hearts Thinlits' heart die - tag/sentiment also Stampin' Up! (set unknown)

I worked a little harder on the next card.  😏 I used a floral paper from the scrap bag, along with a text-y strip from a My Mind's Eye 12 x 12 paper pad (Madison Ave, maybe?) on a yellow card base, to pull out the yellow flowers.  I grouped random things in the bottom corner - a wooden butterfly, a small round decorative brad, and a Baked Brown Sugar accent medallion.  The sentiment was stamped on a pinked-edge banner, and there's a very finely-detailed stamp behind it (details in caption) in Crumb Cake ink.  I had a floral sprig already stamped (in Crumb Cake) and trimmed out, so I tucked it behind the banner and also tied some vintage thread on it.  I glued it down with Ranger Multi-Matte adhesive.  Love that stuff.  It dries clear, and you don't need much to get good staying power.

Inspired By Stamping 'Creative Tags' sentiment - Studio Calico wooden butterfly - Stampin' Up! 'Avant Garden' floral sprig, 'Fine Flourish' background stamp (under sentiment) - My Favorite Things 'Mix & Match Banners' die

The final card was pretty easy to put together, and I'm sure the floral strip of patterned paper looks familiar from the card above.  I used a pink pattern from who knows where, LOL, I don't remember where it came from.  It just happened to match the pink seam binding scrap from - you guessed it - an SU scrap bag, so on it went.  The 'follow your bliss' charm is from Girls' Paperie 'Paper Girl' kit of accents.

Girls' Paperie charm - pink seam binding from Stampin' Up!

So there you have it!  Gearing up for springtime, with all these flowers.  We're expecting a little bit of snow tomorrow.  Warmer days will come!

God bless you!

Sending Strength

I love to make encouragement cards to let people know they're being thought of and prayed for.  I've got two I'm sharing today.

The first is super-feminine, and uses a sentiment from Power Poppy 'Olive and Oak Expanded' clear stamp set.  I stamped it onto an oval die cut, which had been shaded (before stamping the words) with Antique Linen Distress Ink while it was still in the metal die.  The paper is from DCWV Nana's Nursery: Girl, and I used a bit of crochet lace and a paper gardenia from iamroses.com.

Power Poppy 'Olive and Oak Expanded' sentiment stamp

The next card was made for my brother and his wife as they experienced tremendous flooding in their home during Hurricane Harvey.  Most of their belongings were ruined by water in their house.  My brother actually took a canoe over to his home to see what kind of damage had been sustained. 😢

The card was just a little something to let them know that we wished there was more we could to help but that we were thinking of them and praying for them.

My Favorite Things 'BB Cool Cat' vase, 'Sunny Skies' sun die - Memory Box 'Madison Window' die - Stampendous 'Sincere Sentiments' sentiment

Thanks so much for your visit today.  Hope your day is beautiful!  God bless you!

A collection of cards

Hello again!

With a few hours of free time today to photo-edit these pictures, I am happy to share these cards I've made in the past several months.  Thanks for looking, and enjoy!

Butterflies by BoBunny - flowers by Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch - sentiment by Momenta 'Hello'

So Sweet and Donut dies by Sizzix 'Donut Phrases' - sentiment by Papertrey Ink's 'Just Desserts' - polka dot paper by Stampin' Up!

sentiment and house stamps by Stampin' Up! - Spellbinders Fleur de Lis die - Martha Stewart hydrangea punch

Love / anniversary card using coffee cup sleeves & heart dies by My Favorite Things

Collage card using Altenew 'Label Love' sentiment, Stampin' Up! 'French Script Background' - leaf by Top Dog Dies - clothing tag

Papertrey Ink 'Keep It Simple: Home' & 'Home Made' stamps, 'Topiary Trio' die (for a bush) - Unity Stamps 'Helping Me Grow' (hydrangea seed packet stamp used as background)  

Power Poppy 'Olive & Oak Expanded' sentiment - Top Dog Dies 'Fall Foliage' leaves & acorns

Bizarro 'Fish' - glittered chipboard star made from cardboard - sentiment Inspired by Stamping 'Chalkboard Birthday'

Thanks so much for taking a look today, and visiting me!  God bless you, have a wonderful day!

Happy 21st Anniversary

Well, I'm quite late in sharing this anniversary card I made for my husband.
We just celebrated 22 years of marriage, but this card is from our 21st anniversary.
Just a bit late, huh?

I used an Itty Bitty Accents (Stampin' Up!) heart punch 21 times, using various patterned papers. I measured carefully so things would line up, and adhered the hearts in a grid pattern, popping up some of the hearts on foam tape.

Several Sparkling Clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh) were added, and the sentiment is from Power Poppy's Dynamic Duos: Peonies and Tulips.

A funny quote I saw:

Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays. ~ Henny Youngman

Ha!  This is actually more like it for me:

From the day we pledged our love, I seem to love you more. Over time our love has deepened and grown stronger in the Lord. Through all the ups and downs we've had, our love has not grown dim. The light burns brighter to reflect the love of God within.

~ Unknown

Thanks so much for joining me today!

Happy Birthday Heart

This birthday card was inspired by Spring itself....which is when I created it!  It's taken a while to get it up on the blog.

Lots of fresh white, and a dose of spring green....You see what I mean? :-)

The heart doily die is from Top Dog Dies (they went out of business earlier this year, I believe), the sentiment banner is from Spellbinders, the sentiment from Power Poppy, and those sparkly clear sequins are from Pretty Pink Posh. 

Glad you came by today; have a terrific, blessed day!

Tulips: Coloring the negative space

Hello there! I hope you are having a good week so far. We've had some crazy weather here in NJ the past two days.  Yesterday, it was 19 degrees when I got in the car to go to work, and today, it was in the upper 50s, with torrential rain and wind. Totally weird!

I'm popping in to share a card I made several months ago - back in the fall, actually. It's a thank-you card for someone lovely, who did such a kind thing for me. The gesture humbled me, and I made this card to express my gratitude.  

I used a tulip stamp from Dynamic Duos: Peonies & Tulips by Power Poppy, and stamped it multiple times to fill in the blank spaces of a cream-colored cardstock panel. Then, I used a W3 Copic marker and filled in all the negative space between the flowers. (Ahem, this was when I noticed that my marker was running dry, and had to order a Copic refill--my very first.  Sandy Allnock has a helpful tutorial for refilling markers.)

After all that coloring, I didn't want to cover it up much.  Just a bit of Venise lace, topped with a Colleen Bow in black, and a little sentiment were the only things I added.

Thanks a bunch for stopping by.  Be a blessing to someone today!

Stamps: Dynamic Duos: Peonies & Tulips - Power Poppy Paper: Vintage Cream, True Black, white - Papertrey Ink Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko Fibers: Venise lace - eBay; black seam binding - Hug Snug - The Zipper Stop Accessories & Tools: Tiny Tags die - Papertrey Ink; pearls; Copic marker

Orange you glad I'm thinking of you?

Hello my friends!  This card is quite clean and simple: I'm on a CAS roll so far this week, here on my blog. :-)  Just getting around to posting things from months ago.

All this white reminds me that we are expecting a bit of snow this coming weekend.  I love snow! It's a beautiful blanket for the earth. It makes me want to get all comfy and cozy inside my little home, my sanctuary.  

I used Sizzix Flower Layers & Leaves to create the orange blossom, and topped it with an orange gem.  I do not have any banner dies, so created my own, using a patterned paper scrap from Stampin' Up!, backed with gray cardstock.  The sentiment is from Power Poppy.  Have you stopped by Power Poppy before? The design team's creations are AMAZING. Marcella Hawley, chief of PP, is one classy, down to earth, fresh-spirited, talented, generous, funny lady.  I am in awe of her. :-)

Thanks for coming by today.  Have yourself a beautiful, wonderful, blessed day, friends!

Stamps: Dynamic Duos: Peonies & Tulips - Power Poppy Paper: Basic Gray, Pumpkin Pie, pattern - Stampin' Up!; white - Papertrey Ink Accessories & Tools: Flower Layers & Leaves dies - Sizzix; orange gem - Recollections

Happy Day On The Farm

Hello!  I'm sharing two farm-related cards today, and the inspiration was an assortment of these cute little critter die cuts, sitting on my craft desk.  As I've mentioned before, when I purchase new dies, I always try them out right away, to make sure there are no defects.  Usually I'll use white cardstock for my practice run.

I've got very few agrarian stamping supplies, so I looked around for suitable elements: gingham patterned paper, patterned paper that looks like sun rays, grass die, picket fence punch, and more. 

I colored the animals with Copic markers, and created little framed scenes, using negative die cuts from previous projects. 

Way-to-stretch-your-supplies Tip:  when die-cutting a solid shape from cardstock - i.e., circle, oblong, rectangle, square, etc. - position the die with enough extra cardstock surrounding it.  Envision the negative piece as a frame for a future project, and now you've got two usable pieces!

The best sentiment I could find in my stash, which went well with these gentle creatures, is one from Power Poppy's Dynamic Duos: Peonies and Tulips.  It's full of joy, and I think the color palette of these two cards speaks of joy. :-)

I'm really glad you could join me today.  Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Dynamic Duos: Peonies and Tulips - Power Poppy Paper: white - Papertrey Ink; Gable Green, Summer Sun, sunray pattern - Stampin' Up!; gingham - Garden Party - DCWV Fibers: twine - Creative Impressions; pink grosgrain ribbon Accessories & Tools: On The Farm, Tiny Tags dies - Papertrey Ink; Nesting Pinking Squares die - Lifestyle Crafts; Picket Fence punch - Martha Stewart; Copic markers; Sparkling Clear sequins - Pretty Pink Posh; Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder - Stampin' Up!; Grassy Fields die - My Favorite Things

Flower Window

Welcome!  It occurs to me that I've posted bright, clean, happy cards this week, and they look like summer.  Though I am surely in the minority, I do like winter.  Four seasons is a good thing in my book.  But this week...maybe I'm tired of looking at the grey skies and need some color!

This card is hard to photograph.  The stamped frame (details at end of post) has two strips of clear acetate-and-flower die cut borders adhered behind it.  These strips were from the Martha Stewart line, and they've been in our house a while.  I just did an internet search for these and did not come up with anything; sorry!

The sentiment is from Power Poppy and pretty much sums up what a birthday is all about.

Thanks a bunch for dropping by today!

Stamps: frame - A Lovely Birthday - Inspired By Stamping; sentiment - Dynamic Duos: Peonies and Tulips - Power Poppy Paper: Apricot Appeal, apricot pattern - Stampin' Up!; white - Papertrey Ink Ink: Rose Red - SU; Onyx - Versafine - Tsukineko Accessories & Tools: rhinestones - Queen & Co.; clear border floral strips - Martha Stewart

A peony bouquet for you

Hey there!  I'm popping in with a dramatic card using new Power Poppy stamps.  I LOVE the new set, Dynamic Duos:  Peonies and Tulips.  I am thankful to Power Poppy owner, Marcella Hawley, for creating the peonies into a photopolymer set.  She initially had released them in digital format only, and digital doesn't work for me.  So thank you, thank you, Marcella!  This card is entered in the PP gallery:  Power Poppy Peep of the Week.

I colored the blooms with Copic markers; matted the piece on some black cardstock, and then onto a piece of silver mirror cardstock.  It was hard to capture the shine, but you get the idea.  I added a silver bow that came on a gift, embossed the base, and it was done!

So, for those of you who are my friends on Facebook, you may have seen my post that my daughter and I were in a multi-car accident yesterday on an expressway in Philly.  Wow.  What a scary thing.  We ALL were blessed to walk away unharmed, just shaken.  Mere minutes before the crash (one guy hit another guy, who then was pushed into my car) I said a prayer to the Lord, asking Him to keep us safe in our travels.  I believe in the power of prayer, and in angels, and I know we were all protected yesterday.  Cars can be fixed or replaced, but our health is different.  Yes, this is an inconvenience (my car is brand-new -- ugh) for us all, but thinking of what could have happened --  the at-fault driver could have been going much faster, I could have hit a car in front of me, cars could have flipped, caught fire, etc. -- makes me SUPREMELY grateful that we're okay!

I'm taking a little blogging break for about a week or so.  Lots going on here at Chez Dietrich, and I need to focus my attention on those things.  I'll be back before you know it!  =)

Stamps: Dynamic Duos:  Peonies and Tulips - Power Poppy Paper: True Black, white - PTI; silver mirror - WorldWin Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko Fibers: silver metallic ribbon Accessories & Tools: Ornate Flourish embossing folder - The Paper Studio; Copic markers