Butterfly Oval Wreath

A friend sent me this beautiful collage-style panel, and I love the elements on it.  I didn't want to cover them up, so I kept the focal point simple.  The wreath die is from Simon Says Stamp "Ariana Wreath", and the butterfly die is Tim Holtz "Mini Butterflies."

Thanks for popping in!

Hope your day is wonderful!

Woodware Thistles

Hello!  It's "Anything Goes" this week at Topflight Stamps. This Woodware stamp set called Flying Birds made me think of spring, so that was my inspiration.  With a piece of green lace as my grass, I created a scene with thistles, a flying bird, some postmark images, and a sentiment.  All of these stamps are from the same set.  I stamped the thistle twice with VersaFine Onyx Black ink, to create more of a cluster.  They were colored and fussy cut and arranged in a staggered fashion.  The bird was also colored and fussy cut and added to the "sky".  Several clear sequins were the final touch.

Supplies Used From Topflight Stamps Store:

Woodware - Flying Birds

VersaFine Onyx Black Ink

I'll be taking a break from design team work due to my husband's surgery.

Hope your day is blessed!

Shamrock Teapot

Good morning!  Just wanted to share a simple card I made for my sister, who has been going through some very difficult times.  This is a "thinking of you" card.  The teapot die I used is from Temu, and it's so pretty and full of detail.  It came with some fancy teacups too, so I can use them on another card.  The shamrock paper is from a friend, and the little white blossoms are from my all-time favorite Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch, plus the Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty punch trio.  I kept the card flat for a one-stamp envelope.  Oh, the tiny shamrock die cut is from Memory Box Lucky Charms.  I added a small dollop of white Nuvo Drops in the center for some dimension.  The largest blossom has a white semi-glossy round sticker centered on top.

Hope your day is blessed!

Tall Wild Flowers

Hello!  I am sharing a collage-style card using pretty stamps from Topflight Stamps.  Spring is (eventually) coming, and I took my inspiration from that, with lots of greenery coming up from the earth.

First, I stamped the two images from Crafty Individuals' Tall Wild Flowers on green patterned paper, and trimmed them out.  Next, I stamped some small ephemera from PaperArtsy Scrapcosy 41 on cream cardstock and trimmed those out.  I played around with how I would layer all of these components and once I found the right look, I took a pic with my phone camera to remind me how I did it.  To build the base beneath all the pieces, I used green striped patterned paper and lace from my stash.  Then, using glue, I added back all of the little pieces on top of the lace.

Check out the oodles of stamps in the Scrapcosy 41 set!  So many fun things to play with!

Items from Topflight Stamps used in my card:

Crafty Individuals - 185 - Tall Wild Flowers

PaperArtsy - Scrapcosy 41

May your day be filled with blessings!

Princess For A Day and more

Hello there!  It's Saturday March 21, 2020, and we've been home (except for a couple of quick trips to a store for supplies) for a little more than a week.  I hear that today, our state of New Jersey will be joining other states with the "stay at home" edict.  We have been doing our part by social distancing, working from home, schooling from home, and getting out in the fresh air to exercise daily.  These are indeed interesting times we are living in.  Praying for our medical professionals and anyone who works in an essential business, who are still out there working in the public.  GOD BLESS YOU AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!  I am also grateful for the ingenuity of people, who are trying to connect with others despite these new guidelines.  I saw on our town's Facebook group that  neighbors played bingo on their individual front porches, shouting out the numbers and having fun while social distancing.  How cool is that?!

Well, I have some more cards to share with you today.  Let's begin!

Gina Marie Designs Small Butterfly die; Pebbles Ever After Phrase sentiment;
Spellbinders Fleur De Lis Rectangles die; pearls; crochet lace

American Art Stamp Hello My Friend; Studio Calico wooden heart; pearls; Gina Marie Designs Peekaboo Circle die

Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch; Kaisercraft Lady Rose patterned paper and flourish die cut; sentiment unknown; pearls 

Stampin' Up! wooden shape; iamroses-dot-com paper rose and leaves;
Papertrey Ink Fillable Frames #5 sentiment; peach rhinestones

Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags sentiment and tag die; Inspired By Stamping Graceful Hydrangea stamp; pearls; Stampin' Up! family blue die cut; K & Co. egg sticker and 'family times' sticker; Kat Scrappiness - Stitched Postage Stamp Edge Rectangles die

Martha Stewart blue flower sticker; Stampin' Up! ivory doily; crochet lace; pearls; Inspired By Stamping Creative Tags birthday sentiment; My Favorite Things Mix and Match Banners die

Hero Arts Precious Baby Boy sailboat, airplane, sentiment; clear sequins; My Favorite Things Catch A Wave die

Hero Arts Precious Baby Boy sailboat, airplane; clear sequins; My Favorite Things Catch A Wave die;
Technique Tuesday Sweet Baby / Ali Edwards

Stampabilities Small Sewing Set scissors, thread, thimble and button stamps; Fiskars Vintage Farmhouse frame stamp; pearls; Martha Stewart Royal Butterfly punch; Inspired By Stamping Graceful Hydrangea small flower cluster stamp 

Inspired By Stamping Oh Baby! dress stamp; Papertrey Ink Filigree Border die, With Sympathy: Loss of A Child feet stamp; Technique Tuesday Sweet Baby / Ali Edwards sentiment; pearls

My Favorite Things Lucky shamrock, sentiment; Gina Marie Designs Frilly Lace Rectangles die; rhinestones

Martha Stewart violet stickers; white glitter frame; pearls; Echo Park Trust In The Lord sentiment and flower cluster (very faint in background) stamps

Stampin' Up! Weathered background stamp; Studio Calico wooden star; Verve Psalm 94:18 Plain Jane sentiment stamp, Notebook Paper stamp; K & Co. 'believe' sticker; gold metal button; Kat Scrappiness - Stitched Postage Stamp Edge Rectangles die

 Keep washing those hands - and if you pray, you can pray while you wash your hands!  It's a great little reminder to lift up (others) as you clean up!

I will 'see' you again soon, everyone.  God bless!

Red Pear & graduation pics

Hello there!  Just popping in a with a pear card, to say hi to you, and let you know we've got TWO graduates in the house!

Last week, both of our girls graduated - one from 8th grade, one from high school. What an exhilarating time it was! Our oldest received two scholarships, which helps tremendously with her college expenses. 

Receiving her diploma

Overwhelmed by the emotion of it all

Our girls, moving onward and upward!

We're so proud!
xoxo

Loving lavender!

Welcome!  It's no secret that I love purple, if you've followed my posts for some time.  I don't always reach for it in crafting, but when I do, I get a little thrill.

I found a card with this sketch in one of my older issues of Papercrafts Magazine, and earmarked it. It's simple in design, but those two rounded corners give so much more interest.  All supplies used are at the end of the post, but I want to point out the sentiment:  it's from Verve's Joy For The Journey.

I love this sentiment!

Stamps: Joy for the Journey - Verve Paper: Pale Plum; Wild Wasabi - Stampin' Up!; white - Papertrey Ink; damask - Luxury Stack - DCWV Fibers: lace Accessories & Tools: assorted roses - iamroses.com; Branch With Leaves die - Sizzix; corner rounder punch - Fiskars

The Sweetest Friends

Welcome, everyone!  I've got a golden-oldie stamp set featured today.  Remember Tender Toile from Stampin' Up!?  I fell in love with it after stalking Splitcoaststampers in my early stamping years.  It had already been retired for a while, but I found it on eBay and I was the lucky buyer.  :-)

So, this card is another one that I had been saving to feature at the Seize The Sketch challenge, before it shut its proverbial doors.  I'm glad I can still share it with you.

I love the old-fashioned feel of this image.  Last summer, I colored it when I had been laid up in bed after foot surgery.  Then, it sat in my Images Box for a while before finding a home here.

I truly hope you've enjoyed seeing this week's cards.  I really appreciate you letting me share them.  <3 p="">

Stamps: sentiment - Happy Moments; scene - Tender Toile - SU Paper: white, Vintage Cream - PTI; stripe, floral - SU Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko; Tumbled Glass, Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap - Ranger Fibers: moss green satin ribbon Accessories & Tools: Tiny Tags die - PTI; Copic markers; doily - Wilton; ivory flower

Springtime Sprig

Hello all!  Thank you SO much for the wonderful comments about me joining the Seize The Sketch design team! I can't wait to begin.  =)

It's been ages since I used Tres Chic background stamp from Stampin' Up!  I let it drift off the edges so I could enter Addicted To CAS's "Off The Edge" challenge.

This Spellbinders Fantastic Flourish One die reminds me of a sprig of mistletoe at Christmastime.  With these colors, and some amethyst gems, I think of it as mistletoe for spring!  "Oh, hubby, where ARE you?..."

The high school prom is this Friday evening, and my 15 YO is so excited.  I already showed you her dress, and I'll make sure to get pictures of her all dolled-up on Prom Night.  =)

Have a great weekend!

Stamps: Tres Chic - Stampin' Up! Paper: Perfect Plum, Mellow Moss - SU Ink: Perfect Plum, Mellow Moss, Elegant Eggplant - SU Fibers: white satin ribbon Accessories & Tools: Fantastic Flourish One - Spellbinders; amethyst gems - Queen & Co.

Tranquil Hills

One of my birthday gifts was Summer Hills stamp set by Papertrey Ink.  Love, love, love.  This sweet little scene stole my heart.

To create the base beneath the scene, I adhered a pretty floral pattern from Stampin' Up! (retired, no idea what the name is) and a strip of scalloped punched white cardstock to the plum base.  Then, I sent it through the Big Shot with a Paper Studio embossing folder, Ornate Flourish.

The sentiment comes with the same stamp set, and there are boundless occasions this card could be used for.  God's grace is truly amazing!

Stamps: Summer Hills - PTI Paper: Pale Plum, Going Gray, So Saffron, white, floral pattern - SU Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko; So Saffron - SU Fibers: Violet seam binding - Hug Snug Accessories & Tools: Copic markers; Dotted Scallop border punch - EK Success; tag - SU; pearls; Ornate Flourish embossing folder - The Paper Studio

Aviary Postcard & a prom dress

Hello everyone!  The rustiness I felt with card-making is gone, eased away by a stretch of vacation days (well, not really vacation...but rather just some time off).  I have been in the craft studio quite a bit, mostly making Mother's Day cards for the shop.

This card, however, is a 'just because' project.

It started with a piece from my Bits & Pieces box...this large Victorian birdcage (from Victorian Eccentricities by Blockheads Paper Arts, which is sadly no longer available).   A few years back, when I served on the Blockheads team, I had stamped the image on white cardstock, then cast it aside.  It stumped me for a good, long while.

I decided to turn this into a postcard by using the Inspired By Stamping sets, Vintage Postcards and Summer Postcard Add-On.

And since it still looked too clean, I added speckles from Itty Bitty Backgrounds (Stampin' Up!).  That's a keeper of a set!

My daughters and I went shopping for a prom dress over Spring Break.  She is a sophomore, and the prom is for juniors and seniors.  All others may attend by invitation only.  A friend asked her to go, so my girl is very happy and excited.  She loves to feel like a princess (most girls do!), and this gives her a chance to dress like one.  We chose this:

It's twirly and bejeweled and very, very regal.  :-D

Stamps: bird cage - Victorian Eccentricities - Blockheads Paper Arts; Vintage Postcards, Summer Postcard Add-On - IBS; Itty Bitty Backgrounds - SU Paper: Sahara Sand - SU; white - PTI; shimmery paisley pattern - Luxury Stack - DCWV Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko; Frayed Burlap, Antique Linen - Ranger; Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand, Early Espresso - SU Fibers: Mottle Brown seam binding - Hug Snug Accessories & Tools: topaz gems - Want2Scrap; rhinestones - Queen & Co.; Copic markers