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New Arrival

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I'm attending a baby shower for a friend's daughter on Saturday, so the Card Concept Challenge: New Arrival was so timely.

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The expected baby is a boy, so I took my inspiration from the theme rather than the colors. I decided against a sentiment on the front of my Clean and Simple card.

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I embossed both the card front and the white layer with Spellbinder's Star Gazer embossing folder. The images are from Waffle Flower's Little One Baby set which I colored with Copics and then die cut. I added some dimensional tape behind the baby.

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We're having unusually warm weather with lots of sunshine. Even though it won't last quite yet, it's such a welcome change. I've managed a bit of crafting between packing and then unpacking all the items on a built-in desk in my office/craft room. The painting is done for that portion of the project, and I took the opportunity to organize and purge my book collections on photography, watercolor, sketching. There are two big bags ready to donate to our library. Like working on the inventory of my stamps and dies (still ongoing), one of the biggest bonuses to this kind of organizing is knowing (once again) what I have! 

Easter Bunnies

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There's a lot going on here, including some painting in my craft room/office which is complicating my efforts to get some serious card making done. Some of it I can't share for awhile, but two of these Easter bunnies are now on their way to Wisconsin, and the rest will be hand delivered on Sunday.

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I'm trying to get away one more year with giving each of the grandchildren the same card with different colored backgrounds. Next year, there will be two in middle school, and I may have to find some more sophisticated images. Nonetheless, I love this new Bunny Kisses die cut that was part of the most recent release from The Greetery.

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I die cut all the pieces from white cardstock, and then ink blended each piece with Distress Oxide inks. They were arranged on one of the Tag Team Duo tags also from The Greetery. The grass was die cut with one of  the Simon Says dies in the collection Box Card Borders. Three of the bunnies got a tiny pom-pom added for the tail. I decided against that for the two that needed to be mailed.

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The patterned paper backgrounds from very old AMuse papers were die cut with The Greetery Postal Frame die.

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Here's a bunny without the pom-pom tail. The sentiment is from Sugar Peas Everyday Sentiments.

As you might expect there are quite a few challenges calling for Easter/Spring cards. One of these is headed to: 

Colorful Options: Pastels (some of these definitely qualify) or Rainbow
The Four Seasons: Anything Spring
Inkspirational with a Moodboard for Spring and Easter
NBUS – This is the first run for Bunny Kisses

We're expecting rain and very warm temperatures today, then chilly again through the Easter weekend. I hope the long range forecast is accurate which call for temps in the 50's and 60's for the week after Easter. I'm so ready for some green to show up!

 

Color Hues #61

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It's April first, and there's no fooling around here! I'm back to share the next Color Hues Challenge chosen by Stef:

Color Hues #61 Peach and Kraft Anim.

One of the things I love most about this challenge is working with color combinations I would never think of myself. This is one of them, and I turned to a new favorite coverplate of mine,  Decorative Circles by Papertrey Ink. I waited a long time for this to be back in stock, and it was worth the wait. It covers an A2 sized card, but this time I cut it down to create a square card.

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My best match for peach cardstock was Concord & 9th's Grapefruit which I paired with Classic Kraft and Rustic Cream, both by Papertrey Ink. I created a frame using Simon Says "Stitched Squares" die.

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I wanted a simple sentiment on a circle die to coordinate with the coverplate, so used Ellen Hutson's Essential Circles die. The sentiment is from Waffle Flower's Classic Sentiments. Finally I added some Pinkfresh Studio Metallic Enamel Dots to the center of each circle. 

Please hop over to the Color Hues blog to see what our Design Team has created with this color combo. It's sure to inspire you, and I hope you'll add your cards to our gallery in the next two weeks!

Woodblock Wednesday

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I’m flying right under the radar for this challenge. We’ve been on the road for three weeks, and it’s taken me a day or two to get to the crafting table. Then when I got there, it took awhile to get a card I was happy enough with to post. We were still on the road on Wednesday when the Woodblock Wednesday challenge went live.

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I love this wooden stamp from Lockhart Stamps. It’s many years old, but I don’t remember where I purchased it. The tulips are one of the earliest signs of spring, so it seemed like a good choice.

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Since the image is so small, I decided to get out my colored pencils. It took two tries to get an image I liked, but when I photographed it, I decided it still needed work, and got out the Gambol and a stump to even out the background and the frame. I realized that the tulips needed more contrast, so for the second try I used a white pencil to color all the flowers before adding the red. For the leaves, I started with a yellow pencil and then added the green.

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The sentiment is from a very old (but not wooden) stamp set by Papertrey Ink, Delightful Dahlias:  Additions. I used a paper punch to round the corners of the stamped image as well as the red layer.

I’m also sending this to the Seize the Birthday: Things in a Garden and Inkspirational: Easter/Spring.

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Color Hues #60

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It's hard to beat a prettier combination that Blue and Turquoise. There are so many way to go with this set of Color Hues chosen by Marcia.

CH #59 Anim.

It will be no surprise to you that I went the Clean and Simple route and chose die cuts once again.

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I started by die cutting a stitched square by Simon Says from Paper Source's Royal cardstock. I first discovered this cardstock last fall, and used it for one of my favorite Christmas cards. I then layered two more stitched squares from turquoise paper (from my scrap file) and another from the Royal cardstock. I die cut Poppy Stamps' "Leaf Sprig" from the turquoise and adhered it to the square.

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I ink blended a bit of blue ink on some of the leaves, but I'm not sure I really love that. I do like the pretty sentiment from The Greetery's Spring Mix stamp set. 

I hope you'll hop right over to the Color Hues Challenge and check out the great cards created the Design Team. We'd love to see the gallery filled with your pretty Blue and Turquoise creations!

 

 

The Flower Challenge: Die Cuts or Stencils

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Or both, I hope. I used a favorite Pinkfresh Studio floral hot foil plate, coordinating coloring stencil, and die to create a card today for the current Flower Challenge.

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As much as I like coloring with Copic markers, coloring with stencils is quite a bit quicker, and there's not much room for error.

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I chose a very different color palette this time: aqua blue and shades of browns, but I quite like it. I foiled the image in gold, then colored it with stencils before using the die to cut it out. 

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It's quite easy to add a bit of dimension with the stencils by using a heavier touch with the color to the base of the leaves or the centers of the flowers. I also added three gold pearls to the centers of three flowers.The florals and sentiment which I gold embossed and die cut to create the banner were arranged on a diamond cover plate, with a thin brown border on a beautiful piece of textured aqua paper that I found in my stash. The sentiment and banner die are by The Greetery.

This is a great challenge, and I'm sure I'll be back with some other entries before it closes.

 

 

 

Crafty Weekend: Part 1

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Last weekend I spent two days immersed in card making with Pinkfresh Studio. There were six classes with two hour videos for each, as well as printed instructions for “Make & Takes” for each set of products. I didn't deviate much from the instructors' card designs, but I thought over the next week or so, I’d share some of the cards I created during the event. All the products were created especially for these classes, although many of them will eventually be released for purchase. I definitely had my favorites, but with one possible exception, you'll see lots more of these products.

First off, Nothing But the Best. This set was the focus of a two-hour class on watercolor technique. Before the classes began, I created the Make & Take. All the instructions and sample card designs for the Make & Takes as well as the class instructions were sent ahead of time in a lovely booklet. There were also lists of card bases and die cuts to prepare as homework for each class which enabled you to keep up during the class instruction.

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For the Make & Take, I used layering stencils instead of watercoloring. I followed the card design, but my coloring was more vibrant that those suggested. 

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All the participants received a packet of pre-foiled sentiments. The one used in the sample covered a large portion of the floral design so I chose a simpler, smaller one knowing it could easily be used for a birthday or another celebration. The lovely Rounded and Braided Rectangle (in three sizes) was used over and over in the card designs, and is one of my favorite products. 

The two-hour class time for this set was spent learning about watercoloring: mixing colors, finding the right water/paint ratio, and layering watercolors. It reminded me of how much I enjoy that medium, but don’t use it often enough. 

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There was no assembly of the card as part of the class, and I used the same design I used for the Make & Take which I preferred to the suggested design. For this card, I used a foiled sentiment from Spellbinders.

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We completed a second watercolor panel, but I wasn't happy enough with it to create a card. I'll definitely return to this again!

Guest Designer at Tic Tac Toe

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In November, my entry into the Tic Tac Toe Challenge was the Designer's Pick, and today is my turn at guesting with them. As soon as I saw the new Tic Tac Toe board, I knew I had a perfect opportunity to create a birthday card for my husband.

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Tracy was born on St. Patrick's Day, so the middle row (Die Cut, Green, and Layers) worked perfectly. I had already settled on the die and stamp set I wanted to use before I saw this board, but it worked out perfectly.

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I've owned this You're My Type from Sugar Pea Designs for several years. A friend borrowed it once and made a card, but I'd never used it before. I die cut the typewriter in three colors: green, gray, and matte silver. 

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After assembling the typewriter and message, I remembered an old Impression Plate, Book Plate, by Papertrey Ink. You can see the typewriter style words embossed on the light gray layer. I opted for a narrow green border before adding the main panel to a darker gray card base. The hearts were added to coordinate with the inside greeting:

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The stamp set didn't come with quite the message I wanted so I used the computer to generate the sentiment which I die cut with Hero Arts Infinity Heart dies.

There are lots of ways to play Tic Tac Toe this time, and I hope you'll join it. 

Color Hues #59

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Carol has chosen the perfect color combination for our early March Color Hues Challenge: Green and Gold. Typically, I'd jump right in with a St. Patrick's Day card, but this time I had other ideas.

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I received a lovely gift certificate to Pinkfresh Studio from my son and his family for Christmas. I ordered just one design (plus the stencil) from the December release, and thought it would be a great one for this color combination.

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This Detailed Leaf  is so lovely, and I've seen it stenciled in a wide variety of colors, but I used my trio of green inks from Simon Says Pawsitively Saturated Ink which ink blends beautifully. The leaf was embossed in gold before adding the stenciling, and I fussy cut it since I didn't purchase the die. 

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When I went to my file of scrap metallic papers, I found this gold metallic that had already been die cut with Hero Arts Rounded Rectangles which was the perfect size. After layering the leaf on the gold, and then on the bright green card base, I found a perfectly-sized sentiment in the Pinkfresh Studio "Die Cut Sentiments" I purchased last year. So much luck!

I hope you'll join us at Color Hues and fill up the gallery with Green and Gold. Hop over now to see what our Guest Designer and the Design Team have prepared for your inspiration. I love the diversity of the cards that show up month after month on the Color Hues blog!

Just Us Girls Challenge 668

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Time usually goes by quickly for me, but it seems amazing that today is my last post as the February Guest Designer for Just Us Girls. It's been a real pleasure, and I received such a warm welcome from their Design Team. The last challenge of the month is a Clean and Simple Challenge asking for coloring.

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And that's right up my alley! The only decision was what to choose. Another of the stamps I discovered as I was working on an inventory of my stamps was Flowers in Bloom from My Favorite Things. I love these poppies, and it's been a long time since I colored them. They lend themselves beautifully to a CAS design.

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I love poppies and especially the red/orange ones that grow in the George Eastman gardens during the summer. We don't get enough sunshine for poppies in our yard, but I've photographed the ones at the Eastman Garden multiple times. 

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I pulled out my Copics for this one, and I'm very happy with the results. I added some black gel pen to the stamens which give just the slightest bit of dimension. The beautiful sentiment is from The Greetery's Spring Mix. All that was needed was adhering it to a card base created with Gina K's Asparagus cardstock—another favorite of mine.

I'm quite sure there will be a lot of great inspiration from the Just Us Girls Design team. This is really a very open challenge–so many ways to interpret it. I hope you'll find just the right thing and join in the fun. Thanks again to the JUGS team for inviting me to play along this month! I've had a great time.

I'm also entering this in the CAS on Friday Challenge: Flowers.

 

Three for One

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I spent a morning hot foiling some backgrounds last week, and ended up cutting one of them into pieces and creating three masculine cards. I wish I'd thought of this before!

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I hot foiled the Pinkfresh Studio Geo Blocks on Concord & 9th's Dove gray cardstock. The cardstock is so smooth, the hot foiling is perfect every time. I only used one of the three coordinating stencils to add a darker gray to the panel. I liked the overall look, but thought it might be divided as well, and I do like all three versions.

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The sentiment for this card is from Papertrey Ink's Banner Sentiments. I used a shiny silver border for the hot foiled piece and some silver nailheads as an accent.

The second card is a top-folded card and very Clean & Simple:

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The sentiment was also hot foiled with Pinkfresh Studio's Wonderful Words hot foil plate–one of my purchases with a Christmas gift card.

Just by chance, I happened to find Simon Says Hexagon Greeting and die. Who would have guessed the hexagon was an exact fit to the hot foiled design?

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More metallic nailheads here as well. I think they're a perfect embellishment for masculine cards. I need all three of these for birthdays in March so it was a very productive crafting session. I'm sending one of these off to Time Out: Anything Birthday and the CAS one to Tic Tac Toe Challenge (top row across: CAS, Metallic, and Word Die,) hoping that the die cut stamped sentiment counts for the last element.

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Just Us Girls Challenge 667

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It's already the third week of February and the third challenge of the month for Just Us Girls. This time it's a Moodboard and there are so many ways to find inspiration here.

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I asked for a bigger photo, so I thought you might like one, too. I was immediately draw to the upper right-hand photo of the Vanity Fair magazine cover. I love the bright yellow, red, and blue color combination and the Art Deco feel of the design. One of my favorite Pinkfresh Studio dies is the  Gatsby die set, so I set off to use that die with the same color combination.

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Gina K's "Red Hot" cardstock, "Royal" by Paper Source, and Summer Sunrise by Papertrey Ink were good matches. There's also a lot of black in the magazine cover, so I stamped the greeting in black and added black to the border design as well. The Greetery's Everyday Labels also has the Art Deco feel to it, and fit perfectly in the open space. My son's birthday is later this month, and he'll appreciate the design.

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The border was die cut once in red, black and blue and pieced together. The only embellishment were the red metallic nail heads which fit perfectly on the sentiment.

Truly, this has to be one of the most versatile Moodboards I've ever seen. I think I could have created multiple, and very different, cards using it. But I'm pretty sure, I'll come back to this design again. I'll be checking the JUGS gallery to see what you and others have found inspirational as well. And do check to see what the Design Team has come up with already! 

 

 

 


Color Hues #58

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It's happened twice now, blog posts scheduled to go up at a specified date have either refused to go up (and needed to be rewritten) or in the case of today's posts, simply disappeared. I know I wrote it because I had to have a link for it to go up on the Color Hues Blog today. Ah, well. 

Tracey has a fabulous color combination for us today: Lime Green and Cyan.

CH #58 Lime Green and Cyan.001

I returned to a favorite hot foil plate for this one—Pinkfresh Studio's Geo Arches and the accompanying stencil.

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I used just two of the three stencils, and love the way it came out. I added some Pinkfresh Metallic Gold Pearls as an embellishment and a hot foiled sentiment from Spellbinders, Essential Glimmer Sentiments. I used the matte gold foil for the first time.

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This is a rather odd angle for the photograph, but you can see both the foiled design as well as the foiled sentiment.

I hope you'll hop over to the Color Hues Blog and take a look at the fabulous cards from our guest, Linda Snodgrass, and the Design Team. Please help us fill up the gallery with your Lime Green and Cyan creations!

New Floral

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I used the last of my generous gift certificate from Christmas to purchase the Magnolia Pattern cling stamp and stencil from Pinkfresh Studio. It's such an interesting stamp and stencil combination because only parts of the pattern are to be colored in, although you could color all the images with Copics or colored pencils. I loved the projects I saw during the release, and am looking forward to playing with the stencil using a variety of colors. This time I stuck with the colors of the February Pinkfresh Challenge. It also calls for stripes or plaid, and I opted for stripes.

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The whole stamp creates a 6X6 inch panel which you would have to cut down for an A2 sized card. Because I wanted to incorporate some subtle stripes, I fussy cut the image and then trimmed off the excess after I placed it on the card. The stenciling was done with Altenew's Classy Stripes stencil with Ballet Slippers ink which was also used on the flowers.

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I chose a gold foiled sentiment from the Wonderful Words collection from Pinkfresh. The hot foil plate was also a purchase thanks to my son and his family. When I photographed the closer look, I managed to get the foiled sentiment to show appropriately, but not the Gold Metallic Pearls from Pinkfresh which do match the foiled sentiment.

Every month I aim to enter the Pinkfresh Studio Challenge, but it's more "missed" than "hit," so I'm happy to have this completed well before the challenge ends. I'm also entering it The Flower Challenge: Use Your Latest Stamps or Dies. And, of course to Darnell's NBUS!

MonthlyChallenge-Feb23TFChallenge#77NBUS

Happy Valentine’s Day

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I saved a couple of valentines to share on Valentine's Day. First off, my valentine for Caleb. I wanted to try a technique that I've seen online, and it worked well. I don't know if it has a special name. The front of the valentine is very plain.

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I love the lightbulb with the heart from a very old Simon Says set Watts Up.  The punny sentiment which I thought Caleb would enjoy is also from an older Simon Says set, Light Me Up.

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There's a little heart "pull me" tag, and when you do, the colored light bulb is revealed.

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The frame is from the My Favorite Things A2 Rectangle Frames set. I've never separated the dies in that set, so when you die cut them all, you get the wider frame and a narrower one between. For this card I put one of the narrow pieces as well as the regular frame together as neither was quite wide enough to let the slider go in and out easily.

Another purchase from my win at Simon Says was the XOXO Border die. I die cut it twice, once in red and once in pink, added them to a black border and another quick and easy valentine was created.

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The tiny red heart was die cut with Hero Arts Infinity Hearts and the sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Keep It Simple: Valentine.

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This card is off to two different challenges: The Four Seasons Challenge where the moodboard includes a valentine, and Simon Says Wednesday Challenge where the challenge is "Fun With Dies."

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