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Allsorts Challenge 524/525: Feminine

Hello and welcome! Today's card was made for our new theme at Allsorts challenge. Lynn's turn to host and she picked the theme of "Feminine". We're still running on a 2 week schedule so there is plenty of time for you to join us for your chance to win! Our prize this week comes from Swedish House Crafts.

I made a tall card (approx. 4.5 x 6.75 inchs) for the challenge and kept it mainly CAS, although my first thought was to stamp the image again, color and fussy cut. But once I had the image stamped onto my inked card stock I actually liked the CAS look of just the black white and pink and decided to leave it this way. 

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To get a perfect rectangle I used painter's tape around the edges, inked with SpunSugar and Worn Lipstick distress inks, then used a brick stencil to add the brick design. After removing the painters tape I stamped the image and sentiment from the 2 piece Penny Black set Birthday Balloons with Versafine Clair Nocturne ink using my Tonic Stamp Platform. I framed the card onto a white 110 lb card base and finsished it by adding sticky rhinestones. 

Penny Black Birthday Balloons // Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink // Spun Sugar Distress Ink // Worn Lipstick Distress Ink // Brick Wall Stencil by TCW // Ranger  Ink Blending Tool // Tonic Stamp Platform // Stickyback Rhinestones // Bristol Vellum Paper 

I'm playing along with these challenges:

Simon Says Wednesday - CAS // Double D Challenges - Rhinestones // TIME OUT Challenges  - Fashionable // CAS on Friday - Use a Stencil // Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Anything Goes // 

Thanks so much for visiting!! As always I really appreciate your comments!

This post includes some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for your support!

Fashion Friday: Dress Pants & Double V Neck Sweater From Loft

Hello and happy Friday! In a recent Fashion Friday post I had mentioned that I placed an order with Loft, and today I am sharing two of the items I received in that order.

I've been wanting to add a pair of dress pants to my closet and loved this "nautical navy" color of the Loft Riviera Pants. These are a 26" inseam (in the regular lengths) so I decided to get them instead of the petite size. While I was happy with the lengths they were just too lose on the waist as I am sure you can tell by looking at these pictures, so I had to send them back. I did love the quality of the material though and would recommend them but as mentioned I found that they run a size too big. 

I love how Loft usually shares outfit ideas with their clothing. The look above is my favorite they shared for these pants, and I think it's so easy to recreate with items we might already have. 

This Double V-Neck Sweater is also from Loft. Love the stripes and pale blue color! It's a perfect top to dress up with dress pants or dress down with a pair of jeans. Here is a peek at the v neck in the back. Regular sizes are limited, but it appears fully stocked in petite sizes.

By the way, all of Loft's sale prices are currently marked an extra 50% off of the prices shown. That brings both the V-Neck sweater and these dress pants to just under $20 each. 

Riviera Pants Marisa Fit //  Double V-Neck Sweater // Shoe Options in Navy // Similar crossbody bag from Target // Similar Gray Shoulder Bag by Rebecca Minkoff (expensive premium brand but currently marked at 40% off)  

 I didn't go anywhere with this outfit but wanted to add a handbag (It's easier to pose for a photo that way 😀) I decided on another shoulder bag. I'm pretty sure I picked this one up from Target a few years ago, but I could be wrong as I've had it for a while. It's a nice gray stone color that I think goes so well with most colors. This crossbody bag from Target although a little bit of a darker gray, does look somewhat similar. But if you like premium brands then you might like  this leather shoulder bag by Rebecca Minkoff. While it's an expensive item, it's currently on sale for 40% off. And it's definitely a handbag that will be in style pretty much forever, I think. 

I'm not going to say much about my footwear from the look above. I've had these shoes for over 15 years. They are dressier than what I normally wear so I did not wear them a lot. But I really do need to look for a new pair of dress shoes....for this specific look I'd probably go for some navy flats or maybe something with a low heel.

Below I've styled this same Double V-Neck Sweater again with some boot cut jeans from my closet.

I'm wearing my black Miz Mooz booties with the bootcut jeans. I love that they have a very low heel and are soooo comfortable! In fact I also own these in the brandy color which was the first color I purchased but I must have repeated myself a few too many times that I wish I had them in black as well .... didn't think my husband would actually order them for me for Christmas last year! 

While this specific style of Miz Mooz in no longer available, Nordstrom does sell an newer version of these Miz Mooz Booties. I'm also really liking these victorian inspired boots by Miz Mooz but not sure what I'd wear with them.

Please ignore my dead grass. These pictures were taken just after a drought and all that seemed to have survived are some weeds - we don't use weed killer on our lawn.

Bootcut Jeans - old by Vintage America (shop similar stlyles) //  Double V-Neck Sweater by Loft // Similar Boots by Miz Mooz // Similar Gray Shoulder Bag by Rebecca Minkoff (expensive but currently marked at 40% off)

Prescription glasses frames are by Coach. 

I'm linking up with these great fashion related blogs:

A Pocket Full of Polka Dots // Friday Favorites with Lizzie // Jo Lynne's Shane Fashion Friday // Color and Grace Fashion Link Up , Visible Monday Linkup // Glass of Glam //  Weekday Wear Link Up //  Myriad Musings // Style-Splash // Twosday Linkup // Midweek Linkup // Fashion Frenzy with Kelly and Annessa // Style On The Daily Link Up with Amy and Gina // Thursday Fashion Files with  Carrie // Thursday Moda Link Up //  Chic and Stylish //

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to visit my blog!

Some affiliate links were used in this post, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links, at no additional cost to you. Thanks so much for your support!

Penny Black and More Challenge - Midmonth Reminder

Today I am sharing my mid month reminder card for our August theme at Penny Black and More challenge. This month it's all about cards for boys or men. Still plenty of time to join us if you haven't already! As always we have some fantastic prizes go give away so I hope you won't miss your chance to be entered into the drawing. Remember you may use any brand, as long as the focal point of your card is hand stamped.

I've used one of my newer stamp sets by Penny Black - Birthday Critters - along with Penny Black's Wood Floors die and the sentiment is from the Penny Black set Sweet Wishes.


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The animals were stamped on Bristol Vellum paper using Versafine Clair Nocturne ink and heat embossed with Hero Arts Ultra Fine clear embossing powder. I used the distress ink pads for watercoloring by simply pressing the inkpad onto a clear stamping block and then picking up the color with a zig detailer waterbrush. I did wet the image with clean water before adding color so it is easier to work with. Images were fussy cut using Cutterbee detail paper scissors. 

I used white card stock for the wooden floor/trim and inked the floor with distress ink. The pattern paper is from a paper pack by The Paper Studio found at Hobby Lobby. I thought this pattern was perfect for a birthday card as they remind me of streamers. Sentiment was cut out and attached to the card with a staple that I tied some navy grosgrain ribbon to. The animals were adhered with pop up tape and the image panel was then framed onto a Faded Jeans distress inked card stock before mounting it onto a white card base.

Penny Black Birthday Critters // Penny Black Sweet Wishes // Penny Black Wood Floors // Bristol Vellum Paper // Distress Inks: Rusty Hinge (cat & cake), Black Soot - very diluted (mouse), Candied Apple (party hat & candles), Faded Jeans (happy birthday banner, cake platter and frosting, Worn Lipstick (ears and cheeks) // Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink // Hero Arts Ultra Fine Embossing Powder // Tonic Stamp Platform // The Paper Studio Pattern Paper // Stampin Up Grossgrain Ribbon

I'm linking up with these challenges:

Dream Valley Challenges - Handcolored Image // 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Critters // A2Z Scrapbooking Linky Party - Birthday // Crafty Animals - Animals // Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Pattern Papers // Happy Little Stampers - Use Dies (I used a wood floor die) // Lost Coast Designs - Wood // Pearly Sparkles Challenge -Beginning with "B" (Blue Birthday Banner) // Sweet Stampers - Dies // Aud Sentiments Challenge - Animals // DL ART Thankful Thursday Challenge  - Birthday // Krafty Chicks - Masculine // The Male Room - Birthday // Paper Shelter - Dies // Ike's World - H is for Hats // AAA Birthday - For the Boys

Anything Goes Themes:

Colour Crazy Challenge // Brown Sugar // Love to Craft // Morgan's ArtWorld Open Challenge f // Not Just Cards f // The Creative Crafters // Craft Rocket Challenges  

Thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to visit my blog. 

This post includes some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for your support!

Fashion Friday: Blue Jeans and Pale Pink Dotted Top

Happy Friday! I'm happy to say that I have another summer look to share today. This top is a little bit on the dressier side so it's not a top I'd wear on a daily basis. But it's a great weekend top and a perfect way to dress up a a pair of blue jeans. I wore this out to lunch and a small midwestern museum.  I shopped my closet for (almost) everything but I tried to find some comparable links.

This sleeveless blouse is by "Elle" purchased at Kohls a few years ago. Target has some cute sleeveless tops this year and some great finds at Loft. I love the style of this top from Loft and the Zebra print is a fun one, but I personally don't really wear animal prints. They are just not "me", but I'm sure some of you would love that print!

The Prettiest Tops Are Now $35. Valid 8/20 at 3am - 8/23 at 3am.

The blouse is made of a cool flowy material - the dotted front is polyester and the back is the same shade of pale pink but a solid colored rayon (no polka dots) and it ties in the back of the neck the same way the zebra print top I linked from loft, ties. Unfortunately we forgot to take a photo from the back.

I wore skinny jeans from Banana Republic ( you guessed it - also a few years old), so no direct link. These are mid rise 26" inseam and I folded them up once as you can see. I'm about 5"2' so most jeans do run a little bit long on me. These jeans however are not my favorite. While I do love how they fit overall, the back pockets seem to be a little bit large.

My sandals I also purchased a couple of seasons ago from Kohls. These do have a little bit of a heel but since it's a sort of a wedge heel they are very walkable. The brand is "Natural Soul", but it appears that they have renamed this brand Soul Naturalizer. These sandals may not be the most trendy, but for a "comfort shoe" I think they look stylish enough. I'm very picky when it comes to shoes! They have to be comfortable and "somewhat" stylish at the same time! (While I can walk comfortably in these sandals, I did switch them out at the museum with my Abeo Samantha sandals I wore in last Friday's post, because I didn't know how much walking we would be doing. Although I may need to start wearing  heels more often as my youngest caught up with my height and I don't want to be the shortest 😄)

This pair currently available at Kohl's, although not the same, is comparable to mine. I'm wearing a 7.5  and think they are true to size (I usually wear size 8 in all types of shoes, while I do occasionally go with a 7.5 in sandals).

I've linked some other options I found at Amazon Fashion by the same brand.

A closer look at the sandals below...

I carried the same saddle crossbody bag again (old - by NineWest) because it matched the sandals perfectly and it's my current go-to bag, although I do switch them out when needed. (Click here if you missed last Friday's fashion post where I styled this bag with denim shorts and a t-shirt from Loft.)

A closeup of the bag and a glimpse at a beaded bracelet I received for my birthday picked out by my dear daughter. It was purchased at Nordstrom Rack while visiting the Chicago suburbs this summer. How I wish I'd live closer to that store!! But thank goodness for online shopping :)

I didn't add a necklace to this outfit because I thought the dotted top was "busy" enough and no necklace was needed.  

Sleeveless blouses work well in fall (and spring) too, all I have to do is add a fitted jacket or maybe a cardigan and switch out the sandals with ankleboots and it will make a great fall (or spring) outfit. 

Jeans by Banana Republic // Top by Elle from Kohl's // Sandals by Natural Sole from Kohl's - Similar Style // Saddlebag by NineWest - Similar HERE and HERE// Prescription Glasses Frame by Coach // Bracelet from Nordstrom Rack

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to visit my blog! 

I'm linking up with these great fashion related blogs:

A Pocket Full of Polka Dots // Friday Favorites with Lizzie // Jo Lynne's Shane Fashion Friday // Color and Grace Fashion Link Up , Visible Monday Linkup // Glass of Glam //  Weekday Wear Link Up //  Myriad Musings // Style-Splash // Twosday Linkup // Midweek Linkup // Fashion Frenzy with Kelly and Annessa // Style On The Daily Link Up with Amy and Gina // Thursday Fashion Files with  Carrie // Thursday Moda Link Up //  Chic and Stylish //

I'd love for you to check out my current favorite fashion finds!

Some affiliate links were used in this post, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links, at no additional cost to you. Thanks so much for your support!

An Apology

Good morning! I don't have anything to share today, but wanted to do a quick post apologizing to you if you were one of those receiving several of my posts in your readers, as it has happened to some of my blogging friends.

Some of you may have noticed in July my costum blog domain got deleted because I updated my email with blogspot sometime last year but apparently google (where I purchased my domain and where my blog is hosted through) did not get updated automatically and my domain expired because I never received the bill. At that time my blog didn't work anymore (until I noticed - it may have been a few days as I was on vacation during that time) but it was too late to retrieve my domain and I decided to purchase a new domain at some point and simply redirected my blog back to the original blogspot url until I decided on a new domain with a little hope that my previous one would become available for purchase again in the meantime. 

So yesterday I purchased a new domain and linked it to my blog. Somewhere during this time (behind blogspot's scenes) it appears that some of my followers must have received multiple posts from me. I truly don't know why that happened and cannot explain. I wanted to apologize because the last thing I want to do is spam your reading lists with some of my old posts. 

I did recently decide to  make my blog more than just "papercrafts" as I went from posting cards several times a week a few years ago to really just once a week with an extra card here and there. So it just made sense to keep the same blog for my non-card posts, but I completely understand if you no longer want to follow my blog. 

Thanks so much for reading this and for understanding!

Allsorts Challenge 522/523: Sun, Moon and/or Stars or Something for Baby

It's time for a new theme at Allsorts challenge and this time it's my turn to host :-) Hope you will join in. I picked the theme of Sun, Moon and/ or Stars, or  Something for Baby.  So many baby stamps with moons and stars out there too, maybe you can even combine the themes :-) We're giving away a crafting CD rom with Holly Pond Hill images. Hope you can join us. The challenge runs for two weeks so you will have plenty of time.

It's been a long time since I last used this cute stamp by Penny Black - Cat on the Moon. Isn't this kitty adorable!! This is an older wood mounted stamp but I did find it still available at Joann's Crafts and Fabrics online shop.


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My card was quick to make. I simply inked the background using Distress Oxides (Tumbled Glass, Blueprint Sketch, Faded Jeans and Wilted Violet). It's hard to see but I used Stamper's Anonymous Speckles stencil on the background and a wet ink applicator which took off some of the color. Household bleach might have been a better option but I didn't have any in my craft room and didn't want to go clear to the basement to get it :-)

The cat has been stamped twice, once on this inked card stock and again on a scrap piece of Bristol Vellum card stock and heat embossed so I could watercolor. I used Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens for coloring.  It's been then fussy cut and adhered to the card with dimensionals. I really hadn't planned on adding the pattern paper but I accidentally trimmed too much off of the image panel and I wanted to make an A2 sized card, so I decided to add a polka dotted frame. This is from a sticky back paper pack but I have no idea what the brand is. Stamping was all done with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink. I used a Wink of Stella clear glitter brush to add sparkles to the moon and stars.

Penny Black Cat on the Moon // Penny Black So Very Much // Distress Oxides: Tumbled Glass, Blueprint Sketch // Faded Jeans // Wilted Violet // Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink // Stampers Anonymous Speckles Stencil // Bristol Vellum Paper // Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens // Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush

I'm sharing with these challenges:

 Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Anything Goes // TIME OUT Challenges - Relaxation (stargazing) // Brown Sugar - Anything Goes // Crafty Calendar - Anything Goes // Send a Smile for Kids - Anything Goes for Kids //  Dare 2B Artzy Challenges - Anything Goes // Aud Sentiments Challenge - Animals and Sentiment // 2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Critters // Artistic Stampers  - Use Rubber Stamps // Crafty Animals - Animals // Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - Pattern Paper // 

Thank you so much for visiting!! 

Some affiliate links were used in this post, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links, at no additional cost to you. Thanks so much for your support!