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Dec 23, 2016

Blue, Brown and some Stencilling

Happy Friday! I didn't plan on posting another card before the holidays are over, but yesterday I finally sorted a little bit through my craft desk and ended up with a nice and clean work area :-) I actually felt like making a card and decided to play along in this week's Allsorts "Blue Bingo" Challenge. (Who needs another batch of cookies anyway??)


I used the top line from the bingo grid.


 
I started out by stencilling the dots onto Neenah Solar White card stock using a blue distress ink. Then stamped the Penny Black stamp Gathering Together using vintage photo distress ink. The large butterfly was stamped again on xpress it blending card, and I colored it with copic markers and fussy cut. A glue dot and dimensionals were used to adhere the butterfly to the card. Edges were distressed and inked using vintage photo ink. The sentiment is from the set "Snippets" also from Penny Black and I used some jute twine to tie a bow. Wink of Stella was applied to the butterfly to give it a little sparkle.


The card front was matted onto kraft card stock then onto a soft sky card base. 

Below is a card I made with a card front that I worked on first but messed up. I used pan pastels in this case for the butterfly and the stencilling, but after applying wink of stella to the butterfly it turned it almost looked green, probably because the distress ink I used to stamp the butterly smeared a little bit. But I didn't want to throw it away so I created a slightly different version of the same card.
I left off the sentiment and used a piece of burlap with hemp  and jute twine instead. 

And that is all from me for now...I will be back January 1st!
 

Merry Christmas!
 

Dec 18, 2016

Berries in the Snow

Sharing another CAS card today made for this month's Penny Black and More challenge reminder. Did you play along yet? We have a really fun challenge - use black and white plus one extra color. Still time to join us if you haven't already or if you'd like to submit another entry. We have some nice prizes to give away and not that many entries yet, so your chance at winning are good!

For my card today I used the stamp "Berry Bevy" by Penny Black.
Image was stamped onto xpress it blending card using memento tuxedo black ink, the berries were colored using copic markers. I added some glassy glaze over the berries, really need go get a new bottle of that, as mine is really old and didn't want to come out nicely. 
I tore some paper to create a hill and added white stickles glitter. Sentiment is from the set Brush Pine. The card base is Cherry cobbler by Stampin up, which matches the berries really well in real life, it just looks too dark in the photo. (I need to buy another OTT lamp for better photos!)
Be sure to visit the challenge blog to see the wonderful creations from the rest of the team and to take a peek at the prizes.

Hope you are almost ready for the holidays. I finally sent out some cards to my family overseas yesterday...not even sure  they'll arrive in time for Christmas, and sadly I have to admit this year they were store bought...(I really should challenge myself to make Christmas cards all year long!)
Also spent the day yesterday making Christmas cookies. Can't believe Christmas is in 7 days!!
Wishing you all a wonderful Holiday season!

Merry Christmas!

Dec 11, 2016

Christmas Lights

Good Morning! I finally made some time yesterday to make a couple of cards.  I think my last post was a little bit confusing, as some of you thought I am taking a break from card making, it's actually just a break from my linky parties, still plan on making cards when I can. 

When I saw the  new challenge at Allsorts is "Christmas Lights" I knew I wanted to color up this cute image :-) 


I stamped it onto xpress it blending card and colored with copic markers. Stickles glitter was applied to the lights.
An old cuttlebug embossing folder was used for the white background. To finish off the card I tied some gold cord around the card front.

 A little close up below...
The cute cats stamp is from the Penny Black set "Deck the Halls", which I have available brand new in my Etsy shop if you're interested. Sentiment is from the set "Holiday Snippets". 

As mentioned above I am playing along in this week's Allsorts challenge where the theme is "Christmas Lights". Also playing along in this month's Penny Black Saturday Challenge where the theme is Christmas or Winter. 

And that is all I have for today, the second card I made is for the Penny Black and More challenge reminder and I will show you that at a later time, but in the meantime why don't you come play along with us over there (link on my side bar)...we some some really great prizes and not many entrants so far, so there are really good chances to win!! 

Hope you stay warm and enjoy your Sunday!


Dec 5, 2016

Critters and Creatures Linky Party - Taking a Break

Happy Monday everyone! 
You might have already read on the post for my Let's Color Linky party, that I will be taking a break from both linky parties. I just don't seem to be able to get much paper crafting done at the moment. So I have nothing new to share today, but wanted to share the top choices from the month of November. 

A big thank you to all of you for playing along last month!
Lots of wonderful entries and as always, it was really hard to pick favorites, but I did manage, and here are the top choices in no particular order:

Shell B.
  
Babs
 

Melanie R.
 

Congratulations ladies!
Your top choice badge is below.

 

A huge thank you to all of you that played along in my Linky parties over the last 9 months, it was always so much fun to visit your blogs and to see what you made! 
I hope to return with the linky party again in February. In the meantime I will still continue to share my handmade creations here on my blog whenever I get a chance.

Have a great week!!

Dec 4, 2016

Penny Black and More - December Challenge

Well here we are, December already, I wish time would slow down a bit! Can't believe Christmas is just around the corner. 
I made today's card for the new Penny Black and More challenge. We have a really fun theme this month,  we'd like to see you make a card using black and white plus one other color. 

 
I chose turquoise as my other color. The trees (Penny Black - Crystal Drops) were heat embossed using versamark ink and white embossing powder on Neenah Linen card stock. I inked up the white card stock using distress ink leaving the bottom portion white. Sentiment is from the set Season's Gifts also by Penny Black, I stamped it using Versafine Onyx ink. A piece of black and white striped designer paper was added to separate the image and sentiment. Bottom corners were rounded to finish off the card.

 A little close up below...
I know this month our theme is a little more challenging, but really fun and I hope you'll come join us. I think this color theme would make some really nice CAS cards, perfect if you're behind with your holiday creations! And don't forget we have some really great prizes to give away again, this time from Penny Black, Marianne Designs, Crafty Ribbons, and a stamp from our DT member Sam. Lots of chances to win! Any stamp company is welcome, just no digis and be sure your focal point is stamped. 

And that would be all for today. Thank you so much for visiting!!

Dec 3, 2016

Let's Color Linky Party - taking a break


Hello everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts, and sadly I don't even have a card to share today. Last couple weeks have been really busy and I still haven't had a chance to make a card...well I did make one for my dad's birthday but completely forgot to take a picture of it before it went into the mail. And he lives all the way in Germany, no way to take a picture afterwards :-( So nothing new to share...

Today is supposed to be the new post for the "Let's Color Linky party" but I had to come to the decision at this time to put the linky party on hold. This will also be the case with my Critters and Creatures Linky Party. I just don't seem to be able to get much paper crafting done! I am hoping to bring back the linky parties in the new year, but maybe not until February, because my husband is having a week of vacation this Christmas and so I don't want to spend the time card making. 
(This is just for the linky parties and I do still plan on posting creations when I make something, so not taking an actual blogging break.)

I do want to thank you all for your support of my linky  party over the last year, it was wonderful coming to visit your blogs and seeing your creations!

Time to announce the top choices from last month's linky party, my theme of "Christmas Foliage" did not seem very popular, but the entries following the theme were  gorgeous!

Patty Sue 2

 Jackie C.
 

Vivian
 Congratulations!!
Your top choice logo is below :-)


 And that is all for now. I will be back tomorrow and will finally have something new to share then!
Enjoy your Saturday!


Nov 18, 2016

Penny Black and More - Midmonth Reminder

Good morning and thanks so much for visiting! It's time already for the midway reminder at Penny Black and More. Our theme is simple this month - Christmas Makes. I have a hard time making Christmas cards this year, it has been unseasonably warm over here so it's hard to think "Christmas". But I finally was able to come up with something using a cute hedgehog and snowman winter stamp. 

I recently bought some Neenah linen card stock, and that is what I used for my white. Love the linen texture!! I stamped using memento tuxedo ink and then colored with copic markers. I was careful not to blend too much, I don't think this paper is the best for copics, but I didn't have any issues with bleeding out of the lines, since I didn't add to many layers of color. A white faber castell pitt marker was used to add the white dots to the snowman's  hat and scarf. Don't you just love the look on that snowman's face :-) The image is from the set "Holly Jolly" by Penny Black.
Stickles glitter was added for some sparkle. Designer paper is from my stash, by Stampin Up (retired). 
 The card has been kept simple, after coloring the image I just stamped the sentiment and snowflakes from the set "Holiday Snippets".


 Hope you can come join us if you haven't already, or play again (you can enter up to 3 times). As always we have some wonderful prizes to give away!! 


Happy stamping!!


Nov 13, 2016

A Big Thank You

It's been a little while since I last made a card, but found some time to play yesterday and I made two cards :-) One I am showing you today, the other one I will show you later this week.


I stamped the cute image by Penny Black onto bristol vellum card stock using versafine ink and colored using Zig Clean Color brush pens. Wink of Stella was applied over the flower centers. Designer paper is from Stampin Up (retired). The card is kept clean and simple, the only embellishment other than wink of stella is green jute twine. Sentiment is from a clear set also by Penny Black. 

A little close up below...
Isn't the image just adorable!!

Today I am playing along at Allsorts with the theme of Feature a Creature, also playing along at Pile it on and Simon Says Stamp, both with the theme of "Thank You/ Thanks". 

And that is all for today. Hope you're all having a great Sunday and good start into next week!
 


Nov 7, 2016

Critters & Creatures Linky Party 9 - November

Happy Monday and thanks so much for stopping by! It's time for the November Critters and Creatures Linky Party! Thanks to everyone that played along last month! It's always great seeing so many of you play along!! Be sure to scroll down to see if your entry was a top choice.

As always anything goes featuring a critter or creature
This means it has to be the main focal point on your creation, and cannot be a little bug or butterfly.
Of course bugs or butterflies are fine to use, as long as they are the focal point. 

How about an optional theme this time?
Create an outdoor scene using a critter or creature. This is totally optional and just for some added fun.
I decided to play with some new dies today and a cute snowman for my creature. Tree dies and snowman are both from Penny Black. The little snowman has been stamped onto xpress it card and colored with copic markers, then fussy cut. 
I used masking fluid to create the snowy background, it was applied with a paint brush, let dry then inked with distress ink. The snowy hills were done by simply tearing some paper, and I added wink of stella for some sparkle. A glittered snowflake (MS punch) was added as an embellishment. Sentiment also by Penny Black. 

I did a little bit of stamping on the inside using a pine tree stamp from Penny Black and old sentiment from Stampin Up. 
This card is listed in my Etsy shop if you're interested.

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Now onto the top choices, as always it's hard to choose but here they are in no particular order:

Meg

Twisted Witch - Lin
DV 174 Birthday

Chris


Congratulations!! Your top pick badge for your blogs is below.


Now it's time to get out another critter or creature to feature! Can't wait to see what you make!
You have until November 30th 10pm CST to link up.
A few things to remember:
Focal point must be a critter or creature
No back-linking to older creations
Post must include link back here
Combine with any other challenges

Happy Stamping!!

ETA 5/20/18:
To protect the privacy of those who entered this challenge, the linky tool has now been removed.

Nov 6, 2016

Penny Black and More - November Challenge

Good morning! Have you started making your Christmas cards yet? Our challenge this month at Penny Back and More is a great time to get you started, our theme is Anything Christmas.  You don't have to use a Penny Black stamp, any company works, just be sure it's a clear or rubber stamp, as digis won't be eligible for any of the prizes, and stamping must be the focal point, one exception are penny black stickeroos. 

For today I used one of Penny Black's new Christmas stamps, Brush Pines.
I am sharing two cards today, first one up my favorite. The stamp was colored with distress markers, then spritzed with water before stamping. I also flicked some ink splatter onto the watercolor paper. 
Sentiment is from the stamp set Winter Pine, from last year's Penny Black Winter release. 
I did some machine sewing around the image, added a little button and linen jute twine to finish off the card.
Above is the second card I made. Again colored with distress markers, but I don't think I used any water with this one. The edges were inked using a yellow ink pad for a light glow. Red sequins were added to give it some color. Edges were sewn again and I also used the stamp on the card base behind the image panel. Sentiment is from a Penny Black Christmas sentiment set released last year.

Both these cards are listed in my Etsy shop if you're interested. 

Thanks so much for visiting! If you have some time be sure to check out the challenge blog to see what wonderful inspiration the rest of the team has to share and to take a peek at the wonderful prizes. Don't forget you can enter up to 3 times for more chances to win! Just be sure they all follow our simple rules which you can read about on the challenge blog. 

Happy Stamping!!

Nov 5, 2016

Let's color Linky Party 14 - November

Good morning, happy Saturday! November already and time for a new Let's Color Linky party.
I have a decided to change it up a little bit, and starting with this linky party, there are going to be monthly themes. I might change back to anything goes but for now I'd like to challenge everyone a bit by selecting themes. Hope you'll still come join in!

Thank you all for playing along last month. It's always great visiting your blogs. Be sure to scroll down to see if your entry was a top choice.

The November theme  is:
Winter Foliage 
(christmas trees, pines, poinsettias, holly, mistletoe etc.)

(Must include hand coloring of course!) 

I decided to ink up a wreath stamp by PSX. It's actually been heat embossed on bristol vellum card stock and then colored using a mix of Distress and Zig Clean Color markers. Stickles glitter was applied to the golden fruit and Wink of Stella to the red berries and tiny flowers. Sentiment is by SU and also heat embossed. I matted the image panel onto shiny gold card stock and then used SU card stock for my card base.

A close up below, isn't this stamp just gorgeous!! I love all the details!

This card is listed in my Etsy shop if you're interested. 

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Now onto the top choices. As always it was so hard to choose but I did manage and here they are in no particular order.

Maike


Ema

Sweetpea

Congratulations ladies!! Well done! Your top pick badge for your blogs is below:



 And now it's time to get coloring again. Can't wait to see your creations!

A few things to remember:
Must include something colored

Blog post must include link back here

Unlimited entries and feel free to combine with other challenges

No back linking to older projects
*New: monthly themes*

Have fun coloring Christmas Foliage! You have until November 30th, 10am CST to link up.

ETA 5/20/18:
To protect the privacy of those who entered this challenge, the linky tool has now been removed.

Oct 22, 2016

Hedgehog Cuteness

Happy weekend, hope it's a sunny one for you! Nice weather over here in the mid-west, hope it lasts a little bit longer.

I wanted to do a little coloring this weekend. The Allsorts challenge has been a great inspiration again with their theme  Sparkle and Shine, I thought this cute image was perfect to use for the challenge.

Stamped onto xpress it blending card using memento tuxedo ink and I used copic markers for coloring. I kept the card on the clean and simple side, I just embellished with some jute twine and layered the image onto scalloped green and striped paper. Following the sparkle and shine theme at Allsorts, I added Wink of Stella sparkles to the dandelion puff and glossy accents onto the ladybug. Sentiment is from the set Snippets by Penny Black, you can find it here in my Etsy shop brand new. I have also listed the card if you're interested.




The sparkle is really hard to see in the photo above, but below is a close up. 

Besides Allsorts, I am also playing along at Sunny Day Crafting where anything goes.

Have a great day and thanks so much for visiting!


Oct 19, 2016

Pink Flowers Just For You

Good morning! I am back already with another card. Having so much fun following the Allsorts challenges and this week I decided to play along again. The theme this week is "pink", so I created a pretty pink floral card.
I recently discovered PSX stamps, especially love their detailed floral stamps and although these stamps are really old and no longer being made, I think they make the prettiest cards. And I love that they are wood mounted!!! This is another one of those old stamps.  I heat embossed the image on  xpress it blending card, then colored with copic markers and a colored pencil for a little more shading. An old Stampin Up background stamp was then used on the image panel and edges were inked using distress ink. I thought distressed edges would look nice with this vintage looking image, so I distressed all edges and used my sewing machine around the image panel. Some pretty corner die cuts (Whimsy Stamps die) were added to each one of the 4 corners. A little clear button and twine finishes off the card. 

This is the inside. I heat embossed the sentiment (old - by Stampin Up) and used the same flower stamp but only the top portion of the stamp. The dark card stock looks black, but it's actually dark brown. 
This card has also been listed in my Etsy shop if you're interested. 

Playing along again in these challenges:

We would love you to display our banner !

Grab our logo

Have a great day! And thank you so much for visiting!!


Oct 18, 2016

Penny Black and More - Midmonth Inspiration

Happy Tuesday! It's time for a little more inspiration at Penny Black and More, the design team has been busy creating some more gorgeous cards following the October color challenge or photo inspiration, it's up to you how you interpret this challenge.

 I went with the colors once again, love the rich tones of fall. I used several distress markers to ink up the stamp - Bejeweled by Penny Black, lightly spritzed with water and then stamped onto bristol vellum card stock. For the linen background I used an old background stamp by Stampin Up, and the script background stamp I used is also from Stampin Up. I was able to use just portions of the stamp by unmounting it and bending it while stamping. 
The sentiment is from the Set Patisserie, another one of Penny Black's stamps. I thought the fall colors would go well with distressed edges, so that is what I decided to do here and then I also used my sewing machine for some stitches around the image panel. Oh, and I also inked the edges using yellow, orange and red distress inks before distressing. Designer paper is from an old double sides set of papers by Stampin Up. 

Above is a picture of the inside. I used the same flower again, didn't even have to re-ink, because I wanted it to be paler shade. I just huffed on it a little to re-activate the ink and was able to stamp part of the flowers in each corner. Sentiment on the inside is from the set Sprinkles and Smiles by Penny Black. I used the linen background stamp again and inked the edges to match the outside.

This card is listed in my Etsy shop if you're interested. 

We'd love for you to come join us, and you can enter up to 3 times for more chances to win. We welcome any brand of rubber or clear stamps, just no digi stamps.

I am also playing along again in the new "Flower Challenge", this month the theme is anything goes, as long as flowers are the focal point.

We would love you to display our banner !

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Oct 10, 2016

Colorful Sunflowers

Hi everyone and thanks so much for visiting. Hope your week is off to a good start. I made today's card using an old (but new to me) stamp by PSX.

 It's been stamped onto xpress it blending card using Memento tuxedo ink and I used my copic markers for coloring, following this week's challenge at Allsorts (Autumn Colors). The little dots were done using another really old stamp from SU. Sentiment is from a newer clear set by Penny Black. Papers are all from my stash, I think by My Mind's Eye and Basic Grey. Green card stock is by SU. I finished off the card by tying a bow using jute twine and applied wink of stella to the flower centers. 


Playing along here:
 

Allsorts for color inspiration: 
Grab our logo 

We would love you to display our banner !

Before I let you go I wanted to share this huge apple we found at the orchard this weekend. It wasn't our first time there, but first time we saw this apple tree (and they only had one of these trees). In my left hand I am holding a regular (larger) sized Jonathan apple and a really small one, the one in my right hand is called a "Wolf River" apple. It's the size of one of those "pie" pumpkins.

Apparently this apple originates from Wisconsin. So if you're from that area, then this is probably nothing new to you, but I surely never expected to see an apple this huge!

Have a great day!!