Three Pearls for Allsorts Challenge 561

Hello and thanks for visiting! A new theme starts today at Allsorts challenge. Helene is hosting and she picked the theme of Three Pearls. Hope you will join in for a chance to win! We have a great prize by Tattered Lace to give away this week!

*Disclosure: Please note, this post includes affiliate links. 

I decided to make a cute birthday card using one of Penny Black's wood mounted stamps - Prize Cupcake. Stamped and heat embossed on Bristol Vellum paper using Versafine Clair Nocturne ink and Clear Embossing powder then I colored using Copic markers. 

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used Penny Black's Stencil Hypnotic on the top part of the card with Worn Lipstick distress ink. The sentiment from the clear Penny Black set Sweet Wishes was also heat embossed then I cut it out using a retired die from Whimsy Stamps and attached it to the card with some stitched ribbon I've had forever. Three small sticky pearls were added as sprinkles on the cupcake, mounted the image panel onto pink card stock from Stampin up then a white heavyweight card base.

Penny Black Prize Cupcake // Penny Black Sweet Wishes // Penny Black Hypnotic Stencil // Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink // Clear Ultra Fine Embossing Powder // Copic Markers // Sticky Pearls // Worn Lipstick Distress Ink // Ranger Ink Blending Tool // Whimsy Stamp  Die (retired- cannot find comparable die) // Heavyweight White Cardstock // Ribbon from Stash

I'm sharing with these blogs:

Colour Crazy Challenge - Coloring // Aud Sentiments Challenge - Use a Sentiment // Krafty Chicks - All Occasions // Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes // AAA Birthday - Cute // Dream Valley Challenges - Hand Colored Image // Make My Monday-Critters //Inspire Me Mondays 

 

Thanks so much for visiting! Hope to see you over at the challenge blog!

Below I've linked to products I used as found on Amazon. As a reminder, these and some of the above links are affiliate links meaning  I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links, at no cost to you. As always, thanks so much for your support!

Fashion Over Forty: Gray Faux Leather Jacket & Blue Jeans

Happy Friday! Hope it's been a good week for you! It snowed a little this past week, the kids were hoping for a snow day but it never happened...Now we're expeciting some warmer weather again this weekend, and I am ready for it!

Last Friday I got the opportunity to go to a surprise small town village concert of my favorite American Idol contestant - Clark Beckham (He was the runner up on season 14). He is currently touring and made a surprise stop in between his tour dates of the big cities. Didn't think I was EVER going to see him live, as I just can't see myself driving 3+ hours to a concert at this time in my life, so I knew I had to make this one happen as it was so close. It felt like a private get-together with a potluck and the music by Clark Beckham - just perfect! I'm pretty sure my husband shared pizza with Clark Beckham before the concert as they were both in the food section at the same time at one point (I was too much of a chicken but did exchange a few words with him afterwards when he signed a CD I bought. I already purchased the album from itunes but couldn't resist having an autographed copy :-)

Anyway, if you liked him on American Idol, I really suggest checking out his remaining tour dates, in case he's close to where you live. He has new music coming out too, we got a sneak peek and I shared a couple on my Instagram. One of these he wrote for his soon to be wife for their wedding song. (He is getting married in May). 

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

Since the concert was at a small midwestern venue I didn't feel the need to dress up in a special way, and simply wore my favorite sweater, favorite jeans and added a faux leather jacket, as it happened to be a warmer winter day  and I didn't want to bring my winter coat along.

If you've been following me along then you've already seen this sweater in this post  where I styled it with a puffer vest. This sweater is by Calvin Klein found at TJMaxx last fall. I almost didn't get it and somehow it became my favorite sweater. As you can imagine it's no longer available, but there are always similar options. I like this one from Nordstrom Rack, and this newly added sweater from LOFT would be a great choice as well and and perfect for springtime. In fact, LOFT recently added several new items to their shop and right now you can save 40% off all tops and dresses.

My faux leather jacket is from Kohl's. I've had it for almost a year and it still had the price tag attached. It was one of the clearance rack finds (that I usually try to avoid). This jacket is a size too big for me (I usually wear Small in Jackets and Coats, Small or Medium in Leather type jackets as they are usually tighter around the arms, and this jacket is size L - it was the only one available on the rack). Leather jackets are not really my norm, but I didn't mind this light gray color and it fit this occasion and with a little bit of fur lining it was the perfect completer piece for this day/evening.

While this specific jacket is no longer available, I did find this very similar faux leather jacket at Nordstrom Rack. It also comes in the prettiest shade of dusty pink 😍 (I tell you, this fashion blogging really requires some self conrol LOL)

The photo above shows the faux fur lining inside. It's just a thin lining but it was enough to keep me warm. 

For accessories I added two layers from my Lucky Brand 4-Layer necklace and I switched out my small diamond studs with some silver drop earrings, but they are hard to see. 

These boots are by Earth Origins, shown before in this recent post and they are still available HERE. I carried my black crossbody bag by Chaps. It's old, but there are some options on Amazon. 

Below are similar options. Tip: If purchasing a leather or faux leather jacket you may want to go up a size from your usual jacket size. The boots fit true to size and are very comfortable with a removable footbed and arch support.

Faux Leather Jacket Option  (Nordstrom Rack)

AG Jeans Option (Bloomingdales) Option (Nordstrom)

Sweater Option  More Options from Nordstrom Rack LOFT Option

Exact Boots
Necklace Options

As always thank you so much for visiting! Have a fabulous weekend!

PS: You can also find me here:

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You can also use the "follow by email" function on the blog's sidebar to receive a notification when a new post goes live. I do share papercrafts in addition to my fashion over forty posts, so keep in mind that you would receive a notification for both types of posts.

Linking up with these great fashion related blogs.

Allsorts Challenge 560: Make It Girly

Hello and thanks so much for stopping by! This week Lynn is hosting Allsorts challenge and she chose the theme of "Make it Girly". Hope you can join us! The winner will receive have great prize by JMC Designs.

For this week I decided to ink up some Lavinia Stamps, I've been neglecting them long enough as much as I love them.

I started out by placing a mask out of  torn printer paper over the bottom portion of the card and inked with Distress inks (Antique Linen, Victorian Velvet, Worn Lipstick, Seedless Preserves, Blueprint Sketch and Chipped Sapphire - in that order) using an ink blending tool. Somehow I am always drawn to these colors when inking a sky.

Before removing the mask I stamped the Spiral of Spells word stamp and flicked some water onto the background for a fun distress ink reaction with water. After removing the mask, I inked up the bottom portion with Black Soot distress ink. Then stamped the fairy, mushrooms and branches. All stamps are by Lavinia. The sentiment is a sticky sentiment from Tim Holtz' Quotations  set. There are 4 sheets of stickers in this set, two printed on white and two printed on black. 

Lavinia stamps are now available in the States. I found a retailer on Etsy a couple of years ago, and in the recent months also discovered Lavinia World, who carries lots of Lavinia stamps as well.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Linking up with these blogs:

Lavinia World Challenges - Stamping // Country View Crafts' Challenge - Splashes, Splatters or Drips // Daisy Chain Challenges - For the Girls // Inspire me Mondays

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

Fashion Over Forty: Black, Gray and Denim with a Touch of Cognac

Happy Friday! It's almost time to put away those winter clothes and boots, but we're not quite there yet and today I'm sharing an outfit with some cognac colored fur lined hiker type boots I found at Target reduced to less than $12! I almost left them there  thinking they were too furry, but my daughter convinced me to get them. I know they are only $12 but I don't usually buy things just  because they are cheap (I've been there many year ago and that would contribute to too much clutter in my closet but not really add to a functional wardrobe which is what I aim to have.) But I am happy she conviced me to get them and wanted to wear them at least once before it's time to put away the winter boots.

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

The sun was out in full force on this day which made it warm enough to leave the winter coat at home, but the sun made it difficult to get decent pictures. Luckily I found a few that were ok. Everything but the boots are old, and sadly these boots are no longer on the Target site so I can't link to them directly..

This knit sweater I purchased from LOFT about a year ago. I've seen it shown by another fashion blogger and it was one of those items I fell in love with. I definitely didn't need another gray sweater, but I love the details on the sleeves on this one and the relaxed fit. You can see a closeup of the sleeves below...I don't know, there is something about some of the 80's and 90's styles that I love  and this sweater is definitely reminding me of that time frame. 

There's nothing quite like this sweater currently available at LOFT, but LOFT always has some wonderful sweaters in store - some great spring styles were just added, always worth checking out! And if you like shopping sales and clearance, you can now (as I type this) take an EXTRA 40% off most sales items. 

I paired the sweater with one of my AG jeans I purchased from eBay (I bought them pre-owned but they have become my favorite pair, just wish the rise was higher) and my quilted vest from Old Navy. This vest is still available in very limited sizes from Old Navy, otherwise this one from Amazon looks like a good option. (More Amazon Options HERE)

My cognac colored saddle bag is old (by Nine West), this  this bag would be similar and comes in several fun colors.

Above is a closeup of the boots. Maybe a little too much fur but they do look cute! This was my first pair of boots/shoes ever purchased from a Target brand, and I was positively surprised that they were so comfortable. I've worn them for several hours on this day and my feet didn't hurt at all. While this specific pair of boots is no longer online, Target currently has many of their winter boots reduced. You can take a look HERE. Otherwise this pair is very similar, but expensive, which makes sense as those are made of real leather and shearling.  

To add some interest to the outfit I added a simple long necklace (this is part of a 4 layer necklace by Lucky Brand). This specific necklace is no longer available but there are some great options on Amazon.

  
Sweater LOFT (options) // Vest Old Navy (Amazon options) // AG Jeans from eBay (New Options HERE and HERE, some options at closeout prices HERE, and if you don't mind pre-owned you can find great deals on eBay) // Boots from Target by Universal Thread (sold out) Alternative Option ,More Options HERE // Saddle Bag Option // Necklace Options

Thanks so much for visiting! Hope you're having a great weekend! I'm going to see Clark Beckham today. (Does anyone remember him from American Idol - the runner up of season 14?) He's making an unscheduled surprise stop on his Light Year tour in a small town close to where I live. (How lucky am I???) I think it's safe to say that he's been my favorite from all the seasons considering I purchased every song he's ever released :)

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You can also use the "follow by email" function on the blog's sidebar to receive a notification when a new post goes live. I do share papercrafts in addition to my fashion over forty posts, so keep in mind that you would receive a notification for both types of posts.

Linking up with these great fashion related blogs.

More Animals for Penny Black and More February Challenge

Hello and welcome! It's the 18th of the month, that means it's time for some more design team inspiration at the Penny Black and More challenge blog where our theme for this month is Animals, Birds and Butterflies. Still plenty of time to join us if you haven't already, and you can always share up to 3 creations. We have 2 stamps sets from Penny Black and one store voucher from Stamp Addicts to give away, so there will be 3 winners!

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

For my card share today I'm showing you the card I gave to my husband on Valentines Day. It's been a long time since I've used these cute frogs and I thought they were perfect for the occasion.

The stamp is wood mounted - Captivated by Penny Black available HERE and HERE - both through ebay, as it's an older stamp and I don't think any longer in production. 

I stamped it using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink, sprinkled with Clear Embossing Powder and heat embossed on Bristol Vellum Paper. I used my Copic markers again to color this image. 

The background stamping was done with the heart stamp from the Penny Black set So Very Much, stamped in Antique Linen ink. The small heart is from the Penny Black Heart Bow Die and the pattern paper is from my stash. The sentiment "Be Mine" was a dollar spot find at Michaels many years ago. I added natural jute twine to finish off the card. 

Penny Black Captivated available HERE and HERE // Penny Black So Very Much // Penny Black Heart Bow Die (I only used the tiny "negative" heart from the die) //  Bristol Vellum Paper //  Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink // Clear Embossing Powder // Copic Markers // Antique Linen Distress Ink //  May Arts Jute Twine // Designer Paper from Stash //  Wink Of Stella Clear Glitter Brush

Related Products:

I'm linking up with these blogs:

Always Fun Challenges - animals // Crafty Cardmakers - Love // Papercraft Business Challenge - Valentines Day // Tales From The Craft Room - Love // Penny Black Saturday Challenge - PB stamps // Alphabet Challenge - Anthing you Wish 

Thanks so much for visiting!

Allsorts Challenge 559: Dies and/or Punches

Hello and thanks so much for stopping by! It's time already for our new theme at Allsorts challenge. This week it's my turn to host and I picked the theme of Dies and/or Punches. They don't need to be in the focal point of the card but they do need to be easily seen on your creation. Hope you can join us. We have a new sponsor this week - WowVow giving away a gift certificate to one lucky winner!

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

I'm sharing two cards today...

I needed a masculine birthday card, and this is what I came up with. I started out by inking the background using distress inks (I think I used Tumbled Glass, Peacock Feathers and Pumice Stone ) then stamped the tree stamp  (Winter Ledge by Penny Black) onto the background using Pumice Stone ink. Next I added the stitched "hill" done with an old die from Whimsy Stamps (this would be a similar set) and then adhered the die cut trees from the Penny Black die set Beneath the Birches.

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To make the frame I first dry embossed a white panel using an old Cuttlebug embossing folder (I can't find this exact one, but there are alternative options) then I used a die from the Wonky Stitches die set, but used the "negative" instead of the stitched piece as a frame. The deer from the same Penny Black Beneath the Birches Die Set was die cut on brown card stock from Stampin Up then added to the card. Sentiment is from one of my Penny Black clear sets. 

Penny Black Winter Ledge // Penny Black Beneath the Birches Die Set // Avery Elle Wonky Stitches Die Set // Whimsy Stamps Stitched Border Die (retired - Similar Option) // Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Old - Alternative Options) // Sentiment from Penny Black (can't remember which set it came from) // Distress Ink Tumbled Glass // Distress Ink Peacock Feathers // Distress Oxide Ink Pumice Stone  // Bristol Vellum Paper // Ink Blending Tool

The card below was a last minute addition. I always like to make a Valentines card for everyone in the family, and when this one was finished I noticed it was perfect to use for this challenge as well, so  am sharing both.

The cute hedgehog image is from the Penny Black set Loads of Love heat embossed on Bristol Vellum paper then I colored with copic markers. I'm still on a mission to use up some of my pattern papers and I found these in one of my scrap boxes full of papers. Thought they were perfect for a Valentines Day themed cards although I have no idea what the script background is saying. Luckily the recipient won't know either :-)

The sentiment is from  a Valentines themed set by Penny Black - So Very Much, also heat embossed then die cut using a slider die (old from Whimsy Stamps) and I slid a strip of pattern paper and jute twine through the openings on the die cut. Next I added the die cut hearts (Penny Black Heart Bow die) and tied a bow through the heart. A Wink of Stella clear glitter brush was used on all of the hearts to make them sparkle.

Penny Black Loads of Love // Penny Black So Very Much // Penny Black Heart Bow Die // Bristol Vellum Paper //  Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink // Clear Embossing Powder // Copic Markers // Slider Die (Whimsy Stamps Retired) // May Arts Jute Twine // Wink Of Stella Clear Glitter Brush

Sharing with these blogs:

Card 1:
Seize The Birthday - Birthday // WaterCooler Wednesday - Occasions // Stinkin' Inkers - Embossing Folders // A Place To Start - Masculine Card // 

Card 2: 

(lots of love themed challenges)

CAS on Friday - Love // Colour Crazy Challenge - Coloring // Crafty Catz - Critters // Cut It Up - Love and die cuts // Pattie's Creations - Love // Simply Create Too - Red and One Other Color (Black) // Crafty Gals Corner - Add a Heart // Double D Challenges - Hearts // Fab n Funky - Love // Simon Says Stamp - 2 or more pattern papers // The Paper Funday - Valentines // Crafty Sentiment Designs - Red // Everybody-Art-Challenge - Color of Love // Always Fun Challenges - Love // Colouring in Scrapland  - Love is All Around // Crafty Cardmakers - Love is All You Need // Creativ Fusion Arts & Crafts Challenge - Love and Happiness // Get Creative Challenges - Hearts // Path of Positivity - Adoration // Crafty Calendar - Die Cuts // Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Love is in the Air // Inspire Me Mondays Linkup // ShareAllLinkUp

 

I've linked some of the things I used as found on Amazon for those of you interested. As a reminder, these links and some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links, but at no cost to you. 

Fashion Over Forty: Cashmere and Down - My Winter Must Haves

Happy Friday and happy Valentine's Day! There are so many wonderful spring themed outfits all over blogland already but here in my corner of the world it's still very much winter (today is one of our coldest days of the year) and I am sharing another winter outfit. What I am wearing today is basically my personal winter outfit formula, minus the boots as I usually reach for my black fur lined boots. 

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

I felt rather silly when we took these pictures a couple of weeks ago. I didn't think many people would be around on this winter's day, but we ended up at an area where others were ice fishing on the nearby lake and several trucks were arriving to join the others on the ice. (I had no idea that the lake was frozen solid and that is was possible to ice fish on that weekend).

In today's post I'm wearing my favorite (Cashmere) sweater I got a few seasons ago. Cashmere is  expensive and this one was a great find at an end of season sale a few years ago from Talbots. I think this time of the year is a great time to find quality classic pieces at great prices, items that will never really go out of style and that will last a long time with proper care. (You can read in this post how I care for cashmere sweaters.) A classic cut cashmere sweater is one of those items to look for, as it's one of the best insulators so it's perfect for our cold and windy winters.

I really wish I could link to this specific sweater as it's an amazing quality,  it's a nice tight knit which makes it a wonderful insulator piece and it's lightweight. I've heard great things about Everlane Cashmere sweaters.

While I do like a good deal, occasionally I see an item I absolutely "have to have" even if it's not on sale. That was the case with this scarf  (and the matching hat which was sold separately) by Steve Madden years ago and I spent more money on the two than I usually would spend on winter accessories.

It's probably out of style now, but I love these colors on a cold winter day so I am continuing to wear it.  I'm not one to follow the trends too closely so it doesn't matter to me if it's old. 

 

My AG jeans were purchased from eBay, but this brand is available at department stores like Nordstrom or Bloomingdales, and select sizes at Nordstrom Rack. 

The boots are by Earth Origins (still available HERE). These are not the softest leather but still comfortable and roomy. They fit true to size. 

Exact Boots

Below I've linked some of my favorite cashmere sweater finds. 

Everlane Crewneck Cashmere Sweater (lots of color options and other styles of Cashmere sweaters available.) // Nordstrom Halogen Brand V-Neck (this one is a looser knit and I wouldn't recommend it for cold winter days but a great choice of fall and spring and if you live in a warmer winter climate - I purchased it in purple) // Nordstrom 1901 Brand Cable Knit Cashmere Sweater 

Other great places to look for Cashmere sweaters:

Talbots - Cashmere Sweaters

Macys - Cashmere Sweaters

Nordstrom Rack - Cashmere Sweaters

TJMaxx - Cashmere Sweaters

Banana Republic - Cashmere Sweaters

Of course I had my winter coat nearby. This is my go-to down puffer coat by Calvin Klein (old). I'm still wanting to purchase a black puffer coat, but haven't made my mind up yet and since I don't really NEED another coat. If you missed it, you can read in this post, how I wash a down coat at home. 

Cashmere Sweater Option // AG Jeans Options HERE (eBay), HERE (Nordstrom), HERE (Nordstrom Rack)  // Boots (Exact Style) // Down Coat Option // Scarf Option

This time of the year is also a great time to look for a new winter coat at a great price. Nordstrom Rack usually has great choices of winter coats. These are my favorite picks, but I don't think they are down filled.

Pearl Puffer Coat // Black Puffer Coat // Eggplant Puffer Coat

These stores are also worth checking out if you're looking to purchase a down coat at a reduced price.
Macys - Down Coats
Nordstrom - Down Coats

Thanks so much for visiting! Hope you're having a fabulous day and wonderful weekend!

Btw, you can also find me here:

Pinterest // Instagram // Facebook

You can also use the "follow by email" function on the blog's sidebar to receive a notification when a new post goes live. I do share papercrafts in addition to my fashion over forty posts, so keep in mind that you would receive a notification for both types of posts.

Linking up with these great fashion related blogs.