Frosty Winter Cupcake-Redo

Hello Friends and Happy Monday to you! I hope your weekend was all that you wanted it to be and more! I am loving the Wintery weather in my corner of the woods, just makes me want to stay in my studio and create all day. Today, I am sharing a 'redo' of a card I posted last Friday. You can see that card on this post HERE. While I was satisfied with the focal panel, I was not satisfied with the finished card, because I felt like something was missing. After looking at the card again, I realized what that something was...SIMPLICITY. I wanted to create a frosty card, a card that felt like snow and winter, with icicles and snowflakes. Well, all that was well and good and fine and dandy, but it was just. too. much.

Here is my redo. And I am pleased with it. Clean and Simple. Less really is more.

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The image I used is Frosty Winter Cupcake from Meljen's Designs.

materials used~
digital image: Frosty Winter Cupcake(Meljen's Designs)
stamp set: Friendship Jar Holiday Fillers(Papertrey Ink)
card stock: Cryogen White(PaperTemptress)   Neenah Solar White   Outdoor Denim(Close to My Heart)
ink: Stormy Sky Distress Ink(Ranger)   Outdoor Denim(Close to My Heart)   Pumpkin Pie(Stampin' Up!)
embossing folder: Snowflakes(Provo Craft)
dies: Classic Square Nestablities(Spellbinders)
punches: Word Window, Modern Label(Stampin' Up!)
other: Tiny Twinkles(Taylored Expressions)   Crystal Glitter(Martha Stewart Crafts)  Clear Stardust glitter pen(Sakura)  Vintage brads(Stampin' Up!)   Copic markers   Blender Pen(Dove)
 
So there you have it. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Blessings~

Papertrey March Blog Hop Challenge

 

Hello Friends! I played along with the March Blog Hop hosted by Nichole Heady and Papertrey Ink. The challenge this month was to use the colors, aqua and yellow...just perfect for Spring.

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I decided to go simple and make a thank you card. These can quickly and easily be massed produced to give as a gift set or to add to my own stash...I like that!

supplies~

stamp sets: Up, Up and Away, Friendship Jar Spring Fillers(Papertrey Ink)

card stock: Aqua Mist, Lemon Tart(Papertrey Ink)   White Layering Weight(GinaK Designs)

ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Summer Sky, New Sprout

die: clouds(Papertrey Ink)

other: Fabric Texture plate(Fiskars)   Buttercup Baker's Twine(The Twinery)   Lemon Tart buttons(Papertrey Ink)   Copic markers

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the rest of the Blog Hop!

Blessings~

Happy Spring!

Hello Friends! It's Friday! Yay! Although we are expecting a little rain this weekend, I plan to sketch out my ideas for our container garden. And hopefully next week we will be able to begin planting. I'm so excited for this project. I used to garden all the time. In our first home, I'd spend hours working in my yard. At one point, I had 22 rose bushes in a flower bed outside our living room window and when they would bloom...oh my word! The fragrance was unbelievable! I would always have fresh roses in the house and when I would host tea parties, I would make centerpieces from the roses and flowers from my gardens. The garden has lots of visitors, too. Everything from lizards to rabbits; the squirrels were notorious for eating the sunflowers! We had curious hummingbirds that would visit our honeysuckle vines and also the most beautiful butterflies I have ever seen.

Because I was feeling a bit smitten with Spring, I decided to make a card that embodied what I was feeling. I hope you like it!

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I just love the papers in the Basic Grey Picadilly collection! The patterns are so pretty and the solids are so vibrant...the blue you see on this card is actually a piece of paper from the collection. Using paper instead of card stock for matting, keeps the card light, so I don't have to pay extra for postage AND it coordinates perfectly with the patterned papers. I really like the look of the 'text' stamps that are cropping up on cards now. The one I used is from Memory Box and it's a circle, that is why I don't have text in the embossed area..pretty sweet, huh? I stamped the butterfly onto Cryogen white card stock, colored it with Copics and die cut it. I used a Fiskars Texture plate on the yellow layer and did a little sponging on the patterned paper and the text circle.

Here's peek at the inside. I have to admit I've been a little lazy about finishing the insides lately, but I took my time and just finished this one.

supplies~

stamps: Cocoa Bean Butterfly(Memory Box)   Circle Word Background(Memory Box)

card stock: Vintage Cream, Summer Sunrise(Papertrey Ink)   Cryogen White(PaperTemptress)

patterned paper: Picadilly Collection(Basic Grey)

ink: Memento Rich Cocoa(Tsukineko)   Vintage Photo Distress Ink(Ranger)

die: Cocoa Bean Butterfly(Memory Box)  Classic Circle and Lacey Circle Nestabilities(Spellbinders)

other: "Fabric" Texture Plate(Fiskars)   Copic Markers   Spring Moss grosgrain ribbon(Offray)

That's all have for you today!  I wish each of you a wonderful, wonderful weekend! Thanks for dropping in!

Blessings~

Going to Grammy's

Hello Friends! I hope everyone had a good weekend. First, I want to let you know that I have turned off word verification. Thanks to my talented blog buddy, Trina for letting me know it was on.

Today I am sharing the card I created for the challenge at Mo's Digital Pencil. The challenge this week is 'Buttons & Bows'. Isn't that cute? For my card, I chose to work with the To Grammy's image. Isn't she darling? Look at that hair! I printed her onto Cryogen White card stock and colored her with Copics. One look at her little jacket and I knew I wanted to paper piece.

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supplies~

digital image: To Grammy's(Mo's Digital Pencil)

card stock: Cryogen White(PaperTemptress)   Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink(Stampin' Up!)

patterned paper: (Stampin' Up!)

embossing: Swiss Dots(Provo Craft)

buttons: Sweet Blush(Papertrey Ink)

bitty pearl: (Recollections)

ribbon: MemrieMare on Etsy 

twine:Blossom(The Twinery) 

Copic markers

That's it for today! Thank you for dropping by!


Blessings~

All Things Grow with Love

Hello Friends! Happy Friday and Happy St. Patrick's Day Eve! Any one have big plans for the weekend? We are expecting severe storms, so my family and I will be spending the day at home. I have our traditional St. Patrick's Day meal planned...corned beef, cabbage, roasted red potatoes and carrrots...I love the way the house smells when I prepare that meal. Anywho...enough jabbering.

I created a card for the Makeover Challenge at Paper Crafter's Library. Click HERE to see the inspiration piece. I kept a similar layout as the original piece and I also went with a gardening theme. I used my new stamp set from Flourishes, another one of my Black Friday/Cyber Monday buys. It's a really cute set and I'll be using it again real soon. You can find it HERE.

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ETA: not sure why my photos are showing up blurry. when you click to enlarge, it's crystal clear.

supplies~

stamp set: From the Garden(Flourishes)

card stock: Vintage Cream(PTI)   Sweet Corn, Green Apple(GinaK Designs)  

water color paper:Stampin' Up!

patterned paper: Picadilly(Basic Grey)

ink: Timber Brown Staz-On(Tsukineko)   Weathered Wood, Stormy Sky, Rusty Hinge, Forest Moss, Antique Linen, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Black Soot, Tea Dye Distress Inks(Ranger)

dies: Classic Circle and Scallop Circle Nestabilities(Spellbinders)

other: copper brads(GinaK Designs)  Rustic Twine(PTI)   button(Stampin' Up!)

I stamped my image on water color paper and colored it with Distress Inks. I really LOVE this technique...dare I say it?? Almost as much as I love coloring with Copics! gasp! It's so easy and relaxing. And, fyi...I use the ink pads themselves, not the re-inkers. I smudge a bit of ink onto an acrylic block and pick up the color with my water brush. I know in the videos, many people use re-inkers and that's great. I don't have re-inkers, so I use what I have. After the image was dry, I cut it out with Nesties and mounted it with dimensional adhesive. It's a simple card, but I like it. I'm trying not to add so many layers these days, so I can mail the cards without postal hassles.

One more thing, before I go...The generous ladies over at Paper Crafter's Library are giving away a ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to Paper Crafter's Libray. If you've never stopped by the blog, click HERE to visit and to read all about the giveaway. It's quite a sweet deal.

And that is all I have for you today! Have a wonderful weekend!


Blessings~

You're So Sweet

Hello Friends! Today I am sharing the card I created for the weekly challenge at Mo's Digital blog. I chose the sweet image Peaches, you can find her HERE. Isn't she just the cutest thing?! I love her sassy stance and it just tickles me to see that baby with that big ol' peach! LOL! She is one of the FREE images I received from playing along with the challenges...it pays to play! The challenge this week was to try something new. The something new for me, was water coloring with distress inks. After I printed Peaches onto Cryogen White card stock, I colored her hair using the water color and distress inks technique. The rest of the image is colored with Copics. I also did a bit of light sponging to add some sky and grass. I find that I don't like to add a lot of embellishment to the cards I make using Mo's images. They are so darn cute, they're really all I need.

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supplies~

digital image: Peaches(Mo's Digital Pencil)

stamp set: Cupcake Collection(Papertrey Ink)

card stock: Cryogen White(PaperTemptress)   Lemon Tart, Berry Sorbet(Papertrey Ink)

patterned paper: Ashley from the Southern Belle Collection(Daisy Bucket Designs)

ink: Memento Bamboo Leaves, New Sprout, Summer Sky(Tsukineko)   Walnut Stain, Antique Linen, Tea Dye Distress Inks(Ranger)

die: Deckled Edge Nestabilities(Spellbinders)

ribbon: Lemon Tart(Papertrey Ink)

other: Copic markers   Spica glitter pens

I have been watching videos online to learn new techniques. I have long admired the water color with distress inks method of coloring. It's been one of those things on my To Learn List and recently, I found a group of videos at Heather's Hobbie Haven, that really explain how to do each aspect of an image. I really appreciate that they are just short bites of info. For example, there is a video that focuses on how to color just hair and one that spotlights coloring just skin, that way I don't feel overwhelmed and I can quickly access the info I need, when I refer back to it. I will definitely be using this technique again.

Thanks so much for dropping by today!


Blessings~

Baskets Full of Blessings

Hello Friends! Happy Sunday! I played along with the Paper Crafter's Library Monday Makeover Challenge. To view the inspiration piece, click HERE. The inspiration card featured an adorable basket filled with flower covered eggs. Take a moment to have a look at it, because it really is cute! I decided to pull out THIS stamp set and here is the card I made...

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supplies~

stamp set: Spring Baskets(Waltzing Mouse Stamps)

card stock: Heavy Base Weight and Layering Weight White(GinaK Designs)

patterned paper: Picadilly and Gypsy(Basic Grey)

ink: Memento Rich Cocoa(Tsukineko)

dies: Classic Petite Circles and Lacey Circles Nestabilities(Spellbinders)

other: Copic markers   Prisma glitter   red gems(Me and My Big Ideas)   corner rounder(Ek Success)

Thank you for visiting!

Blessings~

Just Because

Hello Friends! Good news! The ladies at Paper Crafter's Library have decided to continue with the Makeover Monday Challenges! To read about the new challenge format and to view the inspiration piece, click HERE.

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Using a stamp-a-ma-jig, I stamped my image in yellow first and then slightly moved the image over and stamped it in green. I like the two-toned shadow effect it makes. The focal image is adhered with dimensional adhesive.

 I know there is a lot going on in our country involving horrible weather conditions. I pray that all is well in your neck of the woods. Thank you for stopping by today.

Blessings~

supplies~

stamp set: Happy Harmony(Stampin' Up!)   Vintage Picnic Sentiments(Papertrey Ink)

card stock: New Leaf, Lemon Tart(Papertrey Ink)   Layering Weight White(GinaK Designs)

ink: Memento Bamboo Leaves(Tsukineko)   Sunny Yellow, Chocolate(Close to my Heart)

embossing folder: Victoria(Provo Craft)

punches: Scallop Edge(Stampin' Up!)   Ticket Corner(Stampin' Up!)

ribbon: Lemon Drop(GinaK Designs)

Tea Time

Hello All...this is my second post for today. I realized that I did not post my card for Mo's Digital Pencil challenge this week! Well, first off, let me say, it does pay to play along, because last week, I was chosen as one of the winners and I was able to add a few new digital images to my collection. Yay! I'll be sharing those in the weeks to come. But for now, the challenge this week was to use a Mo's Digital Pencil image and LACE. Please keep in mind, that I am still working on coloring people with Copics; hair and skin are sooo very difficult for me. Anywho...

Here we go...

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I chose Mo's Tea Party image. Isn't she just the cutest? Look at her shoes! I loved it when my girls would wear my shoes and pretend to be me! LOL! I printed this little darling on Cryogen white card stock, colored her with Copics, added Stickles to her boa and sparkles on her shoes. The focal piece is adhered with dimensional adhesive to a piece of lace covered patterned paper. A few lines of heart lace and a tea time greeting completed my card.

supplies~

digital image: Tea Party(Mo's Digital Pencil)

stamp set:Tea for Two(PaperTrey Ink)

card stock: Cryogen Iridescent white(PaperTemptress)   Rose Red(Stampin' Up!)   Vintage Cream(Papertrey Ink)

patterned paper: Love Me Collection(My Mind's Eye)

ink: Hollyhock(CTMH)   Tattered Rose Distress Ink(Ranger)

gems: Tiny Twinkles(Taylored Expressions)   Treasures(Shabby Chic)

dies: Classic Oval Petite and Oval Petite Scallop Nestabilities(Spellbinders)

punches: Oval and Scallop Oval(Stampin' Up!)

other: Copic Markers   lace(from my stash)   Crystal Ice Stickles(Ranger)

Thanks for visiting!


Blessings~