Tuesday, March 23, 2021

 My Tuesday Morning Sketches entry this week.



I love pretty patterned papers. They do not need much enhancement to make pretty cards. This one is retired DSP from SU. Look closely, you will see a Fiskar punched scallopped border from the reverse side of one of the DSP's in the set. The hello is a die cut with a lost label, cut with Pool Party and 2 layers of black. The little punched "stamp" in the upper right has a mini frog from a set of miniatures--again without a label. I stamped it on Pool Party card stock, sponged on turquoise ink, and colored the frog lightly with a green Prismacolor pencil. 

Here is the sketch that I followed



Monday, March 22, 2021

Zany Zebra

 The Paper Players challenge this week is clean and simple using animals.


Granny Apple Green card stock and ink for the flowers which are from Painted Poppies. Zany Zebra is in a die cut circle backed with Balmy Blue. I fussy cut the butterfly from a retired butterfly DSP. Just looks like the zebra is saying hello to the buttterfly so that is what I used for a sentiment (an old one from SU)




Masculine Card

I have been making cards to send to  Hugs for Our Soldiers. If you have more cards than you can use, check out the site. They collect cards, all occasions, to put in care packages to soldiers who use them to write home. You can use the contact us to send a message to get details.

This sentiment for SU's new Happy Thoughts set is perfect for the Hugs for Our Soldiers cards.


I went to the file of scraps to find the strips under the sentiment. I made my own "ticket" punch background by using the edge of a circle punch on the corners. The tree is from Rooted in Nature" from SU. I used a Cuttlebug argyle embossing folder for the background.

Entering at Make the Cards Challenge with the theme masculine.


And used the design on the Copy The Designer challenge at Global Design Project This is the designer we are to CASE










Thursday, March 18, 2021

Two-fer

This month's challenge at Darnell's Two-Fer Challenge is choose your own. I chose a butterfly die as I have been playing with all my butterfly stamps and dies in order to prove I really do not need to buy the new butterfly bundle from SU! 😂😂😂😂 How long do you think I can hold out? 





Number one


I used a butterfly embossing folder from Reflections on the navy background. You will have to enlarge the picture to see it. The scrap of floral is SU's Pretty Blooms. The sentiment is also SU. I picked up the blue flower color to die cut the butterfly.

Number two


Another piece of Paper Blooms DSP with a black background and a card base of old olive card base. I die cut the butterfly on the patterned paper to have a shadow background. Then die cut the butterfly from a yellow scrap. I sponged some pinks and oranges on the edges of the butterfly for a little definition. The sentiment is from SU an a couple of punched labels. I used black Nuvo drops on the center of the butterfly. And for some subtle bling, I added 3 green sequins. As they match the green background, they don' stand out much so you may have to enlarge again to see them.

Also entering this clean and layered one at The Card Concept



Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Butterflies Again

 I am really trying to convince myself I DO NOT NEED to buy the new butterfly bundle just out from Stampin' UP!. Any one take bets on how long I will hold out? II have pulled out the many butterflies I do have and have been playing with them this week.


The purple and green papers are from SU's Sale-a-Bration event. The yellow for the die cut butterfly (from SU) is from the scrap box. The embossed vellum is one of the papers in last year's Christmas embossed poinsettias vellum.  I added 3 Nuvo pearl drops to the top of the green strip. I left off a sentiment to be able to use the card for any occasion. Really, though, I don't know where to add a sentiment. Any suggestions?

Using the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches. The 3 accents on the sketch would have been covered by the butterfly so I moved them to the left.

Also entering at Let's Craft and Create where we are challenged to use green and purple. I usually associate those colors with Halloween but these pastel colors are very spring like.


Tuesday, March 9, 2021

A Latte Circles

A card for a friend you haven't been able to meet for coffee. Or a friend you haven't been able to visit. So thankful for the vaccine for COVID. I have had both of mine now so am looking forward to getting back to traveling to see my grandkids. Our 1 year old granddaughter surely thinks we only exist in the phone!LOL!

 The colored circles are on the back of the chevron paper which is Paper Blossoms from Stampin' Up!. I die cut different colors of the circles. The coffee cup is an unlabeled stamp from long ago. I colored it with Stampin blend pens and fussy cut it then popped it up with foam tape. The sentiment is computer generated and cut with a circle die.  

This is for Make the Cards Challenge



Sunday, March 7, 2021

Spring Birds

The birds are beginning to return. Spring is on the way. 

When I am lacking mojo, I go to the SU catalogue for inspiration. . This one is cased from page 85 in the big catalogue. I did the stepped up version.


The cardstock is Cinnamon Cider. Over that is a scrap piece of textured vellum. Then I cut an end off the medium sized stitched label and stamped some branches across it. I stamped the same branch (an unlabeled one) on a scrap of white cardstock and die cut it with stitched rectangle. I know the flowers are supposed to be cherry blossoms, which are pink, but I like yellow with the cinnamon so I colored the branch with SU blender pens in daffodil delight and dark crumb cake. I punched out yellow flowers and colored orange centers. The hello is an old SU stamp in Crumb Cake, fussy cut and popped up with foam tape. The bird is fussy cut from the sheet of birds DSP in the Bird Ballard series. I added a little raffia bow for even more of the nature feel.

Entering at The Paper Players challenge with this pretty spring photo


Also entering at Pixie's Crafty Workshop Snippet challenge #398. Playing for that fabulous prize with the big oversized sentiments.

Entering too at The Library Craft Challenge


I might need to read this book to identify exactly what kind of bird is on my card.


Saturday, March 6, 2021

Butterflies

 I almost forgot this weeks Make the Cards Challenge, deadline today.


I have always loved butterflies. I use them a lot on sympathy cards, they make me think of the angels in heaven. These butterflies are all on one stamp, an old unlabeled one that I think was among the first ones I purchased when I first began card making.  I  lightly applied several colors of ink behind where the butterflies would go. The sentiment is an old one form SU

I did have to reverse the inspiration design because of the way the butterflies are positioned on the stamp.



Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Pretty Sympathy Card

I've been working to increase my stash of sympathy cards. It is so much easier to have one ready when needed than to sit down at the time to make one. I like pastel palettes for sympathy cards.


This card is all Stampin' UP!. The card stock colors are Sea Foam Green and Blushing Bride. The leaves are die cuts from Forever Fern stamp set. Before I secured the leaves, I lightly sponged some light blue on the paper. The butterfly is a 2 step stamp and then punched. I cut a SU vellum square doily in half corner to corner and secured each half in 2 of the corners of the card base. You may have to enlarge the picture to see that.  

The layout is from Tuesday Morning Sketches