Summer Poppies

 Taking a break today from fall and Christmas. It is so dreary, cold and rainy here today, I decided some summer flowers would be in order.

I'm using some paper left from SU's DSP Peaceful Poppies. The strips across the center are from the backsides of the floral papers. I added a scrap of vellum behind the focus point to soften the brightness of the paper. The leaves and berries are from SU Forever Fern set. The poppy is cut from the paper. The sentiment is in the Woven Heirlooms set by SU.

This is the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches

Upcycling

 Every year, I receive a pack of Christmas cards from a charity organization. Of course as a crafter cardmaker, I can't send out factory made cards. So I take them apart and use portions to make my own cards. I call it upcycling instad of recycling--sound more artsy!

The snowman images were cut from an envelope. The Believe... portion was the flap of that envelope. The SU cardstock is Misty Moonlight. I found a gold embossed vellum piece in my stash and used alcohol inks  on the back and then backed that with a strip of white. I used a gold star gel pen to make the snowmen's candles glow. 

I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches

Masculine Christmas Cheer

 Green and gold--classic Christmas. For Make the Cards Challenge #38 with green as the challenge color.

I was to the point, my mojo was stifled by such a mess of Christmas paper, I couldn't decide on anything. I sorted and straightened my box of paper and found some cards from a SU kit. Green--just what I need at the moment. The green paper has feathers, deer, and poinsettias--odd combo you think? The kit came with gold metallic deer and star stickers. I put an accent strip of the green with metallic gold feathers behind the green and gold circles. The sentiment is from SU Itty Bitty Christmas. A gold metallic ribbon ties it all together.

Here is the inspiration for the challenge

Also submitting this to Cardz 4 Guyz #282 Any Animal

Fun in the Snow

I only like snow from inside my house, looking out. But I do like to see kids out building snowmen and having so much excitement and fun.

The card base is Misty Moonlight. The DSP is from Whimsey Wonder papers. There is a silver border all the way around but for some reason it doesn't show up on the left side. I die cut a snow hill and shaded it with Pool Party Ink. The SU snowman  looks like he is going to just slide right down that hill.  I punched out some big and small stars to accent the background. The sentiment is also SU.

I used the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches

 

I loved the sketch so much, I decided to make more snowmen scenes.

These DSPs are also in the Whimsey Wonder collection.

Pretty Birthday

I've been replenishing my stash of birthday cards this week. I pulled out what I have left of Stampin" Up!'s Peaceful Poppies DSP. Pretty flowers for a pretty birthday card.

 I also needed to do my card for Tuesday Morning Sketches

I spotted this last strip of paper with the purple poppies. Then I found some purple paper to match the flowers. The die cut circle label is from the same SU bundle. I added some sprigs and berries from the Forever Fern and Botanical Prints sets. The sentiment is an old retired one from SU. You may have to do a close up look to see the gold thread behind the sentiment.

Cheryl, I don't know when your birthday is but this one is for you. I thought of you because you like purple so much.

Peace Dove

There is just something peaceful, serene, and elegant with white on white cards. 

The white panels embossed with 2 different snow Sizzix folders are backed with silver mettalic paper. The dove die cut is from Impression Obsession.  The sentiment is upcycled from a card I received last year. 

Do you save cards you received and upcycle parts to new handmade cards?

Submitting to Let's Craft and Create where the theme is "Things with Wings"

Singing in the Rain

 "Singing in the Rain" is such a happy song.  This cute little girl and her duck are having so much fun singing and splashing.

I used the pre-colored version of stamp of the month from Imagine That Digistamp. Check out their blog. They have a great way to build your digi collection. If you use their stamp of the month and post it to their blog, you get the next month's stamp free.

The background white card stock is embossed with a Sizzix folder. I sponged the dots lightly with SU Balmy Blue to look more like raindrops. 3 strips from the scrap box accent the lower corner. I think this will be a fun encouragement card for a shut-in from my church. 

I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches

Here is the complete free digi set

Winter Evergreens

 Sharing a book binding  fold card today using the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches

I used SU's retired Peaceful Boughs. Branches are in Old Olive and Mossy Meadow, the light and dark give some depth to the tree. I stamped several branches on the white piece on the binding side. Then I die cut 2 sizes of pinecones (from the same set) and glued them in place. I like raffia on nature cards so had to tie a bit around the binding fold.

Inside I stamped another SU sentiment and then an accent of a stamped pinecone.

Here is the Tuesday Morning Sketch which I flipped right to left so my book would open the right direction.

Nature Masculine Card

Cardz 4 Guys is a blog challenge all about making masculine cards. This weeks theme is autumn colors birthday cards.  I love using fall colors and nature elements on guy's cards.

 

I have been playing around with alcohol inks on vellum. It is a great technique and every piece looks different. I used Stampin" Up! Blends and alcohol to make the "camo" looking background. I used Bronze, Dark Crumb Cake, and Dark Old Olive. Just scribble them on, drop on the alcohol and instant drama. There are a lot of youtube videos out there if you want to see how this works. Try this one or here.

I like the vellum to stay flat without tape showing so I wrapped it around Very Vanilla cardstock. I secured that to a piece of wood patterened paper and then to an Early Espresso card base. I die cut 3 elements from SU's Nature's Harvest bundle and glued them on. The sentiment is an old SU one. I don't normally put bows on masculine cards but a little raffia bow adds more nature to the card.

Alternate Colors

 Whew! I am just getting in under the wire for Tuesday Morning Sketches So today is a QACAS.

This sentiment is from a pack of kid's quotes. I think I found it at Hobby Lobby several years ago. With that reference, I went with a rainbow of colors with the circle stamp from SU'sTextures and Frames that was a freebie with the recent Sale-a-Bration. I know, I know, I have the rainbow colors all mixed up so please don't show this one to your little girls.  Though I will be putting this in my stash for Send a Smile 4 Kids. 

Here is the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches.