Turning the Page March 2019

Time to turn the page on our calendars to a new month.

I make calendars each year for my desk and my family.

I thought I'd set up a regular post on the last day of each month to share them.

I hope you enjoy my “Turning the Page” posts.

Here's our March page.

By the way, the calendars are clipped together and can be displayed on an easel

or hung on a push pin or magnetic hook.  We all have a different way to display them.

If you would like a word document with the calendar, email me

and I will be glad to send it to you so you can design your own.

Email link is on the sidebar.

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Embossed and Sanded

Hello and welcome.

I hope you are having a nice day.

I used a piece of dry embossed Coredinations cardstock that has been sanded to
give a peek at the core of the cardstock.  A friend gave me this piece so I don't
know the name of the embossing folder.

The sentiment is stamped and heat embossed with gold and a thin gold foil
mat borders the piece.

I'm entering in
The Male Room Challenge
where my friend Mac is the Guest Designer.

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Thoughtful Messages (SSS)

Ink:   Encore Gold

Paper:   Coredinations, Naturals Ivory (Ret. SU)

Other:  Embossing Folder (?), Gold EP

Holiday Joy

Hello Friends.  So glad  you could stop by!

The sunshine was nice while it lasted and now we're back
to cold rain.  Such is winter.

Rudolph Days is opened until the end of the month.
In case you haven't heard of Rudolph Days, Scrappy Mo holds this
challenge every month from the 25th until the end of the month.
It's anything goes as long as it's Christmas.
It's a great way to increase the stash of Christmas cards and Mo is
very generous offering a prize each month.


Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Holiday Joy Tree (Unity)

Ink:   SU Markers (Cucumber Crush, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Soft Suede, Read Red)

Paper:   Neenah (110 lb. Solar White), Cucumber Crush (SU)

Other:  Double Pierced Rectangle (Avery Elle), Fun foam

Prim Poppy Pink and Red

Hello friends and hello sunshine!
After so many rainy days the sunshine is so welcome!
I hope you are seeing some sun today.

I've used almost all the red Inka Gold pieces I have and the Inca Gold dried up 

so I don't have any more.  I used some of the last little pieces for these poppies.

I cut two sets of the flowers and bud from the red and one of the whole

die from Crumb Cake cardstock.

I've shaped the flowers and used dimensionals to add the top flower.

I added one unshaped flower to the inside. 

This is for the Memory Box Challenge

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Watching the World Bloom (MB)

Ink:   VersaFine Smokey Gray

Paper:   Pink Pirouette (SU), Neenah (110 Solar White)

Other:  Prim Poppy, Distressed Windham Collage (MB), Inka Gold (Lava Red)

Seeing Stars for the Twofer and Jingle Belles

Hello friends.  I can't believe how fast this month is rolling by!

Darnell's Twofer Challenge this month is

First up is a birthday card.

I die cut this star and smacked it with VersaMark.  It's been heat embossed

with clear embossing powder.  I repeated this several times to get a thick embossing.

All that embossing caused the star to curl a little.  It was a nice shape, but

difficult to adhere to the card.  So I tried to straighten it.  Well, it cracked.  So I 

bent it a little more this way and that way until I had lots of cracks.

I kind of liked it that way.

Here's a close up so you can see what you think.

The pictures don't do it justice.  It's really much brighter IRL.

Twofer:....

My second card was inspired by the 

Jingle Belles Challenge

ALL THAT GLITTERS

I die cut the star from some Silver Glimmer cardstock and popped it

on an already embossed piece.  The bow was cut from some red foil

and I snipped the hanger to reposition above the bow.

The sentiment is heat embossed so this has sparkle and shine.

Since I used snippets for my stars, I'm going over to

Pixie's Snippet Playground

for a quick swing and a positive yes for the fabulous prize.

Jingle Belles Challenge

Twofer Challenge

Pixie's Snippet Playground

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe (card 1)

Stamps:  Many Everyday Messages (HA)

Ink:   VersaMark, Encore Gold

Paper:   Dapper Denim, Gold Foil, Real Red  (SU), Neenah

Other:  Lucky Stars EF, Stars Framelits, Star Punch, Clear EP, Gold EP (SU), Score Buddy

Card Recipe (card 2)

Stamps:  Holiday Sayings (Inky Antics)

Ink:   Encore Silver

Paper:   Neenah (110 lb. solar white), Red Foil, Silver Glimmer (SU)

Other:  Pine Bough EF, Stars Framelits, Silver EP (SU), Crisp Bows Die (MB)

Stencil and Brusho

Hi.  It's taken me almost all month to get a card ready for
CAS Stencil.

I finally had some success using the Brushos with a stencil.
I've lost count of how many times I've tried this technique and failed.
One thing I learned is to just smoosh the failed pieces in more diluted Brushos
for use in die cuts or backgrounds.  Waste not want not as the saying goes.

I've used Cobalt Blue Brusho Crystals sprinkled lightly over this
beautiful Sanna Lippert stencil from Stamplorations.

I spritzed liberally with some water and let it sit for a few seconds.
(I think I wasn't letting it sit long enough before.)  Then I carefully
lifted the stencil and was excited to see a clean design! Yay!

I quickly pressed the inky stencil on another piece of cardstock for a monoprint.

I decided to go dramatic and use a piece of dry embossed blue as my "white space".

The dragonfly was die cut from a last little piece of heated copper that
my dear friend Loll had sent me.

A piece of copper foil cardstock made a perfect little mat around the design.

Here's a card I made with the monoprint piece.

Challenges:
CAS Stencil

Stamplorations CAS Challenge

Artsplorations Mixed Media Challenge

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe (card 1)

Stamps:  

Ink:   

Paper:   Mixed Media (Strathmore 400 series), Neenah (110 lb. solar white), Pacific Point (SU)

Other:  Senecial 1 Stencil (Artsplorations), Brusho (Cobalt), Flutters Die (PB), Linen Texture Plate (PTI), Heated Copper

Card Recipe (card 2)

Stamps:  

Ink:   

Paper:   Mixed Media (Strathmore 400 series), Neenah (110 lb. solar white), Pacific Point (SU)

Other:  Senecial 1 Stencil (Artsplorations), Brusho (Cobalt), Square Lattice EF (SU), Two Ferns Die (Cheery Lynn)

Snowy Serenity

Hello friends.

Just a quick post today with another peaceful Christmas card.

This was a very quick and easy card.

I paired an Alcohol Ink background with a beautiful die

from Penny Black.

I die cut once from Neenah cardstock and again from

Neenah cardstock backed with Sizzix Sticky Sheet.

The sticky back made it pretty easy to add a

layer to the die cut.

I popped it back in the frame I'd made left from die cutting

and adhered it to the alcohol ink background.

CAS Christmas

Challenge closes on the 24th.

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Festive Snippets (PB)

Ink:   Pacific Point (SU)

Paper:   Neenah, Photo Paper

Other:  Alcohol Ink, Serenity Die (PB), Sizzix Sticky Sheet

Blooming Garden

Hi.  How are you on this chilly, wet morning?

It's not snowing here, but we have really cold rain.  It's a good day to stay inside
to craft and write a blog post.

This is one of my favorite Penny Black stamps.  I've place it in the MISTI

and inked it up with Distress Markers.  I stamped onto Neenah 110 lb. cardstock

so I used a barely damp brush to move the colors.

I've stamped the sentiment on the dry embossed frame and heat embossed

it with white embossing powder.

The frame is on a piece of die cut foam and adds extra dimension.

Challenges:

Craft Stamper Magazine Make It Take It

ANYTHING GOES

Penny Black Saturday

ANYTHING GOES: Option Flowers

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Blooming Garden (PB), Agapanthus (TT)

Ink:   Distress Markers (Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick, Peeled Paint), Whisper White (SU)

Paper:   Neenah (110 lb. solar white), Rose Red (SU)

Other:  Stitched Squares Die (SSS), Linen Texture Plate (PTI), White EP (SU)

Bontanical Blocks

Hello friends.  I have a couple of cards to share with you today.

The first card is from last week's class.

I have recently discovered Gina K Designs and this is one of the sets
I got for Christmas.

Gina Kay Designs Monthly Mix February Challenge
Karen Hightower is the host and she's asking for
"COLOR OF THE YEAR":
the new Pantone color, coral.

Karen also asks us to share a peek of the inside.

I love these images stamped in Coral...
and in blue.

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe (card 1)

Stamps:  Botanical Blocks (GKD), Botanical Silhouettes (ret. PTI)

Ink:   Calypso Coral (SU), Marina Mist (SU)*

Paper:   Calypso Coral (SU), Neenah (110 lb. Solar White), Marina Mist (SU)*

Other:  Square Window Trio Die (Honey Bee)

* card 2

Christmas Peace

Hello Friends.  I'm so glad you could stop by!

There's still a little over a week to join in Colleen's challenge at

 CAS Christmas

I found a piece of Inka Gold Smoosh in my backgrounds and cut it

with the smallest of the Mat Stack Dies.  It's cut a little narrower to

get the gold spots in strategic places.

I used the larger die to dry emboss a frame around the design piece.

The sentiment is heat embossed with gold and I've dipped the edges of

the design piece in an embossing pad and then into the gold embossing powder

for a subtle gold frame.

To me, the birth of Jesus means peace.

Our fabulous Design team have lots of wonderful inspiration for you and

we're joined by talented Guest Designer, Linda.

I hope we'll see you over at CAS Christmas.

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Festive Snippets (PB)

Ink:   Encore Gold, WOW Embossing Pad

Paper:   Neenah, Watercolor

Other:  Manger Die (PB), Mat Stack 3 Die, Layerz Mat Stack Die (PTI), Inka Gold, Gold EP (SU)

Wings to the Heart

Hello.  I'm back with a card for all of you.

There's still time to join in with Marcia's challenge at

CAS Watercolour

I put the Bleeding Hearts stamp in the MISTI and used Distress Markers

to ink the stamp.  After stamping, I used a waterbrush and some ink

smooshed on my palette to color in the image.  The beauty of the MISTI

is that I can stamp multiple times to get my lines back if necessary.

I thought this sentiment from Papertrey Ink was fitting.

It also says what I feel about all of you.

If only those wings could physically get me somewhere!

Our fabulous Design Team and mega-talented Guest Designer, Darnell

have lots of wonderful inspiration for you.

I hope you'll join us at 

CAS Watercolour.

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Bleeding Hearts (TT), Heart Prints Sentiments (PTI))

Ink:   Distress Markers ( Festive Berries, Candied Apple, Fired Brick, Pumice Stone, Peeled Paint, Forest Moss), Versafine Smokey Gray

Paper:   Mixed Media (Strathmore 400 series), Basic Gray (SU)

Other:  Rainstones (PTI) 

Hidden Friend

Hello friends.

Today I have a hidden word card.

It's a reminder that there's still time to join in at

CAS Mix Up

Where Hideko is asking for

The heart is cut from a piece that I stenciled using Gelatos applied

with a baby wipe.

The stencil is by Sanna Lippert for Stamplorations and was sent to me by a sweet friend.

The stenciled piece has been sitting in my background box since last spring.

I die cut it with the heart and die cut the word out of the heart.

I also die cut the word a few more times from some white cardstock that 

had been lined with some Sizzix Sticky Sheet so I could stack them.

I used a larger die to dry emboss an outline for the flowered heart, stamped a 

sentiment and added black twine and gems to balance out the black stamping.

There are some videos at the challenge site with ways to do this technique

and the Design Team along with our fabulous Guest Designer, Arlene

have lots of inspiration for you.

I hope to see your card(s) in the gallery!

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Thoughtful Messages (SSS)

Ink:   Versafine Onyx Black

Paper:   Neenah

Other:  Flowers 1 Stencil (ArtPlorations), Gelatos (Faber-Castell), Baby Wipe, Sweet and Sassy Framelits (SU)

Felt with the Heart

Hi there. Happy Valentine's Day.
I hope you're feeling loved.

No, I didn't cut the heart from felt.

If I'd had some red felt, I would have.

 

This heart was cut from some of that Brusho that Jack had done with a
little glimmer heart popped on top.

The background was done with tissue paper glued to some cardstock.

I finished it off with a wonderful quote.


Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Out on a Limb Sentiments (PTI)

Ink:   Onyx Black (Versafine)

Paper:  Solar White  (Neena), Tissue Paper, Watercolor (Arches 140 lb. cold press)

Other:  Primitive Hearts #3 Bigz (Szzx), Brushos, Spray Bottle

Woodsy Hearts

Hi there.  Valentine's Day is fast approaching!

Here's the card I made for my DH.

A crafty friend gave me some veneer and I die cut several sizes
of primitive hearts from it.  Some I stained with Distress Stain.

I adhered the largest to a piece of die cut foam for extra stability
and stacked the others on top.

Another dear friend sent me this awesome birch bark paper.  I've
admired it a long time and finally gave in to gluing it to a card.
It's for DH after all.  Next to ducks, he likes trees.

I've die cut the love you from a snippet of red watercolor and
some cut from white and stacked them all for dimension.

Just Us Girls 

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  

Ink:   

Paper:   Neenah (110 lb. solar white), Wrapping Paper (gift)

Other:  Pine Planks EF (SU), Prim Hearts Dies (Spellbinders), Distress Stain, Wood Veneer

Stems of Daffodils

Hello.  I hope you've had a good weekend and had some time to craft.

I've been working on this little card for a few days here and there
between preparing for a class and spending time with Jack.

I had been eyeing this Technique Tuesday stamp set for quite a while and bought it

when they had a fantastic sale just before Christmas.  I was helping Santa do his shopping (wink).

It was calling to me and I just had to take some time out to ink it up.

Since it always made me think of daffodils, I inked the flowers with a 

yellow Distress marker and stamped, Moved the ink with a damp waterbrush and

re-stamped until I was happy with it.  Then I inked the stems using the same technique.

I stamped the flowers on a snippet of watercolor paper again and when dry,

cut them with the coordinating die.  I used a shaping tool to get some

curl to the petals.  You can see this technique here.

For the centers of the flowers, I swiped the marker on my palette, picked up

color with the waterbrush and painted it on some of that snippet.  When it was dry, I

used a little scalloped circle punch to punch out my circles. I ran the marker around 

the edges and shaped it into a cup.

I added the shaped flowers over the original stamped ones.

Since this stamp was new to me, I'm taking my card over to

The Flower Challenge #29

and I'll add this to the gallery at

CAS Mix Up

Unfortunately Technique Tuesday has retired this stamp and die, but I think

you may still be able to find it at some of the stamp stores.

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe

Stamps:  Stems (Technique Tuesday), Cosmos (TT

Ink:   Distress Markers (Mustard Seed, Fossilized Amber, Peeled Paint)

Paper:   Watercolor (TH), Daffodil Delight (SU)

Other:  Stems Die (TT), Foam Sheet, MISTI, Waterbrush, Shaping Tool (Sizzix)