Thursday, October 31, 2019

Turning the Page November 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 November 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!




Jingle Bell Elf

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!


Today I'm joining in at
Christmas Kickstart Challenge #22
where Jo has asked us to
Jingle all the Way!

I've stamped this little guy with Memento ink
and colored with Copic Markers.

For this challenge, I changed the ornament he was holding into a jingle bell.
He has another on his cap.
He's very jingly.

Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!


Card Recipe
Stamps:  Santa's Elves, Jingle all the Way (MFT)
Ink:   Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper:   Neenah
Other:  Copic Markers (G14, YG17, YG67, R29, E000, E00, E01, R00, E23, C00, C0, C2, B0000), Kars Snowflake EF (ret. Cuttlebug)


Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Fun with Bleach

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!

Today I'm sharing a card that was made from
techniques at our retreat. This is a card using Susan's bleach technique.

The retreat was long ago and I'm still trying to get cards made
from things we did and get them posted. This one is long overdue.


She gave us each a little dish with a bit of bleach in it and a cheap 
paintbrush that we could just use for bleach.  It worked seamlessly.
I might add that it was splashless bleach.  A warning though. You still need to 
be careful using it and old clothes are suggested.  Just in case.

We used our new blending brushes (thank you, Trina) to blend
Distress Oxide ink on cardstock.  I dabbed a bit with a baby wipe
because I like the bit of texture it adds.

When the ink was dry (make sure it's dry) we stamped an outline stamp
with Archival ink.  Then we set about removing the color from the
inside of the image with a little bleach on our brush, blotting often with a
paper towel.

I love this stamp but can't decide if it's an iris or a lily?


Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!


Card Recipe 
Stamps:  Summer Glow (PB), Deepest Sympathy (HA)
Ink:   Archival Jet Black, Whisper White
Paper:   Neenah, Basic Black
Other:  Bleach, Watercolor pencil, White EP, Blending Brushes



Monday, October 28, 2019

Wrapped Star with Glitter

Hello friends.  I'm glad you stopped by!


Today I'm playing at Rudolph Days where Maureen has a challenge every month
from the 25th until the end of the month.  It's a great way to join in the fun of getting
those Christmas cards done through the year and not having a mad rush when it's time
to send the cards out.

This was so quick and simple.  It would be easy to do multiples.

There's a piece of glitter paper cut for the background, and a piece of Neenah Naturals
for the die cut.

I die cut the star to inset back in once the die cut piece was mounted on the 
glitter paper.

A gold heat embossed sentiment and a bit of twine finishes it off.

How's your Christmas stash shaping up?


Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!


Card Recipe
Stamps: Letters to Santa (Kaisercraft) 
Ink:   Encore Gold
Paper:   Neenah Classic Natural, Gold Glimmer (SU)
Other:  Wrapped Star (PS), Gold Twine (May Arts)


Thursday, October 24, 2019

Another Maple Leaf


My friend Trina is Guest Designing at


The background is a piece of smooshed watercolor from my stash.
I partially stamped lightly with a background stamp that has
names of trees and lightly stamped a few splats.

The die cut leaf was cut from watercolor paper, and painted with liquid
watercolor and re-inker to get a good saturated color.

There's still a few hours to join in at CAS Watercolour
with your watercolor maple leaves.
Challenge closes at midnight tonight PDT.


Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!


Card Recipe
Stamps:  Tree Background (Rubber Cottage), French Foliage (SU), Wreath for All Seasons (PTI)
Ink:   Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip (SU)
Paper:   Neenah Classic Natural, Vanilla Texture, Mixed Media, Watercolor (Strathmore)
Other:  Leaf Die (Lawn Fawn), Sunshine Liquid Watercolor (Pinkfresh Studio), Tangerine Tango Re-inker (SU)


Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Sparkle a Lot

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!


During the summer, my friend Ruthann and I went to the SSAT show in Raleigh.

We wanted to do the make and take at the Stamp on It booth, but so
did everybody else.  So we bought some of their stuff and figured we
could figure it out.  With the help of a You Tube video, we did.

The design was printed on acetate and this self stick glitter film was added
behind the image.  

It all looked kind of backwards to us, but when we had it done, it was amazing!

I'll add this to the gallery at CAS Christmas.
The challenge closes tomorrow, the 24th at midnight PDT.


Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!


Card Recipe
Stamps:  Christmas Sentiments (PB)
Ink:   Versafine Smokey Gray
Paper:   Neenah
Other:  Glitter Film, Art Acetate, (Stamp on It), Double Pierced Squares (Avery Elle)


Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Pink Poinsettia Joy

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

 

I'm back with another pink Christmas card
Jingle Belles
♥ Pink Christmas... for the Cure! ♥
 At ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ we always devote the first theme of each October to making pink holiday cards as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and that for each card that gets linked up, we (Stephanie and Lauren) each donate two dollars to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation

I've die cut my favorite poinsettia by Spellbinders from Blushing Bride cardstock, shaped 
and sponged the edges to add depth to the petals.

I've used the die cut from this card and stamped the word joy with
gold ink and heat embossed with gold to give it depth and shine.

I popped it on an embossed background and added the poinsettia.
Easy peasy!

It was so easy that I did another but not in pink this time.

The pink one is definitely my favorite!


Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!


Card Recipe
Stamps:  Jingle All the Way (PTI)
Ink:   Encore Gold, Primrose Petals, Garden Green (SU)
Paper:   Blushing Bride, Wild Wasabi, Neenah
Other:  Layered Poinsettia (Spellbinders), Powdered Sugar EF (ret. Sizzix), Stitched Arch STAX die (MFT), Gold EP, Gold Dazzling Details (SU)


Monday, October 21, 2019

Celebrating Pink

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!


 Last week we did this card in class.  We did it in turquoise but
I thought it would look great in pink for the
Jingle Belles challenge.
So I made another.
♥ Pink Christmas... for the Cure! ♥
....At ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ we always devote the first theme of each October to making pink holiday cards as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and that for each card that gets linked up, we (Stephanie and Lauren) each donate two dollars to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Aren't these gals special?

The bear was stamped in Archival ink and colored with Distress inks swiped on a
palette and picked up with a blender pen.


I don't have the dies for this gal so we fussy cut her out.


Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!


Card Recipe
Stamps:  Polar Bear Pals (Birdie Brown/MFT), Happy Scenes (ret. SU)
Ink:   Archival Jet Black, Spun Sugar, Twisted Citron (DI)
Paper: Blushing Bride (SU), Neenah,Vellum  
Other:  Quilted Stitch Spirals (Lil Inker), Stitched Arch STAX (MFT), Kars Snowflake EF (ret. Cuttlebug), White EP


Sunday, October 20, 2019

Nature's Friends Winter Woodland Scene

Hello, friends.  I hope you've had a crafty weekend.

I've been using up some odds and ends and having a great time in the studio.

Blizzard warning!


I pulled out a background of smooshed Lindy's Magicals
and stamped from the Nature's Friends set.  The background was done on
coated paper and didn't stamp well, so I'm glad I had put it in my MISTI.
It took several tries, but I finally got good coverage.

Then, so I wouldn't smudge it, I sprinkled the stamping with
clear embossing powder and heat set.

I tore some snippets of white for snowbanks and sprinkled some
chunky white Frantage on top, then heated it from the bottom so it wouldn't
all blow off.  I found out that these chunky flakes really spread out on embossing.
LOL, it looks like snowballs flying through the air! 

I've put a little Dazzling Details over the top of the snowbanks for sparkle
and added a bit of scoring behind the design piece.

I almost ran out of time for the challenge at
I'm slipping in just under the wire.

and

'Anything Goes'
or
'Black, White & One Other Colour'
and

I'll add this to the gallery at CAS  Christmas too.


Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!


Card Recipe
Stamps:  Nature's Friends (PB)
Ink:   Archival Jet Black
Paper:   Neenah, Coated Cardstock, Basic Black (SU)
Other:  Lindy's Magical Shakers (Denim), Clear EP, Chunky Frantage (Stampendous), Dazzling Details (ret. SU)


Friday, October 18, 2019

A Sweet Twofer

Hello there.  How are you this fine Fall day?

I have a twofer to share with you today.


These cards have been repurposed from this card my dear friend Nance gave me a year or
maybe two ago.  I had tucked it away but never forgotten it.  So I asked her if she would
mind if I used some elements from it to repurpose it.  She told me to go for it.

When I saw Darnell's Twofer Challenge this month, these candy apples
popped into my mind.

First I have a Halloween card.

I was able to pop the front two apples off without destroying them.
I moved one over a bit and found a piece of cardstock that matched the teal dots
in that dotty apple.  The gold foil really looks like caramel.  Yum!


The third apple works as a toadstool for this sweet gnome to rest under
as he thinks of his favorite thoughts.

Can  you see the glitter in the polka dots?

I stamped this little guy, trying not to stamp his hands and the swing
he was sitting on.  After several tries, I decided that wasn't going to happen.
I used my new Arteza Twimakers to add some watercolor to the gnome and fussy cut him out.

Nance gave me this gnome stamp too.

The background was a watercolor piece from my stash.
I added some darker green to the bottom and stamped a bit of grass.

I think I'll send at least one of these back to Nance.

It's the card that keeps on giving.




Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!


Card Recipe (card 1)
Stamps:  Spooky Sentiments (Amy R)
Ink:   Whisper White (oops)
Paper:   Neenah, Textured Teal (?)
Other:  Apple Die Cut (Paper Sweeties), Goo Die (Your Next Stamp), Oxford EF (Cuttlebug), Gold EP

Card Recipe (card 2)
Stamps:  Gnome on a Swing (Stamping Bella), Friendship Messages (SSS), Foliage Set (Art Imp.)
Ink:   Versafine Onyx Black
Paper:   Neenah, Mixed Media
Other:  Black EP, Stitched Arch STAX Die (MFT), Apple Die (Paper Sweeties), Goo Die (Your Next Stamp), Arteza Twimarkers (A207 Forest Green, A221 Moss Green, A219 Cloudy Gray, A239 Ballerina Pink)  Loving these markers !!!


Thursday, October 17, 2019

Winter Trees for CAS Christmas

Hi There.  I hope you are having a good week.



There's still time to join in.

Susan is hosting our CAS Christmas challenge this month and asked for...

I pulled out some NBUS stamps from Deep Red. 
It was a perfect opportunity to ink them up.

I've inked, sprtized and stamped the pine trees.
Then stamped again.

I masked the pines and stamped the hardwoods with gray ink so
they would fade into the distance.

The sky is a wet on wet wash and I sketched the fence in and painted it.

The bird is a bit too big for this scene but he does add some color.

Our amazing Design Team and equally amazing  Guest Designer, Lyn
have some awesome inspiration for you.
Check it out then I hope you'll join in at

The challenge is open until the 24th.


Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Winter Pines, Winter Trees (Deep Red), Holiday Snippets (PB)
Ink:   Evergreen Bough, Pine Needles, Iced Spruce, Weathered Wood, Tumbled Glass (DI), Real Red (SU)
Paper:  Smokey Slate (SU), Watercolor (TH) 
Other: Woodgrain EF (SU), Cheery Cardinals (PS) 


Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Maple Leaf for CAS Watercolour

Hello there.  There's still time to join in at our birthday celebration at
CAS Watercolour.

Loll chose this fantastic challenge that's perfect for Fall.


I used the left over from this card to make another.

I love it when I can use those left over bits!

I added some light stamping of script and small dots.
You have to look close to see them.

I've die cut this maple leaf from watercolor paper and used wet on wet
technique to color it.  I've used re-inkers as my watercolor. 
The saturation gives such a rich color. It's been lightly shaped and 
popped up on dimensionals.

I put the design piece on foam and added it to a textured card front.

Our Fantastic Design Team have some wonderful inspiration pieces
and we're joined by our talented friend Ros as our Guest Designer.

And don't forget our birthday celebration.
$25 SSS Gift Certificate for Challenge Winner.
$25 SSS Gift Certificate for one random draw of eligible entries.

Hope to see you at CAS Watercolour.


Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!


Card Recipe
Stamps:  Wondrous, Snippets (PB), French Foliage (ret. SU)
Ink:   Old Olive, Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip (PB)
Paper:   Neenah Classic Natural, Textured Vanilla (?)
Other:  Leaf Die (Lawn Fawn), Re-inkers (Tangerine Tango, Crushed Curry, Soft Suede)


Tuesday, October 15, 2019

More Foiling for CAS Mix Up

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!


There's still time to join in at CAS Mix Up

This time I used some Sizzix Sticky Sheet with one side adhered to white cardstock.

After it was die cut, I peeled off the liner and burnished some of a
Ranger Foil Sheet.  I found that it didn't cover perfectly.  There were a lot of
what looked like scratches where there should be foil.  No doubt it was user error.
So I laid some foil on top of the worst scratches, rubbed it good and was able to
cover most of the bare spots.

Then I replace those little inside pieces that I had poked out, peeled off the liner
and sprinkled some Dazzling Diamonds on them.  The dazzle stuck to the
scratchy places too so this has sparkle and shine.

I used the same technique to cover a small piece with red foil and used
a paper punch to get some ornaments.

The tree ended up on a piece of festive embossing and a stamped 
sentiment finished the card off.

Pictures were another story.  I think I must have tried thirty times.
This is as good as I can get it!

Our wonderful Design Team have some shining examples to
share with you.  We are joined this month by the fun and talented Michele
I hope you'll check out the inspiration and join us at


Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!


Card Recipe
Stamps:  Scribbly Christmas (TH)
Ink:   Shaded Spruce
Paper:   Neenah, Whisper White, Foil Sheets (Ranger)
Other:  Woodlands Die (TH), Beaded Garland EF (Sizzix), Sticky Sheets (Sizzix)


Monday, October 14, 2019

Tutu Fun

Hi there.  I'm so glad you stopped by!


I've been having fun with this stamp that I got at the scrapbook show last summer.

First up is a card we did in class last month.
You can't see the sparkle but the Wink of Stella on her tutu has a soft shimmer
and her shoes sparkle with glitter glue.


Here she is again ready to fly.
Inside it says Happy Halloween.

Can you see the magic in her broom?


I'm joining in at the Krafty Chicks Challenge today.
BE-WITCHED


Thanks for the visit and special thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!


Card Recipe (card 1)
Stamps:  Fluff Your Tutu (TJ)
Ink:   Archival Jet Black (Rngr)
Paper:  Neenah, Gorgeous Grape (SU)
Other:  Watercolor Pencils, Purple Glitter Glue (Studio G), Subtle EF (SU), Stitched Rectangles Die (SSS), WOS

Card Recipe (card 2)
Stamps:  Fluff Your Tutu (TJ), Happy Haunting (Hamp. Arts), Spooky Sentiments (CC Designs)
Ink:   Archival Jet Black (Rngr), More Mustard, Gorgeous Grape (SU), Gold Glitz (Delicata)
Paper:   Neenah
Other:  Watercolor Pencils, Purple Glitter Glue (Studio G), WOS, Stitched Rectangle Die (SSS)