Let it snow with Sisterhood of Crafters!

 Hi all!

I hope you have all had an incredible Christmas and New Year!  It's been a bit of a rollercoaster around here.  Norovirus hit my entire family a couple days before Christmas so we were unable to celebrate with my parents until the 28th.  We left the next day to go to the Greenbriar Resort in West Virginia for the New Year, and my dad took a turn while we were gone.  Today it was apparent hard decisions will need to be made in the next few days, so I'm glad I was able to get in a little crafty therapy!

This time around we are celebrating winter with the Sisterhood of Crafters, and we want to see your creations with SNOWFLAKES!  It's my favorite icon to use when decorating for the holidays and I have MANY snowflakes in my stash!

The card base for this card was created forever ago!  I think I made it in September?  It's made with pigment watercolor powders which are VERY messy, but SO fun and the results are STUNNING.  After the panel was dried, it was run through with the Simon Says Stamp Cheery Snowflake embossing folder.

The snowflake placed on top of the panel was die-cut from iridescent glitter paper on hand using Spellbinders Snowflake Card Creator Etched Die.  The large snowflake is so beautiful and the die set can be used to make a shaped snowflake card.  Unfortunately, the piece of cardstock on hand was too small for a shaped card, but fit perfectly on an A2 card front.

Finally, Altenew Iridescent Gem Sparkles were added to the snowflake for some added shimmer and the sentiment was added from my sentiment scrap box.  It's from Pink Fresh, but that's as far as I can recall.

I hope you were inspired by this sparkly card today, please go check out all the DT inspiration creations and make a snowflake card!  Our challenges last the entire month, so. make a few!

Have a colorful day!

AAA Cards Transportation Challenge with SPELLBINDERS CRAFTY ADVENT CALENDAR!

Hi all!

I hope you have all had an incredible Christmas and New Year!  It's been a bit of a rollercoaster around here.  Norovirus hit my entire family a couple days before Christmas so we were unable to celebrate with my parents until the 28th.  We left the next day to go to the Greenbriar Resort in West Virginia for the New Year, and my dad took a turn while we were gone.  Today it was apparent hard decisions will need to be made in the next few days, so I'm glad I was able to get in a little crafty therapy!

Today AAA Cards is back with a transportation challenge!  I have only a few items that would match this theme...however....The Spellbinders Crafty Advent Calendar this year had the PERFECT item to use so I pulled it out!  The calendar was so fun to use this year.  If you haven't seen my creations using each day from the calendar, check them out here on my Instagram.  There were so many amazing goodies in this box, like this adorable hot air balloon from Day 1!

This card is all about ink blending!  First, a rectangle was masked off with some mint tape.  Then, with Altenew's Sea Glass Fresh Dye ink and their blending brush, clouds were added using a homemade stencil.  To add a bit of interest, using the Altenew Score Board, embossed lines were added around the clouds.

The balloon shapes and stripes were strategically placed and die-cut from one of my scrap ink-blended panels, as were the bows on the sides.  The bunting was cut from vellum and the basket with ropes from kraft paper.  All pieces were assembled and glued to the front of the card panel.

Finally, this adorable sentiment was included in Day 1 of the advent calendar, so it was added beneath the balloon.

It's pushing the CAS style a bit with all the die cuts, but definitely meets the challenge in the design.  Be sure to check out the DT's creations for this challenge...they are adorable...then add your creation to our link!  I look forward to seeing them!

Have a colorful day!

Christmas tags with SOC!

Hi all!

It’s the crazy holiday season but you still need to create!  Join us for Sisterhood of Crafters challenge this time around.  It’s an easy one…CHRISTMAS!

 This card was created a while back for Scrapbook & Cards magazine…one of many really.  They assigned me a sketch and I came up with 10 different cards.  They chose 2 from them all and this was one they passed on.  I really loved the tags with the embossing and of course the glitter! 

What will you create for this new challenge?  Be sure to link it up HERE!

Have a colorful day!

It’s DieCember at SIMON SAYS STAMP!

 

Hi all!

It’s that time of year, DieCember at Simon Says Stamp!  There are so many gorgeous dies released today, and I’m honored to be a part of their release party today!  I will be showcasing the Whirl Nordic Plate wafer die each day this week so be sure to visit here or my instagram page for continued inspiration with this fabulous die.

Today I’m sharing a very simple card made with the die used as a window to a background panel.  During the busy holiday season, it’s sometimes hard to make time in our schedules to create cards if we procrastinated with our holiday card making.  This is a great card to CASE if you’re in that boat.

The background was created with watercolor pigment powders I had on hand.  They really pack a punch with color and are super easy…and messy…to use.  This is a project I used to do with my students, I called it the Tinkerbell Pixie Dust project!  A perfect name for preschoolers…  Just sprinkle down a VERY small amount, then spray with water and watch the magic happen.

The Whirl Nordic die over it is perfection since it lets peeks of the background show through.  Just enough to give the card a winter-y feel.

The addition of the All the Joy sentiment die with the glitter paper just adds to the icy-ness of the card.  Just to add more sparkle…since I LOVE sparkle…I added some sequins at the center of each snowflake, 

That’s it for today, now be sure to visit Simon Says Stamp for all the amazing dies released today!!!

Anything Goes with Sisterhood of Stampers!

 Anything Goes with the Sisterhood of Stampers and SCRAPBOOK & CARDS MAGAZINE!

Hi all!

It’s time for another round of Sisterhood of Crafters!  This time I decided to share with you a card which was featured in the Fall/Winter issue of Scrapbook & Cards Today Magazine!

I was so lucky to have been asked to create 2 cards using a specific sketch.  One needed to be following the sketch as close as possible and the second could have a little flexibility.

This is the card I created to follow the sketch loosely.  I chose to use Picket Fences Polar Bear Christmas and Fancy Christmas Sentiments. The polar bears are the 3 main subjects and I built the stage using the various stamps from the set!  

If you want to see this in print, pick up the latest issue of Scrapbook and Cards Today, or get the online version here!  I’m on page 31.  Have a colorful day!!

Soc

Hi all!

It’s time for another Sisterhood of Crafters  Challenge! This time we  Challenge you to create a card with a Landscape.

It has been a crazy Two weeks from me, my mom Was in the ER two different times this last fortnight… Once with a broken foot and the other time with Covid. I have been playing Nurse made for her and my father. Thankfully, this stencil set from Altenew is super easy and super quick to make!

This stencil should be released soon by Altenew, so you get a sneak peek here.  It was part of their recent Comfort and Cozy event. It was also ink blended using five of their new colors soon to be released as well.  They are amazing!

After ink Blending the landscape, I trimmed the image into three pieces so I could get some dimension. The layers were popped up with foam adhesive. I framed the landscape with a die from Spellbinders called Nested Postage and Labels.  It’s a staple in my craft space.

Finally, I finished off the card with some vellum leaves From my stash, created with a vintage Papertrey Ink Set And a sentiment from the same Altenew event.

That’s it for me today! Be sure to visit the other design team members inspiration, and link yours on our blog. Have a colorful day!

 

AAA Cards challenge sketch!

 Hi all!

It’s been a crazy 2 weeks…my moms been was in the twice!  Once for a broken foot, and the other is still an anomaly.  I’ve been nursemaid and care taker for her and my dad and have spent many nights there as well.  Hubby has been a rockstar taking over my duties at home…he’s a great partner!

I was able to squeak out a card for the AAA Cards challenge using some left over die cuts I’ve had on my desk from Spellbinders.  

The circle die cuts are from PinkFresh slimline essentials set and they thankfully fit in my card front!

Some added sparkle for the berries and a sentiment from Pink & Main round out the card!  Be sure to visit our DT member for inspiration and share your card on our blog!  We hope to see you there…have a colorful day!

 Fall leaves with ALTENEW's Cozy Comfort Retreat!

Hi all!

We are back with another challenge for the Sisterhood of Crafters!  This time around the challenge is LEAVES.  What will you do to incorporate leaves into your creation?  It's that time of year so there is tons of inspiration all around you, and our DT has some gorgeous creations for you to see as well.  Be sure to visit them and give them some love, won't you?

In the meantime, here is something I created during the Altenew Cozy Comfort retreat in a class taught by the AMAZING Jaycee Gaspar!  He is such a talent, is absolutely adorable and I adore him!  I had the chance to meet him a couple time in person and he's just as charming in person as he is in his videos.

I chose to change up the class a bit by using different colors than what he was sharing.  The background is this lovely icy blue color, and against the oranges it really makes the image pop off the card.  The dies used for this card are not quite available, but be on the lookout, because they will be soon!

The inks used for the the ink blending are also new colors.  That's always the bonus of taking these classes, you get the new stuff before anyone else does!  I highly recommend attending them if you can.

That's it for today, I hope you join us for our LEAVES challenge, have a colorful day!

Christmas gift tags for Limoncello with PINKFRESH! 

Hi all!

Have you started your Christmas cards yet?  I've gotten quite a few done over the year.  A little here and there adds up fast and I've developed a full stash of cards ready to get mailed out!  What I don't have prepared are gift tags for our handmade gifts yet.  So I've decided to get cracking on them...using the Pinkfresh Monthly Challenge as my jumping off point and complement it with the Colorful Options challenge for one of my tags.

 

Last year, I made generic tags for our handmade gifts (you can see them here and here).  This year, I'm creating tags based on the gift I've made to make them a bit more special.  My Cello's were a huge hit in last years baskets; limoncello, grapefruitcello and orangecello.  All 3 were delish, but honestly the grapefruit was my favorite, and I don't even like grapefruit!  

The Holiday Spirits set from Pinkfresh I think is a perfect complement to the gift and I love changing the colors to fit the drinks!   I didn't use all 5 colors from their challenge on each of the tags, but I did use all the colors while creating the tags.

The tag base is made from the Rounded and Braided Corner dies then decorated with the citrus slices from Citrus Twist stamp and stencil set.  3 die cuts were used, 2 of them were layered to give the tag stiffness, and the third connected at the top to fold open like a card for us to sign for the recipient.  The die cut holly and branching from their Holiday Foliage set is a great complement to take this to the feel of the holiday.  The leaves for all the tags were ink blended using a mix of Eucalyptus, Spruce Tips, Grassy Knoll, Sweet Mustard and Waterfall.  For the Limoncello tag, the citrus and the beverage were inked using Lemon Whip, Sunshine, Limoncello and Citron.  All elements were layered onto the tag base then embellished with Stickles and sequins.

For the Orangecello tag, the citrus slices and beverage were stamped with Clementine and ink blended with Peach Fuzz, Apricot and Clementine.  I kept the colors all orange for the Colorful Options challenge

Finally for the Grapefruitcello tag, the citrus slices and beverage was stamped using Peony, Limoncello, and Cherry Blossom.

I really love how these turned out!  Now that I have the prototypes completed, I will mass produce them while the cello's are simmering in the buckets waiting to be bottled!

Have a colorful day!

Quick and EASY card with THE TON stencil!

 Hi all!

Super quick post today, Just like my card! For the next challenge with AAA Cards, We have a sketch for you to follow.

I chose to use a stencil from The Ton called Emma Pumpkin.  It is a great stencil for a cute graphic pumpkin. How amazing would this be in pink?

I used Altenew inks for all the layering with the stencil.  The colors coordinate perfectly with each other so there is zero guess work.

I only have one Halloween stamp set, and I used it for the bats in the corner.  It’s from a very old Lawn Fawn set, I don’t even have the name!  Either way, it was perfect for the highlight to follow the sketch.

What will you do for this weeks challenge? Make sure you link it to our gallery so we can stop by and say hi. Have a colorful day!.

'Wicked' SOC post with JIM HOLTZ Products!

 

AAA Cards Challenge with ALTENEW dies!

 

Hi all!

It’s time for another AAA Cards challenge!  This is an anything goes challenge with an Autumn twist.

Since I had my Altenew Mushroom Collage die set still out, I went with that along with the same color palette from my previous post.

All the elements were cut from ivory card stock and inked with Altenew’s Fall Harvest color family.  I wanted to keep my card very simple so there are zero embellishments or splatters…just the die with some inks.

The sentiment is from the Mushroom Greetings stamp set, which is a favorite of my daughters.  She is all things ‘cottage core’ if you know what that means…

 I would love to see what CAS card you create for this challenge!  Be sure to visit our site and link your creations!

Have a colorful day!

 CAS on Friday Challenge with ALTENEW's Rustling Leaves!

Hi all!

It's Friday, so you know what that means...it's a new challenge day at CAS on Friday!  This time, we are wanting you to show us you're ready for a change of seasons...create a clean and simple card with LEAVES.  Easy enough right?

I chose to pull out my favorite leaf set from Altenew called Rustling Leaves.  The great thing about Altenew products is they have coordinating products for nearly every item they have.  This is not a stamp set, but actually a betterpress plate.  This plate does have coordinating dies, an embossing folder and stencil set.  I chose to use the stencil and press plate for this project.  

To keep this card in-line with seasonal colors, I choose the Fall Harvest color family of Altenew crisp dye inks.  I last used this set in April and realized I may not have cleaned it well before I put it away!  When the initial inking with Butternut ink was done, there were little flecks of black ink in the press.  It looked pretty cool, so I continued on and did a second press with Yellow Ochre so the leaves would appear to be in the foreground.

The rest of this card was so easy with the coordinating stencil set, I inked the foreground leaves with Pumpkin Pie and Olive inks and that was it!  The sentiment from the stamp set was added with the same Yellow Ochre ink and a few enamel dots to complete the card.

Now, let's see what you will create for our LEAVES challenge!  Have a colorful day!

I'm back in the saddle with ALTENEW and AECP!!

Hi all!

Welp...I'm back at it again!  I'm starting back on the Altenew Educator Certificate Program!  I stopped when COVID hit because I gave my art studio to my daughter as she navigated through the struggles of what was happening.  I figured since I stopped, I needed to re-apply to be a part of the program...but low and behold, I didn't have to!  The great thing about the program is you can work at your own pace.  Who knew my pace was long a tedious...

Today I'm sharing my first class back into the program called In the Mood for Color taught by Stephanie Klauck and Aditi Madajan.  If you know anything about me, I'm all about color, sparkle and shine so this class is a great fit for me.  Color is such an important aspect of art and creating, it helps generate an ambiance or mood for the message you are conveying.  This was an important aspect in my former career as a florist, event and interior designer, a wrong color can make or break the ambiance of the space. This same concept can be said for cards, I mean, we've all experienced when something just isn't 'right' and realize the solution would be a different color?  

For my project, I choose to focus on an earthy yellow color palette.  While yellow generally evokes feelings of cheer and energy...think of a bright sunny day...however, this monochromatic color palette of yellow ochres from the Fall Harvest Crisp Dye Ink color family invokes a feeling of a moody fall afternoon.  

The card started with an ivory card stock base for everything, undertones are important and the soft creamy-ness of ivory blends well with the inks of Fall Harvest.  Although fall officially began a few days ago, we still have warm days here in Ohio, so the Mushroom Collage die set was a perfect match to this color theme.  All the dies from this set were die cut from the ivory card stock.  The mushrooms were kept as pale as possible with just some light ink blending on the recessed areas.  A technique discussed in class 4, Woodless Color Pencils were used to accentuate these areas further.  

The background panel and the stylized leaf dies were ink blended with the same Fall Harvest colors along with Mocha and Espresso from the Coffee Break color group.  Deepening the center of the panel allows the light color of the mushrooms to pop off the background.  The background was splattered with some ink of each of the colors mentioned before to give the panel interest.  All the die cuts were then assembled and adhered to the panel.  More splatters in Butternut, Pumpkin Pie and Espresso inks were added once everything was assembled.  In keeping with moody fall feeling, the 'miss you so mush' sentiment from the Mushroom Greetings stamp set was the perfect complement.  The sentiment was heat embossed with clear embossing powder to keep the ivory color, then ink blended with all of the colors to create the same depth of color on the background.  After looking at this card on the screen, if I were to create it again, I would add some of the Mocha and Espresso to the rocks under the mushrooms to help them recede behind the mushroom bases a bit more...

Now here's a little tip I've been doing for years with my embellishments...if you don't have the exact shade of enamel dot, sequin or gem, just add a little alcohol ink to it in the color you want.  Perfect match!

Off to do another class...have a colorful day!

SOC with Paint by Number ALTENEW

 Hi all!

I'm back with the Sisterhood of Crafters and the theme for this challenge is HELLO.  For this card I decided to use Altenew's Paint-by-Number cards with their FABULOUS acrylic markers and gauche paints.

The Paint-by-Number cards have all you come to expect with and Altenew product.  Gorgeous, detailed flowers and products to help make those beautiful blooms shine!  The system coordinates with the numbers on their acrylic markers, so if you want to follow their suggested colors, you can do so...

But if you know me at all...I don't tend to follow the rules...  My daughter and I spent an afternoon painting these cards.  She is a sophmore in high school and adores her art classes.  I think she may want to follow in her mother's footsteps and go to art school after college.  We were discussing how to change up the paint by number system and the inspiration of pop art by Roy Lichtenstein came to mind.

After the panel was painted in punchy complementary colors, dots were added to give the flowers some edge.  What do you think of our idea?  I'd love to hear your thoughts...

Have a colorful day and don't forget to join us in our challenge!  Everyone needs an HELLO card!