PCC #226 I'm Bringing Birthdays Back!

Hello and Happy Wednesday!  Hope you are having a wonderful week.   Since today is Wednesday, I'm back over at Paper Craft Crew with a design team card for PCC226 - I'm Bringing Birthdays Back!    If you're anything like me, I'm sure you need to build up your stash of birthday cards so why not make a card and head over and link it up!

For my card this week I pulled out the Balloon Framelits from Stampin' Up! and put together some unlikely colors!

I started with an A2 Basic Gray Cardbase.  I added a layer of Gold Metallic Cardstock and Real Red Cardstock both cut with Mama Elephant Creative Cuts Stitched Scallop Die.  I layered both of them on an angle.  The "celebrate" sentiment is from the Unity Stamp Co November 2016 Kit of the Month.  I loved the font of it!  I embossed it with Gold Embossing Powder.  I added three Gold Metallic die cuts from the dies that accompanied the December 2016 Hero Arts kit.  I cut out 3 balloons with the Stampin' Up! Balloon Dies in Basic Gray, Real Red, and Gold Glitter Cardstock.  I also used those same dies to cut out a Gold Glitter Banner that I adhered to the Red Balloon.  I used Gold Metallic Thread to tie the balloons together.  I used Ranger Multi Medium Matte to attached the bow to the card.  I'm going to give this fun card to my son on Friday for his 30th birthday!  

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Blessings, Tina

SIP #81 Color Challenge - Black, White, and a Pop of Color!

Hello and Happy Tuesday!  I hope you are warm where ever you live.  We've gotten some snow here in Middle Tennessee and have been down to single digits and we are NOT used to that!  I was off work last Friday and stayed home Saturday and Sunday.  This week is supposed to warm up to the 60's and I am soooo ready for that!  I'm beginning to think living in Florida might be a good retirement plan!  The older I get the less I enjoy cold weather!  Brrr!  Well since it is Tuesday, it's time for another Stamp, Ink, Paper Challenge.  This week it's all about Black, White, and a pop of color!  So many options with this one!

I recently bought a stamp set from Stamp, Ink, Paper's online store from Concord & 9th called "You are enough" and decided to use the fun flower from that set!

I love this sketchy flower and it would look awesome in so many colors.  My mom grows many different types of lilies and that is what this flower reminds me of.  The floral image has an outline and then two different stamps that fill in color.  I used SU Basic Black Archival Ink for the sketch of the flower on Neenah 110# Crest Solar White cardstock.  The large fill stamp was stamped with  SU Flirty Flamingo (stamped twice) and the darker fill in section was stamped with SU Watercolor Wonder.  The sentiment is from the Simon Says Stamp set "You Matter" and the You was the coordinating You die.  I layered three layers of black for the You die cut and used Ranger Multi Medium Matte  to adhere each layer to the other and the finished word to the card.  I cut the first layer out with a Mama Elephant Creative Cuts Scallop Die and added it to a  Neenah 110# Crest Solar White Card Base that measured 4 1/4" x 11" and was scored at 5 1/2" for a top folding card.  To finish my card off I adhered 3 Pretty Pink Posh dew drops with Ranger Multi Medium Matte.  I'm going to give this beautiful birthday card to my daughter later this month!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Blessings!  Tina

PPC #225 Sketch Challenge MFT Fancy Flowers

Hello!  I hope your first Wednesday of 2017 is going great!  Today I'm over with the Paper Craft Crew  Design Team with my take on a fun sketch.  I just love all of the PCC Sketches!  

Since I recently received the Fancy Flowers Card Kit from My Favorite Things, I decided to use it.  Honestly I've had it a few days but I've been too busy to play with it.  It was definitely time!

So if you've never received a kit from MFT I have to tell you they are awesome.  It included the Fancy Flowers Stamp Set, Fancy Flowers Dies and Words for Friends Dies.  It also included 5 sheets of Smooth White Heavy Weight Cardstock, as well 1 sheet each of Coral Crush, Grape Jelly, Grapesicle, Gravel Gray, Peach Bellini, Periwinkle, and Razzelberry Heavy Weight Cardstocks.  Oh and 10 Envelopes.  How cool is that!  So for my card, the cardbase was an 11" x 4 1/4" piece of the White Cardstock scored at 5 1/2".  The next layer was some of the MFT cardstock in the kit.  Since it wasn't labeled, I'm going to guess that it is the Grapesicle.  If you know differently, please comment and straighten me out.  I wanted to stamp tone-on-tone but didn't have a matching ink so I substitued Stampin' Up! Wisteria Wonder.  I think it matched fairly well.  I used my Misti to make sure that I got good images of the flowers and could stamp more than one at a time.  Next I used some of the White Cardstock to cut a Tag from an older MFT Stitched Tag Die set.  I then ran some adhesive along the back of the left side of the tag and adhered some lace to the side of the tag.  Again with my Misti,  I stamped the flowers and leaves with Stampin' Up! Archival Black Ink onto Bristol Paper.  I used my Zig Clean Color Markers to color the flowers and leaves.   Once the flowers and leaves were dry I attached them with Fast Fuse to the Tag.  I punched a hole with a 1/8" circle punch for the top of the tag and added some Natural Twine from FSJ.  I then attached the tag with Foam Tape to the Front of the Card.  The word Hugs was cut using the Words For Friends dies in the kit.  I attached them to a White Banner I had cut.  I made a nest of some more of the Natural Twine and attached it to the banner with Foam Tape that adhered the Hugs Banner as well.  Last but never least, I had to add 3 purple sequins with Tim Holtz Matt Medium.  I absolutely love how it turned out.  I came close to adding some Wink of Stella but I loved it so much I didn't want to chance it. lol

Thanks so very much for stopping by!  It makes my day!  Blessings, Tina

SIP Challenge #80 Card Maker's Choice - Hero Arts Color Layering Deer

Hello and Happy New Year!  I hope you are having a wonderful start to both your week and your year!

Since today is Tuesday, I'm back over designing for Stamp, Ink, Paper for our Card Maker's Choice Challenge this week!  How fun!  I hope you'll head over and link up a card of your own!

So for my card I decided to make an Anniversary Card for my Hubby.  I've been continuing to have fun playing with the Hero Arts Color Layering Deer that I bought from the Stamp, Ink, Paper Store so that's what I used for this card!  There's a hidden meaning in the Deer that I'll tell you later!

So for this Deer, I used the following color layering combination all with Stampin' Up! Inks.   The 1st layer was Sahara Sand, the second layer was Crumb Cake, and for the 3rd layer I inked the stamp with Cajun Craze that was stamped off and then reinked with Crumb Cake.  The outline of the legs and head were both inked up in Soft Suede.  The sentiment was inked up in Soft Suede as well.  The background of the shaker window was a piece of Soft Sky Cardstock that was stamped with the retired Stampin' Up! Wonderland Stamp Set.  I used my Misti to stamp the trees in Old Olive first and then inked the outside edges with the retired SU Mossy Meadow Ink for some dimension.  I added a little bit of white stickles and allowed to dry before I put it in my shaker window.  I used Stampin' Up! Oval Framelits to cut my background, acetate, and window.  I added some Doodlebug White Sequins to the inside of the shaker and used Stampin' Up! Adhesive Foam Strips to layer it up.  I added my Deer with the same adhesive strips so it would as high as the shaker since they are thicker than foam tape or dimensionals.  I used Fast Fuse to adhere the antlers.  I decided to add some greenery to his antlers and stamped those in Old Olive and used the coordinating dies to cut them out.  Finally I added a few Doodlebug White Sequins to the front of the card and some Fun Stamper's Journey Candy Apple Sparkle Elements on the leaves as berries.  They aren't exactly round but I thought they were close enough.  I really wish I had some small Red Jewels.  I'll look for some on my next trip to the craft store!  All in all, I think it turned out super cute!

Ok, so I mentioned that the "Deer" has a secret meaning.  Well we have a neighborhood Deer named Bonnaroo.  He was caught in a fence when he was little and rescued by our neighbors.  His mom was no where to be found so they feed him from a baby.  Since it is illegal here to fence in a Deer to keep as a pet he has free reign of the area but stays mostly right around his rescuers home.  He thinks they are his parents I guess :)  So one day on my way home from work, Jeff called to tell me that Bonnaroo had run into a car.  Notice he ran into the car and the car did not run into him.  It happened just up the street from us and when I got home Bonnaroo was laying in my landscaping right outside our window.  There was some blood around his antlers and he was obviously thrown for a loop but he was alive.  After resting, he finally got up and although a little wobbly he seemed fine.  He was a little disoriented so I told Jeff I was going to walk him home.  I  walked him half way home and he decided to take a short cut through a field and since it was dark I declined. lol  I walked back to my car, and drove around the block to find that he had made it home just fine.  Ever since then Jeff has called me the Deer Whisper!  So after stamping the inside with Happy Anniversary, I'll sign it love, Tina (The Deer Whisperer) lol  Jeff will love it!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Blessings, Tina

Hero Arts Color Layering Deer

This will be a super quick post.  I had a little time to play around with an awesome stamp set that I bought from Stamp Ink Paper's Online Store.  It's the Hero Arts Color Layering Deer Stamp and Die Set.  One of the facebook groups I am on, Stampers Swap Shop,  has a stenciled background challenge.  I thought I had a woodland background stencil but I didn't so I made a stencil from a sheet of acetate and a "Winter Forest" Die from Die-Namites.com.  I tried to look the die up but it is likely retired as it wasn't pulling up on their website.  

Here's my card to share..

After I made the stencil, I used a ink blending tool to appy Tim Holtz Distress Peacock Feathers Ink.  My Deer was stamped using my Misti onto Neenah 110lb. Crest Solar White using Stampin' Up! Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, and Tip Top Taupe Ink.  I used my white gel pin to make some of the spots white on his back and to add a dot of white to his eye.  In retrospect, I should have used a white pigment ink for that layer that added the spots and shadows and probably a lighter color for his antlers.   I have more playing around to do for sure. The sentiment was added to the top layer with my Misti because honestly I can't seem to get a good sentiment on a top layer without it.  lol  I sure didn't want to take a chance of messing it up.  I added my deer with foam tape and added three sequins.  

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Blessings, Tina

PCC224 Black-Tie Gala with Hero Arts My Monthly Hero Dec 2016 Kit

Hello and Happy Wednesday!  This week's Paper Craft Crew Challenge is a Black-Tie Gala theme.  As soon as I saw the theme I knew that I would use my December 2016 My Monthly Hero Kit!  It has a super fun pop-up die with coordinating stamps and word dies.  Here's what I came up with...

The black shimmer cardstock as well as the gold cardstock were in this kit!  The pop-up die is so much fun as were the little burst dies that cut out.  Even the word dies "cheers" and "party" were included!  This kit was such a fun one!  I added some Pearls and Pretty Pink Posh Sequins as well as the Gold Glitter Paper to cut out the small burst and "cheers"!  As of this post, there are some of these Hero Arts kits available so if you are interested, hop on over and grab one.  Most every month these kits sell out because they are such an awesome value!  

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Blessings, Tina

SIP #79, Anything But Christmas! Theme Challenge

Hello!  Hope your week is off to an awesome start!  It's hard to believe that this Sunday will be Christmas Day!  This month has flown by!  This week at Stamp, Ink, Paper we have an Anything But Christmas Challenge!  How easy is that??  If you haven't finished your Christmas Cards by now, just give up like I did!  lol  Seriously this has been a terrible month for me.  I had strep throat one week, pneumonia the next week and last Friday I was back at the doctor and was diagnosed with acute bronchitis!  All I can say is what I have gotten done, was done, and what was left won't get done!  My body has definitely told me to take it easy!   Well, back to this week's fun challenge, here's the challenge badge with link to the SIP Challenge Blog!

So since I've been so sick and unfortunately been out of work way more than I should have, I made a card for my sweet assistant, Nikki.  She has taken on a lot of my work these past three weeks as I'm super grateful for her!

Now I have to tell you that I am in love with this Distress Ink Watercolor Smooshed Background.  I was lucky enough to be the winner of 2 classes from Online Card Classes in the Facebook group Stamp Junkies.  One of the classes I took was called Background Check and it has some fabulous background techniques.  The classes were donated by Jennifer McGuire and she has been such an inspiration to me since I've been making cards.  I believe I have seen every video that she has ever put on Youtube!  I had heard her mention the classes but had never really checked them out.  Well let me tell you that they are definitely wonderful and video and information packed.  There are so many downloadable resources and I definitely believe they are well worth the money if you are looking for something like that!  I'm sure I'll purchase classes in the future now that I realize how much information and access you get!    Ok, so on to my card.  I made this background with Ink Smooshing Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, and Peacock Feathers Distress Inks onto Watercolor Paper.  I loved it so much that I didn't want to cover much of it up so I kept this one really simple.  I used Mama Elephant Basic Creative Cuts Dies to cut a pretty scallop panel from the watercolored background.  I used the Simon Says Stamp "You Matter" stamp set and coordinaing "You" die for my sentiment.  The "You" was cut out of SU Basic Black Cardstock twice and then glued together before placing on the card front for more dimension.  The "are pretty amazing" sentiment from the You Matter stamp set was stamped in Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black Ink and then clear embossed.  I used my Misti to stamp to make sure that it got good coverage and was lined up exactly where I wanted it.  I didn't want to take a chance of messing up my gorgeous background.  Once I had the sentiment on, I added 3 black enamel dots and added a few splatters from some Distress markers.  I mounted my panel on a Basic Black A2 cardbase and then added three loops of black baker's twine around the top portion of the card and tied it into a small bow.  I absolutely adore how it came out and hope you love it too!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Blessings, Tina