Triangle Fun Fold Christmas Card

Happy New Year 2020!  I found some time to create a card for a couple of challenges on Facebook; a weekly Christmas card challenge, and a technique challenge.  This is my first time trying the triangle fun fold and it was quite easy. I embossed the main image with gold embossing powder and added a few rhinestones for accent.

Recipe
Stamps: Peaceful Pines - SU
Paper: White, Baja Breeze, DP - DCWV
Ink: Versamark, Baja Breeze, Distress Antique Linen
Accessories: Gold EP, Rhinestones, Wink of Stella, Brother Scan N Cut

Happy Caffeinated 4th

Happy 4th of July 2019 everyone!  I originally made this card several months ago for the Spring/Summer Coffee Lovers Bloghop but I got busy and forgot to post it.  I decided to save this post for the actual Independence Day.

I made the background by taping off diagonal lines as I buffed Oxide inks on.  I then used white pigment ink over a star-patterned stencil and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. For the central image I used small eye shadow applicators to apply Oxides over a coffee image stencil and added some gold star sequin accents.

Recipe:
Stamps: Coffee Helps - Verve
Paper: SU cardstock, Mixed Media Paper
Ink: TH Distress Oxides in Candied Apple, Salty Ocean, Ground Espresso, Frayed Burlap, and Hickory Smoke. Sweet Tooth - MFT, Baked Brown Sugar - SU, Versamark
Accessories: Stencils, Sequins, Clear EP, Low tack Painter's Tape, Star-shaped die, Embossing Folder, Corner Rounder punch

A Variety of Techniques

Like the the title indicates, I used a variety of techniques on this card.  I used several different colors of Distress Oxides on the background, spritzed it with water, let it dry and added more Oxides to a few spots for added pop.  The next layer I smooshed an ink pad on bubble wrap for a cool affect.  The 3rd layer I ran through an embossing folder in my Big Shot.  The main image and sentiment were heat embossed.  The sketch is Mojo Monday 518

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Recipe:
Stamps:  Pocket Silhouettes - SU
Paper:  Blue Bayou, WW, Regal Rose, Mixed Media Paper
Ink:  TH Distress Oxides, Blue Bayou, Wisteria Wonder, Versamark
Accessories: Bubble Wrap, Ribbon, Clear EP, Embossing Folder

It's Been a Dozen Years!

My little niece Sweepie is turning 12! I made this card to celebrate her big 1 - 2.  She has grown to be a very smart and beautiful young lady and is a constant joy in my life.

For this card I used Julee's Mojo Monday sketch #512.  I used my MISTI to stamp the image and sentiment in colored ink then went over it with Versamark & clear EP, then finished it off with a few sparkly flower gems.  

Recipe:
Stamps: Patterned Party - SU, Birthday Surprise - Verve

Paper: Old Olive, Island Indigo, Pool Party, DP
Ink: Island Indigo, Versamark
Accessories:  Clear EP, Nestabilities, Clear EP, Heat Tool, Stick on Gems, MISTI

Great Job!

I'm still here getting my fingers inky every now and then.  I made several cards over the last few months but haven't gotten around to posting them. I hope to upload them within the coming weeks. 

This card I made for a co-worker who was recognized by management for doing an amazing job and excellent team work. For the occasion I'm using an old SU set, Happy Hour.  I created the background by stamping the glasses with silver pigment ink then heat embossed them with silver EP.  I did the same with the sentiment and the accent glass. The accent glass was cut out with my Scan n Cut because I hate fussy cutting. The colors I chose are appropriate for a masculine card.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Happy Hour
Paper:  All SU
Ink: Encore Silver
Accessories:  Silver EP, Heat Tool, Brother Scan n Cut, Stick on Pearl

The Lord is My Helper

I haven't posted a card in several months.  A few events have kept me too busy to make cards.  In fact, I didn't even get to make Christmas cards.  I took an online class in August and September.   Then I was offered what I thought was a new and exciting opportunity at work.  I also started the process to purchase a new home.  The opportunity at work was a disaster and I ended up losing my job.  I have been looking for a new job since but I haven't been hired anywhere yet.  I am supposed to settle on the new home in April but that is dependent on if I can find employment in the next couple of weeks.  In preparation for purchasing a home, I gave the notice to vacate my apartment a couple months before I lost my job.  The leasing office found new renters in less than a month, so I had to leave by the date I had indicated on the intent to vacate notice.  Oh, and I started a relationship with a guy in the fall, but he decided to end it about a week after I lost my job.  

When people ask me how I am dealing with all of this, my response has often been from Job 1:21 "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”  I'm not bitter about it, as it is true that everything I have (or had) really belongs to God and is used for His purpose.  Through this time of difficulty, I believe my relationship with God has grown stronger as He is providing for everything that I need.  A very good friend has taken me into her home and is letting me stay for as long as I need to find a new job.  Other friends have treated me to meals and other outings.  I have some money in savings to pay some bills and other needs.  I was able to refill all of my prescriptions for the next few months using my FSA and did not have to pay out of pocket.  The loan officer for the new home is a believer and praying for me to find a new job soon.  She is giving me more time to find a job so I can still get the house. 

I do not understand why all of this is happening to me, but I know that God is carrying me through this.  He is my helper and is always faithful to care for His children.  This card uses verses from Psalm 121.  I wish I had a stamp that had the entire chapter as it is one of the many reminders that God is always with me and never fails to help me.

Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

2 My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;

the Lord is your shade on your right hand.

6 The sun shall not strike you by day,

nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;

He will keep your life.

8 The Lord will keep

your going out and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Psalm 121:1-2 - ODBD

Paper:  WW, Bermuda Bay, Raspberry Ripple

Ink:  Tuxedo Black - Memento, Distressed Cracked Pistachio, Distressed Mermaid Lagoon, Distressed Seedless Preserves - TH

Accessories:  Brother Scan n Cut, Butterfly Embossing Folder, Butterfly Embossilits, TH Blending Tool, MISTI, Sequins

Perk Up Your Day

This is the second card I made for the Summer 2017 Coffee Lovers Bloghop.  I created the background using a stamp from the My Favorite Things Perk Up stamp set.  Because Independence is coming up next Monday I chose to do a red, white, and blue theme.  I used shades of red and blue from Gina K. Designs ink cubes to stamp the coffee cups.  My MISTI helped with lining up the stamped images.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Perk Up - MFT

Paper:  WW, Real Red, Basic Blue

Ink:  Cherry Red, Blue Denim - Gina K. Designs, Versamark

Accessories:  MISTI, Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Nuvo Crystal Drops

Mojo 498 Masculine Birthday

This card was made for 2 challenges.  The first one is the Splitcoast Stampers Technique Lovers Challenge #639.  The challenge was to make a card using the Smack Down Technique.  You can find out more about it here.  The 2nd challenge is this weeks Mojo Monday 498 Sketch Challenge.  

Coming up with masculine design cards is sometimes tricky for me.  The smack down technique provided the opportunity to use the Stampers Best Gears Background stamp to create this masculine birthday card.  To keep with the theme, I used a Tim Holtz embossing folder with gears.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Gears Background - Stampers Best, Party Punch - SU

Paper:  WW, Baked Brown Sugar, Basic Gray, Basic Black

Ink:  Tip Top Taupe, Smokey Slate, Basic Gray, Color Box Wicked Black

Accessories:  Embossing Folder, Ticket Punch, Brads

At the End of My Rainbow - Spring2017CLH

... there is a pot of coffee!  This fun card was created for the Spring Coffee Lovers Bloghop.  I used MFT Die-namics to make the rainbow and cloud.  The pot of coffee was made using an SU punch.  The sun is from a Verve die. I used coffee colored Tear Drops to create coffee drops coming down the rainbow.  The word "coffee" in the cloud was stamped with Smokey Slate and Illuminate inks then clear embossed.  The grass at the bottom was from a cutting file included in the Brother Scan N Cut II and alcohol markers.  I coated the coffee beans in the pot with a little Wink of Stella for some shimmer.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Coffee - Verve, Sprinkles of Life - SU

Paper:  WW, Chocolate Chip, Pool Party, Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight

Ink:  Early Espresso, Smokey Slate, Illuminate, Memento London Fog

Accessories:  Chameleon Pens, Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers, Sharpie Markers, Die-namics, Verve Die, SU Punch, Brother Scan N Cut II, Tear Drops, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, MISTI, Wink of Stella

Thanks for the Pick Me Up - Spring2017CLH

I am having a lot of fun using my coffee stamps for this year's Spring Coffee Lovers Bloghop.  This coffee inspired creation uses the current Freshly Made Sketches #280.  

To keep with the Spring theme of the bloghop, I stamped the mug in a bright pink and used a strip of designer paper with pink and orange dots.  The sentiment was done in the same pink as the mug but heat embossed with clear powder to give it a little pop.  I used Wink of Stella on the coffee in the mug.  The mug was cut out with my Brother Scan N Cut II machine.  This card is just one single layer for a clean and simple design.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Pick Me Up - Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, Timeless Textures - SU

Paper:  WW, DP

Ink:  Regal Rose (Classic and Craft, Chocolate Chip

Accessories:  Brother SNC II, Wink of Stella, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool

Citrus Butterfly Ombre

I was playing around with Jennifer McGuire's ombre technique again.  This time I did it with 2 tones in citrusy colors.  I didn't like how it looked when the tones came together so I took the opportunity to use some ribbon in my stash.  I added a die cut butterfly in a color that matches the butterfly in the ribbon.  I left the sentiment off so I can tailor this card to whatever occasion arises.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Acorns Background - Judykins

Paper:  WW, Marigold Morning

Ink: WW Craft, Daffodil Delight, Marigold Morning, Mowed Lawn - Distress Ink

Accessories:  Butterfly Thinlet Die, Ribbon, White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Blending Tool, Foam Brush, Glimmer Mists, Metalic Dot

Inspired by Flowers

It has been a while since I participated in the Inspiration Challenges over at Splitcoast Stampers.  For this week's ICS586 participants are to choose an image from Dribble that inspires us to create a card. This image called Flowers inspired me to create today's card.  

I chose the old SU set Dream a Little to create the flowers on 3 colors of cardstock that match the colors in the inspiration piece.  I stamped the flowers with WW craft ink and heat embossed them with white embossing powder.  The colors in the inspiration piece move in a glowing way, so I rubbed coordinating ink over each flower to give them a glow.  I always like to add a little sparkle to my cards and the silver star sequins are a great finishing touch.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Dream a Little - SU

Paper:  WW, Gumball Green, Concord Crush, Strawberry Slush, Summer Starfruit

Ink:  WW Craft, Concord Crush, Strawberry Slush, Summer Starfruit, Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories:  White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Blending Daubers, Ribbon, Star Sequins - Verve, Word Window Punch, MISTI

Steaming Thanks a Latte

This card I made using a free SVG file I found on the internet.  I used my Brother SNC II to cut out the steaming cup of coffee then mounted it over DP.  I am entering this card in My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge 319.  

Recipe:

Stamps:  Latte Love - Fiskars, Better with You - Verve

Paper:  Early Espresso, VV, DP

Ink:  Early Espresso, Ivory Pigment - GKD

Accessories:  Clear Embossing Powder, Brother SNC II, MISTI, Heat Tool, Tear Drops, Free SVG

A Cup of Winter Cheer

Brrrr!  In my part of the world winter is upon us.  Cold temperatures, getting dark before 5 pm, frost on my windshield all make me want to stay inside and hibernate until spring.  The things I like about winter are cooking meals in my crock pot, wearing fuzzy warm socks, and avoiding the cold by staying inside to play in my craft room.  On this cold and frosty day I made this card for the 2016 Winter Coffee Lovers Bloghop

The quarterly Coffee Lovers Bloghop represent two of my favorite things:  coffee and card making!  For this card I used the Coffee Helps stamp set from Verve.  I used one of the sentiments stamped in white pigment ink to make the background on Crumbcake paper.  The sentiment on the front was embossed with gold embossing powder then outlined with a sparkly gold gel pen.  Wink of Stella was used on both the cup and mug for shimmer, and I used Dazzling Diamonds glitter on the whipped cream.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Coffee Helps - Verve

Paper:  WW, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso

Ink:  WW Craft, Baked Brown Sugar, Versamark

Accessories:  Gold Embossing Powder, Gold Gel Pen, Heat Tool, Ribbon, Gem, Chameleon and Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers, Wink of Stella, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Verve Dies, Framelits

Emboss Resist Thank You

I got to play with a stamp set that I have had for a while but have never used.  I love the style of this set but wasn't quite sure how to use it so I went to Pinterest for some inspiration.  I found many lovely examples but this one really caught my attention.  I loved the muted colors in this example of the emboss resist technique.  I added a ribbon and used a "thank you" sentiment for my cards.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Postage Due, Thank You Kindly - SU
Paper:  VV, Soft Suede
Ink:  Versamark, Baja Breeze, River Rock, Soft Suede, Mellow Moss
Accessories:  Ribbon, Postage Stamp Punch, Clear EP, Heat Tool, Sponges

Baby Blocks

This card was made for a co-worker who is due to have her first child soon.  She and her husband are waiting until the baby is born to know whether they have a girl or a boy.  That makes things a little challenging for me to make a card.  I chose a DP that had a rainbow of colors and went from there.  The layout for the blocks was CASEd from this card.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Sophisticated Serifs - SU
Paper:  Marina Mist, Rose Red, Daffodil Delight, Gumball Green, DP
Ink:  WW Craft Ink
Accessories:  White embossing powder, Heat Tool, Square punch, Postage stamp punch, Gems, Embossing folder

Happy Birthday Balloons

This is a quick and simple masculine card I made for a recent birthday celebration.  I will probably reuse this design when I am short on time and need a birthday card in a pinch.  I think it works well with any color combination and many DPs that I have in my hoard.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Celebrate Today
Paper:  WW, Basic Gray, Lost Lagoon, More Mustard, DP
Ink:  Lost Lagoon, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories:  Punch, Framelits, Embossing Folder, Stick on Pearls, Baker's Twine.

Delicate Butterfly Birthday

I finally got a chance to play with my SU Butterfly Thinlets.  I love the pretty delicate butterflies it makes.  For this card I cut two butterflies in two shades of pink and layered them.  The leafy die cut is from the Secret Garden Framelets.  I distressed the edges of the Mellow Moss layer and sponged the same color ink on the edges.  I sponged a little Pink Pirouette on the top layer; I love the look it gives.  I really intended to emboss only the top layer, but I forgot and attached it to the Mellow Moss layer.  I ended up running them together through the Big Shot, but still like the way it came out though.  It is hard to see in the photo but sprayed some Shimmer Mist on the top butterfly to give it a subtle sparkle.  Pearls were added as finishing touch.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Butterfly Basics, Express Yourself - SU
Paper:  VV, Cream Confetti, Mellow Moss, Pretty In Pink, Pink Pirouette, Always Artichoke
Ink:  Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke, Pink Pirouette
Accessories:  Secret Garden Framelits, Butterfly Thinlets, Shimmer Spritz, Embossing Folder, Stick on Pearls, Distressing Tool, Sponges

Wedding Birds

Two friends from my church got married recently.  We are all in the same care group at church so I got to watch their relationship grow from friends to dating and now to marriage.  The wedding colors were light pink and white, so I thought that Blushing Bride would be most appropriate for this card.  

I CASEd the card from this one.  I used more color and lace with pearls to dress it up a bit.  The edges of the birds were sponged with Blushing Bride ink to make them pop.  I didn't stamp a sentiment on the front because I think the design speaks for itself.

Recipe:

Stamps:  None!

Paper:  Blushing Bride, VV

Ink:  Blushing Bride

Accessories:  Punches, Nestabilities, Embossing Folders, Craft Sponge, Stick on Pearls, Lace with Pearls

Wedding Congrats!

These cards were made for some people I know who got married recently.  My creative mojo is still lacking, so I went to Pinterest and found this.  It is such a beautiful card so I decided to CASE it, not only once but twice.  It is a very quick and easy design that I will probably be using again.

Recipe:
Stamps: Wedding - Inkadinkado
Ink:  Tuxedo Black
Paper:  WW, Basic Black, Lavender Lace, Bermuda Bay
Accessories:  Embossing Folder, Stick on Gems, Stick on Pearls, Flower Punch