LID Monthly Meet Up Challenge - February #2

Woohoo!  Another card going up for Lil' Inker's Designs Monthy Meet Up Challenge!

I have to admit this challenge is an easy one for me.  I LOVE Lil' Inker Designs!  For this card I pulled out the On the Diagonal Die along with those fabulous Spot On Stamps.  I stamped up the background first with a variety of Hero Arts Shadow inks and then after using the Stitched Mats Rectangles for the edges I cut right through the middle with the Diagonal Die.  That left a great space to stamp a sentiment.

Something I've been trying to get into the habit of lately is finishing off my cards by coordinating the inside with the outside.  It's so much more festive.

I used the following supplies from:

Lil' Inker Designs:

On The Diagonal Die

Stitched Mats - Rectangles

Spot On Stamp set

Seriously Awesome Stamp set

I also used:

Hero Arts Shadow Inks: Butter Bar, Pale Tomato, Fresh Peach

Memento Luxe Tuxedo Black ink

sequins

MFT Card Color Challenge #15

It's time for another wonderful color challenge from My Favorite Things!

For this card I did some stenciling and clear embossing with MFT's new Harlequin stencil so I  actually have an extra shade of Sno Cone on this card.  I also added two different shades of Kraft cardstock, one for the background and a darker craft for the wrap around the cup.   Loving this color combination!

And what's a coffee cup card without a Starbucks gift card inside?  I left some room to write a little note or to use another stamp to make this into a birthday card or thank you card later. 

For this card I used the following supplies from:

My Favorite Things:

Die-Namics Inside & Out Diagonal Stitched Rectangle STAX

Die-Namics Hearts STAX

Die-Namics Stitched Jumbo Fishtail Banner STAX

Die-Namics Gift Card Pocket - Vertical

Die-Namics Coffee Cup Dies

Perk Up Stamp set

Stencil Harlequin

Hemp Cord

I also used:

Versamark Watermark Ink

white embossing powder

clear embossing powder

Thanks for stopping by.  Happy Monday!!

LID Monthly Meet Up Challenge - February

This is my first time playing along with Lil' Inker Design's Monthly Meet Up challenge.  I'm so excited!  I love Lil' Inker dies and stamps and use them on almost every card I make.  I'm looking forward to checking out all the different ideas other cardmakers have using LID products that I already have and of course add to that wish list all the things I would love to have. OK, let's do it!

For this card I used the following supplies by:

Lil' Inker Designs:

Sentiment Flag Original Die

Stitched Sentimeng Flag

Border Builders Die Set

Sunshine Die Large

Sun Sentiments Stamps

Stitched Mats: Rectangles

My Favorite Things:

Di-Namics Skyline Border

Simon Says Stamp:

Cardstock

I also used Hero Arts Tweed Background Stamp

Shadow Ink:  Charcoal and Tide Pool

Thanks for stopping by!!  Stamp on!!

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!!  I have already posted a few but here are a few more of the Valentine's I made and sent out this year. I had so much fun with them!  I didn't really use any special Valentine stamps or anything.  I just tried to make what I had work.  I'm not going to list what supplies I used on these but I'm sure you've seen them around.

Is this cute or what?  Perfect for a guy or a girl!  I love the play on words in this coordinating stamp and die set from MFT.  I just used some little letter dies for the Valentine.

I'm really loving this Friend die from MFT.  I didn't make shaker cards  this time but I thought a few sequins glued behind the die had the same festive affect.

Isn't this cute!  This is actually a card I made from MFT's Wednesday Sketch Challenge #213.  I missed  the cutoff for the challenge but I used it anyway because I thought it was sweet.

Another Friend, another reason to use this awesome MFT Friend die.  Love it!

Now, I want to share a couple more Valentine cards with you.  I didn't make these but they were made by two very talented artists who visited my craftroom last weekend.  Turns out craftiness runs in my family.  This little Donut card was made by my 8 year old niece Rylee. I love her idea of using google eyes on her donut and giving the little guy some arms and legs. Can you say "adorable"!!

Next up is a Valentine made by my "almost 12" year old nephew Tyler. He has made an occasional card with me but he's not quite as crazy about the art as his sister is.  This card really surprised me.  He came up with the idea of a photo card for his older brothers.

I was impressed!  He not only decorated the outside of the card but he really had fun with the inside too.  I love the photos he chose.  Nothing like opening the card to see your pesty little sister sticking her tongue out at you!  LOL!

And that's all the Valentines I have for this year.  Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful day full of LOVE!  A box of chocolates wouldn't hurt either.  ;)

Happy Valentine's Day!

XXXXOOOO!

My Favorite Things - Sketch Challenge #215

Having fun today with My Favorite Things Sketch Challenge #215!  

I started out with a beautiful color combination of my favorite shades of blue and gray with a crisp white.  The gray Bazzil cardstock has a beautiful shine to it that really adds to the beauty of the card. I added a little pattern on the side with stamping and I stenciled some tone on tone hearts with some Gesso.

I used the following supplies from:

My Favorite Things:

Staggered Hearts Stencil

1st Place Award Ribbon Die

Simon Says Stamp:

You Die

Expressions for You Stamp Set

Cardstock: Sea Glass

Hero Arts:

Tweed Stamp

Shadow Inks;  Tide Pool and Charcoal

Lil' Inker Designs:
Stitched Mats: Circles

I also used:

Gesso paste

sequins

silver foil cardstock

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Have a great weekend!

Red and Pink Valentine

I decided to jump in on Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge this week where the challenge is to use the colors red and pink in a card.  Hello....it's almost Valentine's Day so that is super easy for me!

I made this pretty card to send to my daughter Amber.

For this card I used the following supplies from:

Simon Says Stamp:

You Craft Die

My Favorite Things:

Pinstripe Background stamp

Accent It Celebrate Die-Namics

Lil' Inker Designs:

Of The Heart dies

Border Builders Die set

Stitched Mats: Rectangles

Supplies also used:

Hero Arts Shadow Ink:  Bubblegum

silver sequins

Have a great day!!

For a BFF turning fifty.

My very best friend turned 50 last week and I wanted to make her a special card to commemorate the occasion.  I've always loved cards that include the recipient's age.  It really seems to personalize the card a lot more and I think it makes a great keepsake for this particular birthday girl.  I mean, it's not every day a girl turns the big 5-0 right?

I wanted this card to be bright and clean so I kept the colors to a minimum and I didn't add any patterns.  I stayed with the same colors and theme throughout the card.  I took the extra step of inlaying all of the lettering on the word bubbles because I really love the affect.  

I added a decorated flap on the inside of the card to make it more unique and to add some interest.

The last page I just wanted to tease her a little about all those candles she has to blow out this year.  I thought I'd take advantage of all that space above the word bubble to add a bunch of stamped and diecut balloons.  I really had a great time with this card.

Happy Birthday Dusti!!!  I love you girl!

For this card I used the following supplies from:

My Favorite Things:

Delicious Birthday Stamps

Party Balloons Stamps and Die-Namics

TRANSFORMABLES Say Hello Die-Namics

Little Lowercase Letters Die-Namics

Little Numbers Die-Namics

  

Lil' Inker Designs:

Border Builders Die Set

Simon Says Stamp:

Cardstock:  Cotton Candy

I also used:

Kraft Cardstock

Hero Arts Shadow Inks: Butter Bar, Soft Pink, Pale Tomato, Tide Pool

We R Memory Keepers:  Corner Chomper

Sequins, white embroidery floss

MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge #212

Here we are again, ready for another fun sketch challenge from My Favorite Things.

I decided to use this opportunity to make another Valentine.  I stamped some stripes on white cardstock and diecut and stamped some hearts to use in place of the oval.  I also used my new heart stencil from My Favorite Things to add a little texture with some Gesso paste.

I used the following supplies from:

My Favorite Things:

Heart Stax Die-Namics

Scallop Die-Namics

Staggered Hearts Stencil

Striped Backgrounds Stamp Set

Lil' Inker Designs:

Stitched Mat-Rectangles

Quilted Stitched Pattern Die

Technique Tuesday:

Love You Die

I also used:

Hero Arts Shadow Ink Pads:  Pale Tomato, Fresh Peach

Heart stamp by Stampology, Gesso texture paste, silver sequins, silver thread,

Tombow-mono multi glue and dimensional tape.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

MFT Color Challenge #14

It's time for another color challenge from My Favorite Things.  This time we're working with this beautiful color combination:

Aren't they beautiful?  I've been a little sick today but I wasn't about to let that stop me from making cards.  I did a little playing between naps and my "blah" moments.    I had to try this card a couple times to get the shade of blue right, (I blame it on my headache).    This is the card I am submitting into the challenge.  I went with a clean and simple design using my new Say Hello die from My Favorite Things.  I really love this die and I know I'll be using it a lot.  It seems like it will be a great die to use for my next batch of Operation Write Home cards.  If you look close you can see the blue has a quilted pattern.  A little touch of purple with the flower and sequin and then  I added the green strip across the bottom when I was finished because it just looked like it needed to be grounded a little.  I like the affect.

I used the following supplies from:

My Favorite Things:

Say Hello Die-Namics

Fresh Cut Flowers Die-Namics

Lil' Inker Designs:

Quilted Stitched Pattern Die

Stitched Mats - Rectangles dies

I also used:

Sequins, Tombow Mono multi glue, dimensional tape

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look at my cards today!

MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge #211

I made this card for My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge #211 using this really cool sketch:

I used the following supplies from:

My Favorite Things;

Wood Plank Background stamp

Chevron Stripes Die-Namics

Many Thanks Die-Namics

Lightbulb Die-Namics

Striped Backgrounds stamps

Lil' Inker Designs;

Anytime Tags Die Set

Stitched Mat: Rectangles Die Set

I also used:

Hero Arts Shadow Ink pads: Wet Cement, Fresh Peach, Pale Tomato

Silver foil cardtock

silver sequins

And here is my card.  I've been drawn to the color yellow the last couple weeks.  I think the dreary winter weather is getting to me because I'm grasping for sunshine wherever I can get it.  

Thanks so much for stopping by, have a great weekend!!

Working with Watercolor

Today I decided to break out the watercolors and do a little practicing andexperimenting.  All of the wonderful tutorials out there make it look so easy.  Maybe for an artist it is, but for a perfectionist it can be a little frustrating.   My experience with watercolors is that it can sometimes take on a mind of it's own.  You have to have patience waiting for the colors to dry.  It's very easy to over saturate the paper with color.  

I decided to keep with a simple, soft backdrop that would work well for Thinking of You cards or Sympathy cards.  Something with kind of a dreamy, soothing feel to them.  I made them all a little different, matted and embossed them for a more formal look and added a dimensional element for a little interest.

Thanks for stopping by!

MFT Color Challenge #13

Hi everyone!  This is my first time participating in MFT's Color Challenge and this one was so fun, involving some of my favorite colors!

  

When I look at these colors I think of two words....Happy......and Birthday!  So I decided to use a new stamp set that I just got in the mail today to whip up a birthday card.  I started by diecutting a couple of the balloons out of the cardbase and inset them by raising the base up with dimensional tape.   I thought it added a little more interest to the card.  I stamped the  fun confetti background with some random stamps from a couple stamp sets.

For this card I used the following supplies from:

My Favorite Things:

Celebrate Big stamp set

Party Balloons stamp set

Party Balloons dies

Lil' Inker Designs:

Balloon Strings die

Stitched Mats; Rectangles

Mama Elephant:

Confetti stamp set

Hero Arts Shadow Ink:  Pale Tomato, Tide Pool, Butter Bar and Green Hills.

Unfortunately I don't have these particular ink colors yet so I had to wing it as close as I could using some of my Hero Arts Shadow Inks.  I really want to say though,  I am so happy with my new Party Balloons stamp and die sets from My Favorite Things.    I was pleasangly surprised to see how big that stamp set is.  You really get a lot of bang for your buck!  The actual stamps come on an 

8"x 6" sheet and the largest balloons are 2" tall.  I don't think I've ever bought a stamp set that was so big.  I took this picture just to show you.  The card I made is A2 size (4.25 x 5.5").  It looks little next to that big set of stamps.  I really love it so much  and I just know I'll be using it a lot for my birthday cards.

Thanks for stopping by!

MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge #210

I made this card for My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge #210 using this awesome sketch:

I used the following supplies from:

My Favorite Things:

Watts Up stamp set

Lightbulb Die-Namics

Fine Chevron Background stamp

Pinking Edge Circle STAX Die-Namics

Lil' Inker Designs:

Sunshine Die - Large

Simon Says Stamp:

You die

I also used:

Inks:  Hero Arts Shadow ink; Butter Bar.  Memento Tuxedo Black

W R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper
Wink of Stella shimmer pen
Silver foil cardstock
white vellum (lightbulb)

silver sequins

And here is my bright, cheerful card using this really cute lightbulb die.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday Cards

I was finally able to spend some time this afternoon trying out a few of my new supplies.  I just love locking myself in my craftroom on a cold, snowy Sunday afternoon, turning on some reruns of Mike & Molly and just going to town with my stamps and dies.  Here's what I came up with.

This is my first time using this cut out banner die.  When I bought it I had it in my mind to use it as a backdrop for these cake dies or maybe some balloons. So fun!

My Favorite Things:  Bring on The Cake die, Pinking Edge Die, Delicious Birthday Stamps.

We R Memory Keepers:  Cut Out Banners die

Lil' Inkers Designs:  Bunnies & Bows dies, Stitched Mats Rectangles

Hero Arts Shadow Ink: Cup O Joe

Pink and yellow sequins

Usually when I make a birthday card I think of bright, festive colors.  I decided to try some softer colors for this one.  It turned out pretty but I don't think I'll be changing my preferences.  I just think a birthday card should send a more loud, bold birthday message.

My Favorite Things: Textile Rectangle Frame die, Textile Rectangle Sentiments,  

Delicious Birthday Stamps, Striped Backgrounds.

Lil' Inker Designs: Balloon String Die

Avery Elle:  Balloons Stamps, Balloons dies

Inks:  MFT Hybrid Berrylicious, Hybrid Pink Lemonade, Hero Arts Shadow ink Wet Cement

Clear sequins

This striped background stamp is so fun to work with!  I just want to make more cards with stripes!

My Favorite Things: Striped Backgrounds stamps

Lil' Inker Designs: Stitched Mats Rectangles dies, Of the Heart dies, Thanks Word Die.

Winnie & Walter:  Big Bold You Stamps

Ink:  Hero Arts Butter Bar, Memento Tuxedo Black

Red felt

I stamped this "Fabulous" over this fun stamp set.  Now these are festive colors!!

This card and the one below are made with:

My Favorte Things:  Striped Backgrounds stamps

Lil' Inker Designs:  Stitched Mats Rectangles dies, Spot On Stamps

Ink:  Hero Arts Shadow Ink Butter Bar, Pale Tomato and Orange Soda, Memento Tuxedo Black

Technique Tuesday:  Fabulous Die used on the card below

Sequins: silver and black

Glossy Accents

Then I decided to try it again only this time I used this "fabulous" die in layers to pop a little.  Fun, fun!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Getting Sketchy with MFT #209

It's sketchy time again!  Here's this week's sketch from My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club #209:

For my card I used the following supplies from:

My Favorite Things

Balloon Banner Greetings Stamp set

Balloon Banner Greetings dies

Hybrid Berrylicious ink pad

Pinstripe Background stamp

Lil' Inker Designs

Large Sunshine die

Balloon Strings die

Stitched Mats: Rectangles dies

Simon Says Stamp

Chevron Clouds dies

Avery Elle

Balloons stamp set

Balloons dies

Hero Arts

Pale Tomato Shadow Ink

Butter Bar Shadow Ink

Green Hills Shadow Ink

Have a great weekend everyone!!