Welcome Baby Baird

A friend asked me to make a card for a co-worker that recently had a baby boy. He was born February 10; unfortunately his birth did not go well and the road to recovery has been uphill - but we are super excited to continue receiving updates of how well he is doing! You can read a bit more about his birth and the complications HERE.

I set about making a masculine baby card with lots of distressing - both with ink and tools. I paper pieced the little bear suit, I thought the star pattern paper was too cute! I added lots of lines with a pencil (Sandy Allnock did something along these lines recently to some no line colored bunnies - see video HERE), so I thought it would be fun. Had I thought in advance, I would have used a lighter ink! You might have to click and enlarge to see the details of the 'fur' created with the pencil.

I love these papers, a very old pack from My Mind's Eye, but I use them all the time in masculine cards. TFL; hope you have a GREAT week!

HUGS!


WHAT'S IT TAKE:
Stamps: LCI Baby set (discontinued)

Inks: MFT Hot Fudge

Papers: Designer paper by MME, Neenah 80 lb. white
Accessories: cork heart (colored with Hot Fudge ink), Sharpie, Heidi Swapp distressor, Copics, MFT pierced square die (similar die here), MFT Blueprints

Challenges:

Amped up 3D

Hi friends - happy Friday!

I have been following Marta for quite some time and am always in AWE of her creations, so many details! I watched one of her videos recently and just couldn't believe how effortless she made it look. I have a dear friend with a birthday, she loves pink; I came across these papers in an older Simon Says Stamp kit and knew I wanted to try my hand. Lots of learning curves! :D

I started by die cutting all my pieces of designer paper, then sponging everything - it's a super light color, MFT Grout Gray; I did add a bit of MFT Kraft also. I then distressed all those layers, added fun foam to the striped and polka dot panel; but before adhering those layers, I added some gesso to the very base layer, you can see it peeking out the sides. Then I used a Tim Holtz mini stencil and some translucent texture paste for the polka dot panel. I thought that alone sure was pretty.

The pink flower has been in my stash for years - *GULP* - but it sure came in handy! I then die cut leaves from MFT's Layered Leaves, and longer leaf branches from Simon Says Stamp Believe in the Season, typically a more winter/Christmas themed stamp set - but seriously, you can make these images work ANY TIME! The longer leaf stems I again stamped with either MFT Grout Gray (white card stock images) or Kraft (natural card stock images); I cut all the leaves from Neenah 80 lb. white and MFT Natural. Once everything was die cut, I searched my stash for things I might use, twine, stickers, etc. I adhered everything with Tombow Mono Multi to give me a bit of wiggle room to place pieces. I then just began adding and adding. :D Yeah - it'll never fit in an envelope - LOL!

Left Side

Right Side

Inside

Once I THOUGHT I was done, I added 3 stickers, painted some gesso on the pink flower, watered down some white paint and splattered it everywhere and then at the last minute, I added the mini clothespin.

I was a complete mess when I finished but boy I sure love the finished product, I hope you do too! Thanks for stopping by; hope you have a GREAT weekend!

HUGS!


WHAT'S IT TAKE:
Stamps: Right at Home Script Greetings (inside)

Inks: MFT Grout Gray, MFT Kraft, MFT Hot Fudge

Papers: Designer paper from SSS card kit, Neenah 80 lb. white, MFT Natural
Accessories: translucent texture paste, Tim Holtz mini stencil, PPP Marshmallow Confetti, clothespin from Michael's, MFT Layered Leaves dies, Simon Says Stamp Believe in the Season die, Tim Holt wish ticket, heart dies - sorry, not sure who makes these, twine, fun foam, PTI A2 Vertical Scalloped die, Double Stitched Frames

Challenges:
  PP384 - any shade of pink

Studio Katia - Happy Birthday Wishes

Hi friends! My boss asked me to create a birthday card for his sister-in-law.

Ever have those times when you've kind of lost what kind of designer you are? Layers, more CAS, CAS but sophisticated? Yeah - that's me right now!

Anywho, I stamped the image in MFT Extreme Black and colored with Copics and colored pencils; the flowers were all coated with Clear Wink of Stella.

Once I finished coloring, I used a Tim Holtz mesh stencil to add some Squeezed Lemonade spots; I finished it off with a few colors of Nuvo drops and some washi tape.

I have MUCH better lighting at work BUT I haven't found the 'perfect' background piece yet; not thrilled with this, but for now, it'll  have to work! ;)

Thanks for stopping by; have a great week!

HUGS!


WHAT'S IT TAKE:
Stamps: SSS/Studio Katia Blooming Trio (looks like this is no longer available, but here is one EXTREMELY similar, Blooming Bunch), WPlus9 Modern Peonies (sentiments)

Inks: MFT Extreme Black, Distress Oxide Squeezed Lemonade

Papers: Designer paper (from my stash - same stash you have - HA); SU Real Red, PTI Summer Sunrise, Rangrr water color
Accessories: Nuvo drops, clear wink of stella, misc. washi tape, MFT Blueprints, Copics, Tim Holtz mesh stencil

Challenges:
  SSS Whatever the Weather because SPRING IS COMING!

WSU Shockers

Hi friends! Any sports enthusiasts out there? Me, me, me - I LOVE sports, all kinds of sports! If we are watching TV (which I rarely do), I always hope it's on sports; if not, you're most likely going to find my nose in a book.

A friend of mine recently asked me to make a masculine WSU Shocker thank you card - WSU has had a couple decent runs in the NCAA tournament and a couple years ago, had the slogan 'play angry' which was used EVERYWHERE! Their colors are gold and black and let me tell you, their fans are p-a-s-s-i-o-n-a-t-e!!!

So I set about creating a super simple card using Right at Home's Watercolor Background; I just love those stripes! I used Squeezed Lemonade, spritzed lightly with water and then rubbed it around with my finger for a bit of a smoother look since I was using water color (textured) card stock. After it was completely dry, I wanted a bit more of an ombre look, so I painted on some Fossilized Amber (left side).

The THANKS is from Hero Arts Thanks stamp and cut (love those sets); I die cut and stacked 5 black sentiments together, added glue across the bottom and once the glue was completely dry, I added some gold foil; the sentiment is stamped in MFT extreme black. I layered this piece with fun foam on a black base, then a yellow note card. You may be able to glimpse in the photo (just barely), the yellow envelope with some black/white and yellow washi tape included; the same colors were carried over to the inside of the card. I finished it off with some splatters of black paint.

Thanks for stopping by; hope you have a GREAT week!

HUGS!


WHAT'S IT TAKE:
Stamps: Hero Arts Thanks Stamp and Cut

Inks: MFT Extreme Black, Fossilized Amber and Squeeze Lemonade Oxide Inks

Papers: Ranger water color, PTI True Black and Harvest Gold
Accessories: black enamel accents, gold foil, PTI A2 Scalloped Vertical Die, 

Challenges:

Valentine Treat Sacks

I made 3 different Valentine treat sacks - larger than THESE and had SO MUCH FUN making these; I used the tutorial from Splitcoaststampers which includes embossing the topper AND making a handle; how stinking cute, right?

These are filled with 3 different kinds of kisses and 2 different kinds of Dove hearts. #swoon

The images are from Stamping Bella, Hearty Chicks and Box of Chocolate Chicks, colored with Copics.  The designer paper and vellum hearts are from Verve Visual and Hero Arts Nested Hearts.

Quick and simple; yet super cute! Thanks for stopping by; I have a couple more LOVE projects to share then I promise we'll move on!!

Have a GREAT weekend, friends!

HUGS!


WHAT'S IT TAKE?

Stamps: Stamping Bella Hearty Chicks and Box of Chocolate Chicks

Inks: VersaMark, MFT Extreme Black

Papers: Queen and Co Heart Throb, polka dot vellum, Reverse Confetti True Love, MFT Dots and Stripes Neutral
Accessories: Clear wink of stella, Jotted Heart Die, Tiny Attacher, Hero Arts Nesting Heart Dies, twine, ribbon, embossing folder, PTI Scalloped A2 Vertical Die, glossy accents, Copics

Challenges:

Happy Birthday Friend

Hi - how 'bout we take a break from Valentine show and tell and do a birthday card! Yep; I really do still have some Valentine's things to show. LOL

I have a dear friend/co-worker that had a birthday this past weekend; I absolutely LOVE these chicks from MFT (BB Birthday Chicks) and wanted to add this little image to the largest polaroid die. I actually die cut the polaroid 3 times; once from designer paper; once from a thicker card stock for some sturdiness, then AGAIN from another designer paper as I just didn't like the first one. :D

I stamped the image in MFT Extreme Black ink and colored with colored pencils. As always, I was too impatient to wait for the nuvo drops to dry so it looks a bit cloudy still, but I promise it was dry by the time the card was delivered. I added white polka dots to one cupcake, white sprinkles to another and glitter to the middle one.

These papers are certainly more vintage than my image, but I still love all the layers and how it turned out. I sponged all the layers with Tea Dye distress ink and mounted on a 4.25" square Fine Linen card. I added the FRIEND clothespin from my stash, glued it to the card and bottom portion of the polaroid to the card.

I also love giving the card as part of the gift that they can use for an upcoming friend's bday, so I didn't write inside the card and instead attached my birthday greeting under the clothespin - double purpose, #winning!

Thanks for stopping by; hope you have a great week!

HUGS!


WHAT'S IT TAKE:
Stamps: MFT BB Birthday Chicks

Inks: MFT Extreme Black, Distress Oxide Tea Dye

Papers: MME designer paper, PTI Fine Linen, Neenah 80 lb. white
Accessories: MFT Precious Polaroids die, Nuvo Jewel Drops Grey Mist (birthday hat), Nuvo Morning Dew drops, Ranger Clear Rock glitter, Prismacolor Pencils, white gel pen

Challenges:

Love You

Today is our anniversary, so I thought it was another great day to share more love! Yes, it's a Valentine's Day card but like I said, love should be shared every single day!

This one was SUPER fun to make! It's another smooshed water color panel using the PTI Mix and Mat Heart die - the easy part! Then I die cut 6 hearts from 3 different pieces of designer paper and adhered them mix and match style. I then sewed all 3 to the card and left the strings to hang loose; you can also peek behind the hearts and see a different piece of designer paper - FUN!

I die cut the 'you' several times from black card stock and 1 time from black glitter card stock; adhered them together and added to the hearts. I then stamped the LOVE from Verve's Love Notes, colored in the heart and mounted everything on to fun foam before mounting to the base A2 Scalloped Die from PTI.

I decorated the inside and another one in the books!

TFL; hope you have a great day!

HUGS!


WHAT'S IT TAKE?

Stamps: Verve Love Notes, SSS You Matter, Elle's Studio XOXO

Inks: MFT Extreme Black, Distress Oxide Candied Apple and Worn Lipstick

Papers: Reverse Confetti True Love, PTI True Black, Black Glitter Papaer
Accessories: washi tape, Janome Sew Mini, PTI Mix and Mat Heart dies, PTI A2 Scalloped dies

Challenges:

You + Me Watercolor

Hi there - I still have a few more Valentine cards and treat sacks to share with you.

I made several smooshed watercolor backgrounds, I used a couple of them and I just did not like the direction they were going - in fact, it's very possible one wound up in FILE 13! :(

But once I changed things up a bit, I really liked how the last two turned out - this being one of them. I once again stamped the large heart image (wood mounted, red rubber) overlapping with Oxide inks and added some splatters from the MFT Distressed Hearts set, as well as other random splatters of white, red, and black from various inks. The sentiment is from Verve's Love Notes set (another all-time fave set). I used PTI's Mix and Mat heart dies - I just love the simplicity of this card with all that watercolor wash!

I added some designer paper beneath the main panel, used PTI's A2 scalloped die for the base layer, dressed up the inside and voila, a quick and simple Valentine card.

Thanks for stopping by; hope you have a GREAT day!!

HUGS!


WHAT'S IT TAKE?

Stamps: MFT Distressed Hearts, Verve Love Notes, Hearts by ???

Inks: MFT Extreme Black, Distress Oxide Candied Apple and Worn Lipstick

Papers: Reverse Confetti True Love, PTI Pure Poppy, Ranger Water Color
Accessories: MFT Blueprints, PTI Mix and Mat Heart Dies, fun foam, washi tape, PTI A2 Scalloped Dies

Challenges:

Love You Graphic

And let's let the LOVE continue! Another Valentine card. I used the SSS Falling Hearts Stencil with 3 shades of distress ink; I then stamped over the entire panel with the xoxo and heart stamp from Elle's Studio XOXO set in VersaMark and clear embossed (you can really tell the embossing where I stamped the LOVE YOU.

I stamped the LOVE YOU in MFT's Extreme Black ink, added a vellum banner with Happy Valentine's Day embossed and used the tiny attacher to attach a few strips of paper. I sponged the edges with Distress Oxide Candied Apple and added some ombre paper to the inside with another fun heart from MFT's Distressed Hearts (peek below).

Pretty simple; thanks for stopping by; hope you have a GREAT week!

HUGS!


WHAT'S IT TAKE?

Stamps: MFT Distressed Hearts, Elle's Studio XOXO 

Inks: MFT Extreme Black, Distress Oxide Candied Apple, Distress Ink Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick, VersaMark

Papers: Reverse Confetti True Love, PTI True Black, Neenah 80 lb. white
Accessories: MFT Blueprints, Heart Enamel Sprinkles, Falling Hearts Stencil, WOW embossing powder, clear embossing powder

Challenges:

Love You

More Valentine's cards! I'm telling you, we have LOTS to get through. But love should be enjoyed every single day, so I hope you don't mind!

I bought these Happy Heart Day quick cards from Reverse Confetti probably a few years ago; I 'uncovered' them while making Valentine's cards and knew they would be so quick and easy to whip up for a card...guess that's why they call them 'quick cards' *snort*! Here's a card I made a few years ago with one of the other quick cards. 

This was another super simple one to pull together using the stamps from Elle's Studio XOXO set. I stamped the sentiment in MFT Extreme Black and the 'all my love' symbol stamp in oxide candied apple.

The heart at the top is actually pink, but I stamped over it with Hero Arts Unicorn ink using another image from the MFT Distressed Hearts set. Yeah...I kinda like that set.

I once again used some extra hearts just hanging out on my desk from THIS die. There is actually a faux stitch line across the top of the quick card, so I used my sewing machine to stitch across and leave the ends loose - I kinda love that look and forget to use it! More designer paper on the inside and washi tape to finish it off.

Thanks for stopping by; hope you have a GREAT weekend!

HUGS!


WHAT'S IT TAKE?

Stamps: MFT Distressed Hearts, Elle's Studio XOXO 

Inks: MFT Extreme Black, Hero Arts Unicorn, Distress Oxide Candied Apple

Papers: Reverse Confetti True Love, PTI Hibiscus Burst and Pure Poppy
Accessories: Clear wink of stella, Janome Sew Mini, PTI Mix and Mat Hearts, MFT Blueprints

Challenges: