Fall cards with Top Dog Dies

Good morning! I'm delighted to be guest designing again today for Top Dog Dies! Fall is one of my favorite seasons - and I love these beautiful dies! I had so much fun that I made 3 cards with them - first up a cute fall scene:

For this one, I used the newly released Pocket Page Fall Die Set and some Pink Paislee pattern paper and mixed together an un-traditional color combo. Used some embossing paste and a chevron stencil behind the leaves and squirrel for some texture, a sentiment from Unity Stamp Company, and tucked a doily, some May Arts linen look ribbon, and some jute twine behind it.

Supply List: 

Top Dog Dies: Pocket Page Fall Die Set

Pattern Paper: Pink Paislee Cedar Lane 6x6 paper pad

Stamped Sentiment: Unity Stamp Company Life is Change Kit

May Arts: Linen Ribbon and Jute Twine

Stencil: MFT Wonky Chevron

Embossing Paste: Wendy Vecchi White Embossing Paste

Next up, I went with a more elegant looking card - and really featuring that beautiful maple leaf!

I used the same pattern paper pad, and another sentiment from Unity Stamp Company, this time heat embossed on vellum with some torn edges. I added some machine stitching, and some jute twine behind the leaf.

Supply List:

Top Dog Dies: Pocket Page Fall Die Set

Pattern Paper: Pink Paislee Cedar Lane 6x6 paper pad

Stamped Sentiment: Unity Stamp Company Life is Change Kit

May Arts: Jute Twine

Embossing Powder: Ranger Platinum

And finally - this lovely new leaf background die! SOOOO pretty!

For this one, I die cut the Leaf Mosaic Die from kraft, and then colored over the leaves with a gold Wink of Stella pen. I wish you could see the pretty sparkle! I then added, once again, a Unity Stamp Company sentiment - heat embossed in gold on vellum, and tucked some gold thread behind the die cut, before adhering to some super soft blue pattern paper from the same paper pad.

Supply List:

Top Dog Dies: Leaf Mosaic Dies

Pattern Paper: Pink Paislee Cedar Lane 6x6 paper pad

Stamped Sentiment: Unity Stamp Company She Found Joy Kit

Thread: Gold Sulky thread

Thanks so much for stopping by today - and thanks to Top Dog Dies for having me again! Have a wonderful day!

Thanks for your Kindness

Good morning! Stopping by rather last minute for a couple of My Favorite Things Challenges, combined into one card! Here is what I made:

First up, I used the current Color Combination - SOOOO pretty!

And I also used this weeks Sketch Challenge:

I used some October Afternoon and My Mind's Eye pattern paper that matched the color combination - and used a circle of vellum for some softness. I used MFT Petal Circles stencil for the background on the coral paper with some Sweet Tooth pigment ink, and heat embossed my sentiment from LJD Words of Inspiration. Used some Silver Pretty Pink Posh sequins - that I just noticed MFT is carrying! Woohoo!!! To get the silver dusting, I sprinkled on some silver embossing powder, and heat embossed from underneath the card so it didn't blow off. Kind of a fun glitter effect!

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a wonderful day!

Stencils and Ink - Masculine Thank You Card

Good morning! I'm sharing a card over at My Craft Spot this morning that I made using a fun inking technique - which is perfect for the current challenge as well! 

Here is the stamp set I used today, called Big Sentiments:

I used a stencil, and 3 different colors of distress ink to make my background, then inked in the brown around the edges as well for a bit more depth. Each time I changed colors, I moved my stencil so the image overlapped, and the edges weren't too sharp and even. The deep brown I moved several times for the same reason.

 I stamped my sentiment in the center, then stamped it off a few times for a sense of movement. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have a wonderful day!!!

March Eyelet Outlet Cards

Hi there! I'm up on the Eyelet Outlet blog today with a couple cards using some fun brads from Eyelet Outlet.

First up, I made a card using some of the Travel Brads - love those airplanes! I think this would make a fun graduation card - and you know it is no time at all until we will be needing those!  

I used a sentiment from Unity Stamp Company's May 2013 Kit of the Month, and added some Bling Strips from Eyelet Outlet for a trail behind the airplanes.

Pattern paper on this is from a Pebbles paper pad I have in my stash.

Next up - I used the cute Bumble Bee Brads:

I used some distress ink and a MFT stencil to make the background. 

Next, I stamped a sentiment from the Unity February 2014 Kit of the Month on vellum and overlaid it at a diagonal, then folded the edges behind the side panel. 

I am also linking this card up with the Happy for Hexagons Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!!!

More Stencils - and Colorblocking

Hello again! I am still having fun with the Online Stenciled Class I have been taking - here is my "homework" for day 2!



I was inspired by the technique from Laura Bassen using watercolors with a stencil, only I added my own little twist. I first stamped and heat embossed with clear embossing powder the Tea Time Pattern background from Unity Stamps on my watercolor paper. As I used the watercolors over my MFT stencil, those parts resisted the watercolor - I kind of like the different effect it gave:

I am also linking this up to CAS-ual Friday's Color Block Challenge:

I didn't quite get the texture of my watercolors thin enough, so after I was done, I dabbled a bit more water on them so they softened up a little to give it more of a watercolor effect.

My little typewriter and sentiment came from Unity Stamps February 2013 KOTM. I colored it a bit with Copics, added some Wink of Stella (that you really can't see at all in these pictures!), then stamped my sentiment with MFT ink.

Mounted it on a white circle cut with my Lil' Inker's Stitched circle dies, and finished off with a few enamel dots.

I feel like this didn't come out exactly like I pictured, but it's okay anyway! Having SOOO much fun playing with my stencils! Off to watch today's videos and hopefully play with today's homework as well! Have a wonderful Sunday afternoon!!!

Stenciled, Pink, and Thanks!

Hello! I had planned on photographing this and posting this much earlier this morning - but we woke up to a power outage this morning! We have lived her in Wyoming for a year and a half, but this is the first time the power has gone out for more than a minute or two (a fact I pointed out last night when our power blinked off...I guess THAT was proved wrong!) Anyway - I am very grateful that we had a gas fireplace to keep us warm, a gas range to cook warm food on, and that we had a remarkably warm night for a January in Wyoming. Last year temps were in the -30 and near -40 degree range at night - but last night our low was only 19 degrees. 

This was the card I made for my homework in the Stenciled Class I am taking, as well as for the January Papertrey Ink Blog Hop:

The Papertrey Ink January Blog Hop Challenge was to use nothing but pink, and neutral colors. Here is the graphic - I love pink, so this was totally inspiring:

For my Stenciled Class homework, I picked a couple different techniques shared, and merged them into one. 

First - I LOVE LOVE LOVE Debby Hughes method of sponging with distress ink using a stencil. I used a MFT stencil, and a couple colors of Tim Holtz distress ink on white Avery Elle cardstock. Next, I loved Jennifer McGuire's technique of sprinkling sparkling embossing powder over the distress ink, since they stay wet a little extra long. It is incredibly difficult to see in the pictures, but the front stenciled area is also glittery and sparkly - LOVE that touch!

I stamped my sentiment from Papertrey Ink on vellum, and heat embossed with white powder, then tied it to the front panel with hemp twine (after punching a couple tiny holes through both layers) - I wanted it to be fairly free from the stenciling, so I didn't attach it any other way than just with the hemp twine.. Added a PTI button in the center, a couple of sequins, and then attached it all with foam adhesive to my card base.

Thanks for stopping by today! I'm off to get some dishes caught up and such - we might have had heat and hot food, but we are also on a well, so we had to conserve water. And those dishes aren't going to do themselves (unfortunately!) - have a great day!

MCS January Release - Day 4

Good morning! Welcome back - it's already Day 4 of sneak peeks for the newest release at My Craft Spot! Today we get to share peeks of a new set called Stamping All Around Spring 2 - which coordinates with the Tiny Doily Dies. Here is what I made:

I am so excited at how these turned out! I don't know if you can tell or not - but there are GIANT Hershey Kisses! I got them for a project a while back, and hadn't used them - and my daughters have been pleading with me mercilessly to be allowed to eat them! Now...they might get their wish! :-)

I started off with some tags cut with my Silhouette Cameo, and added a layer of embossing paste with a MFT stencil. I immediately sprinkled on some Martha Stewart silver tinsel glitter. Not very much of it stuck - but I love the glittery effect it gave anyway!

Next I cut the Tiny Doilies, and stamped and heat embossed the XOXO circle from the new stamp set with silver Zing embossing powder. Now, I cut the smaller circle, because I wanted all of my pretty doily edges to show, but that didn't leave much room for the circle border to stamp. I kind of like it going off the edge a little anyway though - so I'm okay with that! But they really do fit right if you use the normal circle!

I added the "kiss" stamp, and "love" from the new stamp set, then added a bit of bling before attaching it to my tag.

Finally, I used some Denim Twinery Twine and Ivory Jute Twine to attach the tags to my giant Kisses! Such a fun and simple gift!

Make sure and head over to My Craft Spot to see what the rest of the Design Team has put together - and leave a comment for a chance at today's giveaway:

See you back here tomorrow for more sneak peeks! Have a great day!!!

Mint and Gold Stars - Wish Big!

Good afternoon! If you are looking for my Day 1 My Craft Spot January Release Post, scroll down, or click HERE.

I just wanted to drop by and post a card I made Sunday afternoon for the first My Favorite Things Sketch challenge of 2014, and also combined with the Moxie Fab World Trendy Star Power Challenge:

Here is this weeks sketch - LOVE how basic and adaptable it is:

I followed the sketch pretty exactly. I pulled out a MFT star stencil, and some American Crafts pattern paper and went to work. I used some soft mint pattern paper, and applied embossing paste with the stencil, then sprinkled on lots of gold American Crafts Glitter. It was so hard to get a good picture - but this is such a sparkly and glittery card in real life! The background mint paper is also an ombre pattern - another big trend!

Used a MFT sentiment stamp and heat embossed with Zing Glitter Gold embossing powder, then added a bit of MFT hemp twine to finish it off.

Have a great afternoon! See you tomorrow for more My Craft Spot sneak peeks!

Love is...Unity FWF

Good morning! So excited to be playing along with Unity Friends with Flair this morning using the current December 2013 Kit of the Month:

I recently saw a technique that Jennifer McGuire used (you can see her post HERE) that I wanted to give a try! She used clear embossing paste with a stencil, then sprinkled embossing powder over and heat embossed. I didn't have any clear embossing paste, so I used the white I had and sprinkled over some Zing embossing powder on the top and bottom corner, leaving the center just white. I really like the effect this gave, and will probably be trying it again!

I stamped my image on chalkboard paper and heat embossed it in white, then added some smudges of white ink as well, then attached it to my card base with foam adhesive.

Added some silver sequins, and a wrap of Twinery Baker's Twine to finish it off.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful Friday - and a Happy New Year!!!