Winnie and Walter May Release - Day 3

Good morning again! Welcome back to another day of sneak peeks with Winnie and Walter! Today is Day 3 of Design Team projects and some more wonderful sneak peeks on the Winnie and Walter Blog - today has some of my very favorites included in it! Oh how I love the beautiful floral inspiration you will see today from everyone! Swoon! For my card, I used Maggie's Roses Cutaways, as well as Essentials: Audrey Cutaways and The Big, the Bold, and the Comfort Cutaways.

I absolutely LOVE this new rose die! My favorite feature is the way the solid outline fits PERFECTLY behind the outling. Makes it super easy and fun to layer together! I cut the outline in white, layered green behind the leaves, and a medium pink behind the flower. I then die cut the outline again in a deeper pink, and pieced in a couple of the places to add some depth to the rose. I die cut with vellum one of the tiny butterflies from Essentials: Audrey Cutaways (LOVE all the little extras on this set!) - and attached it with some machine stitching. Attached the rose with foam adhesive, tucked the leaves in with some glue at the base, then added some foam adhesive under the outside of the leaves for more dimension. Finished off by die cutting the large "prayer" word in white and attaching it with machine stitching as well, then attaching the entire front panel with foam adhesive to some lovely Crate Paper pattern paper.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! See you again tomorrow for one more day of sneak peeks before the release on Friday! Have a great day!!!

Triple Scoop - MFT Challenge Guest Designer

Good morning! This morning is my last post as guest designer over at the MFT Challenge and Inspiration Blog! I had the privilege of posting along with the design team every Wednesday this month for the sketch challenges. Thanks so much Susan for inviting me - I so very enjoyed this month!

Here is a peek at my card for today's sketch - head over there to see the full card, and what the design team has made for the sketch! I used some watercolors and soft pretty colors to make a triple scoop design!

Here is the sketch for this week as well:

Thanks for dropping by - have a great day! :)

Winnie and Walter May Release - Day 2

Good morning again! Welcome back to another day of sneak peeks with Winnie and Walter! Today is the second day of Design Team projects and some more wonderful sneak peeks on the Winnie and Walter Blog - today is the sneak peek of a beautiful set designed by Joni - as well as those dies I used yesterday on my project - I made this card with the new set:  

My card was inspired by this image I have had pinned on my Pinterest page FOREVER! The colors have always inspired me, but as soon as I saw this new stamp set, I just knew I had to re-create it on a card:

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I started off by trimming my cardstock, and adding an angle cut on the bottom. (The top angle cut happened after I got a finger smudge on it, naturally after the image was colored and everything - I was really worried I ruined it, but was pleasantly surprised with how well it worked!) I stamped and built my scene, then colored it in with Copic markers. Tucked a doily under the edge, wrapped some jute twine around, attached with tiny staples to keep it from sliding, and attached to my MME woodgrain pattern paper.

Next, I built the sentiment by stamping the small words, then die-cutting the large word "comfort" 3 times - once out of black, once out of kraft, and once out of white. I stacked them up to make a thick word, sort of like a chipboard embellishment - the darker colors underneath aren't really visible, but kind of help make it pop a little better, and you can see them from the side. You might be able to see it a bit in this last photo:

Thanks so much for stopping by today! See you again tomorrow for even more! Have a great day!!!

Winnie and Walter May Release - Day 1

Good morning! The new release festivities have begun at Winnie and Walter - today is the first day of the Design Team posting all their amazing projects with the new product. I can't begin to tell you what an AMAZING release this is - totally packed with beautiful stamps and dies! Make sure and head over to the Winnie and Walter blog to enter today's giveaway and see what the rest of the Design team has been working on! Here is my first card for the week:

I used one of the new release stamp sets being showcased today called The Big, the Bold, and the Friends - as well as a die set that will be shown later this week! (Shhhh....!) I stamped the large word 3 times in coordinating ink from Simon Says Stamp, then added the small words in the same ink. I absolutely LOVE building my own sentiments with Winnie and Walter stamps! I machine stitched on some little vellum butterflies (part of that same die set that you will see more of later this week!) and a few of the beautiful sequins that Winnie and Walter always include with orders - they were a perfect match! My card base is PTI cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by today! I will see you again tomorrow with even more projects!!!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Good morning everyone! I'm posting again this morning on the Butterfly Reflections Blog sharing this card I made for my dad's birthday last week - he turned 70! Definitely a big one that needed to be celebrated! We were able to pull off a surprise party for him after church Sunday before last - which was amazing! We were so happy to have been able to surprise him that way!

Since this was a guy card, I wanted to make sure it was simple and masculine - which is always a challenge for me! I used some pattern paper from Crate Paper's 6x6 Journey Paper Pad - fussy cutting those chevrons out to add some fun color. I built the sentiment using Altenew's versatile Birthday Greetings Stamp set - I make more birthday cards than anything else, and I love having lots of fun options to build the sentiment I want! I used another Altenew set to stamp the "dad" to personalize it, and you might notice that I stamped out the entire birthday song by masking my sentiments a little bit! Finished off by stamping the balloons from the same set and Hero Arts Ombre ink pad (SOOOO fun for balloons - I'm in LOVE with it for that I think!), and some confetti using a tiny dot stamp from that set.

This is a completely one layer card - would be perfect for mailing to someone special as well! Thanks for stopping by this morning! If you haven't checked out the Butterfly Reflections Ink Store before - I hope you'll go take a peek! Tell Vanessa I sent you over! :)

Have a wonderful day!

Thanks - You are Incredible

Good morning! Stopping by this morning to share a card I made using some beautiful Altenew stamps:

I made this for Altenew's April Challenge: From Places Abroad - China:

Also joining in with this weeks CAS-ology Challenge - Ombre:

And, Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Clean and Simple:

I was inspired by the colors and patterns on the roof from the Altenew Challenge, as well as those red pillars. I started off by using some Heidi Swapp Color Shine to add a gold wash to my background on some watercolor paper, as well as a few bigger splatters. After that dried, I stamped some florals from Persian Motifs in some softly colored MFT dye ink - LOVE the subtle texture this gives! Next, I stamped the ombre thanks from Halftone Thanks on vellum and heat embossed. To get that color, I inked it up with watermark ink, then inked over the top with the MFT dye ink color I wanted, stamped, and heat embossed with clear powder. I fussy cut it out (since I don't have the coordinating dies!), and attached it with a line of machine stitching. Finished off by adding the little sentiment from Persian Motifs, and a few Pretty Pink Posh Tangerine sequins.

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a wonderful day!

Sending Joy - Purple Ombre

Good morning! Happy Friday - I'm stopping by with a quick artsy card I made for Unity Stamp Company's Friday Friends with Flair:

I have had THIS image pinned on my Pinterest forever - so very inspiring! So I decided to draw from this to make my card:

I used some distress ink in two colors, and blended from the bottom, then used some canvas paint to make a panel in the center to stamp my image. I almost wish I had just left it ombre there, but I was having fun playing! Allowed plenty of time for that to dry, then stamped my image from the current Kit of the Month, then added some splatters of ink.

A simple one layer card! Hope you are having a wonderful day - have a great weekend!

Watercolor Celebrate with Winnie and Walter

Good morning! I'm excited to over on the Winnie and Walter blog again this morning to share another card I made using the same die from last week - I die cut it a couple times out of different paper trying to pick which one to use, and didn't want to let them go to waste, so I decided to put them to good use! :)

To start with, I die cut a panel of watercolor paper using Essentials: Katharine Cutaways, then used Peerless watercolors to color a bright and festive pattern. After it dried, I die cut the center with Big Bang Confetti Cutaways (I haven't separated the dies yet - so they were in a fun pattern already to die cut) - and kept the pieces as well. I assembled a shaker card filled with Silver 4mm sequins and chunky clear glitter. The word celebrate was cut with The Big, the Bold, and the Party Cutaways, once in black and once in white, then separated a bit for a shadow effect. I also layered some silver thread underneath the word die cut. 

Next, I used my first Winnie and Walter stencil - Scenery: Big Bang Sci-fi Star Creative Screening - and embossing paste to add a background to my kraft card base. Finished off with a few extra silver sequins, some distress inking around the edges of the card base, and then attached some of the pieces that I die cut from the watercolor image. In this next picture you can see the filling on the shaker element a little better. I really should have added more, but I usually add too many and was afraid it wouldn't shake if I over did it!

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

Sweet of You - MFT Challenge Guest Designer

Good morning! Posting again this morning as guest designer over at the MFT Challenge and Inspiration Blog! I'll be posting along with the design team every Wednesday this month for the sketch challenges.

Here is a peek at my card for today's sketch - head over there to see the full card, and what the design team has made for the sketch! I am celebrating spring with my card today!

Here is the sketch for this week as well:

Thanks for dropping by - have a great day! :)

Lil' Inker Designs April Release Day 3

Hello! Welcome back for the third and final day of sneak peeks for the new release at Lil' Inker Designs - I hope you have enjoyed hopping along with us all as we got to share all the fun projects we have been making with these goodies!

To start with today, I made a super simple watercolor card:

I used a wonderful new die - perfect for a focal point on a card:

Boxed Up Birthday Greeting Die

I used some Heidi Swapp Color Shine and the smooshing technique (again!) to create my watercolor background - then, even though it is hard to see in the photos, added some splashes of the same thing in peach. LOVE how vibrant and pretty that color is! I twisted some gold thread around the watercolor panel, then attached the die cut over the top using tiny pieces of foam adhesive for a bit of dimension. Attached it at a slightly jaunty angle on some peach MFT cardstock, then added several sizes of gold Pretty Pink Posh sequins.

Next up - there is a fun new die, made to perfectly match some adorable little glassine envelopes - perfect size for a little gift card to attach to a small gift!

Here is the new die and matching envelopes, as well as the stamp set I used to decorate the inside:

Petal Card Die

Glassine Mini Envelopes

Party Pachyderms

I die cut the petal card out of double sided cardstock - that way both the inside and outside are pretty! I die cut a square using Dual Stitched Square Dies out of kraft cardstock, then stamped that darling elephant on it in white pigment ink. Added the "celebrate" in yellow die ink over the top, and added a few coordinating sequins.

I also attached that center square on an action wobble! You can see a little in this next photo how it kind of helps it pop out a little when it is opened! I really wanted it to jump out really hard, but at least it moves a bit! :)

Here is the entire Blog Hop line-up - make sure and check out what the rest of the Design Team has been busily creating to share today! And don't forget to leave a comment to win one of three $15 gift certificates that Laura is giving away to celebrate the new release!

Lil' Inker Design Blog

Lisa Henke

Laura Williams

Chrissy Larson

Maureen Merritt

Sarah Jay

Lea Lawson

Jennifer Carter

Heather Hoffman (you are here)

Karen Baker

Amy Kolling

Lil' Inker Store

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

I Love You Papa Bear

Hello! I'm posting an extra card today that I made over the weekend - I have been super busily working on DT stuff, and this new set from Mama Elephant had been sitting on my desk waiting for some love - so I thought I would make a card just for fun! Always nice to do! :)  I also have wanted to play a bit more with distress inks and making a background - something I don't feel that good at, even yet, but it sure was fun on this card! I will definitely be playing more with it in the future!

Also linking up with a couple challenges - first up, Simon Says Monday Challenge - Make Your Own Background:

I also plan on playing along with Mama Elephant's April Challenge - Make Me Laugh (I know this one isn't exactly "funny" - but it makes me smile every time I look at it - who can resist those sweet bears?):

I first created my background by blending distress inks together, adding some droplets of water, and a few flicks of shimmer mist. I die cut that panel using Index Card Dies, added a black mat, and then a die cut scallop in white from the same die set. The black border on the bottom was cut with Landscape Trio Die. I stamped the sentiment from Bear Hugs and heat embossed it, stamped the bears and moon, colored with Copics, and fussy cut out before adhering. Added some tiny stars from the set stamped in white pigment ink over the background to add to the starry sky feeling.

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

Lil' Inker Designs April Release Day 2

Hello! Welcome back for the second day of sneak peeks for the new release at Lil' Inker Designs - this is a HUGE release, so full of fun stuff!

First up - this card was all about the die cutting!

This was the result of working a little here, and a little there while homeschooling my girls one morning. It looks like it would have taken a long time with all the layers, but it really came together quite quickly! Here are the new release items I used:

Perky Posies Dies

Send Pretty Greetings

Speech Bubbles 2

I used scrap paper to cut all my flowers, and some Crate Paper pattern paper for the base layer. The lovely border was cut with Border Builders die set. I added a row of machine stitching, some distress ink, foam adhesive between layers, and a few enamel dots to finish it off!

Next up - I had fun with some watercoloring and ink smooshing:

Here is the new set I used for this - can't wait to play with it more! Looks so fun to color with Copics as well as watercolors!

We Connect

For this one, I used Quilted Swirl Stitched pattern die for the card base, with some May Arts ribbon and hemp twine tied on. I cut a Side Stitched Rectangle from watercolor paper, heat embossed my image and sentiment in white on it, then used some Mister Huey's mist, water, and clear acetate to "smoosh" my color on to the card. Also added a few splatters of more concentrated ink after it dried. As us normal, the watercolor paper curled up a bit - but instead of straightening it out with a heat gun, I decided to enjoy the texture it gave! I just used a bit of foam adhesive to attach it.

And finally - I love nautical things, and this anchor caught my eye right away!

Here is the amazing set that contains it - it is a super big stamp set, and FILLED with fun goodies!

Vintage Ink

For this one, I heat embossed the anchor and sentiment on a piece of vellum die cut with Dual Stitched Square dies - the anchor in platinum ink. I then colored it in quickly with Copic markers. I used a thin piece of wood veneer behind it that I die cut with Quilted Stitched Pattern Dies - love the REAL wood feel this gives, perfect for a nautical card! I added some chevron pattern paper, and stapled on some jute twine with my Tim Holtz tiny attacher (this also worked well to attach it to the wood veneer layer without adhesive showing behind my vellum!)

Here is the entire Blog Hop line-up - make sure and check out what the rest of the Design Team has been busily creating to share today! And don't forget to leave a comment to win one of three $15 gift certificates that Laura is giving away to celebrate the new release!

Lil' Inker Design Blog

Heather Hoffman (you are here)

Jennifer Carter

Sarah Jay

Laura Williams

Lisa Henke

Lea Lawson

Karen Baker

Maureen Merritt

Amy Kolling

Chrissy Larson

Lil' Inker Store

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