Sending a little sunshine

Hi there.
I mentioned I was away on vacation for a week. When I got home I listened to voice mail and discovered that a family friend was in the hospital. Not exactly the news you're hoping to hear when you first return home. However, a few phone calls later I was happy to find that he's in much better shape and is on the mend. I wanted to send him a little card so he knows I'm thinking of him. (I wish I could visit but it's many states away so I shall have to bombard him with cards :-))
Here's what I made this morning. I went back and forth on whether or not to include the clouds but I decided I liked it better with them. I am a little obsessed with this stamp set from PTI called Hello Sunshine. It's an oldie but a goodie and the sentiments are just so perfect. And the rays of sunshine are just so fun to play around with. I used those stitched rectangles from Lil' Inker Designs again too. The cloud dies are also PTI.
I'm hoping to get a little more stampin/scrappin time in today. While I was away I missed it so. It's good to take a break now & again but I'm so happy to be amongst (is that a word?) my stuff right now. Fingers inky and all. Have a good one!

I'm baaaack..... and a thank you

I've been on a little vacation - at the beach house in Delaware. And it was wonderful. Family and beach, good food, games - a truly wonderful time. But I gotta admit I was ready to come home. I missed my house and my kitties.
Speaking of kitties - they don't do beach. But they have the best time with our neighbor - well actually she comes to them LOL. She's the best kid and the best kitty sitter ever. She loves to play with them and I always feel they are in good hands while we're away.
So they (I LOL) made her a card. To say thank you. The kitties (Westley and Willie) also love to stamp so they hauled out my stamps, inks, cardstock. The die cutting is a little tricky but they managed it. Here's what they came up with to thank their favorite friend. No surprise they picked the Cat's Meow stamp set from Papertrey Ink as well as the Keep It Simple: Thank You sentiment set, right?  That's Willie (short for Wilhelmina) on the left and Westley on the right.  They colored the images with Copics and Prismacolor pencils. We all think she'll like her card. Okay. I need to get back to the piles of laundry that have accumulated over the past week. Thanks for stopping by!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

 Here's my take on today's Papertrey Blog Hop Challenge.
I used the Giga Guide Lines stamp set and created the first stationery note card. I used Versamark & gold embossing powder on Enchanted Evening cardstock. I love the combo of navy and gold. I added some of the gold border tape (from the Make It Market Luxe Letterpress set) on either side of that stamped navy strip.

While I was at it I made an envelope with my Envelope Punch Board (so fun!) and then made an envelope liner for it. This time I just used Versamark to stamp the images on the liner. When that was complete I took a gold leafing pen and ran it around the edge of the cardstock. That gold leaf made the liner look pretty snazzy :-)

While I was at it, I decided to make some clips for my stationery. I used the Clip Bits die to cut up some gold sticker paper (again from the Make it Market Luxe Letterpress set). I also cut the same clips from of PTI's coaster board. Then applied those gold stickers to the top of the coaster board. I took the smaller round & rectangle coaster board die cut bits and stamped them with an oldie-but-goodie stamp from Hampton Arts. It's called The Little Classic Rubber Stamp (has a wooden handle). It's a tiny little stamp - about 3/4". I stamped it using Versamark, clear embossed it then covered it with Enchanted Evening ink. I think they're pretty :-)

I was on a roll so I thought why not keep going?
I took out my Smooth Alphabet Dies and cut my monogram from the same gold sticker paper. I adhered those letters to a piece of cardstock that I'd run through my Herringbone impression plate. Then used some more of that gold tape on the top and bottom of the cardstock strip as well as at the bottom of the notecard

Wait. There's more!
Next card I used the medallion die from the Luxe Letterpress set to cut more of the gold sticker paper. I cut a piece of the blue cardstock, adhered the letter P (Smooth Alphabet again in gold sticker paper) and my notecard was almost finished. I used the gold leafing pen around the edge to complete the card.

Here's a full shot of the notecard with the monogram and gold leafed edge. Very simple but elegant.

I had a few pieces of cardstock stamped with the Giga Guide Lines image so I made that into another notecard. This time there's a letter T (Smooth Alphabet die cut with gold sticker paper again). More gold leafing pen around the edge.

Here's one last shot of everything. Oh I forgot to mention the front of the envelope. You can see it there in the pic - on the left there is a blue stamped image with a gold center. And at the bottom of the photo there is a square stamped image (below the clips)- that's a sticker to seal the envelope.

I don't know about you but I had a ball with this challenge. I can't wait to see what everyone else made.
Thanks for coming by to look. Have a good one!

Ants and French Fries

Just a quick little card.
I got these Clear & Simple Stamps a while back and they've been whispering to me to play with them. It was the sentiment that really sent me over the edge to buy the sentiment set and the images are just so cute.
If an ant could be cute.
I'm not really a fan of ants.
At all.
But I am a fan of french fries.
I stamped them on cardstock and die cut that with those stitched rectangle dies from Lil' Inker Designs.
And the gingham...
Gingham makes me think of picnics.
Picnics make me think of ants.
It's all very logical, oui?
Have a good one!

Year of Cards: April

Been working hard on my Year of Cards gifts I'm giving to family for Christmas. This time I've got April's edition to share. I used two stamp sets from Papertrey Ink: Birthday Classics: April and Monthly Moments: April.
I wanted to use some brighter colors this go around. And I wanted to try something other than just stamping the sentiment in black or even a color (or masking that sentiment - which wouldn't be easy given the design of this sentiment). I do love clear embossing and Versamark. They are probably what I use the most in my stamping. So I pulled out my Versamark pad, clear embossing powder as well as some cosmetic sponges. I stamped the sentiment on white cardstock with Versamark and clear embossed it. Then, using the cosmetic sponges, I colored the sentiment with the same inks I used on the background panel. (Yes, the emboss- resist technique.) I also forgot to mention- I used the Stitched Rectangles dies from Lil' Inker Designs on that background panel. I've admired cards using these dies for so long. And while I love to sew on cards, it's not always convenient. My sewing machine is not here in my little craft room. And sometimes the sewing machine is not cooperative :-). Using the dies here was quick and easy (well quick and easy x8). Thanks for the enabling Marybeth.
I will note again I am trying to make these cards simple. I'm making eight 12 month sets so I need to keep them simple or I'll never get them completed, right? Yet, I still find myself making backgrounds, using layers. We'll see what the next month's card brings - but I've completed 4 months so far so I'm happy! Thanks for coming by. Have a good one!

A

This and that

I have been a busy bee over the last week or so. Although I'm not quite finished with these projects, I thought I'd throw out a preview or two.
Doesn't look like the usual fare, huh?
Have a good one!

Year of Cards: March

I'm sneaking in these "Year of Cards" cards when I've got a moment or two. Today I decided to do March (I was in a springy-color mood!). I used Birthday Classics: March and Year of Flowers Collection stamps. The stamps, dies and patterned paper is all from Papertrey Ink.
It's a simple card and I'm pleased with it. It really has to be simple when you're making 8 of them, right?
Hope you're having a good one- thanks for stopping by!

Watercolor Thinking of You

I made another card with the images I watercolored the other day. This one is a "thinking of you" - I always need these. I send cards to my dear aunts as well as one or two close family friends - the ones that don't get out too much. They appreciate them so and I love to send them.
The image is from the Botanical Blocks II set. The sentiment is from the Banner Sentiments set and I also used the Double Ended Banner die. All from Papertrey Ink. When I finished I added some Wink of Stella - just adds a little bit of sparkle, yaknow?

Tag You're It Challenge #3

Hi there!
I've been working on watercoloring images. I've been a watercoloring fool. And it has been delightfully relaxing. (Something I don't think I've ever said in the same sentence: watercoloring and relaxing LOL!) Who knows why - but this time I thoroughly enjoyed myself. And then- with said colored images - I thought what shall I make with these? In my web travels this morning I happened upon the Tag You're It Challenge blog which led me to the CAS(E) this Sketch blog. I decided I'd give it a go. I had the Papertrey Ink Tag Sale #11 die on my desk for at least a week- thinking about what I'd do with that and well.... here you go. I started off by looking at Amy Sheffer's tag (hi Amy!... long time no see girl. We need to get together with June k?) And I think I diverged a bit. But no matter. I used PTI's Botanical Blocks II and the thank you die is from WPlus9. I also used the PTI Herringbone Impression Plate. (The cardstock is all PTI - Sweet Blush, Soft Stone and Smokey Shadow).
Okay now I think I need to go make something with the rest of those watercolored images. Thanks for stopping by!

Year of Cards - August

Hi there! Back today to show you the August card for my Year of Card sets (gifts I'm giving to family at Christmas.) I made July a few weeks ago. And since I've got a birthday comin up I need a card for, I decided to go ahead and make August now. I played around with this one a lot. I'm trying to make these simple - as I'm making 8 sets of cards - but I really like the sentiment stamped in three colors (I know - I need my head examined - masking 8 of these will take a little bit of time LOL! not to mention stamping out that sunrise in the background)
I used the Birthday Classics: August and Hello Sunshine stamp sets from Papertrey Ink. The patterned paper is also from PTI. I used  a Nestabilities die for the circle. And then I stitched across that patterned paper with my sewing machine. I really need to get my sewing machine out more often. I used to stitch on paper a lot - I've been doing it for probably the last 17 years or so. But lately - not so much. Anywho... I've got to get on with the stamping! I just figured I'd post this now as I haven't in almost a week. I've been working on my London scrapbook :-) and really enjoying it. Okay kids, that's all for now. Thanks for stopping by!