Just For You

 Hi all,

Happy Monday. It was rainy and windy in my neck of the woods this morning, but now the sun is shinning, although it is still windy. Luckily, I worked at home today and didn't have to drive anywhere.

Before I get to my cards, I have been doing more craft room organizing. I have many, actually very many, SU DVD boxes that the stamp sets now come in that are empty. If anyone is interested in them, they are free. Just email me at cbegley@cox.net. We can work out the postage.

I have a couple of cards that I made using Claire's sketch for the new Paper Players Challenge.  I love the layers and elements of the layout and I put it to use for two cards. 

On this first card, I ink blended two white card stock panels with GKD Sandy Beach, Sea Glass and Peach Bellini inks and blending brushes. On one panel I stamped the silhouette image from an older SU set called Just Believe using Black Onyx ink, then cut it out using a stitched oval die. Using the other inked panel as a background I layered it and the oval with black card stock onto a Sea Glass card base. For the horizontal element, I used some SU black beaded cording, and finally added some black enamel dots for embellishments.

For the inside of this card, I used another of the silhouette stamps from the Just Believe set along with a greeting from the SU Happy Thoughts set.

The second card uses the "Kraft Magic" technique. The flower images are stamped with VersaMark ink and heat embossed with white EP, then colored with pencils. The background wood paneling is made by scoring the kraft card stock with a Scar-buddy then dragging an ink pad over the panel. I used both white craft ink and dark gray ink. The horizontal piece is made the same way, but I used a kraft ink pad to rub over the paper. The flower and leaf images are cut out with the corresponding set dies and glued with foam squares to the oval. I found some matching kraft enamel dots, (that look blue in the photo), in my stash for embellishments.

This card is going to a good friend and, one of my co-workers who had ankle surgery on Friday, so the inside is Get Well themed.

All supplies on this second card are from GKD.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Thanks for checking in,

Colleen

Supplies

Just Believe and Happy Thoughts stamp sets by Stampin' Up, Gina K Designs Layering Weight white, black and Sea Glass card stock, Sandy Beach, Peach Bellini, Sea Glass and Black Onyx ink, blending brushes, GKD Master Layouts 2 dies, GKD Stitched and Double stitched oval dies, SU black cord, enamel dots, Misti, Gemini Jr, foam squares

Elegant Asters, Easter Blessings and Take Care stamp sets by Gina K Designs, Kraft and Layering white card stock, Kraft ink, Hero white craft ink, GKD Stormy Skies ink, VersaMark ink, GKD white detail embossing powder, heat tool, GKD Master Layouts 2 and Stitched oval dies, Scor-buddy, Faber-Castell colored pencils, Misti, Gemini Jr, foam squares, kraft enamel dots

Hope You Have a Great Birthday

Hi Peeps,

Spring has definitely come to the Southern California coast. It's after 6:00 pm and it's 77 degrees. Not a cloud in the sky. I hope the weather is equally as nice wherever you are.

I enjoyed the afternoon by having the door and windows wide open in my craft room while I stamped and watched baseball. My two favorite springtime activities.

I wanted more practice coloring images with colored pencils and this Lotus image from Gina K Designs is a good image to use for it. I made two cards, one which fits Laurie's CAS Birthday theme for the new Paper Players Challenge, and another using dies and layers.

The GKD stamp set has two sizes of both the lotus flower and the lily pad images. On the Clean and Simple card, I stamped the smaller images in the bottom part of a single layer card base, masking where needed. I colored the images with colored pencils, then put masks back on the images so I could do some ink blending over them. After the blended ink dried, I stamped the sentiment using the Misti.

Here is the inside of this card. The sentiment is and dragonfly are from two other GKD stamp sets.

The second  card uses the larger lotus and lily pad images. They are stamped, colored and cut out with the corresponding dies. The theme and layout are basically the same as the first card, just more layers, so less CAS. 

Here's the inside of this card.

Have a great week, and thanks for checking in!

Colleen

Supplies

Most all supplies are from Gina K Designs

Lovely Lotus, Beautiful Wings, Petals and Wings, Spring Tulips, Bitty Blossoms, and Wishes stamp sets, Heavy and Layering white card stock, Black Onyx, Sea Glass, Ocean Mist, Blue Raspberry and Blue Denim ink pads, Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils, Gamsol and blending stumps, blending brushes, Lovely Lotus dies, Masking Magic, Misti, Gemini Jr

Happy Birthday

 Hi all,

I've got a couple cards to share with you today. Both are made using LeAnne's color theme for the Paper Players Challenge, and one uses the sketch for the Sunday Stamps Challenge.

The large sentiment letters are dies from Concord & 9th. I cut thin strips from card stock in the three challenge colors and glued them onto a piece of thin computer paper at an angle then cut the letters out. The back ground is made by ink blending Crumb Cake ink over a SSS star stencil with a blending brush. The layers are cut with Slimline layering dies from Kat Scrappiness. 

The second card is a CASE of a card that Gina K. demonstrated on her Thursday noon (central time) Stamp and Chat Live segment. 

The stamp set is from Gina K Designs. The images are stamped on a panel of white card stock and then again on a panel of kraft card stock in exactly the same positions. I used black ink to stamp the white panel and kraft ink to stamp the kraft panel. Using the Misti makes this super easy. The images on the white panel are colored with colored pencils. Once the coloring was finished the center of the panel was cut out with a stitched rectangle die. The cut out piece is matted with a piece of Merry Merlot card stock and then layered over the kraft panel so that the stamped images match up. This kraft panel is also matted with Merry Merlot card stock, and the card base is Misty Moonlight card stock.

Two completely different looks using the same color palette. 

TGIF tomorrow! Have a great one, and thanks for looking in,

Colleen

Supplies

All the Letters dies from Concord & 9th, SU Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Merry Merlot and Misty Moonlight card stock, Simon Says Stamp slimline stars stencil, SU Crumb Cake ink, blending brush, Slimline dies from Kat Scrappiness, Gemini Jr, Connect liquid glue

Heartfelt Bouquet and Lace Flowers stamp sets by Gina K Designs, Black Onyx and Kraft ink by Gina K Designs, VersaMark ink, Gina K Designs Fine Detail white EP, Heat tool, Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils, Gamsol, blending stumps, SU Misty Moonlight and Merry Merlot card stock, Gina K Designs Kraft and Layering White card stock, Misti, Gemini Jr

Thanks A Latte

 Hello peeps,

Some late evening stamping after having pizza with some friends. I saw Cecile's interesting sketch for the The Freshly Made Sketches Challenge for this week and I wanted to see what I could do with it. After looking through some of my older SU stamp sets, I saw this tiny cup in the Merry Cafe set and thought it would work just fine. I also had in mind this week's Retro Rubber Challenge where the theme is Pastels.

Using an older SU circle punch, I punched a few pieces of scrap card stock to use as stencils. Then I choose  some SU inks in pastel colors and applied the ink with blending brushes and the punched stencil. After the circles were made, I stamped the cup using black ink into each circle. Super simple really. The greeting is from a Verve set called Better with You.

I cut the stamped panel and a black mat out using the Gina K Master Layouts 2 die set and glued them to a Purple Posy card base, and added some pastel pearls for a little embellishment.

On the inside, I stamped the same cup using Purple Posy ink and stamped a greeting from the Paper Smooches Caffeinated Two stamp set.

Simple and cute.

Have a nice Thursday!

Thanks for looking in,

Colleen

Supplies

Merry Cafe stamp set by Stampin' Up, Better With You stamp set by Verve, Caffeinated Two stamp set by Paper Smooches. SU white, black and Purple Posy card stock, SU Purple Posy, So Saffron, Pink Pirouette, Pistachio Pudding, Lemon Lime Twist, Balmy Blue, Powder Pink, Crisp Cantaloupe, Soft Sky inks, Gina K Designs Black Onyx ink and Master Layout 2 dies, SU circle punch, GKD blending brushes, Misti, Gemini Jr, pearl embellishments

Double Stenciling Technique

 Hello and Happy Monday,

I hope you all had a relaxing weekend. Mine was nice and uneventful, just how I like them. We did some shopping, although I didn't buy anything, and attended the first Little League Baseball game of the season, and of course, I did some stamping.

Last Monday, Gina's Stamp and Chat Live was on a technique called Double Stenciling. It looked super fun and the cards she made were beautiful, so I thought I'd give it a try. I made four cards using mostly Gina K Designs supplies. I threw in a few items from other companies too. 

The April Monthly Mix Challenge on the Gina K blog is to use a die cut sentiment, and a couple of these cards fit right in.

Here are the four cards together.

Here they are individually.

The technique is to use one stencil with card stock and another stencil with velum. On the card base, die cut a shape and glue the stenciled vellum so the reverse side is up. Then pop this piece up over the stenciled card stock. This gives the double images through the die cut shape. I've attached Gina's video above if you'd like to see how it's done. 

Thanks for looking in,

Colleen

Supplies

Gina K Designs supplies: Passionate Pink, Tranquil Teal, Sea Mist, Wild Dandelion, Black, Layering White card stock, Passionate Pink, Grass Green, Tranquil Teal, Red Velvet, Wild Dandelion, Tomato Soup, Peach Bellini, Sea Mist, Wild Lilac, Prickly Pear, Black Onyx inks, A Little Love, Heartfelt, Harvest Flourish, Fizzy, Water Droplets, Sun Spots, Sunshine, and Mandala stencils, Master Layouts 1, 3 and 4,  stamps and dies from Wishes, Lace Flowers and Forever Flowers, A Little Love and large Oval dies, blending brushes, Connect glue, Fine Detail White embossing powder. Other supplies: Inner Mermaid stamps set and dies by Julie Ebersole for Ellen Hutson, Scalloped Square Border die by MFT, Misti, Gemini Jr, SU Vellum, SU mini-Dimensionals, pink pearls, Doodlebug enamel shapes, Wagoner heat tool, Copic markers, Nuvo Clear Glitter brush

Wishing You the Best Birthday Ever

 Hi all,

Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was a relaxing and fun one. 

I did some stamping late yesterday afternoon. Last week Gina, from Gina K Designs did one of her weekly Stamp and Chat Live segments on her Wreath Builder and corresponding stamp sets. I've had the Wreath Builder for quite awhile and have posted some cards that I've made, but I had not done the layout that she demonstrated last week. I thought I'd give it a try. I made four cards. Each pair uses the same stamps and placement within the Wreath Builder, but the final card is pretty different. If you have not used the Wreath Builder, it's super fun playing with different images, layouts and colors. It's also rather relaxing.

These cards work with Jaydee's Paper Player's Challenge where this week the theme is Spring Flowers.

Here are the first pair of cards. The first card uses the card stock panel as a rectangle. This one is cut to 3.75 by 5.0 inches. The second card starts with a square panel, 3.75 by 3.75 inches. The square panel is cut in half diagonally to make the A2 size card.

And here's the second pair of cards. Made in exactly the same way, just different stamped images and colors.

I like the way these turned out and as I said, the Wreath Builder is very fun to play with.

Enjoy the rest of the week. After a few days of not so busy work, I'm starting a new project tomorrow out in the Riverside area of Southern California. It's not too far, about 1.25 hours driving each way.

Thanks for looking in,

Colleen

Supplies

Most all from Gina K Designs: Wreath Builder, Original Wreath Builder and Autumn Wreath Builder stamp sets, Doodle Sayings stamp set, Dusty Rose, Wild Dandelion, Layering Weight white and Basic Black card stock, Wild Dandelion, DustyRose, Jelly Bean Green, Wild Lilac, Lovely Lavender, Black Onyx ink, Master Layouts 1 die set, Stitched Circles die set, Spellbinders Circle dies, Pretty Pink Posh gems. Green and Gold Zig Clean Color Brush Markers, Gina K Foam Squares, Misti, Gemini Jr

Good Morning, Sunshine!

 Hello,

It's opening day of the 2021 Baseball season, and I'm in luck because my work schedule had a change today and I am home watching. I've been a BB fan since high school (that's a long time), and even had season tickets for several years. I gave them up when I started traveling for work, but I still watch my team every day, or at least listen on Sirus XM when out of my home area, throughout the season. If my favorite team isn't on, I'll watch other teams around the country.

Now, on to my card post for today, I saw that the Retro Rubber Challenge has a Rainbow theme this week and I wanted to play along. I actually have two cards. The first one I made uses no rubber stamps, and since the challenge is called Retro Rubber, I thought I should make a stamped card as well.

I'm using a fairly old Taylored Expressions set, not sure the year but I'm thinking over 10 years old, called Delightful Day. There are several images in the set including two little birdies that caught my attention.

I put the two bird stamps onto an acrylic block together, figuring out how to space them, then stamped them across the panel. I colored them with Copics in the 6 rainbow colors. The card background is a piece of rainbow plaid patterned paper from Lawn Fawn.  Using a TE Grass Border die, I cut the grass from SU Green Galore card stock, then added a small piece of black card stock. The small enamel flowers I bought several years ago at a Scrapbook shop in Sacramento, CA. The greeting speech bubble is fussy cut and popped up with foam tape. This is a "mini" slimline card measuring 3.5 x 6.0 inches. 

I used another piece of the patterned paper and another of the set sentiments on the inside.

For the first, no stamping card, I used an older Altenew stencil called Halftone. Using GKD inks in rainbow colors and blending brushes I made the front panel for the card. Using a SU Stitched Rectangle die, I cut the center of the stenciled panel, then popped it up on the card base with additional layers of card stock instead of using foam tape, a la Jennifer McGuire. The alpha dies are from TE, again probably 7-10 years old. The letters are cut from SU Lovely Lilac card stock and glued to the die cut panel. The letters are brushed with a very liberal amount of Nuvo Aqua Shimmer clear glitter, then covered with Crystal Effects to give them a sparkly, shimmery look. The paper flowers are from my stash. I used one on the inside too. I glued the yellow pom-pom in the center to continue with the dots theme.

Here is the inside, again no stamping. I used the Aqua Shimmer and Crystal Effects here too.

Enjoy your Thursday afternoon and your Friday. Thanks for popping in,

Colleen

Supplies

Taylored Expressions Delightful Day stamp set and Grass border die, Gina K Designs heavy weight and layering weight card stock, Black Onyx ink, Lawn Fawn plaid paper, Copic markers, SU Basic Black and Green Galore card stock, enamel flower embellishments,  Gemini Jr, foam tape, Connect liquid glue

Altenew Halftone stencil, Gina K Designs Red Hot, Tangerine Twist, Wild Dandelion, Lucky Clover, Blue Raspberry inks, GKD heavy and layering weight card stock, GKD blending brushes, Taylored Expressions tall alpha dies, SU Stitched Rectangle die, SU Lovely Lilac and Basic Black card stock, Nuvo Aqua Shimmer glitter, Crystal Effects, Gemini Jr, paper flowers