Sunny Days Ahead

Hello,

I hope your weekend is going well. I started the day with some stamping followed by rummaging through my fabric stash looking for something to use to make my mom a new bingo bag. 

The stamping, mostly die cutting, was successful, but I'm not too sure about the fabric search, so we'll leave that for another day. I'm still drawing up my pattern and figuring out the dimensions.

Yesterday I received some new dies and Betterpress plates that I had ordered from Spellbinders. I decided to use one of my new die sets to make a card for this week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge. This set is appropriately titled Duck with Umbrella. I added the die cut clouds, dies from Erin Lee, and the rain puddle, die from SU, to make a little scene out of Narelle's the sketch.

Here's the inside.

Wishing everyone a relaxing Sunday.

Colleen

Supplies

Stamps: Typewriter Adventure Sentiments and Fill My Heart Sentiments by Spellbinders

Dies: Duck with Umbrella die set by Spellbinders, Clouds by Erin Lee and Diorama Dies by Stampin' Up

Paper: Gina K Designs and Spellbinders card stock, Concord & 9th Glitter paper

Ink: Gina K Designs

Other: Gina K Designs Master Layouts 12 dies and Blending Brushes, enamel rain drops, white gel pen, foam squares and tape

 

Sending You Love & HUGS

 Hello peeps,

I'm in Northern California again visiting my mom. I drove up last Thursday and will most likely stay until after her 87th birthday, which is on March 14. I loaded up my car with stamping supplies so I could occupy some of my time while she goes off to her bingo games at the senior center.

Included in the supplies are card sock, misc. ink cubes, and some other supplies that are "extra" at home, so I plan on leaving them here for my sister and I to use when either of us are visiting.

I made this card yesterday afternoon for this week's Paper Players Challenge. Claire's got CAS week with a theme of "Get Well."

I placed an order with Pretty Pink Posh a few days before leaving home and had the order shipped to mom's house and it came on Monday. Of course, I had to ink up some of the stamps ASAP.

All of the stamped images are PPP except the bottom sentiment, which is from a Gina K Designs get well set. I stamped the small images on the front of the card base using Distress Lost Shadow ink using an acrylic block. For the die cut HUGS image, I ink blended light carnation pink, lemon yellow, applemint green, and turquoise sea on white card stock, blending one into the next, then stamped the large HUGS image using a dark gray ink. I cut this out using the corresponding die, then cut it twice more from white card stock to layer.

Both greetings are stamped on black card stock and heat embossed with white EP, and I used some sentiment dies with rounded ends from Altenew to cut them out.

Here's the inside. This greeting is from another Gina K Designs stamp set.

With the wacky weather going on this week, it's supposed to snow here the next two days. It's rare to get snow here, but it does happen. 

Enjoy the rest of the week, and thanks for looking in.

Colleen

Supplies

Stamps: Hugs set by Pretty Pink Posh, Get Well Wishes and Luck and Love sets by Gina K Designs

Paper: SU Basic White Thick and GKD Black Onyx card stock

Ink: Gina K Designs Light Carnation Pink, Apple Mint, Lemon Drop, Turquoise Sea, Slate,  and embossing ink, Tim Holtz Distress Lost Shadow

Other: Misti, Big Shot, Pretty Pink Posh set dies, Featured Sentiments dies by Altenew,  Brutus Monroe white embossing powder, heat tool, SU mini Dimensionals, Connect liquid glue

You'd Be Better Already

Happy Friday evening all,

I was lucky today and was able to work from my home office. Love when that happens on Fridays because we all know how bad Friday afternoon traffic can get.

After I finished up with the work stuff, I quickly put away my work computer and pulled out my stamping supplies. We have a good friend that had surgery for breast cancer this morning. I wanted to make a card for her and get it in the mail, as she lives in Virginia. I used Kim's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches and the colors from Color Throwdown.

I started by cutting the SU Sending Flowers die, a Sale-a-bration coordination product release for the  Sending You Thoughts Sale-a-bration set, from water color paper. The flowers are colored using Zig Water Color markers using the Color Throwdown colors. Using a Spellbinders Circle die and the partial die cutting technique, I made the half circle on a piece of SU Whisper White card stock. For the gray border around the half circle, I used two Die-namics Inside and Out Stitched circle dies taped together. The half circle panel is embossed using the SU 3D Brick and Mortar EF. The bottom panel is stamped with the SU Hardwood background stamp. I glued the flowers onto the embossed panel and used foam tape to pop it over the woodgrain panel. Both are glued to a card base of Going Gray card stock. I used some tiny SU butterfly dies for embellishments.

Here is the inside.

We are expecting some rain tomorrow here in SoCal. Sounds like a perfect excuse to stay in and craft.

Have a great Saturday all and thanks,

Colleen

Supplies

Stamps: Sending You Thoughts, Beauty Abounds and Hardwood sets by Stampin' Up

Paper: SU Going Gray, retired bright pink and Whisper White card stock, Strathmore water color paper

Ink: Zig Real Brush water color markers, SU Going Gray, Elegant Eggplant

Other: Die-namics and Spellbinder Circle dies, Taylored Expressions Grass Border die, SU Butterfly dies, SU Brick and Mortar embossing folder, Misti, Gemini Jr, small dimensionals, foam tape

Wishing You Well

Ahhh, it Friday! Even though it was a super short work week, I'm always happy on Friday's. I'm looking forward to the weekend before I have to hit the road again for another week of work travel.

One of my co-workers recently had foot surgery and will be off work for three months. I made this card for her using a new SU Sale-a-bration set I ordered during the pre-order period for Demos. I used Julie's Mojo Monday sketch for inspiration.

Using the Misti, I stamped the lilies and stems using So Saffron and Garden Green inks. A little secret, I stamped the lilies several times mostly with the So Saffron to get a darker image. But, I wanted the shading to be a little more obvious, so I added Sahara Sand in the layering of ink and loved how it worked. I also used the So Saffron marker to color directly on the stamp over the stamen and I think that worked pretty well too.

The card base is from the SU Tutti-Frutti card base and envelope packet from last year. The green rectangle is dry embossed with the Subtle Dynamic Textured Impressions EF. The lilies are cut out with a Die-namics Stitched Rectangle die.

For the inside, I used a greeting from the SSS Sketched Flowers set.

Hopefully, a handmade card will brighten her days as she recuperates.

Thanks for stopping in, and have a wonderful, relaxing weekend.
Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: Lasting Lily set by Stampin' Up and Sketched Flowers set by Simon Says Stamp (inside greeting)
Paper: SU Tutti-Frutti pack, Whisper White, Garden Green and So Saffron card stock
Ink: SU So Saffron, Garden Green, Sahara Sand, So Saffron marker
Other: SU Subtle EF, Die-namics Stitched Rectangle die, Taylored Expressions Scalloped Border die,  Lawn Fawn banner dies, yellow pearls, the Big Shot, Misti, dimensionals

Hugs & Kisses

Hi again,

This is my second post today.

Since I had the Altenew Spring Daisy stamp set out on my desk, I decided to use it to make a get well card for my Aunt. She spent a few days in the hospital this week due to a small stroke. She seems to be doing well and the prognosis is for a full recovery. Good News!

I used the Freshly Made Sketch, brought to us by Narelle this week.

The daisy is stamped with different shades of SU pink inks and the leaves in Garden Green and Wild Wasabi. The flower and leaves are fussy cut. (I'm thinking that the co-ordinating dies must have been on backorder when I bought the set.) The patterned papers are from the American Crafts Soho Garden paper pad again. I love navy and pink together and that was my inspiration for the background papers and ink colors.

On the inside, more stamps from the same set, this time colored with Copies. The sentiment is from Lil' Inker.

Thanks for stopping in again, and have a fab Friday!
Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: Spring Daisy set by Altenew and SU Good Greetings set
Paper: SU Whisper White card stock and SoHo Garden by American Crafts patterned paper
Ink: SU Blushing Bride, Sweet Sugarplum, Garden Green, Wild Wasabi, and Night of Navy, Memento tuxedo black, Copics
Other: Lawn Fawn Banner dies, enamel shapes, the Big Shot, dimensionals, Fiskars corner punch

Big Smile On Your Face

Hello,

What a busy week back to work I had! But it's the weekend and time for stamping and relaxing. Since it's Sunday, it's time for a new Paper Players challenge. Claire is this week's hostess with a fun color challenge.

This Primary Color combo is perfect for those back to school cards that so many of you make each year and I know we will see some great ones. I didn't go that route simply because I don't actually have any "back to school" stamps. How can that be? I guess since I don't have any kidos, it didn't seem like something that I would use much.

I have a friend who is feeling a little under the weather so I made a card to cheer her up using the Happy Birds set from W Plus 9. Who wouldn't smile when looking at these cute little creatures?

I started by stamping the birdies on X-Press Blending card stock in Memento tuxedo black ink and coloring them with blue and red Copics to match the SU color shades. After they were colored I cut them out using the matching dies. The top white panel was cut with Mama Elephant dies. I mounted it onto a Real Red panel with some Lawn Fawn red and yellow plaid patterned paper peeking through  the circle. Before gluing in the plaid, I stamped the wire in Memento black. The red panel is mounted onto a Daffodil Delight card base. The birds are mounted with dimensionals. The sentiment from the same set is stamped in Memento black too. Embellishments are the red, yellow, blue and black sequin.

The inside is super simple. I stamped the bird with french fry, colored him with Copics and added a Taylored Expressions sentiment. The white panel is mounted onto SU Pacific Point card stock.

Here are the links to the other PP DT blogs. Be sure to stop in for more awesome inspiration and to say hello.

The Paper Players Design Team

Claire Broadwater

Jaydee

Joanne James

Laurie Schmidt

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Sandy Mathis

Linda Callahan

Hannelie Bester

I'm hoping my coming week isn't so busy as last, although it sure makes the days go by fast. I hope you all have a wonderful one. 

Thanks for stopping in,

Colleen

Supplies

Stamps: Happy Bird set by WPlus9 and Doctors Orders set by Taylored Expressions (inside sentiment)

Paper: SU Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point card stock, X-Press It Blending card stock, Lawn Fawn plaid patterned paper

Ink: Memento tuxedo black , SU Old Olive and Real Red, Copics

Other: Happy Bird dies, All Prettied Up dies by Mama Elephant, sequin, the Big Shot, dimensionals

Sweet Sunday Cards x 2

Hello,

On Sunday I made another get well card. This one is for a friend that lives in Chicago, because she had foot surgery on Friday. Since the latest Sweet Sunday sketch was up, I decided to use it for my card.

I love Karen's sketch this week. Very easy to use and I think very versatile so I will be pulling it out again I'm sure. For my get well card I used a fall theme with papers from Fancy Pants and some TE leaf dies used to cut TE felt. It's bright and cherry IRL, so hopefully it will put some cheer into Jackie's day when she receives it later this week.

While I was at it, I decided to use last week's Sweet Sunday Sketch to make a thank you card for another friend. He travels abroad for work and the past two weeks he was in South Africa. He brought me a BEAUTIFUL scarf from his trip and gave it to me when we went to dinner at their house on Saturday evening. So thoughtful! It really is pretty too. Here's his thank you card.

I rotated the sketch to accommodate the image. This is a new SugarPea Designs set that I hadn't inked up yet. I had fun coloring it with my Copics. As you can see, his clothes are paper pieced with the same patterned paper that I used for the background.

Supplies
Card 1
Stamps: Sentiment stamp from Taylored Expressions set "Doctors Orders"
Paper: SU Riding Hood Red and Very Vanilla card stock and Fancy Pants "Happy Go Lucky" patterned papers
Ink: SU Riding Hood Red
Other: TE leaf dies, TE sequins, SU wooden leaf embellishment, Fishers corner punch, sewing machine, the Big Shot, mini glue dots

Card 2
Stamps: Let's Fiesta by SugarPea Designs
Paper: SU Smoky Gray and Basic Black card stock, XPress-It Blending card stock, Basic Gray "Knee-highs" patterned papers
Ink: memento tuxedo black and Copics
Other: Die-namics pierced rectangle dies and pierced Fishtail Flags STAX dies, the Big Shot, dimensionals

Now to get everything mailed. Thanks for looking in,
Colleen

Sending Get Well Wishes

Happy Monday all,

It's the beginning of Thanksgiving week and I'm on vacation until Dec. 2. Whoohoo! I am flying to Portland, OR tomorrow, in the late afternoon, to spend Thanksgiving with my sister and her boys. I can't wait to see them.

My brother and my mom were going to join us from Northern California, but my brother fell last weekend and broke his hip! Needless to say, he is staying put at home for a few weeks. He is doing well, but in much pain. He had surgery last Wednesday to stabilize the fracture with a pin. Obviously,
I needed to make a card for him. I decided to use LeAnne's sketch from this week's The Paper Player's challenge.

There's a variety of companies represented on my card, and the only stamping is the sentiment at the bottom. I think it will cheer him up to know I'm thinking of him.

Supplies
Stamps: Get Well Wishes from My Favorite Things
Paper: SU Old Olive and Early Expresso card stock and Doodlebug Designs "friendly forrest" patterned papers
Ink: SU Early Expresso
Other: TE Squirrel die, MFT Pinking circle die, Spellbinders circle die, SU wooden leaf embellishment, SU burlap ribbon, the Big Shot, mini glue dots, dimensionals

Thanks for looking in today,
Colleen

Doctor's Orders

Hi everyone,

One of our friends spent about a week in the hospital recently. She's home and recovering nicely, but won't be able to return to work for another couple of weeks. She is NOT good at just "vegging." She needs to be doing something all the time, so this forced downtime is hard for her to handle. (I keep telling her that she needs a hobby)

Using Jen's Deconstructed Sketch #108, I made this card to remind her of the Doctor's Orders to "rest, relax and recover". I started with one of the new TE Mokas called Moka Sunshine. The sentiment is from the TE set called Doctors Orders.

I wanted the cross element to hang over the edges of the card.  For the card to fit into a standard A2 envelope, I cut the card body down to 3.5" wide. It's still 5.5" long. I guess you could call it a "tall and skinny" card.

Here is the inside with the Doctor's Orders:

Supplies
Stamps: Moka Sunshine and Doctor's Orders by Taylored Expressions
Paper: SU Gumball Green, Crisp Cantaloupe and X-Press It Blending card stocks and Doodlebug Flower Box pattern papers
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, Copics and SU Crisp Cantaloupe
Other: TE Gift Card, Frame It Up 1, Curly Border, Hearts A Plenty, Friendship Blooms, and Butterflies dies, Queen and Co. pearls and rhinestones, sewing machine, the Big Shot, and dimensionals

Have a great rest of the weekend and thanks for stopping by,
Colleen

Feel Better

HI,

I made this card for a friend of my mom's who had a heart procedure on Saturday. He's doing very well and will be going home from the hospital tomorrow. I hope this card helps his recovery to be speedy.

The layout is MFTWSC55. The paper is all Stampin' Up. I added lots of stitching and Fred is colored with Copics.

Here is the inside:

Supplies
Stamps: Fred Bear Gives Comfort set by My Favorite Things
Paper: Stampin' Up Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron and Whisper White card stock, SU DSP retired
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, SU Chocolate Chip and Always Artichoke, and these Copics:

Other: SU round and ticket punches, twine, sewing machine and dimensionals

Thanks for looking in all,
Colleen