Just Wanted To Say

Hello,

I promised another card using the Paper Players sketch for this week. As time is running out on the challenge, I thought I'd better get it posted. As I said in my earlier post, a great sketch deserves more than one card. Today's card is the first of the two that I made, but I decided to post the gingham themed card first. I just thought it was fun!

I really do like this card also. The colors are beautiful IRL. Like in yesterday's post, I've used Gina K stamps and inks. This is one of her more recent stamp sets called "A Happy Hello." It's flowers and a butterfly, with a very large Hello sentiment and has coordinating dies. I had watched one of Gina's videos where she uses this set and the same ink colors and it turned out so pretty, I wanted to give it a try. So, I guess this is really a CASE of Gina's card in the video. The video is called Inking Techniques - 3 Fun Ways. You can find it here.

I used two Gina K ink cubes. Jelly Bean Green and Tranquil Teal for the flower stamping.
For the three colors in the background, I used three Distress Oxide Inks in shades that complimented the Gina K colors and blended them with a blending brush. I sprayed them with water after blending, although that really doesn't show once the stamped panel was added. For the butterfly, I stamped it two times with Gina K Amalgam black ink, then with VersaMark over that to heat emboss with clear EP. I did two layers of heat embossing so the butterfly is super shiny. It is cut out with the set die and popped up with a dimensional. The sentiment is heat embossed with white EP on black card stock. This little die is an older Die-namics label die. I added some gems that match for embellishment.

Here is the inside of the card. Hello is heat embossed using the same technique as the butterfly.

These colors really are striking with the black accents.

On a personal note, I've come down with shingles! Luckily, I figured out what was going on as soon as I saw the rash and got the anti-viral drugs. So far, it's a fairly light case and no blistering. It's on my back and spreads around to my side at waist level. Since it's not too bad, I've been working. I've heard some get a super horrible breakouts that blisters and that it's very painful, so I'm feeling fortunate. Ice and Alive help with what pain I do have.

Have a good Friday all, and thanks for looking,
Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: A Happy Hello set by Gina K
Paper: Tranquil Teal and Jelly Bean Green card stock by Gina K, SU Basic Black card stock and X-Press It Blending card stock
Ink: Gina K Jelly Bean Green and Tranquil Teal cubes, Gina K Amalgam Black ink, VersaMark
Other: clear embossing powder, heat tool, SU Stitched Rectangle dies, Die-namics Label die, Gina K Happy Hello dies, Gemini Jr, Misti, Dimensionals, TE Blending Brushes, teal gems

Happy Birthday and You Are Awesome

Hi peeps,

I have been playing with the Gina K Wreath Builder system and some new Gina K stamps. Both cards here use the new Embroidered Flowers set. This is a fun set with many flower stamp images. No challenges with these, just adding some cards to my stash, and having some stamping fun.

First up is a card made with the smaller rose image. I used a light pink and darker coral shade together before stamping. I really like how this one turned out using the Wreath Builder template. The roses are spaced perfectly. The inks are from Altenew.

For the second card, I stamped the daisy flowers using the Wreath Builder template, then when it was completed, I cut the panel in half in order to make a regular A2 card size. This is the same stamp set, although the sentiment is from another Gina K set. The inks on this card are Hero and Gina K cubes.

The Wreath Builder is super fun to create with. Gina has several videos that help figure it all out.

Thanks for looking in,
Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: All Gina K Embroidered Flowers set and Scripty Encouragement set
Paper: SU Coral, Ruby Red, Bordering Blue, Summer Sun, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Altenew, Hero, Gina K
Other: Misti, Wreath Builder, Embroidered Flowers dies, Gemin Jr, clear gems, SU glittery enamel dots, dimensionals

Easter Wishes

Happy Monday afternoon peeps,

I had a great Sunday afternoon of stamping and made three cards. Two of them use LeAnne's sketch for this week's Paper Players Challenge. When there's a great sketch, why stop at just one card, right? I'm actually posting the second card that I made with her sketch. The first one I'll post later in the week, and they are both very different.

For today's card, the idea came to me while I was looking through my dies for something I needed for the first card, and I came across some older Die-namics bow dies. Here's what I did with them.

Doesn't pastel gingham make you think of Spring and Easter? That is totally what came to me when I ran across the bow dies. I knew that I had the SU gingham DSP and decided to see if my idea would work. 

The inside panel is a Piece of Whisper White with a layer of super old SU velum  printed with flowers. Unfortunately, it's a little hard to see the detail on it in this photo. I cut the three background pieces of gingham using the SU Stitched Rectangle dies, and also used one of them to cut the velum and Whisper white.  The bows are cut from the reverse side of the gingham where the checks are smaller.

For the inside, I used a piece of the yellow gingham and a little chocolate bunny and sentiment from another older SU set.

Luckily, I had a really light work day and I think the rest of the week is going to be as well. My scheduled project is delayed because the customer facility wasn't quite ready. Of course, you know it means I'll just have to work faster and longer to make up for the delay once I do get access.

This afternoon is game one of the 2020 Little League season. Our little friends are playing again this year which means lots of afternoons watching BB.

I hope you all have a good evening and thanks for looking in.

Colleen


Supplies
Stamps: Something To Celebrate and Basket Bunch sets by Stampin' Up
Paper: SU Whisper White thick and regular card stock, SU Gingham DSP, SU printed velum
Ink: Memento Tuxedo black, Copics
Other: Die-namics Bow dies, SU Stitched Rectangle dies, SU Basket Bunch dies, Gemini Jr, Misti, Foam tape, liquid glue

Love You

Happy Saturday peeps,

It's been a wet one here in north San Diego county for most of the day. It's starting to clear up now and I think we are expecting very warm temps for most of the next week. For about 30 minutes this morning, the skies really opened up and the thunder rolled right over the house. I called it "real rain." Mostly, our rain is pretty light, so it was nice to see it really coming down.

I decided to strip the bed down to the mattress and wash everything. In addition to those loads, I also did clothes, so that's how I spent my morning. I also made a quick run to the market for groceries. I had some lunch and then sat down at my stamping table to make a card.

Using the sketch from the current CAS(E) this Sketch! challenge. I pulled out a new February release set from Concord & 9th, and I love how it turned out.

The set is called Stitched Blooms and it has a coordinating die that makes stitched flowers and leaves. I used it 4 times so I could fill in the diagonal area per the sketch. After running it through my Gemini Jr the final time, I used some TE and Altenew ink cubes to stamp in the flowers and leaves. The small dots are colored with a Zig water color marker. The sentiment panel is another couple of dies in the set. I cut the banner out of black card stock and the letters from white then glued the letters to the black banner. I pulled out some SU Pool Party Baker's twine, rolled it in a circle and using some foam tape, adhered the sentiment over the twine. A few SU glitter enamel dots complete the embellishment. I used a light yellow, bright yellow and light green dot to compliment the stamped shades.

The same stamping pattern is carried over to the inside. The sentiment is from another C&9th set called Tall Type Tagalong. It's from the January release.

The card base is SU Pineapple Punch card stock. This was a fun card to make and it went together relatively quickly.

Thanks for looking in and I hope your Saturday evening is enjoyable.
Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: Stitched Blooms and Tiny Tagalongs sets by Concord & 9th
Paper: SU Pineapple Punch and Whisper White card stock
Ink: Taylored Expressions Potato Chip and Lemon Meringue, Alenew Leaf, Memento tuxedo black, Zig blue marker
Other: Stitched Blooms dies, SU Baker's Twine, SU glitter enamel dots, foam tape, Gemini Jr

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

A Woodland Hello

Happy Tuesday,

This week's Paper Players Challenge is a clean and simple theme challenge. Jaydee is our hostess and she wants us to use woodland critters on our projects. I have several stamp sets that would work for this one and I pulled most of them out for consideration. I finally picked this Simon Says Stamp set called Woodland Whimsy. It was in one of the SSS Monthly kits late last year, and the critters are super cute.

Since this is a clean and simple challenge, I wanted to limit layers and keep the white space. I started by cutting a large circle from some Gina K masking paper, laying the outside over my card base of thick Whisper White card stock and sponging some puffy clouds in the negative space. The critters, trees and flowers are stamped on X-Press It Blending card stock, colored with Copics and fussy cut. I actually used the same circle die to cut the trees so that they line up perfectly in the sponged circle. Everything is glued with liquid glue.

I kept the inside pretty clean and simple as well. Both the image and sentiment are from the same SSS stamp set.

This is a super quick post, but I still have some prep for training that I'm conducting the next two days. Tomorrow I start at 6:00 am!

Thanks for looking in,
Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: Woodland Whimsy set by Simon Says Stamp
Paper: SU thick Whisper White and X-Press It Blending card stock
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, Distress Oxide blue and Copics
Other: Spellbinders circle die, Gemini Jr, Misti, liquid glue, cloud stencil, TE blending brush, Gina K masking paper

You're Awesome

Happy Monday evening peeps,

I've got a card for you that I made following a couple of challenges. The sketch comes from this week's CAS(E) this Sketch! and the theme comes from the current Inspired By Challenge. I love both the colors and the patchwork theme in this week's challenge.

I did take a little creative license with the sketch omitting the two small elements below the sentiment, and I moved the sentiment off the main element because it just didn't work with the punched flowers. As far as the Inspired By Challenge, I used several elements including the dots in the background, the patched squares and the colors. This was totally a fun card to make!

Here's the inside that uses a sentiment and image from one of the SU Sale-a-bration sets.

Thanks for looking today,
Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: Altenew Dainty Swiss Dots set and SU Thoughtful Blooms set
Paper: SU thick & regular Whisper White, Lovely Lipstick, Coastal Cabana, Midnight Muse, Regal Rose card stocks
Ink: Midnight Muse, Coastal Cabana
Other: SU Thoughtful Blooms punch, Die-namics Double Stitched square die, Taylored Expressions Small Scalloped Banner die, Gemini Jr, Misti, SU white enamel dots, liquid glue, foam tape