Sending A Handmade Hug

 Happy Monday peeps,

It's a very wet Monday here in Southern California. Today I've been doing some organization in my craft room, trying to get my box of white card stock scraps to a place easier to grab. Of course, one thing leads to another and then you've spent way more time on it than you were planning too.

Joanne has a great sketch for the new Paper Players Challenge, and I made this card last night while watching TV. This a new stamp set from Gina K Designs and new DSP from Stampin' Up. Still making an effort to use my patterned papers.

Here's the inside. The stamps are from a different GKD Valentine's Day set.

I've been working on mostly Valentine's Day cards lately. Here are two from this weekend. These are made with transfer sheets and Deco foil. So shinny! And look, more retired DSP used. YAY!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week, and thanks for checking in,

Colleen

Supplies (for the Paper Players Challenge card)

Stamps: Lovely Notes with dies and Friendship Hearts sets by Gina K Designs

Paper: SU Petal Pink, Calypso Coral, Basic White and Dandy Designs DSP

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black and Copic Markers, Gina K Designs Coral Reef

Other: Gina K Designs Master Layouts 2 dies, Gina K Designs Rainbow Hearts embellishments, Nuvo Aqua Shimmer pen, Glossy Accents, Misti, Big Shot, SU Dimensionals, Connect glue

Birthday Wishes

 Hello and happy weekend,

I had not used this GKD incentive mini set yet, so thought I'd see what I could come up with it using this week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge. 

I started by masking off the 2/3 bottom portion of a white panel, then used one of Gina's stencils to ink blend the top element per Jen's sketch. I was thinking three colors, and using Wild Dandelion and Turquoise sea together makes a really nice shade of green for the third color. I blended the colors vertically here on the front panel. After removing the masking paper, I stamped the flower image using Black ink, then stamped it again on a scrap piece of white card stock, colored it with BG, Y, and YG Copics, fussy cut it and popped it up per the sketch layout.

Here's the inside using another GKD stamp set with similar solid stamp images. I used the same stencil and ink colors as on the front panel, though the blending is in a horrizontal pattern.

And another card to add to my Birthday card stash!😁 

Have a great rest of the weekend.

Colleen

Supplies

Stamp sets: Bold Blossom Mini, Bold & Blooming, and Enjoyable Greetings all Gina K Designs

Stencil: Gina K Designs Fizzy

Paper: Gina K Designs Layering weight white, Black Onyx, and Applemint card stock

Ink: Gina K Designs Wild Dandelion, Turquoise Sea, Black Onyx and Copic Sketch markers

Other: Gina K Designs Master Layouts 2 dies, blending brushes, Pretty Pink Posh Citrus Mix Jewels, Misti, Big Shot, SU Dimensionals

You Are So Fly and Hippo Birdie To You

 Hi again, 

Another post today with my card/cards for Jaydee's CAS bird theme and this week's The Paper Players Challenge.

Like most of us, I have many (actually many, many) bird stamps, sets, and dies and I pulled out several to think over. I finally decided on some Lawn Fawn fun sets, and even then I couldn't decided, so I made two. Who can't use birthday cards in their stash, right?

I then decided on this card to post in the challenge group. This fun stamp set has line-ups of cats, dogs, mice, birds and bunnies with a separate conversation bubble stamp, and some sayings. There is a second add-on set of sayings as well. The sun image is from an older LF set, and the purple bird with the BD hat is from the Hippo Birdie To You set (the set is actually called Year Four).

And the inside with images from yet another LF party set.

Thanks all,

Colleen

Supplies

Stamps: All Lawn Fawn sets, Simply Celebrate Critters, Simply Celebrate Critters Add-on, Hello Sunshine, Year Four, and Party Animal

Paper: Gina K Designs Layering Weight and Sweet Mango card stocks

Ink: Gina K Designs Stormy Skies, Wild Dandelion and Tangerine Twist, Memento Tuxedo Black and Copic Sketch markers

Other: Gina K Designs Master Layouts 2 dies, Misti, Big Shot

Friends Like You

 Hello and Happy Hump Day,

I received the newest Let's Stamp Together kit, from Scrapbook & Cards Today, late last week and it's a beauty! The Jan 2023 kit is designed by @ginakrupsky from Gina K Designs. Of course, I had to make a card ASAP.

I've used the current As You See It Challenge sketch for the layout.

All images with the exception of the stencil I used for the left border are from the Let's Stamp Together kit. Inks, paper, embellishments and additional dies and stencils are all Gina K Designs products. I'm sad to say, after making the card base, I only have a quarter sheet of Plum Punch card stock left and it's apparently no longer available from Gina's store.😢 It's one of my fave shades of purple.

Here's the inside of this card. Sentiment stamps are from the kit.

Thanks for checking in,

Colleen

Supplies

January 2023 Let's Stamp Together kit stamps, dies and stencil

Ink: Gina K Designs Orchid, Lilac and Spruce ink trios, Black Onyx, Plum Punch

Paper: Gina K Designs Black Onyx, Layering Weight White, and Plum Punch card stock

Other: Gina K Designs Bodacious Blooms layering stencil set (basketweave stencil), Master Layouts 1 dies, Connect glue, foam squares, blending brushes, black/gold/silver Pearl mix embellishments

Misti, Big Shot, Nuvo aqua shimmer glitter pen

Thinking Of You

 Hello,

And another weekend comes to a close. I hope everyone had a relaxing one. Mine was low key. Dinner with friends Friday evening, some sewing yesterday to make a throw-pillow cover and some stamping today.

I had not yet made a card for this week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge, and time is running out, so I spent this afternoon making this card. 

The background panel and the paper the images are stamped on I made some time ago using various stencils, my gel press and an ink removal technique. I made a bunch of panels one day and these are two of them. The printed card base is a piece of pink pre-printed card stock from GKD.

For the inside, I used a smaller butterfly and a sentiment from another SSS set.

My aunt is recovering from a fall where she cracked some vertebra in her upper back and she's been in severe pain, so I'm hoping this card helps to cheer her up. I'll get it in the mail tomorrow.

Enjoy your Monday, and thanks for looking in.

Colleen

Supplies

Stamps: Beautiful Butterflies with dies, and XL Greetings sets by Simon Says Stamp

Stencils: SSS Painted Flowers Wreath, SU Striped Mask, Trinity Stamps Lots of Dots 

Paper: Gina K Designs Layering Weight and Heavy Weight white, Black Onyx, Pink Patterned card stock, GKD Vellum

Ink: Distress Oxide inks in various pink shades, GKD Black Onyx

Other: Misti, Gel Press, brayer, Gina K Designs Master Layouts 1 and Stitched Circle dies, SSS Sentimental Label Dies Pretty Pink Posh Metallic Rose Gold Jewels, Big Shot Switch, GKD Connect Glue, SU Dimensionals

Wishing You A HAPPY Birthday

 Hello,

Hope all is well with you. The rain has finally stopped, for a day or two. The prediction is for more on Thursday. I've been watching (recording) the opening rounds of the Australian Open tennis matches this week, and the 1st round Andy Murray match did not disappoint! After tennis was done, I worked on a few cards for challenges. This post has my card for this week's Paper Players Challenge. Claire is hostess this week with the monthly color challenge. Her chosen colors are perfect for flowers, which I did, but not in the usual way.

I began by blending the SU inks on a white card panel, then placed it in my Misti stamping tool with an image from the Gina K Designs Summer Silhouettes stamp set. Instead of stamping with ink, I did an ink removal technique by spritzing the stamp with water, and then "stamping." This technique only works on water reactive ink, usually water based inks. The more times the image is spritzed and stamped, the more ink is removed. The trick is not to use too much water. After I was satisfied with the ink removal, I stamped the butterflies with the dark Orchid Oasis ink above the flowers.

The sentiment strip is made from three small stamps. I won't tell you how many times I stamped them to get them lined up exactly evenly. I stamped the sentiment in both Orchid Oasis and Black, and I decided I liked it in black best.

Here's the inside. This birthday sentiment is from Honey Bee, the branches from the same GKD set.

Thanks and enjoy your week,

Colleen

Supplies

Stamps: Gina K Designs Summer Silhouettes set and Honey Bee Inside Birthday Sentiments set

Paper: Stampin' Up Basic White and Orchid Oasis card stock

Ink: Stampin' Up Orchid Oasis, Highland Heather, and Parakeet Party inks, Gina K Designs Black Onyx ink

Other: Gina K Designs Master Layouts 2 dies, Misti, Big Shot, Tim Holtz Spray bottle with water, Gina K Designs Connect glue

 

Oh! Wow Thank You!

 Hello and Happy Sunday evening,

Here's my card for this week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge. I made a rather quick and simple card using some items from Stampin' Up's newest Mini Catalog.

The pattern papers are from the Day at the Farm DSP. I used both the front and the reverse of the same sheet of paper. The stamp set is Conversation Bubbles.

This veggie paper is so fun. I added a few SU enamel dots and a red heart for the "dot" in the exclamation point for embellishments, as well as some SU black twine. 

Here is the inside. The stamp is from the SU set Limited Edition.

I hope everyone has a good week.

Colleen

Supplies

Stamps: Conversation Bubbles and Limited Edition sets by Stampin' Up

Paper: SU Basic White, Basic Black card stock and Day At the Farm DSP

Ink: Gina K Designs Black Onyx

Other: SU Conversation Bubbles dies, SU Black twine, SU enamel dots and hearts, SU glue dots and Dimensionals, Misti, Big Shot