True Blue!

Hi friends!

I've got the BLUES ....

the crafty kind 💙

Let's talk about challenges!

My sweet friend Kim had a fun challenge this week

in our Friday card group ~ use those stencils.

I have a nice collection of stencils but it is often

one of those supplies I barely reach for.

Challenge #2 ~ picking a floral color.

I couldn't decide on a color for the stenciled flowers

so I let the universe decide which one ↓

BLUE it is! 💙

I decided to use Be Fearless stamps, dies and stencils

 from Pinkfresh Studio.

The layering system is such a flawless way to include

depth of ink blending.

Once I found my groove it was pretty simple!

This set was part of the amazing box from the Create and Connect

last March, a gift from my sweet children & hubby for my bday!

Thanks for stopping by today!

41 Valentines!

 

Hi friends!

It's February - the month of L-0-V-E!

This is the card I made for my sweetheart for Valentine's Day :)

He asked me to be his Valentine 41 years ago!

(I thought it was 42 but he quickly reminded me 

he asked me to *go steady*in December, proposed in March,

and in between was our first Valentine = 41 years ago.

Okay, smarty pants! :)

I used the adorable Gnome One Like You stamp and die

set from Whimsy Stamps.

The fabulous heart behind the gnomies is the

Connected Hearts Frame and a great accent piece.

And Kaboom!

That's from this fun stamp and die set called BAM!

Remember ~

love isn't just at Valentine's Day!

Say it often!

Altered PLAYING card!

Hi friends!

Happy Monday!

Today I have something a little different to share ~

a card ....but not a greeting card :)

Here it is on Youtube: 👇

I found a pack of my jumbo playing cards from my junk journal

creating days and thought it would be fun to give it a go!

I used P13 Papers (SWOON!) and Sizzix dies 

that have been in my stash forever

to create this gorgeous front view and back tuck pocket and tag.

Back tuck spot:

These are so easy to add to junk journals and planners.

It holds enough in the pocket for library card size elments

and great to tuck in ephemera!

Thanks for stopping by!

Entered to:  A Cut Above - Use a die cut

AUD Sentiments - Love/Wedding/Shimmer and a sentiment

Neglected Stuff Challenge - Sizzix die cuts, several years old

Snarky LOVE YOU wishes!

 Hey friends!

Nothing like a little SASS to say I love you! :)

                                         

                      One of the things I ADORE in papercrafting

is knowing there are SOUL SISTAHS (and brothers!)

that get me.

Like my sense of humor, LOL!

Know what I mean, weirdo?

                                                    No!

  Not you!

The one  ... just right there, behind you....

Tee hee!

This is a trio of cards I created over on Instagram

and you can see the YouTube shorts here!

                                                  Card #2

                                                 And card #3!

                               Life is short - remember to laugh!

Thanks for stopping by!

Entered to: Cut It Up - This makes me smile

Festive Friday - Pink/anti bullying

My Time to Craft - Hearts

PINspiration Challenge - see photo

Sending extra love ...

Hi friends!

I hope this week has been good to you :)

Today I'm sharing a card that I created with a wonderful

box of happiness!

I attended the Pinkfresh Studio Create and Connect

Virtual Scrapbooking Event 

last year for my birthday as a gift from my husband and children. 

The 2 day event, classes and supplies are geared towards

creating amazing scrapbook layouts - which I did :)

I LOVE the versatility of products to create several projects

and I was able to use them equally in my cardmaking.

For this card, I used the artsy floral washi tape and matching die

to create the florals.

I layered them onto the backdrop frame and added a warm

sentiment since this is heading to a dear friend.

I added a few Pinkfresh Studio gold gems for a little extra touch.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Entered to:  PinkFresh Studio Monthly Challenge

Daiy Chain Challenge - Layer It Up

It's a Kell-of-a-mess: February!

 Hey friends!

It's another edition of my monthly series:  Kell-of-a-mess!

And today, we're playing in the trash!

This is a spin off of a creative vision I had years ago

to create any card/project with a MESSY theme.

A very busy life kept me away for a bit but I'm back and 

oh. the. ideas. I. have!

February's edition is a Trash To Treasure created from

going through the mail to sort junk mail from important things.

I tend to toss junk mail immediately to avoid messess + clutter (meh!)

but this one piece caught my eye ~ the groovy designs and fun colors!

Here is the video version! 👇

 Where did the mess come in?

Stamping on waxy junk mail envelope paper was like 

trying to hike Everest in a pair of flip-flops!

It just would not DRY, even leaving it overnight to do it's thang :)

Eventually we came to an understanding, LOL ...

I put it outside, it dried in the sun, we were friends.

I used Waffle Flower Crafts Bouquet Builder stamps and dies

and Memento Tuxedo Black ink for a bold look.

Other than the card base and sentiment (Pinkfresh Studios)

the rest of this card is bits + pieces of the front/back of the mailer.

So this card started as this!

There are so many ways to play creatively with art

AND combine them with cardmaking.

I'm excited for what this year holds!

See you next time!

A HUG from me!

 

Hi friends!

 I just realized during the game that today is the 9th of February!

And that's important because today's card is for 

the monthly 3M card group image exchange,

always on the 9th :)

Squeezing this one in during the Super Bowl halftime show!

The 3 Musketeers is Barb, Jeanette and myself

and we take turns each month sending a image to create a card.

For February, Barb sent us Sketchbook Bouquet 

from Taylored Expressions.

It's a put-on-your-sunglasses bright but those are my faves :)

We will be back in March with another mystery image ~

stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by!

1 + 12 Thrives in '25: February

 

Hi friends!

Today I'm sharing a card for my favorite series ever:

One Plus Twelve: Thrives in '25 💚

This year, I chose a floral stamp set from Alex Syberia Designs

collab for Stamptember called Close At Heart.

This is the 7th year of this challenge of choosing + using

ONE stamp

TWELVE different ways through-out the year.

For February, I decided to just go wild with paints 

for several upcoming blog posts/series that I'm doing.

This GORGEOUS piece was on my desk and 

it. was. calling. me!

I started with the dried background and stamped directly 

onto the surface with the stamp + then die cut it.

I used an arched die from Whimsy Stamps for the background

popped on top of a piece of vellum.

The floral was so busy and has such bold, regal colors

I decided to stop messing with the card, LOL!

I added the sentiment and a few gold gems from Pinkfresh Studio

and called it done! 

My friends Jeanette and Barb 

ave joined me again this year in this challenge 

and you can see their cards on their blogs, too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Card entered to:  Beautiful Blossoms

SSS - Monday Challenge Bright and Cheerful

You GOAT this!

 

Hi friends!

Happy February!

I hope you are feeling goat-ivated today

because You GOAT this! :)

Today I'm sharing a FUNNY goat inspired card

featuring Whimsy Stamps products ~

including Cranky Pants.  

He's been one of my faves from Whimsy Stamps for awhile

and he makes the best cards!

I also used:  

Nested Hexagon die set

and a sentiment from Animal Yoga stamp set.

I didn't use the goat from this set because you'll be seeing it soon!)

I love mixing and matching my supplies to maximize using them!

Thanks for stopping by!

You are FLAM-azing!

 Hi friends!

One of the BEST gifts of 2024 gave me 

was being asked to stay on the Whimsy Stamps Design Team !

 I am overjoyed and have so many creative ideas :)

This card was a lot of fun to make and took nearly 1.5 hours! 

You can see the 40 second sped up version of it here 

👇

I started with a base layer of blending a few distress oxide inks

in a pink-sunset-y color palette and build up a scene from there.

I wanted bright and fresh and botantical,

so I used my Whimsy Stamps Flamingo Summer stamps and dies.

Once those were colored, I used the Build-An-Island die set

and created a fun scene.

Finally, I added a birthday word banner shadow die 

in coordinating colors and the sentiment from a retired set.

Here is one final look!

If you'd like to shop at Whimsy Stamps,

you can follow this link at no additional cost to you :)

Thanks for stopping by!

A year of PEACE :)

Hi friends!

Happy Friday!

My word for 2025 is Peace 

and one of my crafty goals this year is to incorporate 

it into my monthly creations.

This card is calming, peaceful and exudes serene for me :)

It is also where new meets the old!

My sweet friend Kim's weekly group has a theme of

Use It or Lose It!

Now, that's not a unique theme ~ to use from our stash,

create with unused items, etc .. we are hoarders crafters, after all!

The idea that crafty items are purchased, sits on a shelf

or in a bin and collects dust is very common.

So, she encouraged us to reach into those bins and shelves

and find an item and use it, then decide if we are going to 

USE IT (again) or LOSE IT (to a bin!)

I reached into the way WAAAAY back shelf for my Altenew

stamps for this set!

I think it's circa 2017, perhaps?

I was recently at the Miami Cancer Institute where they have 

a GORGEOUS glass wall - think window of a restaurant -

with jellyfish swimming inside.  

It was so peaceful and serene watching them floating around

and I immediately created this card in my head!

I started with a base layer of using the Lindy's Magicals,

which are a highly pigmented powder that reacts with water.

The Ken Oliver's & Pink and Main have a similiar result

and it's a messy but fun process!

Once the background dried (I left mine overnight),

I die cut the shapes and build it up with dimension.

The Painted Jellyfish stamped images were embossed, 

watercolored then stamped again with white overlay ink

for a unique look.  Finally, I added a sentiment and clear gems.

I'm super happy with how this turned out.

As I sat in the waiting room and drew it in my head,

this came to life almost as I envisioned it.

And I had a super sweet comment on Instagram that said

the card was very peaceful to see and that made my heart smile :)

That was my January crafty PEACE goal after all!

Thanks for stopping by!

Entered to:  Alphabet Challenge - Underwater

Snow in Florida!

 Hello friends!

Have you seen the news ... it snowed!

It's not the Twilight Zone .. just Florida 😁 

Although some would probably argue ... it's the same thing :)

Tee hee!

It didn't snow this far south

but I have so enjoyed seeing many of my relatives 

and northern Floridian friends enjoying the rare snow!

At least I can enjoy creating paper snow!

This is my latest card creation for my Instagram

Cards for All Seasons

bi-weekly Wednesday card group.

I made an interactive card 

because the little birdie house window pops open!

SOOOOOOO CUTE!!!!

The theme this week had 2 themes to chose from:

Frosted Winter Florals or Winter Birds.

That's a hard one - I love them both! 

Since I have been making so many floral cards lately,

I wanted to switch it up and use these Lawn Fawn stamps + dies.

I am totally smitten with how this came out!

And that's it for today's post!

Thanks for stopping by!

Entered to:  ABC Christmas Challenge - Building (birdhouse!)

I spy with my  little eye - feathers

Lost Coast Designs - Bright and Cheerful

Hi!

 Hi!

I hope you have a fabulous day today!

Today I have a card to share for the Crafty Meraki

 new release including the betterpress

butterfly that was a free-with-$75-purchase product.

It's perfect to adding to cards or mix/match card ideas!

I started with a background of watercolors 

using Kuretake Gamsai.

I ran the butterflies on top of another wet watercolor panel

in my die cutting machine ~ I don't own the BP system, yet :)

So I wanted to share you don't need to own it to use the BP dies!

Once I was happy with the butterflies and placement,

I used the HI para-dies silhouette duo to highlight a focal point.

You can check out all the Crafty Meraki products here in the store!

Thanks for stopping by!