Hedgehugs for a Happy Falliday

Hey all!  I have a few more cards to share for the Splitcoaststampers Falliday Fest!

This first one is definitely one of my favorites of all the ones I've made.  It's probably because it has that darling hedgehog on it!  It's from the MFT Happy Hedgehogs set.  I also used the MFT Stitched Rectangle STAX die.

The second one is a very simple patriotic thank you.  The die was a free with purchase from Taylored Expressions.

My third card uses a set called Sheepish from The Cat's Pajamas.  I also used an embossing folder called Cable Knit from Taylored Expressions.

Thanks for stopping by!  If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments.

More cards for Falliday Fest

I have more Falliday Fest cards to share for Splitcoaststampers!  

This first card was sooooo much fun to make!  I did a lot of distressing and splattering with this card. I used the Mega Leaves die from Taylored Expressions, and an older set called Vertical Greetings from MFT.  

 Here is a very simple monogrammed card I made using only dies from Taylored Expressions: Twiggy Branch and Tall & Skinny Alpha.

This final card is from a There She Goes stamp set.  Sadly, they are no longer in business, so I will just cherish the few sets I have from them.  

Thanks for stopping in!  If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments.  

Sending some Yeti hugs

 Good morning all!  I'm back with a few more cards for the Splitcoaststampers Falliday Fest challenges!  I hope you are getting a chance to play along!

My first card today is for Bev's 'smear, smudge, & shine' challenge.  I used a new set that I just had to have from MFT called Beast Friends.  That set is to die for, it's just so cute!

My second card is for Holly's 'Happy Holly Days' challenge.  I used the free with a $60 purchase die from MFT, 'Merry Christmas'.  

 My last card for this morning is for Sonja's 'Birthday Card with Wrinkles' challenge.  I used another MFT set called Llama Love along with the Scenic Safari Die.  

Thanks for stopping by!  If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments.

Fallidays over at Splitcoaststampers

Hey all!  I'm not sure if you know, but over at Splitcoaststampers they are celebrating the Fallidays!  Each day there are new challenges to get your creative juices flowing, and I've been having such a blast making cards.  We've been incredibly busy with volleyball and life, but I'm almost all caught up!  Here are the first few that I've made.

 This first one is for Lydia's challenge to 'Start Spreading the News'.  I used a few dies from Taylored Expressions:  City Skyline and Mini Leaves.  The set is called In & Out Birthday.  

 This second card is for Dina's 'Masquerade' challenge.  It uses a masking technique with those same Mini Leaves dies from Taylored Expressions.  The 'Sending Hugs' die is from MFT.  

My final card to show you tonight is for Lori's challenge of 'may your joy be as countless as the golden grain'.  I used the Count My Blessings die from PTI, and the stamp set is from a company that is no longer in business.  

I'll have more to show each day.  If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments!

Rainbow Experiments

Hey all!  I ordered a couple of things last week from MFT when they were having a small sale on 'outdoor' themed products, and the Rainbow Greeting stamp set along with the End of the Rainbow die were included in that order.  I've loved rainbows since I was a little girl. . .Lisa Frank anything was a way to my heart.  

I experimented with the rainbow die and Distress Inks and came up with a couple of slightly different cards.  This first one just uses blending on the rainbow as a whole.  I also thought it would be cute to include the dragon image from the MFT Magical Dragons set.  I'm obsessed with those dragons!

This next card uses the same blending, but with each ray on it's own.  I'm not sure which I like better, because they were both fun!

So, cat's out of the bag. . .I love color.  I'm sure I'll be making a ton more of these type of cards, because why not?!

Stamps:  MFT Magical Dragons, MFT Rainbow Greetings

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Distress Inks

Paper:  Canson 140lb watercolor paper, vellum

Accessories:  fine black embossing powder, MFT End of the Rainbow die, gold sequins

Thanks for stopping in!  If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below :)

PTI September Blog Hop

Hey all!  I'm back this evening with a card for the September Papertrey Ink Blog Hop.  I haven't participated in one in a while, so my card was made up ahead of time.  I worked on it in between church, laundry, and family time.  I was quite inspired by the colors of the inspiration photo, so I focused on kraft, black, and green.  I used a couple of different sets:  Harvest Berries & Scripted (with the matching die).  The little berries were embossed using a platinum powder.

Stamps:  PTI Harvest Berries, PTI Scripted

Ink:  Versamark, PTI Simply Chartreuse

Paper:  kraft, white, black all from my stash

Accessories:  Ranger Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder, PTI Scripted die, black embossing powder

Thanks for stopping by!  If you have any questions be sure to leave them in the comments :)

CASology -- Frame Thanks

Hey all!  I hope your Saturday is going wonderfully.  I'm back with a card for the CASology challenge to use a frame.  A little while back, Taylored Expressions launched their Clearly Planned line of planner products.  I adore planners and clear stamps, so I purchased just a couple of things.  These Mini Frames were a couple of those things.  Not only are the perfect for planners, but as you can see they work great for cards too.  I paired it up with a Thanks die that came free with my purchase from Taylored Expressions a while back.

Paper:  kraft from my stash, Nina Solar White, Studio Calico paper pad 

Accessories:  TE Thanks die, TE Mini Frame 2, TE Mini Frame 3, TE Mini Frame 4, Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by!  If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below.

Coffee Lover's Blog Hop -- Blessed

Hey all!  I'm back again today to show you a card I made for the Fall Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.  I know that these colors don't necessarily scream 'fall', but believe me it is over 90 degrees here in El Paso, TX, so it is not feeling a lot like fall.  Regardless, I need my warm beverages no matter what the temperature is outside. . .am I right?!

I used a background stamp from Heidi Swapp, and the main image is from Papertrey Ink.  It's called Latte Love.  The images were all stamped in Versamark ink and then heat embossed with white embossing powder.  The watercoloring is done with Distress Inks on Canson 140lb watercolor paper.  

Stamps:  PTI Latte Love, background by Heidi Swapp

Ink:  Versamark, Distress inks

Paper:  Canson 140lb watercolor paper, vellum, turquoise from my stash

Accessories:  PTI Blessed die, TE Tags die, gold sequins, foam tape, bakers twine

Thanks for stopping in!  Be sure to check out the Fall Coffee Lover's Blog Hop.  It's going on from September 23-30th.  If you have any questions, be sure to leave them in the comments :)

Share Joy #54 -- Fall Birthday

Hey all!  Good morning!  I pray your day is off to a good start.  I have another card to show you that I made of the Share Joy Challenge by Taylored Expressions.  I was inspired by the beautiful fall picture, even though it feels nothing like fall should since I'm out here in the desert.  I decided to make a birthday card for my my mom's husband using the In & Out Birthday stamp set along with the Birch Tree Border die and Mini Leaves die.

Stamps:  TE In & Out Birthday 

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Distress Inks

Paper:  PTI Rustic White, Canson 140lb watercolor paper, vellum

Accessories:  black embossing powder, TE Birch Tree Border die, TE Mini Leaves die

Thanks for stopping in!  If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below!

CTD #411 -- Celebrate

Hey all!  I'm back today with a card for the Color Throwdown Challenge.  The colors are purple, magenta, poppy red, and yellow.  I've been watching a lot of Amy Rysavy's videos on YouTube lately, and recently I watched one that involved dye ink stamping and misting with water.  I thought I would try my hand at it, and boy was it fun!  These colors worked perfectly for the technique, so I paired it with Reflections and Pretty Phrases by Paper Smooches.  

I had so much fun with this technique, I can definitely see using it again.

Stamps:  PS Reflections, PS Pretty Phrases

Ink:  Seedless Preserves, Ripe Persimmon, Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, Versafine Onyx Black

Paper:  Canson 140lb watercolor paper, black from my stash, vellum

Accessories:  clear embossing powder, spray bottle, black twine

Thanks for stopping in!  If you have any questions, please leave them below in the comments!

Make it Monday: Masculine Flowers

Hey all!  I'm back today with a card for the Make it Monday challenge over at Papertrey Ink.  The challenge was to use florals to make a masculine card.  Yup, that was a stumper for me, but I gave it my best.  I used the Vintage Linens stamp set along with the Blessed die from PTI.  My images were stamped with Versamark ink and then heat embossed with white embossing powder onto Canson 140lb watercolor paper.  Distress inks were used for the watercoloring and the sponging.

Stamps:  PTI Vintage Linens

Ink:  Versamark, Distress inks

Paper:  MME Wood Designer cardstock, brown from my stash, Canson 140lb watercolor paper

Accessories:  brown ribbon from my stash, SU hardware, PTI Blessed die

Thanks for stopping in!  If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below.

MFT Card Design Superstar Contest -- I could spit!

Hey all!  Here is my second card for the MFT Card Design Super Star Contest.
This card uses the same set as my previous card, Llama Love, but I'm not as happy with the watercoloring.  I used some Prima Watercolor paper, and I don't think it works well with the Distress Inks.  Maybe it works better with the Prima Watercolors.  That being said, I think the scene itself is pretty cute.  Those little images are just adorbs!

 Stamps:  MFT Llama Love

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Distress Inks

Paper:  Prima watercolor, purple from my stash

Accessories:  clear embossing powder

Thanks for stopping in, and if you have any questions please leave them in the comments!

MFT Card Design Superstar Challenge -- Birthday Flyby

Hey all!  My final card for the MFT Card Design Super Star Challenge is made with another seriously super adorable set from MFT called Magical Dragons.  This set was a must, because my high school mascot was a dragon, and well. . .I just couldn't resist!  That seems to be a trend for me.

I smooshed Distress Inks on the front of the card and on the inside of the card, and I used the Stepped Up Chevron die from MFT that was free with a $60 purchase this month.  Yup, I'm sure diggin' this set, and I can see making lots of great cards with it. . .eeeeee!  After I was done coloring the dragon with the Distress Inks, I used my Wink of Stella pen to give it some glimmer.  

 Stamps:  MFT Magical Dragons

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Distress Inks

Paper:  Canson 140 lb watercolor paper, gray and black from my stash

Accessories:  clear embossing powder, Wink of Stella pen, MFT Stepped Up Chevron die

There you have it folks.  These were super fun to make!  Thanks for stopping by, and if you have any questions, leave them in the comments.

MFT Card Design Super Star Challenge

Hey all!  I'm so excited to be back, and I'm back with 3 cards to share with you for the My Favorite Things Card Design Super Star Challenge.  I had lost my mojo for card making some time back, and honestly I wasn't sure if I'd ever get it back.  I've been watching a lot of videos lately, and when I saw the latest products from MFT, it was like of flood of excitement hit me.  I'm so grateful, because I guess I didn't realize just how much I missed making cards.  

My first card uses the adorable new set from MFT called Llama Love.  I couldn't resist it, simply because we moved to the desert in June, and well. . .this set was just too cute to pass up!  El Paso, TX has some gorgeous sunsets, and we are surrounded by the desert mountains.  

 Stamps:  MFT Llama Love

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, VersaMark, Distress Inks

Paper:  Canson 140lb watercolor paper, black and gray from my stash

Accessories:  white embossing powder

Thanks for stopping in, and if you have any questions, leave them in the comments!

Share Joy #53 -- Notable Blooms

Hey all. . . if there is anyone left out there!  It's been a long time, but I won't bore you with why I haven't been posting anything in a hot minute.  Let's just say my mojo had shifted to other crafty endeavors, but I'm back baby!

What better way to come back than with a card for a challenge?!  Taylored Expressions has a weekly Share Joy Challenge, and I decided to use the sketch as my inspiration.  I used the Notable Blooms and matching dies for this card.  One of the great things about the challenge is that we are to send our card out to 'share joy'.  I plan to send this card to someone special celebrating a birthday at the end of the month :)

Now folks, I don't have a lot of new goodies to share.  I'm going to do my best to use what I have for the time being, however, that's not to say that I won't buy some new goodies from time to time.  In fact, I have a few cards to share later in the week that use said goodies.

Stamps:  TE Notable Blooms

Ink:  Onyx Black Ink, Distress Inks

Paper:  SU Night of Navy, Canson 140lb watercolor paper, Crate Paper Flea Market

Accessories:  TE Notable Blooms die, clear embossing powder, foam tape, Circle Nestabilities

Thanks for stopping in!

It's been how long since I posted?!

 Hey there. . .if there is anyone out there ;)  I know I haven't posted in a while, and to keep you from getting bored, I won't share all of the details.  Let's just say with a lack of design teams and a pretty extensive knee surgery, I've been away from blogging.  It's not that I haven't been creating, I've just had a lack of motivation to post any of it.

I have been dabbling in the art of mixed media a bit more since leaving all of my design teams.  It's been freeing and fun.  I'm still stamping cards, but I'm really having a great time using lots of different types of media to create all kinds of art.  I've even sold a couple of canvases!

So, what is this that I'm posting you ask?  Well, I joined a challenge called the You & Me Challenge, hosted by Cindy Utter.  You give her your name and address and she sets you up with another participant.  You send your partner some fun goodies following a few guidelines, and then you create with what you're sent.  You make 2 projects and send one to your partner and keep one of yourself.  My partner sent me these goodies:

The project you create is an index card, so I started by attaching the napkin to the card and then painting the card with various acrylic paints.  I used some modeling paste through a stencil, and here was the result.

Here's the end result.  I will say, this was so fun that I ended up signing up to do it again.  I may end up posting some pictures of that one, because I honestly love how that once turned out.

I'm not sure if I'll be posting on a regular basis or not.  I'm so out of practice, it's almost comical.  I'm just now realizing that I don't even have my watermark on these pictures, lol.  Oh well.  Thanks for stopping by if you did.  I'd love to hear what you think or if you'd like to see more.