Friday, February 7, 2025

Love Shaker Card

I love shaker cards but 98% of the time I make a mistake in the process...this time was no different. In the end, it all worked out. (It's in the mechanics) I made it for a very special person and I know it will bring a smile. I couldn't resist using a favorite Valentine candy in my photo, cinnamon hearts. I am playing along with the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Bright and Cheerful as well as the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Love is in the Air.









Products I used:

Honeybee Stamps - Love A2 Cover Plate, Hearts in Bloom Layering stencils

Picket Fence Studios - Diva Hearts shaker embellishments

Ranger - Distress Oxide ink pads

Concord and 9th - Mini ink pads

Reverse Confetti - You tag die


I made a card with the letters from this card that were die cut out of the frame. I am saving it for next week, so come back by to take a look!

Carol

Thursday, February 6, 2025

"Love" Post card

I am in the midst of making more Valentines so they can get in the mail ASAP. My sweet daughter gave me some amazing crafty tools for Christmas and I wanted to use them right away! I came up with this post card "card" using the Waffle Flower Postage Collage Love stamp set, WF Postage Collage die, and The Greetery Postal Frames die. I also cut the heart for the postage stamp on the post card and the little hearts from my Pretty Pink Posh Valentine Mug Additions die set. 







I am sharing it over at the Paper Players Challenge #PP723 where the theme is Love is in the Air.




I used gold glitter paper as well as some gold paper that feels like thick vellum. I picked Distress ink pads in Spun Sugar, Kitsch Flamingo, Worn Lipstick and Abandoned Coral for my stenciling. I stamped with my trusty Altenew Obisidan Black ink pad. The best thing about this card is that the P.O. machines should leave it alone and not mangle it. It has very low layered "stuff" on it.

Hoping you are having fun with Valentine cards. I have loved making and getting them since elementary school when we got to make them at school and exchange them into boxes or bags that we decorated in class.

Happy February!!!

Carol


be my valentine

I forgot to get out this pretty heart last year and made sure I did for this year's Valentines Day. Lisa is our hostess for Just Us Girls Die Week #761: Use a Heart and I knew that this Greetery die set was perfect for the challenge. It only takes a minute to die cut once you choose your papers! Do get out your heart dies and join us this week! Check out all of the team cards as well as that of our new February guest, Stephanie Severin. I am also playing along  with this card over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Bright and Cheerful and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Love is in the Air.







Products I used:

The Greetery: Heart Arrow Die set

Simon Says Stamp: Wonky Rectangles die set

Stampin; Up!: P.S. I Love You stamp set

Concord and 9th: Mushroom mini ink pad

Park Lane: Foil Printed Paper Pad - Amsterdam Big Deal

Gold vellum sheet

White cardstock


The patterned paper sheet that I chose for my background is just one of many fun and pretty patterns in this paper pad and it matched my gold arrow! I stamped my sentiment on a scrap of this paper and fussy cut it into a rectangle. I chose this stitched rectangle die to cut the rectangle in order to keep the swirly pattern theme going. I plan to make more of this card design because it is simple and quick! I channeled my friend Karen Walker's sleek style (Instagram post) when making this card. 

I decided to also play over at The Paper Players Love is in the Air. Lots of Valentine fun over there!



Will we see your heart die creations in our Just Us Girls gallery this week? Hope so!

Carol



Thursday, January 30, 2025

Baby, It's Cold Outside

I am hosting the Just Us Girls CASE (Copy And Selectively Edit aka: Copy And Share Everything)) a Design Team Member Week. We have a variety of ideas for you to be inspired by and hopefully will encourage you to participate. We look forward to you playing along and mentioning who you CASEd and how you made it your own.These little birds are having fun in the snow but are ready for the 70's by next weekend. Check out all of the team blogs to see how they made their cards, then join us!








I put the card on a flat surface so you might see the sparkly papers better.




Except for the sentiment, I used many of Your Paper Insider's beautiful specialty papers. The snow is a gorgeous glitter cardstock with flecks of the peachy pink and aqua colors in it that you also see in my die cut birds. The sky is a super shimmery aqua vellum that coordinates well with their teal cardstock that I used for the boots and hats. Next, I chose a glimmery peachy pink cardstock for the birds' bodies. The scarf, hat pompom and cheeks are a soft pink cardstock and the star garland and crown are cut from an irridescent sparkly cardstock that is a party all on its own! 

Other Products I used:

Sizzix: Robins in Hats die set

Altenew: Obsidian pigment ink pad

Pretty Pink Posh: Winter Wonderland stamp set

My card is pretty much all die cut and pieced together. I play with the accessories for the birds like I did with paper dolls as a child.

We sure hope to see you in our gallery!

Carol




Be My Valentime?

Valentines Day is quickly approaching and I have been wanting to make some cards for it. I got The Stamp Market's Best of Times Kit when they opened up a second round of selling it. I am so glad I got it because the stamps, dies and papers are so fun! For our Time Out Challenges Pick Two Challenge #281 I chose the words stitch, heart and layer. The watch band and background have stitching on them, the heart in the middle was so cute I had to use it, and it is layered on top of the watch dial. (I made the sentiment on the computer because I don't own a good one for the holiday.) Why Valentime and not Valentine? I remember our daughter as a toddler pronouncing the holiday that way and it is a play on words for the watch on the card.







To play in our Time Out Pick Two Challenge you need to choose and use at least two of the challenge words, tell us what they are and how you used them on your card. There is a prize from Newton's Nook of $25.00 store credit and an invitation for the winner of this challenge to be a future guest designer with us. We hope you will play along! 

Products I used:

The Stamp Market: Best of Times Kit (I used just the dies and cardstock from the kit)

Honey Bee Stamps: Fluttering Hearts Pierced Cover Plate

Gold cardstock

See you in the gallery!

Carol





Thursday, January 23, 2025

Let it snow...

somewhere else! I lived in a snowy climate for many years so I have an opinion on this subject. The snow I'm seeing this week as far south as Houston, TX and Jacksonville, FL is crazy! I will stick to watching it from far far away. I do love snowflakes though, and this Pink Fresh Folk Snowflake stamp, die and stencil set makes it so easy to create a snowy card. Our Just Us Girls Challenge #759 is Anything Goes with a Stencil, so I stamped, stenciled and die cut a pretty pink snowflake for the challenge.







Products I used:

Pink Fresh Studio: Folk Snowflake stamp, stencil and die sets

Sugar Peas Designs: Card Front Element Builder (stitched rounded edge die)

Altenew: Obsidian black ink pad

Concord and 9th: Mini ink pads

Ranger: Distress ink pads

Clear sequins

Waffle Flower: Grip Mat


These stencils are thicker than most and don't raise up while stenciling, plus Santa brought me a grip mat to adhere my cardstock and stencils to and it makes creating easy! It took more time to decide on my layout than it probably did to make the card. My card is top folding and the pink flap opens upward.

Won't you join us with your stencils this week. We have lots of ideas for your inspiration. Check out the team's blogs as well as our guest Annette Elias' card and how she made it. Can't wait to see your designs in our gallery!

See you soon,

Carol




Thursday, January 16, 2025

Winter Cat

This is just my second time using the sweater dies from Spellbinders (a bear comes with the sweater dies) but I am CASEing an idea I saw (here) by Sarah Leese Papercrafts using another Spellbinders set with this cute cat. Our Just Us Girls Moodboard Challenge #758 was chosen by our sweet hostess Bobby. It has pretty colors and winter elements to choose from. I went with the colors and winter theme. Don't forget to check out all of the wonderful design team cards and another creative one by our guest Annette Elias.














Products I used:

Spellbinders: Festive Friends die set, Halloween Add-ons by Wendy Vecchi

Pink Fresh Studio: Folk Snowflake stamp and die sets

Altenew: Obsidian Pigment Ink pad

Lawn Fawn: Patterned paper

My Favorite Things: In Stitches Numbers die set

The Stamp Market: Little Letterboard die set

I tried to line up the red and taupe plaids to match like when you are sewing with plaid fabrics and did the best I could. Inside the card I die cut "In 2025" in blue and red die cut letters to continue the sentiment from the front of the card.

Won't you join us this week with a pretty winter card?

Carol