Christmas in July

It's the last day of July, and I finally have time and the mojo for making a Christmas in July card. It is the maiden voyage of my Waffle Flower Retro Christmas Tree die and stencil set. In the future I plan to make a variety of these tree cards in different colorways. I have seen so many gorgeous versions, as I'm sure you have.

(It's almost the afternoon-summer-thunderstorm time of day here and I had a hard time getting a good picture of my card.) 

The stencils are so easy to use and have lots of markings on them to guide your use of them. And the ornament stencils and dies can also be used without the tree...so many possibilities.

Products I used:

Waffle Flower: Postage Collage die, Retro Christmas Tree die and stencil set

Sugar Pea Designs: Stitched Rectangle Die

The Stamp Market: Candy Cane Christmas stamp set (sentiment)

Distress Oxide ink pads

Iridenscent silver cardstock

Gina K: Fine Detail White embossing powder

Tomorrow is August 1st and I will be back to summer cards probably until September because I love this season and the fun activities that cards can reflect.

Thanks for stopping by.

Carol

Let's Fly Away

I fell in love with this Spellbinders Summertime Vacay die set (Large Club of the Month) and I'm just now breaking out the whole set. (I used just the chairs and clouds recently here.) There are so many fabulous, colorful cards out there using this set! I wanted to try to use some colors that hadn't already been done by other cardmakers and ended up with these brights. Time Out Challenges #268 On Vacation was also the perfect theme to make a card using this set. I thought that the sentiment goes with both the seagull and the "On Vacation" theme.

Products I used:

Spellbinders: Summertime Vacay and Oh, Bouy! Die Sets

Simon Says Stamp: Summer Sentiments on cardstock

Trinity Stamps: Bubble Blow Out Irridescent embellishment mix

Versamark: Watermark Ink Pad (for shading the sand)

Cardstock scraps in hot pink, yellow, blues and white

I set the sun low in the sky for a late-afternoon-but-before-sunset scene. (I also did it because I had so much to fit in the sky!) By changing the colors of cardstock, this set can have so many different "feels" for the beachy scene. I have also seen cards with no umbrella and the sun having a prominent place on the card. Really great set.

Thanks for stopping by!

Carol

You're So Tweet

Even though it was another easy set of parameters on Craft Roulette this week, it took me a while to get my idea straight. Here's what the wheel gave us:

Project: A2

Colors: Tea Party

Element: House Pet(s)

Random: Stripe(s)

I looked around the internet at tea party sets to get my colors, and this is what I ended up with for my card. A2 card, gold heat embossing with pink/blue and green elements, a bird in a cage and stripes of patterned papers.

I am also playing along with Woodblock Wednesday July 2024 with my card.

Products I used:

Hero Arts: Bird in Cage wooden stamp

Spellbinders:  Flower dies

Reverse Confetti: Tag die, sentiment stamp (inside: You're so tweet)

Gold embossing powder

Scraps of gold wrapping paper and random patterned papers

Versamark: Watermark ink pad

I heat embossed the cage first. Then die cut the tag around it. I die cut the little flowers, assemble them, and adhered them to the tag. I cut three scalloped edges with the tag die and adhered them to the bottom of the main tag. I tied a bow and adhered it to the tag top. I cut the strips of patterned paper and adhered them to the card base. Last, stamped my sentiment inside and popped up the tag on foam tape onto the front of my card.

If you visit CraftRoulette.live, you can see the current gallery this week of cards entered. Last week there were over 500 cards from all over the world! If you want to play along a Woodblock Wednesday, your card is due by 5:00 PST on Monday, July 29th. You need to use a woodblock stamp as your focal point. Hurray for woodblock stamps!

Thanks for stopping by,

Carol

Unwind

I know that for a while now pretty much all of my cards have been summery and beachy, but it is a short season for many people and these kinds of cards are my favorites. It is the time of year to use as many of my tropical products as possible. For this week's Just Us Girls Anything Goes Stencil Week #737, I chose to make a scenic drink in a tropical location using two different stencil sets.

Be sure to check out the cards by our wonderful guest Cat and the Design Team by reading their posts to see what they were inspired to make using stencils.

Products I used:

The Stamp Market: Seaside Post Stencil Pack

The Greetery: Wicker Weave Stencil

Poppy Stamps: Whittle Flamingo die

Picket Fence Studios: Tropical Cocktail die

WPlus9: Summer Time stamp set

Pink and Main: Banner die

Simon Says Stamp: Holographic Sequins

Ranger: Distress Inks

Stampin' Up!: Bermuda Bay Classic Ink pad

Blending brushes

Post-it notes

Black Sharpie pen

I stenciled the wicker design on my card base, then I die cut the drink and stenciled using the sun and rays. Using Post-it squares, I masked and ink blended the water and sand.
I used the wicker stencil to look like a pretty summery chair to unwind in with the drink.

I die cut and assembled the flamingo. I colored its beak black with my Sharpie pen. I adhered the drink to the card front with foam tape.

Next, I stamped the sentiment and die cut a banner around it. I adhered it to the stem of the drink.

The sequins were the last thing I added to complete my card.

I would be fun to hold up a cocktail and see the live version of this view through it, wouldn't it?

Happy summer,

Carol

Pucker Up

This week my card for Craft Roulette #224 was a quick one. I had most of my idea by Sunday morning. The parameters are:

Project: Mini Card(s)

Colors: A pretty Day

Element: Scent(s) and/or Nose(s)

Random: Packaging

I made a mini card on a mini card by cutting down an A2 to almost square and created a small card as my focal point. My blue skies and bright yellow and green lemons are indicative of a sunny summer day. I chose Pucker Up for the scent/taste of a lemon and used a Kleenex box side for the "patterned paper."

Products I used:

Lawn Fawn: Zesty Lemon die set

My Favorite Things: Scalloped rectangle die

Paper Smooches:  Pucker Up stamp

Kleenex box

Pretty Pink Posh: Clay fruit

Simon Says Stamp: Intense Black ink pad

Ranger: Distress ink

I die cut the fruit and assembled it. Then I die cut the rectangle, ink blended blue in the center of it, and made a slightly smaller top folding card under it. I attached the mini card to the rectangle and added my fruit. I cut down the box to fit the A2 white card base, then cut off part of the bottom of the card base to get a uniform white border around the box piece. The card measures 4 1/4" by about 4 3/4" and the mini card is approximately 1 1/4" x 2 1/2."

Can't wait to sit down and see all the cards in the gallery and figure out what packaging meant to each person.

See you back here soo!

Carol

Life's a Beach

I fell in love with this week's moodboard that Bobby chose for our Just Us Girls Challenge #736. I don't know what I like more, the soft colors or the fun images...it's all about sweet summer. What I took from the moodboard are the aqua colored water, the mint and white striped umbrella, and the pinky-peach shells on the beach.

Products I used:

Ellen Hutson: Beach Day stamp set, Let's Chill stamp set 

Waffle Flower: Nested A2 Nested Dome die set

Stampin' Up!: Stampin' Write markers, Aqua painter/water brush, dotted wooden stamp (for sand)

Prismacolor pencils

Altenew: Onyx Black ink pad

Concord and 9th: Mini ink pads

First I stamped, colored and fussy cut my images. Then I watercolored my background on a piece of watercolor paper. I die cut this panel into the dome shape, then adhered the images to it. I stamped my sentiment, then cut out my card base. After digging for the perfect minty-aqua colored cardstock, I  die cut one more dome and adhered it to the front of the card base. Last, I popped up my completed panel on foam tape onto the front of my card.

Hoping to see many pretty creations in our gallery this week. There are so many options to be had from this beauty of a moodboard!

See you there,

-Carol

Favorite Beach Bum

I have been trying to decide how to use my Spellbinders Large die of the Month for June 2024. The As You See It Challenge #327 is using the following bright colors: Daffodil Delight, Blueberry Bushel, Granny Apple Green, and Basic White. I remember seeing the chairs from the set used on one of the slimline sized cards, so I decided today to make a row of beach chairs on the sand.

Products I used:

Spellbinders: Summertime Vacay die set

My Favorite Things:  Life's a Beach stamp set

Stampin' Up!: Classic ink pad

These little chairs were so fun and easy to die cut and piece together. I want to use the whole die set soon, but this card gave me the chance to try out part of the set on a regular slimline size card. I popped up a couple of the chairs on foam tape and the others are flush on the card front. The challenge only allows the designated colors plus black, white, vanilla and crumb cake, so I used a tan color for the sand.

How's you summer going? I think it is flying by! Thanks for coming by my blog!

Carol

Thank You

This week I decided to make a round easel card for Craft Roulette #223 using the parameters that were spun on the wheel:

Project: Smaller/Larger

Colors: Planets

Element: House(s)

Random: White Border

My take on the parameters are: smaller/larger houses/windows/circles/trees, colors we see in daily life on our planet, houses and the white borders around the circles.

Products I used:

Sizziz: Christmas Cutouts

Simon Says Stamp: Circle dies

Pink Fresh Studio: Built on Dreams stamp and die sets

Stampin' Up!: Punches, ink

Patterned papers and cardstock scraps

I recently saw this tutorial by Sam Calcott of Mixed-up Craft for the Circle Easel card. It's really so easy that your thinking just centers around decorating the card base. I tried to die cut the shapes with colors of cardstock in the patterned paper. The card folds flat to fit in an envelope. My largest circle measures a bit over 5 1/2" so it will fit in a 6" x 6" envelope. It's important to think of the size of your envelopes when you choose your circle dies. (It is just a bit bulky, so you may have to pay more postage.)

There are lots of ideas for cards each week on Craft Roulette, starting Friday night and continuing through Thursday. Craftroulette.live has a gallery and there is a Facebook page as well. I get ideas for cardmaking in general from the cards entered from all over the world.

Thanks for stopping by,

Carol

Summertime

Hello friends! The word summertime makes me think of vacation and this patterned paper has all the elements of my summer vacations as a teacher. Now I get to live year round as if it were summer break. This card is for our Just Us Girls Challenge #735: Summertime, and I am your hostess this week!

I'm sharing my card over at The Paper Players where their challenge is Summer Fun.

Products I used:

The Greetery: Hearts at Home: Clock die

Simon Says Stamp: Summertime die

Sugar Pea: Card Front Builder Stitched rectangle die

JoAnn Fabrics: Patterned paper scraps

Sizzix: Tropical Leaves embossing folder

Gold cardstock

Distress inks

Ink blending brushes

Handmade waves and sun stencils

Small circle punch

I had this idea in mind when I purchased The Greetery's little clock. It's a cute little alarm clock and I wanted to have multiple ways to use it. 

First I cut an A2 card base and chopped off a little over an inch of the outer edge of the card front. 

Next, I die cut the clock pieces and cut the legs for the alarm clock twice to make the top and bottom arms of the watch that attach to the "watchband" itself. 

Then I took the clock face and using small Post-It notes, created an ink blended sunset beach scene. So small, but quick!

I assembled the watch and die cut two rectangles with stitching like a wristwatch band. 

I embossed a panel of white cardstock with tropical leaves and adhered it to the shortened card front. I adhered the completed watch to it with the watch face popped up on foam tape.

Finally, I cut a strip of patterned paper and adhered it to the edge of the card. I die cut the sentiment which comes as a square die, then lined up each letter to make the word "Summertime" fit along the side of my card.

Please join us for a "Summertime" week at Just Us Girls. There are lots of ways to show what we like to do or places we like to go in the summer. You could even choose flowers that grow in this season! My card is for one of my former teacher friends who also loves the summertime vacation.

See you in the gallery!

-Carol

Thanks a Gazillion

I am drawn to graphic style art and cards. I also really like the dies that cut strips of colored cardstock, but I haven't bought any yet, but I'm tempted. This particular card style made me think about positive and negative space, and it was fun. I am sharing it over at Time Out Challenges #267 "Seeing Stars" and Sunday Stamps SSC339 "Mosaic Madness." I loved the colors at Sunday Stamps and there are so many ways to use stars. My sentiment looks darker in person...couldn't get a perfect photo of it.

Products I used:

Stampin' Up!: Star die, Really Retro stamp set, sequins (to match the cardstock)

Cardstock scraps in navy, teal, orange and red

Rhinestones

I saw a card using a butterfly with this card style and it was very pretty. The shapes are endless that could be used with this design. I need more thank you cards, so that's how I picked the sentiment. Very simple card process today.

Thanks for stopping by,

Carol

Congrats

My daughter's college friend just got engaged on a boat while in Italy, so that explains this card in a nutshell. It just so happens that the Color Hues Challenge #90 is White and Aqua, so there you go! There so many great cards over there in the CH gallery. Check it out! I had to post and share this card before it goes off to it's destination. 

I looked at Pinterest and found a lot of good ideas. One design like this caught my eye and I made my card specific for its recipient. I used two circle dies at the same time to cut out two gold circles for the ring and cut the corner off of a sheet of white-silver glitter paper for the diamond. I bent the congrats stamp to curve along the edge of the ring. That's it. Quick and easy!

Products I used:

Simon Says Stamp: Circle dies

Avery Elle: Beautiful Bow stamp set

Sugar Pea Designs: Card Front: Element Builder stitched rectangle die

Patterned paper scrap

Gold cardstock

Silver-white glitter cardstock

Thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Home

I made a card for Craft Roulette but keeping in mind that my daughter might need a housewarming card for friends. This week's parameters were a little concerning at first, but then it hit me.

Project: Dutch Door

Colors: Gnome

Element: Movie

Random: Building Blocks

My take on the parameters:

Dutch Door (think Mr. Ed the horse looking out of the top half of his door)

Gnomes in their "springwear"

The movie Up!

Bricks are the building blocks of a home.

Products I used:

Pink Fresh Studio: Built on Dreams stamp and die sets

Stampin' Up!: Balloon paper

My Favorite Things: Brick stencil

Scrap of flowers in the grass patterned paper

The Dutch Door card base is a regular one (mine is 5 x 7) with part of the front cut off. I die cut my house and stenciled it. I hand cut the door and window, porch and flower box. I stamped my sentiments and die cut the "home" on white cardstock. My balloons in the background are how big they should be to lift a house...I took artistic license for them.

There is another UP! card that Sharon Goodman, a participant like me at Craft Roulette, made that is a perfect take on the small house and big bunch of balloons. Here it is. I told her how much I love it!

That's about it for today. You really should check out all the creative ideas each week at Craft Roulette.

See you back here soon,

Carol

Don't Worry Beach Happy

Happy 4th of July! By now you have already made your red, white and blue cards and delivered them to their destinations. For the next week at Just Us Girls Color Challenge #734 our fun teammate Stephanie has us using Coral and Yellow. Happy colors aren't they? I only used Ranger Distress Oxide inks in Abandoned Coral and Mustard Seed. Since it is early-to-mid-summer I went with a tropical theme again. Check out the card made by our new guest for July, Cat Craig, as well as the team's cards and blogs to learn about how they made their cards and the products they used.

Products I used:

Lawn Fawn: Magic Iris Tropical Leaves Add-on stencil and die sets

Stampin' Up!: Beach Happy stamp set

Ranger: Distress Oxide inks in Abandoned Coral and Mustard Seed

Pretty Pink Posh:  Gems

First I made an A2 card base. I stenciled right on the card front with a light and heavy touch in different areas, then did my all of my die cutting. I die cut and popped up the wreath on foam tape and adhered the center circle (that the die cuts out) flush onto my card front. The die set comes with extra leaves and flowers, so I inked blended some flowers and added sparkle to their centers with yellow gems. Below is a sample I found of the many shades of coral. Pretty!

We hope you will have fun with these colors like the design team did. See you in the gallery this week!

-Carol

Stars and Stripes Nautical Fish

I have loved these fish for a long time and with the 4th of July here, I decided to make them along a nautical red, white and blue theme for both Inspired By and Color Thowdown Challenges this week. Both challenges have red, blue and kraft (ie., my rope) details and Inspired by also has three boxes on their sketch option. I love inlaid designs, and that helped me complete my CAS card.

Products I used: 

The Stamp Market: Fintastic stamp and die sets

Colorbox: Scarlet Pigment ink pad

Versamark: Watermark ink pad

Gina K: Fine Detail white embossing powder

Clear embossing powder

Twine

Patterned paper

I thought Inspired By "Picnic" could be tied to my card with tuna sandwiches or fishy crackers in the basket. I die cut the fish and individually heat embossed the stripes on two of them. I die cut one fish out of sparkly white star/red patterned paper. I saved the negative scraps of red, white and blue cardstock after die cutting the fish, thinking that I could use these if I decided to do an inlaid design. Well, that is what I ended up doing. I tied some twine around one side for a nautical/kraft detail and now I might make several of these to give as a gift set. I opted out of giving the card a sentiment.

Happy 4th of July!

Carol

4th of July Pie

I just made some 4th of July Pie for The Paper Players PP696 Tic Tac Toe Challenge. I looked around at lots of pie cards on Pinterest and CASEd a few of them into this one. From the Tic Tac Toe board I chose the top row across: stars and/or stripes, bling, and blue.

Products I used:

Spellbinders: Sky View Pies dies

Poppy Stamps: Life is Sweet stamp set

Concord and 9th: Plaid Background stamp set

Pink and Main: Large Sentiment Strip dies

Sugar Pea: Card Front Element Builder Stitched Rectangle die

Versamark watermark ink pad

Stampin' Up!: Star border die, star punch, Classic ink pad

Red rhinestones

Hole punch

I stamped the plaid onto a piece of blue cardstock with Versamark watermark ink, dried it with my heat gun, then ran it through my Big Shot to get the stitched border. I think it looks kind of like a tablecloth. I die cut the pies, ink blended the crust pieces to look baked, and assembled them. (I ink blended blue and red ink on scraps of paper, then hole punched them to use as cherries and blueberries on the flag pie. I also used a small star punch to make cut outs on the one pie crust.) I threw on a little bit of bling for the 4th of July and stamped my sentiment, die cut it into a banner and curved it to look like it was a flag waving in the breeze.

I hope the weather where you are cooperates for the 4th of July. We are having lots of rain in Florida. Happy 4th!

Carol