Home Sweet Home

 

Good Evening!

I have been very bad about sharing a lot of cards that I have made over the last few months.  I've focused more on playing with techniques, stenciling and just stamping and coloring than pulling everything into finished cards a lot.  Then in June I spent 10 days dog sitting for our son and managed to put some together but still never posted them anywhere.  Some of them have been sent off to recipients at least.  Sometimes you just got to embrace a slower pace and process.  Am I right?  

This card I made back in March (actually finished this one all at once) for our youngest son and girlfriend.  They moved in January to Richmond, Virginia and rented a 100+ year old home in the ChurchHill district.  I thought this Victorian style house stamp from the Happy Place set, by Catherine Pooler, was perfect.   I used the Negative Ink Layering technique by Jennifer McGuire for this card.  I did add a little "positive" inking, the black dog to be their dog, Jack.  I really love the way this turned out. The stencil on the background is "In the Square" by Catherine Pooler Designs and I used Catherine Pooler inks - Fiesta Blue, Mardi Gras and Something Borrowed.

Thank you for stopping by for a visit.  Come back soon!

Sweet Home Blessings!

In The Pink - Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #550

 Good Morning, Monday!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend and ready for a new week and also a new challenge at Cupcake Inspirations Challenge. It's a color challenge and one of my favorite color combos, (Pink, Gray and White) so I made two cards just for this week!

Card Supplies Card #1:

Stamps: Refuse To Sink, Vitamin Sea, She Sells Seashells, Wave Background Stamp (Catherine Pooler Designs), Alphabet Letters (Lil' Inker Designs); Sentiment -Anchored(Stamplorations).

Paper: Neenah Solar 110 lb.

Ink: Its'a Girl(Catherine Pooler); Soft Granite Shadow Ink (Hero Arts)

Extras: Coordinating dies for Refuse To Sink, Vitamin Sea and She Sells Seashells; Wave Emboss folder (Sizzix for Stampin' Up); White Embossing Powder(WOW); Silver pearls (Pinkfresh Studios).

Card Supplies Card #2:

Stamps: Summer Lovin, Refuse to Sink, She Sells Seashells, Wave Background (Catherine Pooler); Sentiment - Tickled Pink (My Favorite Things).

Paper: Neenah Solar 110 lb.

Ink: Its'a Girl(Catherine Pooler); Soft Granite Shadow Ink (Hero Arts)

Extras: Stained Glass Cover Plate (Catherine Pooler); Scallop die (Catherine Pooler); Silver gems (Pinkfresh Studios).

I hope you stop by the Cupcake blog and see all the wonderful inspiration by the rest of the Design Team. Then, come play along with us over the next two weeks!

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my blog.  I hope you return again soon!

Hello Beach!

Hello!

How about a pretty tropical sunset to end the weekend?

Here's a colorful, tropical card perfect for summer!

I miss the beach a little even though I don't like going in the summer.  I'd rather go in late spring or the fall when it is less crowded and less heat.  Living within 3 hours of the coast, you'd think we'd go for several day trips even during those times.  However, we've only been for two days so far this year.  Maybe in the fall there will be a long weekend trip to get my beach walking fix.  TBD. 😉

For Following Challenges:

Time Out Challenges #219

I'm glad you stopped by for a visit and hope you come again soon!

Tropical Blessings

Super Birthday Shaker

Happy Saturday!

I have a quick post to share on this fine HOT weekend!  My niece is turning 5 in a couple days and I decided to make her a superhero shaker card.  She likes to play dress up so I hope she likes it.

AAA Birthday's monthly challenge this month is Anything Birthday and since I'm Guest Designer, I decided to play again.  Stop by the challenge blog and check out the Design Team's inspiration and come play! 

I'm also entering it in the following challenges:

I used the 2nd Column - Frame It, Birthday, Free

I used the Comic Burst and cloud dies and sunburst stencil.

Card Supplies:

Stamps: Super Hero Ellie (Your Next Stamp); Birthday sentiment -Super stamp(Avery Elle); Super Sentiments (Pretty Little Stamps); Number stamp - Milestone Numbers (Catherine Pooler Designs).

Paper: White cardstock (Neenah); Patterned paper - Comics (Whimsy Stamps).

Ink: Midnight, Limoncello, Oh Boy, Samba - Catherine Pooler Designs.

Extras: Comic burst die and cloud dies (Whimsy Stamps);Number 5 die (Catherine Pooler Designs); Sunburst stencil (Catherine Pooler Designs); blue star sequins.

Thanks for stopping by my blog.  I hope you visit again soon!

AAA Birthday Card Challenge Game #40 - Guest Designer

Hello again!

I am excited to announce that I am the August Guest Designer for AAA Birthday Challenge!

I am very honored to be guesting this month. 

This month's challenge is Anything Goes Birthday!  

I created this card using one of the lessons, Ink Lifting, from Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner's Spring Card Camp 2022 at Online Card Classes.  I love how this one turned out.  The background of this is actually the negative of the process.  I will show the positive one in another post.  

The background stamp is Bohemian Lace by Simon Says Stamp.  On the positive panel it was embossed with clear WOW embossing powder on a panel of inked cardstock using Suede Shoes and Flirty Fuschia inks (Catherine Pooler). The panel was then spritzed with water.  A plain white cardstock panel was taped to that panel and both run through a die cut machine to get the second "negative" panel - what you see above.  It's really a cool technique that gets you two beautiful background panels.

The happy birthday dies and leaf die are by Catherine Pooler Designs. The leaf die was cut from inked cardstock using CP Inks, Serenade color I believe.

Stop by the AAA Birthday Challenge blog and check out all the inspiration by the Designers and then come play along this month and get some birthday cards created!

I want to thank the 🎂 AAA Birthday Challenge 🎈 team and coordinators so much for having me Guest Design this month with them!  💕

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you visit me again soon.

AAA Birthday Blessings!

Treat Yo Self - Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #549 Week 2

Good Morning! Glad you're here!

 It's Monday and also August already. 

July sure flew by at least for me.

It's also Week #2 of the Frozen Treat Challenge over at Cupcake Inspirations.

I have to confess, I haven't worked with digital stamps for a while even though I have a nice file full of them. I had a lot of fun coloring these digis by PJ Moore.  How cute is this Chillin Bear Digi?   Orange creamsicles and orange PushUps are two of my favorite frozen treats and so I had to give him an orange creamsicle to lick!  

For my background behind my bear, I used patterned paper, Summer Dreams by Echo Park cut with the Comic Burst die by Whimsy Stamps.  The word die is by Stamplorations that I cut from teal self watercolored paper in my stash.  The watercolor frame and backdrop was also in my stash, both which worked perfectly together and for this card.

Our Sponsor:

PJ Moore Illustrations

Be sure and stop over at the Cupcake blog  to catch all the Design Team's inspiration and get all the information on our sponsor, PJ Moore.  

Thanks for stopping by my blog.  I hope you visit again soon!

Ice Cream Blessings!

Ice Cream Solves Everything - Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #549

Good Morning!

It's the last Monday in July.  Summer is flying by! 

Hope you have been enjoying it.  It's horrendously HOT🔥 here in central NC.  Of course it is the south and summer, but I believe we have had more days over 90℉ in the last two months than normal.  So, the hubs and I are indulging ourselves "a bit more than usual" into a favorite summer past time --- 🍦ice cream 🍦!  So it's a good thing that we also have a treadmill to inside to work that off even when it's too muggy outside. 

And on the subject of ice cream🍦...we have a new challenge beginning today at Cupcake Inspirations that just happens to involve just that.  So let me share my card and the details...

The Challenge for the next two weeks is Frozen Treats!

We have a sponsor this challenge also:

PJ Moore Illustrations

She has generously given the Design Team a couple of digis to use for this challenge. Today my card features the  Chillin Bear Digi . I printed him out, colored him with Copics and then cut a scalloped frame around him.  I also added some sprinkles on the ice cream with a white gel pen and silver marker for his sunglasses to keep him extra cool in the scorching heat.  😉

I set him on top of a background created first by inking up some white cardstock in Minted ink (Catherine Pooler Ink) and then added strips of patterned paper from the Sum Sum Summertime pack by Catherine Pooler Designs cut with a strip die cut by Pretty Pink Posh. The sentiment is from Newton's Summer by Newton's Nook.  A few sequins (CP Designs) finished off the look.

So, why not come play along with us in this CHILLIN' challenge we have and create a project showcasing "frozen treats" as the main dish! 

And just remember...it is OK to eat ice cream for breakfast, lunch or even dinner or all three, once in awhile! 😉🍨🍦

To create my layout I used the sketch challenge at Make The Cards Challenge:

Make The Cards Challenge #59 - Sketch

Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you come back soon!

Ice Cream Blessings!

Just Hi - Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #548 - Color - Week 2

Good Morning, Monday!

Welcome to my blog!  I have a new post for the 2nd week of the color challenge at Cupcake Inspirations Challenge.

I used a new flower stamp and stencil set for my image.  I stamped it then used the various layered stencils with dye inks.  I inked up some cardstock in the same inks, It's A Girl and Sambo.  I die cut the Sambo cardstock with an oval die for the red oval trim and also the sentiment strip, on which I stamped the sentiment in Midnight.  I finished it off by die cutting a "hi" die cut in black a several times for depth and added some metallic pearls.

Come check out our challenge and play along with us.  You have until July 22nd to share your project with us.

Friendly Blessings!

Card Supplies:

Stamps: Paint A Flower - Camellia (Altenew); Hey, hey, hey set - (Catherine Pooler Designs).

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110 lb cardstock; Black cardstock from my stash

Ink: Midnight, It's A Girl, Sambo, Eucalyptus (Catherine Pooler Inks).

Extras: Layered Stencils - Cameilia (Altenew); Oval die (Ellen Hutson); Silver metallic pearls (Pinkfresh Studio).

Brave Enough To Fly

 

Good Evening!

Hope your week has been going well.  Posting a card this evening that's been sitting on my table for a week now waiting to be posted and finally getting the chance to do it.

I've had the butterfly panel in my stash of UFO backgrounds.  It was created using the baby wipe technique with distress oxide inks.  I finally had the perfect opportunity to turn it into a card this last week for the Color Hues Challenge, which is Red/Blue.  So here it is!  And now I waited to almost the last minute(again) to blog it and enter into the challenge. Better late than never! LOL

For Following Challenges:

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog. I hope you visit again soon!

Lucky Lanterns - Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #548 - Color Week 1

 Good Morning!  Happy Monday!

It's time for a new challenge at Cupcake Inspirations Challenge.  The next two weeks are a color challenge - Rose, Poppy and Olive.  Of course you can use neutral colors also, but the other colors must be the main feature.

Here is my card:

Please stop by the Cupcake Inspirations blog and check out the inspiration by the rest of the Design Team.  And then come play along and share your cards using our color challenge!

Card Supplies:

Stamps: Lantern Festival Set (Catherine Pooler Designs).

Paper: Neenah Solar white 110 lb.

Ink: It's a Girl, Samba, Eucalyptus (Catherine Pooler Inks).

Extras: Bear Grass stencil (Catherine Pooler Designs); Metallic gold pearls (PinkFresh Studio).

Luck and Blessings!

Rainbow Congrats - Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #547 Week 2

 Good Morning!

It's time for Week #2 of 

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #547 - Oh My Stars!

I decided to make a new card for the second week.  I have a lot of new backgrounds I recently created from the new Spring Card Class at Online Card Classes. So I'm trying to use them up now that I have more time to create.

I used some rainbow glimmer foil for the small confetti panel behind the candles. The star flames on the candles I  "glimmered" using my solid glimmer foil plate and then die cutting stars from it.  The sentiment is a glimmer foil word die from PinkFresh Studios.  The background was sponged with distress inks and then I spritzed a chevron stencil with water and set it on the background with pressure for a few seconds.

Week #2 for Oh My Stars

Be sure and stop over at the Cupcake Inspirations blog and check out more inspiration for our Oh My Stars challenge.

Card Supplies:

Stamps: Candles - Make A Wish set - Catherine Pooler Designs

Paper: Neenah solar white 110 lb; Black cardstock - Catherine Pooler

Ink: Distress Inks (background); Pucker Up, Samba, Grass Skirt, Fiesta Blue & Grape Crush -Catherine Pooler Inks.

Extras: Scallop frame die (Catherine Pooler); Confetti glimmer foil plate(Altenew); Congrats glimmer foil word(Pinkfresh Studios) foiled in Aura foil; Chevron stencil background(Heidi Swapp); Star die from Make a Wish Set glimmer foiled with Aura foil; solid glimmer foil plate (Pinkfresh Studio).

Starry Blessings!

Superstar - Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #547 - Week One

 Good Morning!

I have some exciting news today!

I've become a Cupcake Inspirations Sweetie!  I've had some time off from design teams and Sandy asked if I would be interested in coming back to Cupcake Inspirations and I said yes.

This is my first post/week on the team.  I'm thrilled to be here!  And so, to get on with the actual business at hand, here is our challenge for the next two weeks, a theme challenge of stars!

And here is my card...

Our nephew graduated high school earlier this month and so I decided to incorporate his graduation card with this challenge of stars.  I started my design off with the star confetti cover plate by Hero Arts, cutting it in half and leaving the "confetti" in.  I then cut the star dies and Super word die, all by Catherine Pooler Designs, out in gold foil cardstock and hollographic cardstock by Lawn Fawn.  The stamped words are also by Catherine Pooler Designs and finished off my design along with a gold trim down the middle. 

Be sure and stop over at the Cupcake Inspirations blog and check out more inspiration for our Oh My Stars challenge.

Starry Blessings!

Fish Dad

 Well hello! It's been quite some time since I've been here!

The past three months have been a dizzying array of travel, guests and to do's for me. If you follow me on Instagram you will see a smattering of all that I've been up to lately.  Trips to Richmond, VA to visit our youngest and then to dog sit for him, trip to Greenville, SC to see my inlaws finally (thanks pandemic for delaying it 2-1/2 years).  Within a 21 day period, I was home about a third of them mostly to do laundry and prepare to travel again. 

I thought it would calm down this week after I had to have some routine tests but then the Hubs(Dave), tested positive for Covid on Wed.  After 2-1/2 years of caring for Covid patients in the ER he now is the patient.  He's been in quarantine away from the rest of us and not feeling well at all.  Each day he seems a little better in one way and worse another.  So we're just taking it a day at a time.  We feel like on lockdown all over again and I guess we really are.  No one else has gone anywhere except to do curbside grocery pickups.

Even with all of that, I have been creating some here and there.  I actually took the most recent Spring Card Class at Online Card Classes with Jennifer McGuire.  I wasn't able to pull them into cards in time to share in the galleries so I'll be sharing them here and Instagram.  Below is one of them finished:

The technique for the background was to cut out the background and then ink up each separate piece in preferred colors and inlay them back into the die cut.  Next, take an embossing folder and run the whole die cut panel through.  Take a second die cut panel without the pieces and glue on top.  Easy peasy! 

For Following Challenges:

#298 - Father's Day - U.S. & U.K.

Card Supplies:

Sentiment stamp - Stamplorations

Neenah Solar White 110 lb

Inks - Midnight, Wintergreen, Apricot, Ginger, Seaglass - Catherine Pooler

Background die - Capture the Flag Cover Die by Catherine Pooler

Fish Dies - Fly Daddy Coordinating dies by Catherine Pooler

Thank you for visiting. I hope you return soon!

Belated Father's Day Blessings!