A Merry Hello

I am like a turtle with the Christmas card making so far this year. This is actually Christmas card #4. 

I stamped the images from the My Favorite Things Chill Holiday (retired) onto Copic friendly cardstock, cut out with the matching dies and colored with Copic markers. For the clean and simple background I cut a piece of white linen cardstock using a stitched edge die then cut an opening with the Rectangle Peek a Boo Window die and lined it with patterned paper. I stamped the sentiment below the opening using cherry kisses ink. The images were attached using foam dimensionals. 

Products: My Favorite Things stamps and dies, MFT dp, PTI cs, MFT dies, Altenew and The Stamp Market ink, Copic Markers

Copics: Penguins-W00, E81, R01, Y13, Y17, T1, T3, T5, T7; Stockings/Scarf/Hat-R21, R22, R24, G000, G00, G02, G07; Branch-YG01, YG23, E30, E31

I am submitting this to the Christmas Kickstart Challenge #89 - Animal Antics. 

It's so-o-o hot here. It feels better to work on "cold weather"projects.  

{The Cat's Pajamas} Otter Love

Otters are one of very favorite cutie patootie animals. Their sweet little faces and devotion to family make me smile. The Otterly Amazing digital set from The Cat's Pajamas personifies their cuteness. 

I went old school for this clean and simple card. I printed the waves onto sno cone cardstock and the otter, sun and sentiment onto copic friendly cardstock using Silhouette software. The waves piece was cut using an older Nestabilities die dam I the only one who has kept these?). After coloring the sun/cloud and otter images I colored with Copic markers, then fussy cut out. 

After dry embossing the kraft background, the image piece was attached. Lastly the small images and sentiment were attached with foam dimensionals. 

Products: The Cat's Pajamas digital stamps, MFT cs, Darice embossng folder, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Copic Markers

Copics: Otter-W00, E81, E40, E41, E42, E44, R20; Fish-YG01, YG25, YG17, W1; Cloud-BG70, BG10; Sun-Y02, Y13, Y15, Y35

Here is the product I used today:

Have a great rest of the week. I hope you can squeeze in some crafty time. 

Thinking of You at Christmas

Todays Christmas card was created for the Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge #32 to feature cute critters. It represents exactly Christmas card #3 for the year. Sad but true. Christmas in July was a total bust and August isn't looking that great either. And while I am confessing my lack of Christmas cheer, I didn't even mail Christmas cards last year. After months of cancer treatments for my husband and the stress that entailed for both of us, I just really didn't feel like it. 

The Penny Black Cuppa images were stamped onto Copic friendly cardstock, cut out with an MFT die and colored with Copic markers. I blended on antique linen distress ink along the edges then secured the image piece to the patterned paper background with a layer of craft foam. Since the main image took up most of the real estate I simply added a preprinted sentiment strip. I wrapped twine around the card front several times, ending in a bow and curling the ends. A heart shaped enamel piece finished it up for hopefully what looks like a masculine style card. 

Products: Penny Black stamp, Simon Says sentiment strip, MFT die, Hemptique twine,  Doodlebug enamel dot, Altenew ink, Copic Markers

Copics: Bear-E50, E51, E53, E55, R01, R02; Hedgehog-E40, E41, E30, E33, R01, R02; Cups-R21, R22, R24, YG01, YG25, YG17

Have a blessed day. 

A New Creation

Today's faith based card was created for Grace Klein here in Birmingham (@grace_klein_community). This is a wonderful faith based organization that has many charitable endeavors both locally and globally. Their goal is to give out 100,000 scripture based cards this year to be included with the food, clothing and school supply boxes, etc. They want cards in bundles of 25 which is daunting to our kind of card makers but my goal is to donate 100 cards by the end of the year. If you have any questions or want to join me, please send me an email or comment on this post and I will give you the details. 

This project is going a bit slower than before as we've had many family issues including a death and a long term hospitalization of another. Obviously family takes priority. 

I used the Fresh Blooms Layering Die from The Stamp Market to cut a flower from cardstock from my scrap folder. For the background I cut white linen cardstock using a die from The Greetery Nordic Frames dies, then backed with bright buttercup cardstock. The sentiment from the Stamp Simply Words of Encouragement set was stamped using pearfection ink. A few yellow pearls finished it up. 

This card represent cards #30 of my second bundle of 25.

I am submitting this to the Color Throwdown Challenge #805 with colors of red, yelllow and green and also to the Word Art Wednesday challenge of Anything Goes - Weeks #650-660.

Leaf It

Today's three faith based cards were created for Grace Klein here in Birmingham (@grace_klein_community). This is a wonderful faith based organization that has many charitable endeavors both locally and globally. Their goal is to give out 100,000 scripture based cards this year to be included with the food, clothing and school supply boxes, etc. They want cards in bundles of 25 which is daunting to our kind of card makers but my goal is to donate 100 cards by the end of the year. If you have any questions or want to join me, please send me an email or comment on this post and I will give you the details. 

I used the Concord & 9th Triple Set Stamp set to stamp the various elements using peacock, oceanside and grasshopper ink then cut out with the matching die. The sentiment from the Stamp Simply Words of Encouragement set was stamped onto a peacock cardstock panel using Versamark ink and white heat embossed. The stamped piece was attached with foam dimensionals and a few pearls from my stash finished it up.

Products: Stamp Simply stamps, Concord & 9th cs, MFT and Concord & 9th dies, Versamark and Concord & 9th ink

For the second card I just used the Triple-Step Autumn Leaf  Die set for a cardstock only leaf.  Although it was triple step I just two colors instead of stardust and tidepool. The small leaf clusters were stamped using stardust ink. The sentiment from the Stamp Simply Fear Not  set was stamped using Versamark ink onto a stardust oval then white heat embossed. Cording was tied around the leaf stem before attaching all the pieces to a tidepool cardstock panel.

Products: Stamp Simply stamps, Concord & 9th cs, Hemptique twine, Spellbinders, MFT and Concord & 9th dies, Versamark and Concord & 9th ink

For the last " leafy" card I first did some ink smooshing with mowed lawn distress ink and the Picket Fence Studios$ Trapezoid Stencil onto a stitched edge cardstock panel. The sentiment from the Stamp Simply Fear Not set was stamped using the same mowed lawn ink. The two leaves were cut from cardstock scraps using the Neat and Tangled Oak Leaf die (no longer in business). Twine and pearls from my stash finished it up. 

Products: Stamp Simply sentiment set, Hemptique twine, Picket Fence Studios stencil, Neat and Tangled and MFT dies, Ranger ink

These cards represent #27, #28 and #29 of my second bundle of 25.

I am submitting the first card to the the Word Art Wednesday challenge of Anything Goes - Weeks #650-660.

{The Cat's Pajamas} A Fin-tastic Day

We will get to fall, winter and Christmas but for now let's prolong summer as long as we can. 

The August The Cat's Pajamas release is in the shop now. And wow, are there some cute, cute images including the one I used today from the Be a Mermaid set. 

Using Silhouette Software I combined the FishFriend (mermaid) and the crab images, resized, then printed onto Copic friendly cardstock. After coloring the image with Copic markers, I fussy cut out. For the background I reprinted onto white cardstock for a guide as well as to print the circles and hair tendrils and cut the piece out with a stitched edge die. I first applied morning dew Nuvo Crystal drops to the circles for a bit of shine  then blended salvaged patina distress ink over around the images with the Nuvo drop acting as a mask so the "bubbles" remained white. The image was attached using foam dimensionals. The sentiment was cut using a older washi tape die and also blended with the same distress ink and attached with foam dimensionals. Pearls were added for the head band and a trio of larger ones in the "water" finished it up.

Products: The Cat's Pajamas digital stamps, MFT cs, KaiserPcraft pearls, Nuvo Crystal Drops, MFT dies, Ranger Distress ink

Copics: Skin-E0000, E000, E02, R20; Hair-BG11, BG13,BG15; Flipper/Halter-YG25, YG17, YG67; Crab/Flower-R20, R22, R27; Fish-W00, E81, T0, T3, YR00, YR02 

I hope your August is off to a great start! Here is the set I used today: