You're The Best, Sweet Friend!

Happy Wednesday crafty friends!  Today I'm sharing my card that requires just two dies sets and one stamp set!  I've used Honey Bee Stamps' new Bold Background: Chinoiserie with the older Big Time Kindness stamp set and Honey Cuts.

To make the coloring easier, I started by die cutting green and light coral colored cardstocks with the Bold Background: Chinoiserie dies.  Then I used a blending brush to add a coordinating green ink color to the layers for shading.  I used a couple of Copic markers to shade the flowers.  Don't forget to die cut the flowers two times each!

Next I referred to the Layering Guide while I used glue to adhere the layers.  Then I glued the piece to an A2 white cardstock card base.

For more detail and interest I added some pretty metallic Champagne Gold paint splatters and set it aside to dry.

I pulled out the Big Time Kindness stamp set, one of my favorite sentiment sets!  I stamped the sentiments with clear embossing ink and then added Princess Gold embossing powder.  I used my heat tool to set the powder.  I cut out the large sentiment with the coordinating Big Time Kindness die and used my paper trimmer for the other.

I added foam tape strips to the sentiments to adhere each one to the card.

I love this card with its sweet flowers and metallic sentiment!  Perfect for many occasions  to send to a friend!  Thanks so much for stopping by!  Stay crafty!

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Hello, Beautiful!! A Dramatic Heat Embossed Card

Hello, crafty friends!  Today I decided to go with a rich dark colored cardstock for a dramatic look to use as a background for Honey Bee Stamps beautiful Lovely Layers: Topiary.  I used their Always and Forever red rubber stamp to add a subtle heat embossed background!  Read on for the details!

First I chose a dark teal blue cardstock and placed an A2 size piece into my stamp positioner. I used an anti-static powder over the cardstock. Then I inked up the Always and Forever background stamp with clear embossing ink and stamped it onto the teal cardstock.

For this card I used some white satin pearl embossing powder. If you don't have that, a clear embossing powder would also be beautiful. After I poured the powder over the stamped image, I used my heat tool to set the powder.

After the panel had cooled off, I cut it out with the coordinating Always and Forever die. I found an ink that was about the same color and used a blender brush to darken the edges of the die cut piece. I glued this to an A2 sized panel of teal cardstock, and then to an A2 card base.

I die cut all of the pieces of the Lovely Layers: Topiary from white cardstock except for the top layer of the planter. I die cut that from a scrap of the same teal cardstock I used before. It was easy to use blender brushes and various ink colors to quickly color the layers of the topiary. I love how the bright yellow of the lemons and bow contrast with the green and teal!

The sentiment is one that is in the So Special stamp set. There are so many wonderful sentiments in the set, I had a hard time deciding which one I wanted to use. LOL. I cut the stamped sentiment out with the coordinating So Special die.

The topiary and the sentiment are all popped up with foam tape. I wanted that lift so the teal planter would not blend into the background so much.

There are several other dies in the Lovely Layers: Topiary for more options other than the lemons.  You can choose two more planters, a different style leafy topper along with pears, flowers, and oranges!  Be sure to check it out!  I hope you are having a wonderful week and I so appreciate you stopping by my blog!

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Wishing You An Adventurous Birthday - An Interactive Card

Hello crafty friends! Have you checked out the fabulous new Sunkissed Summer release by Honey Bee Stamps?  I love how there are several items for making cards for the guys! I struggle with masculine cards but not anymore. Today I'm sharing this fun interactive birthday card for our guys that features the Born To Fly and Aviator stamps. This was super easy and fun to make!  If you would like to see the card in action, check out my reel on Instagram!

Still photos don't show you that the two airplanes from the Born To Fly stamp set that I heat embossed in silver actually swing back and forth! I will have a reel posted to my Instagram soon today that will show it in motion.

First I make the background layer by stamping the Aviator background stamp with clear embossing ink onto 80# Neenah. Be sure to treat the cardstock with your anti-static powder first! Then I added white embossing powder and heat set it.

Next I used blender brushes to add Lucky Clover, Cracked Pistachio, and Twisted Citron Distress Oxide inks over the panel. I repeated the inking to get it blended just right. When I finished, I rubbed a clean paper towel over the embossing to remove the excess ink and restore the whiteness of the embossing.

I trimmed the piece to 4" x 5-¼" and glued it to an A2 card base.

Next I die cut two strips of white cardstock with the cloud die from the Horizon Slimline Borders die set. The shorter strip of clouds is about 1" tall and the wider one is 1-½". I glued the wide cloud strips to the card, one at the top and the other at the bottom of the card base.

Before proceeding, smoosh the Lucky Clover Distress Oxide ink pad onto your craft mat. Dilute with some water. Then use a paintbrush to add splatters onto the card base and cloud pieces.

I added foam dots to the back of one of the other cloud strips and adhered it over the other cloud layer at the bottom of the card.

To make the interactive part you will need two pieces of clear nylon string or fishing line, if you have that around the house. As mentioned above, I stamped and silver heat embossed two of the airplanes from the Born To Fly set. I cut them out with the coordinating Born To Fly dies.

To attach the airplanes to the nylon string, I placed the end on the back of the plane and secured it with foam tape pieces. NOTE: DO NOT remove the foam tape backing if you want the airplanes to swing! The smooth backing will help the planes glide over the card surface. Repeat for the other plane.

I adhered the top of the nylon string to the back of the upper cloud strip with foam dots. If you have extra string above the cloud, just trim it with your scissors. Remove the backing of the foam tape on the cloud strip to adhere to the card.

To finish I added a sentiment from the Plane Awesome stamp set that was die cut with the coordinating die.

Of course, you can totally simplify these steps by omitting the string and adhering the airplanes directly to the card. But I think the interactive aspect make for a fun surprise for the recipient!

I hope you have been inspired by my card today! Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a wonderful and crafty day!

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When The Roots Are Deep...

There is no reason to fear the wind!  Happy Friday crafty friends!  Today I'm sharing my second card featuring products from Spellbinders' Propagation Garden Collection.  This time I've added touches of gold and a dark cardstock for a more dramatic look!

The card base is A2 with a layer of Royal Amethyst cardstock first.  Then I embossed more cardstock with the Leafy 3D embossing folder and trimmed it to 4" x 5-¼".  Now, I've had these Distress Foundry Waxes for a while and haven't used them on a project until now!  I put several drops of the Gilded Foundry Wax on my glass surface.  Then I used my finger to dab it around the edges of the embossed cardstock.

The key to this product is after it's applied to the surface, you use your heat tool to set it.  The heat brings out the beautiful shine and sets it so it will not rub off.

I die cut pieces from the Laboratory Glassware and Propagated Plants sets with gold, white, Fern and Rainforest cardstocks.  After I assembled the pieces with glue, I added foam squares to the back to pop them up on the card.

I embossed the sentiment from the Propagation Garden Sentiments set with gold embossing powder and trimmed it into a rectangle.  I also popped it up on the card with foam squares.

Thank you for stopping by today!  I hope your weekend is a good one and filled with lots of crafty time!

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Thank You, You're The Best

Today I'm sharing my card featuring Picket Fence Studios new and so gorgeous Blooming Trumpet Flowers stamps and coordinating dies.

For the background I white heat embossed the individual flowers and leaves from the Blooming Trumpet Flowers stamp set.  Then I ink blended on Distress Oxide inks (colors in list below) in an ombre pattern.  I used a clean paper towel to lightly wipe the ink off of the embossing.  Then I glued it to an A2 card base.

Then I white heat embossed the large floral image in the Blooming Trumpet Flowers stamp set onto vellum.  I cut it out with the coordinating die.

Before I added anything else to the card front, I stamped the large flower on the inside of the card with Spun Sugar and Kitsch Flamingo Distress Oxide inks.

After I stamped in black ink and die cut the two sentiments from the Blooming Trumpet Flowers, I glued one on the inside of the card.

I glued together four layers of white cardstock die cut with the window die from the Basic Die Cutting Set 1 and then glued it to the card front.

Next I used tape runner to adhere the sentiment to the die cut vellum.  Then I glued Gradient Flat Back Pearls in Lime Green and Pale Pink here and there on the vellum floral.  Now I can add dots of glue behind the sentiment and pearls to adhere the vellum to the card.  No adhesives will show!

Check out my Instagram for the reel I posted today if you'd like to see more!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

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Thinking Of You -- Masking, Ink Blending, & Heat Embossing

Hello crafty friends!  Today I'm sharing my card that features Brass & Bliss Craft Co.'s new Silhouette Wildflowers set.  This card was quick and easy and all you need are inks and just that stamp set!

I really enjoyed this masking process!  I have all of the step-by-step details and photos over on the Brass & Bliss blog.

I die cut a circle from masking tape and positioned it along with two more strips of masking tape on my card front layer.  Then I used ink blending brushes to add the blue and green inks.

I removed the moon mask and carefully added dabs of gray ink for definition in the moon.  Before I removed the other masking tape strips, I added splatters of metallic white watercolor.

After I made sure the ink was completely dry, I treated the piece with my anti-static tool and then stamped the Silhouette Wildflowers image and sentiment from the set with black pigment ink.  Then I sprinkled on black embossing powder and heat set it.

I created a coordinating layer for the main layer by swiping Azure ink along the edges of white cardstock.

And that's it!  I love how this card turned out.  The sentiment is perfect to use for a card to send as a sympathy card or to someone going through a hard time.

Be sure to check out the seven other sentiments in beautiful fonts included in the Silhouette Wildflowers set.  Several occasions are covered for versatility in our card making!  Thanks so very much for stopping by today!

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Three Quick and Easy Last-Minute Holiday Cards

Hello crafty friends!  Today I am sharing three cards I made using the Rubbernecker Stamps' Pine Bough Background stamp!

If you would like to see the detailed instructions for making these cards, please head over to my post on the Rubbernecker blog!  I also have the Copic marker colors over there too.

I stamped two of the Pine Bough backgrounds with Color Fuse Basil ink and the other is gold heat embossed!  This first card was the quickest to make.  It's simple to make, but still quite beautiful! 

This next card took just a bit more time, but only because of the heat embossing.

My third card includes some simple coloring with a few Copic markers.  By keeping the shading to a minimum, it doesn't take too long at all!

I hope you've been inspired by my quick cards, and that you'll hop over to the Rubbernecker blog and say "Hi"!  Have a wonderful day!

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Autumn Card with the Grateful Gatherings Sets

Hello crafty friends! Today my autumn card features Honey Bee Stamps beautiful new Grateful Gatherings stamps and Honey Cuts.  These are part of the awesome Heartfelt Harvest release. You do know this was illustrated by our so very talented team mate, Kelly Taylor, right?  I'm so thrilled to get to create with such talented people!

First I partially embossed an A2 sized piece of Warm Kraft Stock with the Burlap 3D embossing folder. I just let about 1-½" of the panel hang out of the embossing folder while I ran it through my machine. Now, raise your hand if you still have one of those sanders by Tim Holtz! I don't know if those are still available, but there are his sanding disks in the Honey Bee shop.

The cool thing about this Kraft Stock paper is that the core of it is kraft color so that when you sand it, you will see the kraft! After I sanded it, I lightly used a blender brush to add Ground Espresso Distress Ink around the edges. Then I splattered on some red gold and yellow gold metallic paint. (I used removable tape to mask off the smooth area while sanding, inking and splattering.)

Next I used another piece of the Kraft Stock paper to stamp the wagon wheel and the sentiment from the Grateful Gatherings set with clear embossing ink. I added gold embossing powder and heat set it. Then I cut them out with the coordinating Honey Cuts.

I love the no-line coloring look, so I stamped one of the floral images from the Grateful Gatherings set with Bee Creative No Line Coloring ink. I used quite a few Copic markers (LOL!) and some Prismacolor pencils to color the image. I like to use colored pencils with Copic coloring to add in some detail lines and more depth to the shadow areas. You can use these colors and stamp it in black ink to get the same beautiful look. Here is a list of the colors I used.

• pumpkin: E15, YR18, YR15, YR13, E11, E18, PC944
• gourd: YG0000, G85, G28, YG63, YG61, PC908
• red flower: R59, R39, R29, Y00, E99, YR27, E09, PC1034, PC1095
• leaves near flower: G28, YG17, YG25, PC908
• yellow leaves: YR27, YR24, YR21, PC944
• wispy leaves: G28, YG17, YG23, PC911, PC908
• round leaves: YR21, PC946

Confession: I realized after I finished the coloring that I mistakenly colored two more petals for the top red flower that are actually leaves. It totally makes sense now that I "see" the leaves! Oh well, I still am happy with how it turned out. I cut it out with the coordinating die.

I adhered the wagon wheel to the back of the floral image with glue. Then I added foam tape to the back of it and the sentiment to pop them up on the card.

I added a few coordinating gem stickers from the Homestead Harvest Gem Stickers for a bit more sparkle!

I hope you've enjoyed my card making process and are inspired by something you've seen.  I'm very thankful that you've stopped by today!

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Hooray For Fall!

 Hello crafty friends!  Today my card features Rubbernecker Stamps Floral Wreath stamps, die, and layering stencils with an autumn look!  I created a spring themed card with the same sets--check it out on this blog post.

My card base is A2 sized and I topped that with a Nested Deckle Rectangle die cut from white cardstock.  I tapped a Versamark ink pad around the edges and added copper embossing powder and heat set it.  This makes a nice coordinating layer!

For the next layer I stamped the Fall Twig Background stamp with Versamark onto an orange piece of cardstock.  I added clear embossing powder and heat set it.  I trimmed it to 3-¾" x 5" and adhered it to the card.

The Floral Wreath is stamped with Versamark with copper embossing powder heat set onto it.  I used the coordinating Floral Wreath stencils and ink blending brushes to add some Color Fuse inks.  I used these colors:  Autumn, Amaretto (#1); Apricot, Pumpkin (#2); Grass, Juniper (#11).  I cut the wreath out with the coordinating die.

The sentiment from the Autumn Harvest set is also heat embossed with gold embossing powder.  I made it look like a sign hanging in the wreath with jute twine knotted through two holes I punched on the corners of the sentiment.  I tied a double bow from the twine for the top.  I used a small glue dot to adhere it.

I'm so happy that our temps here have begun to trend down and that fall is almost here!!  Thank you for stopping by.  Have a wonderful and crafty day!

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Simon Says STAMPtember® 2023 Blog Party!!

Woohoo!!!  Simon Says Stamps' STAMPtember® Blog Party is here!!!   Do you know what STAMPtember® is?  Here is a description from Simon Says Stamp's blog:

We kick off this special, month-long celebration with a GIANT Simon Says Stamp brand release on the 1st! These exclusive products are not limited edition; all of the Simon branded products released on STAMPtember® 1st (like all Simon branded releases) become a part of the Simon catalog and are restocked as needed.

All STAMPtember® long exclusive collaboration stamp sets (many with coordinating dies) will be unveiled—designed by your favorite brands! These special sets are limited edition and only available while supplies last, so if you love it you’ll want to make sure to order it right away! Each collaboration set release date is a secret. This is what makes STAMPtember® so fun—every day is like a new present to unwrap!

You can read about even more here:  STAMPtember® Did You Know?

Next, continue reading until the end because I have an exclusive offer Simon gave me to share with you!  There are many different promotions being offered on the blog's of the designers in this Party today, so be sure to go to as many as you can and find the offer that works best for you!

My card that I'm sharing today is a cute, not spooky, Halloween card!  This features Simon's new Trick or Treat stamp set.  Be sure to check it out because there are several more images in this set that I did not use!

I heat embossed the spider and sentiment with black embossing powder.  I cut them out with my detail scissors.

For the background, I did repeat stamping of the cat.  I used my MISTI to stamp one cat with clear embossing ink.  I heat embossed black embossing powder on that one.  Then I stamped the other cats and embossed them with pink sparkle embossing powder.

I added a black mat layer to the embossed panel and adhere them to an A2 card base.  Then I added foam tape to the back of the sentiment and spider to adhere them to the card.  I tied a string of twine for the spider's web for a touch of fun!

If you would like to stock up on several new goodies from STAMPtember®, or just want other items, this is the coupon code for you!  (Be sure to follow the directions on this image.)  Just click the image to head over to Simon's shop!

Thank you so much for stopping by!  Be sure to head back over to the Simon Says Stamp blog to check out the links in the blog party for lots more awesome inspiration and other shopping codes.

I really appreciate you using my affiliate links to shop (never any additional cost to you)!