Spring Garden

Hi everyone.  It's great to be back in my studio again.  The past few weeks have been very hectic and it's nice to finally have a break and be able to play! :)

I made this card for this week's Muse Challenge (#54 - card by Therese Calvird).  I loved Therese's beautiful spring card and used similar colors and layout.  It's not very often that I have a colored card base, so this was a challenge for me! :)

I love this stamp set from SU! (Simply Soft) and have made many cards with it - I never get tired of these beautiful flowers.  I used the marker layering technique to color in the blooms so I'm entering this into the latest challenge at Addicted to Stamps & More - #82 - make your mark (use markers).  The sentiment is from a stamp set that I received as a gift from my good friend Debbie ... love this sentiment and perfect for so many occasions!

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Just a quick note about our family.  Last Sunday I held a baby shower in honor of my DGS Cooper.  It was such a fun afternoon and my cousin graciously took lots of photos.  Wanted to share a couple of sweet six-week-old Cooper and his beautiful parents. :)  The lighting was low so the pics are a bit on the blurry side.

Stamps:  Simply Soft (SU!); Fluttering By - sentiment (Verve)
Paper:  Pear Pizzazz, watercolor
Ink:  Staz-on Black, Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, Cajun Craze, Pretty in Pink, Raspberry Ripple, Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive (SU!)
Accessories & Tools:  blender pen, white gel pen

Challenges:
Muse #54 - Therese Calvird
ATS&M #82 - Make Your Mark

Copper Ornament

Hi everyone.  A second card for today - same layout and design as the first, just changing up the ornament to copper and a different shape.  Still having difficulty photographing this card and think it must have something to do with the aperture.  The ornament moves freely within the cut-out and so it's hard to get it to stay still :)  This is the best shot I could get ... and it looks like the ornament is sideways ... but it's not in real life.  Isn't photography fun??!! :)

Again, this card is for the current challenge at Festive Friday (FFC24).  Here's the photo inspiration ...

This time I used my heated copper (the colors are beautiful in real life ... copper, pink, orange) and the soft copper really takes well to being embossed.  I didn't have copper jump rings, so I used some copper wire and made my own jump ring with wire cutters and needle-nose pliers - pretty proud of myself :)

Again, I love how the ornament moves inside the cut-out.

The sketch this week from CAS(E) this sketch! (#63) is so fun and I know I'll be using it a lot!

And I'm also entering this into the current Addicted to Stamps and More - #81 - Anything Goes.

Stamps:  Traditional Christmas Sentiments - digital (Pink Petticoat)
Paper:  White (Neenah)
Accessories & Tools:  Big Shot, Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), ornament punch (SU!), Musical Flourish embossing folder (Cuttlebug), copper metal sheet .005 thickness (K&S Precision Metals), mini torch, copper wire, wire cutters, needle-nose pliers

Snowflake Ornament

Hi everyone.  Today's card is for the current challenge at Festive Friday (FFC24).  I love the inspiration photo and used it to create a snowflake ornament.  Here's the photo ...

I received a beautiful Christmas card last year from my friend Frances.  It was a card with the circle aperture on the front, filled with an round ornament stamped with a world map.  The sentiment was "peace on earth".  I thought it was so creative and I wanted to try to reproduce that beautiful design.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a good photo that shows the sparkle and shine of the snowflake ornament.  I glued three snowflakes together to make one thick die-cut, then I coated it with two layers of dazzling diamonds and finally a coat of crystal effects (glossy accents).  It's so sparkly and shiny in real life ... you'll have to take my word on that :)

I love how it hangs in the cut-out and has movement (another thing that makes it difficult to photograph) :)

I do love this layout and design and realized that it totally fits with the CAS(E) this sketch! (#63) from today - isn't that a happy accident! :)

I'm also entering this into the current Addicted to Stamps and More - #81 - Anything Goes.

Stamps:  Traditional Christmas Sentiments - digital (Pink Petticoat)
Paper:  White (Neenah)
Accessories & Tools:  Big Shot, Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Marianne snowflake die (Simon Says), dazzling diamonds, crystal effects, silver jump ring

Love You Valentine

Hi everyone.  Time for the latest challenge at Addicted to CAS.  Our host for this challenge is the amazingly talented Jaydee (Stampin' with Jaydee), and she chose this timely code word:

This challenge's sponsor is

Prize:  5 free digis
(please follow the rules to be eligible to win)

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Such a perfect word for this time of year ... so I made a Valentine's card for my sweet hubby, Gord.  It is also our 35th wedding anniversary in a few weeks, so the card could be for either occasion.

I used one of the techniques I learned in my recent stenciling class.  I die-cut a heart and used the negative space to create a 3-D heart on my card front by adding crackle embossing paste.  After it dried, I sponged the heart with red ink and then added lots and lots of Crystal Effect (Glossy Accents).  It's hard to see the detail in the picture above, so I'll include a close up.  The paper looks gray in the photo below ... I had to take it in shadows because the light pounces off the Crystal Effects and it was the only way to show the crackle finish.

I cut out the "love you" sentiment with my Cameo.  Definitely starting to use it more and more and learning lots along the way.

We also have a treat for you over at Addicted to CAS ... we have a new guest designer for February.  Please welcome Anni (Annikarten) to our team!  Anni has a wonderfully fun and creative style and I know you're going to be inspired by her cards.  Welcome Anni!

And there's another treat!  Michelle Lupton (Handmade by Michelle) has joined our Design Team.  You are going to love her creative style.  Welcome Michelle!

Just a reminder that the ATCAS challenge (#31 - code word:  Love) runs for two weeks, so you have lots of time to join in the fun !  Hope to see you in the gallery!

Paper:  White, Black

Ink:  Real Red

Accessories & Tools:  Big Shot, Heart die (Simon Says), crackle embossing paste (Dreamweaver), palette knife, sponge, Silhouette Cameo