*Very Big Happy*

This "happy" die is the reason I prefer to shop in person for craft supplies.  Yes, the measurements were included in the description of the product, but it meant nothing to me at the time.  I received my parcel and in my world, that die is way too big.  I've had it for about 18 months and honestly, I hardly ever pull it out.  It's a great font, but it's just so freakin' big.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Granny Apple Green

*Patterned Paper:  Stampin' Up! Pattern Party

*Images:  Lawn Fawn Happy Happy Happy

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Hero Arts Birthday Script

*AAACards #192*

Happy Sunday, crafty friends!  It's time for a new challenge with the clean and simple team at AAACards!  For the next two weeks we are looking for your creations using only one corner of your card front with the added optional twist of childhood memories.  Be sure to share your creations with us HERE for your chance to be a guest designer in an upcoming challenge.

I was going to skip the childhood memories portion of this challenge, but instead I got to thinking of some fun things I could remember from being a kid....  and one that stood out to me was neopolitan ice cream with my Grama.  Now, as a kid, I hate the "pink ice cream" (or at least I thought I did) so Grama would always give me just the chocolate and vanilla.  And it wasn't often in a cone, but usually in one of her yellow melamine shallow bowls.  She'd add sprinkles to it for me.... and we'd get to use her old fashioned ice cream spoons to eat it.  The bowls she used were perfect because they were shallow and you could easily lick the bowl clean before asking for more!

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; scraps from my stash

*Patterned Paper:  My Favorite Things Dots & Strips Bright

*Dies:  Poppystamps Whittle Ice Cream

*Images:  Simon Says Stamp So Cool

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Etc:  foam adhesive; Be Creative double sided tape

*Puppy Love Blog Hop*

 Happy Friday crafty friends!  It's the first Friday of February, which means that the design team Scrap 'n Stamp Canada is HOPPING!  Our theme for February is "Puppy Love"....  

Be sure to visit each blog in the hop and leave a comment to increase your chances of winning a $50 gift certificate to Scrap 'n Stamp!  

I had fun with this one... still sort of clean and simple but with a little more detail than you're used to seeing from me.

Isn't it cute?!

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; gold sparkle

*Patterned Paper:  My Favorite Things Black & White Stripes
*Images:  My Favorite Things New Best Friend; Picket Fence Studios Part of the Pack

*Inks:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Versafine Claire Nocturne; Spectrum Noir Triblends in Dark Red, Brown Grey and Pale Pink

*Dies:  My Favorite Things New Best Friend; Lawn Fawn Hearts

*Tools:  Gemini Jr; Perfect Layers

Now it's time for you to hop along to see what the rest of the Scrap 'n Stamp design team has created for this fun hop!  Like I said, make sure to leave comments on each post along the way to increase your chances of winning a $50 gift certificate from Scrap 'n Stamp!

Tara

Kia

Nancy  <-- you are here!

Deborah

Chala

Susan

Jessica

*CASology #383*

It's Tuesday, so it must be time for another challenge with the team at CASology!  As you can see from the cue card, we want to see your clean and simple creations using the word "envelope" as your cue.  Share your card with us for your chance to be a guest designer for an upcoming challenge!  

Please go to the CASology blog to click on the links for the rest of the design team... and leave us a little love on our posts!  We always love to get comments!

I absolutely LOVE this new stamp set with matching dies and paper from Stampin' Up!  These snails are so super cute!  I fell in love with this little guy with the mustache so I used my Scan 'n Cut to cut him out of a piece of the patterned paper (as he doesn't come as a stamp).  I didn't love the sentiments with the set for my layout so I added one from a My Favorite Things set.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Real Red; vellum

*Patterned Paper:  Stampin' Up! Snailed It

*Images:  MFT Bitty Birthday

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Stampin' Up! Snailed It; Spellbinders Scalloped Circle

*Tools:  Big Shot

*Etc:  foam adhesive.

*Birthday Flowers*

I am constantly amazed at how fast time goes by.... here we are at the end of January already!  I don't mind when the cold winter months fly by, but it sure does suck with the spring and summer ones fly too!

I did a ombre look on these letters with a blending brush and ink and I'm really happy with how they look.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb

*Image:  MFT Essential Sentiments

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Catherine Pooler Garden Party

*Dies:  MFT Impact Alphabet

*Tools:  Big Shot; Taylored Expressions Blending Brushes

*Ebellishments:  Lawn Fawn Liquid Stardust; Prima Flowers; Stampin' Up! bling

*Layers Layers Layers*

I had fun putting this card together for you today....  I am on the Scrap 'n Stamp Canada blog with this card, following along with the Random Acts of Cardness prompt for today.  That prompt word is LAYERS.  And I went a little nuts with the layers.  Including the mats under each layer, there are 8 layers plus the card front!  Using a 6X6 patterned paper pack from My Favorite Things made it super easy to choose the papers for my layers.

At the end of the post I have a little surprise for you too!  I did a VIDEO to demonstrate how to use the We R Memory Keepers Layers Guides that I LOVE!  Most people don't understand the concept of these tools and I LOVE them and use them on almost every card I made.  I hope the video explains things for you.

But first, the card I created...  it's so totally not my clean and simple style but I sure do love it!

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White; Lawn Fawn Black Licorice

*Patterned Paper:  My Favorite Things Birthday Brights

*Images:  My Favorite Things All Smiles

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  My Favorite Things All Smiles

*Tools:  Big Shot; Layers Guides

*Etc:  foam adhesive; Be Creative Tape

And now, on to the video... please be kind as it's my first... and I have no idea how to edit a video (nor the time I think it would take to not only learn how but also to just do it) so this was all done in one take, mistakes and all LOL!  If you have any questions about the Layers Guides, let me know and I'll try to help!  These are truly the tool I reach for most on my craft desk!

In case you can't see the video (like it doesn't show up on my phone but shows up on my laptop), here is the link to YouTube...  

*AAACards #180*

Happy Sunday all!!  Here we are, just a few weeks before Christmas.  I still have a lot of Christmas cards to share with you... I hope you don't mind!  For the first time ever, all the Christmas cards I am sending out this year are individual designs.  I'm pretty excited by that!

For the month of December, there is only this one challenge with the team from AAACards.  We know that December is a busy time for so many of us so we are doing just one challenge.  For the next few weeks, we encourage you to share your clean and simple cards that are "made in minutes" with the optional theme of Christmas.  We know that the first design of a card never takes just minutes... we want a card that once it's designed would only take you minutes to recreate it.

Our sponsor for this challenge is STAMPlorations and our guest designer is Dena.

Be sure to link up your creation for your chance to win a prize from STAMPlorations and to be a guest designer in an upcoming challenge.

I absolutely fell in love with this card when I was finished it.  If I was going to make multiples of a card, this would be the one.  The hardest part would be the die cutting but since I used three different snowflakes, I could cut all three at once, cutting my die cut time in half.

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; silver and blue glitter

*Images:  Poppy Stamps Art Deco Christmas

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  MFT Stitched Rectangles; Impression Obsession Snowflakes

*Tools:  Gemini Jr; Misti

*Embellishments:  ribbon from my stash

*Etc:  foam adhesive

*Christmas Buable*

I fell in love with the Birch Press ornament dies that came out this year...  I ended up buying the basic set plus two other decorative sets....  I need more time in a day to play!  Although I can't complain as I am on track to have all of my Christmas cards individual designs this year... for the first time ever!  I sure hope I can pull it off!

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; silver and light blue glitter

*Images:  Simon Says Stamp Clean Line Christmas

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Birch Press Ornament Basics, Marisol Ornament Layer A

*Tools:  Gemini Jr

*Merry & Bright Snowflake*

I can't believe how fast the days are going by....  we are way more than half way through November already!  I'm on track with making Christmas cards I think, but I am way behind on shopping.  Not that I buy a lot...  a buy a few things for a few special people and my little family of four each draws a name and we each buy for one person in the family.  I need to get busy on some stocking ideas for my guys, though.  It's a lot hard with trying to avoid going out.

This card started out as a white on white card... but then I decided to throw in the red for a little "boom"...

Items Used:

• Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb
• Images:  MFT Merry & Bright
• Ink:  Gina K Cherry Red
• Dies:  Simon Says Stamp Marie Snowflake; MFT Phrase Builder
• Stencils:  MFT Snowfall
• Etc:  Brutus Monroe Alabaster Glitter Glaze

*Inlaid Die Cuts*

Happy Monday!!  I'm back with another post for the Scrap 'n Stamp design team... following along with the Random Acts of Cardness prompts, today I am sharing a card I created using inlaid die cuts.  This is a fun technique that leaves you with a smooth card front, perfect for mailing (instead of a bulky card that could get damaged in the mail).  

I started out with a white panel cut to 3 7/8 X 5 1/8" and I used Purple Tape to adhere my dies to the panel so that the dies wouldn't move.  I cut out the bow, the ornament top and the word JOY from this first panel and then decided to cut the extra "O" image with the star centre out of a scrap of white cardstock and some of the elements out of silver sparkle paper as well.  I thought I was being super smart and kept all the pieces from the die cutting.... I threw out two important pieces... can you tell what they were from this photo?

I used some Gina K ink and my Taylored Expressions blending brushes to create an ombre look to the letters... I started at the bottom of each letter so that area would be the darkest part of each letter.  

Once I had all of my pieces ready, I took a piece of printer paper and covered it with Sookwang double sided adhesive.  I love the sookwang because it is super sticky and I can tear it instead of cut it!  I then laid my card panel face down on my workspace and put the printer paper on it, with the sticky side against the cardstock.  This gives me an easy way to attach my inlaid elements without making a mess with glue.

I put in each of the pieces... and this is when I realized I threw out the insides of the bow cut from the white cardstock, so I had to cut that part of the die again.  

Once I had all of the pieces attached, I flipped the piece over and burnished it all down from the back, making sure all of my elements were well adhered.  I then used my We R Memory Keepers Layers Guide to create a perfect 1/16" mat around my card front and added it all to a white card base.

I can't wait to see what you create... be sure to share it on the Scrap 'n Stamp Facebook page!

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Gina K Blue Lagoon; silver sparkle

*Dies:  My Favorite Things Filled With Joy

*Ink:  Gina K Blue Lagoon

*Tools Gemini Jr; Taylored Expressions Blending Brushes

*Etc:  Be Creative Sookwang tape

*Be Merry*

Hi! In case you haven't realized it, I am at the stage where it will probably be all Christmas cards until sometime in December or January.  Christmas is truly my most favourite reason to make cards... and every year I say I won't buy anything new and every year I buy a lot of the new stuff.  It's all just so freakin' awesome!

For the card today, I CASEd a card I saw on Instagram... please go check out Hanh's cards as she has a great style!!  I saw her card, loved it and knew I wanted to make one like it.  I changed out the stamp but that's about it...  I think that this is one of my most favourite Christmas cards of 2020... I love the light blue and silver and if you've been here for a while, you know how much I LOVE snowmen!

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Hammermill Premium Color Copy Cover 100lb; Stampin' Up! Balmy Blue; silver mirror

*Images:  MFT Festive Friends

*Ink:  Gina K Amalgam; Copics; white Gelly Roll

*Dies:  MFT Festive Friends; Waffle Flower A2 Rectangles; Stampin' Up! layering oval; Impression Obsessions Snowflakes

*Tools:  Gemini Jr

*Etc:  foam tape

*AAACards #178*

I am back with another challenge with the design team at AAA Cards!  I love the clean and simple inspiration from the design team and everyone who plays along with us!  For the current challenge we have a credit to Funky Fossil Designs up for grab... for your chance to win, please share your Clean and Simple Card following the challenge!

As you can see from the graphics above, Challenge #178 is a sketch challenge with the optional twist of Primary Colours.  I strayed away from the optional twist for my card... and I made my card a rectangle instead of a square.  Check out how the rest of the Design Team interpreted the sketch... I love how everyone does it a little differently!

Items Used:

*Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; silver mirror cardstock

*Paper:  assorted glitter paper from my stash

*Images:  Hero Arts Off Beat Holiday Greetings

*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne

*Dies:  Impression Obesssion

*Tools:  Gemini Jr

*Celebrate Large*

I will admit that way way way back when, I wasn't a fan of using patterned papers on cards.  I thought it was a cheat, a copout...  you could make your own patterned papers with stamps, of course!  But now, I like patterned papers on my cards... 

This card using a quarter inch strip of Catherine Pooler patterned paper to add a little colour and fun to an otherwise monochromatic card.

Items Used:

• Cardstock:  Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Basic Black
• Patterned Paper:  Catherine Pooler
• Dies:  MFT Celebrate
• Tools:  Gemini Jr; Perfect Layers
• Embellishments:  Nuvo Aqua Shimmer pen

*Super Clean and Simple*

A lot of the cards I've posted lately haven't been super clean and simple.  They have been somewhat clean and simple for the most part and a few haven't even hit that radar.  I don't mind non clean and simple cards, but I really to gravitate to lots of white space and a simple design.  It's what floats my boat, so to speak!

So today I'm back to a truly clean and simple card... one image, two ink colours, a sentiment and a couple of embellishments.

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Neenah Solar White 100lb; Stampin' Up! Basic Black
*Images:  Taylored Expressions Simple Strips; Gina K Where Flowers Bloom and Mandala Maker
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Catherine Pooler Lime Rickey and Pink Champagne
*Dies: Taylored Expressions Simple Strips and Simple Strips Backer
*Embellishments:  Studio Katia Arctic Breeze Pearls
*Etc:  Gina K Connect Glue

*Means So Much*

More patterned paper... I was on a real kick one day while I was craft chatting on Zoom with some of my creative friends.  There might be more in the days to come LOL!  I think this card, while the entire front is covered, is somewhat clean and simple... certainly not by all guidelines, but I think it *could* be in some circles.  Certainly more clean and simple than some of the cards I've made in my career!

I wish I would have looked at the flowers better as I just started randomly colouring and then realized that I couldn't do some of the flowers that I should have because they had other colours already in them. 

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Neenah Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Lucky Limeade
*Patterned Paper:  Stampin' Up!
*Images:  Taylored Expressions Simple Strips
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturn; Copics
*Embellishments:  Black Pearls
*Tools:  Gemini Jr; Perfect Layers

*Sending Sunny Thoughts*

Usually when I create a card, I start with the design and then HOPE I can find either an image or a sentiment that goes with the card design.  It doesn't always work out for me (and I wish I hadn't downsized X set from my stash).  Thankfully I still have a lot of options to work with.... I grab out everything I think will work and since they are clear stamps I can put the stamp on top of the area I want it and figure out how it fits.  Sometimes is a sentiment set, sometimes it's a set with a bunch of images and sentiments... and sometimes an image is what is needed instead.  It's a lot of trial and error but I am thankful that most of my stamps are clear so I can play this game :-)

This card started with the stencilled background... first with ink and then covered with Nuvo Glimmer Paste (which I LOVE!).

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Neenah Solar White; Stampin' Up! Highland Heather
*Images:  Gina K Crazy Daisy
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Catherine Pooler It's A Boy, It's A Girl, Mint To Be, Limoncello
*Dies:  MFT Stitched Circles
*Stencil:  Gina K Mega Flower
*Embellishments:  Moonstone Nuvo Glimmer Paste; Stampin' Up! Enamel Dots
*Tools:  Perfect Layers; Gemini Jr; Life Changing Blending Brushes

*Happy Birthday Strips*

In an attempt to use up some old patterned paper, I made this card.  It doesn't use a lot, but at least it used some.  To make sure my strips were exact, I used a rectangle die instead of cutting it with my paper cutter.

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Neenah Solar White 110lb
*Patterned Paper:  MFT Bright Dots and Stripes
*Images:  Lawn Fawn Happy Happy Happy
*Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne
*Dies:  Lawn Fawn Happy Happy; MFT Stitched Rectangle; Waffle Flower A2 Layers
*Embellishments:  Stampin' Up! Glitter Enamel Dots

*Happy Mother's Day*

My Mom passed almost 10 years ago, but I still have a mother in law that I can make Mother's Day cards for...  So I put this one together for us to sign and send off to her...  There will be some other Mother's Day themed cards coming at some point as with Covid-19 I had several people ask if I could make cards for them to give to their moms... and of course I said YES!

To start, I took a heart die and made myself a mask for ink blending.  I then grabbed the new Fanciful Blossom stencil from Wild Whisper and blended a few colours through it.  I cut out the word "mom" and stamped on the rest of the sentiment before added a purple border and putting it all on a white card.

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Neenah Solar White 110lb; Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Grape
*Images:  MFT All About Mom
*Ink:  Gina K Wild Dandelion, Blue Raspberry, Lipstick; Versafine Clair Nocturne
*Dies:  MFT Mom; Hero Arts Infinity Hearts
*Tools:  Life Changing Blending Brushes; We R Memory Keepers Layers Guide
*Stencil:  Wild Whisper Fanciful Blossom
*Embellishments:  Nuvo Shimmer Pen

*Leaping Deer*

A quick and easy card for you today....  it started out as a full sized A2 card but it just didn't feel right... so I cut it down to 4.25" X 4.25" and voila!  I am using a rose gold mirror paper with this card... if only you could see how beautiful it is in person!  The background die is the Stampin' Up! Christmas layers cut out of white cardstock and the deer is Penny Black Reindeer Leaps.  I, of course, used my Perfect Layers tool to create that fabulous 1/16" border!

*Make Snow Angels*

I can not believe we are at the end of November already.  Life has truly flown by for me in the last 8 weeks or so.  I've been thrown a curve ball and I'm doing my best to roll with it.

On October 1st I saw my doctor with some discomfort I was feeling, October 2nd I had an ultrasound that showed a 12cm (4 3/4") mass on my left ovary.  Since then I've had some drs appointments, had surgery on October 25th to remove the mass and do a complete hysterectomy.  Sadly, tests confirmed that the mass is my colon cancer back again... Stage IV metastatic colon cancer to be exact.  On November 19th I met with my oncologist (the same one who treated me in 2017) and we formed a game plan.  On November 26th I had a port-o-cath inserted and on December 3rd I start my first round of Chemo.  I will be doing chemo in the hospital as well as taking it home with me for a few days and will be doing this every 2 weeks for 6 months.

I don't know what this will mean for my day to life, let alone card making.  I am busy scheduling posts for all of the cards I have done so far and will be here when I can to post some more.

I really and truly thought I had beaten colon cancer...  the only thing I know for sure is that colon cancer won't beat me!

So now that you're updated on my life at the moment, let's move on to the card.  I thought that sharing my news went well with this card as the sentiment is so much like "if life gives you lemons"... and I am doing my best to make lemonade (or snow angels).

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Neenah Solar Crest 110lb
*Inks:  Catherine Pooler Suede Shoes; Versafine Clair Nocturne
*Image:  Simon Says Stamp Frozen Fractals
*Tools:  Big Shot; Life Changing Blending Brushes; Pretty Pink Posh Whimsical Christmas Stencil
*Dies:  Simon Says Stamp Marie Snowflake
*Embellishments:  Nuvo Glimmer Paste in Moonstone