Flower pot

First of all I would like to ask those of you that use Bloglovin to get your email updates on those that have commented on your blog are you having any trouble getting email updates?  I have not received any updates on comments on my blog for 3 days now.  I have looked all through and can't see a place to let them know or get any answers.  I have looked and it is checked that I am to get email notifications.  My hubby suggested that I unsubscribe and redo it and I have and that didn't seem to help any.  I appreciate any tips you could give me on this matter :)

This all started with my napkin background.  I fellow cardmaker from my group sent me some beautiful napkins that she had found on her trip to Russia and I had been hoarding them, but I decided to send her a card using one of them.  There are different techniques out there to add napkins to your cardstock, I have in the past used Mod podge to adhere it to my cardstock but this time I just applied a thin coat of glue stick to my cardstock base, added the napkin and then used my brayer to make sure it was stuck very well.  I didn't add anything on top like when I do the mod podge method I would add another layer on top to seal it.  I like that matte look this gave to it.

After I looked at the background for a while I thought it would make a nice background for an outdoor themed card, and since my mind is on flowers this time of year I went with making a potted arrangement.  I first took yellow cardstock and applied distress inks to give it a clay pot feel. I wrapped the pot around my glue bottle to give it a bit of an arch to round it out, added  foam tape to the middle of the pot to keep it rounded and added wet glue to just the sides of the pot to adhere them down.

I am not sure if the picture above shows the dimension very well or not.  I made the flowers using the small tattered floral dies, using my mat and a styles to give the flowers more dimension by shaping them.  That pretty butterfly with it was from another fellow cardmaker who sent me a whole bunch of sweet butterflies.  The  grass was made with my border punch.

Spellbinders - Flower pot die
Distress inks - Rusty hinge and gathered twigs for pot onto yellow cardstock
Sizzix- Small Tattered florals die on patterned paper
Fiskars - Grass punch inked with mowed lawn distress inks onto green cardstock
Distress inks - Shading around edges Antique linen & walnut stain
Stickles - Cinnamon, yellow and Champagne
Butterfly

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today!!

Connie

Flutterbye

Using more of the Hunkydory images for my card today, both the round circle and the wavy border and paper are from the kit.  I added some Mulberry paper behind to give a bit of softness to the image. I took a brush with water and went in a square then tore the paper to give it the torn edge.

Hunkydory - Flutterbye Wishes kit, image, sentiment, border and paper
Paper Studio - Mulberry paper
Brads

Hope the start to your week is going well.  We are enjoying having the kids home and our grand furbabies.  I had their cat on my lap for a couple of hours this afternoon and some play time with our grand dog, so nice to have pets in the house again :)

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Connie

Special Day

I went a little bigger with this card, it measured 4 3/4 x 6 1/2.  I also used two stamps out of this set.  I tried to google the name of the set but could not find it, and I just couldn't see it on the packaging but there was a number so I will post that below.  Once again I used mostly the Daniel Smith sample water color paints for this but added a little of my Spectrum Auqa pens.

Precious Marieke - PMCS 10011 Flowery Collection stamps, watercolored
Stamped with Dusty Concord Distress ink
Spellbinders - Timeless Rectangle die
DCWV - Old World Stack paper
Penny Black - Sprinkles and smiles sentiment stamp
EK Success - Sparkle stickers (under sentiment)

Hope your enjoying a nice weekend, we didn't end up getting the rain they had forecast earlier in the week so that is nice, it is HOT and Humid we are getting close to a record high.

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Connie

Quick card

There are those times when you just need or want to get a quick card out in the mail, and that day was for me last week, I decided to use a piece of paper I had cut for just that occasion that I felt didn't need much of anything else.  All I did was stamp a sentiment and I was done.  For those that stop by and don't have a lot of card making supplies, you could easily find some fun papers that all is needed is a simple sentiment that could be hand written.

I am sorry I never wrote down which paper pack this came from, I have a few from different packs that I cut up one day and have on hand for just a time as this.  I am thinking it may have been from a DCWV pack because the paper is a little thicker and it has a lot of glitter on it.

The stamp is from Whimsy Stamps - Simple sentiments set

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend as we honor those men and women that fought for our freedom!!

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today!!

Connie

Twofer Challenge - Butterflies

I really need to get to these challenges a little sooner, I feel like I am hitting them just under the wire. The challenge at the Twofer Card Challenge blog this month is butterflies.  You have to use one stamp in two different ways and for different themed cards.  I would say probably 90% of my cards are Birthday but my great niece is also graduating from High School, so the blue one will go to her and the other one to my girlfriend for her birthday.

My first is a birthday card, I started off thinking I was going to make a wreath with my butterflies but I don't know that it actually turned out that way, but it frames the sentiment :)

Verve Stamps - Butterfly grace (butterfly)
Inkadinkado - Nature stamp set (flowers)
Stampendous - Leaf stamp
EK Success - Corner punch
Raspberry Road designs - Love lives here paper
Paper Smooches - Happy Birthday sentiment stamp
Martha Stewart - Leaf punch
Store bought flower
Lace
Nuvo - Autumn Red
Stickles - Fruit punch

This time I Stamped in blue and colored in the butterflies with yellow, adding some wink of stella clear pen to them.  Cut the leaf stem twice and layered.The sentiment has been popped up with foam tape.

Verve stamps - butterfly grace, colored w/markers and Wink of stella clear pen
Spellbinders - A2 matting basics A die
Memory Box - Fresh Foliage die
My Favorite things - Label maker sentiment stamp

You have until May 24 th to do this challenge.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and let me know you have,

Connie

Scribble flowers

Another lucky find at the Local stamp store sale, this stamp is mounted on wood. I was thinking of coloring directly on the stamp and then stamping but instead I went with water coloring after stamping using my Spectrum Aqua markers, by applying them to my acrylic stamp mount and then using a water brush to pick up the color, I ended with a little clear sparkle pen.

After it was dry I mounted it onto brown cardstock and the wrapped it all in twine and threaded it through my tag to attach it.  The added gems were a find at the stamp store in Missouri.

Stampendous - Flower Field stamp, colored w/Spectrum Aqua markers and Clear sparkle pen
Crate paper - DIY shop paper
Memory Box - Stitched Rectangle Layers die
Spellbinders - Back to Basics Tags die
American Crafts - Twine
Stamps of life - Minis 4 circles sentiment stamp set
Pawsitively Pawsome Designs - Diamond Dazzlers

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop in today and I wish you a fabulous week to come,

Connie

One of my peeps

When I saw this stamp at the yard sale at my local stamp store I just had to get it and for $3 I couldn't pass it up :)  I made a little mistake on the last chick, I think I was getting excited I was almost done coloring and I actually was liking how it was turning out and I grabbed the same color I had used on the hat of the previous chick on the body of the last, OH NO!! after seeing that chick had a drink in her hand I thought well maybe that will be funny, and my girlfriend got a kick out of it :)

I added clear sparkle to their glasses and to the drink in the last one. Border die to add a little interest to the border of the image and the button has one whole through the center so I threaded the ribbon through and tied a knot to keep it in place.

Stampingbella - One of my peeps, colored w/Spectrum markers
Spectrum clear sparkle pen on glasses
Lilybeedesign - head over heels paper
Poppystamps - Tailored stitches die
Offray ribbon
Flower button

We are getting a lot of rain today already, my lettuce is loving it :)

Is there anybody who is watching the Royal wedding tomorrrow, I have always been a big fan of the history of the Royal family.  I think I will be taping the early activities though.

Hope you all enjoy a great weekend! Thanks so much for taking time to stop by and say Hi,

Connie

Butterfly collage

I did a little cheating here because the background paper has done most of the collage look for me.  I colored the butterfly from my coloring daily calendar, stamped my sentiment on a panel and then to go with the collage feel of the paper I added the sentiment with a piece of washi tape.  The details on this butterfly are so tiny I wondered how I was going to get into all those little spaces and then I looked over and saw my cup of sharpies that I use when I sign the inside of my cards and decided to go with those.  I bought my set at Walmart, so it goes to show you don't need fancy pens to create :)

Color for calm daily calendar - Butterfly image, colored w/ Ultra fine Sharpies
Sassafras- Mix and Mend paper
Whimsy Stamps - Simple sentiments stamp
Paper Studio - Washi tape

We are getting a break from some rain today, so it is time to tackle the front yard again, the grass has really taken and off and grows so fast. It will be another good exercise day :)

Hope you are doing well this week and thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Country Angel

I am challenging myself to find ways to use the stamps I was given by Connie at least once a month, and here I used the angel and the star border :)

D.O.T.S. - country doll angel stamp, colored w/spectrum markers
Hero Arts - Star Patch border stamp, colored w/markers
Lily Bee Designs - Head over heels paper
Memory Box - Stitched Circle layers die
Spellbinders - Blossom die

Thanks so much for stopping by and wishing you a wonderful week ahead!

Connie

Flowers

I have had this mirror card for awhile but just didn't know how I wanted to use it, then I saw the DIES R US Flower challenge and thought I could cut a flower die from it, this is a bigger die so I went with a 5x7 card this time.  Just a heads up if you get liquid glue on your mirror card is almost impossible to get off. I used a glue removal eraser my fingernails and it just didn't all want to come off, I think I will use my double sided tape next time.  I layered the flower die twice and then popped up the flowers with foam tape.

I am also linking this with Cropstop May Link party #39 anything goes.

 It was so hard to take a picture and get the effect of the mirror on the die but in person it is so pretty.

Memory Box - Bella Bouquet, cut twice
Tonic Studio - Rose Platinum Mirror Card
Spellbinders - 5x7 Elegant Labels 4 die
Stamps of Life - Minis 4 circles sentiment stamp
Martha Stewart - tag punch

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, especially all the Mother's out there.  I will not be with my daughter but she is coming to visit the end of the month, I have not seen her in a year and I am over excited!! All of our parents have passed now, it seems so weird not to have any of them living anymore.

Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to say HI,

Connie

Keep Climbing

A friend at church lost his sister unexpectedly, and I wanted to do a calming card and he also loves the outdoors.  I took this stamp and to make it go the whole length of the card I stamped again on the sides with just the tree portions of the stamp, all with Grey ink.  Sponged in the sky and then matted it onto black paper and added it to some pattern paper that looked like sky to me.

Our Daily Bread design- Keep Climbing stamped Multiple times to extend the scene
Home made cloud stencil for sky
Ms. Sparkle & co. - Watercolor Pad
Taylored Expressions - Care & Comfort II sentiment stamp

It is so funny that we were below normal temps for so long, had about a week of nice temps and now we are above normal and will be reaching 90's on the weekend, talk about topsy turvy weather. 
But I am all excited that my Romaine Lettuce is coming up, hoping it won't wilt in this heat.

Thanks so much for taking the time out to stop by today and say Hi, Love hearing from you!

Connie

Tiger Lily

Over at A blog Named Hero they are doing a "Put a Flower on it" Challenge.  This was great timing as I had just picked up this stamp set at my Local stamp store.  I didn't have any lily stamps and I do like the look of layering stamps.  There are no leaves in the set so I added some die cut leaves.

Hero Arts - Color Layering Tiger Lily stamp set
Distress inks for the flowers - Scattered Straw, carved pumpkin and Black soot
Spellbinder - Carnation creation (leaves) and Romantic Rectangle dies -- Special Birthday sentiments stamp
BasicGrey - Picadilly paper (black background)
Ms. Sparkle & co. - Watercolor paper (yellow)
Dew drops

Our lilies have not bloomed yet but we have ones that look like these, love the detail in this set.

Hope your week is off to a great start,
Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by,

Connie

What she said

Oh my goodness when I saw this set at my stamp store I thought isn't that too cute.  It has these two characters holding signs and then along with it they give you all kinds of sayings you can put into their signs, I just had to have it :)  They have he said too, so you can make them either gender you want.  This was going to my teen great niece, so I went with girls :)

I just had to make a scene with these two. This hat is also in the set along dies.

Mama Elephant - Dos Amigos stamp set, colored w/markers
WeRmemory keepers- Anthologie paper
Spellbinders - A2 matting basics A die
Memory Box - Wrought iron fence, Bare Sapling and Grove Leaves dies

Thanks so much for taking the time to drop by today!!

Connie

New Markers/ Park part 2

Can you believe I made a card and had no one in mind!  I just bought these markers and I had to try them out and instead of trying to figure out who I could make a card for using them I just decided to make a card and have it on hand, that is just so weird for me, I know there are a lot of cardmakers that have a stash of cards on hand but I usually don't have time to make extra's it's all I can do to keep up with birthdays and anything that happens to pop up in between that needs a card.

These are the new Spectrum Noir Metallic Markers.  Although they can be used on white paper I just think they pop the best on darker colors and especially black.  I brought out an embossing folder with a bit of a scene so I could use multiple markers and started coloring all the embossed areas. I really love how it turned out and they have like a brush end and a smaller nib on the other side to get into even tighter spaces.

Since I wanted to keep with the metallic theme I cut the sentiment tag base out of metallic papers and I colored my white brad with the marker I used on the flowers so they would match the card.
Next I would like to see how they color on a stamped image.

Cuttlebug - Stylized Flower embossing folder
Spectrum Noir - Metallic markers
Spellbinders - Back to Basics Tag die
Impression Obsession - Sentiments II stamp set
DCWV - Metallic papers (tag)
Brads - colored w/same markers

The following pictures are from the same park as my last post just another trail in the park. This one was a bit harder for me to navigate.  I just went back to my foot doctor last week and had X-Rays of my foot and he told me that my foot has gotten worse and that he would refer me to a surgeon that would  have to break, reset the bones in my feet and I wouldn't be able to put any weight on my foot at all for quite some time and he said he knows how much I like to be outside and walk and such so he suggested that I have the surgery during the winter months.  I told him I was going to wait and see if the new inserts he wants to try will help any, not ready to go through all of that right now. So all that being said I understand more why now it is so hard for me to navigate on uneven surfaces.

I loved the textures and colors in the rocks on this trail and they were right next to the trail so you could get some great pics of them, and lets just say I took plenty of pictures of them, I could have some real cool backgrounds with them, LOL!

There were two falls on this trail but this second one is harder to see it is in the middle of this picture.

Do you see the rocks in the middle of the stream there, that is what I had to cross over to continue on the trail, that was the best place to cross over that had enough rocks for me to walk on.

From here to the end we had a better trail to walk on, this is turning back and looking back where we came from.

 A touch of purple coming out on the trees :)

The following pictures were after coming out from the trails and just walking down the stream in the park.

You can tell I was happy to see any type of flower I took pictures of anything I saw :)  The stream was so pretty and clear.

Hope you all are enjoying spring where you are!
Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by again today, have a Fantastic weekend!

Connie

Masculine/ Park Part 1

This card first started out for a teen great niece that is kind of a tomboy, by the time I was halfway through I said no this is not going to work, so instead it went to my great nephew who I believe turned 2 this year.

Used my typewriter keys die for the sentiment and country stitches die to give a little something to the panels coming down. For some reason adding a bit of metal to it felt like it made it more masculine, so I added them to either side of the birthday stamp.

Memory Box - Contour Typewriter keys and country stitches dies
My Favorite things - Label Maker sentiment stamp
Ki - Bronze Metal Accents

Have you ever started a card for one person and then it ended up being better for someone else?

I thought I would share some of our trip to Ferne Cylffe State park in Illinois.  My hubby has come a few times by himself but this was the first time I tagged along.  It is a little more rough then I like to do but we got me through it.  We had heard with all the water this spring that the falls had water running over them, my hubby said it has always been dry every time he has gone so we thought we would see if it looks like the pictures on the web site.  Well there was some water going over but nothing like they showed on the web site.

I think everywhere I go I manage to find a weird looking tree and this had to be it on this trail :)  Next time I will try and post the other trail, we took to a smaller set of falls. 

My computer is starting to act up so hubby wants to go looking for a newer one for me before this one crashes.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie