Wildflower Bouquet

 I broke out another of my coloring calendar images for todays card.  I thought this had a different type of arrangement then you normally see.  I went with more nature in tone colors for my background papers so that I could use a little more colors for the arrangement. The big piece that I colored in browns made me think of a slice of wood so that is why I went with browns for that one, fussy cut it out.

• Coloring for calm 2017 calendar image - colored w/markers
• Crate Paper - Party day papers
• Spellbinders - Swirl Lattice Panel
• Stamps of life - minis4circles sentiment stamp
• Martha Stewart - tag punch
• gem

I hope you are enjoying the start to your weekend, we will be having a mix of sun and rain this weekend.

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

Connie

Vellum Flowers

 I have been wanting to make some vellum flowers so I stamped and embossed these flowers and leaves with white embossing powder. I had recently made some envelopes with these papers since there were many of the same style in the pack and I had these thin strips left over laying on my desk, I wondered if they would make a pretty background so I cut a piece of thin cardstock the size of my card front and started gluing them on, I thought it turned out pretty so I used that for my background and added a few gold and white sequins.

I stamped and embossed the sentiment on vellum too to keep with the theme of the card.

• Prickley Pear - Hibiscus 2 stamp, embossed white powder
• Gina Marie - Birthday words stamp
• scraps paper
• Sequins

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

Connie

Christmas in February

 I needed a few more Christmas cards so that I had enough for this month and I could not think of anything for our theme of Red and Turquoise in my stamp group until I remembered this card kit that came with a magazine, I made some cards from it last year when I needed some quick at the end.  They have the perfect colors for the challenge.

• Make Special cards - Issue 5 Xmas 2016, wreath and papers
• Spellbinders - Labels Eleven die
• ODBD - Mini tags die
• Nuvo - Crystal drops - Autumn Red for flower centers on wreath

• Spellbinders - Labels three die
• Nuvo Crystal glaze on berries

With this last one I decided to add a bit of gold to it. In this cardmaking set the have the already made toppers tags but they also have a stamp set and I stamped the holly and colored with markers to put on either side of the sentiment tag.

• PPD - Stitched Curvy Coved die
• Holly stamp colored w/markers
• Sequins

So far so good keeping up with the Christmas cards :)

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

Connie

Tree Sympathy

 Once again we have loss in our church, a man's Father has passed away, I went back to a design I have done in the past in which I add inks to my acrylic stamping block, mist with water and then apply that to the card.  It came out a little blotchy in areas so I took a wet paint brush and smoothed it out a bit. My Acrylic block has that wavy edge to it.

I die cut the tree twice to give it a little more dimension and added my stamped sentiment.

• Distress inks - Tumbled Glass and Peeled paint for background 
• Impression Obsession - Bare Tree die
• Taylored Expression - Care & Comfort stamp sentiment

We still have some lingering snow even though we have had rain and warm temperatures for two days but the sun has come out once again, and we have warmer temperatures.  I hope you are all well wherever you are!

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today and hope you have a great week ahead!

Connie

Bird in wreath

 For my card today I used another one of my coloring calendar images, this time I used pencils to color it.  After I was finished coloring I just came up blank trying to figure out how to put it on a card, I notice that I seem to do the same layout on most of my cards and so I went to a folder of saved card sketches I have to see what I could possible use and I came across this one, MoJo Sketch 339.

• Echo park - Fine and Dandy papers
• October Afternoon - 5&Dime papers
• Coloring for calm 2017 coloring calendar image, colored w/pencils
• Spellbinders - Daisy Flower topper
• Gems

I am so excited today we are supposed to reach temps in the 30's!! No more below freezing in the forecast for awhile and the sun is shinning, this is one happy girl!!

Hope you all enjoy a Fabulous weekend!

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

Connie

Trees with birds

 I am sorry to say that our Praise team leader at church has lost both his Grandparents a week apart, I had not gotten around to making him a sympathy card from the passing of his grandpa when we found out that his Grandmother on the other side of the family didn't look like she would make it much longer either, so I waited to find out if she would pull through before sending but she has passed too.

I just added some inks to my mat, spritzed some water and then dipped my paper into the mixture, I dry between each time to get this effect on the background.

• Impression Obsession - Trees with birds stamp set, embossed w/black powder
• Distress inks for background - Tumbled Glass and Faded Jeans
• The Greetery - Thinking of you sentiment stamp

We have had sun once again today so even though the temperature isn't above freezing there has been a little dripping of the icicles :)

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by!

Connie

Good Heart

 I told you awhile ago that Jill sent me a stamped image along with a card on how she used it.  She used pinks on hers so I went with coloring reds on mine. Sent it to my friend who moved away recently. The sentiment that I used fits her perfectly.  I added a punched border on either side of the stamped image. The paper is some stitched paper a card making friend sent me for my birthday last year.

• Northwoods Rubber stamps - 2012
• Tim Holtz - Small talk sticker sentiment
• Martha Stewart - Beaded Arcs border punch

Here is the sweet card Jill sent me, she did a larger size card, isn't that paper so cute and I love the border she used also, so pretty in pinks too!

As I write this we are getting more snow but that is supposed to be it for at least another week and it should start melting this weekend as we are supposed to go above freezing. After shoveling yesterday, the 7 1/2 inches we already have I am ready for spring to come :)

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

Connie

February Zoom meeting

 We did a few techniques at this zoom meeting the first I will show today was a new kind of folded card.

We were to have an image all ready to go in a certain size so it would fit in the center of the folds and I went with an oval shape for my bouquet of lilies.  I used two different patterns for the inside and outside of the card.  I believe the piece was 11 inches long by 4 1/4 and we scored the 11 inch side at 2, 7 and 9 inches.  After all the scoring we glued the paper onto the card stock base and then glued both the top and bottom of the oval to the front.

In the next picture you can see how it is folded so that it stands up by itself.  I later added the sentiment and the pearls to the opposite corner for more embellishing. I don't know if you can see it or not but I added glossy accents to the water in the vase.

Since I couldn't add my sentiment on the inside I glued a white piece of cardstock to the back and added it there.  I would like to figure out a way to use this but maybe have removable tape at the base and be able to write on the inside of the card, it is pretty design but not sure how much I would use it.

• Inkadinkado- Floral Inspiration stamp set, colored w/markers
• Spellbinders - Lacey Ovals dies
• Graphic 45 Botanical tea papers
• ODBD - Mini tag sentiments stamp
• Want 2 scrap - Say it with pearls
• Glossy Accents on the vase for water
• Spectrum sparkle pen - clear (stamens)

Hope your week is off to a good start, we had some snow last night and today we are supposed to get at least 6 inches more.  There is hope for next weekend though because we will finally be above freezing again!!!

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and say Hi,

Connie

Happy Valentine's Day

 Card I made for hubby. I first stamped my wood slice stamp onto kraft cardstock and then cut the two sizes of hearts from my die, did a bit of inking around the edges, cut some letters for our initials and the word love.  Popped up the hearts.  The paper was given to me by a cardmaking friend last year for my birthday, I added some ivy I had cut from my Silhouette Cameo machine.

• Picket Fence - Slice of wood stamp
• Spellbinders - Classic Hearts and A2 Distressed Edges dies
• Silhouette Cameo - Ivy  cut
• Die Versions - Love and alphabet dies

  Hope you all are enjoying your day, we are staying in where it is warm, just too cold out there!

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

Hugs,

Connie

Red & Turquoise Christmas

 In our stamp group the challenge for Christmas this month is to use a new stamp and the colors Red & Turquoise, I am pretty sure that I have never used this stamp set although it is an older one, I got it on sale.

Now the markers I used to color the ornaments are called Aqua so hopefully that is close enough :)

On two of the cards I had used the same Aqua colored marker to go around my images and then hubby came in and said he thought it would look better with a gray color, so I went with a gray/brown color.

The other two look like this

• Taylored Expressions - Wreath of Joy stamp set, colored w/markers
• Nuvo -Crystal Glaze

I added a touch of the crystal glaze on the ornaments. This stamp set has everything you see here, the wreath the holly, the cardinal and sentiment, I wish now that I would have arranged it all a little closer together, but that can be for next year, right :)

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today, hope you are all staying warm.

Connie

Garden Flowers

 For my last sympathy card I stamped onto a piece of pattern paper, by inking up my stamp using ink and my daubers (little sponge applicators).  It took a few times stamping to give good coverage. 

• Sassafras - Mix and mend paper
• Inkadinkado - Garden Flower stamp
• Lawn Fawn - Fancy Scalloped Rectangles die

After stamping the card I sprayed water onto the stamp to clean it and the ink puddled on the stamp and I thought I would see what it would look like if I stamped it and it gave a pretty watercolor look to it, but I lost some definition in the flowers, so I inked them again and stamped again. I also stamped some of the butterflies that were in the stamp set.  Since I am always in need of Birthday cards, that is what I turned this card into.  I used the same paper pack but this time used some scraps to make up the background.

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• Inkadinkado - Garden Flower stamp set
• Sassafras - Mix and mend papers
• Memory Box - Stitched Rectangles layer dies
• Splattering with brown ink
• Pearl Drops

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today, and letting me know you did :)

Connie

Sending thoughts

 There were three families who lost a family member in our church this past week and the first is a guy that lost his Dad.

I went with another piece of my tea stained paper and did a bit of stamping, and inking along the edges of the die cut that I used.

• Tim Holtz - Flights of Fancy stamped on tea stained card stock
• Spellbinders - A2 Distressed Edges die
• The Greetery - Thinking of you stamp set
• Queen & Co. - Gold Jellies

This next card I did for a lady who lost her sister, she has lost 2 family members in this past year.

I found these flower stickers at Hobby Lobby the other day and thought they were very pretty, I used some washi tape to border the paper.

• Paper Studio - Stickabilities 1813294
• Little B - Washi tape
• Nuvo Crystal drops - Pale gold

I have one more sympathy card yet to make and I certainly hope that is the last one for some time.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and say Hi, and hope everyone is staying warm, I heard on the news that most of the states will be below freezing soon, that is just crazy.

Connie

Thinking of you

 A little while back one of the girls in my Card making group asked us to make a card for her Aunt that was in a nursing home, she told us how special it all was for her Aunt to get so many cards, she said it made her birthday so special, well she recently passed away, and now my friend has to go to the home and get her belongings today, I wanted to let her know that my thoughts will be with her today as she has that to do all by herself.

I did a boo boo on this card, I cut out a separate die to stamp the sentiment and when I went to attach it to the card, I put it on the card upside down because I had already glued on the pattern paper and the flower die cut on top of that. As I was looking at it I didn't think it looked to bad, if you didn't know that wasn't supposed to be the other way with the square more at the top then the bottom it still worked so I went with it.

• Spellbinders - Tudor Rose Card front and Labels one dies
• The Greetery - Thinking of you sentiment stamp set

Just before her Aunt passed away another girl in our group had asked us to make a card for her Aunt in a nursing home, and after hearing how thankful the other girl was that we made her Aunt's birthday so special I just had to make a card for this girls Aunt.

I used a paper pack that had flowers and tags in the same pack so I went with that to make a very bright and hopefully cheerful card for her!

• My mind's eye - Quite Contrary paper pack, tags flowers and papers
• Pink Fresh - Classic Edgers die
• White Gel pen for details on the flowers

We only have another inch of snow from yesterdays snowfall. Tonight it is supposed to be freezing rain and snow mixed, glad I don't have to get out tomorrow.

Hope you are all staying well, thanks so much for taking the time to stop by,

Connie

Even Older

 I don't really know why I pick owls for cards with an old theme, maybe because of the saying older and wiser.  I just love the detail on these sticker birds.  The sentiment came from a sheet one of my cardmaking friends sent me in my Christmas card, I don't often do funny cards, probably because I am not good at them but thought this would work, can you tell I am still not sure but it is on it's way.

• Anna Griffin - Avian Collection stickers
• BasicGrey - Periphery paper
• Memory Box - Distressed Baptisia, Woodland Branches and Grove leaves dies
• Simon Says stamps - Sentiment strips Birthday sentiments
• Brad

Well the heating bill is going to be big this next month, it is COLD!!  Hope you all are staying warm that are getting these artic temperatures.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today and I hope your week is off to a great start!

Connie

Double Easel

 A little while back (for the life of me I can't find the post)  Jill had sent me a card and then the goodies to make one myself, she had mentioned that she and another lady do this as a surprise for one another every now and then and that I didn't have to do it she just thought she would share, I told her when I have free time I would like to do it.  I have so many that I send birthday cards to and then I send those unexpected get well, sympathy ect.  

Well I had caught up with all of that so I decided I would make her a double easel card and cut the same things out that I had used on her card so that she could make one for herself.  I have seen these double and even triple easel cards and so I wanted to figure out how I could make one using the dies I already have, and I wanted it to fit in an A2 size envelope.  I found these dies to give it a try, and it actually worked :)

Instead of me trying to explain how to do the fold I am sure if you google Easel cards you can figure it out.  I had done a regular easel card before so all it was I did was made two one smaller than the first and set them inside one another, a triple would be just adding a smaller one but like I said I wanted her to be able to send it in an A2 size envelope.

I popped up the sentiment tag so that it would easily hold up the 2nd easel.

I glued the flowers onto yellow paper and then added a little shading with my markers, and cut them out. 

• Spellbinders - Curved Rectangles die
• Graphic 45 - Le Cirque paper
• ODBD - Mini tags and mini tag sentiments stamp
• Tim Holtz - Sizzix - Crochet die
• Memory Box - Pennington Rose Blossoms die
• Martha Stewart - leaf punch
• Crafters Companion - White pearls

Here is how it looks closed.

The funny thing is that we must have been thinking about each other about the same time because she had sent me another sweet card and they had to have passed in the mail because we received each others pretty close together :)  So I will be sharing what I do with that one soon :)

We are supposed to get more snow tonight but only 1-3 inches so not too bad.  To all my East Coast friends I hope you stay safe through the next storm!

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by,

Connie

XOXOXO

 I can only share the card I made for my daughter before Valentines because hubby looks at my blog :)  I usually only do two every year.

I had bought a bag full all of all kinds goodies at my stamp stores yard sale and in that bag was a sheet of hearts that you could color, well I have had it for a few years and thought I would get it out and figure out what to do with them.

Colored a couple of them, applied them to cardstock that I die cut into an oval, layered that onto a scalloped oval from black cardstock to go with the black strip of paper I put down the center.  Added a few stickles for some shimmer. It all seemed a little bare so I added a few rub ons with hearts and XO's.

• Jot - Color me heart stickers, colored w/markers
• Spellbinders - Classic ovals and Lacey ovals dies
• BasicGrey - Picadilly Paper
• Colorbok - Rub on hearts and XO's

It's hard to believe we are almost to Valentines day.  Hope you all north and east of us stay warm over this weekend, sounds like it is going to be a very chilly weekend.

I would like to share my card today with

 Simon Says, Love is in the air challenge .

And Simon Says Love/Heart Challenge

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

Connie

Got Game

 I broke out this die once again for my great nephews birthday, if I keep this up they will all have had a card using this die.  This time I combined it with an embossing folder, which I sanded down the raised areas to reveal the white core.

I cut the main screen out of metallic paper and then cut the die again and trimmed out the screen to be black, the words looked much better against the black.  I used some metallic markers to color in the controls along with a white gel pen.  Finished with brads.

• Spellbinders - You've got game die
• Sizzix - Cracked Embossing folder, sanded
• Recollections - Brads

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

Connie

Miss you

 The two cards I made for the last zoom meeting we had went to two older ladies in our church that are staying home to be safe at this time and not coming to church.  These two cards are going to a couple gentlemen that are staying home from church also.  I made them all cards last year to let them know they are missed and I thought I should do that again.

I decided to stamp one layer cards on pattern paper, using them in a little different orientations. 

• Cardmaking and papercraft magazine - Summer meadows stamps w/grey inks
• Gemini - Dragonfly stamp
• Spectrum noir - clear sparkle pen on wings

• Cardmaking & papercraft magazine - Summer meadows stamp set w/brown ink
• My Favorite things - More Essential sentiments stamp

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

Connie

Caring thoughts

 I was looking through my stamps and dies for a butterfly and I couldn't find what I wanted so I went and looked through my coloring calendar images and found this pretty butterfly, and it was just the right size for the card I wanted to make.  I tried to use the colors that were in the paper I had picked out and I went to town coloring with pencils.

I tried using the glue with foil technique on this card before I did my nativity cards and I used bigger amounts of glue, still need to find just the right amount to use but it gave a little bit of shine to the background.  at the bottom of the paper they have a little collage and I added a button brad to it to give it some dimension as well as lifting the butterfly with foam tape. A little bit of sparkle pen added to the butterfly.

• Coloring for calm 2017 coloring calendar, color w/pencils
• Sassafras - Mix and mend papers
• Recollections - button brad
• Deco foil and glue
• The Greetery - Thinking of you stamp set
• Pink & Main - Sentiment strip die
• Spectrum Sparkle pen - clear

I hope your week is off to a good start, my daughter is out east and she said they have a lot of snow, but doesn't sound like anyone is without power so that is a good thing.

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

Connie