Memorial Day

 This little guy is today remembering all those who have given their lives for our country. We are so thankful for all they have done to keep our land free.  May God bless their families as they have had to live without their loved ones.

I used more goodies given to me, the star is from a pack my sister gave me a long time ago and the border is from Esther's goodies she sent me :)  

• Paperbilities - Add ons (star die cut)
• Bazzill - Brad
• Tim Holtz - Dog talk stamp and die, colored w/markers

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

Connie

do what you love

 I think we need to be reminded every now and then in our busy lives to take out time and do what we love.

I brought out my border embossing folder today, that is where it started, I wanted it embossed on this patterned paper, can you believe I put it in the embossing folder backwards so that the embossed side was on the white, I found just the piece I wanted and trimmed it down to fit in the embossing folder, so I decided to try flipping it over and embossing again and see how it looked and I didn't think it looked bad at all, in the close up picture you can see both embossing but when I added ink to the embossed side I thought it worked ok, now what to put with it. I have been wanting to use my wood slices more and I found the mushroom in an ephemera pack and added one of my stamped wrens to it.

• Recollections - Tall grass embossing folder, inked with gathered twigs distress ink on patterned paper
• The Greetery - Wood Slices die and Wren & Robin stamp and die
• Tim Holtz - Field Notes Ephemera and small talk sentiment
• DCWV - Tattered time papers

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

Connie

Space and bling

 The Let's Squash it Challenge for this month is Space and bling, use an embossing folder that has open space on it and some bling.  Well when I was going through the goodies that people have sent me I came across this embossed piece and it has open space and she had embossed it from shimmer cardstock, I thought it would be perfect.

The folder had 3 butterflies on it but they just didn't seem to stand out enough for me, so I stamped and die cut the big butterfly and I punched out the two smaller butterflies, and I don't know if pearls are considered bling but I added them to the butterfly bodies.

• Embossing folder - unknown
• Gemini - butterfly stamp and die
• Martha Stewart - Butterfly punches
• Pearls

You can see a little better in the close up the shimmer the cardstock had to it.

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

Connie

Plants for you

 I just had to play more with my market basket dies, this time I added the liners that come with the die set using patterned papers.  I used copper and gold metallic papers this time for the wire portion.

Used some ivy's and ferns to fill the baskets, I already had these dies.

• The Greetery - Market Basket dies
• Spellbinders - Ivy and fern dies
• Paper Studio - Kirby Teesdale paper and Gray Gemstones
• Tim Holtz - Metallic collection card stock and Crochet die
• Fiskars - Essential sayings sentiment stamp
• Martha Stewart - Butterfly punch

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

Connie

Tie dye

 We had our zoom meeting once again through my stamp group and we used coffee filters with inks to make a tie dye look.  We crunched up the filter so it was in a straight line and then added three different inks to it using a baby wipe, you want to use dye ink pads. When you are done adding the inks, you unfold it and it gives you this tie dye look.  We glued that onto cardstock then cut it up and use parts on the strip at the top and the base.

We were to add some stamped images to the top and I had these flowers already stamped and added some punched leaves to go with them. You fold down the top flap and glue it to the base after added your ribbon or floss as I used.

• Coffee Filters, scrunched adding distress inks with baby wipe
• Gemini - Perfect Posy stamps and dies
• Martha Stewart - leaf punch
• Floss
• Hero Arts - Fabulous birthday sentiment stamp
• Hot off the press - Life Happens sentiment for inside

The insert comes out of the pocket to reveal the inside sentiment.

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

Connie

March Challenge

 I know you are probably thinking does she know what month it is :)  I started these cards back in March just before I had my foot surgery, well by the time I could get back to making cards I was in a rush to get Birthday cards made and mailed out in time, I am still very close right now in getting them made but I had a couple days before I needed to get  started on my June cards, that is one of my busiest months, I know a lot of people born in June. So I took some time to bring out the goodies and get to putting the cards together.

This set is from a cardmaking magazine. The fireplace is an embossing folder that I embossed, fussy cut out and then colored w/markers. It came with a stocking die which I used on one of them and a stocking stamp that I used on the other two. The candle, wood and fire are other stamps in the set and the sentiment stamp which I used white embossing powder to add to a die to make it look like a framed piece on the wall.

Oh I forgot to mention our challenge for March was to use stockings on our card.

On this last one I used a wreath above the fireplace instead of a frame. The bow stamp was also in this set and I just stamped it on patterned paper.

• Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine issue 174 - Fireplace embossing folder, stamp stockings, wood, fire, candle and bow , colored w/markers
• Taylored Expressions - Door to Door decor (wreath die)

I already have something in mind for our April challenge so hopefully I can get to that soon and get caught up on my Christmas cards.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Connie

Fancy Shoe

 I am trying to do more organizing, it seems to be a nonstop thing for me, I have it one way and then decide that isn't quite working for me so I try something new.  Through my stamp and cardmaking groups and sweet blog friends I have over time received a lot of goodies to play with, and they are everywhere in my room, under different categories.  I thought it would be good to have them all in one place and to challenge myself to use them at least once a month.  I decided to go with one that I have had for many years, it isn't quite my style I guess so I didn't use it but the lady this is going to I hope she does.

The paper pack I chose to use with it also had a sheet of these tags inside so I used one for the framing of the shoe that I fussy cut and one to stamp my sentiment on.

• Stamp image unknown, colored w/markers
• DCWV - The Primrose paper
• ODBD - Mini tag sentiment stamp
• Pearl drops

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

Connie

Yellow Finch

 When I was going through my stamps I came across this one that I don't think I have ever used, and it was with all my other bird stamps.  It came with a die to cut it out too :)

I colored one this one and wasn't so sure about it, so I stamped another and liked that one more, the next day I came to make the one into a card and ended up liking the first one I colored too, so I made them both into cards :)

• Cottage Cutz - Yellow finch w/cone flowers stamp and die, colored w/markers
• Hot off the press - 4 Lacy rectangles frame die
• My mind's eye - Lost & Found paper
• Recollections - Bling on a roll
• Simon Says stamps - Tiny words birthday stamp
• Pink & Main - Sentiment strip die

Sharing this card in the Inspiration Station Challenge blog music sheet

The second I was going to just mount onto white cardstock but I wanted a light blue behind and remembered my mulberry papers, I like the soft touch it gave behind it.

• Cottage Cutz - Yellow finch w/cone flowers stamp and die, colored w/markers
• Spellbinders - Noble Rectangle and A2 matting basics B dies
• Graphic 45 - Botanical tea paper
• Paper Studio - Mulberry paper and Flower gems
• Hero Arts - Birthday message stamp
• EK Success - circle punch

I think this just proves if you don't like something you made one day, leave it and come back to it, you might just find you like it after all :)

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

Connie

Flowers and butterflies

 I think I needed a little more pressure to get the embossed flowers on the corners, so I hope you can see them well.  The butterflies were cut from 3 different shades of yellow card stock.

• Poppystamps - Clara Corner die
• Memory Box - Leavenworth Butterfly trio dies
• Hot off the press - Life Happens Greetings stamp
• Mark Richards - Gems

I am sharing todays card with the Poppystamps Challenge 

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

Connie

Market Basket

 Oh my goodness, when I saw this market baskets die from the Greetery I just knew I had to get it, I have not seen anything like it and I just loved the look.  I have been wanting the die that I framed it with too but kept putting it off because I felt I had plenty of rectangle dies but it just ended up in my cart :) She was having a sale so that justified it :)

Added a stamped bird from the Greetery also but didn't have any spring flowers from them so had to go with another die for that, I cut it out of water color paper and water colored them.  Added a little shiplap to the bottom to ground the scene!

• The Greetery - Market baskets, Shiplap and Crimped Frames dies, Robin & Wren stamp and die
• Memory Box - Bella Bouquet, water colored w/ Spectrum Aqua and Zig clean markers
• ODBD - Mini tag sentiment stamp

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

Connie

Live your dream

 I decided to go through my dies and see what I haven't used in a long time and came across this one. If you are stuck for what card to make for someone, challenge yourself to use something that hasn't been used in awhile.

• Memory Box - Debutante Frame and Orchard tree frame dies
• RubberNecker stamps - Wide Terracotta pot die
• D.R.S. design - Easy Grass background stamp
• Taylored Expression - Flower box sprigs dies and Birch tree accents die (cardinal)
• Tim Holtz - TH93193 Small talk sentiment
• Stickles - Warn Lipstick

I colored everything with markers except the flowers and sprigs that were cut from pattern paper and cardstock.

I would like to share this post with the Dies R Us Challenge blog using Memory Box dies

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

Connie

Daffodils

 When I saw the Double D Challenge I just had to use another of the stamps from the Magazine I had bought, this bouquet is quite large so I went with a 5x7 card this time. I colored with pencils this time around and fussy cut it out. The challenge this month was to use their pictures for inspiration, there are all kinds of flowers to pick from.

• Crafts Beautiful magazine - March 2021 - stamp, colored w/pencils
• Spellbinders - 5x7 Elegant Labels 4 and Peony dies
• Papercraft Inspiration magazine - Greetings stamp
• Queen & co. - Yellow sunshine pearls
• Clear gems

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

Connie

Blooming good day

 I had the cross-stitch already made, and I thought it might be a cute idea for my friend to just add a little bit of repositionable tape on the back so that she can take it off and use it as a book mark.  I really should have made a bigger size card so that I could use a bit of ribbon on it but I had to mail it so I left the ribbon off. The tag and cross-stitch pattern are from My favorite things so I went through my stamps from them and found this little girl and thought it would go with the cross-stitch perfectly :)

I popped the girl and the sentiment up with some foam tape so that the sun could sit behind.

• My Favorite things - Cross-stitch tag die and pattern, Blooming good day stamp, colored w/markers
• Poppystamps - Stitched Landscape die
• DCWV - Crafty stack paper
• Spellbinders - Lg. classic inverted scallop circle die

I hope your whole weekend is a blooming good one!

Thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know you did :)

Connie

Hyacinth

 I am once again using a stamp from the Magazine I picked up at Barnes and Nobles.  I colored it with markers and was going to do a clean card with just the stamp but then decided to cut one of the edges with a fancy die and add some patterned paper peeking out.

• Crafts Beautiful Magazine - March 2021 stamp set, colored w/markers
• Pink Fresh - Classic Edgers die
• Stamped sentiment unknown
• Gems

Foot update - Went to the doctor yesterday, he said I am good to start wearing my own shoes, told him I tried to do my New Balance shoes but I had a lot of pain in my incision area, and he said just because the outside is healed doesn't mean the inside is fully healed yet so I need to take this slow, I do have a pair of sandals that strap on so I am able to start off with them, if I experience any pain I am to go back to the boot, so praying no pain and the sandals will work until I can fit in my regular shoes.

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

Connie

For You

 My niece called me the other day and asked how do I store my stickers, she really loves crafting and has collected many stickers and needed some tips on how to organize and store them.  Now hubby will tell you I have a crazy organization of my craft room but he soon found out when I had my foot surgery that I knew where everything was I wanted to use :)

The next day after our talk I went and started looking through all my stickers and decided to just pick one and use it on the next card I needed to send out, and this is the one I grabbed, for all of you not knowing where to start on card making that is one way of doing it.  

I didn't like how small the tag was so I cut another tag out of patterned paper and added the sticker to that one and added a button brad to it, tying it in with the background I picked to frame it. I added a few butterfly stickers to the background, kind of hard to see with the busy background.

• Miss Elizabeths - Scrapbook stickers (tag)
• Gemini - Loving tags die
• October Afternoon - 5 & Dime paper
• Spellbinders - A2 Devine Eloquence die
• Recollections - button brad
• Hot off the press - Mix ems butterfly stickers

The sticker is 3-D with the butterfly and stamp popped up.

Hope your week is off to a good start, we had a lovely day yesterday, we went to park yesterday, I didn't do too much walking but hubby brought along a chair and stool for me and I sat in the warm sun and enjoyed being outside!

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

Connie

Celebrate

 When Birgit sent me this image I knew exactly who it would be going to, my great nephew loves animals, and here was a whole bunch of them to celebrate his birthday with him.  I colored them with markers, added the stamp sentiment and die cuts of confetti.

• Mama Elephant - Dog's woof stamp, colored w/markers
• Paper Smooches - Happy Birthday stamp
• Taylored Expressions - Confetti die

I am adding my card today to the Time out challenge blog , their challenge is to use pets on your card.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today and I hope you enjoy a lovely Sunday!

Connie